John Brady admitted to assault and battery and other charges after a high speed chase from Holyoke into Springfield.

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

SPRINGFIELD - Assistant District Attorney Melissa G. Doran told a judge Monday the victim in a kidnapping and assault case was upstairs in the Hampden District Attorney's office ready to testify if needed.

But, Doran said, the victim's preference would be having the case resolved by a plea without a trial. In fact, Doran said, the victim would rather not see defendant John Brady at all.

Brady, 35, who told Hampden Superior Court Judge David Ricciardone he was homeless when arrested, pleaded guilty to assault and battery, intimidation of a witness, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and driving after his license was suspended.

He also pleaded guilty to violation of probation in a 2011 case with two counts of larceny, with the victim being his father.

Ricciardone said he will sentence Brady Friday to three to five years in state prison, the sentence requested by Doran.

The kidnapping charge was dropped as part of the plea agreement.

Defense lawyer Tracy E. Duncan was looking for a sentence of four to five years in state prison, but Ricciardone said he would not accept that without probation. Brady did not want probation.

"He's not holding a lot of cards," Ricciardone said about Brady.

Duncan said Brady and the woman had been dating for about one month.

Brady admitted assaulting the woman. In delivering a protracted speech to the judge about himself - saying he shouldn't have to go to state prison - he said he didn't want to "go upstate with killers and rapists."

Duncan said when police tried to stop Brady for a traffic violation on Aug. 14, 2014, in Holyoke just after midnight, Brady didn't stop because he didn't want to be charged with violation of probation - which he ultimately was.

Doran said a state trooper saw the car Brady was driving make two abrupt left turns and then run through a red light at Maple Street in Holyoke.

She said the trooper, who saw a large male driving with a woman as a passenger, tried to stop the vehicle but it went through another red light and onto Interstate 391.

Other troopers were called in but even with troopers going in excess of 100 miles per hour they could not keep up with Brady, who was weaving among three lanes.

Police ran the registration and found who the passenger could be. They went to her parents' home once, then again at about 3 a.m. when they saw the woman outside with injuries to her face and a cut on her lip.

Doran said the woman said she had been driving but Brady took her keys. Brady pulled over and got out of the car and there was an argument, Doran said.

Brady got back in the car with her keys and she got in too.

When police tried to stop Brady he told the woman, "I'm not stopping," Doran said.

He punched her in the face twice and held her hair while she tried to kick out the window. He pulled onto Interstate 91 south, throwing the woman's phone out of the car window.

On Oakland Street in Springfield Brady pulled over and left the woman, but the key to the car had been bent and she couldn't drive it, Doran said.

The woman began walking until she got a ride from a stranger.

Brady told Ricciardone he had turned his life around and just made a poor choice the early morning he drove and didn't stop for police.

Ricciardone said if Brady had truly turned the corner in his life he would not fear taking 18 months probation.

The first snowfall of the new year in Massachusetts began Tuesday evening, covering Western and Central Massachusetts in a white dusting. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- The first snowfall of the new year in Massachusetts began Tuesday evening, covering Western and Central Massachusetts in a white dusting.

Snow is expected to end before midnight in Berkshire County, 1 a.m. in the Pioneer Valley according to the National Weather Service.

It's anticipated to keep snowing in Worcester until around 2 a.m. on Wednesday.

The mix of rain and snow is expected to hit Boston Tuesday evening, with precipitation turning into snow around 9 p.m., after the temperature drops. Snowfall will end in the city overnight, the National Weather Service said.

Less than one inch of snow accumulation is expected in Springfield and Boston. Worcester may see between one and two inches and Berkshire County may accumulate between one and three inches.

The low in Springfield and Worcester will be around 22 degrees, 26 in Boston and 19 in Pittsfield.

Two of the 13 stained glass windows at Holyoke City Hall have been restored with gifts and grants.

HOLYOKE -- Purchase of a Holyoke-themed 2016 calendar for $6 will help in restoring the City Hall stained glass windows that were designed in 1876 but are deteriorating.

"They are a rare example of secular stained glass, some with a decorative theme but seven of the windows have figures and themes that immortalize the dominant forces of the 19th Century over life in the city of Holyoke," said a Monday press release from the Friends of City Hall.

"They are: Liberty, Agriculture, Water Power, Commerce, Industry, Music and the Arts. Today these themes continue to oversee our lives in Holyoke but currently the windows are in desperate need of repair," the press release said.

The average cost of repairing one window is $65,000. Two of the 13 windows have been restored thanks to grants and gifts, the press release said.

The calendar has been donated by Harry Craven of Highland Hardware and Bike Shop and Mansir Printing Co. to the Friends of the City Hall on behalf of the restoration of the windows, the press release said.

Calendars can be purchased at Highland Hardware and Bike Shop, 917 Hampden St.

Donations also can be made at the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce, 177 High St.. Donors are asked to write "Friends of City Hall" in the memo line of the check for the tax deductible donation.

Donations also can be made at holyokestainedglass.org, which has additional information about the restoration.

The windows of painted antique glass frame the City Hall upstairs area variously called the ballroom or the auditorium. They were designed and made by Samuel West of the Ecclesiastical Stained Glass Works in Boston and installed when City Hall opened in 1876.

"The leading holding the glass together is disintegrating making it years overdue for replacement," said the press release, sent by former mayor Elaine A. Pluta of the Friends of City Hall.

"Some windows have missing glass, some had mismatched glass from past restoration attempts. These works of art are exposed to the New England weather. Experts worry that they are on the verge of total collapse," the press release said.

Julie L. Sloan, a North Adams stained-glass consultant and appraiser, said in 2011 that a major problem is that the lead in the windows has weakened. Such lead usually lasts about 100 years, she said.

Restoration involves replacing the broken glass pieces, gluing the window whole and cleaning each window, Sloan has said.

The windows depict six secular goddesses of agriculture, water power, art, commerce, music, and industry, with a seventh Goddess of Liberty on the gable in the front foyer. The figurative windows alternate with symmetrical patterned windows.

Cuts, new revenues and what to do about the sewer fund are among budget topics Holyoke councilors will address.

HOLYOKE -- The road to a balanced budget could begin at City Hall Tuesday.

Follow along as live coverage of the 6:30 p.m. meeting of the City Council Ordinance Committee is posted in the comments section under this story.

Councilors will be debating a proposal that would require that the proposed spending plan the mayor submits each spring for the subsequent year be free of a deficit.

Council President Kevin A. Jourdain, who co-filed the balanced-budget proposal with Councilor Nelson R. Roman, said the plan makes sense because "good stewardship" means the city shouldn't spend more money that it has coming in.

Mayor Alex B. Morse said he shared the sentiment about the importance of a balanced budget. But establishing an ordinance won't achieve that because, instead, instilling a practice of balanced-budgeting will require councilors and the mayor discussing "a comprehensive plan that includes cuts and revenue."

For years, mayors in the spring have submitted a proposed budget to the City Council that contains a deficit, projected spending exceeding projected revenues. The practice has been that once the state Department of Revenue (DOR) certifies the amount of free cash available for the city to use, transfers will be approved from that money source to eliminate the deficit later in the fiscal year.

Free cash is money that was unspent in accounts in the previous fiscal year.

Technically, the City Council could address the deficit problem on its own. Once the mayor submits his proposed budget in the spring, that opens a 45-day window in which the City Council is authorized to review the budget and make cuts. The council cannot add to the budget.

Councilors usually do make more than $1 million in cuts to the spending plan the mayor submits, but that's after weeks of hearings and in recent years, that has still left the city beginning the fiscal year on July 1 with a deficit.

The current fiscal year began with a deficit of $2.5 million that had risen to $2.9 million by the time transfers and cuts were made to plug the hole in December.

Among the problems of carrying a deficit into the fiscal year is it handcuffs the city by restricting how the free cash can be used, if other needs arise, knowing a transfer will be needed from that source to plug the deficit.

Such a transfer usually happens shortly after the DOR certification. Such certification usually comes in September or October, a balanced budget being a requirement under state law before the City Council can set the new tax rate each year in December.

One of the problems causing the deficit is that expenses in the sewer fund have out-stripped revenues. Morse and Jourdain have clashed on how to solve that. Morse has urged the council for years to establish a series of small increases in the sewer rate to attract new revenue.

Jourdain has said that before customers are hit with higher rates, other steps must occur. More must be done to seize revenue in the form of overdue sewer bills, cutting expenses and possibly renegotiating the city's contract with the private company that operates the wastewater treatment plant on Berkshire Street, he said.

Morse has said the issue is one of revenue. The deficit is caused by the city having to borrow money to comply with federal laws to reduce sewage flow into the Connecticut RIver. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in overdue sewer bills have been received and little is to be gained by seeking cuts at the wastewater treatment plant or in reopening the operator contract, he has said.

Here is the balanced-budget order the Ordinance Committee will consider:

"That an Ordinance be created requiring the Mayor to submit a balanced budget for the subsequent fiscal year to the City Council by April 30th of each year. The Mayor's Budget proposal for expenses may not exceed the projected revenues for the subsequent fiscal year. The Mayor may not use uncertified free cash dollars or unapproved withdrawals from the Stabilization fund in his revenue estimate to provide a balanced budget for the subsequent fiscal year."

Here is the agenda for the Ordinance Committee meeting:

1. Jourdain/Roman 1/5/15: Order: That an Ordinance be created requiring the Mayor to submit a balanced budget for the subsequent fiscal year to the City Council by April 30th of each year. The Mayor's Budget proposal for expenses may not exceed the projected revenues for the subsequent fiscal year. The Mayor may not use uncertified free cash dollars or unapproved withdrawals from the Stabilization fund in his revenue estimate to provide a balanced budget for the subsequent fiscal year.

2. Bartley 12/15/15: Order that the City remove the "no parking" sign in front of 70 Chestnut St. (Whiting School).

3. Bartley 11/17/15: Ordered, that The city council consider deleting the "no left turn" ordinance on Whiting Farms Rd. at K-Mart Plaza. Further, the city council consider ordaining a "left turn only" lane into K-Mart Plaza from Northampton St.

4. Jourdain 11/17/15: Ordered, that an Ordinance be created establishing "No Parking" on the odd side of Beacon Avenue from the corner of Canby Street & Beacon Ave and the driveway to 27-29 Canby Street. Neighbors across the street are unable to get in and out of their driveway.

5. Bartley 11/17/15: The city council amend parking ordinance on Westfield Rd. near Blessed Sacrament that will allow for parking during weekend masses and will provide additional parking space.

6. Vacon 11/17/15: That the speed limit on Lower Westfield Road be reduced from 30mph to 20 mph for the portion of the road from Homestead Ave. that leads to the Elks.

7. Vacon 11/17/15: Add a stop sign at the end of Lynn Ann Dr. going easterly at Lower Westfield Rd. per recommendation of DPW/Engineering.

8. Leahy 11/6/15: Ordered that Donlee St. to be posted residential parking. Please bring in Chief of Police and City engineer to discuss.

9. Vacon 10/6/15: Ordered that "no overnight parking" signs be placed in front of 5 Donlee St. and across from 5 Donlee per request of residents.

10. McGee 10/6/15: Ordered that DPW install blinking crosswalk lights at the corner of Nonotuck and Lincoln as soon as possible.

11. Lisi 8/4/15: That the City consider replacing the bus stop at the corner of Hampshire & Maple Sts. it was recently deleted, but serves as a busy connection between buses coming down Hampshire St.

12. Bartley Order To amend Holyoke Code of Ordinances Chapter 22, Sections 161-163 (Pawnbrokers),and Chapter 66 (Secondhand dealers), by requiring that all city businesses subject to these laws be required to photograph any merchandise it receives, buys and sells, and to photograph any Sellers, and then upload the photos onto a police computer system for the purpose of making an electronic record. Currently, pawnbrokers are only required to keep a "book...open to the inspection of the Mayor or city council" or any other duly authorized person. Further, the amendment should require said dealers to hold items for at least 30 days prior to resale and the amendment should require pawnbrokers and secondhand dealers to register with the Chief of Police (i.e. Section 62-73) like Peddlers, Hawkers and Solicitors must do.

13. Soto 8/5/14: Ordered, that Section 2-34 of the Ordinances be reviewed and amended as necessary to prevent any office of city hall from closing early or closing during normal business hours.

14. Bartley 11/17/15: Order: The city council order removal of the handicap parking sign at 5-7 Martin St. The business at that address no longer requires it.

15. Soto 10/6/15: Ordered that a handicap sign be placed in front of 136 Sargeant St. for Ivonne Mora.

16. Lebron-Martinez 11/17/15: Order that a handicap sign be placed in front of 100 Beech St. for Phillip Manzi.

17. Valentin 11/17/15: Ordered that a handicap sign be placed in front of 195 Suffolk St. for Maria Vasquez.

18. Valentin 11/17/15: Ordered that a handicap sign be placed in front of 16 Clinton St. for Robert A. Fitzpatrick Jr.

19. Soto 6/16/15: Ordered that handicap sign be placed in front of 582 South Summer St. for Hector L. Velasquez.

20. Bartley: Order that a handicap space be placed at 34 Congress Ave. for Josue Andujar.

21: Lisi 3/17/15: Order: That the Council consider amending Zone SC to allow for certain additional business types.

22. Lisi 3/17/15: Order: That city create a Shopping Center Zoning Code designed for such large-scale districts, including but not limited to the Kmart Plaza (King Street), the South St. Plaza etc.

23: Bresnahan: Order: the DPW install appropriate signage stating local traffic only, no commercial vehicles on Lower Westfield Rd. from Whiting Farms Road to Holy Family and on Route 5 at the bottom of Lower Westfield Rd. The neighborhood has seen an increase of commercial vehicles (trucks).

Not all items listed may in fact be discussed and other items may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law

Deep inside the Grand Canyon, on river trips that stretch for weeks, National Park Service workers have preyed on their female colleagues, demanding sex and retaliating against women who refused, a federal investigation found.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Deep inside the Grand Canyon, on river trips that stretch for weeks, National Park Service workers have preyed on their female colleagues, demanding sex and retaliating against women who refused, a federal investigation found.

The Department of the Interior's Inspector General's report Tuesday was prompted by a complaint in 2014 accusing the Grand Canyon National Park's chain of command of mishandling complaints that trip leaders pressured female co-workers for sex, touched them inappropriately, made lewd comments and retaliated when rejected.

Thirteen current and former Grand Canyon employees filed the 2014 complaint alleging a pattern of abuse that continued for 15 years. The Inspector General's Office interviewed 80 people, 19 of whom said they experienced similar bad behavior; a park service human resources official described a "laissez faire" culture of "what happens on the river stays on the river" that continued even after the women formally complained.

Eight women said the men reacted in a hostile manner during the trips when rejected. Several accused a boatman of arbitrarily taking them to the wrong sites so that they couldn't do their assigned work. One accused the supervisor of leaving cans of human waste outside her tent. Another said non-compliant female colleagues were denied food.

The report charts a dozen instances in which park employees have been disciplined for sexual misconduct since 2003, ranging from a written reprimand to suspension and termination, but it concludes that responses to harassment complaints and any resulting discipline have been so inconsistent that many women decided against reporting them at all.

Until recently, National Park Service managers allowed river rafters to bring alcohol on the Grand Canyon trips -- a policy that changed last year, as the report was being prepared.

A spokesman outlined a series of reforms under consideration, saying the agency has zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

"No NPS employee should ever experience the kind of behavior outlined in the report, and it is even more disappointing because previous efforts to change the culture at the river district of the Grand Canyon failed to improve working conditions," James Doyle wrote in an email Tuesday. Changes include requiring nightly check-in calls by satellite telephone, including a supervisor on every trip and establishing a regional ombudsman outside the park's chain of command to handle complaints -- a first for the National Park Service.

One of the women who joined the 2014 complaint said excessive alcohol use is the biggest contributing factor to sexual violence on river trips. She called the other proposed changes trivial. The woman, who worked as a ranger in the river district from 2009 to 2012, said the Park Service's acknowledgement of the problem is a first step toward positive change.

"It was a culture of victim-blaming perpetuated by all levels of management," she wrote in an email. "I repeatedly sat in meetings in which victims who had reported sexual violence were degraded and discredited."

Grand Canyon National Park manages 280 miles of the Colorado River, providing emergency and medical services as well as guiding researchers, politicians and students on a dozen river trips per year. Co-workers spend lengthy stretches together, camping on the river banks deep within the towering walls. A satellite phone typically is available for emergencies only.

The report does not name any of the people involved, and The Associated Press does not identify victims of sexual harassment without their consent. It focuses solely on National Park Service trips; Commercial and private, or self-guided, river trips are conducted through different systems.

The Office of Inspector General said it had not conducted any similar investigations at other national parks.

The report focuses on allegations lodged against four NPS employees, identified as Boatman 1, 2 and 3 and Supervisor 1. Boatman 2 resigned in June 2006 after serving a 30-day suspension for taking a photograph under an employee's dress. Boatman 1 resigned in July 2013 after a 2-week suspension for groping and propositioning an employee. Supervisor 1, who served a 10-day suspension a decade earlier for grabbing the crotch of a contract employee, retired in May 2015.

Boatman 3, who was known as a "womanizer" who propositioned employees for sex, is still employed by the Park Service but is restricted from participating on river trips, Doyle said. He acknowledged having consensual sex with women in the canyon, but told investigators he approached women only when he sensed a "mutual attraction." One river district employee said Boatman 2, Boatman 3, and Supervisor 1 all tried to "get laid as much as possible" during river trips and that there was "some sort of wager . . . or challenge between the three of them . . . to see who would get laid the most," investigators reported.

A woman and her supervisor claimed they were retaliated against after their complaints led to disciplinary action against Supervisor 1 and Boatmen 1 and 2. They were given two-week suspensions and their contracts weren't renewed after Boatman 3 accused the woman of harassing him by "twerking" in his presence at a river trip dance party.

Other employees selected by senior park managers to be interviewed, denied seeing any sexual misconduct on the river. One longtime friend of Supervisor 1 and Boatman 3 described them as "free spirits" who loved to "joke around," and blamed the women for being "scantily" clothed, drinking too much and flirting with the men.

The Park Service's Intermountain Region director Sue Masica, Grand Canyon Superintendent Dave Uberuaga and his deputy, Diane Chalfant, told investigators they were well aware of the history of alleged sexual harassment on the river, if not all of these details, and had tried to change the culture. Last year, they prohibited alcohol use at any time during Park Service trips through the canyon.

The crash happened about 5 miles east of Exit 8 in Palmer, according to a trooper at the Massachusetts State Police barracks in Charlton.

BRIMFIELD — Two tractor-trailer crashes, including one vehicle that jackknifed, were causing westbound delays on theMassachusetts Turnpike in Brimfield on Tuesday evening.

State Police responded to a 6 p.m. report of two trucks that crashed about 5 miles east of Exit 8, which leads to Route 32 in Palmer. No one was injured in the incident, but lanes were closed as crews attempted to remove the vehicles from the highway, a trooper from the Charlton barracks said.

"Both lanes were closed, but I believe one lane is open now," he said around 6:35 p.m.

Some westbound motorists complained that traffic was at a standstill near the crash site.

Trooper Paul Sullivan, a spokesman at Framingham headquarters, said the crash happened by mile-marker 67 in Brimfield, near the Brimfield/Palmer line.

MassDot officials reported that roughly 936 crews were treating and plowing roads statewide. "Drive with caution," the state agency tweeted, warning that many roads were slushy and covered with snow.

Snow began falling across the commonwealth around 4 p.m. today, making for a slow and sloppy evening commute.

#MAtraffic RT 90 WB AT 67MM #Brimfield, crash involving 2 TT units, 1 jacked-knifed Road is closed all lanes closed.

— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) January 12, 2016

The Dow Jones industrial average gained nearly 118 points and closed at 16,516.

By ALEX VEIGA

NEW YORK - A volatile day on Wall Street ended in upbeat fashion Tuesday as a late-afternoon rally led by technology stocks pushed the market to a modest gain.

The turnaround helped snap an eight-day trading slump for the Nasdaq composite, which is heavily weighted with technology stocks.

Energy stocks slumped as much as 2 percent during the day, then recovered in late trading to eke out a slight gain.

Crude oil prices declined for the seventh day in a row, the longest losing streak since July 2014. Oil has now fallen nearly 18 percent this year.

"We saw a little bit of weakness in oil and the selling just continued," said J.J. Kinahan, chief strategist at TD Ameritrade.

All told, the Dow Jones industrial average gained 117.65 points, or 0.7 percent, to 16,516.22. The Standard & Poor's 500 index added 15.01 points, or 0.8 percent, to 1,938.68. The Nasdaq composite climbed 47.93 points, or 1 percent, to 4,685.92.

Investors have been wrestling with fears about a protracted slowdown in China's economy and the potential fallout for corporate earnings. Uncertainty about Beijing's ability to manage its financial markets has also kept traders on edge after sharp losses last week.

The steep downturn in crude oil prices has also weighed on the market. The three major U.S. stock indexes are all down for the year, with the Dow and S&P 500 index off about 5 percent, while the Nasdaq is down 6.4 percent.

Trading looked to take a more positive turn early Tuesday as the major U.S. stock indexes opened higher and oil prices rose. That trend didn't last, as oil prices turned lower once more, weighing on energy stocks. The market looked like it was headed for a lower close before it reversed course in the final hour of trading.

"You're seeing very oversold conditions," said Phil Blancato, CEO of Ladenburg Thalmann Asset Management. "People here are basically buying the dip."

Eight of the 10 sectors in the S&P 500 index rose. Technology companies gained 1.2 percent. Health care and consumer discretionary stocks also notched gains of 1 percent. Utilities and telecommunications services stocks fell.

Chipmaker Intel added 62 cents, or 2 percent, to $32.68, while and Apple gained $1.43, or 1.5 percent, to $99.96. Among health care companies, UnitedHealth Group climbed 2.4 percent, the biggest gainer in the Dow Jones industrial average. It added $2.68 to $112.26.

Energy stocks rose 0.4 percent. The sector remains down 8.5 percent this year.

U.S. crude oil fell 97 cents, or 3.1 percent, to $30.44 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, fell 69 cents, or 2.2 percent, to $30.86 a barrel in London.

Traders continued to take their cue from oil prices by parting with stocks in energy and mining companies.

Freeport-McMoRan lost 20 cents, or 4.6 percent, to $4.11. Consol Energy shed 30 cents, or 4.3 percent, to $6.70.

"The trading in oil is particularly precarious, and because of that, everybody is selling energy-related stocks," Kinahan said. "Nobody wants to be the one holding the bag."

Investors also had their eye on company earnings season, which began Monday and runs for the next several weeks.

Alcoa sank 9 percent after the aluminum manufacturer's earnings included revenue that fell short of Wall Street's expectations. The stock dropped 72 cents to $7.28.

GameStop tumbled 5.1 percent after investors were disappointed with the video game store operator's holiday season sales. The stock lost $1.50 to $27.88.

Health insurers fared a bit better.

Traders bid up shares in Anthem, which rose $7.24, or 5.6 percent, to $135.60, and Aetna, which added $4.08, or 3.9 percent, to $109.15.

European markets moved higher.

Germany's DAX rose 1.6 percent, while the CAC-40 in France rose 1.5 percent. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares gained 1 percent.

In Asia, China's Shanghai composite closed 0.2 percent higher, recovering some of its losses from the day before. Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 2.7 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.9 percent, while South Korea's Kospi dropped 0.2 percent.

In metals trading, gold fell $11 to $1,085.20 an ounce, while silver fell 12 cents to $13.75 an ounce. Copper slipped 1 cent to $1.96 a pound.

Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.11 percent from 2.17 percent late Monday. The euro fell to $1.0851 from $1.0871 a day earlier and the dollar rose to 117.69 yen from 117.53 yen.

In other energy trading in New York, wholesale gasoline fell 2.8 cents to close at $1.085 a gallon, heating oil fell 2.5 cents to 99 cents a gallon and natural gas fell 13.9 cents to $2.257 per 1,000 cubic feet.

There was a brief but gleeful round of applause for selectmen when they said at Tuesday's meeting it is time to build a new holding facility so the animal control officer has the tools to do the job

BELCHERTOWN - There was a brief but gleeful round of applause for selectmen when they said at Tuesday's meeting it is time to build a new holding facility so the animal control officer has the tools to do the job.

Selectmen said they supported placing an article on next month's special Town Meeting warrant to appropriate money for one.

Officials estimated it would cost about $100,000; selectmen said they would be recommending a figure soon. The finance committee is also expected to weigh in on the matter.

Animal control officer Anna Fenton attended the Jan. 11 meeting with a trio of volunteers, who, on their own have raised $10,000 so far towards construction of a new facility, which would be located on George Hannum Road near the Department of Public Works treatment plant.

Fenton and Town Administrator Gary Brougham listed an array of problems with the current dog pound - including sanitary facilities they said were poor to nil.

In August, Fenton was responsible for reuniting a miniature poodle, Coco, found in Belchertown, with her North Carolina owners.

Because of Fenton's knowledge of Pilots N Paws rescue service, Coco got home without a hitch. The dog ended up in this region most likely due to a theft, the ACO said.

The abuse occurred while the plaintiff attended the Western Massachusetts prep school between 1983 and 1985, said his attorney Mitchell Garabedian, who's noted for his representation of church abuse victims and was a central figure in the film "Spotlight."

By MICHAEL MELIA

HARTFORD, Conn. -- A Western Massachusetts preparatory school will pay $500,000 to settle a lawsuit by a former student who said he was sexually abused by a faculty member on trips to Connecticut and elsewhere in the 1980s, his attorney said Tuesday.

The plaintiff alleged in the lawsuit, filed last June in federal court in Connecticut, that he was abused while on Deerfield Academy trips for golf and squash matches against other prep schools.

Besides the school, the lawsuit named two former coaches as defendants, alleging that after competitions they would take the former student to the car of English teacher Bryce Lambert, who would abuse him before driving him home. Lambert died in 2007, and no criminal charges were brought against him or the two coaches.

The abuse occurred while the plaintiff attended the school between 1983 and 1985, when he was between the ages of 15 and 17, his attorney Mitchell Garabedian said. Garabedian, who's noted for his representation of church abuse victims, said Lambert molested the student more than 100 times on trips around New England and New York state.

"My client looked to Bryce Lambert as having total power and authority," Garabedian said. "My client would attend squash events and golf events in Connecticut against other schools, and Bryce Lambert would be waiting in the parking lot to take my client on excursions."

A school spokesman, David Thiel, said he wouldn't comment on the settlement out of respect for the plaintiff's privacy.

A 2013 investigation conducted by a law firm for Deerfield Academy found evidence that Lambert had sexual contact with two students during his tenure there. The primary focus of the investigation was allegations of misconduct against Peter Hindle, who taught there from 1956 to 2000. No charges were filed against Hindle.

Deerfield leaders wrote in a letter that the school "could have moved more forcefully" to address signs of unacceptable behavior by Hindle and apologized.

As a result of the investigation, the school updated its policies on sexual harassment and misconduct. Hindle's name was removed from its squash facility, and a fund and writing fellowship named for Lambert were renamed.

Garabedian said that at the time of his client's abuse, Hindle was the supervisor of Lambert, who was head of the English department. Hindle has declined to comment.

Garabedian previously reached a six-figure private settlement with Hindle in an unrelated case involving another former student.

The Associated Press generally doesn't identify people who say they're victims of sexual abuse.

The crash happened about 1½ miles east of the Palmer town line, and about 5 miles east of Exit 8, according to authorities. There were no injuries.

Update at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12: All westbound lanes on the turnpike have since been reopened.

State transportation officials tweeted the news around 8:30 p.m., a good 2½ hours after two tractor-trailers crashed near the Brimfield-Palmer line around 6 p.m. Westbound traffic came to a standstill, prompting some frustrated motorists to take to social media to complain about the lengthy delays.

Authorities said no one was injured in the incident, which involved one jackknifed tractor-trailer and another big rig. Officials have yet to indicate what caused the crash, though the winter weather likely played a role.

Further complicating matters, roughly 80 gallons of fuel spilled onto the snow- and slush-covered highway as a result of the crash, according to the Palmer Fire Department, which was among the local public safety agencies to respond to the scene. MassDEP crews were dispatched to contain the spill.

Trooper Paul Ryan, a spokesman at State Police headquarters in Framingham, said drivers need to slow down when road conditions are not good. Simply driving the speed limit is not good enough, he said.

Both westbound lanes were closed as crews worked to clear the scene, which caused traffic backups stretching for several miles. At least one stranded motorist had a sense of humor about the situation. "Are snowball fights in standstill traffic frowned upon?" Joseph Sweeney tweeted around 8:20 p.m.

At 7:15 p.m., another crash was reported near the end of the long backup in the westbound lane. That incident involved two vehicles that collided near mile-marker 68 in Brimfield. No one was injured, Sullivan said.

Police arrested a man after a "family-related dispute" on Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 12, after he allegedly deliberately drove a car through the closed garage door at a Hadley residence.

HADLEY — A man was charged for allegedly intentionally driving a car through a closed garage door at a Hadley residence on Tuesday afternoon.

Officers arrested the suspect after a "family-related dispute," Hadley police said in a Facebook post. However, police didn't provide the man's name or the location of the apparent domestic dispute.

He was taken to the Hampshire County Jail & House of Correction in Northampton, where he was expected to be held until his arraignment Wednesday in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown. Additional details weren't immediately available.

Photos posted on the department's Facebook page show a broken garage door and the dark-colored sedan that was allegedly purposely driven through the door.

President Barack Obama highlighted opportunities and challenges facing the country, as well as laid out his final wish list of policy proposals during his last State of the Union address late Tuesday.

SPRINGFIELD ‒ President Barack Obama highlighted opportunities and challenges facing the country, as well as laid out his final wish list of policy proposals during his last State of the Union address late Tuesday.

Obama's hour-long speech before a joint session of Congress touched on controversial issues that have gained media attention in recent months, like firearms regulations and immigration policies.

The president also used his final address to reflect on his work in office, such as enactment of the Affordable Care Act and the nation's recovery from the economic recession.

Here are five takeaways from the 2016 State of the Union address:

Obama posed four questions for the country to consider in the coming years.

Stressing that the country will have to confront a series of questions over the next several years regardless of who becomes the next president or what party controls Congress, the president shaped his remarks around four in particular:

- How do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security in this new economy?
- How do we make technology work for us, and not against us - especially when it comes to solving urgent challenges like climate change?
- How do we keep America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman?
- How can we make our politics reflect what's best in us and not what's worst?

President announced a new national effort to cure cancer.

Obama pointed to several steps his administration has taken to promote entrepreneurship and discovery, but stressed more can be done.

Alluding to remarks and actions Vice President Joe Biden has taken to promote finding a cure for cancer - particularly in the wake of his son's death to the disease - the president announced that the vice president will head a new national effort "to get it done."

"For the loved ones we've all lost, for the family we can still save, let's make America the country that cures cancer once and for all," Obama said.

He noted Biden worked with Congress just last month to give scientists at the National Institutes of Health "the strongest resources they've had in over a decade," to advance work on this issue.

Obama contended that the so-called Islamic State doesn't pose a threat to the United State's national existence.

Taking issue with claims that America is getting weaker while its enemies are getting stronger, the president stressed that "the United States of America is the most powerful nation on Earth. Period."

While he acknowledged that it's a dangerous time and the country still faces threats, Obama argued that they come less from "evil empires" and more from "failing states."

Stressing that the U.S.'s main priority is to protect the American people and to go after terrorist networks, he contended that "over-the-top claims that this is World War III" play into ISIS's hands.

"Masses of fighters on the back of pickup trucks and twisted souls plotting in apartments or garages pose an enormous danger to civilians and must be stopped," Obama said. "But they do not threaten our national existence. That's the story ISIL wants to tell; that's the kind of propaganda they use to recruit.

"We don't need to build them up to show that we're serious, nor do we need to push away vital allies in this fight by echoing the lie that ISIL is representative of one of the world's largest religions. We just need to call them what they are - killers and fanatics who have to be rooted out, hunted down and destroyed."

President called on lawmakers and American citizens, alike, to work together.

Obama said although one of the few regrets of his presidency is that the division and rancor between political parties has gotten worse - not better, he will continue to try and bridge the divide.

He, however, urged the American people and lawmakers to join in his effort, saying, "this cannot be my task - or any president's - alone."

The president called for an array of changes to improve American politics, including: changing how congressional districts are drawn, reducing the influence of money in elections and making voting easier and more modernized.

"Changes in our political process - in not just who gets elected but how they get elected - that will only happen when the American people demand it," he said. "It will depend on you. That's what's meant by a government of, by, and for the people."

Obama took jabs at the 2016 presidential candidates.

Throughout his final State of the Union address, the president took direct and indirect aim at 2016 White House hopefuls - some of which were in the chamber for the speech - on an array of issues.

Alluding to remarks U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has made about "carpet bombing" ISIS, Obama argued that to remain an international leader, America needs to bring more than just "tough talk" to foreign policy situations.

"The world will look to us to help solve these problems, and our answer needs to be more than tough talk or calls to carpet bomb civilians," he said. "That may work as a TV sound bite, but it doesn't pass muster on the world stage."

He also took issue with anti-Muslim and other racially charged rhetoric that has cropped up in the presidential race, stressing that Americans "need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion."

"This isn't a matter of political correctness," Obama said in an apparent swipe at Republican presidential candidates who have bemoaned so-called "PC culture."

"It's a matter of understanding what makes us strong. The world respects us not just for our arsenal; it respects us for our diversity and our openness and the way we respect every faith," the president added.

Obama also joked that his final State of the Union address would be shorter than those in years past because he knew that some in attendance would be "antsy" to get back to Iowa to campaign.

"I've been there," he quipped, adding "I'll be shaking hands afterwards if you want tips."

Authorities had previously reopened one westbound lane, allowing drivers to slowly pass the Brimfield crash scene. By around 10 p.m., all lanes had reopened, State Police officials announced on Twitter.

Updates story published at 8:38 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12.

Authorities had previously reopened just one westbound lane, allowing drivers to slowly pass by the Brimfield crash scene. By about 10 p.m., however, all lanes had reopened and no delays were reported.

Authorities said no one was injured in the crash, which happened around 6 p.m. near mile-marker 67 in Brimfield, roughly a mile and half east of the Palmer town line.

One of the tractor-trailers jackknifed during the incident, spilling about 80 gallons of fuel onto the snow- and slush-covered highway, according to officials. MassDEP cleanup crews were dispatched to the scene.

The cause of the crash was unavailable.

#MAtraffic RT 90 WB AT 67MM #Brimfield, crash involving 2 TT units, 1 jacked-knifed All lanes now open.

— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) January 13, 2016

Like many other trials involving alleged rapes on college campuses, the trial of 20-year-old Patrick Durocher scheduled for next week will include testimony and evidence suggesting both Durocher and the then-University of Massachusetts Amherst student he is accused of raping on a lawn were extremely intoxicated

NORTHAMPTON - Like many other trials involving alleged rapes on college campuses, the trial of 20-year-old Patrick Durocher scheduled for next week will include testimony and evidence suggesting both Durocher and the then-University of Massachusetts Amherst student he is accused of raping on a lawn were extremely intoxicated.

Durocher's attorney, Vincent Bongiorni of Springfield, said in Hampshire Superior Court Tuesday that jurors should be instructed to consider the voluntariness of his client's statements to police because Durocher was drunk and distraught when authorities arrived in the early morning of Sept. 2, 2013.

"Two witnesses at the scene say he was crying. He was upset. He was intoxicated," Bongiorni said.

Durocher, of Longmeadow, has pleaded not guilty to one count each of aggravated rape, kidnapping and assault and battery. He was only a few days into his freshman year at the time of the alleged rape.

Bongiorni and the prosecutor, Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Jennifer H. Suhl, were in court Tuesday to argue pretrial motions about what will and will not be allowed into evidence at the trial.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday and the trial will likely take six or seven days.

According to accounts of witnesses' statements in court documents, several reported seeing Durocher having sex with the student on the ground near the UMass Campus Center. Some witnesses said the woman appeared to be unconscious.

She later told police that Durocher, whom she did not know, strangled and raped her while she was walking home alone from a party at a fraternity.

Her level of intoxication is also likely to come into play at trial, Suhl said. The woman gave police several different names when questioned about who had raped or had sex with her, Suhl said. She argued that was because she was so intoxicated.

Bongiorni has a different take on the multiple names. He said there was DNA on the condom from at least three people and it is possible that she gave different names because she had consensual or nonconsensual sex with different men.

Bongiorni did not say in court Tuesday whether he will present evidence that the sexual activity was consensual, but he did not dispute Tuesday that Durocher's DNA was found on the condom.

Also on Tuesday, Rup allowed a witness who is a UMass student to testify via a videorecorded deposition. Durocher did not object. The student is leaving to study abroad soon and will not be in the country during the trial, Suhl said.

Durocher, who is out on $10,000 bail, is no longer enrolled at UMass. He told Rup Tuesday that he is working toward his associate's degree in liberal studies.

The devices, which are used to capture people's banking information, were discovered at the Bank of America ATM machine at the Circle K gas station and convenience store on Route 116.

WHATELY — Police here are warning people about a bank "skimmer" device and tiny camera that were found at an ATM machine in town. The devices capture people's debit or credit card information, which can then be used to illegally withdraw money from people's accounts.

The devices were discovered Jan. 7 at the Bank of America ATM machine at the Circle K gas station and convenience store on Route 116, according to Whately police.

The first device, the so-called skimmer, was placed over the card insertion slot on the lobby door. This device is used to digitally read and capture a person's debit or credit card information when they insert their card to unlock the door, police said.

The second device was a pinhole video camera that was aimed at the keypad. The tiny camera was found in a white rectangular panel attached to the ATM near the top right corner of the display screen. This device is used to record the keypad as someone types their PIN, police said.

"With these two pieces of information, criminals can now ... make their own credit cards and use them to make withdrawals or purchases using your information without you ever losing possession of your card," Whately police said in a statement.

Authorities said it's unclear how long the devices had been in place. Local police are working with Bank of America and a federal task force to identify possible suspects. Police are also trying to determine if any bank accounts were compromised as a result of the illegal devices. Anyone who notices fraudulent activity on their accounts is asked to call Bank of America or the the Whately Police Department at 413-665-0430. The police dispatch center can be reached at 413-625-8200.

The mentally unstable gunman who shot up a Louisiana movie theater last summer left a rambling, hate-filled journal in which he called the U.S. a "filth farm," railed against women, gays and blacks, and thanked a man accused of killing nine churchgoers in South Carolina for his "wake up call."

BATON ROUGE, La. -- The mentally unstable gunman who shot up a Louisiana movie theater last summer left a rambling, hate-filled journal in which he called the U.S. a "filth farm," railed against women, gays and blacks, and thanked a man accused of killing nine churchgoers in South Carolina for his "wake up call."

John Russel Houser (AP) 

The hand-written, 40-page journal released Wednesday doesn't explain why John Russell Houser decided to kill two people and wound nine at a screening of "Trainwreck" last July 23. He didn't say a word as he opened fire, killing Jillian Johnson, a 33-year-old musician and business owner, and Mayci Breaux, a 21-year-old student. He died from his own gun before anyone could question him.

But the contents suggest Houser expected to die, and knew others would read the words he left in his room at a Motel 6. Shortly before the shooting, Houser wrote on the last page that he was leaving the journal "in hopes of truth, my death all but assured."

Houser, a 59-year-old drifter, also shared his "random thoughts" on politics, the news media, the presidential race, the Ten Commandments, his favorite movies and music and his view of the future.

"If you have not stood against filth, you are now a soft target," he wrote on the lined pages of the notebook.

"America is in the midst of celebrating filth, and as such they are the enemy," he later added.

Houser described Dylann Roof -- a young white man accused of killing nine people inside a historic black church in Charleston that June 17 -- as "green but good."

"Thank you for the wake up call Dylann," he added.

Investigators described the shooting in gruesome detail in reports that totaled 589 pages. They determined that Houser entered the theater with a handgun hidden in his pants, and waited several minutes before pulling it out and opening fire. Police swiftly responded, and eventually interviewed 70 witnesses.

One described seeing Houser walking down the steps, firing rounds at victims before shooting himself in the head. Another said she heard someone scream "He's reloading!" before she ran out.

Authorities also shared findings of their investigation into Houser's troubled past. In social media posts, Houser talked about his political beliefs and "anti-government tendencies," they noted.

"Comments posted in his own writing revealed his ideals and that he had battled his local government and had a hatred for the United States Government. Houser's interests also included 'Golden Dawn' which is a Greek organization with neo-Nazi beliefs,'" one report stated.

Houser had a long history of erratic behavior in the Georgia and Alabama communities where he lived before drifting to Lafayette, a city where his uncle had lived decades earlier.

In 2008, a Georgia judge ordered him detained for a mental evaluation after relatives claimed he was a danger to himself and others. But that judge did not have him involuntarily committed, which could explain how he passed a federal background check in 2014. He legally bought the .40-caliber handgun he used in the shooting from a pawn shop in Phenix City, Alabama, where he became estranged from his family, lost his businesses and faced eviction from his home.

Before he was finally forced out, he ruined the property, pouring concrete into the plumbing and glue into the fixtures, police said. His estranged wife, Kellie Houser, filed for divorce in March 2015, saying he had repeatedly threatened her.

Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft has said Houser visited the theater more than once, perhaps to determine "whether there was anything that could be a soft target for him."

Investigators found wigs and disguises in his room, raising the possibility that he had considered making an escape after the shooting. Police said he did try to blend in with the fleeing crowd, but turned back and killed himself as police approached.

"Trainwreck" star Amy Schumer spoke tearfully of the two women killed in the shooting as she urged lawmakers to support a gun control bill sponsored by her second cousin, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer.

After a short reprieve, snow is back in the forecast.

SPRINGFIELD -- After a short reprieve, snow is back in the forecast.

The National Weather Service reports there is a chance of flurries on and off for 12 hours on Thursday. A bit of snow may begin to fall after 4 a.m., with the possibility of flurries until around 4 p.m. on Thursday.

Clear skies are expected Wednesday evening with the low around 19 degrees in Boston, 14 in Springfield and 13 in Worcester and Pittsfield.

The high on Thursday will be 31 degrees in Boston, 30 in Springfield, 28 in Worcester and 26 in Pittsfield.

Stocks tumbled again on fears of a global slowdown and alarm over plummeting oil prices, officially sending the Standard & Poor's 500 index into what's known as a correction.

By ALEX VEIGA

NEW YORK - The dismal start to 2016 on Wall Street got a lot worse Wednesday.

Stocks tumbled again on fears of a global slowdown and alarm over plummeting oil prices, officially sending the Standard & Poor's 500 index into what's known as a correction, or a drop of 10 percent or more from its peak.

The Dow Jones industrial average also slumped, losing more than 300 points.

The drop over the first eight trading days of 2016 represents the worst start to a year in the history of both the S&P 500 and the Dow.

"At the very core of this, there's a bull-bear debate," said Quincy Krosby, market strategist at Prudential Financial. The question, she said, is whether the economy is strong enough to justify how high stock prices are.

The rocky start to the year reflects mounting worries on Wall Street about the slowdown in China, the world's second-biggest economy; a plunge in oil prices to the lowest level in 12 years; and the implications for U.S. corporations, especially energy companies.

The S&P 500, which is the most closely watched gauge of the broader market and reached a record high in May, is now down 7.5 percent this year, while the Dow is off 7.3 percent.

The Nasdaq is deeper in the red, down 9.6 percent. The Russell 2000, which is made up of small-company stocks, is down 20 percent from its June peak. That big a plunge is defined as a bear market.

Energy and consumer stocks bore the brunt of the selling. The price of U.S. crude oil closed slightly higher, but remains near $30 a barrel, a level that investors fear could force many oil and gas companies to go bankrupt. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 2 percent.

Some of the biggest winners from last year, such as Netflix and Amazon, both of which doubled in value in 2015, also fell sharply.

"The momentum names that drove this market higher have just been clobbered," Krosby said.

All told, the Dow lost 364.81 points, or 2.2 percent, to 16,151.41. The S&P 500 fell 48.40 points, or 2.5 percent, to 1,890.28. It was the worst day for the index since Sept. 28.

The Nasdaq slid 159.85 points, or 3.4 percent, to 4,526.06.

Biotechnology stocks took a drubbing. The Nasdaq Biotechnology index lost 5.3 percent and is down 17.2 percent this year.

The market recorded its best day of the year on Tuesday and appeared to be headed for more gains early on Wednesday. But then a report showed that demand for fuels slipped last month.

Investors also began to size up discouraging earnings outlooks from companies like Ford, which fell 65 cents, or 5.1 percent, to $12.20.

Among energy companies, Williams Cos. tumbled $2.93, or 17.7 percent to $13.61. Consol Energy slid 65 cents, or 9.7 percent, to $6.05. Valero Energy shed $6.16, or 8.7 percent, to $65.03.

In Europe, Germany's DAX fell 0.2 percent while France's CAC 40 rose 0.3 percent. The FTSE 100 of leading British shares gained 0.5 percent. In Asia, stocks rallied despite a 2.4 percent drop in the Shanghai Composite. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index jumped 2.9 percent while Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1.1 percent. South Korea's Kospi and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 1.3 percent. Shares in New Zealand and Southeast Asia were mostly higher.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.07 percent from 2.11 percent late Tuesday. Trading in foreign exchange markets was subdued. The euro was little changed at $1.0857, and the dollar rose to 117.89 yen from 117.58 yen.

Gold rose $1.90 to $1,087.10 an ounce, silver rose 41 cents to $14.16 an ounce and copper was little changed at $1.96 a pound.

In other energy trading, wholesale gasoline fell 3.2 cents to $1.053 a gallon, heating oil fell 2.1 cents to 96.9 cents a gallon, and natural gas rose 1.2 cents to $2.269 per 1,000 cubic feet.

After hours of debate and consideration of nearly 80 amendments, the Massachusetts House on Wednesday evening unanimously passed a comprehensive bill aimed at addressing opioid addiction.

BOSTON -- After hours of debate and consideration of nearly 80 amendments, the Massachusetts House on Wednesday evening unanimously passed a comprehensive bill aimed at addressing opioid addiction.

The bill, H.3944, will now head to a team of House-Senate negotiators to develop a final bill that both bodies can agree on.

"We are in the midst of a public health crisis that is draining vitality from our hometowns, extinguishing lives and stealing souls," said House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, in a statement. "The House has crafted legislation and budgets that complement each other and set a foundation for continual improvement."

The House bill would impose a limit on a doctor prescribing opioids to a patient for the first time for acute pain to a seven-day prescription for adults. All opioid prescriptions for minors would be limited to seven days. There are exceptions, for example for chronic pain. Gov. Charlie Baker wanted to limit prescriptions to a 72-hour supply, but doctors worried about the difficulties patients would face getting a new prescription after such a short time.

The House bill does not include a proposal by Baker to let doctors hospitalize drug addicts involuntarily for 72 hours without a court order if they pose a danger to themselves or others. That proposal raised civil liberty concerns and concerns about hospitals' capacity to hold patients.

Instead, the House bill requires that a mental health professional provide a substance abuse evaluation to anyone who enters the emergency room suffering from an opioid overdose within 24 hours, before he is discharged. The evaluation would include recommendations for future treatment. It would be up to the patient to consent.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, said earlier this week that he had constitutional concerns about involuntary confinement and worries that emergency rooms do not have space to hold people. He also thinks voluntary treatment will be most effective.

State Rep. Liz Malia, D-Jamaica Plain, chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Mental Health and Substance Abuse, said the evaluation procedure "creates a safety net and a new standard in acute care settings designed to ensure the proper assessment and discharge of patients who seek voluntary treatment."

State Rep. James Lyons, R-Andover, introduced an amendment to add a 72-hour involuntary hold. But it was rejected by a vote of 116 to 34.

House Minority Leader Bradley Jones, R-North Reading, said in many cases, releasing someone with an evaluation after 24 hours will be insufficient. He said often, someone is revived from an overdose, then they "leave the facility and go back to a pattern of behavior that led to their arrival in that emergency room."

Patient advocates have said even when someone wants treatment, it can be difficult to find a bed. An amendment included in the House bill would require the state to establish a central database where the public can find real-time information on the availability of treatment beds and services.

Other proposals in the House bill include requiring schools to teach students and athletes about drug addiction, requiring doctors to check a Prescription Monitoring Program before prescribing high-risk opioids, allowing patients to voluntarily limit their access to opiate medications, making doctors write the reason for an opioid prescription in the patient's medical record, ensuring civil liability for anyone administering the anti-overdose drug naloxone, and ending the practice of putting civilly committed women with substance abuse problems in jail rather than in a state hospital.

During the debate, the House adopted amendments creating several new commissions: one to examine state-licensed addiction treatment centers and look at their effectiveness and at best practices; one to examine the feasibility of screening hospital patients for fentanyl abuse and reporting fentanyl overdose deaths; and one to study how to broaden the availability of naloxone. Another amendment recommended that each municipality create at least one drop-off site for unused prescription drugs.

The bill would establish a commission to look at the possibility of allowing a person to partially fill an opioid prescription. The Senate proposed allowing partial fill prescriptions, but the policy may contradict federal regulations.

Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian praised the House for passing the bill. "By raising the threshold of awareness within our medical community and educational institutions, we all become better partners in our collective fight to save lives," Koutoujian said in a statement. "More timely use of the Prescription Monitoring Program, updated guidelines and governance for practitioners who prescribe controlled substances and limiting the supply of first time opiate prescriptions are all important steps in improving outcomes for those suffering from the disease of addiction."

State Rep. John Velis, D-Westfield, withdrew an amendment that would have required the state, any time it opens a new drug court, to conduct a study to ensure there are enough treatment beds in that region. The state plans to open a drug court in Hampden County later this year, and Velis said there is concern that the county does not have enough beds to treat offenders.

"I am excited to see a drug court open in Hampden County, but we need to ensure that there are adequate resources to serve the goals of the drug court in terms of aftercare and treatment, " Velis said. Velis said there is already scarce availability in residential treatment programs.

The undersea search for the Malaysian airliner that vanished almost two years ago has found a likely 19th century shipwreck deep in the Indian Ocean off the west Australian coast, officials said Wednesday.

CANBERRA, Australia -- The undersea search for the Malaysian airliner that vanished almost two years ago has found a likely 19th century shipwreck deep in the Indian Ocean off the west Australian coast, officials said Wednesday.

A sonar search for the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 found what appeared to be a man-made object on Dec. 19, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau said in a statement.

A follow-up investigation using an underwater drone captured high-resolution sonar images on Jan. 2 that confirmed that the find was a shipwreck, said the bureau, which is running the search for the Boeing 777 which vanished on March 8, 2014.

The Shipwreck Galleries of the Western Australian Museum conducted a preliminary review of the images and advised that the wreck was likely to be a steel or iron ship dating from the turn of the 19th century, the bureau said.

The bureau on Thursday corrected the potential age of the wreck to the middle of the 19th century or later.

"It looks like a large iron or steel sailing ship sitting upright and very intact dating from mid-to-late 19th, possibly early 20th century," museum maritime archaeologist Ross Anderson told the bureau in a statement.

"It appears it is collapsing in classic iron ship fashion with the bow and stern triangles upright and intact and side plating collapsing out to starboard," Anderson added.

Anderson said he was not able identify the name of the ship based on the image or say whether it had three or four masts, which would narrow the possibilities. He estimated it was 80 meters (260 feet) long.

"It is all but impossible to identify ships or their country of manufacture/port of origin without being able to do more detailed artefact studies, as so many have been lost over the years," Anderson said.

"Often the best clue is something like crockery that may have visible the name of the shipping line or similar," he added.

The wreck was found under water 3.7 kilometers (12,100 feet) deep, 2,600 kilometers (1,600 miles) southwest of the Australian port of Fremantle where the three search vessels are based, the bureau said.

The sea hunt similarly found what appeared to be a man-made object in March last year 3.9 kilometers (12,800 feet) deep. But it wasn't until May that a closer look confirmed that it was not plane wreckage but the wreck of a cargo ship built in the mid-to-late 19th century. Hundreds of such ships were lost during voyages across the Indian Ocean. Neither ship is likely to be identified because of the cost of mounting closer examinations.

Flight 370 is thought to have crashed in the Indian Ocean with 239 passengers and crew aboard more than 1,800 kilometers (1,100 miles) southwest of Australia after mysteriously flying off course during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Searchers have been combing a 120,000-square-kilometer (46,000-square-mile) part of the Indian Ocean since late 2014. A wing flap found in July on the other side of the Indian Ocean when it washed up on Reunion Island is the only debris recovered.

More than 80,000 square kilometers (30,000 square miles) of the seafloor have been scoured so far, and the search is scheduled to be wound up by the middle of the year if nothing else of Flight 370 is found.