U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, on Thursday night told the Boston Globe she would throw her support behind presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, ending months of speculation as to who would win her coveted endorsement.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, threw her support behind presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on Thursday night, ending months of speculation as to who would win her coveted endorsement.

Warren, who has been named as a possible vice presidential running mate for the former first lady, told the Boston Globe that she will be backing Clinton's White House bid.

The Massachusetts Democrat, who now joins every other Democratic female U.S. senator in supporting Clinton, told the Globe, "I'm ready to jump in this fight and make sure that Hillary Clinton is the next president of the United States and be sure that Donald Trump gets nowhere near the White House."

NBC News reported that Warren would make the endorsement official during an interview on "The Rachel Maddow Show," which went on the air at 9 p.m.

Warren's backing came just days after the former secretary of state won enough delegates to clinch the Democratic Party's nomination.

The senator's decision to hold off on an endorsement until the end of the primaries allowed Warren to have more indirect influence on the Democratic race, particularly its focus on issues she's championed like Wall Street banking overhauls, political analysts have suggested.

Her endorsement marks a major score for the former secretary of state's campaign, which has struggled to connect with the more progressive arm of the Democratic Party.

Warren calls Trump 'nasty, thin-skinned fraud' for criticizing Trump University judge

By having the senator in her corner, Clinton is expected to more easily pick up support from many progressive Democrats and others who are currently backing presidential rival Bernie Sanders.

Aside from helping to unify Democrats, Warren's endorsement should also help rally the party against Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee with whom the senator has sparred in recent months.

The Massachusetts Democrat has been highly critical of the businessman's policies and rhetoric, calling him a "small, insecure moneygrubber," and contending he's only qualified to serve as "fraudster-in-chief," during remarks at the state party convention in Lowell last weekend.

Warren, however, has also been critical of Clinton's relationship with Wall Street, telling Bill Moyers in a 2004 interview that as first lady she helped fight against bankruptcy legislation before reversing course and supporting it as a U.S. senator for New York.

When asked at an early February stop in Springfield whether she still worries about Clinton's ties to the financial industry, Warren said she has "concerns about everybody's relationships with Wall Street."

US Sen. Elizabeth Warren: 'No endorsements now' of any Democratic presidential candidates

Despite the senator's previous criticism, Clinton told ABC's "World News Tonight" Anchor David Muir this week that she has "the highest regard for Sen. Warren" when asked if the Massachusetts Democrat was on her vice presidential short list.

While Clinton did not speak specifically as to whom she's considering to have join her on the ticket, the presumptive Democratic nominee offered that it could be another woman.

Warren also refused to comment directly on the vice presidential speculation -- particularly reports that U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid was looking into Massachusetts election laws in case Clinton selected her as a running mate.

"There's a lot of speculation," she said at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention. "And I'm just not getting into that. Harry Reid will do what he does."

The Massachusetts senator further said, "I love my job," when asked about her interest in joining the presidential ticket.

State Police are investigating a fatal car accident in Blandford.

BLANDFORD — Massachusetts State Police have said that the victim of the fatal Blandford car crash that occurred on the Massachusetts Turnpike on Thursday afternoon is a 35-year-old man from Ludlow.

Authorities have yet to release the victim's identity pending family notification.

Preliminary investigation of the crash revealed that the driver, a 36-year-old Agawam woman, was heading east on Interstate 90 at the 31-mile marker, when she suddenly drifted into the median and struck a message board, according to police.

Both the driver and the passenger were not wearing seat belts at the time and were both ejected from the car during the crash.

The passenger, a 35-year-old man from Ludlow, was pronounced dead at the scene, and the driver was taken to Baystate Medical Center to be treated for "life-threatening injuries," according to police.

The crash occurred at approximately 1:40 p.m., according to police.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Multiple agencies are assisting with the investigation, including the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, the Hampden County Detectives, and the State Police Crime Scene Services Section.

Gandara Center/ArtSong Exhibit at the Bing Arts Center in Springfield, Massachusetts was held on Thursday, June 9, 2016.

SPRINGFIELD -The 3rd annual Gandara Center/ArtSong Exhibit was held at the Bing Arts Center in Springfield on Thursday, June 9, 2016.

The opening reception featured youth paintings, poetry and song. This year's exhibit "Gestures of Legacy" featured works of art created by Gandara Center's youth that participated in the ArtSong Arts Enrichment Program.

According to the organization's website "the Gandara Center in collaboration with ArtSong provides a fine arts specialty program to disadvantaged youth in our residential programs that inspires original artistic works, develops learning skills, and promotes art education and personal development. Participants benefit with hands on learning, self-expression, motivation and self-confidence while participating in a therapeutic environment."

The exhibit runs until June 18 and the Bing Arts Center is located at 716 Sumner Ave. All proceeds to benefit the ArtSong program.

UMass Amherst's Data Science department plans to hire more faculty and expand research. The year-old College of Information and Computer Science has about 1,000 undergraduate students, about 200 students in master's degree programs and 200 students in its doctorate programs.

This story follows: MassMutual Foundation donates $15M to boost computer science at UMass Amherst and Springfield

SPRINGFIELD -- The year-old College of Information and Computer Science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has about 1,000 undergraduate students, about 200 students in master's degree programs and 200 students in its doctorate programs.

The programs, university leaders said Friday, are roughly four times larger than they were a few years ago but could grow larger with just-announced financial assistance from the MassMutual Foundation.

MassMutual Financial Group hosted a breakfast-time event Friday to announce that its MassMutual Foundation will give $15 million to UMass over the next 10 years. Of that, $12 million will go to data science programs at UMass Amherst.

The remaining $3 million will go to support a cybersecurity program at the UMass Springfield Center in Tower Square. UMass hosted Friday's event in Tower Square.

The $15 million gift is the first made by the new MassMutal Foundation and the largest donation to support a local effort in MassMutual Financial Group's history, the insurer said.

The MassMutual Foundation's long-term goal is to provide a total of $100 million through targeted charitable investments over the next five years, the company said in a news release.

Nick Fyntrilakis, MassMutual's vice president of Community Responsibility and president of the MassMutual Foundation, said MassMutual has given nearly $80 million in the past 10 years to the communities where the company's employees and agents live and work.

UMass Amherst's Data Science department plans to hire more faculty and expand research. UMass also will be able to double the number of data science courses it offers, said Andrew Kachites McCallum, professor and director of the Center for Data Science, which opened in April 2015.

Data science, McCallum said, is the growing study of how best to make sense of the oceans of data generated by our connected and computerized world. The Center for Data Science is already working on projects with Amazon in Boston, for instance.

"Data science helps us make better decisions," he said.

And Massachusetts is growing into its own as a center in the field, said Massachusetts House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo.

"We realize that big data research is going to be a driving force in our economy. And Massachusetts is going to be a hub for this industry," DeLeo said. "And by hub I don't mean just the city of Boston, but the whole commonwealth."

For University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan, big data is just one aspect of UMass' research programs and the economic spin-offs they provide.

Meehan continued his criticism of the  Pioneer Institute think-tank study that said UMass would be better off cutting research activities to focus on undergraduate education. He cited a study from UMass' Donahue Institute saying the UMass system was responsible for $6.2 billion in economic activity in Massachusetts last year - a record high - and helped to support more than 43,000 jobs statewide. That $6.2 billion is a 10-to-1 return on spending, he said.

"Research at the University of Massachusetts is the primary economic driver of this state," said Meehan, the first UMass president to have earned an undergraduate degree at the university.

Fyntrilakis said he experts predict there will be more than 100,000 data science jobs in the state in the next few years.

This isn't MassMutual's first foray in the academic world of big data. In 2015, MassMutual made a $2 million, four-year donation enabling Smith College and Mount Holyoke College to develop a comprehensive data science curriculum.

MassMutual also opened a data science center in Amherst last summer so it could recruit data scientists to work on projects related to its insurance and investment businesses.

A class of Dorman School second graders, who all received pajamas as a Christmas gift from Hampden Clerk of Courts Laura Gentile, surprised her with a party when she arrived for her regular read-aloud time. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- Christmas 2015 was a bit extra special for second graders in Maureen Manos' class at Dorman Elementary School in Springfield. Now, the kids have turned the tables and treated Hampden County Clerk of Courts Laura Gentile to a surprise party with hand-made cards, flowers and a song.

Gentile is a regular visitor to the class, reading books aloud to the children. Noticing last December that some kids didn't have pajamas to wear on Pajama Day at the school, Gentile bought each child their own pair, just in time for Christmas.

On Friday, arriving for her scheduled time to read, Gentile was overwhelmed with a giant chorus of "SURPRISE!"

"Today is like Mother's Day all over again except I have many, many more children," said Gentile. "I love coming here to read. I schedule my schedule around coming here to read. They (students) give me far more than I could ever give to them."

Dorman students go bananas for Christmas pajamas from Clerk of Courts Laura Gentile

Jacob Garmalo had just gotten off work at the Franklin County House of Correction when he was killed in a motorcycle accident on Elm Street.

GREENFIELD - The motorcyclist killed in a collision Thursday with a car on Elm Street has been identified at Jacob Garmalo, 21, of Leyden.

Jacob GarmaloSubmitted photo 

Garmalo was employed as correctional officer with the Franklin County Sheriff's Department, and had just gotten off work, according to reports.

The accident shortly after 7:30 a.m. just north of the Franklin County House of Correction.

Garmalo was pronounced dead of injuries at Baystate Franklin Medical Center.

Mary Carey of the Northwestern District Attorney's Office said the accident remains under investigation.

Details about the crash or the name of the driver have not been released.

Franklin County Sheriff Christopher Donelan could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

Donelan told the Greenfield Recorder that people in the sheriff's department are heartbroken by his death.

"He was a fine young man and an excellent officer. He will be sorely missed," he is quoted as saying.

Garmalo had been with the sheriff's department for six months and was to have graduated from a reserve police training program Thursday evening. Completion of the program would allow him to become a deputy sheriff, according to the Recorder.

'We're hoping this will be a catalyst for economic development,' said Easthampton Mayor Karen Cadieux.

EASTHAMPTON -- Governor Charlie Baker signed a piece of legislation Friday granting Easthampton eight new all-pour restaurant liquor licenses.

"It's very exciting," said Mayor Karen Cadieux. "We're hoping this will be a catalyst for economic development." Cadieux said her office receives phone calls "all the time" from potential restaurant owners, asking if liquor licenses are available.

The City Council in November, after two evenings of debate and various committee discussions, voted to petition the Legislature for the licenses.

"It was a pleasure to work the city in order to support growth in the local economy and draw more visitors to downtown Easthampton," said Sen. Don Humason, R-Westfield, who introduced the measure. "I look forward to seeing the results of these new licenses in the months to come."

The bill's language gives "highest preference to establishments located in the mill industrial zone and the downtown business zone in the city of Easthampton," although it's not clear what process the city's Licensing Board will use to implement that provision. There is no requirement that the licenses be tied to food service.

Who holds Easthampton's 41 liquor licenses? (photos)

In Massachusetts cities and towns, liquor licenses are limited according to a population-based formula. Easthampton is already over-quota, meaning the additional licenses could only be issued through special legislation.

Existing or potential restaurant or bar owners will have to apply to the Licensing Board in order to be considered for the licenses. All licenses must then be approved by the state's Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission, a process that sometimes takes months.

The over-quota licenses, once granted, can not be transferred to a new location. However, they can be transferred to a new applicant at the same location.

In all, city businesses hold 41 liquor licenses distributed among restaurants, bars, package stores, clubs and more.

Twenty-three of those licenses are "all-pour" permits, five are for beer and wine only, three are "farmer-brewer" malt licenses, and the rest are for stores. Shelburne Falls Coffee on Union holds a seasonal beer and wine license. Tandem Bagel Company on Railroad Street also recently applied for a seasonal license.

At least one of the suspects has a lengthy criminal record, officials said.

SPRINGFIELD -- Two suspects have been arrested following a report of gunfire near Court Square late Friday morning.

In a press conference at the Hampden County Hall of Justice Friday afternoon, Police Commissioner John Barbieri said the suspects were arrested a short time after an off-duty officer reported hearing shots in the area of 80 State St., which houses Hampden County Juvenile Court and Western Housing Court.

Responding officers found two men who identified themselves as victims. One victim said an assailant struck him with a glass jar; another suspect fired a shot into the air, Barbieri said.

Officers located the suspects and brought them back to the scene for identification.

Both men are 21 and were described by officials as "gang involved."

"This was not a random incident," Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said.

This is a developing story that will be updated after further reporting.

Raccoons are considered a prime vector for the disease.

WESTFIELD -- The city of Westfield issued a rabies alert Friday afternoon after a young raccoon found on Kellogg Street tested positive for the deadly virus.

Westfield police said that a resident called earlier this week to complain about the raccoon, having spotted it behaving oddly. Kellogg Street runs from Franklin Street (Route 20) north to Whitney Field Recreation Area, which is on the south bank of the Westfield River.

According to a message on the city's website:

"Raccoons are considered high-risk animals for the transmission of rabies, the virus can be passed through the animal's saliva during human contact."

Any individual who was exposed to the raccoon should immediately contact the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Division of Epidemiology and Immunization 24/7 Program at (617) 983-6800 for an individual assessment."

Once symptoms of rabies develop, the disease is always fatal, the city said. Depending on the nature and circumstances of any contact with the raccoon, the rabies post-exposure vaccine may be necessary. The vaccine series consists of four shots, with the first dose administered promptly after the exposure followed by doses three, seven and 14 days later. Persons with altered immune systems should receive an additional dose of vaccine 28 later, the city said.

The course instructor is Christopher Lyons, an electrical engineer with more than 20 years experience in industrial automation and software development.

WESTFIELD - Westfield Creative Arts along with Westfield on Weekends will host a four-class Introduction to Lego Robotics at the Rinnova Gallery at 105 Elm St.

The program will be offered on Saturdays, July 9, 23 and 30 and Aug. 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.. The class is limited to five two-person teams at a cost of $80 per person. The team-centered class is open to pairs of students, 12 years of age and older with an adult partner.

The only requirement for the course, in addition to registration, is a windows-based laptop, at least one per team. Windows 7 or later is required.

The course will be taught by Christopher Lyons, who is proficient in Lego robotics systems and has worked in the industrial automation and software development as an electrical engineer for more than 20 years.

Registration is available at the WOW/WCA website: www.westfieldcreativearts.com or by calling 413-579-5967. A minimum of three pre-paid and pre-registered pairs of students is required to begin the course.

The three owners learned the restaurant business from Gina Connors' and Mario Ferrentino's father and uncles, who have run Teresa's Restaurant in Ware for the past 35 years.

HAMPDEN — Casa Bella Italian Kitchen & Bar opened for business this week at 546 Main St.

"We did a soft opening, but business has been good," Mike Connors, one of the owners, said. Connors owns the restaurant with his wife, Gina, and his brother-in-law, Mario Ferrentino.

"There is a good buzz about the opening," Connors said. "We've had a lot of customers."

Casa Bella means beautiful home in Italian, and Gina Connors said the building where the new restaurant is located is one of the things that appealed to her about the new location. The front of the building is a former house. The restaurant has two dining rooms, while also having room for a bar and outside patio.

The three owners learned the restaurant business from Gina and Mario's father and uncles, who have run Teresa's Restaurant in Ware for the past 35 years.

All three of the new owners worked for Gina and Mario's father, Claudio Ferrentino.

Gina Connors said her husband learned to make pizza from her father when they were dating.

"He had a passion for it," she said.

The entire extended family lives in East Longmeadow, Gina Connors said. "This is a family restaurant. We're not going anywhere."

Gina said her father came to the United States from a small town outside of Naples, Italy, when he was 10 and brought the family recipes with him.

The three owners of Casa Bella originally opened the restaurant in South Windsor, Connecticut, but closed it last February when they leased the Hampden location. Since then, they have put time into painting, tiling a floor and refinishing the hardwood floors.

"We're from Western Massachusetts, and we have a lot of connections to this community," Gina Connors said.

McLadden's Irish Publick House closed at the location last summer. Gina Connors said she believes a family-run Italian restaurant will be the right fit for the community.

"There is something for everybody here," Mike Connors said. "Come for a date, or an anniversary, bring the whole family or come to have a drink."

He said portions are good, and the price is fair. "You get a full meal. Entrees come with either soup or a salad and a choice of pasta."

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner. Entrees include Pescatore, Eggplant Rollatini, Pazzo Alfredo, Shrimp de Bella, Mario's Trio Marsala, Casa Special and Italian steak.

There also are specialty pizzas.

More information is available at the restaurant's website at casabellarestaurant.net.

A full breakdown of the Red Sox's first 10 picks in the 2016 MLB Draft.

Here is a full breakdown of the Boston Red Sox's first 10 picks in the 2016 MLB Draft:

First Round - Jason Groome - LHP - Barnegat (N.J.) HS

Red Sox select Jason Groome at No. 12

Sox GM Hazen: Groome 'can pitch in this rotation someday'

Groome a big fan of Red Sox, Pedroia

Groome draws comparison to Clayton Kershaw

***

Second Round - CJ Chatham - SS - Florida Atlantic

Sox take Chatham, C-USA Player of the Year

***

Third Round - Shaun Anderson - RHP - Florida

Anderson impressed as Gators' closer

***

Fourth Round - Bobby Dalbec - 3B - Arizona

Dalbec's Ks bring question marks

***

Fifth Round - Mike Shawaryn - RHP - Maryland

Mechanics fix could benefit Shawaryn

***

Sixth Round - Steve Nogosek - RHP - Oregon

Ducks' closer projects as set-up man

***

Seventh Round - Ryan Scott - LF - Arkansas Little Rock

Scott led Division I with .435 average

***

Ninth Round - Matt McLean - CF - U. Texas-Arlington 

Senior McLean could sign for cheap, leave Red Sox extra money

***

10th Round - Santiago Espinal - Miami Dade Community College

Espinal named Southern Conference Player of the Year

Following the possibility of a storm, it will be clear and sunny this weekend in Massachusetts.

SPRINGFIELD -- Following the possibility of a storm, it will be clear and sunny this weekend in Massachusetts. 

Friday evening will be clear with a low around 42 degrees in Springfield, 47 in Worcester and 55 in Boston. 

The National Weather Service predicts a 50 percent chance of showers Saturday in Western Massachusetts, mainly after noon, and a slight chance of showers after 3 p.m. in Central Massachusetts. 

Later on Saturday, there's a chance of thunderstorms. Boston could see storms as early as 9 p.m. on Saturday, while any storms will be after midnight in Central and Western Massachusetts. 

Sunday will offer sunny skies and highs in the 70s across the state. 

A press conference concerning gun violence in Springfield featured remarks Mayor Domenic Sarno, Police Commissioner John Barbieri, and Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD — City and county officials Friday evening called for community members to step forward with information about a series of incidents involving gunfire around Springfield in recent days in hopes that suspects can be identified and brought to justice.

The three held a press conference on the steps of the Hampden County Hall of Justice just hours after shots were fired behind Hampden County Juvenile Court downtown.

It also came a day after a shooting in Springfield's Forest Park neighborhood that sent a 10-year-old girl and a 19-year-old woman to the hospital with gunshot wounds.

Mayor Domenic Sarno, Police Commissioner John Barbieri and Hampden County District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni presented a united front on the problems facing Springfield and the means by which they intend to combat them.

All three said most of Springfield's crime was related to gang activity, and that information from the public regarding these activities can help police apprehend violent criminals.

Sarno stressed that most of these violent crimes are committed by a small minority of gang-related repeat offenders.

"Ninety-nine percent of our families are great, great families," said Sarno, claiming it's just "one percent that want to run with gangs" and are causing the majority of the crime in the city.

Sarno also stressed that he would be "tough" on what he called "repeat violent offenders," and claimed that the city's public officials would be "out in full force to eradicate these types of individuals" from the city's streets.

Barbieri said that these violent offenders seem to have "very little thought to consequences for innocent bystanders," and that their illicit activities are driven by testosterone and adrenaline.

The two suspects apprehended in connection with Friday morning's shooting near Court Square are said to be Terrance Montgomery, 21, and Steven Keita, 21. They are both connected to local gang activity, according to Barbieri. Montgomery is facing charges of assault and battery by means of dangerous weapons, along with several fire arm charges, while Keita faces charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to Western Mass News.

Barieri also said the suspect in the shooting near Euclid Avenue on Thursday afternoon has not been apprehended, though he believes people in the neighborhood know the suspect. He said the older victim from Thursday's shooting is refusing to cooperate with investigators.

"We're getting very little info from the 19-year-old," Barbieri said, in reference to the victim who was shot in the buttocks on Thursday.

"We will not stop until the person responsible is dragged before a judge and made to answer for his inappropriate, horrific decision making," the commissioner said.

Gulluni, like Sarno and Barbieri, stressed the need for help from the public in apprehending violent offenders.

"I encourage people who are affected by crime to come forward and help," said Gulluni, noting that many times crime is fought most effectively by using information from the surrounding community.

Amherst Regional High School's Graduation Exercises were held at the Mullins Center at the University of Massachusetts on Friday June 10, 2016.

AMHERST - Amherst Regional High School's Graduation Exercises were held at the Mullins Center at the University of Massachusetts on Friday June 10, 2016.

The school's four Valedictorians, Senior Class officer, Principal, Superintendent of Schools and Chair father Regional School Committee addressed the graduates, friends and families.

Former ARHS coach and co-founder of Sports Charity Mwanza, Reed Fox, gave the commencement address.

Asked why the officer fired so many rounds at a man holding a rock, the Dallas assistant police chief said only that he did not know how many shots were fired.

DALLAS -- A police officer shot and wounded a man Friday outside a Dallas airport after the man attacked a woman believed to be the mother of his children and then threatened the officer with large rocks, police said.

Police Chief David Brown said Shawn Nicholas Diamond of Edgewood, Maryland, advanced menacingly with a rock in each hand toward an officer who had his gun drawn outside the Dallas Love Field terminal Friday, telling the officer, "You're going to have to shoot."

Diamond was in stable condition at a Dallas hospital, Brown said at a news conference.

The chief said Diamond's ex-girlfriend was driving him to the airport for a flight home when he hit her. After arriving at the airport terminal, he said, Diamond was pulling his luggage from the woman's car when he grabbed a traffic cone, smashed the car's windshield with it, then began picking up large landscaping rocks nearby and hurling them through the car's windows..

Watch police involved shooting at Dallas Love Field Airport, officials say man wounded

Silent surveillance video showed a police officer intervening and aiming his handgun at Diamond when he began advancing menacingly with a rock in each hand. When Diamond darted around the officer, the officer shot him and ordered him to stay down, Brown said.

The officer fired several more shots when Diamond got up and began running. Another officer is seen on the video brandishing a stun gun but apparently never fired it.

The officer who shot Diamond has been removed from patrol duty pending an internal review of the shooting, Brown said. However, "the video is pretty telling," the chief said.

Diamond had left his job in Maryland on Monday and flown to Dallas to visit his ex-girlfriend. He was arrested Thursday in the Dallas suburb of Carrollton and charged with criminal mischief after destroying city-owned trees valued at $3,700 by driving recklessly, Carrollton police spokeswoman Jolene DeVito said. Diamond was booked into Denton County Jail and released on bond Friday.

A video posted by Instagram user @flashyfilms-- and credited to Bryan Armstrong also shows the commotion on the curb outside baggage claim at Dallas Love Field. Amid the sound of nine gunshots and an officer's shouts to "get down," some people scramble while others stand watching before officers order them back inside. Toward the end of the video, one officer is seen pointing his gun at someone near the glass exterior of the airport.

Beattie said airport police receive specific training to be attentive to suspicious-looking travelers and that the Dallas Police Department provides "crowded-environment training" to all its officers every two years. Beattie said the officer who fired the shots is a Dallas police veteran, but he would not identify him.

Some airport operations were temporarily disrupted, but the airport remained open. Spokesman Jose Torres said that some people after hearing shots ran through security so everyone had to be rescreened.

Security checkpoint operations were back to normal Friday afternoon, airport officials said. Flights were departing but with many delays.

Traveler Lucinda Fonseca told WFAA-TV that she and her husband were coming out of the baggage claim area when they saw police approaching the man throwing rocks and one of the officers drew a gun.

"The man was yelling at the cops, basically saying 'shoot me shoot me, I dare you,' something to that effect," Fonseca said, adding she then heard gunfire.

"I crouched down on the ground," she said. "I didn't know where the bullets were going."

Southwest Airlines, the dominant airline at Love Field, said in a statement that they were working with air traffic controllers nationwide to manage inbound flights. According to the flight-tracking website FlightAware, at least eight flights operated by Southwest and one by Virgin America were diverted to other airports.

Beattie said this is the first shooting in the 89-year history of Love Field, located a few miles from downtown.

A falcon chick was rescued by Springfield police on Friday night after it reportedly fell from its nest on a building downtown. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD — A peregrine falcon chick was rescued by Springfield Police officers on Friday night after it may have fallen from its nest on the ledge of the Monarch Place building in downtown Springfield.

A Springfield Police officer who was on patrol in the downtown area said he first sighted the bird wobbling around on the ground near Nadim's Restaurant at 1380 Main St., at approximately 9 p.m.

Police then followed the bird around the building and managed to corral it in a corner between two buildings, away from traffic and passersby.

Police said they believed the animal may have fallen from a nearby building.

A Western Mass News "falcon cam" is set up on top of the Monarch Place building, right next door to Nadim's, and the site has been a nesting place for the birds for years.

Police Capt. Cheryl Clapprood called for state Environmental Police to respond.

Tom Ricardi, a retired environmental police officer, arrived at the scene shortly after the call to assist with examination of the bird.

Ricardi said he would be taking the falcon back to Mass Birds of Prey Rehab Center – a private organization that Ricardi now works for that rehabilitates animals like the falcon.

"She's got a lot of spunk, that's for sure," said Ricardi.

Ricardi said he believed the bird probably fell from the building or hit a sign. "It looks like it's just learning to fly," he said.

The peregrine falcon is one of the world's fastest birds and may possibly reach speeds up to 200 miles per hour, according to The Audubon Society.

Here are the winning numbers in Friday's Mega Millions drawing.

Friday evening's Mega Millions drawing is giving those who bought a ticket a shot at one of the biggest lottery jackpots in U.S. history.

Mega Millions

Here are the winning numbers in the drawing:

34-61-66-67-68; Mega Ball: 7; Megaplier: 5

The estimated jackpot for the drawing is $280 million.

If no one wins, the Mega Millions jackpot will get even bigger for Tuesday's drawing.

According to the game's official website, the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 258,890,850.

Players pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers -- five different numbers from 1 to 75 and one number from 1 to 15 -- or select Easy Pick. A player wins the jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a drawing.

Jackpot winners choose whether to receive 30 annual payments, each five percent higher than the last, or a lump-sum payment.

Mega Millions drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays and are offered in 44 states, Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets cost $1 each.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Federal education officials are deciding whether to shut down the nation's biggest accreditor of for-profit colleges over allegations that it overlooked deception by some of its schools.

BOSTON -- Federal education officials are deciding whether to shut down the nation's biggest accreditor of for-profit colleges over allegations that it overlooked deception by some of its schools.

The Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools is meant to be a watchdog for hundreds of for-profit schools, wielding the stamp of approval that colleges need to receive federal money. It's one of many accreditors authorized by the U.S. Education Department to ensure the quality of schools. But the nonprofit is being accused of employing lax standards and failing to stop schools from preying on students.

Institutions that have operated under the group's certification include the Corinthian College chain, which closed in 2015 amid fraud allegations, and the ITT Technical Institute chain, which now faces federal charges of fraud. Even after the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau began investigating both in 2013, the council found no major problems during its own reviews. In 2014, it included two Corinthian schools on its annual "honor roll."

"If accrediting agencies aren't willing to stand up against colleges that are breaking the law, colleges that are cheating their students, then I don't know what good they do, and I sure don't know why we would let them determine which colleges are eligible for federal dollars," Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said at a congressional hearing on Corinthian last year.

At least 17 colleges certified by the council have been subject to state or federal investigations, according to an analysis by the Center for American Progress, a liberal public policy organization in Washington. Over the past three years, those schools received more than $5.7 billion in federal money, the group said.

Attorneys general in more than a dozen states, along with other critics, want the Education Department to strip the council of its authority to accredit schools. The council is up for its regular review this month; it was last approved in 2013.

"This is an outfit that is in the business of sustaining and aiding and abetting with fraud and abuse," said Barmak Nassirian, a federal lobbyist for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. "It's like a consumer fraud dream come true."

Council officials declined to be interviewed for this story.

Losing recognition would effectively close the council and give its schools 18 months to find new accreditors. Otherwise they would lose access to federal money, the primary source of revenue for most for-profit colleges. Because the council oversees more than 900 schools, some experts question whether it will be spared because of its size.

"The fear of it being too big to fail is the only thing saving it right now," said Ben Miller, senior director for postsecondary education at the center. "At this point it would be shocking if ACICS didn't face some sort of sanction."

Top Education Department officials will decide the group's fate after an advisory committee issues a recommendation this month. Any decision could be appealed in federal court. Department officials declined to comment on the pending decision but said they're working to improve oversight of accreditors.

"Unfortunately, in recent years, we've seen far too many schools maintain their institutional accreditation even while defrauding and misleading students, providing poor quality education, or closing without recourse for students. This is inexcusable," Undersecretary Ted Mitchell said in a statement. "Accreditation can and must be the mark of quality that the public expects."

The council last week announced a series of changes and promised not to certify any new schools until its work improves. In a statement, the council acknowledged that it has problems and needs to fix them.

"The ACICS board of directors is determined to restore trust and confidence in the accreditation process, strengthen ACICS's oversight of member institutions, and ensure that students are receiving a quality education that will put them on a path to employment," said Anthony Bieda, the council's interim chief. The accreditor's president of seven years resigned in April amid the Education Department's review.

The changes include a pledge to "ensure greater accuracy" of the data that schools publicize about student success, which were found to be inflated at some colleges. An ethics board will review potential conflicts of interest on the group's board of directors, which is heavily made up of executives at for-profit colleges. The group will add more training for its volunteer evaluators who visit and assess schools.

Recently, the council has tried to take a firmer stance against troubled schools. In March it attempted to revoke accreditation of California's Bristol University over academic problems, but a federal judge blocked the move because it would have forced the school to close.

The council also demanded that ITT Tech justify its accreditation amid allegations that the chain concealed failing loan programs from authorities.

But some say those improvements are too little, too late.

The Education Department is supposed to give its authorization "based on whether an agency is a reliable authority, not whether it might be," said Robert Shireman, a senior fellow at the Century Foundation, a Washington think tank that describes itself as progressive and nonpartisan.

Among the chorus of critics, there's a debate over the root of the council's troubles.

Some say it intended well but outgrew its ability to police so many schools. Some say it attracts bad actors because it sets a lower academic bar than other accreditors. Others suggest it intentionally has turned a blind eye to deceptive colleges.

"They demonstrated not just an incompetence to do the job, but an unwillingness to do the job," said Maura Healey, the Massachusetts attorney general, who has led a push against the group. "They simply shouldn't be allowed to continue in the business of what is essentially taking advantage of students and taxpayers."

The department's decision is also seen as a test of its willingness to regulate for-profit accreditors, which have rarely faced severe sanctions, but are often accused of being too lenient.

"You couldn't line up a better set of facts against an entity," said Nassirian, of the association of state colleges and universities. "If this is a hard judgment, then there's really no hope."

Despite opponents' claims that presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is divisive, a new dating website aims to bring together single backers of the billionaire businessman.

Despite some opponents' claims that presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is a divisive figure, a new dating website aims to bring together single backers of the billionaire businessman.

As of Thursday, more than 500 Trump supporters had joined the website, TrumpSingles.com, which launched last month, according to the New York Post.

David Goss, a self-described lifelong Republican, told the newspaper he came up with the idea for the dating website after talking to other supporters of the presumptive GOP nominee who have had trouble dating after revealing their political leanings.

"I think there's a special stigma when people say they're supporting Trump, because of some of the brash things that he's said," Goss told the Post. "That immediately gets [projected] on his supporters, and it makes it hard for them when trying to date."

He stressed that the website, that's motto claims to make "dating great again," is not a hookup service, but rather seeks to help people find real love.

It's free to sign up for TrumpSingles.com, but users can only send one message per day unless they pay a $4.95 monthly subscription, the Post reported.

The dating website is not the first to be inspired by the 2016 election.

More than 12,000 backers of Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders are community members on BernieSingles.com, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Popular dating app Tinder, meanwhile, launched a "Swipe the Vote" function in late-March to match users up with the candidate who most closely aligns with their positions.