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Chicopee Police searching for missing 12-year-old

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Angel Diaz was last seen Sunday evening in the Prospect Street area.

CHICOPEE - Police are searching for a 12-year-old boy who has been missing since about 7:30 p.m., Sunday.

Angel Diaz is described as being about 4 feet tall and weighing about 105 pounds. He has hazel eyes and brown hair and was last seen wearing black shorts, sneakers and a green jacket.

He could be riding a green bike and may be carrying a basketball, said Michael Wilk, public information officer for Chicopee Police.

He was last seen in the Prospect Street area, he said.

Anyone with information about the boy should call the police dispatch immediately at 594-1700.


NY subway riders strip to underwear for 'no-pants day'; some grin, others bare it

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The laughter-filled ritual started in the largest U.S. city in 2002 and has expanded nationwide and overseas, from Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas to London, Berlin, Prague and Vienna.

NEW YORK -- Thousands of New Yorkers thought it was a hot thing Sunday to strip to their underwear during winter and ride on public transportation, along with pantless crowds in about 60 countries.

"I'm a no-pant virgin," declared a grinning Miguel Ramos amid New York's No Pants Subway Ride. It was the Mexican-born restaurant worker's first foray into the "international celebration of silliness," as organizers billed it.

The laughter-filled ritual started in the largest U.S. city in 2002 and has expanded nationwide and overseas, from Atlanta, Chicago and Dallas to London, Berlin, Prague and Vienna.

It's coordinated by Improv Everywhere, a global flash mob.

New York participants were assigned personal numbers for central gathering spots in each city borough. "And then at, say, the third stop in Brooklyn, you take off your pants in the train," explained Latesha Mack, who made it to Manhattan's Union Square station in fishnet stockings below her panties. "So it's not like, a bunch of people on one train with no pants."

While most clothed straphangers weaved their way through bare flesh, some were left shocked.

A tall, elegant man -- totally clothed -- stopped in his tracks as he entered the station.

"I asked the police, 'What's going on?' and he said, 'It's no pants day,'" said Manhattan entrepreneur Mark Francis. "And I said, 'what?'"

The cop told him it was a "tradition." More than 4,000 New Yorkers participated.


In Phoenix, Arizona, the city's light rail system party included a pants-less outing to a pub.

Nicole Black brought her Superman underwear from 40 miles away for "a day off to have fun and enjoy and see what Phoenix has to offer" -- including temperatures in the 50s making the attire reasonably comfortable.

Boston also enjoyed spring-like weather, with rain causing some riders to wipe the drops off their legs as they boarded trains.

Even families took part everywhere, carrying babies bared to their diapers.

And a Berlin woman had a cat's face splashed across her -- well, cheeks.

Portland couple gets engaged in undies at No Pants MAX Ride (video)

At a London station, coats and scarves warded off the chill -- at least from the waist up.

Then there were the once shy types.

Bill Murphy, a New York translator, said he didn't realize he had certain talents until Sunday -- wearing only a red bikini as he burst out gyrating amid the Union Square station crowd.

"I'm 56 and I'm kind of proud of myself. At a senior age, it's supposed to be not acceptable, but I want to change the perception of that: I've become an exhibitionist today," he said.

Belchertown expected appoint special committee to advise selectmen in effort to purchase part of former state school property

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The Patrick Center, slated to be sold by the state, was taken off the auction block at the last minute -- when Sen. Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, intervened on behalf of the town -- and convinced the division of capital asset management and maintenance to give Belchertown a chance to buy it

BELCHERTOWN - Selectmen are expected to appoint a special committee at Monday's meeting that would advise them on purchasing the defunct Patrick Center that at one time was part of the Belchertown State School.

full-size belchertown_seal belchertown seal.jpg 
Tonight's meeting at town hall begins at 7:30.

The 5.4-acre parcel, and 4,400 square foot building, located at 47 State St. along Route 202, sits across the street from the Police Department and is surrounded by town-owned land.

The property had been scheduled to be sold by the state in December.

But it was taken off the auction block at the last minute -- when state Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, intervened on behalf of the town -- and convinced the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to give the town an opportunity to purchase it.

Selectmen praised his efforts, along with the advocacy of Rep. Thomas Petrolati, D-Ludlow, and Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, at last month's meeting, for not allowing the auction to go forward.

The DCAMM gave the town a June deadline to work out details on how they would finance the potential purpose, and to explain what sort of public purpose the property would be used. The former Patrick Center has sat vacant more than a decade.

The advisory panel is expected to recommend to selectmen a reuse plan that would meet the state's criteria, and result in DCAMM selling it to Belchertown, selectmen have said.

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.

A special town meeting has been scheduled for Feb. 22.

Sean Penn under surveillance when he met 'El Chapo,' claims he has 'nothin' to hide'

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Actor Sean Penn said he has "nothin' to hide," after images published Monday indicated he was under surveillance when he met with the Mexican actress who led him to Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman — and the pair was apparently followed and photographed as they set out for the supposedly secret meeting with the drug lord.

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Actor Sean Penn said he has "nothin' to hide," after images published Monday indicated he was under surveillance when he met with the Mexican actress who led him to Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman -- and the pair was apparently followed and photographed as they set out for the supposedly secret meeting with the drug lord.

In a brief email exchange with The Associated Press, Penn also dismissed criticism over his interview with the fugitive, who was captured on Friday, a day before Penn's 10,000-word story was published in Rolling Stone magazine.

Mexican officials have said that contacts between Guzman's lawyers and Penn and actress Kate del Castillo helped them track down the fugitive and they raided his hideout in rural Durango state a few days after their Oct. 2 meeting. Guzman evaded authorities then, but was finally captured after a shootout Friday in the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa.

Penn wrote in the Rolling Stone article of elaborate security precautions, including switching phones. As he flew to Mexico for the meeting, he wrote, "I see no spying eyes, but I assume they are there."

He was right -- and they had apparently been following del Castillo for months based on contacts with Guzman's lawyers.

The Mexican newspaper El Universal published 10 images Monday that appeared to show Penn being monitored as he arrived in Mexico.

In the photographs, Penn, wearing dark glasses and a baseball cap, is shown arriving with del Castillo at an airport, then at a hotel, and greeting the men who apparently took them to a small airstrip, from which they flew to the jungle camp to meet Guzman. The newspaper said the photos were part of a Mexican government intelligence file it had obtained.

Asked about the images Monday, Penn would only say: "I've got nothin' to hide."

The actor also shrugged off a suggestion that he was "taking hits" for agreeing to submit his article to Guzman prior to publication by Rolling Stone.

"No, you're reading hits," he said in the email exchange with the AP. In the article, Penn said Guzman requested no changes.

Penn stressed that he doesn't think his communications were tracked, and in an interview with a local radio station, Mexican Attorney General Arely Gomez said that Mexican investigators were following the movements of one of Guzman's lawyers, not necessarily Penn or del Castillo.

Asked whether Penn or del Castillo were under investigation, Gomez said a "new line" of inquiry had been opened that could include them or Guzman's lawyers, and could involve "covering up" for Guzman "or something bigger."

In an article accompanying the photos, El Universal said Mexican agents were aware of and following del Castillo's contacts with Guzman's lawyers since at least June. Del Castillo has not commented, but Penn wrote in Rolling Stone that Guzman was interested in having a movie made of his life and wanted del Castillo, who had portrayed a drug trafficker in a Mexican television series, involved in the project.

Guzman's capture came six months after his dramatic escape through a mile-long tunnel he dug from his cell at the maximum-security Altiplano prison, west of Mexico City.

Mexico has begun the process of extraditing Guzman to the United States, where he faces drug-trafficking charges, but that could take "a year or longer" because of legal challenges, said the head of Mexico's extradition office, Manuel Merino. He cited one extradition case that took six years.

In the meantime, Guzman, who faces drug-trafficking and organized crime charges in Mexico, was being held at the same prison he escaped from in July. A Mexican security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said the drug lord is being held in a different cell and that the tunnel he built and the cell he escaped from had been destroyed.

On Monday, the prison was ringed by soldiers, some riding in armored personnel carrier, as well as marines and federal police.

Guzman's powerful Sinaloa cartel smuggles multi-ton shipments of cocaine and marijuana as well as manufacturing and transporting methamphetamines and heroin, mostly to the U.S. He is wanted in several U.S. states and his July escape deeply embarrassed the government of President Enrique Pena Nieto and strained ties between the countries.

Guzman's attorney Juan Pablo Badillo has said the defense has already filed six motions to challenge extradition requests.

Badillo said that his client shouldn't be extradited to the U.S. because "our country must respect national sovereignty, the sovereignty of its institutions to impart justice."

In the interview in Rolling Stone, Guzman defended his role as the head of the world's biggest drug-trafficking organization, blamed for thousands of killings. When asked if he is to blame for high addiction rates, he responded: "No, that is false, because the day I don't exist, it's not going to decrease in any way at all."

Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri: Department blind-sided by alleged theft of $385,000 in evidence money by retired officer

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Changes in the wake of the evidence room scandal include purchases of new technology, staffing changes, new training and revamped procedures and the storage of seized cash at a bank rather than in lockers at 130 Pearl St.

This is an update to stories published Monday at 2:30 p.m. and Monday at 6 p.m.


SPRINGFIELD — Police Commissioner John Barbieri said he and members of his department were blind-sided by the alleged discovery of a staggering $385,000 in systematic thefts of cash from the evidence room by retired Officer Kevin Burnham.

During a press conference following Burnham's arraignment Monday in Hampden Superior Court on multiple counts of larceny, Barbieri said the tip of an apparent pattern was uncovered during a city audit in the summer of 2014, after the then-new commissioner took office and approximately when Burnham retired.

The city's internal auditor initially reported "there were some problems" after Barbieri ordered a review of the department's cash and evidence protocols. He said the review was part of an overall plan to modernize the department, as opposed to a response to any internal rumblings about Burnham.

"We wanted to determine if that cash had simply been misplaced or mis-stored, or whether we, in fact, had been the victim of a larceny," Barbieri said. "Officers reported back that they couldn't locate the cash."

A criminal investigation by the state Attorney General's office and Massachusetts State Police ensued, along with a parallel audit by a large, private forensic accounting firm financed by the city.

More than a year later, Attorney General Maura Healey's office on Monday announced it was bringing charges against Burnham after a grand jury returned indictments in late December. The indictments state Burnham swiped cash from evidence envelopes stored in connection with about 162 criminal cases. Along with the indictments, Healey's office filed a five-page spreadsheet detailing the alleged thefts with columns for "date received, cash received, cash forfeited; and cash found." (see below)

The citations include piddling amounts under $100; but in one case, nearly $108,000 was never recovered, according to the documents. The spreadsheet tracked cases back to late 2009.

Burnham pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on his own recognizance. He had been a police officer for 43 years and retired as the department's senior officer in 2014. Healey's office said he "took advantage" of his position as narcotics evidence officer, a position Barbieri said Burnham held for almost 20 years.

"As a police officer in this department for 28 years, I am not aware of anything of this magnitude happening in the history of the department. I am saddened by this very rare and unfortunate incident," Barbieri said.

In the wake of the alleged thefts, he said the police department has revamped outdated policies, procedures and equipment related to evidence seizures, storage and tracking.

The changes include:

  • acquisition of a new facility on East Street to segregate and store evidence;
  • additional training;
  • the purchase of "the most sophisticated" cash counting equipment "used by any New England police department" which detects both counterfeit bills and prints receipts;
  • "state-of-the-art" equipment delineating new procedures for chain-of-custody for seized cash including new surveillance cameras and scanning machines;
  • electronic spreadsheets to track evidence as opposed to handwritten evidence logs;
  • assignment changes at the command staff level to monitor the evidence rooms including the work of its officers.

The overall message by Barbieri and other officials at Monday's press conference, including Mayor Domenic Sarno, amounted to: "Lesson learned."

Sarno said he was "greatly saddened, angered and shocked" by the allegations against Burnham.

"I have full confidence that Commissioner Barbieri and his command staff have implemented robust checks and balances to make sure that this type of situation does not reoccur. I have zero tolerance for anyone who betrays the public's trust," Sarno said.

Barbieri, who early in the investigation said that he believed all the missing cash related to closed court cases, on Monday conceded that now remains an open question. The future impact on criminal prosecutions also is not specifically clear.

Thus far, the issue has shaken out to be more than a $500,000 problem for a struggling city – given the $385,000 missing from the evidence room, $170,000 for the private auditing firm and thousands more spent on new equipment for the department.

Barbieri said no other police officers have been implicated in the investigation. It remains a question how one officer could allegedly lift nearly $400,000 in cash under the noses of his supervisors, however.

Barbieri and City Solicitor Edward Pikula said a report on the detailed findings by the private accounting firm, Marcum LLP, will be released at the end of January.

Barbieri said evidence money is now stored in a bank account, as opposed to in lockers in the evidence room at 130 Pearl St.

He said Burnham is innocent until proven guilty, but added: "We'd certainly like to see justice meted out ... not only for the police department but for the general public."

Indictment against Kevin Burnham by Patrick Johnson

Springfield City Council President Michael Fenton shakes up committee assignments for 2016

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Springfield City Council President Michael Fenton made many changes to his 12 committees in 2016, while keeping some of his key chairmen in place.

SPRINGFIELD — City Council President Michael Fenton has kicked off 2016 by reshuffling council committees including several new chairmanships.

The committee changes included a slightly reduced role for Councilor Bud L. Williams, who unsuccessfully fought for the council presidency but joined in the unanimous council vote for Fenton on Jan. 4. Fenton is serving his third consecutive year as president.

Fenton said his committee selections were done fairly and in the spirit of matching each councilor's assignments to their talents.

"My committee appointments have a common theme: they are fair and reflect the diversity and talents of our City Council," Fenton said. "It is an honor to serve as president for an unprecedented third term. My colleagues can expect more of the same from me while president - fair and honorable discourse."

Fenton said he expects an exciting year.

"We are going to tackle some immense issues," Fenton said. "Personally, I will author and sponsor some aggressive legislation that I will announce in the next month."

Williams will return as chairman of the State and Federal Relations Committee, and will be one of three members on the General Government Committee and the three-member Maintenance and Development Committee.

Last year, Williams was also chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee and sat on a total of four committees. Fenton appointed newly elected Councilor Adam Gomez to serve as chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee in place of Williams.

Fenton is keeping Councilor Thomas Ashe as chairman of the Public Safety Committee, and keeping Councilor Orlando Ramos as chairman of the Economic Development Committee, among key committee assignments.

He also kept Councilor Timothy Rooke as chairman of the Audit Committee, and Councilor E. Henry Twiggs as chairman of the Race and Civil Rights Committee,

Significant changes include appointing Timothy Allen as chairman of the Finance Committee, replacing Kenneth Shea, and appointing Justin Hurst as chairman of the General Government Committee, replacing Allen. Shea was appointed the new chairman of the Special Permits Committee, replacing Hurst.

Councilor Kateri Walsh was named chairwoman of the Maintenance and Development Committee, replacing Melvin Edwards. Newly elected Councilor Marcus Williams was appointed the new chairman of the Committee on Elder Affairs, replacing Clodovaldo Concepcion, who lost his bid for re-election in November to Marcus Williams.

Fenton also announced that he is maintaining two special citizen committees in 2016: The Young Professionals Committee with Marcus Williams among the membership; and the Labor Advisory Committee, with Ashe among the members.

The following is the complete list of Fenton's committee appointments with the chairman named first:

  • Finance Committee: Timothy J. Allen, Timothy J. Rooke, and E. Henry Twiggs.
  • Economic Development: Orlando Ramos, Adam Gomez, Justin Hurst.
  • Public Safety: Thomas Ashe, Kenneth Shea, and Hurst.
  • General Government: Hurst, Bud L. Williams, and Allen.
  • Maintenance and Development: Kateri B. Walsh, Bud Williams, and Gomez.
  • Health and Human Services/Veterans Affairs: Gomez, Melvin Edwards, Marcus Williams.
  • Race and Civil Rights: Twiggs, Ramos and Allen.
  • State and Federal Relations: Bud Williams, Edwards, and Walsh.
  • Committee on Elder Affairs: Marcus Williams, Twiggs and Walsh.
  • Audit: Rooke, Ramos and Shea.
  • Special Permits: Shea, Twiggs and Gomez.
  • Responsible Employer Ordinance: Edwards, Allen

Fenton also assigned individual councilors to serve on existing city committees, as follows: Capital Improvement: Rooke; School Building: Shea; and Animal Control: Edwards.


Wall Street ends mostly higher, although energy sector hit by slump in oil

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The Dow Jones industrial average added 52 points to close just under 16,400.

By ALEX VEIGA

NEW YORK - The U.S. stock market mounted a last-minute comeback to close slightly higher on Monday, snapping a three-day losing streak.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index and the Dow Jones industrial average each eked out a tiny gain, while the Nasdaq composite ended slightly lower.

Consumer staples stocks were among the biggest gainers. Oil and gas companies were hit by another plunge the price of crude oil, which tumbled 5.3 percent to a 12-year low. Chevron lost 1.7 percent and Exxon Mobil fell 1 percent.

The latest downturn in oil comes at a time when investors are increasingly uneasy about the trajectory of China's economy and the possible implications for U.S. company earnings. China's Shanghai composite fell 5.3 percent on Monday.

"Investors have one eye on China, and all that's going on there, and the other eye on oil," said Erik Davidson, chief investment officer at Wells Fargo Private Bank. "Those two things are keeping investors on pins and needles right now."

The Dow added 52.12 points, or 0.3 percent, to 16,398.57. The S&P 500 index rose 1.64 points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,923.67. The Nasdaq fell 5.64 points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,637.99.

All of the major stock indexes are down sharply for the year.

The three indexes hinted at a rebound early Monday, but spent much of the day in the red as investors weighed the implications of another stock market drop in China and the slide in crude. The market appeared headed for a lower close until the final minutes of regular trading, when the Dow and S&P 500 index shifted back into positive territory.

Monday's market action is a slight reprieve from an otherwise rough year so far for investors.

Last week, U.S. stocks posted their worst week in more than four years. It was also the market's worst-ever opening week of a year.

A weakening of China's currency and steep drops in its stock market have stoked worries over the outlook for the world's second-largest economy.

That doesn't bode well for the next round of company earnings, which kicks into gear this week.

Many companies' quarterly results will likely reflect the impact of China's softening economy and lower oil prices, said Jason Pride, director of investment strategy at Glenmede.

"The No. 1 most-mentioned item in third-quarter reports was weakness in China," Pride said. "We'd be surprised if China and oil are not central to the earnings narrative as well."

Alcoa delivered its report card after the close of regular trading on Monday. The earnings were better than analysts had expected. Several banks, including Citigroup, Wells Fargo and J.P. Morgan are scheduled to report results toward the end of the week.

On Monday, Benchmark U.S. crude dropped $1.75, or 5.3 percent, to $31.41 a barrel in New York. The last time it was lower was Dec. 5, 2003, when it closed at $30.73 a barrel. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, fell $2, or 6 percent, to $31.55 a barrel in London.

Several energy and mining companies slumped as crude oil and other commodity prices fell.

Freeport-McMoRan sank $1.10, or 20.3 percent, to $4.31, making it the biggest decliner in the S&P 500 index. Consol Energy also slumped, losing 69 cents, or 9 percent, to $7. NRG Energy shed $1.11, or 9.8 percent, to $10.23.

Chevron slid $1.36, or 1.7 percent, to $80.77, while Exxon Mobil lost $1, or 1.3 percent, to $73.69.

All told, energy stocks fell the most among companies in the S&P 500 index, 2.1 percent. The sector is down 8.8 percent this year. That's on top of a loss of 24 percent for 2015.

Consumer staples stocks led the risers pack, adding about 1 percent. Macy's notched the biggest gain in the index, adding $2.93, or 8.2 percent, to $38.82.

HCA Holdings also rose after the hospital operator raised its profit forecast. The stock added $3.56, or 5.5 percent to $67.83.

European markets were down. Germany's DAX slipped 0.2 percent, while the CAC-40 in France lost 0.5 percent. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares slid 0.7 percent.

In Asia, Chinese stocks sank again after a rebound Friday that analysts suggested was due to buying from a group of state entities dubbed the "National Team." The Shanghai Composite Index fell 5.3 percent and Hong Kong's Hang Seng sank 2.8 percent. Sydney's S&P/ASX 200 lost 1.2 percent, while Seoul's Kospi fell 1.2 percent. Tokyo's markets were closed for a holiday.

Gold fell $1.70 to $1,096.20 an ounce, while silver fell 5 cents to $13.86 an ounce. Copper slipped 5 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $1.97 a pound.

Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 2.18 percent from 2.12 percent late Friday.

The euro fell to $1.0856 from $1.0903 and the dollar edged down to 117.74 yen compared with 117.67 yen late Friday.

In other energy trading in New York, wholesale gasoline fell 1.5 cents to $1.113 a gallon, heating oil fell 3.7 cents to $1.015 a gallon and natural gas lost 7.6 cents to $2.396 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Boston police investigating city's 1st homicide of 2016 after man shot dead in Eastie

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Police have yet to release a motive for the killing or the name of the victim, who was shot shortly after 1:30 a.m. Sunday in the area of 144 Falcon St.

BOSTON — Authorities continue to investigate Boston's first homicide of 2016, the weekend shooting of a man in the city's East Boston neighborhood.

Police have yet to release a motive for the killing or the name of the victim, who was shot shortly after 1:30 a.m. Sunday in the area of 144 Falcon St., a block away from East Boston High School. The man was taken by ambulance to a city hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, according to police.

"The Boston Police Department is actively investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident," officials said in a news release, asking anyone with information to call detectives at 617-343-4470.

The homicide occurred during a 72-hour window that also included one nonfatal shooting, two nonfatal stabbings and several street robberies, police said.

"Nothing ever happens on this street," Lilliana Arteaga told the Boston Globe.

The mother of three stepped onto her porch to investigate and saw the blood-covered victim lying on the sidewalk moaning, the newspaper reported.

"It's another human being, and I wish I could've done something more," she said.

Boston had 40 homicides in 2015, about a 26 percent decrease from 2014, when there were 54 murders in the Hub.


MAP showing approximate location of homicide:


 

Westfield targets Community Development funding for demolition and sidewalk project

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The $450,000 must be expended by July 1.

WESTFIELD - Community Development Director Peter J. Miller will ask the City Council Feb. 4 to proceed with a $450,000 demolition and sidewalk project within the downtown area.

The council must approve the acquisition and demolition of a warehouse behind Berkshire Bank on central Street before the project can move forward, Miller said.

The council will also be asked to approve a sidewalk project that will target Sherman Street, Franklin Avenue and portions of White Street.

Miller said both projects will be funded with $4500,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funding. The fund is the result of two housing projects payoffs involving the General Shepard Apartments which started in 1982 and more recent Mill at Crane Pond project.

The funds, Miller said, must be expended before July 1 and his office has identified a need to help eliminate blight in the downtown, the warehouse demolition project, and a need for sidewalks on the three streets cited.

Miller said once City Council approval is received the two projects will proceed on a schedule that will see them completed by the end of June.

Miller held a public hearing on the projects Monday night at City Hall. There was no opposition voiced concerning the plan.

Springfield City Council appoints Anthony Wilson as new city clerk

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Anthony Wilson is set to become Springfield's city clerk on Jan. 29, as current clerk Wayman Lee retires that date.

SPRINGFIELD - The City Council voted unanimously on Monday to confirm the appointment of local lawyer Anthony I. Wilson to a six-year term as city clerk, effective Jan. 29, to replace current clerk Wayman Lee on his retirement date.

Council President Michael Fenton said the city has had the good fortune of very talented people serving as city clerk, and expects that trend to continue under Wilson.

The annual salary is $100,000.

Wilson is a Springfield resident and has served as associate city solicitor since January of 2012, also serving as the council's legal adviser..

"I'm thrilled to have Anthony, just really proud of everything he has accomplished," Fenton said. "We couldn't ask for anything more. We look forward to working with him very closely on the City Council."

Wilson was nominated by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno for city clerk, and screened by a council committee chaired by Councilor E. Henry Twiggs.

"I'm humbled by the City Council's faith in me," Wilson said.

He said he will continue efforts to modernize the City Clerk's Office and serve the city in a "financial responsible and customer friendly way."

In Springfield, the City Clerk's Office keeps hundreds of thousands of municipal records including electronic records on matters such as birth, marriage, and death certificates, business certificates along with the responsibility of processing zoning ordinances, special permits, financial transfers and city ordinances.

Twiggs said he was very impressed with Wilson, including his role as legal advisor to the council.

"I've known him a long time," Twiggs said. "I'm just so impressed. I think he's going to do an excellent job. He had a good teacher in Wayman."

Wilson received his bachelor of arts degree in December of 2006 from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, and his Juris Doctorate degree in 2011 from Suffolk University Law School.

He was a victim/witness advocate for the Hampden County District Attorney's Office in 2007-08.

'Heroin: Cape Cod, USA' screening in DC: Officials say more education, funding, treatment needed to fight opioid crisis

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With President Obama planning to bring up the escalating heroin crisis in his State of the Union Address and the continuing increase in heroin overdose deaths in Western Massachusetts, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal decided to bring more attention to the spiraling problem.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With President Obama planning to bring up the escalating heroin crisis in his State of the Union Address and the continuing increase in heroin overdose deaths in Western Massachusetts, U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal decided to bring more attention to the spiraling problem.

On Monday night, he and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., hosted a screening of the HBO documentary "Heroin: Cape Cod, USA," which follows the lives of Falmouth heroin users, for those who may have a say in making changes, including Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Michael Botticelli, director of the president's national drug control policy, and any interested members of Congress.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey also traveled to the capital for the screening and to discuss her efforts to curb the opioid crisis. She will also attend Tuesday's State of the Union Address as Neal's guest.

"This has to be treated as an addiction now, not just as a felony," Neal said. "It is a disease of the brain as much as a felony."

Neal said he wants to use the screening and subsequent discussion as a way to call attention to the addiction crisis and try to find some solutions nationally as well as statewide.

In a written statement, Markey said, "For the families in Massachusetts and throughout the country suffering from this crisis, the fight to end this prescription drug and heroin epidemic is my number one priority this year, and it should be for the entire U.S. Congress. The least Congress can do this year is pass legislation that will help stem the tide of this epidemic. We need to a massive effort at the federal, state and local level to prevent addiction and expand treatment to wherever and whenever it is needed. Recovery is possible."

Neal has filed a "good Samaritan" bill that will ensure first responders are not held responsible when they administer Narcan to an addict who has overdosed and something goes wrong.

Massachusetts already has a similar law.

But he also said at the root of the problem is a lack of treatment beds and programs for addicts who want to break the habit.

"This will be my third time watching 'Heroin on Cape Cod.' It is pretty stark. It is a reminder of how grim lives become," he said.

Neal said he believes the focus needs to be on treatment rather than incarceration for those who are committing crimes because of their addiction, but he also said police and courts have to continue enforcement against those who are brazenly selling heroin.

He said he also wants to support people like Healey who are pushing for insurance companies to be required to pay for rehabilitation services as well as for more overall funding to deal with the overarching heroin problem.

"We need to stop treating addiction as a moral failing, and start seeing it for what it is: a chronic disease that must be treated with urgency and compassion," Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, said in a statement just before the screening.

Lise Balk King, co-producer of "Heroin: Cape Cod USA," also attended the event. She said she started working on the film in June 2013 and has interviewed dozens of people about what she called a public health crisis.

"When we got into the depth of the film, it started to be clear the issue was way bigger," she said.

In many ways, Balk King and others working of the film began to believe the film could be used as a tool to advance public policy about the crisis, and said she is encouraged that members of Congress are using it to learn more about the heroin epidemic.

While politicians need to work on creating laws and policies to manage the crisis, far more people need to get involved, she said. Currently most of the work has been done on the municipal level, including police and local politicians.

"It is going to take an all hands on deck approach," she said.

What is key is putting a stronger emphasis on educating young people about opioids and how they are unique in their level of addictive qualities, beyond most recreational drugs.

After the film was completed, Balk King said she spoke with one school superintendent in Massachusetts who said he was hesitant to show the film in schools, in part because of parents' reactions.

She admitted she was concerned about showing the film to her son, a 14-year-old high school freshman, but did bring him to a screening of the movie. Afterward she asked him if he was OK and if the subject material was too disturbing.

In response, he told her that kids are used to violence from television and video games and did not find it a problem.

"He said he thought there are a lot of other kids who should see it," she said. "It points to the fact that we are hesitant to showing kids something that may save their lives and their friends' lives."

Educators now have to start having the conversation about heroin addiction in the schools, Balk King said.


Bill Cosby seeks dismissal of 'illegal' charges, 'politically motivated' prosecutor

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Bill Cosby's lawyers attacked the criminal charges lodged against him as "illegal," saying they violate a prosecutor's pledge that he would never be charged over a 2004 sexual encounter with a Temple University employee.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Bill Cosby's lawyers attacked the criminal charges lodged against him as "illegal," saying they violate a prosecutor's pledge that he would never be charged over a 2004 sexual encounter with a Temple University employee.

That promise led Cosby to testify in a related civil lawsuit without invoking his Fifth Amendment rights, the lawyers said in a court filing Monday. Yet, a decade later, a new prosecutor called the newly released deposition testimony a key piece of evidence that fueled his decision to arrest Cosby last month.

Cosby lawyer Brian McMonagle wrote in the defense motion that the state agreed Cosby would never be prosecuted with respect to the allegations of sexual assault made by the Temple employee, Andrea Constand.

"Now, to fulfill campaign promises, the newly-elected District Attorney has repudiated the agreement and has based these criminal charges on this very testimony," McMonagle wrote.

The motion lays out the defense's plan of attack for the upcoming Feb. 2 preliminary hearing and asks for District Attorney Kevin Steele's office to be disqualified if the case isn't thrown out. It says there are several flaws with the prosecution case, including the "inexcusable," decade-long delay in making an arrest. Since then, Cosby's vision has deteriorated to the point he can no longer identify witnesses and accusers, and a lawyer who helped negotiate the "non-prosecution agreement" with former district attorney Bruce Castor, Walter M. Phillips Jr., has died, the motion said.

Steele last fall had attacked Castor, a political opponent, over his 2005 handling of the case, running an ad that said: "Bruce Castor had an opportunity to bring charges, and he failed to do so."

Cosby's lawyers called the political campaign references to the case "wildly improper."

"A citizen's constitutional rights cannot be thwarted by politically motivated prosecutors willing to break agreements made by their predecessors," McMonagle wrote. "The commonwealth's agreement must be enforced, and the charges dismissed."

Steele, then the top deputy prosecutor, announced the charges on Dec. 30, days ahead of the 12-year deadline to file charges. He took office as district attorney on Jan. 4.

In a text message late Monday, he said he had not seen the court filing and could not comment on it.

Cosby settled the civil lawsuit with Constand for an undisclosed sum in 2006 after giving four days of deposition testimony.

Constand is now a massage therapist in Toronto. Her lawyer has said she is grateful to Steele's office for its work and is ready to testify against Cosby in criminal court.

Several women, mostly from the worlds of modeling, acting or other entertainment fields, have accused Cosby of drugging and molesting them. Cosby, who played Dr. Cliff Huxtable on "The Cosby Show" from 1984 to 1992 and has been married for decades, has denied any wrongdoing.

Holyoke group to honor Martin Luther King Jr. with remarks from artist Don Blanton

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Martin Luther King Jr. was a clergyman and civil rights leader who was assassinated April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.

HOLYOKE -- Artist Don Blanton will speak at the 2016 Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast held by the Greater Holyoke Council for Human Understanding Friday at 8 a.m. at Hamel's Creative Catering & Summit View, 555 Northampton St.

The breakfast honors King, "the social rights activist and minister who was a leader of the Civil Rights movement. His non-violent campaign work on behalf of all of mankind brought awareness of the dignity and rights of all human beings. With so much of his work remaining to be done, as recent events have shown, this is a particularly propitious time for us to come together and talk about what we can do to make his dream a reality," said the website of the Greater Holyoke Council for Human Understanding.

King, 39, a clergyman and civil rights leader, was assassinated April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. He would have been 87 Friday.

The breakfast costs $15 at the door and includes a buffet and music from the Holyoke High School madrigal choir, group treasurer Gina S. Nelson said in an email.

Blanton, of Springfield, is a painter and sculptor and also works with children. He has taught a drug-abuse-prevention program for teen-agers in Chicopee, mentored young people in art at Duggan Middle School and Western New England University, both in Springfield.

Born in Indiana, Blanton came from a family of 11 children. He served in the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam in the early 1960s. He then moved to Western Massachusetts to work at Westover Air Base in Chicopee, and several members of his family joined him in Springfield.

During riots and looting in Springfield in the turbulent 1960s, Don and Paul Blanton, his older brother, used art to try to calm crowds.

For information about the Friday breakfast email Ina Stockton at ivybeth07@gmail.com or Colleen Cameron at ccameron@hcc.edu

The role of the Greater Holyoke Council for Human Understanding is to improve the quality of human development in the greater Holyoke community, its website said. The group also holds an annual Holocaust commemoration and awards student scholarships.

Florida police say they may have found remains of missing toddler

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The remains were in a "garbage heap" in a wooded area after the boyfriend of the child's mother led them to the site, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Chief of Investigations Tom Hackney said.

By JASON DEAREN

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Authorities found human remains Monday that they believe are those of a Florida toddler who was reported missing last summer.

Lonzie Barton.jpgLonzie Barton 
The remains were in a "garbage heap" in a wooded area after the boyfriend of the child's mother led them to the site, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office Chief of Investigations Tom Hackney said at a news conference.

The remains are believed to be those of Lonzie Barton, Hackney said.

Sheriff Mike Williams and State Attorney Angela Corey also attended the announcement, made in a church parking lot next to the area where the discovery was made. No cause of death has yet been determined and a medical examiner still has to positively identify the remains, Corey and Williams said.

Searchers found the remains shortly after midnight Sunday, just down the road from a neighborhood baseball field that is tucked amid small homes in the quiet Jacksonville neighborhood of Bayard. It was about 9 miles from the apartment where the boy was last seen alive.

"That little boy didn't need to be discarded like a piece of trash," Hackney said.

Lonzie was 21 months old in July when his mother's boyfriend reported him missing. Both the mother, Lonna Lauramore Barton, 26, and her boyfriend, 32-year-old William Ruben Ebron Jr., have been accused of child neglect.

Lauramore Barton pleaded guilty last week to child neglect and lying to police and agreed to testify against Ebron. The judge has not yet decided whether she can do so, however. Ebron's trial was supposed to start Monday morning, but was postponed when he waived his right to a speedy trial. A hearing is scheduled for Jan. 19. Corey says new charges are possible for both.

Ebron led authorities to the site, Williams said.

Ebron's attorneys and prosecutors declined to comment Monday. Lauramore Barton's attorneys also said they could not yet comment on the developments.

Last week, Lauramore Barton told the judge that Ebron had dealt drugs every day of their relationship. She acknowledged leaving Lonzie and his 5-year-old sister with Ebron while she worked as a dancer at a local bar.

According to court records, Ebron called police July 24, saying the boy had been strapped inside a car seat when he stepped back into his apartment to get something. While he was inside, Ebron said someone stole the car with the child inside.

Police found the car a short distance away, but there was no sign of the child. Investigators at the time said Ebron was lying about the abduction and car theft and that he likely knew the child's whereabouts.

Lauramore Barton's cousin, Sabra Rhue, arrived at the search site Monday to see if the remains were Lonzie's. She said she is not close to her cousin, but has been devastated by the toddler's disappearance.

"For six months I've been thinking of Lonzie," she said. "It's going to be a long process for me. Extremely hard."

Former Northampton nightclub owner free on $200,000 bond pending court date on Connecticut drug charges

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A Vt. man driving a borrowed car when the two were busted Nov. 18 remains incarcerated.

MANCHESTER, Conn. -- A former Northampton, Mass., nightclub owner facing drug charges in Connecticut is free on $200,000 bond, while a Vermont man behind the wheel of a borrowed Subaru when the two were arrested on Nov. 18 remains behind bars.

Aaron Kater, of Pelham, an owner of the now-shuttered Hinge restaurant and music venue at 48 Main St., posted bond on Nov. 19 and was released with conditions, while David Loomis, of Halifax, Vermont, did not post the $200,000 guarantee and remains incarcerated in Connecticut, court records show.

Kater, 29, is due to reappear in Manchester Superior Court Feb. 11, and Loomis, 30, is scheduled to be back before a judge Feb. 3.

The pair were stopped by Connecticut police sometime after 9:30 a.m. on Wed., Nov. 18 after the two allegedly picked up a package at R & L Carriers, a freight shipping company at 540 Sullivan Ave. in South Windsor. The package shipped from Nevada allegedly contained more than 35 pounds of marijuana in 29 vacuum-sealed bags stuffed into two black "Cantora International" speaker boxes, court documents state.

kater cropped long.jpgAaron Kater

Also taken into evidence by police were a glass jar containing 1.5 grams of marijuana, a rubber container housing "dabs" or butane honey oil, a glass smoking pipe, a gray "electronic smoking device," and a Garmin GPS.

Police additionally seized the car driven by Loomis, a blue 2008 Subara Outback wagon registered to a Williamsburg woman, identified in court documents as Loomis' girlfriend.

A lawyer for Loomis on Jan. 7 petitioned the court for the car's release, saying the owner had not given permission for its use and did not know it was being used to transport contraband. So far, a judge has not ruled on the motion, and the Subaru remains in police custody. A motion to reduce Loomis' $200,000 bond was denied.

The court docket contains a statement by agent Mark Halibozek, a South Windsor police officer assigned to the East Central narcotics task force. Halibozek said that on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at approximately 9:34 a.m., an agent was dispatched to R&L Carriers at 540 Sullivan Ave. for the report of a suspicious package.

Officers were informed the package was shipped from Nevada and contained two large, "old" speakers found to have an "unusual weight" of over 300 pounds. They were told the customer paid $600 in cash to have the items shipped. Members of the task force, the Department of Homeland Security, and Drug Enforcement Administration verified the package and initiated an operation, wrote Halibozek.

Halibozek in his narrative made reference to an additional police report not contained in the court docket. Manchester police on Monday declined to release a report by officer Bontempo, saying as a matter of policy they don't release documents associated with an open court case.

A lawyer for Loomis has petitioned the court for the release of additional evidence.

Also in the docket on Jan. 11 were letters of support for Loomis. His mother, Karen Loomis, of Leyden, wrote that her son had lifelong mental health issues which rendered him "naive, eager to please, and easily influenced by others." She spoke of his current "loving relationship with a responsible and wonderful woman," and told the court his family would work together to help him put together a successful life plan.

Others described Loomis' talent as a guitar player, and suggested that he was easily taken advantage of. An uncle, Larry Dulong, wrote that "promises of musical success and a new set of PA speakers seem to have led him down a path he probably would not have chosen for himself."

An aunt wrote that David Loomis is a "kind, generous, and loving" person with "no executive functioning" who has "never understood how he found himself in trouble when he had no idea that trouble was ahead."

Kater and Loomis each face charges of possession of marijuana, "sale of certain illegal drugs," and conspiracy to possess cannabis. Loomis is additionally charged with "traveling unreasonably fast" in South Windsor. Prosecutors may elect to bring additional charges, said a court clerk.

The pair denied the charges during their initial Nov. 18 court appearance and again on Jan. 7 after a judge found probable cause to sustain the charges. As a condition of his release, Kater must wear an electronic tracking device and stay away from drugs.

___________________________________________________________________

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


Families with youth ages 10-14 invited to free 7-week series in Easthampton

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The program strengthens family bonds while helping to prevent drug and alcohol abuse.

EASTHAMPTON -- Parents and their children ages 10-14 are invited to a free, fun, seven-week educational series designed to strengthen family bonds while preventing drug and alcohol abuse among youth.

The series begins Wednesday, Feb. 10, and will run from 6-8 p.m. each week at the Easthampton High School. Dinner will served at 5:30 p.m. The family-friendly workshop series is offered by the Easthampton Healthy Youth Coalition.

The "Strengthening Families Program" helps prevent substance problems among youth while building family bonds and supporting caregivers in the "sometimes difficult task of raising teens," said Ruth Ever, coordinator for the Coalition.

easthampton healthy youth coalition.gif 

Weekly giveaways and prizes will include a season pass to Look Park and gift certificates to local restaurants and Mt. Tom's ice cream.

Families sign up for the entire seven-week session, with no meeting on Feb. 17. The program is led by trained facilitators, and parents and youth meet separately for part of each session.

To register contact organizer Ruth Ever at 413-207-5725 or email at rever@epsd.us.

Competitive 'stairclimber' from Amherst to race to top of NYC's Empire State Building

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On Feb. 3, Amber Davis, 39, will join an elite group of competitors in the 2016 Empire State Building Run-Up, an annual race to the top of one of the world's most iconic skyscrapers.

amber davis via FB.jpgAmber Davis (Facebook) 
AMHERST — She's a competitive stairclimber. And she's about to race to the top of the world's most famous skyscraper in the pinnacle event in global tower running.

Her name is Amber Davis, a 39-year-old from Amherst. And on Feb. 3, she'll join an elite group of climbers in the 2016 Empire State Building Run-Up, an annual competition presented by Marmot, the outdoor clothing and equipment company.

Davis is currently ranked No. 43 among U.S. women stairclimbers in the sport of tower running, which involves ascending skyscrapers and other tall, man-made structures. Races typically take place on internal staircases, but the term is often applied to any foot race involving a course ascending a man-made structure.

For the past 38 years, the Empire State Building Run-Up – the world's oldest and most famous tower race – has attracted competitors from around the globe, as they race up the 1,576 stairs leading to the building's famous 86th floor. At 1,454 feet (spire included), the Empire State Building actually has 103 floors, but it's the 86th floor that's home to the world-famous observation deck with panoramic views of all five boroughs, Long Island, New Jersey and beyond.

While visitors usually reach the 86th floor by elevator in less than a minute, the fastest runners cover the distance in about 10 minutes. The men's course record was set in 2003 by Australian Paul Crake, who scaled the 1,576 steps to the finish line in 9 minutes and 33 seconds.

The Empire State Building competition won't be the tallest building Davis has tackled. In May 2015, she ascended lower Manhattan's One World Trade Center in 22 minutes, finishing 10th among women in her age group. She finished 55th among all 338 women competitors, and 300th out of a heat of more than 900 runners.


Empire State Building Run-Up QUICK FACTS:

  • 1,576 = number steps climbed in the race
  • 1,050 = the distance climbed in the race (about one-fifth of a mile)
  • 9:33 = the men's course record, set by Paul Crake of Australia in 2003
  • 11:23 = the women's course record, set by Andrea Mayr of Austria in 2006

 

Retired Springfield Police officer Kevin Burnham denies charges relating to money missing from department evidence room

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It was a stunning fall for the once-beloved police department veteran, who retired as its senior officer in 2014 after 44 years on the job.

SPRINGFIELD — Kevin Burnham, a decorated and now retired Springfield police detective, pleaded not guilty in Hampden Superior Court on Monday to several charges relating to nearly $400,000 missing from the Springfield Police Department's evidence room.

It was a stunning fall for the once-beloved police department veteran, who retired as its senior officer in 2014 after 43 years on the job. At the time, he passed along badge No. 1 along with his longtime responsibilities in the evidence room, over which many officers said he virtually lorded for decades.

The first signs of trouble - at least publicly - came several months after Burnham's retirement party at police headquarters, where several of his colleagues lauded him as a "great guy" with an infectious laugh. The specific charges leveled against Burnham included six counts of larceny over $250 and one count of larceny under $250, with alleged thefts totaling more than $300,000. Attorney General Maura Healey's office alleges Burnham stole from the evidence room between Dec. 4, 2009 and July 25, 2014- the date of his retirement party.

According to Healey's office, in some instances, Burnham allegedly "shorted" the cash count by taking money when he recounted it. Burnham also allegedly replaced money he stole from various evidence envelopes with previously seized counterfeit money or with newer money that was put into circulation after the original seizure date. The investigation also uncovered more than 160 empty evidence envelopes that were missing the cash that was seized.

A chart of missing money which is part of one of the indictments is embedded below, along with the seven indictments.

Retired Springfield Police detective Kevin Burnham over the yearsIn this 2004 Republican file photo, then Detective Kevin M. Burnham shows marijuana and more than $360,000 in cash at the Springfield Police headquarters that was confiscated along with five guns in a drug bust.

Defense attorney Charles Dolan said Burnham, his client, turned himself in so a warrant for his arrest was recalled on Monday. The grand jury indictment against Burdham had been impounded since late December.

Burnham was released on own recognizance with conditions that he surrender his passport, not leave the state without permission from the probation department, turn his firearms over to Dolan, and turn his firearms license and FID card over to Police Commissioner John Barbieri.

Burnham had something of a tragic history as he was among slain Officer Kevin Ambrose's closest friends. Ambrose was fatally shot in 2012 while accompanying a woman who called 911 into her apartment so her estranged boyfriend could collect a television. The seemingly benign call went horribly wrong when Shawn Bryan, a corrections officer in New York City, shot the woman, Ambrose, and himself within eight minutes. The woman and her baby survived.

Burnham drove his late friend's squad car to lead the funeral procession that year. He also cited Ambrose's killing as his lowest moment on the job at his retirement party, when colleagues also noted he was eligible for retirement a full 10 years earlier.

Rumors began percolating around missing cash from the evidence room in the months after Burnham's retirement. Police Commissioner John Barbieri conceded to The Republican that the department had launched an internal investigation and intended to hire an outside consultant after an undisclosed amount of cash could not be accounted for. That disclosure came in March; Barbieri said he began a review of the state of the evidence room in the summer of 2014. Burnham's party was in August.

The state Attorney General's office took over the investigation from the law enforcement side while Boston-based Marcum LLP was hired by the city at $225 per hour to comb through thousands of "evidence bundles" linked to the department's 10,000 pending drug cases, according to the terms of the city contract.

The audit dragged on with little to no further information publicly released about the department's prior procedures for logging in and accounting for evidence, or who police suspected was responsible for the missing cash. Burnham's name came up privately and frequently, but many cops were initially inclined to defend him as a stalwart fixture in the room where cash, drugs, weapons and physical evidence is stored.

While the audit progressed, more than one defense attorney came forward to recoup money that had been seized during arrests or raids, after their clients' cases had been dismissed or otherwise resolved. Criminal defense lawyer Vincent Bongiorni said he made repeated requests for the return of $21,000 on behalf of two clients last year.

Indictment against Kevin Burnham by Patrick Johnson


"The Defendant has made repeated requests upon the Springfield Police Department for the return of his currency and has been told they have been unable to locate it; the Defendant has now been deprived of his property for almost two years," a motion Bongiorni filed with the court read.

In both his clients' cases, the city Law Department issued checks despite the missing status of the cash.

"They did the intelligent thing and paid the money," Bongiorni said during an interview at the time.

The city offered no explanation to Bongiorni as to where the money might be, however. When asked if he had been unable to recover money seized as evidence on behalf of his clients in recent memory, Bongiorni, who has practiced criminal defense law for decades, responded:

"This has never happened to me."

In response to one of several public records request filed by The Republican, city attorneys in late October reported that they had to pay out more than $50,000 to criminal defendants or their attorneys to cover cash that had been reported missing from the evidence room.

The city reported that 11 defendants whose cases had been disposed of were paid back money that was seized during police raids or arrests. The payouts ranged from $119 to more than $25,000 to a single defendant.

Of the 11 defendants on the list provided by the city, Springfield attorney Joe A. Smith III represented one whose drug possession case was dismissed and was owed $800. The money had been seized during the man's arrest. Smith said it took police months to return the money after he placed more than a dozen calls to the department. In addition, they never disclosed his client's cash was among the missing.

"They would tell me the property officers were never there ... They would tell me they had new policies," Smith said. "They never told me they couldn't find it. I couldn't figure out what the hold-up was."

In at least one other drug case that went to trial, a Springfield police officer was forced to take the witness stand and testify that a small amount of cash slated as evidence in the case also had disappeared.

Officer Mark Templeman in June told jurors in Hampden Superior Court he went to sign out the $650 in cash seized from defendant Anthony Rosa, and was told it was "unaccounted for."

"Is that a synonym for missing?" asked Daniel D. Kelly, Rosa's lawyer. "You could interpret it as that," Templeman responded.

Those developments conflicted with Barbieri's initial announcement last March, which characterized all the missing cash as strictly related to "closed cases."

In the most recent update provided by the city on the status of the Marcum audit, city lawyers said in late October that Marcum requested more time and money to continue their audit of the main evidence room and an overflow area containing evidence dating back to 2007.

The city agreed to increase the cap to $170,000 and extend the deadline from Aug. 31 to Nov. 30. The Republican has a request pending with the City Solicitor for an update on the audit and the report on findings pledged by Marcum.


Staff Writer Buffy Spencer contributed to this report, which will be updated.

News Links: Alleged robber arrested after store owner fights him off with knife, stray bullet hits teen in home, and more

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A former EMT serving a life sentence for the murder of University of New Hampshire sophomore and former Westboro High prom queen Elizabeth "Lizzi" Marriott is appealing his conviction to the New Hampshire Supreme Court.

A digest of news stories from around New England.

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id="_nw2e-js">

Jose Tirado-Sanchez.jpgJose Tirado-Sanchez 
  • Robber arrested after police say Fall River store owner fended him off; video shows both men engaged in fight with knives [Fall River Herald News] Photo at left, video above


  • Stray bullet hits 17-year-old boy in back during gunfight between cars outside Brockton home [Patriot Ledger] Video below


  • Seth Mazzaglia, man convicted of killing University of New Hampshire student Elizabeth Marriott of Westboro, appeals conviction [Boston Herald] File photo below


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    id="_nw2e-js">


    Scott Harshbarger fileL Scott Harshbarger  
  • Former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger named to oversee investigation of St. George's School sex scandal in Rhode Island [Boston Globe] Photo at right


  • Maine Gov. Paul LePage, who reportedly has frosty relationship with legislators, says he may deliver State of State address by letter, not as speech [Portland Press Herald]


  • Petition seeks vote of no confidence in New Hampshire school superintendent who canceled dances in wake of sexual assault trial [Union Leader]


  • Former Providence Mayor Vincent Cianci's grandson arrested on weapons charge [WPRI-TV, CBS12, Providence] Video below


    Seth Mazzaglia 2014Seth Mazzaglia, center, looks back at his mother as he is escorted out of Strafford County Superior Court in 2014 in Dover, N.H. Click on the link, above, for a report from the Boston Herald about Mazzaglia appealing his murder conviction. 


  • Charlton man due to be arraigned in Worcester court in accident that took life of Massachusetts Turnpike toll collector in Auburn [Telegram & Gazette]


  • FBI digging at Connecticut home related to 18-year-old missing persons case [Hartford Courant]


  • Off duty Medway firefighter credited with alerting day-care staff to carbon monoxide leak before anyone could be hurt [CBS Boston.com]





     
  • Easthampton Tasty Top owner seeks permit extension for Stop & Shop plan

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    The special permit granted in 2010 will expire Feb. 1 without an extension.

    EASTHAMPTON -- The owner of a Rt. 10 property that's fully permitted for a 50,000 square-foot Stop & Shop retail plaza will be before the Planning Board Jan. 19 in an effort to ensure that the permit does not expire. 

    Dennis M. Courtney of Florence, owner of 93-99 Northampton Street, has filed for an extension of a special permit that was granted in 2010 and is due to expire Feb. 1, according to a published legal notice.  

    The permit allows the Stop & Shop Supermarket Co. to build at the site of the Tasty Top ice cream stand and Easthampton Golf driving range. 

    Under state law, special permits are generally good for two years. But under the Permit Extension Act of 2010, permits granted between Aug. 15, 2008 and Aug. 15, 2012 were granted an automatic four-year extension.

    The development plans were controversial from the start, and stymied by a 2010 lawsuit by Kenneth Cernak, owner of a nearby Buick dealership. The lawsuit claimed the Planning Board erred in granting its approval. Cernak's appeals of various court rulings in favor of Stop & Shop were suddenly dropped in December of 2014 with no explanation, clearing the way for development.

    At the time, a Stop & Shop spokeswoman said the company is "pleased that the legal process has concluded and that we can now refocus our attention on finalizing the development plans and permits." However, the company did not pull any building permits, and has since declined comment.

    The property is zoned for highway business. A major "anti-big-box" zoning revision passed last year, which would cap building size at 50,000 feet, would not affect the Stop & Shop development. 

    Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com

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