More than seven months before an explosion and fire leveled 3 apartment buildings in Manhattan's East Village, utility workers discovered that the gas line to a restaurant in one of them had been illegally tapped, creating a hazardous situation, according to the company.

NEW YORK (AP) -- More than seven months before an explosion and fire leveled three apartment buildings in Manhattan's East Village, utility workers discovered that the gas line to a restaurant in one of them had been illegally tapped, creating a hazardous situation, according to the company.

On Aug. 6, a meter reader at the restaurant detected the smell of gas and reported it, said Consolidated Edison spokesman Allan Drury. A gas crew dispatched to the site found multiple leaks in a gas line that had been tapped, Drury said, adding that the restaurant was the only customer in the building authorized to receive gas.

The discovery led Con Edison to shut down gas service to the building for about 10 days while the building owner made repairs. Gas service was restored after the utility deemed it safe, Drury said.

City officials suspect that leaking natural gas was the source of Thursday's explosion and fire, which sparked a raging blaze that took hundreds of firefighters to quell. De Blasio visited a firehouse Saturday to thank some of them.

Meanwhile, emergency workers painstakingly looked for signs of two missing people, scooping through piles of loose brick, wood and debris with their hands and using dogs to search the rubble. Authorities acknowledged the chances of finding either person alive were slim.

Officials estimated it could take a week of 24-hour-a-day work to sift through the heap. "It's going to be slow and arduous," Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said.

Detectives issued posters seeking information on the whereabouts of the men believed to have been in the sushi restaurant on the ground floor of one of the collapsed buildings: 26-year-old Moises Lucon, who worked at the restaurant, and 23-year-old Nicholas Figueroa, a bowling alley worker who had been there on a date.

Their families showed photos of their loved ones and asked for help.

"We have just been walking down the streets, one by one," brother Zacarias Lucon told the Daily News of New York. "We are just so exhausted and upset."

Figueroa's relatives said they were holding out hope.

"My brother is strong," Neal Figueroa told reporters. "Even if he is still in the rubble, I know he would still be in a predicament to get himself out, and so I'm just praying for that."

But hope was dimming. When asked about whether anyone would have survived, city Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito said: "I would doubt that very seriously."

As some of the several evacuated buildings near the explosion site were declared safe for residents to return, Micha Gerland stood at a police barricade and surveyed the remains of his apartment.

"I still don't believe it," said Gerland, 37, who escaped with nothing but his wallet, phone, keys and the clothes he was wearing. "Who thinks that something like that happens?"

Inspectors from Con Ed had visited that building about an hour before the explosion and determined work to upgrade gas service didn't pass inspection, locking the line to ensure it wouldn't be used and then leaving, officials said.

Fifteen minutes later, the sushi restaurant's owner smelled gas and called the landlord, who called the general contractor, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said. Nobody called 911 or Con Ed.

The contractor, Dilber Kukic, and the owner's son went into the basement and opened a door, and then the explosion happened, burning their faces, Boyce said. Kukic, who has pleaded not guilty to an unrelated charge of bribing a housing inspector, declined through his lawyer to comment on the circumstances surrounding the explosion.

The building had an existing gas line intended to serve the sushi restaurant; the work underway was to put in a bigger line to serve the entire building, Con Ed President Craig Ivey said.

The landlord didn't respond to calls and emails Friday and Saturday from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Springfield's ninth murder occurred Saturday morning on Cambridge Street.

Johnnie Ray McKnight, Springfield mayoral candidate.Submitted photo 

Update: 3:02 p.m.- "Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno: 'I stand by my comment,' following city's 9th homicide"

SPRINGFIELD — Mayoral candidate Johnnie R. McKnight has joined mayoral candidate Salvatore "Sal" Circosta in his criticism of Mayor Domenic J. Sarno's comment after the city's 9th homicide on Cambridge Street Saturday morning.

Sarno, in comments at the Police Department headquarters hours after the incident, said: "I'm going to say it; if you live by the sword, many times you're going to die by the sword."

McKnight said Sarno's philosophy of living and dying by the sword is not only insensitive and simplistic, but also a cold blow to the victim's grieving family.

" Unfortunately, his words are also not surprising, given similar comments he has made in the past. Sarno's tendency to cast blame on the victim is an easy out when faced with a growing infection of violence in our city. By diverting attention from his lack of effective action, he is overlooking the alarming rate at which our high crime is, and has been, rising," McKnight said.

With multiple homicides in one week and nine in three months McKnight said a better educational system and more surveillance in high-crime rate areas will get at the root of the problem.

"Crime does not just appear on our streets, it is grown in our culture and we must provide our youth with the chance to embark down a different path. With better schooling, higher-paying entry-level jobs, and youth programs, we can involve them in our community and help them build toward a promising future. No child should grow up in a backyard of crime," he said.

With modern technology, there is no excuse for not having more surveillance and cameras operating in high-risk areas, not only to keep these places in view, but also to offer safety to those who live there, McKnight added.

He expressed his condolences to the family and said he was hesitant to speak on the issue until he heard Sarno's comments.

"My thoughts and prayers go out to the victim's family today...No parent deserves to bury his or her child, much less in front of the media, with an entire city watching," he said.

Sarno could not immediately be reached for comment. The story will be updated to reflect Sarno's response should he choose to give one.

The Eiffel Tower went dark briefly to mark Earth Hour, the campaign to raise awareness about climate change, months before the Paris 2015 climate summit.

PARIS (AP) -- The Eiffel Tower went dark briefly to mark Earth Hour, the campaign to raise awareness about climate change, months before the Paris 2015 climate summit.

The five-minute dark-out on Saturday night was a symbolic gesture in the City of Light. Cities around the world also marked the event, with other landmarks like the Kremlin and the Empire State Building going dark.

France has been preparing for months to host an international climate conference in Paris at the end of the year, pressing nations to set attainable goals for reducing greenhouse gases and mobilizing international finances to fight climate change.

Earth Hour was launched in 2007 by the World Wildlife Fund to encourage awareness of environmental issues. The idea is to turn off lights for an hour -- not possible for safety reasons for the Eiffel Tower.

The stars of a charity calendar are in their 80s and 90s, but that didn't stop the women from an assisted living facility in Ohio from showing a little skin.

AKRON, Ohio (AP) -- The stars of a charity calendar are in their 80s and 90s, but that didn't stop the women from an assisted living facility in Ohio from showing a little skin.

Miss March, who's 88, wears a green top hat and not much else in the calendar from Pleasant Pointe Assisted Living, and the centerfolds are two women in their 90s who seem to be playing poker with strategically placed oversize cards.

Flip to February and you'll see a smiling, white-haired Dottie Rutter soaking in a bubble bath and flower petals, with chocolates and lingerie nearby.

At 87, she's the same age as the youngest of three models standing in the cover photo, where their bare feet and shoulders peek out from behind a banner they hold advertising the Barberton facility and the affiliated Pleasant View Health Care Center.

It reads: "Pleasant View, Pleasant Pointe."

Another resident in the calendar is covered only by a large exercise ball.

Administrator Teresa Morris told The Akron Beacon Journal that the residents were clearly having fun the morning the photos were taken.

"The residents were like 20-year-olds -- giggling, and having the time of their lives," Morris said. "I do not believe the elderly should just sit around staring at each other. I want a fun environment where I challenge them and they challenge me."

Money from the $12 calendars goes toward a fund providing shoes for children in the local schools in the city of Barberton.

Springfield Police are investigating the most recent homicide, bringing the number up to 9 for the year.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno.File photo 

SPRINGFIELD — After two mayoral candidates have come forward criticizing a statement made by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno during a press conference Saturday, Sarno said he stands by his comment.

The comment came after a 23-year-old man was stabbed and killed and two other people were stabbed early Saturday during a house party on Cambridge Street according to police.

During a press conference at the Police Department headquarters later that night Sarno said, "I'm going to say it; if you live by the sword, many times you're going to die by the sword."

The comment received strong reactions from both mayoral candidates Salvatore "Sal" Circosta and Johnnie Ray McKnight who called it "callous" and "insensitive and simplistic" respectively.

Sarno said he continues to take steps to improve the city's educational system, economic development and public safety. As for the comment, Sarno said people know what he means.

"When you run with a negative crowd and you're involved in negative activities bad things can happen to you. That is what that comment meant and people understand that," he said.

While he acknowledged that there have been domestic homicides in the city this year, calling them "tragic and heartbreaking," he said most of the homicides have been targeted efforts.

"These are not random acts. These are targeted acts where the perpetrator knows the victim," he said.

Sarno said there have already been five arrests made for homicides occurring this year and he is confidant there will be more as police continue to investigate. He also said he is aware of the suffering endured by the families of victims of violent crime.

"I've been to my fair share, unfortunately, of wakes, funerals and houses to see these families. No matter how much power a mayor may have they cannot bring back that child. I understand and I respect that there are two families suffering here," he said.

Sarno said now is not the time for campaigning.

"These individuals are playing politics with people's lives and that is extremely disrespectful," he said referring to Circosta and McKnight.

Sarno said he will continue to do his job and work with Police Commissioner John Barbieri after the recent announcement of the expansion of C-3 policing efforts across the city. The initiative aims to reduce crime by police working with residents to root out sources of problems in the neighborhoods, he said.

"I have a job to do. My concentration is to continue to move the city of Springfield forward," he said.

Plant pickup day is April 25 at the Three County Fairground in Northampton.

HADLEY -- A popular tree, shrub and plant sale is well underway, and orders are due April 4th for an April 25 pickup in Northampton or Granville.

The Hampden & Hampshire Conservation Districts Spring 2015 Tree, Shrub and Plant sale gives people an opportunity to purchase New England-hardy stock at below-retail prices while supporting a good cause.

The sale benefits the conservation districts, which work with the USDA to protect natural resources and provide environmental education in Hampden and Hampshire counties.

Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, asparagus, rhubarb, horseradish, all kinds of perennials, dogwood trees, mulberry bushes, Knock-Out Double Pink roses, and even 40-pound bags of compost can be ordered.

Orders may be placed online or through the mail.

Pickup for both counties will be April 25 at the Three County Fairgrounds, 41 Fair St., Northampton, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Those who wish to pick up their orders in Granville are asked to call Leon Ripley at Maple Corner Farm at (413) 357-8829.

As a bonus, a master gardener will be on hand at the Northampton location to conduct soil testing for a one-dollar donation. Instructions for taking a proper soil sample can be found here.

Those looking for more information are encouraged to call Elaine Williamson at (413) 253-5041.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis marked Palm Sunday in St. Peter's Square for some 70,000 faithful.

Christians around the world are marking Palm Sunday by waving fronds, attending church services and visiting sites in the Holy Land at the start of the Holy Week that ends with Easter.

Crowds of faithful gathered in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection. Many waved the fronds to symbolize how worshippers greeted Jesus over 2,000 years ago as he triumphantly returned to Jerusalem.

Worshippers also gathered in the Nativity Church in Bethlehem, the traditional site of Jesus' birth, clutching olive branches and bouquets as they sung in praise.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis marked Palm Sunday in St. Peter's Square. In keeping with the simple tone of his 2-year-old papacy, Francis leaned on a plain wooden pastoral staff instead of a traditionally more ornate one as he stood under a red canopy on the basilica steps.

At the end of Mass outside St. Peter's Basilica for some 70,000 faithful, Francis prayed for those who died in Tuesday's Germanwings crash in the French Alps, noting there was a group of German schoolchildren aboard the aircraft. The disaster killed 150 people, including the co-pilot who investigators say deliberately slammed the plane into the mountain.

In Nigeria, the faithful attended church a day after millions voted in a presidential election too close to call, many praying for peace after violence marred its 2011 poll.

Christians also prayed in religiously diverse Lebanon as well, some of those refugees who have fled Syria's four-year conflict.

A body was found Sunday in the rubble left behind by an apparent gas explosion three days earlier in Manhattan's East Village, police said.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Emergency workers found a second body Sunday in the mass of rubble left behind by an apparent gas explosion three days earlier in Manhattan's East Village, police said.

The names of the two dead were not immediately released; a medical examiner was to determine the identifications.

Authorities had been looking for signs of two missing men, both believed to have been inside a ground floor sushi restaurant at the time of the explosion: 26-year-old Moises Lucon, who worked at the restaurant, and 23-year-old Nicholas Figueroa, a bowling alley worker who had been there on a date.

During the day, workers raked through piles of loose brick and wood; rescue workers sent search dogs over debris where three apartment buildings once stood.

Several members of Figueroa's family visited the blast site Sunday, holding flowers and crying.

Figueroa's brother, Neal, leaned over barricades and shouted pleas to emergency workers: "He's a strong man, I know he's in there! Don't give up, please find my brother."

Authorities, however, acknowledged the chances of finding anyone alive were slim.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said someone may have improperly tapped a gas line before the explosion that injured 22 people, four of them critically.

Consolidated Edison said utility workers had discovered in August that the gas line to the restaurant had been illegally tapped. The discovery led Con Edison to shut down gas service to the building for about 10 days while the building owner made repairs. Gas service was restored after the utility deemed it safe, the utility said.

Inspectors from Con Ed had visited that building about an hour before Thursday's explosion and determined work to upgrade gas service didn't pass inspection, locking the line to ensure it wouldn't be used and then leaving, officials said. The work underway was to put in a bigger line to serve the entire building, Con Ed President Craig Ivey said.

Fifteen minutes later, the sushi restaurant's owner smelled gas and called the landlord, who called the general contractor, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said. Nobody called 911 or Con Ed.

The contractor, Dilber Kukic, and the owner's son went into the basement and opened a door, and then the explosion happened, burning their faces, Boyce said.

Kukic --who's facing unrelated charges of bribing an undercover investigator posing as a housing inspector --declined through his lawyer to comment on the circumstances surrounding the explosion. City records show Kukic got a permit last June for plumbing, flooring, removing partition walls and other work at the building.

The explosion echoed through the city's arts community, destroying "Sopranos" actress Drea de Matteo's apartment -- she posted photos on Instagram of "a hole where my NYC home of the last 22 years once stood" -- and spurring the cancellation of five performances of the propulsive show "Stomp," which is at a theater near the site.

The blast happened a little over a year after a gas explosion in a building in East Harlem killed eight people and injured about 50. A gas leak was reported shortly before that blast.

Gives wide-ranging interview on Palm Sunday.

In a wide ranging interview with WWLP-22 News's Laura Hutchinson, the Most Rev. Mitchell T. Rozanski, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, raised the possibility he will get to meet with Pope Francis when the pontiff makes his first papal visit to the United States in September.

Rozanski, who became bishop here in August, said he had learned this week that the popular pontiff will meet the members of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, in Washington, D.C., and will also attend an ecumenical service in New York City. In November 2013, Rozanski, then auxiliary bishop of Baltimore, was elected, by a 130 to 105 vote, to chair the USCCB's Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, over Bishop Arthur L. Kennedy, auxiliary bishop of Boston, for a three-year term. It is in this capacity he hopes to meet the 78-year-old pontiff who was elected pope in 2013.

Laura HutchinsonREPUBLICAN FILE 

Francis's visit is scheduled from Sept. 22 to 27. He will address a joint session of the U.S. Congress on Sept. 24, and the United Nations's General Assembly on Sept. 25. He will also celebrate an outdoor Mass in Philadelphia on Sept. 27, following the conclusion there of the Vatican's World Meeting of Families Congress, for which the Springfield diocese is chartering buses for a one-day trip.

During the hour-long InFocus interview, Rozanski discussed the future of what he called a regional Catholic high school in the Springfield area. He said he hoped to announce, within the next six weeks, the location of that school. He said the decision to merge Holyoke and Cathedral high schools would help give the new school "a good critical mass" of 500 to 600 students, for activities like sports and drama club, and ensure its future five generations out. A time, the 56-year-old Rozanski noted, that could parallel with his own as bishop. Bishops serve until their 75th year, when they submit their resignation to the pope and a successor is eventually appointed. Rozanski said plans are for the regional school to open in 2017.

In response to questions about rebuilding trust in the Church with the impact of the pedophile priest scandal, Rozanski called such abuse of children both a "sin and a crime." Rozanski, who has served on the USCCB's National Committee for the Protection of Youth and Young People, said the Church has introduced measures to protect young people that he called a model for others.

When asked about the Church's relationship with secular society, Rozanski said the steadfastness of Church teachings is what gives the Church credibility, and that its teachings are rooted in what is in Scripture. The question was in reference to the Church's stance on the permanence of marriage, marriage being between a man and a woman and opposition to artificial contraception. He added that Francis' approach to evangelization is pastoral, but not undisciplined and one that Catholics must witness on an individual level.

Rozanski, who is of Polish heritage, also told Hutchinson, an anchor and investigative reporter, that he hoped to take 50 diocesan youth to World Youth Day, a tradition begun under John Paul II, in Krakow in August 2016. It is celebrated on a diocesan level on Palm Sunday, and, every other year, on an international level. The first international gathering was held in 1987 in Argentina, the birth place of Francis, who is expected to attend the Krakow gathering.

Interviewed on Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week, Rozanski spoke about Church ritual in the three days prior to Easter, as well as how he is looking forward to the celebration of the Chrism Mass as bishop. The Mass, scheduled Monday at 7 p.m. at St. Michael's Cathedral, 260 State St., involves the blessing of the oils used in the Church's sacred rites, as well as clergy renewing their commitment to the priesthood.

Rozanski is also celebrating Holy Thursday Mass at 7 p.m. and the Easter Vigil Mass at 8 p.m. on Saturday, both at the cathedral, as well as a 9 a.m. Mass on Easter Sunday, for inmates and staff allowed to be present, at the Hampden County House of Correction in Ludlow.

Local leaders and veterans gathered to remember those lost in the Vietnam War. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD — For more than 25 years local leaders and veterans have gathered at Court Square in honor of those who served and those who died during the Vietnam War.

A ceremony was held Sunday afternoon featuring the reading of the names of those killed or missing in action as well as laying a wreath at the Vietnam Memorial. The event included various speakers including newly appointed Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans Affairs Francisco Urena who is a Purple Heart Marine, Springfield Veteran of the Year Ronald Krupke, U.S. Rep Richard E. Neal, Dr. Samuel J. Mazza, who served as a trauma surgeon during the Vietnam War, and more.

"We have a veterans service office in every city and town in Massachusetts, because we owe it to our veterans to have a representative easily accessible to them," Urena said. There are currently more than 38,000 veterans living in the state.

Dr. Mazza, who is currently employed by the VA Central Western Massachusetts Healthcare System in Leeds said after 50 years many veterans of the war are aging or dying, but they do not forget.

"It's hard to believe the Vietnam War occurred over 50 years ago. The memory of that war slowly fades away in the minds of so many people, but that is not so for those who served there," he said.

Mazza said he sees many patients who want to reminisce with him about the war. He said it is his goal to provide veterans with the best possible care and respect they deserve.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno thanked the Vietnam veterans who were present for their service and volunteerism.

"To all the Vietnam veterans, you fought a very difficult and misunderstood war. You came back after seeing the horrors of war and yet many in our community shunned you for your efforts to protect the United States and democracy," Sarno said. "And yet, you've led the way when it comes to community outreach and volunteerism. It's because of your efforts that Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans are appreciated when they come back home."

The event was led by Rich J. Tyrell, chairman of the Springfield Veterans Activities Committee.

The victim was working outside with the torch.

AGAWAM - An elderly man was killed Sunday morning when his clothing caught fire from an Acetylene cutting torch he was using.

The man, whose name is not being immediately released, was treated by Agawam Fire Department paramedics at the scene and rushed to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield by ambulance. He later died from severe burns on a large part of his body, said Fire Lt. Ken Sagendorph.

Firefighters responded to the fire at about 11:20 a.m. on 655 Cooper St. By the time they arrived a bystander had extinguished the flames but the man's clothing was still smoldering, he said.

The victim has been working outside in the yard so no buildings were damaged in the blaze, Sagendorph said.

Investigators from the Agawam Police Detective Bureau, Agawam Fire Department and State Police assigned to the Massachusetts Fire Marshal's office have determined the fire was accidental, Fire Chief Alan Sirois said.

He warned people to be cautious when using torches. He recommended people using torches and welding machines wear proper protective clothing, keep a fire extinguisher nearby and ensure combustible items are away from the work area.

"The Agawam Fire Department is very sorry for the family's loss as a result of this tragic accident," Sirois said.

This is the 18th fatality that occurred during a fire in the state this year, he said.

There was heavy smoke damage throughout the building.

AGAWAM - A dog was killed in a fire that damaged an auto repair garage Sunday afternoon.

No people were in the garage at the time of the fire. The dog, believed to be a German Shepard or German Shepard mix, was the building and was overcome by smoke, Fire Lt. Ken Sagendorph said.

The fire at T.J. Body Services at 85 Ramah Circle North was reported at about 12:20 p.m. by a passerby who saw smoke coming from the building, Sagendorph said.

A total of 14 firefighters responded and were able to extinguish the blaze within five minutes. "It was the way we made the attack," he said.

The fire is believed to have started in the office area in front of the building. There is no damage estimate yet, he said.

"There was a lot of smoke damage but the fire damage was isolated to the office area," Sagendorph said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Agawam Police Detective Bureau, the Agawam Fire Department and State Police investigators assigned the Massachusetts Fire Marshal's office, Fire Chief Alan Sirois said.

Pieces of the ornate rose window in the auditorium have fallen.

CHICOPEE - The city has selected an architecture firm from Springfield to do a comprehensive assessment of the structural integrity of the auditorium of City Hall and develop a design to preserve the room so it can be used again.

Dietz and Company Architects, Inc. was selected from five firms which submitted qualification statements showing interest in the project.

A six-person committee including the assistant building commissioner, city maintenance director and the Department of Public Works superintendent, reviewed the five applications submitted, narrowed it down to three to interview and made the final selection, Mayor Richard J. Kos said in a written statement.

The company was selected, in part because employees have significant experience with the rehabilitation and restoration of historic structures. In the past they have worked at Springfield Technical Community College, Smith College and Westfield City Hall, he said.

One of the plusses is one of the employees, Julie L. Sloan, has extensive experience restoring stained glass windows, said Mary Moge, chief of staff for Kos, who also sat on the selection committee.

Kos is hoping to be able to restore the auditorium, install television cameras and use it as a public space that could be used for a wide variety of meetings and events. It is currently closed to the public and treated as a storage space.

City Hall dates to 1871 and the auditorium is the most ornate part of the structure. It is decorated with 19 stained glass windows, including the rose window that is over the main door of the building.

The 15 feet, 6 inch rose window is in poor condition. One of the heavy sandstone pieces that serve as the window frame has fallen out and another is cracked. One panel of the stained glass is badly damaged.

City officials have blocked off most of the stairs leading to the main door of City Hall to protect people from the possibility that other pieces of the window could fall.

One of the jobs of the architects is to find out why the window is failing. A second window on the side is also loose.

"The City Hall auditorium has potential to be the focal point for meetings and public events in our city, but it needs attention. This begins that effort," Kos said.

One of the missions of the company will be to give the city an estimate of the cost of the work to restore the historic building.

A digest of news stories from around New England. Tweets about "#Westernma" !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); Police say Connecticut father Robert Tarkowski threw 3-month-old daughter against wall because he was upset over her crying [WVIT-TV, NBC30, New Britain] New Hampshire authorities say mother killed 2 children, ages 6 and 8, then self [Union Leader] Related video above Newspaper deliveryman, registered as sex...

A digest of news stories from around New England.

Newspaper deliveryman, registered as sex offender, accused of trying to lure Cohasset girl into car [Patriot Ledger]

Scott Walker 

The church van crashed after the driver apparently missed a stop sign at an unlit T-intersection surrounded by farmland, sending the vehicle across four lanes and plunging through tall grasses into a shallow canal. Watch video

 FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) -- The congregants of a close-knit Haitian church gathered Monday around Nicolas Alexis, hoping to learn what happened to 18 friends and loved ones who had been expected to return that morning from a late Palm Sunday service.

Alexis described how he frantically tried to check who was alive after their overloaded church van crashed in the darkness in rural southwest Florida.

Three men who had been seated near the 57-year-old died. Alexis said he kicked out a window to escape.

"I just know there is a God," said Alexis, sitting in a chair dragged outside the Independent Haitian Assembly of God to ease the pain in his bandaged leg and fractured ribs.

The crash early Monday in Glades County, about 60 miles from the Fort Pierce church, killed eight people. Alexis, the church's pastor and eight others were injured.

The van crashed after the driver apparently missed a stop sign at an unlit T-intersection surrounded by farmland, sending the vehicle across four lanes and plunging through tall grasses into a shallow canal.

Eighteen people were in the 15-seat-capacity van when it crashed about 12:30 a.m. Monday, about halfway through their trip home.

"That's a very steep embankment, and they kind of did a nosedive," said Lt. Gregory S. Bueno of the Florida Highway Patrol.

The crash killed the male driver and seven passengers, four male and three female, troopers said. FHP has identified the victims as driver Volsaint Marsaille, 58; Jude Petit-Frere, 66; Obernise Petit-Frere, 58; Lifaite Lochard, 58; Madeleine William, 53; Wanie Larose, 60; Dazilla Joseph, 79; and Servilus Dieudonne, 71.

The agency identified 10 other passengers taken to four hospitals. Among them was a 4-year-old child who was not in a car seat, Bueno said. The child was taken to a hospital and later discharged.

The Highway Patrol spoke briefly spoke to some survivors and will conduct more in-depth interviews, Bueno said. A full investigation will assess any mechanical issues with the van, he added.

All the people in the van were from Fort Pierce. They had been returning to the Independent Haitian Assembly of God after making their usual Palm Sunday trip to another church in Fort Myers.

The church's pastor, 57-year-old Esperant Lexine, was hospitalized in critical condition.

"He hasn't learned of the fatalities yet," Dina Lexine Sarver, his daughter, told The Associated Press. "He was able to tell us that somebody was able to get out of the van and flag somebody down."

Lexine founded his church more than 35 years ago, and half the people in the van were longtime members of his congregation, Sarver said.

They had left Sunday afternoon as planned, excited to be celebrating Palm Sunday and preparing for the upcoming Easter holiday after a recent fast, she said.

Sarver said her father regularly had the van inspected before similar trips, and the driver was a school bus driver when he wasn't driving for the church.

"The driver has been driving them for 30 years. He's always the chauffeur, he's done this trip numerous times," Sarver said.

Nozaire Nore, 48, who suffered a broken leg in the crash, also returned to the church to seek solace. With his niece translating from Haitian Creole, Nore told Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers that the driver didn't notice a curve in the road and couldn't stop in time.

While other congregants rushed to the 150-member church to console each other in its simple wooden pews, Philippe Dorce drove to the crash site west of Lake Okeechobee. He said his father-in-law and cousin had been on the van, and he helped authorities identify the victims.

"I was there trying to be a man. But at the same time, I'm crying too," he said.

Months after a group of former Route 9 Diner employees shared stories of sexual harassment in the workplace, the state attorney general's office has filed a complaint against the business.

Months after a group of former Route 9 Diner employees shared stories of sexual harassment in the workplace, the state attorney general's office has filed a complaint against the business.

Attorney General Maura Healey filed a discrimination complaint against the Hadley business owners with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination on Friday.

"We allege that this diner regularly subjected its waitresses to sexual harassment and gender-based discrimination, creating a hostile work environment," Healey said in a statement released Monday. "No one should be degraded in the workplace because of their gender. Our office will work to ensure that all employees are protected from discriminatory practices."

RELATED: Route 9 Diner in Hadley closes after state attorney general alleges sexual harassment

During the fall, ten former employees of the diner said they experienced persistent sexual harassment in the workplace. The allegations varied from sexual comments directed toward waitresses to cooks attempting to kiss them or trap them in a walk-in cooler if they refused advances.

The former employees shared their allegations in blog posts. Marie Billiel, a former waitress who worked at the diner from February 2008 to January 2013, was the first to share her experiences publicly online. Soon after she hit publish, her post went viral and nine other employees - eight female and one male - shared similar stories.

When the allegations made headlines, the owners of the Route 9 Diner Chris Karabetsos and Archie Sedaris denied they knew of such issues but say they were taking the allegations very seriously.

In the complaint, Healey cites examples of sexual harassment that Billiel wrote of in her blog post. 

The release states: 

"The female employees were regularly subjected to sexualized commentary, cat-calling, whistling, and unwanted touching and advances from cooks at the diner. The cooks allegedly grabbed waitresses' hands or arms when they reached into the kitchen window to pick up their food orders, and cornered them in the kitchen's walk-in refrigerator. In some cases, the cooks allegedly shut off the lights in the walk-in before following a waitress inside and closing the door behind them. While on shift, the cooks also allegedly looked at and showed the waitresses pornographic images and videos on their phones."

The attorney general's office alleges Karabetsos and Sedaris knew of sexual harassment waitresses experienced in their workplace but failed to remedy the work environment.

Obama, speaking in Boston, said his prayers are with Boston Police Officer John Moynihan, who was shot during a traffic stop on Friday night.

BOSTON - President Barack Obama on Monday said he and First Lady Michelle Obama are praying for the recovery of Boston Police Officer John Moynihan, who was shot during a traffic stop on Friday night.

Speaking in Boston at the dedication of the new Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate, Obama opened his speech with a reference to Moynihan, calling him a hero.

"Boston, know that Michelle and I have joined our prayers with yours these past few days for a hero - former Army Ranger and Boston Police Officer John Moynihan, who was shot in the line of duty on Friday night," Obama said.

Moynihan was in stable condition at Boston Medical Center after undergoing surgery, the Associated Press reported Sunday.

The police have said Angelo West, 41, shot Moynihan as he approached West's car during a traffic stop. West was killed by the police.

Moynihan was one of the first officers to respond to a shootout in Watertown with Boston Marathon bombers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in 2013. Obama said he had hosted Moynihan at the White House as one of America's "Top Cops" for his role helping wounded transit officer Richard Donohue during the Watertown shootout.

"Thanks to the heroes at Boston Medical Center, I'm told Officer Moynihan is awake, and talking, and we wish him a full and speedy recovery," Obama said. 

Anyone with information about the dog or its owner is asked to call police at 413-584-0883.

HADLEY — Police here say a department Facebook post about a lost dog has reached more than 35,000 people, yet no one has come forward to claim the dog, who was found last week wandering on a town road with no collar.

Police are hoping anyone who recognizes this dog will call them at 413-584-0883. Police also are asking people to share the department's Facebook post to reach the biggest audience possible.

If the dog's owner is not found, anyone interested in adopting her after a seven-day waiting period can email Hadley Police Officer Mitchell Kuc at kucm@hadleyma.gov.

If there are no takers, police said, the dog will be transferred to a local shelter for adoption.

The female dog has "a very distinct pink tinge to her eyes," said police, who released a new photo showing distinctive coloring and markings on her back.

Conor Berry | cberry@repub.com 

Obituaries from The Republican.

Henry J. Tenerowicz 

Hampden Superior Court Judge Richard Carey sentenced Jason Enos to 2½ years in the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow followed by one year probation.

Buffy Spencer | bspencer@repub.com 

SPRINGFIELD - Assistant District Attorney Neil Desroches told a judge Monday Jason Enos was a "middle man" in a Springfield cocaine dealing operation ended by a state police probe.

Enos, 36, who address is listed in court records as 27 Parker St., Ware, pleaded guilty to three counts of cocaine distribution.

He had faced three charges of trafficking cocaine, two in the amounts of 18 to 36 grams and one in the amount of 36 to 100 grams but the charges were reduced as part of the plea agreement.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Richard J. Carey sentenced Enos to 2½ years in the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow followed by one year probation.

Desroches said a Massachusetts State Police investigation showed Enos willing and able to sell cocaine to a man who he didn't know was an informant.

The informant was accompanied on each of the three occasions in July 2013 by a trooper with an audio and video recording device.

The informant and trooper on the three occasions picked up Enos at his home. Each time they drove him to a convenience store and he went into a van with money and came out with cocaine, Desroches said.

Desroches said the person in charge of the operation, David Feliciano, pleaded guilty to drug crimes and got a state prison sentence.

Andrew Klyman, Enos' lawyer, said his client has only a possession of marijuana on his record. He said Enos was self employed as a contractor and has four children.

Klyman said Enos developed a problem with drugs, owed money to his supplier and started working off his debt.