Nine people, including two children, were at the address during the Jan. 8 police search in Easthampton.

EASTHAMPTON — An Easthampton man faces drug and stolen property charges after police found hash oil, prescription pills and a city street sign while executing a search of his shared apartment for evidence of child pornography, according to court documents.

Joshua B. Culver, 26, of 53 Holyoke St., Apt. 2 was arraigned Tuesday on possession of a Class C substance (butane hash oil) with intent to distribute, two counts of simple possession (butane hash oil and Clonozepam) and receiving stolen property valued under $250 (street signs belonging to the city of Easthampton).

Police executed a search warrant at 53 Holyoke St. on Jan. 8 as part of an investigation into possible child pornography, according to a police report filed with court documents. Investigators were authorized to search the home and to seize computers, smart phones, mobile devices and other items consistent with child pornography, according to the report.

In the basement of the apartment, police said they found a large Sentry floor safe and two butane canisters. Culver voluntarily opened the safe when asked to do so, saying it contained "wax for making candles" and some paperwork.

Inside the safe, police detected an odor of marijuana and found "a decorative bowl with skeleton heads depicted on it," various plastic containers, a bottle of green pills stamped "TEVA 833," individually wrapped packets of a brown, wax-like substance, a red dish containing a clump of the substance and more of the waxy substance vacuum-sealed in plastic, according to the report.

Police said they found a scale and a black book with the word "cash" inscribed on it, which contained a list of handwritten weights and prices, as well as a list of people's names and dollar amounts.

Culver allegedly told police at the scene that the substance was "hash wax" meant for his own personal use. He also allegedly said bags of white powder found nearby were baking soda used to absorb the odor of hash oil during transport. The white powder field-tested negative for narcotics, according to the police report.

Also found in the "makeshift living quarters" Culver shared with his girlfriend in the basement was a municipal intersection sign saying "High Street" and "Prospect Street," wrote Easthampton Police Detective Dennis Scribner in his report. A Dept. of Public Works official told police the two signs were worth $140.

Present in the apartment when the warrant was served were Culver, a man and woman and their two young children, and three other men; the woman Culver identified as his girlfriend showed up an hour into the search, according to the report. Law enforcement personnel at the scene included Scribner, Detective Sgt. Mark Popielarczyk, Captain Robert Alberti, two additional Easthampton officers, a Northampton police detective and a sergeant from the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit.

Scribner said Wednesday the investigation into possible child pornography at the address is a separate case, and is ongoing. He declined to comment on whether Culver, or one of his housemates, is the subject of the probe. No arrests have been made in the pornography investigation, the detective said.

The search warrant for the 53 Holyoke St. apartment, obtained by police in December, was issued after police received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an Internet address associated with the home may have been used to violate the Massachusetts law which prohibits the possession of child pornography, according to police.

Hash oil, also known as honey oil, is commonly made by passing a solvent such as butane through marijuana. Its home manufacture has been associated with explosions.

Culver was not arrested at the scene, but issued a summons on Feb. 11. In Northampton District Court on Tuesday, Culver was released on personal recognizance and told to return April 14 for a pre-trial hearing. Culver is represented by David Hoose of Northampton, according to court documents.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Tina S. Page sentenced Joseph Rodriguez to seven to nine years in state prison followed by five years probation.

 

SPRINGFIELD — Hampden Superior Court Judge Tina S. Page took some time looking through the multi-page criminal record of Joseph Rodriguez before she sentenced him on Tuesday.

"This is a person who has a serious problem," she said. Looking at the 36-year-old Rodriguez she said, "You've been in (jail or prison) more than you've been out."

"The restraining orders are too plentiful to even talk about," Page said.

Rodriguez pleaded guilty to reckless operation of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of a property damage accident, resisting arrest, assault with a dangerous weapon, illegal possession of ammunition, illegal possession of a firearm, receiving stolen property worth over $250 and receiving a stolen motor vehicle.

For the firearms charges he pleaded guilty as a person with one prior drug or violent offense under the terms of the plea agreement.

Page sentenced Rodriguez, whose address is listed in court records as 739 Carew St., to seven to nine years in state prison followed by five years probation.

Page noted the prosecution could have sought to have Rodriguez sentenced as a habitual offender, putting into play the maximum sentences for his crimes, but said she understood why the prosecution agreed to the plea deal.

"You need a GED," Page told Rodriguez, setting that as a condition of probation. He must also remain drug and alcohol free with random testing.

The events which led to the arrest took place Nov. 6, 2013, and involved a police car being rammed and Rodriguez fleeing first by car and then later leading police on a foot chase.

Rodriguez has 409 days credit for time he spent in jail awaiting trial.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Eduardo Velazquez, and Rodriguez's lawyer was Joe Smith III.

Security footage of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier's last moments were shown in a federal courtroom on Wednesday in the trial of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Watch video

BOSTON -- Security footage of MIT Police Officer Sean Collier's last moments were shown in a federal courtroom on Wednesday in the trial of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

Two figures that prosecutors and investigators identified as Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev appear to approach Collier's car from across an MIT courtyard near the school's Koch Institute building.

The brake lights in Collier's car flickered on and off while the two figures were near his car. The camera is far away so it is difficult to make out who is who in the footage.

While the two were at Collier's car a man in bicycle later identified as MIT mathematics student Nathan Harman pedaled by. He said in court that he made eye contact with Dzhokhar while he was leaning inside the driver's side of Collier's car. A visibly shaking Harman pointed at Tsarnaev while on the witness stand Wednesday to identify him as the man he saw. Harman, 24, did not stop when he encountered Tsarnaev, continuing on his way.

A medical examiner testified on Thursday that Collier was shot three times in the head, twice in his right hand and suffered a grazed bullet wound to his right hand. The shots were fired at a very close range, she estimated a distance of approximately 12-18 inches.

After the brother's encounter with Collier they flee in the direction of Ames Street, the location from which they came according to the security footage.

Not long after their departure an MIT police cruiser with blue lights flashing arrives on scene.

Prosecutors said Jarret Ferritter called in a bomb threat at the liberal arts college because he wanted to skip class and take a nap.

Patrick Johnson | pjohnson@repub.com 

PITTSFIELD - A 21-year-old former student at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts pleaded guilty to calling in a bomb threat to the North Adams campus and was spared any jail time.

Instead, Jarret Ferriter of North Adams was ordered by Judge John Agonstini to perform 150 hours of community service and to pay $15,453 in restitution to the college.

He was also sentenced to two years probation, ordered to stay away from the campus and to continue his mental health treatments.

Ferriter pleaded guilty in Berkshire Superior Court on Wednesday to charges of making a false report of a crime and willfully and maliciously communicating false information to a public safety department.

A third charge of threatening to use an explosive and causing the disruption of a school was continued without finding for two years.

Ferritter called the North Adams police on Oct. 16 to report there was a bomb on the MCLA campus.

The bomb threat forced the evacuation of the college campus, and one person had to be hospitalized after suffering an anxiety attack, according to New England Cable News.

According to the Berkshire Eagle, Ferriter's attorney told the courts that his judgment was impaired because he stopped taking his medication for depression and ADHD.

The Eagle reports prosecutors contend he called in the bomb threat because he wanted to skip a class and take a nap before going to his job.

Prosecutors wanted to call Hernandez's high school friend Robert Paradis to the stand, saying he would testify that Hernandez left a pistol behind after taking a trip to Los Angeles six weeks before the murder of Odin Lloyd in June 2013.

FALL RIVER - A ruling by a single justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court states that the judge in the Aaron Hernandez murder trial acted properly when excluding witness testimony about a possible gun.

Prosecutors wanted to call Hernandez's high school friend Robert Paradis to the stand, saying he would testify that Hernandez left a pistol behind after taking a trip to Los Angeles six weeks before the murder of Odin Lloyd in June 2013.

Bristol County Superior Court Justice E. Susan Garsh spoke with Paradis and excluded him because there was no evidence the gun, if there ever was one, eventually wound up in Hernandez's hands again. She said his testimony could unfairly prejudice the jury.

Paradis told Garsh that Hernandez had made statements suggesting he had a gun with him during the L.A. trip, but he never saw it.

At one point, Hernandez allegedly asked Paradis to check a nightstand to see if the gun was there. Paradis said he found an object wrapped in a towel or a shirt, and it had the shape of a pistol. He never confirmed what it was.

Prosecutors appealed the exclusion of Paradis' testimony. In a two-page decision issued Wednesday, SJC Associate Justice Robert J. Cordy said the judge made the right call.

"There was no abuse of discretion or other error of law in the judge's ruling," Cordy wrote.

Garsh has allowed other evidence that Hernandez owned guns and knew how to use them. On Wednesday, a Glock district sales manager said the former New England Patriots tight end can be seen in his home surveillance video carrying a pistol shortly after Lloyd was shot to death at a North Attleboro Industrial Park.

GREENFIELD - Teenagers craving a cigarette will have to head to Deerfield or beyond after the Board of Public Health banned the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21 Wednesday. The board had been mulling the move since last July, according to Nicole Zabko, Greenfield's Public Health Director. Some local communities, including Montague, Leverett and South...

GREENFIELD - Teenagers craving a cigarette will have to head to Deerfield or beyond after the Board of Public Health banned the sale of tobacco products to anyone under the age of 21 Wednesday.

The board had been mulling the move since last July, according to Nicole Zabko, Greenfield's Public Health Director. Some local communities, including Montague, Leverett and South Hadley, have already passed similar regulations, Zabko said, but the movement is stronger in eastern Massachusetts. In all, more than 50 communities in the state have made it illegal to sell tobacco to anyone under 21.

The board banned any stores except those dealing only in tobacco from selling flavored tobacco. There are two such shops in Greenfield at present, Zabko said.

Statistics show that smokers get hooked more easily when they start at an early age.

"It's harder to get hooked when you're older," Zabko said.

Massachusetts already has a law that requires merchants to card people to determine their age before selling them tobacco products. This, Zabko said, will remain in effect. The new regulations also ban the sale of tobacco products within 500 feet of a school but grandfather those establishments already in place. Zabko said there is only one such store in Greenfield.

Store owners and other members of the public were split fairly evenly on the issue during the public comment session, Zabko said, but the vote by the three-member board was unanimous'

UMass has not announced a timetable to replace Police Chief John Horvath.

AMHERST - The Gloucester Times today is reporting that the University of Massachusetts Police Chief John Horvath has accepted the town of Rockport's offer to become its new chief.

Horvath, 44, who has been the UMass chief since September 2012, said he is expecting to begin  in May, according to the paper. Horvath's salary will be set between $100,000 to $115,000,, according to the pqper. In 2014, he earned $144,847, according to the state salary data base.

UMass has not established a timetable to replace him. Horvath has not returned calls or emails about why he wants to leave. 

"I'm very eager to get up there," Horvath told the Gloucester paper adding that he hopes to "make the town a better place."

 The use of the department's confidential informant program came under scrutiny this fall after a student who was working as an informant died from an overdose. The program has since been.

After that Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said in an effort to have the police department "more aligned with and responsive to the concerns of students," police were required to report directly to Enku Gelaye, the vice chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life.

Previously, campus police had reported to the vice chancellor for Administration and Finance. Earlier this year, Subbaswamy ended the program that began before Horvath became chief. 

In a statment Wednesday Gelaye said, "John Horvath demonstrated a deep commitment to public safety and is admired on campus for his community outreach to UMass Amherst students.

"We thank him for his service as our police chief and wish him success in his new position in Rockport."

Horvath was the former assistant police chief with the Hartford Police Department in Connecticut before taking the post here. 

For Don Corleone, it was a horse's head. For the downstairs neighbor of Westfield woman Elizabeth Artz it was, allegedly, plastic flower petals.

For Don Corleone, it was a horse's head. For the downstairs neighbor of Westfield woman Elizabeth Artz it was, allegedly, plastic flower petals.

Artz, a resident of the Powder Mill Village apartment complex, walked into the Westfield police station last night with a tale of floral intimidation, telling an officer she believed her neighbor had vandalized her plastic flowers and frightened her.

"The victim said the suspect removed a fake plastic flower that was attached to a railing, peeled off the petals, and stated 'these are for your funeral,'" Westfield police captain Michael McCabe said.

Artz could not be reached for comment this morning.

Police are investigating the incident, and McCabe declined to release the name of the suspect.

Hadley residents are advised to lock their car and house doors.

HADLEY - Police are investigating a series of car break-ins all over town and advising people to lock their car doors.

In an email, officer Mitch Kuc reported that the break-ins have been into cars in driveways. "Unlocked vehicles appear to be the target," he wrote.

Police are asking that anyone with information or who sees anything suspicious to call the Hadley Police Department at 413-584-0883.

"We encourage everyone to lock their cars whenever unattended, to take valuables inside their home or keep them out of sight, and to lock their home at all times," he said.

Police are also suggesting people either leave an outside light on or have a light operated by motion detector.

On Monday, police on Facebook reported that there been another night "with multiple vehicles entered." 

Olde Holyoke Development Corp. administers the home-improvement program for the city.

HOLYOKE -- Homeowners that meet income-eligibility rules can qualify for rebates of up to 60 percent of the cost of improvements to roofs, windows, heating and numerous other repairs in a city program using federal money.

The Neighborhood Improvement Program is funded using Community Development Block Grants and is administered for the city by Olde Holyoke Development Corp. (OHDC), 70 Lyman St., a private nonprofit housing provider, a city press release said.

Applicants must be not only the owner but an occupant of the property, the OHDC website said.

Applications must be submitted in person at OHDC, 70 Lyman St., the OHDC website said.

The size of the rebate a property owner would get for part of the cost of the improvement is based on income limits by family size. For example, one person with an income of $18,050 is eligible for a rebate of 60 percent while one person with an income of $30,100 is eligible for a rebate of 50 percent, according to OHDC.

Two people with an income of $20,600 would be eligible for a 60 percent rebate while two people with an income of $51,150 would be eligible for a 30 percent rebate, according to OHDC.

For information call OHDC at (413) 533-7101 or email info@oldeholyoke.org.

The following are among instructions for the Neighborhood Improvement Program on the OHDC website:

--Among forms applicants must submit to qualify for grants are a copy of the property's deed, previous year's 1040, 1040A or 1040 EZ tax forms and two professional, written estimates for each planned improvement, along with a Smoke Detector Certificate from the Fire Department.

--Grants are based on a minimum project cost of $500 and a maximum cost of $8,000 for single-family homes and $12,000 for two-, three- and four-family homes.

--With bathroom additions, the applicant must submit a floor plan, a listing of the type of cabinets, type of sink and faucets and type of floor, such as tile or wood.

--If a building permit is required for the type of work being planned, it is the applicant's responsibility to obtain such a permit.

--Since the choice of contractors is exclusively within the control of the homeowner, it
is within the interest of the homeowner to check the following:

--Does the contractor have a construction supervisors license or other required licenses such as for electrical or plumbing work?

--Does the contractor provide Workers' Compensation insurance? If so, you have a right to see the policy.

--Does the contractor have comprehensive public liability insurance for himself or herself and employees?

--What kind of guarantee will the contractor provide?

A tractor trailer ran into a pump canopy at a Mobil gas station in Westfield last night, damaging a fire suppression system and leaving two pumps non-operational.

Ludlow police do not solicit donations by telephone, police said.

LUDLOW - Ludlow police are doing no telephone solicitations for money, Provisional Lt. Daniel Valadas said.

"We don't do telephone solicitations," he said.

Valadas said a Ludlow resident received a telephone solicitation at his home from someone who said he represented the Fraternal Order of Police.

The man said he would give $280 when he was told the Fraternal Order of Police represented Ludlow police.

The man said he would make the donation at the Ludlow police station, but no-one showed up to collect the donation.

The Fraternal Order of Police is based in the eastern part of the state and does not represent the Ludlow police, Valadas said.

He said the Ludlow Police Department is making no telephone solicitations.

The Ludlow police will be involved in a Comedy Fundraiser on April 4 at the Gremio Lusitano Club, but this has no relation to the Fraternal Order of Police, Valadas said.

For that event, police officers are selling tickets, Valadas said.

The Massachusetts House on Wednesday passed a bill raising the threshold at which a person must stop gambling and fill out IRS paperwork from $600 to $1,200, which is the federal law.

BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday that he does not have any strong feelings about changing the reporting threshold for gambling wins from $600 to $1,200.

"As I understand that one, the national standard pretty much everywhere else is $1,200," Baker said, when asked about it by a reporter from The Republican / MassLive.com. "I don't have strong feelings one way or another about the $600 or the $1,200."

Under Massachusetts law, if someone wins $600 while gambling, the machine they are playing must shut down until the person fills out IRS paperwork. A casino worker will check to ensure the person has no outstanding child support or tax liabilities. Federal law, and laws in other states that have casino gambling, set that threshold at $1,200.

Casino companies planning to open casinos under the state's new gambling law, including MGM Resorts in Springfield, have said the lower threshold would be administratively burdensome and could send gamblers out of state. The independent state Gaming Commission recommended that the Legislature raise the threshold to conform with federal law.

The Massachusetts House on Wednesday passed a provision in a supplemental budget bill that would raise the threshold from $600 to $1,200.

The bill must now go through the state Senate.

Baker indicated Thursday that he is open to the provision, if it reaches him.

State Rep. James Lyons, R-Andover, objected on the House floor to the way the provision was passed, as part of a budget bill with no independent hearings. Baker said he was not bothered by the process.

"I would describe that as a modest change with respect to the casino law," Baker said. "I think things that involve much larger and more significant elements probably ought not to be dealt with on a one-off basis and not dealt with in a budget, but that one seems pretty small."

Wright was in 2011 convicted federally of failing to register as a sex offender while he was "traipsing around the United States," a federal prosecutor said.

SPRINGFIELD — A Level 3 sex offender's immediate freedoms may hang in the balance based on his ability to land a job as a warehouse worker at Six Flags, according to lawyers involved in an ongoing case in U.S. District Court.

Michael D. Wright Jr., 45, of Easthampton, was in 2011 convicted federally of failing to register as a sex offender while he was "traipsing around the United States," a federal prosecutor said. He appeared in court Thursday to face allegations that he had repeatedly run afoul of the terms of his probation.

Wright was convicted in state court of indecent assault on a person over 14 in 1997. The conviction earned him the designation of Level 3 sex offender; state and federal law mandates that those offenders register with their local police departments.

Officials said Wright went on the run for nearly a year just months into a probation term in 2009. The former Springfield resident was captured by U.S. Marshals while attempting to board a train in Fargo, N.D. He had several outstanding warrants in Massachusetts at the time, officials said.

At the time of Wright's federal sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Grant wrote in a pre-sentencing memo that Wright was prosecuted in 2008 for "groping" a 17-year-old girl.

"The fact that the defendant was engaging in the behavior after having been convicted in 1997 of indecent assault and battery (Wright's qualifying sex offense conviction) ... indicates that the defendant cannot be deterred from acting in a violent, sexual way toward women," Grant wrote.

Wright was sentenced to 14 months in prison and five years of probation on the federal charge. While Wright has since registered as a sex offender, he has had a bumpy road with U.S. Probation officers, court records state.

He appeared on Thursday to face allegations that he has lied to his probation officers and has not sought employment in earnest — a condition of his supervised release.

However, Charles McGinty, a federal public defender representing Wright, said his client's designation as a sex offender has hobbled his efforts to get a job.

"He is handicapped by virtue of the fact that he is a registered sex offender. That goes a long way in hampering anyone's job prospects," McGinty told U.S. District Judge Mark G. Mastroianni.

The defense lawyer pleaded for more time before his client faces sentencing for the alleged violations of his probation. McGinty noted specifically that Wright has been offered "conditional employment" as a warehouse worker at Six Flags New England in Agawam.

"He would be on the perimeter of the site ... and would not be involved with customers in any way at the facility," he told the judge.

However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Regan told Mastroianni that Wright had not disclosed his criminal history to his prospective employers on his job application.

"It turns out that job is probably illusory," O'Regan said in court. "He didn't put on the application that he was convicted of a felony, certainly not a sex crime. The odds are that this is going to fall through."

The prosecutor told the judge the government would, at a minimum, ask that Wright be placed on an electronic monitoring bracelet for six months.

Job applicants at the theme park are subject to background checks, the prosecutor added. McGinty still insisted the job is a real prospect.

Mastroianni scolded Wright for not being forthright with his probation officer in the past about jobs and personal relationships.

"The allegations are clearly, clearly upsetting to me, given that I had spoken to Mr. Wright in a hearing not long ago," Mastroianni said. "Last time he was in court, there were allegations regarding his lying."

The judge set a final hearing in the case for April 16.

Congress passed a law in 2006 exposing unregistered sex offenders to federal prison time, citing an estimate of 100,000 sex offenders whose whereabouts were unknown. Locally, the U.S. Marshals Service has a local, state and federal task force who search for "missing" sex offenders and ensure their compliance.

Six labor market areas in Massachusetts – Barnstable, Lawrence, Worcester, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Framingham and Pittsfield – added more jobs than over the same time period last year.

SPRINGFIELD — Unemployment in the city of Springfield rose in January to 10.2 percent from a revised 9.4 percent in December 2014.

The change was likely a reflection of seasonal hiring trends as stores and warehouses let Christmas season help go. But the city's unemployment rate for January was lower than the 12.7 percent jobless rate recorded in January 2014.

And the Greater Springfield regional unemployment rate in January was 5.9 percent, down from 6.3 percent the month before and 7.7 percent a year ago.

The numbers are not seasonally adjusted. But year-over-year numbers would account for holiday hiring and other seasonal changes in the economy.

February 2015 data will be released later this month.

Earlier this week, the state said that the statewide unemployment rate fell in January to 5.1 percent and the December 2014 rate was revised to 5.3 percent.

The national unemployment rate was 5.5 percent in February.

February local numbers are coming out now due to February being a short month. Unemployment statistics are based on a phone survey of households. People who have run out of unemployment benefits are counted as unemployed as long as they are still looking for work.

Other highlights released Thursday by the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics include:

• The city of Springfield's labor force was 63,799, down from 64,208 a month ago and down slightly from 63,695 in January 2014.
• The number of city residents employed in January 2015 was 57,283 compared to 58,148 a month ago. But the January 2014 number was lower at 55,620, once again showing year-over-year improvement.
• The number of unemployed people in Springfield rose to 6,516 from 6.060. There were 8,075 unemployed Springfield residents a year ago.
• At 10.2 percent unemployment, Springfield had the 12th-highest unemployment rate in the state. The highest unemployment rates in winter are in resort communities on the Cape and Islands, where fewer people work in the off-season.
• Springfield's unemployment rate was the highest of any community in Western Massachusetts. Holyoke was next highest with an unemployment rate of 8.7 percent (17th highest in the state), up from 8.1 percent in December, but down from 12.7 percent a year ago. A list of all Massachusetts cities and towns is available here.
• Greater Springfield lost 1,100 jobs for the month, down 0.4 percent. But for the year, Greater Springfield is up 6,200 jobs for a gain of 2.1.
• Statewide, Massachusetts lost 3,000 jobs in the month for a loss of 0.1 percent. The statewide gain for the year is 62,000, 1.8 percent.
• Six labor market areas around the state – Barnstable, Lawrence, Worcester, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Framingham and Pittsfield – added more jobs than over the same time period last year.
• In Greater Pittsfield, unemployment for January was 5.4 percent, down from 5.6 percent in December and 7.3 percent a year ago. Greater Pittsfield had no change in the number of jobs for the month. For the year, the region is up 300 jobs, or 0.8 percent.
• In Greater Worcester, the unemployment rate was 5.2 percent in January, down from 5.7 percent in December and down from 7.2 percent a year ago in January 2014. Greater Worcester had no change in the number of jobs for the month for January. For the year, Greater Worcester is up 6,800 jobs for a gain of 2.7 percent.

The task force will figure out strategies to boost employment among populations that have chronically high unemployment.

BOSTON — Gov. Charlie Baker appointed a task force on Thursday that will focus on boosting employment among groups with chronically high unemployment rates, including blacks, Hispanic and Latino Americans, people with disabilities and some veterans.

"The key issue is to make sure we identify some of the challenges these populations are facing and figure out how workforce development practices can focus on things they need to be successful," Baker, a Republican, said at a press conference.

While the Massachusetts economy has improved since the recession, with unemployment now at 5.1 percent, these groups have unemployment rates between 7 and 12 percent, according to the administration. "There are still far too many people out there who want and need a job to sustain their families and build a life," Baker said.

Baker's task force will be chaired by Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Ron Walker. Walker, who is black, was previously the executive director of the Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color, an organization dedicated to closing the achievement gap among black and Latino boys. He was also chairman of the board of BASE, which organized sports to help urban youth.

Other members of the task force will include Massachusetts' secretaries of housing and economic development, education, health and human services and veterans' services. There will be representatives from private organizations, both non-profits and businesses. They come from organizations including Year-Up, which helps low-income young adults get jobs through internships and mentorships; Blackstone Valley Technical High School; Verizon; Dana Farber Cancer Institute; Jewish Vocational Services of Greater Boston; and others.

The task force will study the reasons why these populations are historically unemployed or underemployed and determine whether there are ways the state can better meet their needs. It will report back by Nov. 15.

"We know who they are and where they live," Walker said. "As Governor Baker pointed out, people of color and those in urban communities have persistently higher rates of unemployment."

In Hampden County, for example, the unemployment rate in January was 7.6 percent, compared to 5.1 percent statewide. Hampden County has 10.6 percent black residents and 22.6 percent Hispanic residents, compared to 8.1 percent and 10.5 percent statewide.

Walker and Baker identified language barriers and lack of education as two of the problems that prevent certain populations from finding employment.

Baker said the goal would be to identify strategies that have worked around the state and replicate those on a larger scale. He pointed to work done by Nam Pham, the former executive director of for VietAID and now Baker's assistant secretary for business development, who found that Vietnamese immigrants were able to carve out a niche building businesses in the field of flooring maintenance. He pointed to the work done by Year-Up connecting young people with jobs.

"Fundamentally, what I'm looking for are models that work," Baker said. "I'm hoping one of the things that happens is you get a cross pollination of ideas and models and programs that have been successful, so we can scale these a little bit." Baker said state government will be willing "to invest time and energy and probably some allocation of funding" in replicating programs that work.

Several advocates attended Baker's announcement. Joseph Rodriguez, a Boston-based Hispanic community organizer, said unemployment is particularly high among the Hispanic communities in Springfield, Worcester and Brockton. In some cases, Hispanics are lacking English language skills. In other cases, college educated Hispanics have trouble getting in the door for job interviews, he said.

William Kiernan, dean of the School for Global Inclusion and Social Development at UMass Boston, who works on disability issues and will serve on Baker's task force, said finding employment is a major issue for people with disabilities. It is important for the individual's identity and inclusion in society, and also for employers as the labor market improves and the availability of workers contracts, he said. Kiernan said he hopes the task force will look at options like creating internship, apprenticeship and mentoring programs. "He got the right people at the table," Kiernan said.

Baker has formed several task forces and commissions since taking office, including one to develop strategies to combat opioid addiction and another to look at the problems surrounding the MBTA.

The 35-year-old Easthampton man said he reported the alleged fraud through a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture has said it won't investigate the case.

EASTHAMPTON -- After buying a bottle of iced tea from Union Mart on Cottage Street almost every day for months, Jonathan Wintle was confused to find he had been charged an extra 50 cents on at least three occasions within a week for using an EBT card to purchase them.

The 35-year-old Easthampton man said he reported the alleged fraud through a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program hotline, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture has said it won't investigate the case, the Hampshire Gazette reports. 

On Feb. 27, Wintle answered "yes" when asked if he would like a receipt for his tea, when he had customarily declined the offer before that date. He noted that the charge was $1.99 for a $1.49 tea. Store owner Abdul Butt told him this was because the store imposes a 50-cent fee for any credit card transactions under $8, Wintle said.

EBT cards are run through a machine that requires a PIN code, much like a debit card. The cost of the food is subtracted from the cardholder's SNAP account automatically.

According to federal law, food bought with EBT cards must be sold at the same price as cash. Minimum dollar amounts for EBT transactions and any additional fees are illegal.

Butt told the Gazette that he had never charged customers a processing fee for EBT purchases, and that "the policy he's had for years is reflected in the sign on the register: transaction fees apply only to credit and debit card transactions."

Neither the state's Department of Transitional Assistance or the USDA will pursue the case any further, although officials have spoken to Butt about EBT regulations, The Gazette said. The USDA does not plan to fine Butt.

City and state officials and the Center for Human Development said the meeting helped to air the issues from both sides.

PRINGFIELD - Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and leaders of the Center for Human Development, embroiled in a dispute over the density of housing of homeless families in Springfield, said a meeting in Boston on Wednesday served as a good "first step" to address the concerns.

Sarno said that he continues to object to the number of homeless families who have been placed in temporary housing along lower Belmont Avenue in lower Forest Park, many in shared (co-shelter) apartments, but appreciated the meeting to air concerns and receive additional information.

"I will continue to stick to my guns, and continue to fight, not only to protect our neighborhoods but to enhance our neighborhoods," Sarno said.

The city wants its concerns heard and respected, and believes it is harmful to the neighborhood, the city, and the families to concentrate "poverty on top of poverty," Sarno said.

CHD officials said they want to work with the mayor and other city officials and with other nonprofit agencies, working together to reduce homelessness.

"I think we all know where the mayor stands on the issues and it is our intent to work with the mayor and h is team to better coordinate our activities and bring about the desired result," said Evan Plotkin, chairman of the CHD board of directors. "We all have the same interests - we care about Springfield, the homeless, economic development and the city prospering."

Plotkin said CHD has an excellent success rate in helping to get homeless families into housing and in reducing the homeless problem.

The meeting was arranged by state Sen. James Welch, D-West Springfield, and was attended by Jay Ash, the state secretary of housing and economic development.

It was a closed-door meeting, and attendees included city and CHD officials, Welch, state Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, and state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, D-Springfield.

"Today's meeting was part of an ongoing dialogue," said Paul McMorrow, a spokesman for the state Department of Housing and Economic Development. "We look forward to working with both the city of Springfield and CHD as we advance the best interests of homeless families and communities alike."

The Boston meeting was a "first step, and this was a very frank conversation," Sarno said, after the meeting. The two-hour meeting was "emotionally draining' at times, Sarno said.

There is a "full blown concentration" of homeless families in the lower Belmont Avenue area, he said.

The city estimates that 150 homeless families live in that one area, most from CHD but also from HAPHousing. CHD states it has 119 homeless families in Springfield.

Sarno said that he believes the point was well made during the meeting that there needs to be better communication from the nonprofit agencies with city leaders regarding the homeless housing policies.

James Goodwin, CHD's president and chief executive officer, said CHD has offered to communicate directly with the mayor's office. It also is working to have just two families in shared apartments, rather than multiple families, he said.

The state has been attempting to reduce the number of families in hotels and placing more homeless in temporary housing including shared apartments pending permanent housing.

Goodwin said CHD will "prioritize Springfield homeless families for placement in our shelter sites in Springfield."

Further, CHD will move some families from the Belmont Avenue apartments that have been a topic, and has invited the city to provide input on identifying acceptable areas, Goodwin said. The city is also offering to communicate more, he said.

Plotkin and Welch said they also believe that communication is a priority involving the homeless housing agencies, and city and state officials.

Sarno said he believes policies on housing the homeless in temporary lodging must ensure that all communities share the responsibility.

Welch said the meeting was a success from the point of getting the sides together to discuss what led to the dispute, and how to move forward to address concerns.

City officials said the majority of the apartments for the homeless in lower Forest Park involve CHD placements, but HAPHousing has also placed families there, for added concentration.

That area of the city has a high rate of poverty with the addition of homeless families creating further hardships for the neighborhood and city, Sarno said.

President Obama said Patrick would do a good job as the nation's chief executive and he shouldn't rule it out.

For the past few years, Deval Patrick has been adamant that he will not run for president in 2016. At least one political analyst still thinks he should.

Slate Magazine columnist Reihan Salam wrote in his piece "Hillary Needs Competition" that Patrick is one of five Democrats who also should seek the party's nomination, challenging the former First Lady, New York senator and secretary of state.

The others are Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Clinton has not declared her candidacy, though she is the presumptive frontrunner for the nomination based on early polling.

Of Patrick, Salam writes he "has a sterling liberal resume, having worked as a civil rights lawyer for much of his career."

The former governor has served the federal government before. In 1994, President Bill Clinton nominated him for the job of assistant attorney general for civil rights, which he held until 1997.

Patrick was elected to Massachusetts' corner office in 2006, his first elected position, and re-elected in 2010.

From Salam's column:

To be sure, not everyone is a Patrick fan. Having served two terms as governor, he's had to make compromises, and some critics to his left see him as more of a cautious, corporate type than an inspiring liberal firebrand. Yet his time in office also means that he could go toe to toe with anyone, Clinton included, on executive experience. I can see why Patrick might want to wait to run for president, but he has an excellent opportunity to make a mark.

Salam also wrote that Patrick could "unite college-educated white liberals" and African-Americans in the same way President Barack Obama did in 2008, and he would be able to continue a difficult national conversation about racial injustice.

In March 2014, President Obama said Patrick would do a good job as the nation's chief executive and he shouldn't rule it out.

The Slate column says Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren would be a "formidable" candidate, but she might be better off wielding influence in the Senate.

Today, if a prosecutor wants to seek an indictment, the process involves a county-level grand jury. Attorney General Maura Healey said that system is inefficient for prosecuting crimes that cross county boundaries.

BOSTON - Massachusetts officials are considering reinstating a statewide grand jury system after grand juries have operated at a county-only level since 2014.

"A statewide grand jury system is a more cost effective and more efficient way to get after human trafficking, gun trafficking, drug trafficking, the opioid crisis," Attorney General Maura Healey told the Legislature's Joint Committee on Ways and Means on Tuesday. "These are crimes that know no county bounds."

Massachusetts had a statewide grand jury system for five years, from 2009 through 2014. But the legislative provision establishing the system expired, and lawmakers in the state Senate last year failed to renew it. Today, if a prosecutor wants to seek an indictment, the process must go through a county grand jury.

Healey argued that the system is more taxing for prosecutors, investigators and victims who must travel from county to county testifying multiple times if a crime or an investigation spans multiple jurisdictions.

"It's inefficient," Healey said. "It costs us more money."

A statewide grand jury would let witnesses and lawyers present all the evidence in front of a single grand jury and presiding judge.

The statewide grand jury was established as part of a sweeping ethics reform law passed after former House Speaker Sal DiMasi was convicted on federal corruption charges for taking kickbacks in exchange for steering a state contract to a software company.

Healey said during the five years the statewide grand jury was in place, prosecutors from the attorney general's criminal division pursued 1,800 indictments against 170 defendants in 150 cases. Crimes included human trafficking, drug trafficking, theft rings, computer crimes, complex white collar crimes and environmental crimes. 

The statewide grand jury was used in the case of Annie Dookhan, an analyst at the state drug lab who pleaded guilty to mixing drug samples and falsifying test results, in a scandal that jeopardized thousands of criminal convictions.

The Massachusetts District Attorneys Association supports the legislation.

"It's an important law enforcement tool to be able to prosecute cases that have wide jurisdiction," said Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan.

Sullivan said major corruption or fraud cases, or a telemarketing scam targeting people in every county, are all types of cases where it would be more efficient and effective for the attorney general's office to use a statewide grand jury.

"The way crime goes today, it isn't just confined to one county but many counties," Sullivan said.

State Rep. Brian Dempsey, D-Haverhill, who chairs the House Committee on Ways and Means, and State Rep. John Fernandes, D-Milford, on Wednesday introduced an amendment into a supplemental budget bill to reinstate the statewide grand jury system through 2020. The amendment passed with no discussion.

Fernandes said he introduced the amendment after hearing Healey testify before the Ways and Means Committee. "It makes sense from the perspective of not having to deal with cross jurisdictional issues from a county by county basis," Fernandes said.

Fernandes said adding the provision to the supplemental budget was the quickest way to get it passed. "It seemed to have expedited written all over it as an issue. There was no reason to wait on it," Fernandes said.

State Sen. William Brownsberger, D-Belmont, chairman of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, said he supported the statewide grand jury in the past and will support it when it comes to the Senate this year. While he is not sure why the earlier legislation did not get renewed last year, he said he is "cautiously optimistic" it will get renewed this year.

"It's basically a renewal of things we did in the past," Brownsberger said. "It makes it more efficient for the attorney general when they're involved in the investigation or prosecution of statewide conspiracies."

Martin Healy, chief legal counsel and chief operating officer of the Massachusetts Bar Association, which opposed the expansion in 2009, said before the statewide grand jury is reinstated, he thinks lawmakers need more data regarding how it was used, what types of prosecutions resulted and whether it was necessary.

"Questions remain in terms of its effectiveness and the need for it," Healy said. "I know there is a certain conditioned response on law enforcement officials that any additional tools they can get in their arsenal is a welcome tool, but is it needed, and is it serving a purpose?"

Healy said the point of the sunset provision was to ensure that the Legislature looked at the results of the statewide grand jury before reauthorizing it. To date, he has not seen any indication that a study has been done.

While Healy could not point to any case where the system was abused by law enforcement, he said his organization is always concerned with people's individual rights.

"When you're talking about law enforcement, any expansion on existing tools... ought to be looked at in a very bright light, and certainly any type of extension shouldn't be rushed through and attached to a spending bill," Healy said.