Arrested were driver Joseph Walker, 42, Derrick LaForest, 33, both of Pittsfield, and an unidentified juvenile girl.

PITTSFIELD - Two Pittsfield men and a teen girl were arrested Thursday night on drug trafficking charges when state police found more than 500 packets of heroin in the car during a traffic stop, police said.

Troopers with the state police Troop B Community Action Team pulled their car over because troopers spotted it on South Street with a defective brake light , police said.

Arrested were driver Joseph Walker, 42, Derrick LaForest, 33, both of Pittsfield, and an unidentified juvenile girl. Police did not release her name because she was younger than age 18.

Troopers found 10 heroin packets on Walker, and, when they searched the car, found 500 more. The packets were stamped with a "blue magic" logo. Troopers also confiscated $1,640 in cash that LaForest was carrying.

State police estimated the street value of the drugs was more than $20,000.

Each was charged with trafficking in heroin and conspiracy to violate drug laws.

LaForest was also charged with possession of a class A substance, heroin, with intent to distribute and witness intimidation. Troopers said that as he was being processed at the Cheshire barracks, he repeatedly threatened the booking trooper.

Walker was also charged with a brake light violation.
Bail for LaForest was set at $100,000 and at $50,000 for Walker. Each is being held at the Berkshire County House of Correction pending their scheduled arraignments on Monday.

Bail for the girl was set at $5,000 and she was transported to Springfield where she is being held in the alternative lockup program.

Springfield, Mass. police detectives are looking for two men who forced their way into a Forest Park home Friday evening and held three people at gunpoint as they robbed the house.

SPINGFIELD— Springfield detectives are looking for two men who forced their way into a Forest Park home Friday evening and tied up three people as they robbed the house.

Springfield Police Lt. Brian Keenan said the 7:55 p.m. assault on a Beaumont Street home was not a random crime. He said the two male suspects, who both showed handguns, knew who they were robbing and what they were looking for.

Keenan said the culprits took miscellaneous property, but no cash, then escaped out the back door of the home. They were last seen fleeing the area in a grey, four-door sedan with tinted windows.

The suspects were described as Hispanic males standing between 5-foot, 4-inches tall and 5-foot, 7-inches tall.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Springfield Police Detective Bureau at (413) 787-6355. Those who wish to remain anonymous may text a tip via a cell phone by addressing a text message to "CRIMES," or "274637," and then beginning the body of the message with the word "SOLVE."

The 26th Annual Chefs for Jimmy 'Fire & Ice' fundraiser was staged at the Chez Josef in Agawam Friday evening to benefit the Jimmy Fund and the Boston Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

AGAWAM - The 26th Annual Chefs for Jimmy 'Fire & Ice' fundraiser was staged at Chez Josef in Agawam Friday evening to benefit the Jimmy Fund and the Boston Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Chefs from 30 local restaurants presented their specialties as an estimated 1,200 visitors passed through the doors during the three-hour event. The gala featured a silent auction, and an opportunity drawing which included a grand prize, "Chefs in a Basket," with an assortment of year-round restaurant gift cards.

The 2016 event was presented by the Winer Levsky Group of UBS Financial Services, Inc., and will help support adult, and pediatric cancer care and research at the Boston Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund.

Since 1990, the Chefs for Jimmy events have raised more than $1.4 million for care and research at Dana-Farber. The event is hosted in honor of Neal Webber, a longtime supporter of the Jimmy Fund.

Anyone wishing to make a financial gift in support of prostate cancer research in memory of Webber can contact the Jimmy Fund at 800-52 JIMMY or www.JimmyFund.org for more information.

WASHINGTON (AP) — A storm that arrived postcard-pretty in the nation's capital Friday was morphing into a painful, even paralyzing blizzard with gale-force winds pushing heavy snow and coastal flooding. One in seven Americans could get at least half a foot of snow by Sunday, and Washington could see snowdrifts more than 4 feet high. The first flakes were lovely,...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A storm that arrived postcard-pretty in the nation's capital Friday was morphing into a painful, even paralyzing blizzard with gale-force winds pushing heavy snow and coastal flooding. One in seven Americans could get at least half a foot of snow by Sunday, and Washington could see snowdrifts more than 4 feet high.

The first flakes were lovely, but forecasters warned that much, much more was on its way.

Not that anyone will see the worst of it: Much heavier snow and wind gusting to 50 mph should create blinding whiteout conditions once the storm joins up with a low pressure system off the coast, said Bruce Sullivan, a forecaster at the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

Two feet or more of snowfall is forecast for Washington and Baltimore, and nearly as much for Philadelphia. New York City's expected total was upped Friday to a foot or more. But Sullivan said "the winds are going to be the real problem; that's when we'll see possible power outages."

The result could create snowdrifts 4 to 5 feet high, so even measuring it for records could be difficult, he said.

By nighttime, wet, heavy snow was falling in the capital, making downed power lines more likely, and yet many people remained on the roads, Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said. "Find a safe place and stay there," she implored both residents and tourists.

Anyone trying to travel in this mess risks getting stuck for hours, marooned in odd places, or killed, authorities warned. At least seven people died in storm-related crashes before the worst of the storm, including Stacy Sherrill, whose car plummeted off an icy road in Tennessee. Her husband survived after climbing for hours up a 300-foot embankment.

"They're slipping and sliding all over the place," said Kentucky State Police Trooper Lloyd Cochran -- as soon as one wreck was cleared, other cars slammed into each other, causing gridlock for hours on interstate highways.

By late Friday, there were 989 car crashes statewide in Virginia, and authorities had assisted nearly 800 disabled vehicles, said Ken Schrad, spokesman for the Virginia State Police Joint Information Center.

Conditions quickly became treacherous all along the path of the storm. Arkansas and Tennessee got 8 inches; Kentucky got more than a foot, and states across the Deep South grappled with icy, snow-covered roads and power outages. Two tornadoes arrived along with the snow in Mississippi.

The storm could easily cause more than $1 billion in damage, weather service director Louis Uccellini said.

All the ingredients have come together for a massive snowfall: The winds initially picked up warm water from the Gulf of Mexico, and now the storm is taking much more moisture from the warmer-than-usual Gulf Stream as it rotates slowly over mid-Atlantic states, with the District of Columbia in its bulls-eye.

At least meteorologists appear to have gotten this storm right. Predictions converged and millions of people got clear warnings, well in advance. Blizzard warnings stretched to just north of New York City. Boston and other New England cities should get a less windy winter storm, and much less snow.

In all, 82 million Americans will get at least an inch of snow, 47 million more than 6 inches, and 22 million Americans more than a foot, Ryan Maue at WeatherBell Analytics said Friday.

Fortunately, temperatures will be just above freezing after the storm passes in most places, and there's no second storm lurking behind this one, making for a slow and steady melt and less likelihood of more ice and floods, Peterson said.

As food and supplies vanished from store shelves Friday, states of emergency were declared, lawmakers went home, and schools, government offices and transit systems closed early around the region. Thousands of flights were canceled, sporting events were called off, bands postponed concerts and NASCAR delayed its Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Broadway's shows were still going on in New York, but as snow fell in Atlanta, people there were urged to stay home all weekend, rather than risk a repeat of the city's 2014 "icepocalypse," when a relatively mild winter storm caused days of commuter chaos.

Travel was already impossible across a wide swath of the Ohio River valley. Nashville, Tennessee, was gridlocked by accidents. Several drivers died on icy roads in North Carolina. In Washington, Baltimore, and Delaware, archdioceses pre-emptively excused Catholics from showing up for Sunday Mass.

Coastal flooding and the loss of beaches from high surf were major worries from Delaware north to Long Island. New Jersey's Republican Gov. Chris Christie canceled presidential campaign events in New Hampshire, which should be spared from the storm. "I'm sorry, NH but I gotta go home -- we got snow coming," Christie wrote on Twitter. Christie met with his Cabinet on Friday night and then declared a state of emergency as forecasters predicted up to 2 feet of snow in parts of the state. The governor asked people to be smart and stay off roadways on Saturday.

In Washington, the federal government closed its offices at noon, and all mass transit was shutting down through Sunday. President Barack Obama, hunkering down at the White House, was one of many who stayed home. Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina addressed anti-abortion activists at the annual March for Life as the storm closed in.

"I would come here if it were thunderstorming," said Kristlyn Whitlock, 20, who came from Steubenville, Ohio, wearing four layers of pants and five layers of tops to stay warm.

In downtown Baltimore, social worker Sean Augustus stocked up on flashlights and water, but said his city comes together when disasters strike.

"This is when you'll see Baltimore city in a different light," Augustus said. "You'll see neighbors coming together to help each other. That's the side of Baltimore people rarely see."

A similar spirit was evident in Annapolis, where 350 Navy midshipmen signed up to shovel people out.

About 7,600 flights were canceled Friday and Saturday -- about 15 percent of the airlines' schedules, according to the flight tracking service FlightAware. They hope to be fully back in business by Sunday afternoon.

One of the unlucky travelers stranded by the storm was Jennifer Bremer of Raleigh, North Carolina. Bremer flew into Chicago on Thursday morning, carrying only a briefcase, for what she thought would be less than a day of meetings. Her flight home was canceled Thursday night, and then again Friday.

"I have my computer, my phone and a really good book, but no clothing," Bremer said as she eyed flight boards at O'Hare International Airport. "I have a travel agent right now trying to get creative. I'm waiting on a phone call from her. ... I'm trying to get somewhere near the East Coast where I can drive in tonight or early tomorrow morning."

Thousands of track workers, power company employees, road crew members, firefighters, police, National Guardsmen and others mobilized to help out over the long weekend.

"For our region, this is good timing," said Jeffrey Knueppel, general manager of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, which is suspending almost all service around Philadelphia Saturday. "Saturday is the day to stay home and Sunday will give us a chance to really clean things up."

____

An elderly man recently lost $9,500 to a telephone scammer, Chicopee police said.

These were the most read stories on MassLive.com yesterday. If you missed any of them, click on the links below to read them now.

1) Improper disinfection procedures may have exposed 293 Baystate Noble patients to hepatitis, HIV [Jim Kinney]

2) Reardon's Garage owner questions whether campaign contributions, development plans led to loss of tow contract with Holyoke [Mike Plaisance]

3) Chicopee police: Elderly man loses $9,500 in telephone scam [George Graham]

4) New England Patriots fan owns bar in shadow of Denver Broncos home stadium [Jim Kinney] Photo gallery above

5) For New England Patriots CB Malcolm Butler, it all started when he met Peyton Manning [Kevin Duffy]

PITTSFIELD— A Berkshire Superior Court jury found a North Adams woman guilty of keeping prescription medication where her 1-year-old daughter could reach it, leading to a near-fatal overdose in 2014. The Berkshire Eagle reported that 37-year-old Kelly Simonetta was found guilty of reckless endangerment of a child, possession of heroin and possession of lidocaine Friday after two days of...

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

The Berkshire Eagle reported that 37-year-old Kelly Simonetta was found guilty of reckless endangerment of a child, possession of heroin and possession of lidocaine Friday after two days of deliberation.

Prosecutors contended that Simonetta kept Klonopin pills in a drawer that her children had easy access to. On May 7, 2014, the 1-year-old ate some of the pills and overdosed. She was flown from North Adams to the Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. She eventually recovered.

Simonetta was charged with the drug offenses after North Adams police and Massachusetts State Police, who were investigating the child's overdose, found heroin and drug paraphernalia in the home.

The newspaper reported that the maximum sentence for child endangerment is 2 1/2 years in state prison.

Simonetta will be sentenced Tuesday.

Members recently pulled a refrigerator from the Manhan River using a boat and an RV.

EASTHAMPTON -- Sportsmen's clubs proliferated across America in the mid-20th century, providing a gathering place for those who love hunting, fishing and the out-of-doors.

While some, such as the Pacific Rod & Gun Club in California, grew in the 1930s around the sport of American skeet shooting, others such as the Everglades City Rod & Gun Club in Florida were established by wealthy businessmen in the 1920s and offered a posh setting for rural pursuits.

The Easthampton Rod & Gun Club at the end of River Street, formed in 1947, is neither famous nor posh, but its clubhouse on the Oxbow of the Connecticut River provides a rustic haven for over 200 men and women who enjoy the art of fresh-water fishing.

"We catch pike, pickerell, bass, catfish, walleye and all kinds of pan fish in the Oxbow," said club vice president Michael Carenzo. "We have rowboats and canoes here when the weather is good. Plus we have a boat ramp. It's a nice place; it gives us a place to hang out."

Carenzo said members are expected to do volunteer work - to rack up "points" - in order to remain in good standing. Points are earned by participating in river and pond cleanup efforts, helping out at fishing derbies and volunteering in other ways. Those with 15 or more points are invited to a day-long "worker's party" at the club's pavilion with a large feast, horseshoes and beverages.

The club does not hold a regular liquor license but sometimes applies for one-day permits from the city to hold events.

The club is perhaps best known for its various fishing derbies, which are held year-round. Ice fishing derbies draw the hale and hearty, while derbies in the fall and spring require fewer layers to participate.

Sizable fish are pulled from the Oxbow; at the most recent spring derby, Drew Malo caught a 17-pound catfish, and in 2014 Nina Patnode landed a nearly 18-pound carp.

During the annual Junior Trout Derby at Nashawannuck Pond, kids ages 5 to 14 compete for the biggest fish. The club has the pond stocked at its own expense in the days before the event, generally around Father's Day. In the days before the event, members pitch in and pull litter from the iconic downtown water body.

"The business community and people in Easthampton have always been incredibly generous," said Carenzo. "We've been able to award great prizes, such as bicycles. The derby teaches kids how to fish and gets them outdoors."

The club, with its vinyl-clad wood-frame house, pavilion and nearly 10 acres, holds an annual event where it invites veterans from the VA hospital in Leeds to come spend the day.

Despite the club's name, no firearms are discharged on the property. "There's no way that we could do that here," said Carenzo. "We're too close to the river." The club does, however, host a deer checking station where a wildlife biologist is on hand to tag the deer and gather data relevant to the year's herd.

Carenzo said he and others worked to install bluebird houses and duck boxes on the property, and that some members enjoy playing cards.

In a related pursuit, the club raises ring-necked pheasants, thanks to chicks provided by the state and a program launched in the 1980s by an Easthampton World War II veteran. James Zedonis, 94, said when he retired from his job at Hamilton Standard, he decided to join the club.

The birds are raised at a location separate from the club, and when they are grown they are released on conservation land in Southampton for the benefit of hunters. Zedonis said that in the past, pheasants were raised by inmates at the Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction, but that that's no longer the case.

Details of the club's early history are not clear, because many records were destroyed in a 1981 flood, said Bill Barcomb, a longtime member who is now in his 70s.

"The whole club was underwater," he said.

Barcomb said he understood that the club got its start in the 1940s with a group meeting "in the cellar of a hardware store on Maine Ave." Eventually, the group split, with some forming the Easthampton Fish & Game Association in Southampton, and others gravitating toward the clubhouse on the Oxbow. The Southampton group is oriented toward firearms, while the Easthampton club is centered on fishing.

Barcomb, a former Southampton fire chief, said club members and their significant others showed up at his house and cut and stacked a season's worth of firewood after he broke his wrist two years ago.

"And then this fall, I lost my wife of 57 years," he said. "I was devastated. And these people, they showed up again; men and women with chain saws and log splitters. It warmed -- the cockles of my heart. What kind of people do that these days? It made me happier than hell."

A news clipping and photo from 1967 shows former club officers Raymond Thibodeau, John Doyle, Eward Tanski, Frank Korona, and Victor Yarra seated at a table with Joseph Ramsay, chair of the fish committee. Among those standing are former selectmen James F. Ramsey and Robert H. Partridge. Others are Emile Legere, Raymond Gosselin, Stanley Popielarczyk, William Martin, Fred Thibault, Joseph Arruda, and Joseph Acus. 

The club garnered many Facebook "likes" and "shares" in January when three of its men pulled a refrigerator from the Manhan River near the Fort Hill Road bridge, and the photos were posted to Patrick Brough's 01027 The Good News Page.

Members Drew Malo, John Martelli and Dan LaTour used a small boat, an all-terrain vehicle and a truck to remove the dead appliance, which had been illegally dumped around a quarter mile upstream from the club.

"People like to fish off that bridge," said club member Gary Jones. "Nobody wants to look at a refrigerator. We do a lot to keep the river clean."

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com

SPRINGFIELD— Springfield police are searching for two men believed to have smashed up cars along Sanderson Street early Saturday morning. The two were last seen fleeing over the North End Bridge in a pickup truck. Springfield Police Sgt. Erwin Greene said the two damaged at least nine cars, smashing windows and denting bodywork with what appeared to be a...

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

Springfield Police Sgt. Erwin Greene said the two damaged at least nine cars, smashing windows and denting bodywork with what appeared to be a sledgehammer starting at about 3:30 a.m.

Greene said the two fled the area in a reddish Ford pickup truck when one of the residents whose car had been damaged began to chase them. Greene said the resident lost the truck as it sped over the bridge.

A Longmeadow High School junior this week boasted that he was able to sneak into the recent Republican and Democratic presidential debates and meet several candidates due to some luck and quick thinking on his feet.

SPRINGFIELD ‒ A Longmeadow High School junior this week boasted that he was able to sneak into the most recent Republican and Democratic presidential debates and meet several candidates due to some luck and quick thinking on his feet.

Louis Shenker, 17, of Longmeadow, said he was in South Carolina last week for his sister's wedding when he decided to try and get into the nearby Republican presidential debate without a ticket.

"I've always been interested in politics on both sides," he said in an interview. "I watch the debates like football games for the sport of talking and argument. I was in the area and didn't think I'd get in, but I thought it would be fun to try."

According to Shenker, he was able to walk into the Republican debate after being handed a lanyard along with a group of kids around his age who were waiting to enter the venue. After getting inside, the 17-year-old said he followed what he described as "some important people," down to the floor, past the general admission seats where he sat himself next to the mother of GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz.

The high school junior said he later moved to sit next to U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., before taking an open seat behind Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump's family.

Having successfully attended the Republican debate, Shenker said he decided to attempt getting into the Democratic event - something he thought would be more difficult due to the venue's smaller capacity.

The 17-year-old, who donned his great-grand uncle's handmade silk jacket for the event, said he got into the Democratic debate primarily "out of luck," as a woman from the Democratic National Committee thought he was a staff member. Upon gaining entry, he said, he meandered his way through and gave whatever answer he could to get as close to the debate stage as possible.

"I'm pretty good at thinking on my toes," he said, adding that he posed as a seat filler when stopped by an usher near the front rows of the venue.

Shenker said he eventually sat next to secret service agents in the seat set aside for former President Bill Clinton, who did not attend the debate.

"I thought it was a riot," he said.

After the debate, Shenker said he followed a line of people exiting, which led him to shake hands with Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton.

The high school junior, who detailed how he was able to get into the venue and ultimately meet all three Democratic candidates in a blog post, said he hasn't heard from the Republican or Democratic parties about his stunts.

The son of Democratic White House hopeful Martin O'Malley, however, said he thought it was funny, Shenker contended.

HA! This is gold. Well played, @Louis_Shenker I wish my silk jacket game was that on point. https://t.co/Iko8L3aO0x

— William O'Malley (@WOM_alley) January 21, 2016

Rapper Killer Mike, who has been stumping for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders', I-Vt., Democratic presidential run, meanwhile, said on Twitter that he was proud of the high school student.

I am proud of U, Kid! The jacket was dope! How I Snuck into the South Carolina Democratic Debate https://t.co/N3verrlRd4 via @Louis_Shenker

— Killer Mike (@KillerMike) January 22, 2016

The 17-year-old stressed that his efforts to get into the two debates were not done with any bad intentions and that he just "wanted to have fun."

"It went crazy and I never thought it would," he said.

Shenker, however, dismissed the suggestion that getting into the debates was easy, adding that he went through metal detectors and security checkpoints like all other attendees.

"A lot of people are asking me, why it was so easy. I don't think it was so easy...I think a lot of it was luck," he said, adding that wearing the jacket also likely helped as someone looking to lay low wouldn't choose one so memorable.

The 17-year-old added that he doesn't look at his entry to the two debates as "crashing."

"I like to think of it rather as being an opportunist," he said.

Shenker said he doesn't plan on sneaking into any other debates, but said he has been contacted by a friend of his new brother-in-law who worked for Rick Santorum's campaign about possibly getting an all-access pass for future events.

Neither the Republican National Committee nor the Democratic National Committee responded to requests to comment on Shenker's story prior to the publishing deadline.

Stephens eventually pulled off the highway, passing a school bus that had stopped to let off children and swerving into oncoming traffic "causing several vehicles to veer off the highway to avoid head-on collisions," the report said.

SPRINGFIELD - The self-described adopted son of Agawam Mayor Richard Cohen has been placed on home detention after admitting that his arrest for impersonating a Connecticut police officer last month violated his probation in a 2014 case in Massachusetts.

Antonio Stephens, 21, admitted to two probation violations during a preliminary hearing last month in Springfield District Court before Judge William O'Grady.

The judge scheduled a full violation hearing for March 2 and placed Stephens on home confinement, with GPS monitoring and permission to leave only for work, medical and legal appointments.

The order came five months after Stephens was sentenced to five years of probation for sending sexually-suggestive drawings to a 10-year-old Longmeadow girl who followed him on Snapchat.

On Dec. 3, Stephens was charged with reckless driving and impersonating a police officer following a high-speed chase with a Connecticut state police detective on Interstate 91.

The pursuit began after Stephens, traveling at more than 100 mph and flashing red and blue emergency lights, passed the trooper in the left breakdown lane, according to the arrest report. When the trooper stopped him, Stephens identified himself as a sheriff's deputy and sped off, according to the arrest report.

Stephens eventually pulled off the highway onto a two-lane road, passing a school bus that had stopped to let off children and swerving into oncoming traffic "causing several vehicles to veer off the highway to avoid head-on collisions," the report said.

Later that night, Stephens arrived at a Connecticut state police barracks with former Agawam High School guidance counselor Alan Cohen, who identified himself as Stephens' father. Cohen, the mayor's brother, said he owned the vehicle, a late model Lexus, driven by Stephens.

Stephens was arrested and released on $1,000 cash bail; two weeks later, an Enfield Superior Court judge ruled that police had probable cause to charge Stephens with reckless driving and impersonating a police officer.

Stephens, who has denied the charges, is due back in Enfield Superior Court in March.

In Massachusetts, meanwhile, Stephens faces the possibility of having his 60-month probation term revoked, leading to a possible jail sentence.

As conditions of his probation, Stephens was not allowed to pick up new criminal charges or leave the state without permission of his probation officer.

During last month's preliminary hearing, Stephens admitted to violating both of those conditions. During the full hearing, lawyers for Stephens and the state probation office will present their cases to O'Grady, who will decided what punishment, if any, Stephens will receive.

The case dates back to Dec., 2014, when Stephens was charged with three counts of sending obscene matter to a minor after a Longmeadow mother complained that her daughter had received sexually-explicit images via Snapchat from Stephens.

The images included photographs of clothed men, later identified as Agawam Department of Public Works employees, with hand-drawn genitalia added to depict the men performing oral sex on other men.

In August, Stephens pleaded guilty in to one count of threatening to commit a crime; in exchange, prosecutors dropped three counts of sending obscene matter to a minor.

Under a plea agreement, Stephens was ordered to serve five years of probation; complete sex offender treatment; undergo a mental health evaluation and avoid contact with the victim, her family and Longmeadow public schools.

When the obscenity charges against Stephens were filed, the mayor characterized the incident as a lapse in social media judgment. In court documents, Stephens has identified himself as the mayor's adopted son, although Cohen said the adoption was never formalized.

Stephens was homeless and 18 when he moved in with the mayor and his brother, who was working as a guidance counselor at Agawam High School.

Frederick Pinney is accused in the death of Tayclair Moore, who was found dead on March 23, 2014 at 48 Agnes St. in Springfield. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD — The murder trial of Frederick Pinney, accused in the strangulation death of TayClair Moore, is slated to begin with jury selection Tuesday in front of Hampden Superior Court Judge Richard J. Carey.

Defense lawyer Linda J. Thompson and Assistant District Attorney Matthew W. Green were in front of Carey on Friday afternoon to discuss the case.

Pretrial motions will be heard by Carey on Monday. Both Green and Thompson, at Carey's request, gave Carey a preview of some of the motions Friday.

The Pinney murder trial will get underway as another murder trial continues before Hampden Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ford. In that trial, Julio Leiva and Amadi Sosa are being tried for murder in the fatal shooting of William Serrano in Springfield. There was no session in that trial Friday because of scheduling conflicts, but testimony resumes Monday.

Pinney, 45, is accused in the killing of the 29-year-old Moore, who was found dead on March 23, 2014 in Pinney's room at 48 Agnes St., Springfield.

The medical examiner will testify Moore died of asphyxiation by ligature, Green told Carey on Friday.

Pinney began renting the home in January 2014. Moore and her boyfriend, Christopher Podgurski, began to move in, renting a room from Pinney, three or four days before Moore's death, according to court records.

Green said the trial could last about 10 days. He said the prosecution believes Moore was killed sometime in the early hours of March 23, 2014.

Thompson said the prosecution is going to try to establish that Podgurski had an alibi, which she said would be hard to do because there is no set time of death established.

Green told Carey the defense could try to show Podgurski could have committed the murder.

Thompson said Green's entire case is aimed at showing Podgurski did not commit the murder.

From Friday's preview of pretrial motions, it appears there are several areas in which prosecution and defense are far apart in arguing what should be admitted at trial.

One of the areas to be ruled on by Carey is if "prior bad acts" of Pinney or Podgurski can be admitted. Green wants to introduce two instances where he said Pinney allegedly abused two different women. Thompson wants to introduce past restraining orders Moore got against Podgurski during their 10-year relationship.

Police checked the Connecticut River and the surrounding area in South Hadley Saturday as part of a comprehensive search for a Chicopee woman who went missing earlier this week. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD ‒ Police checked the Connecticut River and the surrounding area in South Hadley Saturday as part of a comprehensive search for a Chicopee woman who went missing earlier this week.

Chicopee Police Department Public Information Officer Michael Wilk said South Hadley police asked if his agency could use its dive and boat team to assist in searching the area for 18-year-old Brianna Cuoco, who hasn't been seen since 1 a.m. Monday.

Wilk stressed that the search, which began around 1 p.m. Saturday, came as part of a comprehensive look and not due to any information linking Cuoco to the site. There have been no reports or sightings of her in the area, he said.

As of 3:40 p.m. Saturday no one had been located as a result of the search, Wilk said.

Cuoco, a student at Chicopee Comprehensive High School, was reportedly last seen in the area of Bridge Street in South Hadley. While the 18-year-old is within her rights to leave home, her family and friends said they are worried because it isn't like her to cut off contact with them, the Chicopee Police have reported.

Anyone who may have seen Cuoco or has information about her whereabouts is asked to call the Chicopee Detective Bureau at (413) 594-1735 or South Hadley Police at (413) 538-8231.

When Tian Tian, one of two giant pandas at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., got up this morning, he was treated to several inches of snow that he adorably frolicked in, providing a happy diversion to folks along the East Coast getting battered by Winter Storm Jonas. Watch video

Just about everyone loves watching giant pandas do their adorable giant panda things. And when Tian Tian, one of two giant pandas at the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., got up this morning, he was treated to several inches of snow that he adorably frolicked in, providing a happy diversion to folks along the East Coast getting battered by Winter Storm Jonas.

On its Facebook page, The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute on Saturday posted a short video of Tian Tian playing in the snow. The post stated, "Tian Tian woke up this morning to a lot of snow...and he was pretty excited about it."

Tian Tian is among four giants pandas at the the National Zoo, along with Mei Xiang and their offspring, Bao Bao and Bei Bei. Tian Tian and Mei Xiang were born at the China Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, Sichuan Province, in the late 1990s.

According to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park website:

Tian Tian (t-YEN t-YEN), the male, was born on August 27, 1997. His name means "more and more." Tian Tian has black "knee socks." The black band across his shoulders narrows in the middle. His eye patches are shaped like kidney beans, and he has two black dots across the bridge of his nose. He weighs about 264 pounds.

More about giant pandas

Giant Pandas at the Smithsonian's National Zoo »

Watch the pandas anytime on the National Zoo's two panda cams »

National Zoo panda updates »

The latest on Winter Storm Jonas

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The male suspect can't be named under Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act.

TORONTO -- A 17-year-old boy was charged Saturday with four counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder in a mass shooting at a school and home in a remote aboriginal community in western Canada, officials said.

The male suspect can't be named under Canada's Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Supt. Grant St. Germaine said nine people were shot in the school, two fatally -- a teacher and a teacher's aide. He said seven people wounded in Friday's shooting at the school are hospitalized.

Police said two brothers, 17-year-old Dayne Fountaine and 13-year-old Drayden, were shot dead in a home before the gunman headed to the grade 7-12 La Loche Community School. Police responded to a call of shots fired at the school shortly after the lunch hour.

Canadian school shooting: 4 dead in rampage that reportedly began at suspect's home

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commanding Officer Brenda Butterworth-Carr said when officers arrived at the school they saw the front door had been shot open. They entered the school, spotted the suspect and gave chase before apprehending himl. He is due in court next week.

Police said they were not aware of a motive and declined to say what type of gun was used.

The school is in the remote Dene aboriginal community of La Loche in Saskatchewan Province. La Loche is a community of less than 3,000 where just about everybody knows everybody else.

"This is a significant event for Canada," St. Germaine said. "It's a huge impact on the community of La Loche. It's a part of changing times. We are seeing more violence."

Residents lit candles and placed flowers at a makeshift memorial outside the school.

The educational assistant killed at the Saskatchewan school was identified as 21-year-old Marie Janvier. Deegan Park, her boyfriend of three years, said he would have given up the rest of his life just to spend another year with her.

"I grew up not a good guy, but she turned me right," Park told The Associated Press. "She was that much of a great person to turn me right from all the wrongdoings I used to do. ... She was a fantastic person."

"I loved her, I really did," said Park, who remembered her smile and how she would blush when she was happy.

Kevin Janvier said his daughter was an only child. "I'm just so sad," he said.

Ashton Lemaigre, a teacher at the school and friend of Marie Janvier, said she worked as a teacher's aide in his classroom. He said she was kind and patient with children and planned to get her teaching degree someday.

"The kids loved having her around," Lemaigre said. "They would just come running to her. And she was just a friend to everybody."

A second victim was identified as 35-year-old Adam Wood, a new teacher at the school. His family in Ontario issued a statement describing him as an adventurer with a passion for life who made people laugh until their stomachs hurt.

"Adam had just begun his teaching career in La Loche last September and was enjoying his time," his family said. "He was always up for a good challenge and lived each day joyously."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, called it "every parent's worst nightmare."

A student who was just returning from lunch when the shots were fired Friday said his friends ran past him urging him to get out.

"'Run, bro, run!" Noel Desjarlais-Thomas, 16, recalled his friends saying to him as they fled La Loche's junior and senior high school. "There's a shotgun! There's a shotgun! They were just yelling to me. And then I was hearing those shots too, so of course I started running."

The RCMP said the first reports of shots being fired at the school came in around 1 p.m. Friday, and parents and residents were warned to stay away. A nearby elementary school was also placed on lockdown as a precaution.

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said he is in a state of disbelief. He planned to visit La Loche on Sunday and promised to provide crisis support and counseling services.

He added that U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman had offered the counsel of U.S. communities which have experienced school shootings.

"He noted that quite tragically the United States has more experience with the likes of what we saw in La Loche," Wall said.

Bobby Cameron, Chief of the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations, said the shooting Friday was the worst tragedy to ever hit the community of 3,000. The Dene are an aboriginal group who inhabit the northern parts of Canada.

"It's not something you ever imagine happening here. The whole community, province and country has been affected and we will all go into mourning," said Cameron, who attended the La Loche school's graduation ceremony for the past few years.  "Right now we're just in a state of shock and disbelief."

Shootings at schools or on university campuses are rare in Canada. However, the country's bloodiest mass shooting occurred on Dec. 6, 1989, at Montreal's Ecole Polytechnique, when Marc Lepine entered a college classroom at the engineering school, separated the men from the women, told the men to leave and opened fire, killing 14 women before killing himself.

While a dusting of snow fell across Western Massachusetts Saturday afternoon, the National Weather Service issued a blizzard warning for the easternmost parts of the state.

SPRINGFIELD ‒ While Winter Storm Jonas brought a dusting of snow to parts of Western Massachusetts Saturday afternoon, shoreline communities in the eastern portion of the state faced possible flooding and blizzard-like conditions.

According to the National Weather Service projections, Cape Cod and the southern shore of Massachusetts are expected to bear the brunt of the storm, while the western part of the state could see little-to-no snowfall.

In Springfield, a chance of snow accumulation of less than half an inch is possible mainly before 8 p.m. Saturday, NWS forecasted. The Berkshires, meanwhile, could see no snow.

The agency issued a blizzard warning for Cape Cod and Nantucket around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, projecting that the region will see snow accumulation of at least eight to 12 inches throughout the afternoon and evening before tapering off early Sunday.

Snow is projected to fall at a rate of one to two inches per hour, according to the NWS. Whiteout conditions are expected due to the heavy snow and wind gusts up to 55 miles per hour.

The warning, which is issued when sustained winds over 35 miles per hour are expected with considerable amounts of falling snow, will remain in effect until 1 a.m. Sunday. The NWS has also issued a Coastal Flood Advisory for 9 p.m. Saturday through 1 a.m. Sunday for the Massachusetts shoreline.

According to the Cape Cod Times, about 1,800 people were without power on Cape Cod as of 5:50 p.m. Saturday.

A Winter Weather Advisory, meanwhile, has been issued for Boston until Sunday morning. The city is expected to see three to four inches of snow and maximum wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced Saturday evening that the Public Works Department has been pre-treating local roads throughout the afternoon in preparation for the winter storm. The department has deployed 200 salters and can utilize 400 if the forecast changes, his office reported.

"The Public Works Department continues to work in our neighborhoods to ensure we are prepared for the upcoming winter storm and our roads are safe," he said in a statement. "While we are hopeful that Boston will not see the worst of this storm, I ask for everyone to be cautious if traveling, check on neighbors and call 911 if someone is in need of help or shelter."

Brides and grooms-to-be checked out the latest wedding styles and vendor offerings during the 2016 Springfield Bridal Expo at the Eastern States Exposition's Better Living Center Saturday.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Brides and grooms-to-be checked out the latest wedding styles and offerings during the 2016 Springfield Bridal Expo at the Eastern States Exposition's Better Living Center Saturday.

The 26th annual event featured vendors offering everything couples could need to plan that perfect wedding, including gowns, formalwear, entertainment, flowers, caterers, photographers and videographers.

The Bridal Expo, produced by Jenks Productions Inc., continues Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10. For more information and to print a $1-off admission coupon, visit www.jenksproductions.com.

With the Iowa Caucuses just over a week away, Marco Rubio's Republican presidential campaign picked up a key endorsement Saturday, as the Des Moines Register threw its support behind the Florida senator.

SPRINGFIELD ‒ In advance of primary season, the Des Moines Register announced Saturday that it was endorsing U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's respective Republican and Democratic presidential bids.

The endorsements, made by the newspaper's editorial board, came just over a week before state voters are set to participate in the Iowa Caucuses - the first real contest in the 2016 presidential race.

In an editorial endorsing Rubio's GOP White House bid, the board contended that the senator "has the potential to chart a new direction for the party, and perhaps the nation, with his message of restoring the American dream."

Turning to the Democratic side of the race, meanwhile, the board praised the former secretary of state's knowledge and experience - the depth of which it said no other candidate can match.

The editorial board characterized Rubio as "his party's best hope," saying it believes the Florida senator can inspire the Republican base with his ideas to improve the economy, education and social programs.

"In two meetings with the editorial board, the whip-smart senator displayed an impressive grasp of public policy detail, reeling off four-point plans on foreign policy and other issues," it wrote. "He proposes overhauling higher education and promoting vocational training, helping workers threatened by automation acquire skills rewarded by a new economy."

The board, however, said it wished that "the first-term senator had greater experience" and rarely missed a vote in the Senate.

"Rubio has plenty to prove and many questions to answer if he is to unite the party's factions," the board wrote, saying it hopes the senator and his party take a path that "can lead to the opportunity and optimism he so eloquently articulates."

The editorial board added that while it values Ohio Gov. John Kasich, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush's executive experience, pragmatism and thoughtful policies, "most Republicans aren't interested in rewarding a long resume this year."

In it's other endorsement, meanwhile, the editorial board praised Clinton's work as first lady, a U.S. senator and secretary of state on issues like health care, job creation and poverty.

"The presidency is not an entry-level position. Whoever is sworn into office next January must demonstrate not only a deep understanding of the issues facing America, but also possess the diplomatic skills that enable presidents to forge alliances to get things done," it wrote. "By that measure, Democrats have one outstanding candidate deserving of their support: Hillary Clinton."

The editorial board, however, noted that "she is not a perfect candidate, as evidenced the way she has handled the furor over her private email server," adding that she should admit when she makes a mistake.

Despite calling Democratic presidential contender U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., "a man of courage and principle who has the ability to rally others to his cause," the editorial board contended that nearly all his plans for reform "have no chance of being approved" by Congress as it currently stands.

"In the final analysis, Iowa Democrats will have to choose between the lofty idealism of Bernie Sanders and the down-to-earth pragmatism of Hillary Clinton. For some, this will be a choice of whether to vote with their hearts or their heads," it concluded. "Clinton has demonstrated that she is a thoughtful, hardworking public servant who has earned the respect of leaders at home and abroad. She stands ready to take on the most demanding job in the world."

A blizzard with hurricane-force winds brought much of the East Coast to a standstill Saturday, dumping as much as 3 feet of snow, stranding tens of thousands of travelers and shutting down the nation's capital and its largest city.

NEW YORK (AP) -- A blizzard with hurricane-force winds brought much of the East Coast to a standstill Saturday, dumping as much as 3 feet of snow, stranding tens of thousands of travelers and shutting down the nation's capital and its largest city.

After days of weather warnings, most of the 80 million people in the storm's path heeded requests to stay home and off the roads, which were largely deserted. Yet at least 18 deaths were blamed on the weather, resulting from car crashes, shoveling snow and hypothermia. And more snow was to come, with dangerous conditions expected to persist until early Sunday, forecasters warned.

"This is going to be one of those generational events, where your parents talk about how bad it was," Ryan Maue, a meteorologist for WeatherBell Analytics, said from Tallahassee, Florida, which also saw some flakes.

The system was mammoth, dropping snow from the Gulf Coast to New England. By afternoon, areas near Washington had surpassed 30 inches. The heaviest unofficial report was in a rural area of West Virginia, not far from Harper's Ferry, with 40 inches.

As the storm picked up, forecasters increased their snow predictions for New York and points north and warned areas nearly as far north as Boston to expect heavy snow.

"This is kind of a Top 10 snowstorm," said weather service winter storm expert Paul Kocin, who co-wrote a two-volume textbook on blizzards.

It was Top 3 in New York, where more than 25 inches of snow had fallen as of 7 p.m. Saturday, close to the record, 26.9 inches, set in February 2006.

Three people died while shoveling snow in Queens and Staten Island. The normally bustling streets around Rockefeller Center, Penn Station and other landmarks were mostly empty. Those who did venture out walked down the middle of snow-covered streets to avoid even deeper drifts on the sidewalks.

With Broadway shows dark, thin crowds shuffled through a different kind of Great White Way in Times Square.

Officials imposed a travel ban in the city, ordering all nonemergency vehicles off the roads. Commuter rails and above-ground segments of the nation's biggest subway system shut down, too, along with buses.

Without a bus, home health aide Elijah Scarboro couldn't get to his next client, an 89-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease.

"I wish I could get there, but I can't," Scarboro said, hoping the man would be safe at home with his wife.

As recently as Friday night, New York officials had expected the storm to top out at 18 inches. But that prediction jumped to 28 inches by Saturday evening. The scenario was much the opposite of what unfolded a year ago, when a storm carrying predictions for 18 to 24 inches of snow prompted officials to shut down the subway system completely, but far less than a foot ultimately fell.

In Washington, monuments that would typically be busy with tourists stood vacant. All mass transit in the capital was to be shut down through Sunday.

Throughout the region, drivers skidded off snowy, icy roads in accidents that killed several people as the storm raged Friday and Saturday. Those killed included a 4-year-old boy in North Carolina; a Kentucky transportation worker who was plowing highways; and a woman whose car plunged down a 300-foot embankment in Tennessee.

An Ohio teenager sledding behind an all-terrain vehicle was hit by a truck and killed, and two people died of hypothermia in southwest Virginia. In North Carolina, a man whose car had veered off an icy-covered road was arrested on charges of killing a motorist who stopped to help.

In Kentucky, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, drivers were marooned for hours in snow-choked highways.

The Temple University women's gymnastics team, the Duquesne University's men's basketball team and a church group from Indiana were among travelers who got stuck when the Pennsylvania Turnpike turned into a snowy parking lot.

Father Shaun Whittington said he and his nearly 100 parishioners, mostly teenagers, got stranded on their way home Friday evening from the March for Life in Washington. They had enough gas to keep the buses running and enough DVDs to keep the kids entertained until nearly noon Saturday, when plows finally arrived, Whittington said.

"We're on a pilgrimage," he said. "There's going to be suffering with that."

Roofs collapsed on a historic theater in Virginia and a horse barn in Maryland, while seaside towns in New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland grappled with flooding.

The snow was whipped into a maelstrom by winds that reached 75 mph at Dewey Beach, Delaware, and Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, the weather service said. From Virginia to New York, sustained winds topped 30 mph and gusted to around 50 mph. And if that weren't enough, the storm also had bursts of thunder and lightning.

Airlines canceled nearly 7,000 weekend flights and started to cut Monday service. Stranded travelers included Defense Secretary Ash Carter, whose high-tech aircraft, the Doomsday Plane, couldn't land at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland after returning from Europe. Carter was rerouted to Tampa, Florida.

The storm also knocked out electricity to thousands of homes and businesses.

___

Associated Press writers William Mathis, Scott Mayerowitz and Jake Pearson in New York; Alex Brandon and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington; Jessica Gresko in Arlington, Virginia; Juliet Linderman in Baltimore; Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee; Claire Garofalo in Louisville, Kentucky; and John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia contributed to this report.

A winter storm that left much of the east coast facing flooding and blizzard-like conditions, had dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of Massachusetts by Saturday evening.

SPRINGFIELD ‒ A winter storm that left much of the east coast facing flooding and blizzard-like conditions, had dumped more than a foot of snow in parts of Massachusetts by Saturday evening.

While much of western and central Massachusetts saw just a dusting, cities along Cape Cod and the south shore recorded several inches of snow, according to totals released by the National Weather Service.

Communities in Barnstable County saw the largest snowfall totals as of around 7 p.m. Saturday, with 13 inches of snow in West Harwich and 11 inches of snow in West Yarmouth, the NWS reported.

Centerville, Harwich, Teaticket, Marstons Mills, Yarmouthport, East Falmouth and Brewster, meanwhile, all saw around 10 inches of snow accumulation as part of Winter Storm Jonas. Snowfall varied from four to nine inches of accumulation in South Dennis, West Barnstable, Mashpee, Bourne, Wellfleet, Sandwich, Dennis and South Hyannis.

Martha's Vineyard also reported large snowfall accumulations with 10 inches of snow in Oaks Bluffs, more than eight inches in Edgartown and more than six inches in West Tisbury as of 6 p.m. Saturday. Nantucket, meanwhile, recorded 11 inches of snow.

South Yarmouth, Yarmouth, South Sagamore and Falmouth all saw less than two inches of snow accumulation as of Saturday afternoon, NWS reported.

In Bristol County, Assonet, Westport, Fairhaven and New Bedford all recorded more than half a foot of snow by evening, as did Marion, East Bridgewater and Plymouth, in Plymouth County.

Boston, meanwhile, reported just under three inches of snow as of 7 p.m. Saturday, while South Boston saw 5 inches of accumulation, according to NWS totals.

Worcester County recorded just over an inch of snow in Dudley and Auburn.

National Guard members and front-end loaders started digging vehicles out Saturday. The teams said their buses were freed Saturday night.

PHILADELPHIA -- The Duquesne University men's basketball team, whose bus was marooned in snow for more than 24 hours on the snow-clogged Pennsylvania Turnpike, is heading home.

That bus and one carrying the Temple University women's gymnastics squad were among more than 500 vehicles that got stuck on the turnpike Friday night after the region was hit by a blizzard, dubbed Winter Storm Jonas.

National Guard members and front-end loaders started digging vehicles out Saturday. The teams said their buses were freed Saturday night.

Duquesne posted online video of 15 basketball players, coaches and support staff members helping to push their bus.

They also thanked those who followed the team's online tweets.

Sincerely, thank you to everyone who followed the #DUQMBB experience over the last 30 hours. Impossible to respond to all the kind words.

-- Duquesne Basketball (@DuqMBB) January 24, 2016

The blizzard has brought much of the East Coast to a standstill and shut down the nation's capital. At least 18 deaths have been blamed on the weather, resulting from car crashes, shoveling snow and hypothermia.

The snowbound college athletes were stranded in a miles-long backup on the Pennsylvania Turnpike with hundreds of other motorists, munching on snacks and watching movies to pass the time.

A turnpike official said no one was expected to spend a second night on the snow-choked highway. Crews were removing barriers between the eastbound and westbound lanes and allowing vehicles to fuel up at a turnpike maintenance shed before getting off the highway.

Temple gymnastics coach Umme Salim-Beasley said National Guard members handed out military rations.

"They are one by one trying to plow out vehicles and trying to get them moving," she said.

Father Shaun Whittington, whose Indiana church group was stranded after a trip to Washington, D.C., praised the youngsters traveling with him.

"Our kids have been great through this," he said. "They haven't been complaining. But we're getting close to running out of food."

The group of more than 90 in a pair of buses was from St. Nicholas parish in Sunman, Indiana, and St. Anthony's parish in Morris, Indiana, and was returning home after attending the March for Life in Washington.

Blizzard strands Duquesne basketball team bus on highway more than 24 hours

Duquesne's bus got stuck Friday night on its way home from an 86-75 win over George Mason in Fairfax, Virginia. The stranded passengers along the turnpike put on brave faces. The players mostly got by on leftover pizza and Gatorade and watched movies including "Invincible." It was difficult for some of the players, who were quite tall, to sleep on the bus.

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf's office said the problems in Somerset County began after westbound tractor-trailers were unable to climb a hill. As traffic backed up behind them, more trucks became unable to go up the hill, backing up all vehicles and preventing emergency crews from getting heavy-duty tow trucks to the scene and road crews from being able to clear the snow.

Wolf said each vehicle had been checked at least once and workers had been delivering food and as fuel to make sure engines keep running so the heat can stay on. He said the state was working to get shelters in place quickly so people can be moved to them in buses if necessary.