Event festivities begin at 9 a.m. on Feb. 14, with the plunge into frigid Spec Pond scheduled for 11 a.m.

WILBRAHAM — 'Tis the season to take an invigorating dip into a frigid New England pond to shock the heart and warm the soul.

For such seeming foolery isn't mere folly, but "freezin' for a reason," as so-called polar plungers like to say. And on Feb. 14, Valentines Day, Wilbraham's Spec Pond will serve as the setting for the second annual Massachusetts Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge to benefit the Special Olympics of Massachusetts.

Plungers will brave the icy waters of the Boston Road pond to raise money and awareness for the commonwealth's special athletes. Registration can be done on the day of the event, which begins at 9 a.m., or online at LETRpolarplunge.kintera.org.

All proceeds go directly to the Special Olympics of Massachusetts.

The day begins with registration, face-painting, a bake sale, and a raffle that includes such prizes as laptop computers, big-screen TVs, gas grills and more. Prizes also will be awarded in different categories for the event's top fundraisers.

Chris Kellog, host of the Kellog Krew morning show on 94.7FM WMAS, will serve as master of ceremonies and supply music. And because the big dip coincides with Valentines Day, a justice of the peace will be on hand to give plungers an opportunity to renew their vows – or "take the plunge before the plunge."

Speaking of plunging, participants will enter icy Spec Pond at 11 a.m. Afterward, there will be free hamburgers and hot dogs for all participants. Food will also be available for a "minimal fee" for members of the public who don't take the plunge, according to organizers.

Major sponsors of this year's event include the Law Enforcement Torch Run program, 94.7 FM WMAS, Country Bank, Walmart, the Hampden County Sheriff's Department, and the Wilbraham Police Department.

Wilbraham isn't the only community holding a polar plunge on Valentines Day. Similar events are scheduled for Lake Massapoag in Sharon and Lake Onota in Pittsfield.

Competition for bragging rights for best snow sculpture design, at the high school's Winter Carnival on Saturday, Jan. 31, is expected to fierce

WARE — With more snow adding to the generous pile already fallen, combined with cold temperatures, competition for bragging rights for best snow sculpture design, at Ware High School's Winter Carnival on Saturday is expected to be fierce.

There are rules in place to ensure the competitors – the freshmen, sophomore, junior and senior classes – play fair.

"If any team is found sabotaging an opponent's sculpture, that team will be disqualified," the rules state. "Sculptures will be judged on creativity, theme, and class representation."

There will be a pie-eating contest, with 10 students from each grade competing to see who can wolf them down quickest. And there will be an outdoors tug-of-war. Inside events include volleyball, dodgeball and basketball.

The Ware Parent Teacher Student Spirit Association has organized a window decorating contest that begins promptly at 9 a.m. The artistry must be completed by 2 p.m.

The WPTSSA is providing supplies for that and a table decorating contest.

Other events include T-shirt design, a video contest and a treasure hunt.

"At the end of the winter carnival, the total points earned by each class will be added together. The class with the highest number of points will be declared the winners," according to the rules.

The fun day of competition will be capped off with a high school dance on Saturday evening when the winning class will be announced.

The outage affected most people between 11 a.m. and noon.

HOLYOKE -- About 1,000 customers were affected by a power outage for less than an hour Friday (Jan. 30) on the west side of Northampton Street, an official said.

Five customers remain without power but should have electricity restored by 7 p.m. Friday, said James M. Lavelle, manager of the Holyoke Gas and Electric Department.

The outage occurred about 11 a.m. and most power was back by noon. Customers affected were on the west side of Northampton Street between Whiting Farms Road and Sargeant Street, he said.

The cause was a failed switch that serves a power line damaged during the snowstorm Tuesday. A switch is a device along the power distribution system that allows for connections to occur. An example is that if a branch falls on a power line knocking out service, a switch can be flipped to ensure power flows from another feed, he said.

"We are in the process of replacing the switch," Lavelle said.

The Public Works budget for snow and ice cleanup, initially $1.6 million, had dipped below $200,000.

SPRINGFIELD - The City Council voted Friday to give the Department of Public Works permission to spend beyond its $1.6 million snow and ice budget, as the account was nearing depletion due to multiple storms and icy conditions this winter.

Public Works Director Christopher Cignoli said the account had dipped below $200,000 in the aftermath of storms, icy conditions and winter storm Juno this week, and that the department was also faced with the forecast of another snowstorm on Monday.

The vote was 8-0 in favor of permitting the department to deficit-spent, as permitted by state law when approved by the mayor and City Council.

Cignoli praised the approval, saying it gives the department the ability to provide the level of road plowing, sanding and salting needed in Springfield.

"This is not just carte blanche to start spending money all of a sudden," Cignoli said. "We look at every storm, and every dollar figure and make sure we coordinate with the Finance Department as we move forward."

Council President Michael Fenton said councilors were very pleased with the latest cleanup, and needed to ensure that funding was there for continued efforts.

Cignoli said the cost of cleaning up this week's storm was $366,000 including payroll and overtime, materials including sand and salt, and hired plows. A prior estimate of $240,000 just referred to the cost of the private contractors for plowing, he said.

Councilor Timothy Allen questioned if the city should budget more than $1.6 million each year for snow removal. Cignoli said the city does often exceed that winter budget, but that it is an area where cities and towns are allowed by law to deficit spend, allowing some budget flexibility when winters conditions vary year to year.

The auction of the house drew just one bid, but city officials said the student project helped remove a blight from the neighborhood and return the house to the tax rolls.

SPRINGFIELD — City officials praised students from the Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy on Friday, saying their extensive work to renovate a blighted, tax-foreclosed house at 162 Tyler St., in Old Hill, has resulted in its sale and return to the tax rolls.

"I think the Putnam kids did a great job and got some valuable experience," City Treasurer-Tax Collector Stephen J. Lonergan said. "The person buying it got a completely remodeled house. The city gets the house owner-occupied, and it helps the neighborhood. It's definitely a win for all sides."

An auction on Thursday at the house drew just one bidder, Christian Alberto Palma of Springfield, who purchased the house for $35,000, the minimum bid required by the city, officials said.

The $35,000 is sufficient to cover the cost of all materials and non-student labor, said Amber Gould, senior program manager for the city's Office of Housing.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno joined in praising the project, saying "the students benefit from the hands on experience," while the neighborhood benefits from having a home fully restored, and set to be occupied and maintained.

The project provided work for many students in the carpentry, sheet metal, electrical, heating-venting-air conditioning, and horticulture programs, officials said.

Putnam business student Casey La Croix served as the emcee for the auction, reading the terms and conditions of the auction, and introducing Lonergan as the auctioneer.

Gould said the terms of the sale include that the buyer must live in the home for at least five years.

The work included: framing and finishing an addition to the rear of the property; installation of a new roof; new sheet rock, counters, cabinets, flooring, exterior siding, masonry, and woodworking; installation of a new front porch and rear deck, re-wiring; a new heating-air conditioning system, new gutters and downspots; and landscaping.

The students worked closely with teachers and professional workers throughout the project, officials said.

"The city was happy to collaborate with Putnam for this project and we look forward to more projects like it in the future," Gould said. "This type of project allows students to get hands-on training and at the same time benefit the community."

As a result of the students' efforts, "this property is no longer a blight to the neighborhood, is returned to the City of Springfield tax rolls, and the students developed skills that will benefit their future careers," Gould said.

Photographs show scenes of animals, plants and landscapes around the Quabbin Reservoir and in Maine.

HOLYOKE -- Its paws on a perch and feet down on the snow, ears pointing up like traffic cones, an image of a red fox is captured as it looks at something to the left, out of the frame of a photograph by Belchertown's Les Campbell near the Quabbin Reservoir.

An exhibit of the wildlife, plant and landscape photographs of Campbell and Elaine Darr-Morton -- "From Our Yards: Natural Landscapes" -- will open Sunday (Feb. 1) with a reception to meet the photographers from 2 to 4 p.m. at Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., a press release said.

Admission is $3.

The exhibit will be on view through March 30 at Wistariahurst, with the gallery open Saturday, Sunday and Monday from noon to 4 p.m., the press release said.

Campbell and Darr-Morton operate the Sky Meadow Gallery in Belchertown. The photographs in the exhibit from Campbell show scenes around the Quabbin Reservoir, which is northeast of Belchertown, and the photos of Darr-Morton show the coast of Maine, as her home overlooks Frenchman's Bay with Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park's Mount Cadillac in the background, the press release said.

For information contact Wistariahurst at (413) 322 5660.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's decision to not run for president in 2016 struck some by surprise, but his potential opponents appeared pleased with the move.

BOSTON -- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's decision to not run for president in 2016 struck some by surprise, but his potential opponents appeared pleased with the move.

Many of Romney's top rivals took to social media to issue comments about the former governor.

Had a great conversation w/ @MittRomney. He's a good man. Thanked him for his interest in opening the door for fresh leadership in America.

— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) January 30, 2015

I wish Mitt and Ann nothing but the best and I am certain they will enjoy their time with family! God bless.

— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) January 30, 2015

My family & I wish Mitt & Ann the best. We have gotten to know them over the last few years & deeply respect their family & Mitt's service.

— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) January 30, 2015

I hope to work together with Mitt to grow our party and lead our country forward.

— Senator Rand Paul (@SenRandPaul) January 30, 2015

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, seen by many as one of the younger Republicans to potentially run for president, said that it still bothers him that Romney lost to Obama in 2012.

"Over the past two years, there hasn't been a day when I didn't think that Mitt Romney would have been a better president than Barack Obama. Over the years, I've enjoyed getting to know Mitt and campaigning for him, was grateful for his support in my Senate race, and I know what a difficult decision this must be given his love of our country. He certainly earned the right to consider running, so I deeply respect his decision to give the next generation a chance to lead. I wish him, Ann and his entire family the best and hope he will continue to serve our country and his community as he's done throughout his life," said Rubio in a statement.

Caregivers and administrators at the Holyoke Soldiers Home led a pre-Super Bowl pep rally for residents on Friday.

HOLYOKE — Caregivers and administrators at the Holyoke Soldiers Home led a pre-Super Bowl XLIX pep rally for residents on Friday.

The New England Patriots will meet the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday for the National Football League championship.

The staff of the state-run veterans home, some of whom have been working there for more than 30 years, was honored for their service. Maggie Feyre, recreation director, and Robin Rodowicz, LPN, were both awarded the Commonwealth's Performance Recognition Award.

The official mascot of the University of Massachusetts, Sam the Minuteman, joined the celebration with Holyoke Soldiers Home Superintendent Paul Barabani and Deputy Superintendent John Paradis.

Morey Walker is a former Conway Finance Committee member who works as a consultant in the insurance industry.

GREENFIELD -- Mayor William Martin, elected in 2009 as Greenfield's second mayor, will have at least one challenger in the November election.

Patty Morey Walker has declared her candidacy for Greenfield mayor. LinkedIn Photo 

Patty Morey Walker has declared her candidacy for the post with a new Facebook page and a press statement. She plans to kick off her campaign Friday, Feb. 6, at the Greenfield Town Common from 5-6 p.m.

Morey Walker, a former Conway Finance Committee member, says in her statement that she lives on High Street with her partner Kate Gariepy Hunter, a Greenfield native, and their teenaged children.

Morey Walker has worked as a "Solutions Engineer and Independent Consultant managing technology products" in the insurance claims field, and was former head of the Worker's Compensation Department for the City of Boston under former Mayor Thomas Menino, she says on her Facebook candidate's page.

According to her LinkedIn profile, Morey Walker currently works with Castle Bay Consulting.

The candidate further states she was Franklin County coordinator for the Maura Healey for Attorney General campaign.

"With experience in both the private and public sector, Patty hopes to couple her passion for Greenfield with her strong management, leadership, and budget management experience as she formally announces her candidacy for Mayor of Greenfield," says Morey Walker.

According to Stephanie Slysz, Communications Director for the Committee to Elect Patty Morey Walker, more information will be released about the candidate at her Feb. 6 event.

Massachusetts tax collections are expected to grow 4.8 percent in fiscal year 2016, under an agreement announced Friday.

By GINTAUTAS DUMCIUS

BOSTON — State tax collections are expected to grow 4.8 percent in fiscal year 2016, under an agreement announced Friday.

Gov. Charlie Baker's top finance aide and the budget chiefs in the House and Senate said they anticipate revenues hitting $25.479 billion in the fiscal year that starts July 1. Capital gains taxes are expected to provide $1.387 billion to the overall revenue haul.

The officials also agreed to a 3.6 percent rate of potential gross state product growth for calendar year 2016, a figure that will be used to set up a health care cost benchmark.
Administration and Finance Secretary Kristen Lepore, House Ways and Means chair Brian Dempsey (D-Haverhill) and Senate Ways and Means Chair Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) will use the number to build their fiscal 2016 budget recommendations.

Legislative leaders and Lepore also agreed on high-dollar appropriations for transportation, school building, and the state pension system that will sweep hundreds of millions of dollars off the table for budget discussion purposes before Baker even files his fiscal 2016 budget proposal. Baker's proposal is due in early March.

The governor has been focused on developing a fix anticipated early next week for an estimated $765 million deficit in the fiscal 2015 budget. The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation projected tax revenues for fiscal year 2015 would come in $95 million above the revised consensus revenue estimate, a 4.4 percent increase for the year.

The fiscal 2016 revenue projection also includes a $300 million deposit in the state's rainy day fund, a $1.97 billion transfer to the state pension fund, $985.2 million for the MBTA, $803.9 million for the Massachusetts School Building Authority, and $22.4 million for a workforce training fund.

The transfers and the $300 million for the rainy day fund puts the maximum amount of available tax revenue for other agencies and priorities in the fiscal 2016 budget at $21.4 billion.

The agreement factors in a drop in the state's personal income tax to 5.10 percent from 5.15 percent in January 2016 - mid-way through the fiscal year - due to economic triggersestablished under a 2002 law. An income tax reduction that took effect this January was not factored into revenue estimates for this fiscal year, and accounts for $70 million of the projected deficit.

During a Jan. 22 hearing on consensus revenue, Lepore and legislators from the House and Senate took testimony from economic experts who predicted "modest" tax revenue growth next fiscal year, but not the type of strong rebound the state has seen after previous recessions.

On Friday, Lepore said the revenue estimate is an indication the state's economy is "growing at a consistent pace."

"However, consistent revenue growth is only one half of the equation and it must be paired with realistic spending growth," Lepore said in a statement.

Lepore and legislative leaders were also charged with developing a projection for gross state product growth, which will later be used by an independent agency focused on the health care market, the Health Policy Commission, to set a benchmark for health care cost growth.

According to the Executive Office of Administration and Finance, the potential gross state product reflects the "full employment" output of the state's economy and long-term economic trends.

The figure announced on Friday was 3.6 percent, the same as the estimated gross state product rate in calendar years 2015 and 2014.

The video, which shows a driver delighting in burying people's vehicles under snow, was uploaded to the humorous Facebook page, Massachusetts Memes.

SOMEWHERE IN MASSACHUSETTS — Ever wonder what it's like to hit the snow-covered streets of Massachusetts from behind the wheel of a snowplow?

Well, the video below, titled "How to Plow Like a Masshole," gives a plowman's-eye view of a contract driver who goes by the name "Dogg" and reportedly works in the Lowell area.

The video was uploaded Thursday to the Facebook page Massachusetts Memes, which includes videos – most of them rather colorful – from around the state. And since it's winter, many of the recent uploads have a winter-weather theme to them.

In this roughly minute-long clip, Dogg is heard chortling as he deposits walls of snow onto parked cars, some of which may be in violation of municipal parking bans.

"You wanna find ya cah, you come see me. I'll let you know where it is – maybe!" he says, unleashing a sinister laugh.

Dogg apparently delights in burying people's cars. "See you later," he says, making a vehicle disappear under a blanket of snow. "You won't find that (f-----) thing till spring. He-he, haaaaa!"

WARNING: Foul language alert, even though the swear words are bleeped out:

All five groups will be invited to address the commission at its next meeting on Feb. 5.

BOSTON -- The competition for Massachusetts' final casino license, reserved for the state's southeast region, is slowly coming into focus, as state regulators announced on Friday that Mass Gaming & Entertainment had met the application deadline.

The company, an affiliate of Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming, joins New York-based KG Urban Enterprises, as potential rivals for the license.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission said Friday that it also is evaluating application extension requests from Somerset On The Move, Crossroads Massachusetts and the Seafan Trust. All five groups will be invited to address the commission at its next meeting on Feb. 5.

Applicants were to submit by Friday detailed financial information about key players and investors in their projects as well as a $400,000 non-refundable fee to defray costs of the commission's background investigation.

But only three of the five possible applicants -- Mass Gaming & Entertainment, KG Urban Enterprises and Crossroads Massachusetts -- have paid the required fee, the commission said. Applicants must pass the background check before they can continue to the next phase of the process, which focuses on the project proposal itself.

Rush Street Gaming operates Philadelphia's SugarHouse Casino and Pittsburgh's Rivers Casino. The company's affiliate, Mass Gaming & Entertainment, had previously sought a slot parlor license for a development in Millbury but eventually dropped that plan in the face of local opposition.

Mass Gaming & Entertainment declined to release its application materials or any information about the proposed project Friday. But George Carney, owner of the Brockton Fairgrounds, said the company is eying his facility. He declined to elaborate further.

KG Urban Enterprises, a real estate development firm already has said it wants to build a casino on the New Bedford waterfront.

Kathryn Wheaton, who runs the Brookline-based Seafan Trust Corp., has said her group wants to develop a $4 billion casino called the Sun Moon Resort at a 500-acre location she declined to identify.

Somerset on the Move LLC, is headed by David Hanlon, a former president of Harrah's Atlantic City operations and the Rio hotel and casino in Las Vegas. Somerset town leaders hope the company develops a casino on 100 acres of town-owned land just off Interstate 195. The company did not respond to requests for comment Friday.

Crossroads Massachusetts LLC is an investment group that included the late David Nunes, who had been working with Connecticut-based casino operator Foxwoods to bring a resort to Milford before residents rejected the proposal in a 2013 referendum.

The southeast region faces a number of challenges for casino gambling, including a relatively weak economy and competition from area casinos.

Twin River Casino is just over the state line in Lincoln, Rhode Island, and the Mashpee Wampanoags are seeking a federal tribal reservation in Taunton, Massachusetts, where they hope to build a resort casino that does not require a state license. The tribe on Friday touted a "key milestone" in its efforts: approval of the project's environmental impact report. The tribe said it's the final step in the state's environmental review process.

Massachusetts already has awarded two resort casino licenses: one to Wynn for a $1.6 billion development in Everett just north of Boston and another to MGM for an $800 million casino in Springfield. Penn National Gaming also holds a slot parlor license for the harness racing facility it's expanding in Plainville, a town in the state's southeast region.

Thirty-four-year-old Paula Sweet, of Worcester, and 37-year-old Jason Appleton, of Haverhill, were both airlifted to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester for treatment of serious injuries.

MARLBOROUGH — State Police have released the identity of a Worcester woman who was seriously injured in Thursday's multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 291 east in Marlborough.

Thirty-four-year-old Paula Sweet was airlifted to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester after the Subaru Forester she was traveling in rear-ended a tractor-trailer shortly before 10 a.m. The truck had stopped due to a traffic slowdown near the approach to Interstate 495, according to Massachusetts State Police officials in Framingham.

The driver of the Subaru, 37-year-old Jason Appleton of Haverhill, also was airlifted to the Worcester hospital with serious injuries, police said.

The driver of the tractor-trailer was uninjured, but a man driving a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck was hurt after he crashed into Appleton's Subaru. Fifty-seven-year-old Thomas Breault, of Charlton, was taken by Marlborough EMS to Marlborough Hospital for treatment of minor injuries, police said.

Troopers from the Holden barracks responded to the three-vehicle crash, which prompted lane closures while police investigated and medical helicopters landed to take Sweet and Appleton to the hospital. MassDOT officials, Northborough police and Marlborough police and firefighters also responded to the incident.

This crash remains under investigation by the State Police Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Section, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, and the State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section.

No charges had been filed in connection with the case as of Friday evening, police said.

Anthony Trotman, 24, of Boston, was sentenced in federal court to 14 months in prison and a year of probation after being convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the U.S., and illegally entering an airport with intent to commit a felony.

BOSTON — A former JetBlue Airways employee is guilty of smuggling $125,000 that he believed was tied to illicit drug proceeds through Logan International Airport, according to U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz.

Anthony Trotman, 24, of Boston, was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boston to 14 months in prison and a year of probation after being convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the U.S., and illegally entering an airport with intent to commit a felony. Trotman also was ordered to forfeit $3,000, the amount he was paid for his role in the smuggling scheme, prosecutors said.

The charges stem from a federal investigation involving Trotman and others, who allegedly used their airport security credentials to smuggle thousands of dollars past security checkpoints at Logan Airport.

On three occasions between July 2013 to February 2014, Trotman used airport security credentials to smuggle thousands of dollars past TSA agents at Logan, according to investigators. Trotman believed the cash was related to illegal drug sales, but law enforcement officials didn't specify the actual source of the money.

Co-defendant Rupert Crossley, who pleaded guilty to the same set of charges in October, was sentenced Jan. 7 to a two-year prison term and a year of probation. He also was ordered to pay $4,000 in criminal forfeiture, prosecutors said.

Three other co-defendants also have been indicted in connection with the probe, which was handled by the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Air Marshal Service, and the Massachusetts State Police. Assisting agencies included the Massachusetts Port Authority, Delta Airlines, and JetBlue Airways Corporate Security.

The case was prosecuted by Carlos Lopez and Dustin Chao, members of Ortiz's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Unit and Public Corruption Unit, respectively.

The juvenile crashed into a police cruiser in Springfield and a tree in Chicopee before his arrest at a nearby shopping plaza.

SPRINGFIELD - Police arrested a 15-year-old boy Saturday morning after he crashed into a police cruiser with a stolen car, fled and struck a tree in Chicopee near Szot Park, and then was caught on foot at the Stop & Shop plaza on Liberty Street, according to police.

The boy, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile, was charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle and assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon (the car), police said. In addition, he was issued traffic citations for having no license, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, operating to endanger, and refusing to stop, police said.

Police from Springfield and Chicopee, and state police were involved in the search for the stolen car and driver, police said.

State Trooper John Zielinski found the youth and detained him at the plaza parking lot, with Springfield police making the arrest, according to police.

The incident began at approximately 9:30 a.m., when police attempted to pull over the stolen car and the juvenile backed into the cruiser at Armory Street and Genesee Street in Liberty Heights and fled by car, said Springfield Patrolman Richard Goodreau, the investigating officer.

The officer driving the rammed cruiser was not injured and his name was not immediately released, Goodreau said.

Chicopee and state police were summoned to assist Springfield police in the search for the stolen car, a 2002 Nissan Maxima. Someone had left the keys in the car, police said.

The car then crashed into a tree at Broadway and Abbe Memorial Drive in Chicopee and the boy fled on foot.

He was captured just before 10 a.m., at the nearby plaza.

Mitt Romney's exit from the presidential campaign has unleashed a frenzy of fresh fundraising and set off a new race for the backing of donors who had remained loyal to the 2012 Republican nominee.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Mitt Romney's exit from the presidential campaign has unleashed a frenzy of fresh fundraising and set off a new race for the backing of donors who had remained loyal to the 2012 Republican nominee.

Big dollars were said to flow immediately on Friday to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who already had won over several of Romney's past donors. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie claimed the support of others who were waiting on Romney to make a decision about whether to seek the White House a third time.

Tony Carbonetti, a Christie supporter and top aide to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a 2008 GOP candidate, said every major Republican donor got at least two calls on Friday -- one from Christie's people and one from those promoting Bush.

Romney, Carbonetti said, "released the hounds."

None of the Republicans considering a run for president has formally entered the race. But most have established political committees that effectively serve as campaigns-in-waiting of varying sophistication. That step allows the politicians to raise money to pay for travel, staff and the logistics of getting ready to run for the White House.

The competition for donors to those organizations is fierce, with commitments signaling the potential strength of a nascent campaign and laying the groundwork for more fundraising to come.

Romney raised more than $57 million before the first voting in 2012, and that figure is often cited as this campaign's benchmark.

Even before Romney's announcement Friday, Bush had picked off several of Romney's past supporters. Among them was Lisa Wagner, a top Midwest fundraiser for Romney in 2012 who pushed hard to win over others Friday.

"I've raised a million dollars in the four hours since he announced that I otherwise would not have raised," she said. Her converts included Bill Kunkler, part of Chicago's wealthy Crown family, who had been holding out for Romney.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush speaks in San Francisco on Jan. 23. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File) 

Christie had his own pickups. None was more significant than Bobbie Kilberg, a Virginia-based fundraiser who said she and her husband were all-in for the former federal prosecutor.

"We will support him financially and we will be bundlers for him," she told The Associated Press, referring to the practice of rounding-up donations from friends, family and colleagues for a campaign.

Ray Washburne, the outgoing finance chairman of the Republican National Committee, has taken up the same position with Christie's political action committee. Washburne said his phone started ringing early Friday.

"It's been very, very positive. A lot of people that were kind of fence-sitters have come off the fence," he said. "We've been very, very encouraged."

Others were too upset or stunned by Romney's announcement to decide what to do next. That includes Bill Simmons, a Washington-based donor who raised money for both of Romney's previous campaigns.

"I haven't fully thought about the next step," he said.

He said Romney's announcement was like seeing his favorite team lose in the playoffs and then having to decide for whom to cheer in the Super Bowl. "I guess I'll watch the game a little bit."

Romney's flirtation with the race may have created space for a third candidate to compete alongside Bush and Christie for the support of establishment-minded donors and fundraisers.

With his exit, there is now room for someone else to step into that spot. In the hours after Romney's announcement, several GOP donors said Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker appeared to have the edge.

The news came at the end of a big week for Walker. He earned a standing ovation from a conservative crowd at a forum in Iowa last Saturday. The next day, he spoke to wealthy conservatives in California at an event organized by the billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.

Walker ended the week in Washington as the guest of wealthy Republican donor Fred Malek.

"Walker fits into that mainstream group, and this means he's getting a lot of interest and attention lately," said Republican consultant Charlie Black.

So, too, might Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who spent the week courting donors on the West Coast, Texas and Chicago after attending the Koch brothers' event.

Few donors interviewed after Romney's announcement mentioned the several candidates likely to compete to the right of Christie and Bush. That group includes Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.

"Mitt was going to probably occupy a different place on the shelf than me," Huckabee said. "I don't know that it has any impact on support, donors. It probably has a bigger impact on Jeb Bush and Chris Christie."

South Carolina political strategist Warren Tomkins warned against singling out any one candidate, or type of candidate, as the clear beneficiary of Romney's decision.

"It still goes back to having a good message and a good messenger," said Tompkins, Romney's South Carolina campaign chairman in 2012. "If you've got that, then at some point you get momentum, and then the money will come."

Periods of heavy snow are predicted on Monday.

SPRINGFIELD - Extremely cold weather on Saturday in the region, and a significant snowstorm on the way.

That is the weather forecast in a nutshell, as provided earlier Saturday by CBS3 Meteorologist Nick Morganelli. CBS3 is the media partner to The Republican and Masslive.com

There was a wind chill advisory in effect for all of Western Mass until 11 a.m. Saturday, with wind chill as low as minus-15 degrees near sunrise, Morganelli said.

Saturday's temperature was expected to reach a high near 15 degrees, and had an early windshill of 10 to 15 below zero, according to the forecast.

On Sunday night, light snow was expected post-Super Bowl, with 2 inches overnight, Morganelli said.

On Monday, heavy snow is predicted at times, with an additional 6 to 8 inches likely, Morganelli said.

Hart said firefighters were able to clear the home of smoke and the two residents would likely be able to spend the night at 4 Clark St.

WESTFIELD - No one was injured Saturday afternoon when a fire started by a candle left unattended caused an estimated $10,000 in damage to a home at 4 Clark St.

The fire started at about 3 p.m. in a back upstairs bedroom of the one-family wood-frame house about two blocks north of Franklin Street.

Two occupants were home, said Deputy Chief Andrew Hart of the Westfield Fire Department. Both were able to get out.

The candle caught nearby combustible material on fire. Firefighters could be seen dumping charred furniture out of the second-floor window.

Hart said firefighters were able to clear the home of smoke and the two residents would likely be able to spend the night at 4 Clark St.

The video, released on militant websites and highlighted by militant sympathizers on social media sites, bore the symbol of the Islamic State group's al-Furqan media arm.

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) -- An online video released Saturday night purported to show an Islamic State group militant behead Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, ending days of negotiations by diplomats to save the man.

The video, released on militant websites and highlighted by militant sympathizers on social media sites, bore the symbol of the Islamic State group's al-Furqan media arm.

Though the video could not be immediately independently verified by The Associated Press, it conformed to other beheading videos released by the extremists, who now control a third of both Syria and neighboring Iraq in its self-declared caliphate.

The video, called "A Message to the Government of Japan," featured a militant who looked and sounded like a militant with a British accent who has taken part in other beheading videos by the Islamic State group. Goto, kneeling in an orange prison jumpsuit, said nothing in the roughly one-minute-long video.

"Abe," the militant says in the video, referring to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, "because of your reckless decision to take part in an unwinnable war, this man will not only slaughter Kenji, but will also carry on and cause carnage wherever your people are found. So let the nightmare for Japan begin."

U.S. officials said they were trying to confirm the authenticity of the video.

"We have seen the video purporting to show that Japanese citizen Kenji Goto has been murdered by the terrorist group ISIL," said Bernadette Meehan, a spokeswoman for the White House's National Security Council, using an alternate acronym for the extremist group. "The United States strongly condemns ISIL's actions and we call for the immediate release of all the remaining hostages. We stand in solidarity with our ally Japan."

Goto was captured in October, after he traveled to Syria to try to win the release of Haruna Yukawa.

Yukawa reportedly was killed previously, though authorities have yet to authenticate the video claiming that.

Saturday's video made no mention of another hostage, Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, who was captured after his fighter plane went down in December over an Islamic State-controlled area of Syria. The fate of Goto and al-Kaseasbeh had been linked by the militants.

The hostage drama began last week after militants threatened to kill Goto and Yukawa in 72 hours unless Japan paid $200 million.

Jordan and Japan reportedly conducted indirect negotiations with the militants through Iraqi tribal leaders.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Police say a suspicious package left behind a concrete barrier of a New York City bus station didn't contain any explosives but did have some unexpected contents -- 1,000 individually packaged condoms for both men and women. A spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police said Saturday that a canine unit...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Police say a suspicious package left behind a concrete barrier of a New York City bus station didn't contain any explosives but did have some unexpected contents -- 1,000 individually packaged condoms for both men and women.

A spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police said Saturday that a canine unit was called Friday evening to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station.

Spokesman Joe Pentangelo says investigators with the help of the dogs checked out a silver messenger-style satchel that was left in the under-construction Manhattan depot. He says they cleared the bag of any explosives then looked inside to find condoms of multiple brands and styles.

He says no one has come forward to claim the bag and its contents.