The South End Business Association lauded MGM Springfield's proposed design changes Wednesday, saying it plan to reconfigure and relocate a planned hotel structure will enhance the casino's engagement with the city's Main Street.

SPRINGFIELD ‒ The South End Business Association lauded MGM Springfield's proposed design changes Wednesday, saying its plan to reconfigure and relocate a planned hotel structure will enhance the casino's engagement with the city's Main Street.

The group, which represents more than 40 business owners working to rebuild Springfield's South End, endorsed the proposed changes to the casino project, which have drawn criticism and praise alike since being announced this fall.

SEBA said while there are many aspects of the project that will help further its mission of promoting the South End, "none is more critical than MGM's commitment to engage Main Street through its 'inside out' design."

The company's decision to eliminate a planned 25-story hotel tower and replace it with a six-story structure, the group said, "can only help broaden this engagement."

"The previous design would have required hotel guests to walk through the casino or along State Street to access our shops and restaurants," SEBA said in a statement. "The current configuration will have guests from 251 hotel rooms spilling directly out onto Main Street. This will create more foot traffic, greater visibility for our local businesses and the type of activity that will breathe new life into our downtown. The economic benefits of such a change simply cannot be overstated."

While the association acknowledged that residents wanted to see Springfield's skyline transformed by the proposed hotel tower, it stressed that a city's streetscape "truly defines a community."

SEBA added that it firmly believes MGM Springfield, member businesses and the city will benefit from the new proposed design.

AC Produce, Frigo's, Mom and Rico's, Dillon's Liquors, Milano Importing, South End Citizens Council, Blackjack Steakhouse, EB Atmus, Bay State Plumbing & Heating Supply, Buckeye Bros, HAPHousing and Studio One, Inc. were among the organizations present at the time of the announcement, SEBA said.

The Springfield City Council, Mayor Domenic Sarno and Massachusetts Gaming Commission must approve the proposed changes to MGM Springfield, which include: a nearly 40,000 square foot reduction in the casino's loading dock, a smaller employee dining room and removal of five bowling lanes, among other things.

Members of the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit and the Lynn Police Gang Task Force seized over 800 grams of heroin and more than 3 grams of cocaine during a raid at a Lynn address, State Police officials said Wednesday.

LYNN — State and city police seized heroin and cocaine during a drug raid at a Lynn address Tuesday morning.

Members of the Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit and the Lynn Police Gang Task Force seized over 800 grams of heroin and more than 3 grams of cocaine during the raid, State Police officials said Wednesday.

Arrested were 38-year-old Jenny E. Lugo and 62-year-old Otilio Rodriguez, both of Lynn. The were taken to the State Police barracks in Revere for booking and expected to be arraigned in Lynn District Court. It wasn't immediately known if they have lawyers.

Lugo and Rodriguez were charged with heroin trafficking, cocaine possession to distribute, and conspiracy to violate drug laws. Rodriguez was additionally charged with heroin distribution and heroin possession to distribute.

"Kids donated snack money they save up," Mazza said. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD — Never mind the conventional wisdom that good deeds don't go unpunished; students at Forest Park Middle School found out otherwise on Wednesday.

Students, who collected more than 1,600 cans of food for the needy – more than double the goal set for the holiday drive &8211 got a shot at dunking the principal in a water tank as a reward for their generosity.

Principal Thomas Mazza and two other staffers – math teacher Paul Sullivan and paraprofessional Kyle Cappucci – were in the cold seat as dozens of sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from the homerooms with the largest donations tried their hand at hitting the red-button target that tipped them into the drink.

All three of them got dunked once or twice, but Sullivan descended into the water four times in a row when when the eighth-graders took aim.

Mazza said the pre-holiday vacation dunking was all in fun. The real story, he said, was the generosity of the kids at the 750-student school who made the donations and the teachers who helped organize the event.

History teacher Theresa Cain organized the can drive and English language arts teacher Jo-Anne Rooney organized a separate fund drive.

On top of the 1,655 cans collect, students also raised $600 from events like "dress-down days."

Forest Park Middle School Principal Thomas Mazza gets ready to be dunked in the water by students who donated food for needy people.Carolyn Robbins / The Republican 

History teacher Theresa Cain organized the can drive and English language arts teacher Jo-Anne Rooney organized a separate fund drive. Giovanni Alicea, an eighth-grader, was the first to get a direct hit on the target, sending Cappucci into the water.

"That's cold," Cappucci said, as he surfaced from the state. Cheers went up as each student came to the starting line to fire a rubber ball at the target.

Alicea said he brought in 50 cans of assorted vegetables including beans, carrots and potatoes.

Teacher Natalie Shaw's eigth grade home room had the highest total of cans with 207.

Forest Park, one of nine struggling middle schools operating under the umbrella of the Springfield Empowerment Zone Partnership, has adopted a community service focus as it seeks to turnaround academic performance at a school where many of the students are living in poverty.

Earlier this month, the school celebrated reaching a key academic benchmark by reaching the student growth percentile of 50, two years ahead of the school's goal.

It takes a strict routine and a lot of help to raise a family of special-needs children. Few know this better than Springfield residents Eric and Dennis Volz-Benoit, who have five. The Collaborative Consultative Care Coordinator Program, a partnership between Boston Medical Center and Baystate Medical Center, helps.

By SUSAN HAIGH
and CHARLES KRUPA

SPRINGFIELD -- It takes a strict routine and a lot of help to raise a family of special-needs children. Few know this better than Eric and Dennis Volz-Benoit, who have five.

Typical days involve feeding tubes, breathing treatments, medications and assembly-line showers, not to mention taking kids to school, making dinner and washing clothes.

"It's just kind of like a well-oiled machine," said Eric Volz-Benoit. "The key for us is routine. Everything is routine."

But routine only goes so far for the Springfield couple and their children, Zachary, 8, who has epilepsy and cerebral palsy; Tyler, 7, who has brain damage and autism; Jayden, 5, who has post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline behavior problems; and biological siblings Ryan and Mandie, 7 and 6, who both have PTSD.

That's where the Collaborative Consultative Care Coordinator Program -- known as 4C, and where Eric Volz-Benoit works as a nurse -- comes in.

The program helps parents and pediatricians manage medically complex children. Families are paired with a team of helpers, including a nurse care coordinator and a social worker who can make home visits. A child's medical information is loaded into a central site, or "cloud," so any specialists needed to check or treat any given condition can get what they need quickly and easily.

The program is a partnership between Boston Medical Center and Baystate Medical Center, funded in September 2014 by a three-year, $6 million federal grant under the Affordable Care Act.

Zachary is the only one who qualifies for the coordinated care at 4C. He uses a wheelchair and requires a feeding tube and oxygen; early on after coming to live with the couple in 2008, he was frequently in and out of the hospital.

Volz-Benoit credits Zachary with helping him "grow up a lot" and become a father to his brood of special children.

"No matter how cruddy of a day I've had, all I have to do is come home and get a kiss and see that child," he said. "He balances my life. I can't imagine not having him around."

A hairdresser with an open bottle of Jack Daniels in her car repeatedly invoked Donald Trump's name during an expletive-laced rant after authorities say she led officers from three South Shore police departments on a drunken 10-mile chase up Route 3A.

A digest of news stories from around New England.
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Denajia Bishop
Giovanni Torcasio 

Weymouth hairdresser held on drunken driving, other charges, after police say she lead her on 10 mile chase, rammed cruiser [Boston Herald] Photo below

Cohasset police are seen at the scene where a 10-mile chase ended on Tuesday night resulting n the arrest of a Weymouth woman on drunken driving and other charges. Click on the link, above, for a report from the Boston Herald. 

Matthew Martin 

O'Shea could earn between $140,000 to $170,000 as superintendent of Longmeadow public schools, depending on the outcome of contract negotiations.

Marty O'Shea (The Republican / File Photo) 

O'Shea, in a Wednesday email to the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District community, said he's scheduled to begin his new job in Longmeadow on July 1, 2016, "pending successful contract negotiations."

The Longmeadow School Committee voted to hire O'Shea over Neil Gile, principal of Longmeadow's Wolf Swamp Road School.

"This is a bittersweet moment," O'Shea said in the email to Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District residents. "My work in the HWRSD has been fulfilling and rewarding, but I was intrigued by the opportunity to apply what I learned in the HWRSD in the (Longmeadow School District), where I worked for 10 years as a teacher and administrator."

O'Shea said it was his "honor and privilege" to serve as school superintendent for the towns of Hampden and Wilbraham.

When interviewed for the Longmeadow job, O'Shea told School Committee members that although he enjoys his job at Hampden-Wilbraham, he aspires to lead the Longmeadow district. "It's not so much that there's a push factor (away from Hampden-Wilbraham), but it's more a desire to work in Longmeadow," he said.

O'Shea could earn between $140,000 to $170,000 in his new job, depending on the outcome of negotiations with Longmeadow school officials. An official announcement is scheduled to take place during the School Committee's regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 4.

State officials said their commitment to supporting the Holyoke Soldiers' Home and veterans statewide was strong.

This story elaborates on an article published at 2:10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015: Holyoke Soldiers' Home meeting hears outgoing Superintendent Paul Barabani explain exit: lack of state help

HOLYOKE -- Holyoke Soldiers' Home residents and their families Wednesday criticized state officials' decisions they said prompted the pending departures of Superintendent Paul Barabani and Deputy Superintendent John Paradis.

"I'm one of the 'real things' that everybody's been talking about," said Hector "Tony" Page, 94, a World War II veteran who called the leaders' sudden exits a "bombshell."

"And it affects each and every one of us personally," Page said.

"I have never seen a greater bulldog in terms of being an advocate for the veterans" than Barabani, said Sandi Michon of Westfield.

Her father Ed Bartosz, 88, lives at the Soldiers' Home and the staff shortage is obvious, she said.

"It has affected the care. That's my concern and that is why I would like to know what is going on," Michon said.

Kit Milligan said the current leadership turnover and other problems perhaps are because the board of trustees "wasn't strong enough." Her father Daniel Mahoney, 97, lives at the Soldiers' Home.

Then Milligan looked at a table of state officials that included Francisco A. Urena, secretary of the state Department of Veterans Services, and said they had engaged in "a lot of political talk" at the expense of Western Massachusetts.

"We're the stepchildren. We're the forgotten few," Milligan said.

A state facility, the Holyoke Soldiers' Home employs more than 300 people, has 265 long-term care beds and 30 private rooms for veterans and serves 2,200 veterans a year with its in- and out-patient facilities. It was founded in 1952 overlooking Interstate 91.

Barabani after the meeting declined to say how many more staffers the facility needs to run properly, saying he has asked the state to fund an objective study. More nurses, janitors and other employees are necessary to ensure excellent care for veterans, he said.

"Current staffing levels are inadequate and jeopardize patient care," he said earlier in the meeting.

Urena disputed that argument. The trustees meeting marked the 20th time in the past nine months that members of Gov. Charlie Baker's administration visited the Holyoke Soldiers' Home, underscoring the administration's commitment to ensure care for veterans, he said.

"And we are very proud of our commitment," Urena said.

Urena was in the U.S. Marine Corps. and was awarded a Purple Heart after being injured in a tank battle in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Soldiers' Home staff and officials like Quality Manager Pamela Camerlin said veterans would continue receiving attention and care.

"We are still here to take care of you," said Camerlin, a registered nurse and formerly a hospital corpsman in the U.S. Navy.

Board member Spiros Hatiras said the leaders' exits were a "shock" to him but he said, "We're here, we're here to support the veterans."

The setting was a special meeting of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home board of trustees at the 110 Cherry St. site to discuss the abrupt leadership turnover at the state facility.

Barabani, superintendent since February 2011, announced at a regular board meeting Dec. 15 he would retire in January after the annual evaluation of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home by federal officials.

Paradis submitted a resignation letter the next day, effective Jan. 1, saying he would work there only with Barabani as superintendent.

Barabani, Paradis and Steven E. Como, the board of trustees chairman who also resigned last week, all had declined to discuss whether reports about problems with state funding and bureaucracy contributed to their departures. Como said Wednesday he will stay on until Gov. Charlie Baker appoints a new chairman.

Baker said in a letter to the trustees dated Monday he is appointing Cheryl Lussier Poppe, superintendent of the Chelsea Soldiers' Home, interim director of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home while a search committee is formed to find a permanent superintendent.

The Republican and MassLive.com reported about Baker's appointment of Poppe Tuesday.

Como read Baker's letter to start the meeting.

Board of trustees members Ben Cluff, Margaret E. Oglesby, Brian Q. Corridan, Daniel J. Smith and Hatiras all raised their hands when Como asked for members who wanted to participate on the superintendent search committee.

Como represents Berkshire County, Corridan, Oglesby and Smith Hampden County, Cluff Franklin County and Hatiras Hampshire County.

Barabani and to a lesser extent, Paradis, during the meeting shedded their previous reluctance to identify what pushed them out the door, with Barabani especially -- "Deceit!" -- unloading criticism on state officials for not heeding Holyoke Soldiers' Home staff requests for help.

Trustees moved the meeting venue to the canteen from a conference room to accommodate the crowd of veteran residents, family members, state lawmakers and representatives of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and other military groups.

The crowd gave Barabani a few standing ovations, with Barabani and Paradis praised as devoted administrators who know residents' first names and military histories.

"When I call John and Paul at night because I have a veteran in need, they answer the phone, " said Eric Segundo, junior vice commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Massachusetts.

Lee Tonet of Northampton, a nurse, said her husband Earl F. Tonet died at the Holyoke Solders' Home in October. She agreed with Barabani that the facility needs more staff, she said, looking directly at Urena.

"There's not enough of them and I am telling you, sir, that they are not getting the care that they need," Tonet said.

Urena said that assertions about the state failing to support the Holyoke Soldiers' Home are wrong. The facility's budget increased 7.5 percent this year compared to last year, it was spared spending cuts suffered by other state agencies and programs and 99 percent of the positions vacated when staff took early retirement offers were filled, he said.

"That is a demonstration of the commitment" to veterans of the Baker administration, Urena said.

Barabani, in turn, disputed Urena. The increased funding failed to recoup previous budget cuts and staffing remains unaddressed, he said.

"That is deceit," Barabani said of the state's assertions. "You are being subject to deceit....We did not replace 99 percent of our staff. No way. So why am I leaving? I think you just heard why."

The battle of budget figures included Barabani telling the crowd that for the calendar year 2015, the Holyoke Soldiers' Home's budget was $21.4 million compared to $27.7 million for the Chelsea Soldiers' Home.

Urena said the Chelsea facility was larger and had different needs than the Holyoke Soldiers' Home. The Chelsea Soldiers' Home has eight buildings, some of which are Civil War-era, to maintain, he said.

Costs of operating in the Boston area for heat, water, goods and services are higher than in Western Massachusetts, he said.

Holyoke has a larger long-term care responsibility, Chelsea has a larger number of residents, with a capacity for nearly 200 more than Holyoke, Joseph Truschelli, Veterans Services Department spokesman, said in an email after the meeting.

The Holyoke Soldiers' Home's bed capacity is 293 compared to the Chelsea Soldiers' Homes' 479 beds, he said.

Barabani said such figures reinforced his argument. Long-term care of veterans is what requires the more thorough and intensive staff time, he said.

Barabani plans to retire because state officials have failed to approve funding, staff and other steps necessary to care for the facility's veterans, he said.

"I've been given a mission but I haven't been given the resources to accomplish that mission," Barabani said.

According to figures from Truschelli, the Holyoke Soldiers' Home's current budget is $24.47 million, up from last year's $22.7 million and the previous year's $22.19 million.

Among his remarks, Paradis said he was a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the son of a World War II veteran and Korean War veteran and member of VFW Post 801 in Holyoke.

"I have devoted my entire life to public service," Paradis said.

"When I announced my resignation to the board of trustees last week, I noted that I would not work with anyone but Superintendent Barabani. He is a fighter....He lives, breathes, sleeps the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke," Paradis said.

Statewide, support of veterans includes $93 million in funding this year, an increase of $2 million over the previous year; 200 rental vouchers for chronically homeless veterans; and Operation Welcome Home, which helps veterans buy first homes with loan, closing-cost, mortgage insurance and unemployment assistance, administration officials said.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 185 points to close just below 17,603.

By KEN SWEET

NEW YORK -- Stocks advanced for a third straight day on Wednesday, once again helped by higher oil prices, which lifted shares in oil and gas companies.

Trading was light as Wall Street and the rest of the country heads into Christmas and the New Year. U.S. markets will be open for only a half day on Thursday.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 185.34 points, or 1.1 percent, to 17,602.61. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 25.32 points, or 1.2 percent, to 2,064.29 and the Nasdaq composite rose 44.82 points, or 0.9 percent, to 5,045.93.

With the gains in the last three days, U.S. markets have recovered most of the losses incurred late last week. The S&P 500 is back in the black for 2015, albeit slightly.

Investors took their cues from the energy markets once again. Oil prices rose for a third day, bouncing back from lows hit earlier in the week, which helped lift the battered energy sector. U.S. crude futures jumped $1.36, or 3.8 percent, to $37.50 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, added $1.25, or 3.5 percent, to $37.36 a barrel in London.

"The market lately has been ruled pretty clearly by oil in particular, and more broadly, commodity prices. Now we seem to have some stability in oil, copper and other metals that's helping the market," said Scott Wren, senior global equity strategist at the Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

Oil and gas prices rose sharply, easily beating out other sectors in the market. Among individual stocks, Murphy Oil rose $1.31, or 6 percent, to $23.62, ConocoPhillips rose $2.75, or 6 percent as well, to $49.03 and Halliburton added $1.43, or 4.2 percent, to $35.45. Overall, the S&P 500 energy sector is up 5.6 percent this week alone. For the year it's still down 21 percent, the most in the S&P 500.

In other trading, Nike fell $3.14, or 2.4 percent, to $128.71, after the company reported revenue that fell short of analysts' forecasts. Nike is still the biggest winner in the Dow average this year with a gain of 34 percent.

U.S. government bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.26 percent. The dollar slipped to 120.88 yen from 121.04 yen a day earlier. The euro edged lower to $1.0912 from $1.0952.

In other energy commodities, heating oil rose 3.2 cents to $1.119 a gallon, wholesale gasoline rose 6.7 cents, or 6 percent, to $1.241 a gallon and natural gas rose 9.5 cents, or 5 percent, to $1.983 per thousand cubic feet.

Precious and industrial metals prices ended mixed. Gold fell $5.80 to $1,068.30 an ounce, silver slipped 3 cents to $14.29 an ounce and copper edged up two cents to $2.12 a pound.

Emergency officials in Tennessee worried that powerful winds could turn holiday yard decorations into projectiles

ATLANTA -- Forecasters warned of a "particularly dangerous situation" as a storm system swept across the country on Wednesday, killing at least six people as officials said they feared Christmas yard decorations would become projectiles.

Tornadoes touched down in Indiana and Mississippi, where three were killed. The springlike storms packing strong winds killed two more in Tennessee.

A tree blew over onto a house in Arkansas, killing an 18-year-old woman and trapping a 1-year-old child inside, authorities said. Rescuers pulled the toddler safely from the home.

Spring-like storms packing strong winds toppled tractor-trailers and knocked down trees, leaving thousands of people without power in Indiana and Arkansas.

Emergency officials in Tennessee worried that powerful winds could turn holiday yard decorations into projectiles, the same way gusts can fling patio furniture in springtime storms, said Marty Clements, director of the Madison County Emergency Management Agency in Jackson, the state's largest city between Memphis and Nashville.

"If you go through these neighborhoods, there are a lot of people very proud of what they've put out and they've got stuff everywhere - all these ornaments and deer and everything else," Clements said. "They're not manufactured to withstand that kind of wind speed, so they become almost like little missiles."

Slabs of metal were tangled in drooping power lines, dangling precariously alongside the road, and the smell of freshly overturned dirt and trees lingered in the air as emergency crews tended to downed power lines.

Close by, in Benton County, Mississippi, two people died and at least two were missing. Crews were searching house-by-house and to make sure residents were accounted for.

In the northwest part of the state, A tornado damaged or destroyed at least 20 homes. Clarksdale Mayor Bill Luckett said the only confirmed casualty was a dog killed by storm debris. Planes at a small airport overturned and an unknown number of people were injured.

"I'm looking at some horrific damage right now," the mayor said. "Sheet metal is wrapped around trees; there are overturned airplanes; a building is just destroyed."

Television images showed the tornado appeared to be on the ground for more than 10 minutes. Interstate 55 was closed in both directions as the tornado approached, the Mississippi Highway Patrol said.

After an EF-1 tornado struck the south Indianapolis suburb of Greenwood, television stations showed pictures of damage including a portion of a roof blown off a veterinary office.

The biggest threat for tornadoes was in a region of 3.7 million people in Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas and parts of Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky, according to the national Storm Prediction Center in Oklahoma. The center issued a "particularly dangerous situation" alert for the first time since June 2014, when two massive EF4 twisters devastated a rural Nebraska town, killing two people.

The greatest risk for a few "intense, long-tracked tornadoes" will be through Wednesday night.

About 120 miles east of the tornado, Brandi Holland, a convenience store clerk in Tupelo, Mississippi, said people were reminded of a tornado that damaged or destroyed more than 2,000 homes and businesses in April 2014.

"They're opening all our tornado shelters because they say there's an 80 percent chance of a tornado today," Holland said.

Elsewhere, skiers on the slopes out West got a fresh taste of powder and most people in the Northeast enjoyed spring-like temperatures as they finished up last-minute Christmas shopping.

"It's too warm for me. I don't like it. I prefer the cold in the winter, in December. Gives you more of that Christmas feel," said Daniel Flores, a concierge from the Bronx, his light jacket zipped open as he shopped in Manhattan with his three children.

Only about half of the nation, mostly in the West, should expect the possibility of a white Christmas.

In the small coastal town of Loxley, Alabama, Mandy Wilson watched the angry gray sky and told drivers to be careful as she worked a cash register at Love's Travel Stop.

"It's very ugly; it's very scary," Wilson said. "There's an 18-wheeler turned over on I-10. There's water standing really bad. It's a really interesting way to spend Christmas Eve eve."

In parts of Georgia, including Atlanta, a flood watch was posted through Friday evening as more than 4 inches was expected, the National Weather Service said.

The threat of severe weather just before Christmas is unusual, but not unprecedented, said Greg Carbin, a meteorologist at the national Storm Prediction Center.

Twisters hit southeast Mississippi exactly a year ago, killing five people and injuring dozens of others. On Christmas Day in 2012, a storm system spawned several tornadoes, damaging homes from Texas to Alabama.

In Arkansas, Pope County Sheriff Shane Jones said 18-year-old Michaela Remus was killed when a tree crashed into her bedroom. The woman and her 1 1/2-year-old sister were sleeping in a bedroom of the house near Atkins about 65 miles northwest of Little Rock, when winds uprooted the tree that crashed through the roof.

"It's terrible that this happened, especially at Christmas," Jones said.

Forecasters said by Wednesday night, the severe weather threat could shift east into the southern Appalachian Mountain region.

Once the strong storms clear out, warm temperatures were expected. Highs in Atlanta and Charlotte, North Carolina, on Christmas Eve were forecast to be in the mid-70s.

This is the second time this Christmas season that someone has stolen the baby doll representing Jesus from the crèche display on the Town Common.

GREENFIELD — Somebody has snatched the baby Jesus from the Nativity scene in Greenfield's Town Common, and it's not the first time the son of God has gone missing just days before Christmas.

"It's no longer the very expensive baby Jesus that we used to have, because he got destroyed a couple years ago. It's a pretty little doll," Amy Clarke told The Recorder on Wednesday, referring to the doll used as Christ's stand-in for the holiday display.

The theft, discovered early Tuesday morning, marks the second time this year that someone has stolen the baby doll from the display, according to Clarke, a member of Keep Christ in Christmas, the group responsible for the town's Nativity scene. The doll also was taken from the display last Christmas eve.

"It's disappointing, not good for the people of the town, (and) sad for the people and those who put it together," Greenfield Deputy Police Chief Mark Williams told Western Mass News, TV partner of MassLive / The Republican.

"I just think it's sad someone would chose to do this," Williams said, adding that the incident remains under investigation.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Greenfield police at 413-773-5411.

Greenfield Community College will send interns to Franklin Community Co-op and Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, or CISA.

GREENFIELD -- A midweek farmer's market is slated to open this spring thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Rural Community College Alliance and a collaboration among three Franklin County institutions that support local agriculture.

Greenfield Community College will send three paid interns to the Franklin Community Co-op to help launch an outdoor Tuesday market for 12 vendors, according to a statement from the college. Three other interns will head to Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture, or CISA, to work on broader issues that affect farmers markets and local food systems regionally.

Sarah Kanabay, communications manager at the food co-op, last summer approached the college about creating an internship to bring a new weekly farmer's market to downtown Greenfield. Three interns worked at the co-op during the fall semester to create a business plan, and the new slate of interns will build upon that work and bring the market to fruition.

Kanaby said the idea is to create a new market model that expands access for both farmers and customers. The idea is to reduce the cost of attending for new and small-scale farmers, to make use of SNAP benefit matching, and to identify partners to purchase unsold goods at the end of the day for distribution to social service organizations.

"This is a hallmark of what cooperative business models truly stand for," she said.

Margaret Christie of CISA noted that in order for farmers' markets to be successful, they have to work financially for farmers. To that end, interns will work on outreach and publicity to increase foot traffic at farmers markets in the region.

"If farmers aren't able to make enough money at the market, it's not worth their while to pick, pack, and truck the product," she said. "So farmers need shoppers, and shoppers want enough farmers to provide bounty and variety at the market."

Christine Copeland, internship coordinator at Greenfield Community College, said the project will provide valuable work experience for students who are passionate about food and agriculture, while at the same time helping the community.

The grant is one of eight Agricultural Cooperative Initiative grants awarded to rural community colleges nationwide with funding from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. The money will help support the College Farm Market Project at GCC's Sustainable Agriculture and Green Energy Education Center, or SAGE.

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com

Daniel Peristere, 45, won't be home for Christmas. He was ordered held through the holiday until Tuesday, his next court date in his firearms possession case.

WARREN — Daniel Peristere won't be home for Christmas. A judge ordered the 45-year-old Warren man to be held through the holiday until Tuesday, his next court date in his firearms possession case.
Supporters of Warren man with gun arsenal: He's a collector, not a menace to the public
Authorities confiscated more than 100 guns during a Tuesday afternoon raid at Peristere's home on Reed Street, arresting him on multiple firearms offenses and for allegedly making "threats of a concerning nature," police said.

But family and friends say Peristere is an avid gun collector, not a person with nefarious thoughts on his mind. "There's nothing dangerous about Dan," Patricia Girard, Peristere's girlfriend, told Western Mass News, TV partner of MassLive / The Republican. The police are "making a big huge deal out of nothing," she said. "He just collects."

Warren police and members of the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council Swat Team executed arrest and search warrants at 528 Reed St. around 1 p.m. Tuesday. Peristere was taken into custody by officers, who seized dozens of guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

Warren police said Peristere was under investigation for making "threats of a concerning nature," but authorities did not elaborate. However, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported Wednesday that Peristere made threatening comments toward police.

More than 100 unlicensed and unsecured guns were confiscated from Peristere, whose license to carry firearms was revoked last year following his arrest on a drunken-driving charge, the newspaper reported. Peristere's lawyer claimed most of the weapons were antiques collected by his client, who thought his license to carry was still active.

A Western Worcester District Court judge ordered Peristere to be held until his next court appearance on Tuesday. That means Peristere will be incarcerated through the Christmas holiday – a fact that disappoints his girlfriend. "They could've let him come home," Girard told Western Mass News. "I'm going to be all alone myself."

Westfield police confirmed that one person died in the blaze, according to Western Mass News, TV partner of MassLive / The Republican.

WESTFIELD — Authorities are investigating what sparked a fatal house fire in Westfield on Wednesday evening.

Westfield police confirmed that one person died in the 7:15 p.m. blaze at a Mill Street home, according to Western Mass News, TV partner of MassLive / The Republican.

Massachusetts State Police troopers attached to the office of state Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan were expected to join the probe.

The victims' identity had not been released as of 10:30 p.m. Additional details were unavailable.

Here are the winning numbers for Wednesday's Powerball drawing.

So, did that $2 you plunked down this week for a Powerball ticket make for the merriest early Christmas present in your whole life? Check your numbers here.

The winning numbers in Wednesday evening's Powerball are:
16, 38, 55, 63, 67, Powerball: 25, Powerplay: 4x

The estimated jackpot is $232.6 million.

Powerball drawings are Wednesdays and Saturdays, and are offered in the 44 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The odds of winning the jackpot with a $2 ticket are 1 in 175,223,510.

The money was seized as part of a federal investigation into John George Jr., the disgraced former state representative and selectman from Dartmouth, who once represented the 9th Bristol District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

BOSTON — More than $1 million in cash. Stuffed into safe deposit boxes. Filled to the brim with wads of $100s, $50s, $20s ...

The money was seized this week by federal authorities as part of their investigation into John George Jr., the disgraced former state representative and selectman from Dartmouth, who once represented the 9th Bristol District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

The 69-year-old Democrat was found guilty in April of embezzling federal funds from Union Street Bus Company – the taxpayer-subsidized bus company he owned – and using the money to benefit his personal farm in Dartmouth, the coastal Bristol County town just west of New Bedford.

George was sentenced to 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $688,772 in restitution to the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority, the public bus system that George's bus company was contracted to operate, providing service to New Bedford and Fall River and several other South Coast communities. George also was ordered to forfeit an additional $1.38 million to the federal government.

Prior to his July sentencing, George was required to disclose his financial status in federal court, where he claimed liquid assets of only around $188,000. Sensing George was holding out on them, federal authorities obtained search-and-seizure warrants to go after his concealed assets. That led to this week's discovery of the safe deposit boxes containing over a $1 million in small bundles of cash.

A site near Hartford's Xfinity Theater could soon be the future home to Connecticut's third gambling casino, city officials and leaders from the Mohegan Tribal Council and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council confirmed this week.

SPRINGFIELD ‒ A site near Hartford's Xfinity Theater could soon be the future home to Connecticut's third gambling casino, city officials and leaders from the Mohegan Tribal Council and Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council confirmed this week.

The proposed casino site, which is among a handful tribal leaders are considering to compete with the planned MGM Springfield, includes around 10 acres off New Road in North Meadows - an area used for parking by the music theater that the city has been unsuccessful in attracting redevelopment proposals, the Hartford Courant reported this week.

Kevin Brown, chairman of the Mohegan Tribal Council, and Rodney Butler, chairman of Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Council, disclosed the proposed location during a meeting with the newspaper's editorial board.

The site would place the proposed gambling facility, which would be jointly run by Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, near Hartford's new minor league baseball stadium and development, including a planned Hard Rock Hotel, according to the Courant.

While Hartford did not submit a location with its casino bid, it did so last week to ensure the city remains in the selection process, Hartford's Chief Operating Officer Darrell Hill told the Courant. Mayor-elect Luke Bronin, however, has said he's wary of the project and doesn't intend to aggressively pursue a casino.

East Hartford, East Windsor and Windsor Locks have also submitted proposals to host the state's next casino. Each city and town must conduct hearings, local legislative approvals and, possibly, referendums to gauge public support for a gaming facility.

Tribal chairmen told the Courant that East Windsor's proposed site is on farmland south of Exit 45 on Interstate-91. Other proposed locations include: the former Showcase Theatres in East Hartford, Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks and Sportech Venue's off-track betting parlor in Windsor Locks.

While the joint Mohegan-Mashantucket Pequot company that is attempting to build a third Connecticut casino, was targeting a Dec. 15 deadline for site selection, it delayed its target date earlier this month.

A firm deadline for the selection hasn't been set, an MMCT spokesman told MassLive.

Tribal leaders told the Hartford Courant that a decision is unlikely to come before the start of Connecticut's next legislative session. State lawmakers must vote to authorize construction of a third casino.

Catholic leader says individual choice can lead one away from the Light.

The 2015 Christmas homily of the Most Rev. Mitchell T. Rozanski, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, draws on Isaiah 9:1-6, Titus 2: 11-14 and Luke 2: 1-14

SPRINGFIELD - This past Tuesday, we marked the Winter Solstice, which brings to the people of the Northern Hemisphere the shortest length of daylight that we experience all year. For these past weeks, especially since the change to Standard Time, many people leave for work before the sun rises and return home in darkness.

Many years ago, there was a segment on "60 Minutes" that featured seasonal affective disorder (SAD), As I was watching that show, I thought how silly it was to blame the shorter daylight time as the cause of feeling down, sad and even depressed.

Bishop RozanskiREPUBLICAN FILE 

Yet, through the years, I do believe in SAD and the effects that shorter time spent in daylight has on our lives. A lack of energy, a sense of melancholy or a feeling of just wanting to stay home to avoid the dark and the cold may be a sign that this disorder has an effect on us.

Yet, in the midst of winter's throes, when cold and darkness abound, we gather as God's people to celebrate the light born into our world. The readings of our Mass speak of light. Isaiah tells of "the people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light, upon those who dwell in the land of gloom a light has shone."

The shepherds who watched their flocks the night of our Savior's birth were surrounded by the light of the angels who heralded the good news. In a world that was literally filled with darkness, the glory of the Lord brought the light of God's presence among us.

We need not look far for the darkness' presence in our world.

A daily reading of the newspapers show the violence that is present around our globe and sadly, even in our own neighborhoods. Like the winter solstice, the darkness of evil seems to overtake the light that we seek and desire. We remember the Christmas story this day because of all the darkness that pervaded the earth when our Savior was born.

A powerful emperor uproots the child's parents so that they are far from home when Mary is about to give birth. No pleasant place is available for such a crucial moment, so the Child is born in a cold stable, surrounded only by the warmth of his parents and the animals that are present. A local governor, Herod, is so intensely jealous of his own power that he is willing to murder newborn children so that a rival may not unseat him. Indeed, there was still darkness on the night that our Savior was born.

But the presence of God pierces that darkness and reveals the light that not only illumines that one night, but will forever shine in our world.

The light also pierces the darkness in various ways. Mary and Joseph are able to welcome their child with joy despite the harsh surroundings. Shepherds, who were on the margins of society, experience the light that no other people were privileged to see.

Later in the Christmas story, the Magi are led to this most humble place by the light of a star. Distance and lack of knowing where this Child was did not prevent them from ultimately finding Him as they were guided by the light of that star.

All of us encounter darkness in our lives, not only in the depths of winter, but in our choosing to go our own way instead of following the Light that has come into the world. We can become mired in the darkness of sin, cynicism, egoism and doubt.

Yet, we can come together this Christmas to celebrate the birth of this Christ Child who leads us to the true light of God. Instinctively, we seek His Light, for we do not want to wallow in our own darkness.

Earlier this month, Pope Francis opened the Year of Mercy by passing through the portal of the Holy Door, symbolic of moving through a new threshold to begin anew. God, coming to earth in His Son Jesus is the sign of the opportunity to begin anew, to forsake the darkness that brings confusion, doubt and misery and choose the path of light that leads to clarity, hope and true joy.

The Savior who was born in Bethlehem is the Light of the World and no amount of darkness can ever obscure the joy that He brings.

Let us rejoice in this hope, this child, whose birth was witnessed by Mary, Joseph and the shepherds. His coming to us as a baby is God crossing the threshold of our humanity to reach out to us. In turn, Jesus calls us to be light for one another. How often He gives us
these opportunities in our family members, our neighbors and those whom we do not know but can help through our care and generosity.

These are lights that shine in the darkness of our world, reminding us of the Light that emanates from the stable at Bethlehem.

May we cross from any darkness that afflicts us into the beauty of the Light of Christmas, celebrating with joy this child whose birth illuminates even the darkest of nights.

Watch Santa Claus, Rudolf and all the reindeer fly in the sky across the backdrop of the 2015 Christmas full moon as Slooh astronomers offer live coverage on Christmas Eve.

Feed courtesy of Slooh

Whether it's the anticipation of all the toys there'll be waiting for you under the tree – or the effort to assemble those toys – that will keep you up all night, it will be well worth the loss of sleep: For the first time in 38 years, we'll have a full moon to observe on Christmas morning.

The 2015 Full Cold Moon, so named, NASA says, because it's the first full moon of winter, will reach its peak fullness at 6:11 a.m. EST. Just in time for kids to let everyone know it's time to open presents!

And it gets better – on Christmas Eve from 7 p.m. to midnight, Slooh, a Connecticut-based organization that connects its telescopes to the Internet, will provide an opportunity to see Santa Claus and his reindeer flying across the full moon on their way down from the North Pole. The first Christmas full moon since 1977 will be high in the sky during Santa's trip, and Slooh's astronomers say they might be able to catch a live glimpse of reindeer Rudolph, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen pulling Saint Nick's sleigh as they pass right in front of the moon.

Slooh, which is celebrating its 12th anniversary on Christmas, will provide live feeds of the Christmas full moon from its flagship observatory at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands.

Slooh is also giving a holiday present to space and Santa lovers around the world: Children will have free use of Slooh's new StarShare Camera to capture and share their own images of Santa and the moon. You can go to Slooh.com to watch the broadcast live and take photos during the show.

And in recognition that some believe the Star of Bethlehem was actually a comet, at midnight, Slooh will feature the Christmas Comet as it emerges from its recent close passage around the Sun.

If you're planning for the next Christmas full moon, it won't be as long as the last time, but you've got plenty of time to get ready: 2034 is the next Dec.25 full moon.

More science and nature coverage on MassLive »

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Downey was among 91 people granted pardons for criminal convictions after demonstrating they had rehabilitated themselves and been out of custody for at least 10 years, Gov. Jerry Brown's office announced.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- The governor of California pardoned Robert Downey Jr. on Thursday for a nearly 20-year-old felony drug conviction that led to the Oscar-nominated actor's imprisonment for roughly a year.

Downey was among 91 people granted pardons for criminal convictions after demonstrating they had rehabilitated themselves and been out of custody for at least 10 years, Gov. Jerry Brown's office announced.

The pardon does not erase records of a conviction but is a public proclamation that the person has remained out of trouble and demonstrated exemplary behavior, according to material on Brown's website.

Downey, once a courthouse mainstay for a series of drug-related arrests, has become one of Hollywood's greatest success stories for career and addiction rehabilitation.

Since 2008, Downey has portrayed "Iron Man" in a series of Disney blockbuster films, including "The Avengers," based on the Marvel comic books.

The 50-year-old actor is a two-time Oscar nominee for his roles in 1992's "Chaplin" and 2008's "Tropic Thunder."

Downey's legal troubles began in June 1996 when he was stopped for speeding on Pacific Coast Highway and authorities found cocaine, heroin and a pistol in his vehicle.

In 1999, he was sent to prison for roughly a year after he acknowledged violating his probation.

Downey obtained the pardon after getting a judge to issue a certificate of rehabilitation, according to a proclamation released by Brown's office. It said Downey has "lived an honest and upright life, exhibited good moral character, and conducted himself as a law-abiding citizen."

An email sent to Downey's agent Jim Toth and a call to his attorney Blair Berk were not immediately returned.

The Democratic governor, a former Jesuit seminarian, has made it a practice to issue pardons around Christian holidays.

The state's longest-serving governor has now issued 1,087 pardons, including 683 in the past five years and 404 during his first eight years in office from 1975-1983, according to his office.

Most of those pardoned Thursday were convicted of drug and property crimes, though three were convicted of arson, one of kidnapping and one of vehicular manslaughter. Three were convicted of assaults using deadly weapons and one of carjacking with a BB gun. Many are now residents of other states.

The hundreds of pardons Brown has issued in each of his four terms are typical -- except for his three immediate predecessors. Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger granted 15, Democrat Gray Davis granted none, and Republican Pete Wilson granted 13.

Former Republican Gov. Ronald Reagan granted nearly 600, according to Brown's office.

Christmas Eve is almost always the quietest trading day of the year, and this year was no exception.

By KEN SWEET

NEW YORK -- Stocks closed slightly lower in extremely light trading Thursday as investors remained on the sidelines ahead of Christmas. The price of crude oil continued to recover.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 50.44 points, or 0.3 percent, to 17,552.17. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 3.30 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,060.99 and the Nasdaq composite rose 2.56 points, less than 0.1 percent, to 5,048.49.

Christmas Eve is almost always the quietest trading day of the year, and this year was no exception. Roughly 1.4 billion shares changed hands on the New York Stock Exchange, a third of what's typical and the lowest volume since Christmas Eve 2013.

U.S. and European markets will remain closed Friday in observance of Christmas.

While stocks were slightly lower Thursday, U.S. markets had a solid week. The S&P 500 rose nearly 3 percent and is back into positive territory for the year, albeit barely. It is not uncommon for stocks to rally into the end of the year, as investors close their books and reposition themselves for the next year.

"The Santa Claus rally got an early start," said Quincy Krosby, a market strategist with Prudential Financial, referring to the gains that historically happen between Christmas and New Year's Day. "If we can hold onto this, we will be setting up for a good January."

Oil prices continued to recover from lows earlier in the week. U.S. crude futures gained 60 cents to close at $38.10 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, rose 53 cents to close at $37.89 a barrel in London.

Energy stocks didn't benefit from oil's climb. The energy component of the S&P 500 index fell 0.9 percent, the most of the 10 industry sectors in the S&P 500 index.

In other company news, bond insurer MBIA rose 51 cents, or 8 percent, to $6.75 after Puerto Rico's struggling electric power company reached a deal with its creditors. MBIA insured the bonds issued by the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority.

The dollar edged lower to 120.28 yen from 120.88 yen a day earlier. The euro rose slightly to $1.0964 from $1.0912.

Bond prices rose slightly. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell to 2.24 percent from 2.25 percent a day earlier.

In other energy markets, heating oil fell 1.8 cents to close at $1.101 a gallon, wholesale gasoline rose 2.3 cents to $1.264 a gallon and natural gas rose 4.6 cents to $2.029 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In the metals markets, gold rose $7.60 to $1,075.90 an ounce, silver rose nine cents to $14.38 an ounce and copper was unchanged at $2.12 a pound.