The train was stopped for about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

This updates a story posted at 4:43 p.m.

CHICOPEE - A 14-year-old boy walking on train tracks behind Meadow Street was struck by a passenger train and injured Wednesday afternoon.

The boy was conscious after being hit. He was taken to Baystate Medical Center by ambulance, according to Michael Wilk, Chicopee Police Department media officer.

The accident happened at about 3:40 p.m. behind the Auto Wash business on 919 Meadow St. where there is a dirt path leading to the tracks. The boy appeared to have been knocked out of his sneakers during the accident.

"Amtrak Train 56 came into contact with a trespasser," Kimberly Woods, an employee for Amtrak Corporate Communications.

Train tracks are considered private property and it is illegal to walk on them.

"At the time of the incident 102 passengers were on the train. There are no reported injuries to passengers or crew members," Woods said.

She did not say if the passengers remained on the train after the engineer stopped following the accident. The train was allowed to leave at about 4:50 p.m.

Train 56 is the Vermonter, which travels daily between Washington, D.C., and St. Albans, Vermont. At the time of the accident, the train was heading north to Vermont and service was delayed while the train was stopped for more than an hour.

Amtrak police and Chicopee police were at the scene of the accident collecting evidence. Investigators at the tracks declined to comment on the accident.

Investigators did confirm the track is part of the new high speed rail that can reach speeds of up to 80 miles an hour. The train however does not go that fast in the Meadow Street area, typically traveling 35 to 40 miles an hour.

Amtrak officials declined to say how fast the train was traveling, saying it is part of the investigation.

The event is free at the Hadley Council on Aging.

HADLEY - Police are inviting the public to have lunch with them Friday when people bring documents to the Senior Center on Middle Street to shred.

The police are co-sponsoring a free shredding event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. along with the Northwestern District Attorney's Office, Valley Green Shredding, the council, and TRIAD/Seniors and Law Enforcement Together 

Police will be cooking burgers and hot dogs.

People don't have to be from Hadley but this only for residents, not businesses, according to a press release from the district attorney's office. 

A vehicle heading northeast on Route 202 rolled over Thursday afternoon, causing a traffic backup.

SOUTH HADLEY -- A vehicle heading northeast on Route 202 rolled over Thursday afternoon, causing a traffic backup.

The vehicle towing a trailer was heading from Holyoke to South Hadley when it crashed near the rotary just across the Connecticut River, Western Mass News reports.

A sergeant with the South Hadley Police Department said officers are still on scene just after 3 p.m. and further information about the accident was not yet available. 

The shutdown was scheduled for Friday night but the contractor needs additional time to prepare for the work, officials said.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - The planned shut down of the Memorial Bridge rotary this weekend has been pushed back a week because the contractor needs more time to prepare for the work, the state Department of Transportation announced.

The shutdown is now scheduled for June 26 at 10 p.m. through June 30 at 5 p.m. and will result in the closing of the Memorial Bridge to traffic during that time. The work will also affect Route 5 traffic between the North End and South End bridges.

The $15.6 million project is designed to replace the two bridges in the rotary that span Route 5. The project is among those included in the state's accelerated bridge program, which is designed to replace failing structures as quickly as possible.

The rotary was shut down two weeks ago as part of the same project as one of the two bridges was replaced.

The two bridges were installed in 1953.

Replacing them is part of a larger effort to improve traffic flow to and from the Memorial Bridge and to make the section of roadway more accessible for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Residents are concerned about the impact on their property values from the planned solar energy system.

WILBRAHAM - The Planning Board Wednesday heard a proposal for ground mounted solar energy system on six acres of land off Tinkham Road owned by the Charles Merrick Trust.

The proposal is to site a solar energy array on property which was damaged in the June 1, 2011 tornado.

No Fossil Fuel LLC is proposing to build the solar energy system which would be surrounded by 12-foot tall arbor vitae.

Marilyn Colby of 964 Tinkham Road said she lives next door to the proposed solar project.

She told the Planning Board at a Wednesday meeting, "It doesn't belong in a residential area."

She added, "It doesn't belong in Wilbraham."

Adam Basch, a member of the Planning Board, said his understanding is that the Planning Board cannot prevent the project from being developed, it can only regulate it.

"This is an allowed use in a residential area," Basch said.

Edward Heler of 2 Evangeline Drive, near the proposed solar array, said he plans to mount a legal challenge to the project.

He said that if an industrial use is proposed for a residential area, "Residential property values go down."

Michael Frenette of No Fossil Fuel LLC said the proposal is to put the solar array in an area sparsely populated with trees which was disturbed by the tornado.

"This is not a forest," Frenette said.

Basch said the Planning Board does not have the authority to stop the project, just to regulate it.

Planning Board Chairman Jeffrey Smith said the Planning Board will address all concerns.

He said the zoning regulation calls for a 12-foot buffer which will provide a buffer in four seasons.

The solar array will be owned by IGS Energy which will lease the property for 25 years from the Merrick Trust. The project would be built by Beaumont Solar of New Bedford and will provide energy to National Grid.

IGS will work out an agreement with the Board of Assessors providing for an annual payment in lieu of taxes for the solar array.

The property will be fenced.

Frenette said solar power arrays are "a quiet, friendly neighbor" which provides a public good by assisting the electricity grid during peak events. The development will place no demands on the school system, he said.

Police Chief Roger Tucker said he has no public safety concerns with the project. The project will have no impact on traffic.

A public hearing on the project was continued until July 15 at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall.

Planning Board members said that if a special permit is issued for the project, a list of conditions will be issued as well.

A Bay State couple claim to have one of the infamous 'Deflategate' footballs and are putting it up for auction on.

A digest of news stories from around New England.

Desmond Mighty 

Puppies stolen during armed home invasion too young to have been taken from mother, Auburn police say [Boston Herald] Related video above

Tom Brady 

Massachusetts Attorney General's office decides not to act on complaint from Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribe against Plainridge Park Casino, due to open next week [Cape Cod Times] Related video below

Lawrence Hutchins 

Crosby had a friend who owned land that was eventually sold to Wynn Resorts for a casino in Everett.

By GINTAUTAS DUMCIUS

BOSTON - With the first slot parlor authorized under a 2011 law set to open in less than a week, the chairman of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission said Thursday an ethics complaint against him was dismissed.

In an email to commission staff thanking them for their work leading up to the opening of the slots parlor in Plainville, Gaming Commission chair Stephen Crosby wrote that he wanted to personally inform them the State Ethics Commission dismissed the complaint against him.

Crosby was in the spotlight over an accusation of potential conflict of interest during the awarding of an eastern Massachusetts casino license last year.

"Although it is profoundly discouraging to have my integrity or that of the process called into question, this development yet again substantiates our pledge to operate in a 'participatory, transparent and fair' manner," he wrote. "Like any organization, we must always strive for improvement, but I sincerely believe that we are demonstrating how the best public policy decision making can be done, in a uniquely transparent and participatory manner."

"Our agency will remain committed to those fundamental principles, and when necessary, we will staunchly defend our commitment to those principles," he added.

Crosby's email was sent just before the start of a Gaming Commission meeting.
Earlier on Thursday, the Ethics Commission sent a letter to Crosby's attorney, Michael Ricciuti of K & L Gates, saying they voted to end the preliminary inquiry "based on lack of evidence."

"This matter is now closed," the commission said in the letter.

The commission received a sworn complaint from an unidentified person on Oct. 1 2014, alleging Crosby violated the state's conflict of interest law, and in mid-October, the commission authorized the preliminary inquiry.

The statement alleged that Crosby got involved with licensing in eastern Massachusetts -- also known as "Region A" -- after recusing himself in May 2014.

The existence of the preliminary inquiry surfaced in the Boston Globe last week.

Days later, Crosby told reporters he had been cooperating with the inquiry and denied any wrongdoing. Saying he followed ethics regulations and often asked the Ethics Commission for advice, he added that the commission had sent him a letter before the inquiry telling him he was "doing all the things I should be doing."

His fellow gambling commissioners backed him during a meeting last week. "At no time after he recused himself on May 8, did Chairman Steve Crosby offer to me publicly or privately any suggestion, opinion or hint whatsoever about how any aspect or component of the Region A licensing decision should be resolved," said Gaming Commissioner James McHugh, who took over as chair of the "Region A" licensing effort after Crosby recused himself.

The license was ultimately awarded in September 2014 to Wynn Resorts, which plans to build a $1.7 billion casino in Everett and is aiming to open it in 2018. Mohegan Sun had proposed building a casino on Suffolk Downs racetrack land in Revere.

Crosby, appointed chair of the Gaming Commission by Gov. Deval Patrick in 2011, had a friend who owned land that was eventually sold to Wynn.

"As the commissioner (McHugh) said, when I recused myself, I was totally out of it. I had nothing to do with the decision-making on the license," Crosby told reporters last week.

The restrictions, announced on May 26, banned most outdoor water use from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The ban applied to lawn irrigation - although watering with a handheld hose was allowed - and the washing of vehicles, exteriors of buildings, parking lots, driveways and sidewalks.

NORTHAMPTON -- Restrictions for nonessential use of city water that been in place for about three weeks have been lifted, according to the the Department of Public Works.

The restrictions, announced on May 26, banned most outdoor water use from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The ban applied to lawn irrigation - although watering with a handheld hose was allowed - and the washing of vehicles, exteriors of buildings, parking lots, driveways and sidewalks.

Water could still be used for agricultural purposes.

The city is obligated to curb municipal water use when the Mill River flows at a rate of less than 26.3 cubic feet per second for three consecutive days, Northampton DPW Director Edward S. Huntley said. The water restriction can be lifted when the stream flow rises above that level for seven days straight.

The ban is a requirement of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, which regulates the city water supply.

Huntley said the restrictions have been put in place each year for the past five summers.

Jurors to resume deliberations Friday in Holyoke murder case against Joshua Santos and Jose Rodriguez.

SPRINGFIELD - Jurors deliberated all day Thursday before going home without a verdict in the murder case against Jose Rodriguez and Joshua Santos.

The jury in the trial before Hampden Superior Court Judge John A. Agostini is scheduled to resume work Friday. Jurors began deliberations early Wednesday afternoon.

Rodriguez, 25, and Santos, 27, both of Springfield, are on trial for the fatal shooting of Juan Quinones on the back porch of an apartment building at 16 Cabot St. in Holyoke on June 2, 2013.

The prosecution alleges Santos, a ranking member of La Familia street gang, ordered Jose Rodriguez to shoot Quinones.

Jose Santiago, 22, of Holyoke, is also charged with the murder but testified for the prosecution for eight hours last week.

Santiago - who is scheduled for a separate trial - implicated Rodriguez and Santos in the murder, saying Santos at first ordered him to do the shooting but he wouldn't.

Rolondo Colon, the leader of the La Familia street gang for Holyoke at the time, ordered the hit on Quinones, 23, of Holyoke, Santiago said.

No clear motive for that hit has emerged to date in the trial.

Colon, the fourth co-defendant, pleaded guilty to manslaughter and an illegal firearms charge before this trial started.

Santiago and Damien Alvarado, two main prosecution witnesses, testified they have cooperation agreements with the Hampden District Attorney's office. They hope to get consideration on their own cases, they said.

Assistant District Attorney Joan Dietz told jurors Rodriguez shot Quinones in the top of the forehead when he was on his hands and knees after Rodriguez shot him in both thighs.

Agostini, who is hearing the trial and who heard Colon's guilty plea, sentenced Colon, 38, who has a Ware address listed in court records, to a total of 19 to 20 years in state prison, the sentence recommended by prosecution and defense. The sentence is 14 to 15 years for manslaughter plus five years on an illegal firearm charge

The veterans learned four years ago the planes they flew at Westover had been contaminated with Agent Orange.

This is an update of a story posted at 1 p.m.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has pledged to immediately begin providing benefits to Westover veterans and others who were exposed to Agent Orange while flying on and fixing planes previously used in the Vietnam War.

Secretary Robert A. McDonald announced Thursday that health care and disability benefits for veterans exposed to dioxin, the toxic chemical in Agent Orange, have been expanded to those who served on the C-123 Provider planes following the war.

"Opening up eligibility for this deserving group of Air Force veterans and Reservists is the right thing to do," McDonald said. "We thank the IOM (Institute of Medicine) for its thorough review that provided the supporting evidence needed to ensure we can now fully compensate any former crew member who develops an Agent Orange-related disability."

A rough estimate shows there could be 2,100 people eligible for the benefits. It could cost the government $47.5 million over a decade to provide health care and disability payments to eligible veterans and their families, the Department said in a written statement.

Under the ruling, active duty Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve crews who served on or repaired the contaminated planes are presumed to have been exposed to dioxin during their service, making it easier for them to establish entitlement for health benefits and disability payments if they develop one of the about 20 diseases known to be caused by Agent Orange, according to the statement.

A number of the C-123 cargo planes were used to spray Agent Orange over the Vietnam countryside to destroy crops and defoliate trees. Following the war, the planes were sent to Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, Rickenbacker Air Force Base in Ohio and Pittsburgh Air National Guard Base.

A group of veterans from Westover learned through government documents that the planes they flew in and worked on had been contaminated with Agent Orange.

Westover Reservists flew the planes between 1973 and 1982. Tests done more than a decade after the planes were retired showed most of them were contaminated with dioxin.

Veterans only learned about the testing four years ago when a number started becoming ill with heart disease, diabetes, prostate cancer and other diseases known to be caused by Agent Orange exposure. At the time Retire Maj. Wesley Carter began researching government documents and learned the planes they flew in had been used to spray Agent Orange.

"This is good in every way that I could imagine, except for the four years that it took," said Carter, now of Colorado, who served as an air medical technician and flight instructor and examiner with Westover's 74th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron for 20 years and led the fight for benefits.

Carter has calling for the Department of Veterans Affairs to grant the C-123 veterans the same Agent Orange exposure benefits as those who served in Vietnam. That regulation presumes anyone who spent a day in the country had been exposed to Agent Orange and is eligible for health and disability benefits if they fall ill from one diseases known to be caused by dioxin.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Thursday granted the presumptive benefits to the Reservists and National Guard members who served on the C-123 planes and additionally added veterans who worked of the planes at a number of active duty bases such as Clark Air Force Base, in the Philippines; Langly Air Force Base, in Virginia, and Howard Air Force Base, in Panama, Carter said.

The department also ruled veterans could immediately start applying for benefits, bypassing a 60-day comment period usually required for new regulations.

"In order to avoid unnecessary delay of benefits, claimants should annotate 'C-123' after each Agent Orange related disability," according to a statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

It will also process all the claims related to Agent Orange exposure on C-123 planes in one location in St. Paul, Minnesota. A hotline has also been set up at 800-749-8387 so C-123 veterans can receive more information, according to the department.

Carter, who flew to Washington, D.C., for the announcement, said he is happy with the results but remains frustrated that the department ignored Department of Defense information submitted in 2013 and earlier that showed veterans were exposed to Agent Orange on the planes.

He said he will continue to work with agents in the department to review missteps so other veterans do not have to fight the same battle.

In a closed-door meeting with Veterans Affairs officials after the announcement, he said he also asked officials to review claims from C-123 veterans that had been previously rejected and are currently going through the appeal process, which can take two years or more.

"Today, we ask that (Department of Veterans Affairs) Secretary (Robert) McDonald and Under Secretary for Benefits Allison Hickey accept the thanks of 2,100 veterans and our families. We also ask their careful review of VA actions to insure that toxic exposure veterans never again face such an unhappy struggle," he said.

Despite the fact that Carter was supported by hundreds of government documents that showed the planes were contaminated with Agent Orange, federal Veterans Affairs officials repeatedly denied the veterans would have been exposed to the chemical in their 10 years of flying and repairing the planes.

Chemists and other experts on Agent Orange submitted letters disputing the position but the Department refused to bend.

Then in February, the Institute of Medicine Committee, an independent, non-profit arm of the National Academy of Sciences, reported that the veterans were exposed to Agent Orange while flying the contaminated planes. The study had been commissioned by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Despite increasing media attention and pressure from politicians and national veterans groups, the department continued to stall on granting benefits.

In May McDonald pledged to finalize a decision by the end of the month. That deadline passed while veterans continued to wait.

Archer Battista, of Belchertown, who also flew the C-123 planes at Westover, said the long wait and reams of red tape leave him hesitant to declare a complete victory.

"Until I see these guys and girls accepted into the system and cared for I'm not ready to put my disbelief of permanent hold," he said.

He continues to try to reach out to other veterans who many not be aware that they were exposed to Agent Orange and is hoping the Department of Veterans Affairs will help the group contact people who served at the bases in question.

By informing veterans, they can be warned to notify their doctors that they were exposed to Agent Orange so they can take precautions to prevent them from becoming ill or catch cancers or other illnesses in their early stages, Battista said.

"It is great. It is wonderful. I think we now see if the VA is good to its word in the accepting of claims and processing of claims," he said.

State Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who joined with a half-dozen fellow senators to urge the department to expedite their decision to provide benefits to the C-123 veterans, released a statement thanking the department for the decision.

"It has long been clear that thousands of reservists who served our nation on C-123s, including at Westover, were exposed to dangerous levels of Agent Orange and deserve these benefits. While it should have happened sooner, the VA made the right decision to ensure that these veterans finally get the care they need," Warren said.

State Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, also wrote a letter in support of the veterans during the battle. He thanked the Department of Veterans Affairs for the decision.

"I have always believed we have an obligation to care for our veterans who put themselves in harm's way protecting and defending our country. And that is why I took this case to the VA directly. In my opinion, the Westover fliers were exposed to deadly toxins while on duty, and as a result, they are entitled to additional medical benefits. I applaud Secretary McDonald for making this sensible and humane decision," Neal said.

Carter said he will officially disband the C-123 Veterans Association, which has maintained an extensive website. Members instead can join the Vietnam Veterans of America or any other group.

"It's done," he said.

Smith & Wesson announced its year-end financial results Thursday after the stock market closed.

SPRINGFIELD - Smith & Wesson reported sales for the fiscal year ending April 30 of $551.9 million, a dip from the previous year, the Springfield-based company announced Thursday while touting a strong fourth quarter and good results from its new accessories division.

Fourth quarter earnings beat Wall Street projections.

Smith & Wesson stock traded at $16.10 Thursday night, up 32 cents of 2.03 percent on after hours trading. A year ago, the stock was trading at $15.52 a share.

That is decrease of 11.9 percent from the from $626.6 million in sales reported in the previous fiscal year which ended April 30, 2014.

Smith & Wesson, like the rest of the firearms industry, experienced great sales growth in 2013 and 2014. Gun buyers feared that regulations would tighten in the wake of high profile shootings in  Colorado and at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. But as time passed, the firearm market returned to normal.

However, Smith & Wesson did report a strong fourth quarter to the most recent fiscal year.

Other results from Thursday's release:

• Income from continuing operations, a measure of profits, was $49.8 million compared with $88.6 million in the previous fiscal year.
• That works out to 90 cents per share, compared with $1.47 per  share last year.
• In terms of sales, firearm division net sales were $531.2 million, a decrease of 15.2 percent from the previous year. That was partially offset by sales in the accessories division where net sales were $20.6 million. The accessories division is new, created after Smith & Wesson bought Battenfield Technologies in November.

Battenfield, based in Missouri, sells sells shooting, reloading, gunsmithing and gun cleaning products under several brand names: Caldwell Shooting Supplies, Wheeler Engineering, Tipton Gun Cleaning Supplies and Lockdown Vault Accessories.

For just the most recent quarter:

• Income from continuing operations was $21.9 million compared with $24.9 million for the same quarter in the previous fiscal year.
• That works out to 40 cents  per share on the quarter, compared with 44 cents a share for the fourth quarter of the previous fiscal year.
• Quarterly earnings of 35 cents per share were predicted by analysists surveyed by  Zacks Investment Research.
• Fourth quarter sales showed improvement. Sales totaled $181 million, an increase of 6.2 percent  from the fourth quarter last year.
• Firearm division net sales of $166.4 million for the fourth quarter. That's a decrease of  decreased by 2.4 percent from the comparable quarter last year, the company said.
• The decline was offset by $14.6 million of net sales related to the accessories division.

In a news release, James Debney, Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation President and CEO said:

Smith & Wesson also announced that it has paid down the line of credit it used to buy Battenfield.

Smith & Wesson has 1,475 full-time employees, mostly at its massive gun factory and headquarters on Roosevelt Avenue. The company was founded n 1852 by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson.

In May 2014, Smith & Wesson bought Tri Town Precision Plastics, Inc. of Deep River, Connecticut, for $22.8 million. Tri Town had been a major supplier of plastic parts for Smith & Wesson, which at the time said it was trying to vertically integrate its operations and secure its supply chain .

Asked whether there may have been any political motivation involving the scrutiny of the fire chief, Three Rivers Prudential Committee Chairman Ray Domey said: "Everyone just take a deep breath and wait until they see the charges."

PALMER - The Prudential Committee, the governing board for the Three Rivers Fire and Water District, remains mum on why it convened a meeting Wednesday "to discuss the discipline or dismissal" of Fire Chief Scott Turner.

The agenda for the Wednesday meeting states: "The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the discipline or dismissal of, or complaints or charges brought against the Fire Chief." No action was taken against the chief at that meeting.

In an interview that morning at fire headquarters, Turner said the Prudential Committee has not informed him of any complaints, and he did not attend the June 17 meeting.

"I have yet to receive any charges," he said, but declined to comment further. More than two dozen supporters, including firefighters, residents, and the Three Rivers Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary attended the 10 a.m. meeting.

Turner became chief in 2012 following the retirement of Patrick O'Connor.

Contacted by telephone Wednesday night, Three Rivers Fire District Prudential Committee Chairman Ray Domey said the plan was to discuss complaints about the chief with Turner.

"He should have been there," the chairman said. "We wanted to go over a lot of things people in the district have been complaining about."

Another meeting may be scheduled to address the matter.

"The issue is not over," Domey said. "The attorney general's office told us to start the process all over again." He did not elaborate.

In addition to Three Rivers, the town's governmental structure also includes water and fire districts for the Thorndike, Bondsville, and Palmer villages.

The quartet of districts each have their own fire chief and fire departments, prudential committees, water personnel, and hold town meetings and annual elections - that are separate from the duties of the Palmer Town Council and Town Manager - for those functions.

Meanwhile, questions have been raised about absentee ballots in last month's Prudential Committee election when Domey was re-elected. He defeated challenger Dennis Moynahan.

According to Domey, the final tally, announced on May 22, was 82 votes for him, and 59 for Moynihan.

Domey acknowledges handing out absentee ballots to prospective voters who live in Three Rivers, saying it was done to assist elderly residents.

"Some of them were mailed; some of them were handed to me, sealed, and mailed - there was no Mickey Mousing," Domey said in a telephone interview. He said he doesn't know how many he distributed.

He also said that when questions were raised about the process, following tabulation of votes, he, legal counsel for the fire district and the organization's clerk went to the Secretary of State's Office in Springfield the following week.

"They instructed us how to properly" adhere to state law involving Prudential Committee election in fire and water districts, Domey said.

"They do not reverse elections," he said, referring to the Secretary of State's office.

Brian McNiff, a spokesman for Secretary of State William Galvin said on Thursday that the Three Rivers Prudential Committee election procedure is being investigated but declined to comment further.

Moynahan said he contacted the election division three times, beginning the day after the May 19 election, asking the Secretary of State's Office to review the absentee ballot process.

He said, to date, he has not been contacted by the office.

He said that the voting that took place by those present at the May 19 annual meeting showed Domey with 62 votes, to 56 for him.

Moynahan said that more votes were tallied up on May 22, a deadline set by the Prudential Committee to accept mailed-in absentee ballots, and that the final result was about 80 to 60.

Moynahan said when he heard that Domey was distributing absentee ballots he obtained 20. "But I ended up not distributing them," Moynahan said, because he thought the procedure improper.

As for Turner, Moynahan said that June 17 meeting last only a couple of minutes.

"The chief is a good guy, and he's doing a good job, and the people on the fire department like him very much."

"Accessing and viewing child pornography exploits and victimizes these children over and over again," Healey said.

SPRINGFIELD - A city man is scheduled for arraignment Friday in Springfield District Court on a charge of possessing child pornography.

Jeffrey Lynn Duncan, 53, was arrested by state and Springfield police Thursday.

The arrest came two months after state Attorney General Maura Healey's office received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about an e-mail account that was allegedly receiving child pornography, according to a news release from the attorney general.

State police assigned to the office began an investigation and linked the account to Duncan. After obtaining a warrant to search a home linked to Duncan, investigators seized several devices that revealed images of child pornography, the release states.

"Accessing and viewing child pornography exploits and victimizes these children over and over again," Healey said.

"We are committed to protecting our children and will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute online predators," she added.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Hoerner of the office's cyber crime division. In addition to state and Springfield police, members of the attorney general's digital evidence lab also assisted in the case.

"If the military is going to operate gambling facilities that bring in tens of millions of dollars in revenue, it also needs to ensure there is adequate prevention, treatment, and financial counseling available for servicemembers struggling with gambling addictions," Warren said.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate on Thursday adopted an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act introduced by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, calling for the Government Accountability Office to study whether additional resources are needed to help members of the armed forces who struggle with gambling addictions.

"If the military is going to operate gambling facilities that bring in tens of millions of dollars in revenue, it also needs to ensure there is adequate prevention, treatment, and financial counseling available for servicemembers struggling with gambling addictions," said Warren, D-Massachusetts.

The Department of Defense currently operates an estimated 3,000 slot machines at military installations overseas, generating annual estimated revenues of $100 million-plus and millions more from bingo games, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling. However, the Department of Defense has no dedicated treatment program or prevention efforts for problem gambling.

"By examining the risk of problem gambling among servicemembers and the resources currently available, this amendment is an important first step in helping members of the armed forces and their families who are affected by problem gambling," Warren said.

Studies consistently find gambling addiction rates among active-duty servicemembers and veterans are significantly higher than the general population, according to the National Council on Problem Gambling. An estimated 36,000 active-duty members of the military meet criteria for a gambling problem, the Washington-based organization reports.

Workers had been digging a deep trench, which caused the sewer main to collapse.

CHICOPEE - Grattan Street near the intersection of Grace Street is expected to be closed until at least 10 p.m. Thursday.

The road closure has been extended so workers can repair the section of the sewer main that collapsed during construction.

An accident during the construction on one of the projects to separate sewers from storm drains, city officials said.

Workers had been digging a deep trench for the new main near the old pipe. The trench was deep and near the old pipe and caused the existing sewer main to collapse.

YMCA officials are considering options related to the pursuit of approval for a parking lot.

HOLYOKE -- The majority of the City Council decided against referring to committee for more discussion a letter related to a controversial vote the council took in March about a Greater Holyoke YMCA plan for a parking lot.

The council Tuesday (June 16) overruled a proposal from Ward 3 Councilor David K. Bartley to send to committee a letter from an abutter that initially had opposed a zone change the YMCA sought in order to build a parking lot and now has withdrawn that opposition.

The letter, which included meeting minutes of a nonprofit group, was only a communication and not a legal proposal to revisit the City Council's March 17 rejection of the YMCA's zone-change petition.

The June 12 letter to the City Council was from Betty Medina Litchenstein, president of the Valley Housing Development Corp. It said the group's board decided on June 8 to withdraw its opposition to the YMCA's zone change request for the lot at Appleton and Pine streets.

The group's opposition to the YMCA's zone-change petition was key. Because abutters such as the Valley Housing Development Corp. had filed what is known as a protest petition, before the City Council took a vote on the zone-change petition, that increased to 12 votes instead of the normal 10 votes the total that the YMCA needed from the 15-member City Council to get the zone change needed to build the parking area.

The 21-space area was planned for the lot across from YMCA headquarters at 171 Pine St.

Zone changes normally require only a two-thirds majority of the City Council, or 10 votes.

On March 17, the City Council actually "approved" the YMCA's zone change petition by a vote of 11-4. But it failed in this case by falling one vote short of the 12-vote threshold prompted by the abutters' protest petition.

Bartley said the Valley Housing Development Corp. letter merited a committee discussion. He made a motion to have the council receive the letter and ship it to the Ordinance Committee.

But other councilors said it was merely a letter, not a proposal on which the council could take action. Ward 7 Councilor Gordon P. Alexander amended Bartley's motion to have the council only receive the letter.

Councilor at Large Rebecca Lisi, chairwoman of the Ordinance Committee, said the council was not in the business of receiving meeting minutes from such nonprofits.

"We're not in a position to do anything with this," Lisi said.

Kathy Viens, YMCA chief executive officer, said Monday that officials there are considering options in light of the Valley Housing Development Corp. withdrawing its opposition to the parking lot zone change. Options include refiling the zone change petition and seeking to get approval for the parking lot by special permit from the city, said .
YMCA officials and supporters said the facility needs the additional parking to accommodate its 4,000 members.

The current zone of the lot, Downtown Residential, prohibits a commercial parking lot, and the YMCA requested it be changed to Downtown Business zone.

The dispute leading up to the City Council vote that denied the zone change had several features. It included praise for the YMCA as a community organization.

There was criticism of the YMCA as a poor neighbor for tearing down a building that had stood on the lot since 1881 to make room for a parking lot despite lacking the zone change needed to build the parking lot.

The clash included assertions that making the small area a parking lot would have amounted to the unfair and illegal practice known as spot zoning. Neighbors opposed to the zone change threatened to file a lawsuit against the city if the City Council had voted yes.

During "joyful" graduation ceremonies in the sanctuary at Temple Beth El on Tuesday, Lafontaine said one of the endearing attributes of the class of 2015 was the fact that "they loved each other."

SPRINGFIELD — The last day of school at Curtis Blake Day School for students with language learning disabilities on Thursday was bittersweet for students,their parents and teachers as they bid goodbye to the 979 Dickinson St. location that has been home since 1981.

American International College announced in March that it would close the school at the end of the term, citing declining enrollment at 37-student school and AIC's decision to focus on other learning disability services it offers.

Until the Children's Study Home in Springfield stepped in to operate the program at its Mill Pond campus next fall, the future of the school was in doubt.

Parents of students at the school, bolstered with support from Friendly Ice Cream Corp. co-founder Curtis Blake, rallied to keep the school open, starting a fund drive and seeking a new operator for the school.

Curtis Blake Principal Linda Lafontaine said on Wednesday that while this year's eighth-grade graduating class was the last to study at school located at Temple Beth El, younger students received a certificate of student achievement award highlighting their accomplishments there.

"It was important that we honored the kids that won't continue here," she said.

Because the school is small in size, Lafontaine said she and other staff members at the school think of them as their own children.

During "joyful" graduation ceremonies in the sanctuary at Temple Beth El on Tuesday, Lafontaine said one of the endearing attributes of the Class of 2015 was the fact that "they loved each other."

Lafontaine said all of the students at Curtis Blake are resilient and tenacious in their their drive to master language and reading skills that many of us take for granted.

"They don't give up," she said.

In her graduation speech to the students and their families, Lafontaine said she praised them for the size of their hearts, their ability to focus on one task at a time, their drive to keep trying and their kindness in helping others in the class.

The Children's Study Home - already licensed to serve children with behavioral health issues - has applied for an additional state license to operate the Blake program for students with language-based disabilities at its campus on Old Acre Road in Springfield, according to Eliza Crescentini, executive director of the agency.

"We can operate as an unapproved program, pending the new license," Crescentini said last month, adding that the study home hopes to obtain the new license as "swiftly as possible."

The Study Home is hoping that many of the Curtis Blake staff will teach at the new location.

"The work that is being done by educators at Curtis Blake is incredibly important and effective," Crescentini said, calling the Children's Study Home's role in keeping the school running "an incredible gift."

History of the Curtis Blake Day School:

• Friendly Ice Cream co-founder Curtis Blake donates $250,000 to AIC to build the Curtis Blake Center on the campus and launch a program for learning disabled population.


• Blake later donates $750,000 to expand Curtis Blake Center, leading to the establishment of the day school on the AIC campus.


• Day School rents space at Stony Hill Road Elementary School in Wilbraham.


• Curtis Blake Day School moves to Temple Beth El.


• AIC announces closing of the day school in June 2015.


• Parents rally to save the school with support from Curtis Blake.


• Children's Study Home announces it will take over operation of the school at its Mill Pond campus.


• Eighth-grade graduation, June 16.


• Last day of school on Dickinson Street, June 18.

The group is expected to make recommendations that focus on prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery.

BOSTON - Gov. Charlie Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders plan to release the report of an opioid addiction task force on Monday.

The report had been scheduled to be released this week, but the release was delayed because Healey was out of town.

Baker formed the task force, which was chaired by Sudders and included experts in health care, drug addiction and law enforcement, in February. The task force held four public hearings around the state, heard from 1,100 people and reviewed thousands of pages of documents. During the hearings, recovering addicts and bereaved family members told heartbreaking stories as they asked for more treatment beds, better insurance coverage and more education.

Sudders has said the group will make recommendations that focus on prevention, intervention, treatment and recovery.

Baker has said previously that he hopes to improve an existing prescription drug monitoring program and to encourage insurers to develop their own best practices for opioid management.

Lawmakers have placed growing attention on opioid addiction, as the state is seeing ever increasing numbers of overdose deaths. Former governor Deval Patrick signed a law last summer that included several provisions aimed a reducing drug addiction, including making it easier for addicts to have their treatment covered by private insurers.

The Baker administration this week launched a public awareness campaign related to drug addiction.

Massachusetts State Police troopers are near the Boston University campus Friday afternoon, investigating a report of an officer-involved shooting.

This post was updated at 4:50 p.m. on Friday to include information from a Massachusetts State Police press conference. 

Massachusetts State Police troopers are investigating a report of an officer-involved shooting near the Boston University campus Friday afternoon.

A uniformed trooper was on patrol on the Silber footbridge, near Storrow Drive, when a man holding a knife approached him, State Police Col. Timothy P. Alben said during a press conference. 

The man shared "threatening gestures and words" when the trooper asked him to put down his weapon and stop walking towards him, Alben said. 

During the encounter four shots were fired, killing the man. "One trooper, we believe at this point, fired the shots," he said. 

A woman near the scene told The Boston Globe she witnessed a man holding a knife approach uniformed police officers. She said they shot him four times.

"I saw him go down," she told The Globe.

Police declined to share the man's identity until his next of kin was notified. 

This is a breaking news post that will be updated as more information becomes available. 

The rally in Amherst will be held at 1 p.m. on the Town Common.

AMHERST - Local activists will be joining with others across the country to protest torture June 26, the day the United Nations has officially designated as Torture Survivors and Families Day.

The demonstrations organized by Amnesty International call attention to the Summary Report on Torture released by the Senate Committee on Intelligence. 

So far, in spite of more than 50,000 emails, letters, and phone calls by Amnesty International members to the U.S. Attorney General's office, there have been no responses, according to the release, from the local chapter of Amnesty International.

"Several residents of our community were political prisoners in other countries where they suffered torture.  Let's offer our respect and support to them on this day, June 26," according to the release from Martha Spiegelman, coordinator, of the Amherst chapter.

Demonstrations are scheduled in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago and San Francisco, according the Amnesty website The demonstration here is scheduled for 1 p.m. on the Town Common.