Students staged a sit-in last month and 34 were arrested.

AMHERST -- Student activists at the University of Massachusetts are excited by the UMass Foundation decision to divest its endowment from direct holdings in fossil fuels. That vote Wednesday makes UMass the first major public university to do so.

Divest UMass had been working for four years on the campaign, and in April it staged a sit-in on campus that led to 34 arrests.

"We're excited," said spokesman Filipe Carvalho. "It's a big testament to the hard work we've been putting in for four years."

And he said it's a reflection of the student campaign in April. With that occupation, the foundation "had no other way (to respond). We were going to get the victory," Carvalho said.

The foundation agreed in December to divest from coal, but Divest UMass continued its push for full divestment.

Only about $5 million of the university's $770 million endowment is invested directly in fossil fuel interests, board of trustees Chairman Victor Woolridge said last month. The amount invested in so-called comingled or blended funds is unclear.

Foundation spokesman Ray Howell said in an email, "like most private foundations, the UMass Foundation doesn't publicly discuss details of its portfolio."

The foundation "put no timetable on the divestment, but as a point of reference, the foundation voted in December to divest from direct holdings in coal and that divestment has been completed."

The board of trustees will be asked to vote on the foundation's decision at its next meeting June 15.

UMass President Marty Meehan, who met with two representatives of Divest UMass last month, said he would recommend divestment from fossil fuel companies and also make additional investments in clean and sustainable energy.

On Wednesday he said he "planned to tap the President's Science and Technology Initiative Fund, which last year provided more than $900,000 in grants to UMass faculty researchers, to ensure future funding for sustainability/green technology projects," according to a press release.

He said that UMass is also set to boost its academic and financial involvement in offshore wind energy.

Western Mass News reported that firefighters were summoned to 31 Clarke St. at about 2:15 p.m.

EASTHAMPTON -- A Clark Street home was heavily damaged in a fire Thursday afternoon.

City firefighters were summoned to 31 Clark St. at about 2:15 p.m. No injuries were reported.

The street was closed for several hours, according to the Easthampton Fire Department:

Clark Street closed for a structure fire. 2:30pm

— Easthampton MA. Fire (@01027FD) May 26, 2016

Neighbor Ryan Meyers, who said he arrived at the scene shortly after police, said the blaze appeared have started on or near the home's front porch.

"I was just surprised how quickly it went up in flames," Meyers said, adding that one of the people who escaped the fire was a man who was woken up while asleep upstairs.

Northampton Fire Rescue provided mutual aid assistance, and firefighters from Holyoke and South Hadley were also at the scene.

According to city records, the three-family home is owned by Erin and Christopher M. Tautznik.

This is a developing story. Additional information will be posted as soon as it is available.

The Holyoke Auxiliary Police Division is a group of volunteers who wear uniforms and help police with crowd and traffic control at events like the Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade as well as with searches related to crimes.

HOLYOKE -- Twelve cadets who have been undergoing training will graduate to the Holyoke Auxiliary Police Division in a ceremony June 5 at 9:30 a.m. at the War Memorial, 310 Appleton St.

Over 100 people are expected to attend, Chief Ronald A. Dietrich said in a recent email.

Auxiliary police are volunteers who wear uniforms, which they pay for themselves, are under the jurisdiction of the Police Department and help police with crowd and traffic control, such as at the Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade and Holyoke St. Patrick's Road Race. They also help with searches related to crimes and in other ways.

Holyoke auxiliary officers again helped with crowd control at this year's Boston Marathon on April 18.

There was no connection between Juan Zayas' death and his son's duties as a state trooper, Gulluni said.

SPRINGFIELD -- Two Holyoke men with extensive criminal records are being held without right to bail in connection with the killing of Juan Zayas, a North End community activist and father of a Massachusetts state trooper.

The pair -- Edward Gonzalez, 24, and Jose Villegas-Rodriguez, 32 -- pleaded not guilty to murder, armed robbery and related charges during separate arraignments Thursday in Springfield District Court.

Several dozen state troopers attended the hearings, and the victim's family, including trooper Nelson Zayas, sat in the front row.

At the request of Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, Judge William Boyle ordered both defendants held without bail and continued the case for a hearing on June 27. The judge also impounded all records from the investigation at the district attorney's request.

The elder Zayas was gunned down on Jan. 25 outside his home on Brookline Avenue in Springfield's North End. Dozens of local and state police worked on the case, leading to the arrest of Villegas-Rodriguez in Holyoke on Wednesday and Gonzalez early Thursday morning.

No details of the investigation were disclosed in court, but Gulluni said later that there was no connection between Juan Zayas' death and his son's duties as a state trooper.

Holyoke police arrested Villegas-Rodriguez in an unrelated case on Wedensday; while being questioned, Villegas-Rodriguez implicated himself and Gonzalez in the death of Juan Zayas, Gulluni said. When Gonzalez was arrested by Holyoke police early Thursday, he also made statements about the murder, Gulluni said.

"They both implicated themselves, and they implicated each other," Gulluni said.

Gulluni said the investigation is continuing and refused to discuss the potential motive in the killing, beyond pointing out that both men are charged with armed robbery.

He called the killing "a senseless, vile and criminal act" and praised the work of Springfield, Holyoke, Chicoee and state police during the four-month investigation. Investigators spent "thousands of man-hours" working on the case, Gulluni said.

In addition to the murder case, Villegas-Rodriguez is scheduled for arraignment for attempted murder, armed robbery and other charges in an unrelated Chicopee case; he will also be charged next week in Holyoke District Court for a third armed robbery, Gulluni said.

During brief hearings on Thursday, neither defendant showed much emotion as assistant clerk-magistrate Danielle L. Williams read the first-degree murder charges filed against them.

At the first arraignment ended, a member of Zayas' family began sobbing as Gonzalez, handcuffed and shackled, shuffled from the courtroom; later, two members of Villegas-Rodriguez's family called to him as court officers led him back to lockup -- and were quickly escorted out by court officers.

The Student Prince is bringing "Wurst Haus," a sort of mobile version of the landmark Springfield eatery, to The Big E this fall.

WEST SPRINGFIELD — A lot of attractions tend to oversell themselves, claiming to have "something for everyone."

They're lying.

But The Big E never lies. It really does have something for everyone.

I mean, where else can you see a live grizzly bear this side of Montana; take a ride on a real elephant; gorge yourself on Craz-E Burgers and cream puffs; watch pigs race; slide down a yellow, 5-story slide; have your palm read; hear rising pop stars and aging FM rockers; and buy a Jacuzzi, a motorcycle, or even a pair of dancing water speakers to round out your home sound system?

Yes, that was a long question. But if you can tell me where one can find all that under one roof, so to speak, I'll stop right now.

As of Sept. 16, when The Big E kicks off its centennial run at the fairgrounds in West Springfield, you can add drinking beer out of a boot to that very long, very incomplete list of things to do at New England's great state fair.

Yes, we said "boot" – albeit a glass one. And anyone who knows anything about anything knows you can only drink beer out of a boot at the Student Prince, the legendary Springfield restaurant, which is setting up shop at the three-week-long fair that runs through Oct. 2.

How did this happen? We're glad you asked ... When it was announced that Rhode Island's famed Matunuck Oyster Bar was giving up its stand at the fair, nearly a dozen top local restaurants made bids for the coveted space. After a lengthy selection process, the Student Prince was chosen to take over the spot.

The famous restaurant, located on Fort Street in downtown Springfield, will bring Wurst Haus, a mobile version of itself, to The Big E this fall. Expect to find innovative takes on traditional favorites, live oompah music, beer girls and a selection of handcrafted German beers served in steins or a 28-ounce souvenir boot.

Menu items will include such Student Prince classics as fried Camembert and large Bavarian pretzels, as well as the Munich Corn Dog and The Big E-sized "German Giant" – an 18-inch bratwurst on a bun.

"The Wurst Haus will bring the experience of the Student Prince to The Big E," said Andy Yee, the restaurant's managing partner. "The Big E runs at the same time as German Oktoberfest. When you hear the music, smell the sausages and raise your giant boots of beer, you're going to feel like you're in a German beer hall," he said.

The Hopperesque rendering above is what the West Side version of the Student Prince is expected to look like.

"We've designed a beautiful booth with dynamic entertainment and a fun menu. It's going to be the wildest ride at the fair," Yee said.

A state retirement commission has approved a more aggressive plan for Springfield to fund its pension system, now just 26 percent funded, but stated it has "serious concerns" about the long-term sustainability of the plan.

SPRINGFIELD - With Springfield having the worst-funded public pension system in Massachusetts, a state oversight commission recently approved the city's new, more aggressive funding plan but while raising continued "serious concerns."

Joseph E. Connarton, executive director of the Massachusetts Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC), said in a letter dated April 25, that the commission approves a revised funding schedule for Springfield's pension system.

Under the revised funding schedule, approved by the Springfield Retirement Board and state, the city's budget for pension costs will increase by 14 percent in fiscal year 2018, and rise again by 14 percent in fiscal 2019. Smaller increases were initially planned.

"As we discussed in our April 6, 2016 letter and at the April 21, 2016 meeting, we continue to have serious concerns about the long term sustainability of the plan," Connarton said in a letter to the Springfield Retirement Board.

The city's pension liability and the PERAC letter were discussed during a City Council Finance Committee meeting on Thursday.

As stated earlier this week, the city's pension system is 26 percent funded, ranking as the worst funded public pension system in the state in recent years, according to city officials.

Connarton said that while the city's Retirement Board adopted "an aggressive funding schedule" at an April meeting, the unfunded actuarial liability is still expected to increase until fiscal year 2022, and any actuarial and/or pension investment losses will exacerbate the issue, Connarton said, by letter.

"We expect funding progress will be slow over the next 5 years or more even on a best case basis," Connarton said.

City Comptroller Patrick Burns said during the meeting, however, that while the city faces a very large unfunded pension liability, "unequivocally, everyone's pension is being funded." The city has assets to cover pensions and is obligated to its pension costs, he said.

Under the new schedule, the funding for pension costs for the city and School Department (excluding teachers) will rise 6 percent in fiscal 2017, to approximately $30 million. With the 14 percent increases, the pension fund will rise to $34.5 million in fiscal 2018, and to $39.3 million in fiscal 2019, officials said.

The figures do not include the Springfield Housing Authority and Springfield Water and Sewer Commission, separate from the city.

News of the accelerated payment plan was shared with councilors this week, leading to members led by Finance Committee Chairman Timothy Allen to call for a delay in voting on the proposed $616.6 million city budget for fiscal year 2017 until further information could be obtained.

Allen and other councilors have questioned how the city can afford those increases and future increases totaling many millions of dollars, and if more should be done in the coming fiscal year to offset the unfunded pension liability.

Allen was the sole member of the three-member Finance Committee in attendance at Thursday's meeting, but said he will be sharing information with all councilors.

The council is now scheduled to vote on the city budget on Monday, June 6, at 8 p.m., at City Hall, with at least one Finance Committee meeting before that date.

Timothy J. Plante, the city's chief administrative and financial officer, said at Thursday's meeting that he has been sharing information with councilors about the steep pension liability for years, and that the funding schedule is re-evaluated and amended as needed in consultation with the Retirement Board and state.

PERAC serves to oversee, guide, monitor and regulate public pension systems.

Retirement Board Chairman Robert Moynihan and City Treasurer-Collector Stephen Lonergan also attended the Finance Committee meeting.

Moynihan said communities across the state have until 2040 to fully fund their pension systems, but Springfield is on a self-adopted schedule to fund it by 2034.

We may see thunderstorms in Massachusetts Thursday evening.

SPRINGFIELD -- We may see thunderstorms in Massachusetts Thursday evening.

The National Weather Service reports a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 8 p.m. in Springfield. Central Massachusetts might also see storms, possibly around 3 a.m.

The temperature will drop to the low-60s overnight.

The National Weather Service reports a possibility of more showers and thunderstorms Friday across the state. There's a slight chance of showers in the morning through early afternoon in Worcester. Springfield may see showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4 p.m. Friday.

While there's a slight chance of showers before 2 p.m. in Boston, most of the day is expected to be clear.

The high will be around 87 degrees in Springfield, 85 in Worcester and 83 in Boston.

Massachusetts judges would have new discretion over whether to impose fees on probationers under a budget rider adopted by the Senate on a 31-7 vote Thursday.

By Andy Metzger
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, MAY 26, 2016....Massachusetts judges would have new discretion over whether to impose fees on probationers under a budget rider adopted by the Senate on a 31-7 vote Thursday.

"We need to make it possible for people to get back on their feet, get out of the system, start living their normal life," Sen. William Brownsberger, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, told the News Service after the vote.

Brownsberger said judges now can waive probation fees if they make a "written finding of hardships," and the language adopted by the Senate would "make it clear that it's up to the judge."

In January, Auditor Suzanne Bump found administration of probation fees and community service requirements was inconsistent among 16 courts surveyed.

"Fair and equitable treatment under the law is at the heart of our criminal justice system but our audit found that rather than justice being impartial, the fate of many residents has instead been a matter of geography and dependent on which court supervised them during their probation period," Bump said in a statement at the time. She said, "Inconsistency in assessing or documenting waivers of the required fees means the Trial Court, through its district court locations, may not be collecting the revenue it should."

Referencing the controversial reliance on court fees in Ferguson, Missouri, Brownsberger said the roughly $20 million in Bay State probation fees goes into the general fund and judges should not concern themselves with revenue collection.

"This isn't quite Ferguson where the courts were living and dying on how much in fees they could collect, but there is pressure on the judges of a financial nature to collect these fees," Brownsberger said. He said, "That pressure shouldn't be there. This should be based on criminal justice policy as opposed to revenue-raising considerations."

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, who joined the opposition to the bill, questioned why the requirement for a written ruling should be abandoned and argued the amendment would offer no guidance to judges.

Joining the six Republican members in opposition to the amendment was Sen. Michael Moore, a Millbury Democrat.

The amendment would address an issue that Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants raised in an annual address in October. The chief justice said supervised probation costs defendants $780 per year in addition to other potential fees.

"Collection is difficult, and we are asking probation officers to take charge of this collection, and to allege a violation of probation where a defendant fails to pay," Gants said, according to his written remarks. "And the law requires yet another payment of a $50 fee when a default warrant is issued because of a defendant's failure to pay."

The amendment also says that failure to pay a court fee cannot be the basis for a probation violation or the reason for incarceration or extension of probation.

"I think it's pretty frequently the basis of a violation, but often the disposition is they are ultimately waived or probation is extended, but that's a lot of churning in the system," Brownsberger said. He said people on probation have "one foot on a banana peel" and find it difficult to "extract themselves from the system."

Massachusetts Communities Action Network Director Lew Finfer said the change would be "significant," and said there are 77,000 people on probation.

The amendment will be added to myriad spending and policy issues that a six-member House-Senate conference committee will need to settle before sending a fiscal 2017 budget bill to Gov. Charlie Baker this summer. The new fiscal year begins on July 1.

alley Venture Mentors awarded $250,000 in funding to the 12 finalists in its startup accelerator competition..

SPRINGFIELD -- Valley Venture Mentors awarded $252,000 in funding to the 12 finalists in its startup accelerator competition during a ceremony at the MassMutual Center Thursday evening.

Companies, ranging from app developers to manufacturers of silencers for firearms, received awards of between $6,000 and $50,000, with judges allocating the money following a months-long process of boot camps and pitching sessions.

The evening's biggest winner was Celia Grace, an Amherst-based fair trade wedding dress retailer and designer that took in $50,000.

"I have had such an amazing experience throughout the accelerator and it would have been worth it without this, but this is just amazing," said Celia Grace founder Marcie Muehlke. "Not only do I have this amazing gift of the money, but I have a really strategic plan of how to use it to grow my business."

The company, which manufacturers its dresses using fair trade labor in India and Cambodia, will use the funds to increase customer acquisition efforts and market its website, Muehlke said.

Muehlke, 33, is a Groton native who attended Brown University and earned an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She started the company after being unable to find a wedding dress whose production met her ethical standards when she got married, she said.

The evening also saw the announcement of other efforts to boost Western Massachusetts' tech sphere. The Springfield Venture Fund, MassMutual's small business investment arm, said it would invest $900,000 into this year's accelerator cohort. And Valley Venture Mentors announced it plans to launch a new accelerator for manufacturing companies, with applications opening in the coming months.

Valley Venture Mentors Executive Director Paul Silva praised the passion and drive of 35 finalists and semifinalists who went through the accelerator program.

"This our 2016 class - they are the founders and the dreamers of the future," Silva said. "They are hell bent on creating benevolent world domination for all of us."

The companies are of wide-ranging backgrounds, Valley Venture said in a press release. Six are run by women and three by people of color. Five are tech companies and seven make physical products. Nine are from the Pioneer Valley, four are from Springfield and others are considering moving to the city.

The businesses, selected from 35 semifinalists and 200 total applicants, all started with under $250,000 in annual gross revenues, and were picked in part for their aggressive growth plans, Valley Venture Mentors General Manager Liz Roberts said.

"They have to have ambition and clarity, and they really want to scale," Roberts said in an interview earlier this month. "They have to be thinking big."

The finalist companies and their award totals are:

• Celia Grace, $50,000
• Homebody Holistics, $45,000
• Scout Curated Wears, $32,000
• Treaty: $21,000
• DaVinci Arms, $21,000
• Prophit Insight, $19,000
• Lavingua, $18,000
• Name Net Worth, $15,000
• iRollie, $9,000
• Need/Done Inc., $9,000
• SUMU, $7,000
• Any Cafe, $6,000

Valley Venture held its first accelerator competition last year, and its first class has already made an impact, according to Valley Venture Mentors Executive Director Paul Silva.

"Last year's cohort has generated $10 million and created 222 jobs," Silva said in a statement earlier this month.

Those companies included Olive Natural Beauty, White Lion Brewing Company, Artifact Cider Project, WorkSafe Technologies, PetSimpl and Food On a Truck.

The 12 finalists were chosen earlier this month following an intensive four-month startup bootcamp, Roberts said. In addition to the funding, Roberts touted the process as a way for new businesses to make connections and secure networking opportunities with investors who may choose to pitch in once the accelerator competition is finished.

A rapper seen on surveillance footage firing a gun in a packed hip-hop concert where artist T.I. was set to perform was arrested on attempted murder and other charges.

NEW YORK (AP) -- A rapper who police say was seen on surveillance footage firing a gun in a packed hip-hop concert where artist T.I. was set to perform was arrested Thursday on attempted murder and other charges.

Four people were shot, one fatally, when a fight that started in a performers' lounge of a Manhattan concert hall spilled into a second-floor balcony VIP area Wednesday night.

Roland Collins, who goes by the stage name Troy Ave and was shot in the leg, was arrested on attempted murder and weapons charges, a police spokesman said.

The shooting occurred shortly after rapper Maino entered the VIP area following a performance onstage with artist Uncle Murda, though investigators don't know whether the rappers played any role in the shooting, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said.

An 8-second video clip released by police shows the gunman, who police identified as Collins, bursting through the door of a VIP room in apparent pursuit of another man, who flees off-screen. As concertgoers huddle under a counter and clutch each other, the gunman, who appears to be limping, stops and scans the room for a moment with his eyes. Then, he spots something, raises his gun and fires.

Relatives of the slain man, Ronald McPhatter, who was found near the bar of the VIP area, said he was working as a security guard for Collins when he was fatally wounded.

Collins was in custody and couldn't be reached for comment Thursday. It was unclear if he had an attorney who could comment on the charges against him. A message left at a phone number listed for him wasn't immediately returned.

Investigators described the shooting as particularly brazen: There were nearly 1,000 people in the concert hall, and at least one of the victims, Christopher Vinson, was shot in the chest on the venue's ground level after a bullet traveled through the floor, Boyce said. Maggie Heckstall, who investigators don't believe was involved in the fight, was shot in the leg, authorities said.

Witnesses described a frantic, frightening scene at the venue, noting lax security to get in. Detectives are investigating whether the security, which included metal detectors and guards, was adequate, Boyce said.

Liv Hoffman said a woman next to her in the balcony VIP area was shot at close range, then carried out by some men.

"For two to three minutes, we still heard firing, still heard shots," she said. "We were clutching each other making sure no one was getting hit."

Police Commissioner William Bratton called rap artists "basically thugs" in a radio interview Thursday, describing "the crazy world of these so-called rap artists who are basically thugs that basically celebrate violence they did all their lives."

That prompted an angry response from McPhatter's relatives and a city lawmaker, who derided the comments as insensitive and divisive.

"When white people are doing this violence, I don't hear the same language being used," said City Councilman Jumaane Williams, a Brooklyn Democrat who said he had worked with the McPhatter brothers on anti-violence initiatives.

A representatives for Irving Plaza's management referred questions to police.

In a post on his Instagram account, rapper T.I., born Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., sent his condolences to the victims, adding that "our music is intended to save lives, like it has mine and many others."

The shooting marks the third time in a decade that shootings have occurred during or after concerts where T.I. was to perform.

A member of the rapper's entourage was killed and three others were injured during a gunbattle following a party after a concert where T.I. performed near Cincinnati in 2006. Last March, two people were shot and injured in a Charlotte, North Carolina, nightclub where he was to perform.

In 2010, the Atlanta rapper was sentenced to 11 months in prison on federal gun charges.

T.I. released his debut album in 2001 and became one of rap's success stories on the pop charts, thanks to Top 10 hits such as "Bring 'Em Out," ''Whatever You Like" and "Live Your Life" with Rihanna. He has won three Grammy Awards and appeared on screen in a number of films, most recently "Get Hard" opposite Will Ferrell and Kevin Hart.

He also appears on the VH1 reality show "T.I. & Tiny: The Family Hustle" with his wife and children.

Hampden County sheriff hopeful Nick Cocchi on Friday pledged to continue visiting local elementary, middle and high schools to discuss the dangers of drug use if elected to replace outgoing Sheriff Michael J. Ashe Jr.

SPRINGFIELD -- Hampden County sheriff hopeful Nick Cocchi on Friday pledged to continue visiting local elementary, middle and high schools to discuss the dangers of drug use if elected to replace outgoing Sheriff Michael J. Ashe Jr.

The Ludlow Democrat stressed the importance of such intervention practices, adding that the agency has long worked to engage young people.

"I want to continue our efforts at early intervention and guidance," he said in a statement released by his campaign. "This is so important that I will do this myself as sheriff, bringing our experts, counselors and people who are examples of our program's success along with me."

In announcing his commitment, Cocchi further sought to correct what he called the "misperception" that the sheriff's office hasn't been involved in local schools across the county -- an issue that arose in the first debate involving sheriff candidates.

According to the Democrat's campaign, the deputy superintendent with the Hampden County Sheriff's Department has addressed students across the county in his official capacity, with the department's Residents Offering Alternative Resources program and on his own -- most recently at Pope Francis High School, where he spoke on Thursday.

Cocchi stressed that such efforts have always been a part of the Hampden County Sheriff's Department's preventive intervention, which seeks to avoid later dealings with students as addiction center or jail residents.

The agency, he added, also wants youth to know that people in the community are facing addictions and beating them.

"It's one thing to hear from me in my position about the need to fight the fight, but hearing it from their peers, who can warn them of staying away from this danger, from the bad influences encouraging them to try drugs and certainly from the bad element that illegally pushes the road to addiction, is some of the best preventative medicine we can use in this fight," he said.

Cocchi further beat back claims made during the recent Hampden County sheriff's debate regarding the agency's involvement in local schools.

Hampden County sheriff's race: Candidates talk addiction treatment, experience during 1st debate

Contending that "facts are facts," the sheriff hopeful stressed that the agency has been practicing preventive intervention for decades.

"Being sheriff is not about saying things that sound good at election time, but knowing what it takes to do the job and having new ideas and plans that are good and sound," he said. "The men and women I work with every day spend more time doing the hard and essential work of the profession than heralding the work we do.

"Perhaps that is the difference between correctional professionals versus politicians seeking to serve in the role of sheriff."

Springfield City Councilor Tom Ashe, a Democrat also vying for Hampen County sheriff, said during the debate he believed the department could play a key role in the educational process by getting into schools and "being part of the fabric of the curriculum."

James Gill, an assistant deputy superintendent in the HCSD running for sheriff as an independent, contended that the department could do a better job in going out into the community and schools to provide education about the dangers of drug use.

Cocchi's pledge to continue the agency's intervention efforts came just days after the Democrat announced a plan to increase the number of certified addiction counselors to avoid treatment shortages in the county.

Governor's Councilor Mike Albano and Jack Griffin, a retired addiction specialist with the Connecticut Department of Corrections, are also running as Democrats for Hampden County sheriff.

Republicans John M. Comerford, director of the Eastern Hampden County Veterans' Service District and Francis C. Barbaro, meanwhile, have taken out nomination papers.

Hampden County sheriff candidates who qualify for the ballot will square off in a primary on Sept. 8. The general election will take place on Nov. 8.

A dozen fast food workers from New England were among the hundreds of protesters who demonstrated outside McDonald's corporate headquarters during the company's annual meeting on Thursday. Watch video

A dozen fast food workers from New England were among the hundreds of protesters who demonstrated outside McDonald's corporate headquarters during the company's annual meeting on Thursday.

"I was tired of McDonald's putting their foot on workers' necks," said Darius Cephas, a Dorchester resident who works in security at McDonald's in Cambridge and attended the protest.

The protest was organized by Fight for $15, a national coalition of fast food workers run by unions and their allies who have been advocating for a $15-an-hour minimum wage and the right to unionize.

Cephas, a member of the Fight for $15's national organizing committee, was among a group from Boston who took a 16-hour bus ride to Oak Brook, Illinois on Wednesday and camped out overnight. Movement organizers said more than a dozen workers from Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut took the bus, which was paid for and organized by Fight for $15.

Cephas, 25, said he earns $11 an hour from McDonald's, is not in a union, and receives public assistance. He said he traveled to the protest on his own time and was inspired by the energy of other workers.

If he earned $15 an hour, Cephas said, "It would really help me take care of my family. I'd be able get my own apartment, my own car, I can make a livable wage, get off public assistance, make a life for myself."

McDonald's, Cephas said, "can afford it."

Reuters reported that hundreds of protesters marched through a downpour and closed down the McDonald's headquarters on the eve of its meeting for the third year in a row. Reuters said the protest was organized by the Service Employees International Union, an ally of the Fight for $15 movement.

The Chicago Tribune reported that workers traveled from around the country. Although several thousand people were expected, fewer than 1,500 appeared to show up due to heavy rain, the Tribune reported.

As travelers in other parts of the country deal with multi-hour wait times through airport security, the wait time for travel through Bradley International Airport on Friday has been short throughout the day.

WINDSOR LOCKS, CONN. -- As travelers in other parts of the country deal with multi-hour wait times through airport security, the wait time for travel through Bradley International Airport on Friday has been short throughout the day. 

The average wait time has been under 10 minutes, the Transportation Security Administration reports.  

Passengers traveling from Chicago out of O'Hare International Airport earlier this month reported three-hour wait times, causing hundreds to miss their flights. The TSA said such lines were due to limited staffing and being unable to open all security lanes during peak travel times. 

Town meeting last week rejected a bid for the rezoning.

AMHERST -- The Jones Library may be able to buy a portion of the Amherst Historical Society land without a zone change after all.

This news was conveyed on the same night Town Meeting voted on a petition article governing the use of the library's garden.

Library trustees had asked to rezone a portion of land owned by the Amherst Historical Society from general residence to general business to allow for expansion there, but the meeting rejected the measure, limiting the library's building options.

Now it appears that the historical society might be able to sell a portion of the land without the zoning change, said temporary Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner. He said planning staff noticed, on a partial property survey the day after the vote, that there might be a parcel of society land available that would not need a zone change. He said library and historical society staff will have to hire a surveyor to check the entire parcel.

Meanwhile, the trustees were given a little flexibility with the garden, which will be affected by the library expansion.

A petition filed by Carol Pope asked that the trustees preserve the Kinsey Memorial Garden "in its entirety." The meeting instead directed the trustees to "substantially preserve," the garden.

The library expects to know within the next two weeks whether it will be able to buy the small parcel of historical society land, Library Director Sharon Sharry said in an email.

"Once we do, the architects will move ahead with our designs," she said.

"As we have said all along, the Kinsey Garden will be preserved as much as possible.

Library officials are planning to apply for a state grant in January to help pay for a plan to expand from the facility's current 47,463 square feet to 68,000 square feet. The last expansion was more than two decades ago.

"I am happy to say that the results of 2016 Town Meeting will have a positive effect on the Library's building project," Sharry said in the email.

Maple Valley Creamery has opened an ice cream stand called Hadley Scoop in a stand-alone hut on Route 9 that will serve hard-packed ice cream, sundaes, milkshakes and sodas seven days a week.

HADLEY -- Maple Valley Creamery has opened an ice cream stand called Hadley Scoop in a stand-alone hut on Route 9 that will serve hard-packed ice cream, sundaes, milkshakes and sodas seven days a week.

The business opened Friday in what started as a drive-through coffee hut called Northern Lights Cappuccino in the early 2000s and has since been home to Dusty Rose's Creamery and Megan's Valley Annex and Creamery.

Hadley Scoop will be a walk-up venue with people parking on site with the option of sitting at outdoor picnic tables.

Hadley Scoop, which will sell Maple Valley ice cream, was created to give youngsters in the Maple Valley 4-H program the chance to gain some management and business experience, Maple Valley owner Bruce Jenks wrote in an email.

The creamery will serve from 3 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and 1 to 10 weekends and holidays.

More than 20 flavors are for sale, said co-owner Laurie Cuevas's son Aaron Cuevas, who was ready to go just before opening Friday afternoon.

Hours after a jury found Massachusetts State Trooper Christopher J. Kennedy guilty of sexually assaulting a woman at her home in Worthington, Massachusetts State Police condemned his actions.

Hours after a jury found Massachusetts State Trooper Christopher J. Kennedy guilty of sexually assaulting a woman at her home in Worthington, Massachusetts State Police condemned his actions.

"Kennedy's actions, as proven in a court of law today, are deplorable, and are an insult to the ideals, values and expectations of the Massachusetts State Police and the integrity embraced by the overwhelming majority of state troopers," State police spokesman David Procopio wrote in a statement.

The jury returned a verdict in Hampshire Superior Court Friday following an hour of deliberations. He faced three charges - indecent assault and battery, assault and battery and indecent exposure - and was convicted of all.

He has been on suspension without pay from the state police since July 2014, a few days after the incident was reported.

Procopio said Friday that Kennedy remains suspended without pay and that the department will reassess his employment status in light of the conviction.

Kennedy is due back in court June 13 for sentencing.

Massachusetts State Trooper Christopher Kennedy guilty of sexual assault

Christobal Rodriguez allegedly ran over Villegas-Rodriguez in retaliation for an armed robbery that is unrelated to the Jan. 25 shooting death of a man in Springfield's North End.

SPRINGFIELD - A Holyoke man has been indicted for allegedly running over one of two defendants charged in the fatal shooting of Juan Zayas in Springfield, allegedly in retaliation for an unrelated armed robbery.

Christobal Rodriguez, 41, has been indicted in Hampden Superior Court on two charges: assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (automobile) causing serious bodily injury and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident. He has not been arraigned yet in Hampden Superior Court.

Rodriguez is accused of running over fellow Holyoke resident Jose Villegas-Rodriguez, 32, on April 15 at Sargeant and Clemente streets in the South Holyoke neighborhood.

Villegas-Rodriguez, in turn, is charged with armed robbery, with Rodriguez named in court documents as his alleged victim.

Assistant District Attorney Eduardo Velazquez said Villegas-Rodriguez robbed Rodriguez and hit him on the head. Later, according to the prosecutor, Rodriguez spotted his alleged assailant on the street and ran him over with his car.

Villegas-Rodriguez was arrested on Wednesday in connection with the armed robbery case, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said Thursday. While being interviewed by Holyoke police, Gulluni said, he implicated himself and a second man -- Edward Gonzalez, 24, of Holyoke -- in the Jan. 25 shooting death of the 71-year-old Zayas outside his home in Springfield's North End.

Neither of the Holyoke incidents are related to the Springfield shooting.

Both Villegas-Rodriguez and Gonzalez were arraigned on murder charges Thursday in Springfield District Court. The pair pleaded not guilty to murder, armed robbery and other charges while several dozen state troopers, including the victim's son, Nelson Zayas, watched from the gallery.

At Gulluni's request, both defendants in Zayas' killing were held without right to bail and the case was continued to June 27.

In remarks after the arraignments, Gulluni called the killing of Juan Zayas a "senseless, vile and criminal" act, and pointed out that both defendants had extensive criminal records.

Villegas-Rodriguez will also face charges in the armed robbery of a Chicopee bar last year, in which he is accused of beating the 64-year-old owner.

Wilmer Torres, 35, of Holyoke, was charged with the armed robbery shortly after it happened on July 28, 2015. But until this week the identity of the second suspect was unknown.

Chicopee police say two men broke into Chief's Lounge on Chicopee Street early on July 28. When owner Mario Docarmo, Jr. confronted them, according to police, the men beat him, breaking his eye-socket and nose and inflicting other injuries.

Torres has a trial date of July 11 in Hampden Superior Court in the case, which is also being prosecuted by Velazquez.

Torres is charged with armed assault with intent to murder a person over 60, armed robbery (screwdriver), assault and battery causing serious bodily injury to a person over 60, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon to a person over 60 (screwdriver), assault and battery with a dangerous weapon to a person over 60 (shod foot), and larceny in a building (Megatouch video machine stolen).

For his alleged role in the Chief's Lounge case, Villegas-Rodriguez will be charged with attempted murder, armed robbery and other offenses, Gulluni said.

The assault was captured on the bar's video surveillance system; with the family's permission, Chicopee police released the footage and appealed to the public to help identify the suspects.

The shop sells on site or delivers to your home.

AMHERST -- Insomnia Cookies is now open at 30 Main St., and customers can purchase cookies on site or by phoning in an order for delivery.

The hours are 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Delivery begins at noon, and there's a $6 minimum order for delivery.

Insomnia has stores in 90 locations across the U.S. - including Cambridge and Boston - and primarily serves college students. 

The menu includes cookies and ice cream, and prices range from a single cookie for $1.45 to a six-pack for $8.

Cookie monsters can order 300 for $290, according to the menu for the Amherst shop.

To order, customers can call 877-63COOKIE (877-632-6654) or visit the website. On average, deliveries take 30-45 minutes, according to the website.

Despite agreeing to the idea of debating Bernie Sanders earlier this week, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Friday that he will wait to face the eventual Democratic nominee.

Despite agreeing to the idea of debating Bernie Sanders earlier this week, presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Friday that he will wait to face the eventual Democratic nominee.

The billionaire businessman, who recently won the number of delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination, said in a late-afternoon statement that while he wants to square off against the Vermont senator, it would be inappropriate to debate him as he will likely finish second in the Democratic primary race.

Trump further attributed his decision to not debate Sanders to networks' lack of generosity to charitable causes.

"Based on the fact that the Democratic nominating process is totally rigged and crooked Hillary Clinton and Deborah Wasserman Schultz will not allow Bernie Sanders to win, and now that I am the presumptive Republican nominee, it seems inappropriate that I would debate the second-place finisher," Trump said.

"Likewise, the networks want to make a killing on these events and are not proving to be too generous to charitable causes, in this case, women's health issues," he added. "Therefore, as much as I want to debate Bernie Sanders -- and it would be an easy payday -- I will wait to debate the first-place finisher in the Democratic Party, probably crooked Hillary Clinton, or whoever it may be."

The announcement came less than an hour after Sanders' campaign announced it was prepared to accept a network television offer for the unusual bipartisan primary debate, which included "a major contribution to charity."

Trump told Jimmy Kimmel this week that he would accept Sanders' request to debate if money from the event were donated to charity -- a condition the Vermont senator said he was willing to meet.

Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders agree to possible California debate

The presumptive GOP nominee later put the price tag for such a debate at more than $10 million, according to Politico.

Aside from broadcast network money, the news outlet reported, online show "The Young Turks" offered $1 million to host the debate and technology company Traction and Scale offered $10 million to host it.

Sanders, who was pushing to hold the debate in a large California stadium ahead of the state's primary, proposed the event after Clinton refused to participate in the 10th and final Democratic presidential debate in California -- a move which he called "insulting" to state residents.

In a statement Friday evening, Sanders said he hoped Trump would "change his mind once again and come on board," saying the Republican had been waffling about participating in the debate over recent days.

"There is a reason why in virtually every national and statewide poll I am defeating Donald Trump, sometimes by very large margins and almost always by far larger margins than Secretary Clinton," Sanders said. "There is a reason for that reality and the American people should be able to see it up front in a good debate and a clash of ideas."

Officers from the Chicopee Police accident reconstruction team are on scene will be closing Memorial Drive down from New Ludlow Rd to Britton Street southbound only as they complete their work, said police spokesman Officer Michael Wilk.

UPDATE: The driver, an 82-year-old woman, is in stable condition at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield following the crash, according to officer Michael Wilk.

Counting turning lanes, the driver crossed six lanes of traffic in the crash. "It could have been much worse," said an officer at the scene.

CHICOPEE -- An ambulance took one driver to Baystate Medical Center Friday following a 4:25 p.m. crash at the intersection of Memorial Drive and Britton Street.

Police at the scene said the driver veered out of the northbound lane of Memorial Drive onto a sidewalk, took out traffic light and crosswalk sign, skidded and then spun across the southbound lanes.

Officers from the Chicopee police accident reconstruction team were on scene and temporarily closed the southbound lanes of Memorial Drive from New Ludlow Road to Britton Street.

Police spokesman officer Michael Wilk said the driver suffered injuries that are "possibly serious."