Christine Peacey, chair of the event, said the fireworks are the highlight of the day-long celebration. This year's event is scheduled for July 30.

LUDLOW - To assist with Celebrate Ludlow, voters at the Monday night annual town meeting appropriated $3,000 to help pay for the fireworks.

"This has been a way to bring residents together, 15 years in the making," Christine Peacey, chair of the Celebrate Ludlow Committee, said.

This year's Celebrate Ludlow is scheduled for July 30 at the Ludlow Fish & Game Club.

The event supports civic organizations in town, Peacey said.

She added that the fireworks are "the highlight of the celebration."

Many organizations benefit, Peacey said, such as the Ludlow Cares Coalition and St. John the Baptist School.

Nonprofit organizations such as sports booster clubs and scouts and civic organizations in town run popular food booths and activities and keep the profits to support their organizations.

Peacey said the event draws thousands from town and from surrounding communities.

A small fire caused at least $2,000 damage to the floor of an open pavilion just inside the main entrance to Forest Park Tuesday afternoon.

SPRINGFIELD - A small fire caused at least $2,000 damage to the floor of an open pavilion just inside the main entrance to Forest Park Tuesday afternoon, according to a fire official.

The fire was quickly extinguished but firefighters had to rip up floor boards in search of any hot spots, said Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant.

The fire was reported at about 2:30 p.m. There were no injuries, he said.

The fire was determined to have been the result of careless disposal of smoking materials, he said.

The fire truck parked on Sumner Avenue reduced traffic to one lane on the westbound side, causing some traffic congestion.

Baker said there is "no one-size-fits-all solution" for rural communities seek access to reliable broadband.

BOSTON - Gov Charlie Baker met Tuesday with various municipal leaders from across Western Massachusetts to discuss ways to speed up an ongoing proposal to bring broadband internet access to remote areas of the region.

The meeting comes days after Baker announced appointments to man the helm of the Last Mile Broadband project, an ongoing effort to expand broadband access to remote areas of the state that have little or no access to reliable Internet. With some much of news, entertainment and commerce online, areas without internet are at a disadvantage compared to more populated parts of the state.

The Baker Administration was criticized last week by Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, for what it called unnecessary delays.

The meeting Tuesday focused on creating "a flexible, responsive and community-based approach" to finding affordable and sustainable solution for the 44 separate communities that are part of the Last Mile Program.

"We recognize there is no one-size-fits-all solution to addressing broadband service gaps, and look forward to our new leadership team's efforts to empower community design for operational, financing and technology models best suiting the unique local needs of communities in Western Massachusetts," Baker said in a prepared statement.

The new leadership team on the Last Mile project, Peter J. Larkin and Bill Ennen, would work directly with communities to develop new opportunities for for "reliable, sustainable and affordable broadband access options."

According to information presented in a slideshow at the meeting, the administration supports a wide-range of technology, collaboration and operating choices providing they meet minimum speed requirements, are sustainable, and include financing that is considered viable.

Massachusetts Broadband Institute, known as MBI, was formed in 2008 and is authorized to invest $50 million in state money to bridge the digital divide. It is charged with executing the last mile project. Participating towns are expected to raise two-thirds of their project cost through local taxation, and so far, 24 towns have authorized $38 million.

Mass Broadband Iniative by Patrick Johnson

The search panel is expected to get down to brass tacks after outgoing Chief Ronald Campurciani, who suffered a heart attack several months ago, officially retires from the Police Department.

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The search for a new police chief is not expected to begin in earnest until at least the fall, according to West Springfield Mayor William C. Reichelt.

Police Chief Ronald P. Campurciani, who is on leave after suffering a heart attack in October 2015, "is going out on disability retirement," Reichelt said during Tuesday's "Coffee with the Mayor" session at the West Springfield Senior Center.

"He's going through the process now," Reichelt said. "That takes up to six months and has to be approved by the state, so until that actually happens, there won't be a police chief search until he's actually retired."

The Public Safety Commission is expected to analyze the Police Department's needs and consider whether to broaden the search, including possibly opening the applicant pool to regional and national candidates. The commission will determine "how the search will go and what they're looking for in a new chief," Reichelt said.

However, initiating the search process to replace Campurciani hinges on state approval of a disability retirement package for the chief, whose annual salary is over $124,000. That's why the commission has not yet begun screening candidates for chief, according to the mayor. "It would be in fairness to (Campurciani), because if they (the state) don't approve it, he can come back and would have to go through the regular retirement process," Reichelt said.

Campurciani joined the police force in 1986, becoming a sergeant in 1994 and a captain in 1999. He was appointed acting chief on April 1, 2012, and became the department's permanent chief on Dec. 3 of that year.

Meanwhile, the new police chief stands to get a bump in pay. Reichelt's proposed budget for fiscal 2017, which begins July 1, includes an almost 1.5 percent pay increase for the chief, who would earn $126,174 if the Town Council approves the spending plan.

The chief's job is no longer a civil service position, "which means the chief serves at the pleasure of the mayor," Reichelt said.

The mayor's proposed budget for the Police Department is $7,064,871, which represents a 2.6 percent increase over the $6,884,383 appropriated for the current fiscal year. The $7 million figure would provide funding for a 118-member department, including the chief, five captains, 10 sergeants, 62 officers, 30 seasonal officers, five dispatchers, and various other civilian personnel.

Although the search process will not truly get underway until Campurciani's status is resolved, the Public Safety Commission is already considering the best path forward after he retires. "Right now, they're in their first steps of trying to decide do they want to open it up – like these new police-chief searches that go nationwide – or do they want to do it within the department, do they want to do regional," Reichelt said. "So they're working on that now, deciding kinda what they want to do."

Capt. Mark Sypek, a West Side police officer for over 30 years, has been the department's acting chief since Oct. 26, 2015. "I have no aspiration to become the permanent police chief," Sypek said in March interview with The Republican.

After the issue was tabled at a meeting Tuesday, East Longmeadow Board of Selectmen Chairman Paul Federici said the board will likely not hire a new interim town administrator before they are dissolved July 1.

EAST LONGMEADOW -- East Longmeadow selectmen will likely not pursue the hiring of a new interim town administrator, after the board terminated Interim Town Administrator Gregory Neffinger's employment contract last month.

At a Board of Selectmen meeting Tuesday night, selectmen tabled discussion on the interim town administrator position, which appeared on the agenda, Chairman Paul Federici said. As per East Longmeadow's new town charter, the board will be dissolved on July 1 and replaced by a seven-member Town Council, which will hire a town manager.

"I believe our thought process is that we're so close to July 1," Federici said in an interview, pointing out that with the search process, the new interim town administrator may only serve for about two weeks. "To go out for a search for interim, it really doesn't make any sense."

For the time being, staff at Town Hall are handling responsibilities typically delegated to the town administrator, Federici said.

Federici and Selectman Kevin Manley last month voted to end the employment contract of Neffinger, who had been tied to bribery allegations by Federici, who had said that convicted felon Francis "Frank" Keough III had offered him a Town Hall job in exchange for his support of former West Springfield Police Captain Daniel O'Brien for police chief and Neffinger for permanent town administrator.

Keough has denied bribing Federici, and Neffinger has said he has no knowledge of any such arrangement.

The initial vote took place April 13, with an additional vote affirming the decision on April 19.

Voters last month approved a new town charter, which dissolves the Board of Selectmen on July 1.

Under the charter, the town will switch to a town manager and town council form of government, and eliminate Town Meeting as the community's legislative body. The council will replace Town Meeting. It also includes provisions for residents to bring town council votes to a ballot referendum and for recalls of elected officials.

East Longmeadow residents may now take out papers to run for a town council election, which will take place June 7. The council will hold its first meeting on July 1, with its first order of business to choose an interim town manager a who can be any current town employee.

Months after Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton claimed victory in the Bay State, Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Tom McGee on Wednesday officially endorsed her White House run.

BOSTON ‒ Months after Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton claimed victory in the Bay State, Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Tom McGee on Wednesday officially endorsed her White House run.

While McGee, who also serves as a state senator, lauded Clinton and Democratic rival Bernie Sanders' focus on issues throughout the primary process, he contended that the former first lady gives the party the best chance in a November general election against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

"The candidate I believe is best positioned to take on Donald Trump and, once elected, build on the progress we've made over the last eight years, is Hillary Clinton," he said in a statement. "That is why I am proud to endorse Hillary today."

McGee's endorsement comes weeks after Massachusetts Democrats selected delegates to represent Clinton and Sanders at the party's national convention in July and two months after Clinton eked out a close victory in the state.

Despite the tight margin between Sanders and Clinton in Massachusetts' primary, McGee called on Democrats to unite against Trump.

"In the coming weeks and months, we will prepare to face a general election candidate who has used hateful language, proposed dangerous policies and time after time proven himself to be a loose cannon who is as erratic as he is divisive," he said. "There is too much at stake for working families and Donald Trump is a risk they can't afford."

McGee further stressed the importance of ensuring Democrats elect lawmakers at all levels "who will take on the issues affecting families in Massachusetts - like bringing down the cost of college, creating new good paying jobs, combating gun violence, passing affordable child care legislation, achieving equal pay for women and slowing the effects of climate change."

McGee is the latest Massachusetts Democratic official to come out in support of Clinton's campaign. He joins nearly every member of the state's congressional delegation, except U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has refrained from making an endorsement in the race thus far.

As of Wednesday, Clinton had won 1,716 of the 2,382 pledged delegates needed to secure the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, compared to Sanders' 1,432. When including unpledged, or so-called "superdelegates," however, she held a 2,240 to 1,472 lead in the delegate count, according to RealClearPolitics.

Despite deciding against a 2016 presidential run, Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he "would've been the best president," had he entered the Democratic race.

Despite deciding against a 2016 presidential run, Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he "would've been the best president," had he entered the Democratic race.

Biden, who abandoned his White House plans following the 2015 death of eldest son Beau, stood by his decision to keep out of the contest, but offered that he likely would've been the best for the position, during an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America."

"I planned on running. It's an awful thing to say, I think I would've been the best president, but it was the right thing, not just for my family; for me," he said. "No one should ever seek the presidency unless they're able to devote their whole heart and soul and passion into just doing that. And, Beau was my soul: I just wasn't ready to be able to do that."

Although he touted the idea of his would-be presidency, the vice president predicted that Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton will be named the party's nominee and win the White House in November.

"I feel confident that Hillary will be the nominee and I feel confident she'll be the next president," he said, according to ABC News.

Biden, in late-October, announced that he would not seek a 2016 Democratic presidential bid, ending months of speculation as to whether he would make a run for the White House.

The vice president, who has since been tasked with the Obama Administration's efforts to possibly find a cure for cancer, has not endorsed Clinton or Democratic rival U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

Massachusetts has its guard up for the mosquito-borne Zika virus, keeping a close watch as it spreads through Central and South America, state officials said Wednesday, adding that it hasn't been transmitted here.

BOSTON - Massachusetts has its guard up for the mosquito-borne Zika virus, keeping a close tabs as Zika spreads through Central and South America, state health officials said Wednesday. They add that it hasn't been transmitted here.

"It's not being transmitted locally in Massachusetts," Catherine Brown, deputy state epidemiologist, told members of the state's Public Health Council, a regulatory body.

There have been ten Zika virus cases in Massachusetts, all people who traveled, causing Brown to call it an "imported disease." Overall, the U.S. has seen 472 travel-associated Zika cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

"We have so many travelers back and forth," she said.

But Zika won't be the last mosquito-borne virus the state and country will have to deal with, Brown said, given the way similar viruses, like dengue, have spread.

And Massachusetts has experience with mosquito-borne viruses, thanks to West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), Brown noted.

The first Zika outbreak occurred in 2007 on the island of Yap in Micronesia, leaping to Brazil, and spreading from there to Central and South Americas, and the Caribbean.

When pregnant women are infected, in some cases, virus can be transmitted to fetus and can result in birth defects.

"I can't emphasize that enough: If you are pregnant or want to become pregnant soon, you should avoid travel to these areas," Brown said.

The CDC has set up a Zika pregnancy registry so people with the virus can be followed through pregnancy and delivery, according to Brown.

According to Brown, the Department of Public health is working closely with obstetrics and gynaecology providers and hospitals to identify women possibly exposed to the virus to rule out infection or provide information if there's evidence of an infection.

Zika virus symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain with swelling and conjunctivitis. Hospitalization is rare, and 80 percent of people do not develop symptoms.

The illness has a cycle of two to seven days.

It is spread through two types of mosquito: Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

The department's enhanced surveillance of mosquitos has been underway since 2014, since one species, albopictis, also known as the Asian tiger mosquito and well-established in the southern tier of the United States, has been slowly expanding northward, Brown told reporters.

One area they're concerned about is a "tiny" nonresidential area of New Bedford, and they're working with local mosquito control officials to up surveillance, she added.

That means more traps in which females lay eggs and the species is identified through the adults emerging from the eggs.

"But transmission of a virus like Zika virus...really requires widespread, large established populations of this mosquito and all of the data that we have says that just doesn't exist," Brown said.

Brown told the Public Health Council there are still questions out there about the virus.

• Why has microcephaly, linked to the Zika virus, been reported more from some places than others? "This remains a very big question," she said.

• When is maternal infection most risky?

• How often does infection of the fetus occur?

• Are there co-factors that precipitate the birth defects/fetal losses?

• How often is Zika virus found in semen, how long can it be found there, and how common is sexual transmission?

"This remains an evolving situation," Brown said.

Health officials confirm first Zika-related death in U.S.

The name of the University of Massachusetts Big Hero 6 event refers to the six departments involved – Hadley and Amherst police and fire, UMass police and the campus' Environmental Health and Safety department.

AMHERST -- Last year, more than 1,200 people turned out to meet local firefighters and police at the University of Massachusetts Big Hero 6 event, and depending on the weather Friday night, it could be an even a larger crowd.

The event is a local version of National Night Out, UMass Police Lt. Tom O'Donnell said. They held the first such Big Hero 6 event last year.

The name refers to the six departments involved - Hadley and Amherst police and fire, UMass police and the campus' Environmental Health and Safety department.

If the weather holds, officials predict 1,500 could attend.

O'Donnell said organizers hope to display public works equipment this year, including dump trucks and various public safety apparatus.

If it's not raining, the event will be held at the Southwest Horseshoe on University Drive. If it rains, the event will move to the Curry Hicks Cage.

The festivities includes a barbecue, the showing of the film "Finding Nemo," meeting with police and firefighters and trying on gear.

"It brings together families and police and firefighters in a relaxed environment," O'Donnell said.

He said they get a lot of questions about what it takes to be a police officer or firefighter.

The barbecue and other festivities run from 5 to 7:45 p.m. and the film with free popcorn is screened at 7:45.

Attendees should bring chairs and blankets to sit on.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Robert Ledoux 

Robert R. "Bob" Ledoux, 63, a 40-year resident of Chicopee, passed away on Monday. He was born in South Hadley, was educated in local schools and went on to receive a degree from UMass. He worked as an electrician for various companies over the years, and was currently employed by Holyoke Community College. He was interested in civic activities in Chicopee, and was a golf commissioner for the Chicopee Country Club. In his free time he particularly enjoyed his home in Florida, playing golf there, especially during the winter months, and visiting with his friends.

Full obituary and funeral arrangements for Robert Ledoux »

The intersection of Main and Bridge streets in downtown Springfield is scheduled to reopen early in the aftermath of a water main break a week ago.

SPRINGFIELD — The downtown intersection of Main and Bridge streets, closed since a water main break a week ago, is scheduled to reopen by Thursday afternoon ahead of schedule, a city official said Wednesday.

Paving is scheduled Thursday morning and the intersection should be open to through traffic at approximately noon, Department of Public Works Director Christopher Cignoli said. The paving was initially anticipated on Friday.

"All this work here was able to be accelerated in the last day or so and we just wanted to make sure everything was able to be taken care of today," Cignoli said, standing near the intersection.

Paving should begin sometime between 4 and 6 a.m. on Thursday, and will be completed within four or five hours with cleanup, Cignoli said.

The break last Wednesday was right at the intersection of water pipes at Main and Bridge streets, involving a metal plug that "blew out," Cignoli said.

The break caused heavy flooding of the roadway and sidewalks, and a large sinkhole, and triggered the evacuation of Tower Square.Traffic barriers and detours were established over the past week in the area surrounding the intersection.

The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission and Department of Public Works has overseen the water and roadway repairs and provided daily updates of progress.

Marian Sullivan, communications director from the mayor's office, said the city appreciates those affected by the water main break and repairs for their "continued patience, understanding and cooperation." The break was followed by repairs and utility work, and returned fill and compacting during the past week.

Both Main Street and Bridge Street have 12-inch diameter water mains that cross at the intersection.

The specific cause of the break remains under review, Cignoli said.

Each of the performers are donating their time and the Hu Ke Lau is donating its venue for the fundraiser, Sgt. John Delaney said.

SPRINGFIELD - The Springfield Police Ride to Remember is planning a fundraiser May 21 at the Hu Ke Lau in Chicopee with all proceeds going to efforts to remember police officers killed in the line of duty.

Sgt. John Delaney, who has organized the ride for the last four years, said the fund raiser will be a Las Vegas style review featuring various celebrity impersonators portraying such acts as Sonny and Cher, Neil Diamond, Rod Stewart and Elvis Presley.

The show will also be hosted by Mike Baxendale and John O'Brien, the hosts of Rock 102's Bax and O'Brien show.

Tickets are $25 per person or $35 for premium seating, and all proceeds go to the Ride to Remember campaign.

"The Springfield Police Ride to Remember to Remember is becoming an event that is very well known in Western Massachusetts. The ride grows bigger and bigger every year. This fundraiser is a perfect example of that," said Springfield police spokesman and ride organizer John Delaney.

Poster for the upcoming event at the Hu Ke Lau in Chicopee to raise money for the Springfield Police Ride To Remember. Submitted photo 

Every performer donated their talents for the cause, alI had to do was ask. The Hu Ke Lau is donating 100% of the proceeds to the ride. I am so grateful for their generosity."
Performers include Ray Guillemette Jr. of Chicopee, one of the leading Elvis Presley imitators around, and Lisa Carter of Springfield, who has been working as a Cher tribute artist since 2009.

Carter, a childhood friend of Delaney, said she immediately said yes when he approached her about appearing in a benefit for the Ride to Remember.

"It took me about 2 seconds," she said.

She said she reached out to several other performers that she knows, and in about two days of texting back and forth with Delaney, a complete show was put together.

"It's going to be really spectacular," she said. "It's very exciting."

Each of the performers will have 10 to 12 minutes on stage for their set and the entire show will be about two hours. "There's something for everyone," she said.

All of the performers are donating their time for the evening, she said. "It's all gratis."

Not getting paid for work is not a good long-term career strategy, but in this instance they know it's for a worthy cause.

"You've got to give back. When you do something like that, it comes back to you three fold," Carter said.

The Ride to Remember, now in its fourth year is a daylong 100-plus mile bike ride from downtown Springfield to the memorial at the Massachusetts State House in Boston. It was started as a tribute to Springfield police officer Kevin Ambrose, who was killed in the line of duty in 2012. Since then it has expanded to include other fallen officers in Western Massachusetts and around the state.

Money raised in through the ride and through fundraising events throughout the year are donated to the Massachusetts Fallen Officers Memorial in Boston, and local charities.

Among them are Christina's House, which aids homeless women and children.
Beginning last year and continuing this year, the Ride to Remember is also donating money to be used for the construction of new soccer fields in memory of Alain Beauregard and Michael Schiavina, two Springfield officers killed in 1985.

A field named for them off Tinkham Road has fallen into disrepair, and now the city is seeking to construct a new complex near the Mary Lynch School.

In 2015 , the ride raised a total of $85,000. Last year the amount raised increased to $90,000, Delaney said.

Participation has grown each of the last three years. The first year had 180 total riders,
primarily made up of area police officers, plus local law enforcement, firefighters and
EMTs. The second year attracted more than 200 riders, and by 2015 it had risen to 300.

Last year was the first that the ride was opened up to the general public. That will continue this year, and Delaney said he is hoping to top 400 total riders.

Delaney said the Ride to Remember has grown into "the best bike tour on the East Coast."

Riders are accompanied the entire way by a police motorcycle escort and traffic is blocked off at all intersections. There are also buses available the entire route for riders who experience difficulty during the ride and need to recover.

The cost is $300, which includes lunch, snacks along the way, and bus transportation back to Springfield.

People may register through the Ride to Remember website or through BikeReg.com

People may also reach Delaney at jdelaney@springfieldpolice.net if they need more information.

The suspected dealer, John Carlos Santiago, fled up some railroad tracks on an ATV, but he was caught moments later when he stopped for gas, police said.

SPRINGFIELD - A suspected drug dealer who momentarily avoided arrest Tuesday night by jumping onto an off-road vehicle and racing up a section of railroad tracks in the city's North End was apprehended by police when he stopped on Main Street to buy some gasoline, police said.

The suspect, John Carlos Santiago, 27, of Leroy Place Springfield, was arrested and charged with seven counts of distribution of heroin, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, speeding and driving a recreational vehicle without a helmet.

Springfield police also arrested seven men whom they say purchased drugs from Santiago, said police spokesman Sgt. John Delaney. four of the seven were from out of town; one was from as far away as Northampton, he said.

"These arrests send a message to customers and "out-of-town" customers," Delaney said. "Do not come into Springfield to purchase your illegal narcotics, (or) you will get arrested."

Delaney said the police Narcotic Unit, under the command of Lt. Alberto Ayala and Sgt. Christopher Hitas set up an extended surveillance perimeter in the area of Washburn, Riverside and Plainfield streets in the North End Assisting in the operation were members of the North End C-3 police team under the command of Sgt. Julio Toledo.

Delaney said the operation was a result of the C-3 team receiving numerous complaints from residents about increased drug activity in the area.

Within an hour after the operation was set up, police witnessed seven separate drug transactions, Delaney said. Each of the suspected customers was followed by police and stopped a few blocks later.

When detectives moved in to arrest Santiago, he hopped onto a four-wheel all-terrain
vehicle and head down Washburn toward Plainfield Street, Delaney said.

He then got onto the railroad tracks that run behind Chestnut Accelerated School and sped off at a high rate of speed, Delaney said.

Officers were able to observe Santiago from the road and caught up with him at the Mobil station at 3111 Main St., where he had stopped for gas, Delaney said.

The operation resulted in the seizure of 43 packets of heroin, 52 bags of cocaine and
$541 in cash.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno on Wednesday offered his appreciation to the officers involved in the arrests. "Way to go - keep cleaning them out!" Sarno said in a statement issued by his office.

The seven men facing drug possession charges after their arrests were identified as: John Fagan, 44,of Carew Street; Jose Martinez, of Dorset Street, and Angel Figueroa, 42, of Grant St., all of Springfield, and Richard Harnois , 49, of Belmont Ave., Agawam, Kyle Turcotte, 30, of Worthy Street, West Springfield, George Apostolou, 35, of Hinckley St. in the Florence section of Northampton, and Zachary Bruneau, 28 of Russells Road, Westfield.

Each was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Springfield District Court.

Map of locations featured in this story

Flanked by boutiques and just around the corner from Main Street, Click Workspace is now three times larger -- and more visible -- than its former location at 20 Hampton Ave. The enterprise officially opened its new digs on April 1.

NORTHAMPTON -- In less than 18 months, the building at 9-1/2 Market Street has transformed from a beloved, crowded antique center into a trendy, well-lit coworking community.

Flanked by boutiques and just around the corner from Main Street, Click Workspace is now three times larger -- and more visible -- than its former location at 20 Hampton Ave. The enterprise officially opened its new digs on April 1.

Click acts as a home-base for entrepreneurs, techies and creative professionals; most of its 38 members live in Northampton, according to Click director Erika Zekos. The new headquarters features meeting, working and relaxing spaces. Members can also opt to pay more for private or shared offices.

Zekos said Click has welcomed 12 new members since moving to Market Street. Memberships cost anywhere from $195 to $395 a month. 

The building is still under construction. But in the coming months, members will also be able to use part of the basement as well as a media room, which will be acoustically isolated for recording audio and video. 

Jordana Starr, who works for tech startup PixelEdge, has been a member of Click since its founding in 2011. She said she's a fan of the new building.

"It's spacious, it's bright. It has a very good flow," she said as she sat at her desk in the second floor's open area.

Starr said that around 5 p.m., she'll often hear the soft sound of music rising from the first floor; one of the current building investors gifted a grand piano to Click, Zekos explained.

"We have some talented musicians who work here," Starr said, laughing.

Zekos said the piano will also be used for community events. Click will participate in Arts Night Out, Northampton's monthly gallery walk. Local artwork is prominently displayed throughout 9-1/2 Market Street, but Zekos said she hopes to bring in area musicians, too.

And Click's meetings rooms will be rented out to community organizations, Zekos added.

Click replaces the Antique Center of Northampton, which closed in December of 2015 after 28 years of business. The store housed booths for more than 20 antique dealers.

The 1930s-era brick building sits around the corner from both the bike trails and Union Station, where Amtrak's Vermonter passenger line began service right around the time Click bought it.

Echoes of the antique center remain in the building. Click kept some of the original timber ceiling beams and its wood floors, a contrast to the otherwise modern elements of the space.

Coworking enterprises have become an increasingly popular concept, with an aim to boost innovation and collaboration in urban areas. Hadley has its own coworking spaces, Cultivate and Nest. There's also Co.Lab in the Eastworks building in Easthampton, among others in Western Massachusetts.

Click will host an open house on Friday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Potential new members will be able to tour the space, listen to live music from the O-Tones and enjoy refreshments, Zekos said.

Law enforcement officials have not indicated if the incidents are related, but descriptions of the man and his car are similar, according to police and citizen reports.

AGAWAM — Three reported incidents in four days involving a dark-colored car whose driver reportedly stops to talk to kids has some people wondering if the episodes are linked.

Two of the incidents involved girls who were waiting at school bus stops, while one involved a girl who was walking alone, according to Western Massachusetts authorities, who have not indicated whether they believe the incidents are related.

On Friday morning, a white or Hispanic man driving a dark, four-door sedan pulled into a driveway on Shoemaker Lane and offered a ride to a 12-year-old girl who was waiting for the bus, said Agawam police, who did not publicly report the incident until Tuesday morning. The man appeared to be in his forties, was wearing eyeglasses, and had a beard or unshaven face, police said.

On Saturday morning, a man described as being in his forties, with tan skin, a small beard and glasses, asked a young-looking teenage girl walking in the area of Palm Street and Westwood Avenue if she needed a ride, East Longmeadow police said.

After the girl refused his offer, the man, who was driving a dark, older model car, drove down the street, turned around and approached the girl again. This time, though, he offered her money to get in his car, police said. The girl walked to a nearby house and called her parents, police said.

On Monday morning, Berkshire County authorities alerted the public about a similar incident that happened in the town of Otis. A man in his thirties or forties, with brown hair, brown eyes and some type of facial "stubble," approached a child as she waited for the school bus off Route 23 in Otis center, police said.

The man, who was driving an older model blue sedan, asked the girl for directions. "He may have legitimately needed directions, but we would rather be safe than sorry," Otis police said in Facebook post Monday morning.

Later that day, an older model blue Chrysler sedan with New York plates was spotted in the same area after school, but police said it was unclear if the car was the same one from the morning. "Let's monitor our kids at the bus stops and be on the lookout for any car matching these descriptions or anything questionable," Otis police said.

An Otis mother reached out to The Republican on Tuesday, after reading about the Agawam incident on the newspaper's website, MassLive.com. Local school officials alerted parents about the suspicious incident through email and voicemail messages, she said. The description of the Otis suspect and his car was similar to the descriptions from the Hampden County incidents, she said.

"Needless to say, I've ve been watching the driveway/bus stop," she said in an email.

Springfield city councilors said they want roundtable discussion and proactive steps taken to improve the city's underground infrastructure in the aftermath of a water main break at Main and Bridge streets in downtown Springfield. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- City councilors said Wednesday they will call for a series of roundtable meetings to discuss the city's aging infrastructure and strategies to reduce the potential for underground breaks.

The call for action came one week after a water main break in downtown Springfield at the intersection of Main and Bridge streets that triggered a closure of the intersection and detour of traffic.

The city anticipates paving and reopening the intersection by Thursday afternoon.

Councilor Kateri B. Walsh, who is chairwoman of the council's Maintenance and Development Committee, said that such breaks can have a "serious crippling effect" on businesses. With coming economic development projects like the MGM Springfield casino and the Union Station redevelopment, and vital existing businesses invested in Springfield, "I feel it imperative that we wrap our arms around the state of our infrastructure," Walsh said.

She was joined by Councilors Bud L. Williams and Adam Gomez, both members of her committee.

Springfield DPW chief: Downtown intersection ruined by water main break will reopen early

Williams said a proactive approach is very important rather than a reactive approach.

The Springfield Water and Sewer Commission owns and maintains the water and sewer system, funded by user rates and fees.

During the past 10 years, the commission has invested approximately $231 million on capital projects to renew and replace water and sewer infrastructure, within a system that contains more than 1,000 miles of pipeline, according to a joint statement issued Tuesday by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and commission Executive Director Joshua D. Schimmel. A large portion of the work is related to a federally mandated, ongoing project to reduce combined water-sewer overflows affecting rivers.

Walsh said she will invite "all appropriate parties" to attend the roundtable discussions regarding plans to replace aging infrastructure and priority projects.

The group will address the overall question if there is a comprehensive plan in place, and communications between agencies and the city, she said.

The story will be updated as reporting continues

Brothers Curtis and S. Prestley Blake founded Friendly's in 1935 in Springfield.

SOMERS, Conn. -- How much does Friendly's co-founder S. Prestley Blake like the Dean Foods Co. bid to purchase Friendly's ice cream manufacturing and retail distribution business?

Blake, now 101 years of age, bought 100,000 shares of Dean Foods stock Tuesday, hours after the deal was made public.

"I wanted to show my support to Dean Foods," Blake said. "I want people to know that I think about Friendly every single day."

He said the deal is a "good thing" but thinks it will be an interesting setup having the ice cream brand and ice cream factory under different ownership than the restaurant chain. He and his brother, Friendly's co-founder Curtis Blake, always ran the two sides of the business as one entity.

The stock -- DF on the New York Stock Exchange -- was trading at about $18.12 cents by Wednesday afternoon, making Blake's stake worth about $1.8 million.

This is the first time he's had an ownership stake in a part of Friendly's -- a business he describes as his "baby" -- since 2007.

That's when his well-publicized fight with a previous management regime ended with his opponents selling Friendly's to Sun Capital Partners Inc., private equity investment firm in Florida, for $337.2 million so Blake and his side of the dispute couldn't regain control.

Blake enjoyed a good relationship with Sun Capital and the executives it put in place at Friendly's in recent years.

Dallas-based Dean Foods, unlike Sun Capital, is a publicly traded company. This is what allows Blake to buy in once again.

Friendly's announced Monday night that it plans to sell its retail ice cream and manufacturing business to Dean Foods for $155 million in cash.

Friendly's had $166 million in net sales of ice cream to supermarkets in 2015, Dean Foods said in its initial news release.

Together with its franchisees, Friendly's has system-wide sales of over $500 million, Friendly's said in its news release.

In the deal, Sun Capital gets a long-term contract to buy Friendly's ice cream for its restaurants and a cash infusion to continue rebuilding the brand and even add some new locations following years of downsizing.

Dean Foods gets an ice cream business with tremendous name recognition in the Northeast, a region of the country where heretofore it had no ice cream sales. Dean Foods told investors it plans to see a return on the Friendly's investment immediately.

[enhanced link]

On Wednesday, stock annalists who cover Dean Foods reacted more to the company's vulnerability to declining milk consumption. Dean Foods is the county's largest processor and distributor of dairy products and continues to be focused on fluid milk destined for tables.

The Blake brothers founded Friendly Ice Cream in 1935 in Springfield. Teenagers, they had trouble finding summer jobs doing anything else, and their parents figured they'd make money selling ice cream. They grew the business through the Great Depression and after World War II with locations in suburban shopping centers serving new families created in the baby boom.

A scheduled one-hour executive session at the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee meeting Tuesday night lasted two hours, and there was no indication of whether a resolution of the issue involving parent Aisha Hiza and superintendent Maria Geryk was reached. Watch video

AMHERST -- A scheduled one-hour executive session at the Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee meeting Tuesday night lasted two hours, and there was no indication of whether a resolution of the issue involving parent Aisha Hiza and the superintendent was reached.

No statements were issued following the meeting, and in a message Tuesday night, Hiza said she hadn't heard from the schools. She was not allowed to attend the meeting.

The regional school committee was slated to meet in executive session "to discuss the reputation, character, physical condition or mental health, rather than professional competence, of an individual, or to discuss the discipline or dismissal of, or complaints or charges brought against, a public officer, employee, staff member or individual."

Hiza field a complaint against Superintendent Maria Geryk after Geryk banned her from all town schools in March. Hiza's daughter is a first grader at the Pelham Elementary School.

Geryk's lawyer: Amherst-Pelham chairman's email 'narcissistic'

Hiza has claimed that her daughter has been bullied since kindergarten. Hiza's pursuit to resolve the claim led to Geryk, superintendent of the Amherst-Pelham Regional School District as well as Amherst and Pelham school districts, ordering Hiza to stay away from Amherst-Pelham schools.

The stay-away order was amended to allow Hiza to drop off and pick up her daughter, but not enter the school.

Pelham parents talk about bullying, racism, defend banned parent

The Pelham School Committee met with Geryk and her lawyer last week in executive session, and the meeting did not reopen.

While the Tuesday night meeting reopened after the executive session, there was no statement from the regional school committee about the Hiza matter.

Lawyers for Geryk could not be reached for comment.

George A. Heath's last moments were spent attempting to unarm the man who eventually took his life, his widow said Wednesday.

George A. Heath's last moments were spent attempting to unarm the man who eventually took his life, his widow said Wednesday.

Heath was stabbed to death at the Silver City Galleria Mall Tuesday evening where he'd been out to dinner with his wife, Rosemary.

In an online tribute, Rosemary said her husband dedicated himself to his students, friends and family. "I'm heartbroken beyond belief. We tried to stop the [expletive] with the knife."

The 56-year-old was a visual design instructor at New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School.

School superintendent James O'Brien said in a statement to the school community that Heath was "a tremendous educator with a great passion for teaching; he was influential in sparking creativity and a love of learning in all of his students."

A spree of violence Tuesday night left two dead and several injured in Taunton. Arthur J. DaRosa, 28, allegedly crashed his car on Myricks Street in Taunton around 7 p.m. Tuesday evening then entered a home, stabbing two women. One victim, an 80-year-old woman died as a result of her injuries. 

Arthur DaRosa's Taunton stabbing rampage resulted in 2 victim deaths before off-duty cop took him down

Law enforcement authorities believe DaRosa then drove to the mall and crashed into the entrance of a Macy's store. Inside the store, he's believed to have assaulted several shoppers before he entered a Bertucci's Restaurant in the mall and stabbed two people - including Heath. 

DaRosa was shot by an off-duty Plymouth County deputy sheriff. Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III's office is investigating the violence in Taunton. 

Gregg Miliote, a spokesperson for the DA's office, said they are aware of reports regarding DaRosa's mental state at the time of the attacks. 

Family members said DaRosa had been admitted to a hospital for suicidal tendencies this week. They disagreed with the decision of health officials to release him on Tuesday. 

In her online statement mourning her husband, Heath expressed gratitude to the off-duty officer and hopes focus following the violence will not be regarding policy but the deaths of loved ones. 

"I don't want to discuss guns or mental health issues, she said. "I want to focus on my husband and the great life we shared together."

Obituaries from The Republican.

Dolores Monteiro 

Dolores L. Monteiro, 75, passed away on Friday. She was born in Springfield, and worked for T&S Cleaning for 16 years. She loved sports, and coached girls softball, basketball and soccer for Ward 6 in Chicopee for many years. She was so passionate about watching soccer and college basketball on TV. Some of her favorite pastimes were playing cards and going out for breakfast with her friends and family.

Full obituary and funeral arrangements for Dolores Monteiro »