David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer for National Public Radio, and an Afghan translator, Zabihullah Tamanna, were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- David Gilkey, a veteran news photographer and video editor for National Public Radio, and an Afghan translator, Zabihullah Tamanna, were killed while on assignment in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, a network spokeswoman said.

Gilkey and Tamanna were traveling with an Afghan army unit near Marjah in Helmand province when the convoy came under fire and their vehicle was struck, the network's spokeswoman, Isabel Lara, said in a statement. Two other NPR journalists, Tom Bowman and producer Monika Evstatieva, were traveling with them and were not hurt.

Gilkey had covered conflict and war in Iraq and Afghanistan since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on Washington and New York and was committed to helping the public see the wars and the people caught up in them, NPR's senior vice president of news and editorial director, Michael Oreskes, said in a statement.

"As a man and as a photojournalist, David brought out the humanity of all those around him. He let us see the world and each other through his eyes," Oreskes said.

Tamanna was a freelancer who often worked for NPR, Lara, the spokeswoman, said in an email, but offered few additional details.

Gilkey covered both national and international news for the radio network and its website and had made numerous trips to Afghanistan and Iraq, according to NPR's website.

His work has been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious George Polk Award and a national Emmy. The White House News Photographers Association named Gilkey their Still Photographer of the Year in 2011. In 2015, he became the first multimedia journalist to receive the Edward R. Murrow Award for his coverage of international breaking news, military conflicts and natural disasters.

Twenty-seven journalists have been killed in Afghanistan since 1992, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, not counting Gilkey and Tamanna. They include Anja Niedringhaus, a photographer for The Associated Press who was shot dead in 2014 while covering the national elections for president and provincial councils. AP special correspondent for the region, Kathy Gannon, was also in the car and wounded in the attack.

Worldwide, nearly 1,200 journalists have died since 1992, according to CPJ's website.

In addition to Iraq and Afghanistan, Gilkey covered the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the devastating earthquake that shook Haiti in 2010, the fall of apartheid in South Africa, famine in Somalia, and war in Rwanda and the Balkans.

"The things to do were amazing and the places to see were epic," Gilkey once said of his work. "But the people, the people are what made it all worth the effort."

Gilkey's first journalism job was with the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado, where he covered local assignments for the paper and overseas assignments for Knight Ridder, according to NPR. He later joined the Detroit Free Press until he began working for NPR in 2007.

The rain didn't hold back a near capacity crowd at Springfield Symphony Hall Sunday for the Agawam High School Graduation Exercise where 327 seniors accepted their diplomas.

SPRINGFIELD - The rain didn't hold back a near capacity crowd at Springfield Symphony Hall Sunday for the Agawam High School Graduation Exercise where 327 seniors accepted their diplomas.

Opening the ceremony was school Principal Steven P. Lemanski, and a moment of silence for the passing of longtime school committee member Roberta G. Doering.

Class Officers included President Thomas Dagenais, Vice President Frank Mastromatteo, Secretary Madeline Joyal and Treasurer Jenna Beach.

Junior Marshals included Jonathan Kelley and Joseph Joyal.

School Committee members included, Mayor Richard A. Cohen, chairperson; Shelley Reed, vice chair; Diane Juzba, secretary; Anthony Bonavita, Brian Burbank, Carino Mineo and Wendy Rua.

Awarding the diplomas and certificates were, Mayor Richard A. Cohen and School Committee member, Assistant Principals, Thomas Schnepp, Susan Schoenberger and Susan Feyre, Co-Advisors of Class of 2016, Mary Bonavita and Kathryn Procter,

Police responded to 27 Ontario St. at around 7:15 p.m. A man was taken from the home on a stretcher and transported from the scene in an ambulance. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - A man has been taken to the hospital after a shooting in the Liberty Heights neighborhood.

Police responded to 27 Ontario St. at around 7:15 p.m. A man was taken from the home on a stretcher and transported from the scene in an ambulance.

Police said his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Several witnesses at the scene said they heard between five and seven gunshots.

This is a developing story. Stay with The Republican/MassLive for more information as it becomes available.

The Springfield City Council will consider approving a $616.8 million budget for fiscal 2017 that has no layoffs and will expand the police force.

SPRINGFIELD -- The City Council will consider approval of the proposed $616.8 million fiscal 2017 budget on Monday night that, if approved, would result in no layoffs and allow expansion of the police force.

The budget vote was postponed two weeks ago in response to some council questions and concerns about the city's pension liabilities.

The special council meeting is at 8 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall, set to immediately follow the council's 7 p.m. regular meeting.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno presented his budget recommendations to the City Council on April 28, saying that it included no employee layoffs, maintained essential services and included funds for 60 new police officers to fill vacancies and expand the force.

Sarno will formally address the council regarding his budget recommendation, joined by his finance team.

Council President Michael Fenton praised Sarno and his team for submitting the budget early this year.

"I expect it to be concluded tonight," Fenton said. "The council has been able to conduct its due diligence these past couple of weeks regarding the pension liabilities and other issues."

The new budget will fund all municipal departments and city expenses and the School Department. It takes effect July 1 and continues through June 30, 2017.

The council has the power to approve the mayor's recommended budget as is, or can make specific budget cuts. Under the city charter, the council does not have the power to increase budget expenditures.

The council delayed the budget vote two weeks ago after hearing again that the city's pension system for city employees is 26 percent funded, making it the worst-funded pension system in the state. In multiple Finance Committee meetings during the past two weeks, local and state retirement and finance officials said the city is on a more aggressive schedule to fund the pension system in coming years.

Under the new schedule, approved by local and state retirement boards, the city will set aside approximately $30 million in fiscal 2017 for pension costs for the city and School Department (excluding teachers). The amount reflects an increase of 6 percent, followed by planned 14 percent increases in both fiscal 2018 and 2019.

McMahon said he's looking forward to slowing down and living at a more relaxed pace

EASTHAMPTON -- After 37 years on the force, Easthampton Police Chief Bruce McMahon has announced his retirement.

"The Easthampton Police Department is a special place with incredible, talented officers," wrote McMahon in a June 6 letter to Mayor Karen Cadieux. "I am grateful to have been a part of it and proud to have served with all of the officers both past and present."

McMahon's last shift will be Oct. 27.
 
McMahon started his law enforcement career as a special police officer in 1979 and worked his way up the ranks. He served Easthampton as a patrolman, sergeant and captain, and 11 years ago was named chief.

McMahon said retiring from the force "is an emotional and difficult thing for me to do, but after 37 years of service I feel that the time is right for me to step down."

He said he looks forward to "starting a new chapter in his life, slowing down and living at a more relaxed pace." He told Cadieux "it has been an honor to serve the city of Easthampton as its chief of police."

McMahon is a recipient of the New England Association of Chiefs of Police Medal of Valor, a two-time recipient of the New England Narcotics Officers Achievement Award, and has been honored with the City of Easthampton Lifetime Achievement Award, among many other recognitions.

He is a member of the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force executive board and has served in numerous other professional associations.

Hector Guzman was held without right to bail at least until a dangerousness hearing can be held Friday.

CHICOPEE -- A man who had been released on $100 bail on charges of possessing an electric stun gun and distribution of heroin is being accused of pointing a loaded gun at Holyoke police nine days later.

In his second arraignment in less than two weeks, not guilty pleas were entered Monday for Hector Guzman, 19, in Holyoke District Court.

Holyoke District Court Judge Jacklyn Connly agreed to the prosecutor's request that Guzman be held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Friday.

Guzman's lawyer, Joseph Harty, posed no objections to his client being held.

On May 25, Guzman had been arrested by Chicopee police on charges of possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of ammunition without an FID card and carrying a dangerous weapon.

In that arrest, which happened in the area of 22 Crescent Drive, police responded to complaints about juveniles arguing over marijuana. When they arrived they found people outside a vehicle arguing with Guzman, who was behind the wheel, said Michael Wilk, public information officer for Chicopee police.

Police discovered two .22-caliber rounds on the ground near the car. When they searched the vehicle they discovered additional .22-caliber rounds and a magazine, four bundles of heroin and a pocket-sized electric stun gun under the driver's seat, all of which they identified as belonging to Guzman, Wilk said.

"Thankfully, no Holyoke Police Department officers were injured when he pointed a firearm at them, while he was out on bail," Wilk posted after Guzman's most recent arrest.

Acting Holyoke Police Chief Denise Duguay could not immediately be reached for comment.

While out on bail Sunday, Guzman is accused of pointing a gun at police who were trying to serve a warrant charging him with domestic assault and battery. Guzman fled and officers ran after him, Holyoke Police Lt. James Albert said.

Under state law police can only release limited information about crimes involving domestic violence but Albert said the charges stem from an incident in Holyoke that happened within the last two weeks.

During a short foot chase through Beaudoin Village, Guzman allegedly pulled out a gun and pointed it police. Before he was apprehended he threw the gun to the ground, police said.

Police said they recovered a fully-loaded Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun and a "Pro Mag" high capacity magazine with nine rounds of ammunition during the arrest.

Guzman faces charges of possession of a firearm without a license to carry, possession of ammunition without an FID card, possession of a loaded firearm, assault with a dangerous weapon, carrying a dangerous weapon and possession of a large-capacity feeding device in the Holyoke arrest.

The dog weighs about 26 pounds, roughly half of a healthy weight for his breed. Numerous lesions found on his body are believed to be cigarette burns, and a small notch has been cut into ear.

WATERTOWN - Police are asking for the public's help finding the owner of a "severely emaciated" pit bull found wandering on Arsenal Street this weekend.

The dog weighs about 26 pounds, roughly half of a healthy weight for his breed. Numerous lesions found on his body are believed to be cigarette burns, and a small notch has been cut into each ear.

He wandered into the Home Depot on Arsenal Street at 6 a.m. Saturday.

Police are calling him "Sully Doe," and they say he is friendly.

Anyone with information that could identify his owner is asked to call Watertown Animal Control Officer Karen O'Reilly at (617) 972-6446.

Springfield Central High School students wore their caps and gowns and talked to the elementary school students about graduating, going to college and more.

SPRINGFIELD — Elementary school students clapped and cheered as Springfield Central High School graduates strolled through the halls in their caps and gowns on Monday.

"It was pretty cool," said Caleb Irizarry, a fourth-grader at Edward P. Boland School in Springfield.

The 27 high school students will graduate this Wednesday, but they donned their caps and gowns to surprise the elementary school children.

"It was nice to inspire the kids and tell them to stay in school, that they can do it and they can pursue their dreams," said Anastasia Bedinelli, who is headed for Holyoke Community College to study nursing. Bedinelli, along with Diana Morales and Khalia Williams-Albury, were also students at Boland School.

"It was nice to come back and see my teachers. I teared up a little," said Morales, who will also go on to Holyoke Community College, to study culinary arts and psychology.

For Williams-Albury, who went to Boland only for kindergarten, it was a chance to talk with young students about their future.

"I hope they can see what's possible," said Williams -Albury, who will go on to Bay Path University to study accounting and Chinese so that she can go into the field of international finance.

The idea of having the graduates come to the elementary school was not an original one, said Domenica Nooney, school adjustment counselor at Boland. After parent facilitator Zoelma Garrafa saw a Facebook post where a school in another state had done this, she posted it, and Nooney quickly called her.

"I knew we had to do this for our students," Nooney said.

She got Principal Lisa Bakowski on board, called Yolanda Johnson, executive officer of student services for the Springfield Public Schools, and got two dozen students from Central High School who were willing to participate.

"When I saw it, I thought this is motivation for the little ones," Garrafa said.

Nooney said for many students, it is the first time they have seen someone in a cap and gown.

"This connects back to the bridge we are trying to build about college and career readiness. It's about the exposure and the door it opens to a discussion about high school, graduation and college," Nooney said.

Garrafa said students were excited and ready with questions. Caleb had many questions.

"I liked how they got to answer our questions so we would know what high school was really about," Caleb said.

He asked what college they were going to and what it feels like to graduate.

"I was told it was really exciting and I think so too, it seems really exciting," the fourth-grader said.

A serial killer known as the "Grim Sleeper" should be sentenced to death for murdering nine women and a teenage girl over more than two decades in South Los Angeles, a jury decided Monday.

LOS ANGELES -- A serial killer known as the "Grim Sleeper" should be sentenced to death for murdering nine women and a teenage girl over more than two decades in South Los Angeles, a jury decided Monday.

Lonnie Franklin Jr. stared straight ahead and showed no emotion as a court clerk read 10 death penalty verdicts.

Family members of the victims cried as the verdicts were read. One rocked back and forth, while another whispered to himself, "Thank you."

"We got what we came to get, a just verdict," said Porter Alexander, the father of 18-year-old victim Alicia Alexander. "I'm glad I lived to see it. It's a long time coming."

The 63-year-old Franklin, a former city trash collector and garage attendant for Los Angeles police, was convicted of 10 counts of first-degree murder last month for crimes dating back more than 30 years.

A prosecutor had asked jurors to show Franklin the same compassion he showed his victims and give him the "ultimate penalty."

An emotional defense lawyer asked jurors to sentence him to life without parole to hasten the healing process for the victims' family members.

Franklin's only words during the proceeding Monday were, "Yes, your honor." As he walked into court, family members of the victims whispered, "Dead man walking."

Samara Herard, 45, the foster sister of the youngest victim, 15-year-old Princess Berthomieux, said the verdict was bittersweet.

"This closes out a chapter and you have to go on ... but I'll never get my sister back," Herard said. "She'll never get a chance to grow up. She'll never go to college, she'll never be married ... At 15 years old it was stripped from her."

The judge set formal sentencing for Aug. 10.

During the trial, defense lawyers questioned forensic evidence and said DNA from other men was also found on several bodies.

They suggested a "mystery man," possibly a relative of Franklin's, was the real killer.

On Monday, Franklin's defense attorney slammed the amount of money prosecutors spent on the case and the costs associated with the death penalty.

"Now what happens is millions of dollars will be spent on appeals because we have no choice but to do that," lawyer Seymour Amster said, adding that money would be better spent in the neighborhood where the killings happened.

He declined to speak about Franklin, saying the concentration should be on healing society.

Franklin is unlikely to be executed. Nearly 750 convicted killers sit on California's death row, the largest in the nation.

But because of legal challenges, no one has been executed in over a decade and only 13 have been put to death since 1978. Far more have died of natural causes or suicide.

Most of Franklin's slayings fit a similar pattern. Women were either fatally shot, choked -- or both -- their bodies dumped in alleys and trash bins.

Police didn't connect the crimes to a serial killer for years, and victims' families and community residents complained the killings weren't thoroughly investigated because the victims were poor and black, and some were prostitutes who had been using cocaine.

Franklin came under suspicion after a task force began re-examining the cold cases following the final killing in 2007 and DNA from his son showed similarities to genetic evidence found on some of the victims.

A detective posing as a busboy at a pizza parlor later collected utensils and crusts from Franklin while he was attending a birthday party. Lab results connected him to the bodies.

The culprit had been dubbed the "Grim Sleeper" because of an apparent gap in slayings between 1988 and 2002.

Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman was able to introduce evidence of four additional slayings during the penalty phase, including one that linked Franklin to a killing in 2000. She also presented evidence of a 1984 slaying -- a year before the first murder he was convicted of.

Prosecutors said they didn't charge Franklin with the additional killings because it would have delayed the case that took nearly six years to bring to trial.

The survivor who Franklin was convicted of attempting to murder helped prosecutors establish the killer's modus operandi.

Enietra Washington described getting a lift from Franklin in his orange Ford Pinto and then having him shoot her in the chest while she sat in the passenger seat.

As she was losing consciousness, he sexually assaulted her and she remembered seeing the flash from a Polaroid camera.

A photo of a bleeding and partly nude Washington was later found hidden behind a wall in Franklin's garage. Police found photos of other victims in the home.

Nearly 30 years after Washington was left for dead on the side of a road, she pointed at Franklin in court and said: "That's the person who shot me."

The group was armed with signs and brochures from a statewide campaign.

HOLYOKE -- Armed with signs and flyers from a statewide advocacy campaign, a small group in a downtown park Saturday spoke out against a proposed surcharge on Massachusetts ratepayers' utility bills that would finance a new natural gas pipeline.

Opponents have dubbed the utility bill surcharge a "pipeline tax" because, while not technically a tax, it would be a mandatory fee applied to the bills of Eversource and National Grid customers. Approved by state regulators last fall, it is currently the subject of a legal challenge before the state's highest court. 

The pipeline in question, Access Northeast, would fuel gas-fired power plants in the eastern part of the state. The expansion of an existing Algonquin Gas Transmission line, and the creation of new compressor and storage facilities, is proposed by Spectra Energy Partners, which includes the investment arms of Eversource and National Grid.

Around 50 percent of the state's electricity generation is gas-fired, and energy boosters say pipeline bottlenecks threaten grid reliability and cause high energy costs across New England.

However, the protesters -- organized locally by Neighbor To Neighbor, an advocacy group with branches in Boston, Lynn, Springfield, Worcester and Holyoke -- said the proposed pipeline funding plan would cost Massachusetts ratepayers $3 billion and hurt poor people.

"This unjust pipeline proposal is going to hurt us all," said activist Ivette Hernandez of Springfield during the event in Veteran's Memorial Park. "I live in the North End in Springfield. I know for a fact that a lot of my neighbors are not going to be able to afford their utility bills. And I don't think a lot of us can afford it now."

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has stated that any plan must show net benefit to the ratepayer. Eversource and National Grid say if their petitions are granted, it would save New England ratepayers around $1 billion during a typically cold winter, with 45 percent of that benefit going to customers in Massachusetts.

But opponents on Saturday insisted the proposal would lead to higher utility bills and that corporations cannot be trusted to tell the truth.

"I don't know why in the world you would believe what the electric utilities have to say about this matter," said Adele Frank, a climate activist from Amherst. "They stand to make a lot of money off of this. So why would you believe that? I don't believe that for one second."

Holyoke at-large city councilor Rebecca Lisi called the plan "a regressive tax."

"It's another example of how the Baker administration's policies and priorities are out of sync with what the majority of what Massachusetts voters want and need," Lisi said.

While the protest was held in Holyoke and attended by both Lisi and Ward 2 councilor Nelson Roman, the city's municipal utility, Holyoke Gas & Electric, has no plans to impose the surcharge on its ratepayers.

Surcharge background

In October, the Department of Public Utilities issued a novel ruling that said Massachusetts electric distribution companies may contract for natural gas capacity on yet-to-be-built pipelines, and recoup contract costs from consumers. The electric companies would sell the gas on the spot market to power plants, which don't want to enter into the long-term contracts themselves.

The mechanism was proposed by the state's Department of Energy Resources as a way to provide stable financing for natural gas pipeline companies as they seek approval from federal regulators for new projects in New England, which the Baker administration says are needed.

The utility arms of Eversource and National Grid opened dockets with the public utilities department, hoping to secure capacity on two proposed pipelines: Access Northeast and Kinder Morgan's now-defunct Northeast Energy Direct.

In the meantime, the Conservation Law Foundation filed an appeal with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, arguing that the mechanism violates the state's 1997 Utility Restructuring Act. The act, designed to create competitive electricity markets, forced electric companies to sell their power generation assets. The court heard oral arguments in May and has yet to issue a decision.

The office of Attorney General Maura Healey has been an active participant in the public utilities deliberations, insisting that Eversource and National Grid provide more information to regulators and the public. Healey previously said she is concerned the mechanism would "shift the substantial costs and risks of ... long-term investment in pipeline infrastructure to electricity ratepayers."

The funding idea goes back to 2014, when when the six New England governors met to talk about a regional pipeline tariff. That plan fell apart when former governor Deval Patrick walked away from the table. Now various state utility regulators are looking at individual plans for electricity ratepayers to finance pipelines.

The Baker administration said in an emailed statement Friday it continues to support natural gas expansion as part of its overall energy vision.

"The administration continues to focus on diversifying the Commonwealth's energy portfolio and reducing costs for all ratepayers through a balanced approach of renewable energy investments that includes securing additional hydroelectric power, increasing energy efficiency and expanding natural gas capacity along existing routes through continued regional efforts," said Peter Lorenz, a spokesman for Baker's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Lisi disagreed with that vision for the future, saying that regardless of whether the surcharge plan would raise or lower bills, the state should not invest in the fossil fuel economy.

"This pipeline tax marries us to an antiquated energy system that we will never see returns on," she said. "We've reached the point where climate change and the energy economy have come to the top of the national agenda. ... So I think we should take another look at where we are making energy investments."

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

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish will close this fall, a request that was made by the parish after a year's study, agreed to by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield and announced at the parish's weekend Masses.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish will close this fall, a request that was made by the parish after a year's study, agreed to by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield and announced at the parish's weekend Masses.

The final 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sept. 4 at St. Frances, formed in 2008 with the merger of two other parishes and a mission church, will leave St. Thomas the Apostle Parish as the only Roman Catholic parish in West Springfield, according to the diocese.

Reasons given for closure were an aging congregation, as well as an aging church in need of structural repair, and limited financial resources.

"It is unusual but not unheard of," said diocesan spokesman Mark Dupont of the decision by the St. Frances' parish and financial councils to request its closure.

"The parish did not rush into it and that is why Bishop Mitchell Rozanski was comfortable with it. It is a way forward. The parish was caught with a small worshiping community and a large, older infrastructure that requires attention. The two worked against each other, despite parishioners doing their best to keep up with the structural needs."

Republican file 

Dupont said that the parish at 475 Main St., originally Immaculate Conception, was formed and renamed with the merger of Immaculate Conception and St. Louis de France parishes and St. Ann Mission, both on Memorial Avenue. The diocese has since sold St. Louis, and St. Ann's was razed last year.

Total attendance at St. Frances' three weekend Masses has been around 200, Dupont said.

Dupont said the Rev. Kenneth Tatro, pastor at St. Thomas, 47 Pine St., and the Rev. Piotr Pawlus, administrator at St. Frances for about 18 months, will "swap pulpits" for some weekend Masses, to help St. Frances' parishioners make a "smooth transition" to St. Thomas, a larger parish that has a pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade school.

However, Dupont called the choice of which parish to attend an "individual one" and said that St. Frances' parishioners will have the summer to consider "options of where they are comfortable each week."

According to a letter, released by the diocese from St. Frances' Deacon Donald Philip, Philip told parishioners that, from the beginning in 2008, "our parish has suffered from a lack of growth, aging buildings - in particular water and masonry problems in the church - and a chronic lack of funds despite your consistent generosity."

"For more than a year, our parish and finance councils have been meeting together, seeking a solution to what became a 'perfect storm' of a changing neighborhood, aging buildings, and small numbers in the pews," the letter from Philip says.

"We explored many ideas, including becoming a mission of St. Thomas the Apostle Parish. Finally, on May 23, a consensus was reached that it is time to gracefully move towards closing our parish, and putting our energy into helping each one to find a new spiritual home with dignity, respect and active participation on the part of both parishes."

In the release, Philip also said the parish "recently suspended our religious education program for reasons of both numbers - no anticipated First Communions or Confirmations in the coming year - and finances."

According to diocesan statistics, the Springfield diocese has 81 parishes and nine missions and has a Catholic population of some 217,274. The diocese includes the four counties of Western Massachusetts.

A Florida company says its plan to turn Holyoke's former Lynch School into a CVS-fast-food restaurant would produce $130,000 a year in taxes and 40 new jobs.

HOLYOKE -- City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain said Monday he expects the board on Tuesday to reject a request for a zone change regarding the former Lynch School and the council will ask the city's economic development team to find a better proposal.

Frontier Development of Miami, Florida wants to buy the property at Northampton and Dwight streets, which has been mostly unused since 2008, for $750,000 and convert it into a CVS pharmacy and a fast-food restaurant.

But for that to happen the company needs the property rezoned to a highway business zone from the current designation of residential single family. The council's Ordinance Committee has voted 4-1 to recommend the full City Council reject the zone change request.

The City Council will consider the zone change request for Lynch School at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

"I believe the current plan and proposed use will be denied," Jourdain said in a text message. "I intend to oppose the current zone change proposal. A pharmacy and fast-food restaurant are not the highest best use for this highly desirable location. There are also significant traffic problems with the current plan."

"I am very supportive of potential economic development at that location but it must be a desirable project. I am open to listen to proposals from developers and I encourage our economic development team to come forward with a much better proposal," he said.

Asked what kind of development or use he would like to see at the old Lynch School, Jourdain said, "I am keeping an open mind on specific other uses but it must be a proposal that advances the city and meets the needs of the residents. The current proposal does neither."

If the council rejects the zone change, Frontier Development has options. The company has until Dec. 11 to propose another project for Lynch School that either doesn't need a zone change or gains support from enough councilors to rezone the property, said Marcos A. Marrero, director of the city Department of Planning and Economic Development.

Councilors and others have been less than excited about the project, because of traffic and especially an increase of northbound drivers on Northampton Street trying to make left turns and because the CVS-fast-food blueprint fails to inspire.

Even the lawyer representing Frontier Development, Holyoke's Thomas N. "Toby" Wilson, said at a public hearing March 23 that it was no secret another CVS falls short of the dream tenant for the site. But he said the city needs new businesses and jobs.

"'We need business, we need business, we need business.' Here we are. We have a national company....It's not what everybody wants. I understand that," Wilson said.

Putting a CVS at Lynch School would establish three pharmacies at or near that intersection of Northampton and Dwight streets, with Walgreens at 1588 Northampton St. and Rite Aid at 1504 Northampton St.

The city also has CVS stores at 400 Beech St. and 250 Whiting Farms Road.

At that same time, councilors are among those saying this city with a 30 percent poverty rate needs any kind of economic development.

Frontier Development representatives have said traffic issues can be resolved, as they are on many projects. And they note the proposed project would produce $130,000 a year in taxes and 40 new jobs.

Meanwhile, some want Lynch School taken off the market and returned to the School Department. An order to do that also is on Tuesday's City Council agenda, filed by Councilor at Large Daniel B. Bresnahan.

Another order on the Tuesday agenda calls for "the City Council do whatever is necessary to preserve John J. Lynch School for the people of Holyoke. This includes doing a feasibility study to move the School Dept. Offices to that location, and to open the building for all educational, and recreational purposes for our children. This should come to fruition prior to the opening of school in September of 2016." The order was filed by Councilor at Large Howard B. Greaney Jr., a former School Committee member.

While the Lynch School gym still gets regular activity, most of the building has been unused since the School Committee reorganized the system in 2008.

The School Committee voted 5-3 in August 2010 to surrender control of the property so the city could seek a developer to buy it, but the city has had trouble finding interest in the site, despite its location near Interstate 91 and the busy Northampton Street, also known as Route 5.

City councilors voiced opposition to the long-debated plan for a biomass energy plant in East Springfield at a press conference outside City Hall Monday evening.

SPRINGFIELD -- City Council Vice President Orland Ramos and environmental activists voiced opposition to the long-debated plan for a biomass energy plant in East Springfield at a press conference outside City Hall Monday evening.

The City Council tonight is considering a nonbinding resolution, initiated by Ramos and sponsored by Councilor Timothy Allen, to encourage the city's Public Health Council to hold site assignment proceedings on the biomass plant.

"It should be clear at this point that the citizens of Springfield do not want a biomass incinerator," Ramos said.

Arise for Social Justice Director Michaelann Bewsee said that local activists, motivated by concerns over respiratory health effects and noise pollution, have opposed the project for eight years and intend on continuing to press the issue.

"It's all part of our struggle to keep a biomass incinerator out of Springfield," Bewsee said.

The resolution -- the latest of several measures taken by the city council against the project -- says that opposition to the plant is driven by concerns about"the quality of life of Springfield residents, especially our children and seniors, that has been conveyed to us by the vast majority of our constituents."

Attorneys for biomass developer Palmer Renewable Energy have warned that it could sue the city for $200 million if the health council votes to recommend site assignment proceedings, a measure that allows health boards to force the relocation of "noisome trades."

"There is simply no legal or factual basis for the Public Health Council to pursue a site assignment," Palmer Renewable Energy said in a statement. "PRE has adhered to every legal and environmental requirement needed to bring this project to fruition."

Ramos said he was not concerned with PRE's warnings that a site assignment hearing could trigger a lawsuit.

"I'm more concerned with the health and public safety of our residents," he said.

Ramos, Bewsee, Conservation Law Foundation of Massachusetts Director Veronica Eady and Claire Miller of the Toxics Action Center spoke at the press conference outside City Council chambers.

The city's Public Health Council is yet to vote on whether to recommend site assignment proceedings for the controversial East Springfield biomass plant, over four months after it opened its public hearing on the project. In May, the council met in executive session to discuss potential litigation related to the biomass project.

A Jan. 20 hearing featured detailed presentations from both developer Palmer Renewable Energy and opponents of the project. Critics highlighted alleged pollution and health risks while the company's attorney told the council that the project had been approved by environmental regulators and the courts and should not be further delayed.

During the public hearing on Jan. 20, Palmer Renewable Energy's engineering and health consultants delivered testimony defending the project, telling the council it was safe and efforts to block it unlawful.

While critics, including Bewsee, a long-time opponent of the project and an activist with Arise for Social Justice, argued that the emissions limits set by the Department of Environmental Protection are not sufficient to protect public health.

The hearing sought to address competing claims by the project's attorneys and local opponents of the plant. It was punctuated with applause for the project's opponents from the crowd of approximately 75 residents who attended the two-hour hearing at Central High School and overwhelmingly opposed the project.

Opponents have continued to press their case as the public health council deliberates, holding a protest on May 26 near the proposed site on Page Boulevard, during which organizer Jesse Lederman said activists could sue the council if it failed to hold a site assignment hearing.

Ramos, who sponsored tonight's city council resolution endorsing the site assignment process, attended that rally and voiced support for the protesters.

Tomorrow is expected to be hot, humid with a chance of thunderstorms.

SPRINGFIELD -- Tomorrow is expected to be hot, humid with a chance of thunderstorms.

The National Weather Service reports Monday evening will be partly cloudy, with the low around 65 degrees in Boston, 62 in Springfield and 61 in Worcester.

The high Tuesday will be in the mid-to-low 80s.

Patchy fog is expected before 7 a.m. in Springfield. The National Weather Service reports a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in Western Massachusetts late morning into early Tuesday evening. New rainfall amounts are expected to be minimal, with higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

There's a 30 percent chance of showers Tuesday afternoon in Central and Eastern Massachusetts, with thunderstorms also possible after 3 p.m.

Mario Mejia Martinez, 48, of Everett, was shot on April 21 outside the Cancun restaurant. A woman had called 911 to report a man with a knife was harassing pedestrians.

EVERETT - The Middlesex District Attorney's Office has released several videos and radio call recordings from a fatal officer-involved shooting in April.

Mario Mejia Martinez, 48, of Everett, was shot on the afternoon of April 21 at the corner of Norwood and Broadway streets, outside the Cancun restaurant. A passerby had called 911 to report a man with a knife harassing pedestrians.

Investigators looking into the shooting released six videos on Monday, showing Mejia Martinez charging at a responding officer and slashing at him with a knife before at least one fatal shot was fired. The officer was not hurt.

In the initial 911 call, the caller stated that Mejia Martinez had a knife and appeared to be talking to himself.

"He's angry. ... He's acting weird," the caller said. "He's talking to everybody who's walking by, and there's something like, it looks like a knife sticking out of his pocket. ... He's walking back and forth like he's, I don't know, impatient."

The videos (see below) show Mejia Martinez pulling the knife almost immediately after the officer approaches. The officer backs away, into oncoming traffic, and, according to radio call recordings, orders Mejia Martinez several times to drop the weapon.

Holding out the knife, Mejia Martinez can be seen crouching and charging at the officer while waving his arm back and forth.

"These videos will give the public access to preliminary facts while we continue to conduct a full, fair and thorough investigation into this matter," said District Attorney Marian Ryan. "At the conclusion of the investigation we will be releasing a full report."

Note: Videos from City of Everett cameras contain gaps that investigators blame on "limited bandwidth capability and environmental interference."

Video #1 from private security camera (zoomed in)

Video #2 (original un-zoomed version of Video #1)

Video #3 from City of Everett camera

Video #4 from City of Everett camera

Video #5 from City of Everett camera

Video #6 from private security camera

Audio of the 911 call and radio transmissions

The city of Holyoke could use the shut-off of sewer service as leverage to force customers to pay bills, as long as a clear policy that includes issuance of notices is established, the city lawyer has said.

HOLYOKE -- The city could get closer to seizing some of the $700,000 owed in sewer bills if the City Council Tuesday votes to force delinquents to pay up by threatening to shut off service.

The council will consider adopting the sewer shut-off ordinance at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

Officials have estimated, and councilors have cited in meetings, that about $700,000 is the amount owed in long-standing sewer bills.

In the past, legal opinions have stated that state law prohibited shutting off water service for unpaid sewer charges. That means the city lacked leverage because sewer customers could ignore bills and continue to get service.

But Assistant City Solicitor Kara Cunha has said she researched a question from Mayor Alex B. Morse about whether the water in such cases could be shut off as a preliminary step in shutting off sewer service for unpaid sewer charges.

"It is my opinion that this could be done; however, it must be done as part of a clear sewer shut off policy," Cunha said.

A sewer shut off policy would include an initial notice from the DPW outlining the steps that will be taken in connection with a sewer shut off and notices from Holyoke Water Works that water will be shut off as the first step, she said.

If an account remains unpaid after the water has been shut off, the DPW must have clear next steps to shut off sewer service and be prepared to undertake those steps, she said.

Some cases are likely in which by statute a customer's water cannot be shut off. And Cunha said she was cautioning officials that water shut off could be subject to a legal challenge that the city has exceeded its authority under Massachusetts General laws Chapter 83 regarding sewers, drains and sidewalks.

"This is why it is important that it be made clear to the customer that the water is being shut off as the first step towards a sewer shut off for unpaid sewer charges," Cunha said.

In addition to requiring that the customer get a series of notices, she said all customers should be notified once a sewer shut off policy has been adopted, "which may encourage some to bring their accounts current."

The sewer shut off policy should mirror the clear series of steps used in similar cases by Holyoke Water Works, council President Kevin A. Jourdain has said.

The Springfield City Council approved the non-binding resolution, that urges the Public Health Council to conduct a site assignment hearing on a proposed biomass plant.

SPRINGFIELD -- The City Council voted unanimously Monday to urge the Public Health Council to conduct a site assignment hearing regarding a proposed biomass wood-burning plant in East Springfield.

Councilor Orlando Ramos, the lead sponsor, said the council is just calling for a hearing, not telling the health board how to vote on the issue, believing a hearing is needed to consider the health issues surrounding the proposed plant at Cadwell Drive and Page Boulevard.

Such resolutions are nonbinding but reflect the stance of City Council members. The Public Health Council has been considering the site assignment hearing in recent months. The vote was met with applause from audience members in the council chambers who have been seeking the local hearing.

The resolution states in part that there has been opposition to the biomass plant "driven by a serious concern regarding the impact of this proposed incinerator on the health, well-being and quality of life of all Springfield residents, especially our children and seniors, that has been conveyed to the vast majority of our constituents."

Palmer Renewable Energy, developing the biomass plant, said the plant will be a state-of-the-art facility and will not harm health. It has state approval, and the plans have been upheld by three court decisions, proponents said.

The City Council approved the $616.8 million city budget, choosing to keep the mayor's package intact without cuts.

SPRINGFIELD -- The City Council on Monday approved a $616.8 million city budget for the coming fiscal year, effective July 1, without any cuts to the mayor's recommendatioin, but members raised serious concerns about the city's escalating pension liability.

The vote was 11-2 in favor of the budget, with council President Michael Fenton and council Finance Committee Chairman Timothy Allen casting the two no votes.

Both Fenton and Allen were among councilors raising concerns that Springfield's pension liability is just 26 percent funded, representing the worst funded public pension liability in the state.

The budget vote was postponed two weeks ago in response to some council questions and concerns about the city's pension liabilities.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno presented his city budget recommendation to the City Council on April 28, saying that it included no employee layoffs and maintained essential services.

In addition, the budget includes funds for 60 new police officers, including filling 40 police vacancies and adding 20 new officers.

The new budget, as approved, reflected an increase of 3.7 percent over last year's budget. It funds all municipal departments and city expenses and the School Department budget. It covers the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2016, and continues through June 30, 2017.

The budget was balanced without taking any funds from the city's approximate $40 million stabilization "rainy day" reserve fund. The budget did include $5.5 million in committed revenue from the MGM Springfield casino project, officials said.

The council had the power to approve the mayor's recommended budget, as is, or could make specific budget cuts. The council did not have the power to increase budget expenditures, under City Charter.

Allen was preparing to call for budget cuts, including elimination of some vacant employee positions and reductions in gasoline budgets to help divert funds for the pension liability facing the city, slated for $30 million for the coming fiscal year and rising steadily therafter toward being fully funded by 2035.

Allen also proposed that $3.2 million be diverted from a free cash surplus from fiscal year 2015, to the pension laibility.

None of those proposals were voted on, as Allen acknowledged there was not an "appetite" for such cuts on the night of the budget vote, nor was the council able to transfer funds from free cash without being initiated by the mayor.

Sarno said he would be willing to look at some amount from free cash to go to the pension liability issue.

The pension issue is not new, but actually has been before the council in multiple meetings in recent years, Sarno and Chief Administrative and Financial Officer Timothy J. Plante said. Councilor Timothy Rooke agreed, saying the pension issues have been visible every year for seven years, and he said it is "embarrassing" if not seen by councilors.

Allen said the situation has become grim, and will get worse if the city is not more aggressive in reducing the impact.

The council delayed the budget vote two weeks ago after raising questions and concerns about the city's pension liabilities for city employees. The pension liability is 26 percent funded, making it the worst funded pension system in the state, according to state records.

In multiple Finance Committee meetings during the past two weeks, local and state retirement and finance officials said the city is on a more aggressive schedule to fund the pension system in coming years.

Under the new schedule, approved by local and state retirement boards, the city will set aside approximately $30 million in fiscal year 2017 for pension costs the city and School Department costs (excluding teachers), reflecting an increase of 6 percent, followed by 14 percent increases in both fiscal 2018 and 2019.

On Sunday, May 29, 83-year-old Daniel Pepe of East Boston was assaulted at the park. He died three days later at Massachusetts General Hospital.

BOSTON - State police are increasing high-visibility patrols at Belle Isle Marsh Reservation after two elderly men were attacked, one of them fatally.

On Sunday, May 29, 83-year-old Daniel Pepe of East Boston was assaulted at the park. He died three days later at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Investigators said his injuries were so severe that he could not provide any information.

On June 1, the day Pepe died, a 67-year-old man from Lynn was attacked at Belle Isle. His injuries are not life-threatening, according to state police, who are working to find out if the two incidents are connected.

The victim described the assailant as a white man is his late 20s or 30s, about 5-foot-9, wearing a hat, t-shirt and shorts that were all beige or brown.

Anyone with information is urged to call State Trooper Joel Balducci at (617) 727-8817 ext. 5670.

The park is on the Revere-East Boston line.

The possibility of storms will continue on Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD -- The possibility of storms will continue on Wednesday. 

The National Weather Service reports clear skies are expected after 8 p.m. Tuesday in Central and Western Massachusetts. The chance of scattered showers will continue until around 11 p.m. in Boston. 

The low will be around 60 degrees in Boston, in the mid-50s in Springfield and Worcester. 

Showers will be likely Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service reports. There's a 60 percent chance of showers from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. in Worcester and in the late afternoon in Springfield. Boston is expected to be sunny followed by a 70 percent chance of thunderstorms between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Wednesday. 

It will be cool throughout the day, with the high around 68 degrees in Springfield and Worcester, 70 in Boston.