The weather is warming up as the weekend approaches.
SPRINGFIELD -- The weather is warming up as the weekend approaches.
The National Weather Service reports Thursday evening will offer clear skies across Massachusetts with the low around 29 degrees in Springfield, 32 in Worcester and 37 in Boston.
Temperatures will reach the 60s in Western Massachusetts Friday, with sunny skies expected throughout the state. The high in Worcester will be near 57 degrees, 54 in Boston.
Students will return to occupy the Whitmore Administration Building on Friday.
AMHERST -- Those calling for the University of Massachusetts to fully divest from fossil fuel interests chose not to remain at Whitmore Administration Building Thursday night, a change from the last two nights when a total of 34 occupiers were arrested.
"We didn't feel we needed to today," said University of Massachusetts Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign member Kristie Herman.
Fifteen students volunteered to be arrested Tuesday night, and 19 were arrested Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, UMass President Marty Meehan and board of trustees Chairman Victor Wooldridge said late Thursday afternoon that they have agreed "to advocate for the divestment and prohibition of direct investments by the university's endowment in fossil fuel companies."
They further agreed to place the subject on the agenda for consideration at a trustees meeting June 15.
But Herman said demonstrators are demanding the university commit to divestment now.
"It's not enough," she said. "It's not what we want." She said activists have been asking for full divestment for three years.
Divest UMass had asked by Wednesday for "A formal commitment to full divestment of the top 200 fossil fuel companies according to Carbon Tracker as well as a formal commitment to work with Divest UMass and other applicable parties to craft a comprehensive divestment and reinvestment plan."
They wanted a plan crafted for full divestment over the next two months for full divestment by 2021.
Students said they will resume occupation Friday.
About 150 occupied Whitmore Thursday. More than 200 rallied outside once students vacated the building at 6 p.m.
The dig is just the latest development in a cluster of sexual abuse allegations against the 250-student Indian Mountain School that are now making their way toward trial.
By MICHAEL MELIA
HARTFORD -- Lawyers descended on a Connecticut boarding school with shovels last fall, and may do it again when the ground thaws this spring, in a search for what a former student says is proof against a child-molesting teacher: a buried coffee can containing pornographic photos from more than 30 years ago.
Antonio Ponvert, an attorney for several men who claim they were molested at the school, said that one of his clients alleges that a now-dead English teacher, Christopher Simonds, took photographs of students having sex with each other, masturbating and smoking marijuana. To keep the children silent, Ponvert said, Simonds threatened to show the pictures to their parents.
Around 1981, Ponvert's client says, he went into Simonds' apartment, photographed pages from the teacher's albums and buried the developed pictures in the woods on school grounds.
"It was a little bit like 'my safety,' like 'I can get Simonds if I need to,'" Ponvert said.
The man has not been publicly identified and has not filed a lawsuit. Ponvert also represents two former students who are suing the school, including one who says he was abused by Simonds and a headmaster and was gang-raped by members of the maintenance department. That case is set for trial in July.
Indian Mountain settled five similar lawsuits in the 1990s. No criminal charges were ever filed. A 50-page police report filed in 1992 detailed abuse by Simonds and the former headmaster, Peter Carleton, but concluded the statute of limitations had expired. Simonds, who was fired in 1985, and Carleton are dead.
Steven Carver, a former assistant headmaster, said he confiscated child porn from Simonds' apartment in 1977 and informed other administrators. But he said the allegations were hushed up.
In a brief interview this week, Carver, now 72, declined to discuss the scandal in detail, saying: "I have been working hard to not allow it to rent space in my head."
"There's no joy in it. It's all negative. Everything about it is negative. People behaved badly -- very, very badly," he said. "Young, innocent students were injured, some of them probably for life."
The school in Salisbury enrolls students in pre-kindergarten through ninth grade and charges up to $54,500 a year.
A school spokeswoman said this week that an independent investigation it commissioned in 2014 is continuing. The school has also asked alumni to come forward with any information.
The dig, authorized by a federal judge, took place in November. The man who claimed to have buried the porn participated, but Ponvert said they later realized they were in the wrong spot on the 600-acre campus. Ponvert said he has been waiting for the ground to thaw before deciding whether to pursue another dig.
Indian Mountain said in December that it supported the dig, without specifying what anyone was looking for.
"The school joined in requesting this order because, were this material to exist, the school has a significant interest in it being both found and removed," said Maria Horn, president of the board of trustees.
Watch BMX riders get some serious air at the Agawam amusement park from April 15 through April 24.
AGAWAM — Six Flags New England will host the first-ever SiXTREME BMX Stunt Show – featuring BMX riders who don't so much ride their bikes as fly them – on Friday, April 15, through Sunday, April 24.
The show is included with admission to the Agawam amusement park.
The self-proclaimed "Coaster Capital of New England" has partnered with King BMX to deliver an aerial stunt show featuring professional bike riders who "flip, dip, twist and turn while reaching ultimate speeds and epic heights," Six Flags said in a statement.
The King BMX Stunt Show is known for performing at halftime shows, fairs and special events, according to the group's website.
The SiXTREME BMX Stunt Show, which is geared for people of all ages, will be performed several times a day. Each show lasts around 30 minutes.
Six Flags is located at 1623 Main St. in Agawam.
The motorcyclist, a 25-year-old man, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
NEWBURYPORT — A motorcycle crashed into a Newburyport police cruiser responding to a medical emergencyThursday morning.
An officer driving a marked cruiser with lights activated was hit by the bike on Route 1 around 10:15 a.m., police said.
The 25-year-old motorcyclist, who was wearing a helmet, was taken to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. The officer was not seriously injured.
The crash is under investigation by the Newburyport Police Department and Massachusetts State Police.
North Korea attempted to launch a ballistic missile from the Sea of Japan.
North Korea's attempt to launch an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Friday has reportedly failed, according to The Washington Post.
The country, which has often made threats about attacking the U.S. using its missile artillery, reportedly attempted to launch a Musudan – also known as a BM25 – from the Sea of Japan on Friday.
The U.S. Strategic Command, which claims it tracked the missile, deemed the launch to have "failed."
A U.S. Defense Department spokesman said in a statement, according to Reuters, that the missile launch did not pose any kind of threat to the U.S.
The Musudan has a range of over 1,800 miles and is capable of carrying a 1.3-ton nuclear warhead, according to the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders sparred over Wall Street regulations, firearms polices and other issues as they met in Brooklyn Thursday for the party's penultimate debate of the primary season.
Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders sparred over Wall Street regulations, firearms polices and other issues as they met in Brooklyn Thursday for the party's penultimate debate of the primary season.
The prime time event, sponsored by CNN and Time Warner Cable News NY1, offered the White House hopefuls a final opportunity to appeal to New York voters before they head to the polls next week.
With 247 delegates up for grabs in the state's high stakes primary, Sanders and Clinton, who both claim ties to New York, continued to hit each other hard on an array of issues throughout the two-hour-long debate.
Both candidates, who have respectively won 1,289 and 1,038 pledged delegates, are looking for a New York victory to bolster their chances of winning the Democratic Party's nomination.
The debate, broadcast from Duggal Greenhouse on the Brooklyn Navy Yard, marked the first time the two candidates had gone head-to-head after meeting on the debate stage in Miami in early March.
Here are five takeaways from the prime time debate:
Sanders walked back his claim that Clinton is not qualified to serve as president.
Days after telling supporters that Clinton is unqualified for the presidency, the Vermont senator shied away from his remarks.
Stressing that his comments came in response to attacks leveled by Clinton's campaign, Sanders said the former first lady has the intelligence and experience needed for the position. He, however, remained firm that he has concerns about her judgement.
"I question a judgment which voted for the war in Iraq, the worst foreign policy blunder in the history of this country, voted for virtually every disastrous trade agreement which cost us millions of decent-paying jobs," he said. "And I question her judgment about running super PACs which are collecting tens of millions of dollars from special interests, including $15 million from Wall Street.
"I don't believe that that is the kind of judgment we need to be the kind of president we need."
Clinton quipped that while she has been called many things throughout her life, being told she's unqualified was a first.
The former first lady added that the people of New York, who elected her senator twice, and President Barack Obama, who chose her to serve as secretary of state, trusted her judgement.
Taking aim at her opponent, Clinton again raised concerns about the judgement Sanders showed in a recent "New York Daily News" interview.
"Talk about judgment and talk about the kinds of problems he had answering questions about even his core issue, breaking up the banks," she said. "When asked, he could not explain how that would be done and when asked about a number of foreign policy issues, he could not answer...I think you need to have the judgment on day one to be both president and commander-in-chief."
The candidates took jabs at each other's proposals to regulate Wall Street.
Stressing that the federal government can "never let Wall Street wreck Main Street again," Clinton said she spoke out against Wall Street while serving as a New York senator and has continued to promote new legal protections.
"It's always important -- it may be inconvenient, but it's always important -- to get the facts straight. I stood up against the behaviors of the banks when I was a senator. I called them out on their mortgage behavior. I also was very willing to speak out against some of the special privileges they had under the tax code," she said.
Clinton added that any efforts to break up a bank must be done in accordance with the law.
Sanders, however, questioned Clinton's commitment to regulating Wall Street when she has given paid speeches to firms like Goldman Sachs.
"Secretary Clinton called them out. Oh my goodness, they must have been really crushed by this," he said. "And was that before or after you received huge sums of money by giving speaking engagements? So they must have been very, very upset by what you did."
The Vermont senator contended that Wall Street banks have too much power. If elected president, he said he will break them up and has legislation to do that.
Sanders questioned Clinton's support for a $15 per hour minimum wage.
Weeks after his Democratic rival joined New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to celebrate the state's efforts to gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, Sanders questioned Clinton's claims that she would support a $15 federal minimum wage.
"I am sure a lot of people are very surprised to learn that you supported raising the minimum wage to 15 bucks an hour...When this campaign began, I said that we got to end the starvation minimum wage of $7.25, raise it to $15. Secretary Clinton said let's raise it to $12," he said. "There's a difference."
Clinton said she has long supported the so-called "fight for $15" in cities across the country, but acknowledged that she supports legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $12.
"Going from $7.25 to $12 is a huge difference. Thirty-five million people will get a raise. One in four working mothers will get a raise. I want to get something done," she said. "And I think setting the goal to get to $12 is the way to go, encouraging others to get to $15. But, of course, if we have a Democratic Congress, we will go to $15."
Sanders countered that he has introduced legislation to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 and stressed that Democrats "have got to be clear, not equivocate" on the issue.
Clinton accused Sanders of being influenced by the National Rifle Association on firearms-related issues.
The former secretary of state contended that her Democratic rival has opposed some so-called gun control measures due to a commitment he made to the NRA nearly three decades ago.
"In his own book, he talks about his 1990 campaign, and here's what he said. He clearly was helped by the NRA, because they ran ads against his opponent. So, then he went to the Congress, where he has been a largely very reliable supporter of the NRA," she said. "Voting -- he kept his word to the NRA, he voted against the Brady Bill five times because it had waiting periods in it."
Clinton further took issue with Sanders' support for giving firearms manufacturers and dealers a special protection from liability, calling it "an absolute abdication of responsibility."
The Vermont senator, however, defended his vote against the gun liability law, saying he was concerned that small gun shop owners who legally sell weapons could be held accountable and sued.
Sanders stressed that those who knowingly sell weapons to people who should not have them should be held liable and further pointed to his support for banning assault weapons.
"Let me just reiterate -- just reiterate so there is no confusion, decades ago, before it was popular, in a rural state with no gun control, Bernie Sanders said, let's ban assault weapons, not see them distributed in the United States of America," he said.
Sanders said he believes he will win the Democratic Party's nomination.
While the Vermont senator acknowledged that Clinton "cleaned our clock" in the deep south, Sanders said he's confident about his campaign's chances of moving on to the November election.
"Having won seven out of the last eight caucuses and primaries, having a level of excitement and energy among working people and low-income people, doing better against Donald Trump and the other Republicans in poll after poll than secretary Clinton has, yeah I believe that we're going to win this nomination," he said.
Noting that she has a strong lead in pledged delegates, Clinton said her campaign has shown it can win in the deep south, as well as in more liberal states like Massachusetts.
"I think, where we stand today, is that we are in this campaign very confident and optimistic," she said. "But it all comes down to reaching every single voter. I'm not taking anything for granted or any voter or any place."
Dressed in track pants, a jacket and sneakers, Hastings was led handcuffed and shackled into the courtroom. He showed no emotion as Assistant Magistrate Robert L. Marino read the first-degree murder charge.
SPRINGFIELD -- With a team of court officers standing guard, a second teenager was arraigned on a murder charge Thursday in the fatal shooting of a Ludlow man last month during an allegedly botched drug robbery in Springfield's North End.
Matthew Hastings, 17, of Ludlow, pleaded not guilty to murder by joint venture, conspiracy and a drug-related charge in connection with the killing of 20-year-old Jeffrey Freitas on March 26.
During a brief hearing in Springfield District Court, Judge William Boyle ordered the defendant held without right to bail and continued the case to May 25 for a pretrial hearing.
At the request of Assistant District Attorney Eduardo Velazquez, the judge also impounded the police report and other documents related to Hasting's arrest.
Dressed in track pants, a jacket and sneakers, Hastings was led handcuffed and shackled into the courtroom. He showed no emotion as Assistant Magistrate Robert L. Marino read the first-degree murder charge.
The arraignment came two weeks after the alleged shooter in the case, Charles Sierra, 16, of Springfield, was held without right to bail after pleading not guilty to a murder charge. Both defendants are being tried as adults, and face a potential prison sentence of life without parole if convicted.
In an interview with police, Sierra acknowledged being present for the shooting, but denied firing the fatal shot, according to his arrest report.
He claimed an accomplice -- who has not been charged -- shot Freitas once in the face during a botched drug robbery.
Sierra told police that he and the accomplice met with Hastings on March 25, the day before the shooting.
Hastings said he knew "a drug dealer they could rob and ... provided Jeffrey Freitas' phone number," according to the arrest report.
Questioned by police, Hastings acknowledged using Facebook to set up a drug deal between the victim and Sierra, but denied setting the victim up for a robbery.
Hastings, who told police he also sells marijuana, said he knew Sierra from the alternative Mill Pond School in Springfield, where both are students.
Freitas was shot late on March 26 while sitting in a late-model red Camaro in the Memorial Square neighborhood. Two passengers in the car fled after the shooting, and later gave statements to police.
Sierra and the two passengers told police the Freitas had agreed to sell two ounces of marijuana to a customer.
Cosby also faces an ongoing federal lawsuit in Springfield.
PHILADELPHIA -- Andrea Constand, one of the women accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault, is entitled to any documents or emails the comedian's lawyer shared with a former Pennsylvania prosecutor who is now a key defense witness on Cosby's behalf.
The ruling was reported Friday by PhillyVoice.com.
The website explained that the ruling came Friday in a lawsuit filed by Constand against Bruce Castor, former district attorney in Pennsylvania's Montgomery County. Castor has said he made a binding deal that Cosby wouldn't be arrested.
According to the report:
"Castor had declined to charge Cosby over her 2005 police complaint. Castor said last year that she enhanced her story when she sued Cosby."
As a result of that statement, Constand has sued Castor in Pennsylvania for defamation.
Cosby faces criminal charges in Pennsylvania that he allegedly sexually assaulted Constand, a former Temple University employee, on Jan. 15, 2004, after plying her with drugs and alcohol at his Philadelphia-area mansion.
Constand has agreed to testify in the criminal case.
According to a report on Philly.com:
Andrea Constand's lawyer on Friday accused Bruce L. Castor of lying when the former Montgomery County district attorney raised questions about her credibility during a February pretrial hearing in Bill Cosby's sex assault case.
Cosby lives in Shelburne. In a separate case, eight women are suing Cosby, 78, for defamation in federal court. Much of the court activity for that case is taking place in Springfield or Worcester.
Students who scored well last year were offered a chance to dump a big cup of chocolate syrup on a favorite teacher or administrator.
SPRINGFIELD — School kids pouring chocolate syrup and dumping feathers on their principal and teachers is not something a visitor would expect to see at an elementary school. But that is exactly what was happening at the Gerena Community School in Springfield on Friday.
Now an annual event, the school holds a pep rally for third- and fourth-graders right before April vacation in preparation for the upcoming Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers standardized tests. PARCC is billed as the next-generation of the MCAS test.
Students who scored well last year were offered a chance to dump a big cup of chocolate syrup on a favorite teacher or administrator. Down the line they went, pouring syrup and tossing feathers, with classmates in the audience yelling encouragement.
Calling the event "a bit of a sticky situation, but well worth it," Principal Cynthia Escribano reminded students of the test-taking advice written on the shirts of many teachers in the room. "Keep calm and believe in yourself."
WESTFIELD - Moriah Chamber Choir will perform in concert to benefit the Kinship Fund for Homeless Teens in Westfield April 24 at the Church of the Atonment. The choir, a division of the Young Singers of Greater Westfield, will perform at 3 p.m. at the Court Street church. The concert is open to the public free of charge. Donations will...
WESTFIELD - Moriah Chamber Choir will perform in concert to benefit the Kinship Fund for Homeless Teens in Westfield April 24 at the Church of the Atonment.
The choir, a division of the Young Singers of Greater Westfield, will perform at 3 p.m. at the Court Street church.
The concert is open to the public free of charge. Donations will be accepted to benefit the Kinship Fund.
The choir will perform under the direction of Janet St. Jean, artistic director. Accompaning St. Jean will be Jerry Noble.
Supporters and opponents of Donald Trump's Republican presidential campaign flocked to downtown Hartford Friday as the businessman hosted a rally ahead of the state's primary election.
HARTFORD, Connecticut — Supporters and opponents of Donald Trump's Republican presidential campaign flocked to downtown Hartford Friday as the businessman hosted a rally ahead of the state's primary election.
The evening campaign stop, just over a week ahead of the state's April 26 GOP primary, drew thousands of backers to the Connecticut Convention Center.
The event also attracted a handful of protesters who hoisted signs outside condemning his positions on immigration and other issues.
Stephen Ellison, 60, of Milford, said he decided to attend Trump's rally because he believes the GOP front-runner's background as a businessman and not a politician will help him bring about change.
Ellison said although he has voted for Democrats in the past, he decided to support Trump because he believes the businessman will be able to get things done.
"I've voted all my life and none of them did what they said they're going to do," he said. "He's not a lawyer, he's not a politician, he thinks like I do. Sometimes he's a little bit too much with the mouth, which scares my wife, but you've got to take a stand somewhere. You've got to do something to change."
Arline Kava, 73, who traveled from Staten Island in New York for the rally, also said she sees Trump's lack of political experience as a positive, stressing that she's tired of politicians.
"I know what he's going to do and he's going to do it because, you know what? He's going to have to move from that magnificent place in Trump plaza to the White House," she said. "He wants to make our country great again and he will."
Kava, who said she sees Trump as being honest, added that she supports his policies to create jobs and "feels safe with him."
"We need somebody that's going to get us out of this mess and there's so much more," she said. "I believe he's going to start the day he gets in that White House, because he will be in the White House."
Victoria Novotasky, 62, of Glastonbury, said she decided to attend the Hartford rally because she believes Trump is the best candidate for president.
"He is a very smart man, he's very strong for the United States and we need a man like him," she said.
A self-described "Latina for Trump," Novotasky said she supports Trump's immigration proposals and, despite what the media portrays, doesn't see him as being racist.
"I am an immigrant, but I paid the price to be in this country — it's not easy," she said. "I agree with what he says."
Dissent outside the convention center
Ivie Efianayi, 21, of Manchester, who joined a group of protesters outside of the convention center, said she felt it was important for opponents of the billionaire businessman to come together and have their message heard.
"I think Donald Trump has a lot of nasty things to say about different topics and I don't support that view," she said, pointing to his immigration policies as an example.
Jonna Paz, 52, of Farmington, said Trump's immigration policy not only inspired her to protest, but to actually travel to Greece to help Syrian refugees earlier this year.
"I just couldn't let Trump's voice overshadow that there's good Americans that care about humanity," she said.
Austin Sullivan, 19, of Southington, who strummed his guitar and sang outside of the convention center, took issue with Trump's rhetoric and accused him of manipulating supporters.
"There's nothing wrong with him being charismatic or manipulative, but when someone uses it against you to destroy and create hate and divide, that's not okay.... Trump could've inspired a lot of energy for a lot of good causes, but instead he chose to divide, to hate and to give scapegoats to millions of people across the nation" he said. "That's why I'm here today."
Warm weather is in store for this weekend.
SPRINGFIELD -- Warm weather is in store for this weekend and Patriot's Day.
Temperatures will reach the mid-60s in Western Massachusetts on Saturday, Western Mass News meteorologist Jacob Wycoff said.
Central and Eastern Massachusetts are expected to see temperatures in the mid-to-high 50s on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures will drop into the 30s overnight.
Sunday will offer weather in the low-70s in Springfield on both Sunday and Patriot's Day, Wycoff reports. The good weather is expected across the state with highs in the high-60s, low-70s expected in Worcester on both days.
The weather will be nice for runners in Monday's marathon. The high will be around 57 degrees in Boston Sunday, 64 on Monday.
Two men could face charges after a father tricked his sons by having a friend pose as a stranger who wanted to enter their house Thursday, police said.
WESTLAKE, Ohio -- Two men could face charges after a suburban Cleveland father tricked his sons by having a friend pose as a stranger looking to enter their house Thursday, police said.
The 46-year-old man tried to test his 14- and 16-year-old sons to see if they might let a stranger into their house, police said.
Once inside, the friend pretended to be an ex-convict and threatened to harm the teens. The teens escaped the house through a bedroom window and called 911 from a neighbor's house, police said.
The Westlake Police Department released a recording of the 911 call on Friday. An edited version of the recording is included in this post.
The friend, a 45-year-old Cleveland Heights man, knocked on the door when the father wasn't home. The younger son let the friend in the house.
The friend then claimed the father owed him $1,500, the older son told a police dispatcher.
"He's screaming and he's like, 'if I start chopping up bodies then I'm going to be the bad guy. I just got out of jail two weeks ago,'" the older son told the dispatcher.
The frightened teens locked themselves in a bedroom. They climbed out a window onto a garage roof, then hopped to the ground and ran to a neighbor's house to call 911.
The 16-year-old scraped his knee while climbing out of the house.
Officers arrived and spoke with the friend, who was on the phone with the father. The friend wanted to admit it was a ruse but the father refused, police said.
The father refused to acknowledge the emotional effect the trick had on his sons and instead called their actions an "epic fail," police said.
A Westlake prosecutor will review the incident to determine if the father and friend will face child-endangering charges.
The market was propelled higher by quarterly financial results from big banks that were less ugly than investors were bracing for
MARLEY JAY, AP Markets Writer
NEW YORK -- U.S. stocks took small losses in quiet trading Friday as energy companies sank with the price of oil, but the market finished higher for the week.
The price of oil fell 3 percent and made energy companies the worst performing sector of the market. Utility companies rose as bond yields decreased, and metals and mining companies rose as gold and silver prices edged higher.
For the week, the market was propelled higher by quarterly financial results from big banks that were less ugly than investors were bracing for. The market quieted, though, toward the end of the week.
"We're in a wait and see market," said Kate Warne, investment strategist for Edward Jones. "People are still skeptical about earnings growth in the first quarter, but there's no longer the grave concern there was a few weeks ago."
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 28.97 points Friday, or 0.2 percent, to 17,897.46. The Dow rose 1.8 percent for the week. The Standard & Poor's 500 index lost 2.05 points Friday, or 0.1 percent, to 2,080.73 but finished the week up 1.6 percent. The Nasdaq composite index dipped 7.67 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,938.22. For the week it was up 1.8 percent.
U.S. crude fell $1.14 to $40.36 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, the international benchmark, lost 74 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $43.10 a barrel in London. The prices of wholesale gasoline, heating oil and natural gas also slumped.
Ministers from major oil-producing countries will meet this weekend in Qatar to discuss their production policies. The price of oil has risen in recent weeks in part on hopes that those countries will be able to strike a deal that will limit oil production and help relieve a global glut. But a deal is far from a sure thing, and oil prices have slipped in recent days.
"Many of us are skeptical about whether there will be an agreement and even more skeptical about whether that will stabilize oil prices where they are now," Warne said, because even if countries keep oil production near current levels, they'll still be producing more than necessary to meet demand.
Occidental Petroleum lost $2.17, or 2.9 percent, to $72.15. EOG Resources fell $2.10, or 2.7 percent, to $75.71.
Utility companies, the best performing group of stocks on the market this year, made the largest gains Friday. Investors are being drawn to their relatively high dividend payouts because rising bond prices are lowering the yields investors can earn from bonds. Edison International rose $1.02, or 1.5 percent, to $71.06 and NextEra Energy rose $1.28, or 1.1 percent, to $117.43.
Bond prices rose and the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note declined to 1.75 percent from 1.79 percent.
Citigroup said Friday its first quarter profit shrank 27 percent on weak results from its consumer bank and trading businesses, but the bank's net income and revenue were greater than expected. The stock fell 6 cents to $44.92, but still finished the week 11 percent higher. Bank holding company Regions Financial also reported a bigger profit and greater revenue than expected. Its stock added 26 cents, or 3.1 percent, to $8.74.
The price of gold and silver both edged upward, which gave metals and mining companies a boost. Gold gained $8.10 to $1,234.60 an ounce, while silver rose 14 cents to $16.31 an ounce. Copper lost 2 cents to $2.15 a pound. Newmont Mining added 69 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $29.37 and Freeport-McMoRan picked up 13 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $10.86.
In other energy trading, wholesale gasoline slipped 4 cents, or 2.9 percent, to $1.46 a gallon and heating oil decreased 2 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $1.23 a gallon. Natural gas fell 7 cents, or 3.5 percent, to $1.90 per 1,000 cubic feet.
China reported that its economy grew 6.7 percent in the first quarter of 2016. While that is the slowest pace in years, it matched analyst projections.
Germany's DAX fell 0.4 percent and the CAC-40 in France was 0.4 percent lower. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares declined 0.3 percent. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index in Japan shed 0.4 percent, while South Korean Kospi dipped 0.1 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.1 percent.
The euro rose to $1.1288 from $1.1267 and the dollar fell to 108.70 yen from 109.28 yen.
The driver of the motorcycle was taken to Baystate Medical Center with a possible broken leg, police said.
SPRINGFIELD — Police said Main Street had been reopened following a 5:24 p.m. accident at Main and Wilcox Streets in which a motorcycle collided with a Toyota SUV.
Police said the Toyota SUV was attempting to turn onto Wilcox Street when the accident occurred.
The driver of the motorcycle was taken to Baystate Medical Center with a possible broken leg.
The driver of the SUV and two passengers, one a child, also were taken to the hospital.
Their identities were not available.
Main Street at Union Street was closed to southbound traffic, but Main Street has since been reopened, police said.
Weeks before Connecticut voters are set to weigh-in on the presidential primary contest, Donald Trump traveled to Hartford Friday to rally support for his Republican presidential campaign.
HARTFORD, Conn. -- Weeks before Connecticut voters are set to weigh in on the presidential primary contest, Donald Trump traveled to Hartford on Friday to rally support for his Republican presidential campaign.
Speaking to several thousand supporters who flooded the Connecticut Convention Center for the evening event, Trump took jabs his opponents, pledged to bring jobs back and called on Connecticut voters to show up and support him on Election Day.
The GOP front-runner blasted employment declines in Connecticut, including the recently announced loss of General Electric to Massachusetts, saying he will help put more people back to work in the state and across the country.
"We lost General Electric - how do you lose General Electric? ... At least we lost them to the United States, it's one of the few," he said. "But that doesn't help you too much. You can't lose General Electric. I don't know what happened. I will say this, if I were governor you wouldn't be losing General Electric."
Trump, who pointed to Bureau of Labor Statistic data suggesting that Connecticut has seen a drop in manufacturing jobs since 1990, stressed that if elected president, "we're bringing our country back and bringing our jobs back."
Taking aim at his GOP rival, Trump contended that U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is "no good" for Connecticut and would not work in voters' best interests.
The billionaire businessman also threw barbs at Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders stressing that the former first lady "is a joke" and Vermont senator is basically "a communist."
He added that while Clinton has touted the number of votes she's received compared to other candidates, she hasn't faced as many challengers.
"Hillary got up yesterday, she said 'I have more votes than Trump,'" he said. "I've been running against 17 people and she's running against one - If I was running against four or five, I would have millions of more votes."
Trump also took issue with what he called a rigged primary process, saying the "delegate system is a disaster in the way they count."
"It's a disaster. It's not fair, not good and it's not good for democracy, it's not good for what we stand for," he said. "So, we're going to win it anyway, we're going to have our 1,237 delegates."
Trump's Hartford rally draws supporters, protesters
The GOP front-runner called on voters to turn out for Connecticut's primary to help him sew up the Republican Party's nomination.
"When you cast your vote in a short period of time - you've got to promise me, raise your hands, does everybody promise? ... You need to vote for Trump because we're going to turn around this country," he said. "Here's what's going to happen, you're going to look back in two years, four years, in 20 years, you're going to look at your family and you're going to look at your friends and you're going to say, 'That was the greatest vote I've ever cast.'"
The rally, which was dotted by protesters, came just days before New York's high stakes primary election and more than a week before Connecticut voters are set to weigh in on the presidential contest.
While just 28 delegates are up for grabs in Connecticut on April 26, the billionaire businessman is looking to secure his lead in the nomination contest and prevent a contested convention.
The Belchertown Board of Selectmen unanimously chose Amherst Police Capt. Christopher Pronovost to lead its police department.
The five-member Belchertown board praised the three finalists, but selectmen all said Pronovost was the best candidate.
Pronovost, who attended the meeting, was asked to speak.
He told the board: "I look forward to serving you. I will serve you well."
During his interview last week, Pronovost, a Granby resident, said the last time he applied for a chief's job was in Belchertown, back in 2002, when Francis Fox was selected. Fox resigned in September.
Pronovost has been an officer nearly three decades, joining the Amherst force in 1990. His began police work with Granby in 1987 as a patrolman.
Pronovost graduated in 1979 from Holyoke Catholic High School.
He earned an Associates degree from Holyoke Community College in 1993, then a Bachelor of Science in law enforcement from Western New England College three years later, where he earned a Master of Science in criminal justice in 1997.
Prior to the vote, Selectman Nick O'Connor said he was impressed with Pronovost's approach to community policing.
"That's paramount to what we are trying to do in town," the selectman said.
Selectmen chairman Ron Aponte said they will begin work right away negotiating a contract.
"We want the new chief to begin as soon as possible," Aponte said.
A house fire in Springfield's Forest Park neighborhood injured a firefighter and displaced nine people on Friday evening.
SPRINGFIELD — Nine people were displaced and a firefighter injured after a house caught on fire in Springfield's Forest Park neighborhood on Friday evening.
The Fire Department responded to reports of the fire at 87-89 Euclid Ave at approximately 6:45 p.m.
The fire started in the back of the house and engulfed large parts of the first and second floor, causing $50,000 in damages, and destroying major parts of the structure's roof and walls, said Springfield Fire Department spokesman Dennis Leger.
The injured firefighter was hit by a piece of slate when the roof of the building caved in. He suffered an injury and was later transported to Bay State hospital for treatment, but is expected to make a full recovery, Leger said.
Seven people – two adults and five children – lived on the second floor of the house and two people resided on the first floor. All of them will be displaced as a result of the fire, said Leger.
The source of the fire is unknown and is currently under investigation.
Police reported a car versus motorcycle accident on Route 202 at Hillside Avenue. The accident occurred about 6:30 p.m., police said.
SOUTH HADLEY — Police were still working late Friday night to reopen a portion of Route 202, Granby Road that was closed following a motorcycle crash.
Police said the crash occurred about 6:30 p.m. Friday.
Police reported a car versus motorcycle accident on Route 202 at Hillside Avenue. Route 202 was closed from the Route 116 north on-ramp to Route 33.
No information was available regarding injuries, police said.
The State Police Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section was dispatched to the accident site, along with Crime Scene Services to take photographs.
An ambulance had been dispatched to the accident.
The quarter-mile section of road was expected to reopen soon, South Hadley police said.
