Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. Army private whose 2009 disappearance from his post in Afghanistan and subsequent capture by the Taliban led to prisoner exchange for his release in 2014, will face a court-martial and a possible life sentence.

Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. Army private whose 2009 disappearance from his post in Afghanistan and subsequent capture by the Taliban led to a prisoner exchange for his release in 2014, will face a court-martial and a possible life sentence.

The New York Times reports that Gen. Robert B. Abrams ordered that Bergdahl face charges of desertion and endangering troops for his alleged abandonment of the remote Afghanistan outpost where he was stationed in 2009.

The proposed charges, which carry a possible life sentence, are much harsher than those recommended by the officer who oversaw Bergdahl's preliminary hearing in September, according to CNN. That officer suggested that Bergdahl go before a special court martial that could not impose jail time.

The announcement comes as the second season of the podcast Serial has put a renewed spotlight on Bergdahl's case. Producer Sarah Koenig, whose investigation last year into the murder case against Adnan Syed made Serial the most downloaded podcast ever, has turned her attention to Bergdahl and the circumstances behind his disappearance.

In the first episode, which went live last week, excerpts from a conversation between Bergdahl and filmmaker Mark Boal gave listeners Bergdahl's first public comments on his decision to leave his post. Bergdahl portrayed the act as a form of protest against what he described as failures of leadership in his unit.

Bergdahl's disappearance sparked a massive manhunt that exhausted and disheartened thousands of searching soldiers, Maj. Margaret Kurtz testified in September, according to the New York Times.

Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban and spent nearly five years in captivity before the United States released five Taliban prisoners in exchange for his freedom in May 2014. The swap drew criticism from Republicans in Congress, some of whom accused the Obama administration of negotiating with terrorists.

The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority plans to install a permanent bus stop at the beginning of 2016. The park is closed to the public until work is complete in June of next year, although the satirway from the Roundhouse Parking lot remains open. Meanwhile, Gagliardiucci Construction will continue building an extension of the Rail Trail from Grove Avenue approximately 1/2 mile towards Williamsburg. The Rail Trail will be officially closed from Florence Street and Grove Avenue for the duration of the project, which is anticipated to be complete in late fall.

NORTHAMPTON - The renovation of Pulaski Park will continue this week as workers complete sidewalk construction along Main Street and remove the temporary bus stop near the Academy of Music.

The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority plans to install a permanent bus stop at the beginning of 2016. The park is closed to the public until work is complete in June of next year, although the stairway from the Roundhouse Parking lot remains open.

Meanwhile, Gagliardiucci Construction will continue building an extension of the Rail Trail from Grove Avenue approximately 1/2 mile towards Williamsburg. The Rail Trail will be officially closed from Florence Street and Grove Avenue for the duration of the project, which is anticipated to be complete in late fall.

Geeleher Construction has contracted with the city to replace the Bliss Street water main. Construction is scheduled to begin Dec. 21 and be completed as soon as possible. Warner Bros has already completed work on various streets that were repaved in 2015.

New signage will be installed within the next few weeks. Seeding of disturbed areas, shoulder work on Chesterfield and Audubon Roads and final clean up and demobilization will occur next spring.

Jarden Corp. owns Yankee Candle, Mr. Coffee, Crock-Pot and Coleman outdoor products and Rawlings sporting goods. Newell Rubbermaid owns Lenox American Saw

UPDATE 7:10 PM

"We expect no major changes in 2016. After the transaction closes, we will build detailed integration plans appropriate to the opportunity. Many of the synergies we expect are non-people related."

SOUTH DEERFIELD - Yankee Candle, one of the largest employers in Franklin County, is changing hands for the second time in two years, joining with the owners of Lenox American Saw of East Longmeadow in a $13.2 billion merger.

But Ann Hamilton, president of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, isn't particularly worried.

"I see an upside. I think they are a valuable company at Yankee Candle. I know American Saw is, too," she said. "It'll be huge."

Newell Rubbermaid, owner of Lenox American Saw, is buying Jarden, owner of Yankee Candle. At the end of trading Monday, Newell Rubbermaid stock (NWL) was trading at $42.15 a share, down $3.13. Jarden Corp. stock,(JAH) was trading at $54.09 a share, up $1.41.

Huge is right. According to a news release, the deal, finalized Monday, creates a $16 billion consumer goods company with a portfolio of "power brands".

Jarden shareholders will receive $21 per share in cash and 0.862 shares of Newell Rubbermaid stock for each share they own, according to The Associated Press. The implied total value is $60 per share.

Newell Rubbermaid shareholders will own about 55 percent of the combined business. It said Monday that it expects annual cost savings of about $500 million over four years. The transaction is expected to immediately add to earnings per share, also according to the wire service.

Besides Lenox, Newell Rubbermaid makes Sharpie Markers, Graco baby products and Goody hair products.

Lenox makes saw blades and other tools for industry, the construction trades and for sale to home craftspeople and hobbyists. It sells many of its blades and tools through hardware stores and through major chain retailers.

Jarden also owns Mr. Coffee, Crock-Pot and Coleman outdoor products and Rawlings sporting goods well as Diamond Match, appropriate for a company that makes candles and lanterns.

Analysts say the merger gives the combined company more leverage to get favorable deals from mega-retailers like Walmart.

Spokespeople from Jarden didn't return calls for comment Monday.

Richard K. Sullivan Jr., president and CEO of the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council said he was in contact with both Lenox American Saw and with Yankee Candle Monday. They had little to share with him before the deal goes official in 2016.

"Obviously, both Lenox and Yankee Candle are very significant employers in the region," Sullivan said. "So we are going to watch this, obviously, very closely," Sullivan said. "Well see how this unfolds."

Yankee Candle has about 1,850 employees in Massachusetts including its factory and its flagship store in Franklin County. They make over 200,000 scented jar candles a week and about 75,000,000 a year for worldwide distribution.

Jarden bought the company in 2013 for $1.75 billion from a Chicago investment company. Madison Dearborn Partners, acquired Yankee Candle for $1.6 billion in 2007.

"I think Jarden has done a good job with maintaining the culture of Yankee Candle as we know it," Hamilton said. "It just depends on what the corporate culture turns out to be."

Michael J. Kittredge II founded Yankee Candle in his parents' garage in South Hadley in 1969. He grew it into a multimillion-dollar, year-round tourist destination in Deerfield. He sold 90 percent of his shares in the company in 1998 for an estimated $400 million.

The Kittredges no longer have a stake in Yankee Candle. Michael Kittredge's son, Michael J. Kittredge III, founded Kringle Candle Co. in Bernardston in 2009 with the help of his father.

Newell Rubbermaid bought the former American Saw & Manufacturing Co. from the Davis family in 2003 for $450 million.

The company now has 700 employees and its East Longmeadow factory has 500,000 square feet for designing, testing and manufacturing power tool accessories, hand tools and band saw blades.

Jeffrey Ciuffreda, president of the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce, said local Lenox executives described things as "busy" this summer, as they had been working with their bosses at Newell Rubbermaid to bring more manufacturing lines to East Longmeadow and to complete a rooftop solar power project.

The 5.4-acre parcel and building, located at 47 State Street along Rt. 202, sits across the street from the police department and is surrounded by town-owned land

Julian Feller-Cohen, The Republican Intern 

BELCHERTOWN - With a June deadline to work under, Selectmen here are expected to begin a process at Monday's meeting that will enable the town to purchase from the state the former John Patrick Center.

The Dec. 14 meeting at town hall begins at 7:30 p.m.

The 5.4-acre parcel and 4,400 square foot building, located at 47 State Street along Rt. 202, sits across the street from the police department and is surrounded by town-owned land.

The board is scheduled to begin deliberations on forming an ad-hoc citizen's panel that would guide selectmen on coming up with a reuse plan that would meet the state's criteria to sell Belchertown the property -- that has sat vacant more than a decade.

The parcel was slated for public auction last week. But local and state officials convinced the division of capital asset management and maintenance to give the town an opportunity to purchase it.

The DCAMM agreed, and removed it from the auction block.

The DCAMM said they would sell the former Patrick Center to the town -- provided it would be for "a public use," the agency told the town administrator in a letter earlier this month.

The DCAMM also said the town must show they would be able to purchase the land at an appraised value. Any municipal purchase of property requires town meeting approval.

Jorge Ortiz was sentenced to 3 years state prison for trafficking cocaine in the amount of 18 to 36 grams in Holyoke.

The exterior of the Hampden County Hall of Justice is seen Saturday evening, April 25. (Dwight B. Shepard / The Republican)Dwight B. Shepard / The Republican 

SPRINGFIELD - Jorge Ortiz has been sentenced to three years in state prison plus three years probation in a Holyoke cocaine trafficking case.

Ortiz, 30, of 95 Tokeneke Road, Holyoke, pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking in the amount of 18 to 36 grams and possession of heroin with intent to distribute Friday before Hampden Superior Court Judge Richard J. Carey.

One co-defendant in the case, William Vega, had previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 3½ years in state prison.

Charges were dropped Friday against the third co-defendant, 22-year-old Keneth Rumbolo of 152 High St., Holyoke. Rumbolo was represented by Brandon D. Freeman.

Ortiz was represented by Daniel D. Kelly. A charge of trafficking cocaine in the amount of 36 to 100 grams was reduced to trafficking in the amount of 18 to 36 grams as part of the plea agreement.

Vega, 22, of 152 High St. in Holyoke, had pleaded guilty to cocaine trafficking in the amount of 36 to 100 grams.

He also pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin, marijuana and tramadol.

The three co-defendants were found inside 152 High St. on Dec. 17, 2014, when police executed a search warrant there.

There was a total of 36 grams of crack cocaine found in the home, including some in Pringles can with a false bottom.

There were 70 glassine bags of heroin as well as other heroin in the home. The three tramadol pills found are considered a Class E drug and are opioid pain pills.

The Ludlow resident will facilitate communications during the merger of Cathedral and Holyoke Catholic High School.

CHICOPEE — Pope Francis High School has announced the appointment of Ludlow resident Jennifer Lopez as the first director of marketing and communications for the new school.

Jennifer Lopez

Lopez, 32, a former reporter and editor for Turley Publications in Palmer, will facilitate communications during the merger of Cathedral and Holyoke Catholic High schools, which will begin operating under the banner of Pope Francis High School beginning in 2016-17 academic year.

Lopez said on Monday that she is spending her first weeks on the job meeting with staff to go over merger goals and a media strategy that keeps the pubic abreast of the progress on the new high school.

In addition to working for Turley Publications, she was a writer for a full-service marketing firm, Market Mentors in West Springfield.

She is also a member of the Valley Press Club Board of Directors.

Lopez is a graduate of Lowell Catholic High School in Lowell and holds a bachelor of arts in English from Western New England. She brings 10 years of experience in local media to her new job.

Kevin White, chief advancement officer for Pope Francis High School, said in addition to her experience in media, Lopez also brings "first-hand knowledge of the advantages of a Catholic education.

"Jennifer possesses the enthusiasm and commitment we need to develop a long-term marketing strategy for the new school," White said in a press release.

The new Pope Francis High School will be located in Springfield's East Forest Park neighborhood where Cathedral stood before the June 1, 2010 tornado damaged the building beyond repair. The new school is slated to open in 2018.

While the new school is constructed, Cathedral students, who are now located in a former elementary school building in Wilbraham, will move to Holyoke Catholic building, located in a former Catholic elementary school in Chicopee in the fall, a year earlier than originally planned.

"These suspects are very aggressive and challenge the store personnel when apprehension is attempted, placing them in fear," Holyoke Police Lt. Jim Albert said Monday.

HOLYOKE — 'Tis the season to shoplift.

Detectives from the Holyoke Police Department Criminal Investigations Bureau are asking people who recognize any of the people in the surveillance photos above to call them at 413-322-6940.

The four men are wanted in connection with a Dec. 8 shoplifting incident at the Holyoke Mall, according to police, who didn't specify the store, or stores, that were targeted, the items that were allegedly taken, and the estimated value of those items.

"These suspects are very aggressive and challenge the store personnel when apprehension is attempted, placing them in fear," Lt. Jim Albert, of the Criminal Investigations Bureau, said Monday.

A county judge on Monday acquitted a Chicago police commander accused of shoving his gun down a suspect's throat, outlining what she said were flaws in the state's case and stressing that it shouldn't be conflated with other recent incidents of alleged police misconduct in the city and elsewhere.

CHICAGO (AP) -- A county judge on Monday acquitted a Chicago police commander accused of shoving his gun down a suspect's throat, outlining what she said were flaws in the state's case and stressing that it shouldn't be conflated with other recent incidents of alleged police misconduct in the city and elsewhere.

Meanwhile, a federal judge ruled in a separate civil case that an officer used excessive force by dragging a handcuffed man from his jail cell after he had been subdued with stun guns. Video of the 2012 incident was among several released in the recent weeks amid heavy criticism of the Chicago Police Department's treatment of minorities, particularly blacks.

In the criminal case, Cook County Judge Diane Cannon found Cmdr. Glenn Evans not guilty of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and official misconduct stemming from the 2013 arrest of Rickey Williams, whom Evans believed he had seen holding a gun. Both Evans and Williams are black.

Cannon said she didn't find Williams' story believable, accusing him of changing it repeatedly. And she dismissed evidence thought to be among the most damning -- Williams' DNA on Evans' gun -- suggesting it was collected so sloppily that that it was of "fleeting relevance." She opened and closed her remarks by cautioning that the case shouldn't be grouped with other recent cases of alleged police misconduct.

Evans showed little reaction upon hearing the verdict. He could have faced up to five years in prison.

Williams' lawyers issued a statement saying they will proceed with a lawsuit and are confident they'll meet the burden of proof needed to show that Evans violated Williams' rights.

The trial unfolded against a backdrop of protests over the killing of a black teenager by a white police officer in October 2014 and the subsequent investigation. Critics have accused the department and the city of trying to cover up the circumstances surrounding Laquan McDonald's death. The officer who shot him 16 times was charged with murder last month only hours before the department released police dashcam video of the shooting after being ordered to do so by a judge.

Evans is one of the highest ranking members of the department to ever face criminal charges and his case has received widespread attention because of his aggressive tactics -- condemned by some, praised by others -- as the city has struggled to lower its violent crime rate.

Former Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy, who was forced to resign after the release of the McDonald video, and residents of crime weary neighborhoods said Evans helped clean up a number of areas under his command. Others, though, said Evans symbolized the department's failure to control its officers.

Evans was the subject of at least 45 excessive-force complaints over a 20-year period, according to a study done for the People's Law Office in Chicago. Critics pointed to that total as evidence of the department's willingness to condone or at least ignore the brutal behavior of its officers.

Prosecutors alleged that Evans tackled Williams and stuck his gun in Williams' mouth while demanding to know where he had put the gun he thought he saw Williams holding. Williams testified that he hadn't been carrying a gun and that Evans must have mistaken it for a cellphone he had been holding. He said Evans shoved his gun so far down his throat that he gagged and later spat blood.

Investigators never recovered a gun, and the charges against Williams were later dropped.

In dismissing the usefulness of the DNA found on Evans' gun, Cannon pointed out that investigators swabbed the entire weapon instead of just the barrel. She also said Williams' saliva wasn't tested for gun residue and the inside of the barrel wasn't tested for his DNA, suggesting the DNA could have gotten on the gun during a tussle with officers.

After the trial, Evans' lawyers reserved their harshest criticism for the city's main police oversight agency, the Independent Police Review Authority, which is most often criticized for being too lenient toward officers accused of wrongdoing.

"They were inept, they were at times corrupt (and) they didn't want to see the things that made Glenn Evans ... innocent,' said Laura Morask.

Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez, whose resignation protesters have been clamoring for, issued a statement defending her decision to charge Evans.

"This case underscores the reality that it is extremely difficult to convince judges or juries in Cook County and around the country to convict police officers of misconduct in the line of duty, despite the fact that this victim made an immediate outcry and we had DNA evidence to support our case," said Alvarez.

In the federal lawsuit, the judge ruled that an officer "chose to use brute force when it was no longer necessary" when he dragged an unmoving Philip Coleman from his cell. He also ruled that the officer's supervisor should have intervened.

Coleman, 38, died later at a hospital following a reaction to an anti-psychotic drug. The ruling only pertained to how Coleman was dragged from his cell, not how he died.

Edward M. Fox, an attorney for Coleman's family, said the recent release of the video was crucial to winning the lawsuit.

"If there was no video, the police would have denied doing any of this," Fox said.

A jury will decide the amount in damages.

Asked for a response to the Coleman ruling, a spokeswoman for Emanuel, Shannon Breymaier, noted that the Independent Police Review Authority last week reopened its investigation of the incident after previously clearing the half-dozen officers who were there.

The Evans verdict marks the second time this year that Cook County prosecutors have suffered a high-profile defeat after bringing charges against a Chicago police officer. Dante Servin was charged with involuntary manslaughter and other charges in the shooting death of an unarmed black woman in 2012, but in April a judge suggested that prosecutors filed the wrong charges against the officer and acquitted him.

Jurors deliberate the fate of the first of six officers to be tried in the death of Baltimore man Freddie Gray.

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Jurors wrestled over what "evil motive" means Monday as they deliberated the fate of the first of six officers to be tried in the death of Freddie Gray, a black man whose neck was broken in a police van, fueling the "Black Lives Matter" movement.

The panel also puzzled over the meaning of "bad faith" and other terms the judge said they must use to decide whether Officer William Porter is guilty of misconduct in office, the least of the charges against him. Porter also is accused of manslaughter, assault, and reckless endangerment, and faces up to about 25 years in prison if convicted of them all.

The verdict will likely set the tone for the others as well as for the city, still healing from an April riot triggered by Gray's death that caused millions of dollars in property damage and exposed the deep divide between the police and the people of Baltimore.

Authorities sought to prevent more trouble ahead of the verdict, opening an emergency operations center Monday and urging parents to control their children. A letter Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Gregory Thornton sent home with students warned that "student walkouts, vandalism, civil disorder and any form of violence are not acceptable."

"Whatever the verdict, we need everyone in our city to respect the judicial process," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said. "We need everyone visiting our city to respect Baltimore."

Prosecutors have had to prove criminality by inaction -- that Porter abused his power by failing to save Gray's life.

His defense countered that the case is based on conjecture, and there is no evidence Porter caused Gray's death.

Porter testified that Gray showed no signs of pain or distress before he arrived at the police station critically injured.

Prosecutors said this was a blatant lie.

"Freddie Gray went into the van healthy and he came out of the van dead," prosecutor Janice Bledsoe reminded jurors.

The paddy wagon "became his casket on wheels" after Porter repeatedly denied Gray medical care and left him handcuffed and shackled but unbuckled, thus unable to keep his body from slamming into the end of the metal compartment if the van stopped suddenly, Bledsoe said.

Gray was arrested while fleeing police in his neighborhood, just seven city blocks from the station, yet police stopped the van repeatedly during a circuitous trip around West Baltimore that stretched on for 45 minutes.

"Click," she said, and then repeated. "How long does that take, to click a seat belt and click a radio and ask for a medic? Is two, three, four seconds worth a life? It's all it would have taken."

Bledsoe showed jurors the unfastened seat belt from the transport wagon. "It's got Gray's blood on it," she said.

"Don't fall for that," countered Porter's attorney, Joseph Murtha. He argued that expert witnesses disagreed on exactly when Gray's neck was broken during his trip to the police station, and said this alone should give jurors reasonable doubt.

Gray's death was indeed a "horrific tragedy" but "there is literally no evidence" Porter is responsible, he said. "This case is based on rush to judgment and fear. What's an acronym for fear? False evidence appears real."

Prosecutors said the driver, Caesar Goodson, initially stopped because Gray was acting out inside the passenger compartment. Officers then bound him more tightly at the wrists, shackled his ankles and laid him on his stomach on the floor. He stopped again and officers checked on Gray three more times during the journey.

At one point, Porter lifted Gray to a seated position, but again left him unbuckled. Prosecutors say Gray was gravely hurt by then; Porter denied this, saying Gray appeared uninjured. In any case, the van detoured again to put another prisoner in a separate compartment before Gray finally arrived at the station in critical condition.

Porter told jurors he asked Gray if he wanted to go to the hospital, but never called a medic because Gray said only "yes." He testified that he told Goodson to take him there, because the jail would reject a prisoner even falsely claiming injury. He told investigators Gray had been kicking inside the van, and "he didn't appear hurt in any way, shape or form."

In his jury instructions, Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams said violating police policies does not necessarily constitute negligence. He also told jurors how to determine each charge: Manslaughter means he acted in a "grossly negligent manner" and "created a high degree of risk to human life;" assault also requires a finding of gross negligence; reckless endangerment means disregarding a substantial risk of death; and misconduct requires "evil motive" and "bad faith."

The jurors later sought clarification of "evil motive" and other terms, but the judge said could not expand on his instructions.

Westfield Citizen Scholarship Foundation will award two additional $1,500 scholarships to local students in May.

WESTFIELD - Cynthia 'Cindi' Neary has been named 2015 Ralph "Cy" Seiferet National Volunteer of the Year for her dedication and local leadership of the Westfield Chapter Citizens Scholarship Foundation Dollars for Scholars.

Neary was selected for the national award, which carries with it a $3,000 scholarship, from a field of 30,000 volunteers nominated by the 550 chapters of Dollars for Scholars throughout the country. There are 150 chapters in the Northeast, said Lynne Zervas, area director for Dollars for Scholars.

The local chapter, where Neary is a 10-year member, having served as vice president and president since 2009, paid tribute to Neary's efforts Monday night during its regular meeting.

Scholarship America President Robert Ballard, in a published release said "On behalf of Scholarship America, I would like to thank Cindi for her tremendous work that changes the lives of students in her community. Dollars for Scholars is the program it is today because of volunteers like Cindi, who is passionate about helping students achieve their dreams."

Neary was nominated by local past treasurer Danuta Lysy.

"Cindi embodies the definition of an outstanding leader and volunteer. Someone who is ceative, inspirational, detail oriented and approachable," said Lysy. "Westfield's Chapter of Citizen Scholarship Foundation has achieved tremendous success under her leadership," Lysy said of Neary.

The Westfield Chapter, during the past 53 years, has awarded more than $3 million in scholarships to a total 5,869 Westfield students.

Neary immediately announced that the $3,000 scholarship she received as Volunteer of the Year will be divided into two $1,500 scholarships that will be awarded as part of Westfield's scholarship awards in May.

Griffin, a Springfield native and resident, will hold his campaign launch on March 11 at the Springfield Lodge of Elks, 440 Tiffany St.

SPRINGFIELD — It will be a homecoming of sorts when Hampden County sheriff candidate Jack Griffin holds his official campaign kickoff at the Springfield Lodge of Elks in the city's Forest Park neighborhood. That's where the 57-year-old city native grew up during the scrappy 1970s, spending his formative years near The X – the heart of this bustling, multi-ethnic community.

Griffin's love for his old neighborhood, where he boxed, played basketball and did just about everything but dream about a career in corrections, is rivaled only by his passion for public service – particularly his life mission to help people struggling with addiction.

Griffin, who retired a few years ago after spending more than 20 years with the Connecticut Department of Corrections, was an addiction specialist who spent much of his career helping people break the grip of drugs and alcohol.

When Griffin holds his March 11 kickoff party at the Elks Lodge at 440 Tiffany St. in Forest Park, the event won't just be a nod to his beloved Springfield – the "town he loves so well," he said, riffing on the similarly titled Irish song – but an acknowledgement of his Irish-American heritage. Griffin purposely scheduled the party to coincide with the St. Patrick's season, envisioning an event with music, family, friends, food and drink.

It will pretty much resemble a hooley, in other words, but with plenty of non-Irish people on hand as well. "It will be a diverse crowd," he said.

For Griffin, though, booze is a thing of the past. He has been in recovery for more than 30 years. He does it "a day at a time," he said. So, as others let down their hair and unwind a bit, Jack will be the guy holding a cup of coffee and wearing his trademark scally cap.

"There are a lot of saints and sinners on my train," he said. "That's kind of like a play on my family. At the end of the day, we're all good people."

Griffin says his grassroots campaign for sheriff is starting to resonate with people. "This is not the status quo. I am not a politician," he said. "But I am a professional in the field of corrections for more than two decades."

Griffin's been hitting the streets hard, knocking on doors and handing out campaign cards in Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke and Westfield. He says he enjoys sharing his vision for corrections with people across the county, and claims he's getting good feedback from potential voters.

"I want to bring a 'fresh set of eyes' to the Sheriff's Department," Griffin said, citing the unofficial catchphrase of his campaign. Another common Griffin slogan: "I back Jack," a phrase that's found its way onto bumper stickers that are cropping up around the county.

Griffin plans to be a hands-on sheriff, he says, a leader who interacts with his inmates on a daily basis. "I'm walking the blocks," he said, noting that he won't have time for power lunches with politicians. That's not his style.

"I'm getting a hell of an education on being a candidate," he said of the humbling experience, which requires one to put himself out there for public scrutiny and dissection.

But Griffin says he has nothing to hide, having survived the peaks and valleys of life for 57 years (He turned 57 on Monday, Dec. 14). He knows just how ugly addiction can be, he says, which is why he believes public service – helping people who need help – is his calling. A blessing, even.

Another concept Griffin hopes to introduce if elected sheriff: assigning deputies to cover specific geographic territories. The Sheriff's Department needs to be "more proactive" and engage the community in "a more outward way," he said. These "deputy enforcement engagement teams," as Griffin called them, would operate sort of like the Guardian Angels. The teams would venture out into communities and directly engage at-risk citizens before they get tangled up in the criminal justice system, according to Griffin.

On the topic of what kind of public image he would like to convey as sheriff, the candid candidate says he prefers a casual look that highlights his affability. Griffin claims he cleans up well and even owns a few suits, but he prefers the look of "the new urban sheriff," he said.

For Griffin, who works out religiously at a local gym, that "uniform" may include sneakers, a Nike pullover and a pair of nylon sweats. He pretty much shuns the traditional tie, blazer and handkerchief-in-breast-pocket look – the politician's uniform, according to Grifffin.

"When you walk into a jail in a suit, the kids are skeptical," he said, adding that his everyday appearance puts inmates at ease and makes him more approachable. "They're not going to talk to a guy in a suit," Griffin said. "With me, they say, 'I can talk to this guy. He's not going to judge me.'"

Griffin is a neighborhood guy, after all, so he's averse to pretense and platitudes.

"I'm not pretentious," he said with a laugh. "I am what I am. I'm just a kid from The X."

The comedian claims the women have damaged his "honorable legacy and reputation."

Bill Cosby has sued seven women who accused him of sexually assaulting them years ago for defamation.

The countersuit filed Monday is aimed at accusers Tamara Green, Therese Serignese, Linda Traitz, Louisa Moritz, Barbara Bowman, Joan Tarshis and Angela Leslie. The women, who are suing Cosby in U.S. District Court in Springfield, are among approximately 50 who have come forward with allegations of rape or unwanted sexual contact over the last year. Cosby, 78, has a home in Shelburne.

According to the countersuit, the women have damaged Cosby's "honorable legacy and reputation" by "relying solely on unsubstantiated accusations" and "willfully, maliciously, and falsely accusing Mr. Cosby of multi-decade-old purported sexual misconduct." The women's lawsuit "is nothing more than an opportunistic attempt to extract financial gain from him." 

In the court papers, Cosby denied the rape and other sexual misconduct claims made by the seven women, adding that their allegations were motivated by money.

"Mr. Cosby states plainly that he neither drugged nor sexually assaulted the defendants and that each defendant has maliciously and knowingly published multiple false statements and accusations from Fall 2014 through the current day in an effort to cause damage to Mr. Cosby's reputation and to extract financial gains," Cosby's attorney, Monique Pressley, told USA Today.

Joseph Cammarata, who represents the accusers, told The Hollywood Reporter, "If anyone is surprised by Cosby's actions today, they shouldn't be. He's taken a page out of the defense attorney's playbook in an effort to shift the focus of this legitimate inquiry. It is curious that he has filed a claim only against these seven women, when there are scores of other women who have made similar allegations of sexual abuse and assault against Mr. Cosby.  My clients remain resolute in their desire to have their day in court, sooner rather than later, and they each expect that their good name and reputation will be restored."

Holyoke Council President Kevin Jourdain said he agreed on the need to avoid crossing the $40 mark for a business tax rate.

HOLYOKE -- New businesses will choose other cities and towns and existing ones must consider leaving Holyoke if the commercial tax rate stays high, owners and managers said at a public hearing Monday.

"Property taxes will be one of the things we consider," said Jeanne Bell of Westside Finishing Co. Inc., 15 Samosett St.

"I grew up in Holyoke. I don't want to see it get any worse," said William M. Radner, owner of American Rug, a 110-year-old business at 1594 Dwight St.

The setting for the comments was the Board of Assessors' annual public hearing on tax classification at City Hall. The board consists of Chief Assessor Anthony Dulude and Assessor Deborah J. Brunelle.

The City Council will consider information from the hearing in setting the new tax rate Tuesday at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

The current tax rate is $19.04 per $1,000 valuation for residential property and $39.93 per $1,000 valuation for business property.

City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain said he agreed with business owners and officials from the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce and Holyoke Taxpayers Association on the need to avoid crossing the $40 mark on business property.

Holyoke's business property tax is already one of the state's highest and business people have warned that entering the $40 range would be toxic in terms of attracting new businesses. That step was reiterated in the hearing as necessary for the city to draw new revenue and reduce the tax burden on existing property owners.

"I think if we continue to work together and be smart, we can get through this, and without out throwing anyone under the bus," Jourdain said.

The city has 10,046 taxable parcels of property, with 72 percent residential and 28 percent commercial.

Based on the latest state certification, property values here rose slightly. The total valuation of property in the city is $2,056,918,444. That's an increase of .3 percent, or $7.4 million, over the total valuation a year ago of $2,049,477,723, Dulude said.

Such a tiny increase is positive in that it at least represents growth instead of decline but the size is too small to exert a big effect on city finances, officials said.

The average single-family home increased this year to $179,795 compared to last year's $179,340.

Each year, councilors call the setting of the tax rate their most difficult decision because it means deciding how much of the tax burden falls on home owners and how much on business.

Holyoke must make itself desirable in the competition with other communities to bring in new businesses to help the local economy, said Kathleen G. Anderson, president of the Chamber of Commerce and of the Greater Holyoke Chamber Centennial Foundation Inc.

"We understand that this is a difficult decision for the City Council, but we ask you to consider what is in the best interest of this city in the long-run and keep the tax rate below $40 per $1,000," Anderson said.

Radner said getting new businesses to locate here is important to Holyoke's future.

"I go through Chicopee, they must have 15 times more businesses than we do," Radner said.

Businesses that plan on staying here are at a disadvantage because competitors in nearby cities and towns enjoy lower taxes. The city cannot afford to have other businesses leave Holyoke, said Michael Filomeno, general manager of Marcotte Ford on Main Street.

"We really need to keep an eye on that tax rate," Filomeno said.

Steven Grande is president of Meridian Industrial Group at 529 South East St. The company provides precision machining to commercial, aerospace and defense customers throughout the United States, including manufacturing of parts for NASA spacecraft. The company needs to expand and Grande would like that to be in Holyoke, but high taxes are a concern, he said.

His business' departure would be felt because its 32 employees regularly eat lunch at Capri Pizza, 18 Cabot St., and get gas and other items at a nearby gas station-convenience store, he said.

Gary Rome, who is building a $10 million Hyundai dealership on Whiting Farms Road, said high taxes can "just strangle" a business. Reducing the business tax even slightly would help, he said.

"Sending the message by lowering the rate would help attract more businesses," Rome said.

The tax rate "makes a huge difference" when a business is opening or relocating and choosing between cities, said Helene F. Florio, president of the Holyoke Taxpayers Association.

"These communities all have the welcome mat out," Florio said.

Robert W. Gilbert Jr., of the chamber and president of James J. Dowd & Sons Insurance Agency Inc., said it was unfortunate that only five of the 15 city councilors were in attendance when the hearing began to listen to business owners' concerns.

"This is a very important topic," Gilbert said.

The councilors who were there when the hearing began at 5 p.m. were Linda L. Vacon, Peter R. Tallman, Joseph M. McGiverin, James M. Leahy and Jourdain.

Councilor at Large Rebecca Lisi came in at 5:37 p.m. Ward 1 Councilor Gladys Lebron-Martinez and Councilor at Large Howard B. Greaney Jr. arrived just after 6 p.m.

Councilors who missed the assessors' hearing were Jossie M. Valentin, David K. Bartley, Jennifer E. Chateauneuf, Gordon P. Alexander, Anthony Soto, Daniel B. Bresnahan and Todd A. McGee.

Jourdain said the issue of the tax rate is a controversial one but not necessarily complicated. Between the city's incorporation in 1850 and 1999, the tax levy -- the amount of property taxes the city collects from home and business owners -- rose to $28 million, he said.

But from 1999 to 2012, the levy increased to $51 million, he said, because the city has shown an "insatiable" ability to spend money.

Such spending has been decided over the years not by the City Council but by mayors, said Jourdain, though he failed to note the City Council is authorized for a 45-day period each spring to make cuts to the budget the mayor has proposed for the new fiscal year.

Here are values the assessors provided for other categories of property:

Many police departments are embracing social media sites as an easy, efficient way to communicate with the public.

HOLYOKE — This just in ...

... The Holyoke Police Department is now on Twitter and Instagram, the popular social media sites. The department has been on Facebook since 2012.

"You can follow us at 'Holyoke Police Department' on both forums," said police spokesman Lt. Jim Albert, referring to Twitter and Instagram.

Twitter is the online social networking service that enables users to send and read short,140-character messages called "tweets."

Instagram is the online mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking service that allows users to share images on a variety of social networking platforms.

The Holyoke Police Department is now on instagram! Please join us and follow for great pictures of Holyoke Officers doing a great job!

— Holyoke Police Dept. (@holyokepolice) December 15, 2015

There are 34 Level 3 sex offenders living or working in Chicopee.

CHICOPEE - The Police Department is notifying residents that a level 3 sex offender has moved into the community.

The man is identified as Robert Lamontagne, 56, of 88 Fair St. He had been convicted of a variety of offenses including rape of a child by force and indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, Chicopee Police officials said.

There are a total of 34 Level 3 sex offenders living or working in Chicopee. Level 3 offenders are those most likely to reoffend and are required to register with the local department every year.

None of the Level 3 offenders are wanted by police. It is also illegal to harass an offender, police said.

Tishman Construction, one of the contractors working on the MGM Springfield casino project, will pay more than $20 million in penalties and restitution after admitting to defrauding clients.

This story has been updated with comments from Tishman Construction.

Tishman Construction, a contractor working on the MGM Springfield casino project, will pay more than $20 million in penalties and restitution after admitting to defrauding clients by more than $5 million between 1999 and 2009.

Tishman, a major New York construction company who managed the building of One World Trade Center, was hit with federal fraud charges on Dec. 10 after over billing clients and charging for unworked hours, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

The company accepted responsibility for the fraud, agreed to pay fines and restitution and implemented corporate reforms as part of a deferred prosecution agreement, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

"Through a systemic practice, Tishman Construction bilked its clients by charging them for unworked time and at rates higher than those bargained for by their clients," U.S. Attorney Robert Capers said in a statement. "By doing so, Tishman Construction defrauded its clients and abused the trust placed in it to provide construction services on some of New York's most storied buildings."

The investigation was part of a broad probe of the New York construction industry. The U.S. Attorney's office has also filed charges against Lend Lease Construction and Hunter Roberts Construction Group for similar allegations of over billing clients to pay labor foremen, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"In 2009, when this historical conduct in the construction industry was reported in the press, Tishman recognized deficiencies in our policies on job sites, and instituted enhanced protocols and safeguards. Since then, Tishman has continued to improve its compliance function, an area in which we want to lead the industry," Tishman Construction spokesman John Gallagher said in a statement. "It is important to note that Tishman did not keep any of the funds referenced in today's announcement. Those funds went to Local 79 labor foremen. We have fully cooperated with the U.S. Attorney through all phases of this investigation."

Tishman is one of dozens of contractors who have worked on MGM Springfield's casino project. The company has already worked significant hours; according to a recent filing with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Tishman had put in 4,032 work hours as of Nov. 25. That makes up 4.6 percent of the total union hours on the project so far.

The fraud, however, ended before construction on MGM Springfield began, according to the U.S. Attorney's press release. From at least 1999 through Oct. 2009 Tishman charged clients for unworked hours by labor foremen from the Local 79 Mason Tenders' District Council of Greater New York. 

For a specific senior labor foreman, the company also paid increased wages not authorized by clients, according to the release.

Tishman agreed to pay $5,650,917.97 in restitution to clients and $14,580,000 in penalties to the federal government, according to the press release. The government agreed to defer prosecution for two years, and Tishman created a Compliance Director position, adopted a new code of conduct and revised its billing and timesheet procedures, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

MGM Springfield did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tishman has built major developments across the country, including previous work with MGM. According to the Wall Street Journal, Tishman worked on the MGM Mirage CityCenter complex in Las Vegas, the Bank of America Tower in New York City, Goldman Sachs' New York headquarters and One World Trade Center.

At around 12:15 a.m. on July 31, Murray entered an acquaintance's unlocked car in the parking lot of the Citgo at 439 N Elm St., reports show. The defendant allegedly stole the victim's purse from the vehicle, which contained $500 in cash as well as credit cards and other personal items, police said.

WESTFIELD -- The case of a fired Citgo gas station employee who allegedly returned to the Westfield store to raid an ex-coworker's car has been continued without finding.

The disposition means that the charges against Sonya Murray, 33, of Westfield will be dismissed after Jun. 2016 if she abides by her probation and is not charged with new offenses, according to court documents.

Murray was arraigned Sept. 15 in Westfield District Court on charges of larceny over $250, trespass and breaking and entering a building at nighttime, which is a felony.

At around 12:15 a.m. on July 31, Murray entered an acquaintance's unlocked car in the parking lot of the Citgo at 439 N Elm St., reports show. The defendant allegedly stole the victim's purse from the vehicle, which contained $500 in cash, credit cards and other personal items, police said.

The theft was captured on security video, and Murray later told police that it was her in the footage, reports said.

Murray was a former employee of the Citgo and had been fired in 2014 due to an undisclosed incident, police said. She was issued a trespass notice on Sept. 18, 2014 that barred her from the gas station's property.

The theft victim was also a Citgo employee, police said. Murray reportedly told officers she targeted the victim because she blamed her former coworker for her termination.

Officers managed to get the man in a car holding a gun to his head to toss the weapon out the window.

Patrick Johnson | pjohnson@repub.com 

SPRINGFIELD - Police responding to a reported home invasion late Monday found a man sitting in a car on West Alvord Street holding a gun to his head, police said.

Police spokesman Sgt. John Delaney said officers Nelson Milano and Juan Tavares approached the car with their guns drawn. After several moments of conversation, they managed to persuade him to lower the weapon, a .40 caliber handgun, and throw it out the window, he said.

Richard MayberrySpringfield Police photo 

Police also recovered an AK-47 and 30 rounds of ammunition inside the car, and three other guns, including a 12-gauge shotgun at a nearby house, he said.

The man, identified as Richard Mayberry, 41, of West Alvord Street, was charged with home invasion, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and improper storage of a firearm, Delaney said.

Delaney said he was not able to release particulars of the home invasion because of the nature of the offense. The victims in the case were known to Mayberry.

Mayberry was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Springfield District Court, but information from the court was not available.

Delaney said the responding officers arrived quickly and acted professionally to prevent violence and possibly save lives.

"Under stressful conditions these officers made the volatile situation calm within minutes," he said.

Connecticut state police said the search and seizure warrants were the result of a several months long investigation between the state narcotics task force and the Hartford Police Department.

HARTFORD - The Connecticut State police Narcotics Task Force seized narcotics, guns and cash after a collaborative investigation.

Two search and seizure warrants at 160-162 Sargeant Street in Hartford, Conn., were the result of a several months long investigation between the narcotics task force and the Hartford Police Department vice, intelligence and narcotics units.

Seized during the operation were: 22 bags of heroin, 1 gram of raw heroin, 1 bag of hallucinogenic mushrooms, a small amount of powdered cocaine, a sawed-off shotgun, an AK-47 style assault rifle, several hundred rounds of assorted ammunition, $400 in cash and a 2002 Dodge Dakota pickup truck.

Police charged: Roberto Torres, 54, of 160 Sargeant Street with possession of narcotics and possession of hallucinogen; Roberto T. Ferguson, 25, of 160 Sargeant Street with criminal possession of a firearm and 3 counts of ammunition, possession of a sawed-off shotgun, possession of an assault weapon; and William Richardson, 51, of 162 Sargeant Street with possession of narcotics and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Torres and Richardson were held on a $50,000 bond for arraignment in Hartford Superior Court and Ferguson was held on a $250,000 bond for arraignment in Hartford Superior Court.

The statewide narcotic task force is made up of Connecticut State troopers and police officers from a variety of Connecticut municipal Police Departments.

Holyoke's population of about 40,000 people is roughly half Latino and many come from Puerto Rico.

HOLYOKE -- Leading a city that is half Latino, Mayor Alex B. Morse has joined New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and heads of other cities in urging federal officials to help Puerto Rico with its $73 billion debt.

"We are writing to urge you to expeditiously work with President Obama, congressional leadership, and members of Congress who are leading on this issue to provide Puerto Rico with the protections, equal treatment and support it needs to overcome its current fiscal and economic crisis," said the letter from mayors to Speaker Paul D. Ryan of the U.S. House of Representatives (see below).

Specifically, the letters asks that federal lawmakers support Obama's legislative package to:

• Enact broad bankruptcy protection and debt restructuring powers for Puerto Rico;
• Provide reforms and investments to improve access to Medicare and Medicaid by increasing access to coverage, raising the standard of care and preventing Medicaid's unstable financing from worsening Puerto Rico's fiscal crisis;
• Reward work and support an economic growth plan that would enact an earned income tax credit and expand a child tax credit for island residents;
• Establish fiscal governance and safeguards to ensure adherence to needed reforms while preserving local decision-making power.

"These policies and programs proposed by the U.S. Treasury Department mirror many of the legislative solutions that have been suggested by concerned members of Congress, and we urge Congress to expeditiously move these measures through the legislative process," the mayors' letter said.

"We ask for your leadership at this critical time so that the United States can live up to its responsibility to help 3.5 million U.S. citizens in Puerto Rico," the letter said.

Holyoke's population of about 40,000 people is roughly half Latino and many come from Puerto Rico.

Joining Morse and de Blasio in signing the letter were Mayor Dan Rivera of Lawrence, Massachusetts, Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Mayor Pedro Segarra of Hartford, Connecticut and Mayor Tom Barrett of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Juan Gonzalez, a New York Daily News columnist, wrote Thursday that Democratic and Republican party leaders appear to realize action is needed to avoid "financial catastrophe" for Puerto Rico.

"The island's governor, Alejandro Garcia Padilla, has warned his government is 'out of cash' and won't be able to meet a nearly $1 billion payment due to bondholders Jan. 1," Gonzalez wrote.

Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, but unlike states, it cannot legally restructure its debts under federal bankruptcy law. Democratic leaders are pushing for a provision that would let Puerto Rico reorganize all of its public debt, Gonzalez wrote.

Writing in BloombergView Oct. 29, James Gibney said the U.S. Congress is at least partly to blame for Puerto Rico's financial plight. A financial step governments use is to issue bonds. When you buy a bond, you are loaning money to the issuer of the bond in exchange for a number of interest payments over a set period. A problem in Puerto Rico is that its bonds are exempt from local, state and federal taxes everywhere in the U.S., an exemption Congress granted in 1917 to help Puerto Rico develop, Gibney said.

"But without the financial controls Congress also imposed, which have long since been lifted, it's a standing invitation to fiscal misadventure," Gibney said.

"For Puerto Rico's government, meanwhile, bonds came to look like hot credit cards -- max out one, pay it down with another," he said.

All of which happens with U.S. territories operating under a "curious burden," Gibney said, restricted by federal regulations and laws that hurt their competitiveness and dependent on federal transfers while lacking meaningful political representation.

Mayors' letter to U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan: