Long airport screening lines have become a national issue.

WINDSOR LOCKS -- Wait times in the TSA security lines at Bradley International Airport average less than 30 minutes during peak hours, the Connecticut Airport Authority said Monday.

But Bradley management -- ever protective of the airport's reputation as less of a hassle than competitors Boston Logan, LaGuardia, Newark or Kennedy -- also plans to hire as many as 15 part-time helpers so federal TSA agents can focus on security checks.

Called non-certified employees, these airport workers will do tasks Transportation Security Administration agents do now but that don't necessarily require one to be a TSA agent, said Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority. Examples include directing passengers to the proper lines and lifting baggage into machines.

"We are trying to free up as many TSA employees as possible," Dillon said in a phone interview Monday.

The helpers would be part-time because they would only work during Bradley's peak-travel times, from  5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The airport plans to hire about 15 workers and have them in place by June 1.

Long security check lines have become an issue around the country -- with some passengers waiting hours for screening -- as passenger volume increases with lower fares and a busy summer travel season.

In its 2015 year in review, the Transportation Security Administration told Congress that, nationally, 99.6 percent of passengers spent less than 20 minutes in line.

"What we are reacting to is more of the stories of long wait times from around the country," Dillon said. "We do want folks to understand here at Bradley we monitor TSA wait times and do everything we can to help our customers get through quickly."

But, he stressed that Bradley is not in charge of the TSA or its operating procedures.

Some airports around the country have switched from the TSA to a government-approved private security force. Bradley isn't considering that option seriously right now -- though Dillon said, "I would never rule it out." 

He stressed that what Bradley sells is the convenience factor.

"Many hours of the day you can come to Bradley and have a 5 minute wait or less to get through security," he said, adding: "We don't want people to wrongly react to some of these national stories."

Bradley gets about 6 million passengers coming and going a year, he said. The number is going up and summer is expected to be particularly busy, including the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

The Connecticut Airport Authority offered these travel tips:

• Review TSA guidelines prior to arriving at the Airport. Information can be found on the TSA website, www.tsa.gov, or by calling (866) 289-9673.
• Arrive 90 minutes in advance of the flight's departure to allow enough time for check-in at the ticket counter and the TSA screening process.
• Consider applying for TSA PreCheck, a TSA program that expedites the screening process. An application center is located in the baggage claim area at Bradley International Airport. Appointments can be made by calling (855) 347-8371. TSA precheck costs $85 for five years. 
• US Customers and Border Security also offers the Global Entry program to speed international travelers through security.

An online fundraiser on the website GoFundMe had raised more than $6,000 for Flanagan's family as of 6 p.m. Monday, with more than 100 people making donations.

WESTFIELD -- Sympathy and support are pouring in for the family of Thomas Flanagan, the 29-year-old man killed Sunday night in a car crash in South Hadley.

Investigators said a vehicle crossed over the center line near 124 College St. around 7 p.m. and hit Flangan's car. He died at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield.

The other driver's injuries are not considered life-threatening.

An online fundraiser on the website GoFundMe had raised more than $6,000 for Flanagan's family as of 6 p.m. Monday, with more than 100 people making donations.

The GoFundMe page states:

We all lost an amazing man Sunday night, Thomas Patrick Flanagan. He loved his wife Angela and his two kids more than anything in this world and did everything he could to make a great life for them. All donations will be used to help his family with whatever they need during this difficult time.

The crash remains under investigation.

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An energy bill released Monday by key lawmakers in the Massachusetts House would require the state's utilities to entire into long-term contracts to buy more offshore wind and hydroelectric power. Watch video

BOSTON -- An energy bill released Monday by key lawmakers in the Massachusetts House would require the state's utilities to enter into long-term contracts to buy more offshore wind and hydroelectric power.

"Obviously, the hope is trying to contain further costs and most importantly, the need to change the direction in terms of where our energy sources would be coming from now that former sources are going offline," said House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop.

The bill, proposed by House members of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, would require the state's energy distribution companies to solicit 15- to 20-year contracts to purchase 1,200 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2027.

The companies must also solicit long-term proposals to purchase 1,200 megawatts of hydropower. (This would be contingent on the building of a transmission line that could deliver the power to Massachusetts.)

The distributors would be required to enter into the contracts as long as the bids go through an evaluation process and are found to be reasonable and cost-effective. Bids for both kinds of energy could be solicited regionally, with other New England states.

The committee's senators did not vote on the bill when it emerged from committee. State Sen. Ben Downing, D-Pittsfield, Senate chairman of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, said senators are still reviewing the language.

Downing said he does not think the bill is comprehensive enough. "It's not a bad place to start, but I think it's a bit much to call it an omnibus bill," Downing said.

Downing said any comprehensive energy bill should also include provisions related to energy efficiency, energy storage, and increasing the amount of renewable energy being purchased - not only hydropower and offshore wind.

"There's a good deal more we need to do," Downing said.

Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, previously floated his own plan for procuring long-term contracts for hydroelectric power. Baker proposed buying 1,200 to 2,400 megawatts of hydroelectric power, but did not include wind power.

Baker voiced tentative support for the House bill, though he noted that it must still pass the House and Senate. "I would describe it at this point as a very strong bill that's built around the idea of expanding our portfolio, diversifying our energy sources and incorporated big slugs of hydro and wind in our portfolio here in Massachusetts and across New England," Baker said.

Baker added, "I think now more than ever, it's really important that we create what I've called the combo platter, diversify our portfolios and incorporate some alternatives to the more traditional sources of energy we've been using to be sure that we can meet our region's energy needs going forward."

The Legislature has until the end of the July, when it concludes its formal legislative sessions for the year, to pass the bill.

State Rep. Thomas Petrolati, D-Ludlow, a member of the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee, said the House plans to vote June 15.

Advocates are already criticizing the bill.

Dan Dolan, president of the New England Power Generators Association, which represents power generators including nuclear, natural gas, coal, oil, solar, wind and local hydropower, said the bill could increase costs for consumers.

Dolan said carving out one-third of the Massachusetts electricity market and locking it into long-term contracts would raise costs because hydroelectric power and wind power would not have to compete with other forms of energy.

"You're insulating these two resources from competition in the broader marketplace," Dolan said. "You're effectively acknowledging that these resources need a separate market to be able to function, which to me means if they had to compete in the open marketplace with everyone else, they wouldn't be the most cost-effective resources."

Kinder Morgan formally withdraws federal application for pipeline

Dolan said the proposal would move Massachusetts away from a competitive marketplace toward "the bad old days of monopoly regulation."

Caitlin Peale Sloan, staff attorney for the Conservation Law Foundation, an environmental group, said her group wanted to require the purchase of even more offshore wind, and it is disappointed that the bill focuses on hydropower rather than onshore wind or other renewables such as solar energy.

"We don't want to trade over-reliance on one imported energy source - natural gas - for over-reliance on another imported energy source - hydro," Peale Sloan said. "Even if hydro is cleaner than natural gas, it's not as clean as onshore wind from a climate perspective."

Mass Power Forward, a coalition of environmental, social justice and community groups, said the group had hoped for the procurement of 2,000 megawatts of offshore wind power, rather than 1,200 megawatts; for a ban on raising electric rates to fund natural gas pipelines; and for new investment in solar energy.

"I want it all," said Claire Miller of Toxics Action Center, in a statement released by the coalition. "A ban on gas pipeline taxes, the full 2,000 megawatts for offshore wind, and accessible uncapped solar. Our health, our economy and our future require we double down on local renewable energy."

The Massachusetts Clean Electricity Partnership, which represents wind, hydro and transmission companies, called the bill "an important step forward" in meeting state goals for greenhouse gas reduction.

Petrolati said he hopes lingering questions, such as whether 1,200 megawatts of power each from wind and hydropower is sufficient to make projects financially viable, can be worked out in a committee of House-Senate negotiators, assuming versions of the bill pass the House and Senate.

Also Monday, the energy company Kinder Morgan withdrew its application to build the controversial Northeast Energy Direct natural gas pipeline. Kinder Morgan suspended work on the project in April, citing inadequate capacity commitments from prospective customers.

"NED is dead, and it gets us to a point where we have to make sure we find a path for replacing the roughly 9,000 megawatts that are coming offline with closing existing plants that are beyond their natural life and shifting off of the coal and oil," said Senate President Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst.

Rosenberg said senators still have to review the House bill, but he hopes that debate over the bill will provide an opportunity "to really green our energy supply and make sure that we have the best possible chance at reducing our climate footprint."

Alex Hernandez, 31, of Worcester, faces two federal counts stemming from his alleged plan to carry out a lone-wolf attack on the president after his release from jail.

BOSTON - An inmate at Old Colony Correctional Center in Bridgewater is charged with threatening to kill President Barack Obama.

Alex Hernandez, 31, of Worcester, faces two federal counts stemming from his alleged plan to carry out a lone-wolf attack on the president after his release from jail.

The office of U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz said Hernandez last year told a fellow inmate and cooperating witness that he "wanted to become a mujahideen (and) had the ability to obtain weapons." He also allegedly wanted to obtain fake travel documents so he could flee the country after the assassination.

In November 2015, federal authorities introduced Hernandez to an undercover agent who claimed he could help him get fake travel papers. Prosecutors say he wrote two letters to the agent, including one in which he declared:

I am writing to you now to ask that you come see me. I am a brother in faith, a martyr; and as a martyr I wish to fulfill Allah's wishes and not to live among infidels. The mujahedeen movement is hard but pure. I need your help and I hope to meet you in person.

Twice in the following months, the undercover agent met Hernandez at the jail in Bridgewater. Hernandez allegedly said he planned to attack the White House, wanted to learn how to shoot "like a sniper," had a contact in Florida who could supply a gun, and that he was studying how to bomb government buildings.

Court documents say Hernandez also made reference to a "caliphate" in the Middle East.

According to prosecutors, a search of his jail cell revealed "a document listing the former U.S. Presidents and containing the handwritten notation 'kill' underneath all the U.S. Presidents that have been assassinated while in office, and images of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Osama Bin Laden, and members of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) holding assault weapons and the ISIL flag."

If convicted, Hernandez faces a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.

Monica Atkins and Angel Roman were arrested within two hours of the alleged incident being reported, in part because police followed the trail of gasoline fumes.

SPRINGFIELD -- Two people were arrested Monday in connection with an early morning home invasion on Arden Street in which a woman told police that intruders broke into her bedroom, doused her with gasoline and threatened to set her on fire unless she surrendered her ATM card and personal identification number, police said.

Arrested were Monica Atkins, 28, of York Street, and Angel Roman, 37, of Carlisle Street. Each was charged with home invasion, armed robbery, kidnapping and armed assault with intent to murder.

Each was wanted on several warrants as well. Atkins had warrants for larceny of more than $250 and passing bad checks. Roman was wanted for assault with a dangerous weapon.

Atkins and Roman were apprehended with two hours, said Springfield police spokesman Sgt. John Delaney. The arrests resulted in no small part because police were able to follow a trail of gas fumes to an Island Pond Road ATM and ultimately to a motel on Riverside Street in West Springfield.

Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri issued a statement praising the work of all officers involved in making arrests so quickly in what he called a horrific crime.

Delaney said police were called to an address on Arden Street just after 3 a.m. for a reported home invasion. There they found a 63-year-old woman who still had pieces of duct tape on her and who smelled of gasoline.

The woman told officers she had fallen asleep at 1 a.m. but was woken up by two people in her bedroom. She said she could not see in the darkness but could tell the two intruders were a man and woman.

She recognized the woman's voice as that of an acquaintance, and deduced the man was the woman's boyfriend who recently visited her residence, Delaney said.

She told police the man bound her hands and mouth with duct tape and then soaked her with gasoline, Delaney said.

They demanded her ATM card and PIN, and threatened to ignite the gasoline if she refused, Delaney said.

She surrendered the PIN and both suspects left, leaving her bound with tape, Delaney said. The woman was able to work herself free and run to a neighbor's house for help.

Springfield police K-9 officer Scott Stelzer and his dog Blek responded to the scene. The dog immediately picked up the scent of gasoline and was able to follow it from Arden Street to the Bank of America ATM on Island Pond Road. Near the machine, they found a discarded sweatshirt that reeked of gasoline, Delaney said.

The victim's card was used to withdraw cash from the ATM, but Delaney did not disclose how much.

He said police checked with area taxi companies to see if any fares had been picked up near the ATM. One reported a cab picked up a man and woman around that time in the area of Agnes Street and brought them to the Springfield Inn, a motel on Riverdale Street in West Springfield.

The driver told police they smelled of gasoline, Delaney said.

Springfield detectives, aided by West Springfield police, when to the motel, Delaney said. By this time, detectives had identified the two suspects as Atkins and Roman, and learned that each had checked into the Springfield Inn a short time earlier, he said.

Police had their room under surveillance as officers sought a district court search warrant, but as they waited, Atkins and Roman walked outside their room. Each was quickly arrested.

Delaney said arresting officers noted they could detect the smell of gasoline on each.

Atkins and Roman were scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Springfield District Court.

Delaney said the investigation is ongoing and detectives are looking to see if they can connect Atkins and Roman with other crimes.

Map showing locations featured in this story

AMHERST — Three writers from town and three others from Northampton are among the 450 writers across the country signing a letter opposing the candidacy of Donald J. Trump. Written by Andrew Altschul of Fort Collins, Colorado, and Mark Slouka of Brewster, New York, the the letter states in part that the writers oppose Trump: "Because, as writers, we...

AMHERST -- Three writers from town and three others from Northampton are among the 450 writers across the country signing a letter opposing the candidacy of Donald J. Trump.

Written by Andrew Altschul of Fort Collins, Colorado, and Mark Slouka of Brewster, New York, the the letter states in part that the writers oppose Trump:

Amherst writers signing the letter include three University of Massachusetts faculty: Martin Espada, Jeff Parker and Edie Meidav.

Northampton writers who signed include Susan Stinson, Ellen Dore Watson and Cathi Hanauer.

Ruth Sidney Charney of Greenfield has also signed the letter.

The letter concludes,

After Saturday's town election, Bunnell was elected chair, Robert Russell was elected vice chair and Robert Boilard was elected clerk.

WILBRAHAM - Following Saturday's town election, the Board of Selectmen reorganized at Monday night's meeting and elected Susan Bunnell chairman.

Robert Russell was elected vice chairman and Robert Boilard was elected clerk.

Boilard, who served as chairman this past year, was reelected to the board in Saturday's election.

Traditionally, the board reorganizes after every election, and the chairmanship is rotated among the three members of the Board of Selectmen.

Bunnell said she would like to see the board create some goals for the coming year.

She said members of the community are welcome to send any suggested goals to the individual selectmen or to the selectmen's office.

A Norfolk County grand jury indicted Jose Alves of Springfield, Missouri, for illegally having a loaded firearm in a car outside Plainridge Park Casino.

A Norfolk County grand jury indicted Jose Alves of Springfield, Missouri, for illegally having a loaded firearm in a car outside Plainridge Park Casino.

Attorney General Maurea Healey's office announced the charges on Tuesday. Alves was arrested by Plainville police and the Massachusetts State Police outside the gambling facility on March 6.

Alves is 30 years old.

"Authorities allege that Alves was engaging in suspicious activity at one of the casino cashier counters and later determined that he had an active extradition warrant out of Missouri," Healey's office said in a release.

"During a search of Alves' car, authorities located a firearm in the center console. Alves is not licensed to possess a firearm and has previously been convicted of illegally possessing a firearm in Massachusetts," the release added.

Plainridge Park Casino, a slots parlor, opened in June 2015. The Plainville facility is located 35 miles southwest of Boston, close to the Rhode Island border, 18 miles north of Providence.

The facility is operated by Penn National Gaming.

David Dulchinos, 51, admitted that he sold 400 grams of cocaine and 27 grams of marijuana to a cooperating witness in 2014.

WORCESTER - An Easthampton man will serve 18 months in prison for dealing cocaine and marijuana.

David Dulchinos, 51, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court. His prison sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release.

Dulchinos admitted that he sold 400 grams of cocaine and 27 grams of marijuana to a cooperating witness in 2014. Prosecutors say the sale was caught on video and audio recordings.

He faced up to 20 years in prison, a lifetime of probation and a $1 million fine.

A single page cut from each book contained a photo of a disgraced former teacher.

BUCKLAND -- Mohawk Trail Regional High School on Monday released its 2016 yearbook to students, with a promise that a controversial missing page will be reprinted.

The yearbook was supposed to have been released on Friday, but was held back at the last minute by Superintendent Michael Buoniconti, who had previously ordered a single page cut from each book so as not to "harm the well-being of several students."

The page contained a photograph of former teacher Ivan Grail, who earlier this year was accused of inappropriate sexual behavior with students, said Sarah Wunsch, deputy legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.

Grail was placed on paid leave in March. His current employment status is not known. Buoniconti did not respond to an email and telephone message from The Republican seeking comment. 

The page removal provoked controversy within the Mohawk community, with some on social media saying the image of Grail would be traumatic for certain students, and others charging censorship. Lawyers for the ACLU spoke with school officials on Friday and Monday after students concerned about their rights contacted the organization.

The ACLU never threatened a lawsuit, said Wunsch, even though Buoniconti in an email to parents on Friday claimed threatened litigation by the ACLU was the reason he delayed distributing the yearbooks.

The missing page will be reprinted with a different image in place of the group photograph that contained Grail's face, said Wunsch. She said the two-sided page contained other content important to students besides the offending photo. 

Wunsch said the yearbook had been produced as part of a class, and that students earlier in the production phase had been told to nix any and all references to Grail, who had been a popular teacher.

She applauded the students who reached out to the ACLU, saying they faced criticism within the school community for taking a stand.

She said it's the ACLU's view that the page removal amounts to unlawful censorship, and that it's her hope the school district will re-examine its commitment to civil liberties. She said the ACLU has offered to conduct a workshop at the school.

"There is an ongoing disagreement between ACLU and the school system about its right to censor the yearbook, based on a Massachusetts law that gives more protection to student freedom of expression than under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. We hope to have more discussion with the administration, teachers and students about those rights."

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com.

The Lieutenant Governor visited the city Tuesday to meet with local members of the business community and learn of vocational technical learning opportunities.

HOLYOKE -- The Lieutenant Governor visited the city Tuesday to meet with local members of the business community and learn of vocational technical opportunities in the public schools. 

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito spent an hour speaking with education officials and business leaders at Dean Technical Vocational High School. 

The high school was recently awarded a $395,000 capital grant from the state to upgrade equipment in the school's manufacturing shop.

The new equipment is neccessary to better train future workers for precision technologies, said Holyoke Public Schools District Receiver Stephen Zrike. 

Western Massachusetts has many economic strengths, including in the growing fields of precision manufacturing, information technology and medical sectors. 

The state grant, Zrike said, will better align what is taught at Dean with training required in such fields. 

Following her visit to Dean, Polito toured the Holyoke Innovation District, including The Cubit. The downtown building will be home to three floors of live-work lofts and a new culinary center for Holyoke Community College on the ground floor. 

The Justice Department will seek the death penalty in the 2015 shooting at the Emmanuel A.M.E Church in Charleston. The Attorney General cites the "nature of the alleged crime and the resulting harm" in the decision.

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department intends to seek the death penalty against Dylann Roof, the man charged with killing nine black parishioners last year in a church in Charleston, South Carolina, Attorney General Loretta Lynch said Tuesday.

"The nature of the alleged crime and the resulting harm compelled this decision," Lynch said in a brief statement that said the department had considered "all relevant factual and legal issues."

Roof is awaiting trial on federal hate crime charges in connection with the June 17 shooting at Emanuel AME Church, which contributed to a national conversation about race relations and also led to the removal of a Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina Statehouse.

Roof is also charged with nine counts of murder in state court, and South Carolina prosecutors have already announced plans to seek the death penalty when he stands trial next year. Solicitor Scarlett Wilson has said she wants her case to be tried first.

Roof, who is white, appeared in photos waving Confederate flags and burning or desecrating U.S. flags, and purportedly wrote of fomenting racial violence. Survivors told police that he hurled racial insults during the attack. He was arrested a day after the shootings when a motorist spotted his Confederate license plate.

Federal prosecutors charged Roof with hate crimes one month after the shooting, saying he was motivated by racial hatred and a desire to commit a "notorious attack" when he opened fire inside the church.

"To carry out these twin goals of fanning racial flames and exacting revenge, Roof further decided to seek out and murder African-Americans because of their race," Lynch said at the time.

Though the Justice Department says it's committed to seeking the death penalty, federal executions are exceedingly rare. The last time a federal defendant was put to death was in 2003. And President Barack Obama has said he's "deeply concerned" about the death penalty's implementation.

Roof's attorneys in the federal case have said their client would be willing to plead guilty if the death penalty were not on the table. Joey Meek, a friend with whom Roof spent time in the days before the shootings, pleaded guilty last month to lying to federal authorities. He has agreed to help with the prosecution against Roof.

Vivian Poreda, 59, of Holyoke, wept Tuesday as Assistant Northwestern District Jayme Parent described in court how Poreda used a realistic-looking toy gun to rob the Freedom Credit Union in Northampton in 2015. When she answered Hampshire Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ford's questions, her voice was so faint it was almost inaudible.

NORTHAMPTON - Vivian Poreda, 59, of Holyoke, wept in Hampshire Superior Court Tuesday as Assistant Northwestern District Jayme Parent described how Poreda used a realistic-looking toy gun to rob the Freedom Credit Union in Northampton in 2015.

When she answered Judge Daniel A. Ford's questions, her voice was so faint it was almost inaudible.

"Why did you do this?" Ford asked, inquiring of the woman why she was pleading guilty to a charge of armed robbery.

"It was like a blackout. I didn't realize at the time I was doing something so horrible because everything took over ... the mind took over," Poreda said through her tears. "I had no other place to turn. I'm just so concerned with losing everything and taking care of everyone because I'm their caregiver."

She told Ford that her home was being foreclosed on, forcing her and her family, several of whom are ailing and require significant care, to find a new place to live. Her mind snapped to the point that it took several days for her to get back to normal and realize what she had done, she told Ford.

Ford told defense attorney Korrina Burnham of the Committee for Public Counsel Services that she did a commendable job making a case for a very light sentence on a charge of armed robbery, but that it was too serious a charge to warrant less than a state prison term. He sentenced Poreda to three to five years in state prison.

Among Poreda's family members in court Tuesday was her husband, whom she cares for. His fingers were crossed and shaking in his lap as he waited for the judge to announce his sentence.

Burnham had requested Poreda, who has health issues, herself and uses a cane, be on house arrest for two years followed by four years probation. Parent asked for a four- to six-year state prison term.

Ford acknowledged that Poreda has had a hard life but said "that really is no excuse."

Parent argued for a longer sentence, saying she had a hard time buying Poreda's story about being blacked out because the robbery was clearly planned and carefully executed.

Poreda found the toy gun, changed into clothes including a hat to hide her face, and put on rubber gloves before walking into the Freedom Credit Union June 11, 2015, Parent said.

She showed the toy gun to a staff member working in a loan office and instructed her to tell the tellers to hand over $50,000. "That individual was so petrified she wasn't able to speak," Parent said, so Poreda handed a note demanding the money to the tellers.

Poreda "rounded up" the staff she could see in the lobby, Parent said, but a staff member who was in the breakroom fled and called 911.

The tellers emptied their cash drawers and Poreda fled with $7,000, ditching her hat, gloves and other clothing in the parking lot. Police spotted her vehicle fleeing, however, and pulled it over a few hundred feet away at the Florence Bank parking lot.

Parent said that though the gun was a toy, it qualifies under state law as armed robbery because the bank staff believed the gun was real and that their lives were in danger. They "didn't think they were leaving that day," she said.

She also pointed out that Poreda's house was being foreclosed on because after paying off the house years ago, she took out several mortgages on the house over the last decades. She owed $163,000 on a home valued at $84,000, Parent said. 

Poreda said her family has since had to move due to the foreclosure.

Burnham told Ford she wasn't arguing that the Poreda family was fiscally responsible or that the foreclosure was an excuse for the crime. But it was the thing that made Poreda snap, Burnham said.

"At some point the financial pressure became too much and she did a horrible thing," Burnham said. "She was trying to save her home. She needed $50,000 to save her home. That's exactly what she asked for."

She is a caregiver at heart, Burnham said, and she is devastated that she has hurt her family and also the bank staff through her actions.

"The idea that she has caused this many people this much pain, it's awful to her. It's something she feels everyday. She's racked with guilt," Burnham said.

Since she was arrested, she took it on herself to seek out counseling and began being treated for previously-undiagnosed depression and anxiety, the attorney said.

Poreda will receive credit for 49 days she served in jail before she was allowed out on house arrest. 

One suspect had been living with the victim for several months and the others had been frequent visitors to the home, police said.

SPRINGFIELD -- Three suspects are being held on $500,000 bail each after allegedly breaking into a Springfield woman's home, dousing her with gasoline and demanding that she surrender her ATM card and personal identification number.

The defendants - Angel Roman, 37, Monica Atkins, 28, and Jovan Malone, 28, all of Springfield - pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, home invasion, kidnapping and armed robbery during their arraignment Tuesday in Springfield District Court.

Along with her young child, Malone had been living in the 63-year-old victim's home on Arden Street for several months and the others had been frequent visitors to the home, police said. Malone's arrest was not included in the original public statement made by Springfield police on the alleged crime.

Judge Matthew Shea set bail at $500,000 each on the recommendation of Assistant District Attorney Cary Szafranski and lawyers for the defendants.

The suspects broke into the home around 3 a.m. Monday, about two hours after the victim had fallen asleep, according to the arrest report. The suspects grabbed her, wrapped duct tape around her mouth and doused her with gasoline before demanding her ATM card and personal identification number.

Springfield man, woman charged with pouring gasoline on victim during home invasion robbery

Leaving a trail of gasoline fumes, the suspects fled the home and went to a nearby Bank of America ATM, where they withdrew $400 from the woman's account. They took a cab to York Street, where they picked up Malone's young child, and went to West Springfield, where they rented two rooms at the Springfield Inn, according to the report.

The victim, meanwhile, had freed herself and ran to a neighbor's home. When police arrived, they found a gasoline can in the woman's bedroom and tracked the gasoline smell to an ATM on Island Pond Road, where they found a gasoline-soaked sweatshirt and the victim's Social Security card, police said.

After checking with local cab companies, the officers tracked down the driver who picked up the suspects. Based on his account, police went to the Springfield Inn and arrested the defendants with the help of a Massachusetts State Police trooper and West Springfield police.

Along with her daughter, Malone had been living at the victim's home for several months, according to police. Atkins and her fiance, Roman, were friends of Malone and frequent visitors at the home, according to the report.

None of the defendants displayed any emotion during the arraignment, and left the courtroom without incident.

The three suspects are due back in court on June 24.

Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri issued a statement praising the work of all officers involved in making arrests so quickly in what he called a horrific crime.

PatientsLikeMe lets patients share health care experiences and data with other people who have the same illnesses. Watch video

CAMBRIDGE -- After Laura Roix was diagnosed with a terminal lung disease in 2013, she discovered the website PatientsLikeMe.

The site, where patients share their experiences with particular illnesses and treatments, allowed her to talk to other patients undergoing the same experiences and learn more about potential treatments.

"The suggestions empowered me and made me feel like I wasn't dying. I was fighting. I was living," Roix said.

Jill Biden, the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, toured the Cambridge headquarters of the health care technology company PatientsLikeMe on Tuesday. Her visit was part of the Cancer Moonshot Initiative, a national effort led by Joe Biden to accelerate cancer research.

"My own family members experienced diseases. I wish we'd been aware of PatientsLikeMe earlier," Jill Biden said.

Biden, as second lady, has focused on issues related to the military, education and breast cancer prevention. A long-time educator, she continues to teach today at a community college in Virginia.

Biden, a Democrat, plans to speak Tuesday evening at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center's 2016 One Hundred Gala at the Westin Waterfront hotel in Boston. Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, also plans to attend.

PatientsLikeMe was founded by Ben Heywood, whose brother died of ALS. Today, more than 400,000 patients with 2,500 conditions use patientslikeme.com. The patients can talk to each other through the website, and offer suggestions based on data uploaded by each patient.

For example, a patient can reveal what drugs he is taking, and other patients might suggest different drugs to try. The site lists disease symptoms and treatments, as reported by patients, and patients can report on the efficacy of treatments and the side effects. The site publishes its own research and also aggregates data to give to researchers. The goal of the site is to provide patient-centered information for people to use to make medical decisions.

"One of our core goals as a company is patients first," Design Director Kate Brigham told Biden. "We want to understand what questions they have, what concerns they have, how are they feeling, what decisions do they need to make, do they feel like they have the information they need to make those."

Biden spoke to company employees, then participated in a roundtable with four patients. She spoke mostly to ask questions of the participants, and she did not take questions from the press.

Phyllis Marchand, who has cancer, told Biden about her feelings of being able to help other people by making suggestions for how they can better treat and live with their illnesses.

Jackie Anderson, who has multiple sclerosis, said she found it helpful to know that she was not the only one experiencing particular symptoms. "It's a collective community of 'you're not in this alone,'" Anderson said.

Anabella Aspiras, a nurse working on the staff of the Cancer Moonshot program, said her impression of the site is that the patients are able to provide information that doctors do not. "The health care system is not designed to learn from patients," Aspiras said.

After the British ambassador to the United States, Sir Kim Darroch, spoke to the New England Council one of the first questions he received was about Donald Trump. "I have to be careful what I say on this," he said, drawing some chuckles.

BOSTON - It didn't take long for Donald Trump to come up.

After the British ambassador to the United States, Sir Kim Darroch, spoke to the New England Council, a pro-business group, one of the first questions he received was about the presumptive Republican nominee for president.

"I have to be careful what I say on this," he said, drawing some chuckles from the crowd gathered at the Hampshire House.

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron has been asked about Trump, Darroch noted, adding, "I can easily just retreat behind his lines."

"We have disagreed as we often do with the candidates about some of the things they say," Darroch said, adding that Cameron disagreed with Trump's talk of a ban on Muslims traveling to the United States.

But Cameron has also said two other things publicly, Darroch said.

"One, that he respects Mr. Trump's achievement in emerging from that large Republican field as the frontrunner and the certain nominee," Darroch continued.

"And second, that we will want to work as closely as we can with whoever the American people choose as their elected president in November," Darroch said.

While there is no invitation, "if either candidate or both candidates choose to pass through the U.K. at some stage before the election in November, both of them, presumed not together, would be welcome in Number 10," he said, referring to the home and office of the prime minister.

American elections have always drawn plenty of interest inside the United Kingdom, Darroch told MassLive.com after speaking to the New England Council.

"I would say it's especially interesting because of the success of anti-establishment candidates on both sides...both the Democratic and the Republican side," he said. "But in the end, we will wait and see who gets elected in November and do our best to work as constructively as possible."

Darroch also touched on British politics during his talk: The June 23 referendum on whether the United Kingdom should stay in the European Union, frequently referred to as the "Brexit," and the recent election of Sadiq Khan, a Muslim, as London's mayor, which Darroch called a "great advertisement for British tolerance and openness."

British Prime Minister David Cameron speaks during a joint news conference with President Barack Obama, Friday, Jan. 16, 2015. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)AP 

The June 23 vote has "implications well beyond our shoreline," Darroch said, adding that American companies see Britain as an entry point to a quarter of the world's economy.

Massachusetts and the United Kingdom, allies and economic partners, have numerous business and tourism ties.

There are an estimated 60,000 British expats living in the Greater Boston area, and there are 700,000 British tourists who come in through the New England area annually.

Britain would take an economic hit if it left the EU, according to Darroch.

"How is it looking? The answer is that, to be frank, the polls are all over the place," he said.

Telephone polls show a lead in support for the "remain camp," while online polls are producing closer results. "There is a lively debate going on between experts about whether telephone polling or online polling is more accurate," he said.

"I'm hopeful but I would not say complacent," he added.

"There are four weeks to go and we are prey to events, and have to worry about what a major terrorist event somewhere in Europe will do, for example, to opinion," Darroch said.

The British government is "not planning for failure," he said.

"The prime minister has said he will stay on whatever the outcome is and will work to implement the will of the British people," Darroch said.

Following a day of some heavy downpours, warm weather is ahead.

SPRINGFIELD -- Following a day of some heavy downpours, warm weather is ahead.

There's a chance of isolated sprinkles Tuesday evening until 11 p.m. in Western Massachusetts. The National Weather Service reports a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms in Central Massachusetts until 2 a.m. early Wednesday morning.

The low will be in the mid-to-mid 50s overnight.

Wednesday will offer clear, sunny skies. The high will be in the upper 80s from Springfield to Boston. Such temperatures are expected for the rest of the week, Western Mass News Meteorologist Jacob Wycoff said.

"Temperatures will reach into the 80s for the rest of the week, lasting into the weekend," Wycoff said. "There will be a few shower and thunderstorms chances on Friday and Saturday but no washouts or all-day rains are likely. It will become rather muggy for Friday and Saturday as well with dew points creeping into the 60s.

Forecast for Western Massachusetts:

Tonight: Showers ending followed by clearing skies. Lows: 46-50.  

Wednesday: Lots of sun. Highs: 82-88.

Thursday: Clouds building. Highs: 82-88.

The city of Holyoke is conducting random drug testing of all police officers as permitted in the contracts with the patrol and supervisors' unions.

HOLYOKE -- A city police officer is on paid administrative leave in relation to random drug testing being conducted with all officers -- but officials are examining whether a problem occurred with the testing itself, a police official said Tuesday.

Lt. Manuel T. Reyes, commander of the department's Professional Standards Division, said Officer Shaun Kelly is on paid administrative leave.

"He's on administrative leave. But there appeared to be something wrong with the test itself," said Reyes, whose division handles internal affairs matters.

Reyes declined to comment beyond saying that such a step was procedural in relation to the random drug tests. It was unclear when Kelley was placed on leave, or for how long.

Kelley was hired on July 12, 1998 and his yearly salary is $55,354, Holyoke Personnel Administrator Robert Judge said.

The city is in the midst of conducting random drug testing of all police officers as permitted in the contracts with the patrol and supervisors' unions, officials said last week.

In an email earlier this month, Acting Police Chief Denise Duguay wrote: "The Holyoke Police Department is conducting drug testing of all sworn personnel. After all police employees have been tested, the department will review the results. We anticipate that this process will be finished sometime in June, although it could take longer."

Duguay is acting chief while Police Chief James M. Neiswanger attends the FBI National Academy training in Quantico, Virginia.

The $25,000 for testing urine samples was included in the budget for the current fiscal year, which began July 1, 2015. The tests just happen to be going on now and weren't prompted by a specific incident, said Rory Casey, chief of staff to Mayor Alex B. Morse.

The contracts between the city and Local 388, International Brotherhood of Police Officers, which represents patrol officers, and Local 409, Holyoke Police Supervisors, International Brotherhood of Police Officers, permits drug testing in two cases.

The chief can order an officer to undergo a drug test based on reasonable suspicion, which Neiswanger previously has defined as an employee showing behavior such as unusual physical mannerisms, including falling down, odd work performance and the employee's own admission.

The contracts also state that if one officer is drug-tested randomly, then all officers must also be subject to random testing.

Athletic fees at Westfield High and Westfield Technical Academy have been in place since 1990.

WESTFIELD - The School Committee's Finance Committee will launch a review of high school athletic and parking fees during a meeting Thursday at City Hall.

Finance Chairman Kevin J. Sullivan said Tuesday his committee will look at both fees which have not been adjusted for several years.

"It is time for a review," Sullivan said. "The fees in neighboring communities is considerably higher than here in Westfield," he said.

School Committee and Finance Committee member Cindy Sullivan earlier told MassLive and the Republican that the review is necessary. "This is something we should look at," she said.

The Finance Committee will meet at 6 p.m. in City Council Chambers at City Hall.

In 2012 parking fees in the region ranged from a low of $20 at Westfield High School to a high of $220 per school year at Gateway Regional High School in Huntington.

The $20 fee here has been in place since 2005 and in 2012 brought the high school about $1,000 in annual revenue. The proceeds were used to offset parking lot maintenance and repair.

Westfield Technical Academy does not have a parking fee in place for students who drive to school.

The current athletic fee, charged to athletes at both Westfield High School and Westfield Technical Academy is $85 per sport and had been unchanged since 2009 when it was increased from $75 per sport.

The athletic fee at both high schools was established in 1990 at $50 per sport. It remained at $50 until 2003 when the School Committee increased it to $75 per sport.

Patrick Donovan of Springfield admits to a Springfield home invasion and a separate housebreak in 2014

SPRINGFIELD -- When Patrick Donovan was arrested in November 2014, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno wrote to the couple he victimized, assuring them, "we will pursue harsh punishment against this animal!"

On Tuesday, Donovan was sentenced by Hampden Superior Court Judge Tina S. Page to 18 to 25 years in state prison after he pleaded guilty to home invasion and 12 other charges in the case.

The 92-year-old man whom Donovan beat was not in court Tuesday. He died less than a year after the Nov. 4 home invasion. Assistant District Attorney Jennifer N. Fitzgerald told Page the man's cause of death was not linked to the attack.

But his 82-year-old wife and three of his four children were in court, and gave moving tributes to the man. They said he changed drastically after the attack, no longer vibrant and active.

All four said in their victim impact statements the man could not understand how a stranger could break into the Belmont Avenue home where he had lived for more than 60 years and savagely beat him.

The sentence includes 10 years probation after the state prison time for Donovan, whose address was 106 Larkspur St. in Springfield when he was arrested.

Sarno calls Patrick Donovan an 'animal' for allegedly assaulting elderly city man

Donovan also pleaded guilty in a separate case involving a housebreak and larceny. He was charged with that June 1, 2014 crime after his arrest in the November assault. His fingerprints were matched with those found at the June 1 crime scene.

He was sentenced to concurrent time on the June 1 housebreak.

The crimes to which Donovan pleaded guilty are:

• home invasion;
• armed burglary and assault (the weapon is a stick);
• breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony;
• strangulation or suffocation;
• armed assault with intent to rob a person over 60 (stick);
• assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury (stick);
• assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over 60 (shod foot);
• assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on a person over 60 (stick);
• assault and battery on a person over 60 with serious injury;
• assault and battery causing serious bodily injury;
• attempt to commit a crime;
• breaking and entering in the daytime with intent to commit a felony;
• larceny

Fitzgerald asked for a prison sentence of 25 to 30 years on the Nov. 4 home invasion followed by 10 years probation. Defense lawyer Nicholas Horgan, citing Donovan's multiple addictions at the time of the crime, asked for a sentence of 10 years plus six years probation.

Donovan broke down when he entered his guilty pleas. He sobbed while he offered an apology, saying he did horrible things and, "I wish I could take it back."

Fitzgerald said the day of the assault was election day, and the man went downstairs to his kitchen in the dark about 5 a.m. to make coffee for his wife, who was volunteering at the polls that day.

He was attacked from behind by someone who punched him in the face and body. The victim struggled back and fell to the floor, where Donovan continued to hit him in the face and neck, causing the victim to hit his head.

Fitzgerald said Donovan had a stick about a foot long that he pushed up against the victim's neck, insisting the whole time he be given money. At one point, Donovan's hands were around the man's throat.

The wife heard noises and came downstairs, where she saw her husband under the table with a pool of blood around him.

Donovan was standing about a foot away from her, saying "I want your money," Fitzgerald said.

He pointed his hand in a motion mimicking a gun and told the wife he had a gun.

When the wife told Donovan there was no money in the house, he fled. Donovan had entered by pushing out a screen in a window, Fitzgerald said.

The man was hospitalized with a fractured jaw, concussion, injuries to the larynx, a laceration on the head and severe bruising on his neck, face and chest.

When Donovan was arrested and brought to the police department, he admitted what he had done, Fitzgerald said.

The man's wife of 64 years walked up to the prosecutor's bench to give her victim impact statement, choosing to stand even though Page said she was welcome to sit down.

She said her husband was a proud and honorable man.

"Imagine finding your loved one face down in a pool of blood, unconscious," she said, saying she didn't know if her husband was dead or alive.

"I was afraid he might kill my husband if I left to make a call," she said.

One of his sons told Page about 350 people attended his father's wake and more would have come if they could have found parking. He said his father made many friends.

The family members said they agreed with Fitzgerald's sentence recommendation of 25 to 30 years.

Fitzgerald said in the June 1, 2014 housebreak, a female resident was home at the time, but did not encounter Donovan. She found her door open and bedrooms ransacked, with jewelry stolen.

Donovan denied ransacking elderly Springfield woman's home

Her daughter wrote a victim impact statement detailing how her mother's sense of security has been affected.

Horgan said Donovan had no adult record. He said Donovan was 19 years old at the time of the assault and had been through a number of addiction treatment efforts. He said Donovan was on the streets at the time and doing crack, drinking alcohol and taking anti-anxiety pills

In the audience in support of Donovan were about eight members from a community group that runs a ministry program at the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow, where Donovan has been held awaiting trial.

Page said to the victim's family, "I appreciate being able to get to know your husband and your dad through your words."

Speaking of Donovan, Page said she doesn't think there is a family in America who has not been affected by some kind of addiction, but for Donovan addiction "took him to a place that surprised even me."

Page told Fitzgerald she understood her sentence recommendation but considered it excessive.

As conditions of probation, Donovan must have no drugs or alcohol, have treatment as determined by the Probation Department, maintain employment and stay away from the victims.