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Haydenville Dunkin' Donuts approved by Williamsburg zoning board

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Developers hope to begin construction in the spring and open by mid-July.

WILLIAMSBURG -- The Zoning Board of Appeals on Monday night approved a 2,200 square-foot Dunkin' Donuts with a drive-through at 142 Main Street (Rt. 9), the site of a former Berkshire Bank branch.

The plan for a fast-food restaurant in the village of Haydenville had drawn significant opposition, with residents raising issues about traffic, noise, light, aesthetics, and their aversion to corporate, chain restaurants.

Zoning board chairman Charles Dudek said that the board may not discriminate against a project because it is part of a chain, and must base its ruling solely upon issues pertinent to the town's zoning bylaw.

Dudek said that he found the plan to be compatible with other uses in village mixed zoning district. He said there were not unacceptable levels of water pollution, air pollution, or noise. He noted that the applicant had developed lighting specifications to minimize glare, and would take steps to reduce noise coming from the intercom at the takeout window.

Board member Gerald Mann said he had reviewed public comment that had been submitted on the project, and said that there was a lot of repetition and "wishful thinking."

"I might want a four-star restaurant that serves ten-dollar meals, but that's not going to happen," said Mann. "We have plans and a certain application that's before us." Mann said he did not believe the plan would generate unacceptable levels of traffic.

Board member Osa Flory said she had engaged in a lot of "soul searching" and that it had been a "difficult process."

"142 Main Street could be an auto repair shop or retail in the future," she said. "Turning down the application is no guarantee a better business would come along."

Dunkin' Donuts "is not proposing a historic building" but is proposing a white cape with relatively subdued lighting and signage, Flory said. "I think the structure is reasonably compatible with other uses in the district.... This may be the best we can expect."

A traffic study included with the application showed that the change at the intersection "will be within acceptable service levels," said Dudek, who added that no competing traffic study had been submitted showing contradictory conclusions.

Board members said the proponents had agreed to signage that will be gold leaf on a dark background, and that the restaurant will be open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Valorie Pennington of Haydenville said she was not happy with the result. "I think the zoning board is just looking at the revenue, and is not taking seriously the considerations of the people who actually live here." 

Josh Lynn of Haydenville, who had organized opposition to the project via an on-line petition, said it was a "pretty good outcome" but that he was concerned about enforcement. "I'm concerned they won't follow the conditions" of the special permit and site plan, he said.

Helen Symons of Haydenville said that neighbors had met to discuss their concerns, especially about traffic, but that ultimately she believed that "the process was very good."

Dudek later said that members of the public should consider getting involved in local government if they want to improve the town's zoning bylaws. "We have no design standards, and no historic preservation ordinance," he said.

Mann added that Williamsburg first adopted zoning in 2003, and amended the code in 2013. "Getting town meeting to agree to having three different zones in town took a lot of doing," he said.

The plan has already gained approval from the Conservation Commission and Planning Board.


Marcianna Caplis, chair of the Conservation Commission, said the plan represented an improvement over the existing bank building. The developers agreed to plant a row of native trees at the edge of the site, which borders the Mill River, she said, and would build a "much improved" stormwater management system to reduce the pollutants from site runoff.

Consultants R. Levesque and Associates, Inc. of Westfield submitted the application, posted to the town website with supporting materials, on June 30 on behalf of Sao Joao Realty, LLC.

Emanual Sardinha of Sao Joao Realty said developers plan to demolish the bank building on Rt. 9 over the winter and start construction in the spring, with an opening date in mid-July.

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com


1 charged with drunken driving following head-on collision in Hardwick

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One of the trucks apparently traveling northbound was seen on the wrong side of the road, smashed into a southbound vehicle

HARDWICK - A motor vehicle operator was arrested for drunken driving following a head-on collision on Route 32 on Monday that involved three pickup trucks, resulting in minor injuries, police said.

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Moments after the accident happened, one of the trucks apparently traveling northbound was seen on the wrong side of the road, smashed head-on into a southbound vehicle, police said.

The crash occurred between the Hardwick Farmers Cooperative, and Dunroamin golf course a little after 5:30 p.m., police said.

The state highway was closed, and a detour was set up, as debris was strewn over the roadway, according to the police report. None of the operators required hospitalization.

As of Monday night, police had not released the name of the individual arrested.

The road was reopened prior to 8 p.m., police said.

West Brookfield police assisted Hardwick.


This is a developing story and more information will be posted as it becomes available.

Amanda Plasse murder case: Testimony zeroes in on suspect Dennis Rosa-Roman's hair

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Judge Edward J. McDonough has heard testimony on two motions to suppress filed by Donald W. Frank, lawyer for Dennis Rosa-Roman, charged with murder in the Chicopee slaying of 20-year-old Amanda Plasse.

SPRINGFIELD -- Did Dennis Rosa-Roman - charged in the 2011 fatal stabbing of Amanda Plasse in Chicopee - ever have bangs, hair to his shoulders or wavy hair?

That was the focus of quite a bit of questioning in a Monday afternoon hearing on a defense motion to suppress an identification by Chicopee resident Todd Rogers.

Rogers testified at a hearing Friday he saw a man with a bloody shirt near Amanda Plasse's home on the day she was fatally stabbed. After Rogers saw press coverage of Rosa-Roman's 2013 arraignment for the murder, he told police Rosa-Roman was the man he saw.

Donald W. Frank, Rosa-Roman's lawyer, is trying to get Rogers' testimony excluded from the murder trial.

Rosa-Roman, 24, of Westfield, is charged with murder in the Chicopee slaying of Plasse. His trial is set for Jan. 25, but Hampden Superior Court Judge Edward J. McDonough is hearing testimony in two motions filed by Frank on behalf of Rosa-Roman.

Rosa-Roman, of Westfield, has been held without bail since his arrest in November 2013 for the killing of Plasse, 20, who was found stabbed to death on Aug. 26, 2011 in her third-floor apartment at 73 School St. in Chicopee.

Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Ronald Gibbons testified Monday afternoon he interviewed Rogers in June 2013, when Rogers came to the State Police barracks to report what he saw nearly two years before.

Gibbons said Rogers said the man whom he saw coming out from behind a bush the day Plasse was stabbed had shoulder length wavy hair that came down to his eyebrows.

Gibbons said when he first met Rosa-Roman in 2012, his hair was much longer than it is now.

Frank asked State Trooper Michael Blanchette about Rosa-Roman's hair on the day in November 2013 he was arrested for the murder. Blanchette said Rosa-Roman didn't have bangs, but his hair was longer than it is now.

Frank called Dorcas Roman, Rosa-Roman's mother, to the stand for more talk about her son's hair.

Roman, who said she is a pastor, said she saw him every day until he was arrested and now visits him twice a month. She said her son's hair never got much longer than it is now and he never had bangs and his hair was never down to his shoulders or over his ears.

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/11/dennis_rosa_roman_of_springfie.html

Assistant District Attorney Karen J. Bell asked Roman if she lost contact with Rosa-Roman when she gave up her parental rights and he was adopted. Roman said her parents adopted Rosa-Roman because she was not in a financial position to raise him, but she still saw him every day.

Frank contends Rogers' identification of Rosa-Roman should be excluded because of inaccuracies and because it came after he'd seen coverage of Rosa-Roman being arraigned for the murder.

Blanchette testified he went to Rogers' home the day Rosa-Roman was arrested with a photo array to show Rogers, as was police protocol. But Rogers told him he'd already seen Rosa-Roman in the news and it was the same man he saw, so no photo array was shown.

In a move relating to Rogers' observation skills, Frank called Richard Williams, a private investigator working on the case with Frank, to the stand.

Rogers had testified he met with Williams and described Williams as a white man.

Asked by Frank about his race, Williams said his father is black and his mother is white. He said he describes himself as a light-skinned black man.

Bell, who is white, then asked Williams if he had "pretty much the same skin tone" as herself. She then walked to Williams on the stand and compared the skin tone on her arm to his.

"OK," said Williams in reponse to her question about their relative skin tones.

McDonough has given both sides time to submit further written argument on the motion to suppress Rogers' identification and Frank's motion to suppress statements made by Rosa-Roman.


Massachusetts House passes bill to lift solar net metering cap

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The Massachusetts House on Tuesday, over the objections of the solar industry, passed a bill that would increase a cap on the financial incentives given to solar energy projects but would change the amount of the payments.

BOSTON -- The Massachusetts House on Tuesday, over the objections of the solar industry, passed a bill that would increase a cap on the financial incentives given to solar energy projects but would change the amount of the payments.

"Change is always difficult, but we need to really look out for the ratepayer and to make sure we can still move the economy in the right direction, as well as the green economy," said State Rep. Thomas Golden, D-Lowell, chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. "This is a big balancing act here."

The bill passed 150-2 after some public debate and much closed-door negotiation over amendments.

State Rep. Frank Smizik, D-Brookline, argued that the reduction of the compensation for solar projects "will end any chance of continuing the growth and investment Massachusetts has seen in this industry over the last decade," and will jeopardize jobs in the field.

The issue relates to a state cap on net metering, the practice by which someone can generate solar energy and receive a financial credit for any energy they generated but did not use. The cap, which applies to large-scale projects but not individual homes, has been stalling solar energy projects in parts of the state. The solar industry has advocated for an immediate lifting of the cap. But utilities say the money paid to solar energy producers is making electricity more expensive for all customers, and the net metering system should be reworked before the cap is lifted.

The Senate and Gov. Charlie Baker both released their own proposals for lifting the cap, and now the House has chimed in with a different plan. The issue has urgency because federal tax credits for solar projects are set to expire.

"We're trying to rein in some costs at this time but still grow the green economy," Golden said.

The House bill would raise the cap by 2 percent for public and private projects. Solar industry advocates say this would not be enough to get the state to its goal of producing 1,600 megawatts of solar power, but it would get the state to 1,400 or 1,500 megawatts. It would clear an existing backup of projects, but the state could hit the cap again in around six months, said Janet Gail Besser, vice president of policy and government affairs for the Northeast Clean Energy Council.

The bill would reduce the amount of money paid to solar energy producers from the current retail rate to a wholesale rate. Currently, solar energy producers get around 16 or 17 cents per kilowatt hour. Under a wholesale rate, they would get 3 or 4 cents per kilowatt hour.

Once the state reaches its goal of producing 1,600 megawatts of solar power, state officials would establish a minimum monthly charge for solar customers, which would address concerns by utilities that solar energy producers do not pay for the costs of maintaining transmission lines.

It would let projects established under the old rules get the retail reimbursement rate for 20 years. (A last-minute amendment on the House floor raised that from 15 years.)

Besser and other solar advocates say the wholesale rate is too low and would make it financially difficult to build projects like municipal solar installations, solar panels for low-income housing, and community shared solar, where residents can buy into one large solar project.

Besser said existing projects should be grandfathered in under current rates for 25 years. "It will affect not just solar but any company coming in to invest in Massachusetts if they think a policy framework can be rewritten after the fact in a way that will undermine their projects," Besser said.

The bill would also require state officials to rewrite another solar incentive program, the SREC program, to lower the subsidies once the state meets its solar energy goals. Besser said the state should focus on adjusting those subsidies rather than changing the net metering program.

John Murphy, director of corporate development at NextAmp, a Massachusetts solar developer, said the bill needs to keep the current structure for existing projects or those in the queue. "The concept that a fundamental market structure can be changed in the middle ... is a surefire way to spook the investment community," Murphy said.

Murphy said the shift to the wholesale rate "will make Massachusetts arguably the least friendly of the 40-plus markets offering net metering in the nation."

Environment Massachusetts State Director Ben Hellerstein, in a statement, called the bill "a wolf in sheep's clothing," saying it makes a minor lift to the cap in exchange for major cuts to compensation for solar energy.

Utility companies were more favorable toward the bill. Mary-Leah Assad, a spokeswoman for National Grid, said the House proposal "takes an important step in reforming the state's solar development policies."

"The legislation put forward by the Committee will help reduce the cost of solar to our customers after the Commonwealth reaches its 1,600 megawatt goal, a move toward a more fair and sustainable model that National Grid fully supports," Assad said.

Assad did voice concern that raising the cap will add $325 million in costs for National Grid customers. "As the Legislature looks to adopt policies that support solar growth, we encourage them to avoid adding inequitable and unnecessary costs to our customers," she said.

Priscilla Ress, a spokeswoman for Eversource, said the company is still reviewing the bill's details.

The Senate meets in its last session before winter break on Wednesday. Senators are unlikely to agree with the House bill. But they could potentially pass their own version of the bill, then move it into a committee of House-Senate negotiators so it can be worked on before lawmakers return to formal sessions in January.

Lawmakers are also planning to draft a more comprehensive energy bill this spring.

News Links: 19 sue Boy Scouts over sexual harassment, 6 members of 2 families allegedly killed by man they met camping, and more

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Three of the unidentified murder victims found years ago in Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, N.H., likely were from the Atlantic coast, authorities said Tuesday. The other victim, a preschool-aged girl unrelated to the others, could have come from isolated areas of northern New England, New York or the upper Midwest, officials said.

A digest of news stories from around New England.

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  • 17 former Scouts, 2 girls, sue Connecticut Boy Scouts for sexual harassment [Hartford Courant] Video above


    William Hudson 111715William Hudson 
  • Texas man charged with killing former Maine family members after befriending them on camping trip [Portland Press Herald] Photo at left, video below


  • 3 of 4 bodies found in New Hampshire cold cases, up to 30 years ago, were related, authorities say [Union Leader] Photo below


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  • Boarder gets life after stealing gun from Middleborough homeowner, killing her [Brockton Enterprise]


    Bella Bond 3.jpgBella Bond 
  • Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announces changes in Department of Children and Families in wake of Bella Bond, little girl called Baby Doe whose body was found on Boston Harbor island [Boston.com] Photo at right


  • Vermont woman facing murder charge after allegedly steering into oncoming traffic, arrested again, police say [Burlington Free Press]


  • Connecticut man, accused of throwing 7-month-old son off Bridge, appears in court again [NBC Connecticut] Video below


    Cold Case Four Bodies 111715Senior Assistant Attorney Gen. Benjamin Agati stands in front of new detailed sketches of four unidentified bodies found in Allenstown, N.H. in 1985 and 2000, during a press conference Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, in Concord, N.H. Authorities haven't been able to identify the bodies, a young woman and three girls, found in two metal drums near Bear Brook State Park. Two were found in 1985; the others were found 15 years later. Clink on the link, above, for a report from the Union-Leader of Manchester, N.H. 

  • Layoffs expected as Baystate Health moves inpatient services out of Mary Lane Hospital in Ware [WWLP-TV, 22News, Chicopee]


  • Anthony Beeso, 22, held on $10,000 bail in Worcester home invasion [Telegram & Gazette]


  • United States needs to do more for Syrian refugees, Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin says [Rutland Herald]






     
  • Live reporting: Holyoke Council to vote on tax incentive, immigration order

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    Live coverage of the Holyoke City Council meeting will be posted in the comments section under the story.

    HOLYOKE -- The City Council will vote whether to grant a tax incentive to a manufacturer planning an expansion and whether to withdraw an order related to local police and an immigration policy at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.

    Follow along as live coverage of the meeting is posted in the comments section under this story.

    Mayor Alex B. Morse and the city Department of Planning and Economic Development have reached agreement, pending City Council approval, with International Container Co. LLC. The company at 110-120 North Bridge St. would get property tax cuts over five years on a planned expansion of 10,400 square feet in the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) agreement.

    In return for the company's promise that it will spend up to $1 million on the expansion and add five new jobs, property taxes on only the expansion will be cut 100 percent the first year, 75 percent the second, 50 percent the third, 25 percent the fourth and 5 percent the fifth.

    The company employs 45 people and was founded in 1996 by William K. Searles Jr. It makes containers for the solid waste industry such as roll-off, hook-lift and front- and rear-load containers, along boxes for industrial use, self-contained and stationary compactors, recycling containers, flat beds and custom containers, said a press release from the city.

    Also, the company would get state tax credits pending approval by the Massachusetts Economic Assistance Coordinating Council based on the amount of sales generated from the expansion, the press release said.

    "We are very excited to be working with the City of Holyoke on our expansion project. We are a family business that has been manufacturing in Holyoke for 14 years and are looking forward to our future growth and success here in Holyoke in the years to come," company General Manager Joseph Searles said in the press release.

    "The expansion of International Container is another indicator that manufacturing is alive and well in Holyoke," Morse said.

    Regarding the immigration issue, numerous speakers are expected to participate in the public comment period at the outset of the City Council meeting.

    The council will be considering its Public Safety Committee's 3-2 recommendation to withdraw an order that calls on Morse to rescind an executive order he gave to Police Chief James M. Neiswanger last year about enforcing an immigration policy.

    In that order, Neiswanger and the department were to avoid enforcing a federal civil detainer request. Such requests are made of local police departments by agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

    The goal is that in cases where someone who has been held by local police and is about to be released, a federal agency that has expressed interest in the individual be notified. In some cases that might result in the local police being asked to hold the person longer so federal officials can conduct questioning.

    Neiswanger has said he agrees with Morse's executive order., Removal of the threat of local police scrutinizing someone's immigration status could make people who already are living here more open to talking with police if they witness or have information about a crime, he said.

    Ward 5 Councilor Linda L. Vacon, chairwoman of the Public Safety Committee, filed the order calling on Morse to rescind his executive order. The mayor shouldn't be ordering the police chief to be selective about which laws to enforce, a practice that if followed would lead to anarchy and chaos, she said.

    Speakers at the Public Safety Committee meeting Monday said abiding by Vacon's order would amount to local police enforcing federal immigration policies and targeting Latinos in this heavily Latino population. They called such a step "racist" and "inhumane." Vacon said abiding by the law was proper without being racist.

    The order, which Morse said made official an existing police practice, is not to apply if an individual is the subject of a criminal warrant, has been indicted, arraigned or convicted in relation to a criminal offense or is a registered Massachusetts sex offender, he has said.

    Morse said his executive order that police refrain from abiding by such civil detainer requests ensures police focus on local public safety issues and avoids involvement in immigrant policies that need reform at the federal level of government.

    Morse also said the City Council had no authority to order that he rescind an executive order.

    Bobby Jindal bows out of 2016 presidential race

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    Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal says he is dropping out of 2016 race for president, ending a campaign that failed to gain much support among Republicans.

    BATON ROUGE, La. -- Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal dropped out of the 2016 race for president Tuesday, ending a campaign that failed to gain much support, especially in early-voting Iowa.

    "I've come to the realization that this is not my time," Jindal said on Fox News Channel as he announced the decision to suspend his campaign.

    The 44-year-old governor said he wasn't ready to endorse another candidate, but intended to support the eventual Republican presidential nominee.

    Term-limited and out of office in January, Jindal said he will work with a think tank he started a few years ago, called America Next, to devise what he called "a blueprint for making this the American century."

    "Going forward, I believe we have to be the party of growth and we can never stop being the party that believes in opportunity. We cannot settle for the left's view of envy and division," Jindal said in a statement.

    The nation's first elected Indian-American governor, Jindal focused his entire campaign effort on Iowa, first courting evangelical voters and then trying to broaden his appeal as a candidate with conservative policy plans that others weren't offering.

    But he never won much support in Iowa or elsewhere against higher-profile Republican candidates such as Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

    Jindal's low poll numbers kept him off the main debate stages where he could have drawn more attention, and his fundraising lagged. He was facing a major cash crunch to keep the campaign going, after wrapping up the last fundraising period with $261,000 on hand.

    He also was saddled with low approval ratings and criticism about his governing back in Louisiana, which followed him as he campaigned for the White House.

    Jindal's advisers blamed finances as well as the debate criteria that locked him out of the prime-time events for the governor's decision to exit the competition.

    "He's been thinking about it for a few weeks," said campaign strategist Curt Anderson. "It's not easy. He's a fighter and his instinct is to never give up, but also you have to be realistic in politics."

    Tamara Scott, a national GOP committeewoman from Iowa, said the response was strong when Jindal spoke to crowds there. She said the Louisiana governor was damaged by a debate process that used national polling, rather than early state polling, to determine who appeared on the main stages.

    "He had solutions, not just talking points," said Scott, who is remaining neutral in the race. "To me this is very sad that we are losing one that really resonated well with Iowans when they got to hear him."

    Shane Vander Hart, author of a conservative Iowa blog who recently endorsed Jindal, also expressed disappointment, saying Jindal was getting good reaction in Iowa, though he struggled to gain traction in the polls.

    "If you've done any of his events, retail politicking is one of his strengths. People as they got to know him liked him," Vander Hart said.

    Jindal is the third Republican contender to exit the race. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker suspended their campaigns earlier this year.

    Timmy Teepell, Jindal's campaign manager and longtime political adviser, said the governor was heading home to Louisiana to announce his plan for closing a $490 million budget deficit before traveling the state as he wraps up his tenure in office.

    Complete coverage from our partners at NOLA.com >>

    Gallery preview 

    Photos: Umass Amherst gets new $3.2 million MRI machine for its Life Sciences institute

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    UMass officials said the new MRI machine is the first of its kind in Western Massachusetts, and one of the most powerful made.

    AMHERST - The University of Massachusetts at Amherst received a new, $3.2 million Siemens medical imaging machine at its Institute for Life Sciences on Tuesday.

    The seven ton MRI machine arrived early Tuesday morning. A 100 ton crane was used to unload the controls and the main three ton magnet, piece by piece.

    Professors and administrators involved stood by watching every move as the crane picked box after box from the trailer for almost six hours

    UMass officials said the new MRI machine is the first of its kind in Western Massachusetts, and one of the most powerful made.

    Coming from the Siemens AG based in Germany, the piece of equipment is scheduled to be up and running in January.


    Spirit of Springfield to offer free admission to Bright Nights for police, firefighters, active military on 'Public Safety Night'

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    Bright Nights will offer free admission to active military, area law enforcement, firefighters and emergency medical technicians and their families on Dec. 2.


    SPRINGFIELD - The Spirit of Springfield announced Tuesday that it will offer free admission to Bright Nights at Forest Park on Dec. 2 to area law enforcement, firefighters and emergency medical technicians.

    Admission that night will be waived for all municipal, state and campus police, correctional officers, firefighters, EMTs and all active members of the U.S. military. The move expands a program over the last several years that offered one night's free admission to members of the military.

    Bright Nights at Forest Park will open for its 21st season on , Nov. 25 and will continue each night through Jan. 3 except for the nights of Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

    The announcement was made during a brief ceremony Tuesday at Forest Park that was attended by area police and fire officials and city officials.

    Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant said he was grateful on behalf of the city's firefighters for Spirit of Springfield recognizing the efforts of area's first responders.

    "I know the men and women of the Springfield Fire and Police Departments are dedicated to the safety and well-being of the residents of Springfield," he said.

    Police Commissioner John Barbieri said "I am grateful to Bright Nights for their kind recognition of the men and women who selflessly dedicate themselves to the protection and service of the residents in our great city."

    For the free admission on Bright Nights Public Safety Night, valid identification will be required.

    For more information about Bright Nights at Forest Park, visit www.brightnights.org or contact the Spirit of Springfield at (413) 733-3800.

    Live Reporting: Chicopee Council to vote to add more cops, tear down Uniroyal

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    There are 26 items on the agenda, Masslive will cover the meeting live in the comments section below.

    CHICOPEE - The City Council is scheduled to discuss beefing up the Police Department by four additional patrolmen and allocating $860,000 from the city's free cash account to continue work on the on-going project to take down the former Uniroyal factory buildings in its regular meeting Tuesday.

    The Council will meet at 7:15 p.m. Masslive will report on the meeting live in the comments below.

    There are six items on the agenda that will ask the City Council to transfer money from the about $6.3 million free cash account, that was certified by the state in late October, to be used to continue the long efforts to try to tear down dozens of buildings on the contaminated Uniroyal property.

    The city has been working on the effort for about a decade. At least three years ago it managed to finish razing the buildings on the former Facemate property. Part of that land has been used for the city's new RiverMills Senior Center and there are two other parcels that the city eventually hopes to market to private developers.

    Some of the buildings have also been torn down on the larger Uniroyal property, but a number remain. Mayor Richard J. Kos and the City Council agreed to spend about $185,000 to secure the former office building in the hopes someone will purchase it and renovate it.

    The City Council will also take up a proposal to spend nearly $80,700 to temporarily beef up the Police Department by hiring four extra officers. The city's current ordinance calls for 111 patrol officers to be on the department, the proposal would change the ordinance to allow for up to 115 officers.

    The plan is to hire new officers and send them to the six-month Police Academy, before existing officers retire. That will leave fewer long-term vacancies between the time officers retire and new ones are hired.

    There are a total of 62 items on the agenda.

    Springfield Fire Department: Woman dies in blaze that destroyed East Springfield home

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    One person died and two others were displaced by a fast-moving fire that destroyed a home at 234 St. James Blvd. at about 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, according to Springfield Fire Department spokesman Dennis Leger. Watch video

    SPRINGFIELD — One woman died and two people were displaced after a fire tore through a home on St. James Boulevard late Tuesday afternoon.

    The victim's identity likely would not be released until Wednesday, said Dennis Leger, executive aide to Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, giving authorities time to notify her family and investigate what sparked the deadly blaze at 234 St. James Blvd.

    The probe is expected to be conducted by the Springfield Arson & Bomb Squad and state troopers assigned to the office of Massachusetts Fire Marshal Stephen Coan.

    The fire was reported at 5:21 p.m., with crews arriving at the address about a minute later. An off-duty city firefighter spotted the flames and reported the incident. The firefighter made an unsuccessful attempt to save the woman, who eventually was found inside the smokey house.

    "Unfortunately she didn't make it, so this is a fatal fire over here," Leger said, noting that the home was a "total loss." The flames also damaged the siding of a neighboring home at 232 St. James Blvd., he said.

    The fire displaced two other occupants of the house, located at the corner of St. James Boulevard and Redlands Street in the city's East Springfield section. A neighborhood resident identified one of the home's occupants as a woman who works at a local supermarket.

    Springfield police closed St. James Boulevard between Page Boulevard and roughly El Paso Street, directing rush-hour traffic away from the fire scene.


     

    Westfield State receives historic $1 million gift from former professor Catherine Dower

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    Former Westfield State University music history professor Catherine Dower has donated $1 million to fund the school's music department – the largest gift in the university's history.

    A former Westfield State University music history professor has donated $1 million to fund the school's music department - the largest gift in the university's history.

    Catherine Dower, 91, taught at Westfield State for 35 years, from 1956 to 1990, receiving local, state and national recognition for her work and community service. Now, the Catherine A. Dower Center for the Performing & Fine Arts will bear her name, once it is completed next year on the site of the former Juniper Park Elementary School.

    "Catherine Dower is an inspiration - she has been a pioneer and leader her whole career as an educator and as a musician. She has also been a lifelong champion for racial and gender equality and fierce advocate for public higher education," Westfield State University interim President Elizabeth Preston said in a press release. "With this major gift, Dr. Dower is now serving as a leader in philanthropy and her legacy will inspire and support future generations of students, faculty and staff."

    The donation will fund student scholarships, music department operations and a $50,000 grant to purchase a grand piano for the department, according to the press release.

    The size of the donation is historic for the university, according to executive director of University Advancement Mike Knapik. Dower has a long history of philanthropy to Westfield State, including being among the first donors to the Westfield State Foundation almost 35 years ago, Knapik said.

    But the $1 million contribution is in a league of its own. It is more than the university has ever raised from private donors in a single year, and an estimated three times the previous largest donation, Knapik said. The gift is a boost to Westfield State's private fundraising efforts, which have lagged behind similar schools in the state even as public funding cuts have made those efforts more important, according to Knapik.

    "For Westfield, we have not performed in that area as powerfully as our sister schools in the state system," Knapik said. "We know that in Catherine Dower we have an absolute treasure and historic figure at Westfield State."

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    The donation was announced during the intermission of the Westfield State University Wind Symphony's fall concert. Dower attended the performance, returning to the campus where she worked for decades and where she has been a professor emerita since 1991.

    Construction on the arts center named after her is expected to begin in January 2016. Westfield State University reclaimed the on-campus Juniper Park Elementary School from the City of Westfield this summer after the city's lease on the building was not renewed, and hopes to complete renovations by December of next year, according to the university press release.

    The arts center will be first academic building on campus named after a woman, according to the press release. Dower was also a legal trailblazer for women on Westfield State's faculty -- she was a co-plaintiff in a successful 1986 sex discrimination suit against the school, which found that the university had paid its woman faculty unequally.

    Dower's history with Westfield State dates back to 1948, according to a university archives biography - back when it was still known as Westfield State Teacher's College. A recent graduate from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., Dower was offered a job teaching at Westfield State but initially declined because she felt she lacked experience.

    Dower then received a master's degree from Smith College in music research, and joined the Westfield State faculty in 1955. She chaired the school's music department from 1956 until 1967, and led the college's glee club in the 1960s.

    Her studies continued, both in the United States and abroad. Dower earned a PhD in 1968 and conducted research on Sistine Chapel choir books at the Vatican Library; she was later named to the Order of the Holy Sepulchre, a Roman Catholic order of knighthood overseen by the Pope, according to the press release.

    Dower retired from the university in 1990 and was named a professor emerita.

    A Holyoke resident, Dower has also been recognized for local community service. She founded the Massachusetts chapter of the Irish American Cultural Institute in Holyoke and has served as the honorary marshall of the city's St. Patrick's Day Parade, according to the press release.

    This story has been corrected to note that the Catherine A. Dower Center for the Performing & Fine Arts is the first academic building to be named after a woman.

    France launches new airstrikes on Islamic State, hunts for 2nd fugitive

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    Officials told the Associated Press they now believe at least one other attacker was involved and they were working to identify and track down that suspect.

    By LORI HINNANT
    and JAMEY KEATEN

    PARIS -- French police hunted Tuesday for a second terrorist believed to have escaped after the bomb and gun massacres in Paris, while a U.S. official revealed that the suspected mastermind was part of an Islamic State cell that American intelligence agencies had been tracking for months.

    Meanwhile, France and Russia unleashed a new wave of airstrikes against IS targets in Syria, while fears of further terror attacks deepened in Paris and beyond. The Eiffel Tower closed to the public just a day after it had reopened and a soccer match between Germany and the Netherlands was canceled due to a bomb threat just 90 minutes before kickoff.

    Islamic State militants have claimed responsibility for the Friday the 13th attacks that targeted France's national soccer stadium, a packed concert hall and popular restaurants and cafes in one of Paris' trendiest neighborhoods, killing 129 people and wounding more than 350.

    French authorities had previously said that at least eight people were directly involved in the bloodshed Friday: seven who died in the attacks and one who got away and slipped across the border to Belgium. However, there have been gaps in officials' public statements, which have never fully disclosed how many attackers took part in the deadly rampage.

    On Tuesday, officials told the Associated Press they now believe at least one other attacker was involved and they were working to identify and track down that suspect. Three officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to provide details about the ongoing investigation.

    Surveillance video obtained by the AP also indicated that a team of three attackers carried out the shootings at one of the cafes. The video was among evidence authorities used in concluding that at least one other attacker was at large, the French officials indicated.

    The brief clip shows two black-clad gunmen with automatic weapons calmly firing on the bar then returning toward a waiting car, whose driver was maneuvering behind them. Authorities believe the car is the same black Spanish-made SEAT vehicle that was found Saturday with three Kalashnikovs inside.

    Previously officials had not specified how many people were involved in the attack on a sidewalk bar on La Fontaine au Roi street, as well as the other night spots in the same vicinity.

    Investigators have identified 27-year-old Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a Belgian of Moroccan descent, as the chief architect of the attacks. He is believed to be in Islamic State-held territory in Syria.

    A U.S. official briefed on intelligence matters said Abaaoud was a key figure in an Islamic State external operations cell that U.S. intelligence agencies have been tracking for many months.

    Analysts have been debating to what extent the Islamic State group was devoting resources to external terrorist attacks, versus seeking to hold onto the territory it has seized in Iraq and Syria. A consensus is now emerging that the group is more focused on exporting terror than had been widely understood.

    U.S. intelligence agencies have some insights into who is involved in that effort, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. But their understanding is hampered by the many challenges of gathering intelligence in Syria, where the CIA does not have a regular presence on the ground.

    The chairman of the Senate intelligence committee said Tuesday that it was likely militants plotting the attacks in Syria, Belgium and France used encryption to hide their communications from authorities. Sen. Richard Burr, R-North Carolina, said there was no direct evidence of encryption, but that authorities had concluded it was used because they have uncovered no evidence of conversations among the plotters.

    The statement acknowledges the challenges intelligence agencies face in monitoring records of international phone traffic.

    Speaking to reporters after a classified intelligence briefing, Burr also said there is a "strong likelihood" the Paris attacks were directed, rather than just inspired, by the Islamic State group in Syria.

    The comments were the strongest public attribution yet by American officials. CIA director John Brennan said Monday the attack bore "the hallmarks of terrorism carried out" by the Islamic State group.

    The U.S. Joint Special Operations Command has been carrying out targeted strikes for about a year against senior Islamic State militants in Syria, in cooperation with the CIA and other agencies.

    On Tuesday, 10 French fighter jets attacked Islamic State targets in Syria in a new wave of airstrikes, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. Speaking on TF1 TV, he said France will have 36 warplanes in the region capable of carrying out airstrikes on IS targets once the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier reaches the zone.

    NATO allies were sharing intelligence and working closely with France, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said.

    In Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the missile cruiser Moskva, currently in the Mediterranean, to start cooperating with the French military on operations in Syria. His order came as Russian warplanes fired cruise missiles on militant positions in Syria's Idlib and Aleppo provinces. IS militants have positions in Aleppo province, while the al-Qaida-linked Nusra militant group is in Idlib.

    Moscow has vowed to hunt down those responsible for blowing up a Russian passenger plane over Egypt last month, killing 224 people, mostly Russian tourists. IS militants have also claimed responsibility for that Oct. 31 attack.

    Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with French President Francois Hollande and Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius. Standing next to Hollande at the Elysee Palace on Tuesday, Kerry said the carnage in Paris, along with recent attacks in Egypt, Lebanon and Turkey, made it clear that more pressure must be brought to bear on Islamic State extremists.

    A cease-fire between Syria's government and the opposition could be just weeks away, Kerry said, describing it as potentially a "gigantic step" toward deeper international cooperation against IS.

    France also reached out to its European Union partners for help, invoking a never-before-used treaty article obliging members of the 28-nation bloc to help a member state that is victim to armed aggression on its territory.

    "Every country said: I am going to assist, I am going to help," said Le Drian, the French defense minister.

    Underscoring the tensions in the French capital, the Eiffel Tower shut down again after opening for just a day Monday, and heavily armed troops patrolled the courtyard of the Louvre Museum.

    In the German city of Hannover, an exhibition soccer game between Germany and the Netherlands was canceled at the last minute and the stadium evacuated by police because of a bomb threat. Top government officials, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, had been scheduled to attend the game as a sign of defiance following the Paris attacks.

    Police chief Volker Kluwe told German public broadcaster NDR that the alleged threat involved the "detonation of explosives in the stadium," though no explosives had been found Tuesday evening. A second stadium in Hannover was also evacuated shortly before a rock concert was to begin.

    French police have questioned dozens of people and conducted more than 100 raids since a state of emergency was declared Saturday. Paris police said they have arrested 16 people, but none were directly linked to the attacks.

    Only five of the attackers have been identified and French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve conceded that the majority of the attackers "were unknown to our services."

    Six attackers died after detonating suicide belts and one was killed by police gunfire.

    A manhunt is underway for an eighth suspect, Salah Abdeslam, whom French police accidentally permitted to cross into Belgium on Saturday. One of his brothers, Brahim, blew himself up in Paris.

    Another brother, Mohamed Abdeslam, was arrested after the attacks but released. In an interview Tuesday with French TV station BFM, he urged his brother to turn himself in.

    Two men arrested in Belgium, meanwhile, admitted driving to France to pick up Salah Abdeslam early Saturday, but denied any involvement in the attacks, their lawyers said.

    Mohammed Amri, 27, and Hamza Attou, 21, are being held on charges of terrorist murder and conspiracy. Belgian media reported the two were being investigated as potential suppliers of the suicide bombs used in the attacks, since ammonium nitrate, a fertilizer that can be used to make explosives, was discovered in a search of their residence.

    Salah and Brahim Abdeslam booked a hotel in the southeastern Paris suburb of Alfortville and rented a house in the northeastern suburb of Bobigny several days before the attacks, a French judicial official told AP, speaking on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak about the ongoing investigation.

    Austria's Interior Ministry said Salah Abdeslam entered the country about two months ago with two unidentified companions.


    AP writers Karl Ritter, Matthew Lee and Jill Lawless in Paris, Ken Dilanian in Washington and Raf Casert and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.

    Woman, 73, dies after being hit by tractor-trailer in downtown Holyoke

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    The incident was reported shortly after 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17, near the intersection of High and Appleton streets, which remained closed to traffic while city and state police investigated the fatality.

    HOLYOKE — A pedestrian was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer while crossing a city street Tuesday evening.

    The incident was reported shortly after 6 p.m. near the intersection of High and Appleton streets, which remained closed to traffic as city and state police investigated the fatality.

    The woman was taken by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, where she was pronounced dead.

    Public safety authorities have yet to publicly name the victim, but Mayor Alex B. Morse identified her as a 73-year-old woman who was run over by the truck after she fell while crossing the street.

    An accident-reconstruction team was at the scene investigating.



    MAP showing approximate location of traffic fatality:

    Obama on Syrian refugees: Republicans 'scared of widows and orphans coming into' US

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    MANILA, Philippines — President Barack Obama lashed out Wednesday at Republicans who insist on barring Syrian refugees from entering the U.S., deeming their words offensive and insisting "it needs to stop." "Apparently they're scared of widows and orphans coming into the United States of America," Obama said. Mocking GOP leaders for thinking they're tough, Obama said overblown rhetoric from...

    MANILA, Philippines -- President Barack Obama lashed out Wednesday at Republicans who insist on barring Syrian refugees from entering the U.S., deeming their words offensive and insisting "it needs to stop."

    "Apparently they're scared of widows and orphans coming into the United States of America," Obama said.

    Mocking GOP leaders for thinking they're tough, Obama said overblown rhetoric from Republicans could be a potent recruitment tool for the Islamic State group. He insisted the U.S. process for screening refugees for possible entry into the U.S. is rigorous and said the U.S. doesn't make good decisions "based on hysteria" or exaggerated risk.

    "We are not well served when in response to a terrorist attack we descend into fear and panic," the president said.

    Pa. governor: 'States do not have the authority to refuse to accept refugees' >>

    Obama's comments during a meeting with Philippine President Benigno Aquino marked his harshest condemnation yet of Republicans' response to the Paris attacks blamed on IS that killed 129 people last week. Republicans in Congress and on the 2016 presidential trail have urged an immediate closure of America's borders to Syrian refugees, but the Obama administration has shown no sign of backing off its plans to bring an additional 10,000 Syrians fleeing civil war into the U.S.

    Obama took particular ire at a proposal by GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush to admit only Christian Syrians. Bush later clarified he wants to give preference to Christians but not exclude properly vetted Muslims. Still, Obama said the idea of only allowing Christians in amounted to "political posturing" that runs contrary to American values.

    In Congress, House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have urged at least a temporary halt in the resettlement of Syrians, while disputing Obama administration claims that the small numbers making their way here so far are being thoroughly investigated. Obama said he's been waiting for a year and a half for lawmakers to take up refugee legislation, questioning why they are now suddenly in a rush.

    New Orleans refugee specialist answers questions >>

    Defending his administration's screening program, Obama said it takes 18 to 24 months to clear a refugee for entry, following vetting by the U.S. intelligence community and other agencies as well as biometrics.

    Although there are indications that one of the IS attackers carried a Syrian passport and may have arrived in France alongside refugees, Germany's top security official has said the passport might have been a fake intended to stoke fears. Still, Obama acknowledged that the U.S. public was concerned about attacks on the homeland, noting that Paris "reminds us of home.

    "I understand why Americans have been particularly affected," he said.


    Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker joins White House conference call on refugee admission policies

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    The White House held the call with a bipartisan group of 34 governors "to provide information about existing refugee admissions policies and security screening measures," according to the White House.

    Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker participated in a phone call with White House officials on Tuesday to discuss refugee admissions policies.

    The call came a day after Baker said he was not interested in allowing Syrian refugees into Massachusetts until he knew a lot more about the administration's vetting process.

    "The administration looks forward to a continuing dialogue with the federal government that addresses the bipartisan desires of state and federal lawmakers for a thorough and accurate refugee background check process, ensuring the safety and security of the commonwealth," said Baker spokeswoman Lizzy Guyton.

    The White House held the call with a bipartisan group of 34 governors "to provide information about existing refugee admissions policies and security screening measures," according to the White House.

    According to a press release from the White House, White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough led the 90-minute call. He was joined by Alejandro Mayorkas, deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security; Simon Henshaw, principal deputy assistant secretary for the Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration; Mark Giuliano, deputy director of the FBI; and representatives from the National Counterterrorism Center and the Department of Health and Human Services.

    The federal officials briefed the governors about the screening and security vetting process that refugees must go through, and 13 governors asked questions.

    "The administration officials reiterated what the President has made abundantly clear: that his top priority is the safety of the American people," the White House wrote. "That's why, even as the United States accepts more refugees--including Syrians--we do so only after they undergo the most rigorous screening and security vetting of any category of traveler to the United States."

    The call came as President Barack Obama, a Democrat, is facing increasing pressure from governors in numerous states, mostly Republicans like Baker, not to allow Syrian refugees into the country due to security concerns. After terrorists attacked Paris last weekend, it was initially reported that one of the attackers entered Paris with Syrian migrants. Later media reports indicate that the alleged attacker's Syrian passport was fake.

    Minor earthquake rattles eastern Massachusetts communities

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    The United States Geological Survey said the tremor was recorded as a 1.5 centered in Holliston.

    A minor earthquake rattled parts of eastern Massachusetts Tuesday night.

    According to WCVB-TV, a tremor, initially reported by the United States Geological Survey as 2.0, was recorded in Holliston shortly after 8:15 p.m.

    The quake, which was at first thought to have been centered in Millis, was later revised downward to 1.5 on the Richter scale.

    The television station reported that several people between Franklin and Framingham and between Medway and Millis reported the shaking feeling.

    Boston.com quoted a Holliston Fire Department spokesman as saying that there were numerous reports in the area of people thinking they had heard an explosion and of buildings shaking..

    There were no immediate damage reports.

    Northampton police: 'Suspicious package' that closed section of Main Street was actually stereo speaker

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    The suspicious item, which resembled a box wrapped in plastic with protruding wires, turned out to be a stereo speaker above the entrance to a downtown store at 207 Main St., Northampton Police Sgt. Josef Barszcz said.

    The slideshow above is from a closure of Main Street in Northampton during an investigation of suspicious packages on Nov. 5. Authorities determined the packages were part of a photography project by Smith College students, and no charges were filed. On Tuesday night, Nov. 17, police were called to investigate another suspicious package report. That story is below.


    NORTHAMPTON — Officials were investigating a suspicious package report that temporarily closed a stretch of Main Street on Tuesday evening.

    The suspicious item, which resembled a box wrapped in plastic with protruding wires, turned out to be a stereo speaker that was placed above the door to Casa Del Sol, an apparel and gift shop at 207 Main St.

    A passerby spotted the device and called 911 around 7:15 p.m., Northampton Police Sgt. Josef Barszcz said. City police and firefighters deemed the item to be suspicious and alerted the State Police bomb squad, he said.

    "Obviously, there's no public safety threat," Barszcz said. "We were unable to get in touch with the business owners," he said, noting that charges would not be filed in connection with the investigation.

    The incident prompted officials to close Main Street between Crafts Avenue and New South Street for about 40 minutes.

    This was the city's second bomb scare in about a dozen days. On the evening of Nov. 5, a section of Main Street was closed for about two hours as authorities investigated several boxes found in the downtown area.

    The boxes turned out to contain cameras that were part of a Smith College photography project, according to police, who did not charge anyone.


    MAP showing area of suspicious package investigation:

    Springfield man gets probation for dragging girlfriend by hair, biting police officer

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    "He has not had a drink since that night and he has 100 percent learned his lesson," Matta's girlfriend wrote. "He is still the kind, gentle, wonderful man I fell in love with."

    SPRINGFIELD - Raymond S. Matta stood in Springfield District Court Tuesday, listening to the details of his arrest on June 20.

    "A male was dragging a woman by the hair" on Worthington Street, Assistant District Attorney Thomas Prendergast said, quoting from a police report.

    When police arrived, the woman was "highly upset and telling (Matta) to leave her alone," Prendergast added.

    Matta struggled with the officers, biting one on the hand, according to the prosecutor, who said the defendant was highly intoxicated.

    Responding to a question from Judge William Rota, Matta said he did not recall dragging his girlfriend, biting a police officer or much else from that night.

    But Matta admitted to charges of domestic assault and battery and resisting arrest anyhow, telling Rota he had no reason to doubt his girlfriend or the police.

    Prendergast recommended a guilty finding followed by 12 months of probation, noting that Matta's girlfriend and housemate had sent letters attesting to the defendant's character and asking for leniency.

    "His actions were egregious, but they were an aberration," the prosecutor said, summing up the sentiments of the girlfriend and housemate.

    Without their statements, Prendergast said he would be calling for jail time, not probation, for Mata.

    Defense lawyer George F. Kelly asked the judge to place his client on pretrial probation, rather than impose a guilty finding.

    Matta hoped to attend Springfield Technical Community College, and a guilty plea could jeopardize his eligibility for financial assistance, Kelly said.

    Kelly also quoted from the girlfriend's letter. "He has not had a drink since that night and he has 100 percent learned his lesson," the girlfriend wrote, according to Kelly.

    "He is still the kind, gentle, wonderful man I fell in love with," she added.

    Rota imposed 12 months of probation and ordered the defendant to remain drug and alcohol free during that period.

    The judge also required Matta to undergo a substance abuse evaluation.

    Under Rota's ruling, the charges will be dropped in one year if Matta avoids further legal trouble.

    "Mr. Matta, people say nice things about you; I hope they're right," the judge said.

    "That's no way to treat a person who loves you," he added.

     

    Mild with Heavy Rain Tonight

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    It's a much milder morning! Temperatures are in the 40s and even a few 50s so it's a lot more comfortable out there.  However, the milder temperatures do come with a bit of a price. Skies will be cloudy today and we are expecting some rainfall. Although we may see some drizzle or a few showers today most of the rain...

    It's a much milder morning! Temperatures are in the 40s and even a few 50s so it's a lot more comfortable out there.

    However, the milder temperatures do come with a bit of a price. Skies will be cloudy today and we are expecting some rainfall. Although we may see some drizzle or a few showers today most of the rain will fall this evening and overnight. (8pm - 4am)

    We will be on the mild side of this system so temperatures will climb to near 60 this evening while the rain comes down and the breeze picks up out of the south. We can expect 1-2" of rain with the bulk of it falling tonight.

    This system will stay progressive so the rain should be gone by tomorrow morning. Friday will be mostly sunny and breezy as colder air slowly drains in. Even still temperatures tomorrow will reach into the mid 50s. Saturday will be seasonable with a fair amount of sunshine. A cold front will move through the area Saturday night into Sunday morning with a few rain and snow showers. This front will bring in the coldest weather of the season for Sunday and Monday. Temperatures on Monday will be stuck in the 30s in many spots.

    The cold air doesn't last long. Next week is looking pleasant and dry as temperatures bounce back for travel day Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day! Right now it's looking good for much of the northeast!

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