Quantcast
Channel: News
Viewing all 62489 articles
Browse latest View live

Agawam man charged with raping woman during Match.com date

0
0

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.


Agawam man charged with raping woman during Match.com date

0
0

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.

Agawam man charged with raping woman during Match.com date

0
0

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.

Demolition on Holy Name School and Parish buildings in Chicopee to begin

0
0

The church, which dates to 1857, is not part of the demolition plan.

CHICOPEE - A demolition company will begin tearing down the Holy Name School and some of the parish buildings on South Street on Wednesday.

Holy Name School, which taught pre-school through grade eight children, closed in June of 2012 after years of struggling with declining enrollment and the buildings have been vacant ever since.

This spring the work to demolish the buildings began when United Service Company was hired to remove asbestos from two school and convent buildings, the gymnasium and a boiler house.

The church, which dates to 1857 and has been closed for several years because of its poor condition, is not part of the demolition plan, said Mark Dupont, spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese in Springfield.

The Holy Name Parish currently worships at the Assumption of the Blessed Mary Church on Springfield Street. It also holds a weekly mass at St. Patrick's Church on Broadway. The Parish also owns the St. George Church and school on East Main Street, which is vacant. The four parishes were merged into one in a series of church closings that happened about six years ago.

Rebound in health care stocks push Standard & Poors 500 index to first gain in 6 days

0
0

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 47 and closed at 16,049.

By STEVE ROTHWELL

NEW YORK -- A rebound in the health care sector helped steady stocks on Tuesday, pushing the Standard & Poor's 500 index to its first gain in six days.

Drugmakers including Edwards Lifesciences and Medtronic were among the biggest gainers as the industry group rebounded from a sharp slump the day before.

The gains for the overall market were small. Stocks flitted between modest gains and losses for most of the day before closing slightly higher.

The market remains close to its lows for the year and is set to close out September with its worst quarterly performance in four years.

Concerns that China's economy is slowing more rapidly than previously thought have hurt the market. Investors are also preoccupied with the outlook for U.S. interest rates. Federal Reserve policymakers have said they will likely raise interest rates before the end of the year.

Some investors see a rate increase as a vote of confidence in the U.S. economy. Others think it would be a mistake to raise borrowing costs just as the global economy is showing signs of flagging.

"The Fed is still, as it has been for over a year now, the number one thing that's overriding the market," said JJ Kinahan, chief strategist at TD Ameritrade. "There's just so much skittishness, people just don't have confidence."

The S&P 500 rose 2.32 points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,884.09. The index slumped 50 points the day before and is down 8.7 percent for the third quarter.

The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 47.24 points, or 0.6 percent, to 16,049.13 The Nasdaq composite dropped 26.65 points, or 0.6 percent, to 4,517.32.

Biotechnology stocks have been a weak spot for the stock market recently. The sector has slumped on concern that lawmakers will seek to implement new regulations to curb price hikes in the industry.

On Tuesday, the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index edged down 0.6 percent, its eighth straight day of losses. The index has slumped 27 percent from its peak in July, putting it in a bear market, Wall Street terminology for a drop of 20 percent or more.

Brad Sorensen, a director at the Schwab Center for Financial Research, said he wasn't surprised by the sell-off in biotech stocks given how sharply valuations have climbed in recent years.

"The biotech industry was concerning to us," Sorensen said. "It clearly had bubble-like characteristics with a lot of speculative money moving into it and a lot of IPOs."

Yahoo was among the stronger stocks on Tuesday.

The stock rose 66 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $28.26 after the company said that it still planned to spin off its stake in China's Alibaba Group. Yahoo is moving ahead with the plan even though the IRS has yet to rule on the tax payments that the company could face from the gains on its initial investment.

Investors also got some good news on the economy from a report showing that American consumers were feeling more confident this month. The Conference Board, a business research group, said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 103 in September after surging in August to 101.3. The September reading was the highest since January.

The price of oil rose on expectations that the Energy Department will report a slowdown in U.S. crude production when it releases its monthly petroleum supply report Wednesday. U.S. crude rose 80 cents to close at $45.23 a barrel in New York. Brent Crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, rose 89 cents to close at $48.23 a barrel in London.

Bond prices rose slightly. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.05 percent from 2.09 percent a day earlier. The euro edged up to $1.1250 and the dollar slipped to 119.72 yen.

In Europe, Germany's DAX edged down 0.3 percent and the CAC-40 in France was down by the same amount. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares lost 0.8 percent.

Gold fell $4.90 to $1,126.80 an ounce. Silver dropped 3.5 cents to $14.57 an ounce and copper was unchanged at $2.25 per pound

In other futures trading on the NYMEX:

  1. Wholesale gasoline rose 1.4 cents to close at $1.363 a gallon.
  2. Heating oil rose 2 cents to close at $1.498 a gallon.
  3. Natural gas fell 8.4 cents to close at $2.586 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Lost & found: Missing teen turns up safe and sound, according to Chicopee police

0
0

Abdullah Aljobori, 17, who was reported missing Monday afternoon, was found safe on Tuesday afternoon, according to Chicopee police, who didn't release additional details about the incident.

Updates story published at 11:13 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29.



CHICOPEE — The 17-year-old Chicopee boy reported missing Monday afternoon has been found, according to Chicopee police, who didn't release additional information about the incident.

"Abdullah Aljobori has been located and is safe. Thank you to everyone for sharing and commenting," Chicopee Police Officer Michael Wilk, the department's public information officer, tweeted around 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Police had issued a plea to the public to help authorities find the boy, who was last seen around 3 p.m. Monday. Police didn't indicate where Aljobori was during the roughly 24-hour period that he was considered missing.


Westfield State University names three presidential finalists

0
0

Westfield State University's presidential search committee has selected Damian J. Fernandez, Ramon S. Torrecilha and Linda Vaden-Goad as finalists for the job.

Westfield State University has announced three finalists in its search for a candidate to replace interim President Elizabeth Preston, who has led the university since the resignation of scandal-plagued former President Evan Dobelle.

Damian J. Fernandez, CEO and head of the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York City; Ramon S. Torrecilha, sociology professor and former provost, vice president for academic affairs at California State University, Dominguez Hills; and Linda Vaden-Goad, provost, vice president for Academic Affairs at Framingham State University, were named finalists for the post by Westfield State's search committee Wednesday.

The three finalists, chosen from among 13 semifinalists and over 400 total applicants for the position, will participate in open forums on campus beginning Monday, Oct. 5, with locations and times posted on the presidential search web site.

"The search process has been guided by a mission to identify an innovative and strategic thinker to build on Westfield State's core strengths and lead the university toward a bright and sustainable future," said Steven Marcus, chair of the presidential search committee and board of trustee member in a statement. "Each finalist is a strong educator with a solid foundation in public higher education and the scope of leadership skills to excel as president of Westfield State."

Each candidate will hold an open campus forum in the Scanlon Banquet Hall. Vaden-Goad will 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 5, Torrecilha at the same time on Oct. 13, and Fernandez, also at 10:30 a.m., on Oct. 15.

The finalists' resumes are also available on the committee's web site.

Preston, who stewarded the university through the fallout of former President Evan Dobelle's spending scandal after Dobelle's resignation, did not seek the permanent job. Guidelines from the state Board of Higher Education recommend against interim public university presidents from doing so and Preston does not want the position, Marcus said in an interview last month.

Dobelle's actions -- which included allegations of personal spending on university credit cards, misrepresentations to the university's board of trustees about finances and the use of work flights to attend social events -- were scrutinized in a 2014 Inspector General's report, after he resigned in November of 2013. Dobelle embarked on a years-long legal battle with the university, culminating in an agreement for him to pay $185,000 to the school while not admitting any wrongdoing.

The scandal was a black eye for Westfield State, which says it has now revamped its financial controls and trained its trustees to hold the president's office accountable. Dobelle was hired despite allegations of financial misconduct from his earlier tenure at the University of Hawaii - a situation Marcus said the current search committee is dedicated to avoiding.

Westfield State held community forums at the beginning of the search seeking input for the presidential job listing. The job description - which puts "integrity" at the top its list of leadership characteristics - was posted publicly in April, and candidates were asked to submit applications by July 1, according to the committee's web site.

Boston man pleads guilty in teenage sex-trafficking case

0
0

Corey Norris, 26, of Dorchester, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015, to a five-count indictment charging him with various sex-trafficking crimes, including crimes related to the trafficking minors, according to federal prosecutors in Boston.

BOSTON — A Boston man has admitted to charges in a federal teen sex-trafficking case involving multiple girls in several states, U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz said Tuesday.

Corey Norris, 26, of Dorchester, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston to a five-count indictment charging him with sex-trafficking crimes involving minors, federal prosecutors said. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 11, 2016.

Norris, along with co-defendant Raymond Jeffreys, 27, and others, engaged in a sex-trafficking conspiracy from about August 2008 to May 2014 in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Nevada, Georgia, Florida, and California, according to prosecutors.

They were accused of harboring, transporting, obtaining and maintaining girls and women to work directly for them as prostitutes.

Norris was charged for both his involvement in the conspiracy and for specific counts involving the sex trafficking of two 17-year-old girls, federal officials said. One of the girls was trafficked from about Oct. 8, 2011, to Nov. 10, 2011, in Massachusetts, Maine, Nevada, and California, while the other girl was trafficked in Massachusetts and Rhode Island in December 2012, officials said.

The individual sex-trafficking charges carry a range of mandatory minimum terms of 10 to 15 years and up to a lifetime in prison. Each count also comes with hefty fines and a mandatory minimum probation term of five years.

The case was handled by Homeland Security Investigations, the Boston Police Department's Human Trafficking and Homicide Units, and the FBI, among several other law enforcement agencies across New England.

The case was prosecuted by Amy Harman Burkart and Christopher Pohl, both federal attorneys in Ortiz's Civil Rights Enforcement Team, and a special assistant U.S. Attorney assigned to Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley's office.



1st West Nile virus death of year confirmed in Bay State

0
0

The Massachusetts Department of Health reported that the man likely contracted West Nile in Suffolk County and was hospitalized before his death.

BOSTON -- The state health department says a Boston-area man in his 60s has died of West Nile virus.

It is the first death from the mosquito-borne virus in Massachusetts this year and also the first in the state in three years.

The health department said Tuesday the man likely contracted West Nile in Suffolk County and was hospitalized before his death. A second Boston-area man in his 60s also was hospitalized for West Nile.

The two newly confirmed cases are the fourth and fifth this year. Six were reported last year.

The health department is raising the West Nile risk level to high for Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop in Suffolk County.

People are urged to protect themselves against mosquitoes and limit outdoor activities in the evening, when mosquitoes are most active.

 

State Sen. Rosenberg speaks of regulatory 'disconnect' on eve of meeting with federal energy commission

0
0

Rosenberg now heads to Washington with pipeline testimony under his arm, where he will meet with FERC and Congressional leaders.

On the eve of his trip to Washington to meet with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the matter of an interstate pipeline proposal, Massachusetts Senate President Stanley Rosenberg said the more he digs into energy issues, the more he sees a "disconnect" between lawmakers who push clean energy policies and regulators who are bound by outdated statutes.

"The policy makers, in both the executive and legislative branches, are driving us toward a green energy future," said Rosenberg in a Tuesday conference call with reporters. "We have to figure out how to bridge that gap -- between the policy direction for the future, and the regulatory scheme which is rooted in the past."

Rosenberg's primary purpose in meeting with energy commissioners on Wednesday is to hand-deliver testimony from his Western Massachusetts constituents on Northeast Energy Direct, a proposed Kinder Morgan natural gas pipeline which would slice through the senator's district. Rosenberg held a Franklin County public hearing on the pipeline on Sept. 10 where more than 70 people testified, most to express opposition. Another 50 submitted testimony online, he said.

Rosenberg held the hearing after FERC initially declined to slow down its "scoping process" on the environmental impact of the pipeline. The federal commission later agreed to extend its comment deadline and accept the additional testimony gathered by Rosenberg.

Rosenberg told reporters during the Tuesday call that when agencies such as the regulatory commission and the state's Department of Public Utilities look at large energy infrastructure proposals, they are forced to "go through a checklist."

"They have a list of things they have to look for, based upon statutes and regulations. And if it complies, they approve ... even if it's in conflict with a policy direction we're heading in as a society."

The federal Natural Gas Act, which gives the commission jurisdiction over the permitting of interstate gas pipelines, was enacted in the 1930s, he said. At the time, he said, pipeline expansion was necessary to power the nation.

"That statute was set up because people didn't want pipelines in their backyards," said Rosenberg, "so they set up a federal statutory construct so that we had the energy to run the country."

Long-standing regulatory structures at both the state and federal level are ill-equipped to deal with today's decentralized energy production in the form of wind, solar, and hydro, Rosenberg said, adding that provisions of the Natural Gas Act could also impede the commission from evaluating the larger energy landscape when making determinations about any one pipeline proposal:

"How can you make a decision uniquely about gas, and the amount of gas we need, if you don't consider the amount of solar, wind, and hydro that might be available -- some of which might be available before the gas pipeline could be built?"

Kinder Morgan hopes to have its pipeline up and running in 2018.

Rosenberg said various energy-related regulatory regulations are outdated, and that "now we're in a situation where some of them are not appropriate to what we're trying to do."

number of bills designed to promote clean energy are now before the state Legislature.

A measure pitched by Gov. Charlie Baker could potentially clear the way to import 1,200 megawatts of hydropower into the Bay State. Baker also proposed lifting the cap on net metering to increase solar energy development. Another bill before the House would promote offshore wind. Those bills and others were heard before the Joint Committee on Telecommunications and Energy on Tuesday.

In addition, Spectra Energy's Algonquin Incremental Market pipeline, which would cross eastern Massachusetts and serve eight local natural gas distribution companies, gained the commission's approval in March.

While in Washington, Rosenberg plans to meet with U.S. Sen. Edward Markey and other Congressional leaders, as well as with Christopher King, principal assistant secretary for congressional and intergovernmental affairs with the Department of Energy.

Rosenberg said he will also attend a legislative leadership conference with President Obama and senior White House officials, and has requested a meeting with the White House energy policy team.

As for his back-to-back afternoon meetings with Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur and FERC Chairman Norman C. Bay, Rosenberg said he would bring "three thick binders" of local testimony on the proposed Kinder Morgan pipeline, and try to gather as much information as possible on how the commission plans to make its decision about the Northeast Energy Direct project.

Kinder Morgan has not yet formally applied for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the line. Under the 1938 Natural Gas Act, FERC has the power to preempt state and local law in the permitting of interstate natural gas pipelines.

Rosenberg reiterated that he holds no position on the pipeline, but wishes to ensure that the commission conducts a deliberative process.

"Like most people in Western Mass., I don't want our green fields to be crossed by a pipeline if we can avoid it," said Rosenberg, adding that he supports "reliable, affordable energy" that is "as green as possible."

______________________________________________________

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com.

12 police officers given Hanna awards for bravery at Statehouse ceremony

0
0

Six police officers received the second highest Hanna Award, the Medal of Valor, for "actions above and beyond the call of duty, disregarding the potential for danger to themselves."

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON - Twelve police officers from six departments across the state were honored in a ceremony on the House floor Tuesday morning, recipients of the George L. Hanna Awards for Bravery.

Lowell officer Patrick Casey was awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest of three tiers of awards, recognizing his "actions above and beyond the call of duty, in the face of certain and imminent danger to life and limb" during a traffic stop on Aug. 27, 2014.

During the stop, which Casey initiated by pulling an erratic driver over for running a red light, the driver of the car fired a semi-automatic handgun at Casey. Casey used the door of his cruiser as a shield and returned fire, striking the suspect twice. The suspect, who police said posed a significant threat to the community, fled but was quickly apprehended.

"The men and women who wear this uniform are very special and many times misrepresented and misunderstood," said Gov. Charlie Baker, who presented the awards. "That's why events like this are important. They remind us all of what happens virtually all the time when men and woman get up and go to work everyday in law enforcement and not knowing what to expect. They do it because they love their work. They do it because they love their colleagues. They do it because they know it's important and it matters."

Six police officers received the second highest Hanna Award, the Medal of Valor, for "actions above and beyond the call of duty, disregarding the potential for danger to themselves."

The officers awarded the Medal of Valor were: Boston officer Paul Dok, Boston officer Pamela Wilson, Chelsea officer Paul McCarthy, state Trooper Shaun Bellao, Webster officer Joshua Collins and Worcester officer Justin Bennes.

The meritorious actions of the officers included rescuing a woman attempting to jump from a parking garage in downtown Boston (Dok), disarming suspects who carried guns in busy public spaces (Wilson and Bennes), and climbing down construction beams to arrest and get medical attention to an armed suspect who had jumped from the Tobin Bridge (McCarthy).

Five Boston officers also received a Meritorious Recognition for showing "high level of professionalism, selflessness and competence."

Recipients included youth violence strike force officers John Burrows, Joseph Connolly and Brian Delahanty, who together were responsible for more than 100 arrests, more than 1,600 field interrogations and the removal of more than 25 guns from the city's streets, according to state officials.

Officers Christopher McCarthy and Michael Szegda were each presented with a Meritorious Recognition for their efforts to prevent a woman from jumping from a downtown Boston parking garage.

The awards are named for Trooper George Hanna, who was shot and killed in February 1983 while searching three suspects during a traffic stop in Auburn. Hanna's daughters, who were teens when their father was killed in the line of duty, attended Tuesday's ceremony.

During a roughly 10-minute speech, Baker spoke of his own three children and said watching them grow up has been "the greatest joy in life."

"Every time a police officer makes a routine traffic stop, every time a police officer responds to a call, every time a police officer does their job, they put that greatest joy at risk," the governor said. "We should never forget it."

Northampton residents get details of solar array planned for former Glendale Road landfill

0
0

Some residents fought hard to get the landfill capped in 2013, but Ward 6 City Councilor Marianne LaBarge, who represents them, said she has heard no negative reactions to the array.

NORTHAMPTON - Northampton residents got to vent their anxieties over a proposed solar array at the Glendale Road landfill at an informational hearing at the Robert K. Finn Ryan Road Elementary School Tuesday.

About 20 people, half of them city officials, sat in folding chairs at the school's gymnasium to hear about the array and raise questions. The city has chosen Ameresco, Inc., a Framingham company, to develop the 3.3 megawatt array at the site of the former landfill, which reached capacity in 2013 and was capped. Ameresco was one of 12 companies to bid on the project.

Residents, many of whom live near the landfill, had concerns about noise, traffic and glare from the panels. Beth Greenblatt of Beacon Integrated Solutions, a Boston company that is serving as the city liaison with Ameresco and members of the Ameresco administrative team did their best to answer them. The array will occupy about 15 acres at the landfill and have the capacity to generate 4,248,000 kilowatt-hours of carbon-neutral electricity a year, about 40 percent of the city's municipal needs. Over the proposed 20-year lease, this could save Northampton up to $9 million in electricity costs.

If the City Council approves the lease, construction could start as early as the spring. According to the schedule presented by Joel Lindsay, the business development manager for Ameresco, the array could go online in May.

Because the panels are built to absorb light, there will be no glare, officials said. They will be mounted on concrete blocks that will be trucked into the site over a period of 2-3 weeks.

Some residents fought hard to get the landfill capped in 2013, but Ward 6 City Councilor Marianne LaBarge, who represents them, said she has heard no negative reactions to the array.

"People are happy with this," she told the officials.

Solar array owners had been able to sell electricity back to the grid for a credit, but the state has imposed a cap on this. There are currently two bills in the Statehouse to lift the cap or extend the credits. Officials said they are optimistic one of them will pass. If not, the project can be reviewed.

Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz is scheduled go before the City Council on Thursday to ask for the 20-year lease. A copy of Ameresco's proposal is available at www.northamptonma.gov.

After late appeals, Georgia executes lone woman on death row

0
0

Kelly Renee Gissendaner died by lethal injection of pentobarbital Wednesday at 12:21 a.m. EDT at the state prison in Jackson. She was convicted of murder in the February 1997 slaying of her husband. She conspired with her lover, who stabbed Douglas Gissendaner to death.

ATLANTA (AP) -- After several denied appeals Georgia has executed its only female death row inmate.

Kelly Renee Gissendaner died by lethal injection of pentobarbital Wednesday at 12:21 a.m. EDT at the state prison in Jackson. She was convicted of murder in the February 1997 slaying of her husband. She conspired with her lover, who stabbed Douglas Gissendaner to death.

Gissendaner was the first woman executed in the state in 70 years.

The United States Supreme court denied Gissendaner, 47, three stays of execution on Tuesday.

The Supreme Court of Georgia also denied her a stay of execution Tuesday and the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to grant her clemency after it met on earlier on Tuesday to consider new testimony from supporters. The board didn't give a reason for the denial, but said it had carefully considered her request for reconsideration.

Gissendaner was previously scheduled for execution Feb. 25, but that was delayed because of a threat of winter weather. Her execution was reset for March 2, but corrections officials postponed that execution "out of an abundance of caution" because the execution drug appeared "cloudy."

The parole board, which is the only entity in Georgia authorized to commute a death sentence, also declined to spare Gissendaner's life after a clemency hearing in February. Her lawyers asked the board to reconsider its decision before the second execution date, but the board stood by its decision to deny clemency.

Gissendaner's lawyers last Thursday submitted a second request to reconsider the denial of clemency, and the board agreed to review new documents and hear from her representatives.

Pope Francis' diplomatic representative in the U.S., Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, on Tuesday sent a letter to the parole board on behalf of the pontiff asking for a commutation of Gissendaner's sentence "to one that would better express both justice and mercy." He cited an address the pope made to a joint session of Congress last week in which he called for the abolition of the death penalty.

Two of Gissendaner's three children already asked the board earlier this year to spare their mother's life. Her oldest child, Brandon, who had not previously addressed the board, wanted to make a plea for his mother's life, said Susan Casey, an attorney for Gissendaner.

In the request for reconsideration, Gissendaner's lawyers cited a statement from former Georgia Supreme Court Chief Justice Norman Fletcher, who argued Gissendaner's death sentence is not proportionate to her role in the crime. Her lover, Gregory Owen, who did the killing, is serving a life prison sentence and will become eligible for parole in 2022.

Fletcher said he has now decided he was wrong in his decision to deny Gissendaner's appeal in 2000 when he sat on the state Supreme Court, the statement says. He also notes that Georgia hasn't executed a person who didn't actually carry out a killing since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.

Gissendaner's lawyers also argued she was a seriously damaged woman who has undergone a spiritual transformation in prison and has been a model prisoner who has shown remorse and provided hope to other inmates in their personal struggles. The new request included testimony from several women who were locked up as teens and who said Gissendaner counseled them through moments when they felt scared, lost or on the verge of giving up hope.

Two of her three children, Dakota and Kayla, previously addressed the board and earlier this month released a video pleading for their mother's life to be spared. They detailed their own journeys to forgiving her and said they would suffer terribly from having a second parent taken from them.

Douglas Gissendaner's family said in a statement Monday that he is the victim and that Kelly Gissendaner received an appropriate sentence.

"As the murderer, she's been given more rights and opportunity over the last 18 years than she ever afforded to Doug who, again, is the victim here," the statement says. "She had no mercy, gave him no rights, no choices, nor the opportunity to live his life."

Kelly Gissendaner repeatedly pushed Owen in late 1996 to kill her husband rather than just divorcing him as Owen suggested, prosecutors have said. Acting on her instructions, Owen ambushed Douglas Gissendaner at Gissendaner's home, forced him to drive to a remote area and stabbed him multiple times, prosecutors said.

Investigators looking into the killing zeroed in on Owen once they learned of his affair with Kelly Gissendaner. He initially denied involvement but eventually confessed and implicated Kelly Gissendaner.

Springfield man admits suffocating mother with pillow, selling her TVs and smoking crack while body in other room

0
0

Jury selection was to start Tuesday in the murder trial of Luis Rosa, but at the last minute a plea agreement was reached. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - A medical examiner estimated it would have taken three to five minutes for a pillow pressed hard against Norma Perez's face to cause her to die of asphyxiation, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

On Tuesday Luis Rosa, 43, admitted he killed Perez, 57, his mother, on Jan. 6, 2013. He then sold her televisions and smoked crack with friends in the apartment as his mother lay dead in another room.

Jury selection was to start Tuesday in the murder trial of Rosa, but at the last minute a plea agreement was reached. About 20 family members and friends of Perez were in the courtroom for the plea.

Rosa was allowed to plead guilty to second degree murder. Under changes in the second degree murder law, the penalty is life in state prison but a minimum number of years may be set before the person can apply for parole,.

In this case Rosa can apply for parole in 22½ years, but there is no guarantee parole will be granted then or ever. Defense lawyer Jared Olanoff said there was no premeditation in the killing.

He said Rosa was "so severely impaired by drugs that he took his mother's own life."

Olanoff said Rosa was on a "potent and deadly combination of PCP and crack cocaine" and was having hallucinations. He said Rosa was not capable of forming the intent to murder defined in a first degree murder.

Daughters Angelina Nieves and Denise Rosa wrote victim impact statements to Hampden Superior Court Judge Richard J. Carey, who took the plea and sentenced Rosa.

Nieves said she repeatedly pictures Rosa killing her mother and it haunts her.

She said Perez was a great mother and her best friend.

"Why did she have to pay for all the demons Luis was battling....How could he do this," Denise Rosa said.

"How could he just leave her there. Why not call for help," she said.

Denise Rosa said her mother was "the one person who never gave up on him (Luis Rosa)," through his battles with drug addiction.

"How can we ever forgive him for what he's done? she asked, rhetorically. "What he has done is unforgivable. ... How can we have any pity on him? He doesn't deserve it."

Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Fitzgerald said Perez's family members believed Rosa should serve life in prison, but said the plea means they won't have to suffer through a reliving of that night during a trial.

Rosa also pleaded guilty to carjacking and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for an incident early Jan. 7, about 24 hours after he killed his mother.

Police initially arrested Rosa that morning after he stabbed a Yellow Cab driver in the shoulder with large butcher knife, stole the vehicle and crashed it on State Street.

As he was being brought to the police station that morning Rosa said he committed a mortal sin, Fitzgerald said. At the police station, in an interview about five hours in length, he admitted killing his mother, she said.

Fitzgerald gave the following facts about the crime, and Rosa agreed they were true:

  • Another son of Perez dropped her off at her 17 Saab Court apartment at about 1 a.m. Jan. 6 after a party. Rosa, who had been staying there, was just inside the door and went inside with Perez.

  • Rosa took a pillow and entered Perez's bedroom, coming up behind her while she was on the computer and putting the pillow over her face and throat. She struggled and ended up laying on the floor.

  • This was when he used extreme pressure with the pillow to kill her.

  • Rosa put the pillow down and lay down next to his mother.

  • He called a taxi to take him to High Street to get crack. He told a person there he might have televisions to sell.

  • Rosa walked to Maple Street for more crack. A woman called a man she knew for crack and Rosa bought it. The three of them went back to Perez's apartment to smoke crack.

  • Rosa called the man he met on High Street and that man comes to Perez' apartment where Rosa sold one of her televisions for crack and money.

  • He didn't allow anyone to go into Perez's bedroom, where she lay dead, even though access to the bathroom was through her bedroom.

  • Rosa calls someone and asks if he wants a second television. Rosa brings the television outside to the man. The man drops Rosa off at Avon Place.

  • Rosa walks around for several hours then takes a cab to Allen Street.

  • When the driver gets there Rosa sticks his arm holding a knife through the payment window.

  • He stabs the driver three times in the arm and shoulder with a large knife. The driver gets out and Rosa drives away in the cab, crashing it on State Street where it flips over.

  • Olanoff said he is not saying drugs caused Rosa to do what he did, but it would be wrong to say he was not affected by drugs at the time.

  • Perez cared for Rosa when he was at his lowest point, Olanoff said. "Despite what happened he loved her too," Olanoff said.

  • The taxi driver was in the courtroom at the plea. Fitzgerald said the stabbing injuries made it so he cannot load luggage. The driver had moved to New York and tried to resume cab driving, but tore his tendon again so cannot continue to be a cab driver.

Law enforcement officials nabbed wrong guy in Teamsters-Top Chef case

0
0

ederal prosecutors dismissed charges against one of the five members of the Teamsters union indicted for allegedly attempting to extort the production company behind the popular cooking show “Top Chef” in 2014. Watch video

BOSTON - Federal prosecutors dismissed charges against one of the five members of the Teamsters union indicted for allegedly attempting to extort the production company behind the popular cooking show "Top Chef" in 2014.

The other four Teamsters, members of Local 25, appeared at the Joseph Moakley Courthouse in South Boston.

Teamster Richard Jeffrey of Woburn had been mistakenly identified via photograph and arrested. Law enforcement officials are still looking for a fifth Teamster but did not identify him on Wednesday.

Calling them "rogue" members of Local 25, U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said Wednesday the Teamsters used "old school thug tactics to get no-work jobs" during the filming, which was non-union.

Deadline.com reported on the June 2014 incident at the restaurant Steel & Rye after it occurred, saying one of the Teamsters yelled at "Top Chief" host Padma Lakshmi, "We're gonna bash that pretty face in, you [expletive] whore!" The president of the union called the report "fiction at best."

Aside from Jeffrey, the four Teamsters arrested on Wednesday are Mark Harrington, 61; John Fidler, 51; Daniel Redmond, 47; and Robert Cafarelli, 45. Harrington, Cafareilli and Redmond pleaded not guilty; Fidler's detention hearing is set for Thursday.

Jeffrey's attorney, Edward P. Ryan Jr., said he was "wrongfully identified" through eyewitness identification and now has been released from custody.

"They got the wrong guy, they thought they had the right guy," Ryan said. "And the evidence that pointed the finger at the man I represented was based on an eyewitness identification and nothing else."

Ryan added that it is a "complete shame that the press release was issued with my guy's name in it."

"Here, the damage done by the press release is his name will forever be out on the internet associated with this endeavor, even though he had nothing to do with it," Ryan said.

The U.S. Attorney's office called him late Wednesday afternoon and said they believed they had the wrong person and asked him to help confirm, according to Ryan. Ryan said after speaking with his client, he confirmed that Jeffrey was "totally innocent."

The next overall court date for the others is set for Oct. 28. Prosecutors said they expect the trial, once it's scheduled, to last for two weeks.


Congress approves spending bill, averts government shutdown

0
0

Democrats helped beleaguered House Republican leaders pass the measure by 277-151, after the Senate approved it by a 78-20 tally.

By ANDREW TAYLOR

WASHINGTON -- Just hours before a midnight deadline, a bitterly divided Congress approved a stopgap spending bill Wednesday to keep the federal government open -- but with no assurance there won't be yet another shutdown showdown in December.

Democrats helped beleaguered House Republican leaders pass the measure by 277-151 -- a lopsided vote shrouding deep disagreements within the GOP -- after the Senate approved it by a 78-20 tally earlier in the day. The votes sent the bill to President Barack Obama for his signature, but not without White House carping.

"The American people deserve far better than last-minute, short-term legislating," said spokesman Josh Earnest in pressing for a broader, longer-lasting budget deal.

Approval of such stopgap measures used to be routine, but debate this year exposed acrimonious divisions between pragmatic Republicans such as House Speaker John Boehner and more junior lawmakers in the party's tea party wing who are less inclined to compromise. The tea partyers had demanded that the must-pass measure be used to punish Planned Parenthood, stripping it of federal money because of its practice of supplying tissue from aborted fetuses for scientific research.

House Republicans opposed the measure by a clear margin, but Democratic support was unanimous.

The legislation finances the government through Dec. 11, providing 10 weeks to negotiate a more wide-ranging budget deal that would carry past the 2016 presidential election. But the talks promise to be difficult, and success is not assured.

Boehner is resigning from Congress at the end of October, a decision he announced last week after informing Republicans he would not risk a government shutdown over Planned Parenthood.

A similar fight over implementing Obama's health care law sparked a 16-day shutdown two years ago that Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and other top Republicans did not want to repeat in election season. McConnell is seeking to protect embattled incumbents in Democratic-leaning states such as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, while some GOP conservatives are more apt to use the battle to appeal to the party's core voters on the right.

"Today was a win for the Washington cartel, and another setback for the American people," said Rep. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who is using combat with Washington GOP leaders to help define his presidential campaign. "Republican leadership chose to abandon its constitutional power of the purse and to fund 100 percent of President Obama's failed agenda."

Support from Democrats also helped power the measure through the Senate, all of the opposition coming from conservative Republicans.

Longtime lawmakers bemoaned the chronic dysfunction on Capitol Hill and the collapse of the annual appropriations process that is supposed to be wrapped up by now. Democrats demanding a new budget deal have blocked work in the Senate, while a fight over the Confederate flag halted work in the House with only six of the 12 annual spending bills having passed.

"It is to my great dismay that we are at this point again, requiring a temporary Band-Aid to buy us time to do our duty," said Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., chairman of the Appropriations Committee, during House debate.

Tea party anger directed at Boehner over the Planned Parenthood issue helped prod the Ohio Republican's announcement to step down. His decision -- and other House leadership races -- have highlighted divisions between more pragmatic Republicans and hardline conservative wing that is increasingly prominent in Congress, especially in the rough-and-tumble House.

McConnell said Tuesday that he and Boehner spoke with Obama recently and that he expects budget negotiations to get underway soon. The turmoil in the House, where many conservatives want to block spending increases, is certain to complicate the talks, which are likely to focus on swapping near-term budget increases for the Pentagon and domestic programs for longer-term saving elsewhere in the budget.

Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the likely new House speaker, hasn't said whether he supports a deal.

The Pentagon and domestic agencies all are still operating under automatic curbs that would effectively freeze their spending at current levels. Republicans are leading the drive to boost defense while Obama is demanding equal relief for domestic programs.

The conversation among McConnell, Boehner and Obama took place in mid-September -- before Boehner announced he was stepping down. Many of the conservative GOP lawmakers who helped bring Boehner down want to preserve stringent "caps" on the spending bills Congress passes every year. But Senate Republicans are generally more eager to rework the 2011 Budget Control Act that put them in place.

"We have to stop devastating sequester cuts from hitting our military and middle class, even the Republican leader agrees," said top Senate Democrat Harry Reid of Nevada. "Because a week or 10 days ago he said 'We are inevitably going to end up in negotiations that that will crack the Budget Control Act once again. I say 'hallelujah.'"

Eight of the 20 Republican senators who opposed Wednesday's bill are up for re-election in states carried by Mitt Romney in 2012. Presidential aspirants Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Marco Rubio of Florida skipped the vote.

Republicans have long targeted Planned Parenthood, and the group's top official defended it in congressional testimony on Tuesday.

Republicans say that videos made by abortion foes show Planned Parenthood has broken federal laws including a ban on for-profit fetal tissue sales. The organization says it has acted legally and the videos were deceptively edited.

House passes $360 million budget bill to close out 2015

0
0

The biggest chunk of the budget was around $214 million to cover the cost of paying for MassHealth for 300,000 people who were given temporary coverage when the state's Health Connector website failed.

BOSTON - The Massachusetts House on Wednesday passed a $360.3 million supplemental budget to close the books on the 2015 fiscal year, which ended in June.

By far the biggest chunk of the budget bill was around $214 million to cover the cost of paying for MassHealth, the state's Medicaid program, for the more than 300,000 people who were given temporary coverage when the state's Health Connector website failed in 2014.

"We are simply closing out the books on fiscal year 2015," said State Rep. Brian Dempsey, D-Haverhill, chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means.

The budget passed 152 to 0 after numerous amendments, mostly involving earmarks, were either withdrawn or passed without public discussion.

The House budget is similar to the amount requested by Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, who asked for $357 million to close out the last fiscal year.

The House budget bill would put $75 million into the state's rainy day fund, money that is held in reserve in case of emergency. It also commits $113 million to pay down debt in 2016.

The House agreed with Baker's request to set aside $27 million for new substance abuse treatment services, as a way to address a growing crisis of opioid addiction in the state. It provided some money for accounts that were running deficits - $31 million for snow and ice removal and $21 million for county sheriffs.

Another $7 million would be put towards the Department of Children and Family for staffing, training and caseloads. Problems have plagued the agency, which have come to light after several highly publicized cases of children under DCF supervision being injured or killed.

There are a variety of other budget line items, ranging from funding for collective bargaining agreements at the University of Massachusetts to money for hospitals that treat a lot of patients with Medicaid.

The House rejected a proposal by Baker to narrow eligibility standards for emergency housing programs.

The bill now goes to the Senate.

Titanic auction: Last lunch menu fetches thousands above estimate

0
0

Online New York auctioneer Lion Heart Autographs offered it along with two other previously unknown artifacts from Lifeboat 1 on Wednesday.

NEW YORK -- The Titanic's last lunch menu, saved by a first-class passenger who climbed aboard a lifeboat whose crew was said to have been bribed to row away instead of rescue more people, sold at auction for $88,000 on Wednesday.

Preauction estimates were that it would fetch $50,000 to $70,000.

The online New York auctioneer Lion Heart Autographs offered the menu and two other previously unknown artifacts from Lifeboat 1.

Abraham Lincoln Salomon was among a handful of first-class passengers who boarded the lifeboat, dubbed the Money Boat or Millionaire's Boat by the press because of unfounded rumors one of them bribed seven crew members to quickly row the boat away from the sinking ocean liner.

The menu, which lists corned beef, dumplings and other savory items, is signed on the back in pencil by another first-class passenger, Isaac Gerald Frauenthal, who escaped on another lifeboat. It's believed the two men lunched together that fateful day in 1912.

Salomon also took away a printed ticket from the Titanic's opulent Turkish baths, which recorded a person's weight when seated in a specially designed upholstered lounge chair. The ticket bears the names of three of the five other first-class passengers with him on Lifeboat 1. One of four weighing chair tickets known to exist, it sold for $11,000.

A letter written by Mabel Francatelli to Salomon on New York's Plaza Hotel stationery six months after the disaster fetched $7,500. Francatelli had climbed into Lifeboat 1 with her employer, aristocratic fashion designer Lucy Duff-Gordon and her Scottish husband, Lord Cosmo Duff-Gordon, who was rumored to have bribed the crew to row them to safety in the boat, which had a capacity of 40.

The Duff-Gordons, the only passengers to testify about the disaster, were cleared by the British Wreck Commissioner's inquiry, which determined that they did not deter the crew from attempting to rescue other people but that others might have been saved if the boat had turned around.

"We do hope you have now quite recovered from the terrible experience," Francatelli wrote to Salomon. "I am afraid our nerves are still bad, as we had such trouble & anxiety added to our already awful experience by the very unjust inquiry when we arrived in London."

Lion Heart Autographs said the seller was the son of a man who was given the items by a descendent of one of the survivors of the lifeboat. It did not identify the buyers.

Kinder Morgan extols pipeline benefits as Sen. Rosenberg meets with FERC to express constituents' concerns

0
0

The company said there is a critical need for additional natural gas capacity in New England.

Kinder Morgan issued a statement late today (Sept. 30) describing the benefits of the company's proposed Northeast Energy Direct natural gas pipeline. Kimberly S. Watson, president of Kinder Morgan's east region gas pipelines division, said there is a critical need for additional natural gas capacity in New England to stabilize energy prices.

Watson made reference to today's trip to Washington by state Senate President Stanley Rosenberg. Rosenberg met with members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to discuss his constituents' concerns about the proposed pipeline, and also met with Dept. of Energy officials and members of Congress on matters of energy policy.

Watson said she appreciated Rosenberg's efforts to involve his constituents in the federal permitting process for the proposed pipeline. The statement was issued through Crawford Strategies, a Boston-based public relations firm. 

The 212-mile 30-inch line, which would cut through sections of New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, has met with strong opposition in the senator's district. Rosenberg has not taken a stand on the pipeline's merits, but has said he wishes to ensure a "deliberative process" as Kinder Morgan pursues federal approval for the project.

Watson issued the following statement late Wednesday afternoon:

"We appreciate Senate President Rosenberg's efforts as the state reviews its energy strategy.

"As numerous studies have shown, there is a critical need for additional natural gas capacity in New England to stabilize sky-high electricity prices that burden residents and businesses and to support the state's objective of increasing the percentage of renewable energy.

"The NED project will help the Massachusetts economy grow both statewide and across New England. It will also help the state's impressive climate change objectives by reducing reliance on coal and fuel oil.

"Unlike other regions in the country, which are benefiting from cleaner and less costly natural gas, Massachusetts and the region will continue to pay billions more per year for its energy needs without additional natural gas capacity.

"In the development of renewable energy resources, natural gas is widely identified as the ideal bridge fuel for the intermittent nature of renewables and would, in fact, hasten a faster deployment of solar and wind energy in the state.

"We appreciate the Senate President's initiative in creating opportunities for his constituents' voices to be heard in the FERC process. We look forward to working with all interested parties who wish to participate in the process so that the best decisions can be made."

Kinder Morgan announced this week that its subsidiary Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. had executed additional agreements with anchor shippers for capacity on the proposed line. National Grid, Liberty Utilities, Columbia Gas, Connecticut Natural Gas, Southern Connecticut Gas, Berkshire Gas, and Westfield Gas & Electric were announced in March. Recently, more unnamed entities have signed up for a combined 675,000 dekatherms of capacity, according to Kinder Morgan. In March, the number hovered around 500,000 dekatherms.

FERC, in its upcoming evaluation of the pipeline, will consider whether the project is economically sound, and balance benefits against adverse impacts. Kinder Morgan will seek a certificate from the federal regulators this fall.

Rosenberg told reporters on Tuesday that he sees a "disconnect" between policy makers pushing green energy and regulatory agencies such as FERC and the state Dept. of Public Utilities, saying they are bound by outdated statutes.

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com

Gov. Baker praises Phoenix Charter Academy during event at new Springfield site

0
0

Gov. Baker, a former board member at the school, teared up when he gave a shout out to the teachers who work with Phoenix students for their hard work and dedication.

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Charlie Baker and Amanda Echeverri, a second-year student at Phoenix Charter Academy, gave emotional speeches Wednesday during a ribbon-cutting celebration of the school's new building at Springfield Technology Park. about the success young people can achieve if they have the support of an army of believers.

More than 200 people, including Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Phoenix founder Beth Anderson and a host of elected officials and educational leaders attended the event held inside a building that was once a factory floor for the Springfield Armory and now is a space for learning.

The 31,000-square-foot high school is part of a $9 million demolition and reconstruction of Building 104, where the Springfield Armory once assembled 3.5 million Garand rifles for World War II. One wing of the repurposed building belongs to Phoenix and the other end is designated for business tenants.

Gov. Baker, a former Phoenix board member, teared up when he gave a shout out to founder Beth Anderson and the teachers who work with Phoenix's high-risk students.

"You only get a certain amount of time in your life to do something big," he said. Anderson and the staff at Phoenix are "doing something big" by creating a school model and culture that gives people an opportunity recognize their potential, Baker said.

"You are helping young people see beyond what they can imagine for themselves," Baker said of the work done by the teachers at the school.

Echeverri, who became pregnant at the age of 16 and dropped out of the High School of Commerce, said she hit rock bottom when the father of her 1-year-old son, Caleb, was murdered.

With the help of a "supportive attorney," Echeverri said she learned about the alternative Phoenix school, which operates an on-site daycare center. The availability of child care has enabled her to finish her high school work and set her goals higher, she said.

Echeverri said her son "became her only motivation" to pick up herself and start again.

"The staff here picked me up and pushed me in so many ways to help me unlock my potential," she said.

Anderson praised Sarno, Superintendent of Schools Daniel Warwick and community partners who supported the opening of the school. Phoenix operates two other schools – one in Lawrence and another in Chelsea.

"To have a building like this and a movement like this, you have to have believers," Anderson said. "You cannot do this work without audacious believers and audacious believing friends."

Anderson said she and Baker believe strongly that living in an urban zip code should not limit a child's opportunities or future.

The charter school, which has between 150 and 200 students, serves 14- to 20-year-olds who have failed, dropped out or been incarcerated get a second chance at earning a high school diploma and a path to college.

Of the $9 million, the Springfield Technology Park received a MassWorks infrastructure grant for $3.9 million and secured a $3.1 million tax exempt bond through MassDevelopment for the charter school.

The bonds were purchased by PeoplesBank. There is also $740,000 in other bank financing.

The Technology Park pulled down a 70,000-square-foot section in the center of the 135,000-square-foot Building 104 as part of the building's redesign.

The northern section, along Lincoln Street, was renovated into the Phoenix Academy school, which opened last year in temporary space elsewhere in the park.

The southern section of the building, a single-story totaling 16,000-square-feet, will be renovated into space for rent.

The gap in the middle of the two wings has become a parking lot for 235 cars. The Tech Park gave up parking across State Street when it provided land to DevelopSpringfield for a possible future downtown supermarket.

Paul Stelzer, president of Appleton Group, manger of the property, said a new exit on Lincoln Street was created to avoid traffic backups.

The Tech Park recreated what was once the front facade with a new brick wall. Through the "windows" of the false wall, passersby can view enlarged photos of workers during World War II.

Viewing all 62489 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images