Broomfield's mother said he went to fight ISIS because he felt it was "God's will."

Keith Broomfield as shown in a photo released to the media by the Kurdish group YPG. Broomfield was killed June 3 in Syria fighting against ISIS. YPG photo via Twitter 

The U.S. State Department has confirmed that a 33-year-old Massachusetts man was killed in Syria where he had gone to join Kurdish forces in combat against ISIS, according to news reports.

Keith Broomfield, 33, of Westminster, a community north of Worcester, died June 3 while fighting along side Kurdish forces in Syria, according to the Associated Press.

Broomfield may be the first American to die in combat against the radical Islamic group, officials said. Previously, a British citizen, an Australian and a German woman have been killed fighting with the Kurds.

The U.S. State Department also confirmed the death to NBC News and that he is from Westminster.

Donna Broomfield, his mother, told NBC News that he felt it was God' s will to travel to Syria to fight ISIS.

#American #YPG fighter Keith Broomfield fell martyr near #Suluk, #Rojava (#Syria). #twitterkurds #Kurdistan #ISIS pic.twitter.com/J6C6NNv4qx

— Peshmerga Forces (@KURDISTAN_ARMY) June 10, 2015

"He turned his life over to the Lord and he decided this was God's will and God wanted him to do it," she said.

According to Nasser Haji, an official with a group of fighters known as the YPG, Broomfield was killed in a battle in the Syrian village of Wentere, which is near the border town of Kobani. Haji did not elaborate on how he died.

Haji said Broomfield had joined the YPG on Feb. 24, under the name of Gelhat Raman.

According to the Guardian, dozens of westerners, including several veterans of the Iraq war, have traveled to the Middle East to join the Kurds in the fight against ISIS.

Although the U.S. military is engaged in air strikes against ISIS, the State Department advises U.S. civilians against enlisting in the fight.

An Indian Orchard man has received nine months probation in the 2014 theft of two chainsaws from an Agawam tree service company.

Terrell Hood, 32, admitted to sufficient facts in Westfield District Court on two counts of receiving stolen property over $250 after attempting to sell the chainsaws at a pawn shop. The charges will be dropped should he complete probation without incident.

Hood was charged as the accomplice of Timothy Gilligan of Springfield, who was an employee of the tree service when he stole the chainsaws. Gilligan has pleaded guilty to similar charges.

According to police reports:

In early August 2014, Gilligan was a recently hired employee at Top Notch Tree Service in Agawam. The owner found that there were two chainsaws stolen from the business -- a $1,550 value -- and he suspected Gilligan.

Gilligan's supervisor said Gilligan was behaving suspiciously at the time of the thefts.
Gilligan said he needed to go to the bathroom and instead walked into the woods behind the shop. Gilligan then said he lost his car keys, but when the supervisor left the shop and then returned a short time later, Gilligan and his vehicle were gone.

On Aug. 14, police found the two missing chainsaws, which had been sold for $300 at a Springfield pawnshop. The pawnshop owner said Hood had come into the shop with the chainsaws but didn't know how to start them. Hood and the owner then went to the parking lot, where Gilligan was sitting in a vehicle and started the chainsaws for the pawnshop owner.

The event is free and open to the public but donations will be accepted.

SPRINGFIELD - Community leaders will read poetry written by women incarcerated at the Western Massachusetts Regional Women's Correctional Center.

The breakfast event is a fundraiser for the Voices from Inside program, which helps incarcerated women through poetry.

It will be held from 8 to 9 a.m., June 18 at the Springfield Marriott, 2 Boland Way and include a complimentary continental breakfast. The event is free and open to the public but donations for the program will be accepted.

Readers include college professors and women who own area businesses.

Unit pricing, fresh vs. frozen vegetables and sugar content were discussed during the event.

SPRINGFIELD — Learning how to spot a good deal by looking at the unit price, purchasing yogurt and fruit with no added sugars and looking at food labels were just a few of the things Walmart shoppers learned during an educational tour of the store on Boston Road.

Cooking Matters is a program of the No Kid Hungry campaign, which works to end childhood hunger in America by connecting kids in need with the healthy food they need every day.

While the organization generally hosts six- week nutritional classes for those interested, Walmart, which is the national sponsor of Cooking Matters, hosted event days throughout the state for shoppers where they could get a consolidated version of the classes right in the store.

"Nestle sponsored $10 gift cards to Walmart for anyone who participated," said Alicia McCabe, state director of Cooking Matters. " With their support we have been able to make these event days, store tours and nutrition discussions in general a focal point of what the store is doing."

Shoppers who participated got the gift card, a reusable grocery bag, a booklet of healthy recipes and another booklet with simple tips on improving their nutrition and food choices.

Gill Davidson, a volunteer with Cooking Matters, stood in the dairy section and shared different options with shoppers from choosing almond milk or fat free milk over whole milk and being careful when buying yogurt.

"Most people gravitate towards yogurt because they see it as a healthy option," she said. However, some yogurts, especially the ones with candy and even some with fruit, are loaded up with additional sugar. The solution- purchase plain yogurt and add pureed fruit, granola and other healthy mix-ins.

At the whole grain station Amanda Goldfarb warned shoppers not to be fooled by labels that may say whole wheat on them.

"The first thing to do is look at the nutritional label to see what the first ingredient is. The first two words should always be whole grain," she said.

Margot O'Connor and Emily Harrington both discussed unit pricing when it comes to buying produce and protein. It may be more convenient to purchase shredded carrots, but pre-packaged, pre-cut fruits and vegetables are often up to $1 more a pound.

Harrington pointed out that there are healthier and cheaper options than purchasing red meat including lean turkey, chicken or fish as well as beans.

"This is a great opportunity for a store like Walmart that has so many customers to help them make slightly healthier choices," McCabe said. "This can help families eat a little bit better and stretch their food dollars."

A survey released by Share Our Strength found that 85 percent of low-income families want to make healthy meals, but only about half are able to do so on a regular basis. Families cited the cost of healthy groceries as their primary obstacle. Cooking Matters at the Store tours provide shoppers with a strategic plan that enables them to stretch their food dollar in a healthy way.

"We meet participants where they are and provide people with some education and information so that they can make the decisions that are right for them and their families," McCabe said.

Massachusetts state law requires the secretary of Housing and Economic Development to draft a comprehensive economic development plan within the first year of a new governor taking office.

SPRINGFIELD - Massachusetts Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash will host later this  month one in a series of Economic Development Roundtable discussions at the UMass Center at Springfield in Tower Square downtown for

The session is set to last from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. June 25

The discussion will be organized at six tables and with six different themes: fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship; sector strategies in high growth; emerging and mature businesses as well as small businesses; competitiveness and regulations; talent retention and workforce development, and housing development.

Ashe was appointed earlier this year by Gov. Charlie Baker. He previously served as the city manager in Chelsea from 2000 to 2014. His job in state government encompass housing and community development, job creation, business development, consumer affairs and business regulation.

This meeting has a specific purpose. Massachusetts state law requires  the secretary of Housing and Economic Development to draft a comprehensive economic development plan within the first year of a new governor taking office. This meeting will help Ash form that economic development plan.

Other meetings are set for: Lowell, West Barnstable, Lynn, Quincy, Worcester. All are on the June 25.

The event is open to the public, but people are asked to register using an Eventbrite page. The link can be found here.

Agawam police made an early morning arrest at the Agawam Motor Lodge, the site of over 180 police responses this year.

On Tuesday morning, Town of Agawam inspectors walked the hallways of the Agawam Motor Lodge, a troubled motel that houses many homeless and low-income tenants. A Western Mass News investigation had uncovered reports of a hypodermic needle found under a mattress and bed bugs, and police had responded to the building 184 times this year alone, Mayor Richard A. Cohen said.

Hours earlier, Agawam police were on one of those calls, arresting a tenant in those same hallways.

Around 2 a.m. Tuesday, four Agawam officers responded to an open 911 call at the motel. The dispatcher could hear a man and woman arguing in the background, according to a police report, so officers began scouting the hallways for signs of a disturbance.

Officers heard a man swearing aggressively in a room, according to the report. They knocked on the door and were greeted by Luis Galarza, 27. He and his girlfriend had been having an argument but neither had called police, they both said.

The officers returned to their cruiser and ran the woman's name, which was not given in the report, and found she had a warrant for her arrest. They returned to the unit, and when Galarza answered the door one officer allegedly spotted a bag containing white powder residue sitting on a dresser.

Galarza allegedly admitted the substance was cocaine, and he was arrested on a charge of possession of a class B drug. He was arraigned in Westfield District Court and his girlfriend was arrested on the active warrant, according to the police report.

The next morning, town officials gathered at the Agawam Motor Lodge, pledging to use the full extent of the law to address the motel's problems. Residents have called for condemning the motel, though Agawam associate solicitor Patrick Toney told Masslive Tuesday that such a move would be complicated.

"The process is only taken after a finding that a building is unsuitable for human habitation," he said.

Cohen has urged tenants with safety concerns to contact the town's health department, and said the town had not received complaints until he became aware of the problems through media reports.

One of the drivers, Marybeth Steele, 36, of Feeding Hills, was in stable but critical condition Wednesday afternoon, Agawam Police Lt. Jennifer Blanchette said. The other driver, Mandana Salehi, 47, of Westfield was released from the hospital after being treated for her injuries.

AGAWAM -- A Feeding Hills woman was in critical condition Wednesday after being involved in a head-on crash on Route 187 in Agawam earlier this week, according to police.

A Jeep Wrangler and a Lexus SUV collided in the front yard of a home on 187, otherwise known as North Westfield Street, shortly before 6 p.m. Monday. Both drivers were taken to Baystate Medical Center following the crash, Agawam police said.

One of the drivers, Marybeth Steele, 36, of Feeding Hills, was in stable but critical condition Wednesday afternoon, Agawam Police Lt. Jennifer Blanchette said. The other driver, Mandana Salehi, 47, of Westfield was released from the hospital after being treated for her injuries.

Police reopened that section of Route 187 at about 9 p.m. Monday.

The cause of the crash is being investigated by the Agawam Police Department, Massachusetts State Police' Crime Scene Services Section and Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section (CARS) and the The Hampden County District Attorney's Office.

An East Haven, Connecticut, mother was charged with two counts of murder in connection with the deaths of her children at their home last week.

A digest of news stories from around New England.

Connecticut mother charged in deaths of her 6-and 7-year-old children found dead at home [New Haven Register] Related video above

Keith BroomfieldFacebook.com 

Central Massachusetts native killed fighting with Kurdish forces against Islamic State in Syria [NECN] Photo at left

Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, left, is seen with then Gov. Deval Patrick in the Statehouse in 2011.Josh Reynolds / Associated Press file 

A dangerousness hearing is set for June 16, when a bail amount may be determined

BELCHERTOWN - Keith Truehart is being held without bail following his Wednesday arraignment on charges he broke a baby's ribs and left the 9-month-old with severe head and facial injuries.

A dangerousness hearing is set for June 16, when a bail amount may be determined.

Truehart, 30, who had been on the run since November and was arrested in Belchertown the morning of June 10, was on the state's most wanted list; he was transported later in the day to Eastern Hampshire District Court.

Truehart was charged with two counts of assault and battery on a child with substantial injury, and one count of obstruction of justice/witness intimidation, the court said.

"Mr. Truehart (will be) held without the right to any bail," Judge Michael Mulcahy said at the 11 a.m. arraignment.

The judge approved a motion to impound a portion of the case record.

Truehart was represented by a public defender, attorney Korrina Burnham of the Committee for Public Counsel. She declined to comment when leaving the courthouse.

In a statement, the State Police said, "Evidence indicates that in November 2014 the child suffered severe head and facial injuries while she was alone with Truehart on a day when her mother was not home. During a medical examination of the injuries the child was also found to have suffered previous fractures of two of her ribs. Evidence established that the child's severe injuries were inflicted by Truehart and could not have been the result of an accident."

Assistant Northwester District Attorney Caleb Wiener is prosecuting the case against Truehart.

Police say Truehart was apprehended at about 5 a.m. hiding under a sink in his girlfriend's apartment off North Main Street in Belchertown. She is the mother of the infant. The authorities did not say whether he is the child's father.

The Bookmobile will begin making regular visits on June 29.

CHICOPEE - Standing in front of the city's new Bookmobile filled with books, movies, magazines and other materials Library Director Nancy Contois shared her opinion about the Public Library's newest program.

"Is this really cool? It is so exciting," she said.

She was not alone in showing their enthusiasm for the city's new Bookmobile that will officially hit the road on June 29, a few days after students are released for summer vacation.

The summer schedule will include visits to eight different parks, the Boys and Girls Club, Sunshine Village and the River Mills Senior Center, she said.

One of the best parts of the Bookmobile is the enthusiasm everyone showed for the project and the collaboration of community organizations and a wide variety of city departments, Contois said.

When Mayor Richard J. Kos first took office he challenged library officials to come up with something to improve the community. The Library Board of Trustees responded that they have wanted a bookmobile for some time to reach many city neighborhoods.

Norman Girouard, chairman of the Board of Library Trustees, figured a bookmobile was a long-term dream. Instead eight months it is ready to hit the road.

That is because the Polish National Credit Union's trustees and its president James Kelly stepped up and donated $75,000 to purchase the vehicle. It recently submitted the first of five $15,000 payments to the city.

Kelly spoke briefly at the event, saying he is proud the Polish National Credit Union is helping to improve the city.

"If you can't make it to the library, let the library come to you," he said.

In addition Links to Library donated a stack of books to add to the library materials and the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce is holding a five kilometer race at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday to raise money for the bookmobile. The race will begin and end at the Portuguese American Club on Exchange Street and the $25 entry fee will include brunch at the Munich Haus.

When the effort was announced, other departments readily stepped up to help as well. The Fire Department found a bay to house the vehicle and firefighters have pledged to wash it. The Central Maintenance Department helped select the vehicle and design it so it will best serve the library and the Parks Department helped design the schedule so it will reach families and finally the library staff put in countless hours on the project, Contois said.

Kos said he was delighted to see the Bookmobile ready to roll so the library can serve neighborhoods that are not close to the main library or the Fairview branch.

The roll out comes one day after city officials announced it would close the Chicopee Falls branch library because of declining circulation. One of the regular Bookmobile stops will be at Lincoln Grove Park, where the branch building is located.

He said he pictures parents checking out books and reading them to their children in the parks. As part of the effort, the library will also be starting a new One Card that will allow children to use a Chicopee Public Schools identification to check out books.

The schedule, which still has a few slots to be filled, will visit every ward in the city at least once biweekly, he said.

He thanked the Polish National Credit Union staff and trustees for their generosity, saying the city faces constant financial demands and he cannot fund every idea that comes across his desk.

The schedule will be modified and collections of books and other materials will be updates as librarians see what people want most as the Bookmobile begins visiting neighborhoods. People can also order materials online and pick them up when the Bookmobile stops in their neighborhood.

Hernandez and his lawyers are conducting a post-verdict inquiry, which will involve finding out whether a juror was exposed to matters that were not in evidence.

TAUNTON - The Bristol County District Attorney's office is asking the Superior Court not to seal the latest legal maneuvers in the Aaron Hernandez murder case.

In April, the former New England Patriots star was found guilty of killing Odin Lloyd, the 27-year-old boyfriend of his fiancee's sister. Lloyd's bullet-riddled body was found in a North Attleborough industrial park in 2013.

As he weighs legal options leading up to an automatic appeal of his conviction and mandatory life imprisonment, Hernandez and his lawyers are conducting a post-verdict inquiry, which will involve finding out whether a juror was exposed to matters that were not in evidence.

His legal team wants to keep at least some of these moves under seal, making documents unavailable for public inspection and keeping the courtroom closed during hearings. The DA's office is pushing back, saying the law doesn't allow it.

"The law places a heavy burden on any party seeking to impound court documents or to exclude the public from court proceedings," wrote Assistant District Attorney Roger L. Michel, Jr., in a court filing on Thursday. "Impoundment is always the exception to the rule."

Michel argues that since Hernandez's arrest and trial generated nationwide interest, the public has a right to stay informed in the interest of maintaining the integrity of the court.

"There is simply no appropriate basis for impoundment here," Michel's filing reads.

Hernandez faces another trial later this year for a double murder in Boston in 2012.

Grossman is one of three new appointees to the board, which has faced criticism for not being open to the public.

BOSTON - The Massachusetts Department of Transportation board has appointed three new members to the board of the MBTA pension system - including Gov. Charlie Baker's former rival, former state treasurer Steve Grossman.

The pension fund has come under fire for a lack of transparency, and Grossman could be an influential voice calling for change. Grossman said he would like to see the MBTA's pension system become subject to the same open meeting and open records laws that apply to the state retirement system.

"An entity that is using public resources should be subject to a similar set of rules and procedures as other (state) pension funds," Grossman said. "To the extent that tax dollars are ultimately flowing into that fund, it should behave and operate in a way that's consistent with what I'd call best practices."

Grossman said for the retirement fund meetings to be closed to the public, "I just think that's wrong."

Grossman is not the first to call for more transparency, however, and previous efforts have failed.

"The appointment of the new board members is definitely a step in the right direction, but it's by no means enough to get things going," said Iliya Atanasov, who is a senior fellow on finance and has researched the MBTA for the conservative-leaning Pioneer Institute. "It remains to be seen what they'll be able to do to improve transparency and accountability and remove conflicts of interest from the decision making of the board."

In addition to Grossman, an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for governor in 2014, Baker's administration appointed Mike Heffernan and Betsy Taylor to the pension board. Heffernan was the unsuccessful Republican nominee for state treasurer in 2014 and has a long background working in the financial industry. He also sits on the board of the state pension fund. Taylor is the former director of finance at Massport.

"With these new appointments, this Board can send a strong signal to the MBTA Retirement Fund about the need to be more transparent and accountable," said Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack.  "The Retirement Fund is charged with the administration of a significant amount of money, and the Trustees owe it to the retirees and to the public to demonstrate that they can be entrusted to invest that money appropriately."

The biggest issue related to transparency is that the MBTA pension fund is run by a private trust. So unlike the state employee retirement system, the MBTA pension fund is not subject to open meeting or open records laws. The money going into the pension fund comes from the MBTA and its employees, so to the extent that taxpayer money is used to fund the MBTA, taxpayer money is being invested in the pension fund.

The pension fund came under increased scrutiny after the Boston Globe reported on a $25 million hedge fund investment that went bad. The Globe filed a lawsuit to get access to documents related to the pension fund. The Legislature last year tried to force more disclosure by the board, but instituted only modest rule changes, the Globe reported.

Baker wants to open up the MBTA pension records. In the wake of winter weather that crippled the MBTA, Baker filed legislation that would completely overhaul the MBTA's management and finances. Part of the legislation would open the pension fund up to public records laws.

A letter Baker submitted to the Legislature when he filed the bill wrote, "Consistent with the requirement that the public expenditures must be open to review, the legislation requires a full and independent audit of the MBTA Retirement Fund...and subjects the MBTA Retirement Fund to the public records law."

But Baker is not the first person to want to open up the fund's books. Under former governor Deval Patrick, the three pension fund directors appointed by the Department of Transportation voted to make the MBTA pension fund subject to public review. But the three pension fund directors representing MBTA employees refused. A seventh board member, who is brought in only in case of a tie, sided with the unions.

Among the other new board members, Taylor, in an email, declined to comment. Heffernan could not be reached on Thursday.

The head of the Carmen's Union, which appoints two of the three board members representing labor, also did not immediately return a call.

Steve Crawford, a spokesman for the MBTA pension fund, said, "The Fund management and staff are looking forward to working with the new board."

The $1.59 billion pension fund manages the retirement payments of approximately 6,000 retirees. It had an unfunded liability of $757 million at the end of 2013.

Amhert Regional Principal Mark Jackson was inspired by Humans of New York project.

AMHERST - Last year, Amherst Regional High School students had a lot to process from racist graffiti attacks on former math teacher Carolyn Gardner to school lockdowns when they held the first Dialogue Day.

This year was easier at the school. And as Principal Mark Jackson said the school was not in the headlines.

Still, they wanted to hold a second such day, this more proactive than reacting to and processing events, he said.

The emphasis Thursday Jackson said was on "sharing parts of our identiy." Students were looking at "how you are made." He said the idea was that the sharing would provide "the opportunity to move closer to each other."

He was hoping the day would help students be "better able to manage the world."

At the same time they wanted to look at what they learned this year from movements such as BlackLivesMatter, which had a chapter at that the school.

In a letter to faculty and parents, Jackson said he was looking at a way to separate this day from last year. "I didn't want our experiences in 13-14 to hang over Dialogue Day and, even if only tacitly, provide the rationale for it."

He was inspired this year by the "Humans of New York" project where the photographer takes photos of people he meets and asks them to tell a bit of their story.

He said as a community, "We want to be to be working toward each other, listening to each other's stories is the right place start.

"Narrative almost always builds empathy, If we listen, the bridge will come. Lots of things contribute to a safe, inclusive school climate. A collective willingness on our part - adults and kids, alike - to see each other dimensionally is certainly one of them."

Everyone was given wristbands that read, "Amherst Regional is more than a school, we are a community."

The discussions were held in the morning and in the afternoon, students went outside to listen to music, soak Jackson in a dunk tank, play sports, draw, face paint.

Jackson sad it was a great day.  "The vibe is really positive." He said it was a great way to celebrate the end of the year.

Rachel Guisti, a 17-year-old junior who was getting her face painted, said the day was good but the afternoon was better. "I like this a lot."

Police used a used a downed traffic sign and long-handled ice scraper to get the turtle out of harm's way.

6-11-15 -- Pittsfield -- Police used a downed street sign and a long-handled ice scraper to rescue a snapping turtle from Pontoosuc Avenue Thursday morning.PITTSFIELD POLICE 

PITTSFIELD -- Make way for snappers?

A city police officer and an environmental police officer used a downed traffic sign and a long-handled ice scraper to get a good-sized snapping turtle out of harm's way on Pontoosuc Avenue Thursday morning.

Police said they were summoned to Pontoosuc Ave. about 10:30 a.m. after they received a report of a snapping turtle that was in the middle of the road and backing up traffic.

Police posted a brief account of the rescue on the department's Facebook page.

It concluded with a warning: "As a reminder, do not touch these guys and gals with your hands as they have a vicious bite that has led to many people losing a finger or two."

The post spawned more than three dozen comments on such things as recent snapping turtle sightings throughout the city and whether or not it is safe to handle them.

One commenter included a link to a Mass Audubon web page that states: "Snapping turtles can be dangerous and should not be handled. They are surprisingly fast for their size and can extend their necks the length of their carapace."

The web page also states that snapping turtles can be seriously injured by picking them up by the tail

Small turtles in danger of being hit by cars can be moved across the road in the direction in which they are headed, according to Mass Audubon.

Richard "Rob" O'Riley, 51, of 58 Fisherdick Rd. was fatally injured by a truck driven by an independent contractor who operated his own rig

WARE -- The construction worker for Palmer Paving killed Wednesday morning when struck by a dump truck while working on Interstate 91 in Holyoke is a Ware man with two children and was married more than 23 years.

Richard "Rob" O'Riley, 51, of 58 Fisherdick Road, was fatally injured after being struck by the truck, according to state police. The deceased was married to Kerry (Healey) O'Riley. The couple has raised two children, ages 22 and 18.

A spokesman for Palmer Paving said the truck was driven by an independent contractor who operated his own rig,

According to state police, no charges have been filed against the driver.

The truck that struck O'Riley is a 1992 Kenworth dump truck. The employee operating it was a 54-year-old Westfield man, state police said.

Authorities continue to investigate the incident.

"Troopers working the construction detail rushed to the victim to administer first aid. An ambulance arrived on scene and EMTs determined that the victim was deceased," state police said in a statement on Thursday.

"The death remains under investigation by Troop B of the Massachusetts State Police with assistance from the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the State Police Crime Scene Services Section, the State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section, and State Police detectives attached to the office of Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni."

The accident occurred about 3 a.m. on June 10, near Exit 15 of I-91.

Funeral arrangements are being handle by Charbonneau Funeral Home of Ware, the family said.

As of Thursday afternoon, all the arrangements had not been finalized.

The Baker Administration cited Mary Cowhey, a Title I math teacher, as being a finalist for the 2014 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science.

NORTHAMPTON — A mathematics teacher at the Jackson Street Elementary School was recognized by state and local education officials for being a finalist for the 2014 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science.

Mary Cowhey 

The Baker administration cited Mary Cowhey, a Title I math teacher at Jackson Street, as one of six finalists for the 2014 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science.

Audrey H. Jackson, a fifth grade teacher at the Joseph P. Manning School in Boston, was selected as the 2016 Teacher of the Year. The Massachusetts Teacher of the Year is automatically the state's candidate for National Teacher of the Year.

"Lieutenant Governor Polito and I send our heartfelt congratulations to all the winners and nominees for the excellence in teaching awards presented today," said Gov. Charlie Baker in a press release. "Massachusetts is a national leader in education, and we are grateful to those teachers who work tirelessly every day to ensure that our students have the best possible chance to succeed."

Other winners cited:

2015 Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year:

• David C. McGlothlin, Jr., a teacher at Provincetown Schools in Provincetown

2016 Teacher of the Year finalists:

• Bridget Adam, sixth grade math teacher, Boston Collegiate Charter School
• David Kujawski, sixth grade science teacher, Bird Middle School, Walpole
• Jennifer Ormerod, second grade teacher, Palmer River Elementary School, Rehoboth
• Brett Pangburn, sixth grade English teacher, Excel Academy Charter School in Boston

2016 Teacher of the Year semifinalists:

• Jesse Abrams, fifth grade teacher, Boston Renaissance Charter School, Boston
• Deven Antani, English teacher, Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School, Dighton
• Ryan Casey, math teacher, Orchard Gardens K-8 Pilot School, Boston
• Pamela Dalton, art teacher, Harry Lee Cole School, Boxford
• Caitlin Murphy, world history teacher, The English High School, Boston

2014 Milken Family Foundation Award winner:

• Anthony Petrelis, a fifth grade teacher at John J. McGlynn Elementary School in Medford

Other finalists for the 2014 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science:

• John Heffernen, technology coordinator, Williamsburg Elementary School, Williamsburg
• Nicole Hoyceanyls, sixth grade science teacher, Pierce Middle School, Milton
• Timothy Mulvehill, fourth grade teacher, Boston Renaissance Charter School, Boston
• Angela Palo, science specialist, Horace Mann School for the Deaf, Allston
• Karen Schweitzer, math teacher, Anne T. Dunphy School, Williamsburg

Li-Jun Ma was one of 50 researchers to receive the grant.

AMHERST - Li-Jun Ma, a University of Massachusetts biochemist and genomics expert, was one of 50 researchers nationwide to receive a five-year, $500,000 Burroughs Wellcome Fund Investigator grant. 

"Through four different competitive award programs, these researchers have exhibited extraordinary leadership and research skills," according to the drug company press release.   

"The Fund awards excellence at an individual level, and provides an opportunity for scientists to leverage our support into long and fruitful careers, "said fund president Dr. John E. Burris.  

Ma was one of 11 to receive the Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease awards to develop new treatment options for opportunistic fungal infections.

Other researchers selected were from places such as Harvard Medical School, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania.

In a UMass, press release Ma wants to play a key role in solving the increasingly dire situation faced by physicians treating people with compromised immune systems such as transplant and cancer patients and those with HIV/AIDS.

"It is so sad to see patients lose their battles and families lose their loved ones over infections after enduring long and complicated medical treatments," Ma said. "We really need to deal with the problem."

Last year, Nikhil S. Malvankar, a then postdoctoral researcher UMass received the grant, the first time a UMass researcher was so honored 

Police have arrested a man accused of multiple "upskirting" incidents in Walpole, Westwood and Canton.

A digest of news stories from around New England.

Family mourns death of student, 16, shot while riding bicycle in Dorchester [Boston Herald] Video below

Andrew Gavin 

Arrest made in Leominister homicide [Sentinel & Enterprise]

Gordon Fox 

The event will give paper companies in the region a chance to share ideas and partner up.

SPRINGFIELD - The region's paper industry, once so prominent it gave Holyoke its Paper City nickname, is looking to cooperation and innovation as keys to its future growth here.

Industry trade group the  New England Paper Cluster plans its first meeting June 22 at The Student Prince Cafe and The Fort Dining Room. Attendees will hear from U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal and from Thomas O'Connor, CEO of Mohawk Fine Papers, a New York company developing a new $2 million-envelope factory on Gaylord Street in South Hadley.

"Papermaking has a long and storied history in the valley," said Ben Markens, principal of The Markens Group and president of The Paperboard Packaging Council. "The objective now is to get the voices of paper people together. We certainly have a better chance of solving our problems together than working separately."

Nationally, the pulp and paper industry is working on a branding public relations campaign similar to the old "Cotton: The Fabric of Our Lives."

Neal recently toured Onyx Specialty Papers  in South Lee with fellow U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III.

Markens runs industry trade associations as a profession. He said he's volunteered help organize the Paper Cluster for free as a way of invigorating the dormant trade group. David Southworth of Southworth Co. is the acting chairman and the group exists as part of the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts.

"We are really just seeing if we can get critical mass of paper companies," Markens said. "There is still quite a strong vestige of this industry here, but they don't work together. We are not even sure if we have the names of all the companies."

Expected to attend are:

• Mohawk Paper;
• Pioneer Packaging of Chicopee;
• Seaman Paper of Baldwin and Gardner; 
• FibreMark North America which has its headquarters in West Springfield but its mill in Brattleboro, Vermont;
• Packaging Corp. of America in Northampton;
• Paperlogic, the brand identity  Southworth Co.has developed as it branches into new products, and 
• Marcus Printing Co., Holyoke.

Mohawk plans to create 40 new jobs when it opens the envelope plant  in South Hadley.

Markens said the company, with headquarters just north of Albany in Cohoes, New York, chose the Pioneer Valley as an expansion site because of the skilled workforce available here.

There is research going on that could benefit local companies adjusting to paperless offices and less printed reading material. The University of Massachusetts is doing research.

Paperlogic/ Southworth is working with nanocellulose paper, paper made of tiny fibers that resists heat, tearing and can block light. Other Paperlogic products include paper for watercolor artists and printed decor paper for counter tops and furniture.

"The overall goal is to have more papermaking in Western Massachusetts," Markens said. 

A Chevrolet sedan plowed through the glass entryway of a Shell station on Southwick Road in Westfield Thursday afternoon, strewing glass through part of the convenience store. Watch video

WESTFIELD -- A Chevrolet sedan plowed through the glass entryway of a Shell station on Southwick Road in Westfield Thursday afternoon, strewing glass through part of the convenience store.

No one was injured in the accident, which a Westfield police officer at the scene said took place shortly after 2 p.m. and was caused by a driver mistaking the gas pedal for the brake.

"Basically, she hit the wrong pedal," said Officer Steven Carrington. "She just punched the window out."

The right side of the building's glass front was shattered and its metal window frames bent. At 3:15 p.m. the driver's car was still hooked up to a tow truck in the gas station's driveway, as workers swept up shards of glass that dotted the shop's floor and paved walkway.

"It was time to clean up here anyway," joked one worker to Carrington. "She was trying to drive through, you know?" quipped another.

Store manager Omar Mheid said he was behind the counter when the car drove through the window, crashing into a display case holding flashlights and lightbulbs.

"It went inside, it hit a couple of things and kept going," he said

There were customers in the store at the time of the crash, but none where the car made its entrance, he said. The store remained open after an inspector declared it safe, Mheid added.

The crash is still under investigation, Carrington said.