The House and Senate still need to approve the funding before Gov. Baker signs it.

AMHERST - The funding dispute between the University of Massachusetts and the Legislature could be nearing a resolution.

The House has included $10.9 million in funding for contracts negotiated under the Patrick Administration in a $157.8 million supplemental budget.

The money would pay to cover 3.5 percent pay raises for faculty and staff as part of a three-year contract negotiated under the Patrick Administration.

State law obligates the state to cover the first year of the contract but up until now, the state has not funded them.

UMass paid the pay raises from its own budget last year based on assurances UMass President Marty Meehan got then Legislative leaders but they money was not included in the fall's supplemental budget.

The House and the Senate have to vote to approve the supplemental budget and Gov. Charlie Baker has to sign it.

Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy praised the legislative support, which in a statement said "reflects the enduring and visionary support for UMass that Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stan Rosenberg have demonstrated throughout their careers.

"We deeply appreciate the leadership of all involved, including our regional legislators and especially the efforts led by our alumnus, Senate President Rosenberg.

The announcement Monday "will bolster the ability of our flagship campus to provide the sons and daughters of the Commonwealth with a life-changing, affordable education as we continue to ascend the ranks of the nation's best public universities.

Meehan in a Facebook posting Monday wrote "We deeply appreciate the filing of a supplemental budget bill that contains $10.9 million for UMass.

"This money would have a major impact, providing funding for student scholarships, for labor contracts and fueling our unending pursuit of excellence.

"This proposal also demonstrates the Legislature's commitment to UMass - one that has helped to drive our rise to national and international prominence - and we value that commitment and appreciate the vision and leadership of Speaker Robert DeLeo and Chairman Brian Dempsey and appreciate today's expression of support from Senate President Stan Rosenberg, who has championed the university's cause for many years.

"I look forward to our continued partnership with the Legislature and to providing the citizens of the Commonwealth with a public research university that will continue to be the state's key engine for social and economic growth.

At least 34 people are dead in morning bomb attacks on the Belgian capital's Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro station.

BRUSSELS -- At least 34 people are dead in morning bomb attacks on the Belgian capital's Zaventem airport and Maelbeek metro station, according to the New York Times.

Belgian officials have described the explosions as terrorist attacks. Two blasts hit the airport during the morning rush hour, killing 14 and injuring 92, before another explosion hit the metro station an hour later killing at least 20, the Times reported.

The estimated death toll at the metro station has risen from earlier reports of 26 killed.

Belgium's terror alert is now at its highest level, according to the country's government. Public transit in the capital has been shut down, and Belgium's Prime Minister took to Twitter to urge residents to avoid travel, according to the Times.

Pour le moment, nous demandons a la population d'eviter tout deplacement. Call centre de centre de crise : 1771.

-- Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) March 22, 2016

The attacks come days after Belgian authorities captured Salah Abdelam, the surviving suspect in the November terror attacks in Paris that killed 130 people.

No suspects have been named in this morning's bombings.

Raw video: Passengers evacuate from subway cars following a terror attack at the Maalbeek metro station in Brussels.https://t.co/fJ4IKu3m8A

-- CNN (@CNN) March 22, 2016

One of the suspects reportedly drove at a narcotics detective before they fled the city.

Holyoke police car.Republican file photo 

HOLYOKE -- Police reportedly arrested three drug suspects in South Hadley Monday night after one of them drove at a narcotics detective as they evaded arrest.

Police Lt. James Albert told WWLP the three were arrested in South Hadley at gunpoint after they attempted to break into a garage to elude police.

The suspects. after fleeing police in Holyoke, crossed the Veterans Bridge and hit a parked car before they fled on foot, Albert said.

The driver was Sean Krasin Jr., 22, of 211 Walnut St., Apt. 2L.

According to the police log, Krasin was charged with: with failure to stop for a stop sign, failure to stop for police, operating to endanger/negligently, three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon (motor vehicle), possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of heroin, possession of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, operating with a suspended license, using a motor vehicle without authority.

Also arrested were: Christopher Caballero, 22, 181 Chestnut St. 3rd floor; and Emanuel Rodriguez, 18, 30 Resnic Blvd.

They were charged with possession of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and conspiracy to violate drug law.

Albert told WWLP the suspects also face charges from South Hadley police related to the garage break-in. Police arrested the suspects shortly after 6:30 p.m., according to the police log.

President Barack Obama condemned this morning's terror attacks in the Belgian capital of Brussels this morning, describing the bombings as "outrageous" and pledging American support in apprehending the attackers.

President Barack Obama condemned this morning's terror attacks in the Belgian capital of Brussels this morning, describing the bombings as "outrageous" and pledging American support in apprehending the attackers.

"The thoughts and the prayers of the American people are with the people of Belgium," Obama said. "We stand in solidarity with them, condemning these outrageous attacks against innocent people."

"The thoughts and prayers of the American people are with the people of Belgium"-@POTUS on this morning's attack. https://t.co/y3qZy4CSy5

-- WH National Security (@NSC44) March 22, 2016

Obama delivered the remarks ahead of a historic speech in Havana, Cuba, as part of efforts to thaw long-strained relations with the Communist-run country. Obama is in the midst of the first Presidential trip to Cuba since Calvin Coolidge traveled there in 1928.

"We will do whatever is necessary to support our friend and ally Belgium in bringing to justice those who are responsible," Obama said. "This is yet another reminder that the world must unite. We must be together regardless of nationality or race or faith, fighting against the scourge of terrorism. We can and we will defeat those who threaten the safety and security of people all around the world."

The death toll in the attacks has risen to at least 34.

The suspect will be summonsed to Chicopee District Court.

CHICOPEE - Police will charge a man accused of breaking into Lorraine's Soup Kitchen and stealing food and money from the charitable organization.

Police were called to the soup kitchen at about 11:30 a.m., Monday after employees found there was a breaking and entering into the non-profit, said Michael Wilk, Chicopee Police Department public information officer said.

Officer John Provost recovered evidence at the scene and identified a potential suspect, Wilk said.

The suspect, whose name was not released, will be summoned to Chicopee District Court of charges of breaking and entering in the daytime with intent to commit a felony and larceny from a building, he said.

The private landfill in the city is expected to close by the end of 2017 or early 2018.

CHICOPEE - A committee studying the effect of the impending closure of the Chicopee Sanitary Landfill on the city is recommending a stepped-up recycling program, a fee to discard bulk waste and an eventual trash fee for families who throw away more than one barrel of trash each week.

A meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on March 29 at the RiverMills Senior Center to discuss the 47-page report with the City Council and the public.

"We will be sharing this information with our municipal leaders and the public so that a comprehensive approach can be taken in the city's best interest," Mayor Richard J. Kos said.

It will be up to Kos and the City Council to adopt any of the recommendations.

The 14-member committee included four city councilors, staff, members of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and business leaders. Members have been meeting since early fall to discuss how to handle the closing.

The landfill, owned by the Connecticut Valley Sanitary Waste Disposal and operated by Waste Management Inc., is due to close at the end of 2017 or early 2018. When it closes, Chicopee will lose about $1,735,000 in benefits, including a $1 million annual payment it receives as the host community and the ability to dump trash at less than half the cost of the market rate.

The committee, funded in part by a District Local Technical Assistance grant that provided about $15,000 in services and expertise of Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, attempted to find ways to make up for the loss of funds and find a way to dispose of trash when the landfill closes.

"To mitigate this financial impact, Chicopee is considering innovative resource management technologies that will result in solid waste reductions, an increase in recycling and operational efficiencies," the report said.

By integrating a variety of ideas including increasing recycling, automating trash collection and adding fees the city would save an estimated $970,000 and earn $325,000. The combination would generate about $1,295,000 — about $500,000 short of the loss the city would see when the landfill closes, the report said.

The committee called for an intensive educational program that would help increase recycling and therefore reduce the amount of trash that the city has to find a way to dispose. If that happens, the gap could be closed more, said Stanley Kulig, retired Department of Public Works superintendent who served as one of the chairmen on the committee.

"Our number one recommendation was public education we have to start changing the mindset of people," Kulig said.

The goals include having the City Council adopt a zero waste policy by April that would call for the city to produce almost no waste in the future.

It also recommended instituting a bulk waste fee in July of this year that could generate about $50,000 in revenue. The fee amount was not recommended but the report said other communities charge between $5 and $20 per item depending on the item.

Probably the most controversial proposal is to create a "pay as you throw" system. Currently, residents can leave an unlimited amount of trash on the curb to be collected at no cost beyond what they pay in taxes.

Under the committee's recommendation, all residential properties would receive one free 35-gallon barrel that would be picked up once a week. If a household fills more than that, it will have to pay a fee to dispose of the extra bags or barrels of trash, the report said.

The committee knew there was little interest in creating an across-the-board trash fee, but Kulig described the proposal as a hybrid program that will encourage recycling.

"If they chose not to recycle and all their trash does not fit in one container, they will have to pay for overflow," Kulig said. "If you recycle the way you can and divert what you can you easily should fit your trash in a smaller container."

In 2013 the city enhanced its recycling program. All residents have a city-provided 95-gallon recycling barrel on wheels and they can mix all recyclables in the same container. That program is not expected to change, Kulig said.

Some large families may have to pay extra and people may have to pay for an occasional extra bag, but most people should not have to pay a trash fee, he said.

Studies show a "pay as you go" system reduces residential trash by 35 to 50 percent and would eventually save the city about $225,000 in tipping fees. Estimates show the plan would also generate about $250,000 in revenue from the fees.

The report did not include the initial costs of purchasing the barrels, but said the city could apply for a one-time $150,000 state Department of Environmental Protection agency grant.

Other proposals from the committee include automating curbside collection so the trash barrels would be dumped into a trash truck by a mechanical arm. That system would reduce the number of employees from the current 31 to about 20 over several years, the report said.

The committee also discussed creating compost programs. It recommended a push for more backyard composting for residents who could do it, as well as eventually trying to implement a curbside composting collection for food scraps and other organic waste.

Currently three communities have a curbside food waste program and five more are piloting such programs now. All eight are in the eastern part of the state.

"That would take a big tonnage out of the solid waste stream," Kulig said. "A lot of what is left is organics."

But starting a curbside collection of organics would also be labor intensive and would require an investment in vehicles and other equipment, he said.

"There are pluses and minuses to it," Kulig said.

The committee also recommended the Department of Public Works start picking up trash at the Doverbook Condominiums and do a study to see if it can absorb more of the trash collection at the other 23 complexes.

About 10 years ago the city agreed to collect the waste from condominiums at no charge. Because it could not quickly implement the collection using city staff, it contracted the job to private haulers, Kulig said.

The city already picks up recycling at the Doverbrook Condominums so it could easily use existing staff to also pick up the waste. Doing so would save about $78,000 a year, Kulig said.

While the goal will be to generate less waste, the committee agreed to further research the lowest cost ways to dump refuse. One possibility is to join an existing consortium of local communities that join together to get the lowest price, he said.

Select Board member Alex Grant is the lead petitioner of three citizen petition warrant articles, which call for measures including a ban on assault weapons.

LONGMEADOW — A member of Longmeadow's Select Board submitted three proposed gun control bylaws for the May 10 Town Meeting warrant as citizen petitions.

Select Board member Alex Grant was the lead petitioner, and submitted the petitions as a town resident, rather than in his capacity as a member of the board, Chairman Richard Foster said. Citizen petitions bypass Select Board approval, and go straight onto the warrant for Town Meeting consideration.

When a resident brought up the warrant articles at a select board meeting last week, Grant said that he believes they will spark a healthy discussion.

"I'm looking forward to a nice debate on these issues," Grant said. "As long as we're respectful, it's going to be valuable for our democracy."

1. The first of the gun control warrant articles calls for a $300 fine to be imposed on anyone who possesses a firearm, rifle or shotgun in town-owned buildings or on recreation property.
2. The second would require gun owners to provide the police department with descriptions (including the serial number, make, model, and caliber) of each firearm, rifle, or shotgun they own.
3. A third proposed bylaw would ban assault weapons in Longmeadow, and impose a $300 per day fine on people who own them within the town.

Since the measures were introduced to the Town Meeting warrant as citizen petitions, the Select Board has not discussed them in open session or executive session, Foster said.

"This issue has never been brought before the board," Foster said. "So it's never been a board discussion formally or informally."

Media in Belgium are reporting that surviving suspect in the bombings at a Brussels airport and metro station was arrested.

UPDATE: This story has been updated since officials said Belgian media had incorrectly named the arrested suspect.

______________

BRUSSELS - Belgian media are reporting the arrest of a suspect in Tuesday's coordinated terror attacks that left 34 dead at an airport and metro station.

Belgian officials confirmed that they arrested a suspect in Belgium after an intensive manhunt overnight, The Guardian reported.

Earlier media reports said the man arrested was Najim Laachraoui, who is believed to have been involved in the November Paris attacks, but those reports were retracted after two top officials said the person arrested was not Laachraoui, the Washington Post reported.

The Post reported Laachraoui remains a target of the manhunt because his DNA was found on at least one bomb from the Paris attacks.

Police released an image Tuesday night of three men captured on security camera footage in the airport wheeling luggage trolleys - possibly carrying explosives in suitcases. State broadcaster RTBF reported that the other two men, brothers Khalid and Ibrahim el-Bakraoui, blew themselves up in the suicide bombing, The Guardian reported.

It is not clear if the man who was arrested is the third man in the photograph.

RTBF cited anonymous sources close to the investigation in reporting that one brother detonated one of two devices at Zaventem airport while the other blew up the metro station soon after, The Associated Press reported.

Two UMass Amherst students in Brussels safe following bombings

The attacks in Brussels come days after the arrest of Salah Abdeslam, who is believed to be the only surviving bomber from the Paris attacks that killed 130.

An anonymous Belgian official told the AP that it is "plausible" that Abdeslam was part of the terror cell that committed the Brussels attack.

Brussels Airport announced on Twitter that the airport will remain closed Wednesday and Thursday.

ISIS claims responsibility for Brussels attacks

Rita Luthra, 64, of Longmeadow, is a former gynecologist charged in a wide-reaching pharmaceutical kickback scheme who says she was unfairly charged by the federal government because she is an Indian-born woman.

SPRINGFIELD - A former gynecologist and United Nations member charged in a pharmaceutical kickback scheme says she is being bullied by the federal government.

Dr. Rita Luthra, 64, of Longmeadow, was arrested at her home in October and charged with violations of kickback laws and the patient privacy act.

Prosecutors have argued that Luthra illegally collected about $23,500 in meals and speakers fees from a representative of a New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company called Warner Chilcott. The overarching investigation has unsettled the multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical industry, but Luthra says she was unfairly targeted.

"This wouldn't have happened if I wasn't an Indian woman," said Luthra, who hails from the Punjab Province in that country and was the former director of Women's Health & Education Center on the Mercy Medical Center campus. "This is so unfair. It shouldn't happen to anyone."

Luthra's eyes welled up with angry tears as she spoke of her former practice after a pretrial hearing in U.S. District Court. She founded the group 17 years ago to serve primarily low-income and homeless women.

"Six thousand women have come through my practice. ... My mother gave me the money to open the practice and made me agree to one promise: that I would never turn away any woman. And I never did, whether they had insurance or not." said Luthra, joined by her attorney Stephen Spelman at U.S. District Court in Springfield.

Luthra, who also was a liaison to the United Nations and World Heath Organization, according to the now-defunct practice website, was forced to surrender her license in the wake of the indictment. She had been practicing for more than 30 years, Spelman said.

"They don't give these to just anyone," she said, pulling her United Nations membership identification from her purse. "Each time I had to hand over a patient file (after the indictment), they cried and I cried too."

Luthra's practice focused on all types of gynecological ailments, preventative care and women's health, according to the website.

Warner Chilcott agreed to pay $125 million to resolve criminal and civil liability claims. Those claims are tied to the company's illegal marketing activities for seven different prescription drugs, according to the indictment unsealed in federal court.

Former Warner Chilcott President W. Carl Reichel also was arrested in Boston in October. He pleaded not guilty to to a felony charge of healthcare fraud and his lawyers have denounced the accusations as false.

Reichel's indictment essentially states there was a top-down policy to encourage pharmaceutical salespeople to woo doctors to push their more elite (non-generic) drugs at their patients, plus urge the physicians to convince insurance companies that the pricier medications were medically necessary.

Aside from the arrests of Luthra and Reichel, at least two other former employees of the mammoth pharmaceutical company pleaded guilty to related charges in federal court. According to Luthra's indictment, other support staff served as government witnesses.

According to the documents, Luthra's perks included meals and $750 "speaker fees." Prosecutors contend she agreed to assemble various audiences for the pharmaceutical sales rep to extol the virtues of several drugs. The company also hosted a barbecue at Luthra's home for her friends, the indictment states.

The alleged kickbacks were paid over approximately 18 months while Luthra was prescribing Actonel and Atelvia to her patients with osteoporosis.

Luthra scoffed at the government's characterization of food as "kickbacks."

"Panera bagels? How many Panera bagels can I eat?" she said.

Spelman said that the speakers fees appeared to be a routine practice in the medical industry and was puzzled over the fact that Luthra was targeted.

In a 2002 story published in The Republican, Luthra said she had seen firsthand troubling and tragic results of inadequate prenatal care both here and abroad.

"As an undergraduate student in India, a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala and a member of the United Nations Association for the USA, the need for a broader sharing and involvement with the problems of emerging nations is an idea whose time has come, she believes," the story read.

"The need is there; we just need to get going on it," Luthra told a reporter at the time.

Luthra also was charged with HIPAA violations. The federal law safeguards medical privacy.

The next pretrial conference in Luthra's case is scheduled for June 7.

Homes in Willimansett and Aldenville will have water shut off on March 29.

CHICOPEE - Water will be shut down in several locations in the city next week due to the sewer separation project.

On March 29, water will be turned off to homes from 1175-1179 through 1213-1215 Grattan St., 583 and 585 1/2 Chicopee St. and at the Dugout Cafe on 134 Meadow St.

The contractor, Albanese Brothers, will be performing sewer work near a water main and has requested the main be shut down during construction as a safety precaution, said Joel McAuliffe, communications director for Mayor Richard J. Kos.,

Lance R. Vannostrand, stopped Wednesday night in the area of Route 103, was charged with excessive speed, according to a state police release.

Lance Vannostrand

CLARENDON, Vt. -- State police arrested a 57-year-old Rutland man Tuesday night after he was seen traveling south on U.S. Route 7 at 119 mph.

Lance R. Vannostrand, stopped in the area of Route 103 at shortly after 6:30 p.m. was charged with excessive speed, according to a state police release.

Vannostrand was taken into custody and taken to the state police barracks in Rutland where he was fingerprinted and photographed. He was released on a citation to appear at Vermont Superior Court, Criminal Division, to answer to the charge.

Longmeadow Select Board members on Monday appointed Emanuel Wenig as a new Longmeadow representative to the Local Community Mitigation Advisory Committee.

LONGMEADOW -- Longmeadow Select Board members on Monday appointed a new Longmeadow representative to the Local Community Mitigation Advisory Committee, a subcommittee of the Gaming Policy Advisory Committee.

Emanuel Wenig received unanimous approval for a five-year term on the body, which develops recommendations to be considered by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to address issues of community mitigation as a result of the development of gaming establishments in the Commonwealth.

Wenig joins two other Longmeadow representatives on the committee.

Under the terms of an agreement with MGM Springfield chosen by arbitrators back in 2014, Longmeadow was to receive a lump payment of $850,000, which was already paid, then subsequent annual payments of $275,000, to mitigate the costs created by a Springfield casino.

Issues under the committee's purview include issues of community mitigation, ways in which funds may be expended from the Community Mitigation Fund; and the impact of the gaming establishments on the host and surrounding communities, a town posting for the position says.

March 23, 2016 is the tenth annual National Puppy Day. Celebrate, donate and send us your photos

Be sure to load your pockets with Milk Bones before leaving the house today: It's National Puppy Day.

Happy National Puppy Day! Adopt a puppy today! Follow @Natl_PuppyDay & show us your puppy pics! #NationalPuppyDay pic.twitter.com/xOBMrvkoS4

-- National Dog Day (@NationalDogDay) March 23, 2016

We're just going to leave this here...#NationalPuppyDay pic.twitter.com/0ISaRNyvaR

-- BST Hyde Park (@BSTHydePark) March 23, 2016

We want to see all those adorable Massachusetts puppies. Send us your photos and throughout the day we will add them to our gallery. 

Here's how to submit your photo:

1. Email them to us at feedback@masslive.com with the subject "National Puppy Day."

2. Tag @masslive on Instagram or @masslivenews on Twitter.

3. Write on our wall or comment on Facebook.

According to the website nationalpuppyday.com, author and lifestyle expert Colleen Paige started National Puppy Day 10 years ago, in 2006, to raise awareness about orphaned puppies worldwide and to "educate the public about the horror of puppy mills."

So many puppies need a furever home! Adopt tomorrow! Show some love! #NationalPuppyDay #puppyday pic.twitter.com/NKvuvdNZBi

-- Colleen Paige (@Colleen_Paige) March 22, 2016

Ways to celebrate, according to the website, include: adopting a puppy from a shelter or pure breeder; donating money, food or toys to a shelter and writing to your congressional representatives regarding the banning of puppy mills.

If you don't have a puppy, but are hankering for the experience, check out our March 18 Pet Project, listing the animals available for adoption in Western Mass. You can also follow us on Snapchat at MassLive.com for some virtual puppy love. 

Looking for a place to donate, you can Google local shelters in your area, or may we suggest: The Dakin Humane Society or the Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center, both in springfield, or, in Central Mass., the Worcester Animal Rescue League.

And, if you are feeling philosophical or just need a puppy-related quote for the water coller, you can always check out the dog proverbs at dogquote.com.

Related photos: Pet Project March 18: Pets ready for adoption

 

Condominium sales were up 71 percent across all three counties.

SPRINGFIELD --Sales of single-family homes rose 30.3 percent in February driven by mild winter weather that had buyers out looking.

There were 231 homes sold in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties in February of 2015 and 301 sold last month in February 2016, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley.

The median sale price fell by 6.9 percent from $184,750 in February 2015 to $172,000 last month.

"It looks great," said Lou Mayo, president of the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley. "We are seeing a lot of activity. Buyers have been out there the whole time. We are starting to get sellers out there, too."

He hopes that more sellers put their homes on the market as the weather continues to improve.

He predicts that prices will rise modesty as the warm-weather housing market gets going. But economists are telling realtors that there will not be a big run-up in prices like during the last boom.

These statistics represent completed sales done through a Realtor and the multiple listing services. They don't count many transactions that go between those who know each other, like a house being transferred with in a family.

These numbers don't include homes sold at auction and the transactions likely came under agreement in December and January.

County-by-county results:

Condominiums

Across all thee counties: Sales are up 71 percent from 31 in February 2015 to 53 in February 2016. The median condo price was down 7.3 percent from $150,000 in February 2015 to $139,000 in February 2015.

Other date for Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire

Nationally:

Across the country, existing-home sales  ^-- completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops --  dropped 7.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.08 million in February from 5.47 million in January, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Sales are still 2.2 percent higher than a year ago. 

The National Association of Realtors blamed the slump on low inventory levels and rising prices.

In the in the Northeast, sales fell 17.1 percent to an annual rate of 630,000, but are still 5.0 percent above a year ago. The median price in the Northeast was $239,700, which is 0.8 percent below February 2015.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said in a news release that:

"Sales took a considerable step back in most of the country last month, and especially in the Northeast and Midwest. The lull in contract signings in January from the large East Coast blizzard, along with the slump in the stock market, may have played a role in February's lack of closings. However, the main issue continues to be a supply and affordability problem. Finding the right property at an affordable price is burdening many potential buyers." 

The overall demand for buying is still solid entering the busy spring season, but home prices and rents outpacing wages and anxiety about the health of the economy are holding back a segment of would-be buyers."

Yun said inventories are further strained by investors who buy low-priced homes and turn them into rentals.

"Already facing affordability issues, this competition at the entry-level market only adds to the roadblocks slowing first-time buyers," he said.

After shopping or dining at participating establishments, customers may have a validation sticker attached to their garage ticket, allowing them to exit the garage at no charge.

NORTHAMPTON -- Downtown businesses can now buy some extra time with shoppers.

Under a new program launched by the city, merchants can validate parking for the E.J. Gare Parking Garage that's connected to Thornes Marketplace. Customers can receive up to three free hours of parking through the rewards system, according to a release from Mayor David Narkewicz's office.

After shopping or dining at participating establishments, customers may have a validation sticker attached to their garage ticket, allowing them to exit the garage at no charge.

Merchants can buy the one-hour, two-hour and three-hour validation stickers from the Northampton parking clerk's office at 212 Main St.

The first hour of parking in the garage is still free.

Under the new Northampton program, downtown businesses can purchase sheets of special validation stickers to waive parking fees of their customers who park in the E.J. Gare Parking Garage. Laura Newberry | laura.newberry@masslive.com 

The victim told police he was shot Tuesday night by somebody in a car in the area of Springfield and Armory streets.

Dave Roback 

SPRINGFIELD -- Detectives are investigating a city man's report that he was shot in the finger while walking in the Liberty Heights neighborhood Tuesday night.

The 24-year victim walked into the emergency room of a local hospital for treatment of the gunshot wound shortly before 6:45 p.m., Sgt. John Delaney said.

The victim told police he was walking in the area of Springfield and Armory streets when somebody inside a white Honda that was driving down Amory Street shot him, Delaney, public information officer for the department, said.

The city's ShotSpotter audio-surveillance system did not pick up any shots, however, and detectives found no evidence of a shooting in that area, Delaney said.

The victim was treated and released.

Utah teenager Mason Wells survived the terrorist attacks in the Belgian capital, and it's not his first time being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

BRUSSELS - Utah teenager Elder Mason Wells survived the terrorist attacks in the Belgian capital, and it's not his first time being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"This is his third terrorist attack," his father, Chad Wells, told ABC.

Wells, 19, was among those injured in the explosions in Zaventem airport Tuesday. He was also in Paris during the terrorist attacks Nov. 13 and near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013 when a pressure cooker bomb killed three.

This is Elder Mason Wells, 19, from Sandy. and two other #utah missionaries were injured in #Belgium attack. pic.twitter.com/H6q0luu96f

-- Jeremy Harris (@jeremykharris) March 22, 2016

Chad Wells told the new station that his son survived the attack Tuesday with a ruptured Achilles tendon, shrapnel injuries and burns.

The teenager was traveling with a group of fellow Mormon missionaries in the airport when the explosions occurred. The other missionaries were also treated for their injuries. ABC reported the group was at the airport to accompany a missionary who was traveling to Ohio for an assignment.

"He shared with us that he was extremely close to the blast where he was burned by it. It's a blessing from God he's alive," Chad Wells told the news station.

"This is the third time that sadly in our society that we have a connection to a bomb blast" he said.

Brussels bombing suspect arrested, Belgian media reports

 

The panel Wednesday night features Hampshire College alums and a student.

AMHERST - At a time when immigration looms large on the 2016 campaign trail led by Republican front-runner Donald J. Trump's call to build a huge wall on the Mexican border, a panel at Hampshire College will address the issue at a panel Wednesday night.

Three alums and one student speak at a panel called "From Home Raids to Private Prisons: Where We Go from Here."

Panelists include Genia Blaser, a staff attorney for the Immigrant Defense Project; Yasmine Chahkar Farhang, an immigration attorney at Make the Road New York; Gustavo Madrigal Pina, a longtime undocumented activist and organizer for migrant justice, student and co-founder of the Hampshire College Immigrant Solidarity Network; and Seth Freed Wessler, a journalist and senior fellow at the Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism.

The panel will look at "the evolving dynamics and on-the-ground realities of anti-immigrant policy," according to panel organizer Wilson Valentin-Escobar.

In a statement, the associate professor of American studies and sociology wrote, "I think it's important to emphasize the social justice issue, the high incarceration of people of color and immigrants, the federal effort along with the media discourse of criminalizing immigrants."

He said this has been happening in this country since the republic was established.

"And offering immigrants no legal recourse... has become a human rights violation. 

"Also paramount are the current debates spearheaded by the current political campaigns, with particular emphasis on Muslims and Mexicans, and the building of a wall on the southern border, which overlooks the many immigrants that enter the US from the northern border.

"This constitutes a racial (white) anxiety and further promotes American exceptionalist discourses that are also built into such frameworks. 

"In doing so, the pundits (particularly Trump and his fellow Republicans) are promoting discursive, legal, and military violence upon these scapegoated communities.  

"So the deportation and the private prisons go hand-in-hand:  it's about who is considered a (il)legitimate subject of the state, and those bodies that are illegitimate (whether through behavior or status) become fodder for exploitation by the prison industry."

The panel begins at 7 p.m. in Franklin Patterson Hall's West Lecture Hall and is free and open to all.

Pittsfield police officer Darren Derby was playing basketball some with neighborhood kids when he decided to show off his trick shot. Watch video

Pittsfield police officer Darren Derby was playing basketball with neighborhood kids when he decided to show off his trick shot. He mounted his motorcycle, drove down the baseline and flipped a layup off the rim as the kids cheered.

The Pittsfield Police Department shared the video on Facebook, where it has been shared more than 500 times and drawn dozens of comments praising Derby for his engagement with the city's youth.

Derby, 37, has been a police officer for 15 years and has spent the last 11 on the Pittsfield force. He works extensively with kids in Pittsfield, he said, playing street sports with them on weekends and spending time in the city's schools.

"My primary objective throughout the day is to be the community cop, that every community wants. I've kind of injected myself into the elementary schools," Derby said. "We try to create that bond that we so desperately need."

On Saturday, Derby got a call from a fellow officer letting him know that a group of kids were playing basketball on their street. Derby drove over, played ball and sunk his motorcycle layup -- on the second try, at least. "I decided on my way out I'd try a trick shot. Take number two worked," Derby said. "The first one wasn't so pretty."

Derby said he was inspired by "Hoops not crime," an initiative launched by the Gainesville, Florida police department after a video of an officer playing basketball with kids went viral. The campaign eventually led to Shaquille O'Neal joining Gainesville Police Officer Bobby White for a game with neighborhood kids.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush threw his support behind Ted Cruz's Republican presidential campaign Wednesday, calling the Texas senator a "consistent, principled conservative" who can help unite the party.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush threw his support behind Ted Cruz's Republican presidential campaign Wednesday, calling the Texas senator a "consistent, principled conservative" who can help unite the party.

Bush, who announced his endorsement via Facebook, pointed to Cruz's Tuesday primary win in Utah's Republican Caucuses and other contests, saying they demonstrate his ability to appeal to voters.

The former governor, who sparred often with Donald Trump before leaving the presidential race last month, meanwhile, continued to take aim at the GOP front-runner, saying that Republicans must overcome the rhetoric the businessman has brought to the contest.

"For the sake of our party and country, we must overcome the divisiveness and vulgarity Donald Trump has brought into the political arena or we will certainly lose our chance to defeat the Democratic nominee, most likely Hillary Clinton, this fall," he said in a statement.

Suggesting that Cruz is the Republican Party's best shot at the presidency and the best equipped candidate for the job, Bush encouraged his supporters to join him in supporting the senator's campaign through contributions and volunteer efforts.

"Republicans can win back the White House and put our nation on a path to security and prosperity if we support a nominee who can unite our party and articulate how conservative policies will help people rise up and reach their full potential," he said.

Cruz lauded the endorsement, saying he was "truly honored to earn Governor Jeb Bush's support."

"His endorsement today is further evidence that Republicans are continuing to unite behind our campaign to nominate a proven conservative to defeat Hillary Clinton in November, take back the White House and ensure a freer and more prosperous America for future generations," he said in a statement.

Bush left the presidential race in late-February following disappointing finishes in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina primary contests.

His brother Neil joined the Cruz campaign's national finance team earlier this month.