Quantcast
Channel: News
Viewing all 62489 articles
Browse latest View live

Westfield considers consolidation of several municipal departments

0
0

The consolidation will combine the departments of public works, water resources, parks and recreation and part of the Health Department.

WESTFIELD - The City Council will consider the initial step towards consolidation of several departments, all involved in public works, when it meets Monday.

The council's Legislative and Ordinance Committee agreed last week to bring the proposal forward for consideration for a first reading by the full City Council. If that initial vote is received, the proposal will be up for final adoption at a March City Council meeting, probably the March 19 regular session.

The council is meeting Monday night at City Hall at 7 p.m. because of a change in meeting dates due to last week's annual school vacation week that saw several councilors out of town. The council regularly meets on the first and third Thursdays of each month.

The consolidation proposal will combine the departments of Public Works, Water Resources, Parks and Recreation and a portion of the Health Department related to the city's Transfer Station operations.

Acting Department of Public Works Superintendent David A. Billips told councilors the city is in a position to giver serious consideration to the consolidation because is needs to appoint a new DPW superintendent since former Superintendent James Mulvenna retired several months ago.

Billips said the consolidation will will produce "increased efficiency" by all department involved while eliminating a total of four positions overall.

"A long-term cost savings will result from a reducation in need for consultants because of people already working for the city buy departments" not sharing resources to the maximum.

"Under consolidation we will be able to share equipment, share equipment mechanics, share technology and share all resources," Billips said.

Under consolidation, the DPW superintendent will oversee the new department with deputy superintendents assign to critical areas like parks and wastewater.

Parks and Recreation commission Kenneth Magarian said he saw the proposal as a "very good and well thought out approach."


New Wilbraham police station would cost $9 million, Building Committee members told

0
0

A debt exclusion override question to approve the project will be on the May 16 town election ballot.

WILBRAHAM - It will cost the town approximately $9 million for a new police station, members of the Police Station Building Feasibility Committee were told Monday.

Building Feasibility Committee members were shown drawings for a 16,500 square-foot police station with brick veneer and gables by Tecton Architects of Hartford, Conn.

Roger Fontaine, chairman of the committee, said the drawings for the new police station show "a New England style building, similar to the Town Hall."

The proposal will be brought before residents at the May 11 annual town meeting. Going forward with the project will require approval of a debt exclusion override question on the May 16 town election ballot.

Police Chief Roger Tucker said the current police station on Main Street which is built in a 110-year-old former school house, "has been inadequate for a long time."

Tucker said the proposed new building would serve the town for decades to come.

A new police station would provide for "improved security," the chief said.

Interim Town Administrator Thomas Sullivan said that although the new police station would cost approximately $9 million, including the land acquisition, the town could afford $4 million from available funds and would ask residents to approve a debt exclusion override of $5 million.

The proposed site for a new police station is 2680 Boston Road next to the fire station. The property is owned by Helen Moore and has been offered to the town for $425,000 which includes the cost of demolishing a house on the property.

A negotiating committee has been appointed to finalize the purchase price of the property.


State Rep. Angelo Puppolo to tour Wilbraham police station

0
0

Puppolo will tour the police station with Police Chief Roger Tucker.

WILBRAHAM - State Rep. Angelo J. Puppolo Jr., D-Springfield, will tour the Wilbraham police station with Police Chief Roger Tucker Tuesday at noon.

The purpose of the tour is to assess the building's condition and see firsthand problems with the existing facility which was built in 1904 and has been used by the Police Department since 1980.

Puppolo said his goal is to shed light on the challenges the department faces working in an outdated building and to underscore the need for a new station.

Springfield Catholic diocese 'grateful' for city-funded school transportation that may be at risk

0
0

Mark Dupont, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, said the diocese does realize it could lose city financial support, as threatened by top city officials, if Cathedral High School is not rebuilt in East Forest Park. Watch video

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno pressures diocese to rebuild Cathedral High School on Surrey Road.

mark dupont.jpgMark E. Dupont 


SPRINGFIELD — Mark Dupont, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, said the diocese does realize it could lose city financial support, as threatened by top city officials, if Cathedral High School is not rebuilt in East Forest Park.

Dupont said the diocese "is certainly grateful for the transportation support the city has provided" for Cathedral High School students since its campus was destroyed in a tornado on June 1, 2011, and the students have been bused to a temporary school site in Wilbraham.

Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski's announced on Monday that the diocese will merge Cathedral High School in Springfield and Holyoke Catholic High School in Chicopee at a single merged location, with the site not yet determined.

 

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and City Council President Michael Fenton said Monday that if the diocese decides not to build at the current, vacant Cathedral property on Surrey Road, the city could withdraw financial support.

Sarno said the city has paid approximately $1 million for busing of Cathedral students to Wilbraham since the tornado. "We will continue to support Cathedral as long as rebuilding on Surrey Road remains the plan," he said.

Dupont in reponse, said: "We also understand that the final determination on a site may impact future help.

"This is one of many factors which will be carefully reviewed. We have to consider the needs of all our families at both schools."

AAA: Massachusetts drivers more likely to speed, run red lights – and tolerate it – than rest of the U.S.

0
0

Massachusetts drivers are more likely to have sped on a highway recently or blown through a red traffic light than their peers around the country on average, according to a new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety report.

By ANDY METZGER

BOSTON — Massachusetts drivers are more likely to have sped on a highway recently or blown through a red traffic light than their peers around the country on average, according to a new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety report.

Bay Staters, however, are also more tolerant of bad driving behavior than those in many other states, and tend to offer contradictory thoughts on how others should behave behind the wheel compared to their own driving tendencies.

"It's a case of 'do as I say, not as I do' when motorists recognize the risks of certain behaviors but do them anyway," said AAA Director of Public and Legislative Affairs Mary Maguire in a statement.

A majority of Bay State drivers said that in the past 30 days they drove 15 miles per hour over the speed limit on a highway (68 percent), drove 10 miles per hour over the speed limit on a residential street (67 percent) and talked on a cell phone while driving (78 percent). (The full report is embedded at the end of this story; Massachusetts data begin on Page 49.)

Those percentages are between 9 percent and 23 percent higher than the country as a whole.

About 45 percent of Massachusetts drivers said they had driven through a light that just turned red even though they could have stopped safely, compared to 36 percent elsewhere.

Massachusetts drivers were also more permissive of those risky road behaviors than others around the country.

Sixty-one percent of Massachusetts drivers reported they found highway speeding unacceptable, while 83 percent consider speeding on a residential street unacceptable and an even greater percentage (91 percent) took a dim view on squeezing through an intersection after the light changed.

Only 31 percent found fault with using a hands-free phone, while 60 percent believe using a hand-held cell phone while driving is unacceptable.

However, the only categories that attracted more disapproval from Massachusetts drivers than drivers in other states, on average, were drowsy driving and typing text messages, and only by slim margins.

Selected respondents 16 and older were surveyed between August and October, and majorities reported that congestion, aggressive drivers and distracted driving is worse now than it was three years ago.

About half the respondents said drunk driving and drugged driving had remained about the same, while those who detected a change overwhelmingly saw those problems growing worse. In Massachusetts, drivers on prescription drugs are perceived as a threat by a greater percentage (72 percent) of drivers than the country as a whole (67 percent).

Both in Massachusetts and throughout the nation about 29 percent of drivers admitted to driving when they were so tired they could hardly keep their eyes open. Drowsy driving was nearly unanimously denounced, with 98 percent of Massachusetts drivers saying it is unacceptable.

In Rhode Island, 35 percent of drivers admitted to drowsy driving, and Ocean State drivers admitted to speeding, squeezing through red lights and talking on the phone while driving in greater numbers than Massachusetts roadsters.

Automotive accidents are a serious public safety hazard throughout the country. In Massachusetts 10 percent of drivers have been involved in a serious crash in the last 2 years, while 19 percent said they had been involved in a serious crash at least once in their lifetime. Nine percent said they had been seriously injured in a crash.

In other states, dangerous driving behavior receives more widespread disapproval and drivers report committing fewer offenses. In Minnesota, only 26 percent of drivers reported speeding in a residential area and 32 percent reported speeding on the highway. Only 33 percent of Gopher State drivers reported squeezing through a red light in the past 30 days.

Nineteen percent of Massachusetts drivers reported driving without wearing a seat belt, and only 3 percent said they had driven when they thought their alcohol level might be close to or above the legal limit. About 60 percent of Bay State drivers supported lowering the legal limit from .08 to .05 percent blood alcohol content.

2014 Tsc i Report

See John Soja present his plan for proposed retail shopping center on Main Street in Wilbraham

0
0

WILBRAHAM - For anyone who wants to see Boston Road lawyer John Soja present his proposal to build a retail shopping center at the intersection of Burt Lane and Main Street, the Wilbraham public access channel has a video posted of the Feb. 11 Planning Board meeting where Soja presented the proposal. To access the video go to the...

WILBRAHAM - For anyone who wants to see Boston Road lawyer John Soja present his proposal to build a retail shopping center at the intersection of Burt Lane and Main Street, the Wilbraham public access channel has a video posted of the Feb. 11 Planning Board meeting where Soja presented the proposal.

To access the video go to the Wilbraham town website, then the public access channel and you can access video on demand. The Planning Board meeting is posted under government meetings.

Fire chief in Indiana resigns days after wife, ex-police chief charged with stealing $73,000: video

0
0

Stacey Chasteen, 49, reportedly gambled away the money.

A fire chief in Indiana resigned last week just days after the former police chief, who happens to be his wife, was charged with stealing $73,000 from an evidence room.

Fire Chief Scott Chasteen's resignation from the Fire Department in Greensburg, Ind., took effect Friday. He had been with the department for 24 years according to Mayor Gary Hebert.

According to USA Today, three days before Chasteen announced his resignation, his wife, Stacey Chasteen, was charged with gambling away nearly $73,000 in stolen funds between 2006 and 2013.

Stacey Chasteen, 49, resigned as police chief in November. She had been police chief since 2011, and before that, had been the department's property officer, starting in 2002, the newspaper reported.

Shortly after she resigned, the new property officer contacted Indiana State Police when he noticed nearly $73,000 seized from a raid at a massage parlor was missing, the Indianapolis Star reported.

During the investigation, Scott Chasteen told police his wife has a gambling problem, and said that his wife admitted to him she had taken money from the evidence room, according to court papers. He told police that the couple had borrowed money from family remembers to replace the money.

The Greensburg Daily News reported that the couple was able to collect about $70,000 to replace the missing money.

According to court documents, Stacey Chasteen "represented to her husband that she was going to put the money back [into the police department's evidence room]," the Daily News reported. Instead, the former police chief gambled and lost all of that money too, investigators said.
The probable-cause affidavit states that Scott Chasteen told Indiana State Police detectives he believed his wife had used the money to replace the stolen evidence funds and had seen her package it as though it was the same cash originally stored in the evidence room. He said he believed she had put the money back.

WRTV-TV, abc6 in Indianapolis quoted Herbert as accepting Scott Chasteen's resignation with a heavy heart.

"This is a very sad day and time for all involved," Herbert wrote in an email to RTV6. "Especially for the great city of Greensburg and the GFD. Past Chief Scott Chasteen as chief has put his heart into [the department] and, with the support of his fellow firefighters, the growth and performance of the department is second to no others. We are all disappointed that the situation had to come to his resignation and to his retirement as a great firefighter and to the end of his career in the GFD."
"I regret that his resignation and retirement arise under the cloud they do, but I believe that his decision is the correct one and, with a heavy heart, I accept it," Herbert wrote.

In addition to the missing $73,000, WRTV reported, an investigation by Decatur County prosecutor Nathan Harter said that an audit revealed evidence to at least 16 criminal cases could be affected.

"Scott Chasteen has always been an asset to the City of Greensburg as fire chief, and under his watch the department has flourished," the mayor said in a written statement obtained by WTHR-TV, NBC13 in Indianapolis. 

No charges have been filed against Scott Chasteen.

 

Holyoke's Marcotte Ford would get tax incentives for $5 million in expansions under recommendation

0
0

One project is worth $3.3 million and the other about $1.5 million.

HOLYOKE -- Marcotte Ford would receive tax incentives for two expansions worth nearly $5 million under a plan a City Council committee voted to recommend Monday (Feb. 23).

The incentive known as Tax Increment Financing (TIF) would give the Main Street business five years of decreasing exemptions on the value of only the new properties being built, not the existing Marcotte Ford headquarters at 1025 Main St.

The 5-0 recommendation of the Development and Government Relations Committee at City Hall will be considered by the full City Council on March 3.

If the full council approves, the plan would go to Mayor Alex B. Morse, who supports it, and then to the state Economic Assistance Coordinating Council, officials said.

The project consists of an expansion that entails construction of a new facility followed by renovations to the existing facility.

Under the TIF, Marcotte Ford would get a 100 percent exemption on the property taxes assessed on the new facility and the renovated area in the first year, 75 percent the second year, 50 percent the third year, 25 percent the fourth year and 5 percent the fifth year, said Marcos A. Marrero, director of the city Department of Planning and Economic Development.

Such incentives are rare and awarded to help in retaining an existing business with the understanding the city will benefit in the long run with added property value to tax and increased jobs, he said.

"You don't just give away the taxpayers' money," Marrero said.

Phase I of the Marcotte Ford expansions is a commercial truck center of a 16,000-square-foot facility with 16 bays at a cost of $3.3 million. The project began in December and should be done by June, officials said.

Phase II will be $1.5 million in renovations to the dealership's existing 27,000-square-foot facility work on which will begin when the 16-bay expansion is done and should be done by summer 2016, officials said.

Details will be added to this story as reporting continues.


Springfield police investigating gunpoint robbery at East Springfield convenience store

0
0

Three men, two of whom were armed with guns, stole an undisclosed amount of cash from the BD Mart, 20 East St., during an armed robbery reported shortly before 7 p.m. Monday.

SPRINGFIELD — Police on Monday were hunting for two men responsible for a gunpoint robbery at an East Springfield convenience store near the Chicopee city line.

Officers responded to BD Mart, 20 East St., shortly before 7 p.m. to investigate. They interviewed store personnel, reviewed surveillance video, and searched the neighborhood for the suspects, both of whom were armed with handguns and are still at large.

The suspects fled with cash from the register, according to a store employee. "Everything was just so fast," he said, noting that there were no injuries and the store remained open after the robbery. "Yes, we're still open," he said just before 8 p.m.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to call the Springfield Police Detective bureau at 413-787-6355.


MAP showing approximate location of convenience store robbery:


 


Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse to make 4 police promotions in ceremony

0
0

All of those being promoted have shown a commitment to community policing, the mayor said.

HOLYOKE -- Four police officers will be promoted by Mayor Alex B. Morse in a ceremony Thursday (Feb. 26).

Morse and Police Chief James M. Neiswanger will preside over the ceremony at 6 p.m. at Wistariahurst Musesum, 238 Cabot St., Lt. James Albert said Monday.

Lt. Matthew F. Moriarty will be promoted to captain, Sgt. Joseph Garcia to provisional lieutenant, Officer Richard Conner to provisional sergeant and Officer Patrick T. Leahy to provisional sergeant, Albert said.

"All of the officers chosen for promotion set themselves apart in various ways," Morse said. "Most importantly was a shared commitment to the community policing philosophy the chief and I have worked to instill in the department over the last four years. A commitment to this philosophy along with experience helped inform my decisions."

Oil price slump, disappointing home sales, weigh on stock market

0
0

Investors were looking ahead to the start of a two-day round of Congressional testimony by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

By ALEX VEIGA

NEW YORK - The slump in crude oil prices and disappointing U.S. home sales data helped nudge stocks mostly lower on Monday, pulling the market back from an all-time high reached last week.

The Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index spent much of the day hovering slightly below their most-recent highs. But the Nasdaq composite mounted a late-afternoon comeback that extended its recent win streak for the ninth day in a row.

Oil drilling companies and homebuilders notched broad declines, while traders bid up shares in utilities stocks.

Investors were looking ahead to the start of a two-day round of Congressional testimony by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen. The remarks could provide insight into when the central bank will begin raising its key interest rate from near zero.

"The markets are in a holding pattern," said Erik Davidson, chief investment officer of Wells Fargo Private Bank. "We'll have some very interesting information coming up from Janet Yellen tomorrow and Wednesday, so the markets are looking at that very closely."

The Dow ended down 23.60 points, or 0.1 percent, to 18,116.84. The S&P 500 fell 0.64 points, or 0.03 percent, to 2,109.66. The Nasdaq gained 5.01 points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,960.97. The index, which has yet to reclaim its record high from the dot-com era, in now within 87 points of that March 2000 peak.

The three stock indexes are up for the year.

Stocks started off the day basically flat as investors weighed developments in Greece and falling oil prices.

Greece's new government and its creditors reached an agreement over the weekend that staved off the threat of a Greek bankruptcy and an exit from the euro. Athens was expected to send creditors a list of reforms tied to the four-month bailout pact early Tuesday.

The price of oil fell for the fourth day in a row as the return of a Libyan oil field raised expectations for more oil supply. Benchmark U.S. crude fell $1.36 to close at $49.45 a barrel in New York.

That helped drag down shares in several offshore oil drilling and oilfield services companies.

Transocean fell 75 cents, or 4.4 percent, to $16.26, while Ensco shed $1.11, or 3.7 percent, to $28.65. Nabors Industries fell the most among stocks in the S&P 500, losing 67 cents, or 5 percent, to $12.85.

Investors bought up shares in Valeant Pharmaceuticals, which announced on Sunday a deal to buy rival drugmaker Salix Pharmaceuticals for about $10 billion in cash. Valeant rose $25.49, or 15 percent, to $198.75.

A midmorning report showing that sales of previously occupied homes tumbled 4.9 percent last month sent most homebuilder shares lower. UCP declined the most, shedding 45 cents, or 4.8 percent, to $8.97.

"The home numbers were a little disappointing," said Bob Doll, chief equity strategist at Nuveen Asset Management.

All told, six of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 fell. Telecommunications stocks declined the most. Utilities stocks led the gainers.

Tuesday will provide investors with some fresh insight on the U.S. consumer.

The Conference Board will report its latest consumer confidence index. January's reading surged to the highest level since August 2007, and economists anticipate a pullback in this month's reading.

But the biggest market-moving news could come from the Fed.

Yellen is scheduled to deliver her semiannual report to Congress on the economy and interest rates. Investors will be listening for any hints of when the central bank will move to raise its key interest rate. Higher Fed rates would affect rates on many consumer and business loans and could depress stock and bond prices.

The Fed's most recent policy statement expressed the intention to be "patient" about raising rates. Many economists have predicted the central bank will raise rates in June.

In other futures trading Monday, Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, fell $1.32 to close at $58.90 in London. Wholesale gasoline rose 0.5 cents to close at $1.646 a gallon. Heating oil rose 10.6 cents to close at $2.218 a gallon, and natural gas fell 7.2 cents to close at $2.879 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Precious and industrial metals futures closed slightly lower. Gold fell $4.10 to $1,200.80 an ounce, silver fell two cents to $16.25 an ounce and copper edged down less than a penny to $2.59 a pound.

U.S. government bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.06 percent from 2.11 percent late Friday.

Among other stocks making moves Monday:

  1. Cooper Tire & Rubber fell 5 percent after the tire maker reported fourth-quarter earnings that fell short of what Wall Street analysts had expected. The stock shed $1.89 to $35.82.
  2. Tower Semiconductor reported a profit during its fourth quarter after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier. Shares in the chipmaker vaulted $2.07, or 15.1 percent, to $15.76.
  3. Polypore International surged 12.7 percent on news the company is selling its energy storage business to Asahi Kasei for $2.2 billion after it sells another segment to 3M for $1 billion. The stock gained $6.75 to $59.70.

AP business writer Elaine Kurtenbach in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Vermont man under indictment for alleged assault on baby who suffered broken leg

0
0

Clifford Sprague, 34, of Springfield, Vermont, is facing felony assault charges in connection with an incident in which a 3-month-old child suffered a broken leg.

clifford sprague, suspect, via VSP.jpgClifford Sprague (VERMONT STATE POLICE) 
SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — A Vermont man is under indictment for an alleged assault on a baby boy who suffered a broken leg.

Clifford Sprague, 34, of Springfield, Vermont, is being held on $1,000 bail at the Southern State Correctional Facility in Springfield after being charged with assaulting the 3-month-old child, police said.

Detective Trooper Tyson Kinney, of the Vermont State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation, was the lead investigator in the probe, which resulted in Sprague being charged with 1st-degree aggravated domestic assault and cruelty to a child under age 10 by a person age 16 or older.

On Feb. 20, after an extensive investigation by Kinney and others, a state grand jury returned a two-count indictment against Sprague, who was taken into custody Monday, Feb. 23, at his home at 466 Brockway Mills Road. He was issued a citation to appear in Vermont Superior Court-Windham Criminal Division on March 10, police said.

Troopers first became aware of the alleged assault on Jan. 6, after the baby was brought to the emergency room at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital for swelling to his left leg. The child was later transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebananon, New Hampshire, for further treatment.

"When the child was examined by physicians, it was determined he had suffered a fractured left tibia, just below the knee," State Police said in a news release.

It wasn't immediately known if Sprague has a lawyer.



Actor Leonard Nimoy reportedly hospitalized with chest pains

0
0

It was not immediately clear whether the actor is still in the hospital.

Paramedics took "Star Trek" actor Leonard Nimoy to the hospital Thursday, various news organizations reported Monday.

The Los Angeles Times quoted Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Katherine Main as saying that firefighters went to a Stone Canyon Road home in Bel-Air around 7:30 a.m. Thursday and took someone to the hospital. While Main would not confirm that the patient was Nimoy, property records reviewed by the Times show that Nimoy, 83, lives at that address.

The San Jose Mercury News said that Nimoy, who gained fame for his role as Spock on the original television series starting in 1966, was transported to the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center with chest pains.

Nimoy announced on Twitter Jan. 29 that he has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the Times reported. The disease reportedly blocks airflow, produces excess mucus and makes it hard to breath, the newspaper account says.

"I quit smoking 30 yrs ago," he tweeted. "Not soon enough. I have COPD. Grandpa says, quit now!! LLAP."

The Times was unable to confirm whether Nimoy was still at the hospital.

"If you quit after you're diagnosed with lung damage, it's too late. Grandpa says learn my lesson. Quit now. LLAP," People magazine quoted him as Tweeting last February. (LLAP, his usual Twitter sign off, stands for "Live Long and Prosper.")

The New York Daily News pointed out that the actor was able to use his Twitter account Sunday, when he sent out the following tweet:

On Saturday, he Tweeted this:



\

Missouri man out on bail when he strangled girl, 6, after luring her to room with snacks, police say

0
0

John P. Roberts, 55, of Branson, remained jailed without bond Monday in Taney County.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A man who was released on bond in a burglary case used snacks to lure a 6-year-old girl into his motel room in the southwest Missouri tourist town of Branson and strangled her, court records say.

John P. Roberts, 55, of Branson, remained jailed without bond Monday in Taney County after making his first court appearance on a first-degree murder charge in the death of Jasmine Miller. Roberts met with his public defender and was scheduled to appear in court next on March 10, online court records show. They do not identify the public defender.

johnroberts.jpgJohn P. Roberts, 55, left, of Branson, is accused in the death of Jasmine Miller, 6. 

A probable cause statement said the girl's body was found Saturday under the bed in the Windsor Inn room where Roberts was staying alone. Police said in a news release that the discovery was made while officers were searching the area after receiving a lost child report.

Taney County Prosecutor Jeffrey Merrell said the girl and her family were also living at the motel. "My understanding is that this was an extended stay motel and that this was a temporary living arrangement," he said.

The Windsor Inn is on Branson's 76 Strip and a short walk from several attractions, including a water park and theater.

Paul Dubois, 36, of Branson, whose daughter was a friend of Jasmine's, is working to organize a candlelight vigil. Dubois, who said he is "fighting a brain tumor and cancer," recalled the first time he saw Jasmine during a birthday party for his daughter. He said the girl approached him when he was unable to push children on park swings.

"She hugged me and said it doesn't matter the fact that I can't do what other parents can do," Dubois said.

Police said it appears Roberts acted alone. He was released from jail earlier this month after posting $171 in bail in a Taney County burglary case.

The probable cause statement in that case said Roberts told police that he needed money for food, and "would arrange to pay the money back." Police found $23 in Roberts' wallet and say he told them that's what was left from what he stole. His attorney in that case, Judson Wall, didn't immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Merrell said Monday that when Roberts' bond amount on the burglary charge was being decided during a Feb. 10 hearing, an assistant prosecuting attorney negotiated for a lower bond in hopes that the burglary victim could eventually be reimbursed.

"Certainly, with the benefit of hindsight and knowing what has happened this weekend, then everyone in the world would have made an effort to keep him in jail," the Springfield News-Leader quoted Merrell as saying. "As a practical matter, for burglary defendants who have not been proven guilty to be released on bond -- and sometimes released on their own recognizance -- it is just common that people are released."

Kristan Patterson, who used to live near Roberts, told KSPR-TV that she spoke to Roberts every day and knew him to be a kind man.

Windsor Inn resident Tammy Meyer said her children played with Jasmine and she and her 17-year-old daughter helped search for the girl before she was found.

"She was just a doll," Meyer said. "I think I can speak for everyone here. We are in shock."

Husband of woman killed in Las Vegas shooting says he doesn't think incident was road rage

0
0

LAS VEGAS -- The tale of a Las Vegas mother of four who was shot to death after a neighborhood car chase took yet another turn Monday when her husband and attorneys for a neighbor charged with murder said they doubt the incident stemmed from road rage. "My wife was followed home and murdered," Robert Meyers said after an initial...

LAS VEGAS -- The tale of a Las Vegas mother of four who was shot to death after a neighborhood car chase took yet another turn Monday when her husband and attorneys for a neighbor charged with murder said they doubt the incident stemmed from road rage.

"My wife was followed home and murdered," Robert Meyers said after an initial court appearance by 19-year-old suspect Erich Milton Nowsch Jr.

Nowsch was arrested Friday, a little more than a week after 44-year-old Tammy Meyers was killed by gunfire that police say came from a silver car that pursued Meyers and her 22-year-old son, Brandon Meyers, to a cul-de-sac outside their home.

Meyers thinks his wife was trying to lead pursuers away from the family home -- a theory that would add another dimension to the case already marked by conflicting and incomplete accounts from police and the Meyers family.

Initially the family told police the shooting followed a confrontation with another motorist.

One twist came when family members and police revealed last week that Tammy Meyers dropped her daughter at home and recruited her son, who had a registered handgun, to drive around their neighborhood in the family's green Buick Park Avenue sedan in search of the motorist who confronted her.

Robert Meyers, 49, was out of state when the shooting happened late Feb. 12. He said he thinks his wife was frightened by the initial encounter with a motorist who blocked her way and threatened her and her teenage daughter while they headed home from a driving lesson at a neighborhood school.

A tire-squealing confrontation and gunfire followed several blocks from home before the fatal shooting several houses away from the Meyers home.

"I don't know what she saw," Robert Meyers said. "She's dead. I can't ask her. But this was intentional -- to kill the person in the green car."

Officer Larry Hadfield, a Las Vegas police spokesman, declined to comment on the change of accounts, and whether Tammy Meyers' death resulted from a random road-rage shooting as it first appeared.

Meyers said his wife and Nowsch knew each other well enough that the teen hitched up his saggy shorts when she approached him in a park, so she wouldn't have to tell him to do so.

It's not clear if they recognized each other during the fatal confrontation. Robert Meyers said Nowsch was probably familiar with the family Buick but might not have seen it since the windows were tinted dark last summer.

Nowsch is charged with murder, attempted murder and firing a weapon from a vehicle. He wasn't asked to enter a plea Monday and didn't say a word as he stood shackled in a courtroom packed with media for his brief initial court appearance.

Justice of the Peace Conrad Hafen scheduled a March 10 preliminary hearing to determine if Nowsch should stand trial.

Nowsch's lawyers, brothers Conrad Claus and Augustus Claus, said outside court they also don't believe the case involved road rage. They want to review police reports and video evidence before talking more about the defense.

Police said Nowsch told friends he was at the park and became alarmed by a vehicle he thought was following him, so he called a friend to pick him up.

Police also said Nowsch bragged to friends several hours after the shooting that he "got those kids, they were after me, and I got them."

Nowsch showed his friends a.45-caliber handgun and told them he fired several shots in the first encounter and 22 shots in the cul-de-sac, authorities said.

Robert Meyers and police said Brandon Meyers fired three shots during the second shooting. It wasn't clear if he hit a silver Audi with Nowsch and at least one other person inside, police said.

Nowsch lived with his single mother and her 1-month-old baby girl about a block from the Meyers home.

Tammy Meyers served as a mother figure to youngsters about the same age as her children, now 15 to 22, Meyers said, and two of Meyers' sons attended high school with Nowsch.

Meyers said this wife gave Nowsch $20 when he said he was hungry, and the husband recalled Nowsch earning pocket money washing cars outside the Meyers home.

The teen and the neighborhood mom may have seen each other in passing on the weekend of Feb. 7-8, when Tammy Meyers walked the family dogs in the park where Nowsch often sat at a picnic bench with other teens, Robert Meyers said.

"Bunch of troublemakers," Robert Meyers said. "I wouldn't allow my kids to hang out with them."

Still, he denied there had been any bad blood.

Hadfield said investigators are still trying to locate the silver vehicle's driver, who has not been identified.


Springfield truck driver charged with negligent operation in crash that forced trooper to leap over guardrail

0
0

Edward Dones, 26, will answer a negligent operation charge on March 26 in Washington County Superior Court for crashing into a police cruiser and two other vehicles on I-89 in Montpelier, according to Vermont State Police.

MONTPELIER, Vt. — A Western Massachusetts man has been cited in connection with a highway crash that forced a Vermont State Police trooper to leap over a guardrail to avoid being hit, according to authorities.

Edward Dones, 26, of Springfield, is expected to appear in Washington County Superior Court on March 26 to answer a charge of negligent operation of a motor vehicle in connection with the Feb. 3 crash, said Vermont State Police Detective Sgt. Mark Potter, of the Middlesex barracks.

Trooper Daryl Cremo was assisting another trooper with traffic control at a crash site in the northbound lane of Interstate 89 in Montpelier when he had to jump the guardrail to avoid a jackknifing tractor-trailer coming straight toward him, according to police.

Dones lost control of his 2012 Peterbilt tractor-trailer, crashing into a police cruiser and two other cars and causing extensive damage to all three vehicles, police said. Speed and slippery road conditions played a role in the crash, Potter said.

All vehicles, including the tractor-trailer, were towed from the scene of the crash, which shut down a section of I-89 while crews cleaned up the mess.

Berlin police and firefighters and Montpelier firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the incident, as did members of the Vermont DMV and Agency of Transportation.


Springfield police respond to stabbing report at High Street apartment building

0
0

An ambulance an multiple police units remained on scene outside an apartment building near the corner of High and School streets.

SPRINGFIELD — Police and emergency personnel responded to a Monday night stabbing report on High Street, though authorities have yet to release details of the incident.

More than an hour after responding to a 9:11 p.m. report involving a male stabbing victim, an AMR ambulance and marked an unmarked police cruisers were parked in the area of 56 High St. near the corner of High and School streets.

Initial dispatch reports indicated the victim, or someone speaking on his behalf, told police the perpetrator of the alleged crime was a neighbor who lives in the same apartment building. However, a ranking Springfield police officer was unable to verify that information.

"We haven't been updated yet," he said at about 10:30 p.m.

An AMR dispatch report indicated the victim sustained "serious bleeding" from a stab wound to the leg, while police reports indicated a Spanish-speaking officer responded to the scene due to a language barrier.


MAP showing approximate location of stabbing report:


Massachusetts State Police boxing team to host 'Guns & Hoses' boxing match in Worcester

0
0

The event is at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, at the Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester. Tickets are $15 (free for kids under 12) and available at the door or by calling in advance at 508-792-1102.

WORCESTER — The Massachusetts State Police Boxing Team is hosting the "Guns & Hoses" boxing match, which will feature cops against firefighters in the ring.

The event is at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, at the Palladium, 261 Main St., Worcester. Tickets cost $15 (free for kids under 12) and are available at the door or by calling 508-792-1102.

Members of the State Police Boxing Team will take on the New York Fire Department Boxing Team. Also competing will be several officers from the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, along with a number of other police officers, including some from as far away as Toronto.

Dan "The Singing Trooper" Clark will serve as guest ring announcer.

Donations will be made to various charities across Central Massachusetts, including the Worcester County Food Bank and Veterans Inc., which provides emergency shelter services and other forms of assistance to homeless veterans in the Worcester area.



Dow Jones industrial average, Standard & Poor's 500 index, hit new highs on Wall Street

0
0

The latest milestones came as investors liked what they heard from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, who told Congress the central bank would be patient about raising interest rates as the economy improves.

By ALEX VEIGA

NEW YORK - The Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index delivered new highs Tuesday, beating marks they set last week.

The Nasdaq composite also built on its gains for the year, finishing higher for the 10th day in a row.

The latest milestones came as investors liked what they heard from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, who told Congress the central bank would be patient about raising interest rates as the economy improves.

"Markets had been very focused on the Yellen testimony and wanted to see if there was going to be any change in the outlook for the first Fed rate hike," said David Lefkowitz, senior equity strategist for UBS Wealth Management Research. "The short answer to that is, not really. The Fed is, at a minimum, not going to do anything imminently."

Progress in Greece's efforts to secure an extension of its rescue program and strong earnings from Home Depot also encouraged traders. The home-improvement retailer was the best performer in the 30-company Dow, rising 4.4 percent.

The Dow ended up 92.35 points, or 0.5 percent, to 18,209.19. That's up 0.4 percent from its most-recent high of 18,140.44 last Friday.

The S&P 500 gained 5.82 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,115.48. The index also reached its previous high of 2,110.30 on Friday.

The Nasdaq gained 7.15 points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,968.12. The index, which has yet to eclipse its record high from the dot-com era, is now within 81 points of that March 2000 peak.

The three main U.S. stock indexes are all up for the year. The S&P 500 has closed at a new high four times this month. The Dow has done it twice.

The current bull market, now in its sixth year, has been powered by strong corporate earnings growth and low interest rates, which make stocks more attractive relative to bonds.

Yellen's remarks to Congress on Tuesday suggest that the interest rate part of that dynamic isn't likely to change right away.

In the first part of her two-day testimony, Yellen noted that the U.S. economy is making steady progress, but that for now the Fed will remain patient about raising interest rates because the job market is still healing and inflation is too low. The Fed has kept its benchmark rate near zero since 2008. Yellen's testimony supports the view that a rate increase is not likely before June or even later this year.

"It's a little bit uncertain on when exactly they'll raise rates, but it's not going to happen sooner than expected," Lefkowitz said.

The major stock indexes spent much of the morning drifting between small gains and losses as traders awaited Yellen's remarks and kept tabs on developments in Greece.

Athens and its bailout creditors reached a tentative agreement last week to continue a rescue loan program by four months to avoid the risk of a Greek default and exit from the euro currency. On Tuesday, the country's European creditors approved a 4-month extension to the nation's financial bailout.

"It was not unexpected, but welcome news," said Brad Sorensen, director of market and sector analysis at the Schwab Center for Financial Research. "We don't have to worry about that for at least a few weeks, anyway."

The news helped lift stocks indexes in Europe, including Britain's FTSE 100, which edged up 0.5 percent to 6,949, a record high. France's CAC-40 rose 0.5 percent to 4,886 while Germany's DAX gained 0.7 percent to 11,205. The Athens Stock Exchange General Index jumped 9.8 percent.

Investors also got a batch of new U.S. economic data Tuesday.

A key gauge of U.S. home prices showed that prices rose 4.5 percent in December versus a year earlier. The small gain comes after price increases slowed for 12 straight months. Meanwhile, the Conference Board reported that its consumer confidence index dropped this month to 96.4 from a revised 103.8 in January. The February and January readings are the highest since before the recession started in December 2007.

All told, nine of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 index rose, led by utilities stocks. Health care stocks declined.

Home Depot rose after the company reported fourth-quarter financial results and a full-year outlook that exceeded Wall Street's expectations. The company also said it has authorized an $18 billion buyback of its shares and boosted its quarterly dividend by 26 percent. The stock rose $4.47, or 4.4 percent, to $116.75.

U.S. government bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.98 percent from 2.06 percent late Monday.

The price of oil fell for the fifth day in a row on expectations of rising inventories in the U.S. Benchmark U.S. crude fell 17 cents to close at $49.28 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, fell 24 cents to close at $58.66 in London.

In other futures trading on the NYMEX, wholesale gasoline fell 2.6 cents to close at $1.620 a gallon, while heating oil fell 18.9 cents to close at $2.029 a gallon. Natural gas rose 2.3 cents to close at $2.902 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In metals trading, gold edged down $3.50 to $1,197.30 an ounce, silver lost seven cents to $16.19 an ounce and copper rose six cents to $2.65 a pound.

Among other stocks making big moves Tuesday:

  1. First Solar jumped 10 percent a day after the solar power company said it plans to combine some of its assets with SunPower into an investment vehicle that is intended to provide steady dividends. First Solar led the gainers in the S&P 500, adding $5.06 to $54.70.
  2. Macy's reported better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter, but the retailer issued a forecast that fell short of Wall Street's expectations. The stock dipped $2.06, or 3.2 percent, to $62.10.
  3. Rosetta Resources slumped 15 percent after the oil and gas company reported worse-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings and said it is deferring production growth. Its shares slid $3.29 to $18.58.

AP business writers David McHugh in Frankfurt, Germany, and Kelvin Chan, in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

Holyoke's history and future of train service topics of free event at library

0
0

The city is trying to get the old H.H. Richardson train station redeveloped.

HOLYOKE -- The pending return of rail service and passenger train rides here in the past will be the topics of two speakers at a free event Wednesday (Feb. 25) at the Holyoke Public Library.

"Taking the Train to Holyoke, Then and Now" will begin at 6 p.m. in the library's Community Room, 250 Chestnut St.

Marcos A. Marrero, director of the city Department of Planning and Economic Development, will discuss the city's role in the return of passenger train service to the area.

"What do we expect from having train service return to Holyoke?" Marrero said, discussing his planned remarks last week.

The city Dec. 22 began construction of a $3.2 million passenger train platform at Dwight and Main streets. D.A. Sullivan & Sons, a general contractor from Northampton, is building the 400-foot-long concrete platform with a canopy at the north-south tracks owned by Pan Am Railways. The site is at the foot of a hill that leads up to Bowers Street.

The platform should be done by September. But the goal is to have the platform at least partially ready for Holyokers to begin taking the train in April, Marrero said.

The budget for the passenger train platform is $4.6 million. Construction accounts for more than $3.2 million with the rest of the money for contingencies in case building costs increase, property acquisition and demolition, he said.

Most of the $4.6 million came from the state with $200,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to design the project, he said.

The platform is part of a multimillion-dollar state project to improve train tracks between Springfield and Vermont.

Local artist Nancy Howard will discuss her research into the H.H. Richardson passenger rail station, built in the 1880's at Bowers and Lyman streets and designed by famous architect H.H. Richardson, a city press release said.

The building has been vacant for years having been an auto parts warehouse after passenger train service ceased here in the mid-1960's. The Holyoke Gas and Electric Department owns the building, officials have said.

The city is trying to get the H.H. Richardson building reused in some way. The Center for Design Engagement of Amherst did a study in August that suggested it be converted into a restaurant or microbrewery, an indoor-outdoor food market, a culinary workshop, perhaps helpful with MGM Resorts International's $800 million casino set for Springfield, a collaborative work space or other commercial venture or some sort of arts center.

Among numerous works statewide and across the country, Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886) also designed the Juvenile Court on State Street, in Springfield, the old Union Station train depot, in Palmer, and the former Grace Baptist Church at 18 Salem St. in Springfield.

Viewing all 62489 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images