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Holyoke Councilors drilling toward understanding whether proposed solar-tax deals benefit city, could be improved

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Holyoke councilors are grappling with whether payment in lieu of taxes agreements in proposed solar-power installations are good deals or if the city can do better.

HOLYOKE -- The City Council Ordinance Committee Tuesday seemed to get a bit further in understanding proposed agreements between the city and a solar-power installation developer that would net the city payments in lieu of taxes at five locations.

But the committee tabled consideration of the five plans until March 22 so councilors can study additional information submitted at the meeting at City Hall.

The next discussion will be the committee's fourth regarding the plans to permit the solar-panel sites in deals that would include payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreements.

The agreements call for SHR Energy Management of Weston, Connecticut, a solar energy developer, to pay the city $5,000 per megawatt generated by each solar installation a year.

A factor in the proposed agreements is that power from such solar devices that convert sunlight into electricity would be sold to the Holyoke Gas and Electric Department (HGE).

Based on the projected amount of energy the five solar sites combined would generate, the city would receive $16,250 in additional tax revenue from the solar-panel installations, or a PILOT of $3,250 per site, based on information distributed at the meeting.

On some sites the city is currently receiving nothing in terms of taxes such as Forestdale West Cemetery in West Holyoke, which is tax-exempt. A 2-acre solar-power facility has been approved by the Planning Board and is planned for installation in the spring.

What council President Kevin A. Jourdain and others were trying to learn was whether the proposed PILOT agreements were good deals for the city or could be improved.

Jourdain provided information that showed other communities like Chicopee Warren, Whately and Southbridge getting paid up to $25,000 per megawatt in PILOT agreements for solar-panel installations compared to only the $5,000 per megawatt in the proposed agreements.

But Brian C. Beauregard, superintendent of the Holyoke Gas and Electric Department's (HGE) electric division, said such comparisons are tempting but inaccurate. Numerous other factors affect the size of those communities' solar PILOT agreements, he said.

While rate-payers in those communities will be enjoying revenue from the seemingly higher solar PILOT agreements, they also are paying more money on their electricity bills than do customers of the HGE, which has the lowest rates, Beauregard said.

Jourdain said he wanted to know what such factors were in those other communities' higher PILOT agreements. Otherwise, it didn't make sense for Holyoke to settle for $5,000 per megawatt of energy produced at the solar installations when Chicopee was getting $10,000 Southbridge $14,219 and Whately $8,403, for example, he said.

A story with more details from the Ordinance Committee meeting will be published later this week.

Here are the Holyoke City Council Ordinance Committee agenda items regarding the proposed solar-power installations and PILOT agreements:

  • Ordered that the City Council approve and ratify an agreement between the City of Holyoke and Ryan & Boudreau LLC c/o Robert Baker, and in accordance with Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 59, sec. 38H, for payment in lieu of taxes ("PILOT") of certain personal property tax obligations.
  • Ordered that the City Council approve and ratify an agreement between the City of Holyoke and Dinn Brothers, Inc., and in accordance with Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 59, sec. 38H, for payment in lieu of taxes ("PILOT") of certain personal property tax obligations.
  • Ordered that the City Council approve and ratify an agreement between the City of Holyoke and Forestdale Cemetery Association, and in accordance with Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 59, sec. 38H, for payment in lieu of taxes ("PILOT") of certain personal property tax obligations.
  • Ordered that the City Council approve and ratify an agreement between the City of Holyoke and O'Connell Development Group, and in accordance with Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 59, sec. 38H, for payment in lieu of taxes ("PILOT") of certain personal property tax obligations.
  • Ordered, that Ordered that the City Council approve and ratify an agreement between the City of Holyoke and Rita M. Lawler, Trustee of the Timothy J. Lawler Trust of 76 Alvord Place, South Hadley and David A. Begley and Estelle A. Begley Trustees of the Begley Family Realty Trust and in accordance with Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 59, sec. 38H, for payment in lieu of taxes ("PILOT") of certain personal property tax obligations for a solar facility located on property at Martin St.. Map 120 Parcel 11, Holyoke, MA.
  • Information about the solar-tax proposals from Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse given to city councilors:


Suspect in shooting of Idaho pastor arrested after items thrown over White House fence

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An Idaho pastor who was shot six times last weekend has regained consciousness and is talking with his family, an associate said Tuesday.

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho -- The man suspected of shooting and seriously wounding an Idaho pastor last weekend was arrested by U.S. Secret Service agents Tuesday after he allegedly threw items over the fence at the White House, police said.

Meanwhile, Pastor Tim Remington, shot six times Sunday outside his church in Coeur d'Alene, has regained consciousness and is talking with his family, an associate said Tuesday.

Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Lee White said Kyle Odom was arrested at about 5:30 p.m. in Washington D.C., safely and without incident.

"I think everyone can breathe a good sigh of relief that at least this part of the case has come to a conclusion," White said.

White said he was told Odom threw computer flash drives and other unidentified items over the fence. Hazardous materials and bomb teams were working to identify the other items, he said.

Odom had been the subject of a search. White wasn't certain how the 30-year-old suspect got to Washington but said police were able to determine that he had boarded a flight at the Boise Airport sometime on Monday.

A former Marine from Coeur d'Alene, Odom is suspected of shooting Remington a day after Remington led the prayer at a campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz.

Pastor ShotKyle Andrew Odom
Authorities say there's no indication Remington's appearance with Cruz had anything to do with the shooting, as they work to figure out what motivated the attack outside his church in broad daylight.

"However, it does appear that this was a pre-planned attack," White said Monday. "And I will tell you that some details surrounding Mr. Odom's planning are disturbing."

He did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, several news outlets in Spokane received letters on Tuesday that purported to be from Odom, Coeur d'Alene police Detective Jared Reneau said.

The letters, postmarked Monday, contained references to President Obama, members of Congress, members of the Israeli government, and John Padula, outreach pastor for The Altar Church, where Remington is the senior pastor.

"It was extensive and it was disturbing to us," White said of the manifesto.

Earlier Tuesday, Padula said Remington, 55, regained consciousness Monday night in a Coeur d'Alene hospital.

"He's whispering and talking to his family a little bit," Padula said. "He's doing absolutely amazing. He gave me a thumb's up last night when I went in."

Remington, who is married and has four children, has no feeling in his right arm, Padula said.

Remington and his wife have been with The Altar Church for nearly two decades, and they have specialized in the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction, Padula said. The church has extensive programs, including in-patient rehabilitation, for addicts, Padula said.

Padula was a meth addict for 17 years before going through the church's program seven years ago, he said.

Odom had no connection with the church before showing up before services early Sunday morning, Padula said.

The Coeur d'Alene Police Department had issued a warrant of attempted first-degree murder for Odom, who has no criminal record but does have a history of mental illness.

Police said Odom drove to the Spokane, Washington, area on Interstate 90 after the Sunday afternoon shooting, according to information from traffic cameras. He then turned south before they lost his trail.

White said Odom's car was found in Boise. He said he doesn't know how Odom was able to board a plane when police had issued the warrant for Odom's arrest.

White said Odom was armed when he attended services in the church earlier Sunday, and that the violence could have been much worse.

Odom served in the Marines from 2006-2010, winning an Iraq Campaign Medal and other awards. He rose to the rank of corporal.

Odom later graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in biochemistry.

Springfield crime: Police investigate shooting in city's Bay neighborhood

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At least three spent shell casings were found at the shooting scene on Oakwood Terrace, a dead-end street near Reed Village, a housing project off Bay Street.

SPRINGFIELD — Police responded to a shooting on Oakwood Terrace in Springfield's Bay neighborhood Tuesday night.

Officers recovered shell casings but apparently did not locate any victims in the incident, which was reported around 9:20 p.m. Police received multiple 911 calls for shots fired, including one report indicating a house was shot at.

Detectives were seen placing evidence markers in the street outside the area of 27 Oakwood Terrace, a dead-end street near the Reed Village housing project off Bay Street. At least three spent casings were recovered at the scene, police said.

Preliminary reports indicated the gunfire may have come from a dark-colored sedan with four occupants. The car fled the area immediately after the shots rang out.

Tuesday night's incident closely mirrored a Jan. 27 shooting along the same stretch of Oakwood Terrace.

Anyone with information about this latest shooting can reach Springfield police detectives at 413-787-6355.



MAP showing approximate location of shooting:


Dino Dunkley goes to prison: Former airline worker sentenced for smuggling 'drug money' past Logan Airport security

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The 29-year-old Mattapan man was sentenced to two years in prison for using his airport security credentials to smuggle $100,000 past TSA security checkpoints at the East Boston airport.

BOSTON — A former Delta Airlines employee from Boston has been sentenced to two years in prison for smuggling $100,000 in cash, which he believed was illegal drug money, past security officials at Boston's Logan International Airport, according to federal prosecutors.

Dino Dunkley, 29, of Mattapan, must also pay a $3,000 fine and serve a two-year probation term after he is released from prison. Dunkley was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Boston after being convicted of one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and two counts of "illegally entering an airport area with intent to commit a felony," prosecutors said.

In 2012, federal agents launched an undercover sting operation at the East Boston airport after discovering security lapses and the potential for airline workers to smuggle contraband around the employee security system. Dunkley was among five people identified as potential smugglers, according to authorities.

Between October and December 2012, he twice used his airport security credentials to evade federal Transportation Security Administration checkpoints to smuggle the money from a non-secure area to a secure passenger departure area at Logan, investigators said.

For his efforts, Dunkley received a $3,000 payment from a person who turned out to be a "cooperating witness" for the federal government, officials said. "Unbeknownst to Dunkley, the cash smuggling plan was part of an undercover sting operation," U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz said in a press release.

Four other airport workers, all former JetBlue Airways employees, have already been sentenced to prison for their roles in the smuggling scheme.


 

Ana Mercedes Franceschi sentenced to 9 to 12 years in state prison for striking, killing woman with SUV

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Ana Mercedes Franceschi was sentenced in Hampden Superior Court Tuesday for the death of Yasmin Marin in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD — Ana Mercedes Franceschi was sentenced Tuesday to nine to 12 years in state prison after a jury found her guilty of voluntary manslaughter.

Franceschi, 43, of Springfield, was accused of running over and killing 32-year-old Yasmin Marin with her SUV on Feb. 18, 2013, on Main Street in Springfield's North End. According to prosecutors, Franceschi had been arguing with her boyfriend, and was mad that Marin was in her boyfriend's store the night before the incident.

She had faced a charge of first degree murder, but the jury convicted her of the lesser offense of voluntary manslaughter.

Hampden Superior Court Judge David Ricciardone said he believed Franceschi deserved a sentence in keeping with state guidelines for the offense and for her background. But defense lawyer Jared Olanoff said Franceschi had "an absolutely minimal" record, and asked for a sentence of five to six years.

Assistant District Attorney James M. Forsyth asked for a sentence of 15 to 18 years in state prison.

Franceschi has 1,114 days credit on her sentence -- about three years -- for days spent in jail awaiting trial.

Marin's two daughters gave victim impact statements before the sentencing.

Gabriela Minaya had testified at trial about the day, at age 14, she saw her mother killed.

In her victim impact statement she said she has trouble sleeping because when she closes her eyes she sees the terrible scene. Although it has been three years, she feels like it was just today, she said.

Ashley Minaya said she was in her junior year in high school when her 32-year-old mother was killed, and her life was turned upside down. She said she lost her mother, who was also her best friend and her adviser.

"For graduation I saw all my friends being hugged and kissed by their families," she said, adding that although some of her family members were there, it was not the same without her mother.

Ashley Minaya said she has had to keep being strong, but "I feel like all of my heart has been torn from me."

Miguel Marin, the victim's father, said the loss is "a pain that does not seem to go away."

Of the defendant, he said, "may God forgive you and give you peace."

Olanoff said Franceschi has 11 brothers and sisters and comes from a loving family.

"There is a deep, deep remorse that she feels for what happened in this case," he said.

He said the jury found Franceschi acted in the heat of passion, and not in cold-blood.

Franceschi has a 12-year-old daughter with special needs. A sentence as long as the prosecution requested would take her away from her daughter, Olanoff said.

Jurors were given two very different versions of the incident by the prosecution and defense in the trial's closing arguments. According to lawyer Olanoff, Marin was the only one who did anything intentional -- and that was to "jump" in front of Franceschi's moving vehicle.

But Forsyth said Franceschi crossed over to the opposing lane of travel on Main Street in the North End to intentionally hit Marin.

Jurors began deliberations in the case before at about 1:30 p.m. Monday and reached the verdict by about noon Tuesday.

In addition to murder, Franceschi was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon (vehicle) in relation to Gabriela Minaya, who was crossing Main Street with her mother.

The jury acquitted Franceschi on the assault charge. Jurors found her guilty, though, of leaving the scene of a property damage accident. That charge related to the night before the fatal collision, when she hit Marin's car as she was leaving Rosario's market.

Yesenia Diaz, a prosecution witness and a best friend to Marin, testified that Franceschi came in to Rosario's market the night before Marin was killed and was arguing with her boyfriend, who owned the store.

Diaz said Franceschi looked at her and Marin and called them "whores."

Franceschi told police she saw there were women in the store when she was arguing with her boyfriend -- about women being in the store after hours -- but she didn't see who they were.

Air Force vet convicted of terrorism charges for trying to join Islamic State group, die a martyr

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A U.S. Air Force veteran was convicted Wednesday of terrorism charges for attempting to join the Islamic State group and die a martyr, the first verdict from more than 70 cases the government has brought against Americans accused of trying to support the militant group.

NEW YORK -- A U.S. Air Force veteran was convicted Wednesday of terrorism charges for attempting to join the Islamic State group and die a martyr, the first verdict from more than 70 cases the government has brought against Americans accused of trying to support the militant group.

An anonymous jury in Brooklyn began deliberations Tuesday afternoon in the case against 48-year-old Tairod Pugh, of Neptune, New Jersey. He was convicted of attempting to provide material support to terrorists and obstruction of an official proceeding.

"I think he's sad," Pugh's attorney, Eric Creizman, said as he left the courthouse. "I feel bad for his family."

"Right now it's just disappointing," he said of the verdict. "This was an interesting case in that there was no direct evidence -- everything was circumstantial."

Prosecutors said Pugh was stopped at a Turkish airport in January 2015 carrying a laptop with information on Turkey-Syria border crossing points, 180 jihadist propaganda videos, including footage of an Islamic State prisoner beheading, and a letter declaring: "I will use the talents and skills given to me by Allah to establish and defend the Islamic States."

During the trial, prosecutors showed jurors materials found on Pugh's computer and cited a letter Pugh wrote to his wife saying, in part: "There is only two possible outcomes for me: Victory or martyr."

Prosecutors said he flew there so he could find a route into Syria and join the Islamic State group. He was forced by authorities to turn back and was arrested soon after his return on a flight to New York City. Pugh was in the Air Force from 1986 to 1990, when he was trained to install and maintain aircraft engines and navigation and weapons systems.

During closing arguments Tuesday, Creizman insisted Pugh had no ill intent when he went to Turkey a month after losing his job as an aviation mechanic and telling his supervisor to stop "talking to me like I'm an idiot." He said Pugh had hoped to move to the Middle East with his wife.

He said his client was feeling small and inconsequential when he started researching the rise of the Islamic State group in the summer of 2014, impressed that Muslims somewhere were trying to establish a country and wouldn't "back down from anything."

"This is a fantasy," Creizman told jurors of Pugh's social media posts that seemed supportive of radical Islamists.

He said his client had always talked about Middle East politics and liked to research the subject online, but he noted that many of the articles he read were written by mainstream news organizations, including some critical of the militants.

Still, he acknowledged that Pugh had opinions some might find offensive and Pugh believed some of the Islamic State group's atrocities were a media creation.

Other defendants have pleaded guilty to charges of trying to support the Islamic State group, but the verdict "further demonstrates our commitment to bring justice to all those who seek to provide material support to terrorists," said John Carlin, Assistant Attorney General for National Security.

U.S. Attorney Robert L. Capers said the verdict "provides yet another example of a successful outcome in our national security effort and demonstrates the crucial role that law enforcement action plays in that effort."

In her closing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiana Demas urged jurors to follow the trail of Pugh's Internet research to discover that he went to Turkey to find a way to sneak into Syria and join the Islamic State group.

She showed jurors an image from Pugh's computer that showed areas controlled by the Islamic State group and said: "This map shows a lot about his intent in Turkey."

Prosecutors told jurors that Pugh destroyed four computer flash drives when he realized he was being scrutinized by authorities.

5 takeaways from lawsuit, complaints against Hampden County Sheriff's Department, state

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A hearing will be held in U.S. District Court Thursday in order for a judge to decide whether he will grant a temporary restraining order against the Hampden County Sheriff's Department and the state.

SPRINGFIELD — A lease has been signed to convert the former Ring Nursing Home on Mill Street into the new Western Massachusetts Correctional Addiction Center, but the project is not a done deal.

Mill Street resident Patricia Taste-Ray has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court asking that construction at the facility be stopped and that a temporary restraining order be issued to the Hampden County Sheriff's Department and the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), until a judge can examine all of the evidence against the siting of the facility at 149-151 Mill St.

Here are five takeaways about the complaints and pending lawsuits:


A complaint has been filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD).

Taste-Ray's attorney, Shawn Allyn, filed a complaint on March 2, 2016, alleging that the defendants – Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe; the Sheriff's Department; DCAMM and its commissioner, Carol Gladstone; MGM Springfield; and Michael Goldberg and Mill Street Iconic LLC – "targeted residential neighborhoods of color and low home ownership for unwanted land use, whereby having the impact of causing long-term residential segregation by race."

The complaint claims that the defendants "intentionally crafted the requests for proposal for the correctional addiction center in such a manner that it could only be sited within communities of color."


A complaint has been filed with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

The complaint alleges that "respondents have violated and continue to violate Title VI (the Civil Rights Act of 1964) and the Fair Housing Act ... by knowingly and intentionally siting the Western Massachusetts Correctional Addiction Center in predominantly African-American, Latino and other non-white communities in Springfield, within a one-mile radius of the Hampden County Hall of Justice, while arbitrarily and capriciously excluding all other locations within (Hampden) County, including those in predominantly white communities."


There are 15 group homes in the Six Corners neighborhood of Springfield.

"The Maple High/Six Corners neighborhood ... is one of the smallest neighborhoods in the City of Springfield, yet has by far the highest per-capita concentration of group homes of any neighborhood within the city. ... With the addition of the correctional addiction center, the total number of group homes in the neighborhood would increase to 16, leaving the neighborhood with a density of 30.8 group homes per square mile."


A complaint has been filed with the state Ethics Commission.

State officials would neither confirm or deny that a complaint was filed with the Ethics Commission, because all complaints are bound by confidentiality. However, Allyn confirmed that a complaint has been filed.

In the MCAD complaint, Allyn accuses Ashe and the building's former owner, Michael Goldberg, of "submitting rigged bids" and not properly disclosing their relationship. Allyn alleges that Goldberg, who is employed in a division of the Hampden County Sheriff's Department, filed corporate paperwork using the Sheriff's Department resources.

A lawsuit is still pending for residents of Springfield's North End.

Last year, 11 residents of Springfield's North End filed a lawsuit against the state, the Sheriff's Department, and developer Thomas Henshon, seeking clarification of the Dover Amendment and its applicability in the North End case.

The Dover Amendment allows developers to build facilities that would normally be considered inappropriate or substantially larger than what zoning laws permit as long as projects involve nonprofit, educational institutions.

Although the developer involved with the proposed site on Wason Avenue dropped out of the running, the lawsuit against the state is still pending, Allyn confirmed. A hearing is scheduled for April 5 in Hampden Superior Court.

Steve O'Neil, community affairs officer for the Hampden County Sheriff's Department, said the department does not comment on legal matters. However, Ashe has stated several times that he stands behind the project and hopes to work with the neighborhood residents to address their concerns.

Allyn said he has no comment on the hearing, scheduled for March 10 at noon in U.S. District Court in Springfield.


2 Baltimore school police officers charged in assault on teen caught on video

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Two officers who police Baltimore's public schools walked out of jail Wednesday pending trial for assault and misconduct after their violent confrontation with a student was recorded by another teenager.

BALTIMORE -- Two officers who police Baltimore's public schools walked out of jail Wednesday pending trial for assault and misconduct after their violent confrontation with a student was recorded by another teenager.

Both have checkered records, prompting parents and authorities alike to question whether enough is being done to prevent violent people from being hired to keep schoolchildren peaceful and safe.

School Officer-VideoAnthony Spence (Baltimore Police via AP)
 

Police said Wednesday that Saverna Bias allegedly told her fellow officer, Anthony Spence, to use force against the teen. According to a witness, she said, "You need to smack him because he's got too much mouth," police said. The video shows Spence shouting profanities as he repeatedly slaps and kicks the boy, telling him to leave the school and go home.

Spence was not trying to arrest the 10th grader, neither was he acting in reasonable self-defense, city police said.

At a packed school board meeting Tuesday night, some parents and principals implored officials to keep officers in the schools for everyone's safety. Students and their advocates countered that having armed police with insufficient oversight in schools can be damaging and dangerous.

Tim Martin, an administrator at the New Hope Academy, said he understands the frustration, but believes most officers show enough patience to "therapeutically de-escalate students in crisis and help school personnel maintain a safe school environment."

Students from the activist group City Bloc also spoke up, saying that school police officers can make some students feel unsafe, threatening them with the message that "the world sees them as inherently violent and incapable of success."

"We are not enemies or punching bags," a City College student said, reading the City Bloc statement.

"Students shouldn't be criminalized. We need to learn in an environment where we don't feel threatened by school police officers. This kind of brutalization of students shouldn't ever be tolerated. Students at every school should be treated with respect, and as humans who sometimes make mistakes, not as people who deserve to be thrown into prison or assaulted," the statement said.

Spence, 44, and Bias, 53, turned themselves in Tuesday night and were released on bond on charges of second-degree assault and misconduct in office. Spence also is charged with second-degree child abuse. Both officers have been suspended, and Spence is being denied pay, since he faces a felony.

Baltimore School Police Chief Marshall Goodwin, whose department is separate from the city's police force, also went on leave, for "personal reasons," as the video began circulating a day after the March 1 confrontation. A week later, as city police and prosecutors continue investigating, Baltimore City Schools CEO Gregory Thornton has refused to explain his absence.

The criminal case is now in the hands of the public integrity unit of the Baltimore state's attorney's office. The school police department also is conducting an internal investigation.

The video, meanwhile, has put Thornton under pressure to re-evaluate the officers' hiring and training, which some say is far too lax.

"I was surprised, to be candid. I was appalled, I was disappointed; it really cut right to who I am as a person," Thornton said at a news conference.

"I'm charged to take care of our children, and certainly we have some folks who were doing things that were inappropriate. Every emotion went through me, from outrage to disappointment," he said.

Attempts to reach Spence and Bias or their attorneys on Wednesday were not successful.

Spence told The Associated Press in a phone conversation on Friday that would not discuss the criminal investigation because he believes the news media would "twist" the story.

"Right now, I'm the bad guy," he said, referring questions to his lawyer, Michael Davey, who didn't immediately respond to the AP.

Thornton insisted that this was an isolated incident, but said it has prompted a comprehensive review of the entire police force.

"We've used it as an opportunity to go into our whole organization and begin to talk about things: How do we hire, how do we train, look at background checks," he said.

Court records show that in 2011, another Baltimore School Police officer accused Spence of grabbing her, striking her in the face and preventing her from driving away. The officer later dropped her request for a protective order against him.

Bias was charged with second-degree assault that same year, for throwing a bottle of alcohol at a man she was breaking up with. The man did not press charges and that case was shelved.

Spence was fired from the Baltimore City Sheriff's Office in 2002 after he was involved in the violent arrest of a man the officers falsely identified as a robbery suspect. Goodwin would have known this -- he was a sheriff's spokesman at the time.

Spence also serves as the vice president of Sentinel Protection Agency, a private security firm, under chief executive Clyde Boatwright, who was fired along with Spence. Boatwright now doubles as president of the Baltimore School Police union.


Vermont Yankee to scale back emergency plan, affecting 7 Massachusetts towns

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The nuclear plant ceased operations in December 2014, and spent fuel has been "cooling down" in wet storage for months.

VERNON, Vt. -- The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon will scale back its emergency notification and management protocols on April 19, affecting 17 towns in three states that are within a 10-mile radius of the reactor, including seven in northern Massachusetts.

The minimized plan will take effect 16 months after the Vernon-based reactor ceased operations in December of 2014, and 15 months after the last fuel rods were removed from the reactor vessel and placed in wet storage at the site to "cool down."

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission determined that any off-site radiological release after mid-April will not exceed federal guidelines, and that if a release were to occur, "there is sufficient time for off-site agencies to take protective actions."

The scope is being reduced because most accidents that could occur at a functioning nuclear power plant are no longer possible at the shut-down reactor, Entergy officials told reporters at a briefing Wednesday.

A hallmark of the new plan is that the reactor's emergency zone will no longer contain the towns. Instead, the zone will consist of the boundaries of the plant site itself, where emergency drills and exercises will still take place.

evacuation zone vermont yankee.gif 

Sirens and tone-alert radios will no longer be used, meaning that towns in Vermont, Massachusetts and New Hampshire will either return their sirens to plant owner Entergy, or choose to keep them for local emergency alerts. Tone alert radios are standalone boxes that Vermont Yankee had distributed to households within the zone.

Massachusetts towns in the emergency planning zone are Bernardston and Leyden and portions of Colrain, Gill, Greenfield, Northfield and Warwick.

There are now four categories of possible nuclear emergencies at Vermont Yankee, each with its own protocol for alerting the public. An "unusual event" represents a minor problem; an "alert" could affect plant safety; a "site area emergency" indicates a more serious problem; and a "general emergency" could involve serious damage to the plant and the release of radioactive materials, and possibly call for evacuation.

After April 19, the top two classifications will no longer exist. And instead of hearing sirens and emergency alerts, the public will be informed of plant incidents by the news media, Vermont Yankee spokesman Marty Cohn said.

Entergy will also no longer print and distribute thousands of yearly wall calendars. The calendars, which contain historical photos of southern Vermont, contain a 16-page "family emergency planning guide."

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission will no longer have full-time inspectors at the site, said Joseph Lynch, Vermont Yankee's director of government affairs. The NRC will instead inspect the plant on a regular basis and issue quarterly reports.

Vermont Yankee petitioned the NRC two years ago for permission to eliminate its 10-mile emergency planning zone. The Nuclear Decommissioning Citizens Advisory Panel called for retaining much of the system, saying that contamination levels in soils and groundwater could still be high until the plant is dismantled and the site is remediated.

Accidents could still potentially occur when workers are handling fuel or radioactive waste, or if a fuel pool lost its normal cooling capability, Entergy has told the NRC.

Vermont Yankee is undergoing a so-called SAFSTOR decommissioning process, in which the nuclear plant will be kept intact and placed in protective storage for up to 60 years. If there is enough money in the decommissioning trust fund, the plant will be dismantled sooner, according to the plan.

The cost estimate for decommissioning the 650-megawatt nuclear plant is pegged at more than $1.24 billion, while the decommissioning trust fund, which the plant added to over the years, currently stands at around $588 million, Lynch said. He said the fund is "conservatively invested."

The use of the decommissioning fund has been the subject of much debate, with attorneys general from three states calling for a "robust federal review" of Vermont Yankee's spending. The NRC asserts that there will be enough money in the fund both for decommissioning and spent fuel management.

Controversy also remains over the siting and permitting of a second dry cask storage pad at the site, with some saying the spent fuel should be buried underground.

The federal government has failed to deliver on its promise to develop a national repository for nuclear waste, and Entergy has sued the U.S. Dept. of Energy to recoup costs of handling its waste on site. Plans to site such a facility at Yucca Mountain in Nevada never materialized.

Nuclear waste from 42 years of the plant's operation remains in dry storage casks at the site, and Entergy says it will start moving the remaining wet-stored fuel rods to dry storage in 2017.

Vermont Yankee plans to reduce its workforce to about 150 on May 5, leaving less than a quarter of the 650 or so workers who once drew paychecks at the plant.

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com

Traffic fatality: Teenager struck and killed by Boston man in Milton

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The 18-year-old woman was hit by a Jeep Wrangler as she crossed Aberdeen Road in Milton on Wednesday afternoon,

MILTON — A teenager was struck and killed by a motorist while crossing a road in Milton Wednesday afternoon, Massachusetts State Police officials said.

Troopers responded to a 3:30 p.m. report of a car-vs-pedestrian accident involving an 18-year-old woman who was hit by a Jeep Wrangler while crossing Aberdeen Road at Brush Hill Road, just across the Neponset River from Boston. The Jeep tried to avoid hitting the woman by swerving into the median, police said.

The pedestrian, a Milton resident, was taken to Boston Medical Center, where she succumbed to her injuries, police said.

The driver of the Jeep, a 44-year-old Boston man from Hyde Park, stayed at the scene. No charges had been filed as of Wednesday evening, but the investigation is ongoing, police said.

Authorities said no more information about the victim or driver would be released Wednesday. State Police were assisted at the scene by Milton police, firefighters and EMS personnel.


MAP showing approximate location of pedestrian fatality:

 

1 dead, 2 injured after random stabbing spree in Philadelphia

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A man has been charged in a stabbing rampage along a Philadelphia street in which police said he randomly attacked people at a cellphone store and inside a car and then killed a man at a mechanic shop.

PHILADELPHIA -- A man has been charged in a stabbing rampage along a Philadelphia street in which police said he randomly attacked people at a cellphone store and inside a car and then killed a man at a mechanic shop.

The death was one of six killings on a violent Tuesday in the city.

Police said the man entered a Cricket Wireless store in west Philadelphia and stabbed a man in the chest who was paying his bill, then climbed into a car and stabbed the driver in each hand before heading to a nearby mechanic and stabbing 30-year-old Nathan Ackison in the chest as he was watching repairs on his car. Ackson was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital minutes later. The two other victims drove themselves to a hospital and were in stable condition.

Ronald Stanley, 55, was charged Wednesday with murder, criminal homicide, aggravated and simple assault and related offenses. Police said the weapon was found on Stanley at the time of his arrest. Court documents don't list an attorney who could respond to the charges and a listed number for the defendant couldn't be found Wednesday.

"They're clearly unprovoked attacks at this point," Philadelphia Police Lieutenant John Walker told WCAU-TV about the stabbing attacks. "We're not sure what the motivation is behind this male."

A few hours later after the stabbing rampage, investigators say gunfire broke out in a south Philadelphia neighborhood, killing 21-year-old Demetrius Pinckney and critically injuring a 20-year-old man. Police said their initial investigation indicated an argument or disturbance broke out involving "numerous dirt bikes and quads chasing each other" followed by several gunshots.

Pinckney was the younger brother of Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dion Waiters, who left the team to be with family.

Over the next several hours in Philadelphia, police said, four more men were killed in four separate shootings.

No arrests have been reported in any of the shootings. All of the killings happened in different neighborhoods, and police aren't saying whether any of them are connected.

Citing financial interest, husband's potential involvement with WMass Correctional Addiction Center litigation, MCAD chair Jamie Williamson recuses self

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Amid a court battle, the chairwoman of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination says she is removing herself from any cases involving Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe and a state agency responsible for public facilities since her husband may get involved in litigation involving the siting of the Western Massachusetts Correctional Addiction Center.

BOSTON -- Amid a court battle, the chairwoman of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination says she is removing herself from any cases involving Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe and a state agency responsible for public facilities since her husband may get involved in litigation involving the siting of the Western Massachusetts Correctional Addiction Center in Springfield.

Ashe and the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance signed a 10-year lease on Jan. 29 with Jeremy Lederer, who owns a Mill Street building, sparking a lawsuit and a separate discrimination complaint.

Days after the lease-signing, Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) chairwoman Jamie R. Williamson filed a disclosure form with the state Ethics Commission and sent a letter to Ashe and other state officials, including Gov. Charlie Baker, saying that she and her husband, William M. Marley Jr., own a condo in Crescent Hill Condominiums, which is next to the Mill Street site in Springfield's Six Corners neighborhood.

Williamson said in the letter she is recusing herself from any and all matters involving Ashe and the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) "[in] light of our financial interest in the property and my husband's interest in joining the anticipated complaint and participating in related litigation."

One of the MCAD commissioners in Boston will be handling cases involving Ashe and DCAMM, she added. MCAD may also defer cases to federal agencies.

Williamson, in addition to serving as chairwoman of the anti-discrimination commission, is the sitting commissioner in MCAD's Springfield office, where she normally handles cases filed in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, Berkshire and Worcester counties.

"I anticipate that this recusal may expand to cover additional parties," Williamson wrote. "If it does, I will follow up with further correspondence."

Read: The recusal letter from the Mass. Commission Against Discrimination's Jamie Williamson

Gov. Deval Patrick appointed Williamson as MCAD chair in 2014. She's been a member of the commission since 2010 and is a former member of the Pittsfield City Council.

Williamson told MassLive in a phone interview she was seeking to show she is "completely hands off" on the matter to avoid conflicts of interest at any level. "I did what I was supposed to do," she said.

jamie williamson.jpgJamie Williamson, chair of the Mass. Commission Against Discrimination. (Courtesy: MCAD) 

Williamson's letter, dated Feb. 3, was also sent to Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Susan Forward, the regional director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity.

A direct abutter to the proposed site, Patricia Taste-Ray, has filed a 50-page lawsuit, as well as a discrimination complaint, against Ashe and DCAM, among other local entities.

"The siting of [correctional center] at 149 Mill Street perpetuates racial segregation in the Maple Heights/Six Corners neighborhood, by further concentrating such facilities in a low-opportunity community of color," the civil lawsuit says. "The Maple Heights/Six Corners neighborhood ... is one of the smallest neighborhoods in the City of Springfield, yet has by far the highest per-capita concentration of group homes of any neighborhood within the City of Springfield."

The civil suit adds in a footnote: "There are over a hundred residents and interested parties that are 'similarly situated' and oppose the construction of a jail in their neighborhood but for the purposes of [court] case management, counsel has only named the direct abutter at this time."

Marley, Williamson's husband, has not signed onto any lawsuit or complaint involving the site, according to Williamson.

Read the Taste-Ray civil lawsuit below.

Civil Lawsuit against relocation of WMCAC to Mill Street by RomanMatias

5 takeaways from lawsuit, complaints against Hampden County Sheriff's Department, state

Read: The recusal letter from the Mass. Commission Against Discrimination's Jamie Williamson over Western Mass. Correctional Addiction Center

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Saying she has a financial interest through a condo and her husband's potential interest in lawsuit, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination's chair Jamie Williamson says she's recusing herself from cases involving Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe and the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance. Read the letter.

Saying she has a financial interest through a condo and her husband's potential interest in a lawsuit, Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination chairwoman Jamie Williamson said she's recusing herself from cases involving Hampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe and the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance.

Williamson and her husband, William Marley Jr., own a condo that abuts the planned Springfield site of the Western Massachusetts Correctional Addiction Center, Williamson said in a disclosure letter.

Williamson wrote the letter, which was also sent to Gov. Charlie Baker, and filed an ethics disclosure form days after Ashe and DCAMM signed the lease for the site.

Read the letter to Ashe and others below.

Mass. Commission Against Discrimination Chair's Ethics Disclosure Letter

MCAD chair Jamie Williamson recuses self

East Longmeadow panel suspends police chief search after questions arise over selection process

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East Longmeadow's Police Chief Search Committee voted in favor of suspending the police chief search.

EAST LONGMEADOW -- A five-member panel charged with choosing three finalist candidates for police chief voted to suspend the search and continue the current police chief's contract.

On Wednesday evening, the committee's last scheduled meeting, members favored keeping the body intact after two of the three candidates they chose to replace Chief Douglas Mellis pulled their applications. Several bristled they that they were not notified that one candidate had removed his name for consideration before they voted for him.

"It was upsetting that we didn't have that information," committee member Anthony Tranghese said in front of about 50 people crowded into the East Longmeadow Town Hall hearing room.

At their last meeting on Feb. 26, the committee named Hampden Police Chief Jeffrey Farnsworth, former West Springfield Police Captain Daniel O'Brien and East Longmeadow Police Sergeant Jeffrey Dalessio as finalists.

Committee members first heard of Farnsworth's decision to withdraw when the Board of Selectmen interviewed O'Brien and Dalessio the following Monday, when board members said that Farnsworth had pulled out hours before. Farnsworth told The Republican that he alerted Interim Town Administrator Gregory Neffinger to his decision three days before the interviews took place.

Neffinger was the West Springfield mayor, serving one term until he was defeated in a bid for re-election in 2013 by Ed Sullivan, who decided not to seek a second term.

During Wednesday's meeting, Neffinger denied intentionally withholding information about Farnsworth's intentions, and said that Farnsworth had told him that he was unsure whether he wanted to move to East Longmeadow, adding that Neffinger had told him to go to the interview and see if the residency requirement was "hard and fast."

Neffinger then questioned Farnsworth's motive for speaking with The Republican about the matter.

"Has Chief Farnsworth been harmed?" Neffinger asked on Wednesday evening. "And why did he go before the press?"

Hours before the committee's meeting Wednesday, O'Brien rescinded his application, amid revelations regarding his record and a questions about a corrupt police chief search process.

O'Brien's decision came after hearing from a reporter that East Longmeadow Board of Selectmen Chairman Paul Federici said in an interview Wednesday that former Springfield City Councilor and convicted felon Francis G. "Frank" Keough III had approached him around the beginning of January.

Federici said Keough sought his support for O'Brien for East Longmeadow police chief and East Longmeadow interim Town Administrator Gregory Neffinger as permanent Town Hall head. Keough told Federici that his cooperation would be repaid with a yet-to-be-created position in Town Hall, Federici said.

"I was told once they got this all settled, they were going to create some finance manager (job)," Federici said.

The selection process for East Longmeadow police chief has been so dirty, Federici said, that "when I get done with this whole (process), I want to take a shower."

Keough on Wednesday said he had no recollection of the conversation Federici described.

"I hardly know Mr. Federici ... that is absolutely inaccurate," Keough said.

The Board of Selectmen had been scheduled to appoint a new chief on Thursday, but has since cancelled the meeting and will instead meet next on March 16.

As people in the crowd commented on what they called a poorly conducted police chief search process, and questioned the motives for replacing Mellis to begin with, Neffinger defended his actions, many of which have come into question.

"It's time to say let's take it from here, reset and take it from here," Neffinger said. "I had no authority here to choose any of the candidates."

Knife found at OJ Simpson's former estate likely unconnected to killings, official says

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The knife reportedly found at O.J. Simpson's former estate likely isn't connected to the killings of his ex-wife and her friend, a law enforcement official said.

LOS ANGELES -- The knife reportedly found at O.J. Simpson's former estate likely isn't connected to the killings of his ex-wife and her friend, a law enforcement official said.

But it will take at least three weeks to know for sure.

Investigators are examining the knife for DNA or other material that could possibly link the weapon to the 1994 murders of Simpson's ex-wife and her friend. Results aren't expected for at least three weeks, Capt. Andy Neiman said Wednesday.

Meanwhile a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press that detectives doubt the knife is connected to the killings.

The official said the knife is commonly used among gardeners and was too small to make the wounds that killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation and spoke only on condition of anonymity.

Both Simpson and Goldman had deep gashes to their necks, in addition to a number of other extensive knife wounds.

The weapon used in the killings has been a mystery for decades. Other knives have surfaced during the case, but they were not linked to the crimes.

On Friday, Los Angeles police revealed that they were examining a knife reportedly found at Simpson's estate years ago.

Police said a construction worker gave the knife to an officer working as a security guard at a filming location. The officer then kept the knife for a number of years, police said.

Trent Copeland, an attorney who represents the officer, said his client retired in 1998 and that the construction worker gave him the knife in 2002 or 2003, well after a jury found Simpson not guilty of the murders.

Copeland said the officer, George Maycott, immediately called LAPD to report the knife.

"Someone put him on hold, that person came back several minutes later, said he spoke to a supervisor who said 'Double jeopardy is attached to this case, O.J.'s been acquitted. If that knife had blood on it there's really nothing we can do about it, so we don't want anything to do with this,' " Copeland said.

Maycott then kept the knife in a toolbox for the next 13 years or so.

"He was not this sort of bumbling keystone cop who cavalierly decided he would take what could have been a pivotal piece of evidence and put it in his bag," Copeland said. "He knows that he did exactly what any diligent professional officer would have done and that is you call LAPD immediately -- and that's what he did."

The bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and friend Ronald Goldman were found stabbed multiple times outside her home on June 12, 1994.

The discovery led to the so-called "Trial of the Century," in which Simpson was represented by a team of high-profile attorneys led by the flamboyant Johnnie Cochran. A jury acquitted Simpson in 1995 after deliberating only four hours.

In 1997, a civil court jury found him liable for the killings and awarded $33.5 million in damages to the victims' families.

Simpson, who has always maintained his innocence, is now serving a sentence of nine to 33 years in a Nevada prison for a 2007 armed robbery and kidnapping conviction in which he tried to retrieve football memorabilia. He is eligible for parole next year.


Democratic debate: 5 takeaways from the presidential debate in Miami

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Fresh off of respective primary wins in Mississippi and Michigan, Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders met in Miami Wednesday to debate immigration and an array of policy issues.

SPRINGFIELD ‒ Fresh off of respective primary wins in Mississippi and Michigan, Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders met in Miami Wednesday to debate immigration and an array of policy issues.

The White House hopefuls, who went head-to-head at Miami Dade College's Kendall Campus for the party's eighth debate, made their case to Florida voters ahead of the state's March 15 election.

Although Clinton leads in the delegate count ‒ largely due to support she's expected to receive from so-called "super delegates" ‒ the former secretary of state looked to use the debate to shore up support for her campaign heading into upcoming primary contests.

Sanders, who won a major upset victory in Michigan on Tuesday, meanwhile, sought to continue building momentum for his White House bid and to woo the backing of "super delegates."

The debate, hosted by Univision News and The Washington Post, came just days after Clinton and Sanders squared-off in Flint, Michigan.

Here are 5 takeaways from the prime time debate:

Clinton defended her use of a private email server as secretary of state and contended she will not be indicted over it.

The former first lady, who is facing legal and political scrutiny for reportedly sending classified information over a private email server, acknowledged that she made a mistake by using the server, but argued that data sent over it wasn't classified at the time.

"I did not send or receive any emails marked classified at the time. What you are talking about is retroactive classification. And the reason that happens is when somebody asks or when you are asked to make information public, I asked all my emails to be made public," she said.

"Then all the rest of the government gets to weigh-in. And some other parts of the government, we're not exactly sure who, has concluded that some of the emails should be now retroactively classified."

Clinton called it a case of "over-classification" and said no Democrat or American should be concerned about it. She added that she didn't need to ask permission to set up the email server because the same thing had been done by her predecessors.

When asked if she would resign if indicted over using the email server, Clinton cast doubt over such an outcome.

"Oh, for goodness -- that's not going to happen. I'm not even answering that question," she said.

Sanders said he's optimistic about his chances at winning the Democratic Party's nomination this summer.

Pointing to how far his presidential campaign has come in the last several months, the Vermont senator contended that his message is resonating with the American people and will continue to do so as he takes it across the country.

"I believe that our message of the need for people to stand up and tell corporate America and Wall Street that they cannot have it all is resonating across this country," he said. "And I think in the coming weeks and months, we are going to continue to do extremely well, win a number of these primaries, and convince 'super delegates' that Bernie Sanders is the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump."

Sanders further touted his win in Michigan's primary as one of the "major political upsets in modern American history."

Clinton would not comment directly on what went wrong for her campaign in the state, but said she's continuing to work hard for every single vote.

"This is a marathon, and it's a marathon that can only be carried out by the kind of inclusive campaign that I'm running, a campaign that reaches out to everybody, a campaign that offers real positive solutions to the problems that we face, a campaign that is based on how together we can make progress," she said.

The candidates questioned each others' commitment to improving the country's immigration system.

Arguing that she has been "consistent and committed to comprehensive immigration reform with a path to citizenship," Clinton pointed to immigration legislation she sponsored in 2003 as a U.S. senator for New York.

"I am staunchly in favor of comprehensive immigration reform and have been so over the course of my public career," she said.

The former first lady further criticized her rival's opposition to a 2007 immigration overhaul legislative effort led by former Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy.

"Imagine where we would be today is we had achieved comprehensive immigration reform nine years ago," she said. "Imagine how much more secure families would be in our country, no longer fearing the deportation of a loved one; no longer fearing that they would be found out."

Sanders, meanwhile, defended his decision to vote against the bill because it had guest worker provisions that were akin to semi-slavery. He added that he supported a 2013 immigration overhaul bill and that many Latino organizations also opposed the 2007 effort.

"What I believe right now is not only that we need comprehensive immigration reform, if the Congress does not do its job, as president of the United States I will use the executive powers of that office to do what has to be done, to do what President (Barack) Obama did, and expand on that," the senator said.

Clinton questioned Sanders' argument, saying she and other Democrats would not want to promote slave-like conditions for guest workers.

"I think it's very hard to make the case that Ted Kennedy, Barack Obama, me, La Raza, United Farmworkers, Dolores Huerta, leaders of the Latino community, would have supported a bill that actually promoted modern slavery," she said. "That was one of the many excuses used not to vote for the 2007 bill."

The candidates criticized Trump's proposal to build a wall along the Mexican border.

While Clinton and Sanders expressed support for efforts to enhance U.S. border security, both candidates blasted the GOP front-runner's call to build a wall along the Mexican border.

The former first lady characterized Trump's proposal as "just fantasy," adding that a wall is not needed.

"As I understand him, he's talking about a very tall wall...that he would somehow magically get the Mexican government to pay for. And, you know, it's just fantasy," she said. "And in fact, if he cared to know anything about what members of Congress, like the senator and I have done, where it was necessary, we did support some fencing. Where it was necessary, we did add border patrol agents.

"We have done what by any fair estimate would have to conclude is a good job, quote, 'securing the border.' So let's get about the business of comprehensive immigration reform."

Sanders agreed, saying while immigration overhaul is a hot debate that has divided the country, he would hope the country would not resort to racism and bigotry when discussing the issue, as he argued Trump has.

"This idea of suddenly, one day or maybe a night, rounding up 11 million people and taking them outside of this country is a vulgar, absurd idea that I would hope very few people in America support," he said.

Clinton agreed with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren's, D-Mass., call to end the "revolving door" between Wall Street and Washington policymaking and regulation.

The former secretary of state, who with Sanders is courting the Massachusetts senator's endorsement, said she agrees that the revolving door between Wall Street and Washington needs to end, pointing to legislation she supports on the issue.

Clinton added that if elected president she would look to appoint people to positions like Treasury secretary who "put the interests of consumers first," as well as do more to ensure Main Street flourishes.

"I will very much reach out and ask for advice as to who should be appointed, including from Sen. Warren and many of my other former colleagues in the Senate," she said.

High-speed crash in Springfield destroys 3 vehicles, triggers fire and explosions

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The crash happened in the area of 90 Cambridge St., causing two vehicles to burst into flames and scattering car parts everywhere.

SPRINGFIELD — A speeding car crashed into two parked vehicles in the city's Bay neighborhood Wednesday night, triggering loud explosions and scattering car parts across the roadway.

"There was a boom when he hit, then another big boom when it exploded," an eyewitness said of the crash, which was reported at 9:09 p.m. in the area of 90 Cambridge St.

The driver was taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, said Dennis G. Leger, executive aide to Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph A. Conant.

Bystanders pulled the victim from his mangled car moments before it erupted in flames and exploded, according to witnesses.

When police and fire crews arrived on scene, two vehicles were fully engulfed in flames: the driver's 2004 Infiniti G35 and one of the vehicles he struck. At 9:13 p.m., a Springfield police officer warned people to stay back as explosions rocked the residential neighborhood.

Other than the driver, who is facing possible criminal charges, no one else was injured in the crash, which drew a crowd of onlookers.

"He was flying," one witness said of the Infiniti driver, who apparently lost control of his car, striking an SUV and a crossover vehicle. Those vehicles were identified as a 2004 Dodge Durango and a 2005 Kia Sorrento, Leger said.

All three vehicles were destroyed in the mid-block crash on Cambridge Street, which runs between Bay and Burr streets and resembled a war zone afterward. Car parts were everywhere, and the stench of burning rubber and plastic filled the air.

"Who's gonna clean this up?" one neighborhood resident wondered aloud. "We are," a man standing nearby said.


MAP showing approximate location of crash:

Springfield police investigate shooting in city's McKnight neighborhood

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Multiple shell casings were recovered in the road at the intersection of McKnight and Bowles streets, a ranking officer told The Republican, but there were no apparent victims of the shooting.

SPRINGFIELD — Police were investigating a shooting in the city's McKnight neighborhood Wednesday night.

Officers responded to a 9:36 p.m. ShotSpotter activation indicating multiple rounds in the area of 47 McKnight St., which is at the corner of McKnight and Bowles streets.

A ranking Springfield police officer told The Republican that multiple shell casings were found at the scene, but there were no apparent victims or property damage linked to the shooting.

Authorities issued an alert for a white, two-door vehicle occupied by two Hispanic men that fled the area after the shots rang out. Anyone with information about the crime can reach detectives at 413-787-6355.

The incident happened shortly after a nearby collision on Cambridge Street in the neighboring Bay section of the city.


MAP showing approximate location of shooting:


 

Massachusetts firefighter facing child rape charge found dead at his home

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James Andrew MacGillivary, 59, of Maynard, was found dead at his home late Tuesday night, according to authorities, who do not suspect foul play. The veteran firefighter was charged with forcible child rape.

MAYNARD — James A. MacGillivary, the Massachusetts firefighter who was the subject of a recent child rape investigation, was found unresponsive at his Maynard home late Tuesday night and pronounced dead a short while later at a Middlesex County hospital, according to authorities.

MacGillivary, 59, a longtime employee of the Maynard Fire Department, was arrested Feb. 25 and charged with forcible child rape in connection with an alleged 1991 sexual assault, Maynard Police Chief Mark Dubois said.

MacGillivary was found unresponsive at his Mill Street home around 11:15 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. He was rushed to Emerson Hospital in nearby Concord, where he was pronounced dead just after midnight Wednesday, according to Dubois and Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan.

His death is not considered suspicious, Dubois said, adding that no additional information would be released at this time. Last month, Dubois characterized the investigation as a "deeply disturbing case involving serious allegations."

WCVB.com reports that the 25-year-old rape allegation involved a male victim who was 9 years old at the time.

MacGillivary was a Maynard firefighter since 1986. He was placed on administrative leave Feb. 5, after the allegations were made against him. A termination hearing was tentatively scheduled for early March, but it was not immediately known if that hearing was held.


Pittsburgh-area shootings: 5 dead, others injured at backyard party; gunmen at large

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Police say five people have been killed in a shooting in suburban Pittsburgh and at least two gunmen are at large.

WILKINSBURG, Pa. (AP) -- Five people have been killed in an ambush-style shooting during a backyard party in suburban Pittsburgh and at least two gunmen are at large, police said.

Four women and a man were killed late Wednesday during the party in the Borough of Wilkinsburg. Allegheny County police said people scrambled toward the house as bullets began flying. Four of the victims were found dead on the back porch. The other one died at a hospital.

Three people were injured and taken to area hospitals. Two men were in critical condition and a woman was stable, police said.

At least two suspects fled on foot. A motive wasn't immediately known.

Lt. Andrew Schurman of the Allegheny County homicide unit says the gunmen barged into the party and opened fire in an ambush-style attack. He said gunshots came from two distinct locations but police don't believe anyone at the party fired back.

"It looks like right now they were all fleeing toward the backdoor of the residence when the second gunman fired from the side of the yard," he said. "They all seemed to get caught on the back porch."

Resident Kayla Alexander told WPXI-TV that she heard a barrage of gunshots -- more than 20 -- in the neighborhood, which usually is quiet.

After the shooting, groups of residents gathered on the street, some of them sobbing and saying they lost family members.

Vehicles from the medical examiner's office arrived in the neighborhood early Thursday to remove the victims' bodies.

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