Consecutive saves are encouraging for Koji Uehara's replacement.

Junichi Tazawa may be only a fill-in replacement for an injured closer, pitching for a last-place team that's playing out the string.

The last two nights still suggest that the Boston Red Sox right-hander is determined to give meaning to the rest of his season.

"I have no preference (of role). I just want to contribute to the team winning,'' Tazawa said through a translator after a snappy 10-pitch, nine-strike ninth inning in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Kansas City Royals.

"I've had better results lately, but I've given up a lot of hits and runs. I'm still not satisfied.''

Tazawa has allowed runs in six of his last 15 appearances, but his saves on consecutive nights indicate he might have turned a corner. He has needed only 25 pitches (18 strikes) to get six consecutive outs.

He retired the Cleveland Indians in order Wednesday, then did the same to the Royals. After logging one save in his first 239 major league appearances - that one coming in 2012 - he picked up two within 24 hours.

His opportunity has come with Uehara's season-ending wrist injury. The last two months will give Tazawa, 29, a chance he has never had - an opportunity to show he can close out games.

"The ninth inning is a little different, a little more nervous than the eighth,'' he said. "But you still have to get outs.''

In the ninth inning, Tazawa started off Kendrys Morales with a curve, then went to a devastating splitter for a strikeout.

Mixing fastballs and splits, he made quick work of the defending AL champions, lowering his ERA to 3.12.

That's high for a closer, which is what Tazawa will be in the final weeks. Uehera is signed through next year, so this is not necessarily an audition for 2015.

Good results have value, though, no matter how and when they are achieved.

"He had a great splitter tonight. He's been very impressive the last two nights,'' Red Sox interim manager Torey Lovullo said.

"His fastball velocity (94-95 mph) and location have not changed, and he had that wipe-out splitter.''

Tazawa has yet to face a one-run save situation, and Tazawa said a multiple-run lead does ease the pressure just a bit. Boston won 6-4 on Wednesday and had a three-run cushion Thursday.

When Joel Hanrahan and Andrew Bailey went down with injuries in 2013, Tazawa was named Red Sox closer for about 48 hours. It never materialized; Red Sox manager John Farrell turned to Uehara, an unlikely longshot candidate who wound up turning in one of the most unhittable seasons by a reliever in major league history, helping Boston win the World Series.

Tazawa is arbitration-eligible in 2016. Free agency beckons in 2017.

He's never really been viewed as closer material, even though his velocity is more than suitable and an effective splitter can make him dominant. He is also a workhorse whose 193 appearances since the start of 2013 rank fourth among American League relievers and 11th in the majors.

Uehara's presence appeared to keep Tazawa in an eighth-inning capacity. But as much as Tazawa says he'll accept any role to help the team win, a strong finish as closer will elevate his prestige and help keep a dispiriting Red Sox season from ending in collapse.

He's not getting ahead of himself, but this has been a good week so far.

"I'm not that comfortable yet,'' Tazawa said. "It still comes down to getting results.''

A toddler who is in dire condition after being taken from an Auburn foster home last weekend was found with skin that was hot to the touch and an elevated temperature as well as bruising that may be consistent with a seat belt harness, according to two people familiar with the case.

A digest of news stories from around the Northeast.

Alex Kelly 

Auburn foster child showed symptoms of overheating, possible seat belt bruising, police sources say [Boston Globe] Related video below

Connor MacCalister 

'I panicked, I had to protect myself,' Lowell convenience store owner says after shooting at thieves who stole $10,000 [Lowell Sun] Video below

Owen Labrie, left, with lawyer 

The Art in the Orchard exhibit at the Pine Hill Orchard features 28 three-dimensional outdoor works of art this year.

EASTHAMPTON — The Art in the Orchard exhibit at the Pine Hill Orchard features 28 three-dimensional outdoor works of art this year.

The third biennial show is open now until Oct. 31 from Tuesday through Sunday, including holidays.

According to a recent article on MassLive, the outdoor sculpture walk got its start in 2011 when Jean-Pierre Pasche, an Easthampton gallery owner, joined forces with orchard owners Alane Hartley and Russell Braen.

Since then, the project has grown, with support from volunteers, the business community, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

Promoting some good news for the city, Springfield officials Friday gathered in Forest Park to celebrate the completion of Camp STAR Angelina, a fully accessible swimming pool, bathhouse and adjacent amphitheater for use by residents of all ages and abilities. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD — Promoting some good news for the city, Springfield officials Friday gathered in Forest Park to celebrate the completion of Camp STAR Angelina, a fully accessible swimming pool, bathhouse and adjacent amphitheater for use by residents of all ages and abilities.

The ceremony, held under a tent in a pouring rain, featured the city's gratitude for the many contributors to the $1.8 million project including the state through its Signature Urban Park Program, numerous community businesses, parents and friends of Camp STAR Angelina and the Springfield Council for Cultural and Community Affairs.

The ceremony, hosted by Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, included remarks by several city councilors, state representatives, Parks Commissioner Brian Santaniello and Patrick J. Sullivan, the city's executive director of parks, buildings and recreation management. A special thanks went out to Laura Walsh, a park planner and therapeutic recreation coordinator, who shepherded the project to completion.

According to a press release from the mayor's office, "Camp STAR Angelina offers inclusive recreational programs for youth and young adults (ages 3-22) with and without disabilities. The camp services those with learning, developmental, and emotional disabilities; medical concerns; hearing and visual impairments; and other forms of disability. The camp is operated by the Department of Parks, Buildings, and Recreation Management and is supported by the Parents of Camp STAR Angelina and a wonderful group of longtime staff and volunteers."

A reception followed the ceremony in a large covered pavilion on the grounds.

A gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon on a high-speed train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris Friday, wounding three people before being subdued by two American passengers.

GREG KELLER, Associated Press

PARIS (AP) -- A gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon on a high-speed train traveling from Amsterdam to Paris Friday, wounding three people before being subdued by two American passengers, officials said.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, speaking in Arras in northern France where the suspected was detained, said one of the Americans was hospitalized with serious wounds. Their names were not immediately released.

Investigators from France's special anti-terror police are leading the investigation, a spokeswoman for the Paris prosecutor's office said.

The suspect is a 26-year-old Moroccan, said Sliman Hamzi, an official with police union Alliance, said on French television i-Tele.

The suspect was armed with an automatic rifle and a knife, said Christophe Piednoel, spokesman for national railway operator SNCF.

Cazeneuve said the American passengers "were particularly courageous and showed great bravery in very difficult circumstances" and that "without their sangfroid we could have been confronted with a terrible drama."

A second person was also seriously wounded in the attack, while a third is being treated for minor injuries.

The attack took place at 1545 GMT while the Thalys train was passing through Belgium, according to a statement from the office President Francois Hollande. Hollande said he's spoken with Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel and the two leaders pledged to cooperate closely on the investigation.

Thalys is owned by the French and Belgian railways and operates high-speed trains serving Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and Cologne, Germany.

French authorities have been on heightened alert since Islamic extremist attacks in January left 20 people dead, including the three attackers.

Growing concerns about a slowdown in China shook markets around the world on Friday, driving the U.S. stock market to its biggest drop in nearly four years.

By BERNARD CONDON
and MATTHEW CRAFT
AP Business Writers

NEW YORK -- Growing concerns about a slowdown in China shook markets around the world on Friday, driving the U.S. stock market to its biggest drop in nearly four years.

The rout started in Asia and quickly spread to Europe, battering major markets in Germany and France. In the U.S., the selling started early and never let up. Investors ditched beaten-down oil companies, as well as Netflix, Apple and other technology darlings. Oil plunged below $40 for the first time since the financial crisis, and government bonds rallied as investors raced into hiding spots.

"Investors are wondering if growth isn't coming from the U.S. or China, where is it going to come from?" said Tim Courtney, CIO of Exencial Wealth Advisors. "This is about growth."

By the time it was over, the Standard and Poor's 500 index had lost 5.8 percent for the week, its worst weekly slump since 2011. That leaves the main benchmark for U.S. investments 7.7 percent below its all-time high – within shooting range of what traders call a "correction," a 10 percent drop from a peak.

Markets began falling last week after China announced a surprise devaluation of its currency, the yuan. Investors have interpreted China's move as a sign that flagging growth in world's second-largest economy could be worse than government reports suggest. On Friday, they got more bad news: A private survey showed another drop in manufacturing on the mainland.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index dropped 64.84 points, or 3.2 percent, to close at 1,970.89.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 530.94 points, or 3.1 percent, to 16,459.75. That's 10 percent off its high, a correction.

The Nasdaq slid 171.45 points, or 3.5 percent, to 4,706.04.

"Concerns about slowing growth in China are certainly valid," said Jeremy Zirin, head of investment strategy at UBS Wealth Management. "But there doesn't seem to be any signal that the weakness abroad is slipping into the U.S. economy."

Investors pointed to other reasons behind the recent sell-off, such as falling prices for oil and other commodities as well as the relatively high prices investors pay for U.S. stocks compared with corporate earnings.

"All of this is coming at a time when we haven't had a correction" in many years, Zirin said. The last correction occurred in October 2011.

Roberto Perli, head of global monetary policy research at Cornerstone Macro, said the market's recent slump likely means the Federal Reserve won't raise its benchmark interest rate at its September meeting. Fed officials gathering next month will have to weigh the global pressures against evidence of a solid U.S. job market and improving U.S. economic growth.

"They have the luxury of being able to wait and see what happens," Perli said. "But if the meeting was tomorrow, it's probably fair to say that they wouldn't tighten given all the turmoil in the global markets."

For all the markets' jitters, many economists say they remain confident that the U.S. economy is resilient enough to withstand a slowdown in the developing world. And Europe's economy appears to be emerging from its long slump.

Major markets in Europe finished with deep losses on Friday. France's CAC-40 fell 3.2 percent while Germany's DAX lost 2.9 percent. In Britain, the FTSE 100 index dropped 2.8 percent.

In Asia, the Shanghai Composite index suffered another steep drop of 4.3 percent. Japan's Nikkei 225 lost 3 percent, South Korea's Kospi shed 2 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.5 percent.

Back in the U.S., government bond prices rose, pushing the yield on the 10-year Treasury note to 2.04 percent.

In the commodity markets, gold gained $6.40 to settle at $1,159.60 an ounce, while silver slipped 22 cents to $15.30 an ounce. Copper lost 2 cents to $2.30 a pound.

The price of U.S. oil briefly dipped below $40 a barrel for the first time since March of 2009. U.S. crude fell 69 cents to close at $40.45 in New York. At one point, it fell as low as $39.86 in midday trading. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, fell $1.16 to close at $45.46 in London.

In other trading on the NYMEX:

-- Wholesale gasoline rose 1 cent to close at $1.545 a gallon.

-- Heating oil fell 3.4 cents to close at $1.462 a gallon.

-- Natural gas fell 7.9 cents to close at $2.676 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Ralphy Vasquez and Yamil Grau-Hani, both of 980 Liberty St. in Hungry Hill, were arrested by undercover troopers assigned to the Hampden County Narcotics Task Force, according to District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.

SPRINGFIELD — Two Springfield men were charged with heroin trafficking after allegedly selling drugs to undercover Massachusetts State Police troopers assigned to District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni's office.

Ralphy Vasquez and Yamil Grau-Hani, both of 980 Liberty St. in Hungry Hill, were arrested Thursday by troopers assigned to the Hampden County Narcotics Task Force, Gulluni said Friday. Task force members made multiple heroin purchases from Grau-Hani before arresting him and Vasquez for selling 100 grams of the drug to undercover officers Thursday, according to the district attorney.

After the Aug. 20 sale, Gulluni said, authorities secured a search warrant for 780 Liberty St. and 1122 St. James Ave., another Springfield address affiliated with the suspects. Police seized 26 grams of heroin at the Liberty Street site and another 359 grams at the St. James Avenue site, Gulluni said.

Investigators allegedly seized more than 500 grams of heroin during the probe, triggering drug-trafficking charges for the defendants. Grau-Hani and Vasquez were arraigned Friday in Springfield District Court and held on cash bail of $100,000 and $50,000, respectively. They are due back in court Sept. 21.

The investigating is ongoing and additional arrests are expected, according to Gulluni.

More than $700,000 in interior and exterior renovations were completed in the past four weeks, franchise owner Derek Salema said.

WILBRAHAM — Officials celebrated the grand reopening of Dunkin' Donuts on Boston Road Friday afternoon following more than $700,000 in interior and exterior renovations.

The renovations include the addition of a dedicated drive-thru lane which allows customers an easier and safer entrance and exit from the site, franchise owner Derek Salema said.

Because of all the customers, traffic into the Dunkin' Donuts used to back up on Boston Road, he said.

The franchise owners are Derek Salema, John Salema and Peter Martins.

The interior renovations include the addition of booths, soft chairs and tables for customers as well as wall outlets for customers using laptops or smart phones.

Robert Bordeau of Ludlow, a longtime customer, said he is excited about all of the changes. He said he is a near daily customer.

"This is a busy spot," he said. He said he meets many of his friends at the Wilbraham Dunkin' Donuts on Boston Road.

He said many retired people, including men and women, are customers of the Dunkin' Donuts as well as working people.

Wilbraham Selectmen Robert Russell and Susan Bunnell attended the grand reopening as did Wilbraham Town Administrator Nick Breault.

State Rep. Angelo Puppolo Jr., D-Springfield, also attended the grand reopening.

Salema said the general contractor for the project was E. Ribeiro Corp. of Warren, Rhode Island.

Site work was done by American Concrete of Monson and Ace Signs of Springfield did the signs.

The Wilbraham Dunkin' Donuts employs 25 to 30 full- and part-time employees.

John Salema said he and his co-owners own 48 Dunkin' Donuts restaurants in the greater Springfield area, including in Wilbraham, Ludlow, Hampden, Springfield, Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, West Springfield, Southwick, Agawam, Chicopee, Holyoke and Amherst.

Celebrate Holyoke continues Saturday and Sunday at Holyoke Heritage State Park.

HOLYOKE -- Celebrate Holyoke returned Friday (Aug. 21), which means Diamond Feliciano, 3, got to ride the Holyoke Merry Go Round. And eat pizza. And fried dough.

"And popcorn," she said, as father Michael Feliciano coaxed her into finishing a slice from Capri Pizza.

The festival featuring music for three days along with arts and crafts booths, food and alcohol vendors takes place through Saturday and Sunday at Holyoke Heritage State Park between Dwight and Appleton streets.

"It's going awesome. The weather is making me very happy," said Sigrid Von Wendel, Celebrate Holyoke executive director.

The performance stage is on the Dwight Street side of the park facing the Holyoke Children's Museum.

Booths with food and drinks line Dwight Street with other booths elsewhere in the park and artists offering creations on the CanalWalk overlooking the first level canal.

"She gets to ride on the Merry Go Round," Michael Feliciano said of his daughter, as they sat overlooking the canal. "I live right over there on Suffolk Street. I heard it on the radio, so I decided to come."

Among the culinary delicacies is poutine, a heaping of tater tots covered in gravy and cheese curds, a Canadian snack offered by Gateway City Arts.

The crowd began increasing slowly after the 5 p.m. "weekend is here" hour with adults wearing sunglasses and chatting near the stage and others pushing children in strollers.

By 7:15 p.m., it was elbow-to-elbow people on Dwight Street between the stage and the Holyoke Creative Arts Center.

"It really is fantastic," Mayor Alex B. Morse said. "So many people have come up to me and thanked me for taking the initiative and bringing this back. And this is just the beginning."

The festival was last held in 2005, ceasing because of financial problems. Morse announced in August 2014 he would work to get it back.

The purple signs at High and Dwight streets in Holyoke point the way to what Celebrate Holyoke has to offer Friday (Aug. 21).(MIKE PLAISANCE / THE REPUBLICAN) 

Nothing major had one wrong as of early Friday night as organizers hoped their volunteering and planning over the past year to mount a three-day festival have succeeded, Von Wendel said.

"We've asked our to be patient with us as we worked out kinks," she said.

Celebrate Holyoke continues Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Visit celebrateholyokemass.com and click on Music for the Saturday and Sunday lineups.

Slide the City of Salt Lake City, Utah will erect its 1,000-foot-long vinyl water slide on Appleton Street between High and Bigelow streets for rides on Saturday. The cost is $25 for a single slide, with multiple-slide prices available. All single riders must bring their own inflatable tubes or purchase one from Slide the City.

 

The Lady of Our Valley parish hall is located at 33 Franklin Street.

EASTHAMPTON -- Polka fans take note: The Eddie Forman Orchestra will take the stage at a church campus in Easthampton on Sunday afternoon for a Polish dance party.

It's the third annual Easthampton Polka Party sponsored by the Easthampton Knights of Columbus. The event will go from noon to 6 p.m. at Our Lady of the Valley at 33 Franklin St.

No coolers are allowed, and people are encouraged to bring lawn chairs. Although there's no cover charge, donations will be accepted. For more information, call Frank Furman at (413) 527-7400; Jean Duquette at (413) 527-2895; or the Our Lady of the Valley Rectory at (413) 527-9778.

For those who want to learn a few moves before stepping out onto the dance floor, here's a basic Youtube lesson:

The victim, a 64-year-old Springfield man, cancelled the card after Chase Fraud Protection Services flagged his account for suspicious activity.

SPRINGFIELD — City police are asking the public to help identify a man suspected of using a Springfield man's credit card information to purchase items at an area Walmart store.

The victim, a 64-year-old city resident whose name was withheld by police, cancelled the card after Chase Fraud Protection Services flagged the account for suspicious activity.

The card's information was stolen on or before Aug. 17. That's when the thief made four purchases within 30 minutes at the WalMart in Ware, according to Springfield police spokesman Sgt. John Delaney.

Detective Gifford Jenkins investigated the crime and obtained surveillance photos from Walmart, which appear above. Anyone who recognizes the man in the shots is asked to call the Springfield Police Major Crimes Unit at 413-787-6355.

"Please stop this thief. You could be his next victim," Delaney said.

An autopsy showed that an 18-year-old who was shot and killed by an officer helping serve a search warrant in a violence-plagued neighborhood died from a single wound in the back, police said Friday.

ST. LOUIS -- An autopsy showed that an 18-year-old who was shot and killed by an officer helping serve a search warrant in a violence-plagued neighborhood died from a single wound in the back, police said Friday.

St. Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson cautioned that the location of Mansur Ball-Bey's wound neither confirms nor disproves two officers' accounts that Ball-Bey pointed a loaded gun at them before they shot at him Wednesday. 

The shooting had set off an evening of violent outcry, with authorities saying at least nine people were arrested and property was damaged. It also came on the heels of violence that marred the anniversary of the day Michael Brown was killed by a white officer in nearby Ferguson -- a killing that sparked protests, the "Black Live Matter" movement and a national debate over police treatment of minorities.

Dotson said Thursday that a stolen handgun linked to Ball-Bey -- with one round in the chamber and 13 more in the magazine -- was found at the scene.

"Just because he was shot in the back doesn't mean he was running away," Dotson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "What I do know is that two officers were involved and fired shots, but I don't know exactly where they were standing yet and I won't know until I get their statements."

Authorities haven't said exactly where in the back Ball-Bey was shot. Police haven't released the full autopsy or toxicology tests yet, and they have not explained why they don't yet have statements from the officers. Messages left Friday with St. Louis' chief medical examiner and that office's investigator weren't returned.

Dotson, unreachable Friday by The Associated Press, has pledged a thorough internal investigation by the police's year-old Force Investigation Unit. Without specifying how long that "transparent" inquiry may take, police said its findings will be forwarded to St. Louis city and federal prosecutors for review.

"We have a policy that's strong, a process that's strong," Dotson told the AP. "There's strong third-party review, and we want to make everything above reproach."

Messages left with the Ball-Bey family's attorney, Jermaine Wooten, were not immediately returned. Wooten has insisted to media outlets that Ball-Bey was not armed when killed.

The law gives police officers latitude to use deadly force when they feel physically endangered. The Supreme Court held in a 1989 case that the appropriateness of use of force by officers "must be judged from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene," rather than evaluated through 20/20 hindsight.

That standard is designed to take into account that police officers frequently must make split-second decisions during fast-evolving confrontations and should not be subject to overly harsh second-guessing. The Justice Department cited that legal threshold earlier this year when it cleared officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Brown.

When it comes to suspects shot from behind, a police practices expert counseled against quick conclusions.

"Any time a suspect is shot in the back, it causes people to think something was done improperly or unfairly," said Chuck Drago, a former police chief in Oviedo, Florida. "The truth is there are a lot of different ways a person could get shot in the back running away, and that in and of itself doesn't mean a bad shooting."

Drago said if an officer deems that a suspect running with a gun in hand poses a danger to police or bystanders, shooting him in the back may be the only lawful way to stop him. And often when an officer confronts an armed suspect, "by the time that officer recognizes the threat, gets a signal sent to their brain, pulls their gun and fires, the suspect may already have turned," Drago said.

The fact that Ball-Bey was shot from behind "literally means nothing" without context, added David Klinger, a University of Missouri-St. Louis criminologist. "We just don't know. You shouldn't look at one thing and say this is dispositive, and it drives me nuts that people want to rush to judgment" against the police.

Officers have been cleared in cases in which suspects were shot in the back, including the St. Louis killing nearly a year ago of black 18-year-old VonDerrit Myers Jr. by Jason Flanery, a white, off-duty officer.

Authorities have said Flanery was patrolling a neighborhood as a security officer in a marked private security car when he confronted Myers, who began shooting down a hill at Flanery. Flanery returned fire as Myers fled.

Dotson's department internally investigated the matter and turned it over to St. Louis' prosecutor, Jennifer Joyce, who in May announced that her office's "independent and exhaustive investigation" concluded Flanery acted in self-defense.

Joyce said an autopsy showed Myers was shot eight times, with six of the entrance wounds on the back of Myers' legs. All had an upward track, consistent with Flanery's account that he was downhill from Myers.

An attorney for Myers' family has insisted he was unarmed and Flanery planted the gun near Myers' body.

SPRINGFIELD - The YMCA of Greater Springfield kicked off the organization's CommUNITY Classic Weekend, Friday, Aug. 21, 2015 at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The event was attended by YMCA supporters, celebrity guests, athletes and local business leaders. The event also featured a Red Carpet Soiree and silent auction. Monies raised will support YMCA Teen Programs. Friday's event...

SPRINGFIELD - The YMCA of Greater Springfield kicked off the organization's CommUNITY Classic Weekend, Friday, Aug. 21, 2015 at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The event was attended by YMCA supporters, celebrity guests, athletes and local business leaders. The event also featured a Red Carpet Soiree and silent auction. Monies raised will support YMCA Teen Programs.

Friday's event at the Basketball Hall of Fame's Center Court will be followed by a golf outing at Westover Municipal Golf Course on Saturday, Aug. 22 and conclude with a family bowling event slated for Sunday, Aug. 23 and AMF Lanes for 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Two Canadian law firms have filed a $578 million class-action lawsuit against the companies that run Ashley Madison after a hacker group's data breach exposed some 39 million memberships in the adultery website earlier this week.

TORONTO -- Two Canadian law firms have filed a $578 million class-action lawsuit against the companies that run Ashley Madison after a hacker group's data breach exposed some 39 million memberships in the adultery website earlier this week.

Charney Lawyers and Sutts, Strosberg LLP, both of Ontario, said Friday that they filed the lawsuit on behalf of Canadians who subscribed to Ashley Madison and whose personal information was disclosed to the public. The website, with its slogan "Life is short. Have an affair," is marketed to facilitate extramarital relationships.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, targets Avid Dating Life Inc. and Avid Life Media Inc., the Toronto-based companies that run AshleyMadison.com. Its class-action status "still needs to be certified by the court," the statement says.

Ashley Madison did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It has said that the personal details exposed in the initial data leak can't be used to prove the infidelity of their clients.

The plaintiff is Eliot Shore, an Ottawa widower. Shore said he joined the website for a short time in search of companionship after he lost his wife to breast cancer. He said he never cheated and never met up with any members of the site.

Lawyer Ted Charney told The Associated Press it is the first class-action suit filed against the companies in Canada.

In the U.S., Missouri lawyers have filed a class-action lawsuit in U.S. District Court seeking more than $5 million in damages. Lawyers filed a statement of claim late last month on behalf of an unnamed female plaintiff who said she ponied up $19 so Ashley Madison would purge her personal information from its website in a process called a "paid-delete."

The lawsuit argues that the privacy of Canadian members was breached in July when hackers infiltrated Ashley Madison's website and downloaded private information. The data breach includes users' personal names, emails, home addresses and message history. On Tuesday, the information was posted publicly online.

The law firms' statement said numerous former users of the website have approached them to inquire about their privacy rights under Canadian law.

"They are outraged that AshleyMadison.com failed to protect its users' information. In many cases, the users paid an additional fee for the website to remove all of their user data, only to discover that the information was left intact and exposed," lawyer Ted Charney said.

"The sensitivity of the information is so extreme and the repercussions of this breach are so extreme, it puts the damages faced by members in a completely different category of class-action suits," said Charney.

The law firms said the lawsuit is not being brought against the hackers, who have said they attacked the website in an effort to close it down as punishment for collecting a fee without actually deleting users' data.

The law firms did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and it was not clear in what court the class-action lawsuit was filed.

There are hundreds of email addresses in the data release that appear to be connected to federal, provincial and municipal workers across Canada, as well as to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the military.

According to the data breach, some of the website's customers made credit-card transactions from computers attached to the Department of National Defense and Canada's House of Commons.

The data, stored in more than 2,500 files, involved transactions spanning from March 2008 to several days in June of this year.

National Defense referred most questions to the federal Treasury Board, which has an overall responsibility.

Lisa Murphy, spokeswoman for the Treasury Board, would only say that the government has rules for the professional and personal use of its computers.

In a written statement, a DND spokeswoman echoed some of Murphy's statement, and said the department "has policies and practices in place to deter, detect and enforce unauthorized and prohibited computer use."

The credit-card information of U.S. government workers, some with sensitive jobs in the White House, Congress and the Justice Department, was also revealed in the data breach.

>> Ashley Madison CEO says he doesn't cheat on his wife

The shots were fired into the air by a group of men standing near the corner, according to preliminary police reports.

SPRINGFIELD — Police recovered shell casings at a Metro Center shooting scene Friday night, but there were no immediate reports of any arrests, injuries or damage related to the gunfire.

Numerous police cruisers, both marked and unmarked, descended on the intersection of Federal and Summit streets, where a crowd gathered to watch officers conduct their investigation.

The shots were fired into the air by a group of men standing near the corner, according to preliminary police reports.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call the Springfield Police Department Major Crimes Unit at 413-787-6355.

The section of Metro Center where the shooting occurred is alternately referred to as Summit Hill or Worthy by area residents.

MAP showing approximate location of shooting:

A large crowd in downtown Holyoke had much to celebrate on Friday evening. The first Celebrate Holyoke in a decade kicked off at 4 p.m.

HOLYOKE -- A large crowd in downtown Holyoke had much to celebrate on Friday evening. The first Celebrate Holyoke in a decade kicked off at 4 p.m.

People sat in Heritage Park listening to a mix of music performed Friday, August 21. Others walked around purchasing goods from artists and many bought food and drinks from local restaurants at the event.

The free, three-day festival will run for 12 hours on Saturday, starting at 11 a.m., and from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Sunday.

Many attendees will be ready to get wet Saturday on the 1,000-foot slip and slide coming to the city. 

A sobriety checkpoint will be held at an undisclosed Hampden County location on Thursday, Aug. 27, into Friday, Aug. 28, according to Col. Richard D. McKeon, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police.

SPRINGFIELD — A sobriety checkpoint will be held at an undisclosed Hampden County location on Thursday, Aug. 27, into Friday, Aug. 28, according to Col. Richard D. McKeon, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police.

The purpose of the grant-funded checkpoint is to increase public safety by removing intoxicated motorists from state roads, police said. The checkpoint will be conducted during varied hours at a greater Springfield-area location, and the selection of vehicles won't be arbitrary, police said.

In 2013, there were 326 fatal crashes in Massachusetts, 118 of which involved alcohol, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The officer was forced to take evasive maneuvers after a motorist failed to use caution at a stop sign.

Updates story posted at 8:58 a.m.

GREENFIELD -- A police officer, escorting the husband of a Deerfield woman who was found at the bottom of her pool to Franklin Medical Center Thursday afternoon, was forced to use evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision after a motorist failed to use caution at a stop sign.

Deerfield Police Officer Adam Sokoloski narrowly missed a head-on collision with a utility pole at the intersection of High and Maple streets, striking it only with a sideview mirror, according to a post on the Greenfield Police Department's Facebook page.

A photograph taken shortly after the accident shows a long skid mark at the intersection with the cruiser stopped on a lawn some distance away.

The police department, in several comments on its own post, stated that CPR was in progress on the woman and police were attempting to get her husband to the hospital as fast as possible.

The 56-year-old woman, according to Deerfield police, was pronounced dead at the hospital. A neighbor found her at the bottom of the above-ground pool at 27 Captain Lathrop Drive at about 3:30 p.m.

Detectives are assigned to the Northwestern District Attorney's office are investigating the woman's death.Her name has not been released.

The motorist who failed to use caution was located, stopped and issued citations for motor vehicle infractions, according to Greenfield police.

Police remind drivers to take their time at intersections and always give the right of way to emergency vehicles.

These were the most read stories out of Springfield District Court this week, plus one from two weeks ago. If you missed any, click on the links below to read them now. Unhealthy: Springfield man admits 'vandalizing' female mannequin from college health class 'Info John' Monteiro, 90, brings civility, good cheer to Hampden County courthouse Scolding by clerk scares off...

These were the most read stories out of Springfield District Court this week, plus one from two weeks ago. If you missed any, click on the links below to read them now.

Unhealthy: Springfield man admits 'vandalizing' female mannequin from college health class

'Info John' Monteiro, 90, brings civility, good cheer to Hampden County courthouse

Scolding by clerk scares off West Springfield robbery suspects, lawyers say

Defendant in Springfield strip club attack out on bail in 3 other states

Defendant in Mardi Gras brawl has bail revoked in 3 cases

Georgia Ferrell says she's still seeking justice after a jury couldn't unanimously decide the fate of a white North Carolina police officer accused in the 2013 shooting death of her son, an unarmed black motorist.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Georgia Ferrell says she's still seeking justice after a jury couldn't unanimously decide the fate of a white North Carolina police officer accused in the 2013 shooting death of her son, an unarmed black motorist.

"I've got to keep fighting," Ferrell said outside a courthouse late Friday afternoon after she heard a judge declare a mistrial in the voluntary manslaughter case of Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Randall Kerrick. "We must get justice." Protesters, meanwhile, blocked traffic outside the courthouse in a show of anger over the trial's results.

A racially diverse jury of eight women and four men deliberated over four days. All told, it took four votes on the charge of voluntary manslaughter against Kerrick in the death of Jonathan Ferrell, a former Florida A&M football player.

Judge Robert C. Ervin, the grandson of former North Carolina Sen. Sam Ervin, twice asked the jury if continuing their talks would help overcome the impasse.

"Honestly, we have exhausted every possibility," the foreman said after Ervin asked a second time Friday. Hours earlier, the foreman had said the jury was making progress in resolving the 8-4 deadlock.

Defense attorney George Laughrun called for the mistrial, saying jurors were at an impasse after deliberating for a total of 19 hours. Prosecutors, who had pressed Ervin to urge the jury to continue deliberations, now must decide if they want to try Kerrick a second time.

Prosecutor Adren Harris issued a statement saying the state attorney general's office will review the trial transcript and other information and fully consider the options before making any decisions regarding the case.

Laughrun had no comment after the mistrial was declared and jurors walked past reporters without taking questions. Kerrick also left the courtroom without comment.

The Ferrell family has already settled a lawsuit with the city of Charlotte, receiving $2.25 million. Kerrick is suspended from the force without pay.

Outside court, a handful of protesters lay in the middle of the street to protest soon after the mistrial was declared. Several shouted "No justice, no peace" at members of Kerrick's family as they left the courthouse. The demonstrators heard Georgia Ferrell and her son, Willie, speak before they dispersed.

Protests resumed hours later when dozens gathered Friday night to protest near Charlotte's minor league baseball stadium as a game was in progress. Video showed police officers formed a line across a street adjacent to the stadium. Some of the protesters wore masks and shouted at officers, but there were no confrontations at that time.

Later some protesters walked through the city, carrying signs and weaving through traffic as some shouted: "Hands up, don't shoot!" At the urging of protesters, some motorists honked car horns in support. Police officers, some seen grasping batons on video, stopped the protesters at one point from entering a covered transit center.

Earlier, prosecutors had said nonlethal force should have been used to subdue Ferrell in September of 2013. Two officers with Kerrick didn't fire their guns. Kerrick's attorneys said the officer feared for his life when he shot and killed Ferrell while responding to a breaking-and-entering call.

Kerrick testified that he repeatedly fired because Ferrell kept charging at him and he didn't think his weapon was even working. He fired 12 shots, hitting Ferrell 10 times.

"Scott Holmes, a professor of law at N.C. Central University in Durham, said the evidence for voluntary manslaughter is "pretty substantial" if it's true that Kerrick fired multiple times after Ferrell fell.

"There are all kinds of things that officers are trained to do short of deadly force," Holmes said.

Philip Stinson, a Bowling Green State University criminologist and a former police officer, said he would have expected a mistrial or an acquittal. "In my research, only a little over 20 percent of the cases where an officer is charged with murder or manslaughter resulting from an on-duty shooting results in a conviction," Stinson said.

Ferrell was killed a little less than a year before an unarmed black man in New York and an unarmed 18-year-old black male in Ferguson, Missouri, died after separate violent encounters with police -- cases that cast the nation's attention on police treatment of minorities. Protests and rioting followed Michael Brown's death in Ferguson and a grand jury's refusal to indict the officer.

Protests also followed the deaths of two unarmed black men after encounters with police earlier this year in Baltimore and South Carolina. Officers have been charged in both of those cases.