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NYC teen in sweatpants drowns while swimming in Mass. apartment pool

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Ibrahim Iqbal, of New York City, had been swimming for some time in the pool at the Crystal Village Apartments in Attleboro.

ATTLEBORO, Mass. -- A 17-year-old boy who had been swimming in a Massachusetts apartment complex's Olympic-size indoor pool while wearing sweatpants drowned on Wednesday, prosecutors said.

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Ibrahim Iqbal, of New York City, had been swimming for some time in the pool at the Crystal Village Apartments in Attleboro, where he had been staying with relatives, and his cousin was nearby, Bristol County district attorney's office spokesman Gregg Miliote said.

Iqbal initially had been doing laps in the pool but then started swimming to the bottom of the 9-foot deep end, touching the bottom and coming back up for air, Miliote said. His cousin, who was with him at the pool but wasn't swimming, said he did this several times before failing to come back up for air.

The cousin shouted for help, and a building manager and a resident helped pull Iqbal out of the pool, authorities said.

Emergency responders rushed Iqbal to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead Wednesday afternoon.

The drowning appeared accidental, but it was unclear if Iqbal suffered from any medical conditions, Miliote said. The medical examiner will conduct an autopsy, and police are investigating, he said.


May-December romance goes South: 28-year-old Memphis man accused of assaulting 92-year-old girlfriend

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A police affidavit describes Thomas Standley as the live-in boyfriend and roommate of Willie Frances Robinson, who's 64 years his senior.

Thomas Standley via ALcom.jpgThomas Standley 

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A 28-year-old Memphis man allegedly assaulted his 92-year-old girlfriend because she wouldn't take her medicine, according to AL.com, a sister media outlet of MassLive / The Republican.

Thomas Standley is described in a police affidavit as the live-in boyfriend and roommate of Willie Frances Robinson, who's 64 years his senior.

Standley is expected to be arraigned on Thursday, Feb. 26, the Associated Press reports. It wasn't immediately known if he has a lawyer.

The assault charges stem from an alleged altercation on Tuesday at the Memphis duplex shared by Standley and Robinson, according to news reports.

WREG News Channel 3 in Memphis reports that Standley became angry when the woman wouldn't take her medication. Robinson told authorities that Standley choked her, grabbed her by the arm and violently shook her.

Patricia Haynes, Robinson's daughter, who lives right next door to her mother, said she went to investigate after hearing her mother yelling. When Haynes tried to enter the duplex, Standley pushed her out the door, Haynes told investigators.

Haynes said her elderly mother allowed Standley to move in with her about a year ago to help out with housework and to assist Robinson with taking her medications.

Despite the police affidavit identifying Standley and Robinson as a so-called May-December couple, a point widely reported by multiple media outlets, WREG reports that Haynes insists her nonagenarian mother wasn't in a dating relationship with Standley.

However, Haynes said Standley does have power of attorney over Robinson. "It is hard, and it's sad that people can be so gullible," Haynes told the Memphis TV station. "She said she trusted him, and there was really nothing that I could do."


Further reading: A listing of cinematic "Harold and Maude" couplings

Yakima twin girls, 8, weighing 40 pounds each rescued from abusive mom, police say

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The mother, Kai Martinez, 28, was arrested earlier this month and remains in the Yakima County jail.

YAKIMA, Wash. -- Two severely malnourished 8-year-old twins are recovering after relatives took them from their mother and alerted authorities, according to police in Yakima, Washington.

The mother, Kai Martinez, 28, was arrested earlier this month and remains in the Yakima County jail, The Yakima Herald-Republic reports. She's charged with multiple counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment and second-degree assault of a child.

Court papers say the girls told police they'd been abused, starved and locked in a bedroom before cousins rescued them Feb. 6.

Police say the twins weighed about 40 pounds each when they were rescued. According to a police affidavit, a doctor said the girls should have weighed twice as much as they did. Police spokesman Mike Bastinelli says they were taken to a Seattle hospital but are now recovering with relatives.

The newspaper says an unspecified number of other children at the mother's home have been taken into protective custody.

According to reports, police said the two girls had been in foster care from birth until December 2013, when the state returned them to their mother.

One of the girl says her mother would try to "drown" her by placing the girl's head beneath a faucet and running water, the affidavit said. Her sister said her mom would place a pillow over her face, the affidavit said.

Both sisters said the saw the other twin abused, the affidavit said.

One girl said her mother hit her in the head with frozen chicken, which left a scar still visible, police said.

Vermont authorities investigating after abandoned puppy found in metal crate on cold, dark road

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Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Vermont State Police Trooper Travis Valcourt at the Brattleboro barracks at 802-254-2382.

PUTNEY, Vt. — A puppy was found abandoned Wednesday night on a cold, dark road leading to a conservation area in the southern Vermont town of Putney, according to Vermont State Police, who are actively investigating the incident.

Police said the black Labrador retriever puppy was in a metal crate in the middle of a turnaround on Bare Hill Road, a dead-end road leading to the Roger Parrott Conservation Site.

The puppy was found by a motorist just after 8:30 p.m., police said, adding that whoever left the dog outside in the cold faces animal cruelty charges.

The crate contained a few dog toys but no food or water for the puppy. It's unknown how long the dog was left abandoned in the roadway before being found by the motorist, police said.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Trooper Travis Valcourt, of the Brattleboro barracks, at 802-254-2382.

The State Police Crime Information Tip Line can be reached at 802-241-5355. Anonymous text-message tips can be sent to CRIMES (274687) and should include the keyword "VTIPS," police said.


MAP showing approximate area where abandoned puppy was found:


$500,000 sought to cover judgments, settlements against Springfield

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City Council President Michael Fenton conceded this fiscal year has been a costly one in terms of lawsuits against the city.

SPRINGFIELD - The Law Department has petitioned the City Council to transfer $500,000 to its budget at the council's next scheduled meeting to cover recent court settlements and judgments against the city.

City Attorney John Liebel confirmed those prospective settlements include a federal lawsuit leveled by a Connecticut FedEx driver and another state court judgment awarded by a judge to two city residents; both involved allegations of excessive force by city police.

Lawyers for plaintiff Michael Ververis recently settled a lawsuit just before a trial was set to begin in U.S. District Court. The FedEx driver sued police for allegedly beating and choking him during what he argued was an unjustified arrest in 2011.

Veveris, 26, of Middletown, Conn., alleged in a complaint filed last year that police targeted him as he was driving away from the city's entertainment district. He argued police struck his car with a flashlight as he was traveling out with two friends. When he demanded a badge number, they dragged him out of the car, choking and beating him in front of a crowd, the complaint states.

While notice of a settlement agreement was filed with the court, lawyers have not discussed the terms of the agreement.

The other case expected to be financially resolved pending approval of the council is that of Lucy Jones, a former convenience store owner who sued police in Hampden Superior Court along with her son and daughter. The three alleged Officer Ronald Boykan came into their store in 1999 looking for a suspect unrelated to the three, assaulted them and falsely arrested the younger Joneses.

The family was initially awarded a $1 million judgment that was flipped on appeal. The Jones children were later awarded $85,000 collectively after a hearing on money damages in 2014.

While he would not disclose the specifics of the proposed settlements, Liebel confirmed the two cases were among those to be covered under the earmark. That meeting is scheduled for March 2.

"The request for a financial order is to address a number of matters either pending or resolved in the law department. The transfer, if approved will fund Jones and Ververis as well as others," Liebel said.

The request comes on the heels of a $1 million settlement approved by the council in October related to a jury award to the mother of Delano Walker Jr., a 15-year-old struck and killed in traffic during a confrontation with police in 2009. A jury awarded Kissa Owens $1.3 million and the figure jumped to $1.7 million with annual interest. The city negotiated that number down to an even million dollars in exchange for not hanging it up with appeals.

City Council President Michael Fenton conceded this fiscal year has been a costly one in terms of lawsuits against the city.

"This year has been an unusually expensive year, but some of these settlements go back to matters from over 10 years ago," Fenton said. "The council has been briefed by the City Solicitor and executive session regarding the terms of the settlements and we believe it to be a good use of city resources."

N.H. man survives after snow slides off roof, buries him for 3-1/2 hours

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Drew Mullins said he was using a snow rake to clear snow off the metal roof of his Peterborough home on Sunday when it came down all at once.

PETERBOROUGH, N.H. -- A New Hampshire man has survived being buried in the snow for more than three hours.

roofpromo.jpgDrew Mullins, of Peterborough, N.H. 

Drew Mullins said he was using a snow rake to clear snow off the metal roof of his Peterborough home on Sunday when it came down all at once.

Within seconds, Mullins was trapped under about 2 feet of snow.

He says his heavy breathing caused the snow above his head to melt to the point where he could get some air.

Mullins' wife had left shortly before the accident. When she returned 3 1/2 hours later, she says she heard his muffled cries for help.

She found him and called 911.

It took first responders about 20 minutes to dig Mullins out. He was taken to a hospital and treated for exposure.

Yesterday's top stories: Paul McCartney visits Vermont, man arrested after Holyoke police find 2,000 bags of heroin in vehicle, and more

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A lawyer for University of Massachusetts Amherst student Thomas Donovan on Tuesday filed a civil rights lawsuit in federal court against Amherst police officers, charging they assaulted and falsely arrested him for videotaping police during the Blarney Blowout last March.

These were the most read stories on MassLive.com yesterday. If you missed any of them, click on the links below to read them now. The most viewed photo gallery was of the inside of the Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters in Easthampton, above.

1) Paul McCartney skied Bromley Mountain, dined at Vermont general store [Ray Kelly]

2) Holyoke man arrested after state police allegedly find 2,000 bags of heroin in vehicle [Michelle Williams]

3) UMass student sues Amherst police officers who arrested him for videotaping officers at Blarney Blowout [Diane Lederman]

4) Springfield officials: Voluntarily busing Cathedral High School students to Wilbraham cost city nearly $1.3 million [Peter Goonan]

5) Springfield Historical Commission abandons call to save old Union House hotel after touring building with MGM casino representatives [Robert Rizzuto]

Ware schools seek 8.2 percent budget hike for coming fiscal year

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The town had gotten into the habit of funding the education account at - or below - the minimum spending level required by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and for years, the school system made cuts

WARE - With a green light from the town manager to submit a "needs-based" budget that reflects genuine spending requirements, the school board on Wednesday, by a 3-0 vote, endorsed a preliminary number that would hike spending by 8.2 percent, to $14,114,412 for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

The town had gotten into the habit of funding the education account at - or below - the minimum spending level required by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and for years, the school system made cuts.

But Town Manager Stuart Beckley, appointed to the job by selectmen in 2012, said last year that practice is not acceptable and urged the school board last fall to present him with a spending plan that reflects actual needs.

Superintendent Marlene DiLeo provided the school board documentation at the Feb. 25 meeting outlining teaching staff, maintenance, and program cuts - and said the $691,277 proposed budget increase would not restore all of that.

The superintendent also said that wages paid to school administrators rank among "the lowest in the state."

Ware school boardWare School Committee members are seen at Wednesday night's meeting. 

As a result, DiLeo said, the district has been unable to keep principal's long-term - she said the average time in office for them is 2.5 years.

DiLeo said the principal's exit the Ware school system "and earn $10,000 to $15,000 more a year."

The committee and the superintendent said a major impetus to increase spending would be to fortify programs -- and be in a better position to try and win back some of the nearly 200 pupils that attend school elsewhere.

Some attend parochial and private schools, but more than three-fourth of that number use the state's school choice program to attend public schools in another community.

Data provided by the district shows Ware schools lost $910,578 last year to tuition payments to other school systems; the amount was $808,012 the year before; the tuition payments to other districts was more than $888,000 in fiscal 2012, and more than $969,000 in fiscal 2011.

"This is something that needs to be addressed," DiLeo told the committee.

The school budget can not take effect without Town Meeting approval.


Springfield man indicted for drunk driving, injuring 3 teen pedestrians

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Pedro Gonzalez faces three counts of operating under the influence of alcohol (reckless or negligent - causing serious bodily injury).

SPRINGFIELD — A Hampden Superior Court grand jury has indicted Pedro Gonzalez, 58, who is accused of hitting three young teens while driving drunk.

Gonzalez faces three counts of operating under the influence of alcohol (reckless or negligent – causing serious bodily injury). Each count carries the name of a different teen who was injured.

Gonzalez, whose address is listed in court records as 216 Springfield St., will be arraigned March 10 in Hampden Superior Court. Court records show Vincent A. Bongiorni has filed an appearance as his lawyer.

pedrogonzalez58.jpgPedro Gonzalez

Gonzalez was arrested Nov. 3 after his white box van allegedly hit the three teens in the crosswalk on Chestnut Street, near Montmorenci Street, about 8:38 p.m. He denied drunk driving charges the next day at his Springfield District Court arraignment.

At the time, Springfield Police Sgt. John Delaney said Gonzalez hit a 13-year-old girl, a 13-year-old boy and an 11-year-old boy. Right after the crash, the 11-year-old was in critical condition, according to Delaney.

Bail was set in District Court at $10,000 cash for Gonzalez.


Massachusetts State Police: 19-year-old woman dies in multivehicle crash on MassPike in West Springfield

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The woman's identity was being withheld pending notification of her family, according to authorities.

Updates story published at 4:34 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26.



WEST SPRINGFIELD — A 19-year-old woman was killed in a multivehicle crash on the Massachusetts Turnpike in West Springfield around 12:30 p.m. Thursday, according to authorities, who continue to investigate the cause of the fatal crash.

Massachusetts State Police officials have yet to publicly identify the woman, who was driving a Chevrolet Suburban and was pronounced dead at the scene of the three-vehicle crash. Troopers from the Westfield barracks responded to the accident, which occurred near the Westfield city line and involved the Suburban, a box truck and a tractor-trailer.

The woman was eastbound on the turnpike when she struck a box truck driven by 39-year-old Christopher Perry of Chicopee, according to a preliminary investigation by Trooper Christopher Kudley. The woman's vehicle then crossed the highway median and jumped the barrier, colliding with a westbound tractor-trailer driven by 23-year-old Joshua Lawrence of Peru, Maine.

Police said Perry was uninjured, but Lawrence was taken to Noble Hospital in Westfield for treatment of minor injuries.

The woman's identity was being withheld until family members were notified about her death, police said. No charges had been filed as of Thursday evening, police said.

In addition to troopers from the Westfield barracks, the State Police Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Section, Crime Scene Services Section, and Commercial Motor Vehicle Enforcement Section assisted with the investigation. The Westfield Fire Department and MassDOT also responded to the crash.

The incident prompted lane closures and caused heavy traffic delays.


 

Ex-Westfield State President Evan Dobelle agrees to drop federal lawsuit over his departure; 2 more suits pending

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"The cost of continuing the fight was simply too great, and Dr. Dobelle determined that the right thing to do for students, faculty and alumni of Westfield State University is that this matter end," Dobelle's lawyer, Ross H. Garber, said after the motion to dismiss was filed.

SPRINGFIELD — Amid mounting legal fees and clashes with his lawyers, former Westfield State University President Evan S. Dobelle has abandoned his federal lawsuit claiming state officials forced him from his $242,000 post in 2013.

In a motion filed in U.S. District Court late Thursday afternoon, Dobelle and defendants in the 16-month legal battle agreed to dismiss the suit.

Under the agreement, the case cannot be revived at a later date and neither party will be required to pay the other's legal costs.

"The cost of continuing the fight was simply too great, and Dr. Dobelle determined that the right thing to do for students, faculty and alumni of Westfield State University is that this matter end," Dobelle's lawyer, Ross H. Garber, said after the motion to dismiss was filed.

"It is his wish that WSU continue the very strong progress it has made in the past several years and to now have a successful search for the new president," Garber added.

A spokesperson for Westfield State could not be reached for comment Thursday night.

The decision capped a tumultuous week for the legal combatants, with a federal judge first chastising Dobelle for cancelling scheduled depositions, then Garber and another lawyer for Dobelle seeking to withdraw from the case, citing irreconcilable differences with their client.

In response, Dobelle filed a motion Wednesday urging Judge Katherine A. Robertson to reject Garber's motion and keep him on the case.

The judge, who took over the case last month, called a hearing for March 18 to sort out the new developments issues and keep the case on track.

No trial date has been set in the lawsuit, which claims state Higher Education Commissioner Richard M. Freeland and three Westfield State trustees conspired to force Dobelle to resign in November 2013.

The resignation came amid harsh public criticism over dozens of domestic and international trips taken by Dobelle during his nearly six-year tenure, including visits to Asia, Europe, Central American and 17 trips to San Francisco.

By late 2013, two state agencies were investigating Dobelle's spending and Freeland had successfully recommended the freezing of $2 million in campus funding.

Defendants the federal lawsuit were Freeland; current Westfield State trustees Elizabeth Scheibel and Kevin Queenin; and former trustee John F. Flynn, who pushed for more scrutiny of the president's expenses despite initial opposition from other board members.

Two other lawsuits are pending in state court – one by the ex-president against Westfield State claiming breach of contract and demanding payment of his legal fees; and one by the state attorney general's office to recover nearly $100,000 in public funds allegedly misspent by Dobelle.

Westfield State paid out more than $1.2 million in legal fees during state investigations into Dobelle's spending, but that figure does not include expenses for the three lawsuits.

Southwick Selectmen accepting proposals for special and annual Town Meeting agenda

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Selectmen are scheduling both a special and annual Town Meeting for May 19.

SOUTHWICK - The Board of Selectmen has announced it is accepting proposed articles for both the upcoming special and Annual Town Meeting scheduled for May 19.

All proposals must be submitted to the Board of Selectmen's Office at Town Hall by the close of business on April 3.

Those proposed articles for consideration must include warrant article explanations.

Holyoke promotes 4 officers as Police Chief James Neiswanger notes use of force a concern in U.S.

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The mayor said he was proud to lead a city with such dedicated police officers as those in the promotion ceremony.

Updated at 9:10 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015 to include additional comments on use of force and policing as a profession from Police Chief James Neiswanger, a comment from Capt. Matthew Moriarty, details about the badge pinnings and how the reason some of the promotions are called provisional is related to the scheduling of Civil Service tests.

HOLYOKE -- The city has a new police captain and a provisional lieutenant and two provisional sergeants after a promotion ceremony Thursday (Feb. 26) that included Police Chief James M. Neiswanger discussing how use of force is an issue in the country.

Most of the time police make reasonable decisions in using force when the situation is serious enough, Neiswanger said.

"And quite truthfully, I think the majority of the public doesn't want us to walk away, either," Neiswanger said, in the ceremony at Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St.

City Clerk Brenna Murphy McGee then administered oaths to Matthew F. Moriarty, a 13-year veteran promoted to captain from lieutenant, Joseph Garcia, a 27-year veteran promoted to provisional lieutenant from sergeant, Richard Conner, a 33-year veteran promoted to provisional sergeant from officer and Patrick T. Leahy, an eight-year veteran promoted to provisional sergeant from officer.

Moriarty thought of the family and friends who have supported him as the ceremony drew toward the moment when he would take the oath and his wife Michelle would pin the captain's badge on his uniform, he said.

"It's a driving force to me, to do the best that I can, to push the envelope, that I would be letting down so many if I didn't do that," Moriarty said.

Leahy's brother, Brian Leahy, flew overnight from Las Vegas, where he is a police officer, to pin the sergeant's badge on him.

Conner's wife Joy pinned the badge on him while Garcia received his badge from Holyoke Police Lt. David Fournier.

"I'm very proud to be a mayor of a city that has such a dedicated force in the Police Department," Mayor Alex B. Morse said.

Neiswanger reminded Moriarty, Garcia, Conner and Leahy to remember that being a police officer was only half their lives while the other important half was their families.

Police officers who can look themselves in the mirror know they are doing what they think is right, he said.

"Do not let this job consume you....Your family members are your greatest asset and they will be there to support you in the good times and when things go bad," Neiswanger said.

Arresting people is only one part of the job and usually happens without incident, said Neiswanger, but using force sometimes is necessary.

He didn't mention the deaths of unarmed black men at the hands of white police officers in New York and Missouri that prompted riots in other states and marches and other demonstrations, including through the streets here, saying instead police use of force is a hot topic in the country, "these are certainly strange times in our country."

Police mostly get it right in using physical force when a arresting a suspect, he said.

"But we are human," he said.

In such times when police have violated laws, he said, an investigation is proper. It also would help if police explained their actions more often than they do, he said.

"We don't always do that," Neiswanger said.

He asked that people remember that the easy job is to judge after an incident while police officers more often than not make reasonable decisions when an incident sparks into a clash.

To the four promoted officers, Neiswanger asked them to think about why they became police officers. He joined the force for reasons beyond the desire for a job with benefits, he said.

"It's always been much more than that for me. It's been a calling, and I think it's a noble profession," Neiswanger said.

The starting yearly salary for a captain is $100,130, for a lieutenant $86,263, for a sergeant $74,649.65 and for an officer $50,509, Personnel Administrator Robert Judge said.

Those who receive provisional promotions are paid at the same rate as someone at the permanent rank.

The promotions are called provisional because currently the state Civil Service list, from which cities and towns choose candidates for promotions based on test scores, lacks lieutenants and sergeants. Tests to establish lists for such positions are scheduled for next year, said Rory Casey, Morse's chief of staff.

Two loose llamas lassoed after running amok near Phoenix

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Two quick-footed llamas dashed in and out of traffic in a Phoenix-area retirement enclave before they were captured by authorities Thursday, causing a stir in the streets and on social media.

PHOENIX -- Two quick-footed llamas dashed in and out of traffic in a Phoenix-area retirement enclave before they were captured by authorities Thursday, causing a stir in the streets and on social media.

A large, white llama and a smaller black llama darted through the streets of Sun City during the lunch hour. Cars and golf carts stopped in their tracks because of the wayward livestock.

The fugitive llamas were part of a trio that was making a therapy visit to residents at an assisted living facility.

Their televised breakout from GenCare SunCity at The Carillons quickly inspired a Twitter account and several hashtags including #LlamasonTheLoose, #llamadrama and #TEAMLLAMAS

Arizona U.S. Sen. John McCain and the Arizona Cardinals got in on the fun. McCain tweeted that he was "glad that #LlamaDrama 2015 has been peacefully resolved!" The Cardinals tweeted that team "agreed to one-year deals with the #llamasontheloose," promising the animals a salary in hay.

Even the North American Aerospace Defense Command tweeted: "Llama had no known connections to ISIS. Appears to have self-radicalized."

The llama saga also made Lorenzo Lamas a trending topic. Some on Twitter joked that it was actually the actor who was on the loose in Arizona.

The senior center's executive director, Jill Parsons, said it was the first time the facility had hosted the llamas. Sun City is a community of about 37,000 people that is primarily made up of retirees.

For more than an hour, residents petted the animals and walked them up and down the halls, Parsons said. Sometime after 11 a.m., the llamas' handlers took them outside for a bathroom break. That's when one got startled and took off, with the second llama in pursuit.

Parsons said staff and some residents tried to help corral the animals. Even the facility's chef made an effort by waving some lettuce.

"He Googled 'What do llamas like to eat' and it brought up romaine lettuce," Parsons said.

Because there weren't enough people to encircle the llamas, the handlers instructed everyone to slowly walk toward them with their arms out.

"So many times we thought we were going to get them there, and they would dart in another direction," Parsons said.

The llamas got around the corner of the building and broke into a run down the street. That's when someone called 911, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.

The animals galloped along the sidewalk, through manicured yards and along street medians. They thwarted numerous attempts by sheriff's deputies and bystanders to round them up before they finally were roped into custody.

The black llama was captured first. The white one was nabbed after two men in the back of a moving pickup repeatedly threw out a lasso. It took three men to secure the rope.

The entire ordeal lasted about an hour. Sheriff's spokesman Brandon Jones said nobody was hurt and the llamas were returned to their owners. No criminal charges will be filed.

Parsons declined to identify the owners, saying they were somewhat embarrassed by the incident. But she said her facility "would welcome them back in a heartbeat."

___

Terry Tang of the Associated Press wrote this report.

Holyoke man held without bail in 2009 killing of Connecticut soldier bound for Iraq

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On the night he was killed, Cartie, his brother and a friend visited several clubs downtown; around 2 a.m., they were walking toward the restaurant when they got into a dispute with passengers in a car, according to police.

SPRINGFIELD - A Holyoke man was ordered held without right to bail Thursday after pleading innocent in the fatal shooting of an Iraq-bound Connecticut soldier in 2009.

Michael Rodriguez, 30, was arraigned in Springfield District Court Thursday afternoon, nearly three months after his capture by police and federal agents in Bridgeport, Conn.

The arrest came nearly six years after Julian P. Cartie was shot to death on Feb. 22, 2009 near Crown Fried Chicken at State and Main streets. The former football star at New Britain High School was scheduled for deployment with the Connecticut National Guard to Iraq later that year.

Rodriguez fought rendition from Connecticut, requiring investigators to gets warrants signed by governors of Massachusetts and Connecticut.

At the request of defense and prosecution lawyers, Judge William Boyle ordered the defendant held without bail at the Hampden County House of Correction.

Defense lawyer David Rountree, however, reserved the right to seek bail at a later date.

Boyle scheduled a pretrial conference for March 30.

On the night he was killed, Cartie, his brother and a friend visited several clubs downtown; around 2 a.m. , they were walking toward the restaurant when they got into a dispute with passengers in a car, according to police.

One of the passengers got out and opened fire, striking Cartie three times; he was pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center at about 2:30 a.m.

The shooter was seen speeding off down Main Street in a Blue Hyundai toward the South End.Cartie was buried with full military honors at Fairview Cemetery in New Britain.

Last February, Cartie's family held a vigil at State and Main to mark the fifth anniversary of his death and offered $10,000 reward for information about the crime.


House GOP to push short-term DHS funding to prevent partial shutdown

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Sounding retreat, House Republicans agreed Thursday to push short-term funding to prevent a partial shutdown at the Homeland Security Department while leaving in place Obama administration immigration policies they have vowed to repeal.

WASHINGTON -- Sounding retreat, House Republicans agreed Thursday to push short-term funding to prevent a partial shutdown at the Homeland Security Department while leaving in place Obama administration immigration policies they have vowed to repeal.

"The speaker's pretty adamant that he's not going to shut down Homeland Security, especially in light of the Mall of America and in light of what's happened in New York," said Rep. Dennis Ross., R-Fla., emerging from a closed-door strategy session with the Republican rank-and-file.

He referred to a suggestion made by one terrorist group that a sympathizer should attack the Mall of America, an enormous shopping facility in Minnesota, as well as the arrests Wednesday in Brooklyn of men charged with plotting to help Islamic State fighters.

Ross and other Republicans said legislation to fund DHS for three weeks would be put to a vote in the House on Friday.

Senate Democratic officials indicated they would agree to the measure, and predicted President Barack Obama would sign the measure, averting a partial shutdown of an agency with major anti-terrorism responsibilities.

Outlining a second step in a revised strategy, Ross said House Republicans would also seek negotiations on a separate spending bill on track for Senate passage on Friday. It would fund the agency through the Sept. 30 end of the budget year while also rolling back Obama's immigration directives.

Senate rules require 60 votes to initiate formal compromise talks between the houses on any bill, and Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid said in advance his party would use its strength to prevent that from happening in the current clash.

Anticipating that, some Republicans made the case inside the strategy session for simply conceding defeat and agreeing to a longer-term funding bill without conditions, according to officials who attended the session.

In addition, Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., and a former chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, told reporters that lawmakers should think of the consequences "if a bomb goes off in their district." To consider shuttering the agency "is wrong politically, morally and governmentally. Politically it's going to kill us. Morally, you're equating an immigration order with the lives of American citizens," he said.

Without legislation signed into law by the weekend, an estimated 30,000 Homeland Security employees would be furloughed beginning Monday. Tens of thousands more would be expected to work without pay. Many Republicans have said they fear they would pay a political price for even a partial shutdown at the department, which has major responsibilities for anti-terrorism.

The proposal under consideration by House Republicans marked a retreat from their longstanding insistence that no money be approved for Homeland Security as long as Obama's immigration directives remained in place. Yet it followed by a few days an announcement by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that he was moving to uncouple the two issues.

Whatever the eventual outcome, it appeared Obama was closing in on a triumph in his latest showdown with the Republican-controlled Congress. GOP leaders announced last fall they would attempt to force a rollback in his immigration policy by tying the issue to funds at Homeland Security, a trade-off he has adamantly opposed since it was first broached.

With directives issued in 2012 and late last year, Obama largely eliminated the threat of deportation for more than 4 million immigrants who entered the country illegally, including some brought to the United States as youngsters by their parents.

Republicans say the president is acting unconstitutionally, and a federal judge in Texas recently issued an order that temporarily blocked the administration from carrying out Obama's 2014 policy.

The White House has appealed that ruling, and Obama, expressing confidence he will prevail, said Wednesday he would take the case to the Supreme Court if necessary.

At a news conference earlier Thursday, John Boehner offered no hint of a change in GOP strategy, repeatedly turning aside questions on the subject.

"When I make decisions, I'll let you know," he said when asked what the House's reaction would be if the Senate approved a no-strings bill to keep DHS in operation.

At his news conference, Boehner betrayed no concern that rebellious conservatives might try to topple him from power if he didn't hold firm in demanding the White House cede ground on immigration.

"No, heaven's sakes no. Not at all," he said.

Although loath to provide information, Boehner betrayed no tension over his latest legislative struggle.

Fending off one question, he puckered his lips as if to send kisses in the direction of a reporter who asked what his plan was.

Stock markets drifts lower as oil prices fall again

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Chevron and Exxon Mobil were among the biggest decliners in the Dow Jones industrial average, which eased back from its latest all-time high.

By ALEX VEIGA

NEW YORK - U.S. stocks drifted to a slightly lower finish on Thursday, weighed down by falling energy stocks as the slump in oil prices deepened.

Chevron and Exxon Mobil were among the biggest decliners in the Dow Jones industrial average, which eased back from its latest all-time high. The Standard & Poor's 500 index also slipped below its record high set earlier this week. The Nasdaq composite bucked the trend, creeping within 61 points of its dot-com era record close.

Expectations of rising oil supplies sent the price of crude to its lowest level in nearly a month. Benchmark U.S. crude oil fell $2.82 to close at $48.17 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Investors also had to sort through a mix of corporate earnings and U.S. economic reports.

"When you have a big move in the market you expect to see it pull back a little bit, catch its breath and wait for that next catalyst to move higher," said Quincy Krosby, market strategist for Prudential Financial.

The Dow ended down 10.15 points, or 0.1 percent, to 18,214.42. Among individual Dow members, Chevron lost $1.52, or 1.4 percent, to $107.06 while Exxon Mobil slid 95 cents, or 1.1 percent, to $88.65.

The S&P 500 index slipped 3.12 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,110.74. The Nasdaq gained 20.75 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,987.89.

The three indexes are all up for the year.

The Dow and S&P 500 opened lower on Thursday and held that course most of the day, while the Nasdaq gradually moved higher. The market's trajectory took shape early on, as traders pored over corporate earnings and economic news.

The Commerce Department reported that orders for long-lasting manufactured goods rose 2.8 percent in January, the biggest increase since July. The Labor Department said that applications for unemployment benefits rose last week to a seasonally adjusted 313,000, the most in six weeks. That total is still consistent with steady hiring.

A report tracking the change in prices paid by consumers held particular interest for the market. The consumer price index, a measure of inflation, is closely watched by the Federal Reserve as it looks to begin raising its benchmark interest rate from near zero, where it's been since 2008.

Excluding volatile food and energy costs, the Labor Department's consumer price index rose 0.2 percent in January. Over the past year, those "core" prices have increased just 1.6 percent. That's below the 2 percent benchmark the Federal Reserve considers optimal for a healthy economy.

"It's definitely a mixed report," said Randy Frederick, a managing director of trading and derivatives with the Schwab Center for Financial Research. "The market is in this zone where it doesn't know whether to cheer bad news because that means rates will stay low or good news because it means the economy is getting better.

Earlier this week, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen told Congress that the Fed is not in a hurry to raise interest rates. Lower rates make borrowing easier and tend to be a plus for financial markets.

While most economists anticipate that a rate increase is not likely before June or even later this year, rising inflation could prompt the Fed to take action sooner.

Six of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 ended lower, with energy stocks declining 1.8 percent, the biggest drop in the index. The sector is now down 1.2 percent this year. Technology stocks led the gainers. They are up 3.9 percent this year.

Several oil drilling companies fell sharply. Ensco slid $2.17, or 8.2 percent, to $24.31, while Noble shed $2.49, or 5 percent, to $47.32. Newfield Exploration ended down $2.40, or 6.7 percent, at $33.60.

Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, fell $1.58 to close at $60.05 in London.

In other futures trading on the NYMEX, wholesale gasoline fell 1.1 cents to close at $1.708 a gallon. Heating oil rose 3.2 cents to close at $2.136 a gallon. And natural gas fell 16.5 cents to close at $2.697 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Precious and industrial metals futures ended higher. Gold rose $8.60 to $1,210.10 an ounce, silver rose 15 cents to $16.58 an ounce and copper rose five cents to $2.71 a pound.

U.S. government bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.03 percent from 1.97 percent late Wednesday.

Among stocks making big moves Thursday:

  1. Sears fell 5 percent after the company reported its fourth straight year of falling profit and revenue. Sears lost $1.85 to $36.05.
  2. Taser International slumped 16.1 percent after its latest quarterly results fell short of Wall Street's expectations. The stock declined $4.37 to $22.69.
  3. Salesforce.com gained 11.7 percent after the cloud software company reported a boost in quarterly revenue. The company jumped $7.37 to $70.24.
  4. Cyberonics surged 10.3 percent on news the medical technology company's fiscal third-quarter earnings exceeded financial analysts' forecasts. The stock gained $6.23 to $66.60.

AP business writer Youkyung Lee in Seoul, South Korea contributed to this report.

Feds: 'Career criminal' from Boston pleads guilty to possessing a safe containing multiple rounds of ammo

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Joseph J. Kennedy, 27, of Charlestown, is facing a 15-year prison term and is scheduled to be sentenced June 1 in U.S. District Court in Boston.

BOSTON — A convicted felon from Boston has pleaded guilty to possessing ammunition found inside a stolen safe in his car, according to federal prosecutors.

Joseph J. Kennedy, 27, of Charlestown, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 1 in U.S. District Court in Boston.

In May 2014, Kennedy, who had an outstanding arrest warrant, was stopped by police while driving in the Charlestown section of Boston. Officers found a stolen safe in his vehicle containing multiple rounds of ammo, prosecutors said.

As an armed "career criminal," prosecutors said, Kennedy is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, five years of probation, and a $250,000 fine. However, actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.

The investigation was handled by prosecutors from the office of U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, the Boston Police Department, the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

The case was prosecuted by Kenneth G. Shine and Mary B. Murrane, assistant federal attorneys in Ortiz's Major Crimes Unit.


 

Keolis International CEO: Full Massachusetts commuter rail service returning by March 30

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Keolis International CEO Bernard Tabary said a plan approved by Gov. Charlie Baker calls for the system to operate at 78 percent capacity by Friday, with the goal of full service by March 30.

BOSTON -- The head of the French company that operates Massachusetts' commuter rail system apologized for the breakdowns and delays that have plagued the system after a series of storms dumped more than 7 feet of snow on the region and vowed that full service would be restored -- but not until the end of next month.

Keolis International CEO Bernard Tabary said a plan approved by Gov. Charlie Baker calls for the system to operate at 78 percent capacity by Friday, with the goal of full service by March 30.

"We will do everything we can to accelerate that process, and have brought experts in from around the world to support this effort," Tabary said in a statement.

Baker met with top Keolis officials Thursday after expressing frustration with the performance of commuter rail during the brutal winter stretch. Tabary called the meeting constructive.

Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack told a legislative oversight hearing that Keolis was slow to grasp the magnitude of the problems, which mirrored those encountered by other parts of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the nation's oldest public transit system, which is known as the MBTA, or "T'' for short.

During the first three weeks of February, a month that brought record snowfall, there wasn't a single day that all MBTA stations remained open or all transit lines operated, Pollack said.

"As a region, we need a transit system that is resilient, but we have one that is fragile," she said.

Keolis Commuter Services, a subsidiary of the international company, won an eight-year, $2.68 billion contract last year from the MBTA to run the state's 394 miles of commuter rail track. Keolis runs transportation systems in 15 countries serving 2.5 billion passengers, according to its website.

Tabary acknowledged the frayed nerves of commuters who have grappled with canceled or delayed trains.

"We know you've waited on cold platforms and been late to work or had a difficult time getting home at night," Tabary said. "We know we haven't performed up to the high standards you have a right to demand and that we demand of ourselves."

"On behalf of the entire Keolis team, I want to express our sincere apologies," he added.

A Senate committee that oversees capital expenditures by Massachusetts called Thursday's Statehouse hearing in the hopes of getting more information on the MBTA's plans to upgrade its entire system and prevent future collapses. Pollack -- who has been on the job in the new Baker administration for only a month -- conceded she could provide few immediate answers, including estimates of how much has been spent on snow removal and system recovery efforts, or the T's current maintenance backlog, last pegged at $3 billion in 2009.

The MBTA was one of the mostly heavily indebted systems in the U.S., Pollack said, with about $5.5 billion in outstanding debt, not including interest. Nearly a quarter of the agency's annual operating budget goes to repay debt.

Baker recently named a panel of outside experts to study the root problems that led to the service breakdowns and make recommendations by the end of March.

Sen. John Keenan, a Quincy Democrat who is chairman of the Senate committee, said his district was hard hit by service disruptions on the MBTA's Red Line branch. Constituents, he said, have flooded his office with complaints about long waits for trains that never arrived, or boarding substitute buses that would then became snarled in massive traffic jams.

"It was complete and total chaos," Keenan said.

Springfield homicide victim's father: 'Every time I close my eyes, I see him lying down there on the pavement'

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Jimmy Cowell, the father of 27-year-old homicide victim Jermaine Cowell, says dealing with his son's death has been like a recurring nightmare – just when you think you're getting better, you're not.

jermaine cowell mug.jpgJermaine Cowell 
SPRINGFIELD — The family of Springfield homicide victim Jermaine Cowell has had seven months to process the death of the 27-year-old, who was gunned down in July outside an apartment complex in the Forest Park neighborhood.

But the killing may as well have happened yesterday, according to Jimmy Cowell, the victim's father.

"Every time I close my eyes, I see my son on the ground," Cowell said, referring to Jermaine's final resting place – the sidewalk outside the Golden Eagle Apartments on White Street.

"It's really like something that starts over, like a new wound opening," the Jamaican immigrant said.

The scab that never heals has been picked again: Members of the Cowell family reacted with anger and sadness after learning that crime scene images from the July 19, 2014, homicide were used in a local rap video.

Frankie Hayze, the musician whose song was featured in the video, apologized earlier this month, saying he "meant no disrespect to (Jermaine Cowell) or anyone in his family by using clips from that crime scene."

His latest album, "Money is Life," debuts Feb. 27, and the video with the crime footage is no longer available on YouTube or other social media sites. Hayze (a pseudonym) said he received death threats after MassLive published an article about the controversial video.

frankie hayze record cover.jpg 

Jimmy Cowell said the video's use of images from his son's homicide made the healing process that much more difficult. "(Hayze) may be trying to do something good (with his music), but now is not the time to bring it up."

Dealing with Jermaine's death is a daily ordeal for the Cowell family, particularly for Jermaine's 5-year-old son, Nazir. "My grandson, he's having nightmares. He wants his father. He wants his dad back," Jimmy said, adding that Nazir lives with him and his wife, Agatha.

Jermaine collapsed on the sidewalk outside the Golden Eagle Apartments with several gunshot wounds to the upper torso. Two men have been charged in connection with the slaying, one of 14 homicides in Springfield last year.

Jermaine, a massage therapist by trade, was on his way to the corner market at Orange and White streets. The short trip, just a half block from his family's apartment, turned out to be his last.

"He was almost home," Jimmy said. "Every time I close my eyes, I see him lying down there on the pavement."


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