The suspects were staying in a Colchester hotel, selling heroin and cocaine out of their room, state police said.

COLCHESTER, Vt. - An ongoing investigation by the Vermont Drug Task Force yielded the arrest of two Philadelphia men on heroin and cocaine charges Thursday night, state police said.

The two suspects were staying in a local hotel, selling drugs out of their room and using a rental car, according to a release. A search warrant was obtained for the room and the vehicle.

The suspects, Michael Barton and Timothy Barfield, were seen driving in the rental vehicle on Route 7 at about 5 p.m. Uniformed troopers from the Traffic Operations Unit and officers from the Colchester Police Department stopped the vehicle in the parking lot of a business in Winooski.

Burton, 40, fled on foot and was arrested after a short chase. Barfield, 39, was arrested without incident.

The execution of the search warrants on the hotel room and vehicle yielded approximately 130 bags of heroin and 16 grams of crack cocaine and more than $8,000 dollars in U.S currency.

The execution of the search warrants on the hotel room and vehicle yielded approximately 130 bags of heroin and 16 grams of crack cocaine and more than $8,000 dollars in U.S currency.

Both were charged with heroin trafficking and possession of cocaine. Burton was also charged with sale of heroin.

This investigation is a collaborative effort between the Vermont Drug Task Force, Colchester Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI.

We'll see plenty of sunshine today but it will be much cooler thanks to the passage of a cold front last night. Temperatures will average about 20 degrees cooler than yesterday. An autumn chill will be in the air but at least it will be bright and sunny. Temperatures will not go up too much today with highs only reaching into the low to mid-50s....

We'll see plenty of sunshine today but it will be much cooler thanks to the passage of a cold front last night. Temperatures will average about 20 degrees cooler than yesterday. An autumn chill will be in the air but at least it will be bright and sunny. Temperatures will not go up too much today with highs only reaching into the low to mid-50s. It will be on the breezy side too so you'll certainly need the fall jacket!

If you're heading to a high school football game this evening dress warm. It will be a great football weather but a little cool for the fans.

Tomorrow will start bright and sunny with clouds increasing late in the afternoon. Although it will be a chilly start it will be a milder afternoon with temperatures reaching near 60. Another front arrives tomorrow night with clouds and a few late night or early Sunday morning showers. Things should dry off in time for The Rays of Hope Walk Sunday morning at 10:30. Temperatures will be in the 50s for most of the walk then reach into the lower 60s in the afternoon as the sun comes out. There may be a shower or two for the runners. (8:30 am) Another push of dry, cool air will slide in for the beginning of next week with sunshine and seasonable conditions.

Felix Torres of Springfield is accused of exposing himself in the "quiet area" of the Forbes Library in Northampton.

A Springfield man was followed by library staff and arrested in downtown Northampton Wednesday after allegedly exposing himself in the "quiet area" of Forbes Library, according to The Daily Hampshire Gazette.

Felix Torres, 54, has been accused of engaging in lewd behavior at the library on two occasions since September, The Gazette reports. Court records show he is wanted in connection with a 1995 cocaine possession charge in Northampton County, Pennsylvania.

Torres pleaded not guilty in Northampton District Court Thursday to two counts of open and gross lewdness, obstruction of justice and being a fugitive of justice.

Laura Newberry | laura.newberry@masslive.com 

A library patron was working at a desk near the "quiet area" Wednesday when she noticed Torres sitting on a step stool and peaking at her through gaps in a bookshelf, The Gazette said. The patron told police Torres was masturbating in plain view, and that she had seen him do the same thing in that area of the library on Sept. 2.

Torres initially denied the accusations, but later told translating state police he had been masturbating and was ashamed, court documents said.

The patron told police she confronted Torres twice Wednesday. The second time Torres replied in a hostile tone, "I don't have to put up with this" and left. The patron and a library staff member then followed Torres toward New South Street and onto the intersection of Main and Masonic streets, where police arrested him.

Torres first used the alias Jose Cotto when officers asked for his identity, The Gazette said. Records show Torress has used that name, as well as Nelson Martinez, in the past.

Torres' bail was set at $25,000 cash or $250,000 personal surety.

Work has begun to cleanup the 33-acre site that will be the future home to Wynn Resort's $1.7 billion waterfront casino in Everett, the casino developer announced this week.

Work has begun to clean up the 33-acre site that will be the future home to Wynn Resorts' $1.7 billion waterfront casino in Everett, the casino developer announced this week.

Remediation of the heavily contaminated land, which formerly hosted chemical plants and was inaccessible to the public for more than a century, is expected to cost a total of $30 million - a cost Wynn will pay without any public funds, the company said.

Boston-based Charter Contracting Company, LLC., a land remediation and civil construction company, has been awarded the contract to conduct the initial phase of clean up, which is expected to take four months.

Wynn Everett President Robert DeSalvio said the contract with Charter will allow his company to "erase more than a century of environmental neglect by converting a barren brownfield into a spectacular waterfront destination."

The proposed casino project, which is estimated to add $260 million in annual tax revenue to the state, includes a five-star resort with more than 600 hotel rooms, retail and dining, among other amenities. Its expected to generate over 4,000 construction jobs and 4,000 permanent jobs.

Charter President Robert Delhome called the site clean up "the first step toward revitalizing this blighted urban parcel into a vibrant and productive space."

"Remediation of the contaminated site not only improves the environment, but also benefits the region's economy via Wynn's use of Charter, which is a local firm," he said. "We look forward to meeting and exceeding Wynn's high standards for safety, quality and minimal negative impact on the local community."

Wynn, which was granted one of the three casino licenses for Massachusetts, paid $35 million for the 33-acre parcel of land.

While work to clean up the site has begun, the project has faced legal challenges in recent weeks.

The city of Boston reportedly filed a late-September lawsuit challenging a key certification that Wynn Resorts needs to start construction. Shortly thereafter Steve Wynn filed a libel lawsuit claiming that his company was defamed through subpoenas provided to the media on a city of Boston lawsuit against the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the Boston Globe reported.

This week, meanwhile, a Suffolk Superior Court judge threw out lawsuit challenging the MBTA's decision to sell three parcels of land Wynn needs for road access to its property.

City firefighters were called to a Leete Street home just before noon on Friday, after receiving multiple calls about a structure fire.

SPRINGFIELD - City firefighters were called to a Leete Street home just before noon on Friday, after receiving multiple calls about a structure fire.

Around 11:35 a.m., the blaze at 61-63 Leete St. was reported and as crews arrived on the scene, they reported a person on a second-story porch trying to climb down to the ground. It is unclear if he, or anyone else, was injured.

Police closed Leete Street at Longhill Street and Fort Pleasant Avenue while crews were fighting the blaze.

The fire appears to be knocked down, and firefighters are working to vent smoke from the buildiing. Everyone who was home appears to have made it out.

Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, said that one person has been displaced by the fire. The Pioneer Valley chapter of the American Red Cross has been called to the scene to assist, he said.

The cause is not yet known. Investigators with the city Arson and Bomb Squad will be looking to determine how it started, Leger said.

The building appears to have sustained heavy damages. Firefighters had to cut a hole through the roof to remove smoke.

Leger said he believes the building has two units and that one of them was unnoccupied.

Firefighters were summoned to that address in 2008 when somebody attempted to throw a Molotov cocktail through the window. Fortunately, however, the incendiary device failed to completely penetrate the double-pane window and the fire was out when firefighters arrived.

According to city records, the property at 61-63 Leete St. is a two-family home constructed in 1912. It is owned by ANHS Inc. of Springfield.

The building and property has a valuation of $125,000.

The Republican has a reporter on the scene, and will update as additional information becomes available.

The map below shows the approximate location of the house fire.

Trick-or-treaters can roam Holyoke City Hall and City Hall Annex Oct. 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

HOLYOKE -- The Fire Department will hold its annual Halloween safety event with tips to families about keeping the celebration safe on Oct. 29 from 2 to 6 p.m. at 600 High St.

On Oct. 30, City Hall and City Hall Annex will welcome children from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to roam the halls trick-or-treating at municipal offices in a free event for children 12 and younger, a press release said.

On Oct. 31, the Parks and Recreation Department's "not-so-scary Halloween event" -- Boo Fest -- will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. at Holyoke Heritage State Park, 221 Appleton St. The event for children 12 and younger will include a haunted house inside the visitors' center, music, games, a limited amount of goodie bags, Merry Go Round rides (at $2 a ride) and a costume contest.

At the Fire Department, children under 12 -- in costume or not -- will get a free Halloween bag, treats and other refreshments, a posting on the city website said.

"Halloween is a fun and spooky time of year. Make trick or treating safe for little monsters with a few easy safety tips," the posting said.

Among safety tips (see below) are:

--smaller children always should go trick-or-treating with adults;

--only approach houses where outside lights are on as a signal of welcome;

--bring bags home to be checked by an adult before eating any treats.

Halloween safety tips from Massachusetts Department of Fire Services:

Springfield area public officials, worried about low bail amounts set by judges, are fighting for support on Beacon Hill for a bill that would allow prosecutors to appeal a low bail ruling.

Springfield area public officials, worried about low bail amounts set by judges, are fighting for support on Beacon Hill for a bill that would allow prosecutors to appeal a low bail ruling.

"I don't see a groundswell yet of support for change to the bail statute," said Martin W. Healy, chief legal counsel of the Massachusetts Bar Association.

The bill, HD.4161, was sponsored by state Reps. Angelo Puppolo, D-Springfield, and Michael Finn, D-West Springfield, with the support of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni and other Springfield officials.

Under current law, a defendant unhappy with the bail set by a District Court judge can appeal to a Superior Court judge. But prosecutors unhappy with bail cannot appeal.

Sarno has complained that Springfield area trial judges have been granting low bail to repeat offenders, who return to the streets. Supporters of the bill, including local law enforcement officials, say it hurts the community when violent offenders are returned to the streets while awaiting trial.

Finn said the goal is to give prosecutors the same right as defendants. "We want to level the playing field the defense bar has, and give the commonwealth the same right," Finn said.

"We're not taking away a single right from a single defendant," Finn said. He said all the bill does is allow prosecutors to "have a second set of eyes" look at a bail decision in cases when they think a judge made a mistake.

"This is not meant to be punitive," Puppolo said. "It's meant to give the district attorneys another tool in the fight against crime and essentially keep habitual offenders with a long criminal history, make sure the bail is set at an appropriate level."

However, the Hampden County Bar Association has pushed back against the proposal. "The law's been around for decades, and it's worked quite well," Jeff Morneau, president of the bar association. "There's no evidence to support the fact that the amount of bail that's being set is not doing what the bail statutes is supposed to do, which is ensure the defendant is at his or her next court appearance."

The Hampden County Bar Association notes that high bail will not prevent more dangerous criminals from being released - but will harm poor defendants, who are more likely to lose their jobs or homes or plead guilty because they cannot afford bail.

Healy, of the Massachusetts Bar Association, said this issue has arisen occasionally over the years, generally due to dissatisfaction with bail in an urban community. But he cautioned that the idea behind bail is to ensure that a defendant shows up to his next court appearance. "It's not used for holding people or for a punitive measure," Healy said. If a district attorney believes someone poses a threat, he can request a dangerousness hearing, in which a judge will decide whether the defendant can be held.

Healy said it is up to the Legislature to decide whether to change the bail statute, but he has not seen significant support for a change from the legal community or law enforcement statewide. "I agree there is a certain level of frustration out there, but in terms of such a widespread change to the bail statute throughout the commonwealth, I don't see a lot of that advocacy," Healy said. The bill has 13 co-sponsors, mostly from Western Massachusetts.

The proposal comes as state policymakers have been putting renewed emphasis on criminal justice reform - but generally in ways that would lessen, not increase, incarceration.

Lew Finfer, an organizer with the "Jobs not Jails" coalition that has been pushing for less incarceration and more assistance of offenders, said any discussion of changing the bail law should come in the context of helping those who cannot afford bail.

Finfer said the number of cases where bail is set too low is far fewer than the number of cases where someone accused of a crime cannot afford even a low bail. "These are people who can't raise $200 to $500 to get bail, so they sit in prison for months, taken away from their families and jobs," Finfer said.

Two bills pending before the Legislature, which have gotten support from at least 65 lawmakers, would require judges to use a risk-assessment tool to determine who can be released before trial, rather than the current system where cash bail is based on the charge. Proponents of the bills say this would result in releasing more low-risk defendants into community supervision pre-trial - saving the state money, while keeping only the highest risk offenders locked up.

State lawmakers and local officials will discuss the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's proposal to restore passenger rail service to Palmer during an evening forum at the city's library next week.

SPRINGFIELD ‒ State lawmakers and local officials will discuss the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's proposal to restore passenger rail service to Palmer during an evening forum at the city's library next week.

The Oct. 28 forum, which is the first in a series the Palmer Public Library will host on the subject, will come ahead of the November release of the Northern New England Intercity Rail Initiative - a MassDOT study that includes Palmer Station as the only Western Massachusetts suburban rail stop.

Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, a supporter of high-speed rail service between Boston and Western Massachusetts, will join Sen. Anne Gobi, D-Spencer, and Rep. Todd Smola, R-Warren, for the 6:30 p.m. event at the library's community room.

Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Principal Transportation Planner Dana Roscoe and Palmer property owner John McElduff are also slated to speak at the forum. A representative from MassDOT is expected to be in attendance, organizers said.

With passenger rail service to Palmer an important issue for the area, a grassroots campaign has led local officials to take strong stands in support of the state's proposal.

The Palmer Town Council recently endorsed plans to expand passenger rail service and sent a letter of support.

Supporters contend that it will positively impact tourism, economic growth, real estate values and highway congestion.

Hurricane Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere.

CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
Associated Press

PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AP) -- Hurricane Patricia barreled toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere. Locals and tourists were either hunkering down or trying to make last-minute escapes ahead of what forecasters called a "potentially catastrophic landfall" later in the day.

The storm was homing in on a Pacific coastline dotted with both sleepy fishing villages and gleaming resorts, including the popular beach city of Puerto Vallarta and the port of Manzanillo. After hitting land, Patricia's projected path would quickly take it over mountainous terrain that's prone to dangerous flash floods and landslides.

In Puerto Vallarta, locals reinforced homes with sandbags and shop windows with boards and tape, and hotels rolled up beachfront restaurants. The airport was closed to all flights and all but deserted, but lines formed at a bus station by people anxious to buy tickets to Guadalajara and other inland destinations.

Fire trucks and ambulances vehicles rolled through the streets, sirens blaring, advising people to evacuate. For Jose Manuel Gonzalez Ochoa, owner of chicken restaurant Ochoa Pollos, that made up his mind. His family lives in their ground-floor chicken restaurant, Ochoa Pollos, and neighbors told them water was 5 feet deep in the street the last time a hurricane came through.

"We're better off heading up there already," Gonzalez Ochoa said, mentioning a town 30 minutes from the coast. "The whole government is telling us to leave. You have to obey."

Asked what preparations he would make for his business, he said he'd just close it up and see what's left after the storm passes.

Patricia formed suddenly Tuesday evening as a tropical storm, turned into a hurricane just over a day later and just kept growing in strength, catching many off guard. By Friday it was the most powerful hurricane on record in the Western Hemisphere with maximum sustained winds near 200 mph (325 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Patricia's power was comparable to that of Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 dead or missing in the Philippines two years ago, according to the U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization. More than 4 million people were displaced and over 1 million houses were destroyed or damaged in 44 provinces in the central Visayas region, a large cluster of islands.

By late morning Patricia's center was about 125 miles (200 kilometers) southwest of Manzanillo, and about 195 miles (310 kilometers) south of Cabo Corrientes. The Hurricane Center said Patricia was expected to remain an "extremely dangerous" Category 5 hurricane through landfall in the afternoon or evening, before weakening over the inland mountains.

Mexican officials declared a state of emergency in dozens of municipalities in Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco states, and schools were closed. Many residents had already bought supplies ahead of Patricia's arrival. The government suspended tolls on the Guadalajara-Tepic highway to facilitate the flow of vehicles from the coast.

According to the 2010 census, there were more than 7.3 million inhabitants in Jalisco state and more than 255,000 in Puerto Vallarta municipality. There were more than 650,000 in Colima state, and more than 161,000 in Manzanillo.

Evacuations were under way in Puerto Vallarta, with officials taking people to 14 shelters, mostly in schools, according to the Jalisco government's webpage. There were no immediate figures on evacuations, and few people were seen going to the shelters.

Roberto Ramirez, director of Mexico's National Water Commission, which includes the nation's meteorological service, said Patricia's winds would be powerful enough to lift automobiles, destroy homes that are not sturdily built with cement and steel and drag anyone caught outside when the storm strikes.

Civil protection official Daniel Garcia was dressed as a lifeguard in his red swimsuit and yellow poncho with a flotation device slung over his shoulder as he waked the Puerto Vallarta waterfront, advising everyone to move at least three blocks from the water.

Previous hurricanes have taught them that these streets fill with sand and flying stones, he said. Most businesses were closing, but authorities were concerned because some business owners told employees to stay put as a security measure.

Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio told Mexico's Radio Formula that officials are especially worried about the safety of people in Puerto Vallarta and the nearby community of Bahia de Banderas, in Nayarit state.

"We need people to understand the magnitude of the hurricane," he said. "It is a devastating hurricane, the biggest one ever registered."

Osorio added that the government deployed soldiers and police, but did not say how many.

Three airports in Patricia's path were shut down: Puerto Vallarta; Manzanillo, in Colima state; and Tepic, in Nayarit.

The lobby of the Sheraton Hotel in Puerto Vallarta was bustling Friday morning, with a long line of people forming to check out. More than 900 guests had rooms at the hotel the previous evening, but many wanted to get out of town before the storm arrived.

Sandra Rojas and her husband, a veterinarian from San Jose, Costa Rica, were among those trying to leave. After loading their cars, they were going to drive to Guadalajara to plan their next move.

"The hotel is saying that nothing is going to happen," Rojas said. "But it's nature. Anything can happen."

Forecasters warned of coastal flooding, destructive waves and flash floods.

Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen said Patricia also poses problems for Texas. Forecast models indicate that after the storm breaks up over land, remnants of its tropical moisture will likely combine with and contribute to heavy rainfall that is already soaking Texas independently of the hurricane, he said.

"It's only going to make a bad situation worse," he said.

The U.S. National Weather Service said a flash flood watch would be in effect through Sunday morning for Dallas Fort-Worth, Austin and San Antonio, Texas.

A coastal food warning was in effect through Friday night in Corpus Christi. Galveston was under a coastal flood advisory until Saturday night.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the Mexican coast from San Blas to Punta San Telmo, and a broader area was under hurricane watch, tropical storm warning or tropical storm watch.

___

Associated Press writers Peter Orsi and E. Eduardo Castillo in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Transformations Inc. wants to build the zero-energy single-family and duplex homes north of Ford Crossing on an as yet undeveloped portion of Village Hill. The state turned the former Northampton State Hospital land over to Northampton in the 1990s, when it deinstitutionalized the housing of the mentally ill.

NORTHAMPTON — The Planning Board continued its discussion of an 88-unit development on Village Hill after a three-hour public comment session in which neighbors expressed concerns about the project.

Transformations Inc. wants to build the zero-energy single-family and duplex homes north of Ford Crossing on an as yet undeveloped portion of Village Hill. The state turned the former Northampton State Hospital land over to Northampton in the 1990s, when it deinstitutionalized the housing of the mentally ill.

Much of the hospital campus has already been developed, but the new housing, which would feature solar panels and state-of-the-art stormwater management, would be built on an undeveloped 42-acre site.

Neighbors had concerns about access to the rail trial network that runs through Village Hill, according to Senior Land Use Planner Carolyn Misch. The board delayed its own deliberations in part because the public discussion went on so long, she said.

The Amherst Select Board serves as the town's liquor license commission.

AMHERST - The Select Board will be holding a liquor license hearing for a request by the owner of Amherst Center Market to sell beer and wine in his Triangle Street convenience store.

Glenn D. Hamill, who owns liquor stores in Hatfield and Sunderland, took over the market her in August.

The Select Board, which is the town's Liquor Commission, rejected requests from Hess and Cumberland Farms convenience stores in 2012 to sell beer and wine.

Several people had written letters in opposition and Police Chief Scott P. Livingstone wrote that he did not believe convenience stores selling alcohol served the public interest.

Cousins Market, meanwhile, sells alcohol in shops just around the corner at 11 E. Pleasant St.

The town has five of eight such licenses available.

No one has sent in letters or emails of opposition. The hearing begins at 6:45 p.m. in Town Hall. 

Obituaries from The Republican.

Kristina Lapierre 

Kristina L. Lapierre, 30, of West Springfield died last Monday. Born in Springfield, she lived in West Springfield most of her life. She worked as a waitress for area restaurants.

Full obituary and funeral arrangements for Kristina Lapierre »

At the Campus Center at Umass Amherst on Friday, student volunteers of the Sustainable Umass and Phoenix Lifestyles collected donated clothes to resell to students for Halloween costumes.

AMHERST — At the Campus Center at Umass Amherst on Friday, student volunteers of the Sustainable Umass and Phoenix Lifestyles collected donated clothes to resell to students for Halloween costumes.

Volunteers set up work tables and offered ideas and methods for changing shirts into Zombie costumes that included fake blood by the gallon.

While Halloween videos and music played, shoppers were treated to a smorgasbord of candies for the taking and great deals on clothing.

The sale continues through 10 p.m. Friday in room 162 of the UMass Amherst Campus Center.

The world was about to end for the second time as Martians invaded Earth during The War of the Worlds in Western Mass radio program at Westfield Technical Academy on Thursday.

WESTFIELD - The world was about to end for the second time as Martians invaded Earth during The War of the Worlds in Western Mass radio program at Westfield Technical Academy on Thursday.

The original HG Wells' broadcast of The War of the Worlds was on October 30, 1938 while Thursday night's broadcast was slightly modified for the local area by George Delisle and Jay Pagluica.

Background music and entertainment was supplied by the Westfield High School Jazz Band which the show doubled as a fundraiser for the Westfield High School Band.

The 90-minute performance Thursday night was a presentation of Westfield State University radio station WSKB.

The adaptation of the original show started in October 2014 when the Friday morning talk show host Jay Pagluica started chatting off air with radio producer Peter Cowles. The two discussed the possibility about creating a little mischief with the original 1938 version of the War of the Worlds during the 2015 Halloween season.

The event was staged in the school auditorium and open to the public. Westfield Technical Academy Culinary Arts students provided dinner for the actors and sold refreshments during the 20-minute intermission. Westfield High School Band officials said door donations totaled $581 which will be used for band activities.

Pagluica's show JP's Talk Around Town and JP's Golden Age of Radio can be heard from 6-8 a.m. at 89.5 FM or on the worldwide web at www.AtomicRadio.US or www.WSKB.org.

On Main Street in Northampton, Lee Ann Masloski showed a sign saying she is "close to homeless." She has an apartment somewhere, for 20 years, she said. This is good, because when the weather turns cold, homeless people start dying. Watch video

NORTHAMPTON — It was starting to get cold when I saw Lee Ann Masloski on Main Street with her terrier, Kananii.

Masloski shows a sign saying she is "close to homeless." She has an apartment somewhere, for 20 years, she said. That's good. With winter approaching, the cold can be brutal, if not fatal, for the homeless..

Exposure is usually the cause. One spring. three or four people were found dead in various ponds and bodies of water, but that was a different phenomenon. Maybe they were trying to wash off the winter grime. Maybe they had too much to drink or were on meds or were mentally unstable and made a mistake.

Masloski told me much about her, but not her exact age. She would only say she is "50ish." People can be funny that way.

Although she is still in her apartment, she said she is unable to work and can't make ends meet, which is why she was on the street asking for help.

You can watch more of my interview with her in the video above.

The woman climbed a fire escape at about 1:45 p.m. Thursday in the area of 30 Center St. and was contemplating jumping, Michael Wilk, public information officer for the department, said.

THE REPUBLICAN FILE 

CHICOPEE -- Police talked a distraught woman off the second-story ledge of a Center Street building Thursday afternoon.

The woman climbed a fire escape at about 1:45 p.m. in the area of 30 Center St. and was thinking about jumping, Michael Wilk, public information officer for the department, said.

Officers Ryan Romano, Al Blankenship and Jacek Wanat arrived on scene and Romano and Blankenship went upstairs. They entered an apartment and were able to reach the woman via a window. She was sitting on a narrow ledge and was extremely distraught and shaking, Wilk said.

Romano climbed out, with Blankenship holding onto his duty belt so he would not fall off the ledge. After a brief conversation, the woman agreed to come in off the ledge.

She was taken to Holyoke Medical Center.

Single-lane ramp closures to and from the Memorial Avenue Rotary and Route 5 north will be in effect from 3 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26, to 7 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to state transportation officials.

West Springfield — Single-lane ramp closures to and from the Memorial Avenue Rotary and Route 5 north will be in effect from 3 a.m. Monday, Oct. 26, to 7 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

The single-lane closures are as follows:

• On-ramp from Memorial Avenue Rotary (Route 147) to Route 5 north
• Off-ramp from Route 5 north to Memorial Avenue Rotary (Route 147)

Memorial Avenue will remain open to through-traffic at all times, MassDOT officials said Friday. Traffic delays are expected and detours will be in place, according to transportation officials, who are encouraging drivers to seek alternate routes. Motorists traveling through the work zone are asked to slow down.

The work is part of MassDOT's Memorial Avenue Rotary Replacement Project, which includes improvements to Route 147 and the U.S. Route 5 interchange area. The eastbound and westbound rotary bridges have already been replaced in the project, which is expected to conclude before winter. However, the major infrastructure overhaul depends on the weather and is "subject to change without notice," MassDOT officials said.

More information about the project, including how to receive electronic updates, is available at www.mass.gov/massdot/MemorialAvenueRotaryReplacement.

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Senator Donald Humason (R-Westfield) has announced he will hold public office hours in Easthampton and Holyoke on Monday, Nov. 2. Humason will be at the Easthampton Council on Aging at 19 Union St. from 10-11:30 a.m. and at the Holyoke Council on Aging at 291 Pine St. from 1-2:30 p.m. All are welcome to come, visit, and share their thoughts...

Senator Donald Humason (R-Westfield) has announced he will hold public office hours in Easthampton and Holyoke on Monday, Nov. 2.

Humason will be at the Easthampton Council on Aging at 19 Union St. from 10-11:30 a.m. and at the Holyoke Council on Aging at 291 Pine St. from 1-2:30 p.m.

All are welcome to come, visit, and share their thoughts or concerns on state matters, said Humason in a statement.

Humason and his staff are also available to meet with constituents at his 64 Noble Street district office in Westfield, which can be reached at (413) 568-1366. His Boston office can be reached at (617) 722-1415. Sen. Humason's email address is Donald.Humason@MASenate.gov.

Humason represents the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District, which consists of the cities of Agawam, Easthampton, Holyoke and Westfield, parts of the city of Chicopee, and the towns of Granville, Montgomery, Russell, Southampton, Southwick and Tolland.

FBI Director James Comey said he has been told about higher-ranking police telling officers "to remember that their political leadership has no tolerance for a viral video."

CHICAGO -- Police anxiety in the era of ever-present cellphone cameras and viral videos partly explains why violent crime has risen in several large U.S. cities this year, FBI Director James Comey said Friday.

Comey told several hundred students during a forum at the University of Chicago Law School that it's critical to do more to address a widening gulf between law enforcement and citizens in many communities, particularly African-Americans.

He said while there likely are multiple factors behind the spike in violence in cities, including Chicago, officers and others nationwide have told him they see "the era of viral videos" as a link.

"I don't know whether this explains it entirely, but I do have a strong sense that some part of the explanation is a chill wind blowing through American law enforcement over the last year, and that wind is surely changing behavior," Comey said.

He added that some of the behavioral change in police officers has been for the good "as we continue to have important discussions about police conduct and de-escalation and the use of deadly force."

Comey likened the strain between law enforcement and local communities to two lines diverging, saying repeatedly that authorities must continue to work at improving their relationships with citizens. But he added: "I actually feel the lines continuing to arc away from each other, incident by incident, video by video."

Most of the country's 50 largest cities have seen an increase in shootings and killings, he said, citing Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas and others. In Washington, D.C., he said homicides are up more than 20 percent. And he added that Baltimore is averaging more than one homicide a day -- a rate higher than New York City, which has 13 times the people.

"Why is it happening ... all over and all of a sudden?" he asked. "I've heard a lot of theories -- reasonable theories."

He suggested other factors, including the availability of cheaper heroin, guns getting into the wrong hands for wrongdoing, and street gangs becoming smaller and more territorial.

But he said his conversations with officers often come back to cellphones. He said they describe encounters with young people and their cellphone cameras "taunting" them "the moment they get out of their cars."

"They told me, 'We feel like we're under siege and we don't feel much like getting out of our cars,'" Comey said.

He said he has been told about higher-ranking police telling officers "to remember that their political leadership has no tolerance for a viral video."

A spokesman for the ACLU of Illinois, Ed Yohnka, said later Friday he disagreed with Comey's assessment.

"Police officers who respect civilians and the law will only enhance the reputation of their departments when recorded by civilians," Yohnka said. "And officers should be trained to conduct themselves with professionalism regardless of whether a camera is recording them."

A gorilla, a ketchup bottle even a vampire bacon handed candy and small finger lights for families to safely navigate the paths around the zoo.

SPRINGFIELD — Costumed characters greeted guests Trick-or-Treating on the lighted paths of the Forest Park Zoo on Friday evening.

A gorilla, a ketchup bottle even a vampire bacon handed candy and small finger lights for families to safely navigate the paths around the zoo.

Some of the smaller live animals from the barn were taken out for display.

Participants took part in crafts and game tents where youngsters could bowl, toss bean bags, make their own skeleton and put their hands in food buckets which felt like internal body parts.

The safari continues on Saturday evening October 24th and Friday evening October 30th.