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Family of 14-year-old suspect in Ohio school shooting says it's 'devastated,' praying for victims

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The family of the 14-year-old boy charged in a southwest Ohio school shooting said Wednesday it is "devastated" by his alleged actions and is praying for the quick recovery of the injured students.

CINCINNATI -- The family of the 14-year-old boy charged in a southwest Ohio school shooting said Wednesday it is "devastated" by his alleged actions and is praying for the quick recovery of the injured students.

The statement also said the family is praying for everyone involved "including Austin, whom we still deeply love."

James Austin Hancock remained held in juvenile detention two days after authorities said he opened fire inside a Madison Local Schools cafeteria. Two students were shot and two others hurt.

"Our family has lived in this community our entire lives and we never expected anyone to experience the event that occurred on Monday, and we certainly did not expect that one of our family members would be involved," said the statement emailed to news organizations by the boy's aunt for "the whole family."

Defense attorney Charles Rittgers confirmed that the statement was on behalf of Hancock's family.

Hancock faces six charges, including two counts of attempted murder. He denied the charges through an attorney in a brief court appearance Tuesday. Butler County authorities are considering whether to seek to move his case to adult court before a juvenile court hearing scheduled for April 5.

The family's statement came the same day Madison Local Schools students returned to classes. School officials said the day went well, although attendance was slightly below normal.

Teachers and staff greeted students as they arrived for school and uniformed police stood by as classes resumed at the campus just west of Middletown. Staffers joined children on their bus rides and had a first-day-of-school style welcome for the district's approximately 1,600 students. Crisis counselors were available, while teachers and other staff lunched with students in the cafeteria where the shooting took place.

"The energy was positive in there," Superintendent Curtis Philpot said about the cafeteria.

Philpot told reporters attendance was at about 90 percent, "a little lower" than usual, and that absences would be excused. Students were sent home with letters with tips and information for their families.

Authorities said all the wounded were recovering from injuries not considered life-threatening.

One of those hurt was Brant Murray, 13, with bullet fragments in a leg. He told reporters Tuesday evening he was sitting at a cafeteria table with friends Cameron Smith, 15, and Cooper Caffrey, 14, who were both shot.

"All of a sudden the kid stood up and started shooting at us, at our table," Murray told WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, adding he just tried to "stay calm and not die. It was just weird; couldn't believe what was happening."

He said he didn't realize he was hurt until he and others ran from the cafeteria into the choir room, where he rolled up a pants leg. His parents said they'll consult with a surgeon on what to do about the bullet fragments.

Murray was among hundreds of people at the Tuesday evening event for a walk-through school officials set up to help families and students feel comfortable about the resumption of classes.

Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said authorities believe they know a motive for the shootings, but aren't discussing it while the investigation continues.

Investigators have said Hancock told other students he had a gun and showed it to one just before the shooting. They said someone was going to tell administrators just before the shooting. They said Hancock got the .380-caliber handgun from a family member some time earlier and that he was carrying extra ammunition.


Massachusetts Weather: Clear skies Wednesday, sunny Thursday

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A brief reprieve from precipitation is ahead this week.

SPRINGFIELD -- A brief reprieve from precipitation is ahead this week.

The National Weather Service reports Wednesday evening will offer clear skies across the state.

The low overnight will be near 16 degrees in Worcester, 17 in Springfield and 19 in Boston.

Northwest winds with gusts as high as 26 miles per hour will blow overnight in Springfield while Boston and Worcester will get hit with gusts above 30 miles per hour Wednesday evening.

Thursday will start off sunny with a high near 33 in Boston, 31 in Springfield and 30 in Worcester.

The National Weather Service is currently predicting a slight chance of snow in the early hours of Friday, mainly before 4 a.m. in Springfield and Worcester.

3 people trapped after van collides with bus in Westborough

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A person trapped inside a van was freed from the vehicle almost two hours after it struck a school bus on West Main Street. The victim was rushed to a local hospital for treatment, according to authorities. Watch video

WESTBOROUGH - A person trapped inside a van was freed almost two hours after it struck a school bus on West Main Street. The victim was rushed to a local hospital for treatment after the Wednesday crash, according to authorities.

WCVB-TV reported that three people were trapped inside the vehicle. Two people were removed shortly after the crash.

Westborough police and fire officials rushed to West Main Street, also known as Route 30, after the vehicle collided into a school bus. The accident occurred around 4:30 p.m. right next to the Westborough Country Club, located at 121 West Main St.

The third victim was pulled out of the bus around 6:30 p.m. Police and fire officials did not release any information about the victims or their injuries as of 6:40 p.m.

Police said no children were on the school bus at the time of the accident. Authorities shut down a large portion of West Main Street in the area of the accident.

Man pleads guilty to abducting, killing 2 Virginia college students

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A hospital orderly pleaded guilty Wednesday to abducting and killing two Virginia college students, wrapping up a mystery that began in 2009 when one of the women disappeared from a Metallica concert.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- A hospital orderly pleaded guilty Wednesday to abducting and killing two Virginia college students, wrapping up a mystery that began in 2009 when one of the women disappeared from a Metallica concert. The other young woman, 18-year-old Hannah Graham, vanished five years later under similar circumstances, after a night of partying with friends.

Along the way, investigators solved a 2005 rape case and used DNA evidence to tie all three cases to Jesse LeRoy Matthew Jr.

In a plea deal, prosecutors dropped a capital murder charge that could have resulted in the death penalty and Matthew agreed to a sentence of four consecutive life terms. Those are in addition to the three life terms he was already serving for the rape.

Missing UVA StudentJesse LeRoy Matthew Jr. leaves the courtroom after pleading guilty to killing two Virginia college students, in Charlottesville, Va., Wednesday, March 2, 2016. (Ryan M. Kelly/The Daily Progress via AP)
 

A statements of facts filed with Matthew's plea agreement said autopsies determined that Graham had a broken nose and likely died of suffocation or strangulation, while 20-year-old Virginia Tech student Morgan Harrington suffered a broken arm, broken ribs and a skull fracture.

"We cannot comprehend the selfish and inhumane action that took place that evening and we anguish over the suffering Morgan experienced that night," Morgan's father, Daniel Harrington, said in court.

Matthew, 34, looked directly at family members during the hearing but showed no emotion -- casting his eyes downward whenever the victims' families referenced the brutality.

Graham's mother, Susan Graham, described her daughter as "the most optimistic person we know" and said she misses her daughter's smile, her quick wit and snuggling up with her on the couch with a cup of tea and a favorite DVD.

She was a straight-A student bound to accomplish great things. And she did -- just not in the way people expected. Hannah enabled police to capture a predator who had been "hiding in plain sight in Charlottesville for years," her mother said.

"She is a heroine," Susan Graham said.

Matthew, given a chance to speak in court, asked his attorney to speak for him. Douglas Ramseur said his client wanted to convey that "he is very sorry for what happened and he loves his family very much."

After the hearing, the Matthew family broke its year-and-a-half of silence, sending Matthew's uncle, the Rev. Louie Carr, to the microphone at a press conference. Carr expressed the family's sorrow for the victims' families and said "it's hard to understand how a gentle soul" could commit such crimes.

Graham and Morgan were young women in vulnerable straits when they vanished in Charlottesville five years apart, and their disappearances stoked fears about sexual assaults and campus safety at a time of rising national scrutiny.

Harrington had been drinking alcohol from a flask when she stepped out of the Metallica concert and could not get back in. According to the statement of facts, witnesses would have testified at trial that they saw Harrington thumbing for a ride near where a cab driver matching Matthew's description was working that night. Matthew worked as a cab driver before becoming an orderly at the University of Virginia hospital.

Harrington's black T-shirt, with the name of the rock band Pantera on it, was discovered, and DNA from it would prove crucial to connecting the cases.

In September 2014, Graham had dinner with friends and attended parties off campus before deciding to walk home alone. She was captured on surveillance video walking unsteadily. She texted a friend that she was lost.

Additional video showed Graham crossing Charlottesville's downtown pedestrian mall, then leaving a restaurant with Matthew, his arm wrapped around her. According to the statement of facts, witnesses would have testified that Matthew repeatedly made unwanted advances toward women while bar-hopping the night of Graham's disappearance.

Matthew grabbed one woman's bare foot over her objections after she took off her boots because her feet were hurting, the statement says, adding that she would have testified that Matthew told her: "A woman who takes care of her feet takes care of everything else."

Graham's disappearance prompted a massive search and gripped the Charlottesville campus in fear, prompting female students to walk with friends or a group at night.

Graham's body was found five weeks later on abandoned property in Albemarle County, about 12 miles from the Charlottesville campus and 6 miles from where Harrington's remains had been found years earlier.

After police named Matthew a person of interest, he fled to a beach in Texas. Police found a map indicating he was headed for Mexico.

Matthew was charged in Graham's disappearance and his cheek was swabbed for a DNA sample. That sample connected Matthew to the 2005 rape, which in turn linked him to Harrington through the DNA found on her black T-shirt, authorities have said.

Matthew was also accused of raping students in 2002 and 2003 at Liberty University and Christopher Newport University, where he had played football. But those cases were dropped when the women declined to press charges.

Wall Street makes small gains as energy stocks surge

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The Dow Jones industrial average rose 34 points to close at 16,899.

By MARLEY JAY

NEW YORK -- Stocks eked out tiny gains Wednesday as oil prices continued to recover and investors hoped the worst is over for the beleaguered energy industry. Telecommunications companies, which have climbed as the rest of the market has struggled this year, also rose.

Indexes wavered between tiny gains and losses for most of the day, then climbed steadily in the last 90 minutes of trading. Oil prices increased for the seventh time in eight days, an encouraging sign after many months of sharp declines. After Tuesday's big gains, the market is the highest it's been since the first week of the year.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 34.24 points, or 0.2 percent, to 16,899.32. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 8.10 points, or 0.4 percent, to 1,986.45. The Nasdaq composite index added 13.83 points, or 0.3 percent, to 4,703.42.

The price of oil has been plunging for almost two years, from over $100 a barrel in mid-2014 to $26 a barrel last month. That decimated profits at energy companies and hurt banks that lent money to them. Oil has staged a modest recovery over the last couple of weeks.

Benchmark U.S. crude rose 26 cents to close at $34.66 a barrel in New York, its highest closing price since Jan. 5. Brent crude gained 12 cents to $36.93 a barrel in London.

Energy stocks did the best in the market. Murphy Oil climbed $2.08, or 12.1 percent, to $19.30, and Marathon Oil picked up $1.14, or 14.3 percent, to $9.10. Telecom stocks also rose, with Verizon Communications up 66 cents to $52.12. Verizon and AT&T are trading at their highest prices in more than a year.

Agribusiness giant Monsanto took its biggest one-day loss in five years after it slashed its annual profit forecast. The company cited the strong dollar, competition from lower-cost generic products, and reduced spending from farmers because of lower crop prices. The stock tumbled $7.19, or 7.8 percent, to $85.30.

The news pressured other materials companies including fertilizer maker CF Industries, which fell $1.51, or 4.2 percent, to $34.74.

Spirits maker Brown-Forman, whose brands include Jack Daniels and Korbel, also lowered its profit estimates because of the strong dollar. The company makes 60 percent of its sales overseas. It's also being affected by cutbacks in spending by travelers and weak economies in some emerging markets. Its stock fell $1.47 to $96.19.

A strong dollar hurts U.S. companies in a couple of ways when they do business overseas: it makes their products more expensive compared to locally-produced goods, and it reduces their revenue when it's translated back into dollars.

Katie Nixon, chief investment officer of wealth management for Northern Trust, said that matters because economic growth is so slow right now. Still, she said it's not a big problem for the U.S. economy as a whole, which relies more on services than sales of goods.

"The strong dollar is much more of an issue for the S&P 500 than it is for the U.S. economy," she said.

ADP, a payroll processing company, delivered another positive sign for the economy when it said private U.S. businesses added a healthy 214,000 jobs last month. That followed upbeat reports on construction and manufacturing on Tuesday. The federal government will release its jobs report on Friday.

Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.84 percent from 1.82 percent a day earlier. Bond yields also climbed on Tuesday.

"The Treasury yield is increasing because the economy is better than people had feared and investors feel that the Fed is going to hike rates," Nixon said.

Bond yields are still relatively low. That has helped telecommunications and utility stocks, which are seen as similar to bonds: they are less-volatile stocks that tend to pay high dividends. Investors have favored them in recent months as the rest of the market turned turbulent. They are the two best performing sectors in the market so far this year.

Sporting goods retailer Big 5 Sporting Goods fell $1.38, or 10.4 percent, to $11.91 as it offered a weak profit forecast, and competing retailer Sports Authority said it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and close almost a third of its stores.

Digital health and wellness company Everyday Health leapt 89 cents, or 19.1 percent, to $5.55 following a strong quarterly report. Teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch rose $1.27, or 4.4 percent, to $30.41 after it said its Hollister business did particularly well in the latest quarter.

Germany's DAX rose 0.6 percent and France's CAC rose 0.4 percent. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares dipped 0.1 percent after asset manager BlackRock warned that if the U.K. votes to leave European Union, the economy will be "economically worse off."

A weak yen added to investor optimism, sending Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 up 4.1 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 3.1 percent.

The price of gold rose $11 to $1,241.80 an ounce. Silver rose 27 cents to $15.02 an ounce. Copper rose 4 cents to $2.18 a pound.

In other energy trading, the price of natural gas fell 6 cents to close at $1.68 per 1,000 cubic feet. Natural gas is at its lowest price in 17 years. Wholesale gasoline rose 1 cent to $1.31 a gallon. Heating oil rose 1 cent to $1.11 a gallon.

The euro was unchanged at $1.0868 and the dollar fell to 113.45 yen after climbing to 114.05 yen Tuesday.

WATCH: Procession for fallen police officer Ashley Guindon, native of Springfield, lights up night skies

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The six-mile-long procession of blue and red lights was impressive, especially from the air, lighting up the skies over northern Virginia earlier this week.

SPRINGFIELD — The procession for slain police officer Ashley Guindon lit up the night skies over northern Virginia on Monday evening, as a motorcade stretching for miles escorted her body to a funeral chapel in Woodbridge, Virginia.

The 28-year-old Springfield native and former Agawam resident was fatally shot on Feb. 27, her first night on the job as a Prince William County police officer.

A funeral will be held Monday morning at Sacred Heart Church in Springfield.

Guindon and two other Prince William County officers were shot while responding to a domestic disturbance in Woodbridge on Saturday evening. The other officers were expected to survive, police said.

Monday's six-mile-long procession of blue and red lights was impressive, especially when viewed from a helicopter above. Check out this aerial footage from Fox5:

Holyoke Retirement Board riling Councilors by holding daytime meetings

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The Holyoke Retirement Board has 930 retirees and 1,200 current employees paying into the pension system that includes $12 million contributed annually by taxpayers.

HOLYOKE -- The Holyoke Retirement Board has gone rogue.

At least that's the view of City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain. He has filed an order summoning Executive Director Cheryl Dugre and board members to a meeting to discuss why the board continues to hold its meetings in the mornings instead of 5 p.m. or later, as a city ordinance requires of municipal boards.

The council is scheduled to consider Jourdain's order Tuesday in a meeting that began at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

In a related step, the council during Tuesday's meeting referred to its Ordinance Committee and the city Law Department a letter from Cambridge lawyer Thomas F. Gibson (see below). The letter said the Retirement Board is not subject to the 5 p.m. meeting-time ordinance because the board under state law is "an independent unit, having its own separate assets and liabilities and is under the jurisdiction of its own separate board ..."

Plus, Dugre said, daytime meetings serve the needs of Retirement Board constituents, many of whom are elderly and unwilling to attend a night meeting at City Hall.

Such an argument is superficial, Jourdain said in an interview before the meeting.

Jourdain said the intent of the 5 p.m. ordinance is to make municipal board meetings available to taxpayers who are busy working during the day and unable to attend.

"This is just arrogance on parade. This is just classic government doing what is convenient to it, not what's convenient to the taxpayers," Jourdain said.

It's impossible to say the Retirement Board isn't a municipal entity and subject to municipal ordinances like the 5 p.m. meeting rule when the city budget contains $17 million a year in funding for the Retirement Board. That consists of $12 million as the city's contribution to the pensions of municipal employees' retirement funds and the $5 million contributed by existing employees, he said.

"Taxpayers who are paying the $12 million contribution have a right to attend the meetings," Jourdain said.

Every other municipal board abides by the rule of holding meetings at 5 p.m. or later. Even if the argument were to hold that the Retirement Board falls outside of what is considered a regular municipal entity, the effort toward good government would emphasize being as available to the public as possible, he said.

"This is all about they don't want to be accessible to the taxpayers. It's just arrogance on parade and they need to stop it," Jourdain said.

Jourdain said he would contact Mayor Alex B. Morse about the Retirement Board's meeting schedule in relation to the 5 p.m. ordinance. If the practice continues, Jourdain said he would contact the state about possible violations of the Open Meeting Law.

The Retirement Board is responsible for providing city employees and former employees who are now retired with information regarding benefits and regulations.

The board is supposed to have five members. One is the city auditor, two are elected, one is appointed by the mayor and those four elect a fifth.

But, acting City Auditor Bellamy H. Schmidt is on the board as Morse's appointee, having previously been on the board before becoming acting auditor, Assistant City Solicitor Kara Cunha said.

Now, the board apparently has only four members, including Schmidt and along with John T. McCarthy, Daniel R. Owens and Michele Aubrey.

"They are not a municipal board. They are technically separate," Dugre said.

"We meet in the mornings because it's easier for our constituents to come to meetings. They're retirees, they're not going to come here at night," she said.

The Holyoke Retirement Board system consists of 930 retirees and 1,200 current employees paying into the system, she said.

The liability facing the city regarding the system, that is, if all pension costs for retirees and existing employees had to be paid today, is $365 million. That figure is as of two years ago. Existing assets in the system reduce that liability to about $153 million, she said.

The funding schedule calls for that to be paid off at the current yearly rate of payment, which again has been about $17 million a year including city and employee contributions, by 2032, she said.

Letter from lawyer Thomas Gibson:

Holyoke Council to discuss Community Preservation Act in committee

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Holyoke property owners would pay an additional $23 a year if the city adopted the Community Preservation Act with exemptions, according to the group CPA for Holyoke.

HOLYOKE -- The City Council Tuesday at City Hall referred to committee three orders in relation to the city holding a referendum vote on whether to adopt the state Community Preservation Act.

"I hope all the City Council will join in supporting sending the CPA for referendum in November," Susan Van Pelt, a member of a group called CPA for Holyoke, said during the meeting's public speak-out.

Adoption of the Community Preservation Act (CPA) would impose a surcharge on property taxpayers to raise money dedicated to specific projects related to open space, historic restoration and affordable housing.

The council referred two CPA orders filed by Ward 2 Councilor Nelson R. Roman and one by Ward 7 Councilor Todd A. McGee to the Development and Government Relations Committee.

Committee Chairman David K. Bartley said the meeting about the CPA orders will be April 4 or 20.

An effort is underway by CPA for Holyoke to put a question on the Nov. 8 election ballot asking voters if they want to adopt the CPA and add a surcharge of less than 1 percent to property tax bills to fund such projects.

The state law permits adoption of the CPA with a surcharge of 1 percent to 3 percent on a property tax bill.

A brochure said CPA for Holyoke would be recommending a tax surcharge of 1.5 percent with the first $100,000 of a property's value exempt. The extra charge would be applied to residential and business property owners.

With the first $100,000 exempted, under a 1.5 percent surcharge, the average homeowner would pay an additional $23 a year if the CPA were established. That would be an extra $51 a year without the exemption, the brochure said.

A 1.5 percent addition to property taxes without the first $100,000 of each property exempted would raise $746,775 a year; $527,223 if the first $100,000 of only residential property were exempted; $471,962 if the first $100,000 of all property were exempted; and $460,760 if the first $100,000 of all property were exempted and exemptions were provided to senior citizens and the poor, the brochure said.

Van Pelt said the surcharge would be minimal, "but it adds up to a sizable pool."

Among projects that would benefit from the city's adoption of the CPA are the restoration of the stained glass windows upstairs in City Hall (a cost pegged at $650,000), restoration of the murals in City Council Chambers in City Hall and dealing with the former National Guard Armory at Sargeant and Pine streets, which partially collapsed Monday night, she said.


Holyoke City Hall: What's the plan for office locations? Councilors ask

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Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse will be asked to attend a City Council committee meeting to discuss the plan for movement of City Hall offices to keep the public informed.

HOLYOKE -- The tax collector has moved downstairs in City Hall from the upstairs office it has occupied for years, and the City Council Wednesday said it wants to know the long-term strategy for municipal offices.

"What are the other plans? What can citizens expect here at City Hall?" council President Kevin A. Jourdain said.

Jourdain spoke during the president's report in the City Council meeting. He also had filed a late-filed order asking that Mayor Alex B. Morse attend a committee meeting to discuss the plan for City Hall offices.

As of Monday, the tax collector had moved to Room 13 across from the Parks and Recreation Department.

"Along with addressing staffing concerns, this change will create a more cohesive atmosphere that helps the city better deliver services to residents and operate more efficiently," said a listing on the city website about the office change.

This is a developing story and details will be added as reporting continues.

Powerball numbers for Wednesday's $292 million jackpot

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Feeling really lucky? Then let's hope you plunked down $2 for a ticket to the latest Powerball drawing.

Feeling really lucky? Then let's hope you plunked down $2 for a ticket to the latest Powerball drawing.

Here are Wednesday's winning numbers:

12-13-44-52-62, Powerball: 6, PowerPlay: 2X

The estimated jackpot is $292 million. The lump sum payment before taxes will be more than $191.9 million.

Powerball is held in 44 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

A $2 ticket gives you a one in 292.2 million chance at joining the hall of Powerball champions.

On Oct. 7, the Powerball Lottery altered the number of red and white balls to try and increase the number of secondary prize winners while making it harder to win the top prize.The previous odds were 1 in 175 million.

The drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Wednesdays and Saturdays. Deadline to purchase tickets is 9:45 p.m.

Race to succeed Hampshire County Sheriff Robert Garvey so far features 2 Democrats

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The two Democratic candidates who've filed paperwork with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance are Patrick J. Cahillane, a veteran of the Hampshire County Sheriff's Department, and Kavern Lewis, who's currently a substitute teacher in the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District.

NORTHAMPTON — Now that longtime Hampshire County Sheriff Robert Garvey is retiring, it's no surprise that people are eager to succeed the 78-year-old Democrat, who's held the countywide job since 1984.

Two Democratic candidates have filed paperwork with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance: Patrick J. Cahillane, a veteran of the Hampshire County Sheriff's Department, and Kavern Lewis, who's currently a substitute teacher in the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District.

Cahillane, a resident of the Leeds section of Northampton, filed campaign paperwork with OCPF on Feb. 23, naming James Ryan as campaign chairman and Mary Hebert as treasurer. Ryan and Hebert also live in Northampton.

Cahillane is an assistant superintendent in the Sheriff's Department. He describes himself on Facebook as "a dedicated criminal justice professional" who's served the citizens of Hampshire County for over 30 years. He's married with three daughters and earned a bachelor's degree from Westfield State University, where he's also an adjunct faculty member. Cahillane also has a master's degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Western New England University.

Lewis, who announced his candidacy in a press release Wednesday, says he has more than a decade of experience working "in various capacities in the law enforcement and security field." The Amherst resident organized his campaign committee with OCPF on Feb. 25, naming Benjamin Haideri of Boston as chairman and Gabriela Torres-Maldonado of Amherst as treasurer.

Garvey announced in February that he's retiring after 32 years on the job. The longtime Amherst resident was appointed sheriff in 1984 by then-Gov. Michael Dukakis, who tapped him to finish the term of John Boyle, who died in office. Garvey has since been re-elected to five consecutive six-year terms in office, most recently in 2010.

According to state payroll records, he earned $154,399 in 2014, including $135,253 as sheriff and another $18,146 as a "lecturer" at UMass Amherst.



News Links: Legislator accused of luring minor for sex, woman killed in restaurant crash was on way to church, and more

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A New Hampshire store clerk was brutally beaten with a 28-inch aluminum baseball bat the robber grabbed from under the store's own front counter, according to investigators.

A digest of news stories from around New England.



  • New Hampshire legislator accused of trying to lure 14-year-old girl for sex, drug possession [Concord Monitor] Video below


  • Heartbreak: Woman killed in Newton restaurant car crash was on way to church [Boston Herald] Photo above, video below


  • New Hampshire clerk nearly beaten to death by store's own bat during robbery, police say [Union Leader]


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  • Former Connecticut principal loses teaching license after being caught on video dragging 2 kindergartners through hallway [Connecticut Post] Video below


  • Barnstable Intermediate school student, 13, dies, after being struck by car in Mashpee [Cape Cod Times]


  • County sheriff upset that Louisiana officials released murder suspect to live with parents in Maine without notifying law enforcement officials [Portland Press Herald] Video below


  • Ayer woman shot in own bed after neighbor fires several rounds through his wall into her home [Lowell Sun]


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    WCBS-TV report aired Feb. 22, 2014.


  • Newton middle school principal cited for failing to report anti-Semitic graffiti [Boston Globe]


  • Maine psychiatrist put on probation after patient commits suicide [Portland Press Herald]


  • Bill to outlaw toplesssness in New Hampshire wins no support in state House [Union Leader]


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  • Massachusetts Gaming Commission launching confidential tip line

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    If you see something that looks off inside a casino or slots parlor, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission wants you to say something. The commission, which regulates the state's burgeoning gambling industry, has launched a confidential tip line for potential violations of the state's gambling law: 1-844-303-TIPS (8477).

    BOSTON - If you see something that looks off inside a casino or slots parlor, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission wants you to say something.

    The commission, which regulates the state's burgeoning gambling industry, has launched a confidential tip line for potential violations of the state's gambling law: 1-844-303-TIPS (8477).

    The commission's Investigations and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) is asking gambling patrons and employees to send in tips if they see or have concerns about unethical behavior or suspected violations of the 2011 expanded gambling law. One example is if they see someone under the age of 18 who is gambling, or a machine not making proper payouts.

    Signs calling for a "Fair Deal" and measuring 12 inches by 18 inches will be placed in the employees' area of Plainridge Park Casino, as well as in the gaming area inside.

    "Regulatory compliance is critical to the public's confidence in the Massachusetts gaming industry," the signs say. "Ensuring that all gaming activity is fair and ethical requires your assistance."

    Employees or gambling patrons have long had the option of reporting violations to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission's website, but the agency is re-branding the effort and coupling it the tip line under "Fair Deal."

    massachusetts gaming commission logo mgc logo.jpeg 

    "In keeping with MGC's overarching approach to gaming regulation, public participation in MGC's efforts is vital. A tip program provides the public with an organized and specific method to directly contact the IEB with any potential concerns or personal knowledge of unethical or noncompliant gaming activity," Karen Wells, IEB director, said in a statement.

    The FBI launched its own tip line in 2014, say it is focused on public corruption but acknowledging the move was driven in part by the expanded gambling industry's arrival in Massachusetts.

    The FBI's tip line is at1-844-NOBRIBE (1-844-662-7423). The online option is tips.fbi.gov.

    The Gaming Commission has so far handed out the slots license to Plainridge in Plainville and casino licenses to MGM Springfield and Wynn Everett.

    Plainridge opened in June 2015, while the casinos planned for Springfield and Everett are expected to open sometime in 2018.

    Mitt Romney speech equal to 'calling our baby ugly,' Western Massachusetts Donald Trump supporters say

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    A sampling of Western Massachusetts Trump backers were not very impressed with Mitt Romney's attempted take-down over broadcast TV.

    PALMER - Having caught the telecast of Mitt Romney's speech attacking Donald Trump, Dick Desjardins of Palmer's Three Rivers section said he was less than impressed.

    "That guy's a moron!" said Desjardins.

    Regardless of anything Romney had to say, Desjardins said he remained a steadfast and fierce Trump supporter.

    "You want to know why? Because I'm sick and tired of the status quo," he said.

    With the sound of FOX News blaring in the background, Desjardins said Trump may not be the best candidate ever, but he's better than the career politicians in either party who have been a staple - or, depending on one's point of view, a thorn - in American politics for the past 50 years.

    "I want to give him a shot," he said.

    There was nothing Romney could say in his address that will cause Desjardins to reconsider his support for Trump. He doubts any other Trump supporters outside of Utah will feel any differently.

    "He's not going to change anyone's minds. That boat is gone!" he said.

    Donald Trump in Maine 3316Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says Mitt Romney had come to him begging for for help, Thursday, March 3, 2016, during a campaign stop in Portland, Maine. 

    That was the view of other Trump backers in Western Massachusetts who said Romney's televised address was too little, too late. The dysfunction in the party will accomplish little beyond making it easier for Hillary Clinton to win the election in November.

    "At this point, it's too late," said Mark Kenton of Sturbridge, who works as a physician in Springfield. "Maybe if they started a few months ago."

    A lifelong Democrat who left the party because of President Obama and his Affordable Care Act, Kenton voted for Trump on Tuesday. He said he was split between Trump and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who he said also has some good positions.

    But in the end when it was time to cast his ballot in the Republican primary, he went with the guy who had momentum.

    Romney 'begged' for 2012 endorsement, says Trump

    He said he does not see that momentum being slowed by anything Romney had to say or by anything the party leadership can do in the coming months going into the convention.

    Based on the primary voting so far, the party voters are showing they are behind Trump, he said. And now is the time for the party leaders to get behind the voters.

    "The establishment is not hearing them. I don't think they have ever experienced this," Kenton said.

    He wonders if the attacks by the party leadership on Trump will backfire come the final election in November.

    "In a way they are going to be handing the election over to Hillary Clinton, which I don't think is a good decision for the country," he said.

    Your Comments: Mitt did Trump a favor

    Kenton said he saw bits of the speech, but he did read it online shortly after it was broadcast. There were several parts that he read that he found objectionable. One of them was the line where Romney said " He's playing the American public for suckers: He gets a free ride to the White House and all we get is a lousy hat."

    What free ride? Kenton asked. Trump is alone among the candidates by running a self-financed campaign. He's not out lobbying for money from corporations and Super PACs, which means if he is elected he will be beholden to no one but the voters.

    "I don't agree with everything Trump says ... or how he says them," Kenton said. He is inexperienced in the ways of political-speak, no question, he said. But his career in business has shown that Trump is brilliant in the ways of marketing.

    "You hope he takes that and turns it into marketing our country," he said.

    Former selectman Paul Santaniello, of Longmeadow, who heads Trump's Western Massachusetts campaign, said he found Romney's speech somewhat insulting.

    He also used the words disingenuous, questionable, and unbecoming for someone of Romney's elder-statesman status within the party.

    "If Mitt Romney went after Barack Obama the way he went after Donald Trump, we'd be talking of President Romney right now," he said.

    Kenton said much the same, saying Romney won the first debate against Obama in the 2012 campaign, and then all but disappeared.

    Romney: Trump 'is playing the members of the American public for suckers'

    Santaniello said that at some point the party leadership has to realize that Trump is thriving because that is what the party, or more specifically the people who make up the party, want.

    "The people have spoken. They are choosing not to support Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush or John Kasich. The people are saying they want Donald Trump," he said. "They guys at the top of the party are not listening to what the people are saying - they want Donald Trump."

    Continued attack on Trump could serve to alienate and even anger Trump backers, which will only cause them to dig in their heels.

    "At this point a bunch of Republicans are coming out and calling our baby ugly," he said. "That is not going to sit well."

    Federal mediators to intervene in dispute between Stop & Shop, labor union

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    The union represents 35,000 Stop & Shop workers across Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Of those, 1,500 UFCW members work at Stop & Shop supermarkets in Western Massachusetts.

    Bargaining in the ongoing labor contract dispute between Stop & Shop supermarket and the United Food and Commercial Workers union will resume next week in Providence, Rhode Island, now with the aid of federal mediators.

    "(The mediators) are Commissioners with the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a Federal agency out of Boston, whose role is to assist both labor and management whenever the collective bargaining process is at a critical stage," said Daniel P. Clifford, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1459 in Springfield. "They hope to avoid a complete breakdown in negotiations and reach a settlement as we all do."

    Philip Tracey, a spokesman for Stop & Shop and its owners the Ahold Group, wrote in a statement:

    "Stop & Shop is ready and available to continue negotiating in good faith with the five UFCW locals to reach a new contract that continues to offer strong wages and benefits for our Associates and that keeps the Divisions competitive in the New England market."

    The union represents 35,000 Stop & Shop workers across Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, he said. Of those, 1,500 UFCW members work at Stop & Shop supermarkets in Western Massachusetts.

    They have been working without a contract for a week since their last three-year pact expired.

    The sides are at odds over wages and benefit packages.

    The Boston-area UFCW voted last weekend to authorize a strike. Springfield-area Local 1459 did not take that step. Clifford said this week that a strike vote creates unnecessary fear and confusion among the membership.

    But local 1459 might strike if such a move becomes necessary, he has said.


    News Links: Police dispatcher charged with sexually enticing minor, parents shocked by graphic sex survey given to students, and more

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    A Bay State man and a New Hampshire woman rented handguns from a Salisbury shooting range and then shot themselves in the head, police said.

    A digest of news stories from around New England.


  • Middletown police charge Connecticut State Police dispatcher with trying to sexually entice a minor [Middletown Free Press]


  • Graphic survey about sexual practices, dating, abuse given to Andover High School students shocks parents [Eagle Tribune]


  • Bay State man, New Hampshire woman, rent guns at Salisbury range, shoot selves in head in suicide pact, police say [Union Leader]


  • Lowell man, accused of mowing down 15-year-old cyclist who reportedly 'talked trash' about his sister, held without bail [Lowell Sun]


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  • Former US Sen. Scott Brown says Mitt Romney's attack on Republican presidential candidate will motivate more people to vote for Donald Trump [Boston Herald] File photo above


  • Vigil planned for victims run down at Newton pizza restaurant [Boston Globe] Video above


  • Letter carrier attacked by group of teenagers in Dorchester, US Postal Service says [WCVB-TV, NewsCenter5, Needham]


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  • Video shows police chief 'slip-slidin'-away' as he tries to assist motorist on icy Vermont road [Burlington Free Press] Video above


  • Developer may seek to turn rapper 50 Cent's $8 million Connecticut mansion into assisted living facility, lawyer says [Hartford Courant] Video below


  • Cape Cod school system to pay $425,000 to superintendent as part of settlement following his foray into student's home to verify residency [Mashpee Enterprise]


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  • Legislative committee recommends raising Massachusetts smoking age to 21

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    If the bill passes, Massachusetts would become the second state in the country, after Hawaii, to ban the sale of cigarettes to anyone under 21.

    BOSTON - Massachusetts lawmakers are scheduled to consider a bill to raise the minimum smoking age to 21.

    If the bill passes, Massachusetts would become the second state in the country, after Hawaii, to ban the sale of cigarettes to anyone under 21.

    "This comprehensive legislation will once again put the commonwealth at the forefront of preventing youth addiction to tobacco and nicotine products, to improve health, save lives and reduce health care costs," said state Sen. Jason Lewis, D-Winchester, chairman of the Joint Committee on Public Health.

    Lawmakers from the Joint Committee on Public Health released the bill Thursday. It will now be considered by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, to determine its financial impact, and will then be considered by the full Senate.

    "This bill will prevent tobacco use among our youth, which will result in countless lives saved," Marc Hymovitz, director of government relations for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said. 

    Currently, the legal age for buying cigarettes in Massachusetts is 18. But 98 cities and towns have raised or have plans to raise the age to 21, including Boston. Four other municipalities have a legal age of 19.

    State Rep. Kay Hogan, D-Stow, House chairwoman of the Joint Committee on Public Health, said the result has been a patchwork of laws, which makes it hard for stores to keep track of municipal regulations and allows an 18-year-old to buy tobacco simply by driving across town lines.

    "Common sense tells us this arrangement is far to complicated and cumbersome," Hogan said.

    Neither current law nor the proposed bill includes penalties for minors who buy tobacco. The bill would just extend penalties for those who sell tobacco to minors, changing the age from 18 to 21. A retailer who sells tobacco to an underage customer would be fined $100 for a first offense up to $300 for a third or subsequent offense.

    Anyone who turns 18 before the bill is passed and becomes effective would be allowed to continue to buy tobacco products even though they are under 21.

    According to bill supporters, the Institute of Medicine projects that raising the legal age to 21 will reduce tobacco use in Massachusetts by 12 percent, or 150,000 smokers.

    Bill supporters point out that nine of 10 cigarette smokers begin smoking before age 18, and tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable illness and premature death in Massachusetts.

    Lewis said the tobacco industry today continues to market to teenagers, with products like wet mango blunts and wild berry cigars.

    The bill would also prohibit the sale of tobacco products in health care institutions, including pharmacies. CVS already has a policy in place not to sell tobacco products, and 128 Massachusetts municipalities have adopted similar regulations.

    A separate provision of the bill would raise the legal age for buying e-cigarettes to 21 and would prohibit the sale and use of e-cigarettes on school grounds, in restaurants and in workplaces - essentially, in any place where smoking cigarettes is forbidden. It would require child-resistant packaging for the liquid nicotine used in e-cigarettes.

    Attorney General Maura Healey already implemented regulations banning the sale of e-cigarettes to minors under 18 and requiring child resistant packaging for liquid nicotine.

    State Senate Majority Leader Harriette Chandler, D-Worcester, said the bill is necessary to enshrine the regulations into law, which will be more enduring than administrative regulations.

    Gov. Charlie Baker has not yet taken a position on the bill.

    Smith & Wesson announces quarterly sales of $210.8 million, up 61.5 percent

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    Quarterly net income was $33.2 million, or 59 cents per diluted share.

    SPRINGFIELD -- Smith & Wesson announced quarterly net sales of $210.8 million for the November 2015 through January 2016 quarter, a 61.5 percent jump from the $130.5 million in net sales recorded for the same quarter a year before, according to results released Thursday by the Springfield gunmaker.

    Quarterly net income was $33.2 million, or 59 cents per share, compared with $11.2 million, or 20 cents per diluted share, for the same time period a year ago.

    Smith & Wesson stock, SWHC on the NASDAQ, traded at $25.40 a share following the close of the stock market Thursday, up 12 cents , or 0.47 percent, for the day.

    Other figures reported by the company on Thursday:

    • Firearms division net sales of $194.7 million increased by 56.4 percent over the comparable quarter last year.
    • Accessories division net sales were $16.1 million, compared with $6.1 million for the comparable quarter last year. That is the period in which Smith & Wesson acquired Battenfeld Technologies Inc., so last year's results reported only six weeks of accessories division sales. Battenfeld sells shooting equipment, targets and other supplies and gunsmith tools, tree trimming equipment and other goods.

    James Debney, Smith & Wesson president and CEO, issued this statement:

    "The combined strength of our firearms and accessories businesses delivered an exceptional performance, driven by healthy consumer demand across our growing portfolio of firearm and outdoor lifestyle offerings. During the third quarter, the Adjusted National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) data, which serves as an indicator of consumer purchases, reported a significant increase in growth versus the prior year, especially in handguns. In addition, our product sell-through at distribution was much stronger than we had anticipated.  Our flexible manufacturing model, combined with our ability to successfully utilize the internal inventories we had built in anticipation of potential sell-through strength, allowed us to capture incremental sales in the third quarter.  Despite the fact that we entered our fourth quarter with lower inventories, we are focused on increasing the production rates of our key products during the fourth quarter and we are therefore increasing our guidance for the full fiscal year."

    On Wednesday, Smith & Wesson and defense giant General Dynamics announced a deal for General Dynamics to manufacture hammer forged, military grade gun barrels. The barrels produced under this contract will be used in Smith & Wesson's M&P pistol, which both companies have entered in the U.S. Army's competition to produce the next generation sidearm, a deal that could be worth up to $580 million.

    Smith & Wesson has 1,758 full-time employees, most of them at its factory and headquarters on Roosevelt Avenue. The company was founded in 1852 by Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson.

    Massachusetts Weather: Cold Thursday, chance of snow Friday

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    It may be March but don't put your winter jacket away just yet.

    SPRINGFIELD -- It may be March but don't put your winter jacket away just yet.

    Temperatures will remain brisk Thursday evening into Friday, Western Mass News Meteorologist Jacob Wycoff said.

    The low Thursday evening will be around 14 degrees in Springfield, 16 in Worcester and 20 in Boston.

    Some Massachusetts communities may see a bit of snow Friday. The National Weather Service reports a 20 percent chance of snow in Worcester, 30 percent in Boston during the day. The possibility of snow will continue into the evening for Eastern Massachusetts residents.

    The likelihood of snow in the Pioneer Valley on Friday is low, though the Berkshires may see some flurries.

    The high will be near 35 degrees Friday in Springfield, 34 in Boston and 31 in Worcester.

    Gallery preview 

    Massachusetts Auditor Suzanne Bump: Theft of more than $45K in client funds from West Springfield mental health center due to 'inadequate' oversight and protections

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    "Client funds, as well as taxpayer dollars, must be accounted for and used according to the rules," Bump aid.

    WEST SPRINGFIELD — Deficiencies in the Gandara Mental Health Center's oversight of client finances, inadequate protections over the agency's own finances, and a lack of supervision on decisions involving staff, board members and related organizations ultimately led to the theft of more than $45,000 in client funds, a state audit released Thursday has found.

    Massachusetts Auditor Suzanne M. Bump urged the West Springfield nonprofit organization, which contracts with state agencies to provide residential, mental health, and substance abuse-related services to children, adults and families, to strengthen its financial management and improve internal controls.

    "As a government contractor, Gandara must meet its obligations to both its clients and the taxpayers," Bump said. "Client funds, as well as taxpayer dollars, must be accounted for and used according to the rules. I am pleased that Gandara has cooperated with this audit and recognizes the important of accountability."

    The audit found that inadequate protections resulted in the theft of client funds, and that Gandara didn't conduct required evaluations of its clients' ability to manage their own money. Bump said Gandara is now following new policies to protect client funds and has fired the employee responsible for the theft. The former employee, whose name was not publicly released, was prosecuted and all clients have since been repaid, Bump said.

    In addition to the findings related to the security of client funds, the audit also found that the agency:

    • Did not seek multiple bids when it awarded a $286,600 contract for consultant services from a company whose president later became a board member of Gandara;
    • had inadequate protections over cash used to cover expenses at their residential houses; charged the state interest expenses it incurred on borrowed funds that it provided to another organization, which is prohibited under state contracts;
    • could not document that it annually evaluated the performance of their executive director or voted to approve his salary increases or a bonus he received;
    • and did not have lease agreements on file for five properties it was leasing from Hispanic Resources Inc., an organization related to Gandara Mental Health Center through shared board membership and other real estate-related business transactions.

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