The noise level map must be updated every four years.

WESTFIELD - Officials at Barnes Regional Airport have scheduled a Sept. 2 public hearing on possible changes to the noise map that charts noise levels in and around the airport and home to the Massachusetts Air National Guard's 104 Fighter Wing.

Airport Manager Brian Barnes said the hearing is scheduled at 7 p.m. at North Middle School located at 350 Southampton Rd. just a short distance from the airport.

The purpose of the hearing is to update the noise map that was created several years ago when the 104 Fighter Group began flying the F-15 Eagle jet aircraft.

"This noise map must be updated every four years," Barnes said. "That may be some minor changes to those residents affected by the noise levels generated at the airport," he said.

According to Barnes, the airport's noise consultant Wyle Laboratories of Arlington, Va. is nearing completion of the noise mapping of the airport and surrounding land.

A noise mitigation project that started in 2010 targeted 52 homes located within a 70-decibel noise zone and another 312 homes located within a 65-decibel noise zone. The owners of the 52 homes were eligible for relocation while homes within the 65-decible area were eligible for sound proofing improvements.

The male victim was stabbed multiple times and is in critical but stable condition.

BOXBOROUGH - Ohio sheriff's deputies arrested a local man who is accused of stabbing a relative, raping a woman and then forcing the two into a car and driving them through multiple states.

The man's four-day crime spree began Thursday on Sawnson Road in Boxborough. It ended after he allegedly had a standoff with Pike County Sheriff's Department officers, stole a Sheriff's Deputy vehicle and led officers on a short chase Sunday morning, according to Boxborough Police Chief Warren Ryder.

The man is currently being held at the Pike County Jail in Ohio on theft and escape charges, he said.

The initial investigation by Boxborough Police shows the suspect, whose name was not immediately released because of Massachusetts laws on releasing information on sexual assault crimes, is accused of first stabbing a male relative, with whom he was living, and then raping and assaulting a woman, Ryder said in a written statement.

He then forced both victims into the car and started driving west.

Ryder did not reveal information about how the man and his victims were located in Ohio, but thanked the Pike County Sheriff's Department for working with his officers.

"This is a deeply disturbing case involving acts of violence that we are still very actively investigating," Ryder said.

The case is still under investigation by Boxborough Police and the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, so limited information is being released, he said.

The male victim was stabbed multiple times and is in serious but stable condition. The female victim's condition was not immediately available, he said.

On Sunday, the Boxborough Police Department sought a warrant and searched the apartment where the stabbing happened, Ryder said.

Historical signage will draw attention to Westfield's industrial past.

WESTFIELD - A Memorandum of Understanding is being drafted that will allow the Friends of the Columbia Greenway to assist Westfield in funding enhancements to the city's rail trail project.

The MOU will allow the friends group to provide funding for enhancements, maintenance and other costs associated with the rail trail that is already connected to Southwick's trail project.

The City Council referred the MOU to its Legislative and Ordinance Committee Thursday and the issue is expected to be up for council approval at its Sept. 3 meeting.

Jeffrey LaValley, chairman of the friends group, told councilors Thursday that the group has about $11,000 to invest in interpretive signage for the trail that will draw attention to Westfield's industrial history. "These are historical signs and they are available through the funding raising that we have conducted since forming in 2008," LaValley said.

LaValley called the Friends of the Columbia Greenway the "cheerleading arm" of the rail trail project.

Currently the rail trail extends from Southwick line to East Silver Street and construction is underway to extend to Main Street. Another phase will begin shortly to run from Orange Street across the Westfield to Women's Temperance Park.

A central phase, connecting Main Street to Orange Street will be launched later. This last phase of the project has been estimated at about $7 million. State and federal funding has been used for the estimated $4.8 million already spent or being spent on the rail trail construction.

The event attracts about 90,000 people to Cape Cod annually.

PROVINCETOWN -- Thousands of people gathered along Commercial Street this week for the 2015 Provincetown Carnival Parade.

The theme of the 37th annual weeklong Carnival was the popular Hasbro game, Candy Land. Thursday's parade started from the Harbor Hotel at about 3 p.m. and ended at Franklin Street about two hours later.

Next year's theme is '80s Flashback.

The Carnival is a weeklong series of events. This year's Carnival began last weekend with a dune tour and sunset wine and cheese reception and concludes Friday night with the "Cotton Candy Closing Party" at the Crown & Anchor inn on Commercial Street.

According to the Provincetown Business Guild's website, Provincetown Carnival is one of the largest outdoor events annually in Massachusetts, attracting about 90,000 people to the town at the tip of Cape Cod.

On Twitter people shared many of the elaborate costumes and showed the fun participants and spectators were having.

Here are some of the things people were Tweeting about the popular event.

The Greenfield City Clerk said 447 dogs in the city have not been registered.

GREENFIELD - Police officials will be issuing court summons against any resident who fails to register their dog with the city starting next week.

City Clerk Deborah Tuttle said 447 dogs in Greenfield have not been registered as of the April 1, 2015 deadline. All dog owners are required to register their dogs annually. Registration is required by state law.

"The town has sent reminders to dog owners, but many have still failed to register their dogs," police said on Facebook.

The city receives notices of dog owners in the city through rabies vaccination records and other means, even if the animal has never been registered, police said.

Starting on Sept. 1, the Police Department will summons to court all dog owners who have failed to register their animals. Arrest warrants may be ordered for those who fail to appear in court.

The fee to register a dog is $10 for those which are spayed or neutered and $15 for those which are not. Owners will also face $25 late fee. People who are summonsed to court may also face fines and court fees, police said.

For residents who have a dog which died or is no longer living in the home, they should contact the clerk's office to remove your dogs name from the list at (413)772-1555. More information about the dog licenses is available on the city's website.

The driver was uninjured but the deer was killed.

PELHAM - A driver was uninjured after striking a small deer on Harkness Road Sunday night.

The deer was killed in the accident, that happened at about 8:30 p.m. The car was damaged but drivable, Massachusetts State Police officials said.

Officers pulled the deer to the side of the road after the crash. No one else was involved in the accident, police said.

Adam J. Perez is charged with seven different counts of distribution of crack cocaine.

WARE - A 31-year-old man was arrested on cocaine and attempted murder charges following a nine-month police investigation.

"It was quite an extensive investigation," police said.

Adam J. Perez, of 24 Pine St., was charged with attempt to commit murder; assault with a dangerous weapon, a knife; seven different counts of distribution of crack cocaine; possession of crack cocaine, subsequent offense and conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon, police said.

The Sunday arrest was based on an ongoing narcotics investigation that began in November. It was conducted by Ware Police Sgt. Shawn C. Crevier and Det. Scott Lawrence, police said.

Police did not give many details on the investigation or say what lead to the arrest of Perez.

Perez was held without bail Sunday and will be arraigned in Eastern Hampshire District Court, in Belchertown, on Monday, police said.

Many Americans, especially public-school parents, give low marks to rating a teacher based partly on how students perform on standardized tests, according to a survey.

WASHINGTON -- Many Americans, especially public-school parents, give low marks to rating a teacher based partly on how students perform on standardized tests, according to a survey.

The Gallup Poll released Sunday found 55 percent opposed linking teacher evaluations to their students' test scores. Among those with children in public schools opposition was stronger, at 63 percent.

Standardized tests are necessary, but there's an overreliance on them, said Joshua Starr, CEO of Phi Delta Kappa International, an association for educators, and a former schools superintendent. PDK, which supports teachers and educational research, paid for the poll conducted by Gallup.

"Parents see the work their kids bring home every night," Starr said in an interview. "They go to teacher conferences, and they're more likely to judge the school and the quality of the teacher based on that, than solely using test scores."

As many schools prepare for a return to the classroom in the coming weeks, more than 40 states are moving forward with plans to evaluate teachers and principals in part on how well their students perform on standardized tests. It's something the Education Department has supported and encouraged through its Race to the Top grants to schools and other programs. While the department says other factors should be considered, such as student work and parent feedback, teachers, unions and others worry there's too much emphasis on test scores.

Standardized tests in general were not popular with many in the survey, which included a telephone poll of 1,000 American adults supplemented with an online survey of nearly 3,500 more. The online survey included people initially selected at random, but only those with access to the Internet.

 

Nearly two-thirds of those in the online survey said too much emphasis is placed on standardized testing in public schools. Nineteen percent said they were comfortable with the tests, 7 percent said there was too little emphasis and 10 percent didn't know.

Of public-school parents questioned in the online poll, nearly half -- 47 percent -- said parents should be allowed to excuse their children from taking one or more standardized tests, 40 percent disagreed and 13 percent didn't know. More whites supported the idea of opting out of tests. Some 44 percent of whites agreed, compared to 35 percent of Hispanics and only 28 percent of African-Americans. A majority of blacks, 57 percent, said parents should not excuse their children from the tests.

In recent years, there's been a small but growing number of parents deciding to keep their kids home or otherwise out of the classroom during state standardized tests.

New York is believed to have the largest rate of opt-outs so far. About 20 percent of the state's third- through eighth-graders refused to take the tests this spring, up from 5 percent a year earlier. Other states have reported resistance to the tests, including Maine, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington.

People in the online poll were mostly split on the intensely debated Common Core education standards. They have been adopted in much of the country and spell out what English and math standards students should master at each grade level. Fifty-four percent of public school parents oppose teachers in their communities using the Common Core standards to guide what they teach, while 25 percent favored them.

More blacks favored Common Core -- 41 percent, compared to 29 percent of Hispanics and only 21 percent of whites.

The standards were drafted by the states with the support of the Obama administration, but have become a rallying point for conservatives who want a smaller federal role in education. In Congress, the House and Senate passed separate bills last month to update the No Child Left Behind education law. The bills, among other things, would prevent the Education Department from mandating or giving states incentives to adopt or maintain any particular set of standards, such as Common Core.

The online survey found resounding agreement on vaccinations. Eighty-four percent said all children should be vaccinated before they attend a public school; 9 percent disagreed.

The PDK/Gallup poll was conducted in May. The margin of sampling error in the telephone poll is plus or minus 4.7 percentage points, and plus or minus 3 percentage points for the online poll.

The purchaser is one of the largest environmental testing labs in the world.

AGAWAM - Euofins Scientific, described in court papers as one of the largest environmental testing companies in the world, is in the process of buying the operations of Agawam's Spectrum Analytical out of federal bankruptcy protection for $5 million.

A hearing on the sale is set for Tuesday, Aug. 25, in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Springfield.

The purchase price includes Spectrum's headquarters at 11 Herbert P.  Almgren Drive, Agawam. Eurofins said it plans to retain the Spectrum's operations in Agawam and its  150 employees, according to court papers.

The court filing is not as explicit about the future of Spectrum's operations in Tampa, Florida, Syracuse, New York, and North Kinsgstown, Rhode Island.

However, a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee said in his court filing that Eurofins plans to lease the Rhode Island office from the bankruptcy estate of Spectrum instead of purchasing the property.

Spectrum has clients all over the world. It analyzes sediments, soils, sludge, solid waste, hazardous waste, drinking water, groundwater, industrial wastewater, plant and animal tissue and air.

Spectrum Analytical filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 April 30. The move blocks creditor lawsuits and bought the company time either to reorganize or sell itself.

Since April, the company has been run by a court-appointed trustee and a manager hired by the trustee and approved of by the court.

That trustee, Steven Weiss, of the Springfield firm Shatz, Schwartz and Fentin, wrote in court documents that he determined that selling Spectrum would be the best course of action. He wrote that he received four offers to purchase the company and that Eurofins was the best of the four.

According to its documents, Eurofins is based in Brussels, Belgium, and has 200 sites in 38 countries and 17,000 employees. It has $1.5 billion in annual revenues and recently completed 17 acquisitions.

According to Eurofins website, its nearest location to Agawam is Boston Heart Diagnostics.

Former Spectrum president, Hanibal Tayeh, asked the court to delay Tuesday's hearing so that he may put together his own bid to purchase the company.

Eurofins plans for Spectrum Analytical

Bankruptcy Trustee affidavit in support of the sale

Hanibal Tayeh asked the court to delay the sale

Nearly half the cheerleading squad at Winthrop High School was taken to the hospital during the weekend after the first series of practices inside the school's gymnasium.

A digest of news stories from around the Northeast.

Michelle Carter 

Lawyer for Michelle Carter, Plainville teenager accused of encouraging colleague to commit suicide, says she was brainwashed [South Coast Today] Photo at right, file video above

James Stumbo, left, and Kevin Norton, right, both of Iowa, enter the courtroom to attend their arraignment at Boston Municipal Court in Boston, Monday, Aug. 24, 2015. Click on the link, at right, for the Herald's full report.
Chitose Suzuki / Boston Herald 

US Marine from Fall River admits choking transgender woman during trial, not killing her [New York Times]

Antonio Bruno, a 17-year-old Agawam resident who fell from Southwick quarry, is surrounded by supporters at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital last month. Click on the link, at left, for a report from Western Mass News.
 

Nine marijuana plants and more than $2,000 worth of paraphernalia, including heat lamps, tents, poles and fertilizer was seized during the raid, police said.

SPRINGFIELD - A Ludlow man awaiting trial on a marijuana distribution charge was ordered held on $75,000 cash bail Monday for allegedly abducting his girlfriend's daughter from a mobile home in Indian Orchard.

Charles A. Wilkes IV, 33, denied kidnapping a child and breaking and entering in the nighttime during his arraignment Monday in Springfield District Court.

He and Amber Soffen, 32, of Ludlow, broke into a mobile home on Grochmal Avenue on April 19 and took Soffen's 2-year-old girl from her paternal grandmother, according to court documents.

The grandmother resisted and struggled with Soffen as Wilkes carried the child from the house, according to court records.

The grandmother was caring for the child after her father, the custodial parent, had been arrested, the records said.

Ludlow police tracked the child to Wilkes' home on Poole Street and she was returned to her grandmother the next day, records show.

On April 28, Ludlow police raided the Poole Street home and charged Wilkes and Soffen with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

Investigators found nine marijuana plants and more than $2,000 worth of paraphernalia, including heat lamps, tents, poles and fertilizer during the raid, police said.

Wilkes, who is being held at the Hampden County House of Correction, appeared for his arraignment Monday on new charges.

Judge William Boyle set bail at $75,000 cash, with the proviso that defense lawyer Roderick O'Connor can ask for reconsideration later in the case.

The MSP is asking the public to "Like" its Facebook entry in the 2015 Best Looking Trooper Cruiser contest, an online competition sponsored by the American Association of State Troopers.

FRAMINGHAM — So maybe it's not a Donald Trump-style beauty pageant, but it is a formidable contest. A competition that the Massachusetts State Police aim on winning.

It's the 2015 Best Looking Trooper Cruiser competition, a Facebook matchup sponsored by the American Association of State Troopers that hasn't made it to Vegas yet and probably never will. Still, the commonwealth's elite police force is asking Bay Staters to go to the contest page to "Like" the MSP photo featured in a gallery of police vehicles from across the country.

Members of the public have until Aug. 31 to vote for their favorite cruiser. The rules are simple: The vehicle that gets the most "Likes" wins.

Her's how the American Association of State Troopers describes the competition:

Please note that while we welcome your comments about the vehicles, comments will not count as votes; only "likes" for individual cruisers will be counted.

To access individual photos, click the photo within the album. Click "share" to get more exposure for your preferred vehicle.

The winner will be presented with the "Best Looking Cruiser Award" and featured on the cover of the AAST's "America's Best Looking Trooper Cruisers 2016 Wall Calendar." Voting ends at midnight PDT on August 31, 2015.

May the Best Looking Cruiser win!

The MSP has issued a direct, unambiguous Facebook plea to the public: "WE NEED YOUR VOTE!" The statewide police agency has even engaged in a bit of braggadocio. Take a look at its Facebook post about the contest:

Nothing says "tradition" like the MSP two-tone French & Electric Blue! Nation's oldest, world's finest! Like our cruiser to show your support! ... We need your vote! Please SHARE it as well!

The competition includes entries from all over the country, including the vibrant blue, orange and gray of the Georgia State Patrol, the black and gold of the Wyoming Highway Patrol, and, closer to home, the inimitable green and gold cruisers of the Vermont State Police.

The expected completion date for all projects is Sept. 30, according to the Ludlow Department of Public Works.

LUDLOW - The Department of Public Works has scheduled paving projects, beginning Wednesday.

The following streets are scheduled to be paved:

Howard Street, from Oak Street to Lockland Avenue; Sewall Street from Center Street to Memorial Drive; Winsor Street, from East Street to Center Street; Arch Street from Center Street to West Avenue; West Avenue from Fuller Street to Center Street, Cherry Street, from Fuller Street to Center Street; Park Terrace from Center Street to Park Place; and Park Place from East Sreet to Winsor Street.

The expected completion date on all paving projects is Sept. 30.

Congressman McGovern wants people to support local farmers. Watch video

SOUTH DEERFIELD - Dressed in a T-shirt, khaki slacks and a baseball cap, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern learned that Atlas Farm here was all organic, had a Boston market and could use some farm management help.

This was the sixth out seven farms the Worcester congressman was visiting on the first day of his two-day farm tour.

 He had stopped in at Simple Gifts Farms in Amherst and Boisvert Farm and the North Hadley Sugar Shack in Hadley just before making his way here Monday afternoon. He began the day in North Brookfield.

This is the fourth year McGovern has toured area farms in his district.

Gideon Porth, who owns the farm, took the congressman on a tour of his fields and explained some of the challenges as well as the crops he grows including sweet potatoes, greens and celeriac among his produce.

"I've become a fan of celeriac," McGovern told him in reference to the variety of celery that has an edible turnip-shaped root. 

Porth said it's hard to find qualified managers and workers who stay. He said he's hired students from the University of Massachusetts who leave after a couple of years either to pursue their own farm or leave the trade.

But he said his Boston market is strong and about 80 percent of his wholesale business is there.

Porth started Atlas 12 years ago and farms 85 acres. He said his business has been growing ever year. 

A member of the House Agricultural Committee, McGovern said he wants to learn about the farming in his district and is impressed with the diversity and how farmers are surviving.

He said Porth saw there was a market for organic food and is successful.

He said it's imperative "for all of to support buy local." He wants people to "appreciate locally grown food."

And he said people get the best quality when buying from their local famers. "You can depend on the food quality," he said. Local farmers need their customers and want to ensure they offer the best quality.

McGovern, an advocate for ending hunger, said touting the importance of local farming is part of that. "Food is medicine."  

He wants to see sustainable agriculture in all 50 states.

Porth said, "I'm not expecting a huge windfall from (the visit.)" But he said, "It's great to have a politician looking at agriculture on the ground." 

Joe Boisvert, who runs the sugar shack and farm store in Hadley, said he was also happy to see the congressman.

"I love it. It helps us, why not let people see (what he does.) "

Scott Soares, the United States Department of Agriculture's state director for rural development, was one of many state and local officials who accompanied McGovern.

He said it's important to "see the breadth of agricultural." He said, "it's good to hear first hand (from farmers.)"

Sandy Thomas, a community marketing specialist at the University of Massachusetts, accompanied McGovern on the last four farms of the day because many farmers work with the extension service.

McGovern said he was a little jealous of the farmers although he admitted he wouldn't survive out on the fields.

At the end of the day they can point to what they've produced. There's something tangible. With Congress, he said there are days when he's not so lucky. 

The residents in the high-rise apartment complex said there have been some long waits for the lone working elevator.

SPRINGFIELD - Residents of Chestnut Towers, a high-rise apartment building at 10 Chestnut St., said Monday the building has been plagued by broken elevators, with just one working elevator since Saturday.

Several residents coming in and out of the apartment complex in the downtown district, which is more than 30 stories high, said there have been long waits for the lone working elevator, with many residents opting for the stairs.

A person answering the phone for Dolben Property Management, which manages the site, said Monday that there is a work order submitted for elevator repairs, and stated there was one working elevator as of Monday afternoon. She declined further comment.

One resident said the broken elevators are especially difficult for the handicapped residents living in the apartments.

Another resident, declining her name, said that people were stuck in an elevator on Saturday, but she did not know how long.

One man said that there was sometimes a 30 minute wait for the lone elevator.

Further information was not immediately available.

In June, both elevators that serve the nearby 17-story apartment building at Chestnut Park Tower at 68-70 Harrison Ave., were broken, triggering complaints from a disabled resident.

That building is also listed as managed by Dolben Property Management

Clara Clifford was named executive director in June, replacing Jonathan Hite, who retired.

NORTHAMPTON - The new executive director of the Northampton Housing Authority has released the minutes of several meetings, including executive sessions from the Board of Commissioners, in order to achieve greater public transparency.

Clara Clifford was named executive director in June, replacing Jonathan Hite, who retired. Mayor David J. Narkewicz questioned her procedures earlier this month when she fired a half dozen employees in apparent violation of the state's open meeting law.

In the material released Friday, Clifford maintains that it has been her intention all along to be transparent with the public.

"My directive from Day 1 was to assess the current authority's structure and operations to identify possible improvements so the authority can best serve our tenants," she wrote. "I understand that procedural mistakes were made with regard to how the affected staff was informed of the reorganization plan."

The minutes outline in greater detail Clifford's proposal to the commissioners about staffing. They also explain other concerns the staff and tenants have about the authority's 1,100 residential units, including recycling, trash disposal and the need for an additional generator.

Clifford states that job descriptions have to be updated because there are "duplication of duties." The board voted unanimously to authorize the changes Clifford had in mind.

Julien Holly, charged with murder along with Ashawnee Duke, testified for the prosecution all day Monday and will be back on the stand Tuesday.

SPRINGFIELD - "I want to be a free man," Julien Holly said in a jailhouse phone call played for a Hampden Superior Court jury Monday.

Calvin C. Carr, representing Ashawnee Duke at his trial for the fatal shooting of Keough Collins, played a series of segments of Holly's jailhouse calls Monday. He asked Holly - who was testifying for the prosecution - if the calls didn't prove he would say anything to get a deal on his case.

Holly said Carr's statement was not true.

Holly, 22, of Springfield is charged with murder - just as Duke is - in the death of Collins, 19, of Chicopee. The trial is being held before Hampden Superior Court Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder.

Assistant District Attorney Max Bennett said Duke, Holly and Collins had plotted together to rob someone at Robert Dyer Circle, an apartment complex off Berkshire Avenue. When things went wrong, Collins ended up dead with a gunshot wound to the head and the intended robbery victim was shot in the leg.

Holly said he waited in the car while Duke, 21, of Springfield, and Collins went to the front of the apartment. Holley is charged as a joint venture defendant with Duke in the killing on Dec. 2, 2012 just after 6 p.m.

Holly spent all day Monday on the stand with direct examination by Bennett and cross-examination by Carr. Bennett said he will have substantial redirect questioning of Holly Tuesday.

Under questioning from Bennett, Holly said he heard three shots, including at least two from Duke's gun.

He said he maintained to police he could see nothing from the car from the time he was first questioned two days after the shooting until April 2015, when the prosecution had approached him about cooperating.

Holly said he didn't say he could see anything until then because he was worried about being in more trouble than he already was. He was arrested and charged with the murder Dec. 6, 2012.

When he gave his April 2015 statement he said he saw Collins step up on the porch, saw a struggle, and saw Duke jump back and then he saw flashes.

He said Collins was bleeding.

When Carr took over the questioning he asked Holly why until April 2015 he said he did not see anything.

"This testimony is all about you getting out from these charges?" Carr asked.

Holly was asked a number of times by Carr if he was only pointing the finger at Duke to get a reduced charge and fewer years in prison.

Holly said he was telling the truth on the stand now, and cooperating with the prosecution, in part because he hopes to get consideration in his case.

"This is for my best friend's (Collins) family," he said at another point.

Holly said he was just giving Duke a ride, not helping him with a robbery. But, he said, he knew a robbery was planned.

When inmates make calls from jail a recording explains the calls will be recorded. The calls played by Carr were laced with profanity on the part of Holly.

Holly is heard saying he knows he will go down in history as a rat, and he is trying to get a bargain on his case.

He said he is not going to spend to rest of his life in prison for anyone.

On the stand Monday Holly said he had been smoking PCP and marijuana the day Collins was killed, as well as drinking.

"I wasn't so high I didn't know what was going on," Holly said to Carr.

He also accused Carr of playing only parts of the jail calls, taking statements out of context.

Carr played a call in which Holly said, "This s--- got me burned out. I don't even known what I'm talking about sometime."

Holly said he was talking about PCP, which he said sometimes caused him a slow memory.

In one jailhouse call Holly said he can't wait to testify against Duke, who he called " a real life b----."

He goes on to make fun of Duke's outfit, which he said he wore all summer.

Owen Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, is charged with raping a 15-year-old girl in a building on the grounds of St. Paul's School in Concord as part of so-called senior salute.

CONCORD, N.H. -- More details of a prep school's campus tradition of sexual conquest emerged Monday at a recent graduate's rape trial as former classmates testified.

Owen Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, is charged with multiple felonies. Prosecutors say he was 18 years old and two days away from graduation last year when he raped a 15-year-old girl in a building on the grounds of St. Paul's School in Concord as part of a so called 'senior salute,' in which seniors try to have sex with underclassmen. The defense says the two had consensual sexual contact.

Students who testified Monday said senior salute could involve anything from kissing to sex, according to Boston.com.

"It was just kind of a way for people on a secluded campus to express an interest in someone else, whether it be for friendship or romantic," said Andrew Thomson, Labrie's former roommate.

While others testified that Thomson and Labrie were in a 'senior salute' contest, Thomson denied that account. He also said he cautioned Labrie against having sex with the girl because she was younger but Labrie later made a comment suggesting he did.

Another student said he helped persuade the girl to accept Labrie's invitation to take part in the Senior Salute tradition but did not believe that Labrie was planning to do anything more than kiss her. He testified that Labrie initially told friends "with a smirk on his face" that he did not have sex with the girl but later told him privately that he did.

The Associated Press generally doesn't identify people who say they are the victims of sexual assault. Last week the girl, in her testimony, said she twice told Labrie "no" during their encounter and felt "frozen" when he became aggressive. She said she initially felt the sex assault was her fault for not kicking, screaming or trying to push him off.

Labrie's defense attorney tried to undermine the girl's credibility by questioning her about friendly emails she later exchanged with Labrie and highlighting discrepancies between her testimony and what she told police.

The case has cast a critical light on St. Paul's School, which boasts as alumni an international roster of senators, congressmen, ambassadors, Pulitzer Prize winners, Nobel laureates and other notables, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.

Labrie is expected to testify later this week.

The judge said the jurors' names will remain sealed while Tsarnaev's motion for a new trial is pending.

BOSTON -- A judge has rejected a motion by The Boston Globe to publicly release the names of jurors in the Boston Marathon bombing trial.

Judge George O'Toole Jr.'s ruling Monday came more than three months after a federal jury convicted Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in the deadly 2013 attack and voted in favor of the death penalty.

The judge says the jurors' names eventually will be made public. But he says they'll remain sealed while Tsarnaev's motion for a new trial is pending.

Tsarnaev's lawyers argued in a motion filed last week he deserves a new trial in a different location where jurors will be impartial.

The judge says the defense has asked to examine the jurors' social media activity. He says disclosing juror identities while the motion is pending likely will "interfere with the integrity of the proceedings."

The annual tournament raises funds for Westfield's Community Christian School and the families of fallen Massachusetts soldiers.

WESTFIELD - The 7th annual 9/11 Memorial Wiffle Ball Tournament at Fenway Westfield this weekend will honor the sacrifice of Marine Lance Cpl. Paul Fagundes of Fall River.

Fagundes drowned July 4, 2010 while attempting to rescue two fellow Marines as they swam at a beach in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He was a member of the Fleet Anti-Terrorism Team Alpha Company, 6th Platoon out of Norfolk, Va. and the team was undergoing training at Guantanamo and guarding the fence separating the U.S. Naval Base from Cuba at the time of his death.

At the time of his death, Fagundes' wife Cynthia was expecting their second child, a daughter Anya. Their son Cazzian was two.

Hosted by Westfield's Community Christian School, the tournament is open to the public free of charge and proceeds from the weekend event will benefit the school and the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund to assist families of fallen soldiers.

Donations are accepted throughout the three-day tournament.

The tournament will feature opening ceremonies at 6 p.m. Friday and a Home Run Derby will follow the first two games. The tournament continues Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will end with closing ceremonies following a Championship game on Sunday.

Parking is available at the South Campus Parking Lot for Westfield State College off Western Avenue. Fenway Westfield is located nearby on Dickens Drive.

Fenway Westfield is a quarter-scale size of Boston's Fenway Park and was created by Christopher M. Dolan with assistance from family and friends.

Additional information about the tournament or to make a donation to the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund is available at www.fenwaywestfield.com.