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Hillary Clinton says Supreme Court gay marriage decision has a message for GOP: 'Move on'

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FAIRFAX, Va. — Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday praised the Supreme Court's ruling declaring same-sex couples have a right to marry and suggested that her Republican opponents were being left behind by history. In one of her most partisan speeches since announcing her presidential campaign, Clinton criticized the field of more than a dozen Republican candidates...

FAIRFAX, Va. -- Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday praised the Supreme Court's ruling declaring same-sex couples have a right to marry and suggested that her Republican opponents were being left behind by history.

In one of her most partisan speeches since announcing her presidential campaign, Clinton criticized the field of more than a dozen Republican candidates for opposing gay marriage, gun control, immigration reform and women's reproductive rights.

"We can sum up the message from the court and the American people in just two words: Move on," she said in a fiery speech to Democratic activists gathered in Northern Virginia for a party fundraiser.

Casting herself as a fighter for struggling Americans, Clinton pledged to advocate for all those facing economic discrimination and prejudice.

"I'm on the side for everyone who's ever been knocked down but refused to be knocked out," she told the cheering audience. "I will always stand my ground so you and my country can gain ground."

Clinton equated the gay marriage decision with the decision striking down bans on interracial marriage, saying that "love triumphed in the highest court." She vowed to fight discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, and accused Republicans of being "determined to lead us right back into the past."

"Instead of trying to turn back the clock, they should be joining us in saying no, no to discrimination once and for all," she said.

Clinton was making the first stop of her presidential campaign in Virginia, a state likely to be closely contested in the general election. President Barack Obama won the state in 2008, the first time a Democratic presidential candidate had captured its electoral votes in decades, and again in 2012.

Clinton's political tactics in the state will likely mirror Obama's winning strategy: increase the number of black and minority voters at the polls while capturing a sufficient share of the white vote in suburban Washington, D.C.

Her personal connections may give her an additional advantage. She took the stage alongside Gov. Terry McAuliffe, her longtime friend and fundraiser, who won office in 2013. His fundraising efforts helped bankroll the campaigns of both Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton. After they left the White House, McAuliffe used his personal wealth to help the couple get a mortgage on their house in Chappaqua, New York.

McAuliffe's gubernatorial campaign was run by a young operative, Robby Mook, who now is working as Clinton's campaign manager.

"This is personal for me," McAuliffe told the crowd at the fundraiser. "I've known Hillary for decades. We've worked hard together. We've played hard together."

He added: "She's a lot more fun than Bill Clinton is and I love him, too."


Man riding Harley Davidson dies after colliding with tractor-trailer in Lowell

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Dana Fields, 24, of Haverhill, was northbound on I-495 when he rear-ended a tractor-trailer and was thrown from his bike. He died at the scene, police said.

LOWELL — A man riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle died after colliding with a truck in Lowell late Thursday night, according to Massachusetts State Police officials.

Dana Fields, 24, of Haverhill, was northbound on I-495 when he rear-ended a tractor-trailer and was thrown from his bike near Exit 37 around 11:40 p.m. He died at the scene, police said.

Troopers from the Andover barracks responded to the fatal crash, which remains under investigation by the State Police Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Section and Crime Scene Services sections.

Authorities did not release the identity of the truck driver.

MassDot crews and Lowell firefighters and EMS personnel also responded to the incident.



 


Holyoke fireworks entertain as pyrotechnician Robert Mallette explains the show

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More than 1,000 colorful fireworks decorated the sky above Holyoke Community College in the city's 4th of July display.

HOLYOKE -- The cheers on the ground prompted by rainbow streaks of light flashing across the sky Friday (June 26) were made possible by pods of high-density polyethylene pipes lined up in grids in parking lot K.

Fireworks entertained hundreds of people sitting on lawn chairs and reclining on blankets on the Holyoke Community College lawns off Homestead Avenue in a show by Atlas PyroVision Entertainment Group Inc. of Jaffrey, New Hampshire.

"I'm going to start up with a barrage of 4-inch shells. It's called a barrage because it's multiple fireworks going off at the same time," said Robert Maillette, 29, crew chief with Atlas PyroVision.

Before the nighttime was filled with the booming and crackling of the light show, fireworks sponsored by the Holyoke Gas and Electric Department, Maillette explained how it all works.

And what he likes best.

"To be honest with you, I like the cheers at the end of the show. At the end of the night, I pull my ear phones off real quick so I can just hear the roar of the crowd.

"Fireworks make you go into yourself, like you're a kid again, and it makes me happy to know that me and my team were able to make thousands of people happy," he said.

The 40-minute show concluded with a fusillade of fireworks.

It was preceded by four hours of setting up.

More than 1,000 fireworks shot up to 400 feet into the sky, each launched from a black high-density polyethylene pipe. The pipes were arranged in rows within long wooden crates, or pods, in the parking lot. There were 11 pods.

Angled aiming of the different pods' pipes allowed for the criss-crossing effect of fireworks in the sky, Mallette said.

Each pipe contained a ball shell, the name for each individual firework. It's a plastic bag filled with a beige powder at the bottom of which was a cardboard cone. Inside that cone is black powder, which is the shell's lift charge. Farther up inside the plastic bag is a second black-powder lift charge, a delayed ignition.

Plugged into each ball shell is a match head -- like the head of a match used to light a candle -- attached to a metal tab connected to an orange wire, essentially the fuse.

Hundreds of orange fuses were connected to yellow boxes containing computer modules on the ground at each pod. Wires from the modules ran to the laptop computer Mallette and his crew operated on a table a short distance away.

"It all done electronically, by computer," Mallette said.

Mallette2.JPGRobert Mallette of Atlas PyroVision Entertainment Group Inc. of Jaffrey, N.H. adjusts fuses leading from fireworks shells to a computer module in preparation for the fireworks display Friday (June 26) at Holyoke Community College. 

The fireworks that arc, light and blossom contained pellets ignited by the delayed charge, he said.

At the end of the show, Mallette and his crew of guys inspect each of the more than 1,000 pipes to ensure every firework ignited. Any that failed to fire for whatever reason will be properly fitted and ignited into the sky, he said.

The crew will search the grounds for unignited shells, he said.

"From time to time, that happens. I've had it happen a few times," he said.

Part of the job involves staying overnight -- Mallette and his crew are staying at a hotel -- so they can do another grounds search at Holyoke Community College (HCC) early Saturday.

Besides onlookers, HCC had a strong presence of Holyoke firefighters and police. Police officers patrolled the grounds in cruisers and on foot and directed traffic.

Firefighters inspected the shells set to be ignited and ensured Mallette and his crew are licensed to drive a vehicle containing fireworks, Capt. Anthony Cerruti said.

At least one firefighter was on the scene the moment Mallette's team arrived and monitored until they left HCC grounds, he said.

Firefighters also were posted with fire extinguishers on the college roofs in case an errant shell landed and caused a problem. A fire engine was parked on site, he said.

"Just in case some of the debris starts a brush fire," Cerruti said.

"All went well," he said later. "No problems."

Cerutti was scheduled to join Mallette and his crew at 7 a.m. Saturday to walk the HCC grounds to check for unexploded shells or brush fires.

Hillary Clinton Holyoke visit postponed to fall

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No date has been set for Hillary Clinton's planned visit to the Holyoke in the fall.

HOLYOKE -- Hillary Rodham Clinton's scheduled fundraiser here July 2 has been postponed to the fall as the presidential candidate and former U.S. secretary of state attends services for the victims of a shooting that took place at a church in South Carolina last week, Mayor Alex B. Morse said Friday (June 26).

"We look forward to having her here whenever she can be here," Morse said.

No date has been determined for Clinton's trip in the fall, though the visit likely is to be held at the same place as previously scheduled, the Log Cabin & Meeting House, 500 Easthampton Road, a source said.

Nine black churchgoers were killed June 17 in what authorities said was a racially motivated massacre at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Those killed were Rev. Clementa Pinckney, the pastor of Emanuel AME Church and a state senator; Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton; Cynthia Hurd; Susie Jackson and her nephew Tywanza Sandersl; Myra Thompson; Ethel Lance; DePayne Middleton-Doctor; and Daniel Simmons.

Investigators charged 21-year-old Dylann Roof of Lexington County, who held white-supremacist views, with nine counts of murder, a weapons charge and federal hate crime charges could follow.

According to The Associated Press (AP), Justice Department officials broadly agree that the shootings inside the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church meet the legal requirements for a hate crime, meaning federal charges are likely, a federal law enforcement source told The AP Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

Clinton was secretary of state under President Barack Obama and formerly U.S. Senator from New York.

Her afternoon visit here was to be part of a three-event Massachusetts fundraising "Conversation with Hillary" trek with the others set for Osterville and Provincetown on Cape Cod. The events are expected to raise between $1,000 to $2,700 per person.

The Western Massachusetts event was to be co-hosted by Nicole LaChapelle, treasurer for the Massachusetts Democratic Party, and Northampton-based attorney Thomas Lesser.

Morse said Clinton's visit will be exciting.

"The issues she has been talking about -- leveling the playing field, fighting on behalf of working families, promoting advanced manufacturing and addressing opioid abuse -- truly resonate with us here in Western Massachusetts," Morse said.

"I also hope we have time to showcase a local small business while she's in town," he said.

Clinton, 67, was elected to the U.S. Senate representing New York state in 2001. She was the first former American First Lady to hold national office and was a senator until 2009 when she became secretary of state, a position she held until 2013.

Springfield police's 'Ride to Remember' bicycle trek to Boston opened up to any Western Mass. riders willing to take the journey

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The Ride to Remember has grown each year since it started in 2013. Organizers this year hope to top 300 riders. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - Organizers of the Ride to Remember, the annual ride from Springfield to Boston to honor fallen police officers, announced Friday that this year's ride will be open to any bicyclist willing to make the 106-mile trip.

In previous years, the ride was open to police officers and those in public safety.
Springfield Police Sgt. John Delaney, the main organizer for the ride, said he is opening it up this year with a goal of having at least 300 riders.

The ride was created in 2013 to honor of Springfield police officer Kevin Ambrose and Westfield officer Jose Torres, who were each killed while on duty months apart in 2012. Ambrose was shot to death responding to a domestic call, and Torres was crushed by some heavy equipment while working a traffic detail at a construction site.

It has since been expanded to honor Sean Collier, the MIT officer shot to death by the Boston Marathon bombers in 2013, and Plymouth Gregg Maloney, kiled last year in an on-duty motorcycle accident.

Last year's ride had more than 200 participants, and raised more than $85,000 in funds for the Fallen Officers Memorial in Boston and for local charities.

Gallery preview 

The one-day ride is planned this year for Sept. 19. The course begins in downtown Springfield and ends at the Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill where the fallen officer memorial is located.

Riders journey the entire way under a police motorcycle escort, which ushers them through street lights. The only times the pack of riders stops is for designated rest areas along the way.

"This is a very user friendly ride," Delaney said.

Arrangements are made at the end for riders to use showers, saunas, and even masseuses at a Boston health club. There will also be a cookout.

Peter Pan Bus Lines donates vehicles for use as a recovery bus during the trip and for transportation back to Springfield.

Delaney said this year he would like to top 300 participants and the surest way to do that would be to open the ride up to members of the greater Western Massachusetts bicycling community.

The registration fee is $300.

For more information or to register, go to the Ride to Remember website. gister/

People may also go to the ride's page on Facebook.

Questions may be directed to Delaney at jdelaney@springfieldpolice.net

Rapist pleads guilty for failing to register as a sex offender in U.S. District Court

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Wade Branch, 65, was convicted of indecent assault and battery in 1990 and of rape in 2000.

SPRINGFIELD - A homeless drifter and convicted rapist who once lived in a tent behind a bowling alley in Northampton pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court Friday to failing to register as a sex offender.

Wade Branch, 65, was convicted of indecent assault and battery in 1990 and of rape in 2000. Both crimes and convictions occurred in Hampden County, according to court records. After his second release from prison he was categorized a Level 3 sex offender and was consequently required to report to local authorities his current address and employer for the rest of his life.

An affidavit filed by the U.S. Marshals Service states Branch essentially fell off the grid for Massachusetts authorities around 2008. The sworn statement says Branch traveled to California, collected veterans' benefits and appeared to remain homeless for most of his time there. He had many minor run-ins with police there, though no new sex charges surfaced, according to authorities.

Branch was living in a van near a park and a public library when police in California were tipped that he was "a pedophile drug dealer wanted out of Massachusetts" living under the alias of "Wade Massenburg," the affidavit states.

Authorities there and in Massachusetts coordinated to return Branch to this state after his arrest on an assault charge in February.

He pleaded guilty to a charge of failure to register as a sex offender and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison at his sentencing on Sept. 24. Branch is being held without bail.

Woman climbs flagpole to remove Confederate flag in front of SC statehouse

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Bree Newsome, 30, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was about halfway up the more than 30-foot steel flagpole just after dawn Saturday when officers of the South Carolina Bureau of Protective Services told her to get down. Instead, she continued climbing to the top and removed the banner.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- The Confederate flag was temporarily removed from the front of the South Carolina Statehouse on Saturday when a woman climbed the flagpole and -- despite calls by police to get down -- removed the banner.

Bree Newsome, 30, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was about halfway up the more than 30-foot steel flagpole just after dawn Saturday when officers of the South Carolina Bureau of Protective Services told her to get down. Instead, she continued climbing to the top and removed the banner.

She and a man who had climbed over a four-foot wrought-iron fence to get to the flag were arrested.

The flag, which is protected by state law, was raised about 45 minutes later. Flag supporters planned a rally at the monument later on Saturday.

Sherri Iacobelli, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Safety, said that Newsome and James Ian Tyson, 30, also of Charlotte, have been charged with defacing monuments on state Capitol grounds. That's a misdemeanor that carries a fine of up to $5,000 and a prison term of up to three years or both.

A staff member at the Alvin Glenn Detention Center where the two were taken said she did not know if the two had attorneys. About the time of her arrest, Newsome released an email statement to the media.

"We removed the flag today because we can't wait any longer. We can't continue like this another day," it said. "It's time for a new chapter where we are sincere about dismantling white supremacy and building toward true racial justice and equality."

Authorities said Newsome was from Raleigh. However, Mervyn Marcano, a spokesman for the small group of activists who worked together to take down the flag, said she had recently moved to Charlotte.

Tamika Lewis, another member of the group, said taking down the flag "was done because we were tired of waiting for the judicial system to make the decision they have been prolonging for a very long time."

Calls for removing the flag have been renewed since nine black churchgoers were killed in what police characterized as a racist attack at a Charleston, South Carolina church last week.

South Carolina lawmakers took the initial steps last Tuesday toward removing the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds by agreeing to allow discussion of the matter during the legislative session.

The agreement came a day after Republican Gov. Nikki Haley reversed course and called for the divisive symbol to come down. The flag has flown in front of the state Capitol for 15 years after being moved from atop the Statehouse dome.

The momentum in South Carolina sparked further calls from politicians across the state and country for flags and Confederate symbols to be removed from public displays in other states.

Northampton fireworks postponed until Sunday; other communities announce delays

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Chicopee, Ware and Westfield have also announced delays.


NORTHAMPTON - The threat of rain has prompted organizers to postpone fireworks tonight at Look Park until Sunday.

The Northampton Family Fourth Committee made the decision on Saturday morning.

Chicopee has delayed its fireworks scheduled for Saturday at Szot Park until July 2. Ware has also rescheduled its event until July 2.

Westfield has delayed their celebration until later this summer.

Monson, as of Saturday morning, said it would launch its fireworks as soon as skies darkened tonight. Updates on Monson's plans can be found on the Monson Summerfest website.

Check out a complete listing of Massachusetts fireworks here.


Photos: The 3rd Annual Springfield Dragon Boat Festival held at Riverfront Park in Springfield

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The 3rd Annual Springfield Dragon Boat Festival hosted by the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club was held Saturday at Riverfront Park.

SPRINGFIELD-The 3rd Annual Springfield Dragon Boat Festival hosted by the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club was held Saturday at Riverfront Park.

The 200 meter race was held on the Connecticut River.

Teams from as far as Vermont, Boston and the Hartford area participated in the event.

Novice and premier paddlers were also featured.

Dragon boaters converge on Springfield for 3rd annual festival

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The third annual Dragon Boat Festival drew two dozen teams locally and from around New England and New York.

SPRINGFIELD - The city's third annual Dragon Boat Festival has grown by leaps and bounds, thanks in part to the growing presence of paddling in Springfield and the infectious enthusiasm for the sport nationwide, organizers said.

The event, sponsored by the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club, drew two dozen teams this year and at least as many vendors. The riverfront was transformed into a festive landscape on Saturday with teams both competitive and community-based.

The event began three years ago with one sponsored team by Rays of Hope that has thrived, according to team member and breast cancer survivor Susan Parent.

"I paddle with a group of amazing women," said Parent, who said she began paddling to help her recovery in 2013, once she completed radiation.

Their time: 1:31 seconds. Was it good?

"Good for us," she said with a grin. "We have a team of 40, all women, all breast cancer survivors and an average age of 48."

Organizers ran flights of races from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Each boat carries 20 paddlers, one drummer to keep pace and a member to steer the boat.

Another group that has grown since the inception of the event is the "Baystate Healthy Dragons" and drew 60 employees this year.

Baystate Medical Center business analyst John Hine said the group - most of whom were newbies - had exactly one dry run (pun intended) on Friday evening.

"It's hard work; and it's harder work if you're not working together," he said, also marveling at the veteran dragon boating groups who traveled from Boston, Vermont, and Albany, NY. "They even walk in sync."

The team did well, coming in first and second, respectively in their first races.

Parent said the sport has been catching fire particularly in Springfield since friends, family and supporters have joined original paddlers and the Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club has gained more visibility.

Based at the at North Riverfront Park at 121 West St., summer hours are Monday - Thursday: 5:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Friday: 5:30 a.m.- 3 p.m.; and Saturday: 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. The club offers dragon boating and adult and youth rowing lessons.

A beginners' adult rowing session is starting on July 6, will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays and last three weeks.

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Photos: Springfield Park Commission opens Barney Carriage House for Saturday Tour

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The Springfield Park Commission opened the Barney Carriage House for tours on Saturday morning to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the gift of 178 acres from Everett Hosmer Barney which is now Forest Park in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD-The Springfield Park Commission opened the Barney Carriage House for tours on Saturday morning to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the gift of 178 acres from Everett Hosmer Barney which is now Forest Park in Springfield.

Executive Director of Parks, Building, and Recreation Management Patrick Sullivan conducted tours of the estate which ran from 9:00 am to 11:30 am.

According to a parks department press release, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno said, "We are thrilled to share the beauty of the Barney Estate and it is a wonderful tribute that the park commission recently completed over $75,000 in repairs to the Carriage House at Pecousic Villa."

Allen Street industrial complex in Springfield temporarily evacuated over gas leak

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Fire and utility officials focused their efforts on an industrial complex at 1 Allen Street which occupies a career center and a number of other businesses.

This story was updated at 7:48 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD - An industrial complex at 1 Allen Street was evacuated for approximately two hours on Saturday while fire officials and utility workers probed a gas leak.

Fire Department spokesman Dennis Leger said passersby began making 911 calls in the mid-afternoon about a strong smell of gas around the intersections of Allen and Rifle Streets, just near Elias Brookings Magnet School.

Fire and utility officials ultimately focused their efforts on an industrial complex at 1 Allen Street which occupies a career center and a number of other businesses.

Andrea Luppi, spokeswoman for Columbia Gas, told Western Mass News, TV partner of The Republican/MassLive, that the leak appeared to be emanating from a manhole but technicians were working to find the source; there are several gas mains around the busy intersection.

She said later on Saturday that the company believes that the leak is a minor one and attributable to ongoing upgrades technicians are making to old gas mainlines at that intersection and other sites across the city. Luppi said employees will monitor the situation over the weekend and crews will be back in force on Monday.

Luppi said it does not pose a public safety hazard.

The few employees and occupants of the industrial complex were allowed to return just after 4 p.m., according to Michael Margiotta, financial manager for the realty company that manages the complex.

"I got a call that there was an emergency situation so I got right down here," said Michael Margiotta, standing outside the building as traffic was still being diverted away from Rifle Street.

Margiotta said he traveled there with some anxiety given the gas explosion that leveled a downtown strip club and dozens of neighboring buildings in 2012. He said emergency and utility personnel focused on the basement of the building, and safely shut off the gas. He said there are typically about 100 employees and occupants in the complex on a weekday.

Leger said two smaller businesses nearby - including a poultry market at the corner of Hickory Street - also were evacuated. He added that they called in Eversource, the electric company, to shut off that source of power so an alarm would not trigger and potentially spark an explosion.

To complicate matters, Leger said technicians labored to find a way to cut the electrical feed to the building without compromising power to around 20,000 local residents in the process.

Columbia Gas workers will continue to probe the precise the source of the leak, Luppi said.

Read all about it! A look at how newspapers covered same-sex marriage ruling

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Here's a look at some of those front pages after the Supreme Court's same-sex marriage decision.

By MaryAnn Spoto | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

After the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday legalized gay marriage across the country, newspapers all over the United States delivered reports of the historic decision.

Some papers played it up big, with lots of photographs and stories; others didn't carry it as their main story on the front page. A few didn't carry the story on their front page at all.

How do we know? Newseum, an interactive museum of news, gathers the front pages of more than 2,000 newspapers worldwide and displays them on its website daily.

Here's a look at some of those front pages after the Supreme Court's same-sex marriage decision.

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

NY prison escape: David Sweat can avoid getting shot if he surrenders, sheriff says

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David Sweat remained on the lam Saturday and about 1,200 searchers focused intensely on 22 square miles encompassing thick forests and heavy brush around where Richard Matt was killed.

MALONE, N.Y. -- It's up to a second Upstate New York prisoner still on the run to decide whether to surrender peacefully or to resist and possibly be gunned down by authorities as was his fellow escapee, a sheriff said Saturday.

Richard Matt -- who once vowed never to be taken alive -- was fatally shot during an encounter with border patrol agents Friday about 30 miles west of the prison he escaped from with David Sweat on June 6.

Sweat remained on the lam Saturday and about 1,200 searchers focused intensely on 22 square miles encompassing thick forests and heavy brush around where Matt was killed.

Police hoped the solo escapee would finally succumb to the stress of little sleep, scant food and biting bugs.

"Anyone in the woods and on the run from the law so to speak is not getting a full eight hours sleep, they're not eating well and they have to keep moving," Franklin County Sheriff Kevin Mulverhill said. "He's fatigued, tired, and he's going to make a mistake."

Ultimately, how the chase ends is up to Sweat, Mulverhill said.

"If he's willing to surrender to law enforcement then we'll place him in handcuffs and we'll bring him back into custody," he said.

"If he chooses to resist or he chooses not to comply, then the results are his."

Sweat also could have an even tougher time now without someone to take turns resting with and watch his back, said Clinton County Sheriff David Favro.

"Now it's a one-man show and it makes it more difficult for him," Favro said. "And I'm sure fatigue is setting in for him as well, knowing the guy he was with has already been shot."

The frustrating manhunt suddenly broke open Friday afternoon when a person towing a camper heard a loud noise and thought a tire had blown. Finding there was no flat, the driver drove eight miles before looking against and finding a bullet hole in the trailer. A tactical team responding to the scene of the shot smelled gunpowder inside a cabin and saw evidence that someone had fled out the back door.

A noise -- perhaps a cough -- ultimately did Matt in. A border patrol team discovered Matt, who was shot after failing to heed a command to raise his hands.

Matt had a 20-gauge shotgun that was believed to have been taken from another cabin. The pair had apparently been relying on the remote region's many hunting camps and seasonal dwellings for supplies.

Matt -- who turned 49 the day before he died -- was serving 25 years to life at Clinton Correctional Facility for the killing and dismemberment of his former boss. Local residents were relieved that that the killer was no longer roaming the woods, but the constant commotion of speeding police cruisers and helicopters pointed to the continued danger.

"Half the threat is taken care of, but obviously David Sweat is on the loose," said Matt Maguire, who was waiting for a police escort to pick up some clothes from his house inside the search area. Maguire and his fiancee decided a week ago to stay with nearby relatives, where it was safer.

Across the state In Buffalo, the man who prosecuted Matt's murder case seven years ago also was relieved -- but not surprised -- by Matt's violent end. Louis Haremski, the special prosecutor for Matt's 2008 murder conviction, said snitches had told deputies back then that Matt had a plan to break out of the jail he was in at that time. Matt had sworn then that if he escaped, he wouldn't be captured alive.

"I guess maybe it was a self-fulfilling prophecy," Haremski said. "I wasn't looking for him to be killed, but it was not an unpredictable event."

Matt's body was taken to Albany Medical Center for an autopsy.

Sweat, 35, was serving a sentence of life without parole in the killing of a sheriff's deputy in Broome County in 2002. Mulverhill said investigators believe he may be armed.

State troopers continued stopping every car approaching the closed perimeter in the neighboring towns of Malone and Duane while teams within the perimeter performed grid searches. While there have been no confirmed sightings of Sweat, police said investigators saw a second set of tracks near where Matt was shot. Searchers hoped for one last break before heavy rains forecast for Sunday come in.

Urban hoedown in Springfield concludes its final day with 4,003 square dancers

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Carla Peck said square-dancing, much like disco, enjoyed its heyday in the 70s. She said the national convention in 1972 drew 30,000 dancers.

SPRINGFIELD - Aussies, Parisians, Japanese, Londoners, Canadians and Americans from 49 states willing to travel far and wide for square dancing celebrated their final day of an urban hoedown on Saturday.

Precisely 4,003 registered dancers took to various dance floors at the MassMutual Center and other downtown venues with the four-day event culminating with a grand ball that packed the halls and event rooms at the convention center.

It is the first time the national convention has been held in New England; it was its 64th year. Organizer Carla Peck, of Des Moines, Iowa said she believes it may have drawn more than the usual crowd because many of the dancers had never been to the region. She has been dancing for a decade with her husband, Barry Peck, also is a caller.

For example: "A right and left around the ring, while the roosters crow and the birdies sing."

"All join hands and circle to the south; get a little moonshine in your mouth."

"Cat in the barn, rat in her mouth. Grab your honey and head her south."

They're a fun bunch. And a colorful one. Scores of men and women milled about the event in traditional square dancing attire with men in string ties and western shirts and women in coordinating tops and full skirts.

Len Houle, committee chairman in Springfield, formally passed the torch to his counterpart in Des Moines where the next major convention will be. Officials announced that Atlanta is next on deck for the national convention in 2019.

Carla Peck said square-dancing, much like disco, enjoyed its heyday in the 70s. She said the national convention in 1972 drew 30,000 dancers.

"We're all getting older and we can't get the young ones to really grab onto it," she said.


Washington burglars find dead woman, hide body, use her credit cards, police say

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The two men, identified by court documents as James L. Conner and Curtis Jones, were arrested for investigation of multiple counts of theft and identity theft.

TACOMA, Wash. -- Two men are under arrest after finding a dead Washington woman when they burglarized her home, then hiding the body and assuming her identity, a Pierce County sheriff's spokesman says.

"It's a bizarre story with a lot of moving pieces," spokesman Ed Troyer said Friday.

The two men, identified by court documents as James L. Conner and Curtis Jones, were arrested for investigation of multiple counts of theft and identity theft, KOMO-TV of Seattle reported. They're expected in court on Monday.

Investigators think the Janet Mueller, 63, of Graham, died recently of natural causes while unloading horse feed from her truck, The News Tribune reported. Her horse was found dead on the property Wednesday, apparently of starvation and exposure.

The two men are accused of going to the home to burglarize it sometime after the woman died, finding her body and removing it.

"Instead of running away or making an anonymous phone call, they took the body away and wrapped it up and hid it on their property under a bale of hay," Troyer told the newspaper.

The woman's co-workers reported her missing June 20, Troyer said. A couple days later, one man is accused of using the woman's identity and credit cards.

Her credit union alerted officials to the activity in the account of a woman who had been reported missing. Troyer said that information led sheriff's officers to the two men.

Officers searched the men's home with cadaver dogs and found the woman's body.

Detectives think the burglary happened before the missing person report was filed, Troyer said. Based on the two men's statements, they think the house was a random target and the men were not involved in the death.

Explosion sparks fire at Taiwan water park, injuring 350 (photos, video)

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A fire on a music stage spread into a crowd of spectators at a party Saturday night at a Taiwan water park, injuring about 350 people, authorities said.

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- A fire on a music stage spread into a crowd of spectators at a party Saturday night at a Taiwan water park, injuring about 350 people, authorities said.

An accidental explosion of an unknown powder set off the fire near the stage in front of about 1,000 people, said Wang Wei-sheng, a liaison with the New Taipei City fire department command center.

Taiwan's Central News Agency reported 349 have been injured, quoting the Health Ministry. They included four mainland Chinese and two foreigners.

Wang said 83 people had serious injuries.

The stage caught fire at the Formosa Water Park in New Taipei City near the island's capital and was quickly brought under control.

Video showed rescue workers and bystanders carrying burned and injured people on their backs, in inflatable boats and on stretchers to get medical treatment.

CNA reported witnesses as saying the fire spread quickly after the colored powder was blown into the air.

It wasn't clear if the colored powder was part of a performance. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Springfield police investigate shooting on Knox Street, one wounded

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One man was shot and wounded on Knox Street Saturday night.

SPRINGFGIELD— Springfield police have cleared the scene of a shooting that sent one man to the Baystate Medical Center with one or more gunshot wounds.

Police were called to the area near 35 and 41 Knox Street, near the intersection with Newman Street, for the report of shots fired just minutes before 9 p.m. According to officers at the scene, seven shell casings strewn across the street were marked with evidence cones.

Minutes after the first calls to police, a man presented himself at the emergency room of the hospital suffering from gunshot wounds or a wound. He had apparently been brought to the hospital by private car, but the vehicle left before authorities could identify the driver.

The is a breaking story and will be updated as information becomes available.

Dirt bike rider killed while riding in Palmer woods

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A man was killed as he rode his dirt bike in woods in Palmer, police said.

PALMER— Palmer police have confirmed that a dirt bike rider was killed Saturday, as he rode in woods.

The MassLive.com media partner, Western Mass News, reported that the 48-year-old Ware resident was killed on a forestry road near Brown Road in Palmer, and the state Environmental Police are investigating.

This is a breaking story and will be updated as information becomes available.

Shark attack in N.C. leaves boy, 17, critically injured with bites to calf, hands

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The boy suffered injuries to his right calf, buttocks and both hands while swimming in the Outer Banks on Saturday

WAVES, N.C. -- A 17-year-old boy was critically injured Saturday when he was attacked by a shark off North Carolina's coast, authorities said.

It was the second attack in as many days on the Outer Banks, and it was at least the sixth attack in the past two weeks.

"This could very well be the same shark" that bit a man in the back Friday about 20 miles away in Avon, an official told WBTV-TV.

The boy suffered injuries to his right calf, buttocks and both hands while swimming in Rodanthe, North Carolina, according to a post on the National Park Service's Facebook page.

The boy was swimming with others when he was bitten, but no one else was hurt, officials said, the Charlotte Observer reported.

The unidentified teenager was treated at the scene before being airlifted to a Norfolk, Virginia, hospital, the park service said. Although the boy was listed in critical condition, authorities said, his injuries are not life-threatening, WSOC-TV reported.


On Friday, a 43-year-old man was also attacked by a shark near Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Sharks have attacked several children along North Carolina's coast this month, including a 13-year old girl who lost her left arm below the elbow and a 16-year old boy who lost his left arm above the elbow, about 90 minutes apart, at Oak Island.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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