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2 arrests made after Springfield police recover college student's stolen car and crutches

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An American International College student's awful week had a happy ending after the Springfield police department recovered her stolen car and crutches. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD — An American International College student's awful week had a happy ending after the Springfield police department recovered her stolen car and crutches.

Around 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, police were called to the Express Gas Station on State Street for a report of a stolen car. It seems the student was putting gas in her car when she ran inside the gas station. But with keys in the ignition, she came back outside to find her 2006 Mazda 3 was gone.

Springfield police patch

As police worked the case, according to department spokesman Sgt. John Delaney, they obtained surveillance video (embedded above) from the gas station which showed a person later identified as a juvenile walking up to her car, looking around, and jumping in and taking off.

The victim posted on Facebook that more upsetting than the loss of the car and her MacBook computer which were inside was the loss of her crutches.

"These crutches are so important and sentimental to me because this year made 4 years cancer free, and (I) became a below the knee amputee due to the cancer," she wrote on Facebook. "Those crutches are zebra print and have a signature from Kevin Garnett, former Celtics player and I've had these since my amputation."

Around 9 p.m. Thursday evening after unsuccessfully scouring the city for the stolen car, officers spoke with the victim, Delaney said, who reported that she had tracked the computer to an address on lower Wilbraham Road. Police looked around the area but found no signs of the car, Delaney said.

But around 10 p.m. on Friday night, Detectives Eric Podgurski and Matthew Longo spotted it on Waltham Avenue with two males inside. They followed the stolen car into a parking lot and ended up arresting two 16-year-old juveniles.

"One of the youths when questioned stated to the police that the crutches were placed in the trunk of the car and that the Macbook was at his mother's house in his bedroom," Delaney said in a press release. "Detectives responded to the home and recovered the laptop right away. One of the youths lived very close to Waltham Avenue on Wilbraham Ave. The detectives then drove the victims car to the police station and booked the two youths at the Springfield Police Department's Juvenile Division."

While the victim got her car back on Friday, detectives went the extra mile on Saturday when they went to one of the suspect's houses to recover her laptop case and the car's electronic Key Fob.

Police Commissioner John Barbieri released a statement praising all of the officers involved for bringing a happy ending to a nightmare for the young college student.

"I am very proud of my departments professional investigation into the stolen car from a State Street gas station this past Thursday. These officers responded, did their job and set the wheels in motion right away to get this victims property back," Barbieri said. "The detectives did an outstanding job checking and rechecking the area until the case was closed with an arrest and the retrieval of the car along with the stolen items. The citizens of Springfield should take great pride in knowing that all reported crimes are looked into by a dedicated, professional group of officers."

Delaney used the situation as a reminder to residents that it is never a good idea to leave your car running unattended, even if only for a minute. Car thefts can often be crimes of opportunity and although this stolen car was recovered, not every case ends this way.

"Always keep you door locked and take your keys," Delaney added.



Gov. Charlie Baker to speak at 2015 Hampshire & Franklin Municipal Conference

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The event is organized by Sen. Stan Rosenberg and the Hampshire and Franklin Councils of Governments.

NORTHAMPTON -- Gov. Charlie Baker will deliver keynote remarks at an upcoming conference geared toward local officials and municipal employees.

Baker is one of several state officials scheduled to appear at the 2015 Hampshire & Franklin Municipal Conference set for March 21 in Northampton.

Atty. General Maura Healey will conduct a session on the state's Open Meeting Law.

Mass. Broadband Institute Director Erik Nakajima will deliver a rural broadband update, and Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack will join MassDOT officials and State Senator Tom McGee in a discussion of transportation financing.

local budgeting seminar will be led by a representative from the Dept. of Revenue, and Mass. Emergency Management Director Kurt Schwartz will join State Senator James Timilty for a session on emergency management.

The event is organized by Senate President Stan Rosenberg and the Hampshire and Franklin Councils of Governments.

Baker in January pledged to strengthen ties between the governor's office and the commonwealth's 351 towns and cities.

The 2015 Hampshire & Franklin Municipal Conference is set for Saturday, March 21st at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center in Northampton.

Vermont police arrest Hartford man after traffic stop yields 440 bags of heroin

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A Connecticut man is behind bars after a traffic stop in Vermont allegedly led to the discovery of a sizable amount of heroin and crack-cocaine.

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont — A Connecticut man is behind bars after a traffic stop in Vermont allegedly led to the discovery of a sizable amount of heroin and crack-cocaine.

Jamaal Carter mugshotJamaal Carter, 29, of Hartford, Ct.

According to Vermont State Police, a black Nissan Altima was pulled over around 11 a.m. Saturday on Interstate 91.

Although its unclear if the driver consented to a search or if troopers obtained a warrant, they say inside the vehicle was 440 bags of heroin and 24 grams of crack.

Jamaal Carter, 29, of Hartford, Connecticut was charged with trafficking heroin and cocaine and taken into custody. He was lodged at the Southern State Correctional Facility in lieu of on $25,000 bail and is scheduled to answer the charges in Windham County Superior Court on Monday.


Florence National Guard Armory to host educational "Breakfast with the Boss"

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The event gives employers a chance to learn about the work done by reservists when they are away from civilian life.

NORTHAMPTON -- Employers and civic leaders who wish to learn more about the work done by the Army National Guard and Reserve are invited to an upcoming breakfast at the National Guard armory in Northampton.

"Breakfast with the Boss" will allow attendees a rare opportunity to tour the armory and meet with military personnel while enjoying a catered breakfast, according to Bill Hebert of the Massachusetts Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.

The Florence Armory is home to Detachment 1, 182nd Engineer Company of the Massachusetts National Guard.

The educational event will provide an opportunity to learn about the work that military reserve force members do when away from civilian life, and for employers to witness how their support contributes to the national defense, said Hebert.

The Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve is a Dept. of Defense organization that promotes good relationships between members of the Guard and Reserve and their employers. The organization seeks to increase awareness of the law, resolve conflicts through mediation, and recognize outstanding employers for their support of citizen soldiers.

Employers of National Guard and Reserve personnel are the primary target for the free event, but all employers and civic leaders are invited.

"Breakfast with the Boss" is set for March 20 from 7 to 9:30 a.m. at the armory in  Florence at 1 Col. Lavellee Lane. Those who wish to attend must register by March 10. Program Director Bill Hebert can be reached at (413) 348-5195.

Photos: Shannon McAndrew crowned Chicopee's 2015 Colleen

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CHICOPEE - Shannon McAndrew, 17, a student at Chicopee High School was crowned Chicopee's 2015 Colleen at the Chicopee St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee's Colleen Contest and Coronation Ball. 31 young women competed for the crown at the annual one-night event held Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Castle of the Knights. Named to the Chicopee 2015 Colleen Court are McAndrew,...

CHICOPEE - Shannon McAndrew, 17, a student at Chicopee High School was crowned Chicopee's 2015 Colleen at the Chicopee St. Patrick's Day Parade Committee's Colleen Contest and Coronation Ball.

31 young women competed for the crown at the annual one-night event held Saturday, Feb. 28 at the Castle of the Knights.

Named to the Chicopee 2015 Colleen Court are McAndrew, Jordan Chmura, Alyssa Hogan, Ashley Boger and Jessica Welsh. Erin Belden was named Miss Congeniality.

Honorees named at the event were Representative Joseph Wagner as Marshal, Woods Award Recipient, D. Joseph Morissette and Atkinson Award Recipient, Jay Buckley.

Springfield men arrested on drug charges after high speed chase

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Terance Harris and Terrance Gibbons were arrested carrying heroin and cocaine they allegedly were gong to sell in the Pittsfield area.

PITTSFIELD— Based on an informant's tip, police associated with the Berkshire County Drug Task Force arrested two Springfield men, and seized drugs they said the two planned to sell in the Pittsfield area.

The Berkshire Eagle reported that Terance Harris, 34, and Terrance Gibbons, 27, both of Springfield, were arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court Friday, and ordered held in lieu of cash bail. Harris's bail was set at $7,500 and Gibbons was ordered to pay $25,000.

According to police, an informant told them the two were expected to come carrying the drugs. So when Gibbons turned off the Mass Pike in Lee Thursday evening, the task force was waiting. Police tried to stop the Toyota Camry, but Gibbons took off, and led police on a high speed chase around Southern Berkshire County. All the while, officers said Harris threw contraband, including packaged heroin and powdered cocaine, out the car's windows.

Police deployed "stop sticks," a tire deflation device, but it didn't stop Gibbons, who continued running on his rims, and throwing off tire debris police used to track him.

Authorities finally found the car crashed into a snow bank at the intersection of Route 7 and 20, with Gibbons and Harris still inside.

Officers said they found 20 bags of heroin in the car, and a bag of cocaine just outside the front door.

As Harris and Gibbons were taken into custody, investigators backtracked along the route taken, and collected a total of 335 prepared bags of heroin worth between $2,000 and $3,300. They also recovered 44 grams of cocaine valued at $4,200.

The two are expected back in court on March 30.


Vermont man dies in hotel fire

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The owner of the Westfield, Vermont inn died when fire destroyed the building.

WESTFIELD,VT— A Westfield, Vermont man died when the inn he owned and ran burned to the ground Friday afternoon.

The Vermont State Police said Gary Bouchard-Pike, the co-owner of the English Rose Inn in Westfield was apparently trying to thaw out frozen pipes at approximately 3 p.m.when the fire started. Police do not know why Bouchard-Pike was unable to leave the building once it started on fire. Two other people in the inn were able to flee. One suffered minor burns while the second was transported to North Country Hospital for treatment of smoke inhalation.

Westfield firefighters, joined by the Montgomery, Troy and Jay fire departments battled the blaze. Fire officials said the building was fully involved in flame when they arrived on the scene.

Once the fire was knocked down, officials were able to find Bouchard-Pike's body in the basement of the inn, in the same area witnesses said he had been working earlier.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has taken custody of the remains and will conduct an autopsy.

The Vermont State Police Fire Investigation Unit and the Bureau of Criminal Investigations are in charge of the investigation. However, the State Police said the fire does not appear to be suspicious.

Civil War: In March 1865 Lincoln promises 'malice toward none' while local troops suffer heavy losses

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The Armory employed 2727 workers at the time with a monthly payroll of $188,137. During the month 5,000 muskets were shipped out but 341,600 were stored in the arsenal without much of a future.

Springfield & The Civil War

We at The Republican are launching a four-year project to tell the story of how our community coped with 48 months of war, from April of 1861 to April of 1865.

On the first Sunday of each month we will run a report of what was happening here 150 years ago during that month.

by Wayne Phaneuf, Executive Editor

Parts 1 - 9 -- April - December 1861

Parts 10 - 21 -- January - December 1862

Parts 22 - 33 -- January - December 1863

Parts 34 - 45 -- January - December 1864

Part 46 -- Civil War January 1865: Armory ponders its future, Gen. Butler gets sacked, Springfield growth spurt causes problems

Part 47 -- Civil War February 1865: A look at Springfield's elite and church bells ring for freedom and victory

Introducing the project

The month of March 1865 marked a full four years of the Civil War. The end was near, but the fighting was not over and hundreds of Western Massachusetts soldiers would be killed, wounded or captured before the month ended.

On March 4, President Abraham Lincoln gave a short and famous speech at his second inauguration which ended with this promise of treatment to the soon-to-be-defeated Confederacy:

"With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."

Not far away, leaning against a pillar of the Capitol, famous actor John Wilkes Booth listened to the president deliver his speech.

In that first week of March that began on Ash Wednesday, The Republican reported a case of "highway robbery" in which three men waylaid a driver and passenger in a sleigh making the trip from Springfield to Chicopee and demanded "a dollar for drinks" from the passenger who claimed he had no money. The thieves stole a wolf robe worth $40 and fled into nearby woods.

It was also reported that a special committee had made a decision on the type of uniform Springfield police should wear. It would be a dark blue coat and pants and gold buttons similar to those serving on the New Haven force.

The paper revealed that officials at the new Massachusetts Agricultural School planned for Amherst had leased 400 acres of land in that community.

On the first Monday of the month, March 6, it was reported that the state legislature had defeated a proposal to divide the town of Longmeadow with east and west communities. It wouldn't be until 1894 that such a split was approved.

On March 8, at a place called Wyse Fork, near Kinston, North Carolina, a battle began which would mark the last mass capture of Union soldiers in the war. It had local ramifications. With the exception of only seven soldiers who were on ambulance duty, the entire 27th Massachusetts Regiment, made up mostly of Western Massachusetts men who had trained in Springfield, surrendered after a fierce fight in which they were eventually surrounded.

The regimental history of the 27th summed up the battle as follows:

"The enemy had captured in this engagement 26 officers, and 940 enlisted men from Upham's Brigade, the loss of the 27th Mass. being seven killed, 40 wounded, and 147 prisoners.

The following is the list of casualties and their home towns:

KILLED.

Company A. -- Sgt. Bartholomew O'Connell, Whately.
Company C. -- Michael O 'Conner, Fitchburg.
Company F. -- Corp. George W. Phillips, Sandisfield. Louis H. Fuller, Northampton.
Company G. -- Corp. William J. Paige, Chicopee.
Company H. -- Dennis Dillworth, Adams.
Company I. -- Harrison Rowe, Wilbraham."

The list of wounded and captured covered three pages of the book.

The heroic resistance by the soldiers of the 27th helped buy enough time for reinforcements to reach the battlefield and turn the tide by March 10 into a Union victory.

This had been the second time nearly the entire roster of the 27th Massachusetts had been captured. The end result would be far better than the first time, when 249 men were taken prisoner on May 16, 1864, and 127 of them would die in rebel prisons, most at Andersonville. After a series of marches and train rides, the captured men arrived at Libby Prison in Richmond and, just 18 days after the battle, they would be exchanged and headed home before the end of March.

March was an important month for the Springfield Armory and The Republican reported on progress of the military commission meeting there to decide on which breech-loading rifle would be chosen for manufacture to replace muzzle-loading designs. The committee also decided to reduce the size of future weapons from .58 and .54 caliber to a standard size of .50 caliber.

The Armory employed 2,727 workers at the time with a monthly payroll of $188,137. During the month, 5,000 muskets were shipped out but 341,600 were stored in the arsenal without much of a future.

On St. Patrick's Day 150 years ago, it was obvious that Holyoke was the place to be as is evidenced by the following newspaper article printed 87 years before the famous parade called the Paper City home:

"The Springfield circle of Fenians marched to the depot in procession, with music and a handsome banner, giving The Republican office a salute in passing, and took the morning train for Holyoke. There they were joined by numbers of the brotherhood from other places, though the delay on the railroads caused by the freshet hindered many from attending who would otherwise have done so. A train from this city in the afternoon reinforced the crowd with several cars full, and the attendance was altogether estimated at nearly 2000."

The day after, the paper reported that "Mrs. General Grant" was among the guests at the Massasoit House yesterday.

It was also reported that Springfield native and ornithologist Joel Allen (for whom the Allen Bird Club is named) would be joining famed naturalist Luis Agassiz for a 10-month expedition to the Amazon.

800px-Joel_Asaph_Allen_1838-1921.pngFamed ornithologist and Springfield native Joel Allen 

On March 22, a balmy day in which the temperature reached 72 degrees, The Republican ran a long article with the title "Westfield Whip-Making," pointing out that the local industry employed more than 600 people at more the 60 companies, large and small, bringing in more than $750,000 annually.

As the month drew to a close, the news focused on the war and what would become known as "the Confederacy's last desperate effort" -- the night attack on Fort Stedman on March 25, which played out in four bloody hours along the Petersburg, Virginia, line that saw the Massachusetts 57th Regiment badly mauled.

Union casualties in the battle amounted to 1,044 (72 killed, 450 wounded, 522 missing or captured), while the Confederate casualties were 4,000 (600 killed, 2,400 wounded, 1,000 missing or captured). It was the last offense action of the Army of Northern Virginia.

The following is an account from Sgt. Major Charles H. Pinkham of the 57th, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in the battle as the regiment was being engulfed by hundreds of charging rebels:

"The Fifty-Seventh Massachusetts was without support, either on the right or left, and as it was taken in flank by an overwhelming force, the only course was to fall back, which was quickly done. It was either a hasty retreat or the surrender of the whole regiment.

Major Doherty took command. As we were falling back, he said to me, 'Sergeant-Major, where in h --l are the colors?' I replied that the color sergeant who was on furlough had left them in my tent. He then ordered me to return and get them. I went, in obedience to his orders, although it looked like a forlorn hope, but the colors must be saved at any cost.

Having lost one stand of colors in the crater, we could poorly afford to lose another here. As I returned, the enemy was in possession of our camp, but, under cover of darkness, I gained the tent, seized the colors, and you may be sure I did not wait to hold conversation with them, but for the time being was a professional 'sprinter.' I ran the gauntlet and, save being half frightened to death by the bullets whizzing around my ears, reached the regiment in safety and turned the colors over to Sergeant Chase of Company H."

Another eye-witness account of the battle came from Sgt. William F. Oakes, of Bernardston:

"I turned around for a moment and saw Major Doherty lying on his back. I went to him and asked if he were wounded. Looking up, he replied that he had received his death-wound. Lieutenant Hitchcock and I carried him to his tent and laid him on his bed and I loosened his belt. He asked me to take what things he had about him and give them to his wife.

I had just taken his watch and money and put them in my pocket when the 'rebs', having driven our men back, came into the Major's tent and said to me,'Surrender, you Yankee, or we will blow you through.' Seeing a dozen rifles pointed at my head, I surrendered. I had a heavy ring on my finger which they soon discovered and tried to wrench off, but, as my hand had become considerably swollen, they were unable to do so. One took out his knife for the purpose of cutting it off, when a rebel colonel came into the tent and caused them to desist."

The regiment went into the engagement with 11 officers and 206 men, and lost 7 officers and 82 enlisted men -- nearly 64 percent of officers and nearly 41 percent of enlisted men.

The 37th Massachusetts, led by Gen. Oliver Edwards of Springfield, provided six companies as skirmishers who, according to their regimental history, "by a judicious use of their Spencer rifles repelled the repeated attempts of the Confederates to regain the lost picket line."

The 37th had escaped with light casualties from the final battle of March, but they wouldn't be so lucky in the first week of April.



Springfield nonprofit 'Seeds of a Father' presents police engagement workshop featuring veteran city cops

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Green called the glut of children without present fathers a "social crisis." Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - A budding nonprofit focused on engaging dads and families offered a workshop on how to deal with police in the inner city.

The event nearly filled a community room at the Mason Square Library on Saturday afternoon. It was hosted by "Seeds of a Father" and was entitled "Know Your Rights and Get Home Safely."

Founder Kevin Green said all of the potential outreach the group will do will be to focus on keeping intact families, whether directly or peripherally.

"I grew up not knowing my dad and now I'm a dad ... and the kids I work with as a social worker have various diagnoses but a lot of them tell me they're hurting for that lack of relationship."

Green called the glut of children without present fathers a "social crisis."

Topics of Saturday's spirited discussion included the nuances of probable cause, what to do if you're pulled over in a car without a valid registration and how to engage with a police officer who stops and asks for identification on a street corner.

Officer Charles Youmans, a 30-year veteran of the police force, said certain inquiries are necessary in high-crime neighborhoods where residents log complaints.

"I'll ask: do you live around here? And if the answer is yes: I'll ask for some (identification)," Youmans said.

Sgt. Julio Rivera, a narcotics officer, said citizens should know their rights but there is a hard reality of street patrolling.

"The best weapon you can have is education." Rivera said, later adding: "Police officers do not lose on the street. Where we lose is in court. We never lose on the street."

The event drew nearly a full house, including men, women and small children.

Four-year-old Ma'Lika Moore said she came away with the impression never to defy a police officer.

"I would just do with the officer says ... otherwise he'll put (handcuffs) on you and you'll be on arrest," she said.

Northampton: More affordable housing needed to keep the city diverse, experts say

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Many who grew up in Northampton can't afford to stay. Same goes for older residents and people who those in housing call "workforce renters" - teachers, firefighters and shop owners who don't make to much to qualify for housing assistance but not enough to pay the rent.

NORTHAMPTON -- Maggie Klimczyk has lived her entire life in Northampton, but that almost wasn't the case.

The 27-year-old grew up on Bridge Road and graduated from Smith Vocational High School in 2005. But her stable environment shifted when she had her son about five years ago. She scoured Northampton for a place to live, and after a lengthy search realized she couldn't afford to make rent there with her $12-an-hour job as a healthcare aid.

She and her son live in a one-bedroom apartment at Hampshire Heights, a low-income subsidized housing community off Jackson Street - one of the only places that materialized as an affordable option.

"I'm here because it was the only thing I could afford on my own," she said as she stood outside her apartment on a recent winter morning. "If I had a boyfriend, I'm sure between us we could make something else work. But that's not my situation."

Real estate experts and town officials say Klimczyk is one of many in Northampton who grew up in the town but can't afford to stay. Same goes for older residents and people who those in housing call "workforce renters" -- teachers, firefighters and shop owners who make too much to qualify for housing assistance but not enough to pay the rent.

And those who qualify for subsidized housing face a long waiting list. A family applying this February would have to wait an estimated five years before being offered a place, according to Jon Hite, executive director of the Northampton Housing Authority.

As a partial response to this growing struggle, two Pleasant Street developments that would add more than 100 affordable units to downtown Northampton are in the works.

There's the four-story, 55-unit apartment building proposed for the property at the corner of Pleasant and Holyoke streets, tentatively known as The Lumberyard. The 70,000 square-foot apartment building would aim to house people making up to 60 percent of the area median income -- or $34,440 for a single person and $49,140 for a family of four.

Not even two blocks down the road, developers are planning to tear down Northampton Lodging -- a longtime low-income housing complex built in 1967 for the now-defunct Northampton Commercial College -- and construct a five-story building with 28 studio and 50 one-bedroom apartments. An estimated 58 of those units would be available to families earning at or below the area's median income, and 20 units would not be income restricted.

High rent, low availability

Those in favor of the two affordable housing projects say the proof of their importance is in the numbers.

According to real estate website Zillow.com, the overall median rent price in Northampton is $1,400, considerably higher than the Springfield metropolitan median of $1,000.

Sharon Hefton, owner and broker of RentNoho.com, said based on her inventory, a one-bedroom Northampton residence in 2014 cost an average of $1,200 a month not including utilities, while a two-bedroom cost around $1,300.

My ApartmentMap.com, a national online rental database, has similar estimates. Based on 78 verified rental listings, a one-bedroom place costs on average $1,169 a month. A two bedroom comes in at $1,297.

Hefton said she's worked in Northampton real estate since 2006, and that rental costs have spiked considerably since then, even through the housing bust of 2008.

"Normally you see between a 1 and 1.5 percent increase in rent over 2-3 years," she said. "Last year, for a three bedroom places I saw numbers jump from $1,250 to 1,350 in one year."

However, Hefton said she believes rental prices have reached their peak; But that peak is too high for many, according to national standards.

Hefton and other brokers use the federal benchmark for rent affordability when they review apartment applications. For rent and utilities to be considered affordable, they are supposed to take up no more than 30 percent of a household's income, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

That means an apartment with two residents who make the average gross household income for Northampton - $54,953, according to the 2012 US Census - barely meet that benchmark, as an "affordable" two-bedroom home by federal standards would cost the residents a combined $1,373 a month.

By ApartmentMap.com's estimates, the average two-bedroom apartment that costs $1,297 would take up 28.5 percent of that household's income, just under the federal threshold for affordability.

About 40 percent of Northampton's population is below 80 percent of the area median income, and the number of renters are higher in county and state as a whole, according to numbers from Valley Community Development Corporation, the agency spearheading the Lumberyard project.

An opportunity to live where you work

Affordable housing advocates say there's a general misconception when it comes to affordable housing and who is eligible for it.

Much of it is intended for those working in lower-grossing, but essential, careers.

"People are surprised at who this housing really is for," said Lynn Wallace, executive vice president of HAP Housing, the nonprofit developer undertaking the Northampton Lodging project. "It's people working in downtown establishments, teachers, firefighters, plumbers who comes to work on your house, the daycare teacher. These are people who are vitally important to the city."

According to state statute Chapter 40-B, any person or family making 80 percent of the town's median income meets requirements for affordable housing subsidies.

Hite said the bulk of those applying for subsidized housing in the city are baby boomers - or those born between 1946 and 1964- as they begin to retire. Many have lived their entire lives in Northampton but can't afford to say, he explained.

"These two projects will certainly help to provide additional housing opportunities for people old and young," Hite said.

The other Hampton

From city center to city center, Northampton and Easthampton are only 5 miles apart. But on average, the rental rate for a one-bedroom apartment in Northampton is about $300 more expensive than in Easthampton, myapartmentmap.com numbers show.

Easthampton has become an increasingly popular option for those looking to move to the area and benefit from its vibrant food and arts scene, but can't afford to live in Northampton -- or simply don't want to pay the high rent in the city.

A recent Reddit post in the Northampton sub-Reddit reads, "My gf, 5 year old son, and I are moving to Northampton in a couple weeks, and have been having some issues finding a place to rent." The poster said he wanted to spend $1,200 in rent a month, max.

Redditors had a recommendation: Rent in Easthampton instead.

Keeping Northampton diverse

Those in favor of bringing more affordable housing to Northampton say doing so will make the city more economically diverse, which, in turn, will boost racial, ethnic and age diversity as well.

Robert Nakosteen, economics and statistics professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst and executive director of MassBenchmarks, said communities with notoriously high rent tend to shut out minorities and young adults.

"What you don't want happening in a city is the population to become vulcanized, where different groups separate themselves from other groups," he said.

Campbell noted that as a city becomes increasingly more desirable to live in, such as the case of Northampton, those who are more financially secure have an easier opportunity to take advantage of that.

"Rents go up and push out lower income people who have been here historically, or people who find they want to live in Northampton because of schools, culture, art, transportation," she said.

Hite said people who live in surrounding communities with a lower cost of living, such as Holyoke, Springfield or Hadley, have a right to move to Northampton if they wish.

"People who live in Northampton, they shouldn't be seen as an elite group of people," he said. "It's a free country, and you get to vote with your feet."

Fighting cancer, growing food, welcoming PetSmart: business stories you might have missed the week of Feb. 23

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Springfield-based MassMutual insurance giant had record sales of its core whole life insurance product.

SPRINGFIELD - It was a busy week in the business world from New England's farmers learning how to market themselves and their produce to a Pittsfield company hiring a whole new lab team for the fight against Cancer.

Here are a few of the business stories you might have missed last week:

1) Meet your farmer, know your food: 2015 Harvest New England Ag Marketing Conference grows businesses as well as crops

About 750 farmers and farmers market operators attended a two day 2015 Harvest New England Ag Marketing Conference & Trade Show in Sturbridge. Trade show exhibitors had everything from chainsaws to pint-sized cardboard containers for pick-your-own blueberry stands.

2)Nuclea Biotechnologies of Pittsfield hires researchers for cancer fight

Nuclea, with offices in Cambridge and Pittsfield, hired an entire research team headed by Mary Lopez away from Thermo-Fisher Scientific in Waltham. Lopez has a doctorate from the University of Massachusetts and focuses on identifying proteins that signify different types of caner. Learning more about these proteins can help doctors pinpoint and diagnose cancers.

3) PetSmart to open in Chicopee Crossing on Memorial Drive; traffic signal praised

Developer Frank Colaccino, CEO of the Colvest Group and Mayor Richard Kos announced the project. The $3.5 million store will total 12,500 square feet and will be behind the Chipotle on Memorial Drive. 

4) Greenfield Co-operative Bank / Northampton Cooperative Bank deal OK'd by feds: FAQ for customers.

The two banks will join to form one bank that will still be  mutually-owned by its account holders. Look for the switchover in April. Both names will still be used, but the headquarters will be in Greenfield.

5) MassMutual Financial Group announces 27 percent earnings jump for 2014

The Springfield-based insurance giant had record sales of its core whole life insurance product.

Chaos expected in downtown Springfield on Monday as parking lots owned by MGM scheduled to close

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The Springfield Business Improvement District says that on Monday as affected people try to find a place to park their cars, they will have representatives assisting on the streets.

SPRINGFIELD — Although MGM Springfield is allowing a few of the parking lots it purchased to remain open beyond Monday, the scheduled closure of several lots in the South End of the city coupled with another 6 inches of snow is expected to create significant car-related chaos come the beginning of the work week.

When MGM purchased all the properties needed to start construction on its 14.5 acre, $800 million casino complex, it included seven commercial parking lots. The Springfield Parking Authority previously said that around 500 parking spaces would be affected, but that number doesn't take into account other spots in downtown already lost to piles of snow due to the almost weekly barrage of snowstorms this winter.

The Springfield Business Improvement District reports that on Monday as affected people try to find a place to park their cars, they will have representatives assisting in the streets.

"We understand this is not convenient for some, but we are working very hard to make sure solutions are available. To that end, we will have SBID Ambassadors on hand Monday to direct parkers to alternative lots," said Chris Russell, the business improvement district's executive director, in a statement. "In addition, we are working alongside the Springfield Parking Authority, ProPark, Valet Park of America, Executive Parking, various private lots, and the mayor's office to make sure all needs are accommodated."

park lot .jpgThis parking lot between Howard and Bliss Streets is among the lots that will be closed to make way for MGM's casino construction.

Russell also said that while nothing is set yet, they are working to develop a shuttle service to downtown from parking lots in other parts of the city to help with the limited parking options during MGM's anticipated 30-month construction timeline which will be somewhat concurrent with the replacement of the elevated portion of Interstate 91.

MGM is planning on breaking ground in the South End with the demolition of the old Zanetti School on March 24 while the long-delayed I-91 project is expected to finally start in May or June, according to what Gov. Charlie Baker told business leaders in Western Mass. last week.

Although it wasn't immediately clear which surface lots MGM agreed to keep open beyond Monday, according to the BID, the lots the company purchased are listed below:

  • 16-30 Bliss St.
  • 53-57 Bliss St.
  • 61 Bliss St.
  • 69-71 Bliss St.
  • South Side Bliss St.
  • North Side Howard St.
  • 73 State St.

MGM plans to build its 3,600 space parking garage first to accommodate its construction team and some of the I-91 construction workers. Any overflow spaces available are slated to go to displaced employees of the Hampden County Courthouse on State Street.

As people who previously paid for parking spaces daily or monthly lose that option, some may find spaces on the city's streets. But with the Springfield Parking Authority's meter-maids already hitting the increasingly crowded streets near the MGM development hard to issue tickets, people will have to keep track of their time or pay fines which in a few days could exceed a monthly lease fee at the closing lots.


Holyoke Leahys call on Las Vegas brother Brian to pin another badge

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Brian Leahy also came out from Las Vegas in 2011 to pin a badge on youngest brother Thomas Leahy. Watch video

HOLYOKE -- Brian Leahy left 75-degree Las Vegas Wednesday (Feb. 25) night to make a plane and rental-car trip that wound up taking six hours longer than planned, but he had a request to grant.

Leahy, a police officer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, journeyed home to attend a promotion ceremony Thursday night (where it was 23 degrees) and pin a sergeant's badge on his brother Patrick T. Leahy.

"I came here to support my brother Patrick who just made the rank of sergeant," Brian Leahy said in a video (above). "I think it's an amazing event. I'm so proud to be part of it, so proud of my brother Patrick."

Brian Leahy made the badge-pinning trip with wife Heidi, but it wasn't his first. In 2011, he pinned the badge on Thomas Leahy when the youngest brother became a Holyoke police officer. Their older brother James M. Leahy is on the Holyoke City Council. Their sister is Dr. Sheila Leahy Tzoumas, an audiologist at Wing Memorial Hospital in Palmer.

Patrick Leahy, an eight-year veteran, was promoted to provisional sergeant from officer in the ceremony at Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St. The ceremony that included three other promotions was presided over by Mayor Alex B. Morse, Police Chief James M. Neiswanger and City Clerk Brenna Murphy McGee.

patbrian.jpgPatrick T. Leahy smiles as brother Brian Leahy, a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officer, pins sergeant badge on him in Holyoke Police Department promotion ceremony Thursday (Feb. 26) at Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St. 


"It was very gratifying to have my brother Brian, a police officer in Las Vegas, pin my badge," Patrick Leahy said. "Our family has always had public service instilled in us by our parents, Thomas and Mary Ellen Leahy. To have my entire family present at the ceremony meant the world to me."

Patrick Leahy also was the Democratic nominee in an unsuccessful attempt to unseat state Sen. Donald R. Humason, R-Westfield, in November for the 2nd Hampden-Hampshire District.

Being part of the promotion ceremony was an honor, Patrick Leahy said.

"The men and women of the Holyoke Police Department are simply the best at what they do. I'm glad to be counted amongst their ranks," Leahy said.

Also promoted in the ceremony were Matthew F. Moriarty, a 13-year veteran, to captain from lieutenant, Joseph Garcia, a 27-year veteran, to provisional lieutenant from sergeant and Richard Conner, a 33-year veteran, to provisional sergeant from officer.

briantom.JPGBrian Leahy, left, an officer with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, pins badge on brother Thomas Leahy when latter became Holyoke pollice officer in May 2011. 


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.

Springfield City Council considers pledge of support for keeping Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center in city

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Sheriff Michael Ashe said he must consider other locations for the alcohol treatment center outside Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD - The City Council will consider adopting a resolution Monday to fully support efforts to keep the Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center in Springfield, as the program needs to relocate from the path of the MGM Springfield casino project.

In other action, the council will consider approving a newly negotiated contract with the Springfield firefighters union.

The meeting is at 7 p.m., at the council chambers at City Hall.

The correctional alcohol center must move from its long-term site on Howard Street in the South End to make way for the $800 million casino project. Sheriff Michael Ashe is fighting to move the alcohol center to a new site, praising its programs and success, but said he must also consider sites outside Springfield.

The proposed non-binding resolution, sponsored by Councilor Kateri B. Walsh, states the council supports keeping the center in Springfield, preferably in the South End.

The resolution states: "The Springfield City Council will do anything in its power to keep the Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center in the City of Springfield and urges the Mayor and all the Massachusetts Legislators to support this effort and keep this facility where it belongs."

It adds that the center has been a "good neighbor in the South End, and has successfully contributed to the City of Springfield."
The center site was purchased by MGM. MGM agreed to extend a March 1 eviction deadline to March 31.

In other action, the council will consider approving the contract with the International Association of Fire Fighters, including partially retroactive pay raises. The last contract expired June 30, 2012.

Under the proposed contract, there would be no pay raise for the first retroactive year, July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013.

A 2 percent pay raise would be retroactive to July 1, 2013, followed by a 2 percent pay raise retroactive to July 1, 2014, and another 2 percent pay raise taking effect July 1, 2015.

In addition, there would be an additional 1.5 percent pay raise for negotiated operational changes affecting firefighters. The specifics of the changes were not immediately available.


Springfield firefighters fight porch fires at Armory Street apartment building

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Officials are investigating the suspicious fire.

SPRINGFIELD — Firefighters in Springfield were faced with burning wooden porches Sunday morning in what is believed to be a suspicious fire.

Firefighters were called to 9 Armory St. at 5:53 a.m. where the rear wooden porches of a large four story brick apartment building were on fire, said Dennis Leger, executive aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant.

A pile of clothing and trash on the wooden decking was the point of origin, Leger said.
The wooden porches spread the growth and development of the fire very quickly.

This fire is considered suspicious and is under investigation by the Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad. Anyone with information is asked to call the squad at (413)787-6370.


Vermont police make arrest in homicide at mobile home park

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Police were called to the residence at about 1:25 a.m. Sunday to find the victim stabbed in the chest area.

WESTMINSTER, VT. - State police have arrested a 38-year-old man and charged him in the stabbing death of another man in a mobile home Sunday.

Lonnie D. Place, 38, of Westminister, has been arrested and charged with manslaughter in the homicide of Michael Johnson, 37, of Bellows Falls.

Place was arrested Sunday night and is being held in jail without bail. He will be arraigned in Windham District Court on Monday, said Scott Waterman, State Police public information officer.

Police responding to a 911 call at about 1:25 a.m. Sunday to Shady Pine Mobile Home Park found Johnson stabbed in the chest area. They provided first aid but Johnson was declared dead by emergency rescue workers, he said.

After interviewing the residents and others at the scene and examining the scene, Vermont State Police major crimes unit were able to make an arrest, Waterman said.

Moscow march honoring slain Putin foe Boris Nemtsov draws thousands (photos, video)

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For the tens of thousands bearing flowers and tying black ribbons to railings in honor of slain Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, the solemn march through the Moscow drizzle on Sunday was a time for silence, not slogans.

MOSCOW -- For the tens of thousands bearing flowers and tying black ribbons to railings in honor of slain Russian opposition politician Boris Nemtsov, the solemn march through the Moscow drizzle on Sunday was a time for silence, not slogans.

The marchers occasionally broke into chants of "Russia without Putin," or "Say no to war," but often the only sound was the steady thwack of police helicopters overhead or the hum of police boats patrolling the shores of the Moscow River.

While the killing of Nemtsov has shaken the Russian opposition, which sees the Kremlin as responsible, it is unclear whether his death will be enough to invigorate the beleaguered movement. Despite the Ukraine conflict and Russia's economic crisis, support for President Vladimir Putin has been above 80 percent in the past year.

Since mass anti-Putin protests brought hundreds of thousands to the streets of Moscow in 2011 and 2012, Putin has marginalized and intimidated his political opponents, jailing some, driving others into exile, and ramping up fines and potential jail time for those detained at protests.

The 55-year-old Nemtsov was among the few prominent opposition figures who refused to be cowed. But while many at the march expressed respect for his long political career and grief at his loss, few believed that his death would spark major change in Russia because of the Kremlin's control over national television, where a vast majority of Russians get their news.

"Maybe if 100 people were to die people would rise up, but I don't really believe in that," said Sergei Musakov, 22. "People are so under the influence of the (TV) box that they will believe anything that television tells them. If it tells them that terrorists from the Islamic State group came to Russia in order to blow up the fifth column, they'll believe it."

The Kremlin had identified Nemtsov as among the leaders of a "fifth column," painting him and other opposition figures as traitors in the service of a hostile West.

About 30,000 people attended the march, making it the largest opposition rally in more than a year. The demonstrators bore Russian flags and signs that read "I am not afraid" or "Propaganda kills." At the site where Nemtsov was killed, a pile of flowers grew by the minute, as mourners tossed down bouquets of every color.


Nemtsov was gunned down shortly before midnight Friday as he walked across a bridge near the Kremlin. The killing came just hours after a radio interview in which he denounced Putin's "mad, aggressive policy" in Ukraine.

At the time of his death, Nemtsov was working on a report that he believed proved that Russian troops were fighting alongside the separatists in Ukraine, despite the official denials.

No one has been arrested in the killing. Investigators said they were looking into several possible motives and have offered 3 million rubles (nearly $50,000) for information about the shooting.

TV Center, a station controlled by the Moscow city government, broadcast a poor-resolution video from one of its web cameras that it said shows Nemtsov and his date shortly before the killing.

The station, which superimposed its own time code on the footage, circled figures that it said were Nemtsov and the woman walking across the bridge on a rainy night. A snowplow that moved slowly behind the couple obscured the view of the shooting.

TV Center then circled what it said was the suspected killer jumping into a passing car. The authenticity of the video could not be independently confirmed.

Investigators said Sunday they were again questioning the woman, Ukrainian citizen Anna Duritskaya. Russian media have identified her as a model and shown photos of her in alluring poses.

Fellow opposition activists said they hoped Nemtsov's death would encourage people to take action, rather than intimidate them.

"Essentially it is an act of terror," said Ilya Yashin, an opposition leader and friend. "It is a political murder aimed at frightening the population, or the part of the population that supported Nemtsov or did not agree with the government. I hope we won't get scared, that we will continue what Boris was doing."

Mikhail Kasyanov, a former prime minister who joined the opposition, told the crowd the killing should be a turning point for Russia "for the simple reason that people who before thought that they could quietly sit in their kitchens and simply discuss problems within the family, now will start reconsidering everything that's going on in our country."

Since Nemtsov's death, investigators, politicians and political commentators on state television have suggested numerous motives for the attack. The most popular theory seemed to be that Western secret services were behind the hit, with the aim of destabilizing Russia. Putin's spokesman said the president saw the attack as a "provocation" against the state.

Some bristled at Western coverage that suggested Nemtsov was killed for his relentless opposition to Putin.

"We haven't even recovered, the man hasn't even been buried, and the West is shoving down our throats that Russia supposedly has killed a key opposition politician," Dmitry Kiselyov, an influential television anchor famous for his anti-Western broadcasts, said on his Sunday evening show.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States had no intelligence on who was behind the shooting.

"The bottom line is we hope there will be a thorough, transparent, real investigation, not just of who actually fired the shots, but who, if anyone, may have ordered or instructed this or been behind this," Kerry said Sunday on ABC's "This Week."

Kiselyov noted that while Nemtsov was known in Russia from his political activity in the 1990s, when he served as a deputy prime minister overseeing reforms, he was no longer popular. The anchor suggested that the West may have believed his death would resonate more with average Russians than his political activity: "When he was alive, Nemtsov was no longer necessary to the West, he had no prospects. But dead, he was a lot more interesting."

For those at the march, it's that rhetoric on state television that makes the prospects for change dim.

"From my experience, trying to convince people isn't possible," said Mikhail Trofimenko, a 42-year-old screenwriter. "I think things will only get worse, but I hope that by some miracle Russia will not fall apart and remain a united country."

He held up a painting of the Russian flag riddled with four bullet holes, the number found in Nemtsov's body.

Another mourning march was held earlier Sunday in St. Petersburg, drawing several thousand people.

Nelly Prusskaya, a 66-year-old doctor, said she came to pay her respects to Nemtsov. "I also came to say that I'm against the war in Ukraine," she said. "I'm against political murders."

Photos: Springfield's Aubrie Przybysz crowned the 2015 Miss Western Massachusetts

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SPRINGFIELD - Springfield's Aubrie Przybysz was crowned the 2015 Miss Western Massachusetts at a pageant held at Western New England University on Sunday, March 1. Anna Lusnia, of Easthampton was named the pageant's first runner up and Kensi Riley the second runner up. Carmen Berliner of Great Barrington was crowned the 2015 Miss Pioneer Valley and Amanda Morton of Otis...

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield's Aubrie Przybysz was crowned the 2015 Miss Western Massachusetts at a pageant held at Western New England University on Sunday, March 1.

Anna Lusnia, of Easthampton was named the pageant's first runner up and Kensi Riley the second runner up.

Carmen Berliner of Great Barrington was crowned the 2015 Miss Pioneer Valley and Amanda Morton of Otis was crowned Miss Berkshire County.

Miss Congeniality was Alina Altyeve of Longmeadow and Natashali Torres, of Holyoke was the recipient of the pageant's Spirit Award.

14 young and talented women competed in the pageant.

Streets remain slippery but no serious accidents reported in Sunday's storm

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Several communities reported spinouts and fender-benders.

WESTFIELD - Police are reporting roads continue to be slippery but few major accidents have occurred during the storm.

State police officials said the speed limit on the Massachusetts Turnpike has been reduced to 40 miles and hour and there are no propane vehicles and tandem tractor trailer trucks allowed.

There have been some spinouts on the Turnpike but no serious accidents were reported.

Mountain Road, also known as Route 141, between Easthampton and Holyoke remains open but motorists are being warned to use caution on the winding road, Easthampton police said.

Police in a number of other communities including Northampton, Amherst and Shelburne also reported spinouts and minor fender-benders but no serious accidents.

Agawam Police said there was a several-vehicle accident at about 5:30 p.m. on Route 5. There was no information available about the accident.

Islamic State releases 19 Syrian Christian hostages, activists and local leader say

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The Islamic State group released at least 19 Christians on Sunday who were among the more than 220 people the militants took captive in northeastern Syria last week, activists and a local leader said.

BEIRUT -- The Islamic State group released at least 19 Christians on Sunday who were among the more than 220 people the militants took captive in northeastern Syria last week, activists and a local leader said.

The news provided a modicum of relief to a Christian Assyrian community that has been devastated by the abductions, which saw Islamic State fighters haul off entire families from a string of villages along the Khabur River in Hassakeh province. But fears remain over the fate of the hundreds still held captive.

Bashir Saedi, a senior official in the Assyrian Democratic Organization, said the 16 men and three women arrived safely Sunday at the Church of the Virgin Mary in the city of Hassakeh. He said the 19 -- all of them from the village of Tal Ghoran -- had traveled by bus from the Islamic State-held town of Shaddadeh south of Hassakeh.

The Assyrian Human Rights Network also reported the release, and published photographs on its Facebook page that it said were from Hassakeh showing a crowd dressed in winter coats greeting the returnees.

The photos appeared genuine and corresponded to Associated Press reporting.

It was not immediately clear why the Islamic State group freed these captives.

Saedi said all those released were around 50 years of age or older, which suggests age might have been a factor. The Assyrian Human Rights Network, meanwhile, said the captives had been ordered released by a Shariah court after paying an unspecified amount of money levied as a tax on non-Muslims.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said a Shariah court had ruled the captives be freed, but the reasoning behind the decision was unknown.

The fate of the more than 200 other Christian Assyrians still in the Islamic State group's hands remains unclear. Most of them are believed to have been taken by Islamic State fighters to Shaddadeh, which is located 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Hassakeh.

Assyrian leaders and Sunni tribal sheikhs have begun reaching out to the Islamic State group to try to negotiate the release of the captives, activists said.

"We're trying to contact any party that might help. We're working through our friends the tribal sheikhs," said Younan Talia, a senior official in the Assyrian Democratic Organization. "Some friends of Daesh are trying to send messages."

Talia said there has been no response yet. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group.

The Sweden-based director of the Assyrian Network for Human Rights in Syria, Osama Edward, also said efforts were underway to try to negotiate the captives' release.

The abductions have added to fears among religious minorities in both Syria and Iraq, who have been repeatedly targeted by the Islamic State group. During the militants' bloody campaign in both countries, where they have declared a self-styled caliphate, minorities have been repeatedly targeted and killed, driven from their homes, had their women enslaved and places of worship destroyed.

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