The annual run was part of the "Victory for Veterans" 50-mile fundraiser ride.

HOLYOKE — More than 1,500 riders were expected to attend the 5th Annual Holyoke Soldiers' Home Motorcycle Run held Saturday.

The run was part of the "Victory 4 Veterans" 50-mile fundraiser ride. Victory for Veterans is a non-profit organization based in Western Massachusetts that was formed to support veterans at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home and other local veteran groups.The organization hopes to bring awareness to those who have served the country.

The annual event kicked-off at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home and ended at the Moose Family Center on Fuller Road in Chicopee. Activities included live music, a barbeque, motorcycle dealer booths and plenty of raffle prizes.

For more information visit www.victory4veterans.org

The victim was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

PROSPECT, Ct. - A 21-year-old man was arrested Saturday night after allegedly stabbing another man.

Anthony Magnano, of 47 Woodcrest Drive, was charged with first degree assault, reckless endangerment and breach of peace. He was released on $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Waterbury Superior Court on June 1, Connecticut State Police said.

Police were called to Woodcrest Drive shortly after 5 p.m. for reports of a disturbance and stabbing. Officers found one victim and searched for others but did not find anyone else who was injured.

The victim was brought to the hospital by ambulance. He suffered non life-threatening wounds, police said.

"Troopers initiated an initial investigation. After speaking with witnesses and the victim a suspect was developed," police said.

Detectives from the Central District Major Crime unit also responded.

Water will be shut off on May 23, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

PALMER - The Thorndike Water District plans to shut off water service to residents on Monday; the action is related to the replacement of a water main in Thorndike village.

Water will be shut off on May 23, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., in the following locations:

High Street, from the intersection of River Street to Ware Street
Ware Street, from Thorndike Mills to Old Warren Road
Vicardav Avenue
Cyd Alan Street
Flynt Street
Waverly Street

The district is asking residents who will be affected to plan accordingly for the seven hour water service interruption.

Contact Thorndike Water District at 289-1300.

The Noah Lis performance on May 22 begins at 2:30 p.m.

PALMER -- Noah Lis and his band will be performing a concert at Pulaski Park, in the town's Three Rivers village here Sunday afternoon, as part of the community's 300th anniversary celebration.

The Noah Lis performance on May 22 begins at 2:30 p.m.

Opening the musical show is Donna Lee Honeywell, at 1 p.m.

Pulaski Park will be selling food and beverages; it is located at 40 Belcherttown St.

Tickets are $10. Children less than 12 years old get in free.

The Vietnam Veterans of America will hold a Memorial Day commemoration ceremony on May 29 and the Memorial Day Parade will step off at 10 a.m. May 30.

CHICOPEE - The Department of Veterans' Services is announcing a variety of events which will be held to commemorate Memorial Day and remember those who died in war.

Throughout the week retired Air Force Reserve Senior Master Sgt. Michael Brunette will work with local Boy Scout and Cub Scout troops, high school students and other volunteers to place flags on the more than 7,000 graves of veterans located in the city's 11 cemeteries.

The city will honor a resident with the Sgt. Charles H. Tracy Award, which is given to a veteran who goes above and beyond to help fellow veterans. The event will be held at 9 a.m., May 26 outside 36 Center St. and is open to the public. The road will be closed for a short period of time for the ceremony.

On May 27, the Veterans Memorial and Patriotic Committee of Chicopee and the Department of Veterans' Services, with the help of a variety of local veterans organizations, will visit local schools, speak about the history of Memorial Day and hold a short ceremonies where they will lay wreaths at school flag poles.

The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 111 will hold a candlelight memorial service at 7 p.m., May 29, to remember those killed in war and those missing in action. The event is held at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Park, on Chicopee Street, where a bronze plaque for each of the 15 residents who were killed in the war is attached to each of the 15 brick pillars which surround the park.

The Memorial Day Parade will step off at 10 a.m. on May 30 from the American Legion Post 452 on Exchange Street and will march down Cabot and Front Streets, ending at the Veterans' Plaza, located in front of the Sgt. Kevin Dupont Middle School. At about 11:15 a.m. remembrance services will be held in the plaza.

The award will be presented on May 28 at the Holyoke Community College graduation.

HOYOKE - Hampden County Sheriff Michael J. Ashe will include an award from Holyoke Community College in the long list of accolades and honors he has been receiving as he nears retirement.

Ashe, who is retiring after serving as sheriff for more than four decades, will be honored with a Distinguished Service Award at the Holyoke Community College commencement on May 28.

"Your tireless work on behalf of inmates to bring greater educational opportunities over the past thirty years is a shining example for the region," College President William E. Messner wrote in a letter to Ashe.

More than 4,600 people in facilities run by the Hampden County Sheriff's Department have earned their high school equivalency diplomas through the different educational services offered in the facilities while Ashe has served as sheriff.

Ashe said he is honored to accept the award but will do so on behalf of the staff who taught classes and helped inmates learn.

"One of the characteristics of the profile of the typical inmate who is brought to us is poor educational attainment. We offer the challenge and opportunity for them to better themselves educationally, in the same way we do with substance abuse issues, job readiness, anger management, victim impact awareness, etc. etc.," Ashe said.

"What we are always seeking to do is lessen the baggage that is holding people down so that they can reach their potential as positive, productive, law-abiding citizens. I accept this honor not really for myself, but for the people of Hampden County who have supported our education program; the staff who has labored so passionately, unheralded, to bring educational opportunity to those in our custody; and for all the men and women who have risen to the challenge and opportunity of our education programs to better themselves and their lives," he said.

Amherst College's 195th Commencement was held on Sunday, May 22, 2016 in Amherst, Massachusetts.

AMHERST -Amherst College's 195th Commencement was held on Sunday, May 22, 2016. 436 graduates from 24 different countries participated in the commencement on the college's green.

The college handed out six honorary degrees and presented Kelly L. Close, Amherst College Class of 1990 and currently a member of the college' faculty with the Medal of Eminent Service Award.

Biddy Martin, the current Amherst College President gave the Commencement Address and Darienne Malala was the Senior Class speaker.

The event also featured at tribute to retiring Hampshire County Sheriff Robert J. Garvey who has participated in the college's commencement since the mid-1980s.

People who can identify the suspect should call the detective bureau or send a private message through Facebook.

CHICOPEE - Local police are asking for help to identify a man caught on a security camera during a breaking and entering.

Police responded Friday night to a report of a past breaking and entering into a home in Willimansett. When they arrived, the homeowner, who had a private surveillance camera in his home, gave officers video which photographed the suspect, said Michael Wilk, Chicopee Police Department public information officer.

The thief took a firearm and jewelry, Wilk said.

Anyone who can help police identify the suspect or has information about the breaking and entering should call the detective bureau at 413-594-1730 or send a private message on the department's Facebook page. People can also anonymously Text a Tip to CRIMES (274637) Solve Chicopee.

State and local police are in the midst of a multi-hour standoff with the suspect in the fatal shooting of Auburn police officer Ronald Tarentino, Jr.

LEICESTER - State and local police are in the midst of a multi-hour standoff with the suspect in the fatal shooting of Auburn police officer Ronald Tarentino, Jr.

Police have blocked off a street in Leicester where they've apparently cornered a suspect inside a home.

The suspect allegedly shot Tarentino during a traffic stop on Rochdale Street around 12:30 a.m.

Authorities had been searching Sunday for 35-year-old Jorge Zambrano of Worcester. They were also searching for a 1997 white Infiniti QX4. A law enforcement bulletin obtained by MassLive shows authorities considered him to be "armed and dangerous."

Nearby resident Carrie Ghizzi said police have been on the street since at least 9 a.m., though a heavy police presence didn't arrive until later.

Ghizzi said she watched as police took a woman away from the scene. She was not handcuffed.

Just after 3 p.m., several gunshots could be heard from down the street. A muffled megaphone could also be heard for several hours.

Tarentino was a 42-year-old father of three children. He had been a member of the Auburn Police Department for two years after transferring from Leicester.

The FBI, Massachusetts State Police, Worcester police and the Worcester County District Attorney's Office are all involved in the investigation, according to Auburn Police Chief Andrew J. Sluckis, Jr.

The Massachusetts Democrat spoke at one of three Suffolk commencements on Sunday, telling her own life story and taking a swipe at presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

BOSTON - U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren encouraged graduates of Suffolk University's College of Arts & Sciences to find opportunities along life's many winding roads, and get ready for the unexpected.

The Massachusetts Democrat spoke at one of three Suffolk commencements on Sunday, telling her own life story and taking a swipe at presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. She also received an honorary Doctor of Public Service degree.

"If you take the unexpected opportunities when they come up, if you know yourself and if you fight for what you believe in, I can promise that you will live a life that is rich with meaning," said Warren.

"All the planning in the world can't prepare you for the twists that are coming your way," she added. "Don't be so focused in your plans that you are unwilling to consider the unexpected."

She illustrated her point with lessons drawn from her own life. Warren became interested in the law after she lost a teaching job because she was pregnant, and spent her days watching legal dramas on television. That set her on a new path toward government service and her election to the Senate in 2012.

Warren shook hands with each of the 718 graduates during the ceremony at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion on the Boston waterfront.

She told the graduates not to live their lives based on other people's opinions, then turned to ask university president Margaret McKenna: "How's this speech polling so far? Higher or lower than Donald Trump's unfavorable numbers with women?"

Her struggles as a young mother made Warren more sympathetic to working class people, and she said the graduates must "think hard about what really matters to you."

"What makes your heart flutter and your stomach clench? What makes you wake up ready to go?" said Warren. "Knowing who you are is the compass that will guide you to unexpected opportunity."

Lester Eldridge's car was found parked and running on the South End Bridge on May 12.

Rebecca Everett | reverett@masslive.com 

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Connecticut has confirmed the identity of a body found last week in a section of the Connecticut River in Windsor as Lester Eldridge Jr., 56, of Longmeadow, Windsor Police Capt. Thomas LePore said.

Eldridge had been reported missing May 14.

Two days earlier, his car was found parked and running on the Julia B. Buxton Bridge in the South End of Springfield. That discovery triggered a search of both banks of the river downstream, but police did not find any evidence that anyone had jumped.

Eldridge's body was found at 8 a.m. Friday on a sandbar north of the East Barber Street boat launch, LePore said. Windsor, Connecticut, is roughly 20 miles south of Springfield.

The $43,612 salary of the Holyoke creative economy coordinator, a job Jeffrey Bianchine has filled since the position was established in 2012, has been cut.

A related story was published at 3:41 p.m. on Monday, May 23, 2016: 'Been a privilege': Jeff Bianchine, as Holyoke cuts creative economy coordinator

HOLYOKE -- The hard work of Jeffrey C. Bianchine has helped to instill knowledge about including arts and culture in various departments' roles in economic development, a city official said.

"On a personal note, I couldn't be prouder of the work Jeff has accomplished as part of the ... team," said Marcos A. Marrero, director of the Planning and Economic Development Department.

Bianchine has been city creative economy coordinator since 2012 but funding for the job's $43,612 yearly salary has been cut in the budget that Mayor Alex B. Morse has submitted to run the city in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Officials praised Bianchine while saying that the emphasis on including creativity in relation to the arts and other parts of the culture into city planning and economic development has evolved to the point where such practices can continue without a coordinator.

"From an organizational perspective, I think the reallocation of the (creative economy coordinator) functions within the city is a reflection on the progress we've seen over the past three and a half years with the position, and that with that progress comes new challenges for which we need to adapt our strategies," Marrero said.

Bianchine's work with individual artists and organizations has helped to establish a way to carry out projects "more easily and more often than before."

The Wistariahurst Museum staff will take on some of the events planning and organizing that Bianchine handled as creative economy coordinator, Marrero said.

"That work will continue through current staff. The portion of the work related to facilitating the programming of public space through a wide array of public and/or privately organized events needs continued and likely additional attention for where we are now.

"We believe the best mission-aligned department positioned to carry out that task going forward will be Wistariahurst. So in the coming months we will be structuring that work within the current capacity of Wistariahurst, and seeing how to expand that capacity as needed for the coming years," Marrero said.

Bianchine, a photographer, has been instrumental in making Holyoke an influence in regional and state discussions about urban revitalization, he said.

"Jeff's a part of this community and this industry, and I look forward to continue partnering with him for the benefit of Holyoke through his other ventures," Marrero said.

Thomas Flanagan was killed when an oncoming vehicle crossed into his lane and struck his vehicle Sunday night, officials said.

Suzanne McLaughlin | smclaughlin@repub.com 

SOUTH HADLEY -- The man killed Sunday night in a two-car accident on Route 116 has been identified as Thomas P. Flanagan, 29, of Westfield, according to the office of Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan.

Flanagan was pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield following the 7 p.m. accident.

According to Sullivan's office, the accident occurred near 124 College St. Another vehicle crossed over the center line and collided with Flanagan's vehicle.

The other driver was also taken to the hospital for treatment of injuries that were described as not life-threatening.

There were no passengers in either vehicle, the DA's office said.

The crash remains under investigation by the South Hadley Police Department, the Massachusetts State Police and the Northwestern district attorney's office.

Massachusetts State Police say she was dropped off by an Uber driver at the Bloomingdale's shop on Route 9, near Hammond Pond, earlier in the day,

UPDATE: Newton police say Dana Morrissey has been found safe. No further details were immediately released.

Morrissey was expected to attend the college's commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday, but she never showed up. Her family reported her missing.

Massachusetts State Police say she was dropped off by an Uber driver at the Bloomingdale's shop on Route 9, near Hammond Pond, at around 7:30 a.m.

Numerous police agencies and the State Police Air Wing are searching woods near the pond, and the Newton Fire Department has launched a boat on the water.

"At this point there is no evidence that the young woman has been harmed; the search is because she is unaccounted for at this time," said state police in a news release announcing details of the search.

CBS Boston reports police are trying to locate her cell phone, but it's turned off.

Tuesday is Morrissey's 24th birthday.

PLEASE SHARE: This is missing BC student Dana Morrissey, 23. Police, family asking for help in minutes on @fox25news pic.twitter.com/vWU4abWTyz

— Christine McCarthy (@ChristineMFox25) May 23, 2016

Orlando Genao was sentenced to nine to 10 years in state prison.

SPRINGFIELD -- Up until the last minute, 53-year-old Orlando Genao was going to take his chances with a jury trial.

But on Monday morning, as Hampden Superior Court Judge John S. Ferrara prepared to call prospective jurors into the courtroom, Genao -- a citizen of the Dominican Republic who had been living illegally in the United States -- decided to accept a plea agreement offered by the prosecution.

Genao was allowed to plead guilty to trafficking between 100 and 200 grams of heroin, which carries a minimum mandatory sentence of eight years.

Ferrara sentenced him to nine to 10 years under the plea agreement reached by defense lawyer Anthony Bonavita and Assistant District Attorney Amy D. Wilson. Genao was initially charged with trafficking more than 200 grams of heroin, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 12 years. Wilson said police found well over 500 grams of heroin in Genao's 78 Oak Grove Ave. apartment, along with $20,900 in cash.

Genao also agreed to forfeit the money under the terms of his plea.

At the time of his arrest, police said Genao was living in the U.S. illegally. Defendants charged with serious crimes who are in the U.S. illegally serve their sentences here before being deported. The federal government will often place a "detainer" on the person when he or she is arrested to assure they are not released.

Wilson said Genao had a previous drug distribution conviction in Pennsylvania which resulted in a five-year sentence.

Additional defendants in case

Genao was to be tried with co-defendant Wilkins Rivera, 39, of Philadephia. Jury selection began for Rivera's trial after Genao pleaded guilty.

Rivera was arrested in Genao's apartment on Oct. 14, 2014 -- but his lawyer, Timothy Farris, said he was just visiting and had nothing to do with the heroin.

In a previous hearing, Wilson said that when police arrived at the Oak Grove Avenue apartment Genao was actively packaging heroin, placing 303 bundles of the drug into a plastic bag. Police found an additional 375 grams of heroin in a package wrapped in duct tape on a nearby ottoman. Wilson said Rivera was on the couch, and was not physically handling heroin.

Wilson said officers found heroin in other parts of the house, including in a rice container.

The men's cases had been the subject of a motion to suppress evidence, with lawyers arguing unsuccessfully that police made an illegal entry into the apartment.

Another co-defendant, 49-year-old Eric Barbot, previously pleaded guilty to a reduced charge and was sentenced to 31/2 years in state prison followed by two years of probation.

Barbot was originally charged with trafficking more than 200 grams of heroin . Wilson said when the amount was weighed at the drug laboratory, the weight was slightly under 200 grams.

As part of the plea agreement, Barbot was allowed to plead to trafficking in the amount of 18 to 36 grams and possession of heroin with intent to distribute.

Barbot was arrested on Oct. 14, 2014, after police had another man set up a buy of 200 grams of heroin. When Barbot arrived at the Salvation Army parking lot on Liberty Street with the heroin, police were there to meet him.

After Barbot's arrest police learned of the Oak Grove Avenue apartment and Genao's alleged role in the heroin trafficking operation. They then went to that apartment.

The operation resulting in the arrests was part of a joint investigation by Springfield narcotics officers and members of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI.

Maria Serrano and Luis Santiago of Springfield are charged with cocaine trafficking in the amount of more than 200 grams.

SPRINGFIELD -- A city couple on Monday pleaded not guilty in Hampden Superior Court to trafficking cocaine in the amount of over 200 grams.

Maria Serrano, 54, and Luis Santiago, 48, had already denied the charge in Springfield District Court but now the case has been moved to Hampden Superior Court.

Bail originally had been set for each at $250,000 cash by Springfield District Court Judge William J. Boyle. The bail had at some point been reduced to $15,000 each, and both posted that amount in Springfield District Court. They will remain free on the same amount, Hampden Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney said Monday.

Serrano and Santiago were arrested April 7 when police seized more than 300 grams of cocaine from their Chestnut Towers apartment, according to court documents. They are also charged with violation of a drug free school zone.

Springfield narcotics detectives confiscated 315 grams of cocaine and $15,025 in cash after obtaining a search warrant for the 18th-floor apartment, police said.

Gov. Charlie Baker said a number of investigations will follow the death of Auburn police officer Ronald Tarentino and the death of the suspect, Jorge Zambrano, after a standoff with law enforcement. Watch video

BOSTON - Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday that a number of investigations will follow the death of Auburn police officer Ronald Tarentino and the death of the man suspected of killing him.

"There's going to be a series of investigations around all of this," Baker told reporters at the Massachusetts State House, after one reporter asked about the suspect, Jorge Zambrano, who had missed drug screenings and probation violations.

"There's a lot we know at this point, but there's obviously a lot we don't know," Baker said.

Earlier in the afternoon, Baker called the death of Tarentino a "monstrous tragedy."

Tarentino was killed on Sunday morning during a traffic stop on Rochdale Street. He was a father to three children.

"Police officers all over the commonwealth make that walk, from the cruiser to the driver's side door, never really knowing what to expect," the governor said.

Zambrano, the suspect, was killed Sunday after a standoff with police. He allegedly ambushed police and shot a state trooper before police shot and killed him.

Suspect who shot Ronald Tarentino had lengthy record

Tom Brady's legal team, including former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olsen, officially filed an appeal of the latest Deflategate ruling Monday.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady's legal team officially filed their petition Monday for a rehearing of his suspension case against the NFL before the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in New York, according to multiple reports. His lawyers first announced their intent to file this appeal Monday morning on 'Good Morning America.'

Brady's legal team, which includes former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olsen, petitioned for a rehearing en banc, which would mean all active judges on the court would rehear the case.

Monday marked the petition deadline after a three-judge panel ruled 2-1 against Brady last month. There is no timeline for the court to decide whether or not it will rehear the case, though it expected that the court will make that decision well before the season starts.

Should the court accept the petition, there would be a stay of Brady's four-game suspension until the new ruling, and he would be eligible to play at the beginning of the season. If it chooses not to rehear the case, Brady could petition the U.S. Supreme Court and ask for a stay of the second circuit decision. If the second circuit doesn't grant a stay then, Brady could ask for a stay at the decision of the Supreme Court.

Conference committee negotiators have reached a deal on a public records law overhaul that lawmakers say would allow courts to award legal costs to plaintiffs who obtain public records through lawsuits and set new limits on the time public entities would have to comply with records requests.

By KATIE LANNAN

Conference committee negotiators have reached a deal on a public records law overhaul that lawmakers say would allow courts to award legal costs to plaintiffs who obtain public records through lawsuits and set new limits on the time public entities would have to comply with records requests.

The bill, unanimously approved by the six-member conference committee during an open meeting Monday afternoon, presumes that attorney fees will be awarded unless the agency or municipality establishes there was no violation of law, there was a reasonable reliance on published legal decisions, the request was filed with intent to harass or intimidate, or the request was not made in the public interest.

State agencies would have 15 business days to comply with a records request, while municipalities would be given 25, according to a bill summary. Copying costs would be limited to 5 cents per page for a black-and-white copy.

Rep. Peter Kocot, a Northampton Democrat who chaired the conference, called the bill an "outstanding improvement" over the current law and said the committee had sought to put forward legislation that could be easily understood by a citizen requesting records.

Lawmakers developing the bill also worked to minimize the financial impact on smaller municipalities, in some cases setting different standards for communities with populations under 20,000, Kocot said.

Only municipalities with fewer than 20,000 would be able to charge a requester for the first two hours of employee time required to fulfill a records request, including searching for the documents, redacting and reproducing them. State agencies would be unable to charge for the first four hours of time.

The conflicting House and Senate public records bills were sent to the conference committee on Feb. 11.

Conference committee members adopted amendments to their bill during their meeting and the final version of the bill is being assembled.

Morrissey was expected to attend the Boston College commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday, but she never showed up.

NEWTON - Police say 23-year-old Dana Morrissey is safe, hours after her family reported her missing.

Morrissey was expected to attend the Boston College commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday, but she never showed up. Massachusetts State Police say she was dropped off by an Uber driver at the Bloomingdale's shop on Route 9, near Hammond Pond, at around 7:30 a.m.

Law enforcement agencies searched the area around Hammond Pond on Monday afternoon. Shortly after the search was announced, police said Morrissey was located.

Multiple media reports indicate she was taken from nearby woods on a stretcher and transported to the hospital by ambulance.

No further details were immediately released.