Authorities say an Amtrak train struck a piece of construction equipment just south of Philadelphia, and some injuries are being reported.

CHESTER, Pa. (AP) -- Authorities say an Amtrak train struck a piece of construction equipment just south of Philadelphia, killing two Amtrak workers and sending more than 30 passengers to hospitals, authorities said.

Train 89 was heading from New York to Savannah, Georgia, at about 8 a.m. when it hit a backhoe that was on the track in Chester, about 15 miles outside of Philadelphia, officials said. The impact derailed the lead engine of the train that was carrying more than 300 passengers and seven crew members.

Chester fire commissioner Travis Thomas said two people were killed.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters at a New York news conference on another subject Sunday that he was told by Amtrak board chairman Anthony Coscia that the workers killed were the backhoe operator and a supervisor, both Amtrak employees. He said debris from the crash flew into the first two cars, causing the injuries to passengers.

Schumer said it's unclear whether the backhoe was performing regular maintenance, which is usually scheduled on Sunday mornings because there are fewer trains on the tracks, or whether it was clearing debris from high winds in the area overnight. But he said Amtrak has "a 20-step protocol" for having backhoes on the track, and no trains are supposed to go on a track where such equipment is present.

"Clearly this seems very likely to be human error," Schumer said, calling for Amtrak to review its processes. "There is virtually no excuse for a backhoe to be on an active track."

A message left with Amtrak officials has yet to be returned.

Thomas and Amtrak officials said more than 30 people were taken to hospitals with injuries that weren't considered life-threatening.

The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating. Officials with the Federal Railroad Administration were also sent to the scene, said Matthew Lehner, a spokesman for the agency.

Service on the Northeast Corridor between New York and Philadelphia is operating after an earlier suspension. Service between Wilmington, Delaware, and Philadelphia remained suspended.

Ari Ne'eman, a disability rights activist heading to Washington after speaking at an event in New York, said he was in the second car at the time of the crash.

"The car started shaking wildly, there was a smell of smoke, it looked like there was a small fire and then the window across from us blew out," said Ne'eman, 28, of Silver Spring, Maryland.

Some of the passengers started to get off after the train stopped, but the conductor quickly stopped them. Officials started evacuateing people to the rear of the train and then off and to a local church.

"It was a very frightening experience. I'm frankly very glad that I was not on the first car," where there were injuries, he said. "The moment that the car stopped, I said Shema, a Jewish prayer ... I was just so thankful that the train had come to a stop and we were OK."

This derailment comes almost a year after an Amtrak train originating from Washington D.C. bound for New York City derailed in Philadelphia. Eight people were killed and more than 200 were injured in the May 12 crash. The exact cause of that crash is still under investigation, but authorities have said the train had been traveling twice the speed limit.

The documentary is being shown at Symphony Hall on Sunday, April 3, at 2 p.m., regarding the Easter Rising of 1916 that set Ireland on the road to indpendence a century ago.

SPRINGFIELD -- City officials are reminding the public that there is a free screening of the documentary "The 1916 Irish Rebellion" on Sunday, April 3, at 2 p.m., at Symphony Hall.

The documentary pertains to the Easter Rising of 1916 that set Ireland on the road to independence a century ago.

Patrick J. Sullivan, the city's director of parks, buildings and recreation management, said encouraged residents from throughout the region to attend the free screening.

The documentary is an initiative of the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

It tells the story of the 1916 East Rising "in a comprehensive way, and for the first time places these events in their proper historical, political, and cultural context, as the precursor to an independent Irish state and the disintegration of colonial empires worldwide," according to a summary.

Stung by setbacks related to their access to public restrooms, transgender Americans are taking steps to play a more prominent and vocal role in a nationwide campaign to curtail discrimination against them.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Stung by setbacks related to their access to public restrooms, transgender Americans are taking steps to play a more prominent and vocal role in a nationwide campaign to curtail discrimination against them.

Two such initiatives are being launched this week a evidence of how transgender rights has supplanted same-sex marriage as the most volatile, high-profile issue for the broader movement of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender activists.

One initiative is a public education campaign called the Transgender Freedom Project that will share the personal stories of transgender people. The other, the Trans United Fund, is a political advocacy group that will engage in election campaigns at the federal and state level, pressing candidates to take stands on transgender rights.

"We welcome the support of our allies," said Hayden Mora, a veteran transgender activist who's director of Trans United. "But it's crucial that trans people build our own political power and speak with our own voices."

From a long-term perspective, there have been notable gains for transgender Americans in recent years a more support from major employers, better options for health care and sex-reassignment surgery, a growing number of municipalities which bar anti-transgender discrimination.

But there were two setbacks in the past five months that hammered home to transgender people the challenges that they still face.

Last November, by a decisive margin, voters in Houston repealed a municipal nondiscrimination ordinance that provided protections for LGBT people. On March 23, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed a hastily drafted law that barred Charlotte and other cities in the state from implementing similar ordinances.

In both cases, conservatives opposed to the ordinances focused their arguments on bathroom access a contending that allowing transgender people to use public bathrooms based on their gender identity would expose women and girls to discomfort and possible molestation.

Those arguments helped carry the day among Houston voters and North Carolina lawmakers despite the fact that such problems have not materialized in any significant way in the 17 states already banning anti-transgender discrimination in public accommodations.

"All the people who lost the marriage equality fight, they've now decided that trans people are fair game," said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. "They're going to claim trans people are sexual predators, but the public is quickly going to learn that's just nonsense."

The outcome in Houston prompted many post-mortems among LGBT activists a What went wrong? How should the bathroom-access argument be countered in the future?

"It's been an alarming wake-up call since November," said Dru Lavasseur, Transgender Rights Project director for the LGBT-rights group Lambda Legal. "We need to prioritize bringing transgender people into the movement in leadership positions, with transgender voices leading the way."

There has been widespread agreement that a key plank of future strategy should be enlisting more transgender people to share their personal experience a a tactic that was successful for gays and lesbians during the campaign to legalize same-sex marriage.

"In most parts of this country, people don't know a trans person," said Kasey Suffredini, a transgender attorney who's director of the new Transgender Freedom Project. "The work in front of us is to put a face on who the trans community is. That's the way that we win."

The project, undertaken by an advocacy group called Freedom for All Americans, has a first-year budget of about $1 million, with plans to expand thereafter.

Nationwide success "will not happen overnight," said Suffredini, suggesting a 10-year timeframe was plausible.

"What happened in North Carolina, as terrible as it was, has really galvanized people," he added.

In the aftermath of the North Carolina legislature's action, several LGBT leaders headed to the state to join in protests and plot strategy for trying to overturn the new law.

Among them was Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT group that has been under pressure from some grass-roots activists to block any recurrences of the Houston and North Carolina setbacks. On Thursday, as Griffin sought to personally deliver a letter of protest to McCrory, he insisted on being accompanied into the governor's office by a local transgender activist.

The Human Rights Campaign's director of research and public education, Jay Brown, said he's already seen an impact as more transgender people step into the political spotlight. He cited recent developments in South Dakota, where Gov. Dennis Daugaard met with several transgender people and later vetoed a bill that would have restricted transgender students' bathroom access at public schools.

Brown also cited a new survey released by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation a it found that 35 percent of likely voters know or work with a transgender person, twice as many as two years ago.

Asked about the impatience among some LGBT activists in regard to transgender rights, Brown replied, "Public education isn't something that happens overnight."

"We've had some incredible victories in the past few years as a movement, so it's hard to take a loss," he said. "But that's part of the movement a we take steps forward and some steps back."

National Grid is reporting about 135 customers with power outages in Western Massachusetts.

SPRINGFIELD - More than 100 Western Massachusetts residents remain without power this afternoon after a spring snow storm hit the state Sunday morning.

National Grid is reporting about 135 customers with power outages in Western Massachusetts. This morning the company was reporting about 34,000 outages around the state. That number had been reduced to about 8,403 as of 12:30 p.m.

Eversource is reporting that only 10 customers are without power in Western Massachusetts down from a few hundred earlier today.

Both companies expect all outages to be resolved by this afternoon.

The outages were due mostly to the high winds this morning. A High Wind Warning has been posted for all of Western Massachusetts from 5 a.m. Sunday morning until 7 p.m. tonight.

Former U.S. Women's National Team star Abby Wambach is facing a DUI charge after being arrested in Portland early Sunday morning.

Update: Wambach posted a message to her Facebook page saying she takes "full responsibility for her actions."

Former U.S. Women's National Team star Abby Wambach is facing a DUII charge after being arrested in Portland early Sunday morning. 

Police reported that Wambach, 35, was pulled over in her 2014 Range Rover at 11:05 p.m. on Saturday after allegedly failing to stop for a red light at Southwest 13th Avenue and Taylor Street in downtown Portland.

Retired Olympian Abby Wambach, 35, was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol in downtown Portland.Multnomah County Sheriff's Office 

Wambach, who owns a home in Portland, allegedly failed sobriety tests, according to police. She was booked into Multnomah County Jail and was released after processing.

"Last night I was arrested for DUII in Portland after dinner at a friend's house," Wambach wrote in a Facebook post Sunday. "Those that know me, know that I have always demanded excellence from myself. I have let myself and others down.

"I take full responsibility for my actions," she continued. "This is all on me. I promise I will do whatever it takes to ensure that my horrible mistake is never repeated. I am so sorry to my family, friends, fans and those that look to follow a better example."

Wambach, who announced her retirement from professional soccer last October, is the all-time leading scorer -- male or female -- in international soccer with 184 goals.

During her career, Wambach represented the USWNT in four Women's World Cups, helping to lead the USA to the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup title. She also twice won Olympic gold medals with the U.S. Women's National Team in both 2004 and 2012. She was named FIFA Women's World Player of the Year in 2012 and was a runner-up for the award in 2011 and 2014.

After retiring, Wambach said that she wanted to take some time to figure out what she should do next, but planned to continue to be an advocate for women's sports. 

-- Jamie Goldberg | jgoldberg@oregonian.com | @jamiebgoldberg

The police will join 202 other agencies, including the Massachusetts State Police, in the effort.

NORTHAMPTON - The Police Department will join with 202 other law enforcement agencies in the state to crack down on texting while driving this month.

The U Drive. U Text. U Pay campaign will begin on April 8 and run through April 29. It is funded by a grant administered by the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security's Highway Safety Division. The money was provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

"Driving and texting is illegal and irresponsible. People who break our state's texting law will be stopped and fined. Distracted driving is a major problem in Massachusetts, and we're trying to keep the public safe by fining violators. If you drive and text, you will pay," Police Capt. John Cartledge.

Texting while driving was outlawed in Massachusetts in 2010. The law also applies to drivers who are stopped in traffic at a light, stop sign or traffic jam, he said.

State legislators are also considering a law that will ban hand-held phones and other devices while driving.

Adults who write, send, or read electronic messages or browse the Internet while driving face a $100 fine for a first offense. Drivers under 18 are prohibited from using mobile phones and other electronic devices while driving, including to make phone calls. The fine for a juvenile first offense is $100, a 60-day license suspension, and they must attend a driver course.

"Texting and driving requires motorists to take their eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and mind off the task of driving. It creates the proverbial 'perfect storm' for a crash, and no one has the right to put another person's life at risk like that," Cartledge said.

The high wind warning is in effect for Western Massachusetts until 7 p.m. tonight.

WESTFIELD — Police and city officials are responding to several reports of trees down throughout the city.

"It's been hit or miss, we clear them as they come down," police said.

Reports of trees down on Prospect and Union streets as well as other city streets came in around 2:30 p.m. Sunday. A tree on Eastwood Drive took down electrical wires and a utility pole.

Police said there have been no injuries. The Department of Public Works is clearing the trees as they are alerted of the different locations by police.

A high wind warning remains in effect in Western Massachusetts until 7 p.m. tonight.

Wind gusts could be as high as 46 miles an hour on Sunday.

A number of communities are reporting trees and wires down due to high winds Sunday afternoon.

The National Weather Service is forecasting breezy conditions in the afternoon with a northwest wind of around 21 miles an hour. Gusts could be as high as 46 miles an hour. In the overnight, there is a chance of snow after 3 a.m. and wind gusts could be as high as 28 miles an hour.

Some of the communities reporting trees down include Westfield, Chicopee and Agawam. Drivers are advised to avoid the areas. MassLive will post updates as more information is available.

Chicopee Police reported a tree fell taking down wires at 2 p.m. on Madison Street by Waite Avenue.

Agawam Police reported a tree fell at about 3 p.m. in the area of Paul Revere Drive and Independence Road.

Monson Police earlier reported several trees downed on Blanchard Road and Whitney Avenue leaving people without power.

Westfield Police reported trees down on Prospect and Union streets at about 2:30 p.m. A tree on Eastwood Drive also took down a utility pole and electrical wires.

Northampton Police are reporting that Route 9, also known as North Elm Street, near Cooley Dickinson Hospital is closed after a tree fell across the road at about 3:45 p.m.

Eversource is reporting a number of power outages. The largest is in Richmond where 825 customers are without electricity.

There are other outages, mainly in Berkshire County. There are 17 customers without power in Hadley; 43 customers are without power in Becket; 69 customers have no power in Lee; 17 customers are without power in Washington and 69 homes or businesses are without power in Lenox. Small outages are also reported in Deerfield, Leverett and Dalton.

The road has been reopened and a police officer is directing traffic around the damaged transformer

GREENFIELD - A transformer fire temporarily closed Bernardston Road Sunday afternoon.

The fire was first reported at about 1:20 p.m. The road was closed between Lovers Lane and Meadow Wood Avenue, police said.

The road has been partly opened by 4 p.m. and there is a police officer directing traffic, police said.

Electric crews are currently working to repair the transformer. It is not known how long it will take to make the repairs and completely open the road.

Bail was set at $5,040 for Kanaris.

STURBRIDGE - A Maine resident who was stopped after allegedly driving 90 miles an hour was arrested and charged with possession of a large amount of heroin and hash.

Alex Kanaris, 25, of Sidney, Maine, was arrested at about 3:51 a.m., Saturday, and charged with trafficking in heroin, possession with the intent to distribute a Class C drug (hashish), marked lanes violation and speeding, Massachusetts State Police officials said.

Bail was set at $5,040 for Kanaris and he is expected to be arraigned on Monday, police said.

State Police Trooper Michael Doktor was patrolling Route 84 when police received a call from a motorist who reported seeing a driver operating erratically. Doktor then observed the same driver allegedly driving 90 miles an hour and drifting into the breakdown lane, police said.

He stopped the car by Exit 2. Two troopers, including one with a K-9, assisted Doktor and found a large amount of heroin, hashish, $7,990 in cash and drug paraphernalia, including scales, police said.

Bail was set at $5,040 for Kanaris and he is expected to be arraigned on Monday, police said.

The Environmental Protection Agency removed about 3 feet of contaminated soil at the dump site.

PEPPERELL - Police are searching for the person who dumped at least nine barrels of hazardous material in a wooded area near conservation land.

The barrels, believed to contain a combination of used motor oil and grease, were discovered at about 5:20 p.m., Saturday, on Lorden Land, a dirt access road off Lawrence Street, Police Chief David Scott said.

Members of the Police and Fire departments, the Conservation Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency all responded to the call which came from a resident, he said.

Sunday the Environmental Protection Agency removed three inches of top soil from the area where the barrels were dumped. Officials believe the waste did not spread to nearby homes. The property also abuts town conservation land which is not believed to have been damaged, Scott said.

The EPA is currently testing the substance to try to positively identify it, he said.

Anyone with information about the dumping is asked to call the Pepperell Police Department at 978-433-2424.

A special custom designed wooden medal was presented to all participants.

WESTFIELD - Clouds, strong gusty winds, occasional snow squalls and temperatures in the mid 30's, didn't stop the more than 700 runners and walkers from participating in The Westfield Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, and Kids Race to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield Sunday.

The Westfield Half, as it's commonly named, started in 1994 when runners from the Empire One Running Club staged a half-marathon fundraiser to benefit the Westfield based club. According to race organizers the Westfield race is a warm-up for the Boston Marathon race and falls in line with most training regiments for this year's marathon which will take place Monday, April 18, 2016.

This year a special custom-designed wooden souvenir medal was presented to all participants from Oleksak Lumber, the principal sponsor.

For 5K race results http://www.westfieldhalf.com/new/results/5k-2/

For 10K race results http://www.westfieldhalf.com/new/results/10k/

For Half-Marathon results http://www.westfieldhalf.com/new/results/half-marathon-2/

The three suspects are being held without bail until their arraignments.

WARE - Two women and a man accused of robbing a bank at gunpoint Saturday afternoon have been arrested.

Edgardo R. Rivera, 33, of Worthington Street, Springfield, Jahira Flores, 30, of East Main Street, Springfield, and Frances Deleon, 22, of Agawam, were arrested early Sunday morning, Ware Police officials said.

All three were charged with armed and masked robbery. They are being held without bail until their arraignments on Monday in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown, police officials said.

The robbery happened just before 12:45 p.m., Saturday when a masked person entered the Monson Savings Bank branch, 136 West St., showed a teller a handgun and demanded money, Ware Police Sgt. Shawn Crevier said.

The arrests on Sunday were made after Ware Police conducted a joint investigation with South Hadley and Chicopee Police departments, police said.

Three people were injured in the accident and taken to Berkshire Medical Center for treatment.

LEE - Three people were injured in a four-car accident that occurred when a tree fell on a passing vehicle Sunday.

The victims were riding in a Dodge truck which was struck by the tree. All three were trapped by the branches and had to be rescued by the Lee Fire Department, Lee Police officials said.

They were taken to Berkshire Medical Center by ambulance. Police could not talk about the extent of the injuries, but said the driver was hurt the worst.

The names of the victims were not released.

The truck was heading north on Route 20 at about 2:55 p.m. when the tree fell. At the same time, a vehicle heading south was also struck by the tree, police said.

Two other drivers also heading southbound then crashed into the car and the tree. None of the occupants of the three cars in the southbound lane were seriously injured, police said.

The tree also knocked down high voltage electrical wires. The wires did not strike any of the cars but forced the road to be closed for at least 30 minutes while emergency personnel cleared the accident, police said.

The Lee Department of Public Works responded to clear the large tree. In addition Lenox Police, Lenox Ambulance and the Massachusetts State Police assisted at the accident, police said.

A number of trees fell and blocked streets in Western Massachusetts Sunday afternoon as wind gusts reached more than 40 miles an hour.

Reynaldo Velazquez, Evangelina Gonzalez and Angel Gonzalez admitted to trafficking cocaine in the amount of 36 to 100 grams in Springfield case

SPRINGFIELD - Three Holyoke residents went to the Springfield post office on Main Street on Jan. 30, 2014, to pick up two packages containing six kilos of cocaine. They were arrested after getting the packages.

The cases against the two men and a woman finished last week with all three going to state prison after pleading guilty before Hampden Superior Court Judge David Ricciardone.

Angel Gonzalez, 39, Evangelina Gonzalez, 49, and Reynaldo Velazquez, 27, each were allowed to plead guilty to trafficking cocaine in the amount of 36 to 100 grams as part of a plea agreement. They had been charged with trafficking cocaine in the amount of over 200 grams.

Evangelina Gonzalez was sentenced to four to five years in state prison.

Velazquez also had a firearms charge and was sentenced to five to seven years in state prison.

All three had been out on bail since they were arraigned in 2014.

Angel Gonzalez was arrested on Jan. 12, 2016, at an apartment on High Street in Holyoke, on a drug charge. He resolved that case last week by pleading guilty to trafficking cocaine in the amount of 36 to 100 grams.

Ricciardone sentenced Gonzalez to six to eight years in state prison on the new charge with a sentence on the 2014 case to run concurrently with the 2016 case sentence.

At the time of the bust Holyoke police said it marked the city's largest in a number of years, adding that it followed a days-long investigation by the department's narcotics unit, the state police gang unit and U.S. postal inspectors.

The packages contained more than $100,000 worth of pure cocaine.

Investigators had pulled the packages out of the stream of mail when they were determined to be suspicious. A drug-sniifing canine had a positive hit on the packages so a warrant was obtained to open them

The Holyoke City Council president said the structural deficit in the budget and a capital plan are among issues the mayor should devote time to instead of executive orders about other states' laws.

HOLYOKE -- City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain questioned why Mayor Alex B. Morse devoted time to an executive order banning municipally-funded travel to North Carolina because of a discriminatory law when local issues need attention.

"To me, it just looks like grandstanding in large measure. I'm just thinking we could get a little more focused on the issues that we have going on in the city....What does this have to do with Holyoke?" Jourdain said last week, when asked to comment on Morse's order.

Morse Thursday issued an executive order prohibiting the use of city funds for travel by municipal employees on city business to North Carolina because that state passed a law nullifying local ordinances that had protected gay and transgender people. The North Carolina law has gained national attention.

The new law, commonly called HB2, makes it illegal for cities in North Carolina to expand on state laws regulating workplace discrimination, use of public accommodations, minimum wage standards and other business issues, the Charlotte Observer said.

"North Carolina's (law) is inconsistent with the work and values of my administration to promote equity, to end discrimination, to eliminate institutional racism and to advance social justice for the people of Holyoke ...," Morse's order stated.

Jourdain said he agreed in spirit with the step but questioned why the mayor issued an executive order when city issues need to be addressed, such as the structural budget deficit and establishing a capital plan.

"Can we get an executive order on that, to cut the budget by $2 million?" Jourdain said.

He questioned the need for the executive order and noted that Police Chief James M. Neiswanger will be taking a 10-week FBI training course in Virginia.

"There's no employees traveling to North Carolina. I know a chief who's going to Virginia. Does that count? I hope the Virginia legislature doesn't do anything, otherwise, we're going to have to cancel the chief's trip, too," Jourdain said.

Jourdain said Morse could have addressed objections to the North Carolina law by issuing a statement instead of an executive order, a step that Jourdain, a councilor for more 20 years, said was unique to Morse.

"The president of the United States issues executive orders. The Massachusetts governor issues executive orders. This is a phrase coined by him. I have never heard of a Holyoke mayor issuing an executive order about anything," Jourdain said.

Morse seems to have confused Holyoke City Hall with the White House, said Jourdain: "The mayor of Holyoke doesn't issue executive orders. This is all make-believe, made up."

A local issue Jourdain said is being ignored is the formation of a budget committee that Morse requested five councilors participate in. The committee has yet to meet, he said.

"I guess I don't know why the mayor goes out of his way to do these things," Jourdain said.

Morse said, "Councilor Jourdain is spending much more time criticizing the executive order than it actually took me to sign it."

Real change happens on the local level and the city charter authorizes the mayor to issue executive orders, he said.

"The executive order took about five minutes of my time (Thursday), and frankly, I'm proud to join mayors and governors around the country in showing solidarity against discrimination in all its forms," Morse said.

Morse said Jourdain's criticism seems to be nitpicking. Jourdain criticizes time spent on such an executive order. But he shows support, including an appearance in the mayor's office, for a resolution urging President Barack Obama to grant the unconditional release from federal prison of Oscar Lopez Rivera, 73, who is considered a political prisoner by some and a terrorist by others, Morse said.

"Seems hypocritical to me. If it comes from a councilor, then that is OK. But if it comes from the mayor, it's not? Morse said.

Regarding the budget committee, Morse said he had met with Jourdain in his office two days before he issued the executive order about North Carolina.

"I gave him an update that I had just trimmed the initial budget requests and that I would be scheduling a meeting in the next two weeks with the small group of councilors. He had no issue with that when we discussed it on Tuesday," Morse said.

Morse said he wants to work with Jourdain on issues important to city residents but such a relationship needs a commitment from both sides to succeed, and criticisms in the press don't help.

"I would ask Councilor Jourdain, and the public, when have I ever gone out of my way to criticize Councilor Jourdain or the Council in the press? I haven't. I know how to pick up the phone and have productive dialogue," Morse said.

The solar industry recently compiled data about where the stalled projects are, as a way to pressure legislators by pointing to stalled projects in their districts.

More than 200 solar projects in Worcester County -- worth $252 million and with the potential to generate enough energy to power up to 15,000 homes a year -- are on a state waiting list, according to state data compiled by the solar industry.

But in Franklin County, there are only eight projects waiting for approval, with a total installation cost of $3.5 million and with the capacity to power 224 homes for a year.

The solar industry recently compiled data about where the stalled projects are, as a way to pressure legislators by pointing to stalled projects in their districts.

Overall, there are more than 500 solar projects valued at $617 million that are awaiting construction, according to Vote Solar and the Solar Energy Industries Association, advocacy groups for the solar industry. The projects are stalled both because of the state cap on solar net metering and also because of a tax incentive program that recently reached its limit.

Solar net metering is the practice by which someone can generate solar energy and receive a financial credit for energy they generated but did not use. The Massachusetts House and Senate have for several months been trying to negotiate a compromise bill that would lift the cap, but also change the reimbursement paid to solar energy producers. The bill remains stalled in the conference committee.

Meanwhile, more solar projects are going to become stalled. A year ago, in March and April of 2015, National Grid became the first utility to meet its cap, for both public and private projects. There are separate caps for public projects, such as solar panels installed at a town landfill or a school, and private projects, which are those owned by a private resident or business.

Unitil hit the cap in December 2015 for private projects, and it is now about to hit the cap for public projects, according to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. NStar, now owned by Eversource, just hit its cap for private projects on March 29. Some of these projects have received approval to go forward, but have not yet been connected to the electric grid, so there are still projects coming online.

Because the cap only applies to projects above a certain size, the cap does not hurt the average homeowner who wants to install solar panels on his roof. The stalled projects are primarily commercial and municipal projects and shared solar, in which a group of homeowners share the costs and proceeds from one large solar array. 

"The bottom line is just that there's a pretty good spread across the whole state," said Sean Garren, northeast regional manager for Vote Solar.

But the data also points to a disparity in what geographic areas have been affected. Worcester has been by far the hardest hit. This is likely because it is territory covered by National Grid, so those areas have been subject to the cap the longest. The same can be said for Bristol and Middlesex counties, the second most affected areas, which also include some National Grid territory.

The cities and towns with the largest number of stalled projects are: Worcester (22 projects, which will cost $28.1 million to install), Dudley (13 projects, which will cost $22 million to install) and Charlton (11 projects, which will cost $32.6 million to install).

The four Western Massachusetts counties have not seen as much of a slowdown in solar projects as other regions. Franklin County is tied with Suffolk County for the fewest stalled projects, and Franklin County also has the smallest generation potential in stalled projects - just 1,399 kilowatts. Berkshire and Hampshire counties also have relatively few stalled projects, for a relatively small amount of energy generation.

This is likely because much of western Massachusetts is served by Eversource. That territory has not yet hit its cap for public or private projects.

There is also space for new projects on Nantucket, which is served by National Grid, and for public projects in areas served by Unitil and NStar.

According to Dan Berwick, executive vice president of strategy and business development for the solar installer Borrego Solar, another reason for the geographic disparity is that there are more solar projects proposed for certain areas because of economic factors.

In the Greater Boston area, land is more expensive and more developed than in central Massachusetts or on the North and South Shores. So it is harder and more expensive to buy vacant land and site solar projects in Greater Boston. There is also more of an incentive to install a solar energy facility in areas where electricity is more expensive.

Michael Durand, a spokesman for Eversource, reiterated that the subsidies given to solar producers in Massachusetts are still more expensive than subsidies in other states, and the cost is hurting ratepayers. "We're raising concerns because the cost to comply with solar targets is having a major impact on the electricity costs our residential, small commercial and large industrial customers," Durand said.

See the map below for a full list of where the stalled projects are (click on a city to see additional information). The data was compiled by Vote Solar and the Solar Energy Industries Association based on information from the Massachusetts System of Assurance of Net Metering Eligibility, which tracks the net metering system.

The speaker drew the ire of organized labor last year when the Democratic-controlled Legislature embraced Gov. Charlie Baker's proposal to temporarily suspend the "Pacheco Law" that imposes controls on privatizing public services.

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON - If anyone was disappointed not to see House Speaker Robert DeLeo at the Greater Boston Labor Council's breakfast Monday, the union group's president was not among them.

"The speaker of the House, Bobby DeLeo, will not be here. I think he lost his way in the snow, sorta screwed him up," GBLC President Louis Mandarini said in an introduction to those gathered on the top floor of the Omni Parker house. "No loss. Trust me on that, no goddamn loss."

The speaker, a Winthrop Democrat who drew the ire of organized labor last year when the Democratic-controlled Legislature embraced Gov. Charlie Baker's proposal to temporarily suspend the "Pacheco Law" that imposes controls on privatizing public services, was invited to the breakfast but could not make it, according to his office.

When some members of the audience responded to Mandarini's comments with groans and surprised expressions, Mandarini said, "Well, let's set the tone. Can't make it, take the hit."

Last year, the Boston Globe reported that some union leaders were advocating a picket of a fundraiser DeLeo hosted for Rep. Michael Moran at Carrie Nation in the wake of Democratic support for the suspension of the state's privatization law for the MBTA.

DeLeo, whose office declined to comment on Mandarini's comments Monday, said last year that he was "very disappointed" with the union rhetoric directed at Democrats who supported the governor's proposal to suspend the Pacheco Law and pointed to his own record of labor-friendly legislative accomplishments.

It's part of a plan to prevent groundwater and stormwater from entering the sewer system.

EASTHAMPTON -- The city's Department of Public Works will conduct sewer system testing in a central neighborhood from April 5 to April 22 -- but residents are expected to see no interruption in service.

The field work will take place from around midnight to 6 a.m. in the areas of Holyoke Street, East Street, Clark Street and Oliver Street. It's part of an overall plan to improve the city's wastewater and stormwater management.

According to the DPW, the problem is that groundwater and stormwater continue to enter the sanitary sewer system. When too much "clear water" enters the sewer system, it places a burden on the city's wastewater treatment plant.

It's a problem common to many communities with aging underground pipes.

Clear water can enter the sewer through leaks in the pipes caused by roots, vehicle damage, and other sources. It can also enter through improper connections such as yard drains, sump pumps, and downspouts.

According to a notice sent to residents, the city will use several methods to locate and identify sources of "infiltration and inflow." Methods will include flow monitoring, manhole inspections, video inspections of sewer pipes, and dye testing. The work is planned after midnight because that's when people are least likely to be using their bathroom and kitchen plumbing.

"The ultimate goal of this program is to save residents money, improve sewer system operations, and to document the need for sewer improvements," according to the DPW and engineering consultants Tighe & Bond.

Drivers are advised to use caution, slow down, and give the late-night workers a wide berth. Easthampton Police Captain Robert J. Alberti made the announcement of the work schedule on Monday.

The fire started in the garage behind 37-39 Maryland St. at around 4:45 p.m., and also totaled a pickup truck.

SPRINGFIELD - A fire in the city's Forest Park neighborhood destroyed a two-car garage and damaged the exterior siding on two buildings Monday afternoon.

The fire started in the garage behind 37-39 Maryland St. at around 4:45 p.m., and also totaled a pickup truck.

Dennis Leger, aide to the Springfield fire commissioner, said the siding on 37-39 Maryland St. and 31-33 Maryland St. was damaged. Each sustained at least $10,000 worth of heat damage.

Of the garage, Leger said, "This place is completely destroyed."

A late season snowstorm hit Western Massachusetts on Monday, but Leger said it presented no problems for firefighters.

"Things are a little slippery," he said, "but it's all part of the job."

The cause of the fire is under investigation.