Ted Cruz wins the Republican presidential primary in Wisconsin, a victory for the Texas senator over front-runner Donald Trump that slows the billionaire businessman's bid to win the GOP nomination outright.

MILWAUKEE -- Republican Ted Cruz stormed to a commanding victory in Wisconsin Tuesday, denting front-runner Donald Trump's chances of capturing the GOP nomination before the party's convention.

Trump's defeat capped one of the worst periods of his campaign, a brutal stretch that highlighted his weaknesses with women and raised questions about his policy depth. While the billionaire businessman still leads the Republican field, Cruz and an array of anti-Trump forces hope Wisconsin signals the start of his decline.

"Tonight is a turning point," Cruz told cheering supporters at a victory rally. "It is a call from the hardworking people of Wisconsin to America. We have a choice. A real choice."

The results in Wisconsin make it likely both parties' primaries will continue deep into the spring, draping front-runners Trump and Clinton in uncertainty and preventing both from fully setting their sights on the general election.

Trump has battled a series of campaign controversies in the lead-up to Wisconsin, including his campaign manager's legal problems following an altercation with a female reporter and his own awkward stumbles in clarifying his views on abortion. Wisconsin's Republican establishment, including Gov. Scott Walker, has also campaigned aggressively against the businessman.

Exit polls in the state underscored the concerns about Trump that are surging through some corners of the Republican Party. Nearly 4 in 10 GOP voters in Wisconsin said they were scared about what Trump would do as president.

The exit polls were conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.

Complicating the primary landscape for both Cruz and Trump is the continuing candidacy of John Kasich. The Ohio governor's only victory has come in his home state, but he's still picking up delegates that would otherwise help Trump inch closer to the nomination or help Cruz catch up.

If Cruz wins all of Wisconsin's 42 delegates, Trump would need to win 57 percent of those remaining to clinch the GOP nomination before the July convention. So far, Trump has won 48 percent of the delegates awarded.

Live updates recap: How Tuesday unfolded >>

To win a prolonged convention fight, a candidate would need support from the individuals selected as delegates. The process of selecting those delegates is tedious, and will test the mettle of Trump's slim campaign operation.

Cruz prevailed in an early organizational test in North Dakota, scooping up endorsements from delegates who were selected at the party's state convention over the weekend. While all 28 of the state's delegates go to the national convention as free agents, 10 said in interviews that they were committed to Cruz. None has so far endorsed Trump.

Despite the concern among some Wisconsin Republicans about Trump becoming president, nearly 6 in 10 GOP voters there said the party should nominate the candidate with the most support in the primaries, which so far would be Trump. Even among voters who favored Cruz, 4 in 10 said the candidate with the most support going into the convention should be the party's nominee.

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, points as he speaks at a campaign stop at Waukesha County Exposition Center, Monday, April 4, 2016, in Waukesha, Wis. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh 

Orrall, who had support from Gov. Charlie Baker, edged out incumbent Chanel Prunier in a divisive race.

QUINCY -- The members of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee on Tuesday elected Keiko Orrall, a state representative from Lakeville, as the Republican National Committeewoman, ousting incumbent committeewoman Chanel Prunier and capping a divisive season of campaigning that split the state's Republican Party.

Orrall defeated Prunier narrowly, 41 votes to 37 votes.

"During the campaign, there has been a tremendous amount of negative rhetoric and personal attacks on my family and I as well as Chanel," Orrall said moments before the election. "This must come to an end."

Prunier voiced similar sentiments. "Tonight, the healing has to begin," she said.

The Republican National Committeewoman represents Massachusetts at the national party convention and in national party politics.

Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican who played an unprecedented role in endorsing and assisting candidates for almost every seat on the 80-member state committee, had endorsed Orrall.

"She has a way of working with people she does not agree with and being what I would describe as tough on the issues and soft on the people," Baker told reporters at the State House on Tuesday. "I happen to think those kind of people in public life and in government these days are the sorts of people who can actually get stuff done."

Orrall, 48, has been a state representative since 2011 and serves on legislative committees on economic development and on labor and workforce development. She is a former public school teacher who home schooled her two children.

In the State House, Orrall opposed the PARCC test and the Common Core education standards. She said she is proud of perfect ratings from anti-tax and fiscally conservative groups as well as from pro-gun rights and anti-abortion rights groups.

In an interview, Orrall said she is fiscally and socially conservative but willing to work with moderate Republicans and Democrats. She stressed her ability to reach out to diverse groups and grow the Republican Party, as the only Asian-American woman in the state House of Representatives. "We need to be focused on problem solving," Orrall said.

Speaking to Republican State Committee members, Orrall said she hopes to grow and unify the party by talking more to the media, recruiting and helping Republican municipal candidates, state candidates and candidates for Congress, and revitalizing Republican Town Committees.

Mark Townsend, a Republican State Committeeman from Carver, noted that Orrall won her House seat in a traditionally Democratic district. "I'm always impressed with how she's always looking for ways to bring people together, build consensus around issues and in the Republican Party without ever compromising her Republican principles," Townsend said.

Prunier, who has served as Republican National Committeewoman since 2013, has been a leader of the conservative wing of the party. She led the Coalition for Marriage and Family, an advocacy group that opposes gay marriage. She supported a successful attempt in 2014 to add language opposing abortion and gay marriage to the state Republican Party platform, even though Baker, the Republican candidate for governor at the time, supports abortion rights and gay marriage.

Prunier's supporters said she had worked tirelessly to elect Republican candidates. State Rep. Jim Lyons, R-Andover, said Prunier has worked on the campaigns of 125 Republicans, improving the party's infrastructure and helping Republicans grow their ranks in the state Legislature and win the governor's office.

"We should reward people for what they have done," Lyons said. "Chanel Prunier has worked tirelessly, unselfishly, to elect Republicans in Massachusetts."

Republican State Committee member Joyce Kelly of Revere called Prunier a "vigorous mentor" to Republican candidates. "Candidates for local office all say the same thing - I might not have won if it weren't for Chanel," Kelly said.

Prunier said she ran on her record. "I've campaigned for a lot of different candidates across our state, raised money, organized volunteers," she said.

Speaking to the State Committee members, Prunier said she felt "personally responsible" for a Republican loss in a November special election for a legislative seat, blaming it on the amount of money and effort that was spent on contested Republican State Committee races. "The recent election was very hard on all of us," she said.

Prunier said she still wants to continue helping Republicans across the state.

Republican National Committeeman Ron Kaufman downplayed talk of an ideological split between moderate and conservative Republicans in the state. He said the Prunier-Orrall race was similar to any GOP primary.

"Jeb Bush was a mentor of Marco Rubio, but they both ran for president. That's the way it should be," Kaufman said. "Primaries are part of the process."

"Nothing that happened was ideological in nature whatsoever," Kaufman said. "It's getting the best people to run for the jobs to make sure the party is stronger."

Bernie Sanders wins the Wisconsin Democratic primary.

MILWAUKEE -- Bernie Sanders carried the Democratic primary race in Wisconsin over Hillary Clinton, a win that still leaves him with a mathematically difficult path to the White House.

For Sanders, Wisconsin was the latest in a string of victories that have given him an incentive to keep competing against Clinton. But he still trails her in the pledged delegate count and has so far been unable to persuade superdelegates-- the party officials who can back any candidate -- to drop their allegiance to the former secretary of state and back his campaign.

Live updates recap: How Tuesday unfolded >>

The results in Wisconsin make it likely both parties' primaries will continue deep into the spring, draping front-runners Trump and Clinton in uncertainty and preventing both from fully setting their sights on the general election.

For Sanders, Wisconsin was favorable territory, with an overwhelming white electorate and liberal pockets of voters, and the Vermont senator's victory gives him a fresh burst of momentum.

Because Democrats award delegates proportionally, Sanders and Clinton will both emerge from Tuesday's contest with more delegates.

Heading into Wisconsin, Clinton had 1,243 to Sanders' 980 based on primaries and caucuses. When including superdelegates, the party officials who can back any candidate, Clinton holds a much wider lead -- 1,712 to Sanders' 1,011. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the Democratic nomination.

Clinton's campaign has cast her lead as nearly insurmountable. Yet Sanders' continued presence in the race has become an irritant for the former secretary of state, keeping her from turning her attention to the general election.

According to exit polls, Sanders has excited voters in Wisconsin, with more than half of Democratic primary-goers saying the senator inspires them more about the future of the country. But three-quarters of Democratic voters say Clinton has realistic policies.

The exit polls were conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during a campaign event, Monday, April 4, 2016, in Milwaukee, Wis. AP Photo/Paul Sancya 

There were no apparent victims in the shooting, according to Springfield Police Capt. Robert Strzempek.

SPRINGFIELD — A house on Malden Street was struck by gunfire Wednesday night, Springfield Police Capt. Robert Strzempek said.

He said there were no apparent victims in the shooting, which remains under investigation.

Police responded to a 7:52 p.m. ShotSpotter activation for multiple gunshots in the area of 56 Malden St. A silver car and black pickup truck were seen fleeing the area, according to preliminary reports from the scene.

Police cruisers blocked the intersection of Malden and Grand streets as detectives investigated.

MAP showing approximate shooting location

The DPU-sanctioned mechanism would help boost pipeline construction in the state.

The state's highest court will hear arguments May 5 in a case which will determine whether Massachusetts electric utilities can enter into long-term contracts for natural gas pipeline capacity, and then sell that gas to power generators on the spot market.

The electric utilities further wish to pass their costs on to ratepayers -- an arrangement which would, in effect, let Eversource and National Grid help finance new interstate natural gas pipelines planned by Kinder Morgan and Spectra.

In the case before the Supreme Judicial Court, the Conservation Law Foundation and Engie Gas & LNG LLC, which imports liquefied natural gas at its shipping terminal in Everett, are appealing an October 2015 order issued by the Massachusetts Dept. of Public Utilities.

The DPU order, filed under docket number 15-37, would let electric companies, for the first time in 86 years, buy natural gas from pipeline companies and and sell it to power plants. The cost of the 20-year contracts would be passed on to consumers in their electric bills. Any remaining capacity would be sold on the open market. The DPU asserts that it has the legal authority to review and approve such contracts.

The Conservation Law Foundation and Engie both argue in recently filed briefs that the DPU does not have authority to approve the contracts, and that their order contravenes the state's 1997 Restructuring Act, which mandated that electric utilities were to separate themselves from the power generation business.

Lawyers for Engie, formerly known as GDF Suez, further argue that the order would illegally interfere with wholesale electric market by unfairly granting advantage to pipeline companies and certain gas-fired power generators. Engie's interest in the matter springs from its role in providing liquefied natural gas to the power sector.

The DPU order served as a response to the state's Dept. of Energy Resources, which last April asked the DPU to investigate an "innovative mechanism" where electric companies could help encourage the construction of new natural gas pipelines in New England. Electric power generators were unwilling to enter into long-term contracts for natural gas themselves, leaving pipeline firms without the financial assurance they needed to build capacity, the DOER stated. The DOER had said that high energy prices in 2013-14 were due to pipeline capacity constraints.

Three weeks after the DPU approved the mechanism, National Grid and Eversource submitted contracts that would require the construction of new gas pipelines at a cost of several billion dollars, and requested expedited approval. The electric companies further requested that their costs be recovered by Massachusetts ratepayers.

National Grid in its filing claimed the arrangement would save ratepayers $1.2 billion over 20 years, because the savings brought by additional natural gas supply would outstrip any additional charges. Pipeline foes have challenged that assertion, saying there is no guarantee new capacity will lower costs.

The office of Attorney General Maura Healey, which has the authority to represent ratepayers, intends to file an amicus brief ahead of the May 5 oral arguments in Boston.

Major natural gas pipelines proposed for Massachusetts include Kinder Morgan's Northeast Energy Direct and Access Northeast, a project jointly proposed by Spectra Energy, Eversource Energy and National Grid.

Wendy O'Kelley-Martel said her upstairs neighbors at Myron Court had been arguing loudly on and off for approximately the last 10 days, but the dispute that woke her and her husband early Tuesday was different.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Wendy O'Kelley-Martel said her upstairs neighbors at 12 Myron Court had been arguing loudly on and off for a week or 10 days, but the dispute that woke her and her husband early Tuesday was different.

"It was physical," she said. She said the sound of a "big slam" woke them up, and then other smaller sounds continued for about five minutes. Then, they realized the bumping sounds were something serious.

"I heard her: 'Help me, help me,'" O'Kelley-Martel recalled. "That's when I reached for the phone, just as my husband said, 'call the police.'"

The woman who lived above her died early Tuesday.

District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said at a press conference at the apartment building Tuesday afternoon that two officers who responded to the 911 call shot and killed the man when he charged at them with a knife. The man's wife was suffering from serious injuries, Gulluni said, believed to be the result of a domestic dispute with her husband.

"I am kind of shock,"  O'Kelley-Martel said around 3 p.m., a few hours after police had finished combing the area for evidence.

Just outside the door of her apartment, directly below the door of apartment 12, blood had dripped through the porch floor boards and onto a table and tablecloth there.  A short span of police tape was stretched across the table.

O'Kelley-Martel said she did not know her upstairs neighbors' names, but she estimated that they moved in in January. They were quiet neighbors until late March, she said, when she started to hear them argue about relationship problems and other things.

She called 911 at 6:18 a.m. Tuesday after hearing the woman call for help.

When two officers arrived, they knocked on the door of number 12, but got no response. She said a police dispatcher called her back and said officers were unsure if anyone was home in the apartment.

From the apartment below, however, she could hear someone walking around and water running. She told police that, and they got a key to the apartment from the building manager.

Gulluni said they still needed to break down the door because there was a secondary lock.

O'Kelley-Martel said she heard the sound of police breaking down the door, and the gunshots seemed to follow immediately. She and her husband crouched on the floor out of fear for their own safety, she said.

Soon after, two ambulances pulled up.

Gulluni said the officers administered first aid to the husband and wife until EMTs and paramedics arrived. The couple was pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center.

O'Kelley-Martel watched emergency responders carry the two people out on stretchers. She also saw an officer bring a butcher knife out of the apartment.

"It was a real long knife," she said.

She admitted that she didn't enjoy living under neighbors who frequently argued loudly. She said it made her feel "uneasy."

"But I don't like to see a woman get hurt. That's why I called police," O'Kelley-Martel said.

Gulluni said the investigation is ongoing into what happened in the apartment, including the domestic dispute and whether officers used appropriate force.

He declined to name the officers involved and said the deceased would not be named until the next of kin were notified.

Selectmen said they want to do something to increase voter turnout in next year's town election. Selectman William Rooney said 12 percent is not a good turnout.

LUDLOW - The Board of Selectmen voted to reorganize Tuesday night at the board's first meeting since the March 28 town election.

Selectman Brian Mannix was unanimously elected to chair the board.

Selectman William Rooney was elected vice chair.

Mannix said he wished to welcome the board's newest member, Selectman Derek DeBarge.

Selectmen said they want to do something to increase voter turnout in next year's town election.

Selectman William Rooney said that "12 percent is not a good turnout."

He said the town should give some consideration to changing the voting hours for town elections from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

It also might be good to place some signs and banners around town reminding people about the election, Selectman Carmina Fernandes said.

DeBarge said he is considering inviting some high school government students to attend selectmen's meetings.

Mannix said he would like to start a citizens' speak time at the beginning of meetings, which he said he refers to as an "Open Mike" time.

Rooney said he would like to thank candidates who ran for office, but were unsuccessful this year, including Selectmen candidates Darlene Cincone and Joshua Carpenter.

Michael Dupray, 48, allegedly attacked his father, then confronted police with loaded shotgun.

IPSWICH — A Massachusetts man was arrested Monday for allegedly assaulting his father. Ipswich resident Michael L. Dupray, 48, was reported to authorities by his own daughter, who called police on the night in question to report that her father was attacking her grandfather.

When police arrived at the residence where the assault took place, Dupray exited his house armed with a loaded shotgun and wearing an ammunition belt, according to authorities. After police ordered him to disarm himself, Dupray proceeded to struggle and resist arrest until officers took him into custody.

Dupray is charged with multiple criminal counts, including domestic assault and battery of an elderly person, resisting arrest, and unlawful possession of a shotgun.

The controversial bill would raise the cap on solar net metering whole lowering reimbursement rates for solar energy.

BOSTON -- The Massachusetts House on Wednesday passed a bill that would raise the cap on solar net metering while lowering reimbursement rates for solar energy.

The bill, H.4173, passed the House by a vote of 152 to 1.

State Rep. Thomas Golden, D-Lowell, chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy and a member of the conference committee, said the bill "finds a balanced solution between the rates that would keep our solar industry thriving and moving forward, while still staying cognizant of the rates our constituents, the ratepayers, pay on a daily basis."

The lone dissenter was State Rep. Jonathan Hecht, D-Watertown, who warned that the bill would slow the growth of the solar energy industry. "I'm afraid if we do lower net metering rates by that large amount, it means many solar projects simply will not get built," Hecht said. "I remain deeply concerned that this legislation takes us down the wrong path on solar policy and once in place it will prove difficult to correct."

The bill has been in negotiations by a House-Senate conference committee for months, and its impending passage would clear the way for lawmakers to deal with the next big energy debate: an omnibus bill that is expected to pave the way for greater use of hydropower and offshore wind.

"I think solar has gotten more than the fair share of the debate so far, but quite frankly, people want us to talk about, they want to hear more about offshore wind, they want to hear more about hydro," said House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop.

The net metering bill was released from a committee of House-Senate negotiators Tuesday evening. Currently, the cap on net metering, the practice by which someone can generate solar energy and receive a financial credit for energy they generated but did not use, has been stalling solar energy projects around the state.

The bill would lift the cap on solar net metering by 3 percent for both public and private projects. It would decrease the reimbursement rate paid to most solar energy producers by 40 percent.

Solar net metering compromise lifts cap, cuts reimbursement

The lower rate would not apply to small residential projects, like a solar panel installed on a homeowner's roof, or to government-owned projects. It would apply to larger commercial and residential solar projects and to community shared solar, which are solar projects that an entire community can buy into. Existing projects could keep the old rate for 25 years.

The bill would allow the Department of Energy to charge customers a minimum monthly charge. It directs the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources to craft a new version of an incentive program, referred to as SREC, in a way that provides a financial incentive for low-income solar projects.

The compromise bill has its critics. John Regan, executive vice president of government affairs for Associated Industries of Massachusetts, a business trade group, wrote in a letter to legislators that the compromise bill "lacks any real reform" and will cost ratepayers $8 billion over the next decade. The business group argues that the cut to reimbursement rates is not significant enough and applies to only a small portion of projects. It called the maintenance of higher rates for governmental projects "a sad case of 'taking care of your own' while others pay."

Non-profits representing low-income individuals said the bill perpetuates income inequality by keeping the higher reimbursement rates for homeowners but not for projects that benefit lower income individuals, which are generally large-scale projects that are shared by a community or built in affordable housing complexes.

But overall, criticism was more muted than it has been for previous iterations of the bill. Solar companies urged lawmakers to pass the bill in order to lift the cap and end the bottleneck of stalled projects, even as they expressed concern that the new cap would be hit in 2017. The utility National Grid said it was pleased with the resolution, even as it urged lawmakers to develop a long-term strategy for limiting the cost of solar to other ratepayers.

Golden called the compromise a great bill. "I think that people should be very happy with it. We're lifting the caps, we're moving solar forward," Golden said.

Solar net metering bill could worsen income inequality in Mass., advocates say

One concern is that the cap will be hit again within a year. "The slight increase of 3 percent is immediately necessary, but it means we'll have to come back here very shortly once again to debate raising the net metering cap," said State Rep. Frank Smizik, D-Brookline.

Golden brushed off those concerns. "Having a cap and deciding where we're going to go a year from now or a year-and-a-half from now is at the discretion of the House and the Senate," Golden said. "The decision of what will happen tomorrow, we'll figure that out a year from now."

Some lawmakers said they only reluctantly voted for the bill in order to lift the cap. "We may not be killing the goose that's laid that golden solar egg, but we are certainly starving that goose or putting it on a restricted diet," said State Rep. Denise Provost, D-Somerville.

The Senate is expected to consider the bill Thursday. If it passes, it will go to Gov. Charlie Baker, who is likely to sign the bill.

Baker spokesman Billy Pitman said, "Governor Baker believes the conference committee's report is an encouraging step toward building upon the continued success of the Commonwealth's solar industry and ensuring a viable, sustainable and affordable solar market for ratepayers as the administration continues its balanced approach to diversifying a renewable energy portfolio that includes cost-effective, hydropower generation."

If the net metering bill becomes law, lawmakers will turn their attention to an omnibus energy bill, which is still being drafted by a legislative committee.

That bill is likely to include a version of a proposal introduced by Baker that would require utilities to solicit long-term contracts for hydroelectric power. It is also likely to address the expansion of offshore wind.

DeLeo said he anticipates debate on the larger energy bill in May or June. He called it "one of the top priorities" of the House.

One remaining loose end related to solar energy is a decision by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources on how to fashion a new incentive program for solar energy. The current incentive program, referred to as SREC, an acronym for Solar Renewable Energy Certificates, has reached its cap. Administration officials were waiting to see what the Legislature passed related to net metering before they released their proposals for a new SREC program.

Westfield police are charging the mother of a 1-year-old toddler given Narcan to treat a suspected opiate overdose last month with one count of reckless endangerment to a child based partly on evidence of heroin use at her apartment.

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A digest of news stories from around New England.

Candidates for the vacant Holyoke City Council seat were urged to send resumes to the personnel office and to individual councilors and follow up with phone calls.

HOLYOKE -- The City Council will vote on May 3 to fill the vacancy left with the resignation of Councilor at Large Jennifer E. Chateauneuf.

Candidates can send resumes to the city personnel office and to individual councilors and follow up with phone calls, council President Kevin A. Jourdain said Wednesday.

The council Tuesday decided to advertise that the seat is available. Candidates must be city residents and registered voters.

Chateauneuf quit Tuesday morning three months into the first year of her second, two-year term.

She filed a resignation letter to City Clerk Brenna Murphy McGee. That came a day after The Republican and MassLive.com reported seeming inconsistencies between an account she posted on Facebook March 16 about claims that nude photos of her, in a shower at her home, were mailed to her father in December and a police report about that incident Dec. 22.

Chateauneuf wrote on Facebook Tuesday that the controversy had become intolerable.

"I'm sorry to those I am disappointing but everyone has a breaking point and I have reached mine. My family deserves to have me, not this person these bullies have turned me into. I want me back," she wrote.

Chateauneuf and husband Kevin Chateauneuf own Nick's Nest hot dog restaurant at 1597 Northampton St.

The council has 15 members -- eight at large and one from each of the seven voting wards.

Each councilor is paid $10,000 a year.

Among the City Council's duties is to set the annual tax rate, decide whether to issue special permits such as for drive-through service at restaurants, decide whether to grant zone changes, establish ordinances (local laws), approve or reject spending requests and review and possibly cut the budget the mayor proposes in the spring to run the city in the subsequent fiscal year.

The timing of the vote means that the new councilor voted into the seat May 3 will be busy fast with budget decisions.

One candidate for the vacancy so far is Mimi Panitch, the Planning Board chairwoman. She was first runner-up in the Nov. 3 election for at large seats on the council. She finished ninth in the field of 16 candidates for the eight at large seats. Panitch announced her interest Tuesday.

In the Nov. 3 election, Panitch received 3,021 votes. James F. Brunault finished 10th with 2,828 votes and Jordan M. Lemieux 11th with 2,660 votes.

Also in that election, Adrian K. Dahlin was 12th with 1,925 votes, Darlene Elias 13th with 1,836 votes, Mike Franco 14th with 1,730 votes, Anne N. Thalheimer 15th with 1,197 votes and Jemma B. Penberthy 16th with 859 votes.

Councilors in voting to fill a City Council vacancy are not bound by a potential candidate's finish in a recent election.

The man who was shot to death Tuesday after he allegedly charged at two police officers with a knife has a previous conviction of assaulting a police officer, among other charges.

WEST SPRINGFIELD -- The man who was shot to death Tuesday after he charged at two police officers with a knife has a previous conviction of assaulting a police officer, among other charges.

Peter J. Doherty, 52, is suspected of killing his wife, Renee C. Herbert, 45, with the knife in their Myron Court apartment Tuesday morning.

A neighbor called 911 after hearing the woman's cries for help, and Doherty charged officers as soon as they broke down the door, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said at a press conference Tuesday. Both were taken to a Springfield hospital and pronounced dead.

A neighbor who alerted West Springfield police to fatal domestic dispute said woman called out for help

An examination of Springfield District Court records going back to 1994 indicates Doherty has been charged with crimes in that court eight previous times. The court files also make mention of arrests and cases in Ludlow, where he previously lived, and Pittsfield.

Of the four most recent case files available Wednesday in Springfield District Court, from 2010 to 2015, the only violent crime was the case in which Doherty bumped a Springfield police officer with his car, then shoved and grappled with the officer.

Court records indicate that Doherty was born in New York City and formerly lived in Holyoke, Ludlow and at several addresses in Springfield.

Ludlow Police Sgt. Daniel Valadas confirmed that several of Doherty's previous arrests there involved domestic violence. "He was well known to our police department," Valadas said.

He said he could not give details of the crimes, and court documents on the cases were not available late Wednesday afternoon as Palmer District Court was already closed.

Springfield arrests

On July 24, 2010, Springfield Police Officer Leon Moultrie observed Doherty, who was homeless at the time, take a tube of toothpaste from the CVS at 600 State St. Doherty ran when he saw the cop following him, and jumped into his Ford Windstar parked outside.

Moultrie wrote in court documents that he approached Doherty's open window and told him to stop but he put his car into reverse and tried to leave. The driver's side door of the car struck Moultrie and Doherty shoved his chest with his hand out the window. He also told the officer, "I will run you over if you don't let me leave."

Moultrie was able to grab the gear shift through the window and put the car in park before pulling Doherty from the vehicle. He continued to fight and resist arrest, Moultrie wrote in court docuements.

Doherty pleaded guilty to charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, resisting arrest, a threat to commit bodily harm and shoplifting on March 11, 2011 and was ordered to serve 60 days in the Hampden County House of Correction. The prosecutor had been asking for six months.

Doherty was also found guilty of larceny over $250 in 2012 after police used DNA evidence to connect him to a 2010 break-in at Dr. Dental at 800 Boston Road. He admitted to stealing an $800 television and was given a suspended one-year sentence.

He was convicted of shoplifting shrimp, lobster and beef from the Ludlow Big Y in 2010 and was sentenced to serve 60 days.

His most recent conviction was on a charge of operating with a suspended license in 2015. He was given a $100 fine, but failed to pay it, so warrants were issued for his arrest as recently as March 15, 2016.

A wake for Moreau is scheduled for Friday and the funeral Mass will be held on Saturday.

CHICOPEE - City Councilors remembered George R. Moreau as a mentor, a leader, a man of honor and, most importantly, a friend.

At the City Council meeting Tuesday, members remembered Moreau, a 30-year member of the board who served as its president for the past four years.

Moreau, 81, died Sunday in Virginia. He and his wife, Dorothy Moreau, were driving home after spending much of the winter in Florida, when Moreau said he felt ill and pulled off the highway.

He served the city for three decades until he was unseated in November. He first served as a School Committee member and in 1986 was elected to the City Council in Ward 7. Moreau served as Council president twice in his long tenure.

He retired as a manager at Westvaco and held a degree in business from Western New England College. He leaves his wife of more than 50 years, three children and four grandchildren.

His wake is scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m., Friday, at Brunelle Funeral Home, 811 Chicopee St. The funeral service will be held Saturday. Friends and family will gather at the funeral home at 9 a.m. and a Liturgy of Christian Burial will begin at 10:30 a.m. in St. Anthony of Padua Church on 56 St. Anthony St., Chicopee. The burial will be private.

The City Council held a moment of silence to remember Moreau during their meeting. Members also offered condolences to his family.

"He will always be here in our hearts," said Council President John L. Vieau, calling Moreau a colleague and a friend.

City Council Lawyer Daniel Garvey told the group when he attended his first meeting, a councilor asked a question that stumped him. As he flipped through one book, Moreau whispered to him, telling him where to find the information.

"That's the way he was. He always gave you a helping hand," Garvey said.

So many members called Moreau an advisor and teacher and their go-to person when they had a question.

"He was a mentor and he was a good friend. I'm going to miss talking to him," Councilor Timothy S. McLellan said.

Councilor Frank N. Laflamme said he has known Moreau since childhood because he was a dedicated member of the Nativity Church, which Laflamme's family also attended until it closed.

"When I became a City Councilor he helped me a lot. He was my mentor...I'm going to miss him," Laflamme said.

Moreau and Councilor James K. Tillotson had side-by-side public service careers. Tillotson said he now feels alone as the "old man" on the Council.

"He was just a first-class guy with a lot of integrity," Tillotson said. "He could disagree without being disagreeable."

New City Councilor William Courchesne, who defeated Moreau in November, agreed. He said he enjoyed campaigning with him.

"He was a gentleman and a scholar," he said.

Moreau was very serious about practicing his Catholic faith and Councilor Adam D. Lamontagne said he remembers being a student at the now-closed Mt. Carmel School. Every year they would hold a spaghetti supper at the attached Nativity Church and Moreau was always there supporting the church and the school.

A U.S. Army Veteran, Moreau was a strong supporter of veterans' causes and he attended the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day event in Willimansett every year, Councilor Stanley Walczak said.

"He was very much a veterans' advocate and a man of deep faith," Councilor Frederick T. Krampits said, adding Moreau also cared about environmental issues and wanted to see the rivers cleaned.

So many councilors talked about how Moreau stepped up and helped them when they were first elected.

"I'm a better person having known George. He was an advisor to me," Councilor Shane D. Brooks said.

"George was a mentor, a colleague and a friend and he definitely will be missed," Councilor Gerard Roy said.

Keith W. Rattell said he got to know Moreau when he was a councilor but after he became the city clerk he would call Moreau.

"George was always an easy guy to talk to and bounce ideas off," he said.

Councilor Gary Labrie agreed saying Moreau was so knowledgeable he was always a resource.

"He was a true leader and he will be missed," he said.

April showers are in store for this week.

SPRINGFIELD -- April showers are in store for this week.

The National Weather Service reports a slight chance of showers Wednesday evening between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. in Worcester, with showers mainly expected after 4 a.m. Thursday in Springfield and Boston.

The low Wednesday evening will be around 33 degrees in Worcester, 35 in Springfield and 36 in Boston.

The probability of rain is much more likely for Thursday. Meteorologists for the National Weather Service say to expect showers and thunderstorms in Springfield. Winds with gusts as high as 26 miles per hour may blow and Western Massachusetts could see new rainfall amounts between one and two inches Thursday.

Central Massachusetts very likely will also see showers, possibly thunderstorms. Though rainfall amounts will be sporadic, some storms could produce heavy rainfall. New rainfall amounts up to an inch are possible.

Boston will also see showers with possible heavy rainfall at times on Thursday. Winds with gusts as high as 38 miles per hour may blow.

The high will be near 56 degrees in Boston Thursday, 55 in Springfield and 54 in Worcester.

A bus carrying around 25 students from the Algonquin Regional High School girls rugby team was involved in a head-on collision with a car driven by a woman, who was rushed to an area hospital with "serious injuries," Sudbury Police Chief Scott Nix said.

SUDBURY — Multiple people were injured when a car collided with a school bus carrying student athletes in Sudbury on Wednesday afternoon, Police Chief Scott Nix said. Massachusetts school bus carrying rugby players involved in head-on crash; multiple injuries reported

The bus carrying 25 students and two coaches from the Algonquin Regional High School girls rugby team was involved in a head-on crash with a Cadillac sedan near Concord and Plympton roads around 3:45 p.m., police said.

Sudbury firefighters had to use a Jaws of Life hydraulic extrication tool to free the Cadillac driver from her wrecked car. The 73-year-old Sudbury woman was taken by ambulance to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston with "serious injuries," Nix said. An update on her condition was unavailable.

Nine students and the bus driver sustained minor injuries and were taken to MetroWest Medical Center in Framingham and Emerson Hospital in Concord for treatment, according to authorities, who continue to investigate what led to the crash.

Police said the injured students range in age from 15 to 18, while the bus driver was identified as a 43-year-old Hudson woman. The two coaches were uninjured, police said.

The Algonquin Regional High team from Marlborough was arriving in Sudbury for a game against the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School girls rugby team when the crash occurred.

Meaghan Scahill, 36, of Holyoke was charged with possession of heroin, LSD, cocaine, methamphetamines and several illegal prescription medications following a traffic stop on Center Street early Tuesday morning.

LUDLOW — A 36-year-old Holyoke woman is facing multiple drug charges following an early Tuesday morning traffic stop on Center Street, police said on Wednesday.

Officer Andrew Roxo, assisted by Officer Sean Auclair, pulled over a 2013 Ford Fiesta operated by Meaghan Scahill in front of the Friendly's Restaurant and Chicopee Savings Bank parking lot. According to a Ludlow police, Scahill had a suspended Massachusetts driver's license and was found to be in possession of an open container of an alcoholic beverage in her vehicle.

Police said they found 18 bags of heroin, five packages of LSD, a small amount of cocaine, some methamphetamines and several illegal prescription medications in Scahill's car.

Scahill was charged with operation of a motor vehicle while her license was suspended, possession of an open container while operating a motor vehicle, and possession of Class A, Class B (two counts) and Class E (four counts) substances.

She was arraigned Tuesday in Palmer District Court and was released on $2,500 bail.

The Stand Against Racism forum, held annually at UMass, is a daylong program meant to bring students, faculty and locals together to address issues of racial disparity in the U.S.

AMHERST — While academic concepts like "white privilege" and "white supremacy" may seem abstract to a lot of people, Wilma Crespo, interim co-director of the Center for Multicultural Advancement and Student Success at UMass, hopes they will reach empathetic ears at the Stand Against Racism forum on Friday.

The daylong forum, which runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Commonwealth Honors College Events Hall, is meant to bring together students, faculty and locals to address issues of racial disparity in the U.S.

Crespo spoke with The Republican on Wednesday about the upcoming event and the significance she hoped it would have for the surrounding community.

A lot of people might be upset by the concept of "white privilege," seeing as there is still poverty and discrimination against lower-income white populations in the U.S., in addition to the discrimination faced by people of color. What is "white privilege" and does it apply to everyone?

This is not in any way to deny that there are people all over the country who are suffering from poverty and discrimination based on other issues. This is, in essence, a conversation about a specific set of systemic disparities that exist within our society and how these interlock. These disparities are based on objective data.

For instance, the Georgetown University Center on Education found that white students are 78 percent more likely to be accepted to the same university as equally qualified people of color, and that once admitted, 71 percent of white students receive degrees, compared to only 29 percent of people of color. Not only are students of color graduating at lower rates, but a Gallup poll found they graduate with significantly more debt than white graduates.

Can you talk about microaggressions and what threat they pose to people?

Psychologist Derald Wing Sue defines microaggressions as "brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to certain individuals because of their group membership." Often no offense is intended, and those who are causing the harm are unaware of it.

The University of Denver identified common classroom examples such as scheduling tests or project due dates on religious or cultural holidays; continuing to mispronounce student names after being corrected multiple times; setting lower expectations for some students than others; denying the lived experience of students by questioning the credibility and validity of their stories; and repeatedly calling on some groups of students while ignoring others.

Do you feel that the Stand Against Racism forum is a response to some of the race-based controversies in the media from the past year – from police shootings to Trump rallies?

One could argue that racism has been happening since before the inception of the United States. However, recent events and the associated hate-based rhetoric involved have been very painful for many people to witness, no matter their race.

Stand Against Racism has only been happening for several years, but you could characterize it as a response to at least fifty years' worth of research that demonstrates that even though people may claim not to, they 'see' and act according to perceptions of race.

In one of the most famous studies, professors at the University of Chicago and MIT sent 5,000 fictitious resumes in response to 1,300 help-wanted ads. Each resume listed identical qualifications except for one variation – some applicants had Anglo-sounding names such as "Brendan," while others had black-sounding names such as "Jamal." Applicants with Anglo-sounding names were 50 percent more likely to get calls for interviews than their black-sounding counterparts.

What do you hope community members will take away from the forum?

If everyone could take away two things, the forum would be a success. First, an awareness that one person might not fully understand someone else's experiences and may need to learn more to gain better understanding. Secondly, we all carry assumptions that can create very different sets of behavior – for instance, the choice to extend the benefit of the doubt or how we determine if someone has good intentions.

If participants could take away a willingness to examine the various assumptions that influence their choices and behavior and perhaps become more caring and compassionate as result, the event will have been a success.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained nearly 113 points, the Standard & Poor's 500 index nearly 22 and the Nasdaq composite index nearly 77.

By MARLEY JAY

NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks broke a two-day losing streak Wednesday as investors bought up drugmakers and other health care companies. Energy companies also jumped as the price of oil surged.

Biotech drug companies, which have been mired in a long slide, made their biggest gains in almost five years. That came after Pfizer, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, gave up on a plan to buy Botox maker Allergan for $160 billion and investors wondered if it will look elsewhere.

The gains were only enough to wipe out most of the market's losses from a day earlier. Stocks wavered in recent weeks as investors wait for quarterly earnings to start pouring in, and many are bracing for another shaky quarter.

Jack Ablin, chief investment officer of BMO Private Bank, said it's going to be another weak earnings period, and the only way stocks will trade much higher is if companies are able to give optimistic projections for the rest of the year.

"Without an improvement in earnings or a projection of earnings growth, our outlook is kind of tapped out," he said.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 112.73 points, or 0.6 percent, to 17,716.05. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 21.49 points, or 1.1 percent, to 2,066.66. The Nasdaq composite index picked up 76.78 points, or 1.6 percent, to 4,920.72.

Pfizer and Allergan confirmed Wednesday that they are walking away from their proposed merger after the U.S. Treasury Department announced new rules that made the deal, and others like it, far less appealing. Pfizer rose $1.57, or 5 percent, to $32.93, its biggest gain since 2011.

Pfizer was ready to make one of the largest corporate deals in history for Allergan as it tried to boost its sales and cut its tax bill. Biotechnology companies, which make complex and costly drugs, climbed higher. Celgene, which makes treatments for cancer, gained $6.10, or 6 percent, to $108.22. Vertex Pharmaceuticals rose $7.15, or 8.5 percent, to $91.31.

Biotech stocks are facing pressure from legislators over the price of their drugs, and investors fear that their ability to raise prices will be impeded.

Energy companies gained ground as benchmark U.S. crude rose $1.86, or 5.2 percent, to close at $37.75 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, added $1.97, or 5.2 percent, to close at $39.84 a barrel in London. The price of oil has skidded in recent days before making small gains Tuesday.

Chevron picked up $2.17, or 2.3 percent, to $94.84 and Exxon Mobil added $1.10, or 1.3 percent, to $83.31. Hess rose $2.74, or 5.3 percent, to $54.

Oilfield services companies Halliburton and Baker Hughes also traded higher after the U.S. government sued to block them from combining. Halliburton had agreed to buy its rival for more than $34 billion in November 2014, after oil prices began to fall. Baker Hughes gained $3.47, or 8.8 percent, to $42.83. Halliburton climbed $2.04, or 5.9 percent, to $36.44.

While the pace of company earnings will climb next week, a few companies made big moves Wednesday after they disclosed their results. Constellation Brands, the owner of Corona, Negra Modelo and Pacifico beers, reported solid quarterly results and raised its profit forecasts for the year. Its stock rose $8.98, or 5.9 percent, to $160.34.

Electronic payment processing company Global Payments gained $5.71, or 8.8 percent, to $70.86 after it posted strong quarterly results.

Lighting maker Cree said its sales will fall far short of expectations because of new product delays and software problems. The company said it may take a loss in the third quarter. Its stock lost $4.24, or 14.6 percent, to $24.81.

Ablin of BMO Private Bank said he thinks companies with a long history of maintaining or raising their dividends will do the best in the weeks and months to come. Telecommunications companies pay some of the biggest dividends on the market, and they slumped Wednesday as AT&T and Verizon prepared to pay out billions of dollars in dividends.

Harley-Davidson took the biggest loss on the S&P 500, as it gave up $3.50, or 7 percent, to $46.34. Analyst John Tomlinson of ITG Investment Research said he thinks the motorcycle company lost market share over the first three months of this year, and said he thinks its retail sales in the U.S. will drop in the first quarter.

In metals trading, the price of gold fell $5.80 to $1,223.80 an ounce. Silver declined six cents to $15.05 an ounce. Copper inched up less than one cent to $2.14 a pound.

In other energy trading, wholesale gasoline rose two cents to $1.39 a gallon. Heating oil jumped almost seven cents to $1.14 a gallon. Natural gas fell four cents to $1.91 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Stocks in Europe also gained ground. Britain's FTSE 100 rose 1.2 percent and the CAC 40 in France added 0.8 percent. Germany's DAX rose 0.6 percent. Japan's Nikkei 225 closed 0.1 percent lower and the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong picked up 0.2 percent. South Korea's KOSPI finished 0.4 percent higher.

Bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note rose to 1.76 percent from 1.72 percent. The U.S. dollar dipped to 109.62 yen from 110.49 yen. The euro rose to $1.1410 from $1.1385.

A dozen F-15C Eagles from the 104th Fighter Wing have joined a European surveillance mission to deter alleged Russian incursions into NATO airspace.

WESTFIELD — Twelve F-15C Eagles from the 104th Fighter Wing have joined a NATO surveillance mission to help prevent Russian incursions into allied airspace.

The fighter planes, which are based at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, were deployed last week to Iceland, the Netherlands and several other NATO-affiliated nations for training exercises with U.S. allies.

Russian aggression in NATO territories, specifically Icelandic airspace, has become more prevalent in recent years, and NATO's "defenses have been unable to stop" it, CNN reports. The suspected incursions have become more pronounced as tensions between Western forces and Russia have worsened over the conflict in Crimea, The Telegraph reports.

"Our defense relationships with allies like Iceland are critical to ensuring security for the United States and NATO," said Col. James Keefe, commander of the 104th Fighter Wing.

The goal of the mission is to "deter Russian aggression" and demonstrate U.S. commitment to a Europe that is "whole, free, at peace, secure, and prosperous," National Guard officials said.

"Our Guardsmen are on duty accomplishing missions they train for every day at Barnes and are an enduring choice for security cooperation and building partnerships," Keefe said.

The F-15C Eagle, the same model deployed to the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, is known as a powerful air combat vehicle, Military.com reports. The site describes the plane's effectiveness as being the product of "a mixture of unprecedented maneuverability and acceleration, range, weapons and avionics."

Standing before a federal judge, former coal company executive Don Blankenship expressed sorrow for the families of 29 men killed in his coal mine six years ago but contended that he committed no crime.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Standing before a federal judge, former coal company executive Don Blankenship expressed sorrow for the families of 29 men killed in his coal mine six years ago but contended that he committed no crime.

"I just want to make the point that these men were proud coal miners. They've been doing it a long time. And they'd want the truth of what happened there to be known," Blankenship said Wednesday, drifting closer toward mentioning his theory that an act of nature, not negligence, caused the deadly explosion in his mine.

The judge told him to stop talking about the explosion and handed down the stiffest sentence allowed for his misdemeanor conviction: one year in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Blankenship's words stung for the families on hand who lost loved ones in the Upper Big Branch Mine explosion, the deadliest U.S. mining disaster in four decades, and some of them yelled at him as he exited the courthouse into a swarm of TV cameras.

Tommy Davis, who lost three family members in the 2010 tragedy and worked at the mine that day himself, started talking over the reporters and lawyers.

"Hey, Don. This is Tom," his voice cracking. "It's been six years -- six years I missed my son, my brother, my nephew. How come you never came to apologize to me personally? How come you never asked to see me?"

"He ain't apologized to none of us," added Robert Atkins, whose son Jason died in the explosion.

"We buried our kid because of you. ... That's all I got is a goddamn tombstone," Atkins said.

About a half-dozen law enforcement officers swarmed around Blankenship and ushered him into a van that drove him away.

One day after the sixth anniversary of the disaster, the sentencing gave families closure and reopened wounds.

A federal jury convicted Blankenship on Dec. 3 of a misdemeanor conspiracy to violate mine safety standards at Upper Big Branch. The jury acquitted him of felonies that could have extended his sentence to 30 years.

The trial wasn't about what caused the explosion, and the judge made that painstakingly clear. U.S. District Judge Irene Berger also ruled that family members couldn't speak at Wednesday's sentencing for similar reasons, saying they weren't eligible for restitution and the cause of the explosion wasn't up for debate in the case.

At Upper Big Branch, four investigations found worn and broken cutting equipment created a spark that ignited accumulations of coal dust and methane gas. Broken and clogged water sprayers then allowed what should have been a minor flare-up to become an inferno.

Blankenship disputes those reports. He believes natural gas in the mine, and not methane gas and excess coal dust, was at the root of the explosion.

Blankenship rose from a meager, single-mother Appalachian household to become one of the wealthiest, most influential figures in the region and in the coal industry, and someone who gives back to the community, the judge noted Wednesday.

"Instead of being able to tout you as one of West Virginia's success stories, however, we are here as a result of your part in a dangerous conspiracy," Berger said.

During the trial, prosecutors called Blankenship a bullish micromanager who meddled in the smallest details of Upper Big Branch. They said Massey's safety programs were just a facade -- never backed by more money to hire additional miners or take more time on safety tasks.

Blankenship's attorneys believe he shouldn't have gotten more than a fine and probation, and have promised to appeal. They embraced Blankenship's image as a tough boss, but countered it by saying he demanded safety and showed commitment to his community, family and employees.

Though Blankenship received the harshest penalties possible for the conspiracy, U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, prosecutors and the family members said the punishment didn't fit the crime.

"I miss my family. (Blankenship) hugged his," Davis said. "And all he gets is a year. (The judge) has done great; she gave him what she can give him. But there need to be stricter, more harsh penalties for people like that who put greed and money over human life."