No gasoline engines are allowed on the pond, which is stocked with game fish.

EASTHAMPTON -- It will soon be easier for people to launch small boats for fishing and paddling on the Nashawannuck Pond.

A concrete boat ramp and paved parking lot, currently under construction, should be ready for public use within a couple of weeks, said Jack Sheppard, director of the state's Office of Fishing and Boating Access.

The office, one of four divisions of the Department of Fish and Game, is picking up the tab for the construction costs.

"It won't cost the city a dime," Sheppard said.

The city will be asked to keep the area clean and in decent shape, said Nashawannuck Pond Steering Committee member Paul Nowack in February. The state has agreed to pay for major maintenance costs. The  committee submitted a successful application for the boat ramp program in 2013.

The boat ramp and parking lot are being built at the town's former Boathouse Beach, located at the end of Water Street. People years used the area informally to launch their boats, leading to erosion and sedimentation, said Sheppard.

"The boat ramp will reduce pollution," said Sheppard. "It's a win for everyone. It helps us, it helps the city, and it helps fishermen and paddlers."

No gasoline engines are allowed on Nashawannuck Pond, but fishing boats with small electric motors are permissible, he said.

The Office of Fishing and Boating maintains 293 boat launch sites statewide and tries to build a couple of new ones every year, he said. The new lot in Easthampton will contain four spaces for vehicles with trailers and four spaces for ordinary cars.

"Pretty much all of the work is done by our own crew," said Sheppard, who also serves as chief engineer for the Department of Fish and Game. "The last step will be paving and line striping. We're hiring an outside crew for that. When that's done it will be good to go."

The Nashawannuck Pond, which is stocked with game fish, provides a home for bass, pickerel, perch, carp, and trout.

A major dredging of the pond took place in 2009 when the water body was drawn down and 54,000 cubic yards of sediment removed. Many fish were herded over the pond's sluiceway to the Lower Mill Pond and repatriated after the upper pond was refilled.

More recently, the Nashawannuck Pond boardwalk, a public promenade built near the Cottage Street Cultural District, was dedicated June 13.

Sheppard, 71, says he just wants to see people enjoying themselves on the water: "Some of us older fishermen just can't cartop our boats anymore."

_____________________________________________________________

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

New fees took effect July 1 as part of the new state budget approved by Democratic Gov. Dannel Malloy and the Democrat-controlled legislature.

By DAVE COLLINS

HARTFORD -- Celebrities and business tycoons with multimillion-dollar estates in Connecticut are getting some unwelcome news: Their state has become the most expensive place to die in the U.S. because of hefty new fees for settling estates, according to state officials.

In fact, probate officials are warning that some invoices they will be sending out shortly could top $100,000 or even $1 million in a few cases, when the maximum fee in the past was $12,500.

The fees took effect July 1 as part of the new state budget approved by Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and the Democrat-controlled legislature. They're also retroactive to all deaths dating back to Jan. 1.

The budget cut all state government funding to the probate court system, a total of $32 million over two years. To make up for the loss of that money, Malloy and lawmakers eliminated the $12,500 cap on probate court fees and doubled the fee on estates worth more than $2 million to 0.5 percent of the value. They also increased fees for most probate court filings from $150 to $225.

"It's outrageous," said Westport attorney Amy Day. "We always had a cap on probate fees of $12,500. Now it's not going to be unusual for people to pay upward of $50,000."

The probate court system surveyed all 50 states and determined that the 0.5 percent fee on the value of estates of at least $2 million was the highest in the country, surpassing the 0.4 percent fee charged by both New Jersey and North Carolina, said Vincent Russo, a spokesman for the state probate court system. New Jersey also has no cap on probate fees, while North Carolina has a maximum fee of $6,000, he said.

Russo said many states don't charge fees based on total estate value. He said it was difficult to determine which states have the least expensive probate costs because of differences in law and policy.

The very wealthy often protect their assets by forming trusts, which helps them avoid some probate costs.

Connecticut also has an estate tax on all estates worth more than $2 million, with rates ranging from 7.2 percent to 12 percent.

Malloy spokesman Devon Puglia said Tuesday that the probate fee increases were among difficult budget decisions that had to be made this year.

Judge Paul Knierim, Connecticut's probate court administrator, said if the new fees were applied last year, two estates worth more than $200 million apiece would have paid more than $1 million in probate costs and about a dozen worth over $20 million would have paid more than $100,000.

"I think the fundamental problem is that the change in decedents' estate fees imposes the burden of running the probate court system on a very small portion of the population," Knierim said.

Knierim and some state lawmakers say they plan to urge the General Assembly next year to dump the new fees and go back to the old system.

Vincent Carissimi, a Philadelphia lawyer who is executor of his uncle's estate in Westport, Connecticut, said the new fees will increase probate costs for the estate by about $2,000, bringing the total to over $8,000.

"You usually expect to pay a nominal or moderate fee but you don't expect to get soaked," Carissimi said. "The most surprising thing is it's a function of the funding being cut. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I've never heard a state not providing funding to its courts."

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA's New Horizons spacecraft got humanity's first up-close look at Pluto on Tuesday, sending word of its triumph across 3 billion miles to scientists waiting breathlessly back home. Confirmation of mission success came 13 hours after the actual flyby and, after a day of both jubilation and tension, allowed the New Horizons team to finally...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's New Horizons spacecraft got humanity's first up-close look at Pluto on Tuesday, sending word of its triumph across 3 billion miles to scientists waiting breathlessly back home.

Confirmation of mission success came 13 hours after the actual flyby and, after a day of both jubilation and tension, allowed the New Horizons team to finally celebrate in full force.

 

LOCKED! We have confirmation of a successful #PlutoFlyby. pic.twitter.com/Krfo9qxxHw

-- NASA New Horizons (@NASANewHorizons) July 15, 2015

Early indications had been encouraging, and a cheering, flag-waving celebration swept over the mission operations center in Maryland at the time of closest approach Tuesday morning. But until New Horizons phoned home Tuesday night, there was no guarantee the spacecraft had buzzed the small, icy, faraway -- but no longer unknown -- world.

The unprecedented encounter was the last stop on NASA's grand tour of the planets over the past half-century. New Horizons' journey began 91/2 years ago, back when Pluto was still considered a full-fledged planet.

"This is truly a hallmark in human history," said John Grunsfeld, NASA's science mission chief. "It's been an incredible voyage."

According to NASA, the spacecraft the size of a baby grand piano swept to within 7,700 miles of Pluto at 31,000 mph. It was programmed to then go past the dwarf planet and begin studying its far side.

To commemorate the moment of closest approach, scientists released the best picture yet of Pluto, taken on the eve of the flyby.

Even better images will start "raining" down on Earth beginning Wednesday, promised principal scientist Alan Stern. But he had cautioned everyone to "stay tuned" until New Horizons contacted home.

It takes 41/2 hours for signals to travel one-way between New Horizons and Earth. The message went out late in the afternoon during a brief break in the spacecraft's data-gathering frenzy. The New Horizons team kept up a confirmation countdown, noting via Twitter when the signal should have passed the halfway point, then Jupiter's orbit.

The uncertainty added to the drama. "This is true exploration," cautioned Stern, a Southwest Research Institute planetary scientist. "New Horizons is flying into the unknown."

Among the possible dangers: cosmic debris that could destroy the mission. But with the chances of a problem considered extremely low, scientists and hundreds of others assembled at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory erupted in jubilation when the moment of closest approach occurred at 7:49 a.m. EDT. The lab is the spacecraft's developer and manager.

The scene repeated itself a little before 9 p.m. EDT.

This time, the flight control room was packed compared with earlier, when it was empty because New Horizons was out of touch and operating on autopilot.

"We have a healthy spacecraft. We've recorded data of the Pluto system and we're outbound from Pluto," announced mission operations director Alice Bowman. She was drowned out by cheers and applause; Stern ran over to give her a hug.

Joining in the daylong hoopla were the two children of the American astronomer who discovered Pluto in 1930, Clyde Tombaugh. (Some of his ashes are aboard the spacecraft.) Other celestial-minded VIPs included James Christy, discoverer of Pluto's big moon Charon, and Sylvia Kuiper, daughter of Dutch-American Gerard Kuiper for whom the mysterious zone surrounding Pluto is named.

Earlier in the day, The White House and Congress offered congratulations, and physicist Stephen Hawking was among the scientists weighing in.

"Hey, people of the world! Are you paying attention?" planetary scientist Carolyn Porco, part of the New Horizons' imaging team, said on Twitter. "We have reached Pluto. We are exploring the hinterlands of the solar system. Rejoice!"

The U.S. is now the only nation to visit every planet in the solar system. Pluto was No. 9 in the lineup when New Horizons left Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Jan. 19, 2006, but was demoted seven months later to dwarf status.

Scientists in charge of the $720 million mission hope the new observations will restore Pluto's honor.

Stern and other so-called plutophiles posed for the cameras giving nine-fingers-up "Pluto Salute."

The picture of Pluto taken on Monday showed a frozen, pockmarked world, peach-colored with a heart-shaped bright spot and darker areas around the equator. It drew oohs and aahs.

"To see Pluto be revealed just before our eyes, it's just fantastic," said Bowman.

The Hubble Space Telescope had offered up the best pre-New Horizons pictures of Pluto, but they were essentially pixelated blobs of light.

Flight controllers held off on having New Horizons send back flyby photos until well after the maneuver was complete; they wanted the seven science instruments to take full advantage of the encounter. After turning toward Earth to send down a snippet of engineering data acknowledging everything was fine, the spacecraft was going to get right back to science work.

New Horizons is also expected to beam back photos of Pluto's big moon, Charon, and observe its four little moons. It will take 16 months, or until late 2016, for all the data to reach Earth.

On the eve of the encounter, NASA confirmed that Pluto is, indeed, the King of the Kuiper Belt. New measurements made by the spacecraft show that Pluto is 1,473 miles in diameter, or about 50 miles bigger than estimated.

That's still puny by solar-system standards. Pluto is just two-thirds the size of Earth's moon. But it is big enough to be the largest object in the Kuiper Belt, a zone rife with comets and tens of thousands of other small bodies.

Stern and his colleagues wasted no time pressing the U.S. Postal Service for a new stamp of Pluto.

The last one, issued in 1991, consisted of an artist's rendering of the faraway world and the words: "Pluto Not Yet Explored." The words "not yet" were crossed out in a poster held high Tuesday for the cameras.

Pluto just had its first visitor! Thanks @NASA - it's a great day for discovery and American leadership. pic.twitter.com/FfztBSMbK0

-- President Obama (@POTUS) July 15, 2015

Dale and Lisa O'Keefe, of Wisconsin, were seriously injured when a motorist collided with their Harley Davidson in Bethel, Vermont, on Tuesday afternoon, according to authorities.

BETHEL, Vt. — A man and woman from the Midwest were seriously injured after a car collided with their Harley Davidson motorcycle on Tuesday afternoon in Bethel, Vermont, according to State Police, who are expected to file charges in connection with the crash.

Troopers responded to a car-vs-motorcycle report shortly before 2:30 p.m. in the area of 4578 Camp Brook Road, where they came upon a grisly scene: Two motorcyclists with severed limbs.

Dale O'Keefe, 74, of Mason, Wisconsin, lost his left foot in the crash, while Lisa O'Keefe, his passenger on the Harley, suffered a severed left leg, police said. Police didn't release Lisa O'Keefe's age or specify her relationship to Dale O'Keefe.

The initial investigation revealed that a 1962 Chevy Impala driven by Gustavo Chang, 22, of Manchester, New Hampshire, drove into the oncoming lane and struck the left side of the motorcycle, police said. Chang sustained a minor cut to his right arm, according to police, who said charges are pending.

The O'Keefes were taken to Gifford Medical Center in Randolph, Vermont, for emergency medical treatment. Lisa O'Keefe later was airlifted to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. An update on their conditions wasn't immediately available.

The Impala sustained heavy front-end damage, while the 1994 Harley was totaled in the crash, police said. Troopers from the Royalton barracks are continuing to investigate.

The Windham County town of Bethel is about 100 miles north of the Massachusetts state line.

Daniel Federici, 30, was the son of Paul and Darlene Federici, of East Longmeadow. Paul is chairman of the selectmen.

Dan Federici  

East Longmeadow Police Sgt. Steven Manning said 30-year-old Daniel Federici was killed shortly before 9:30 p.m. when the car he was riding in hit a rock wall and tree in the area of 173 Chestnut St., just west of Prospect Street.

The driver of the car, a 34-year-old East Longmeadow man whom police have not publicly identified, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries at Baystate Medical Center, but Federici was pronounced dead at the Springfield hospital. The fatal crash remains under investigation by town police and Massachusetts State Police.

Federici, who lived in Springfield, is the son of Paul and Darlene Federici, of East Longmedow. Paul Federici was elected to the Board of Selectmen in April 2009.

Paul Federici, center, is flanked by his sons, Michael (left) and Daniel (right). Dan Federici died in a car crash Monday night in East Longmeadow. (FACEBOOK) 

Tuesday's selectmen's meeting was cancelled as a result of the tragedy.

"HUG YOUR CHILDREN NO MATTER HOW OLD THEY ARE !!!!" the father wrote on his Facebook page Tuesday morning.

"May God give you strength," Tom Flynn posted on Paul Federici's page.

"Danny: a great kid with an infectious smile," W. Kevin O'Donnell wrote. "Words cannot express how heavy all of our hearts are and the feeling of loss you, Darlene, Mikey & Cara are going through."

"God Bless You All!" East Longmeadow Police Chief Doug Mellis posted.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

MAP showing approximate location of fatal crash in East Longmeadow:

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the most wanted of Mexico's drug lords, would have breezed along the mile-long tunnel dug just for him on a specially modified motorcycle or one of the two carts it pushed on two steel rails.

ALMOLOYA, Mexico -- Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, the most wanted of Mexico's drug lords, would have breezed along the mile-long tunnel dug just for him on a specially modified motorcycle or one of the two carts it pushed on two steel rails.

A visit on Tuesday by journalists to the tunnel's exit in an unfinished barn near the prison that held Guzman provided a look at the last few yards that the leader of the Sinaloa cartel traversed to make his second escape from a Mexican maximum-security lockup.

Tracks guiding the modified motorcycle end two or three steps from the base of a wooden ladder with 17 rungs that he would have scrambled up. The air in the tunnel is warm and humid and fine dust coats everything.

Reaching the top, a step leads into a small basement dominated by a blue generator as big as a compact car.

Then it is six strides to another ladder.

One, two, three steps up. The air thins. The temperature drops 10 degrees.

Four. Five. Six, the last rung. One more step and Guzman stood on the dusty floor of the barn, where the digging crew had left 4-inch by 4-inch wooden beams, 8-foot- tall coils of steel mesh, gallons of hydraulic fluid, 10-foot lengths of PVC pipe and an electric disc saw.

Seven strides and the man who Mexico's government said would not repeat his 2001 prison escape stepped through a sliding steel door into the chilly night on the high plain west of the capital.

For the first time since his latest capture, on Feb. 22, 2014, Guzman was a free man.

The ingenuity and audacity of the caper was breathtaking.

Buy a piece of land a mile from Mexico's most secure prison, but in the middle of farm fields. Throw up a shoddy, concrete block structure that doesn't look out of place. Build a wall to hide the dirt. Get to work.

Experts have said the tunnel would have been more than a year in planning and building. The digging would have caused noise. The entrance was in a place beyond the view of security cameras at Mexico's toughest prison.

They also said it was clear the escape by Mexico's most powerful drug lord must have involved inside help on a grand scale.

Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong conceded as much Monday night. He announced that three prison officials had been fired, including Valentin Cardenas, director of the Altiplano prison 55 miles (90 kilometers) west of Mexico City.

"They had something or a lot to do with what happened, and that's why we made that decision," Osorio Chong said.

Still, he did not say who exactly is suspected of aiding the escape. Nor did he talk about rooting out the kind of corruption that led to the escape.

Osorio Chong said the tunnel was 19 meters (about 62 feet) below the surface and he called it a "high-tech" breach of the prison's extensive security measures, which include 750 cameras and 26 security filters.

A tunnel of such sophistication -- with lights, air venting, and the customized motorcycle rigged up on a rail line -- would normally take 18 months to two years to complete, said Jim Dinkins, former head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations.

"When it's for the boss, you probably put that on high speed," he said.

If anyone was capable of pulling off such a feat, it was Guzman, who is believed to have at least a quarter-century of experience in building large, sophisticated tunnels to smuggle drugs under the U.S.-Mexico border and to escape from hideouts as authorities closed in.

His cartel also has been most successful in coopting officials, said Edgardo Buscaglia, an organized crime expert at Columbia University. "By far they are the most infiltrated in Mexico's government institutions," he said.

Experts express skepticism that such an engineering project could go on undetected.

Joe Garcia, who retired this year as interim special agent in charge of U.S. Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego, has extensive experience in tunnel investigations. He said the tunnel at Altiplano was longer than any passage ever found on the U.S.-Mexico border.

To pull off such a feat, rescuers likely had intelligence on the prison even before Guzman was arrested, Dinkins said.

Designers and workers would have needed access to sensitive information such as prison floor plans and alarm and camera systems. And just the noise alone as they bored the final 30-foot (10-meter) vertical shaft directly under the prison to reach Guzman's cell would have generated some attention.

"It's not just like someone took a couple tools, shovels and pickaxes. This is a very sophisticated operation," said Alonzo Pena, a former senior official at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "How could they be there and not hear that construction was going on underneath? It's just impossible."

The home's entryway sustained damage, but the home is not believed to be a total loss, North Reading Police Chief Michael P. Murphy said.

NORTH READING — A tractor-trailer slammed into a Boston-area home Tuesday afternoon, damaging the structure but causing no injuries, police said.

The crash was reported shortly after 3 p.m. in the Middlesex County town of North Reading, about 17 miles north of Boston.

The 18-wheeler crashed into the front entryway of the single-family home at 219 Park St., North Reading Police Chief Michael P. Murphy said. Residents were home at the time, but neither they or the driver of the truck were hurt, Murphy said.

A preliminary investigation indicates that the tractor-trailer may have been cut off by another vehicle, causing the truck driver to lose control, police said. The investigation is ongoing.

Murphy said the home's entryway sustained damage, but the home is not believed to be a total loss.

Police and North Reading firefighters responded to the scene.

MAP showing approximate location of crash site:

The suspect stabbed the dog in the back, according to Holyoke Police Lt. Isaias Cruz . An update on the animal's condition was unavailable.

HOLYOKE — A police dog was stabbed in the line of duty by an armed robbery suspect Tuesday night, Holyoke Police Lt. Isaias Cruz said.

The incident happened as the K-9 dog was attempting to subdue the man after he robbed a fast-food restaurant in the city, Cruz said. The dog was taken to VCA Boston Road Animal Hospital in Springfield for emergency treatment, but an update on the animal's condition was unavailable.

"All I know is that (the dog) was stabbed in the back," Cruz said.

Springfield police were alerted at 10:50 p.m. that Holyoke police were transporting the dog to the hospital at 1235 Boston Road. City police cruisers attempted to block off some major intersections to hasten the trip to the animal hospital.

The suspect, whose name wasn't immediately available, also was hospitalized. He's expected to be charged with armed robbery and harming a police dog, Cruz said.

This developing story will be updated when more information is available.

The new owner has a five year contract to make Hasbro games at the plant in East Longmeadow.

This is an updated version of a story published at 11:08 this morning.

EAST LONGMEADOW - The new owners of Hasbro's sprawling board-game manufacturing plant here see the business growing as they seek out business making games for Hasbro's competitors in the board game market.

Those game and toy companies, said Chris Van Doorslaer CEO of Belgian card printer Cartamundi Group, are increasingly placing their manufacturing orders in the United States and not with factories in China and other Asian countries.

"That is one of the reasons why we were interested in buying a factory in East Longmeadow," Van Doorslaer said. "Many companies are re-shoring to the United States as wages in China go up and exchange rates make it more difficult to do business."

Hasbro, the Rhode Island-based maker of tows and games including Mister Potato Head, My Little Pony  and the Transformers, announced Tuesday that it is selling both of its manufacturing plant in East Longmeadow and its plant in Waterford , Ireland to Cartamundi Group of Belgium.

Hasbo's favorites like "Monopoly", "Life" and "Twister" won't disappear from the factory floor in East Longmeadow. Cartamundi Group has a five-year contract with Hasbro to keep producing Hasbro games in East Longmeadow, Van Doorslaer.

"We have been making a lot of cards for the games of Hasbro," Van Doorslaer  said. "Our next step now expand and start working with (creators) of other board games who might have been reluctant to work with Hasbro."

Cartamundi products include Hasbro's "Magic: The Gathering" role-playing game as well as decks of playing cards for casinos and for consumers, cards for other company's board games and Topps baseball cards.

It has 10 factories in four continents, but East Longmeadow will be its only one set up to make board games, he said.

"We don't have a crystal ball, but the board game business is good," Cartamundi said.

He declined to say who the specific targets will be, only that it will be added business on top of Hasbro production.

"You have to think of competitors of Hasbro," he said. "Go into a ToysRus or a Target and look at all the games for sale. That's who we want to work with. Those will be all our customers."

Van Doorslaer said the Cartamundi name means "cards for the world." The company will retain Hasbro's 350 employees on the same terms they have now. He was in town Tuesday to meet with employees.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed. the deal is expected to close in 60 days.

The 1.1-million-square-foot plant at 443 Shaker Road is assessed at $29 million, according to town records. The former Milton Bradley Co. built the plant in the 1960s.

In recent years, Hasbro has shifted its attention towards a future as an entertainment company, leveraging well-known brands like "Battleship" into Hollywood movie franchises.

in 2011, it moved 70 game development jobs from East Longmeadow to Hasbro's headquarters in Rhode Island.

Milton Bradley, himself, moved to Springfield in 1856, and founded a lithography and publishing business in 1860. His game "The Checkered Game of Life" launched the board game industry. Milton Bradley Co. later became famous for "Mouse Trap," "Trouble Bubbles," "Word Play," and "Twister."

Hasbro purchased the Milton Bradley in 1984.

The Hasbro plant had more than 1,000 workers in the 1990s and early 2000s, said Jeffrey Ciuffreda, president of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield.

"I know there has always been talk of them cutting back," Ciuffreda said, adding that there were no more local executives in decision making roles. "I hate to say it, but when we started losing the local contacts and decision makers we were a little worried."

Richard K. Sullivan Jr.,  CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council said this idea of bringing manufacturing work back from China is one that could pay dividends here in the Pioneer Valley, whether it be  Cartamundi or someone else.

"It is absolutely something that is happening.That is why you will see the EDC with a real emphasis on manufacturing. I think it is also as important that we as a region highlight a real center of excellence around this."

On Wall Street, Hasbro (HAS) was trading at $78.61 a share, up 39 cents a share, earlier today.

Two city residents have been held on $50,000 cash bail each after the pair was arrested on charges of armed robbery and injuring a police dog.

HOLYOKE -- Two city residents have been held on $50,000 cash bail each after the pair was arrested on charges of armed robbery and injuring a police dog.

Holyoke police officers were called to the intersection of Maple and Appleton Streets at approximately 10:30 p.m. for a report of armed robbery near the McDonald's.

The victims told the responding officer that, as they walked towards the McDonald's to order food, two men were staring at them. After they received their food and left the establishment, one of the men approached the pair.

They told police that one of the men, later identified as Joseph Steven Albelo, said, "Come here... We've been watching you guys... You roll with someone? What block you from?"

The pair said that Albelo then pointed a knife at them as he and another man, later identified as Rafael Serrano, robbed them of their belongings.

They reported a list of items of varying value stolen: a square gold ring featuring yellow and black diamonds, a gold Tenko-brand watch with diamonds in it, a North Face backpack, two smartphones and $150 in cash.

After the men began to run away with the goods, the victims told police they chased them. A witness at the scene told police he saw the encounter and joined in the chase while calling the police. The three lost sight of the men several blocks away.

Multiple city officers responded to the search for the men as another took statements from the victims and witness. 

Holyoke Police K-9 Jori. HPD Facebook page 

An officer spotted men matching the dispatched description near the intersection of Maple and Hampshire Streets. When the officer exited the vehicle, the men reportedly ran in different directions. The officer chased on foot as Albelo rode a mountain bike around downtown. He lost the suspect when he rode down a hill on Bristol Place towards Commercial Street.

As Holyoke Officer Ryan Tabb was driving in a marked cruiser towards the police station for his shift, he saw Albelo reportedly attempting to flee police and joined in the chase.

When close to Albelo, Tabb exited his cruiser with his partner, police K-9 Jori. Tabb said in his statement of facts that he shouted for the man to stop running because the police dog will bite, but the man continued to run.

Jori caught up with Albelo and bit him in his lower leg. Several officers on the scene reported witnessing Albelo then repeatedly attempt to stab the dog.

"As the K-9 was running next to Mr. Albelo, I observed him swinging his right arm at the dog in a downward stabbing motion," Officer Michael R. Everett wrote in his report.

Tabb said he heard his partner yelp and that the man attempt to stab the dog at least five times.

"I saw him about to stab again and jumped on him, held him down with both hands and told him to drop the knife."

Tabb handcuffed the man and court documents state a "kitchen-style knife" with a red handle was found near him in the grass.

Albelo was reportedly wearing a gold Tenko-brand watch with diamonds at the time of his arrest.

After Albelo was handcuffed, Tabb rushed his partner to VCA Boston Road Animal Hospital in Springfield for treatment.

"I had not known how many times Jori had been stabbed and was trying to monitor him as he bled in the back of the cruiser," Tabb wrote in his report.

Jori was stabbed between his shoulder blades and his neck and required seven stitches. He is expected to be okay and back to work in a few weeks.

Other officers were dispatched to find the second suspect. Serrano was seen running near Lawrence Full Service Community School. When police caught up with him and exited the vehicle, Serrano reportedly stopped and followed the officer's orders.

Rafael Serrano. HPD

Both city residents were arrested on charges of armed robbery, disorderly conduct, willfully injuring a police dog, cruelty to an animal, carrying a dangerous weapon and resisting arrest.

The 25-year-old Albelo and 27-year-old Serrano were arraigned in Holyoke District Court Wednesday morning and pleaded not guilty. Judge Maureen Walsh ordered each be held on $50,000 cash bail. Neither had posted bail by Wednesday afternoon.

Serrano, according to court records, is facing the multiple charges while on parole. He was arrested in 2013 on breaking and entering into a motor vehicle and other charges after attempting to enter a motor vehicle parking in front of a Farnum Drive home. The homeowner saw him prevented him from leaving the scene until police arrived.

Both are scheduled to be back in Holyoke District Court on August 14.

Police in Connecticut were investigating Wednesday the discovery of human legs in the area of the State Street Railroad Station at Court Street in New Haven.

A digest of news stories from around the Northeast.

Now a year later, the ALS Association has announced that a little over 40 percent, or $47.1 million, of the of $115 million raised by the Ice Bucket Challenge has been spent or allocated to certain initiatives and projects.

Last summer, family members and friends across the nation were dumping buckets of ice cold water on their heads to gain support and raise funds for those living with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS.

According to CNN, more than 17 million people participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge in the summer of 2014, and the ALS Association received $115 million in donations from 2.5 million people nationally.

Now, a year later, the ALS Association has announced that a little over 40 percent, or $47.1 million, of the of $115 million raised by the Ice Bucket Challenge has been spent or allocated to certain initiatives and projects.

The money that has been spent so far is as follows:

Patient and Community Services:

• Grants to Treatment Centers - $2,700,000
• Community and Support Grants - $8,500,000

Public and Professional Education:

• Regulatory Guidance to Speed Drug Development - $500,000

Research:

• ALS ACT - $10,500,000
• New York Genome Center - $2,500,000
• Neurocollaborative - $5,000,000
• Project Mine - $1,000,000
• Clinical Management Grant - $50,000
• Clinical Research Training Fellow - $86,667
• Biomarker Discovery and Validation Projects - $1,199,841
• Cytokinetics, Inc. Phase 3 Trial - $1,500,000
• 2015 Annual Research Awards - $11,621,638

"The total includes $2 million in already paid external processing fees for credit card transactions and web overage charges due to increased volume of daily web visitors during the 2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge," according to alsa.org.

Overall, the ALS Association has long-term plans to commit the total $115 million in donations to five specific funding categories: 67 percent in research, 20 percent in patient and community services, 9 percent in public and professional education, 2 percent in fundraising, and 2 percent in external processing fees, which refers to the $2 million aforementioned cost to ALS Association due to credit and debit card charges.

The commitment to research in enhancing medical treatments amount to $77 million. The existing research efforts are available on the also.org website, and include the expansion of patient therapy development, drug research and development, genetic code research for ALS patients and other advancements.

On Tuesday, the ALS Association also announced that it is supporting 58 smaller research grants, totaling $11.6 million, dedicated to researchers internationally who are developing treatments to ultimately find a cure. The researchers will each receive between $40,000 and $500,000.

CNN reports that Phil Buchanan, the president of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, says the organization's transparency should be applauded. Buchanan told CNN that he "had kind of feared at the time that there would be a lot of pressure on them to spend the money quickly, but that can actually lead to money that's not well spent."

The $115 million raised by the nation was a collective achievement, so the ALS Association included the public in its plans for spending the money.

The organization is looking to make the Ice Bucket Challenge fundraiser an annual tradition. Its most recent promotion driving the 2015 Ice Bucket Challenge is "Every August until a cure!" Buchanan told CNN that this summer will determine whether the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was a novelty or a repeatable tradition.

Dr. Steven Finkbeiner of the Neuro Collaborative, who is receiving $5 million in research donations from the ALS Association, told CNN that "by some estimates it takes about a billion dollars to make a new therapy," which would explain the reason behind an annual Ice Bucket Challenge.

Gateway City Arts will offer a pre-Celebrate Holyoke party July 31.

HOLYOKE -- The free Celebrate Holyoke festival of live music, food and family activities will return Aug. 21 to 23 at Holyoke Heritage State Park after a 10-year absence.

"There will be continuous music during these hours," said Sigrid von Wendel, executive director of Celebrate Holyoke.

Performers will include Roomful of Blues, singer, poet, and actor Flaco Navaja, Dee Reilly and the Nashville Show Band and the Joe Velez Creacion Latin Big Band, she said.

Vendors will offer local food, alcohol and art works, she said.

A list of hours, musical acts, vendors and other information is available on the Celebrate Holyoke website, celebrateholyokemass.com.

A Celebrate Holyoke pre-party -- "to mobilize volunteers and stir some excitement," von Wendel said -- will be held July 31 from 6 to 11 p.m. at Gateway City Arts, 92 Race St. The facility's Summer Beer Garden, food and music will be available. Admission is $5 and the suggested donation is $10, the event's website said.

Attending Celebrate Holyoke is free, von Wendel said.

But, she said, it takes a lot of work and money to make such an event happen for free, so donations are being accepted online at the Celebrate Holyoke Gofundme page, gofundme.com/celebrateholyoke

As of early Wednesday night, $1,490 had been raised toward the $5,000 goal, according to the website.

Corporate sponsorships also are available for individuals, businesses or organizations, von Wendel said.

"Your support fosters goodwill with your customers and employees and strengthens your involvement in the cultural life of your community," she said.

Prospective corporate sponsors can visit the Celebrate Holyoke website here for more information or contact finance@celebrateholyokemass.com.

Volunteers -- who will get a food coupon, T-shirt and water -- are needed to help in promoting, planning and running the event. Information is available by sending an email to CelebrateHolyokeMass@gmail.com.

Celebrate Holyoke was last held in 2005. It ran for a number of years in Holyoke Heritage State Park between Dwight and Appleton streets, but stopped because of financial problems.

Mayor Alex B. Morse made reviving Celebrate Holyoke a priority.

The deal does nothing to address Iran's broader support for terrorism in the Middle East or its detention of several American citizens.

By JULIE PACE

WASHINGTON -- Vigorously challenging his critics, President Barack Obama launched an aggressive and detailed defense of a landmark Iranian nuclear accord Wednesday, rejecting the idea that it leaves Tehran on the brink of a bomb and arguing the only alternative to the diplomatic deal is war.

"Either the issue of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon is resolved diplomatically through a negotiation or it's resolved through force, through war," Obama said during a lengthy White House news conference. "Those are the options."

The president spoke one day after Iran, the U.S. and five other world powers finalized a historic, years-long agreement to curb Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions relief. Opposition to the deal has been fierce, both in Washington and Israel. Sunni Arab rivals of Shiite Iran also express concerns.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, perhaps the fiercest critic of Obama's overtures to Iran, showed no sign he could be persuaded to even tolerate the agreement. In remarks to Israel's parliament, Netanyahu said he was not bound by the terms of the deal and could still take military action against Iran.

"We will reserve our right to defend ourselves against all of our enemies," said Netanyahu, who sees Iran's suspected pursuit of a nuclear weapon as a threat to Israel's existence.

In Congress, resistance comes not only from Republicans, but also Obama's own Democratic Party. Vice President Joe Biden spent the morning on Capitol Hill meeting privately with House Democrats, telling reporters as he left that he was confident they would get behind a deal.

The president said he welcomed a "robust" debate with Congress, but showed little patience for what he cast as politically motivated opposition. Lawmakers can't block the nuclear deal, but they can try to undermine it by insisting U.S. sanctions stay in place.

In Tehran, Iranians took to the streets to celebrate the accord, and even Iran's hard-liners offered only mild criticism -- a far cry from the outspoken opposition that the White House had feared.

The nuclear accord has become a centerpiece of Obama's foreign policy, a high-stakes gamble that diplomatic engagement with a longtime American foe could resolve one of the world's most pressing security challenges. The importance of the deal to Obama was evident Wednesday, both in his detailed knowledge of its technical provisions and his insistence that no critique go unanswered.

An hour into the East Room news conference, Obama asked if reporters had other questions about Iran -- a highly unusual inquiry from a president who is rarely so freewheeling in his exchanges with the press. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, saying he had "made notes" about the main criticisms of the deal and wanted to ensure each had been addressed.

The accord requires Iran to dismantle key elements of its nuclear program, lower its uranium enrichment levels, and give up thousands of centrifuges. International inspectors will have access to Iran's declared nuclear facilities, but must request visits to Iran's military sites, access that isn't guaranteed. If Iran abides by the parameters, it will receive billions of dollars in relief from crippling international sanctions that have badly damaged the country's economy.

The deal does nothing to address Iran's broader support for terrorism in the Middle East or its detention of several American citizens, though some U.S. officials hold out hope it could eventually lead Tehran to reassess its role in the world.

Obama, however, outlined a narrower ambition, saying the deal should be judged solely on whether it stops Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. As to whether the agreement might change Iran's other behavior, he said, "We're not betting on it."

The president also sharply rebuffed a suggestion that he was content to let American detainees languish in Iran while he celebrated a deal. "That's nonsense," he said, adding that Iran would have taken advantage of any U.S. effort to link the nuclear accord to the release of U.S. citizens.

Showing a command of technical nuclear issues, Obama spent much of the news conference trying to knock down criticisms of the deal point by point.

To those who argue sanctions relief will leave Iran flush with cash to fund terrorism, Obama said Tehran is already backing Hezbollah and other groups on the cheap. He noted that the Iranian government is under pressure from citizens to use any influx of international funds to improve the country's struggling economy.

Obama insisted sanctions on Iran could be "snapped back" in place if Iran cheats on the deal, even if Russia and China object. He defended the 24-day window Iran would have before international inspectors gain access to suspicious sites, saying nuclear material "leaves a trace" and suggesting the U.S. has other means of monitoring facilities. And he shrugged off concerns that a United Nations arms embargo on Iran could be lifted in five years, saying the U.S. and its partners have others ways of preventing Iran from sending weapons to militant groups.

Taken together, Obama said, the deal marks a rare opportunity to cut off Iran's pathways to a bomb and bolster the safety of the U.S. and the rest of the world.

"If we don't choose wisely, I believe future generations will judge us harshly for letting this moment slip away," he said.

AP writer Josh Lederman contributed to this report.

Senior citizens can ride the carousel all day on Wednesdays for the price of one $2 ticket.

HOLYOKE -- The Holyoke Merry Go Round is in its summer hours for July and August, and events for Christmas-lovers and senior citizens are scheduled.

Hours at the carousel in Holyoke Heritage State Park at 221 Appleton St. are 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday through August, Operations Manager Marianne Holden said in an email. Parking is free.

Rides are $2 or six for $10.

The 48-horse, hand-carved Merry Go Round was saved thanks to a community fundraising drive in the late 1980's. The carousel opened in the park Dec. 7, 1993.

The carousel was built in 1927 by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. It operated at Mountain Park on Mount Tom until the amusement park closed in 1987.

"Two for Tuesdays" allows for two rides on the Merry Go Round that day for the $2 price of one ticket, Holden said.

On Wednesdays during the Merry Go Round's summer hours, senior citizens can ride all day for the $2 price of one ticket and their grandchildren can take each ride at half price, she said.

Santa Claus will hand out treats in a visit to the carousel July 25 for "Christmas in July" from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Christmas music will be played, she said.

For information call (413) 538-9838 or visit holyokemerrygoround.org.

Desperate families roam the banks of a swollen creek in the eastern part of the state, looking for their lost loved ones.

By BRUCE SCHREINER
and DAVID STEPHENSON

FLAT GAP, Ky. -- As the Johnson family dug through the wreckage where their trailers once stood, they found a mud-soaked box of family photos, cherished heirlooms and a tiny porcelain statue of Jesus, but not what they were looking for.

Scott Johnson, 34, was swept away two days ago, trying to save his grandmother as a flash flood Monday ravaged this rural eastern Kentucky community.

He is still missing. Three others are confirmed dead, and the fate of four more remains uncertain. Families reported them missing, but they could be stranded in their homes, without power or phone service.

Rescue teams are slogging through knee-deep mud, door-to-door, across the rugged Appalachian terrain, painting orange Xs on each structure they search. Desperate families roam the banks of the swollen creek, looking for their lost loved ones.

Kevin Johnson last saw his son Scott wading through rushing floodwater with his 74-year-old grandmother on his back.

Scott Johnson had already guided his father, uncle and sister from the raging flood that inundated their cluster of trailers. He turned back one last time to save his grandmother, called Nana, and a 13-year-old family friend.

"We told him, 'You can't make it,'" his father recalled. "He said, 'I'm going to get her out of that trailer."

Standing in a cemetery on a hill overlooking the creek that had swallowed his son, Kevin Johnson was so overcome with grief he sometimes struggled to speak. He had watched his son push the boy to safety in the branches of a catalpa tree and hoist his Nana onto his back, only to be swept away.

"Scott wouldn't turn her loose, that's why he died," said Veronica Marcum, Scott Johnson's sister.

The grandmother, Willa Mae Pennington, was found dead Tuesday among debris from the family's shattered mobile homes, Johnson County Coroner J.R. Frisby confirmed.

Frisby identified the second known casualty as Herman Eddie May Sr., 65. May was driving alone in a sport-utility vehicle when floodwaters from Patterson Creek started to sweep him away. He drowned after he got out and was swallowed by the rising water, Frisby said.

The body of a 22-year-old man was found Wednesday afternoon, submerged and underneath the rubble of a broken mobile home, the coroner said. He did not release the man's name.

Rescue crews battled swarming mosquitoes, oppressive humidity and mud so thick it sucked off shoes. Utility crews lined the roads, trying to restore power to thousands still without it. A convoy of National Guard vehicles and heavy equipment rolled through the hardest-hit areas.

Randall Mulkey, chief of Allen Volunteer Fire Department in nearby Floyd County, came to help with the search. He said he's seen homes splintered into rubble, others split in half and cars strewn in places he never could have imagined. Tromping through the mud is exhausting he said, and it's devastating to see people's belongings -- clothes, toys, photographs -- scattered everywhere, some piled 10 feet high.

As the water receded, a crew found a car upside down and partially submerged in the creek. They called for the jaws of life to tear it open and see if anyone had perished inside. But the car's owner arrived just in time, and told the crew it had floated there, unoccupied, from her home a mile away.

"Thanks for not being in it," said Flatwoods Police Officer Justin Stevens. "We really didn't want to see that."

Seven cadaver dogs are aiding in the search, which stretches more than 8 miles from the town of Flat Gap south to Staffordsville -- an area with 500 homes and 1,200 residents about 120 miles east of Lexington, police said at a news conference. Authorities estimate more than 150 homes were destroyed.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear declared a state of emergency, giving local officials immediate access to state resources to assist in recovery efforts. Lt. Gov. Crit Luallen toured the destruction Wednesday and called it "gut wrenching."

"I think all of us who are here and who have seen this in person recognize this as a truly devastating natural disaster," Luallen said. "People have lost everything."

Families returned to the ruins of their homes to try to save what little they could. Church groups and others passed out sandwiches and water, neighbors banded together to clear heavy debris and police said they hoped there still might be some happy endings.

Johnson County Deputy Sheriff Terry Tussey spotted a Chihuahua, alone and trembling, pacing a pile of debris on the other side of a creek.

"She was dancing like she wanted to come across the creek but couldn't do it," he recalled. He trudged through the muck to find a safe crossing. Then he coaxed the little dog to him and cradled it back to his car. He drove around the afternoon with the tan dog in his lap, looking for its owner.

A shelter was opened at the Paintsville recreation center, though many displaced residents turned to families and friends. Many who lost everything said they felt lucky to be alive.

Robin Cisco sifted through the remnants of her daughter's trailer, digging her grandson's clothes and toys from the mud and rubble. The family barely got away: Her daughter ran from the trailer with her 18-month-old son as the storm hit and water started rising.

"They got out and they're OK, that's all we were worried about," Cisco said. "All this other stuff can be replaced."

AP writers Claire Galofaro and Rebecca Reynolds Yonker in Louisville, Kentucky, contributed to this report.

The new proposed site is a vacant lot at the corners of Wason Avenue and Plainfield Street, wedged between a neighborhood and a development chiefly filled with Baystate Health medical office buildings.

SPRINGFIELD - A $10 million proposed addiction treatment center in the city's North End is not going to be an easy sell to residents, based on overwhelming neighborhood response at a meeting on the topic Wednesday evening.

Even Hampden County Sheriff Michael J. Ashe, one of the county's most affable and seasoned politicians, could not quell the resentful tone that met a presentation about the prospective new spot for the former Howard Street treatment center, displaced by the MGM casino project.

The new proposed site is a vacant lot at the corners of Wason Avenue and Plainfield Street, wedged between a neighborhood and a development chiefly filled with Baystate Health medical office buildings.

Ashe, his staff and developer Thomas Henshon made a pitch to residents emphasizing the critical need for the services at the facility, its professionalism and its track record in the South End before it was ousted by the casino project.

A rendering provided by Ashe's team showed an approximately 52,000-square-foot facility fronting Plainfield Street and with a facade that would blend into the majority of the buildings in the area.

"This is not a jail. This is not a house of correction. This is an education and treatment facility," Ashe told a crowd of around 200, including more than a half-dozen hecklers with signs that read "my house is not your back yard" and similar messages.

Program director Della Blake told the crowd the program is tightly controlled and residents' schedules are dictated by treatment and programming from morning 'til night.

"Our clients get up at 6 o'clock in the morning; they have chores, there is a dress code; there is programming all day," said Blake, an assistant superintendent with the sheriff's department.

Many of those in attendance were not sold, nevertheless.

"Those are very nice drawings but the bottom line is we are in a neighborhood ... where there are family homes," said Michael Rivas, a resident of Demond Street. "Regardless of whatever you want to call it ... it's still a jail."

Many asked whether the project was a foregone conclusion, since the state Department of Capital and Asset Management chose the site after an invitation for proposals.

The sheriff's department found itself in a crisis after its cherry-picked developer bailed out of the project earlier this year, leaving the program potentially homeless. A temporary site has been established at the former Holyoke Geriatric Authority. But, Ashe has been adamant that he wants the permanent site to remain in Springfield.

One woman demanded to know if the project was going to be foisted on the neighborhood whether they liked it or not.

"Let's put it this way: Sheriff Ashe would like go to this site but there's been no permitting process started or anything like that," Ashe said.

"Why the clean-up, then?" the woman asked, referring to the sprucing up of the site around two weeks ago. Residents said it was formerly overgrown and filled with trash.

"Well, let's say we wanted to put our best foot forward," Ashe responded, drawing cynical chuckles from the crowd.

Residents vowed to continue to oppose the project with upcoming meetings and a petition drive that has already drawn 400 signatures.

Developer Thomas Henshon attended the meeting, and said afterward that he intends to discount the square-footage cost for development in a high-rent district. He estimated that he would charge approximately 20 percent less than he would another tenant.

"I believe in the program. It's good work. I've been to a graduation. I wanted to see what I was getting myself into," said Henshon, president of Pearson Companies Inc.

He said his company has been in Western Massachusetts for 40 years and has built 500 buildings including schools, a YMCA and Cyr Arena in Forest Park. Henshon appeared slightly dejected as he left the meeting.

"We are going to add a gym on with a separate entrance for the public, but that didn't come out," he said.

Ashe said a proposed 10-year lease with the state is on the table.

"I realize that my recent remarks about police activity in our city conveyed a message I never intended," said Johnny Ray McKnight, candidate for Springfield mayor.

SPRINGFIELD — After declaring more police officers won't solve Springfield's crime woes, mayoral candidate Johnnie Ray McKnight has penned an open letter to "the men and women in blue" in an effort to mollify critics.

On Wednesday, McKnight issued a statement clarifying his previous statement to the press.

"I realize that my recent remarks about police activity in our city conveyed a message I never intended," he said. "This has made me appear to be an enemy of the police department, an opponent of the very people we trust to keep our city and streets safe. This is quite far from my true position."

Earlier this month, McKnight said: "Putting more men and women in uniform will do nothing if our government does not first improve the quality of our law enforcement. Surveillance cameras, dash and body cameras and refashioned police training are needed to instill this city with a more effective, safe, and trusted police force."

McKnight said that, in light of recent events in Springfield and around the nation, it's "more important than ever to reassess our law enforcement system." But, he added, that doesn't take away from "the immensely difficult and vital job of our police force, nor from how much we value your sacrifice."

Below are excerpts from his "open letter" to Springfield police officers, which he issued to local media outlets Wednesday morning:

... Recent tragedies throughout this country have made it easy to draw lines between police-supporters and police-detractors. It would be a false assumption to think we must either defend every single uniform or declare the entire force corrupt. I would never even consider this latter choice, understanding the contribution you bring to this city.

However, Springfield cannot thrive without an effective police force, and it is important to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of any important part of our society.

... I maintain that we must take stock of the complicated situation in which we find ourselves. Our city is spending too much of our valuable resources on lawsuits against the police force, and while the vast majority of our officers work in a noble and honorable fashion, there are the few that mistreat our residents and give the entire department a bad name. This is a risk with any profession, but must be addressed all the same.

It is my goal to work together with the police department. To every one of you who has donned the badge and served this community, I thank you. If my previous words have offended you, I can only reiterate that this was never my intention.

I have worked, and will continue to work, for a better Springfield for all. We are all working to make Springfield a better, more prosperous city. Most importantly, though, we are working to make it a safer city.

Sincerely,
Johnnie Ray McKnight

No one aboard the single-engine plane or on the ground was seriously injured when the plane touched down Sunday morning in Stafford Township on Route 72.

STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. -- Police have released a video of a small plane carrying students from a skydiving school making an emergency landing on a New Jersey highway.

No one aboard the single-engine plane or on the ground was seriously injured when the plane touched down Sunday morning in Stafford Township on Route 72, one of the main roads between Philadelphia and the Jersey shore.

The video shows the plane coasting over traffic before the pilot puts it down in the grass median. An instructor suffered a minor cut to his arm, authorities said.

The plane from was from the Skydive East Coast skydiving school in New Jersey, The New York Times reported. The plane apparently lost power shortly after taking off, police said. It's unknown what caused the problem.

In addition to the pilot, three skydiving students and an instructor were aboard the plane.

The Dow Jones industrial average slipped about 3 points to close at 18,050.

By STEVE ROTHWELL

NEW YORK -- The U.S. stock market edged lower Wednesday, ending a four-day rally, as a drop in energy shares and jitters over Greece outweighed encouraging earnings reports from banks.

Energy stocks slumped along with the price of oil after a report showed that a drop in U.S. supplies last week was less than expected.

The market's pause follows strong gains. Stocks have surged in the past week as a slump in China's stock market abated and Greece reached a deal with its creditors for more loans to avoid bankruptcy and a possible exit from the euro.

Before the stock marked closed, Greece's deal with its creditors had still not been approved by the country's lawmakers, although that did happen later in the way. As investors waited for a vote in the nation's parliament, protesters clashed with police in the streets of Athens. The protesters want an end to the harsh austerity measures demanded by Greece's creditors in exchange for more loans.

"You come in some days and it looks like it's all clear and that Greece has been resolved, and the next day it hasn't," said Michael Scanlon, portfolio manager with John Hancock Asset Management.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index edged down 1.55 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 2,107.40. The Dow Jones industrial average slipped 3.41 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 18,050.17. The Nasdaq composite fell 5.95 points, or 0.1 percent, to 5,098.94.

The U.S. stock market started the day higher after encouraging second-quarter results from banks, including Bank of America.

The bank said its profit more than doubled thanks to lower legal bills. It also said an increase in deposits, lower expenses and an improving balance sheet helped offset a decline in revenue.

The bank's stock rose 55 cents, or 3.2 percent, to $17.68.

Investors were also following Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen's comments to the House Financial Services Committee.

Yellen told Congress she sees encouraging signs that the economy is reviving after a harsh winter. If the improvements continue, she said, policymakers will likely start raising interest rates later this year. The Fed has kept its benchmark rate near zero since December 2008, pushing up bond and stock prices.

Yellen was flagging the possibility of higher rates so as not to surprise investors when the Fed does eventually lift them, said Quincy Krosby, a market strategist for Prudential Financial.

"That's the last thing she wants to do," said Krosby. "That's why we have to pay attention when she says that (a rate increase) is on the table."

Among individual stocks, Macy's was the biggest gainer in the S&P 500. The stock jumped on reports that activist investor firm Starboard Value thinks the department store chain could boost its value by spinning off its real estate holdings. Macy's climbed $5.28, or 7.9 percent, to $72.01.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude fell $1.63, or 3 percent, to close at $51.41 a barrel, as a report on supplies showed a smaller-than-expected decline last week. The price of oil has fallen 13 percent this month.

Oil has come under further pressure after Iran reached a nuclear deal with world powers. That paves the way for sanctions on the country to be lifted, allowing Iran to export oil and add to a glut in global supply.

In government bond trading, prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.36 percent from 2.40 percent on Tuesday.

The dollar rose to 123.78 yen from 123.35 yen. The euro was down slightly to $1.0950 from $1.1010.

In metals trading, silver fell 27 cents to $15.03 an ounce. Gold dropped $6.10 to $1,147.40 an ounce. Copper declined 1.4 cents to $2.53 a pound.

In other futures trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange:

1. Wholesale gasoline fell 7 cents to close at $1.86 a gallon.
2. Heating oil slipped 5.6 cents to close at $1.67 a gallon.
3. Natural gas rose 8 cents to close at $2.92 per 1,000 cubic feet.