Keven Blakemore, 21, of Boxborough, is suspected of stabbing his brother and raping a woman at the Boxborough apartment Blakemore shared with his brother. He was caught and arrested in Ohio.

Keven Blakemore / Facebook 

Keven Blakemore, 21, was taken into custody Sunday at the Ohio hospital where his brother, Ken Herbison, was being treated for "numerous stab wounds," Reader said. Herbison later was transferred to a hospital in Columbus, Ohio, but an update on his condition was unavailable.

The alleged stabbing and rape took place at the Boxborough apartment shared by Blakemore and Herbison, according to police, who didn't release much information about the sexual assault victim.

Herbison initially claimed his stab wounds were from an ATV crash, but his vague story didn't add up, prompting hospital officials to contact authorities. "(Herbison) apparently told a nurse that he had been in an accident, but she became suspicious when she noticed his clothes weren't dirty or torn and called our office," Reader said.

An investigation determined that Blakemore "caused the stab wounds to his adopted brother, Ken," Reader said. When Blakemore returned to the hospital to check on Herbison on Sunday, he was met by sheriff's deputies, who handcuffed him and placed him in the back of a police cruiser, WBNS-10TV reports.

Blakemore somehow moved his cuffed hands to the front of his body, then climbed into the driver's seat and managed to drive the police cruiser for about 20 yards before being stopped by officers, Reader said.

Massachusetts law enforcement officials claim the stabbing and rape occurred at Blakemore and Herbison's Swanson Road apartment in Boxborough. Blakemore then forced Herbison and the unidentified woman into a vehicle and drove about 800 miles to Ohio, police said. The woman later was found at a home in Pike County, according to law enforcement officials. An update on her condition was unavailable.

"This is a deeply disturbing case involving acts of violence that we are still very actively investigating," Boxborough Police Chief Warren Ryder said. "We greatly appreciate our partnership with our counterparts in Ohio and with the Middlesex District Attorney's Office as this investigation continues."

Ohio authorities charged Blakemore with escape and theft of a police car. Massachusetts authorities are expected to charge him with several offenses, including kidnapping, attempted murder and aggravated rape, among other charges.

At Blakemore's arraignment Monday in an Ohio courtroom, a judge asked the defendant if he understood the charges he's facing. According to video footage by WBNS-10TV, Blakemore replied: "Umm, what happens, like, if you're, like – I was on meth that night and I don't remember much, so what can I plead for that?"

Blakemore, who's originally from Pike County, is being held on high bail at an Ohio jail, the TV station reports.

Yelling "(Expletive) the police" is probably not the best thing, but it's free speech. But when does that free speech become disorderly conduct?

BOSTON — The collision of free speech and upholding public order – two things that have been on trial for more than a year now, sparking a national conversation about police officers and the people they police.

The following video of an arrest by Boston police shows just how quickly things can spiral out of control.

Consider it a cautionary tale, a reminder of just how difficult a police officer's job can be and how passionate some people can get when they feel their freedoms are being trampled.

But free speech has limitations, of course, and words that promote fighting or violence can be interpreted as breaching the peace, as case law shows.

So, what do you think? Are the cops in this video right? Is the noisy teenager who raises Cain in the video right? Is there a better way for police to handle obstreperous suspects, particularly the kind that shout '(Expletive) the police' and other vulgarisms?

Watch the video and add your two cents to the comments section below, if you're so inclined. Warning: the video does contain plenty of foul language.

Chinese stocks tumbled again Tuesday after their biggest decline in eight years while most other Asian markets rebounded from a day of heavy losses.

BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese stocks tumbled again Tuesday after their biggest decline in eight years while most other Asian markets rebounded from a day of heavy losses.

The Shanghai Composite Index fell 6.4 percent in the first minutes of trading but later trimmed some of those losses and was down 5.5 percent at 3,035.83. The Shenzhen Composite Index for China's smaller second exchange lost 4.6 percent.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225, however, was up 2.1 percent at 18,147.42 after losing 4.6 percent the previous session. Hong Kong's Hang Seng, which also lost 4.6 percent on Monday, gained 1.3 percent to 21,429.17. Sydney's S&P ASX 200 advanced 1.4 percent to 5,073.20 and Seoul's Kospi was steady at 1,829.06 after shedding 3 percent the previous day.

China's fall was the latest in a series of jarring declines that have defied multibillion-dollar government efforts to stem a slide in prices following an explosive market boom.

Monday's 8.5 percent loss for the Shanghai index triggered a global selloff.

On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average lost 3.6 percent. The Standard & Poor's 500 fell 3.9 percent, putting it in correction territory, the term for a drop of at least 10 percent from a recent peak. In Europe, Germany's DAX index fell 4.7 percent, France's CAC-40 slid 5.4 percent and Britain's FTSE 100 lost 4.7 percent.

"There was no clear catalyst for the global stock meltdown. The lack of clarity makes it difficult to assess what is needed to stem the rout," said Bernard Aw of IG Markets in a report.

"A coordinated policy response is critical, and much of this needs to come from Asian economies," Aw said. "A spate of better economic news may help to allay concerns that global growth is not deteriorating. Certainly, improvements in the Chinese economy will be welcomed."

China's declines reflecting the cooling of a market boom that was driven by official policy and cheerleading from the government press, rather than by economic fundamentals. The Shanghai index rose 150 percent beginning late last year even as the world's second-largest economy was cooling, leaving little to support higher prices once investor enthusiasm faltered.

At Monday's close, the Shanghai index was down 38 percent from its June 12 peak and just under 1 percent from its closing on Dec. 31. That meant the latest declines have wiped out this year's gains.

Investors abroad are increasingly uneasy about China's outlook, though there has been little change in forecasts and some areas including retailing still look relatively strong.

"Investors are overreacting about economic risks in China," said Mark Williams of Capital Economics in a report.

"The surge in prices that started a year ago was speculative, rather than driven by any improvement in fundamentals," Williams said. "A combination of poor data and policy inaction in China may have triggered today's market falls but the bigger picture is that we are witnessing the inevitable implosion of an equity market bubble."

In currency markets, the dollar gained to 119.8390 yen from Monday's 118.6930 yen. The euro edged down to $1.1543 from the previous session's $1.1591.

Oil rebounded from Monday's steep declines.

Benchmark U.S. crude gained 24 cents to $38.42 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract plunged $2.21 on Monday to close at $38.42.

Brent crude, used to price international oils, advanced 26 cents to $42.95 per barrel in London. It fell $2.77 the previous day to close at $42.69.

The slump — part of a global wave of selling triggered by the slowdown in China — reflected uncertainty among investors over where to put their money when the world's second-largest economy is in a slide.

By ALEX VEIGA
and STEVE ROTHWELL

NEW YORK - The U.S. stock market took investors on a stomach-churning ride Monday, as the Dow Jones industrial average briefly plunged more than 1,000 points and sent a shiver of fear from Wall Street to Main Street.

Stocks regained much of that ground as the day wore on. But the slump -- part of a global wave of selling triggered by the slowdown in China -- reflected uncertainty among investors over where to put their money when the world's second-largest economy is in a slide.

"What's a company that's doing business with China actually worth right now? When you're not sure, you tend to sell," said JJ Kinahan, TD Ameritrade's chief strategist.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index also fell sharply shortly after the opening bell, entering "correction" territory -- Wall Street jargon for a drop of 10 percent or more from a recent peak. The last market correction was nearly four years ago.

U.S. treasurys surged as investors bought less risky assets. Oil prices fell. But investors also saw opportunity, moving fast and early to snap up some bargains. That helped trim some of the market's earlier losses.

The Dow fell 588.47 points, or 3.6 percent, to 15,871.28. The S&P 500 index slid 77.68 points, or 3.9 percent, to 1,893.21. The Nasdaq composite shed 179.79 points, or 3.8 percent, to 4,526.25 points. The three indexes are down for the year.

"There is a lot of fear in the markets," said Bernard Aw, market strategist at IG.

The sell-off triggered worries in corporate boardrooms, in government capitals and among ordinary Americans young and old who have been saving for retirement or a down payment on a house.

Heightened concern about a slowdown in China had already shaken markets around the world on Friday, driving the U.S. stock market sharply lower. The rout continued Monday as China's main stock index sank 8.5 percent.

The Dow plummeted 1,089 points within the first four minutes of trading as traders dumped shares. But the fire sale was short-lived. A wave of buying cut the Dow's losses by half just five minutes later.

The U.S. market slide was broad. The 10 sectors in the S&P 500 headed lower, with energy stocks recording the biggest decline, 5.2 percent, amid a continued slump in the price of oil. The sector is down almost 25 percent this year.

Newfield Exploration was down the most among stocks in the S&P 500, shedding $3.19, or 10.4 percent, to $27.63. AGL Resources led among the gainers, rising $13.55, or 28.3 percent, to $61.41.

Stocks have been on a bull run of more for more than six years, after bottoming out in March 2009 in the aftermath of the financial crisis and the Great Recession.

China growth concerns aside, U.S. stocks have been primed for a sell-off for several months, said Jim Paulsen, chief investment strategist and economist for Wells Capital Management.

"I've been of the view since late last year that this market is in a vulnerable position," he said. "It's gone almost straight up for six years."

Stocks have kept climbing even as corporate earnings growth has slowed. The price-earnings ratio for the S&P 500, a measure of how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of company earnings, climbed as high as 17.2 in March. That was the highest level in at least a decade, according to data from FactSet.

Oil prices, commodities and the currencies of many developing countries also tumbled Monday on concerns that a sharp slowdown in China might hurt economic growth around the globe.

Benchmark U.S. crude dropped $2.21 to $38.24 a barrel in New York. Metals also ended the day lower. Gold fell $6 to $1,153 an ounce and silver declined 54 cents to $14.76 an ounce.

Worries about a China-fueled global economic slump sent markets overseas lower, as well.

In Europe, Germany's DAX fell 4.7 percent, while the CAC-40 in France slid 5.4 percent. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares dropped 4.7 percent.

In Asia, Japan's Nikkei fell 4.6 percent, its worst one-day drop since in over 2 1/2 years. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 5.2 percent, Australia's S&P ASX/200 slid 4.1 percent and South Korea's Kospi lost 2.5 percent.

The Shanghai index suffered its biggest percentage decline in 81/2 years. The market has lost all of its gains for 2015, though it is still more than 40 percent above its level a year ago.

Underlying the gloom in China is the growing conviction that policymakers and regulators may lack the means to stem the losses in that nation. The country is facing a slowdown in economic growth, the banking system is short of cash and investors are pulling money out of the country, experts note.

When a planned robbery went wrong, Keough Collins ended up dead, a prosecutor said.

SPRINGFIELD - Unless Ashawnee Duke testifies in his own defense at his murder trial, jurors on Tuesday heard his voice for the only time in a videotaped interview with police.

In the video played for the jury, Duke is being interviewed by Springfield Police Detectives Anthony Pioggia and Kevin Lee on Dec. 6, 2012, after his arrest at his Willard Avenue home.

"You keep asking why you're here," one detective says. "You're charged with murder."

"What murder?" Duke asks.

Duke, 21, of Springfield, is on trial before Hampden Superior Court Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder for the fatal shooting of Keough Collins Dec. 2, 2012, just after 6 p.m.

Assistant District Attorney Max Bennett said Duke, Julien 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, 22, of Springfield is charged with murder - just as Duke is - in the death of Collins, 19, of Chicopee. Holly, who said he waited in the car, is testifying for the prosecution in Duke's case.

In the recorded police interview of Duke, he is asked what he did over the past weekend, particularly on the Sunday afternoon.

Duke said he stayed home at his mother's house all weekend except for short trips to the nearby store. He listed people who were there, and agreed the detectives could ask those people to vouch for his presence.

He said he never owned a gun and never shot one.

Asked if he knew anyone named Keough, Duke asked, "The one that passed away?"

He said the last time he saw Collins was a week before when Collins saw him walking and gave him a ride.

A detective tells Duke, "We kind of know how Keough got killed." Duke asks how. "We're not going to lay all our cards on the table," is the response.

"I wasn't there," Duke said.

Deirdre Collins, Keough Collins' mother, testified Holly and Collins were very close friends and Holly was often at her house.

She said when she went to Baystate Medical Center Dec. 2, 2012, and found out her son was dead, she screamed at Holly who was crying in the hallway.

"I knew he was scared of me. I was enraged," she said. "I asked him basically what happened to my son. I told him he better open his mouth."

The next day Holly called her and she said if he wasn't going to tell her something, she didn't want to talk to him and he could talk to police.

Later that day she went to where Holly said he would be and he got in the back seat of her car with her.

"He was an emotional wreck more so than me," Deirdre Collins said. "He just fell on me crying. I couldn't be upset any more, all my feelings went to him. Disgust and feeling bad for him at the same time."

She said she then told Holly to turn himself in to police. She said she had not told police where to find Holly until she spoke to him because "I wanted him to tell me to my face" before he went to police.

Talicia Hardrick, Collins' older sister, said she was with Holly and others when they found out Collins was dead.

He was "crying, screaming, swearing, having a tantrum, breakdown," she said of Holly.

Holly spent all day Monday on the stand and finished his testimony Tuesday.

Much of the same territory was revisited Tuesday as was discussed Monday.

Bennett asked Holly why he did not like Duke.

Holly said they had been friends, but he didn't like the fact the robbery that was Duke's idea ended up with his friend Collins dead.

"I want to bring justice to my boy's (Collins) family," Holly said. He said Collins would do the same thing (testify for the prosecution) for him if he had died.

He went on to say that Duke "acts like it was nothing" that Collins died. Defense lawyer Calvin C. Carr objected to that statement and it was stricken by Kinder.

Holly said being high on PCP affected his decision making. He said he felt like he did something wrong by leaving Collins after Collins was shot.

Holly said on the way to the planned robbery the three of them - Collins driving with Duke and Holly in the car - stopped at Popeyes restaurant. Duke put a bullet in the chamber of his gun, Holly said.

Asked by Bennett what he saw once they got to Robert Dyer Circle, Holly said it looked like Collins and Duke were talking to the intended robbery victim. Collins stepped onto the porch and there was a struggle between him and the victim.

Duke was three yards away from the struggle, Holly said. There was a pop, Duke jumped back, then Duke held a gun out and there were flashes, Holly said.

He said he didn't actually see the gun in Duke's hand but had seen him with a gun earlier.

Holly identified a gun found at the scene as belonging to Collins. He said the clip to the gun was broken and each round had to be loaded manually. Since there was a bullet still in the chamber he knew Collins didn't shoot his gun, Holly said.

Carr continued the line of questioning for Holly about why he is cooperating with the prosecution, and why he lied to police until the prosecution offered him a cooperation agreement.

He repeatedly asked Holly if he was only cooperating to get a good deal on his case, with reduced charges and less prison time.

Holly said that was one of the reasons, but not the only one. He said he had not been promised anything specific, just "consideration" by the prosecution.

He agreed with Carr that he didn't actually know who shot Collins.

Carr asked if Duke had a car and Holly said no.

"None of this would have happened if Keough Collins didn't drive him (Duke) there?" Carr asked.

Holly agreed.

Bennett said he expect to finish the prosecution's case Wednesday. Carr said he expects to present testimony lasting through Thursday.

When describing the need for campus center renovations, Holyoke Community College President Bill Messner spoke in an urgent tone. Watch video

HOLYOKE -- When describing the need for campus center renovations, Holyoke Community College President Bill Messner spoke in an urgent tone. 

"It's thirty-five years old [and] in desperate need of attention," he said.

Governor Charlie Baker announced Tuesday afternoon that the college will receive a grant for $2.5 million to begin renovation efforts of facility. He also said Springfield Technical Community College will be given $3 million to renovate Building 19 on their campus.

The press conference was held on the Holyoke campus, in front of Building G. On a rainy day, the design flaws officials complain of were apparent. Rain drains off the sloped structure onto walkways below and concrete is crumbling in parts of the exterior.

The facility contains several classrooms, dining services, a media center and campus bookstore. Officials say the three-floor structure doesn't offer adequate cafeteria seating to serve their students and the college bookstore can be difficult to find for new students, making the process of buying textbooks more complicated.

"Building G is the hub of our student activity, student support services here on campus. Those services are critical to the success of our students," Messner said.

The college plans to increase the building's square footage by about 8,000, to allow for more space in the cafeteria and add an express Dunkin Donuts to the space. The exterior of the building will be squared off and weather sealed to help make the space more energy efficient.

Plans also call for the bookstore to be moved from the basement to the second floor and the student-veterans lounge and resource center known as "the bunker" and the admissions office be moved from the Frost building to the campus center.

View plans for the campus center below. 

 

Judge Daniel A. Ford sentenced 33-year-old William H. Soper to 10 to 12 years in prison for sexually assaulting the girl multiple times between December 2011 and January 2012.

PITTSFIELD — A Pittsfield man pleaded guilty Monday in Berkshire Superior Court to forcibly raping a young girl, according to Berkshire District Attorney David F. Capeless, whose office prosecuted the case.

Judge Daniel A. Ford sentenced 33-year-old William H. Soper to 10 to 12 years in prison for sexually assaulting the girl multiple times between December 2011 and January 2012. The girl was 8 years old at the time of the attacks, according to police and prosecutors.

After reaching a plea deal with prosecutors, Soper admitted to four counts of rape of a child with force and to single counts of witness intimidation and indecent assault and battery on a child 14 or younger.

The victim, who's now 12 years old, had a chance to address Soper during his sentencing in Pittsfield, according to The Berkshire Eagle. "You should know what a horrible man you are. You should feel ashamed of yourself," she said.

The assaults led to fear, anxiety and suicidal thoughts for the girl, who vowed to move on and enjoy her life, The Eagle reports. "This won't stop me from being happy," she said.

The investigation was handled by members of the Pittsfield Police Department and Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to Capeless' office.

A Billerica police officer was injured after his cruiser was hit by an alleged drunk driver early Tuesday morning, according to Massachusetts State Police.

A digest of news stories from around the Northeast.

Arrest warrants issued for mother, grandmother who failed to show up in court after being cited for raising child, 7, in now-condemned house [Newburyport Daily News] Video below

 

Danvers father found guilty after causing life-altering injuries to 3-month-old son [Salem News]

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton 

Former Worcester park guard faces charges of hitting dog walker with SUV [Telegram & Gazette]

Jody Herring 

Between the key rack, fasteners and the thing-a-majigs if you look close, you may find some art. The Highland Hardware Store at 917 Hampden Street in Holyoke will hold an opening reception on September 2, 2015 for an art show at the store for the works by more than 20 artists. The exhibit will be set up at as scavenger...

Between the key rack, fasteners and the thing-a-majigs if you look close, you may find some art.

The Highland Hardware Store at 917 Hampden Street in Holyoke will hold an opening reception on September 2, 2015 for an art show at the store for the works by more than 20 artists. The exhibit will be set up at as scavenger hunt among the plumbing supplies, nuts and bolts and bicycles.

Dean Nimmer, emeritus professor of the Mass College of Art and Design in Boston and now adjunct professor at Holyoke Community College, ran with the idea for the show from store owner Harry Craven's steampunk-type sculpture, which is featured in the store.

A slow-moving cold front brought heavy rain, lightning and strong winds to some parts of Western Massachusetts on Tuesday afternoon, downing trees and power lines in sections of Franklin County but causing no major problems.

DEERFIELD — A slow-moving cold front brought heavy rain, lightning and strong winds to some parts of Western Massachusetts on Tuesday afternoon, downing trees and power lines in sections of Franklin County but causing no major problems.

Periodic downpours were expected throughout the afternoon, which Western Mass News meteorologist Dan Brown called a "transitional day," as drier air pushes out the moist air that's dominated the region in recent weeks. Much more comfortable air is expected for Wednesday through the start of the weekend, according to Brown.

As of 7 p.m., Eversource was reporting just over 100 utility customers without power in Montague, and only single or very minor outages reported in other rural parts of Franklin and Berkshire counties. National Grid was reporting no significant outages in this region.

Fireground360, the social media site maintained by area first responders, reported downed trees, branches and wires in Deerfield, Gill, Greenfield and the Turners Falls section of Montague.

Tim Callery, reporter with Western Mass News, TV partner of MassLive / The Republican, tweeted a photo of a large tree that fell along Route 5 in Deerfield, just north of Main Street. The tree tore down electrical wires as it fell, but there were no reported injuries.

A Holyoke man has been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly choking a dog, throwing it across the yard of an Agawam home and beating it with a plastic baseball bat.

A Holyoke man has been charged with animal cruelty after allegedly choking a dog, throwing it across the yard of an Agawam home and beating it with a plastic baseball bat.

Ryck Crabtree, 25, was visiting a home on Walnut Street in Agawam when a neighbor allegedly filmed him abusing a black and white shih tzu, according to a police statement filed in Westfield District Court.

The "witness stated to me that he watched a white male (nearby) choke a small white and black dog and hit this same dog with a plastic whiffle ball bat and throw the dog across the yard," Agawam Police Officer Edward Connor wrote in his report.

The witness showed Connor and an animal control officer a video of the incident, according to Connor, which allegedly depicted Crabtree committing a series of abuses: choking the dog with its collar, slamming it on a chair and hitting it with the bat.

Connor reported that he confronted an occupant of the house about failing to intervene during the alleged abuse, but that she did not seem concerned.

"So what, they are only dogs," she allegedly said.

Animal control found a second dog in the house and took both to the VCA Montgomery Road Animal Hospital in Westfield, where they were held overnight for observation, according to the report.

Crabtree was arrested, and while in police custody allegedly made phone a phone call to his mother pleading with her to pay his bail.

"During the call he was crying to his mother and said he will pay her back and get him out of jail," Connor wrote. "He then said 'Mom, I didn't beat the dog. I just threw him across the yard.' "

A person answering Crabtree's phone number, listed on court records, hung up when asked for comment.

Crabtree was charged with two counts of animal cruelty and was released on $200 bail.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump engaged in a prolonged confrontation with the anchor of the nation's leading Spanish-language network during a news conference Tuesday, first having the well-known news personality removed before allowing him back in. Jorge Ramos, the Miami-based anchor for Univision, stood up and began to ask Trump about his immigration proposal, which...

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) -- Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump engaged in a prolonged confrontation with the anchor of the nation's leading Spanish-language network during a news conference Tuesday, first having the well-known news personality removed before allowing him back in.

Jorge Ramos, the Miami-based anchor for Univision, stood up and began to ask Trump about his immigration proposal, which includes ending automatic citizenship for infants born in the United States to parents in the country illegally.

As Ramos began to speak, Trump interrupted him, saying he hadn't called on Ramos before repeatedly telling him to "sit down" and then saying, "Go back to Univision."

As one of Trump's security detail approached Ramos, the anchor continued to speak, saying, "You cannot deport 11 million people." Ramos was referring to Trump's proposal to deport all people in the country illegally before allowing some of them to return.

As he was taken from the room, Ramos said, "You cannot build a 1,900-mile wall," another proposal in Trump's plan.

Moments later, Trump justified Ramos' removal, saying: "He just stands up and starts screaming. Maybe he's at fault also."

The billionaire businessman's immigration proposal has sparked intense debate within the 2016 Republican field. Several candidates, including former Gov. Jeb Bush, have called it "unrealistic," and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker bobbled his answer on whether he supports ending birthright citizenship.

Ramos was later allowed back into the news conference. Trump greeted him politely, though they quickly resumed their argument, interrupting each other during an extended back-and-forth.

"Your immigration plan, it is full of empty promises," Ramos began. "You cannot deny citizenship to children born in this country."

"Why do you say that?" Trump replied. "Some of the great legal scholars agree that's not true."

During the five-minute exchange, Ramos claimed that 40 percent of people in the country illegally enter through airports, not over the Mexican border. "I don't believe that. I don't believe it," Trump responded.

A 2006 report by the Pew Hispanic Center found that as much as 45 percent of the people in the U.S. illegally entered with legal visas but overstayed them.

Trump said he did not believe that a majority of immigrants in the U.S. illegally were criminals, or in the country to commit crimes. "Most of them are good people," he said. But he described recent cases where people had been killed by assailants later determined to be in the country illegally.

Finally, Trump reminded Ramos that he was suing Univision, which dropped Trump's Miss Universe pageant after he described immigrants in the U.S. illegally as "criminals" and "rapists."

"Do you know how many Latinos work for me? Do you know how many Hispanics work for me?" Trump said. "Thousands. They love me."

Isaac Lee, chief executive officer of Univision, responded to the confrontation with a written comment: "We'd love for Mr. Trump to sit down for an in-depth interview with Jorge to talk about the specifics of his proposals."

A Fitchburg-based company makes new ammunition, which are much larger than rubber bullets and have silicone heads that expand and flatten on impact, enhancing the pain and incapacitating a suspect.

By DENISE LAVOIE

FITCHBURG -- Police in more than 20 North American cities are testing the latest in less-lethal alternatives to bullets -- "blunt impact projectiles" that cause suspects excruciating pain but stop short of killing them. Or at least that's the goal.

Police have long had what they considered "nonlethal" weapons at their disposal, including pepper spray, stun guns and beanbag projectiles. But even those weapons have caused deaths, leading to a search for "less lethal" alternatives. The quest has taken on new urgency in the past year amid furor over a string of high-profile police shootings of black men.

Micron Products Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Arrhythmia Research Technology based in Fitchburg, makes the new ammunition, which are much larger than rubber bullets and have silicone heads that expand and flatten on impact, enhancing the pain and incapacitating a suspect. One executive of the company that patented the technology was a guinea pig and described experiencing the business end of a BIP as the "equivalent of being hit by a hockey puck."

"It was like, 'Ow!' I had to shake it off," said Allen Ezer, executive vice president of Security Devices International, a defense technology company that hired Micron to make the projectiles, which were developed by a ballistics engineering company in Israel.

Sixteen law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and six in Canada have purchased the projectiles, including SWAT units of the Los Angeles County and Sacramento County Sheriff's Departments in California, and police departments in East Hartford, Connecticut; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; and Los Alamos, New Mexico.

"They want an option that bridges the gap between baton, Taser and their service weapons," said Salvatore Emma, Micron's chief executive officer.

The projectiles do not penetrate the skin, like conventional bullets, but they do cause pain and discomfort. Officers are trained to shoot the projectiles at arms and legs. A person hit in the torso at close range during a disturbance in Canada got a large bruise but no lasting injury, said Gregory Sullivan, SDI's chief executive officer.

No one has been shot in the head with the projectiles at this point, and Sullivan acknowledged the possibility of a serious or deadly injury in the event of a close-range shot to the head.

But "because of the accountability factor that exists today in the law enforcement field ... it just makes good sense and good risk management to use something that's safer and the officers can have confidence in," said Sullivan, a former Toronto police officer.

The product has its limits. While it could subdue an armed suspect from a distance in a hostage or standoff situation, it probably wouldn't be useful during sudden confrontations, said Toby Wishard, sheriff in Codington County, South Dakota, whose department bought the projectiles several months ago but hasn't used them yet.

"This product is not practical to carry on a belt. You'd have to have the time to get it into place; then the opportunity would have to present itself for you to use it," Wishard said. "I look at it as more of a specialized tool."

The projectiles, with an average price of $25, carry a variety of payloads, including a powder used in pepper spray, marker rounds used to identify riot agitators and a malodorant that smells like sewage.

Other companies are also marketing less-lethal alternatives, including:
A 12-gauge, two-shot launcher pistol that can fire beanbags, pepper spray and gas pellets, made by Bruzer Less Lethal International, in Elkhart, Indiana. The product has drawn interest because it is smaller than a shotgun and can be used to force inmates out of a cell or suspects out of a car. "It's like wasp-spraying; you hit the nest and the bees or the wasps come out," said company founder Tommy Teach.
A gun attachment that slows down bullets, maintaining enough force to knock someone down but reducing the potential for death, made by Alternative Ballistics, a company outside San Diego.

Critics argue the alternatives are merely a stopgap to a much bigger problem.

"I'm for less militarization of the police, but the main problem and the main deterrent for these different incidents of police violence is holding the police accountable," said Brock Satter, an organizer for Boston-based Mass Action Against Police Brutality.

"I don't think most of these situations are accidents. These are incidents of abuse of power and racism," he said. "To me, that's not a problem you can solve just by using a different weapon."

Tuesday evening's sky lit up over the Old First Church in Court Square in Springfield. The church is framed by Springfield City Hall.

Tuesday evening's sky lit up over the Old First Church in Court Square in Springfield. The church is framed by Springfield City Hall.

Detective Julie Curtin said Owen Labrie told her "it would be the end of my life," if he had sex with the girl.

CONCORD, N.H. -- The attorney for a young man accused of raping a fellow student at a prep school in New Hampshire questioned police tactics, suggesting Tuesday that his client had been treated unfairly.

Concord Police Detective Julie Curtin previously outlined in an affidavit and testified Tuesday in the trial of 19-year-old Owen Labrie that he told her he had a playful encounter with the girl last year before graduating from St. Paul's School but stopped short of having sex after a moment of "divine inspiration."

Curtin said Labrie told her "it would be the end of my life," if he had sex with the girl, The Boston Globe reported.

On cross-examination, Labrie's attorney, J.W. Carney, said the detective had tried to catch Labrie off-guard by driving to Vermont to interview him and speaking to him without his parents present. The defense argues the two teenagers, then 18 and 15, had consensual sexual contact.

Investigators first met Labrie, of Tunbridge, Vermont, and his mother at a coffee shop, but after detectives said it would be better to talk at the police station, he agreed to be interviewed without his mother for nearly four hours.

Curtin acknowledged Tuesday that she wanted to separate Labrie from his mother to get his side of the story. She said that during the interview, Labrie often mentioned his accomplishments in school, later sent her his college admission essay and at one point asked, "Do you know anything about me?"

Carney also accused the detective of asking Labrie repeatedly whether he had sex with the girl.

"What really delayed this interview was the number of times you kept saying the same question over and over," Carney said.

Prosecutors say Labrie was two days away from graduation when he raped the girl in a building on the grounds of St. Paul's as part of Senior Salute, a campus tradition in which seniors try to have sex with underclassmen.

Previous witnesses testified Labrie was competing with friends to see how many girls they could "score" before graduation and they described a range of sexual encounters from kissing to intercourse.

Holyoke Medical Center officials want to install the foundation for the new emergency department before winter.

HOLYOKE -- The Planning Board after a 90-minute public hearing Tuesday (Aug. 25) told Holyoke Medical Center to return Sept. 8 with a traffic study and other details related to a plan for a $12 million emergency room.

The hospital at 575 Beech St. needs a new emergency department because the existing one was built to handle 18,000 visits a year and has been drawing more than 45,000, officials said.

"The existing emergency room is untenable," said Spiros Hatiras, hospital president and chief executive officer.

No one opposed the project during the hearing at City Hall Annex. Nothing arose from planning officials that signaled whether they had majors problems with the project, aside from concerns raised about previously approved parking lots and requests for information about regular and ambulance traffic and details about signs.

The hospital is hoping for Planning Board approval of its site plan at the Sept. 8 continuation of the public hearing so construction can be completed on the foundation before winter, Hatiras said.

The plan is for the new, three-level emergency department to be ready by late 2016 or early 2017.

"This is what the community deserves," Hatiras said.

The hospital needs a new facility to replace what was described in its site plan review application as an undersized current emergency room that has an inefficient floor plan. The addition would be on the west side of the hospital in what is now a parking lot just north of the main entrance off Hospital Drive, which is accessed off Beech Street.

Local physician Andrew Levin said a new emergency department at Holyoke Medical Center has been necessary for years.

"We desperately need this," Levin said.

The 21,270-square-foot addition would have a mechanical area in the basement and two upper stories.The level above the basement would house the new emergency department and be designed to connect with the main hospital's second floor. The upper floor would be built as a shell for future expansion, the hospital's site plan review application said.

Board Chairwoman Mimi Panitch asked how much additional traffic hospital officials expected with a new emergency department. Hatiras said that with the federal government pushing for less emphasis on emergency room usage, projections are the new facility will have minimally more usage than now.

Board member Eileen Regan requested that the hospital submit a licensed traffic study of regular and ambulance visits to the facility for planners to consider.

Carl R. Cameron, hospital chief operating officer, said that would be done.

City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain, who attended the hearing, and Regan questioned officials about two parking areas being built on the hospital campus off Isabella Street under approvals the city granted in 2011. One parking lot will be for 39 spaces and the other will be for 27 spaces.

Those new lots will help in replacing the 86 parking spaces that would be lost if the city grants approval for the proposed emergency department to be built on what is now an 86-space parking lot.

The two parking lots were approved in relation to a kidney dialysis unit the hospital planned but never built in 2011, officials said.,

Regan questioned whether the hospital can include the new parking lots as part of the project for the emergency department.

"You can't just add them onto this project," Regan said.

"They think they can," Jourdain said from the audience.

Jeffrey Burkott, principal planner for the city, noted that the city zoning code specifies that the addition of parking lots is a permitted use of hospital property.

"So you're comfortable?" Regan asked Burkott.

"That's one of the past interpretations" of the zoning code, Burkott said.

Jourdain, while praising the hospital and supporting the emergency department project, questioned whether approval four years ago for two parking lots never built is sufficient to permit their construction now.

"Those, in my opinion, were not appropriately approved," Jourdain said.

As a result of the parking lots going four years without being built, neighbors were jolted by bulldozers taking down trees to construct the parking areas recently, he said.

"So they obviously were not too thrilled about that," Jourdain said.

He will file an order asking that the city adopt an ordinance to eliminate the parking-lot exemption hospitals have in the zoning code. The order would require that hospitals like other entities obtain a special permit from the City Council to build a parking lot, he said.

Hatiras said the hospital since the trees were knocked down has reached out to neighbors. The hospital will work with neighbors on the color of the parking lot fence, preferred shrubbery and lighting, he said.

"Respectfully, I hope nobody here feels the hospital tried to manipulate your position and run with something," Hatiras said.

The Historical Commission voted 4-0 Aug. 12 to grant Holyoke Medical Center permission to demolish a 95-year-old house on Isabella Street to install the 27-space parking lot.

Holyoke Medical Center is a 198-bed facility with 1,200 employees that treats people from Holyoke, Chicopee, South Hadley, Granby, Easthampton, Southampton, West Springfield and Belchertown, the hospital website said.

The hospital admits more than 7,500 patients a year and the emergency room gets more than 45,000 visits a year, the website said.

The medical staff includes 171 physicians and 96 consultants. Holyoke Medical Center is a nationally-accredited hospital, the website said.

Former hospital employee Thomas Joseph alleged a years-long pattern of instances in which, if overcharges showed up in patient accounts, Retreat staff would change the account to reflect a balance of zero rather than issue refund.

By DAVE GRAM

BRATTLEBORO, Vt. -- The Vermont attorney general's office is conducting a criminal investigation into the Brattleboro Retreat following a whistleblower's complaints about alleged Medicaid fraud at the private psychiatric hospital, the Associated Press has learned.

Attorney General William Sorrell acknowledged that his office was investigating, and his comments coupled with documents provided to the AP in response to public records requests show the probe has gone beyond the concerns first raised by former hospital employee Thomas Joseph.

"The investigation we are conducting is not narrow in scope," Sorrell said in an interview last week.

The Brattleboro Retreat, founded in 1834, is a major player in Vermont's mental health and addiction recovery system, with more than 3,500 inpatient admissions last year, and slightly more served in outpatient programs. Its 2014 annual report said about a quarter of its $65 million annual budget came from state Medicaid programs.

Joseph alleged a years-long pattern of instances in which, if overcharges showed up in patient accounts, Retreat staff would not make refunds but instead would change the account to reflect a balance of zero.

Confirmation of the state probe -- which has involved the office of Doug Hoffer, auditor of accounts, and the program integrity unit of the Department of Vermont Health Access -- comes two years after Joseph was rebuffed when he took his concerns to the office of former U.S. Attorney Tristram Coffin.

And it comes a year after U.S. District Judge William Sessions III rejected a lawsuit in which Joseph, seeking to recover for the government and for himself, cited 32 patient billing records that he said evidenced $11 million in fraud.

"We learned late last week that the Attorney General was investigating the Brattleboro Retreat," retreat spokesman Jeff Kelliher said in an email Monday. "However, he did not provide any further detail regarding the scope of the investigation, except to say that his office would be contacting our attorneys in due course. We take this matter very seriously. We are fully cooperating with state officials, but are unable to comment further at this time. "

Despite the earlier reversals, Joseph, whose job at the Retreat was collecting from patients with balances not covered by insurance, has continued to push, including taking his concerns to Hoffer.

Hoffer said in interviews he thought there were two other state agencies better equipped than his to conduct a Medicaid fraud investigation. He said he asked a certified public accountant on his staff, Hugh Pritchard, to review the materials Joseph supplied and see whether they warranted forwarding to the program integrity office at the Department of Vermont Health Access or the attorney general's Medicaid fraud unit.

Emails obtained by the AP under Vermont's Public Records Act show that on May 1, Pritchard wrote to Steve Monde, an assistant attorney general with the Medicaid Fraud Unit, that "I have not been through the entire set of documents that Thomas Joseph supplied, but I did see some specific instances that seemed to me to warrant investigation."

The AP made two requests to Hoffer for records relating to Joseph's allegations, on July 16 and Aug. 10. Hoffer provided 45 documents in response to the first request. He denied the second, in an Aug. 14 letter he said was drafted by Sorrell's office.

The Aug. 14 letter provided the first indication that records relating to the Joseph allegations were tied to a criminal investigation. The denial cited the Public Records Act exemption for "records dealing with the detection and investigation of crime."

Sorrell said Friday, "The records you requested are relevant to a criminal investigation that relates to the Brattleboro Retreat." He would not provide details. But Sorrell was not the only state official indicating the probe goes beyond Joseph's allegations.

Notes that Pritchard took on phone calls to other state officials, part of the response to the July 16 records request, reflect one conversation he had with Monde of the Medicaid fraud unit.

"Steve (Monde) acknowledges that the scheme alleged by Joseph is a plausible mechanism for a health care provider fraud," Pritchard wrote. But the "materials received from Thomas Joseph contain no proof of any specific instance of his allegations. (The Medicaid fraud unit) is looking into the Retreat but not specifically at Joseph's allegations."

Others were more willing to credit Joseph. A July 31 email, obtained separately from the public records requests but authenticated by Hoffer, was written by an investigator with the program integrity unit of the Department of Vermont Health Access. It said, "I can now confirm that the information sent by Mr. Joseph has some validity to it."

Joseph filed his federal lawsuit in 2013, at a time when the Retreat was playing a key role as a linchpin of the state's mental health system, having agreed to take patients from the former Waterbury State Hospital after that facility was flooded and forced to close by 2011's Tropical Storm Irene.

Without the Retreat, the state's mental health crisis "would have been a complete and utter nightmare," Patrick Flood, who was mental health commissioner at the time, said in a recent interview. "They absolutely saved our bacon."

Pritchard wrote in March that he had reviewed the Retreat's financial statements for 2011 through 2013, which showed negative cash balances "of a few hundred thousand dollars at December 2011 and 2012, and of almost two million dollars at December 2013."

He added that his initial review "suggests that all three elements of the 'fraud triangle' were in place: financial pressures forcing the Retreat to choose which of its obligations to meet; an opportunity to acquire funds by writing off credit balances; and a conjectural rationalization -- that if payers do not request refunds then they do not want or deserve them."

Another document, obtained separately by the AP and authenticated by Hoffer and another senior official, showed that as the Department of Vermont Health Access began questioning the Retreat about various patient accounts, a lawyer for the Retreat acknowledged a "mistake" in one patient's account and refunded more than $1,700 to the state Department of Mental Health. Joseph maintains there are many more cases like that one.

A distressed puppy was alone in the truck for about 10 hours while 29-year-old Justin Wagner and 27-year-old Matthew Bernier, of Fall River and Westport, respectively, were out drinking in Hyannis, according to Barnstable police.

BARNSTABLE — At least they didn't drive drunk.

That's about the only good news in this tale from Cape Cod, where two South Coast men were reportedly too intoxicated to remember where they parked their truck in Hyannis. They also apparently forgot about a puppy left inside the hot vehicle, according to authorities, who charged both men with animal cruelty.

The distressed animal was alone in the truck with the windows rolled up for about 10 hours, while 29-year-old Justin Wagner and 27-year-old Matthew Bernier, of Fall River and Westport, respectively, were out on the town drinking, police said. The men denied the charges at their arraignments in Barnstable District Court and were ordered to return for October pretrial hearings.

The trouble began early on the morning of Aug. 17, when Barnstable police officers were called to the Tap City Grille on Main Street for a report of two intoxicated people refusing to leave the Hyannis bar, according to police. Wagner and Bernier "elected to take a taxi cab to a location in Falmouth for the night," police said.

That all happened around 12:30 a.m.

About 40 minutes later, officers were dispatched to The Duck Inn Pub, another Main Street bar in Hyannis, for a report of a stolen motor vehicle. "The two people reporting that their truck was stolen were Wagner and Bernier," police said. In reality, the men never grabbed that taxi to Falmouth and were too intoxicated to remember where they parked the truck, according to authorities.

Bernier was belligerent and uncooperative and taken into protective custody for his own safety, police said.

Investigators said the puppy had been left in the vehicle since about 5 p.m. Aug. 16, when temperatures were reportedly in the 80s and humidity levels were hovering around 65 percent. With that, multiple patrol units descended on the Main Street area to search for the truck, which was found around 3 a.m. Aug. 17. Inside was a German shepherd puppy, who was panting heavily and appeared frightened, police said.

The 8-week-old dog was given several bottles of water and taken to Barnstable police headquarters, where she was nicknamed "Midnight." Officers took care of the animal until morning, when she was turned over to Barnstable Animal Control.

The dog was expected to be the subject of an Aug. 24 forfeiture hearing, The Cape Cod Times reports. The outcome of that hearing wasn't immediately known.

WASHINGTON — More jobs and cheaper gasoline come with a big, honking downside: U.S. roads are more clogged than ever now that the recession is in the rearview mirror. Commuters in Washington, D.C., suffer the most, losing an average of 82 hours a year to rush-hour slowdowns, a new study finds. Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York come...

WASHINGTON -- More jobs and cheaper gasoline come with a big, honking downside: U.S. roads are more clogged than ever now that the recession is in the rearview mirror.

Commuters in Washington, D.C., suffer the most, losing an average of 82 hours a year to rush-hour slowdowns, a new study finds. Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York come next on the list of urban areas with the longest delays.

But the pain reaches across the nation.

Overall, American motorists are stuck in traffic about 5 percent more than they were in 2007, the pre-recession peak, says the report from the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and INRIX Inc., which analyzes traffic data.

Four out of five cities have now surpassed their 2007 congestion.

Rounding out the Top 10 worst commuting cities are San Jose, Boston, Seattle, Chicago, Houston and Riverside-San Bernardino.

Cities with fast-growing economies and the most job growth are the most plagued by traffic. Other factors: Urban populations are increasing and lower fuel prices are making driving less expensive, so more people are taking to city roads.

Congestion increased in 61 of the nation's 101 largest cities from 2012 to 2013, the data showed. The following year, nearly all cities -- 95 out of 101 -- experienced greater congestion.

The findings are based on federal data about how many cars are on the roads and on traffic speed data collected by INRIX on 1.3 million miles of urban streets and highways.

The growth is outpacing the nation's ability to build the roads, bridges, trains and other infrastructure to handle all these people on the move. Congress has kept federal transportation programs teetering on the edge of insolvency for nearly eight years because lawmakers have been unwilling to raise the federal gas tax and haven't found a politically palatable alternative to pay for needed improvements.

Frustrated by Washington's inaction, nearly a third of states have approved measures this year that could collectively raise billions of dollars for transportation through higher fuel taxes, vehicle fees and bonds. But that's just a down payment on decades of delayed maintenance, repairs and replacements.

"Our growing traffic problem is too massive for any one entity to handle -- state and local agencies can't do it alone," said Tim Lomax, a co-author of the report. The report recommends a mix of solutions, including making existing road and transit systems more efficient, encouraging more flexible work schedules, adding capacity to high-growth travel corridors, and creating more high-density neighborhoods where homes, offices, stores and other development can be reached through walking, biking or public transit.

Transportation analyst Alan Pisarski said the nation missed a "tremendous opportunity" to catch up on building additional transportation capacity during the recession, when construction costs plummeted. "We didn't take advantage of it and now we're back in the soup again," he said.

The national average time that commuters wasted stuck in traffic last year was 42 hours, about the same as in 2007 and more than twice the delay in 1982, when the transportation institute first began assessing urban mobility. But because there are so many more commuters today and far more congestion in off-peak hours, total delay across the country has increased over 2007.

Overall, Americans experienced 6.9 billion hours of traffic delays in 2014 compared to 6.6 billion in 2007 and 1.8 billion in 1982.

The problem has become so bad in major urban areas that drivers have to plan for more than twice as much travel time as they would normally need to account for the possibility of congestion delays caused by bad weather, collisions, construction zones and other impediments, the report said.

Other findings in the report:

--Trucks account for about 18 percent of urban congestion, although they represent just 7 percent of urban travel.

--The cost of congestion to the average auto commuter was $960 in lost time and fuel in 2014, compared to an inflation-adjusted $400 in 1982.

--About 40 percent of delays occur in midday and overnight hours, making it more difficult to avoid delays by avoiding commuter rush hours.

--Severe or extreme congestion levels affected one of every four trips in 2014, up from one in nine trips in 1982.

The report comes on the heels of other evidence that Americans are embracing driving more than ever. The Department of Transportation said Americans drove more than 3 trillion miles in the last 12 months, surpassing the previous record set in 2007. And the National Safety Council said preliminary data for the first six months of this year shows traffic deaths are up 14 percent, a turnaround after years of fewer fatalities.

If the economy remains strong, congestion will continue to worsen, the report projects. In the next five years, the annual delay per commuter would grow from 42 to 47 hours, the total delay nationwide would grow from 6.9 billion hours to 8.3 billion hours, and the total cost of congestion would jump from $160 billion to $192 billion, researchers estimated.

As a region, Greater Springfield gained 3,700 jobs on the year.

SPRINGFIELD - Unemployment rates rose in July for the city of Springfield and Greater Springfield as a whole, but statistics reported Tuesday show that labor markets in both have improved during the past year.

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics released updated numbers Tuesday.

Economists look at year-over-year statistics as a way of evening out seasonal changes in the economy. Local jobless numbers are not seasonally adjusted.

• In the city of Springfield, the unemployment rate rose six tenths of a percentage point to 9.8 percent for July, up from 9.2 percent in June. But the rate remains lower than 11.7 percent unemployment rate recorded in July 2014.
• The number of employed people in the city of Springfield fell to 57,857 in July from 58,841 in June. Last year, there were 56,855 people with jobs.
• The number of unemployed in the city rose to 6,281 from 5,947 in June. There were 7,528 unemployed a year ago.
• The city's work force fell to 64,139 on the month from 64,788 in June. The work force was 64,383 a year ago in July 2014.

As a region, Greater Springfield:

• Greater Springfield had an unemployment rate of 6.1 percent in July, up from 5.9 percent in June. The unemployment rate was 7.3 percent a year ago in July 2014.
• The number of unemployed people in Greater Springfield was 22,460 in July, up from 21,776 a month earlier. There were 26,703 unemployed people a year ago in July 2014.
• The number of employed people was 344,761 in July 2015. That was down from 349,907 in June. There were fewer people, 334,161 on the job a year ago in July 2014.
• The labor force in Greater Springfield fell to 367,221 in June from 371,683 a month ago. There were fewer people, 365,864 people, in the labor pool a year ago.
• Greater Springfield lost 4,900 jobs on the month, a 1.5 percent decline.
• On the year, Greater Springfield gained 3,700 jobs, a 1.2 percent increase.
• Statewide, the seasonal unemployment rate was 4.9 percent in both July and June. The rate was higher at 6 percent unemployment a year ago.
• However, the statewide unemployment rate is 10.4, averaged over the year ending July 1, when those who have stopped looking for work or those working part-time who would rather have a full-time job are counted.
• Three regions around the state recorded seasonal job gains in July: Barnstable, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, and Pittsfield. Seasonal losses occurred in the remaining twelve areas.
• The four areas four areas where unemployment rates dropped in July were resort areas of Barnstable, Nantucket, Great Barrington and Vineyard Haven.
• Adjusted for seasonal changes int he economy, the statewide unemployment rate was 4.7 percent in July, according to figures released Thursday by both the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

  The June rate was also 4.7 percent, a revision from the 4.6 percent unemployment rate previously reported.

Jobless numbers are the result of a household survey conducted for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs numbers come form a survey of employers.