Royal Dutch Shell will cease exploration in Arctic waters off Alaska's coast following disappointing results from an exploratory well backed by billions in investment and years of work.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Royal Dutch Shell will cease exploration in Arctic waters off Alaska's coast following disappointing results from an exploratory well backed by billions in investment and years of work.

The announcement was a huge blow to Shell, which was counting on offshore drilling in Alaska to help it drive future revenue. Environmentalists, however, had tried repeatedly to block the project, and welcome the news.

Shell found indications of the oil and gas in the well in the Chukchi Sea about 80 miles off Alaska's northwest coast, the company said Monday in a release from The Hague, Netherlands. However, the petroleum was not in quantities sufficient to warrant additional exploration in that portion of the basin, the company said.

"Shell continues to see important exploration potential in the basin, and the area is likely to ultimately be of strategic importance to Alaska and the U.S.," said Marvin Odum, president of Shell USA, in the announcement. "However, this is a clearly disappointing exploration outcome for this part of the basin."

Shell will end exploration off Alaska "for the foreseeable future," the company said.

The decision reflects the results of the exploratory well in the Burger J lease, the high costs associated with Alaska offshore drilling and the challenging and unpredictable federal regulatory environment in offshore Alaska, the company said.

Shell has spent upward of $7 billion on Arctic offshore development in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.

Monday was Shell's final day to drill this year in petroleum-bearing rock under its federal permit. Regulators required Shell to stop a month before sea ice is expected to re-form in the lease area.

The company reached a depth of 6,800 feet with the exploratory well drilling in about 150 feet of water.

Environmental groups oppose Arctic offshore drilling and say industrial activity and more greenhouse gases will harm polar bears, walrus and ice seals.

Over the summer, protesters in kayaks unsuccessfully tried to block Arctic-bound Shell vessels in Seattle and Portland, Oregon.

Earthlings across the globe on Sunday night got a rare opportunity to view a supermoon lunar eclipse, and our planet's only moon did not disappoint. The event lived up to its "blood moon" billing, with the moon appearing reddish during the hour-plus total eclipse.

Earthlings across the globe on Sunday night got a rare opportunity to view a supermoon lunar eclipse, and our planet's only moon did not disappoint.

The event lived up to its "blood moon" billing, with the moon appearing reddish during the hour-plus total eclipse. The moon gets a rusty red during lunar eclipses because of the way light from sunrises and sunsets here is dispersed on our astronomical partner during the middle of the eclipse, according to EarthSky.org.

The September 2015 full moon was dubbed a supermoon because it occurred during the perigee - the closest approach - of the moon's monthly orbit of Earth.

It was also the Harvest Moon for the year, as it was the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox. The total lunar eclipse was visible across most of North America as well as South America, Europe, West Asia and parts of Africa.

A supermoon total lunar eclipse happens only about every 20 years. The last one was in 1982, and the next one won't take place until 2033. But there will be other total lunar eclipses in between, with the next one due on Jan 31, 2018.

Meanwhile, for those of us who were able to watch the 2015 supermoon lunar eclipse thanks to mostly clear skies, we'll have memories, and perhaps a few photos, to keep us satisfied until the next one.

The three-day Holyoke festival will begin with a morning yard sale and include jazz, train rides and pumpkins.

Updated at 7:41 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28, 2015 to embed the Next Stop: Holyoke festival schedule events.

HOLYOKE -- The Next Stop: Holyoke festival will be Oct. 9 to 11 with free and paid events -- art, music, sports, food and history -- held mostly downtown.

"Next Stop Holyoke is a great event that showcases so much of the change that's happened in our arts and entertainment district. It's a community event that folks won't want to miss," Mayor Alex B. Morse said Friday (Sept. 25).

Events will range from a yard sale at Holyoke Creative Arts, 384A Dwight St., on Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., to an arts bazaar the next day at Holyoke Heritage State Park, 221 Appleton St., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., to the Viva Great Holyoke Block Party at Veterans Park, at Maple and Dwight streets, on Oct. 11 from noon to 6 p.m.

Next Stop: Holyoke is being staged by volunteers with help from business, government and political sponsors, a press release said.

IMAGE FROM FACEBOOK PAGE 

To read the festival's complete schedule of events, see below or visit passportholyoke.org.

PassportHolyoke is promotional group consisting of dozens of partners including the city, Enchanted Circle Theater, Holyoke Public Library History Room and Archive, the Franny O Show and Womanshelter/Companeras.

Next Stop Holyoke 2015 Schedule

Based on preliminary EPA data, there were 24 warm-weather days when ozone monitors in New England recorded concentration levels that were above the level that's considered healthy. By contrast, there were only 9 unhealthy ozone days in 2014 and 20 unhealthy days in 2013.

BOSTON — The New England region experienced a slight increase in the number of unhealthy air-quality days from April through September, compared to the same periods in 2014 and 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday.

Based on preliminary EPA data, there were 24 warm-weather days when ozone monitors in New England recorded concentration levels that were above the level that's considered healthy. By contrast, there were only 9 unhealthy ozone days in 2014 and 20 unhealthy days in 2013.

"All Americans should feel proud of the progress we have made in reducing ozone pollution over the past several decades," Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA's New England office, said in a statement. "Cleaner and healthier air benefits everybody and helps strengthen our communities and our economy. Everyone can help by taking simple steps like using public transit and conserving energy," he said.

Here's the EPA breakdown of the number of unhealthy summer ozone days in each state:

• 22 days in Connecticut (compared to 8 in 2014 and 18 in 2013)


• 4 days in Rhode Island (0 in 2014 and 7 in 2013)


• 3 days in Massachusetts (0 in 2014 and 6 in 2013)


• 2 days in Maine (0 in 2014 and 5 in 2013)


• 2 days in New Hampshire (1 in 2014 and 3 in 2013)


• 0 days in Vermont (0 in both 2014 and 2013).

The number of unhealthy days varies from year to year due to weather conditions. But the long-term trend in New England reflects a decrease in the number of unhealthy ozone days. In 1983, New England had 113 unhealthy days, compared with 24 this year. "This downward trend is due to a reduction in the emissions that form ozone," EPA officials said.

Ozone levels are deemed unhealthy when average concentrations exceed 0.075 parts per million over an 8-hour period. Ground-level ozone is formed when volatile organic compounds and oxides of nitrogen chemically react in the presence of sunlight.

Last year, the EPA proposed strengthening the ozone standard, based on extensive scientific evidence about the effect of ozone, and will be finalizing its decision on a new ozone standard soon.

Additional Information:

• Preliminary list of unhealthy readings recorded this summer:

www.epa.gov/region1/airquality/o3exceed-15.html

• How to receive air-quality alerts: www.epa.gov/ne/aqi/.


• Historical charts with data about unhealthy air days from 1983 through 2015: www.epa.gov/ne/airquality/standard.html.

A chaotic scramble is on to fill the top GOP jobs in the House following Speaker John Boehner's surprise resignation. Now the same conservatives who pushed him out are maneuvering to yank the next leadership team to the right.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A chaotic scramble is on to fill the top GOP jobs in the House following Speaker John Boehner's surprise resignation. Now the same conservatives who pushed him out are maneuvering to yank the next leadership team to the right.

The frenzied action under the Capitol Dome will help determine how Congress contends with upcoming battles on keeping the government running and avoiding a federal default -- and whether Republicans can take back the White House next year.

Boehner's announcement shocked nearly everyone, opening a rare chance for ambitious lawmakers to climb the congressional ladder and for competing factions to exert new sway as an anti-establishment fever sweeps GOP politics.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks in Washington, Monday, Sept. 28, 2015. McCarthy announced Monday his candidacy for House Speaker, replacing the outgoing John Boehner. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) 

"If elected speaker, I promise you that we will have the courage to lead the fight for our conservative principles and make our case to the American people," McCarthy wrote. "But we will also have the wisdom to listen to our constituents and each other so that we always move forward together."

McCarthy, a Californian in his fifth term, has been endorsed by Boehner. But he faces an opponent in Rep. Daniel Webster, a former speaker of the House in Florida who unsuccessfully challenged Boehner at the beginning of this year and has drawn some conservative support. "I would like to have a principle-based member-driven Congress," Webster said in an interview.

And McCarthy's likely ascent leaves the race for majority leader wide open. It's already turned into at least a three-way contest with the No. 3 and No. 4 House Republicans, Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, aggressively pursuing the job, along with the Budget Committee chairman, Tom Price of Georgia.

All are jockeying to lock down support as the Capitol swirls in chatter about endorsements. One seen as significant: Former Vice Presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan announced his decision to endorse Price on Monday.

The House's tea partyers, some three dozen strong, aren't fielding a candidate. But they want to see leaders who will take the fight to President Barack Obama and the Democrats, not compromise with them as the realities of divided government led Boehner to do. Some of them question whether McCarthy, who's seen more as a political operator than an ideologue, would deliver that new approach.

"I don't see how members of the Freedom Caucus can vote for Kevin McCarthy and go home to their town halls and tell them that things will be different now," said Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

Boehner's decision to step down rather than face a nearly unprecedented floor vote to depose him averted immediate crisis, as the Senate was to vote Monday on legislation to keep the government running, and the House was scheduled to follow suit before a Thursday deadline. Despite conservatives' demands, the bill will not cut off money for Planned Parenthood in the wake of videos focused on the group's practice of providing fetal tissues for research.

But the bill merely extends the government funding deadline until Dec. 11, when another shutdown showdown will loom as conservatives make new demands on Boehner's successor and on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

A special House Republican meeting was scheduled for Tuesday evening to discuss the way forward. Conservatives on and off Capitol Hill served notice that they would not settle on the status quo from their leaders even as Democrats and some more moderate members warn the result could be more crisis and gridlock.

"At the end of the day the reason John Boehner is stepping down is there are a lot of members in his conference who couldn't go home and defend him as speaker," said Dan Holler of Heritage Action for America. "Those members are going to have to go home and defend the new leadership team, and they'll have to be comfortable telling their constituents why the new leadership team is better than the old."

Energy and raw material companies dropped on reports that industrial profits at Chinese companies fell sharply in last month.

By STEVE ROTHWELL

NEW YORK -- Ongoing worries about the health of the Chinese economy and another big sell-off in drugmakers pushed the stock market back toward its lowest level of the year.

Energy and raw material companies dropped on reports that industrial profits at Chinese companies fell sharply in August, heightening worries about a slowdown in the world's second-biggest economy. Health care stocks fell sharply as drugmakers extended a decline that began last week as lawmakers stepped up pressure on the industry over its pricing policies.

Stocks have fallen sharply in August and September on concern that a slowdown in China is worse than previously thought and is spreading to other emerging market economies. The slowdown could start hurting U.S. companies that rely on overseas demand for a large portion of their profits.

"Whenever the market is down, the first place to look these days is China," said John Manley, chief equity strategist at Wells Fargo Fund Management. "Right now, we need evidence that China is not slowing that much and that profits are still going to be OK."

The Standard & Poor's 500 index slipped 49.57 points, or 2.6 percent, to 1,881.77. The index is now 14 points above its lowest level of the year, set Aug. 25.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 312.78 points, or 1.9 percent, to 16,001.89. The Nasdaq composite slumped 142.53 points, or 3 percent, to 4,543.97.

Health care stocks were another weak link for the market.

A sell-off in drugmakers extended into a second week. The Nasdaq Biotechnology index dropped 6 percent, its worst day in more than four years.

Congressional Democrats on Monday pressed a Republican committee chairman to force Valeant Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian drugmaker, to turn over documents tied to price hikes imposed for two heart drugs earlier this year. The company's U.S.-listed stock plunged $32.97, or 17 percent, to $166.50.

The sector -- a recent favorite of investors -- slumped last week after Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton announced a plan to tackle rising drug costs. The sector has plunged 27 percent since reaching a peak in July.

Monday's slump put the S&P 500 index back in a "correction," a Wall Street term meaning a drop of 10 percent or more from a recent peak. The index is down 11.7 percent from its record close of 2,130.82, set in May of this year.

Some analysts expressed surprise at the ferocity of Monday's sell-off, given the relative strength of the U.S. economy. Hiring is coming back and the housing the market is recovering.

"The economy here is still improving. There's no reason that this selling pressure should be as severe as it has been," said Robert Pavlik chief market strategist at Boston Private Wealth.

Alcoa was among the stocks that bucked the trend on Monday and closed higher.

The metals maker gained after announcing that it will split into two independent companies. Its bauxite, aluminum and casting operations will be in one company and its engineering and transportation businesses will be in another. The company's stock rose 52 cents, or 6 percent, to $9.59.

In addition to concerns about the outlook for growth in China, investors have also been worried about U.S. interest rates. Federal Reserve Bank of New York President William Dudley said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Monday that he expects policymakers will raise rates this year. The Fed has kept short-term rates close to zero for almost seven years to help the economy recover from the financial crisis.

In Europe, Volkswagen resumed its slide.

The carmaker's stock fell 7 percent as German prosecutors opened an investigation against the company's former CEO, Martin Winterkorn. The probe aims to determine who was responsible for selling vehicles with manipulated emissions data, prosecutors in Germany said in a statement.

The stocks of other European automakers, including BMW, Daimler and Fiat Chrysler also fell sharply.

U.S. government bond prices rose, pushing the yield on the 10-year Treasury note down to 2.10 percent from 2.16 percent on Friday. The euro was little changed from Friday at $1.1201 and the dollar fell 0.7 percent to 119.9 yen.

The price of oil fell sharply on concerns that weak global economic conditions would reduce demand for energy. U.S. crude fell $1.27 to close at $44.43 a barrel in New York. Brent Crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, fell $1.26 to close at $47.34 in London.

In other futures trading on the NYMEX:

1. Wholesale gasoline fell 4.7 cents to close at $1.349 a gallon.
2. Heating oil fell 4.5 cents to close at $1.477 a gallon.
3. Natural gas fell 0.1 cent to close at $2.563 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold fell $13.90 to $1,131.70 an ounce. Silver dropped 57 cents to $14.54 an ounce and copper fell 3.2 cents or $2.25 a pound.

Thousands of people paid their respects Monday to Mormon leader Richard G. Scott, who was remembered at his funeral as a loving husband and beloved teacher.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Thousands of people paid their respects Monday to Mormon leader Richard G. Scott, who was remembered at his funeral as a loving husband and beloved teacher.

The president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Thomas S. Monson, said Monday that Scott was an honorable man who loved people, his family and God.

"Richard's pleasant smile opened the hearts of others," said Monson, speaking to about 2,500 people under the grand, curved ceiling of the Tabernacle on Temple Square. "He was equally at home with the poor and underprivileged as with the rich and the famous."

Scott died Sept. 22 from natural causes at the age of 86. He is the third member of a top church governing body called the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to die this year.

Born in Pocatello, Idaho, Scott did not have a typical Mormon childhood, said his son Michael Scott. His father was not a member of the church, and his mother hadn't been active for years, so Richard Scott attended church activities when others were available to take him.

He decided to serve a mission when his girlfriend Jeanene, the daughter of U.S. Sen. Arthur Watkins, told him she would only wed a returned missionary. The experience solidified his faith and the couple wed after he returned. They would have seven children, two of whom died when they were young.

"Mom and Dad's marriage was the stuff of legends," said Michael Scott. His father never remarried after she died 20 years ago, and never stopped talking of her in the present tense.

"Surely no man ever yearned more for the companionship of a deceased spouse than Richard yearned for Jeanene," apostle Jeffrey R. Holland said.

As a leader of missionaries in Argentina, Scott was a tireless teacher who led by example, said quorum member D. Todd Christofferson. He also had a sense of humor. One day, he stopped at a country winery, something that made the missionaries with him in the alcohol-avoiding faith nervous, and came out with a box of what looked like wine. He mischievously enjoyed their discomfort for a moment before he explained that the winery also made delicious grape juice.

Scott had a successful career as a nuclear engineer before being chosen in 1988 as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Modeled after Jesus Christ's apostles, the group serves under the church president and his two counselors in overseeing operations of the church and its business interests.

Scott's death leaves the church with three vacancies in the quorum for the first time since 1906.

Quorum president Boyd K. Packer died in July from natural causes, and L. Tom Perry died in May from cancer. Replacements are expected to be named in the coming months.

Scott's health began deteriorating earlier this year. He was hospitalized with gastrointestinal bleeding in April. He recovered, but church officials announced in May that Scott was experiencing fading memory that kept him from taking part in quorum meetings.

MassMutual established the center in Amherst to take advantage of the Five Colleges of Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

AMHERST -- How can Springfield-based MassMutual Financial Group look at a huge population of consumers and figure out which ones are most likely to buy life insurance?

How can it figure out the easiest and most efficient way for those folks to apply online for those policies?

And, importantly for MassMutual, how can it find out what answers in all those online applications indicate potential fraudsters who might be buying that insurance with nefarious motives?

Those are just a few of the "fun projects" the MassMutual Data Science unit is working on said Sears Merritt, vice president of Data Science at MassMutual Financial Group. And starting this week, the 50-person unit is doing much of its work at the insurer's new MassMutual Data Labs workspace at the newly built Kendrick Place, 57 East Pleasant St., in downtown Amherst.

The event was a Tech Trek event sponsored by The Innovation Institute at the MassTech Collaborative, a statewide economic development agency.

MassMutual celebrated the new location Monday night by inviting computer science and engineering students from all five of the Five Colleges - Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and UMass Amherst - to hear about how the Big Data revolution is transforming businesses from machine shops to power utilities and insurers, and how at the same time a cluster of new companies providing those technologies are growing here in the Pioneer Valley.

"We want you here," said Richard K. Sullivan Jr., president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council. "You, quite frankly, will drive the wealth of Western Massachusetts."

Big Data exists as a concept because the modern technological world creates all kind of knowledge expressed best by mathematics, said Andrew McCallum, professor and director of the Center for Data Science at UMass Amherst. That might include when and how often homeowners run their clothes dryers and create spikes in power demand; how long it takes machinists to make their assigned number of parts; or social media mentions of a particular Las Vegas casino. What computer scientists and mathematicians do is interpret those numbers in ways people can use.

"Everybody wants to make better decisions, right?" McCallum said. "What big data does is help people make better decisions."

Mark Maier, a scientist at MassMutual, said, "We want our decisions to be driven by science. We don't want to go on intuition."

UMass Amherst established its Center for Data Science last winter and is already expanding its master's degree programs. There are now about 800 undergrads taking data science courses in various majors as well as 700 master's degree candidates and 170 doctoral students. The university is adding a certificate in data science program that wouldn't require matriculation as a degree candidate.

Students heard from potential employers including MassMutual; National Grid; Lexalytics of Amherst, which mines text online for data useful to business; EnerNOC of Boston, which helps business and industry manage utility costs; and MachineMetrics, based in Northampton. All are hiring.

MassMutual's Merritt said salaries in the industry vary widely based on education and experience. But they begin at $60,000 a year and can go as high as $150,000 a year.

MassMutual chose Amherst for its Data Lab to be close to UMass and the other four colleges, Merritt said. The 5,000-square-foot space isn't divided into cubicles but instead has long tables in an open industrial-looking space. Power and data cables hang from the ceiling.

Big windows give a view out to Pleasant Street.

"This is the type of modern space people are used to seeing in big cities where startups use co-working space," he said. "It works very well for us."

MassMutual has 20 employees in the Data Lab now, but there are plans to expand to about 50 employees here and elsewhere.

It all sounds very new to Ajulueke Odunukwe, a senior at UMass from Natick majoring in operations and information management.

"It's the future," she said.

One person was reported to have been stabbed in the neck.

SPRINGFIELD - Police responded to one or more possible stabbings in the city's Old Hill neighborhood Monday evening.

One person was reported to have been stabbed in the neck.

The stabbing was reported to have occurred near the intersection of Pendleton and Eastern avenues.

It was not immediately clear whether there was just one stabbing victim, but there did appear to be two crime scenes.

A dark hoodie was seen lying on a sidewalk on Eastern Avenue across from the Mason Square Veterans' Association.

Police blocked off a crosswalk with crime scene tape where there appeared to be a knife on the ground.

Lt. Brian Keenan told MassLive's TV partner Western Mass News that the victim was stabbed at about 7:30 p.m. in front of 168 Eastern Ave.

A hoodie is seen lying on the ground on a sidewalk on Eastern Avenue following a stabbing in Springfield's Old Hill neighborhood Monday evening.Conor Berry / The Republican 

This is a developing story. More details will be published as they become available.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno headed the Springfield contingent with members of the Springfield Police motorcycles and honor guard leading the parade.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Springfield Civic leaders and community groups gathered to march in the daily afternoon parade on Springfield Day at the Eastern States Exposition (The Big E) in West Springfield on Monday.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno headed the Springfield contingent with members of the Springfield Police motorcycles and honor guard leading the parade.

The Springfield Central High School band and cheerleaders performed along with cheerleaders from the High School of Science and Technology.

The Springfield Melha Shriners also marched with motorized units along with bands and military groups.

Keep up with all of MassLive's coverage of New England's Great State Fair at masslive.com/the-big-e

In Planned Parenthood's first congressional appearance since the release of undercover videos, the group's president is defending its provision of fetal tissue for researchers and castigating Republicans for not investigating the anti-abortion activists who furtively made the recordings.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In Planned Parenthood's first congressional appearance since the release of undercover videos, the group's president is defending its provision of fetal tissue for researchers and castigating Republicans for not investigating the anti-abortion activists who furtively made the recordings.

In testimony prepared for a hearing Tuesday, Cecile Richards said the organization's donation of tissue from aborted fetuses is a "minuscule" part of its work proving health services for women. She said the group has nearly 700 clinics but obtains fetal tissue in less than 1 percent of them.

"Planned Parenthood is proud of its limited role in supporting fetal tissue research," she said, arguing that the donations have helped scientists search for cures.

Abortion opponent David Daleiden obtained the videos by posing as an executive of a fake company seeking to supply fetal tissue to researchers. Richards said Daleiden, despite three years of doing that, didn't entrap any Planned Parenthood officials into doing anything illegal.

"It is clear they acted fraudulently and unethically -- and perhaps illegally," Richards said. "Yet it is Planned Parenthood, not Mr. Daleiden, that is currently subject to four congressional investigations" by the GOP-run Congress.

Congressional Democrats have demanded that Daleiden be called to testify, but Republicans have ignored those pleas.

The videos ignited a political uproar among conservatives and Republicans that has revived abortion as a potent issue for the 2016 presidential and congressional campaigns, with many GOP presidential candidates condemning the group.

Conservatives' demands that Congress cut Planned Parenthood's federal payments -- for which Republicans lack the votes to succeed -- indirectly contributed to the GOP unrest that prompted House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to announce his resignation last week. The organization receives about a third of its $1.3 billion annual budget, around $450 million, from federal coffers, chiefly reimbursements for treating Medicaid patients.

Richards' testimony was provided by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, where she was set to appear. Her prepared remarks contained little her organization has not already said since the abortion foes began releasing the videos in July.

Conservatives and some Republicans say Planned Parenthood has broken federal laws forbidding sales of fetal tissue for profit. The group has denied breaking any laws.

In a statement read at Monday's meeting, selectmen said it was Fox' decision to end his employment with the town, where he had served on the forced nearly three decades, including the past 13 years as chief of police

BELCHERTOWN -- Francis Fox is no longer police chief here, having resigned on Friday, amid allegations selectmen have been investigating related to a traffic stop last winter, when the chief was pulled over in neighboring Granby while operating an unmarked Belchertown cruiser.

In a statement read at Monday's meeting, selectmen said it was Fox' decision to end his employment with the town where he had served on the force nearly three decades, including the past 13 years as chief of police.

Fox, 51, did not attend the meeting.

According to selectmen chairman Ron Aponte, the parties reached a separation agreement in which Fox admitted no wrongdoing.

The chairman said the agreement does not include any monetary arrangement, that the chief is free to retire, and that they would meet behind closed doors later on Monday night to finalize the deal. Aponte said the agreement does not contain language specifying how the town should respond to any requests for references from any potential employers Fox might seek a job with in the future.

"Chief Fox has voluntarily left his position as police chief," Aponte said, reading from an agreed upon statement.

Fox was placed on paid administrative leave on Sept. 10, a day after it was revealed that he had been stopped by Granby police on Feb. 1, after being observed driving on the wrong side of the road. The Granby police report said Fox smelled strongly of alcohol, refused to exit his vehicle when directed to do so by the police officer who pulled him over -- until threatened with arrest -- and was driven home by the officer. Granby did not charge Fox with any crimes, and the chief in that town said the officer acted within his discretion, even though it was not the preferred way to handle the matter.

When the incident came to light earlier this month, selectmen and the town administrator said they were not told by Fox about the incident when it happened nearly eight months ago.

Fox had been earning around $95,000 annually.

Town officials said they have been inundated with telephone calls and person to person engagements with citizens expressing their concerns about the matter.

The board has named Sgt. Bruce Jenks acting police chief. Selectmen on Monday said they plan to begin the process to find a permanent chief.

Police Sergeant Louis Tulik identified the suspects as Joseph Carrier, 36, and his wife, Jenny Carrier, 37. They are driving a Buick Encore stolen from a dealership in Quincy in late August. The pair is likely homeless, police said.

LUDLOW - Police are seeking a homeless man in the robbery of Country Bank in the Big Y at 425 Center Street Monday afternoon around 2 p.m.

Police Sergeant Louis Tulik identified the suspect as Joseph E. Carrier, 36, who is likely homeless.

His wife, Jenny Carrier, 37, is the suspected driver of the getaway vehicle, police said.

The suspects' vehicle, according to police, is a dark brown 2012 Buick Encore with a Massachusetts dealer plate of 265S. The car was stolen from a dealership in Quincy in late August where Jenny Carrier was employed.

There is currently an active warrant for her arrest in the larceny of the vehicle, Tulik said.

At this time, the whereabouts of the pair is not known, but they have been seen in the greater Springfield area, Tulik said.

Anyone with information regarding the two individuals is asked to call the Ludlow Police Department Detective Bureau at 413-583-8305.

At the time of the robbery, a man with a beard and thinning blond hair implied that he had a gun and asked for large bills, Tulik said.

The teller gave the suspect an undetermined amount of cash, and he left the store.

Upon exiting the store, a witness observed him walk onto Cherry Street and get into the back seat of a dark SUV with an unknown Massachusetts dealer plate. A white female was seen driving the vehicle.

The suspect is identified as a white male, approximately 35 years, between 5'9'' and 5'10" tall and described as having a thin build. He is described as having a beard and thinning blond hair. He was wearing a faded red buttoned shift.

The man fled with an undisclosed amount of cash, police said.

CHICOPEE - A man wearing a mask and armed with a handgun robbed a local convenience store Monday night.

The man entered Neighbor's Variety store, 447 Springfield St., at about 7:50 p.m., showed the gun and demanded money from the clerk, Chicopee Police Det. Michael Dion said.

The man fled with an undisclosed amount of cash. No one was injured in the crime, he said.

He was last seen in the area of Newbury Street. Anyone who may have seen anything suspicious is asked to contact the detective bureau at 594-1730. People can also send a message through the Police Department Facebook page.

The same store was robbed less than a year ago, on Oct. 28, also at gunpoint.

Placer County Sheriff's Capt. Dennis Walsh said Erik Roner of Tahoe City, California died during a skydiving accident at a golf course in Squaw Valley, California, about 5 miles from Lake Tahoe's northwest shore.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- An extreme sports and MTV star skydiving for the opening ceremony of a golf event in Northern California died when he struck a tree Monday, authorities said.

Placer County Sheriff's Capt. Dennis Walsh said Erik Roner of Tahoe City, California died during a skydiving accident at a golf course in Squaw Valley, California, about 5 miles from Lake Tahoe's northwest shore.

Witnesses told deputies Roner, 39, was part of a group conducting a skydiving performance for a golf event, when he hit a tree while trying to land and became entangled high above ground, Walsh said.

Authorities were not able to remove him from the tree and Roner was pronounced dead at the scene.

All the other skydivers landed safely, he said.

Walsh said the investigation is continuing and the Federal Aviation Administration has been notified.

Roner, a professional skier and avid BASE jumper, was known for being part of the Nitro Circus, an MTV show centered around freestyle motocross rider Travis Pastrana and his crew of extreme sports athlete friends. He also hosted TV show "Locals" on sports network Outside Television.

"Erik was an amazing person who made everyone and everything around him better," Pastrana said.

Roy Tuscany, a friend of Roner, who witnessed the accident said it occurred right before a celebrity golf tournament was about to begin Monday morning.

Tuscany said that he watched as two other parachutists landed safely on the golf course's fairway for the 9th hole but then looked on in horror when Roner slammed hard into a tree about 25-30 feet above the ground.

He said Roner's parachute got caught in the tree and Roner dangled there while many on the ground scrambled to find ladders and other means to get to him. At one point, several people attempted to stand on one another's shoulder to reach him.

"There's no protocol for this kind of rescue," Tuscany said. "There's no manual. It was just horrible."

Tuscany described his friend Roner as "always positive" and a "big supporter" of the local community.

He said Roner was "hilarious and was a "stand-up guy" who could always be counted on to help out with benefit events like the golf tournament sponsored by the Squaw Valley Institute, a nonprofit organization that describes itself as being "dedicated to presenting enriching and inspirational programs to the Lake Tahoe region."

"We are still trying to process this tragedy," said Rob Faris, senior VP, programming and production at Outside Television. "Our hearts go out to his family."

Outside Television will air "Locals" from 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. EDT Tuesday.

Roner's death comes four months after world-famous wingsuit flyer Dean Potter and fellow adventurer Graham Hunt fatally crashed after the pair leaped from Taft Point, 3,500-feet above Yosemite Valley, attempting to clear a V-shaped notch in a ridgeline.

Roner is survived by his wife and two children, according to the Squaw Valley Institute.

A Hampshire grand jury handed up a two-count indictment Monday against 27-year-old Jesse Carrillo of Derry, New Hampshire, charging him with single counts of heroin distribution and involuntary manslaughter in connection with Sinacori's death.

AMHERST — An arrest has been made in connection with the death of Eric L. Sinacori, a UMass student who died of a heroin overdose in October 2013.

A Hampshire grand jury handed up a two-count indictment Monday against 27-year-old Jesse Carrillo of Derry, New Hampshire, charging him with single counts of heroin distribution and involuntary manslaughter in connection with Sinacori's death. Carrillo was arrested on a warrant in New Hampshire on the same day he was indicted, said Mary Carey, spokeswoman for Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan.

Carrillo, who at the time was a UMass graduate student, provided Sinacori with the heroin that caused him to overdose, according to the indictments. Carillo was expected to appear in a New Hampshire courtroom before being brought back to Massachusetts for arraignment later this week in Hampshire Superior Court.

Sinacori, 20, a UMass kinesiology student from New Jersey, has been described by authorities as both a cooperating witness and a confidential drug informant who helped identify dealers who sold drugs to the campus community. He was found dead from a heroin overdose at his Amherst apartment on Oct. 4, according to police.

A year after his death, UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy suspended the use of student confidential informants pending a "full review" of the program allowing campus police to tap students for criminal investigations. UMass terminated the program in January, stating that the "personal, social and ethical costs" of the program clearly outweighed the benefits.

Sinacori's parents, who have been critical of UMass and the confidential informant program, learned of their son's drug problem and involvement in the program after his death.

Officers were flagged down at 7:22 p.m. for a report of a stabbing victim on Eastern Avenue between Beacon Street and Pendleton Avenue. The victim, who was stabbed in the neck, according to preliminary police reports, was taken by AMR ambulance to Baystate Medical Center for emergency treatment.

Updates story posted at 8:25 p.m. Monday, Sept. 28.

Officers were flagged down at 7:22 p.m. for a report of a stabbing victim on Eastern Avenue between Beacon Street and Pendleton Avenue. The victim, who was stabbed in the neck, according to preliminary police reports, was taken by AMR ambulance to Baystate Medical Center for emergency treatment. His condition was unknown.

A police sergeant contacted Monday night had no immediate update on the stabbing, adding that more information might be available later.

The name and description of a possible suspect were broadcast to officers, who canvassed the area for the man. The suspect reportedly was wearing a black leather coat and hat and was possibly carrying a knife.

The suspect may also have been injured in the incident, according to initial reports. At about 8:08 p.m., police sent a cruiser to Mercy Medical Center to check on a patient who arrived at the hospital for treatment. "Our perp might have checked in over there," an officer radioed.

Back at the crime scene, police used yellow tape to cordon off Eastern Avenue between Pendleton Avenue and Beacon Street. Only residents of the block were allowed into the crime-scene area to access their apartments.

A dark hoodie and blood were visible on the sidewalk in front of 152-154 Eastern Ave. A short distance away, some more evidence was roped off in the crosswalk at Pendleton and Eastern avenues. Officers guarded both scenes.

Anyone with information about the stabbing can reach detectives in the Major Crimes Unit at 413-787-6355. Anonymous tips may be texted to CRIMES (274637).

Western Mass News - WGGB/WSHM

Julien Holly of Springfield is sentenced to time served for accessory after the fact to Springfield murder of Keough Collins

SPRINGFIELD - Julien Holly, main prosecution witness in the Ashawnee Duke murder trial, on Monday pleaded guilty to gun charges and accessory after the fact of murder.

Max Bennett 

That was the agreed upon recommendation by prosecution and defense.

The 22-year-old Holly has already served that much time so he will be released and will be on four years probation.

Assistant District Attorney Max Bennett said he and defense lawyer David Rountree have put together "a plan to keep Mr. Holly safe. He is in danger. He is a marked man in Springfield. He can never return."

Bennett said the sentence agreement is an effort to show "there is an up side to doing the right thing."

He said it is very difficult to get cooperation from the Sycamore Street area.

"What he did took a lot of courage," Rountree said of Holly's cooperation with the prosecution.

"Mr. Holly was a witness to his friend getting shot. He was a witness against himself. He was a witness against Mr. Duke."

Bennett said Holly and Duke were members of the Sycamore Street gang and the victim, Keough Collins, was not. He said the Sycamore Street gang is going to perceive that Holly turned on his own.

Duke, 21, of Springfield, was sentenced to the mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole after a jury found him guilty of first degree murder in late August.

Coillins, 19, of Chicopee, was fatally shot Dec. 2, 2012, in a robbery attempt gone bad.

Bennett said Duke wanted a ride to Robert Dyer Circle and Holly and Collins picked up Duke. Holly knew Duke had a gun.

Holly stayed in the car while Duke and Collins went to rob the intended target. When things went wrong Collins ended up dead with a gunshot wound to the head, and the intended robbery victim was shot in the leg.

Holly said Collins got into a struggle with the intended robbery victim. He heard a pop, then saw Duke jump back and raise his arm and then saw two flashes coming from the area of Duke's hand.

Deirdre Collins, Keough Collins mother, gave what Kinder called a victim impact statement full of "insight, eloquence and compassion."

She said she agreed with the sentence for Holly, her son's close friend.

Deirdre Collins said she understood the code of the streets, and appreciated Holly coming forward.

"Even though your child was doing something wrong at the time he was murdered it hurts no less," she said.

She said of the three young men - her son, Duke and Collins - at least one of them has a chance to do something good with his life.

"I don't see Mr. Holly as a snitch at all," Deirdre Collins said, again acknowledging "how the streets are."

She said these days there are a lot of children growing up who have not seen a parent's face because they have been killed.

The flag-raising ceremony begins at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, at the Christopher Columbus statue at the intersection of Main and Locust streets in Springfield's South End.

SPRINGFIELD — In honor of Italian Heritage Month, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, the son of Italian immigrants, and members of the Italian Cultural Center will raise the Italian flag at the Christopher Columbus Statue in the South End on Thursday, Oct. 1.

Springfield's South End has historically been a destination and home to thousands of Italian-Americans over the years. Despite the influx of other ethnic groups over the years, the neighborhood still retains a strong Italian presence, including many Italian-American residents, specialty shops, restaurants and social and religious institutions.

The flag-raising ceremony begins at 12:15 p.m. at the Columbus statue at the intersection of Main and Locust streets.

Each year, the president signs a proclamation declaring October as National Italian American Heritage Month, coinciding with festivities surrounding the federal Columbus Day holiday on Monday, Oct. 12. The presidential proclamation is intended to recognize the many achievements and contributions of Italians and Italian-Americans.

More than 5.4 million people from Italy immigrated to the U.S. between 1820 and 1992, lending rise to an ethnic population of over 26 million people. Italians comprise the nation's fifth-largest ethnic group, according to the National Italian American Foundation, citing U.S. Census Bureau data.

Nelson Abdala, 36, of Agawam, has been charged with raping a woman who met him on an online dating service.

An Agawam man has been charged with raping a woman who met him on an online dating service.

Nelson Abdala, 36, set up a date with the unidentified women after messaging with her on Match.com, according to a police statement of fact. The pair set up a date for Sept. 20, when Abdala allegedly picked the woman up and drove her to School Street Park, according to court filings.

"Once at the School Street Park they walked over the food bridge when Nelson grabbed the victim by the back of the head/hair forcing her to the ground," Officer Michael DeCaro alleged in his statement.

Abdala allegedly raped the woman and punched her when she resisted, according to the police statement.

Abdala's attorney did not return a request for comment prior to publication.

The alleged victim was admitted to Mercy Medical Center, according to court filings. She gave a statement to police on Sept. 23, and Abdala was arraigned in Westfield District Court Tuesday on charges of rape, assault and battery and indecent assault and battery.

Abdala is being held without bail pending an Oct. 1 pre-trial detention hearing.