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CBS 3 Springfield report on petition to bring New England Patriots celebration to Western Massachusetts

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Chris Kellogg, host of "The Kellogg Krew" on 94.7 WMAS-FM in Springfield hopes to raise 25,000 signatures through an online petition calling on the Patriots to hold a celebration in the western part of the state.


Northampton License Commission finds 5 restaurants in violation of liquor laws

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The commission also held a violation hearing for Mulino's Trattoria and Bishop's Lounge.

NORTHAMPTON — The License Commission on Wednesday found five restaurants in violation of liquor laws for serving minors, but put off their one-day suspensions for six months.

Police performed a compliance check on the day after Christmas, sending underage patrons into 97 establishments to see if they would get served alcohol. Of those, seven were found in violation: India House, Bistro Les Gras, Viva Fresh Pasta Company, the Bluebonnet Diner, Siam Square and the Sierra Grill.

India House and Viva Fresh Pasta were accused with two violations each. In every case, the establishment in question served alcohol, mostly beer, to the operatives, eight of whom were used in the compliance check. Several owners said one of them, who was involved in three of the violations, looked significantly older than his age.

Northampton lawyer Charles Maguire, who represented Roberto's, put up a spirited defense complete with a blackboard chalk, a timeline and the questioning of witnesses. Maguire also argued that the commission could not revoke Roberto's alcohol license because the compliance check did not conform with regulations regarding such procedures.

The commissioners, William Rosen and Brian Campedelli, agreed, finding Roberto's and the Bluebonnet not in violation. It also rejected one of India House's two violations. In each case, the commission ruled that the check was not in order because the operative looked significantly older than he was. Commissioner Elaine Reall was not present for the meeting.

The commission also held a violation hearing for Mulino's Trattoria and Bishop's Lounge. The restaurants, which are in the same building on 41 Strong Ave. and under the same license, were before the commission in November for a September incident involving a projectile thrown from the second floor balcony. Police returned in October and found two patrons leaving with drinks in violation of the liquor laws. The commission suspended the liquor licenses for those establishments for one day.

At Wednesday's hearing, police said the doorman at the building interrupted their Dec. 6 questioning of a man on the street and announced he was letting people exit and reenter after 1 a.m., in violation of city rules. The two officers were at the establishment because of a report that a man was brandishing a gun outside two nights before.

The doorman, Sean Parker-O'Grady, told the commissioners he addressed police not as an employee of the bar but as an aspiring lawyer who believed the man on the street did not have to answer such questions. Manager Volkan Polatol said he was not notified about the hearing and was not able to recover surveillance tape of the incident.

The commissioners ruled there was no violation because police did not witness anyone reentering the bar. Chairman William Rosen issued a warning to the workers at Sierra Grill, however.

"Please let the police do their job," Rosen said, adding the Parker-O'Grady's interference was "completely uncalled for."


Sen. Elizabeth Warren, others urge Westover Reservists exposed to Agent Orange receive benefits

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The Westover veterans have been fighting for four years for benefits.

Six senators sent a strongly worded letter urging the Department of Veterans Affairs to grant medical benefits to veterans exposed to Agent Orange while serving at Westover Air Reserve Base, supporting the vets' four-year battle to receive health care.

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley and North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, a Democrat and Republican respectively, who have been advocating for the veterans for several years, were joined by Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts; Ron Wyden, D-Oregon; Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, and Michael Bennet, D-Colorado, in signing the letter to the Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald on Wednesday.

The letter comes weeks after the Institute of Medicine, an independent, non-profit arm of the National Academy of Sciences, released a study that determined between 1,500 and 2,100 Air Force Reservists were exposed to dioxin, the toxic chemical in Agent Orange, when they flew and fixed C-123 Provider planes following the Vietnam War.

The planes had been previously used in the war to spray Agent Orange over the countryside of Vietnam to defoliate trees and destroy enemy crops. After the war, the tanks and hoses were removed and they used by Air Force Reservists at Westover, in Chicopee; Pittsburgh Air National Guard and Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Ohio from 1972 to 1982.

Since then a number of veterans from Westover have fallen ill with diseases related to Agent Orange exposure including diabetes, heart disease and prostate cancer. Several have died during the four-year battle for benefits.

Government documents revealed 11 of the 16 planes from Westover tested positive for dioxin, more than a decade after they were retired and one Westover C-123 was labeled "highly-contaminated" in 1994.

Nearly all the planes were eventually shredded and smelted because of the Agent Orange. People who decontaminated one of the C-123 Provider planes for museum use were required to wear respirators and full hazardous materials suits.

But the Department of Veterans Affairs has repeatedly denied health and disability benefits for the veterans saying they could not have ingested the dioxin once it dried on the planes, something the Institute of Medicine's study disputed.

"We hope the IOM's (Institute of Medicine) findings will allow C-123 veterans finally to receive the benefits they have earned. However, our offices remain concerned about the VA's ability to provide these individuals with consistent, fair access to critical services," the letter said.

The senators said they are concerned the department has repeatedly told senators that it did not have a policy of denying the claims, but at least one denial letter stated the department has specifically said those exposed to Agent Orange after the war are ineligible for benefits.

"It is our desire to see that C-123 veterans who suffer today because of service-related exposure to Agent Orange to receive the help they need. To speed the award of benefits, we ask that you provide presumption of service connection to veterans," the senators wrote.

All veterans who served as little as one day in Vietnam are eligible for health and disability benefits if they fall ill from one of the more than 20 illnesses associated with Agent Orange under the presumption they were exposed to the toxic chemical while in the country.

The C-123 veterans have been fighting for the same benefits that would provide them medical care including free prescription medication, dental care and hospice. They could also receive tax-free disability payments if they fall ill.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has accepted the extensive scientific review from the Institute of Medicine and is developing a way that veterans can apply for benefits, said Meagan Lutz, public affairs specialist for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

"The VA has assembled a group of clinical subject matter experts to review and respond to findings and recommendations in the IOM report," she said.

She was not specific on how long the review will take, except to say it will be a few months.

"The whole population has waited for four years. There has been predictable suffering, financial loss and death. That is unacceptable," said retired Air Force Major Wesley T. Carter, who served as an air medical technician and flight instructor with Westover's 74th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron for 20 years.

Carter, now of Colorado, has been the driving force to win benefits for the veterans. He has combed through thousands of government documents, testified before the Institute of Medicine, contacted senators and representatives and runs his own website on the issue.

Carter and many others who have been fighting for benefits are already eligible for them since they served in Vietnam or through other military service. They said they are working to help other crew members who were not eligible.

"We are so very grateful for the leadership shown by these senators from both parties. Their concern for us is the only reason we now have hope that the scientific experts will be heard in the affirmations of our exposure claims," he said after receiving the letter.

But he said he was disappointed just six senators of 100 have signed the letter.

"States where we have C-123 veterans in numbers, such as New York, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Florida, aren't represented in the letter to Secretary McDonald. Only six senators expressed concerns about us, out of a hundred. They'd feel us unequal to our task if only 6 percent of our military were to show up when called," he said.

Warren could not immediately be reached for comment.

See the full letter signed by the senators here:

Letter to Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald from 6 senators urging support of benefi...

Westfield City Council may take second look at bus stop ordinance

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The new location on Elm Street represents where new stops will be located once PVTA builds an intermodal center at Arnold and Elm streets.

WESTFIELD - The City Council may take a second look at a new bus stop ordinance scheduled for final passage Thursday night.

The council gave initial approval to the ordinance last month that will relocated Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus stops on Main Street to Elm Street. But, since then concern has been raised about Stop and Shop customers who frequently use PVTA services while shoppping at the grocery market on Main Stree.

Most notably, Planning Board member Carl Vincent has raised questions about services for residents who lack regular transportation for grocery shopping. Vincent has said relocating the bus stops from Main Street in front of Stop and Shop will place an undue burden on these customers who will be forced to walk, with groceries, to Elm Street when the new stops will be located at the former site of Newberry's Department Store.

City Councilor Ralph J. Figy said this week the Legislative and Ordinance Committee may take a second look at the ordinance before final passage Thursday night.

"We are reviewing all options available," said Figy who serves as chairman of the committee. "We could go ahead with final passage and then change the ordinance later or we could table the oridinance for further review. It all depends," Figy said.

The change in bus stop locations is the result of a compromise from an earlier proposal to locate bus stops in front of the Westfield Athenaeum.

The new location on Elm Street represents where new stops will be located once PVTA builds an intermodal center at Arnold and Elm streets.

Holyoke Council to study how to translate meetings into Spanish for heavily Hispanic community

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The city website has a Translate button to trigger Spanish text, but how do Spanish-speakers know to press it?

HOLYOKE -- The City Council will study how to get its meetings translated into Spanish and ensure that a better translation is displayed on the city website after votes this week.

The council Tuesday (Feb. 3) referred to its Charter and Rules Committee a proposal from Ward 4 Councilor Jossie M. Valentin to explore how to translate City Council meetings into Spanish, the only language spoken by many of the Hispanics who comprise about half the city.

The council adopted and referred to Mayor Alex B. Morse a Valentin order to make the city website more accessible to Spanish-speakers. An example is so they can understand when the city posts winter parking bans, she said.

The goal of the orders is to ensure as much of the community can participate in government as possible, Valentin said.

"It's not about favoring one community over another, it's about trying to have fairness and justice for everyone," Valentin said in a recent interview.

It was unclear whether a translator would be hired to convey council meetings in Spanish while they are happening, That could be challenging as when councilors argue and debate zips along from councilor-to-councilor-councilor. Another question was whether meetings could be rebroadcast later in Spanish.

During Tuesday's meeting, Valentin spoke briefly in Spanish to make the point that some dialogue in City Council Chambers excludes a large part of the population.

Council President Kevin A. Jourdain said Valentin should have come to him, as president, first with the meeting-translation order.

"You're new so you wouldn't necessarily pick up on that right away," he said to Valentin, who is in the second year of her first term.

Instead of shipping that order to the mayor, he said, the council should decide what it wants and then refer the proposal to the mayor's office and seek funding for it.

"Are we asking for a paid translator to come to the meetings? I don't know, you don't know," Jourdain said, noting many questions exist.

The council has shown a willingness to help Spanish-speaking residents, he said. It was the City Council that has required a Spanish-speaking dispatcher be on duty for police and fire responses, he said.

Ward 7 Councilor Gordon P. Alexander asked whether council meetings that are broadcast on cable television to Holyokers at home could be translated into Spanish for later rebroadcast.

The proposal should go to committee so councilors can discuss it and devise a plan, Jourdain said.

"I think all 15 of us are in agreement we need to do additional outreach ...," Jourdain said.

Ward 1 Councilor Gladys Lebron-Martinez praised Valentin's proposals.

"I do support this ... I'm in full support and I think it's time we do begin to do something like this," Lebron-Martinez said.

The website now has a Translate button visitors can click that converts text on pages into Spanish, Valentin said, but the translation is often incorrect.

Also, she said of the Translate button, "Number one, that button doesn't say anything in Spanish, so how would you know to press it."

Morse praised Valentin's orders and said he would help get them accomplished.

Holyoke Community College students seek vendors for 'Eco-Fair @ HCC'

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Vendor and sponsor fees will go to a scholarship.

HOLYOKE -- Vendors whose products and services are considered environmentally friendly are sought to participate in a student-led "Eco-Fair @ HCC" at Holyoke Community College April 22.

"This is a great way to show how your business is helping the environment and help local college students pay for their education at the same time," said an email from Jeffery Anderson-Burgos, student senate president at Holyoke Community College (HCC).

The event will consist of students giving demonstrations based on projects or research on the topics of sustainability and environmental sciences completed in one of their classes, he said.

Eco-Fair@HCC will be at 9 a.m. at the college, 303 Homestead Ave., he said.

Vendors are needed to sell products or provide information about their services. Organizers also are seeking help from vendors in the form of program sponsors, he said.

Vendor and sponsor fees will go to the Gary Beluzo Memorial Scholarship, a fund administered through the HCC Foundation and named for an environmental science teacher who died in 2013.

This event is an expansion of current student-run efforts that have allowed the responsible recycling of electronics to help fund this scholarship, Anderson-Burgos said.

For information, contact Anderson-Burgos at (413) 552-2522 or at jandersonburgos497@hcc.edu.

Holyoke Medical Center sets 'Walk with Doc' events at mall with a cardiologist and a general surgeon

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A cardiologist and a general surgeon will be participating in the walks.

HOLYOKE -- Holyoke Medical Center is offering two dates in its "Walk with a Doc" program.

The one-hour programs let participants learn about health topics and walk with a doctor for 30 to 45 minutes at the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside. The doctor will answer questions and participants can have blood pressure checked after the walk, the hospital newsletter said.

Pedometers and water will be provided, the newsletter said.

The events begin at 7:30 a.m. at the mall customer service desk, the newsletter said.

On Feb. 24, Walk with a Doc will be with cardiologist Nirav Sheth.

On March 25, Walk with a Doc will be with general surgeon Francis Martinez.

The events are free but registration is required by mailing in the registration form included in the hospital newsletter mailed to local homes this week. The registration seeks a participant's name, date of birth, address and home and work phone numbers.

For information call (413) 534-2789.

Wilbraham police: Vehicle pursuit ends in Springfield with arrest of teen driver who failed to stop for cop

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Donald Mendenhall, 18, of Springfield, led Wilbraham police on a pursuit that ended with the teen's arrest in Springfield's Indian Orchard neighborhood.

WILBRAHAM — A weekend police pursuit that began in Wilbraham ended in Springfield, where a city teenager was charged with failing to stop for police and other crimes.

Eighteen-year-old Donald Mendenhall was in a black Toyota Avalon with two passengers Sunday night when he caught the attention of Wilbraham Police Officer David Diogo outside the O'Connell's Convenience Plus at Boston and Stony Hill roads.

"The occupants of the vehicle were acting suspiciously," police said in a post on the department's website.

A subsequent check of the Avalon's registration revealed the license plates belonged to another vehicle from Palmer, police said. Diogo attempted to conduct a traffic stop after the Avalon pulled onto Boston Road, but the car kept going, police said.

Mendenhall crossed the city line and continued driving to Worcester Street in the Indian Orchard neighborhood, where Springfield police helped take him into custody.

Police said neither of Mendenhall's passengers – a juvenile girl from Willbraham and a man from Springfield – were charged with any crimes.

Mendenhall, a Springfield resident whose street address was unavailable, was additionally charged with negligent operation, concealing a vehicle's identity, and driving an uninsured car with a suspended license, police said.

Arraignment information wasn't immediately available. It's unknown if Mendenhall has a lawyer.



 

Driver involved in I-91 rollover crash near Longmeadow curve suffers only minor injuries: report

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The accident caused major delays through downtown Springfield at the height of Wednesday evening's rush hour.

Updates story published at 5:38 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4.



LONGMEADOW — The driver involved in a rollover crash on I-91 south near the Longmeadow curve during the height of Wednesday evening's rush hour sustained only minor injuries, according to CBS 3 Springfield, media partner of MassLive / The Republican.

The accident, reported shortly after 5 p.m., caused major delays through downtown Springfield. The crash happened near Exit 1, the ramp leading to Route 5 in Longmeadow, police said.

Longmeadow police officers assisted Massachusetts State Police troopers at the crash scene, which was cleared shortly after 7 p.m.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.


NBC News anchor Brian Williams admits he was not aboard helicopter fired on in Iraq: videos

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Williams repeated the claims that NBC has repeated for years, during a Nightly News program last week.

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams ate some crow Wednesday night as he admitted he was not aboard a helicopter that was hit and forced down during the United States' 2003 invasion in Iraq.

According to the Stars and Stripes newspaper, Williams repeated a claim Friday night that has been reported by the network for years.

During NBC's coverage of a tribute for a retired soldier who had provided ground security for grounded helicopters, Williams said that he was aboard a helicopter that was hit by enemy fire.

During the Nightly News Wednesday night, Williams, 55, admitted he was not aboard a helicopter that was hit; rather, he was aboard another helicopter that was following the one that was hit.

In a statement posted on NBC News' website, Williams admitted, "I made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago." The statement on NBC's website continues as follows:

In a piece last week on Nightly News, Williams took Sergeant Major Tim Terpak, who just retired with three bronze stars, to a New York Rangers hockey game, where the vet was honored with a standing ovation by some 18,000 people at Madison Square Garden.

In honoring Terpak, Williams told the story of his helicopter being hit by an RPG, but that wasn't accurate.

The statement continues, following Williams' admission:

Williams and his team were actually in one of the aircraft following a Chinook helicopter that was hit.

In fact, in the original Dateline special on the incident, Williams even says, "On the ground we learn the Chinook ahead of us was almost blown out of the sky," acknowledging he was not in the lead helicopter.

According to the Stars and Stripes, Williams' confession came after members of the crew on the 159th Aviation Regiment Chinook helicopter that was hit by two rockets and small arms fire told the newspaper that Williams was nowhere near that helicopter, or two others that took fire. The anchorman actually arrived aboard another helicopter about an hour later.

"I would not have chosen to make this mistake," Williams was quoted by the Stars and Stripes and saying. "I don't know what screwed up in my mind that caused me to conflate one aircraft with another."

On last Friday's broadcast, Williams made the following statement, as quoted by the Stars and Stripes.

"The story actually started with a terrible moment a dozen years back during the invasion of Iraq, when the helicopter we were traveling in was forced down after being hit by an RPG," Williams said on the broadcast. "Our traveling NBC News team was rescued, surrounded and kept alive by an armor mechanized platoon from the U.S. Army 3rd Infantry."

But Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Miller said that the helicopter Williams was on took no fire and landed later beside the other damaged helicopter in anticipation of a sandstorm.

"No, we never came under direct enemy fire to the aircraft," Miller said Wednesday.

In Williams' statement issued Wednesday, CNN reported, the Nightly News anchor did not address any of the past occasions when NBC reported the incidents incorrectly.

In a 2013 appearance on David Letterman's talk show, for instance, Williams said "two of the four helicopters were hit, by ground fire, including the one I was in, RPG and AK-47," according to CNN.

According to Fox News, Williams disputed claims to Stars and Stripes that his original report was inaccurate. He said that he originally reported he was in another helicopter but that he had confused the events.

The Washington Post reported that Williams' account of the story unraveled after NBC posted a clip of the hockey game on its Facebook page.

"Sorry dude, I don't remember you being on my aircraft," Lance Reynolds commented on Facebook. "I do remember you walking up about an hour after we had landed to ask me what had happened. Then I remember you guys taking back off in a different flight of Chinooks from another unit and heading to Kuwait to report your 'war story' to the Nightly News. The whole time we were still stuck in Iraq trying to repair the aircraft and pulling our own Security."

To which the Post reported Williams responded as follows:

"To Joseph, Lance, Jonathan, Pate, Michael and all those who have posted: You are absolutely right and I was wrong. In fact, I spent much of the weekend thinking I'd gone crazy. I feel terrible about making this mistake, especially since I found my OWN WRITING about the incident from back in '08, and I was indeed on the Chinook behind the bird that took the RPG in the tail housing just above the ramp. Because I have no desire to fictionalize my experience (we all saw it happened the first time) and no need to dramatize events as they actually happened, I think the constant viewing of the video showing us inspecting the impact area -- and the fog of memory over 12 years -- made me conflate the two, and I apologize. I certainly remember the armored mech platoon, meeting Capt. Eric Nye and of course Tim Terpak. Shortly after they arrived, so did the Orange Crush sandstorm, making virtually all outdoor functions impossible. I honestly don't remember which of the three choppers Gen. Downing and I slept in, but we spent two nights on the stowable web bench seats in one of the three birds. Later in the invasion when Gen. Downing and I reached Baghdad, I remember searching the parade grounds for Tim's Bradley to no avail. My attempt to pay tribute to CSM Terpak was to honor his 23+ years in service to our nation, and it had been 12 years since I saw him. The ultimate irony is: In writing up the synopsis of the 2 nights and 3 days I spent with him in the desert, I managed to switch aircraft. Nobody's trying to steal anyone's valor. Quite the contrary: I was and remain a civilian journalist covering the stories of those who volunteered for duty. This was simply an attempt to thank Tim, our military and Veterans everywhere -- those who have served while I did not."


 

Stocks flounder in wake of falling oil prices, withdrawal of support for Greek banks

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The Dow Jones industrial average, which had been up by 115 points earlier in the day, ended with less than a 7 point advance.

By MATTHEW CRAFT

NEW YORK -- The U.S. stock market sagged in the final half-hour of trading on Wednesday after Europe's central bank withdrew a key financial support for Greek banks. The price of oil plunged, dragging down energy stocks.

The European Central Bank late in the day said that Greek banks could no longer access ECB credit using government bonds or bonds guaranteed by the government as collateral for loans.

The move unsettled investors and knocked most U.S. indexes lower.

Major U.S. indexes got off to a weak start Wednesday as a renewed drop in crude oil tugged down shares of energy companies. The Standard & Poor's 500 recovered its losses by midday, meandered through the afternoon, then swung from a solid gain to a slight loss in the market's last 30 minutes following the announcement from the ECB.

"It appears as though the ECB has thrown a huge curve ball at the Greek government by now not accepting their bonds as collateral," said Tom di Galoma, a long-time bond trader at ED&F Man Capital.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 8.52 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,041.51.

The Dow eked out a gain of 6.62 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 17,673.02 and the Nasdaq sank 11.03 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,716.70.

The Dow gave up nearly all of a 115-point advance. U.S. government bond prices also rose, pushing yields lower, as traders moved money into safe-haven investments. A big gain in Disney's stock after that company reported stronger earnings helped the blue-chip index.

Wednesday's see-saw trading has been part of a recent pattern of volatility. Over the previous six trading days, the market turned in three gains and three losses.

"I think there's a sense of uneasiness and lack of conviction among investors right now," said Terry Sandven, senior equity strategist at U.S. Bank Wealth Management. "You see that in the split personality of the market."

Sandven said rising uncertainty over corporate earnings has helped drive the volatility. Falling oil prices and a stronger dollar have pinched companies' profits, forcing investors to second-guess their expectations.

Late Tuesday, Walt Disney reported that strong results from theme parks, television channels and selling merchandise tied to its "Frozen" movie drove quarterly earnings up 19 percent. Disney's profit and revenue trounced Wall Street's estimates for the quarter, and its stock surged $7.18, or 8 percent, to $101.28, an all-time high.

Bob Iger, Disney's CEO, said the company was not seeing a hit to attendance from the measles outbreak linked last month to Disney's Southern California parks.

Ralph Lauren's stock lost $31.12, or 18 percent, to $139.71, after the retailer reported a drop in quarterly earnings and slashed its sales forecast for the full year. The company spent more to open new stores while revenue stayed nearly flat, held back by a stronger dollar.

The fourth-quarter earnings season now looks better than it did just two weeks ago. Nearly three out of four big companies have turned in higher profits than analysts had expected, putting overall earnings on track to rise nearly 7 percent for the quarter, according to S&P Capital IQ. Two weeks ago, the expected increase was just 4 percent.

A recent rebound in oil prices fizzled out Wednesday as the benchmark contract for U.S. crude fell $4.60, or 8.7 percent, to settle at $48.45 a barrel in New York. The drop came after the U.S. government reported an increase in crude inventories last week.

Oil had rallied over the previous four days as traders speculated that low prices would force more energy companies to curtail exploration and production. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, declined $3.75, or 6.5 percent, to close at $54.16 a barrel in London.

Major markets in Europe ended mixed. France's CAC 40 rose 0.4 percent and Germany's DAX edged up 0.2 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 closed with a loss of 0.2 percent.

On Tuesday, Greece's stocks and bonds rallied on optimism that the country's new leftist government would make progress with international creditors on negotiating new terms for its financial rescue program.

In the U.S., Staples announced that it's buying Office Depot for $6 billion in a widely anticipated merger of the two largest office supply retailers. The cash-and-stock deal comes a little more than a year after Office Depot merged with OfficeMax and still needs approval from regulators. Staples dropped $2.28, or 12 percent, to $16.73.

Prices rose in the market for U.S. government bonds, pushing the yield on the 10-year Treasury note down to 1.75 percent. The yield had been as high as 1.84 percent before the ECB announcement.

In the commodity markets, gold rose $4.20 to $1,264.50 an ounce, while silver rose seven cents to $17.40 an ounce. Copper edged up a penny to $2.59 a pound.

In other futures trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange:

  1. Wholesale gasoline fell 12 cents to $1.482 a gallon.
  2. Heating oil fell 8 cents to close at $1.767 a gallon.
  3. Natural gas fell 9.2 cents to close at $2.662 per 1,000 cubic feet.

AP writer Ken Sweet contributed to this report.

Stab victim shows up at Springfield hospital for treatment; police mum on details

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The male victim required stitches for his injuries, according to police reports, which stated that the man may know his assailant, or assailants.

SPRINGFIELD — City police were investigating an apparent stabbing after a victim showed up at Baystate Medical Center for emergency treatment Wednesday night.

Details of the incident, including where the stabbing happened, were unavailable. A ranking Springfield police officer said detectives went to Baystate to investigate, but he had no additional information.

Initial police reports described the victim as a 29-year-old Hispanic man. An officer at the hospital, speaking via police radio around 9:30 p.m., said the victim was "still in the trauma room getting stitched up right now."

Investigators indicated that the victim may have known his assailant, or assailants. "He knows these kids; he sees them every day," an officer said, adding that the victim sounded like he was considering "taking matters into his own hands."



 


Powerball winning numbers: Wednesday, February 4, 2015 jackpot worth $325 million

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Here are the winning numbers in the Wednesday, February 4, 2015 Powerball drawing.

It's been more than two months since the Powerball winning numbers were also on a purchased ticket, and millions of Americans are hoping the February 4, 2015 results will be different for them.

Without further ado, here are Wednesday's winning numbers in the Powerball drawing just announced:

24-36-51-52-56 Powerball 22

The Power Play multiplier was 2.

If you've got those numbers, you've just won at least a share of Wednesday's estimated $324.7 million jackpot. Congratulations.

The last person to win a Powerball jackpot was Lisa Quam of Washington state. She won a $90 million jackpot in the Nov. 29, 2014 drawing. It was worth a cash prize of $56,818,181.82.

Quam was the first Powerball winner from Washington state, and had much to be thankful for, winning the first drawing following Thanksgiving. It was the first time she purchased a Powerball ticket.


Deadly Metro-North train collision probe scrutinizing SUV driver's behavior

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The crash was the deadliest accident in the 32-year history of one of the nation's busiest commuter railroads.

By KILEY ARMSTRONG
and JIM FITZGERALD

VALHALLA, N.Y. -- Federal investigators looking into a fiery commuter train wreck that killed six people zeroed in Wednesday on what they called the big question on everyone's mind: Why was the driver of an SUV stopped on the tracks, between the lowered crossing gates?

A team from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived to examine the blackened and mangled wreckage and the Metro-North train's data recorders the morning after the rush-hour collision with the sport utility vehicle about 20 miles north of New York City.

The Tuesday evening crash was the deadliest accident in the 32-year history of one of the nation's busiest commuter railroads -- one that has come under a harsh spotlight over a series of accidents in recent years. The SUV driver and five men on the train were killed, burned so badly that authorities were using dental records to identify them.

"The big question everyone wants to know is: Why was this vehicle in the crossing?" said Robert Sumwalt, NTSB vice chairman.

The wreck happened after dark in backed-up traffic in an area where the tracks are straight but driving can be tricky. Motorists exiting or entering the adjacent Taconic Parkway have to turn and cross the tracks near a wooded area and a cemetery.

The driver -- whom family friends identified as 49-year-old Ellen Brody, a jewelry store employee -- had calmly gotten out of her Mercedes SUV momentarily after the crossing gates came down around her and hit her car, according to the motorist behind her, Rick Hope.

"She wasn't in a hurry at all, but she had to have known that a train was coming," Hope told the Journal News. He said he motioned to her to come back and gave her room to reverse. But instead, she got back in her car and went forward on the tracks, he said.

"It looks like she stopped where she stopped because she didn't want to go on the tracks," Hope he told WNYW-TV. "It was dark, so maybe she didn't know she was in front of the gate."

Traffic was moving slowly at the time, choked with drivers seeking to avoid the Taconic Parkway because of an accident, he noted.

As of Wednesday evening, investigators had no evidence the crossing gates weren't working properly, but their examination was just beginning, Sumwalt said.

Among other things, investigators also planned to examine the tracks, interview the crew and find out whether the SUV had a data recorder of its own.

Brody was a mother of three grown daughters and an active, outgoing member of her synagogue. And she was "not risky when it came to her safety or others," said family friend Paul Feiner, the town supervisor in Greenburgh.

Railroad grade crossings typically have gate arms designed to lift automatically if they hit a car or other object on the way down, railroad safety consultant Grady Cothen said. The wooden arms are designed to be easily broken if a car trapped between them moves forward or backward, he said.

Acknowledging that collisions between trains and cars rarely cause rider deaths, Sumwalt said the NTSB would also examine the adequacy of the train's exits and the intensity of the fire, which investigators believe was sparked by the SUV's gas tank.

Sen. Charles Schumer said early indications are that the train was going 58 mph, or within the 60-to-70-mph speed limit in that area. The NTSB said it wanted to confirm speed and other data extracted from the recorder before releasing it.

It was not the first deadly crash at the site: A Metro-North train hit a truck, killing its driver, at the same Commerce Street crossing in 1984, according to Federal Railroad Administration records.

Rep. Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., said Tuesday's accident underscores the need for positive train control, a technology that uses WiFi and GPS to monitor trains' exact position and automatically applies the brakes to prevent collisions or lessen their severity. While not specifically designed to address grade-crossing accidents, the technology can be expanded for such purposes, he said.

Congress passed a 2008 law that requires all railroads to install positive train control by the end of 2015, but it's clear most of them will not meet the deadline.

The crash was so powerful that the electrified third rail came up and pierced the train and the SUV, and the SUV was pushed about 1,000 feet, Sumwalt said. The blaze consumed the SUV and the train's first car.

Elizabeth Bordiga was commuting home from her New York City nursing job when she suddenly felt the train jerk a few times. She and other passengers in the middle part of the train started calmly walking to the back. But then they started smelling gasoline, and somebody said there was a fire.

But they couldn't open the emergency window or figure out how to escape until a firefighter got a door open, she said. Commuters lifted each other down from the train to the ground about 7 feet below, said Bordiga, who uses a cane.

"When I was on the ground, I looked to the right and saw flames. I couldn't believe it," she said.

In the first car, a man whose own hands were burned elbowed open the emergency exit latch, allowing some of the train's roughly 700 passengers to escape, passenger Christopher Gross said on ABC's "Good Morning America."

The train's engineer tried to rescue people until the smoke and flames got so severe that he had to escape, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino said

While officials did not immediately release any victims' names, employers confirmed that the dead included Walter Liedtke, a curator of European paintings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Eric Vandercar, 53, a senior managing director at Mesirow Financial.

Every day, trains travel across more than 212,000 highway-grade rail crossings in the U.S. There are an average of 230 to 250 deaths a year at such crossings, down over 50 percent from two decades ago, FRA figures show.

Risky driver behavior or poor judgment accounts for 94 percent of grade crossing accidents, according to a 2004 government report.

Metro-North is the nation's second-busiest commuter railroad, after the Long Island Rail Road, serving about 280,000 riders a day.

Late last year, the NTSB issued rulings on five Metro-North accidents in New York and Connecticut in 2013 and 2014, repeatedly finding fault with the railroad.

Among the accidents was a 2013 derailment in the Bronx that killed four people, the railroad's first passenger fatalities, The NTSB said the engineer had fallen asleep at the controls because of a severe, undiagnosed case of sleep apnea.


AP writers Jennifer Peltz, Ula Ilnytzky and Meghan Barr in New York; Joan Lowy in Washington; and Michael Kunzelman in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report.

Chicopee Mayor proposes CPR or first aid for high school students

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Mayor Kos asked the superintendent to see what the best way is to offer a course in CPR or first aid.

CHICOPEE - Mayor Richard J. Kos has proposed that the school department consider offering CPR or some type of a first aid class for all students.

Kos, who serves as the School Committee chairman, asked fellow members and Superintendent Richard W. Rege Jr. to explore the idea to see if it is feasible.

He proposed having seniors take the training as part of their learning before they graduate. But Kos said it may also make more sense to include it in the freshmen curriculum instead. He asked school administrators and fellow committee members their opinions.

Member Susan A. Lopes said she liked the idea of having students receiving some type of basic medical training as part of their education.

Rege said he will explore the idea and see how best to offer CPR or medical training.


PM News Links: Man reportedly left children in cold to buy pot, police say 'distracted' school bus driver caused crash, and more

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A Coast Guardsman accused of ambushing police early this morning and murdering one woman and wounding another was ordered held without bail today after being arraigned on eight charges.

A digest of news stories from around New England.



Kirk Wilson.jpgKirk Wilson 
  • Man tired of waiting for girlfriend kicked children out of car so he could go buy marijuana, West Hartford police say [Hartford Courant]

  • New Hampshire school bus driver was distracted by 'device' before crash, police say [Union Leader] Video above


  • Coast Guardsman accused of killing woman, shooting police officer, other Coast Guardsman, in domestic dispute on Cape Cod [Boston Herald] Video below

  • Harvard University bans professors from having sex with undergraduates [Boston Globe]


  • Slow moving storm could dump more snow on Bay State over 4-day period [WCVB-TV, NewsCenter5, Needham] Video below

  • Stoughton police officer shoots man wielding knife [The Enterprise of Brockton]

  • Big-Mountain and Willis.jpgRyan Big-Mountain is seen with Amie Willis in these police booking photos. 
  • Couple arrested with heroin, 2 young children in car during Connecticut traffic stop [CTNow.com]

  • Man dies in overnight blaze in Athol [Telegram & Gazette]


  • Former mayor sues Providence saying property tax deal struck after he left office gives unfair advantage to competitor [Providence Journal]





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    Workforce training program wins STCC, HCC $50,000 grant named for ex-Gov. Deval Patrick

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    Founded almost three years ago, Training and Workforce Options has partnered with 200 area employers including Dowd Insurance, Marcotte Ford, Shriners Hospital for Children and the cities of Springfield and Chicopee.

    SPRINGFIELD - The TWO Program, it stands for Training and Workforce Options, run cooperatively by Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical Community College, has received inaugural Deval Patrick Award for Community Colleges from the Boston Foundation.

    The award comes with a $50,000 unrestricted grant from the Boston Foundation, said foundation president Paul Grogan.

    Founded almost three years ago, Training and Workforce Options has partnered with 200 area employers including Dowd Insurance, Marcotte Ford, Shriners Hospital for Children and the cities of Springfield and Chicopee, said Robert LaPage, vice president of foundation and workforce training at Springfield Technical Community College.

    The program offers training in a variety of areas, from the technical to customer service.

    "It's a great day," Grogan said in an interview.

    It is rare for the Boston Foundation to operate outside of the city. But for this program they looked at every community college in the state and were especial impressed with what TWO is doing.

    "One reason is the fact that by the institutions own admission they had not been working together before this program," Grogan said  "They had been reactive instead of proactive when it came to workforce preparation. "We were impressed with the comments of employers they have worked with."

    The award is part of the foundation's statewide effort to get more people trained for the current economy.

    "We have a big problem here in Massachusetts, which Gov. Patrick talked about a great deal when he was in office," Grogan said. "Which is the problem of jobs going begging while people were desperate for work."

    Holyoke Community College President William Messner said:

    messner.jpgView full sizeWilliam Messner 


    "This award validates the work we have been doing with our friends at STCC for the last three years. Through TWO we are not only educating and training future workers but we are helping employers better position themselves in their respective industries so they will grow and prosper, thus expanding the regional economy and adding even more jobs for our graduates."

    Springfield Technical Community College President Ira H. Rubenzahl said TWO means that the two colleges cooperate and don't compete with each other. It also gives area businesspeople a wider variety of training programs and a single point of contact to access them.

    IHRubenzahl2009.jpgView full sizeIra H. Rubenzahl

    For example, Holyoke Community College has a culinary arts program, Springfield Technical Community College does not. Springfield has manufacturing technology, Holyoke doesn't.

    "This award means the recognition that we are leaders in the state for connecting individuals with jobs and helping companies fulfill their employment requirements."

    The colleges will use TWO to facilitate training for potential casino workers, Rubenzahl said. The colleges have already designed courses of study and are working now on ways to fund the training.

    It will likely be through some combination of money from the state Gaming Commission and from casino operators across Massachusetts themselves.

    "We don't want people who are looking for jobs to pay to be trained," Rubenzahl said. "Not everyone who gets trained will get a job. Most will. But  there is no guarantee."

    Rubenzahl said the colleges will split the award and Springfield Technical Community College will use its money to support ongoing operations.

    Springfield man gets 20 to 22 years in prison after being found guilty of 3 counts of home invasion

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    The jury also found Ramon Valle guilty of three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.

    SPRINGFIELD - A Springfield man received a 20- to 22-year state prison sentence after a Hampden Superior Court jury found him guilty of thee counts of home invasion.

    The jury also found Ramon Valle, 36, guilty of three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in the case prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Karen Bell in front of Judge Daniel A. Ford.

    Ford sentenced Valle, whose address is listed in court records as 788 Belmont Ave., on Wednesday.

    The home invasion happened in May 2014. Shots were fired but nobody was hit.

    Sgt. John Delaney said the suspects angered over a disturbance associated with an upstairs apartment, kicked in a rear door and chased the female occupants out. Shots were fired in the area, he said.

    Officers Kimberly Brantley, Igor Basovsky, Brendan Curran and Seth Barker, responding to 6 Woodlawn St. shortly after 2 a.m. following numerous 911 calls reporting gunfire.

    They were greeted by two of the frightened victims, ages 19 and 20, who wanted to hide in a police cruiser for safety. One had a gash on her knee from running and falling, Delaney said.

    One of the victims told police that she had just moved into the apartment and was having a few girlfriends over to celebrate when two of them got into a verbal altercation outside the building.

    That's when the suspects told the females to keep quiet. The females continued their argument and went back upstairs. That's when the home invasion occurred, Delaney said.

    Valle's co-defendant, Leroy Machuca, 28, of 44 Chaple St., had pleaded guilty last month to three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. The three home invasion counts were dropped as a result of plea negotiations.He also pleaded guilty to breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony and received a five to seven year term.

    After the prison terms Machuca will be on probation for three years and must stay away from the victims.

    Valle was repesented by Jennifer Cox.

     

    Holyoke Health Center plans 'Adventure' with scavenger hunt to mark National Children's Dental Health Month

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    The two days of activities will include talks about issues like the importance of dental health and fluoride treatments.

    HOLYOKE -- It's National Children's Dental Health Month and at the Holyoke Health Center, that means there's a scavenger hunt.

    "The participants are encouraged to complete each task of the scavenger hunt which includes oral health education, dental-themed crafts and an oral exam, and as a reward for completing each task they receive free prizes and giveaways," said a press release from Holyoke Health Center, 230 Maple St.

    The activity is part of the "Dental Adventure" the center is holding Feb. 17 and 18 to highlight the importance to parents and children of dental health, the press release said.

    Events will be held 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days on all floors of the health center, the press release said.

    Center staff will discuss oral health education, dental exams and creative oral health crafts with parents and children.

    "The health center will be providing full-service pediatric dental including oral exams, X-Rays/imaging, sealants, and fluoride treatments," the press release said.

    "Throughout this event, participants will get the opportunity to experience all the dental health services that are provided at Holyoke Health Center by participating in a scavenger hunt throughout the facility," the press release said.

    The center opened a Pediatric Dental Wing that features 13 dental chairs for children in September 2013 with a federal Affordable Care Act grant of nearly $2 million.

    The American Dental Association sponsors National Children's Dental Health Month in February to raise awareness about the importance of oral health, its website said.

    For more information, visit the Holyoke Health Center website at hhcinc.org or call (413) 420-2200.

    Chicopee firefighters urge residents to help clear the 3,200 hydrants in the city

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    Firefighters could waste valuable time clearing a hydrant in the case of a fire.

    CHICOPEE - Fire Department officials are asking residents and business owners for help clearing around fire hydrants in the city.

    The best way to shovel out a hydrant is to clear an area of three feet around it to make it easy for firefighters to reach it.

    While firefighters do clear hydrants, since close to two feet of snow has fallen over the past two weeks, it has been impossible for the fire department to keep up with it. There are more than 3,200 hydrants throughout the city

    "Serious delays will occur during firefighting operations while fire crews remove the snow from around the hydrant," Fire Capt. Mark W. Galarneau said in a written statement. "As a rule of thumb, a fire doubles in size every minute."

    Having to clear a hydrant before using it wastes valuable time which could be needed to save a life or property, he said.

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