The officer, Michael Slager, approaches the used Mercedes-Benz driven by Walter Lamer Scott, and asks for license and registration. There's a brief exchange, and the officer returns to his cruiser.

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Dash cam video of a traffic stop provided the world with another piece of evidence Thursday in a fatal police shooting. It showed no indication of any physical or verbal threats before the driver bolts and the officer chases after him.

The video, released Thursday by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, shows what begins as a seemingly routine stop for a broken tail light. The officer, Michael Slager, approaches the used Mercedes-Benz driven by Walter Lamer Scott, and asks for license and registration. There's a brief exchange, and the officer returns to his cruiser.

Scott then takes off running. The officer chases after him, also leaving the dash camera's view. The next moment was apparently not captured by any camera: The officer caught up with Scott and a possible struggle over his police-issued Taser ensued. A bystander noticed the confrontation and pushed record on his cellphone, capturing video that has outraged the nation: it shows Scott running away again, and Slager firing eight shots at his back.

There is almost nothing in Slager's police personnel file to suggest that his bosses considered him a rogue officer capable of murdering a man during a traffic stop. In the community he served, however, people say this reflects what's wrong with policing today: Officers nearly always get the last word when citizens complain.

"We've had through the years numerous similar complaints, and they all seem to be taken lightly and dismissed without any obvious investigation," the Rev. Joseph Darby, vice president of the Charleston branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said Thursday.

The mostly black neighborhood where Slager fired eight shots at the back of Walter Lamer Scott Saturday is far from unique, said Melvin Tucker, a former FBI agent and police chief in four southern cities who often testifies in police misconduct cases.

Nationwide, training that pushes pre-emptive action, military experience that creates a warzone mindset, and legal system favoring police in misconduct cases all lead to scenarios where officers to see the people they serve as enemies, he said.

"It's not just training. It's not just unreasonable fear. It's not just the warrior mentality. It's not just court decisions that almost encourage the use of it. It is not just race," Tucker said. "It is all of that."

Both Slager, 33, and Scott, 55, were U.S. Coast Guard veteran. Slager had the dismissed excessive force complaint and Scott had been jailed repeatedly for failing to pay child support, but neither man had a record of violence. Slager consistently earned positive reviews in his five years with the North Charleston Police.

Slager's new attorney, Andy Savage, said Thursday that he's conducting his own investigation, and that it's "far too early for us to be saying what we think." Slager's first attorney said he followed all proper procedures before using deadly force, but swiftly dropped him after the dead man's family released a bystander's video of the shooting.

The officer, whose wife is eight months pregnant, is being held without bond pending an Aug. 21 hearing on a charge of murder that could put him in prison for 30 years to life if convicted.

As a steady crowd left flowers, stuffed animals, notes and protest signs Thursday in the empty lot where Scott was gunned down, many said police in South Carolina's third-largest city routinely dismiss complaints of petty brutality and harassment, even when eyewitnesses can attest to police misbehavior. The result, they say, is that officers are regarded with a mixture of distrust and fear.

Slager's file includes a single excessive use-of-force complaint, from 2013: A man said Slager used his stun gun against him without reason. But Slager was exonerated and the case closed, even though witnesses told The Associated Press that investigators never followed up with them.

"It's almost impossible to get an agency to do an impartial internal affairs investigation. First of all the investigators doing it are co-workers of the person being investigated. Number two, there's always the tendency on the part of the departments to believe the officers," Tucker said.

Mario Givens, the man who accused Slager of excessive force in 2013, told the AP that Slager woke him before dawn by loudly banging on his front door, and saying "Come outside or I'll tase you!"

"I didn't want that to happen to me, so I raised my arms over my head, and when I did, he tased me in my stomach anyway," Givens said. "They never told me how they reached the conclusion. Never. They never contacted anyone from that night. No one from the neighborhood."

Givens said he's convinced Scott's death could have been prevented if Slager had been disciplined in his case.

"If they had just listened to me and investigated what happened that night, this man might be alive today," he said.

Darby also wonders if Saturday's fatal shooting might have turned out differently had the department thoroughly investigated the 2013 Taser complaint.

"I think he would have been rebuked instead of fired," Darby said. "But maybe it changes the way he sees things."

Darby and other civil rights leaders want North Charleston to create an independent citizens review board to review complaints against police, since "law enforcement is going to almost always give itself the benefit of the doubt."

Such boards are few and far between in South Carolina.

North Charleston police spokesman Spencer Pryor said Wednesday that the department now plans to review Givens' complaint, although he wouldn't say what difference that could make now.

The academy begins on April 20 and will end on April 24.

SPRINGFIELD — Three hundred seventh graders who are struggling with math will have to skip April vacation to attend an intensive week of math instruction aimed at helping them bone up on the skills they need to pass standarized tests and put them on a path toward future success in the subject.

Thirty-six math teachers, who will each received a $2,500 stipend for the stint, have been hired to run the five-day program designed to provide small-group instruction without disrupting the ongoing work during the school year.

The math academy is the first initiative of the new Springfield Empowerment Zone Board, which was formed this year to rescue eight of Springfield's underperforming schools by instituting a series of educational strategies to achieve rapid turnaround.

Superintendent of Schools Daniel Warwick said the instruction model has been successful in Lawrence where students have improved after attending the academies and local educators are counting on the same result in Springfield.

Warwick said teachers who will staff the math academies were selected from a highly competitive pool of instructors including many from Springfield.

The academy begins on April 20 and will end on April 24. Teachers participating in the program will attend a professional development day set for April 18 at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.

Highlights of the program include:

1. Small group instruction focusing on seventh-grade math.
2. Average student-to-teacher ratio of 10:1
3. Teachers will remain with their small group through the week-long academy.

For those who don't remember what seventh-grade math is all about, here's a sample question from the PARCC ( Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Career) test.

Here's the question:

On Friday, three friends shared how much they read during the week.

• Barbara read the first 100 pages from a 320-page book in the last four days.
• Collen read the first 54 pages in a 260-page book in the last three days.
• Nancy read the first 160 pages from a 480-page book in the last five days.
If the three friends continue to read everyday at their rates, who will finish reading her book first, second and third?

Here's the link to the answer:

Mayor David J. Narkewicz is asking for a 2.87 increase in water bills for a projected $6.8 million water enterprise funds. The sewer rate would go up 2.88 percent for a total of $6.2 million.

NORTHAMPTON — Tired, getting on in years and sometimes hobbled, the city's poor and elderly pleaded with officials from a break in their water and sewer bills, but none of them could stop the leaky faucet of inflation.

The newly formed Public Works Committee of the City Council called the hearing at City Hall to hear from rate-payers facing increases in their water and sewer bills. Both go into self-sustaining enterprise funds separate from the general fund to pay for projects.

Mayor David J. Narkewicz is asking for a 2.87 increase in water bills for a projected $6.8 million water enterprise fund. The sewer rate would go up 2.88 percent for a total of $6.2 million.

The funds would pay for millions of dollars in water and sewer line replacements and repairs. Some of it will finance old debts such as the $28.5 million water treatment plant. Some will pay for upgrades to the 35-year-old wastewater treatment plant. Some improvements are mandated by the state and federal governments.

The 40-some people who attended, most of them over 70, countered with a simple argument: They can't afford it.

"My family is being forced out of Northampton," said Ruth McGrath. "We're barely scraping by. Isn't money we already paid being used to fix things?"

Brenda Valle, 72, said she would like to take a nice hot bath to ease her arthritis but limits herself to five-minute showers that might get cut to three. Rodney Kunath, a former city councilor, told the committee, "Many of us fear another tax increase at this time."

Current City Councilor Marianne LaBarge, who read the letter from Kunath, who is hearing-impaired, made her own plea to Narkewicz.

"Please listen to them," she said. "Something needs to be done. These are the people who made Northampton what it is. This is the worst I've seen it."

Several speakers, few of whom identified themselves by name, asked for senior discounts. The rate increases come in the wake of a new bill for a stormwater enterprise fund. Narkewicz gave a computer presentation detailing where the money goes and tracking the funds over more than a decade. The average rate increase per household, he said, comes to a little more than $27 a year over that period.

But speakers offered different figures from other city officials looking at different statistics. Asked if the city could delay the increases, Narkewicz said eventually Northampton will have to pay the piper and the delay could result in a double-digit increase.

The mom, Lakenya Hall, 35, was charged with six counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile and disturbing the peace.

A Kenner, Louisiana, mother has been arrested after driving six children, including two of her own, to a neighborhood so they could finish a brawl with another group of juveniles, police said Thursday.

One of the children, age 14, was shot in the thigh during the 5 p.m. Wednesday altercation, NOLA.com reports. He was hospitalized but is expected to recover, police said.

The mom, Lakenya Hall, 35, was charged with six counts of contributing to the delinquency of a juvenile and disturbing the peace. Police told NOLA.com she was arrested because she instigated the fight by transporting the children, including sons ages 11 and 15.

"Just because you've been in a fight, it doesn't give you the right to go over there and start a whole new fight,"  said Lt. Brian McGregor, spokesman for the Kenner Police Department. "She's instigating something by taking the group over there in the first place."

Authorities said they didn't know what sparked the confrontations.

The first incident occurred at a bus stop, WWLTV.com reported.

During the second incident at a residence, a 15-year-old boy pulled out a .22-caliber pistol from his backpack and began chasing Hall's group, police told NOLA.com. The boy then fire gun the gun and hit the 14-year-old.

The 15-year-old was booked with aggravated battery, illegal possession of a handgun, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, illegal use of a weapon and disturbing the peace.

Hall's two sons involved in the incident were charged with disturbing the peace by fighting.

The current took the car at least 100 yards down the river.

updates story posted at 2:16 p.m. Thursday, April 9.

CHICOPEE — A late afternoon helicopter search of the Connecticut River on Thursday allowed police to locate a submerged car spotted Wednesday night by a passing motorist.

Preliminary information has led police to believe that there was no one inside the car when it entered the river, said Michael Wilk, public information officer for the Chicopee Police Department.

Because the weather and rough river conditions on Thursday would have made diving in the river unsafe, Wilk said that police would wait until Friday to try to remove or at least anchor the car until it can be towed out safely.

The car was originally spotted about 30 feet from the shore at the Medina Street boat launch at about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday. When police arrived they could see the headlights of the car, but the lights went out and the car disappeared before divers could enter the water. The search was then called off because it was too dangerous for a nighttime dive or boat launch, Wilk said.

Police on Thursday morning called the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing and requested a helicopter to help them search. Pilots from Lawrence and Plymouth could not fly because of the rain. A pilot from Chicopee was able to fly at about 3 p.m., Wilk said.

"When we got up, we could see it clear as day," he said of the car. "It drifted a good 100 yards from the boat launch."

Police are still investigating to find out who owns the car and how it ended up in the river, Wilk said.

Multiple shootings in recent weeks, including a triple shooting at a downtown theater on Easter Sunday, have kept police on their toes.

SPRINGFIELD — Springtime gunfire has kept city police busy in recent weeks, despite expanded law enforcement efforts to curb street violence before summer hits.

With nine homicides so far this year, and numerous shootings with victims, authorities are bracing for the possibility of a busy season as the warm weather approaches. One good thing about the violence – if you can call it a good thing – is that most of the gunplay isn't random, a point police frequently play up. That means that, in many cases, the shooter is acquainted with the intended target.

Although the violence isn't limited to or concentrated in any one section of the city, some areas are statistically more dangerous than others. For example, The area of 155 Maple St., near the corner of Maple and Avon Place, has been the scene of two shooting episodes in less than a month.

On March 7, police went to that corner for a shooting report and found seven shell casings and two projectiles near the parking lot of Carregans Restaurant & Lounge. Officers were called back to the same spot on Easter Sunday, April 5, when an early-morning ShotSpotter activation indicated six rounds in the area.

Four .45-caliber casings were recovered outside 155 Maple St. by Avon Place, according to police, who found no apparent gunshot victims at the scene.

On April 7, multiple units responded to a daylight ShotSpotter activation for six rounds fired near the corner of Dartmouth Terrace and St. James Avenue around 10:20 a.m.

Police later said they located a victim near 42 Dartmouth St., roughly half a block south of the initial call location, but it was unclear if that person was injured by gunfire or if property was damaged.

Initial police reports indicated a man opened fire from a small, black car, possibly a Honda or Mitsubishi, and was last seen driving northwest on Worthington Street. One witness told police the gunman may have been firing two weapons simultaneously. Evidence was collected at the scene, police said.

Public safety officials rush one of the three victims shot at the Paramount Theater on Easter Sunday into the back of an AMR ambulance waiting on Main Street. (DAVE CANTON / THE REPUBLICAN) 

Also on Easter Sunday, police responded to a triple shooting at the Paramount Theater on Main Street, where a hip-hop concert was taking place. The victims' injuries were not believed to be life-threatening, according to police, who continue to investigate.

"Shots fired at the Paramount," said the officer who reported the incident at about 1:17 a.m. Sunday. That was followed immediately by a dispatcher ordering "all cars to the Paramount."

The incident sparked an angry response from Mayor Domenic Sarno, who noted that the violence occurred on "such a holy day," when most people are observing Easter and Passover.

As a result of the shooting, Sarno ordered a full review of the theater's entertainment license.

Anyone with information about any of the recent shootings in the city is asked to call the Springfield Police Major Crimes Unit at 413-787-6355.

The designation means at least 25 percent of STCC students are Latino.

SPRINGFIELD — Misael Sanchez, of Springfield, was peer-pressured into attending college by a friend.

"He said to me 'Don't stay home, just do something,'" said Sanchez who is in now in his final semester at Springfield Technical Community College.

Sanchez is one of the approximately 1,783 students that make up STCC's Hispanic population. The college has just been designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) which makes it eligible to apply for $2.75 million in federal grants.

This year HSI celebrates 20 years of federal funding. Currently there are 21 states that offer funding for HSIs.

"In order to be eligible we had to prove that at least 25 percent of our full-time equivalent students are Hispanic," said STCC president Ira Rubenzahl. The information is gathered through student applications. Rubenzahl said most students self-disclose their ethnicity in the application.

The college has been working steadily over the years to not only attract Latino students, but retain them as well, and so, two years ago the Hispanic Association in Higher Education and Latino Leaders Achieving a Valuable Education were created to support faculty, staff and students on campus.

Heading up the association and the student club is Arlene Rodriguez, the Dean of Arts, Humanities and Social Services at the college. She is believed to be the first Latina dean on campus.

"We become a Hispanic Institution by numbers and because of the changing demographic of the city, the state and the nation we knew we would reach that number," Rodriguez said. " But what I love is the idea that we are being recognized for something that we do exceptionally well and that is serving our students."

If the college receives grant funding it will be used to promote retention of students on campus and to offer needed services to students from tutoring to mentoring and general advising.

"While we are eligible for the grants because of the percentage of Hispanic students on campus, the funding would extend to all of our students," Rubenzahl said.

Maria Zayas-Bonilla, Academic Counselor and adjunct professor at Springfield Technical Community College, speaks to students in the llave program. (MARK M.MURRAY / THE REPUBLICAN)Mark Murray 

Rodriguez said the creation of the association and student club came about in conjunction with a summer bridge program which keeps students on task when they are on the summer break and focus groups with Latino students which revealed that many of them were nervous about attending college, about asking questions, about financial aid and more.

Since both groups were created two years ago there has been an increase in participation from faculty, staff and students and a willingness to share their ideas, experiences, fears and successes, she said.

Sally Annasiry, of Chicopee, is studying stenography at STCC. Although she is not Latina, she joined the leadership club to make new friends, practice her conversational English and participate in campus activities.

"I like that there are different cultures in the group and I can make friends from different countries," said Annasiry, who is a native of Iran.

Charlie Rosario said he has found a new family in the club.

"Before joining I had friends, but not like this.We all look out for each other and make sure each of us stays on task," said Rosario, who is studying nursing at the college. "You will never find a club member alone, we enjoy hanging out together."

Maria Zayas-Bonilla is an academic adviser and adjunct psychology professor on campus. She has worked closely with fellow academic adviser Jennifer Sanchez to make sure the 30 or so students in the club are not just getting by, but excelling and making plans to transfer to a four-year institution.

"This is not just about passing a semester or graduating from STCC, this is about a master's degree, about a Ph.D. We want these students to see the opportunities that are out there," Zayas-Bonilla said.

Aside from setting up regular meetings with their adviser students in the club participate in field trips to four-year colleges and club members regularly meet in and out of school for social activities.

"This is a way to make them feel involved in the process, to make them want to come back next semester. They not only have us they have each other and that is key," she said.

The academic advising for students in the club can be slightly intrusive, something Sanchez said her students respond to.

"It's a lot more than a student-adviser relationship. I feel like they my are adopted children," she said. "They can trust me and come to me when they are struggling and I can help them with that whether it means some tough advice and not making excuses for them or getting them tutoring services or whatever it is they need to succeed."

Zayas-Bonilla said while the advising may be much more involved than at a larger four year school students are prepared for that.

"We do the necessary hand holding just to get them equipped. But we also let them know that while it may not be be that way at a larger school the tools you receive here will work for you at that institution. We equip them so that they can navigate the college system and advocate for themselves," she said.

Sanchez and Zayas-Bonilla are also heavily involved in the association for Hispanic professionals on campus which welcomes administrators, professors and other staff members. Both women said it has been growing, with not only Hispanic members, but others on campus who want a place to share their ideas and struggles navigating the word of higher education and working with students.

Maria Fonseca has been a member of the association since it launched. Her story is one of perseverance.

"When I arrived here I knew how to say 'Hi, my name is,' and that was it," said Fonseca who became an English as a Second Language student at STCC many years ago when she arrived from Puerto Rico.

"There wasn't a club I could go to or anyone I could really talk to," she said.

Nine years ago she got a part-time job in the STCC Testing and Assessment Center. Two years ago she was promoted to assessment coordinator. Fonseca went from barely speaking a word of English to running the department.

"I am so grateful for this group because I can come to them and express my ideas, my concerns and be heard," she said.

Arlene Rodriguez said the association for Hispanic professionals is just as important as the student club because together the groups make the campus stronger.

"The ultimate goal here is to serve all of our students to the best of our ability and that is not just the job of the advising department, but of every department on campus. If we could all do our part to encourage, motivate and assist every student, then we achieve the goal," she said.

STCC is one of just three colleges in the state to be named a Hispanic Serving Institution, the others are Urban College of Boston and Northern Essex Community College in Haverhill.

The school superintendent and principal learned of the bomb threat but determined it was not credible.

PALMER — A decision by Palmer school administrators this week not to notify either the police or fire department of a bomb threat found inside the Converse Middle School has the potential to blow up in their faces.

The decision has left parents upset, the town fire chief angry and members of the school committee demanding answers.

"I don't know all the details and findings, but if there was a threat and no one called it in, that is problematic. It's a serious issue," said Fire Chief Alan Roy.

"In this day and age, you err on the side of caution," said School Committee chairman Gary A. Blanchette. "You've got to follow district policy.

That policy (PDF link), revised and updated just 14 months ago, stipulates that as soon as a bomb threat is found on school property, the principal is required to immediately order the school's evacuation, to notify the police and fire department, and to make sure that no one goes back inside until the building has been checked out.

But during Tuesday's scare, none of those happened.

And now the School Committee wants to know why not.

Blanchette said the only communication on the subject has been in the form of two emails from the superintendent's office.

The emails, which he said are somewhat confusing and sometimes contradictory, indicate that the decision to do nothing was made jointly by School Superintendent Thomas Charko and Converse Principal David Stetkiewicz, Blanchette said.

"The superintendent and the principal deemed the threats were not credible," he said.

Blanchette said the wording of the school bomb threat policy does not give anyone with the schools any leeway in assessing a threat level.

"It's pretty clear what the police says," Blanchette said.

Attempts to reach Charko and Stetkiewicz on Friday afternoon were unsuccessful.

Blanchette said the committee plans to discuss the matter at its next meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday in the high school library.

A copy of the Palmer Public School's bomb-threat policy. The policy requires notifying emergency services, evacuating the building and not allowing anyone inside until the building is checked out. In a bomb scare last week, none of those steps was followed.Palmer School Policies.

The threat was in the form of something scribbled on the wall of the men's room by the school gymnasium, Blanchette said.

There was either one or two threats on the wall, he said.

But when notified of the threat, school administrators, instead of contacting emergency services and ordering an evacuation, directed a school custodian to go investigate, Blanchette said.

He said he has heard from a couple of parents. As word of the scare began to spread, parents became upset that their children were potentially in danger and the school did nothing.

One parent, in an email to The Republican / MassLive, wrote, "People in the town are really looking for answers as to how this bomb threat was handled. Kids were kept in the school for over an hour and a half after the initial threat was found."

Roy said he also does not know many details about the threat. His department was not contacted by the schools on the day of the bomb scare, nor at any time since.

"You know as much about it as I do," he said to a reporter Friday afternoon.

"The only word I've gotten about it officially was from the police department. They were inquiring whether we had been contacted about the bomb scare," he said. "We were not."

The normal procedure is for the schools to call 911, and for police and firefighters to be dispatched to the scene. Police conduct the investigation and firefighters stand by as a precaution.

That did not happen, and Roy said he would like to know why. He said he has been invited to the school committee meeting on Thursday.

The handling of the threat is nearly opposite what happened in a similar incident in January at Monson High School. In that incident, a perceived threat was found on a wall. The building was evacuated, police and firefighters responded, and no one was allowed back inside until state police troopers with bomb-sniffing dogs thoroughly went through the building.

Referring to that incident, Blanchette said that is what should have happened at Converse Middle School.

"The superintendent really needs to explain why the district policy was not followed," he said.

Maria Gensheimer of Agawam, Scafuri's aunt, has organized a benefit for the teenager that will be held at the Polish American Club in Feeding Hills on May 31 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 a person.

AGAWAM -- As 16-year-old Alex Scafuri recovers from life-altering injuries in Atlanta, the community is banding together to make sure he's taken care of when he comes home.

Maria Gensheimer of Agawam, Scafuri's aunt, has organized a benefit for the teenager that will be held at the Polish American Club in Feeding Hills on May 31 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 a person.

More than 500 people have said they're attending the event on Facebook.

"It's very overwhelming," Gensheimer said. "I thought it was going to be a struggle to get support, but I really haven't had to leave my house yet to get people interested."

Gensheimer said money raised at the event will go toward her nephew's medical bills, as well as modifications to the family's home and vehicles that will make it easier for Scafuri to get around.

A recent photo of Agawam teen Alex Scafuri, who was hit by a car March while skateboarding on March 20 and is now paralyzed from the waist down.Courtesy Maria Gensheimer 

The Agawam High School sophomore was skateboarding home from volleyball tryouts on March 26 at around 9 p.m. in the area of Rowley and Springfield streets when he was hit by a car allegedly driven by Jomaris Colon, 26, of Springfield, police said.

Scafuri broke several bones in the accident and is paralyzed from the chest down, with very limited mobility his right arm, his family said. The teen was still receiving medical treatment in Atlanta as of Friday.

Colon has been charged with operating under the influence of alcohol and causing seriously bodily injury, operating a motor vehicle negligently, operating a motor vehicle without a license, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and obstruction of justice.

Several other causes are in the works to raise money for Scafuri's recovery. Friends of the family set up a GiveForward.com fund that had raised nearly $30,000 of its $50,000 goal.

Agawam businesses have also shown support for Scafuri. The Java Stop and the Ice Cream Shoppe, both in Feeding Hills, held raffles for the teenager earlier this month. The Barber, a hair cuttery on Springfield Street, will host a "cut-a-thon" for Scafuri on May 3 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. All proceeds will be donated to the Scafuri family.

Agawam High School students and faculty collected donations for Scafuri in the cafeteria the day after the accident. By the afternoon, more than $2,500 had been raised, Principal Steven Lemanski told The Agawam Advertiser News.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Mark D. Mason on Friday set bail at $50,000 cash for Jahmal Brangan despite his lawyer's request for a $5,000 cash bail amount.

SPRINGFIELD — Hampden Superior Court Judge Mark D. Mason on Friday set bail at $50,000 cash for Jahmal Brangan despite his lawyer's request for a $5,000 cash bail amount.

Mason declared a mistrial in the trial of the 42-year-old Brangan, who was convicted of armed robbery while masked by a Hampden Superior Court jury on March 13 for the robbery of the United Bank branch office at 1077 St. James Ave. on Jan. 17, 2014.

The bank was robbed shortly after 11:30 a.m., and the teller gave the suspect an undisclosed amount of cash, police said. The suspect wrote in a note to the teller that he had a weapon that would go "threw" most material.

A police officer testified Brangan's fingerprint was on the note handed to the teller.

Defense lawyer Jared Olanoff requested a mistrial, citing what he said was improper parts of Assistant District Attorney Karen Bell's closing argument.

Mason had set Friday to discuss the next step in the case since Brangan still faces the charges.

The prosecution has given Mason a notice it is appealing the mistrial decision to the state appellate court. Mason cited case law he said indicated a mistrial ruling cannot be appealed, but said the Appeals Court will determine the issue.

Olanoff said it would take a month or so to prepare for a new trial. He said he doesn't believe the prosecution is likely to succeed in its request to appeal the mistrial ruling.

Olanoff said Brangan, his girlfriend and his girlfriend's father could raise $5,000 for bail, although not right away. Brangan would live with them in Chicopee, he said.

He said Brangan continues to maintain his innocence.

Bell asked Mason for the $50,000 bail amount, saying Brangan has a previous serious conviction and was on probation at the time of the bank robbery.

Mason set June 11 for a status conference on the case.

Bishop Rozanski and Paul Gagilarducci, diocesan consultant and former superintendent of the Hampden-Wilbraham schools, will address affected parents about sites under review on Monday during a 7 p.m. meeting at St. Thomas the Apostle in West Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD — Bishop Mitchell Rozanski on Monday will reveal the sites under consideration for a new Catholic regional high school, which will be the result of a merger of Cathedral High School and Holyoke Catholic High School, the diocese said on Friday.

Bishop Rozanski and Paul Gagilarducci, diocesan consultant and former superintendent of the Hampden-Wilbraham schools, will address affected parents about sites under review on Monday during a 7 p.m. meeting at St. Thomas the Apostle in West Springfield.

Although a final site will not be announced during the meeting, "there will be a full reporting regarding sites under review as well as other organizational steps," according to a press release from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.

The school's pre-tornado location on Surrey Road is one of the sites the diocese is considering, but it is looking at other options as well.

Chicopee Mayor Richard Kos has offered the diocese the former Uniroyal manufacturing site as a possible location for a new school and the property behind the Dominican monastery in West Springfield is also considered to be a contender.

The Monday meeting – geared toward parents of Cathedral, Holyoke Catholic and St. Michael's Cathedral – is the first of two the diocese will hold with parents of Catholic school students.

The second meeting, geared for parents of students in Catholic elementary schools that would feed the new high school, is scheduled for April 28, also at 7 p.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle.

During a meeting on Thursday at the Cedars Banquet Hall at St. Anthony's Church on Island Pond Road, the Committee for Cathedral Action heard from dozens of people about their hopes for a new Catholic High School.

Several speakers expressed frustration that the process of making a decision on a high school has taken so long. Cathedral was severely damaged by the June 1, 2011 tornado and students have been attending classes at a former Wilbraham elementary school since then.

Students at Holyoke Catholic, which left its original location in downtown Holyoke, attend classes in a former Catholic elementary school in Chicopee.

With the help of U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, the diocese has secured $29 million in federal disaster aid to help with the rebuilding.

 

The Massachusetts Society of Professors has filed a Charge of Prohibited Practices against the University of Massachusetts this week, saying the university has refused to pay out negotiated salary increases.

AMHERST — The Massachusetts Society of Professors has filed a Charge of Prohibited Practices against the University of Massachusetts this week, saying the university has refused to pay out negotiated salary increases.

Union President Randy Phillis said the union hopes this will move the university to pay the raises already agreed to.

"Both former Governor Patrick and Governor Baker notified the Legislature that no further appropriation was necessary to fund the costs of negotiated contracts, yet the University has steadfastly refused to honor those contracts which provide modest 3% to 3.5% salary increases to secretaries, custodians, advisors, teachers, and other classified and professional staff," he said in a press release.

He said this affects faculty, clerical staff and police on the Amherst campus as well as at Lowell, Boston and the Dartmouth campuses.

"The University honors all its other contracts with various vendors; why do they see its faculty and staff as their lowest priority?" he said in the release.

Phillis said the sticking point is that UMass officials are saying the money hasn't been appropriated.

Outgoing UMass President Robert L. Caret was unavailable for comment, but on Wednesday wrote a letter to Barbara Madeloni, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. In it, he said the funding for the pay the first year of the contract and was not in the fiscal 2015 budget and would require additional funding hikes.

He said that he has submitted requests to fund the "incremental costs contained in the agreements."

He also wrote that the university "continues to seek funding for all of its ratified agreements."

UMass "is prepared to implement the salary increases and other adjustments contained in any collective bargaining agreement that has been ratified, submitted, and approved by the legislature, effective May 3," Caret wrote.

Phillis said that, however, does not include the retroactive pay going back to July 1.

Caret wrote that they will "continue to seek full funding" going back to July 1.

But Phillis believes the money is already there.

Motoris should expect delays for a week on East Pleasant Street.

AMHERST — East Pleasant Street near Eastman Lane will be reduced to one lane beginning Monday and through April 20 for work on the Tillson Electrical Substation project.

The roadwork will last from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and open to both lanes after 6 p.m. Police will direct traffic during construction hours and drivers can expect delays.

The University of Massachusetts is having the $40 million substation built to provide a much more reliable and efficient system, said spokesman Larry Rivais. The UMass Building Authority is funding the project.

The efficiency at the substation is designed to save the campus $1 million a year in costs. That savings, he said, was the driving force to the project.

As the campus has grown, it needs the greater capacity and a reliable system is imperative for all the scientific research being conducted on campus, he said.

Richard Lapointe, a mentally impaired dishwasher convicted of murder after a dubious confession, was granted bail and released from prison Friday to a cheering crowd of supporters, another milestone in a 26-year effort to prove his innocence.

A digest of news stories from around New England.

Framingham man who reportedly wanted to breed pit bull charged with bestiality in Ashland [Metro West Daily News]

Richard LapointeJared Ramsdell / Journal Inqujirer 

Jean Hornedo is on trial in front of Judge John S. Ferrara, charged with causing a head injury and fractured shoulder.

Buffy Spencer | bspencer@repub.com 

SPRINGFIELD - Hampden Superior Court jurors on Friday heard Ryan Wells of the state Department of Children & Families testify about his investigation into injuries to four-month-old Ailiani Santiago.

Wells said he repeatedly asked Jean Hornedo - the father - if he could think of anything that would cause the head injury and shoulder fracture staff at Baystate Medical Center discovered when the baby was brought by ambulance to the hospital.

Hornedo, who said he was a "very hands on father" helping with feeding and changing his children, could not think of anything, at first.

Wells said Hornedo later said there had been an incident where Iris Santiago, the child's mother, put the baby on an ottoman and went upstairs. The baby ended up on the floor, and Hornedo said her older sister might have pulled the baby's blanket causing the fall, Wells said.

Wells said Hornedo didn't tell him when the ottoman incident happened.

Hornedo is on trial in front of Judge John S. Ferrara, charged with causing a head injury and fractured shoulder.

Assistant District Attorney Carrie Russell, said Thursday in her opening statement, on the morning of April 1, 2013, "things changed inside" the Indian Orchard apartment in which Hornedo and Iris Santiago lived with their three small children.

Hornedo, 30, is charged with assault and battery on a child with substantial bodily injury and two counts of assault and battery on a child with bodily injury.

The baby had bleeding inside her head and had retinal hemorrhages in the eyes, and an X-ray revealed a fractured shoulder, Russell said.

Defense lawyer Jennifer E. Cox told jurors in her opening statement the baby had a number of caretakers around the time the injury is alleged to have taken place, including members of Iris Santiago's family and Hornedo's family.

She said jurors will hear that there were medical findings showing the injuries would be consistent with accidental trauma or birth trauma and not child abuse.

Jurors also heard defense witness Jonathan Arden, a forensic pathologist, testify about things other than inflicted trauma that could have caused the baby's injuries.

Wells said Hornedo told him he lay down on the couch while the baby was upstairs in a swing. Hornedo said when he went to check on her she was slumped over and when he picked her up she was foaming at the mouth, Wells said.

Wells asked Hornedo how they disciplined their children and Hornedo said, "We don't hit the children."

Wells said he told Hornedo that accidents happen, and now was the time to be upfront. "He didn't know what had happened," Wells said.

Asked about alcohol and drug use, Hornedo said he smoked marijuana sometimes but not in front of the children, Wells said.

Arden, of Arden Forensics, said he reviewed medical records for Ailiana although never examined her.

He said the subdural hemorrhages in the baby's head could have been caused by birth trauma. He said most of the areas in the hemorrhages were not evidence of new trauma except for a few very small areas within the older areas which could have been "rebleeding."

Arden disputed the conclusion of Baystate Medical Center doctors that the baby had a fracture on her right shoulder.

Arden said in his opinion the cause of the subdural hemorrhages can't be determined.

He also disputed the hospital's characterization of the baby's situation as an "acute life-threatening event."

The trial is scheduled to resume Monday.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court said the owner of the franchise, which prohibited tips, can take any money left behind as tips.

"Go ahead, you keep the change." If you tell that to a Massachusetts worker at a business with a no-tipping policy, it's OK for the owner to scoop up the money, according to the state's highest court.

Dunkin' Donuts 

Three current and former employees of a Dunkin' Donuts franchise have lost a lawsuit to collect money left by customers for them.

In a ruling Friday, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court said the owner of the franchise, which prohibited tips, can take any money left behind as tips or put in a cup of abandoned change for the use by customers.

It also said a business with a no-tipping policy can require workers to refuse tips, the Boston Globe reported.

The court said "we are not persuaded" that the state's Wage Act prohibits business owners from having a no-tip policy, The Enterprise of Brockton, Massachusetts, reported.

The court added, though, that current Massachusetts law stands that any business that hasn't stipulated a no-tipping policy must give tips to the workers who served the customers.

The Dunkin' Donuts employees in 2011 sued Constantine Scrivanos, who owns about 66 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in Massachusetts. Scrivanos has no-tipping policies at about two-thirds of them.

Employees were told they could be fired for accepting tips, the lawsuit said.

Major League Baseball has ordered all 30 of its teams to implement security screening this year.

Bradley International Airport isn't the only local place people will face security screening by metal detectors.

Starting with Monday's home owner, Red Sox fans will face screening at Fenway Park in Boston, according to CBS Boston.com.

In fact, Major League Baseball has ordered all 30 of its teams to implement security screening this year. All fans will be required to go through scanners at all entrances.

"Fans will remove cell phones, cameras, and other large metal objects before walking through the metal detectors," the Red Sox said in a statement issued Friday.

There will be some differences from screenings at airports, however.

"Fans do not need to remove smaller objects, such as wallets, coins, keys, jewelry, eyeglasses, shoes, and belts," the Sox' statement said.

Since Monday's game is the home opener in Boston, the gates will open two hours before Monday's game, according to CBS Boston, which is the web address of WBZ-TV and radio.

After that, gates will open an hour and a half before the game starts, the station reports.

Season ticket holders and Red Sox Nation members will be able to enter through Gate C 21/2 hours before each game.

Here's the complete text of the Sox' opening day announcement:

The Red Sox will present their opening day ceremonies before their 115th home season, and their 104th at Fenway Park, this Monday, April 13, starting at approximately 2:30 p.m. The team then plays the Washington Nationals at 3:05 p.m. This year marks the first time that the Nats have ever opposed the Red Sox in the home opener.

Before engaging in an inter-league battle, the two teams will be introduced along the base lines, with participation from children. "Calling All Kids" is a season-long theme this year.

With Hanscom Air Force Base presenting the colors, a children's choir will perform the national anthem, punctuated by a flyover of two F-16 fighter jets from the 158th Fighter Squadron from Burlington, Vermont's Air National Guard ("The Green Mountain Boys").

The ceremonial first pitch will pay tribute to a high point of an otherwise long, cold, and snowy winter, followed by the declaration to "play ball," presented by Target.

Fenway Park gates will open two hours before the game on Monday. For the rest of the season, gates open 1 1/2 hours before game time. Season ticket holders and Red Sox Nation members may enter at Gate C 2 1/2 hours before each game.

To comply with Major League Baseball stadium operations practices for the 2015 season, and to enhance security and expedite screenings at the gates, fans will walk through new metal detectors at every gate. Fans will remove cell phones, cameras, and other large metal objects before walking through the metal detectors. Fans do not need to remove smaller objects, such as wallets, coins, keys, jewelry, eyeglasses, shoes, and belts.

Children 14 and under are invited to enter via the new Gate K (for kids) near Gate B, a gateway to the new kids concourse. From the 3rd through the 7th innings, the new Wally's Clubhouse will offer an in-game play area for children.

This year, the Red Sox waived the entry fee into their children's fan club. So far, more than 39,000 fans 14 and under have signed up to join Red Sox Kid Nation presented by Hood.

Inside the turnstiles, fans of all ages will have new menu options. On Yawkey Way, Aramark has invested in a fresh look for their concession stands and new menu items, including the new "Taste of Boston" stand which will feature neighborhood cuisine from 12 different local restaurants that will rotate throughout the season. The club worked with Mayor Martin J. Walsh's office to choose the small businesses that will be featured this season.

Nachos will be served in life-sized Red Sox helmets inside Gates C and E, and roast beef and turkey panini sandwiches will be available in both the left and right field concourses. Meatball Obsession, the official meatball of the Boston Red Sox, will debut a new stand in the Kids Concourse near Wally's Clubhouse with their popular turkey or beef meatballs served in a cup. And a new kids meal for $5 - available in the Kids Concourse - will feature a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, goldfish, and a small juice.

The refurbished Budweiser Brew House in right field, operated by Aramark, will offer a host of new drink and food items in the newly expanded bar and lounge seating areas, including bacon and apple salad, truffle parmesan fries, chorizo and manchego croquettes, Brew House flatbread, pastrami sliders, fish tacos, and authentic lobster rolls. The Budweiser Brew House is now open to all ticketed patrons.

At all concession stands at Fenway Park, fans will have an opportunity to support the Red Sox Foundation through their new "It Makes Sense to Give 50 Cents" campaign. Aramark employees will take 50 cent donations from fans who wish to add that sum to their concession tab.

The 3rd Base Deck in the left field upper level concourse will now be known as the Ketel One Vodka 3rd Base Deck. The bar will feature Ketel One Vodka products and branding throughout.

The Red Sox urge fans to use public transportation to Fenway Park. In addition to taking the popular T to Kenmore Square, the commuter rail trains arrive at Yawkey Station, just 511 feet from the doorstep of Fenway Park. Yawkey Station is part of the commuter rail's Framingham-Worcester line, which runs from Worcester to South Station.

The last outbound commuter rail train from Yawkey Station departs at 11:36 p.m. on weekdays and 11:10 p.m. on weekends. Departure times for the last Yawkey Station train are subject to change based on the length of the game. These trains offer as many as 48 regularly scheduled stops every weekday. For more commuter rail information, visit mbta.com.

WOW, now 12 years old, is promoting the year-old Westfield Creative Arts program at its new center at 105 Elm St.

WESTFIELD "A novel venture," is how Mayor Daniel M. Knapik characterized the official opening of new offices for Westfield on Weekends Friday at the Rinnova Building at 105 Elm St.

"This is a fabulous center for the arts and culture scene in Downtown Westfield," he added.

WOW President Robert A. Plasse said "We are thrilled with this new spot that is dedicated to bringing people together in our downtown and throughout Westfield."

Plasse also announced that "thanks to local businesses and residents WOW has succeed in meeting a $10,000 challenge grant from United Bank. We have met that challenge thanks to many and we are dedicated to being a community resource for creative arts and community events."

The Rinnova Building previously housed the Westfield State University Downtown Art Gallery.

Funding from WOW events and the United Bank challenge grant will support a continuation of downtown events and activities, officials said.

Wow, in existence for the past 12 years, is also promoting the year-old Westfield Creative Arts with the new venture.

WCA director Lester Walskin said the decision to "meld with WOW in this joint venture was an easy one."

WCA is hosting numerous arts and crafts lessons ranging from stained glass to picture framing at the 105 Elm St. location. Also, J.H. Miller, the oldest custom framing business in the Pioneer Valley has established a satelite office at the 105 Elm St. center.

Plasse announced that community support allowed WOW to expend "some $70,000 on events last year. This is all because of the support from businesses and residents in what WOW stands for."

Michael D. Helm, National Commander of the 2.4 million-member American Legion, toured the Springfield and Chicopee area on Friday with local and state Legion officials. Watch video

CHICOPEE — Michael D. Helm, National Commander of the 2.4 million-member American Legion, toured the Springfield and Chicopee area on Friday with local and state Legion officials.

The visit began early at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee followed by an extensive look at the collection of weapons at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Springfield.

Helm, a U.S. Army veteran, served in the Vietnam War as a ranger with the 82nd Airborne Division. According to his online bio, he has served in state Legion positions in his native Nebraska and with the national American Legion organization. He is a retired U.S. Postal Service rural mail carrier with more than 33 years of service.

The one-year term as national commander comes with a frenetic tour schedule to see veterans in 50 states, with three to four days spent in each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, France and the Philippines. His travels will take him to 17 countries to meet government officials and attend military ceremonies.

Helm also meets with the political and military leaders of the United States and testifies before Congress.

The mission of the national leadership is to promote the four pillars of the American Legion: national security, Americanism, children and youth and veterans affairs in the fields of health, education, employment and veterans' rights.

Tomorrow, Helm and the state Legion officials will attend the national commanders banquet with the Massachusetts Department of the Executive Committee of the American Legion in Marlborough. There are 40,000 Legion members in the state.

Not including Past National Commander Paul Morin of Chicopee, who served one year beginning in June 2006, Helm is the first national commander to visit Western Massachusetts since 2001.

Nomination papers must be returned to the city clerk for certification by Aug. 11.

WESTFIELD - Seventeen city residents obtained nomination papers this week for possible Nov. 3 election campaigns.

City Council President Brian P. Sullivan and Michael L. Roeder, who lost to Mayor Daniel M. Knapik in the 2013 city election, began circulating their nomination papers. They were joined by Harold Alan Phelps of 57 Squawfield Rd. Sullivan and Roeder have already officially announced they are candidates for the city's top elected position.

Also, Carl Vincent and Muneeb 'Moon' Mahmood, who announced last month they are candidate for City Council at-large seats, have begun soliciting the necessary nominating signatures of registered voters. They are joined by former City Council at-Large member John J. Beltrandi III and Rudolph Musterait of 14 Saint Paul St.

Mary Ann Babinski of 114Rogers Ave. is circulating papers for a run for the Ward 1 City Council seat while City Council incumbents Ralph J. Figy in Ward 2 and Brian R. Hoose in Ward 3 have drawn nomination papers.

Municipal Light Board incumbents Ray Rivera in Ward 2 and Jane C. Wensley in Ward 3 are circulating their papers.

School Committee veterans Diane M. Mayhew, Kevin J. Sullivan and Ramon Diaz Jr. have also begun circulating their nomination papers.

Westfield Athenaeum Trustee incumbent Frederick J. Harling has draw papers and Patricia Steele-Perkins is also circulating nomination papers for the trustee seat.

Nomination papers are available at City Clerk Karen Fanion's City Hall office. They must be returned to the clerk's office by Aug. 11 for the certification process.

All candidates must collect 50 certifiable signatures of registered voters. Fanion urges all candidates to file at least 60 signatures by the Aug. 11 deadline.

A preliminary election will be scheduled for Sept. 22 if necessary.