A weeklong, daily curfew begins Tuesday from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The curfew could be extended if necessary, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said.

Live video: Ongoing coverage of the riots and looting in Baltimore »

BALTIMORE — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency after looting and rioting broke out in Baltimore on Monday, the same day of Freddie Gray's funeral.

Gray died last week after allegedly suffering a severed spinal cord and other injuries while in police custody. The federal Justice Department has launched an investigation into Gray's death, the latest racially tinged episode involving a black man allegedly killed or injured at the hands of mostly white police officers.

Gray's death initially sparked peaceful protests, but the groups of people who took to the streets of northwest Baltimore late Monday afternoon looted a shopping mall, burned a store and police vehicles, and threw projectiles at law enforcement officers, more than two dozen of whom were injured, according to authorities.

On Monday evening, Hogan, at the request of Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to "address the growing violence and unrest in Baltimore City."

Rawlings-Blake characterized Monday afternoon's violence, which continued into the evening, as "idiotic" and "very disturbing." There's a major difference between the peaceful protests in the wake of Gray's death versus "the thugs who only want to incite violence," she said.

"They are trying to tear down what so many have fought for – tearing down businesses, tearing down and destroying property," said Rawlings-Blake, who has announced a weeklong, daily curfew beginning Tuesday from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The curfew could be extended if necessary, she said.

The National Guard would be deployed as soon as possible, Rawlings-Blake said during a live press conference at 8 p.m.

At least 15 police officers have been injured in the street violence, mostly from "flying debris," Baltimore city officials said. There were no immediate estimates available for property damage in areas affected by street disturbances, most of which occurred in the West Baltimore community of Mondawmin.

A shopping mall in that neighborhood was looted extensively by citizens, some of whom were seen leaving stores with armfuls of merchandise. One Baltimore-area TV station referred to the activities at the mall as "drive-up looting," with vehicles pulling up to a mall entrance, people entering the store, then exiting with various items.

The turmoil in the streets prompted the postponement of Monday night's baseball game between the Orioles and the Chicago White Sox. A makeup date will be announced as soon as possible, and fans are encouraged to keep their tickets and parking for Monday's game until more information is available, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Facing some backlash, Transportation Committee Chairman Rep. William Straus filed a budget amendment to make sure a violation of the state's headlight requirements will not be considered a moving violation for insurance purposes.

By MATT MURPHY
and ANDY METZGER

BOSTON - The House unanimously voted to add protections to state law for drivers who commit headlight infractions, including violations of a new requirement that they use their lights when conditions require windshield wipers.

Facing some backlash, Transportation Committee Chairman Rep. William Straus filed a budget amendment to make sure a violation of the state's headlight requirements will not be considered a moving violation for insurance purposes. The new headlight requirement, originally pushed by Natick Democrat Rep. David Linsky, passed during informal sessions late last year and took effect earlier this month.

Straus, a Mattapoisett Democrat, said the revision to the headlight law would be applied retroactively to April 7, 2015.

"We are left with what is a pure public safety statute that encourages in bad weather conditions that require the use of windshield wipers that headlights be on," Straus said.

Straus's amendment was included in a bundling of budget amendments concerning transportation, constitutional officers and state administration assembled by the House Committee on Ways and Means. The consolidated amendment passed 154-0.

The bulk amendment did not include language proposed by South Boston Rep. Nick Collins that would have stripped the recommended five-year moratorium for the MBTA of the "Pacheco Law," which governs privatization of state services.

House leaders also opted against including an amendment filed by Rep. Jay Barrows, a Mansfield Republican, that would have increased from 20 percent to 25 percent the amount all state employees insured through the Group Insurance Commission must pay toward their health care premiums.

Gov. Charlie Baker first proposed the higher premium contribution in his budget proposal, but House Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey said House Democratic leaders rejected that idea because state employees were already being asked to pay more for health insurance through higher co-pays and deductibles imposed by the GIC.

The bulk amendment dealing with transportation, state administration and constitutional officers was the first of many bundles expected to be debate this week in the House chamber relating to the $38 billion House Ways and Means budget.

The initial bundle dispensed with 84 individual amendments, and added just over $3 million to the budget's bottom line. Among the programs receiving increased funding was the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which would see its budgets climb by $2 million to $12 million from the original Ways and Means proposal.

Rep. Cory Atkins, a Concord Democrat, said the increased appropriation was "generous" given the spending restraint House leaders are attempting to showcase with its budget recommendations.

"While the Massachusetts Cultural Council doesn't necessarily deal with education it is in every one of our schools," Atkins said, pointing to both field trips and after-school programs run in many urban areas that she said "keep kids off the streets and really developing their talents."

House lawmakers also voted to add $700,000 to the budget for a reserve fund that would be set up for the Massachusetts Port Authority to encourage travel and tourism from Israel, the Middle East and Asia using direct flights to Logan International Airport.

"That is money well spent," Straus said. "The increased use of Logan as an international stopping point has helped not only the Commonwealth but our status as a major air connection standpoint to the rest of the world."

The Senate plans to debate its fiscal 2016 budget bill in May.

Lots of back-and-forth exchanges occurred between readers in the creationism-vs.-evolution debate.

HOLYOKE -- Hundreds of responses from readers riddled the comments section under a story last week headlined "Holyoke school gearing up for evolution vs. creationism debate."

Principal Barry Bacom of Dean Technnical High School said he had approved a lesson plan that would include discussions about creationism in the instruction about evolution to spur critical thinking and debate among students when they returned from vacation Monday (April 27).

Evolution is the theory that humans evolved over millions of years from earlier life forms that supporters say is science-based and thus offers empirical proof.

Creationism is the belief that the universe and living beings came about through acts of divine creation as related in the Bible that supporters say stands as the highest source.

Espousers of evolution and creationism and the different degrees of beliefs in between those perspectives have clashed throughout history and did so again in the reader comments section.

Some readers accessorized their remarks with postings of videos and photos, such as of Charlton Heston in the "Planet of the Apes" movie.

The story as of Monday night had drawn 536 comments, including multiple volleys between readers.

Here are some examples with reader names followed by comments:

chick-a-puppy -- The solution is simple, do not teach religion in a science class and everyone is happy. If you want to teach intelligent design, creationism, or anything else do it at home or Sunday school.

Freesoul -- Genesis, Chap I, verse 1: "In the beginning God created the Heaven, and the Earth." So much for the big bang theory. Class dismissed.

Death and Taxes -- What about the third belief that life was brought to earth by aliens. It's about as plausible as the rest.

Ymir -- That's biogenesis. Different subject.

There were no injuries in the fire at 716 Belmont Ave., a two-story home near the corner of Meredith Street.

SPRINGFIELD — Firefighters quickly extinguished a second-floor porch fire in the city's Forest Park neighborhood on Monday evening.

Crews responded to a 6:18 p.m. fire report at 716 Belmont Ave., a two-story, wood-frame home near the corner of Belmont and Meredith Street.

There were no reported injuries in the blaze, which was caused by "improper disposal of smoking materials," said Dennis G. Leger, executive aide to Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph A. Conant.

Leger said the fire caused less than $5,000 damage. "It looks like there are structural issues," he said of the home.

No residents were displaced by the fire.

Members of the Holyoke Public School community packed the War Memorial Monday night for a discussion on the possibility of city schools being placed into receivership.

HOLYOKE -- Members of the Holyoke Public School community packed the War Memorial Monday night to discuss the possibility of city schools being placed into receivership.

Approximately 800 people attended the meeting, filling every seat on the ground level and in the balcony. Dozens, unable to find a seat, stood for the four-hour meeting.

The meeting offered parents, students and educators an opportunity to address the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education before they decide whether to place the district into receivership. The vote could be held as early as Tuesday, April 28.

Members of the school community have called for board members to vote this week, saying the uncertain future of city schools is detrimental to the community. State education officials have said they will vote no later than their following monthly meeting, May 19.

"I ask that you stop stringing along the people of Holyoke," Sen. Don Humason said to the board as he advocated for control to remain local.

The board heard from Holyoke politicians, education officials, parents and students as young as nine years old. At the start of the meeting, city education officials were invited to speak first, followed by those that signed up during the public comment section. 90 attendees requested to address the board.

While not every person was able to get their two minutes at the microphone, the scheduled three-hour meeting was extended an extra 90 minutes to hear from more community members.

Predominately, the group called for the board to vote against receivership.

"We're proud of the foundation that we're laying," said School Committee Vice Chair Devin M. Sheehan. He spoke highly of Superintendent of Schools Sergio Paez's work in the district since coming to Holyoke in the summer of 2013. He implored board members to allow the schools to continue to be run by the Holyoke School Committee and current school administrators, saying the know the city and can best improve schools.

"What makes us have the best ability to run our schools is the people behind me," He said, pointing to the crowd.

A handful of people implied or said outright receivership is what Holyoke Public Schools needs. Several of the critics were members of the Holyoke Community Charter School Community including Principal Sonia C. Pope.

"We need to realize that we don't have time to waste," Pope said. "I refuse to be apart of a complacent group."

When she said she supports the state taking over public schools, many members of the crowd booed and hissed.

Kelly Przekopowski, a city parent, said receivership would be an insult to their community.

"Living in Holyoke comes with a stigma," she said. "Don't add to the stigma. Don't give our critics more reason to judge our community."

Przekopowski added, "A state takeover would be a slap in the face of those that educate our children."

Some 35 people gathered at the Senior Center for a public forum on the hire hire Walker Parking Consultants report issued recently by the city.

NORTHAMPTON - Some good ideas were tossed around at the unveiling of a traffic study commissioned by the city Monday night, but if you're waiting for them to get implemented, you'll probably get a ticket.

Some 35 people gathered at the Senior Center for a public forum on the Walker Parking Consultants report issued recently by the city. Many of them were there at the center in November at the previous public forum. The recommendations in the report include:

-- Raising the hourly rate on Main Street from 75 cents to $1, and eventually to $1.50.

-- Eliminating the first hour of free parking at the E. John Gare Municipal Parking Garage

-- Extending the parking limit at some city lots from two to three hours.

-- Changing the time for metered parking on Main Street from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Mayor David J. Narkewicz, who was at the forum, commissioned the $29,700 study. Because of the vetting process, the report's recommendation would take months to implement, he said, maybe longer.

Carolyn Krasnow, a consultant with hire Walker Parking Consultants, gave a presentation replete with pie charts, maps and statistics. One of the factors making the parking situation more urgent is that two affordable housing projects approved for Pleasant Street do not have enough parking for all the potential tenants. Narkewicz said there is no parking requirement for the Central Business District Zone.

The situation was not news for many in the crowd, which included city officials and business owners. Eric Suher, who owns the Iron Horse, the Calvin Theater and the Pearl Street nightclub, told Krasnow that his customers, workers and tenants all have a hard time parking downtown. He wondered if Northampton can absorb the projected increase in parking over the next five years. Changing the meter times to 8 p.m., Suher said, would adversely affect his clientele.

"How will our patrons be able to park?"

Christine Buchholz, co-owner of Viva Fresh Pasta, said her employees call the parking lot near the Roundhouse "the rape lot." Many ask for a ride to their cars, she added. The public transit, Buchhlotz said, is inadequate.

"People can't get anywhere after 8 p.m."

Robert Ross of the Florence Business and Civic Association questioned the recommendation to expand the Masonic Street lot.

"It's already saturated," he said.

Kransow acknowledged that she has not spoken with Verizon, which has an adjoining lot, but insisted the expansion would add 50 spaces.

City Councilor Ryan O'Donnell, who chairs the Parking and Transportation Commission, said changing the current parking structure would be complicated and time-consuming, beginning with a positive recommendation from his committee.

"You can't make decisions in a vacuum," he said. "This needs more deliberation."

The victim told police two men, both of whom were armed with handguns, robbed him of $100 in the Dunmoreland Street area.

SPRINGFIELD — Police were investigating a gunpoint robbery in the city's Upper Hill neighborhood on Monday evening.

Police responded to a 9:14 p.m. report of an armed robbery in the area of 67 Dunmoreland St., less than 1,000 feet south of the American International College campus.

The alleged victim told police he was robbed of $100 by two black men, both of whom had handguns and left in a silver Mercedes. One man had a black gun, the other a silver weapon. One was dressed in a black hoodie, the other in a gray hoodie.

Police searched for an older-model Mercedes in the area of Dunmoreland, Albemarle and Rochelle streets, as well as other section of Upper Hill. They also issued a be-on-the-lookout for a Mercedes of that description in the Sycamore Street area of the Bay neighborhood, located north of the AIC campus.

Recent gang-related shootings have occurred in the streets near the college, which was struck twice by gunfire in about three weeks, leading to enhanced security and stepped up police patrols in the area.

There were no apparent injuries in the robbery, which remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call the Springfield Police Detective Bureau at 413-787-6355.

The New York Daily News reported Monday that Andrew Lack, who was tapped last month by NBC to head its news department, wants Williams back on the "Nightly News" desk.

In spite of a Washington Post report over the weekend that NBC News anchor Brian Williams may have embellished news reports as many as 11 times, the head of the network's news department wants him back on the air, according to a source quoted by a New York newspaper.

The New York Daily News reported Monday that Andrew Lack, who was tapped last month by NBC to head its news department, wants Williams back on the "Nightly News" desk.

"Andy believes viewers want him (Williams) back," a source told the Daily News.

"The feeling is that (Williams') problem seems to be more with the media and other reporters than his viewers -- if Andy can figure out a way to get him back on the air he will do it."

Furthermore, the source told the Daily News, Williams has told confidants he won't leave the network unless fired.

Lack was hired to lead the network's news division after a series of mistakes that resulted in Williams' suspension in February, according to the New York Times.

The arrival of Mr. Lack, who was president of NBC News from 1993 until 2001, represents the largest step in a broad restructuring of the news operation. Mr. Lack, 67, will oversee NBC News and MSNBC but not CNBC, Steve Burke, chief executive of NBC Universal, said in a memo to employees. He starts in April.

According to the Daily News, Lack, a long time friend of Williams', will have the final say over the anchorman's fate. The Daily News reported that he had a hand at selecting Williams as anchor in the first place.

"It's been Brian's position all along that he will not resign," the source told the newspaper. "If he leaves it will not be his decision."

The newspaper reported that Lack in furious about leaks involving Williams, which, the Daily News said, "bolsters a theory among observers that there is a power struggle occurring withing the highest ranks of NBC."

"The fact that there has been no resolution and that he (Lack) is still searching for a way to restore Brian is making it very hard for us to move forward," a network source said.

Over the weekend, the Washington Post reported that an internal investigation by the news organization turned up 11 instances in which Williams is alleged to have publicly embellished details in some of his original reporting.

NBC started examining Williams' reports after he apologized on the air in February for saying that he had been in a military helicopter that was damaged by rocket fire during the start of the Iraq War. Williams' retraction occurred after soldiers present contradicted some of his assertions.

In its report over the weekend, the Post provided the following details:

The investigators, led by NBC News senior executive producer Richard Esposito, have also raised doubts about Williams' comments about his experiences covering Israel's military action against Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006. In an interview with a student-run television station at Fairfield University in Connecticut in 2007, Williams said he saw rockets passing "just beneath" the Israel helicopter in which he was traveling. But Williams gave a less harrowing account of the same trip in an NBC News blog a year earlier.

The Post's story identified another questionable report.

Williams' descriptions of both the Iraq and Israeli episodes have been previously reported, but the NBC inquiry appears to have turned up at least one incident that escaped notice in the frenzy that surrounded Williams' suspension. This one involves Williams' description of his reporting from Cairo's Tahrir Square during the Arab Spring uprisings in early 2011.

It's not clear whether Williams actually reported from the chaotic square. The New York Times on Friday cited an appearance by Williams on "The Daily Show" in February 2011 in which Williams said he saw members of a pro-government group on horseback beating anti-government protesters in the square. Williams said he had "actually made eye contact with the man on the lead horse," according to a video of the interview, but that account has been called into question by the investigators, according to the Times.

All of this comes on the heels of another weekend report -- this one published in the Los Angeles Times -- that says Williams future at NBC is looking bleak.

The Times referenced other members of the TV news industry as saying they cannot see how NBC can let Williams come back.

"If there was, don't you think we'd be hearing about it by now?" said one NBC News veteran.

Another NBC executive told the Times that Lack is under no pressure to make a decision on Williams soon. In fact, he said, any decision is still at least five weeks away.

Since Williams suspension, the "Nightly News" has been anchored by Lester Holt, the first solo African American network evening news anchor, the Times points out.

Since Holt took over, the news program's ratings have dropped at a rate that one competitor said should have the network concerned.

The broadcast has slipped into second place in total viewers behind "ABC World News Tonight with David Muir," the Los Angeles newspaper reported.

The Daily News said that Williams signed a $50 million contract with NBC last year. But, the newspaper added, "It is believed that should he leave the network on his own, NBC would only have to pay him around $20 million."

NBC News officials have declined to comment on any of this.

Harold B. Reardon, 53, of Carver, was driving with a license that was suspended for life in 2009, according to State Police.

WAREHAM — A Plymouth County man who wasn't legally allowed to drive was charged with his seventh OUI offense on Monday afternoon, according to Massachusetts State Police officials.

Trooper Russell Patenaude, of the Bourne barracks, spotted a 1998 Ford Escort driving erratically on Route 195 in Wareham around 3:30 p.m., police said.

The trooper followed the car as it exited the highway onto Route 28 in Wareham, where the driver sped up to well over the posted speed limit, police said. Patenaude stopped the car and spoke to the driver, 53-year-old Harold B. Reardon of Carver, who was taken into custody and charged with OUI after a brief investigation.

Reardon's license was suspended for life in 2009, police said.

Reardon was held at the Plymouth House of Correction on $5,000 bail pending arraignment Tuesday in Wareham District Court, where he faces the following charges:

• OUI Liquor, seventh offense;
• operating under the influence with a license suspended for OUI;
• negligent operation of a motor vehicle;
• open container of alcohol in a motor vehicle;
• speeding;
• and a marked lanes violation

HOLYOKE -- The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held a public meeting to discuss Holyoke Public Schools on Monday evening at the War Memorial. The event drew approximately 800 people, some of whom stood for the four-hour meeting when every seat was filled. In addition to local leaders addressing the board, 90 community members requested to speak, though not...

HOLYOKE -- The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education held a public meeting to discuss Holyoke Public Schools on Monday evening at the War Memorial. The event drew approximately 800 people, some of whom stood for the four-hour meeting when every seat was filled. In addition to local leaders addressing the board, 90 community members requested to speak, though not everyone was able to due to time constraints.

Above are photos from the meeting and protest that preceded it. For full coverage of the meeting, click here.

The meeting comes against a backdrop of criticism of police nationally for the deaths of unarmed black men.

SPRINGFIELD - Police Commissioner John Barbieri is scheduled to take part in a public conversation Wednesday night about improving relations between the police and the city's black and Hispanic populations.

The event is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Rebecca M. Johnson School.
Barbieri will be joined by co-hosts Jynai McDonald and Dejuan Brown, State Rep. Benjamin Swan and City Councilor Bud Williams.

It is sponsored by the anti-violence group AWAKE and the neighborhood councils in Old Hill, Upper Hill, McKnight and Bay, the four neighborhoods around Mason Square, and by the New North Citizens Council.

The session will be held against a national backdrop of criticism toward police following the deaths of unarmed black suspects at the hands of police.

Brown said "We've been in conversation with the police commissioner for some time, interested in discussing strategies for improving police/ community relationships."

He said Barbieri deserves credit for launching an expanded C3 policing program, in which teams of officers seek to work closely with residents of troubled neighborhoods. But he said the program will only be successful if neighborhood residents trust the police enough to work with them.

"We definitely need to address that," he said.

The C3 expansion is a nice first step, he said, "but you have to deal with the larger issue of mistrust."

Part of that level of distrust among people toward police has to do with national news with fallout from the deaths of black men at the hands of police, ranging from the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, to the more recent death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore.

Promotional poster for Wednesday's community meeting at the Rebecca M. Johnson Elementary School. Submitted photo

But Springfield has also had its checkered history with its police and minority residents. In 2009, video of a Melvin Jones III, being beaten by a white officer during a drug arrest, triggered outrage. Jones won a $575,000 settlement from the city, and the officer, Jeffrey Asher, was fired and would be sentenced to 18 months in jail for assault.

Last year, the city was ordered to pay $1.74 million to the family of Delano Walker, a black teen who was killed when struck by a car in a 2009 run-in with police.

Less than two weeks ago, several protesters shut down an intersection at The X in a Black Lives Matter demonstration.

Williams said the session should give people a chance to hear from the commissioner but also a chance for people to voice their concerns.

"There are a lot of city residents that want to be heard. This is their opportunity," Williams said.

Barbieri, who began his term as police commissioned in June, has repeatedly stressed that for the department to serve the city, it needs to have the support and cooperation of all those who live and work here.

"Public safety is the top priority and I need the community's help in furthering solutions," he said in a prepared statement.

A New Hamsphire man wanted for murdering his parents, who were found dead after a house explosion last year, was named to the U.S. Marshals Service's "15 Most Wanted" list on Tuesday.

A digest of news stories from around New England.

Charles Jaynes in 1997 

Alex Rosado, 23, of Holyoke, admitted he robbed three women at gunpoint in three separate incidents in 2014.

Buffy Spencer | bspencer@repub.com 

SPRINGFIELD — A 23-year-old Holyoke man on Tuesday admitted he robbed three women at gunpoint in three separate incidents in 2014.

Alex Rosado, whose address is listed in court records as 560 South Summer St., was sentenced to four to six years in state prison by Hampden Superior Court Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder.

That sentence will be followed by five years probation.

Assistant District Attorney Eduardo Velazquez asked for a sentence of five to seven years and defense lawyer Kathleen A. Cavanaugh asked for a three- to four-year sentence. Both agreed Rosado should serve five years probation.

In a victim impact statement from one of the women read by Velazquez, she wrote, "I used to love walking in the neighborhood until my attacker took that away from me. ... I so desperately want my life back."

Another woman wrote in her victim impact statement, "Now I don't go out by myself because I'm scared it would happen again. ... I hope he has learned his lesson and knows the damage he did to me and the other victims."

In one instance, police were called to the rear of 266 Essex St. on the afternoon of May 25 for a report of an armed robbery. The 70-year-old woman said a man put a silver handgun to her chest and ripped two gold chains off her neck and took diamond and silver rings off her finger.

A witness told police she recognized the robber as Rosado. Two men chased Rosado until he turned and pointed the gun at them, Velazquez said.

A short time later, Rosado was arrested by police and he had the woman's jewelry.

In another instance on May 23, police were dispatched to Franklin Street, where a woman had been walking.

She said a man put a gun close to her stomach and took her phone and purse.

On the same day, a different woman got off the bus at Locust and Cabot Street and a man pointed a handgun at her, demanding her belongings. He took her cell phone and purse and told her to run away.

She later found her purse on the ground, Velazquez said.

Velazquez said Rosado has little or no record.

Cavanaugh said Rosado has struggled with drug issues since he was 17 years old and developed a heroin problem.

Rosado pleaded guilty to three counts of armed robbery, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and a count each of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over 60 and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Dario Albizu-Ventura on Tuesday admitted to robbing Oxycodone in 2013 from eight pharmacies in Chicopee, Westfield, Holyoke and Longmeadow.

SPRINGFIELD — A 44-year-old Harrisburg, Pennsylvania man on Tuesday admitted to robbing Oxycodone in 2013 from eight pharmacies in Chicopee, Westfield, Holyoke and Longmeadow.

In most of the robberies, Dario Albizu-Ventura would hand a note to the employee demanding oxycodone, show a gun in his waistband, make employees open the safe and jump over the pharmacy counter to take the drug.

The gun was a pellet gun, but it is still an armed robbery because the victims would not have known it was a pellet gun.

Albizu-Ventura was sentenced to eight years in state prison followed by five years probation by Hampden Superior Court Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder.

Assistant District Attorney Lee Baker said, "It's clear the crime spree was fueled by a rather serious substance abuse problem."

Defense lawyer Brian Murphy said, "This was not a sophisticated crime spree" and noted Albizu-Ventura left fingerprints at some of the sites. He said it was not "the act of a criminal mastermind" but the act of an addict.

Albizu-Ventura agreed to forfeit $6,561 seized by police.

The robberies were:

• June 19, Rite Aid, Northampton Street, Holyoke. Police found Albizu-Ventura's fingerprints there.
• June 30, Rite Aid, Meadow Street, Chicopee.
• July 13, CVS, Longmeadow Street, Longmeadow.
• July 20, Rite Aid, Northampton Street, Holyoke. In that case the employee refused to take the note from Albizu-Ventura, but he jumped over the counter and filled a bag with oxycodone.
• Aug. 2, Rite Aid, East Silver Street, Westfield.
• Aug. 9, Rite Aid, St. James Avenue, Chicopee. Albizu-Ventura told all employees to go to the back of the store, then he jumped the pharmacy counter.
• Aug. 15, CVS, Center Street, Chicopee.
• Aug. 28, CVS, Memorial Drive, Chicopee.

Indicted as a co-defendant in the robberies was Angel Sanchez of 105 Elm St., Holyoke. His case is still pending. He is alleged to have driven the car in some of the robberies and entered the pharmacy with Albizu-Ventura in at least one robbery.

Albizu-Ventura was arrested Aug. 29, 2013, in Penn Station in New York City on a warrant for the Aug. 15 armed robbery of the CVS Pharmacy in Chicopee.

In the Aug. 15 robbery, Albizu-Ventura entered the store at around 5:30 p.m, jumped over the counter, showed a gun, and demanded an undisclosed amount of prescription medication. Initial reports had him dressed all in black with a red scarf and what appeared to be a wig.

His photo from a surveillance camera was publicized by police.

A structure fire forced the evacuation of the Hotel Northampton and led police to close off a section King Street Tuesday afternoon.

UPDATE: The Hotel Northampton has re-opened following a laundry room fire that led to an evacuation Tuesday afternoon.

Northampton Assistant Fire Chief Duane Nichols said in a Tuesday night interview that fire crews had cleared the business to open, and that though a cleanup company would be hired to remove the smell of smoke from the building he expected the hotel to allow guests to stay overnight.

"We allowed people back in," Nichols said, after an hours-long evacuation and temporary closure of part of King Street.

Nichols confirmed that the fire's cause was electric and said the laundry room sustained about $15,000 in damage, with some dryers likely needing repairs. The hotel is structurally safe and King Street is again open to traffic, according to Nichols.

NORTHAMPTON -- A structure fire forced the evacuation of the Hotel Northampton and led police to close off a section of King Street Tuesday afternoon.

Fire crews responded to the hotel between 3:30 and 4 p.m. to find a fire burning in the hotel's laundry room, said Northampton Assistant Fire Chief Duane Nichols, standing outside the building as a small crowd of onlookers watched the scene from behind yellow police tape.

"On arrival crews found smoke coming out a vent on the corner of the building," Nichols said. "The hotel staff started evacuation."

All of Northampton's 13 on-duty firemen responded, Nichols said, with the Easthampton and Amherst fire departments assisting. Crews lowered a hose into the laundry room and extinguished the flame, and as of 5 p.m. were checking the building and beginning their investigation.

No injuries were sustained and the extent of the damage was not yet known, Nichols said. No cause had been identified.

The goal for the evening was to re-open safe parts of the hotel, according to Nichols.

"We're just working with the hotel staff to get them back up and operating," he said.

Hotel guests who had been evacuated waited beyond police lines as crews finished their work. As of 5:30 p.m. King Street was still closed to traffic between Main Street and Trumbull Road and there was no immediate timeline for restoring traffic, said Northampton Police Sgt. Josef Barszcz.

Eric Annes, a guest who had been attending a training conference at the Hotel Northampton, had been standing outside police lines for just over an hour, he said. He was in the opposite wing of the hotel from where the fire began, and became aware of the situation when alarms began ringing.

"The alarm went off, we cleared out, all the trucks showed up," Annes said.

Community support for the revamped social service provider has blossomed – though selectmen reminded the group that a previous incantation of the organization from years ago ran up unpaid bills.

BELCHERTOWN - Selectmen unanimously voted on Monday to allocate $5,000 to pay utility costs at the town's Family Center, for one year, starting July 1, subject to some conditions.

Town government did not provide any money for the center in this fiscal year.

The center has been operating in a municipal building at the former Franklin Street school since last year. The organization has relied on fundraising and a government grant to pay operating costs.

Selectmen said that the center's part-time director would become a town employee, without benefits, and that the grant would need to be funneled through the town instead of directly to the non-profit organization.

The finance committee also supports the expenditure.

Community support for the revamped social service provider has blossomed - though selectmen reminded the group that a previous incantation of the organization from years ago ran up unpaid bills.

Selectman Ken Elstein, who did not attend the April 27 meeting, has strongly advocated town support, saying more than 50 children are served, along with 34 parents.

A member of the center's board of directors, Lisa Rainaud, said the organization is a prudent investment, and ends up saving the town money.

She said research shows that for each dollar spent there, $7 is saved in unneeded services the public school system would otherwise need to pay for.

"I appreciate your dedication to this," selectmen chair Brenda Aldrich said. "Never have I seen more people supporting the family center."

"I think the family center has come a long way," said town administrator Gary Brougham.

Jason Cleghorn, 36, pointed a gun at one of the repo men who came to repossess his car on Monday night, according to Chelmsford police.

CHELMSFORD — The repo men came for Jason Cleghorn's 2010 Dodge Challenger on Monday night, and the Chelmsford man wasn't having it.

Police said Cleghorn, 36, pointed a handgun at one of the three men trying to repossess his car, then went back inside his Piccadilly Circle home and refused to come out.

The repo men called police, who arrived at Cleghorn's home around 8:40 p.m. The men, all of whom work for a repossession company, told police they were trying to seize Cleghorn's car when he allegedly pulled out a gun.

Facing an armed suspect who refused to exit his home, Chelmsford police activated the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council S.W.A.T. Team, police Chief James Spinney said.

Officers negotiated with Cleghorn, who eventually surrendered peacefully and was taken into custody, police said. There were no reported injuries during the standoff.

Cleghorn was expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Lowell District Court on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon, a handgun.

"This was a fine example of patient, deliberate police work, as our officers and our partner agencies working alongside the Chelmsford Police Department brought a peaceful end to a volatile situation," Spinney said.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev grew increasingly radical over the years, turning to fundamentalist Islam, witnesses said Tuesday.

BOSTON - In 2012, Tamerlan Tsarnaev was talking to a friend about a suicide bomber who had killed innocent people at the funeral of a police officer in Ingushetia, a republic in the North Caucasus region of Russia.

"Tamerlan said the bomber was right," the friend, Magomed Dolakov, told FBI agents, according to an FBI summary of the interview. The reason Tsarnaev gave was that the police officer and his friends and family were "non-believers."

A year later, Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev would set two bombs at the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring 260 in a blaze of violence that continued with the murder an MIT police officer. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a shootout with the police. The FBI report about Tamerlan Tsarnaev was read in court during the penalty phase of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's trial. Jurors must decide whether to sentence Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death or life in prison. Defense lawyers on Tuesday continued to argue that jurors should sentence him to life in prison.

A key part of their argument has been that Tamerlan Tsarnaev, then 26, was a radical Islamic extremist, while Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, then 19, was just following his lead.

A forensic consultant testified Tuesday to the violent, jihadi images that Tamerlan Tsarnaev had on his computer.

Dolakov's testimony to the FBI, which was read out loud, provided more insight into Tamerlan Tsarnaev's views. Dolakov, who was born in Russia, told the FBI that he thought Tsarnaev was a "radical," similar to radical Islamists he had met in Russia. The two first met at a Cambridge mosque in August 2012. Tsarnaev was wearing a white robe, which is traditional Islamic garb. They went to Starbucks, where Dolakov said he was talking about the importance of studying science and math. "Tamerlan didn't feel any of these things were important," Dolakov told the FBI. When a Jewish man asked Tsarnaev about his robe, Dolakov said Tsarnaev confronted him in a "physically aggressive" way.

At one point, Dolakov visited Tsarnaev at home, and Tsarnaev told him "he was going to join the mujahideen," referring to religious warriors in Dagestan.

The only time Dolakov met Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was the Friday before the marathon bombing, when Dolakov went with both Tsarnaev brothers to the gym. Dolakov described Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as quiet, particularly when his older brother was around. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev did tell Dolakov that "he wanted to live in Russia and was tired of America."

Judge George O'Toole said Dolakov was "not available" to be brought to court.

Several witnesses called Tuesday talked about Tamerlan Tsarnaev's boxing career. Tsarnaev was a competitive boxer, who won the Golden Glove competition in Lowell in 2009 and 2010, a feat that qualified him for a national competition. The first year, he went to the nationals but got sick and fought badly. In 2010, he could not go because USA Boxing rules excluded foreign athletes from competing.

"He expressed frustration that they wouldn't allow him entry, and he felt it was an intentional slight directed solely at him," said Brandon Douglas, who worked out with Tsarnaev and worked at a gym where Tsarnaev trained.

Tsarnaev asked John Curran, a boxing coach who trained Tsarnaev, to intercede. "He thought I could pull a rabbit out of a hat and make it possible for him to go," Curran said.

People who coached and trained with Tsarnaev described him as a flashy dresser, who would wear tight jeans, shiny alligator shoes or boots the color of aluminum foil. Over time, as he grew more religious, he started to dress more conservatively, and he grew a beard.

There were some incidents that created friction between Tsarnaev and gym staff. Tsarnaev took other people's equipment without permission and was loud and disruptive, Douglas said.

Curran said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev came to the gym with his brother a couple of times, and "was like a puppy following his brother."

Defense lawyers have brought some testimony about Tsarnaev's difficult family circumstances. Defense Attorney David Bruck said during his opening statement that Tsarnaev's father, Anzor Tsarnaev, suffered from mental and physical illnesses. His mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaev, got in trouble with the law, alienated her community and turned to fundamentalist religion.

Sam Lipson, whose mother rented a Cambridge apartment to the Tsarnaev family, described Anzor Tsarnaev as a hard worker who struggled to get his business off the ground as an auto mechanic and worked late nights in the cold repairing cars in the alley behind a Cambridge rug store. "The last few years, he seemed to have lost weight, was less energetic," Lipson said. "There were times he appeared to be in pain.... He just seemed unhappy in general."

Zubeidat, a home health aide who trained in cosmetology, was lively, loquacious and often colorfully dressed when Lipson met her in 2002. By 2012, she was covering her hair, wearing simpler, darker colors and was visibly anxious. "She'd speak of her fears and concerns mostly, how things weren't working out," Lipson said.

Both parents moved back to Russia in 2012, Bruck said.

Lipson said he had only occasional interactions with Tamerlan or Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Tamerlan Tsarnaev wore European style clothing and cologne and was "smooth, kind of slick," Lipson said. When Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was young, Lipson said, he was "a sweet kid."

James Brunault is senior vocational counselor with the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission.

HOLYOKE -- James Brunault, a member of the Holyoke Geriatric Authority board of directors, has had nomination papers certified to put him on the Nov. 3 election ballot as a candidate for City Council at large.

Brunault, 49, of 49 St. James Ave., said he was running for City Council because he wants to give back, to help people and to try to provide some creative and proactive leadership in the city.

Brunault is senior vocational counselor for the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, working out of offices here at 187 High St.

"My whole adult career has been about how to most effectively serve some of the most devalued people in society. I've done hands on personal care and I know what it means to have people be vulnerable with you and to still respect their individuality," Brunault said.

Skills he could bring to the City Council stem from his background, he said. The past five years have been in counseling and for 15 years before that, he worked with people who had developmental disabilities, he said.

"I've been a supervisor so I know how to lead and be responsible for other staff, and I've been a director so I know what it means to plan programs, direct projects, manage budgets and still keep people first," Brunault said.

The City Council has 15 members, with eight at large and one from each of the seven wards, and all are up for election.

Candidates must file nomination papers with signatures of registered voters by July 28 to be listed on the election ballot.

Candidates for mayor must gather at least 250 registered voters' signatures while those for City Council and School Committee must file papers with at least 50 voters' signatures.

The City Council Jan. 20 unanimously reappointed Brunault to a three-year term on the board of directors of the Holyoke Geriatric Authority. The vote was a procedural step even though the authority closed last year and the city has acquired ownership of the former authority property at 45 Lower Westfield Road.

The city needs an official board to help in closing out affairs of the authority, a nursing home that closed last year because of financial problems.

The authority was established in 1971 by a special act of the state Legislature. It was overseen by a board of seven members, with three appointed by the mayor, three by the City Council and those six appointing the seventh member.

A Travis County helicopter was in the process of hoisting the woman into the aircraft when nurse Kristin McLain, 46, fell from the hoist

A nurse was killed after falling from a medical helicopter hoist while trying to rescue a woman who fell from a hiking trail in Texas Monday night.

A Travis County helicopter was in the process of hoisting the woman into the aircraft when nurse Kristin McLain, 46, fell from the hoist, according to USA Today.

In a prepared statement, the company the operated the helicopter, STAR Flight, said McLain was pronounced dead on the scene after she became detached from the hoist while retrieving the woman from the Barton Creek Greenbelt.

According to the Austin American-Statesman, rescue personnel responded to the scene about 8:30 Monday night and decided to remove the woman by placing her on a hoist attached to the helicopters.

McLain fell shortly before 10 p.m. as she was helping hoist the woman into the helicopter.

The woman was reportedly taken taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

According to Lisa Block, a spokeswoman for Travis County Medical Services, McLain was one of a three person crew sent in the helicopter to rescue the woman. McLain was identified as the "rescuer."

The American-Statesman reported that McLain had worked for STAR Flight for seven years as a registered nurse. She had been registered with the state since 2008 with no disciplinary incidents, the newspaper said. She had previously been licensed as a nurse in Colorado.

An Associated Press report published in the Dallas Morning News indicated that the National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the accident.

"Safety comes first with STAR Flight," Block said. "So of course we will be looking at everything that happened, all of our equipment, the processes to see what needs to be improved. That will also be part of the investigation. Right now our thoughts are with the family and her friends."

McLain was an athlete who enjoyed biking, running and completing in triathlons, according to a report in Austin Fit magazine published in July.

When Tropical Storm Hermine descended over Austin in September 2010, it dropped more than 16 inches of rain over Williamson County and northern Travis County, the magazine reported. It was in the middle of the night, standing on the skid of the helicopter directly in the face of that storm, that McLain's physical strength and mental acuity were put to the test. She and her crew rescued five people trapped by rising floodwaters: a family of four, rescued from the second story of their flooded home, and a man who was barely clinging to the roof of his submerged car when plucked from the violent, rising waters.

The American-Statesman reported that the Federal Aviation Administration will also be investigating the incident.

FAA personnel will be gathering information at the scene and other materials related to the incident before sending them to the NTSB for their review, a safety board spokesman told the newspaper. The NTSB will look at several factors such as flight history, weather conditions, and issues related to crew performance, including fatigue, training, workload and equipment design.

FAA spokeswoman Lynn Lunsford told KXAN-TV, NBC36 in Austin Tuesday that the NTSB will be in charge of this investigation because it involves a death.

"The FAA will be part of that investigation, but all of our findings will be turned over to the NTSB," Lunsford told the station. "The NTSB will be in charge of all updates on the progress of the investigation."

The NTSB grounded the helicopter in the wake of the incident, according to the TV station, and STAR Flight voluntarily suspended operations for all three of its helicopters in the Austin area.

In a statement to KXAN, STAR Flight Director of Aviation Willy Culberson said, "Kristin was a wonderful Flight Nurse and a very special friend. I am going to miss her with all of my heart."

McLain leaves her husband.