Garland Police Department officers fired back at the gunmen, who were both shot and killed, the statement said.

Two armed men were killed after opening fire on a security officer working outside of a Dallas center where a controversial art event featured cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, authorities said Sunday.

The officer, Bruce Joiner, 58, was treated at a local hospital and released about two hours later, KXAS-TV reported.

The two men drove up to the Curtis Culwell Center and began shooting at a security officer, according to a statement that the city of Garland posted on its Facebook page Sunday night.

Garland Police Department officers fired back at the gunmen, who were both shot and killed, the statement said.

The statement doesn't say if the shooting was related to the controversial event.

A bomb squad was on the scene after authorities fear the gunmen's vehicle contained an "incendiary device."

An evacuation was ordered of nearby businesses.

The exhibit was hosted by the American Freedom Defense Initiative, which offered $10,000 for the best cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad.

USA Today notes that any drawings -- even a respectful one -- of the Prophet Muhammad are considered blasphemous by many followers of Islam and have sparked violence around the world.

Earlier Sunday, about 75 attendees at the contest were escorted by authorities to another room in the conference center. They were then taken to a separate location, where an Associated Press reporter was told they could not leave until FBI agents arrived to question them.

Johnny Roby of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was attending the conference. He told the AP he was outside the building when he heard around about 20 shots that appeared to be coming from the direction of a passing car.

Roby said he then heard two single shots. He said he heard officers yell that they had the car before he was sent inside the building.

Pamela Geller, president of the AFDI, told the AP before Sunday's event that she planned the contest to make a stand for free speech in response to outcries and violence over drawings of Muhammad.

In January, 12 people were killed by gunmen in an attack against the Paris office of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which had lampooned Islam and other religions and used depictions of Muhammad.

Though it remained unclear several hours after the shooting whether it was related to event, she said Sunday night that the shooting showed how "needed our event really was."

Geller's group is known for mounting a campaign against the building of an Islamic center blocks from the World Trade Center site and for buying advertising space in cities across the U.S. criticizing Islam.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

One firefighter was taken to the hospital for chest pains.

HOLYOKE - A fire that started in an exhaust vent at U.S. Tsubaki Sunday night, spread to the roof of the building before firefighters could extinguish it.

One firefighter was taken to the hospital after he started suffering from chest pains while fighting the stubborn fire. His condition was not known immediately, Fire Department Capt. Anthony Cerruti said.

The fire was reported shortly before 8 p.m., by an employee who saw flames in the building at 821 Main St. Firefighters spent nearly three hours fighting the fire and making sure it was completely extinguished.

The fire started in an exhaust vent which is part of a heat treating process. It then extended to the roof of the building, he said.

"Because of the heat treating process below we were not able to use water and had to rely on fire extinguishers," Cerruti said.

The department recalled six firefighters to staff an engine and ladder truck during the blaze. That crew ended up responding 106 North East Street for a dumpster fire next to a building, which was quickly extinguished, Cerruiti said.

The fire caused some damage to the roof of the building. There was no immediate estimate of the damage caused, he said.

The company manufactures power-transmission chains for industrial use. Two years ago owners received approvals to add a 11,250-square-foot facility onto the existing facility.

The man is being held on $250,000 bond.

ENFIELD - A 38-year-old man is facing a variety of charges after being accused of striking and strangling his estranged wife and forcing her into a car early Sunday morning.

Christopher Spring, 38, of 200 East Main St., Vernon, was arrested Sunday morning and charged with home invasion, second-degree strangulation, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree reckless endangerment, assault and criminal mischief, according to Enfield Police. He is being held on $250,000 bond.

The victim was staying with a friend at 34 Spring St. after having separating from her husband. Police said they received a call from another resident of the house who said Spring entered the apartment and attack his wife.

He struck and strangled the victim and forced her from the house and into a vehicle, Enfield Police said in a report.

"The victim was struck numerous times in the face and head with fists from the suspect," the report said.

Spring eventually parked the car at a home in South Windsor and fled. The victim then sought assistance from people in the home. Police were called and she was brought to Rockville Hospital by ambulance and treated for cuts and bruises, the report said.

South Windsor Police found Spring a short time later walking near the home where he stopped the car. He was turned over to the custody of Enfield Police, the report said.

Here are five ways obituaries leave special instructions.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- Take a friend fishing. Don't vote for Hillary Rodham Clinton. Buy a lottery ticket. And keep Mom away from my ashes.

These are among thousands of emotional, humorous, sometimes snarky requests inserted into published obituaries, attributed to the deceased or their families. And though complete strangers have always been among the audiences for messages from beyond the grave, digital death notices mean they now reach far beyond family and friends to people around the world.

"It takes just one funny, unusual or touching line for an obituary to go viral," said Katie Falzone, director of operations for Legacy.com, which compiles and archives death notices.

Here are five ways obituaries leave special instructions:

1. Campaigning from the grave: Staunch Republican Larry Upright of Kannapolis, North Carolina, had an obituary that ended with the line: "The family respectfully asks that you do not vote for Hillary Clinton in 2016. R.I.P. Grandaddy."

That bit of stumping won national attention and all kinds of comments on the funeral home's website and on social media. News accounts were tweeted, retweeted and referenced on Facebook and viewed on YouTube tens of thousands of times.

"We got some sweet responses and we got some nasty responses," said Upright's wife, Colleen. "But we're Uprights, and that just rolls off our backs."

There have been other politics-oriented dying requests in recent years: to vote for George W. Bush and to support his removal from office; to donate to President Barack Obama and to support "anyone but Obama"; to vote Democratic and to support the tea party.

2. Obituaries with a social message: After 24-year-old Molly Parks of Manchester, New Hampshire, died last month from a heroin overdose, her obituary also spread through cyberspace, fueled by the brokenhearted pleas of her father.

"If you have any loved ones who are fighting addiction, Molly's family asks that you do everything possible to be supportive, and guide them to rehabilitation before it is too late," he wrote.

3. Many focus on ceremonies of death. Bob Harrar of Orlando, Florida, who died in December, put these instructions into his obit: "Make sure you don't give my ashes to my mother. She'll put them in a drawer with my grandparents."

Milton Miller of Little Rock, Arkansas, left word that anyone feeling sad about his passing should "mix a beverage of your choice and hum the Razorback fight song."

Garland Babcock of Anchorage, Alaska, left very specific instructions to have his ashes "put in an old trucker's Thermos and driven in a red Chevy truck to Monterey Bay, California."

And the obituary for Larry Sajko of Port Richey, Florida, said, "Larry requests no cellphones at his service."

4. Obituaries that focus on personal property. When Christian "Lou" Hacker died last month in Valatie, New York, his obituary said he left behind "a hell of a lot of stuff his wife and daughter have no idea what to do with."

So they told readers, "If you're looking for car parts for a Toyota, BMW, Triumph, Dodge or Ford between the years of about 1953-2013, or maybe half a dozen circular saws, still in their boxes with the Home Depot receipts attached, you should wait the appropriate amount of time and get in touch."

Hacker's wife, Mina, said this past week that the invitation was "mostly a joke and no one has taken us up on it."

"Actually, it will take us a while to decide what to do," she said. "Everything is attached to a memory."

5. Then some obituaries just get really weird: When "in lieu of flowers" appears in an obituary, it typically requests donations to a favorite charity of the deceased. But it's also been attached to a variety of strange requests.

"In lieu of flowers, tune up your car and check the air pressure in your tires -- he would have wanted that," read the 2011 obituary for B.H. Spratt of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

And these:

"In lieu of flowers, the family asks that if you smoke, try quitting at least one more time."

"In lieu of flowers, if you knew 'Bud,' he would want you to mix yourself a Manhattan."

"In lieu of flowers, buy a lottery ticket. You might be lucky."

Thomas Taylor of Durham, North Carolina, was apparently hoping to get some money back after his death. Taylor died in 2008, nine years after making his funeral arrangements.

His obituary said one of Taylor's last requests "was to contact the Cremation Society to ask for a refund because he knew he weighed at least 20 percent less than when he paid for his arrangements."

The deliberately provocative contest had been expected to draw outrage from the Muslim community.

By EILEEN SULLIVAN,ERIC TUCKER
and RYAN VAN VELZER

WASHINGTON -- Since at least 2007, the FBI has been able to recognize the voice of Elton Simpson -- one of the men suspected in the Texas shootings outside a contest featuring cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad.

Agents heard the young man from Phoenix talk about fighting nonbelievers for Allah. About plans to travel to South Africa and link up with "brothers" in Somalia. About using school as a cover story for traveling overseas.

Simpson was arrested in 2010, one day before authorities say he planned to leave for South Africa. But despite more than 1,500 hours of recorded conversations, the government prosecuted him on only one minor charge -- lying to a federal agent. Years spent investigating Simpson for terrorism ties resulted in three years of probation. He also was ordered to pay $600 in fines and court fees.

Then, on Sunday, two men whom authorities identified as Simpson and Nadir Soofi opened fire in a Dallas suburb on a security officer stationed outside the contest.

The deliberately provocative contest had been expected to draw outrage from the Muslim community. According to mainstream Islamic tradition, any physical depiction of the Prophet Muhammad -- even a respectful one -- is considered blasphemous, and drawings similar to those featured at the Texas event have sparked violence around the world.

Simpson and Soofi were wearing body armor, and one shot the guard in the leg. The officer returned fire and struck both men, killing them. The guard was treated for his injury at a hospital and released.

Simpson, described as quiet and devout, had been on the radar of law enforcement because of his social media presence, but authorities did not have an indication that he was plotting an attack, said one federal official familiar with the investigation. Less was known about Soofi, who had no criminal record, according to a search of federal court records.

Simpson had worshipped at the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix for about a decade, but he quit showing up over the past two or three months, the president of the mosque told The Associated Press.

A convert to Islam, Simpson first attracted the FBI's attention in 2006 because of his ties to Hassan Abu Jihaad, a former U.S. Navy sailor who had been arrested in Phoenix and was ultimately convicted of terrorism-related charges, according to court records. Jihaad was accused of leaking details about his ship's movements to operators of a website in London that openly espoused violent jihad against the U.S.

In the fall of that year, the FBI asked one of its informants, Dabla Deng, a Sudanese immigrant, to befriend Simpson and ask for advice about Islam. Deng had been working as an FBI informant since 2005 and was instructed to tell Simpson he was a recent convert to the religion.

Over the next few years, Deng would tape his conversations with Simpson with a hidden recording device accumulating more than 1,500 hours of conversations, according to court records.

"I'm telling you, man, we can make it to the battlefield," Simpson is recorded saying on May 29, 2009. "It's time to roll."

In court, prosecutors presented only 17 minutes and 31 seconds during Simpson's trial, according to court documents.

"I have to say that I felt like these charges were completely trumped up, that they were just trying to cover up what had been a very long and expensive investigation and they just couldn't leave without some sort of charges," Simpson's attorney, Kristina Sitton said.

Sitton described Simpson as so devout that he would not even shake her hand and would sometimes interrupt their legal meetings so he could pray. She said she had no indication that he was capable of violence and assumed he just "snapped."

On Monday, federal agents spent hours canvassing a Phoenix apartment complex where the men apparently lived. Bob Kieckhaver, one of a number of residents who were evacuated for about nine hours from units near the men's apartment, said one of them had a beard and wore an Islamic version of a prayer cap. He was quiet but the second man was more open and would greet others at the mailboxes. Both men were seen feeding stray cats, he said.

Simpson was quiet, never angry and a regular on the basketball court playing with young members of the mosque, said Usama Shami, president of the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix where Simpson worshipped for years. He asked questions about prayer and marriage, Shami said. And he was rattled by the FBI investigation into him years earlier. Shami said most people at the mosque knew Deng was an informant because he showed such little interest in learning about Islam.

"I've never seen him angry," Shami said of Simpson. "That's the honest truth. He was always having a grin."

Van Velzer reported from Phoenix. AP reporters Brian Skoloff, Paul Davenport Phoenix and Jamie Stengle contributed from Garland, Texas.

A caller reportedly found a bullethole in the window of his Parkside Street residence and a shell casing on the porch.

SPRINGFIELD — Police were investigating an apparent weekend shooting incident in the Hungry Hill section of the city.

A caller contacted authorities at 5:55 p.m. Sunday to report that he found a bullethole through a window at his Parkside Street home and a shell casing on the porch. Police were dispatched to investigate.

Parkside Street is just east of Shriners Children Hospital.

On Thursday afternoon, police were called after a handgun was found in some bushes bordering the Melha Avenue side of the hospital.

The Springfield Police Detective Bureau can be reached at 413-787-6355.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced the "New England Drive to Save Lives" campaign with troopers and highway safety officials from all six states at a commuter lot off Interstate 91 in Windsor, Connecticut.

By DAVE COLLINS

WINDSOR, Conn. -- State police across New England on Monday launched the region's first coordinated crackdown on speeding and failing to wear seat belts.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced the "New England Drive to Save Lives" campaign with troopers and highway safety officials from all six states at a commuter lot off Interstate 91 in Windsor, Connecticut.

State police in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine will be targeting speeding and the use of seat belts and child restraints on interstates 91 and 95 this week. Local police across New England will join state police for a second week of increased enforcement in August on highways and secondary roads across the region.

Authorities are calling the effort a highly visible mobilization and public education campaign designed to reduce car crash deaths and injuries. The six states also are using the slogan "Stop Speeding Before It Stops You" employed by the national "Drive to Save Lives" program, which was started three years ago by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Speeding is a factor in 30 percent of fatal accidents nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"The message will be clear," said Connecticut State Police Col. Brian Meraviglia. "Going over the speed limit? Be prepared to be stopped by a trooper. Not wearing your seat belt? Again, be prepared to be stopped by a trooper. If motorists decide to skirt the law they must have to be prepared to pay, perhaps with their wallets or perhaps with their lives. But it doesn't have to be that way."

In 2013, there were 276 car crash deaths in Connecticut, 145 in Maine, 326 in Massachusetts, 135 in New Hampshire, 65 in Rhode Island and 69 in Vermont, according to the latest data compiled by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. More than 30,000 people are killed on the nation's road each year.

Vermont had the highest car crash death rate at 11 deaths per 100,000 residents, followed by Maine at 10.9, New Hampshire at 10.2, Connecticut at 7.7, Rhode Island at 6.2 and Massachusetts at 4.9.

"We strongly believe that this collaborative effort ... will heighten motorists' awareness and hopefully reduce the number of speed-related crashes throughout our region," said Michael Geraci, regional administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "I ask the motoring public all across New England to take our message seriously."

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 46 points to close at 18,070.

By STEVE ROTHWELL

NEW YORK -- The stock market closed just short of a record on Monday as investors assessed some positive earnings reports.

Cognizant Technology Solutions, a technology consulting business, was the biggest gainer in the Standard & Poor's 500 index after it reported earnings that beat the expectations of Wall Street analysts and raised its outlook for earnings and sales for the year. Tyson Foods, the maker of Jimmy Dean sausage products, was another company whose stock gained after posting strong earnings.

Corporate earnings for the first quarter have surpassed analysts' expectations, growing slightly rather than contracting, as had been forecast. That's helping boost demand for stocks, keeping alive a bull market that is now in its seventh year.

"Earnings haven't been as bad as people were expecting ... the picture isn't too bad," said Sean Lynch, Co-Head of Global Equity Strategy for Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 6.20 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,114.49, within three points of its all-time high reached on April 24. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 46.34 points, or 0.3 percent, to 18,070.40. The Nasdaq composite gained 11.54 points, or 0.2 percent, to 5,016.93.

Stocks also got a lift from the first gain in factory orders since last summer.

Orders rose in March for the first time since last July, breaking a long stretch of weakness in manufacturing. The increase of 2.1 percent followed seven monthly declines, the Commerce Department reported Monday. Also, orders in a key category that tracks business investment plans eked out a 0.1 percent rise. It was the first advance in the category since last August.

The most closely watched piece of economic news this week will come out on Friday, when the government releases its monthly jobs report. Investors follow the survey closely because they believe it will give them insight into when the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates.

Fed policy makers have heled their benchmark interest rate close to zero since 2008. Most investors expect that they will refrain from raising rates until the second half of the year at the earliest, to allow the economy more time to strengthen.

Although the economy slowed in the first three months of the year, companies have still managed to continue to increase their earnings.

Average earnings-per-share for S&P 500 companies are forecast to rise by 1.7 percent in the first quarter, according to data from S&P Capital IQ. While the pace of growth has slowed from the final quarter of 2014, it is a much better performance than analysts were expecting at the start of April. At that time analysts were predicting a slump of 3.1 percent.

On Monday, Cognizant Technology Solutions beat Wall Street analysts' forecasts and raised its earnings and sales outlook for the year. The stock climbed $3.64, or 6.2 percent, to $62.78.

Tyson Foods rose 60 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $41.09 after its earnings were better than analysts predicted.

In bond trading, prices edged lower.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which moves in the opposite direction to its price, climbed 2.14 percent from 2.12 percent on Friday.

Gold rose $12.30, or 1 percent, to $1,186.80 an ounce. Silver climbed 30.6 cents, or 1.9 percent, $16.44 an ounce and copper fell a penny $2.92 a pound.

In energy trading, oil slipped slightly. Benchmark U.S. crude fell 22 cents to close at $58.93 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude fell a penny to close at $66.45 a barrel in London.

The euro gave up some of its recent gains, falling to $1.1148 from $1.1192. The dollar fell to 120.13 yen from 120.28 yen.

In other energy futures trading on the NYMEX:

1. Wholesale gasoline fell 1.1 cents to close at $2.034 a gallon.
2. Heating oil fell 0.3 cents to close at $1.979 a gallon.
3. Natural gas rose 4.5 cents to close at $2.821 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Mildred Lefebvre said she is willing to step into what she feels is a city leadership vacuum.

Updated at 10:51 p.m. Monday, May 4, 2015 to correct the ages of Mildred Lefebvre's five children to between 9 and 22.

HOLYOKE -- School Committee member Mildred Lefebvre said Monday (May 4) she is running for mayor because the city needs leadership and she believes more can be done to fight the state's decision to seize the public schools than Mayor Alex B. Morse has shown.

"No, I think he could still do more. I'm not ready to throw in the towel just yet," Lefebvre said.

For example, when asked about possible steps she might support, she said she would back pursuit of a court injunction to block the April 28 receivership decision of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) from taking place.

The state is taking over the schools because of years of chronically poor student academic results after years of warnings from the state to improve. The step, called receivership, means DESE Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester will appoint a receiver who will have complete authority to run the schools, removing the authority of Superintendent Sergio Paez and the School Committee.

Morse disputed Lefebvre's assertion about his efforts regarding receivership.

"I signed the same letter as Mildred, and the rest of our colleagues on the School Committee letting the state know how we felt about receivership. The commissioner has made it clear that this was his decision, and his alone," Morse said.

Lefebvre, 40, is in her first term as the Ward 1 School Committee member. She is a licensed nurse with Holyoke Rehabilitation Center on Easthampton Road.

Lefebvre, who took out nomination papers to run for mayor weeks ago, discussed her decision with The Republican and MassLive.com in front of Dean Technical High School, 1045 Main St.

"I'm for the people. I'm not a politician and I'm not pretending to be. This is the city I call home," Lefebvre said.

She is the mother of five children between the ages of 9 and 22, she said.

On public safety, Lefebvre said, "I'd like to see more community policing, more of that. It does cost money."

On the economy, she said she would work to attract more businesses here to increase the tax base and bring jobs. She shares the view that the commercial property tax rate is too high, at $39.93 per $1,000 valuation. But she said she would need to study the process of the setting of the tax rate, where the City Council weighs the shifting of the burden between home and business owners, before stating how she would recommend how that burden should be shared.

"We'll have to look at it. I can't give you an answer right now," Lefebvre said.

The residential property tax rate is $19.04 per $1,000 valuation.

Morse is running for his third, two-year term as mayor.

Ward 2 City Councilor Anthony Soto has said he will announce a bid for mayor May 21. Francis P. O'Connell, owner of O'Connell Care at Home, said Friday he will be a candidate for the seat, as well.

The deadline for candidates to file nomination papers is July 28. Those for mayor must file papers with at least 250 signatures of registered voters to qualify for the ballot.

If necessary, a preliminary election will be held Sept. 22 to narrow the field to the top two vote getters, who would then compete in the general election Nov. 3.

Lefebvre said she is of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent. She has lived in Holyoke off and on for 18 years. She was born in Northampton and also has lived in Chicopee and Miami, Florida, she said.

"My running for mayor is a decision that, with the support of family and friends, did not come hard to make," she also said, in prepared remarks.

"I love Holyoke and only want the best for the for the city I call home. I am not a politician and do not pretend to be one. Promises are made on what will be done for our city. I do not offer promises that I cannot keep," she said in the prepared remarks.

"The only promises that I can offer to the people are that I will serve and stand by them; I will give my 110 percent in all that I do. I firmly believe in family values, transparency, accountability and standing up for what you believe in no matter the obstacles that may stand in your way," she said.

The Longmeadow Fire Department has been awarded a $188,852 grant to buy protective equipment for its firefighters.

LONGMEADOW — Congressman Richard Neal is expected to offer remarks at a Homeland Security grant announcement scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Longmeadow Fire Department, 44 Williams St.

Neal, D-Springfield, is scheduled to speak at the ceremony, which involves a $188,852 grant for the Fire Department. The "operations and safety" program award will be used to buy protective equipment for Longmeadow firefighters.

Prior to the Fire Department event, the congressman is scheduled to speak at a 10:30 a.m. groundbreaking ceremony for the new Rehabilitation Center at Jewish Geriatric Services, 770 Converse St., Longmeadow.

Sgt. Paul Thorpe says deputies responded after the woman called for help while being assaulted Saturday at Duffy's summer home in Sebago, Maine.

PORTLAND, Maine -- A man has been accused of helping a woman escape from a group home in Massachusetts and then sexually assaulting her at his summer home in Maine.

 

Sgt. Paul Thorpe says deputies responded after the woman called for help while being assaulted Saturday at Duffy's summer home in Sebago, Maine. Thorpe says Duffy had corresponded with the woman on a website for abused women before helping her escape from a group home in Carver, Massachusetts.

Duffy was arrested Sunday. He was returned to jail after making his first court appearance Monday and can't be reached for comment. A message has been left at his home.

The grants from FEMA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, total nearly $950,000 and were awarded over the past several days.

Related coverage: U.S. Rep. Richie Neal, D-Springfield, is slated to speak at grant announcement ceremony at Longmeadow Fire Department on Tuesday, May 5.

The grants from FEMA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, total nearly $950,000 and were awarded over the past several days.

The largest award went to the Burlington Fire Department, which received $327,656 through the FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant, as the program is known. The grant will be used to purchase 48 self-contained breathing apparatus and 17 additional face pieces, according to Burlington Fire Chief Steve Yetman.

"This critical grant will give the Burlington Fire Department the resources it needs to better protect our firefighters, who risk their lives during emergency situations everyday," Yetman said.

He said the updated equipment meets the latest National Fire Protection Agency standards and replaces the department's aging and obsolete breathing equipment.

As a condition of the grant, Burlington will match 10 percent of the federal contribution, or $32,765.

Other Massachusetts fire departments receiving FEMA grants for new equipment are:

• the Brewster Fire Department, $54,477;
• the Dartmouth Fire Department, $43,334;
• the Douglas Fire Department, $17,143;
• the Fitchburg Fire Department, $91,708;
• the Halifax Fire Department, $23,469;
• the Longmeadow Fire Department, $188,852;
• the Plainville Fire Department, $10,183;
• the Taunton Fire Department, $123,710;
• the West Barnstable Fire Department, $11,240;
• and the West Springfield Fire Department, which received $53,091.

The town's master plan calls for improving conditions for pedestrians and cyclists.

GREENFIELD -- Greenfield is taking steps to become more bicycle-friendly.

Last week, six-foot bicycle lanes were painted along the northern section of Federal Street, giving two-wheeled commuters along Route 5 a designated corridor on their way to and from the downtown district.

"It is not a scenic, recreational ride," said Department of Public Works Director Don Ouellette. "This delineation of a bike lane shows the commitment of the town to biking as an accepted mode of transportation."

The bicycle lanes, marked by reflective paint, run from Silver Street to the Garfield and Maple street intersection. The lines change from solid to dashed approaching each cross street. Bicyclists will queue with automobile traffic at the Pierce and Beacon Street signalized intersection, taking the correct lane for each turn.

Greenfield has painted designated bike lanes along Federal Street.

Federal Street south of Maple is designated as a "sharrow," or shared travel lane, because of the prevalence of on-street parking in the central business district. No on-street parking will be changed for the project.

In addition, eight new bicycle-parking loops will be added to the downtown in coming weeks, thanks to the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, officials said.

On-street bike lanes were added to Silver Street in 2013 as part of a traffic-calming project that included solar-powered speed signs.

City officials are advising bicyclists to follow the rules of the road, and telling motorists not to use the bike lanes to pass other cars.

____________________________________________________________

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com.

Marlene Michonski of Whitman and Northampton resident Wendy Foxmyn are the two finalists for the town administrator position

HATFIELD -- Marlene Michonski, of Whitman, and Northampton resident Wendy Foxmyn are the two finalists for the town administrator position, selectman Marcus Boyle confirmed on Monday.

 

Michonski formerly served as the administrator here. She is currently an office manager for the Braintree Department of Public Works.

Foxmyn recently served as interim town administrator in Deerfield. She held a similar post prior to that in Northfield, and is currently employed as a mediator.

A date has not been set for when selectmen will make a decision, Boyle said.

Connecticut authorities have trapped an "aggressive bear" that chased joggers at the McLean Game Refuge on Monday afternoon, Granby Police Capt. William Tyler said Monday night.

Updates story published at 3:33 p.m. Monday, May 4.

Officers from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection believe they have captured the bear that was responsible for the "aggressive interactions with people" and were removing it from the game refuge, Tyler said at about 9 p.m.

However, the Hartford Courant, citing a state environmental agency official, said the bear was expected to be killed. Dennis Schain, spokesman for the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, said the bear would be euthanized because of its aggressive behavior towards humans.

On Monday afternoon, the juvenile male bear chased two joggers – a man and a woman – in separate incidents at the game refuge, police said. The man sustained minor injuries while running through the woods to get away from the animal, according to authorities.

Following the close encounters, Granby police issued a warning about an "unusually aggressive bear" at the wildlife refuge at 150 Barndoor Hills Road, located about 4 miles south of the Massachusetts line.

Black bears generally are wary of humans and tend to avoid people when they sense their presence.

MAP showing approximate location of wildlife refuge where bear chased runners:

Executive Officer

Granby Police Department

A sobriety checkpoint will be held at an undisclosed Norfolk County location on Saturday, May 9, into Sunday, May 10, according to Col. Timothy Alben, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police.

A sobriety checkpoint will be held at an undisclosed Norfolk County location on the evening of Saturday, May 9, into the morning of Sunday, May 10, Col. Timothy P. Alben, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, announced Monday.

The purpose of the grant-funded checkpoint is to increase public safety by removing intoxicated motorists from state roadways, police said.

The checkpoint will operate during varied hours and the selection of vehicles won't be arbitrary, police said.

In 2013, the most recent year for which data were available, there were 326 fatal crashes in Massachusetts, 118 of which were related to alcohol, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

He is slated to undergo surgery on Tuesday.

Radio host Dan Williams
 

Rock 102 midday radio host Dan Williams was injured when a bicycle he was riding was struck by a truck in Ellington, Conn., on Monday afternoon.

Williams was thrown 20 feet and suffered a broken fibula and tibia, severe road rash and cuts. His safety helmet was cracked in half, according to his wife and former radio partner Kim Zachary.

He is slated to undergo surgery on Tuesday.

"My husband has ridden cross country twice on his bicycle without incident. He will not leave the driveway without his helmet. Today that helmet saved his life," Zachary said. "It doesn't matter how young or old you are, wear the helmet. You're not Superman."

Williams is a staunch advocate of helmets.

Zachary said the truck driver ran a stop sign. Police accident reports were unavailable on Monday night.

Williams was bicycling to prepare for the upcoming 15th annual Katelynn's Ride, which raises funds for The Jimmy Fund and Baystate Medical Center's Sadowsky Center for Children.

The couple have been longtime supporters of the charity event.

The right lane of I-91 near exit 13-B was closed for about 35 minutes while authorities responded to the crash.

WEST SPRINGFIELD — A driver was injured in a rollover crash that tied up traffic in the southbound lane of Interstate 91 during the Monday evening commute.

The right lane of I-91 near exit 13-B was closed at about 6:40 p.m. and reopened about 35 minutes later, according to Western Mass News, media partner of MassLive / The Republican.

The driver was hospitalized with minor injuries.

Speed was not a factor in the crash, State Police said.

Police said they recovered evidence across from 35 Knox St. after responding to a ShotSpotter activation early Tuesday morning.

SPRINGFIELD — Police responded to a shooting incident early Tuesday morning in the city's Six Corners neighborhood, where they recovered evidence but found no apparent victims.

Police received 911 calls and a ShotSpotter activation indicating two rounds of gunfire on Knox Street between roughly Dexter and Newman streets at about 2:30 a.m. The call brought multiple police units to the street, which dead-ends at Renee Circle and has been the scene of past homicides and gun violence.

After about 15 minutes of investigation, a sergeant reported that evidence was found across from 35 Knox St. He didn't specify what that evidence was, but he said it would be tagged and that a report would be filed, according to preliminary police reports.

The Knox Street area has seen its share of gunfire including the first homicide of 2015, which occurred near the corner of Knox and Mill streets, and two other fatal shootings in 2014 and 2010.

More recently, police were called to the same stretch of Knox Street for a March 28 gunfire incident that damaged a neighborhood home.

The Springfield Police Detective Bureau can be reached at 413-787-6355.

MAP showing approximate area of Springfield shooting incident:

UMass will launch search for new chief soon.

AMHERST - With University of Massachusetts Police Chief John Horvath set to leave this month, UMass has named Deputy Police Chief Patrick Archbald as interim chief, effective May 11.

Horvath will become chief at the Rockport Police Department.

This will be Archbald's third stint as interim chief, according to a press release. He led the department for seven months in 2012 after the departure of Chief Johnny Whitehead, and for four months in 2003.

"Deputy Chief Archbald's experience and knowledge will provide critical continuity during this time of leadership transition at UMPD," said Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Enku Gelaye, who named Archbald to the position.

"He has a long record of devoted service to the community, and we deeply appreciate his commitment to taking on this additional responsibility."

Gelaye said a national search for a new police chief is planned and will begin shortly.

Archbald has served with department since 1987, according to the release.

He received his master's degree in public policy and administration from UMass Amherst in 2005 and attended the Harvard Kennedy School executive education program "Crisis Leadership in Higher Education" in 2014.