An alleged shooting at a Millis police officer that left his car a burned-out wreck was falsified, Millis police said Thursday.

The story was dramatic: a man in a maroon pickup truck opened fire at a Millis police officer, sending the officer's cruiser slamming into a tree. The car burst into flames; shots were exchanged; schools were shut down as investigators combed the area for what they believed was an armed and dangerous suspect.

The problem? It was not true, according to Millis police.

At a press conference Thursday, Millis police Sgt. William Dwyer said the incident had been fabricated. The patrolman, a 24-year-old part time officer, made up the account, Dwyer said.

The police car itself was totaled; photographs show a burned husk, its windows shattered. Millis police said the gunshots were fired by the officer himself, and that the state fire marshal was investigating the cause of the fire.

Officers searched for ballistics evidence near the scene and found only evidence from the officer's firearm, according to a police statement. Investigators also interviewed the officer.

"Upon conclusion of those interviews, and as a result of all other evidence, we have determined that the officer's story was fabricated, specifically that he fired shots at his own cruiser as part of a plan to concoct a story that he was fired upon," Millis police said in a statement.

Many other elements of the case are still under investigation, Dwyer said.

The officer, a former dispatcher for the department, was hired as a permanent part-time officer in June. He was to begin training to join the force full time; now, he will be fired and could face criminal charges, the department said.

The officer's name will not be released until charges are filed, police said.

Millis police had announced the incident in a press release Wednesday, before an investigation turned up the alleged falsification.

Neighbors were ordered to shelter in place while SWAT and K9 units combed the area. The officer was treated at Norwood Hospital and released a few hours later.

The apparently fictional suspect was described as a tanned white male between the ages of 25 and 40, armed with a black handgun.

More on this story as it develops.

Police search for suspect wanted for shooting at a Millis police officer. Anyone with info asked to call police.@NECN pic.twitter.com/Bzfixc750n

-- Katelyn Flint (@Katelyn_necn) September 3, 2015

Cooler drier air will continue to drain into western Massachusetts this evening as temperatures settle into the upper 40s and lower 50s by morning. You'll be able to shut off the A.C.s and open up the windows! The holiday weekend still looks fantastic with sunny, warm days and cool comfortable nights. Daytime highs tomorrow will top off near 80 and...

Cooler drier air will continue to drain into western Massachusetts this evening as temperatures settle into the upper 40s and lower 50s by morning. You'll be able to shut off the A.C.s and open up the windows!

The holiday weekend still looks fantastic with sunny, warm days and cool comfortable nights. Daytime highs tomorrow will top off near 80 and by Monday will be into the upper 80s. Although it will be warm it will remain dry with dew points staying in the 40s and 50s. This will allow overnight lows to cool into the upper 40s and lower 50s as well. In fact, sunny skies will prevail through the middle of next week. The next chance of rain doesn't arrive until Wednesday night or Thursday.

Have a great weekend!
Dan Brown

Troopers will hold a sobriety checkpoint at an undisclosed Suffolk County location on Friday, Sept. 11, into Saturday, Sept. 12, according to Col. Richard McKeon, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police.

BOSTON — Troopers will conduct a sobriety checkpoint at an undisclosed Suffolk County location on Friday, Sept. 11, into Saturday, Sept. 12, according to Col. Richard D. McKeon, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police.

The aim of the grant-funded checkpoint is to increase public safety by removing intoxicated motorists from state roads, according to State Police. The checkpoint will operate during varied hours at an undisclosed location in Suffolk County, and the selection of vehicles won't be arbitrary, police said.

There were 326 fatal crashes in Massachusetts in 2013, about one-third of which involved alcohol, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

 

The part-time Millis officer police say concocted a story of crashing his cruiser after coming under fire from a pickup-driving gunman will face criminal charges, including misleading an investigation, authorities said.

A digest of news stories from around New England.

Providence police say there's more to story after video showing driver pulled over for "air freshener" goes viral [Providence Journal] Video above

 

Vermont woman arrested after threatening foster parents of her children, buying rifle [Burlington Free Press]

 

For 4,600 incoming freshmen, the Amazon process is quick and easy. Watch video

AMHERST -- There were lines of freshmen move-in day traffic near the dorms at UMass on Friday, but no lines of students snaking toward the register at the bookstore.

That's because the University of Massachusetts Amherst doesn't have what one would think of as a bookstore anymore. It's been replaced by an online ordering and pick-up point in the Lincoln Campus Center run by Internet retail giant Amazon.

UMass announced its partnership with Amazon in January. Like other bookstore arrangements, the university gets a cut from Amazon based on sales.

Amazon also does a book buyback at the end of the semester, the company said in an email.

UMass is the first East Coast university and only the third university in the country to go with Amazon as a textbook vendor. Amazon has relationships with the University of California-Davis and with Purdue University in Indiana.

The pick-up location in the Lincoln Campus Center opened last month in anticipation of the start of the fall semester.

Students no longer schlep through aisles of steel shelves laden with tomes and marked with course offerings like "English 101" and "Engineering 210."

Instead, freshman mechanical engineering major Matthew Provost did his shopping before leaving home in Adams. He accessed Amazon@UMass through UMass' SPIRE online information site. Once on Amazon, he bought his textbooks and other supplies.

The site offers new, used and rental textbooks. The Amazon location in the Campus Center will also function as a drop-off site for used textbook sales.

But he didn't get the books shipped directly to him. Amazon@Umass offers free one-day shipping to its pick-up center.

When Provost got on campus Friday, he received a confirmation email from Amazon. It could have been a text message if he'd preferred.

"I told the app when I'd like to pick it up and I came on down," he said.

Once at the center, he let an automated kiosk scan the code Amazon had sent to his phone. A locker, like those in bus stations, popped open and he grabbed his books.

There were staff members at the counter if he needed help.

The whole thing took less than three minutes.

"It was easy," he said. "The box was right there in the locker."

Way easier than when his mom, Lisa, and Dad, John, were in school.

"We didn't even have this when our older son was at Holy Cross," she said. "It's way quicker."

And a little cheaper.

Fellow freshman Christopher Casey, a biology major from Billerica, figures he saved $10 or $20 a book on the dozen books he needed.

That was part of the point, said university spokesman Ed Blaguszewski. Amazon promised savings of 30 percent for the average student. That works out to an annual savings of $380 a student.

Nationally, a student at a four-year state university spends an average of $1,225 a year on books.

"We were looking for a way to keep the cost of textbooks down and hopefully keep that cost from growing," Blaguszewsk said.

To that end, UMass offers some open-source course material through its library.

UMass went out to bid for bookstore services last year, Blaguszewsk said. Amazon, because it tracks sales by zip code, knew it already did a lot of business with UMass students.

But getting books shipped home and bringing them on move-in day is a hassle. Blaguszewsk said the university mail service can't facilitate package deliveries to dormitories during busy move-in time periods.

UMass students, faculty and staff can all get free shipping for most everything Amazon sells to the pick-up center, not just textbooks, Blaguszewsk said.

Follett Corp., the old bookstore vendor, still runs a "campus store" in the Lincoln Campus Center. That store sells clothing, gifts, posters and some supplies.

Two university employees who had been assigned to the bookstore, holdovers from when it was a university-run operation, have been  reassigned, Blaguszewsk said.

The polling location, formerly the Greenleaf Community Center, was renamed after Ward 5 Councilor Clodo Concepction in 2013, leading to an objection by his opponent.

SPRINGFIELD - Marcus J. Williams, a candidate for the Ward 5 seat on the City Council has filed an objection on Friday to one of the polling locations - the Clodo Concepcion Community Center -- named after his opponent, the incumbent.

Williams, in a letter to Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola, has asked her to place a cover over Concepcion's name on the building at Tuesday's preliminary election, so voters won't see it, and to relocate the polling site to some new location on Nov. 3. The Ward 5 contest has just two candidates, not needing a preliminary ballot vote Tuesday

The center, located in Sixteen Acres, was previously named the Greenleaf Community Center, but was renamed in Concepcion's honor two years ago.

"With candidates barred from displaying their signs within 150 feet of a polling place, the appearance of Mr. Concepcion's name over the entrance to the polling place violates the spirit of this good government restriction aimed at ensuring fair elections," Williams said in the letter to Oyola.

Clodovaldo "Clodo" Concepcion, reached by telephone, said there have been elections at the community center for many years, and he sees no reason to move the site now.

"He is trying to create problems," Concepcion said. "That is what this is about."

There are eight precincts in Ward 5. Voters in two precincts - 5D and 5G, cast ballots at the Concepcion Center, 1188 1/2 Parker St.

"I have received numerous complaints from residents in Ward 6 and elsewhere in Springfield regarding the use of this polling location," Williams said. "At a time when citizens are increasingly expressing distrust in the fairness of the political process, I feel it is imperative that Springfield exemplify fair and open elections, and take action to erase any appearance of unfairness."

Concepcion, in addition to serving as the Ward 5 councilor since 2009, is a long-time community activist and president of the Sixteen Acres Civic Association.

In September of 2013, a large crowd attended the renaming ceremony at the community center including Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, city councilors, residents and business owners, and Park Commission members.

Concepcion said the building was named in his honor after he "worked very hard to secure funds for the building" to help renovate and reopen the site after it fell into disrepair.

Residents including senior citizens live in that area, and the building is handicap accessible for voters, Concepcion said.

Williams said he previously raised his concern about the polling location, and filed the letter Friday. He is concerned that a polling place is "named for an active candidate" for the Ward 5 seat.

The seven-vehicle crash with injuries happened around 4:30 p.m. near the I-84 interchange at Exit 9, Massachusetts State Police officials tweeted.

STURBRIDGE — A multivehicle crash in the eastbound lane of the MassPike has snarled traffic 𔃊 and just in time for the Friday evening rush hour.
The seven-vehicle crash with injuries happened around 4:30 p.m. near the I-84 interchange at Exit 9, Massachusetts State Police officials tweeted.

Delays were expected to last for some time, according to police, who urged motorists to seek alternate routes until the crash scene is cleared.

Officer Bryan Johnson, 24, allegedly confessed to police that he blacked out, drove into a wooded area and shot his own car with his service weapon on Wednesday before calling in a false report of a gun battle with an attacker driving a red pickup truck.

A rookie part-time Millis police officer has been criminally charged for allegedly fabricating an attack by a gun-wielding assailant after crashing his police cruiser into a tree.

Officer Bryan Johnson, 24, allegedly confessed to police that he blacked out, drove into a wooded area and shot his own car with his service weapon on Wednesday before calling in a false report of a gun battle with an attacker driving a red pickup truck, the Boston Globe reported.

He is being held in an undisclosed medical facility for the next six-to-10days, according to the Globe. He was undergoing a psychiatric evaluation on Friday, WCVB reported.

Johnson's report sparked a manhunt, with police, state troopers, K-9 units and a police helicopter scouring the area in search of a suspect which Millis police now say never existed. The town closed schools on Thursday as a precaution, and it is unclear if two threatening phone calls made to Millis Middle School on Wednesday were connected to the incident, Millis police said in a statement.

Millis Police Sgt. William Dwyer announced that the account of the attack was false during a press conference Thursday, and on Friday Johnson was charged with communicating false information to emergency services, malicious destruction of property, unlawful discharge of a firearm, misleading a criminal investigation and shooting a gun within 500 feet of a dwelling, the Globe reported.

"Upon conclusion of those interviews, and as a result of all other evidence, we have determined that the officer's story was fabricated, specifically that he fired shots at his own cruiser as part of a plan to concoct a story that he was fired upon," Millis police said in their statement Thursday.

Johnson was a former dispatcher for the department who had been hired as a permanent part-time officer in June and was training to become a full-time officer, Millis police said in a statement Thursday. He is a graduate of Millis High School and was formally appointed by the town's board of selectmen August 17, according to the Millis Monitor, a local news blog.

According to court records reviewed by the Globe, Johnson told investigators that he fired two shots into his car's windshield and one into its rear after blacking out and veering off a wooded stretch of Forest Road.

"Officer Johnson reports 'blacking out' before driving his cruiser into a wooded area off the westbound lane of the roadway. After the vehicle came to a rest and began filling with smoke due to the vehicle catching fire, officer Johnson exited the cruiser and removed his duty weapon from his holster, walked to the front of the cruiser and fired three shots," a police statement said, according to the Globe.

The jobs report showed that the U.S. unemployment rate fell to a seven-year low last month, but also that employers added fewer jobs than forecast.

By STEVE ROTHWELL

NEW YORK -- It's an old adage that investors hate uncertainty. Unfortunately for them, they got more of it on Friday.

The stock market has been volatile for weeks on concern that China's economy is slowing more rapidly than previously thought. But investors have also had to contend with uncertainty about the outlook for interest rates.

Investors had been hoping that the government's August jobs report would give them more clarity on interest rates, before a key Federal Reserve meeting later this month. However, a mixed report left them guessing as to whether policymakers will feel confident enough about the strength of the U.S. economy to raise interest rates from historic lows.

The report showed that the U.S. unemployment rate fell to a seven-year low in August, but also that employers added fewer jobs than forecast.

"It's interesting and disappointing that today's data didn't provide us with that 'Ah-ha!' clarity that everyone is seeking," said Michael Arone, Chief Investment Strategist at State Street Global Advisors.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 272.38 points, or 1.7 percent, to 16,102.38. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gave up 29.91 points, or 1.5 percent, to 1,921.22. The Nasdaq composite slipped 49.58 points, or 1.1 percent, to 4,683.92.

Fed policymakers have kept their benchmark interest rate close to zero since late 2008 to help revive the economy after the Great Recession. Those low rates have also been good for the stock market, supporting a bull run that has lasted for more than six years.

On Friday, the S&P 500 ended the week down 3.4 percent, its second-worst weekly drop of the year. The index is down nearly 10 percent from its peak of 2,130.82 reached May 21.

Much of the damage this week was done on Tuesday, after gloomy manufacturing data out of China rekindled fears about the health of the world's second-largest economy.

But despite the big drop in stocks, some strategists say that much of the evidence suggests the U.S. economy is maintaining its recovery. A report this week showed robust growth in the service industry.

"As China is sneezing, there is very little to suggest that the U.S. is catching a cold," said Jeremy Zirin, chief U.S. equity strategist for Wealth Management Research at UBS.

Trading volume was lighter than usual ahead of the Labor Day holiday. U.S. markets will be closed on Monday in observance of the holiday. However, the Chinese stock market, which has been closed for a two-day holiday, will reopen.

Among individual stocks, Netflix continued its slide on Friday. The company's stock has slumped for six straight days and closed the week down 16 percent on speculation that competition from rivals including Amazon and Hulu is intensifying. Variety also reported Monday that Apple is exploring a move into original programming.

Bond prices edged up after the jobs report, pushing the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note down to 2.13 percent from 2.16 percent on Thursday.

In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 2.4 percent, Germany's DAX fell 2.7 percent. The CAC-40 in France was 2.8 percent lower.

The euro edged up to $1.1151. The dollar fell 1 percent against the Japanese currency, to 118.99 yen.

In metals trading, the price of gold fell $3.10 to settle at $1,121.50 an ounce, silver fell 16 cents to $14.54 an ounce and copper declined seven cents to $2.32 a pound.

The price of oil fell along with stocks but pared its losses after a closely watched count of active drilling rigs in the U.S. fell. Crude declined 70 cents to close at $46.05 a barrel in New York. Brent Crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, fell $1.07 to close at $49.61 a barrel in London.

In other futures trading on the NYMEX:

1. Wholesale gasoline fell 1.9 cents to close at $1.418 a gallon.
2. Heating oil fell 2.3 cent to close at $1.596 a gallon.
3. Natural gas fell 7 cents to close at $2.655 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Two day care workers accused of instigating scuffles among young children as part of what one compared to the movie "Fight Club" pleaded not guilty Friday to child abuse charges.

ELIZABETH, N.J. -- Two day care workers accused of instigating scuffles among young children as part of what one compared to the movie "Fight Club" pleaded not guilty Friday to child abuse charges.

Erica Kenny, 22, of Cranford, and Chanese White, 28, of Roselle, entered their pleas on fourth-degree child abuse charges at a hearing.

Kenny also faces a charge of third-degree endangering the welfare of a child after prosecutors say she recorded video of the Aug. 13 fights and shared them with friends through Snapchat. In the video, she compares the fights to the 1999 movie starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, authorities said.

Union County investigators said about a dozen boys and girls are shown in the clips shoving one another to the ground and trying to hit one another. The children apparently didn't suffer any serious injuries.
Kenny said at the hearing that she had just filled out paperwork for a public defender. White said she was still seeking a lawyer. Both refused to comment to reporters.

After the workers were charged Tuesday, the Lightbridge Academy center in Cranford said in a statement that it was "shocked and saddened by this isolated incident."

PLUS: N.J. day care 'fight club' not the first of its kind in the U.S.

Center officials said they learned of the allegations in mid-August and suspended the workers. They were later fired.

Several parents whose children attended the center said they were outraged to learn of the allegations. But many also praised the center for the way it handled the situation.

Aretha Franklin earned some R-E-S-P-E-C-T in a federal courtroom on Friday, convincing a judge to prevent the Telluride Film Festival from screening a documentary about a 1972 concert of hers without the Queen of Soul's written consent.

DENVER -- Aretha Franklin earned some R-E-S-P-E-C-T in a federal courtroom on Friday, convincing a judge to prevent the Telluride Film Festival from screening a documentary about a 1972 concert of hers without the Queen of Soul's written consent.

The 72-year-old singer testified via speakerphone from Detroit and said she's fought for years to prevent the screening of the movie, titled "Amazing Grace," about her concert in Los Angeles. She was aghast to discover Wednesday that the festival announced it would show the movie three times, with the first showing only a few hours before she spoke in court.

"For him to show that film, for him to completely and blatantly ignore me would be terrible," she said of the film's producer, Alan Elliot, whom she sued in 2011 to prevent a prior showing of the movie. "For him to do that would encourage other people to do the same thing and have no respect for me."

Attorneys for the film festival complained that Franklin's move came at the last minute -- an agent who represents her had been told the film would appear two to three weeks earlier -- and that the screenings at a modest theater in a remote southwestern town wouldn't harm her. They also contended that a recently unearthed 1968 recording contract Franklin signed gave away rights to the footage of her concerts.

"There's a real, substantial likelihood that Ms. Franklin does not own the rights to the images in that picture," attorney Cecil Morris said. "It is not appropriate at the very last instant on a Friday afternoon before a 7:30 showing to seek this remedy."

Morris added an injunction would damage the reputation of the Telluride festival, which draws aficionados and industry types from across the country. "This is not a showing at Joe's Film Festival in Oil Trough, Arkansas," he said.

Judge John L. Kane said Franklin deserved the right to control how her image is used. "She would suffer immediate and irreparable damage by this showing," Kane said in issuing his order.

The festival could appeal the ruling, but would have to reverse judgment before the last scheduled screening Sunday evening.

The movie was directed by the renowned filmmaker Sydney Pollack, who died in 2008.

A driver has been cited in connection with a serious crash that critically injured a motorcyclist on North King Street Friday afternoon, according to Northampton police Officer Justin Hooten.

NORTHAMPTON — A driver has been charged in connection with a serious crash that critically injured a motorcyclist on North King Street Friday afternoon.

The driver, whom police did not identify, was cited for "failure to use care in starting," Northampton police Officer Justin Hooten said.

Police and Northampton Fire Rescue crews responded to the 3 p.m. crash near the Walmart store at 180 North King St.

The motorcyclist, a woman whose name was not released, sustained life-threatening injuries and was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, where she remained in critical condition Friday night, according to authorities.

The woman wound up wedged under the vehicle that hit her, but rescue crews were able to free her, police said.

North King Street was closed for several hours while the investigation was underway.

SPRINGFIELD - The 27th annual Stone Soul Festival began Friday, Sept. 4, 2015 in Springfield's Blunt Park. The three-day festival features food, vendors and live music. The festival concludes on Sunday. Stone Soul began in 1989 as a community reunion picnic aimed at gathering together the Mason Square Community. The festival has evolved into New England's largest African American Festival.

SPRINGFIELD - The 27th annual Stone Soul Festival began Friday, Sept. 4, 2015 in Springfield's Blunt Park.

The three-day festival features food, vendors and live music. The festival concludes on Sunday.

Stone Soul began in 1989 as a community reunion picnic aimed at gathering together the Mason Square Community. The festival has evolved into New England's largest African American Festival.

The man, whose identity was not released, was found dead in the basement of his Rockmont Road home around 4 p.m. Friday, Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan. Investigators believe he may have been exposed to cyanide.

ARLINGTON — A man found dead at his Arlington home may have died after being exposed to hazardous materials, according to authorities, who continue to investigate.

The man was found dead in the basement of his Rockmont Road home around 4 p.m. Friday, Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan. Investigators believe he may have been exposed to cyanide, Ryan said.

Police and firefighters secured the area while a hazmat team responded to the scene. Officials determined there was no danger to the public.

Ryan thanked residents for their patience and offered his condolences to the man's family."A loss of life in our community is a tragedy," he said. "But with the possible addition of hazardous materials, we need to be extra careful to also protect the first responders and civilians in the area."

A jailed Kentucky clerk asserted that marriage licenses issued without her authority Friday to gay couples in Rowan County are void and "not worth the paper they are written on" because she didn't authorize them, her attorney said.

MOREHEAD, Ky. -- A jailed Kentucky clerk asserted that marriage licenses issued without her authority Friday to gay couples in Rowan County are void and "not worth the paper they are written on" because she didn't authorize them, her attorney said.

Kim Davis now wears an orange jumpsuit and "has already been doing Bible studies with herself" in jail, her attorney Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel told reporters after meeting with her behind bars. He said Davis is in very good spirits, and is prepared to stay as long as it takes to uphold her religious freedoms.

"She's not going to resign, she's not going to sacrifice her conscience, so she's doing what Martin Luther King Jr. wrote about in his Letter from the Birmingham Jail, which is to pay the consequences for her decision," Staver said.

Meanwhile, Staver said he's preparing to appeal U.S. District Judge David Bunning's contempt finding as one of several legal challenges on her behalf.

At least three gay couples received marriage licenses Friday from one of Davis' deputies, embracing and celebrating after repeatedly being turned away before Davis was jailed on Thursday. Their attorneys, along with Rowan County Attorney Cecil Watkins, said the licenses are valid. Bunning said Thursday he did not know if the licenses were valid but ordered them to be issued anyway.

Marriage licenses in Kentucky usually have the elected clerk's signature on them; those handed out Friday lacked any signature. The Rowan County attorney and lawyers for the gay couples said they are legal and valid nevertheless. When the judge was asked if the licenses will be considered valid without Davis' authorization, he said it was up to the gay couples to take that chance.

William Smith Jr. and James Yates, a couple for nearly a decade, were the first through the door. Deputy clerk Brian Mason congratulated the couple, shook their hands and accepted their fee of $35.50. Yates then rushed across the courthouse steps to hug his mom.

"Civil rights are civil rights and they are not subject to belief," said Yates, who had been denied a license five times previously.

A crowd of supporters cheered and a street preacher rained down words of condemnation as they left. Yates and Smith said they are trying to choose between two wedding dates and plan a small ceremony.

Kim Davis had refused to issue any marriage licenses rather than comply with the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in June legalizing gay marriage nationwide. After ordering her to jail, the judge told her six deputy clerks that they too faced potential fines or jail time if they similarly refuse. All but one -- the clerk's son, Nathan Davis -- agreed to end her church-state standoff.

A second couple, Timothy and Michael Long, got their license later Friday, enduring a taunt of "More sodomites getting married?" from a man inside the office. The Longs did not respond, and a worker told the man to leave.

A third couple, April Miller and Karen Roberts, got their license around midday.

"Now we can breathe. I'm still ecstatic and happy. I just can't wait to get married now," Roberts said.

The judge offered to release Davis if she promises not to interfere with her employees issuing the licenses, but she refused.

Davis husband, Joe Davis, also came to the courthouse Friday, holding a sign saying "Welcome to Sodom and Gomorrah."

He said his wife was in good spirits after her first night in jail. Asked if she would resign, he said, "Oh, God no. She's not going to resign at all. It's a matter of telling Bunning he ain't the boss."

Davis' son, who said he supports his mother, was warned by the judge Thursday not to interfere with his fellow employees. The judge said he did not want "any shenanigans," such as closing the office for computer upgrades as they did briefly last week.

"That would show a level of disrespect for the court's order," Bunning said. "I'm hoping that cooler heads will prevail."

The judge indicated Kim Davis would remain in jail at least a week, saying he would revisit his decision after the deputy clerks have had time to comply with his order.

Staver called on the judge as well as Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear to make "reasonable accommodations" so that Davis can keep her job without violating her beliefs as an Apostolic Christian. He suggested that with an executive order, he could change all the forms in Kentucky so that none require a clerk's signature or say that they've been issued under a clerk's authority.

Kentucky lawmakers won't meet until January, unless the governor calls a costly special session, and when they do, they say they will have many changes to make to adapt the state's civil code to the Supreme Court's ruling.

Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday her use of a private email system at the State Department wasn't the "best choice" and acknowledged she didn't "stop and think" about her email set-up when she became President Barack Obama's secretary of state in 2009.

WASHINGTON -- Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday her use of a private email system at the State Department wasn't the "best choice" and acknowledged she didn't "stop and think" about her email set-up when she became President Barack Obama's secretary of state in 2009.

The Democratic presidential front-runner said in an interview with NBC News that she was immediately confronted by a number of global hotspots after joining the new Obama administration as its top diplomat and didn't think much about her email after arriving at her new job.

"You know, I was not thinking a lot when I got in. There was so much work to be done. We had so many problems around the world," Clinton said. "I didn't really stop and think what kind of email system will there be?"

But Clinton did not apologize for her decision when asked directly, "Are you sorry?" Instead, she again said she wishes she had "made a different choice" and that she takes responsibility for the decision to use a private email account and server based at her home in suburban New York.

She added it was a choice that should not raise questions about her judgment.

"I am very confident that by the time this campaign has run its course, people will know that what I've been saying is accurate," Clinton said, adding: "They may disagree, as I now disagree, with the choice that I made. But the facts that I have put forth have remained the same."

Republicans criticized Clinton's unwillingness to apologize for the decision and said it underscored polls which have shown large numbers of people questioning her trustworthiness. "What's clear is Hillary Clinton regrets that she got caught and is paying a political price, not the fact her secret email server put our national security at risk," said Michael Short, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee.

The Washington Post reported Friday night that the Clintons personally paid a State Department employee, Bryan Pagliano, to maintain the private email server she used while secretary of state. Earlier this week Pagliano told a House committee investigating Clinton's use of the email server that he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination if called to testify.

The subject of emails led off a wide-ranging NBC interview that included Vice President Joe Biden's interest in a potential Democratic primary bid, Clinton's plans to address the Iran nuclear deal and her views of Republican front-runner Donald Trump.

Following a summer in which both Trump and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Clinton's chief rival for the Democratic nomination, drew large campaign audiences, Clinton sought to cast her candidacy as one rooted in tackling the problems "that keep families up at night."

"Because I think you can come with your own ideas and you can, you know, wave your arms and give a speech, but at the end of the day, are you connecting with and really hearing what people are either saying to you or wishing that you would say to them?" she said.

Sanders campaign spokesman Michael Briggs responded: "Bernie is doing more than attracting large crowds. He has a concrete set of proposals to take on the billionaire class and rebuild the disappearing middle class. That's what people are responding to."

Clinton's interview comes as current and former aides are testifying before a congressional panel investigating the deadly 2012 Benghazi attacks. The committee has also delved into Clinton's email practices at the State Department. She is scheduled to testify publicly before the panel next month.

Clinton in August handed over to the FBI her private server, which she used to send, receive and store emails during her four years as secretary of state. Clinton has said she set up her own system instead of using a State Department account for the convenience of using a single Blackberry device.

But her comments that she didn't stop to think about setting up a private email server in her home belied the careful planning and technical sophistication required to set up, operate, maintain and protect a private server effectively -- especially one responsible for the confidential communications of the U.S. government's top diplomat as she traveled the globe.

Even homebrew servers typically require careful configuration, Internet registration, data backups, regular security audits and a secondary power supply in case of electrical problems.

In the interview, Clinton said, as she has in the past, that she "should have had two accounts, one for personal and one for work-related."

Thousands of pages of her emails publicly released in recent months have shown that Clinton received messages that were later determined to contain classified information, including some that contained material regarding the production and dissemination of U.S. intelligence.

But Clinton reiterated that she did not "send or receive any material marked classified. We dealt with classified material on a totally different system. I dealt with it in person."

Clinton also addressed other topics, including:

-- Iran: Clinton noted her support for an Obama-backed agreement to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions and said she would address what she would do as president to enforce the deal, hold Iran accountable and "make clear that no options were off the table. That they can never ever have a nuclear weapon."

--Trump: Clinton suggested that Trump, the leading GOP candidate at this juncture, did not have the temperament to lead the nation and conduct foreign policy. "Loose talk, threats, insults, they have consequences. So I'm going to conduct myself as I believe is appropriate for someone seeking the highest office in our country," she said.

--Biden: Clinton declined to offer a comparison to the vice president and fellow Democrat, saying he had a "really difficult decision" to make.

When asked about comments attributed to him by a former campaign staffer, Fran O'Connell had no comment.

HOLYOKE -- When asked about comments attributed to him by a former campaign staffer, Fran O'Connell had no comment.

During an hour-long debate Friday morning on NewsRadio 560 WHYN, the mayoral candidate was asked of several issues including his managerial style, Holyoke schools, blighted properties, opioid addiction and the ballot question regarding the legalization of marijuana for recreational use.

He had much to say about many of the topics, but declined to confirm or deny comments made by a former campaign staffer.

She said that O'Connell hoped to hire a person to take on "right-hand" mayoral duties.

O'Connell, owner of home health care business O'Connell Care at Home, said that he runs a very successful business that hires highly qualified employees. 

"I started this business from scratch," he said, saying he financed it with his own "money, sweat and tears." 

When asked by WHYN to specifically address the comment, O'Connell said he would defer to his statement. When pushed for an answer, he said that he had no further comment on the issue.

He said, earlier in the summer in a statement, "These accusations come from a disgruntled former paid staffer who was terminated to which I have no comment. Anyone who knows me knows I have the utmost respect for women. I am a father of three daughters and husband to a beautiful wife. The chief operating officer of my company is a woman who I have worked with for the past eight years. I have a wonderful working relationship with her and hundreds of other women with whom I have been privileged to work with over my 30-plus year career."

Read more on the debate here. 

Note: This article initially included alleged remarks regarding a crude comment. The questions during the debate were regarding a former staffer alleging he sought to hire an employee to handle day-to-day operations. It has been updated. 

A New Jersey man has been indicted on burglary charges after police say he inadvertently dialed 911 and let authorities in on his plans.

Scott Robert Esser, 42. (Photo courtesy of the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office)

BRANCHBURG, N.J. (AP) -- A New Jersey man has been indicted on burglary charges after police say he inadvertently dialed 911 and let authorities in on his plans.

Police say they heard Scott Robert Esser and an accomplice talk about breaking into homes, emptying drawers and stealing goods.

NJ.com reports Friday that officials described the call as an errant, open-line emergency cellphone call "commonly referred to as a 'butt dial.'"

The 42-year-old Esser was indicted on burglary, theft and other charges in connection with burglaries in Branchburg and Stafford townships and Berkeley Heights.

He's jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail. Information on his lawyer wasn't immediately available.

Esser was arrested July 29 on the Garden State Parkway. Police say they found jewelry, electronics, $11,300 in bonds and a handgun in his car.

As Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis began her third day as an inmate at the Carter County Detention Center on Saturday, having chosen indefinite imprisonment over licensing gay marriage, around 300 people gathered on the lawn outside.

GRAYSON, Ky. -- They stood chanting outside the jail house, "Thank you, Kim; Thank you, Kim," and prayed that the defiant county clerk locked inside could hear them.

As Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis began her third day as an inmate at the Carter County Detention Center on Saturday, having chosen indefinite imprisonment over licensing gay marriage, around 300 people gathered on the lawn outside.

"She won't bow, I promise you," Davis' husband, Joe, told the crowd. "She sends her love to each and every one of you all. And this is what she said, 'All is well. Tell them to hold their head high because I am.'"

Part revival, part political rally, a series of speakers denounced the government and the judiciary, and hailed Davis a Christian hero in a war against the godless. They waved signs that read "Kim Davis for President," ''no to sodomite perversion" and "God gives his hardest battles to his strongest soldiers."

Some traveled from states away to support of the embattled clerk, held in contempt of court by U.S. District Judge David Bunning on Thursday and sent to jail until she agrees to follow the court's order. She has pledged she never will.

News of her imprisonment rocketed around the world, igniting a furious debate over religious freedom and the place of God in government.

As the temperature topped 90 degrees in Grayson, Kentucky, Davis' supporters sweated and shouted for more than an hour.

"More fear man, they don't fear God," Matthew Trewhella, a pastor from Wisconsin, preached from the stage. "She said that she was doing this under God's authority. She is 1,000 percent correct. She is echoing what western man has said for over 1,500 years now. And that is that divine law trumps human laws."

Davis refused to issue marriage licenses for two months since the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage across the nation. Despite a series of court orders, she continued turning couples away.

Bunning told Davis Thursday that she'd left him no choice.

The judge, appointed to the court by President George W. Bush, became a target of the crowd's rage. A man carried a sign as big as a bathtub: "Judge Bunning is an abomination," it read and pointed to a Bible passage that says, "Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent -- the Lord detests them both."

Local evangelist Randy Smith called on the judge to "get saved and repent from his sin." He bashed the governor, the attorney general and local officials -- all for declining to help Davis' crusade. And he asked God to see to it that the five Supreme Court justices who voted to legalize gay marriage be unseated.

He asked Christians across the globe to spend Thursday fasting and praying for Davis, to mark "one week of unlawful tyranny." He asked them to be ready for war against religious oppression.

The couples Davis turned away for two months finally received their licenses Friday, and said they spent Saturday celebrating their lives together, in peace for the first time since the controversy erupted around them.

But on the jailhouse lawn, the rally's organizers distributed fliers that listed what Davis' supporters should do: pray for her release, write the judge and demand she be set free, send Davis postcards to jail, where she remains in a cell alone though allowed a Bible to read.

"The wicked are trying to make an example of her but God can turn it around," the flier reads. "Pray that America repents of the sin of celebrating sexual perversion and imprisoning Christian dissidents."

It was a swashbucklin' good time and for a good cause as The Enfield Pirate and Food Truck Festival dropped anchor on the Enfield Town Common on Saturday. Pirates, visitors dressed as pirates and area food trucks were featured as a fundrasier for Kids First of Enfield, a volunteer-driven, non-profit charitable organization dedicated to improving the health, safety and welfare...

It was a swashbucklin' good time and for a good cause as The Enfield Pirate and Food Truck Festival dropped anchor on the Enfield Town Common on Saturday.

Pirates, visitors dressed as pirates and area food trucks were featured as a fundrasier for Kids First of Enfield, a volunteer-driven, non-profit charitable organization dedicated to improving the health, safety and welfare of the children of Enfield.

Along with the dozen or so food trucks, pirate shows, activities for the kids, a parade and a costume contest for young and old took place.