How many rattlesnakes are in Massachusetts? The species is considered to be endangered, leading state officials to propose "Rattlesnake Island." But questions from the public and lawmakers have caused a slowdown in the proposal's timeline.

BOSTON - The proposal to increase the population of venomous timber rattlesnakes in Massachusetts by dropping them on an island in the Quabbin Reservoir sparked a local uproar and led to an apology from top environmental officials.

Speaking with reporters in the State House earlier this month, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, said a lack of transparency about the proposal led to the public's concern, and noted that rattlesnakes, considered to be an endangered species, had been placed in two other locations in Massachusetts, in a "much quieter way."

Was there a prequel to "Rattlesnake Island"? Not quite.

There are five isolated populations of rattlesnakes in Massachusetts. They are located in three areas: the Berkshires, the Blue Hills and the Connecticut River Valley.

There are a total of 200 rattlesnakes in the state, according to a spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Rattlesnakes born in the wild, on Mount Tom and the Blue Hills, are regularly captured, raised in captivity to increase their chances of survival, and then released back into their respective birth areas.

And those five current populations -- and how they're handled -- are very different from what state environmental officials proposed for the Quabbin Reservoir island known as Mount Zion.

The Mount Zion proposal is unique, creating a brand new population on the island, which is closed to the public. It's has never been tried before with timber rattlesnakes, according to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

But state environmental officials have made a similar effort to revive populations of  the northern red-bellied, cooter, the diamondback terrapin, the wood turtle, the eastern box turtle and the eastern spadefoot toad.

To help boost the rattlesnake population, state officials had proposed "headstarting" young snakes at the Roger Williams Zoo in Rhode Island, allowing them to grow up enough to survive against natural predators, and then placing them on Mount Zion.

"Releases of young snakes [are] expected to be in the range of only one to ten in any given year. In the southern Appalachians, a healthy rattlesnake population may be as high as 150 individuals, however here in Massachusetts, our populations are generally much smaller," the state's website on the proposal says.

A top environmental official recently apologized for the rollout of the proposal and said a working group will review the timeline and location for the proposal.

Mass. environment chief apologizes for flawed rollout of 'Rattlesnake Island' plan

The working group will help decide what happens next.

"At the end of that process, if there is a conclusion amongst the legislative delegation and the local officials and the general public that this is not in the best interest of the biodiversity of the local region, then we would consider making a change in course of action," Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton said, according to the State House News Service.

The Massachusetts House voted 102 to 50 to advance the constitutional amendment. The Senate voted 33 to 7.

The Massachusetts House voted 102 to 50 at a constitutional convention on Wednesday to advance a constitutional amendment that would increase the tax rate on income over $1 million. The Massachusetts Senate voted in favor of the amendment, 33 to 7.

Most of the opponents on the Senate side were Republican. But in the House, a number of Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the tax increase.

The Western Massachusetts delegation was split. See how each member of the House and Senate voted in the documents below.

House Concon by Shira Schoenberg

Senate Concon by Shira Schoenberg

Tapestry Health would continue to run a needle exchange program at 15-A Main St. in Holyoke, but under a different state law than the one a judge cited in ordering the program shut down, according to a new court motion.

Updated at 5:35 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 to change the reference to the lawyers representing Tapestry Health to William C. Newman, of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, Western Regional Office, and Michael Aleo, of the Northampton firm Lesser, Newman, Aleo & Nasser.

HOLYOKE -- Tapestry Health would continue to operate a needle exchange program here but under a different state law and no longer as a program under the Department of Public Health, according to a motion filed in Hampden Superior Court in Springfield.

The motion seeks to vacate Judge Mark D. Mason's March 14 order that the needle exchange program at 15-A Main St. cease operations because it was improperly established without a City Council vote. Mason has already denied one motion to reconsider his order that the facility close.

The motion is the latest twist in a controversy that has divided the community and the City Council, members of which filed a lawsuit that named Mayor Alex B. Morse as a defendant, in 2012.

Some said needle exchange saves lives but others said it encourages intravenous drug use.

The May 12 motion asserts that Tapestry's decision to operate a needle exchange program here under a different state law than the one under which Tapestry has been running the program since August 2012 is the basis for the request that Mason's cease-operations order be rendered moot. The motion was filed by Tapestry lawyers William C. Newman, of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, Western Regional Office, and Michael Aleo, of the Northampton firm Lesser, Newman, Aleo & Nasser (see below).

Tapestry can continue to provide free needles under a 2006 law, Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 94C, section 27, which repealed a law that had made possession and non-sale distribution of needles illegal, the latest Tapestry motion states.

As part of his March 12 ruling, Mason also issued a 120-day stay. During the stay, the needle exchange program can continue to operate while the City Council considers the merits of the program, one of only five in the state.

If the City Council, as is likely, fails to take a vote to permit the needle exchange program to operate, the program would shut down, under Mason's order.

But the latest motion filed by Tapestry argues that such circumstances were applicable only with Tapestry's needle exchange program in Holyoke operating under its current status. That's as one of five "pilot needle exchange" programs under and funded by the state Department of Public Health.

Instead, according to the motion, "effective July 1, 2016, Tapestry will no longer operate as a pilot needle exchange program in Holyoke....As of July 1, 2016, Tapestry still intends to distribute needles to its clients in Holyoke in a manner that is consistent with this court's order."

Tapestry Health officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment. It was unclear how the Holyoke needle exchange program would continue to be funded without state money.

Morse said the city won't appeal Mason's March 14 order that needle exchange cease operations.

Supporters such as the mayor said needle exchange is a vital program for public health in a city beset with drug use. In needle exchange, intravenous drug users visit an office and hand over used injection-drug needles and get clean ones in return. Doctors and other specialists say isolating the used needles is vital because the sharing of infected needles is largely to blame for spreading diseases for which there are no cures like HIV-AIDS and hepatitis C.

A related benefit is intravenous drug users in such visits can get exposed to safety warnings and counseling referrals they otherwise might never get, supporters say.

Opponents say that it doesn't make sense to give needles to addicts and trust that they will avoid sharing them, and that doing so brands the city as a drug haven.

Mason's 120-day stay expires July 12, and thereafter, Tapestry will continue to operate a needle exchange program because, the latest Tapestry motion said:

"The plain language of (state laws) demonstrate that there is no prohibition, restriction, or limitation anywhere in Massachusetts law regarding the possession or non-sale distribution of needles....allowing Tapestry to engage in the non-sale distribution of needles to its clients in Holyoke is consistent with (state law), which no longer prohibits the non-sale distribution of needles."

Plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed by some city councilors argued that the local approval that is needed to establish a needle exchange program is a favorable vote of the City Council and not just approval of the mayor and Board of Health, as Morse, program supporters and state officials have said. Mason agreed.

Not all of the 15 city councilors are plaintiffs. Some have left the board or have asked that they be removed as plaintiffs.

Currently the plaintiffs are council President Kevin A. Jourdain and councilors Linda L. Vacon, Todd A. McGee, James M. Leahy, Joseph M. McGiverin and Daniel B. Bresnahan.

Defendants are the Holyoke Board of Health, Tapestry Health and Morse.

Tapestry Health Motion for Reconsideration regarding Holyoke needle exchange: by Mike Plaisance

The incident happened at the Walmart on Buckland Hills Drive in Manchester, Conn.

MANCHESTER, Conn. - An alleged shoplifter is suffering from serious injuries after slashing his own throat when he was confronted by security Wednesday afternoon.

NECN reports the incident happened at the Walmart on Buckland Hills Drive. Police said the 44-year-old man switched the price tag on a vacuum cleaner, and was caught trying to buy it for a lower price.

Store security brought him to their office, where he slashed his own throat with a knife that was in his pocket.

Police said his injuries may be life-threatening.

The Hartford Courant reports police are withholding the man's identity because, due to the seriousness of the injury, they are trying to notify his next of kin.

Jane Alamo, 20, and Kristian B. Greene, 28, both of Springfield, are charged with armed assault in a dwelling and two other counts from a July 23, 2015 incident at 468 Liberty St.

Buffy Spencer | bspencer@repub.com 

SPRINGFIELD — Jurors deliberated all day Wednesday without reaching a verdict in an armed assault case against a Springfield couple.

The Hampden Superior Court jury will resume deliberations Thursday.

The jury in the trial before Judge Mark D. Mason began deliberating late Tuesday afternoon in the case against Jane Alamo, 20, and Kristian B. Greene, 28, both of Springfield. Each is charged with armed assault in a dwelling and two other counts from a July 23, 2015 incident at 468 Liberty St.

In her closing argument Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Mary A. Sandstrom told jurors the two defense lawyers in the case slandered the alleged victim in their closing arguments.

But the defense lawyers told jurors in their closing arguments they should not believe the made-up "stories" Desiree King, the victim in the case, told on the stand.

King, 21, testified Alamo and Green broke into the apartment she shared with her then-boyfriend armed with a metal rod and a knife and attacked her, cutting her finger.

Nicholas Horgan, lawyer for Alamo, said King's testimony was "jumbled, confused, erratic, chaotic." He said King was a heroin addict and was completely unreliable. He said King's condition was "very sad and unfortunate," but jurors should pay attention to the fact her testimony was "all over the place."

Sandstrom said King said on the stand she was not on heroin now and there was no reason to disbelieve her.

During King's time on the stand, Mason repeatedly told King to calm down, stop swearing and answer the questions asked of her.

Marissa Elkins, lawyer for Greene, said Greene and Alamo were staying with King and her then-boyfriend. Elkins said they confronted King about property she had stolen from them, but they did not attack her physically or have weapons.

Police are calling David Collignon, 55, a kidnapping suspect. The warrant is for assault and battery on a disabled person.

NEWTON - Police have issued an arrest warrant for David Collignon, the man investigators believe kidnapped a disabled woman from an assisted living facility.

Beth Birnbaum, 62, left the CareOne facility on Washington Street on Tuesday in the company of Collignon. Investigators said Birnbaum is not authorized to sign herself out, and Collignon did not have permission to do so.

Police are calling Collignon, 55, a kidnapping suspect. The warrant is for assault and battery on a disabled person.

Birnbaum has a traumatic brain injury and needs medication. Police said she and Collignon know each other.

WHDH reports CareOne staff called police at 2 p.m. Tuesday, when they saw Birnbaum's unattended wheelchair outside, and said Collignon was seen loading some of her belongings into a car.

Collignon was last seen driving a gray 2015 Honda Fit with the Massachusetts license plate number 744 YR1.

Anyone with information about Birnbaum's disappearance is urged to call Newton Police immediately at (617) 796-2100.

Police responded to Route 5 & 10 in the area of Lasalle Drive at around 2:30 p.m. and found all four people trapped in the car.

WHATELY - Four people were injured, one seriously, in a single-car rollover crash on Wednesday afternoon.

Police responded to Route 5 & 10 in the area of Lasalle Drive at around 2:30 p.m. and found all four people trapped in the car. A photo of the scene released by police showed the car had gone over the guardrail, and the roof appeared to be caved in by a tree trunk.

The driver and two passengers were transported to area hospitals, and one passenger was flown by Life Flight helicopter to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, police said.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

Anyone who recognizes the three people in this photo – a woman and two men – is asked to call West Springfield police detectives at 413-263-3210.

WEST SPRINGFIELD — The shopping list was short and sweet, apparently. No butter, milk, eggs or bread. Just a few vibrators and some lubricant, according to police, who need the public's help in catching a trio of alleged bandits accused of stealing from a local pharmacy.

Anyone who recognizes the three people in the photo above – a woman and two men – is asked to call West Springfield police detectives at 413-263-3210.

They are accused of stealing several items – one Intimina vibrator, three bullet vibrators, and two boxes of KY Lubricant – from the CVS pharmacy at 928 Riverdale St.

"The suspects acted together, w/ the male wearing the dark jacket holding the items at the time the trio fled the store," police said in a Facebook post around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The group reportedly left the scene in a red, older-model Jeep Cherokee, possibly from the late 1980s or early '90s, police said.

Police said it appears the driver failed to negotiate a curve and went off the road.

This is an update of a story posted at 5:51 p.m. Wednesday

WHATELY -- Police are continuing to investigate the cause of a Wednesday afternoon accident on Route 5 that injured four people, two seriously, but for now have eliminated speed, alcohol or reckless driving as factors.

Police said the driver, a 22-year-old man whose name is not being released, appears to have been distracted by one of the other three passengers in the car, and this caused him to go off the road and into guardrail.

The impact caused the Honda Civic to flip on its side and slide roof-first into a tree. Police smashed the rear window of the car and were able to extract three of the occupants before the fire department arrived.

The accident was reported just before 3 p.m.

A front seat passenger was taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. The driver was driven to Baystate by a South County ambulance. Both suffered serious injuries, police said.

Two passengers were transported by ambulance to Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield.

Police did not disclose their names.

The accident occurred on a straightaway section of Route 5 near LaSalle Drive. The car was heading south. At a stretch of the road near where Route 5 goes over Interstate 91, the road curves slightly. But police said instead of negotiating the curve, the car continued straight and hit the guardrail.

Police found no evidence that the car was speeding, or that the driver was impaired in anyway. They found no cellphone in the car, police said.

No charges have been filed.

Massachusetts Senate President Stan Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat, declined to call on Sen. Brian Joyce, a Democrat from Milton whose law office was raided by the FBI, to resign.

Senate President Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, declined to call for State Sen. Brian Joyce's resignation on Thursday, reiterating that the Milton Democrat is entitled to due process.

The Boston Globe broke the news on Thursday that the Massachusetts Senate received a subpoena from federal prosecutors investigating Joyce. The FBI had previously raided Joyce's law office. Some lawmakers suggested to the Globe that investigators were looking for records from senators whose committees Joyce contacted on behalf of private legal clients.

Brian Joyce

Joyce has denied wrongdoing.

Massachusetts Republican Party spokesman Terry MacCormack called on Joyce to resign and called on Rosenberg to "persuade" Joyce to resign.

"Brian Joyce's long saga of public corruption has reached new heights, with the latest developments bringing the entire state senate under scrutiny," MacCormack said in a statement. "This subpoena follows an FBI raid that already proved Joyce is simply incapable of effectively representing his constituents."

Rosenberg said in a statement, "I continue to expect all Senators to abide by the highest ethical standards, including full cooperation with any and all requests from law enforcement. Like all citizens of Massachusetts, Senator Joyce is entitled to due process of law. Once the investigation is complete, the Senate will take action as appropriate. The decision of how best to serve remains between Senator Joyce and his constituents."

The conservative Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, which previously called on Joyce to resign and Rosenberg to begin the process to expel him, now called on the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate Joyce.

"It was Joyce's decision alone to use his office as a one stop shop for personal enrichment," Paul Craney, executive director of The Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, said in a statement. "It was the Senate President's decision to turn a blind eye to his behavior that today brings the entire body into the mess. Not surprising that until now, they decided to have an ethics committee that remains less active than a hundred year old tomb."

Joyce has said he will not seek re-election. He has continued to show up for Senate votes.

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton put GOP rival Donald Trump in her crosshairs Thursday, stressing that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is not qualified to serve as president.

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton put GOP rival Donald Trump in her crosshairs Thursday, stressing that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee is not qualified to serve as president.

The former secretary of state, who has turned her campaign's focus to Trump in recent weeks despite still facing a primary challenger, told CNN's Chris Cuomo that the billionaire businessman's rhetoric, behavior and proposals show he's not ready to lead the United States.

"I think in this past week, whether it's attacking Great Britain, praising the leader of North Korea...whether it is saying 'pull out of NATO, let other countries have nuclear weapons;' the kinds of positions he is stating and the consequences of those positions -- and even the consequences of his statements -- are not just offensive to people, they are potentially dangerous," she said.

Stressing that "the entire world is listening and watching" the 2016 presidential campaign, Clinton took issue with some of Trump's proposals, particularly his call to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country and the reactions it has sparked.

While the former first lady acknowledged that all politicians misstate things or may not be as careful in phrasing their remarks, she argued that Trump's "irresponsible, reckless and dangerous comments" are not the result of him speaking off the cuff.

"This is a pattern, it's a pattern that has gone on now for months and it's a pattern that adds up, in my opinion," she said. "Having watched presidents, having seen the incredibly difficult work that they do...I know how hard this job is and I know that we need steadiness, as well as strength and smarts in it and I have concluded he is not qualified to be president of the United States."

Clinton's critique came shortly after Trump claimed her husband, former President Bill Clinton, was accused of rape, pointing to an allegation that surfaced in 1999 and was publicly denied.

The businessman raised the allegation during an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity after being asked if the New York Times, which recently published an article on Trump's history with women, would interview those who accused the former president of sexual misconduct.

Clinton refused to comment on Trump's remarks, telling CNN that she knows "that's exactly what he is fishing [for.]"

The trial date for Suzanne Hardy of Holland is now Oct. 3 in a case where she is charged with two counts of manslaughter. She was allegedly texting while driving before the fatal crash.

SPRINGFIELD -- The trial date has been moved for Suzanne Hardy, the alleged driver of a car that crashed in Brimfield, killing two young boys who were passengers.

The trial had been scheduled for May 23 but earlier this month a new trial date of Oct. 3 was set.

Hardy, 23, of Holland, is free on her own recognizance awaiting trial.

In addition to two manslaughter charges, Hardy faces two counts of motor vehicle homicide by negligent or reckless operation, one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and three counts of reckless endangerment of a child.

Killed as a result of the June 20, 2014, crash were brothers Dylan Riel, 4, and Jayce Garcia, 1, of Southbridge.

Hardy was aunt to Dylan Riel as the sister of the boy's father, Eric Hardy.

Assistant District Attorney James M. Forsyth is prosecutor and the defense lawyer is Joan Williams.

Williams asked to move the trial to October, saying the prosecution alleges Hardy was texting at the time of the crash. She said the prosecution has provided her with more than 5,000 pages of information concerning cellphone records.

Williams said she was owed more information from the prosecution, and that a defense expert needs time to go over all records.

Forsyth said Hardy was charged with reckless endangerment of a child because the three children in the car were not properly restrained. There was another 4-year-old child in the vehicle.

As a condition of her release, Hardy must stay away from Nicole Riel and Andres Garcia of Southbridge, the boys' parents. She also must not drive.

According to a statement released at the time by then-District Attorney James Orenstein, the crash occurred in the area of 345 Sturbridge Road (Route 20).

Hardy, heading east, attempted to pass on the right a landscaping truck that was stopped to make a left turn. Her car, a 2010 Honda Civic, clipped the guardrail, spun out of control into the westbound lane and crashed into a Ford Expedition. The Honda was then stuck head-on by another car in the westbound lane.

The two occupants of the other car, a 2009 Honda Civic, also were seriously injured.

The count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (motor vehicle) lists the victim as Lyndsey O'Connor, one of the people in the 2009 Honda Civic.

The three occupants of the Ford Expedition, the driver and two children, were not injured.

The crash was reported around 4:50 p.m. Route 20 was closed from the junction of Holland and East Brimfield roads to Route 148 in Sturbridge for more than three hours, and the emergency response included two medical helicopters and multiple ambulances.

Hardy was charged with two counts of manslaughter and two counts of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, all for the deaths of Riel and Garcia. In these kind of cases, a defendant could be found guilty of either manslaughter or motor vehicle homicide.

Gilberto Rivera was sentenced to nine to 12 years in state prison after pleading guilty to 23 counts from Holyoke break-ins.

Gilberto Rivera (HOLYOKE POLICE DEPARTMENT) 

SPRINGFIELD — Gilberto Rivera was a "one-man crime wave," a Hampden Superior Court judge said Thursday in handing down a state prison sentence to the former upstate New York resident who admitted to breaking into 10 Holyoke homes and a car.

Judge Tina S. Page sentenced Rivera, 38, to nine to 12 years in state prison, and echoed the phrase used by Holyoke police when he was arrested in November 2014.

Assistant District Attorney Maida Wassermann said the crimes occurred between September and December 2013. All told, Rivera pleaded guilty to 23 counts stemming from the break-ins, with most of the incidents carrying multiple charges.

Residents were home at the time of three of the break-ins, including an 81-year-old woman Rivera assaulted during an Oct. 31, 2013 incident. The woman has since died -- but her daughter, who was in court Thursday, provided a statement that Wassermann read prior to the sentencing.

The daughter said her mother was home alone when she heard a window break and then saw a man crawling through. The man through her mother to the ground and held a blanket over her head, according to the daughter's account..

For the last years of her mother's life, the daughter said, "every little noise" would make her mother jump; her sense of security was gone.

Rivera pleaded guilty to one count of unarmed robbery in relation to a break-in at a home where a woman in her 90s lived. Wassermann said Rivera grabbed the woman and dragged her across a rug. The woman grabbed a candle and tried to fight him off, and ended up running out the door in a nightgown.

Another victim was a blind man who heard glass shattering when Rivera broke in, Wassermann said. The man did not encounter Rivera, she said.

Defense lawyer Nicholas J. Horgan said Rivera was born in Puerto Rico and had an abusive childhood, finding himself out on the street at age 14 and addicted to heroin by the time he was 17. Horgan, who asked for a sentence of seven years, said his client was sick with heroin addiction when he broke into the homes.

As Horgan talked about Rivera's childhood, Rivera began crying into his hands.

Rivera was arrested in Albany, New York, on outstanding warrants for the break-ins.

Police said at the time the city's Criminal Investigations Bureau detectives, with assistance from the Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab, developed fingerprint and DNA evidence linking Rivera to numerous crime scenes.

Rivera had fled the Holyoke area, but city police worked closely with law enforcement counterparts in Albany and the U.S. Marshals Service New York / New Jersey Regional Task Force to track him down.

Wassermann praised police for their hard work on the robbery cases.

None of the stolen items were recovered, Wassermann said.

Wassermann also read a victim impact statement from another man, whose home was broken into Oct. 13, 2014.

According to that statement, the family had just moved to Holyoke and he was starting a new career.

"Imagine coming home to a hole in the window," he wrote, describing "irreplaceable items" that were taken, including family jewelry passed down through a generation.

The man said his 9-year-old daughter was terrified in the wake of the incident, and the family all slept on the couch and cushions in the living room for a week because she was so scared.

The man, in his statement, expressed frustration over the time it took to solve the case -- a lag Wassermann told Page was due to the processing of DNA evidence.

"This case is a demonstration that my office will hold to full accountability those who attempt to diminish our quality of life in Hampden County," Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni said. "Defendants who violate citizens' households, and thereby their sense of safety and security, will face the full force of the law and be the subject of aggressive prosecution."

Springfield city councilors Kateri Walsh and Kenneth Shea toured City Hall and said they viewed "hazardous conditions." They said they will ask Mayor Domenic J. Sarno to resubmit a $1 million bond order that has failed two consecutive council votes.

SPRINIGFIELD -- Two city councilors, Kateri Walsh and Kenneth Shea, said Thursday they will ask Mayor Domenic J. Sarno to resubmit a proposed $1 million bond order to repair "hazardous conditions" at City Hall, its front steps and plaza, and sidewalks.

The $1 million bond proposal has failed to garner enough votes from the City Council at two consecutive meetings this month, but Walsh and Shea were undeterred after a tour at City Hall on Thursday.

"We urge our colleagues on the council to support the restoration to City Hall Plaza, which is the face of the city," Walsh and Shea said in a joint statement following the tour. "We feel the historic Municipal Group area should be repaired and that we have an obligation to get it maintained for future generations and to protect citizens who use it on a daily basis."

They were shown damaged areas by representatives of the Facilities Department.

The cost of patching was estimated at $5,000 to $10,000 annually, and was described by the councilors as "a Band-Aid approach."

The council needed a two-thirds majority vote to approve the bond, meaning at least nine "yes" votes from the 13-member council.

Some of those opposed said there were other pressing needs facing the city.

The $1 million project was aimed for renovations such as repairing the front steps, drainage, lighting and re-pointing and repairing the exterior facade of the building.

On May 2, the council vote was 8-2 in favor of the bond order, failing by one vote to reach the nine vote requirement.

Councilor Timothy Rooke called for reconsideration at Monday's meeting. That vote was five in favor of the bond, and eight councilors opposed.

One councilor, Timothy Allen, who changed from "yes" to "no" on the bond order, said he is concerned that Springfield's pension liability is the worst in the state, percentage wise, and should be addressed more aggressively in city budget deliberations.

Town Meeting approved the measure initated by 8th graders.

AMHERST - The town of Amherst is the first community in the state to adopt an Indigenous Peoples Day resolution, though it does not change the federal or state designations for Columbus Day.

Town Meeting agreed to support the resolution  initiated by Matthew Venditti's eighth grade Amherst Regional Middle School students on Wednesday night.

The resolution in part reads that:

"Amherst Town Meeting go on the record to state that the second Monday of October henceforth be commemorated as Indigenous Peoples' Day in Amherst, in recognition of the indigenous people of America's position as native to these lands, and the suffering they faced following European conquest of their land; and be it further

RESOLVED: That Amherst Town Meeting recommends that Indigenous Peoples' Day be observed by the people, with appropriate exercises in the schools and otherwise, to the end that the culture, history and diversity of Native American Peoples be celebrated and perpetuated."

The Cambridge City Council will take up a similar resolution May 26.

Temporary Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner wrote in an email that with "respect to Town calendars, we will probably do some sort of hyphenated designation recognizing the actions of Town Meeting, but not wanting to confuse residents who are used to the Columbus day holiday, and also recognizing that it is still known as Columbus Day for federal and state purposes."

The Amherst Regional School Committee last month voted to change the name of the day on the school calendar.

Students initiated the resolution after reading more about Columbus during an "inquiry segment" on the explorer.

After learning about some of his atrocities they wanted to do more than debate so brought their resolution forward.

Some in Town Meeting who opposed the resolution wanted to continue celebrating Columbus and Indigenous People's Day.

Town Meeting member Robert Biaggi asked to amend the resolution to keep Columbus Day on the second Monday and Indigenous Peoples Day on the third Monday of October. "Columbus was a person of his time."

Biaggi said, "Indigenous people were slaughtering people before Columbus."

In an email Thursday, Venditti wrote that the "students were very pleased with the results. 

"The students had a great opportunity to learn about the democratic process and how it works at the town level. 

"There were those who spoke eloquently in opposition to the article, which help to show the kids that people can have honest disagreements in politics with thoughtful debate rather than personal attacks. 

"I was very grateful for that."

A Maine fire chief has been implicated in a seven-alarm fire that burned 42 acres and forced the evacuation of a condominium complex.

A digest of news stories from around New England.

Chicopee Police are asking for help in locating a man who went missing from his home in Fairview on Wednesday.

CHICOPEE — Police are asking the public for help in locating a Chicopee man who went missing yesterday evening.

Dan Cote, 60, left his house in Fairview at approximately 7 p.m. on Wednesday, and has not been seen since, according to officer Michael Wilk of the Chicopee Police Department. He was last seen driving a Silver Honda CRV, with the Massachusetts registration of 46DV65, police say.

He is described as 5'7", 145 lbs, and is allegedly wearing the clothing that he can be seen wearing in the picture provided in this article. Police said Cote's family is "extremely concerned" about his well being.

If anyone has any information about Cote's whereabouts, they should contact Chicopee authorities at 413-594-1700.

Firefighters initially had the blaze under control and then it rekindled. Watch video

This story updates a report posted at 2:01 p.m.

CHICOPEE - At least six people were displaced and two evacuated after a stubborn fire destroyed four units at Doverbrook Condominiums Thursday.

The fire was first reported at about 12:25 p.m. after construction workers who were installing siding on nearby units saw smoke and called the Fire Department, Fire Capt. Mark Galerneau said.

The fire destroyed four adjacent units 38, 42, 44 and 46. Three people were home at the time of the fire and they were able to evacuate safely, he said.

Kathryn McKay, who lives at 46 Applewood St., said she was home when someone knocked on her door and told her there was a fire.

"My husband was sick in bed and they carried him out," she said.

She has lived in her condominium for 27 years and said she was shocked to see it burn. She did not see the fire until someone knocked on her door.

She and her husband plan to stay at a hotel or relatives tonight.

"I don't know what caused it," she said.

The cause is under investigation by the Chicopee Fire Department and the State Fire Marshal's office. It is not believed to be suspicious but with the fire still burning it is hard to tell, Galerneau said.

Galarneau said he was not certain if six or eight people lived in the four units.

Firefighters arrived quickly and seemed to have the blaze under control within about 15, minutes although smoke continued to stream from the roof. While firefighters started venting vent the attic area and look for fire extension, the blaze rekindled.

Units from Stations 1, 5 and 8 initially responded to the fire. When it rekindled firefighters from Station 3 also responded. Springfield, Holyoke and Westover Air Reserve Base Fire Departments provided mutual aid by manning the different stations, Galerneau said.

"The attic space is all open. It was a contributing factor to the spread," he said. Now fire stops are required between units but the condominiums are older and built before the law was in place.

Flames burned through the roof and blanketed the neighborhood with heavy, black smoke. None of the nearby units were damaged in the blaze.

After the blaze rekindled, the fire department brought in a ladder truck and poured water on the one-story units.

"Initially we had an internal attack and eventually we had to back outside for safety reasons," Galerneau said.

Applewood Street and part of Pendleton Avenue is closed to traffic and is expected to be closed for some time.

The American Red Cross is also assisting at the scene of the fire.

With earnings season mostly over and little news to move prices, the focus remained on the suddenly higher odds that the Fed will increase rates in June, as minutes from its last meeting released Wednesday suggest.

BERNARD CONDON, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK -- Stocks dropped on Thursday as investors get used to idea that the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates next month.

Major indexes fell from the start of trading, following European markets sharply lower, with banks and industrial companies hit the hardest. By the close, Goldman Sachs had dropped 3 percent and Boeing fell 2 percent, the biggest declines in the Dow Jones industrial average. Several commodities sank for a second day, including gold, silver and copper.

With earnings season mostly over and little news to move prices, the focus remained on the suddenly higher odds that the Fed will increase rates in June, as minutes from its last meeting released Wednesday suggest.

"This is all about the Fed," said Bill Strazzullo, chief market strategist at Bell Curve Trading. "Putting June on the table was something few expected."

With the drop on Thursday, the Standard and Poor's 500 index has now slipped into a loss for year. Both it and the Dow index have fallen in five of the past seven days.

The Dow fell 91.22 points, or 0.5 percent, to 17,435.40. The S&P 500 lost 7.59 points, or 0.4 percent, to 2,040.04. The Nasdaq composite gave up 26.59 points, or 0.6 percent, to 4,712.53.

At the Fed's meeting in April, policymakers indicated an increase in rates was likely, assuming the economy and labor market continued to strengthen. Higher rates diminish the appeal of high-dividend companies to investors seeking income.

"Many of these stocks already had significant moves up and were due for a correction," said Chief Investment Officer Henry Smith of Haverford Trust. "They have decent yields, but high valuations."

That said, some winners from the previous day became losers as investors scrambled to make sense of the new Fed stance.

Banks climbed after Wednesday's release of the Fed minutes on the expectation they will be able to charge more for loans as rates rise. But investors apparently thought the buying went too far, and sold them heavily on Thursday. The sector dropped 0.9 percent.

Among other stocks making big moves, Wal-Mart Stores jumped nearly 10 percent after reporting surprisingly strong sales and releasing an optimistic outlook. The world's largest retailer rose $6.05 to $69.20.

Urban Outfitters jumped $3.42, or 14 percent, to $28.01 after reporting first-quarter sales that exceeded analyst forecasts. The solid results from Urban and Wal-Mart contrasts with dour reports from many other retailers in recent weeks.

Monsanto rose $3.42, or 3.5 percent, to $100.55 after German drug and chemicals company Bayer confirmed it has entered talks with the U.S.-based seed company.

In Europe, Germany's DAX fell 1.5 percent while the CAC-40 in France fell 0.9 percent. Britain's FTSE 100 index was down 1.8 percent.

The Nikkei 225 index in Tokyo ended flat, while South Korea's Kospi lost 0.5 percent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 0.7 percent.

Benchmark U.S. crude oil fell 3 cents to close $48.16 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, dropped 12 cents to $48.81 a barrel in London. Wholesale gasoline fell 2 cents to $1.63 a gallon, heating slipped less than a penny to $1.48 a gallon and natural gas rose 4 cents to $2.04 per 1,000 cubic feet.

U.S. government bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note slipped to 1.85 percent from 1.86 percent. In currency trading, the dollar slipped to 109.89 yen from 110 yen and the euro fell to $1.1202 from $1.1229.

In metals markets, gold lost $19.60 to $1,254.80 an ounce, silver gave up 64 cents to $16.49 an ounce and copper fell 2 cents to $2.06 a pound.

Although Democratic rival Bernie Sanders has pledged to remain in the presidential race through the convention, Hillary Clinton stressed Thursday that she will be crowned the party's nominee. Watch video

Although Democratic rival Bernie Sanders has pledged to remain in the presidential race through the convention, Hillary Clinton stressed Thursday that she will be crowned the party's nominee.

Clinton, who leads in delegates, told CNN's Chris Cuomo that receiving the title is largely a formality at this point in the Democratic presidential race, adding that she's confident the party will unify ahead of the November general election.

"I will be the nominee for my party Chris. That is already done, in effect. There's no way that I won't be," she said, pointing to what she called her "insurmountable" lead.

Sanders' campaign spokesman Michael Briggs, however, offered a different take on the nomination fight. 

"In the past three weeks voters in Indiana, West Virginia and Oregon respectfully disagreed with Secretary Clinton," he said in a statement. "We expect voters in the remaining eight contests also will disagree."

Although the former first lady said she was "disturbed" by reported threats and grievances that surfaced among Sanders supporters following Nevada's Democratic convention, Clinton said she's optimistic that the party will come together around her, just like it did around Barack Obama in 2008.

"I know the intense feelings that arise -- particularly among your supporters as you go toward the end," she said.

Contending that about 40 percent of her supporters said they would never back the then-senator, Clinton stressed that she worked to change that -- something she said she's confident Sanders will do as well.

"Whatever differences we might have, they pale in comparison to the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party," she said. "Name an issue you care about, domestic or international, and clearly we are much closer -- Sen. Sanders' supporters and mine -- than either of us is with Donald Trump."

The former secretary of state added that while she's committed to doing everything possible to court Sanders' supporters, the Vermont senator must also step up to the plate.

"He has to do his part to unify. He said the other day that he will do everything possible to defeat Donald Trump -- he said he'd work seven days a week, I take him at word," she said. "I think the threat that Donald Trump poses is so dramatic to our country -- to our democracy and our economy, that I certainly expect Sen. Sanders to do what he said he would."

Clinton, meanwhile, would not comment on whether she will ask the Vermont senator to serve as her vice presidential running mate, saying it was a discussion to have later down the road.

Hillary Clinton may be considering these 10 Democrats for her vice president

Although Clinton has received 2,293 of the 2,382 delegates needed to secure the Democratic Party's nomination -- when including 525 so-called "superdelegates," Sanders has vowed to remain in the race through the remaining primaries in hopes of forcing a contested convention.

"We think we have a path towards victory -- admittedly it is a narrow path, but when I started this campaign we were 60 points behind Secretary Clinton...here in early May we won in Indiana. I think we've got some more good victories coming -- so we are in this race until the very last vote is cast," he told NPR earlier this month.

Sanders' campaign, meanwhile, has repeatedly pointed to polls showing the Vermont senator beating Trump in hypothetical general election matchups.

"With almost every national and state poll showing Sen. Sanders doing much, much better than Secretary Clinton against Donald Trump, it is clear that millions of Americans have growing doubts about the Clinton campaign," Briggs said Thursday.

A Fox News poll released this week underscored that argument, giving Trump a 45 to 42 percent advantage over Clinton, but falling to Sanders.