Although he had been the subject of trade rumors for several years, former Cleveland Browns linebacker Barkevious Mingo had no inclination that he'd be starting the 2016 NFL season in another city.

Below are Monday's most-read stories at MassLive.com. If you missed any of them, click on the links below to read them now.

1) Provincetown beach closed Saturday after lifeguards spot great white shark four feet from shore [Dan Glaun]

2) Jeffrey Lovell, accused in fatal Chicopee shooting of Springfield teen mistaken for burglar, indicted for manslaughter [Buffy Spencer] (Photo gallery above)

3) Barkevious Mingo: Joining New England Patriots is a 'huge culture shock' [Kevin Duffy]

4) Card game ends when masked men burst into home with shotgun and handgun [Scott J. Croteau]

5) No injuries reported in fiery crash near South End Bridge rotary in Agawam [George Graham]

The entering class is about the same size as last year.

AMHERST -- The University of Massachusetts class of 2020 is more diverse that in the past while class size remains about the same as last year. 

Between 4,650 and 4,700 students will be entering this weekend. Last year that number was about 4,685.

This year, the number of students from the African-American, Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander and Native American population is increasing from 24 percent to approximately 29 percent, according to the university. 

UMass has been trying to increase its diversity for years. The underrepresented minority population will increase from 12 percent to 13 percent.

Men comprise 52 percent of the class and women 48 percent.

"Once again our campus has attracted an outstanding incoming class of talented students from throughout Massachusetts, across the nation and around the world," Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said. "The impressive academic credentials of the class of 2020 exemplify UMass Amherst's rising reputation as one of the nation's leading public universities."

The academic profile is about the same as last year. In 2015 the average incoming student's SAT score was 1226; this year it's 1225. Last year the high school GPA was 3.83. This year it is 3.82.

On average, students in the incoming class rank in the top fifth of their high school class, according to the university.

Total undergraduate enrollment is estimated at 21,575, up from last year's 21,308. In-state enrollment will be about 16,665, or 77 percent of the entering class.

Some 600 students are entering the Commonwealth Honors College. Students in that program have an average SAT score of 1343 and a 4.27 GPA.

This is the 13th year of consecutive growth and another record for first-year applications for admission, the university said. About 41,000 people applied, a 2 percent increase over the previous year, including a larger number of out-of-state and international students. 

Only 59 percent of students who applied were admitted, down from the 71 percent acceptance rate in fall 2006.

Springfield Performing Arts Development Corp. last month was awarded a 30-month contract to run CityStage, and was the sole bidder to operate Symphony Hall through the end of 2018.

SPRINGFIELD -- The nonprofit created to manage and book acts into Springfield Symphony Hall and the nearby CityStage theater has been suffering from declining revenues in recent years, recording annual operating losses beginning in 2010 after staying in the black for much of its first decade.

According to a review of publicly available tax documents by The Republican, Springfield Performing Arts Development Corp. -- the only entity to bid this year on new contracts to run the venues -- saw its revenue from ticket sales fall from $1.2 million to just over $750,000 from 2010 to 2015.

The losses have led to a shrinking piggy bank of assets the organization can draw from to stay afloat.

"Of course our numbers are troubling, and we can't survive for more than a couple of seasons if these numbers don't change," Springfield Performing Arts President Tina D'Agostino wrote in an email. 

D'Agostino said the organization is developing a "strategic plan to address short- and long-term issues and increase ticket sales, attract more sponsors and raise more money."

The trends seen at Symphony Hall and CityStage are not unique to Springfield.

With attendance at live performances on the wane across the country, organizations managing venues for theater, music, dance and other arts events are thinking creatively about how to market and package those performances -- and of what types of performances to offer.

"I think Springfield is seeing the same thing that everyone is seeing," said Dee Boyle-Clapp, director of the Arts Extension Service at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. "Imagine everything else that is going on. We have televisions at home that rival theaters. People work harder than they have ever worked. Wages have not increased."

Organization's history

Springfield Performing Arts Development Corp. formed in the late 1990s as a division of the Springfield Business Development Corp. The group took over management of the former StageWest in 1998, renaming the venue CityStage.

StageWest, a resident professional theater company that had operated in the Columbus Center space since it opened in 1984, shut down after accumulating $700,000 in debt -- a financial situation blamed at the time on a waning subscriber base, poor management and challenges nonprofit theaters were facing around the country, according to a report in the Union-News, predecessor to The Republican.

Springfield Performing Arts began managing Symphony Hall in July 1999, after the venue was run for two years by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. 

After recording losses during its first two years -- including its inaugural CityStage season, which was cut short due to low advance ticket sales for the final four shows -- the organization recorded operating surpluses each fiscal year from 2001 to 2005.

The organization recorded a $13,830 loss in 2006 before logging three more consecutive years of surpluses.

The organization's net revenue of $491,893 in fiscal year 2007 was the largest surplus in its history.  

But the losses began in 2010 with a negative income of $61,378. The news got worse from there.

Over the next four fiscal years, the organization lost over $300,000. Then, in 2015, the organization recorded a loss of $145,687 -- the highest since its startup years of 1999 to 2000.  

The organization has been steadily cutting expenses, from just over $1.8 million in 2010 to under $1.4 million in 2015. Payments to artists and associated fees represent the single largest expense category, running in the neighborhood of $450,000 to $500,000 in recent years. D'Agostino earned a salary of $103,180 as president in 2015, according to tax filings.

But as overall expenses have fallen, so has the organization's annual gross revenue. The 2015 total of $1.2 million was down 39.7 percent from $2.05 million in 2008. 

The yield from performance revenue, which twice exceeded $1.6 million in the early 2000s, has been under $1 million each fiscal year since 2012. The 2015 figure of $756,195 is the second-lowest on record -- behind only fiscal year 1999, when the organization booked shows only at CityStage.

Meantime, six straight fiscal years of operating losses have cut into the organization's net assets. After peaking at $944,198 in 2009, that nest egg fell to $460,081 in 2015.

Sole bidder on venue contracts

The Republican reviewed the organization's tax records after Springfield Performing Arts emerged this year as the lone bidder for fresh contracts to run Symphony Hall and CityStage.

The organization was recently awarded a new 30-month contract from the Springfield Parking Authority to operate the CityStage theaters at the Columbus Center complex on Bridge Street. 

Springfield Performing Arts pays the Parking Authority $2,526 a month in rent. It also pays for utilities, and is responsible for maintaining the space. 

"We were hoping to receive other qualified proposals in this area," said Parking Authority comptroller and chief procurement officer Ehsanul "Bokul" Bhuiya.

Bhuiya said arts organizations from Springfield, Hartford and West Hartford picked up bid documents. But, none made a formal proposal to take over the space.

"One thing is, people don't find this to be an ideal spot for these operations," Bhuiya said, explaining that he reached the conclusion because of the lack of other bidders.

He said he can only infer that the other potential operators didn't see enough potential in CityStage.

"I know we wanted something fresh, something new," Bhuiya said.

Springfield Performing Arts was also the only bidder on a city contract to operate the iconic Symphony Hall until the end of 2018. 

Patrick J. Sullivan, director of Springfield parks, buildings and recreation management, said he and a city committee are reviewing the Springfield Performing Arts proposal for the Symphony Hall management contract.

The officials are currently weighing a number of factors, including the organization's financial records included as part of its bid package. 

Sullivan said he expects to announce a decision in September.

The year 2018 looms large in the city's future. MGM Springfield plans to open its  $950 million casino a few blocks away from Symphony Hall in the fall of 2018.

According to the host community agreement hammered out among the city, MGM and the state Gaming Commission, MGM expects to co-produce no fewer than three and no more than five events at Symphony Hall each year.

MGM is partnering on management of the MassMutual Center, located about a block away.

Finding the right mix

Despite her organization's recent financial struggles, D'Agostino -- who has led Springfield Performing Arts since the 2011 retirement of former president Cynthia J. Anzalotti -- said she is optimistic.

"We are committed to finding the right mix of entertainment for these venues," she wrote in response to questions from The Republican.

Tina D'Agostino, president of the Springfield Performing Arts Development Corp., at CityStage in a 2015 file photo. File photo / The Republican

D'Agostino declined to discuss specific artists or genres the group plans to target for booking.

The lineups for fall 2016 at both venues are heavy on one-person shows and tribute bands featuring the music of the 1960s and 1970s. Examples include The Last Waltz LIVE featuring the music of The Band, and singer-songwriter Kevin MaC at CityStage.

The Truth Hurts Comedy Tour featuring Latino comics such as Willie Barcena, who has a special on Netflix, is booked into Symphony Hall in October.

"Comedy does very well, Broadway is hit or miss," D'Agostino wrote. "Sometimes family shows do well, other times they miss the mark. Reality television stars draw great crowds most of the time."

She continued: "We've had mixed reactions to Cirque-style and magic shows. There have been decent crowds for concerts, from rock to country, and R&B to oldies. Serious dramas don't typically sell well, but tributes, comedies and musicals often do, many selling out."

A review of attendance data for over 160 Symphony Hall events from October 2011 to June 2014 shows that comedy does indeed do well: four of the 10 highest attendance totals were for high-profile comedians, including Jerry Seinfeld and Aziz Ansari. 

The numbers, included in the city's bid materials for the Symphony Hall management contract, also show high attendance for some musical acts.

Guitarist Joe Bonamassa, whose concert filled 2,563 of Symphony Hall's 2,600 seats, saw the highest draw for any performer or other ticketed show during the period for which attendance figures were available.

High-profile speakers -- like the reality stars D'Agostino mentioned -- consistently drew some of the largest crowds, with an average attendance of 1,979, according to an analysis of the data by The Republican. Comedy shows drew an average crowd of 1,764, while theater events saw a much lower average of 928.

Whatever the genre, though, live performances are competing against an increasing array of entertainment options. 

D'Agostino compared the competitive and economic climate in recent seasons to 2002, when the organization saw its gross revenue peak.

"Think about it, did we have Netflix, or access to entertainment in our homes in 2002? What was the economy like in 2002? Times have changed," she wrote in a series of emails. "Participation in the arts is on the decline. Other arts organizations are feeling this. I'm not entirely blaming Netflix or home theaters or the economy, but I think fewer people feel compelled to see a live show." 

Boyle-Clapp, of UMass -- who teaches courses including Introduction to Arts Management and Foundations in Arts Entrepreneurship -- said there's a limit to how much an arts organization can rely on cutting expenses to balance its books.

She agreed to talk about the arts economy in general, and not about Symphony Hall and CityStage in particular.

Eventually, Boyle-Clapp said, cutbacks hurt the product the organization puts up on stage. A decline in quality, in turn, alienates supporters the organization once could have counted on for ticket sales and donations, further exacerbating the problem 

"People cost money," she said. "If you are going to put on the Boston Symphony, the Springfield Symphony, you can't cut back. You need all those performers -- and you need to pay them."

Symphony strategies

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra is a separate organization that pays D'Agostino's group to rent the hall for its performances.

The rental fees go toward Springfield Performing Arts' bottom line, and the organization -- in its role as the venue manager -- also makes money on concessions sold during symphony performances. While other groups also pay to rent the facility, the symphony is the single largest tenant.

In terms of its fiscal health, the symphony recorded an operating surplus of $1.3 million in 2015, ending the fiscal year with $7.9 million in net assets -- up from $4.8 million in net assets in 2000, according to tax filings. 

Maestro Kevin Rhodes conducts the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in its Season Grand Finale at Symphony Hall on Saturday, May 7, 2016. Steven E. Nanton photo

Symphony orchestra performances drew an average audience of 1,344 during the period covered in the bid documents, and its youth orchestra program drew an average audience of 2,133.

Orchestra events accounted for nearly a third of the 25 best-attended ticketed shows at Symphony Hall from October 2011 to June 2014.

But, like D'Agostino's organization, the symphony has also seen its performance revenue slide over the past decade, from $966,363 in 2005 to $654,690 in 2014.

That decline in ticket sales reflects national trends.

According to a 2012 survey by the National Endowment for the Arts, just 8.8 percent of Americans attended classical music performances that year, down from 9.3 percent in 2008.

Attendance for ballet performances fell to 2.7 percent of the population from 3.9 percent four years earlier. Opera attendance fell to 2.1 percent of the population from 3.2 in 2008.

The survey is done every four years, so new numbers are not yet available.

But Boyle-Clapp fears the trend has continued. 

"Personally, I'm worried to death," she said. 

One issue arts organizations are facing is that, in the age of standardized testing, schools are less likely to teach art, music and music appreciation. In many households, children aren't exposed to classical music, either.

"How do you miss something you were never exposed to?" Boyle-Clapp said.

The solution many institutions and venues have discovered is to mix up their offerings in ways that still serve their arts mission.

Examples include staging concerts in which orchestra musicians wear T-shirts and blue jeans, so audience members unaccustomed to dressing up feel more comfortable. Other strategies include offering shorter, less expensive events for those tight on time or money, or symphony concerts that start at 10 p.m. to draw a late-night crowd. 

"You don't have to change what you do," Boyle-Clapp said. "What is helpful in the field right now is changing how you do it. The biggest piece is to take away the fear some people have about attending."

As an example, she pointed to the eclectic arts programming at MassMOCA in North Adams.

The museum's upcoming schedule ranges from the FreshGrass Bluegrass Festival featuring Old Crow Medicine Show, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder and others to a showing of the 1924 Buster Keaton silent film "Sherlock Jr." that is coupled with a live performance of the score by The BQE Project, a chamber ensemble.

Peter T. Salerno, executive director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, said his group is trying to be as innovative as possible. 

For example, the symphony this season will continue its Dinner & the Symphony promotion. The partnership with Peter Pan Bus Lines and The Student Prince offers an evening out that includes a meal at the historic Springfield restaurant, tickets to a show and charter bus service from pickup points in Wilbraham and Longmeadow.

And the Symphony is offering innovative performances on the stage as well, he said.

In May 2017, the symphony will present "Video Games Live" from Springfield native and video game music composer Tommy Tallarico, who has arranged music from classic games such as "The Legend of Zelda" for an orchestra. The musicians play the music while the games are projected on big screens.

For the event, the symphony will set up an arcade in Symphony Hall, Salerno said.

"The idea, artistically, is to show that a symphony orchestra can play anything," Salerno said, adding that one of the hopes is to bring a younger generation to Symphony Hall by showing off the orchestra's versatility. 

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra wants to experiment while continuing to respect the music and the musicians -- a balance he said the video game performance strikes well.

"We just can't stand still. We have got to continue to keep the vibrancy," he said. 

The big picture

D'Agostino painted Symphony Hall and CityStage's woes as part of a larger set of challenges facing downtown Springfield.

"The restaurant space next to CityStage has been vacant for 8 years! Has that helped our business? Of course not," she wrote. "Right now, I think you'd find out that attendance and participation has been down at other events and businesses. There are challenges that we all face, but things are getting better."

She pointed to successes the city has seen in drawing visitors downtown in recent months, including the White Lion Wednesdays series.

The outdoor beer garden, sponsored by the city's Business Improvement District and hosted at a rotating set of locations downtown, proved to be so popular that its initial schedule of 10 dates was extended into September.

"More events, better attendance, positive experiences and good buzz -- that's what downtown Springfield needs. We want to be a part of that," D'Agostino said. "More synergy and a better vibe will arise out of the collective success of many individuals, organizations and businesses that are working so hard to improve downtown."

The S.K. Pierce Haunted Mansion is a 6,661-square-foot Victorian. It was built in 1875 by Sylvester Pierce, across the street from his successful furniture business, S.K. Pierce and Sons Furniture Company.

GARDNER -- On Broadway Street, one house on the block is unlike the others.

The S.K. Pierce Haunted Mansion is a 6,661-square-foot Victorian. It was built in 1875 by Sylvester Pierce, across the street from his successful furniture business, S.K. Pierce and Sons Furniture Company.

It features 10 bedrooms - five for his family, five for live-in servants - marble fireplaces, hand-carved moldings and more than 70 windows. It has developed a dark history over the years. Within one of the bedrooms, it's believed three women died - two wives of Pierce and a prostitute.

During the house's many lives - from being used as a private residence to temporarily serving as a boarding house - it has welcomed many visitors. Former President Calvin Coolidge is said to have been a guest in the home while he was still a resident of Massachusetts, and Norman Rockwell is believed to have worked from the mansion during his lifetime.

More than a half-dozen deaths are said to have taken place in the house, from a young boy drowning in the basement to a man burning to death in the master bedroom a half-century ago.

People inside the house over the years have claimed to see the ghosts of S.K. Pierce, his wives, and a pair of young children. People allege they've heard voices inside the house, doors slam and felt the present of an otherly being when alone in a room.

The home was purchased last year by Robert Conti, of New Jersey, who intends to turn the home into a haunted mansion. Guests will travel through the mansion, encountering several dozen trained actors who hope to give them a fright. Before entering the mansion, visitors will be required to sign an injury waiver.

The mansion is currently under renovations. The second floor is expected to be completed by the end of 2016, while the third floor will take several more months to a year.

On Monday, hopefuls for Hampden County sheriff and the Governor's Council brought their campaigns to Trinity United Methodist Church in Forest Park for a speed dating-style forum hosted by the League of Women Voters.

SPRINGFIELD -- With 10 days to go until the Sept. 8 primary election, candidates for office are working hard to meet as many undecided voters as possible.

On Monday, hopefuls for Hampden County sheriff and the Governor's Council brought their campaigns to Trinity United Methodist Church in Forest Park for a speed dating-style forum hosted by the League of Women Voters.

Sheriff candidates at Monday evening's event, dubbed Candidating 2016, included Democrats Mike Albano, Nick Cocchi and Tom Ashe; Republican John Comerford; independent James Gill; and write-in candidate Francis Barbaro, marking the first public appearance of his campaign.

Voters in next week's primary will narrow the Democratic field to a single candidate, while Barbaro needs 1,000 votes to advance to the general election.

The next sheriff of Hampden County will take over from Michael Ashe, who was first elected to the position in 1974 and is not seeking re-election, and oversee a department with 900 employees and a $78 million budget. The position pays $152,000 per year.

Jeff Morneau and Mary Hurley, candidates for the Governor's Council, also made pitches to voters.

After brief opening statements, each candidate circulated among tables of voters, taking about 10 minutes to answer questions from each small group.

Cocchi fielded questions about the 2011 class action lawsuit that alleged the sheriff's department violated the rights of inmates at the Western Massachusetts Regional Women's Correctional Center in Chicopee with invasive strip search procedures. The lawsuit by 176 former inmates was settled in 2015 for $675,000.

Cocchi, a 23-year department veteran who oversees the day-to-day operations of the jail in Ludlow, said he was against videotaping strip searches, but argued they are an effective way to keep inmates safe. He said a strip search is only performed in response to an incident that justifies it.

He was also asked about the policy of segregating inmates from the general population, especially since long-term solitude has deleterious effects on mental health.

"It's so important to become more progressive in what we do," said Cocchi, pointing to changes in policies that allow segregated inmates to listen to educational programs on MP3 players and learn techniques for managing emotional stress. He said the average stay in segregation is down to 12 days.

Albano, a former mayor of Springfield now serving on the Governor's Council, said he wants to change the way the criminal justice system handles drug addiction. He said he wants drug addicts to receive treatment for their "disease."

"You shouldn't have to go to jail to get medical assistance," said Albano, "and that's how it is in Massachusetts. ... My goal is to direct people into treatment before they get involved in criminal activity."

He compared drug addiction to his son's diabetes, and decried the difficulty of getting care before the problem spirals into destructive behavior. He also reiterated his support for repealing mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenses.

Monday's event was put on by the League of Women Voters, Neighbor to Neighbor, the Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts and Voices from Inside.

Linda Matys O'Connell, lead organizer for the League of Women Voters, said the voters at the forum are "engaged in this."

"We actually care. We understand that what the sheriff does, and what the Governor's Council does, has a lot to do with what social justice looks like," said O'Connell. "It matters how we treat people, and that's why we're here tonight."

Morneau and Hurley, the candidates for Governor's Council, spoke of the need to appoint more minority and women judges. Hurley said Springfield has the busiest district court in the state, with 13,000 cases per year, and it's been underserved for a long time.

Morneau is an attorney running as a progressive Democrat. He's the president of the Hampden County Bar Association, which offers guidance to the governor on judicial appointments.

Hurley, like Albano a former mayor of Springfield, served as a Chicopee District Court judge for nearly 20 years.

Both candidates are seeking the seat representing all four Western Massachusetts counties, which is currently held by Albano.

"Unfortunately ... the car was under surveillance," defense attorney Tony LaCasse said, adding it was unfair to expect his client to "hire a drug-sniffing dog to inspect a car before purchasing it."

SPRINGFIELD -- Sean Deglis isn't a heroin dealer, but he did buy a car from one over the weekend, his lawyer said Monday.

Until police stopped him Saturday night, Deglis had no idea that 95 packets of heroin were stashed in a hidden compartment of his new car, lawyer Tony LaCasse explained.

"Unfortunately ... the car was under surveillance," LaCasse said, adding it was unfair to expect his client to "hire a drug-sniffing dog to inspect a car before purchasing it."

Deglis, 29, of Southwick, pleaded not guilty during his arraignment in Springfield District Court to one count of possession of heroin with intent to distribute.

Acting on a tip from a confidential informant, Springfield narcotics detectives arrested him Saturday night in the parking lot of a Forest Park liquor store, Assistant District Attorney Jill O'Connor said.

Police seized $155 in cash and 95 bags of heroin from a compartment in the car, according to the prosecutor, who said the drugs were packaged for sale, not personal use.

She asked for $5,000 bail, noting that Deglis has an extensive criminal record and had violated his probation in a 2015 case involving leaving the scene of a serious motor vehicle accident.

In addition, the defendant has convictions for drug possession and other charges, plus violations of probation and eight court defaults, O'Connor said.

LaCasse opposed the bail request, explaining that his client was a heroin user, not a heroin dealer. He asked Judge William Hadley to commit his client to a 90-day drug evaluation and treatment program in the Boston area, rather than imposing cash bail.

Despite battling heroin addiction for 10 years, Deglis has never received in-patient treatment -- an option the defendant and his family were pushing for, LaCasse said.

"No program -- only detox. I've tried and tried," Deglis added.

Court psychologist Amber Green-Thompson also recommended ordering Deglis to undergo inpatient evaluation, a process that typically takes about three weeks, she said.

The defendant's father also appealed to the judge, saying jail treatment programs had failed, leading to the "some old, same old." Once his impatient treatment ended, Deglis promised the judge he would enroll in a community-based program to continue his recovery.

But the judge said the drug distribution charge, combined with his default in the 2015 case, showed the defendant posed a risk to public safety.

"He's giving heroin to people ... and defaulting (in a case involving) leaving the scene of a serious accident," Hadley said.

While expressing concern for the defendant's future and sympathy for his family, the judge said he doubts Deglis's determination to free himself from addiction. "You can make all the promises you want," the judge said.

He ordered Deglis held on $10,000 bail, and continued the case for a pretrial hearing on Sept. 23.

The campaign committee of state representative candidate Ben Swan Jr. has accused opponent Bud Williams of making false claims about endorsements. Williams defended his list as accurate.

SPRINGFIELD -- The campaign committee for Ben Swan Jr., a candidate for state representative in the 11th Hampden District, has accused Democratic opponent Bud L. Williams of making erroneous claims of endorsements in a mailing to voters and a political advertisement.

Williams defended his endorsement list, accusing the Swan campaign of desperation and negative campaigning.

In a prepared statement, the Swan committee said both the mailing and the advertisement contained four erroneous endorsements: City Council President Michael Fenton, community activists Jafet Robles and Maria Perez, and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 509.

"We have spoken with Councilor Fenton, Mr. Robles, Ms. Perez and a representative from SEIU 509, who state that they did not endorse Williams nor give permission to appear on his mailer," said Jesse Lederman, campaign manager for Swan.

Perez, reached for comment said Monday, said she had not endorsed Williams in advance of the mailing and advertisement but was doing so now.

"I am endorsing him today," Perez said.

Robles said that he spoke to Williams, told him he personally does support him, but is not able to publicly support him because of his involvement as a community organizer with the local organization Neighbor to Neighbor. With the chapter not officially supporting any candidate, "I have to stay out of the loop," he said.

Williams said he personally spoke with all of the listed endorsers and stands by that list, which names 22 individuals, unions and organizations. He said in his conversation with Robles, Robles said he could not support him as a member of Neighbor to Neighbor "but could do it individually" and believes it was proper to use his name as an individual.

Williams also lists the SEIU state council, some local SEIU chapters, the Carpenters Local 108, eight city councilors and two School Committee members in his endorsement list.

Williams was endorsed by the state council of the SEIU, and the various local chapters including Local 509, part of the larger statewide organization, according to Williams and Calvin Feliciano, deputy political director for the SEIU state council.

Feliciano said that about 25 people participated in the state council vote endorsing Williams, including representatives from the various locals.

However, the Local 509, which represents human services workers and educators, did not take a separate vote to endorse any candidate, said Jason Stephany, spokesman for Local 509.

"I have no doubt that's just an honest mistake," Stephany said regarding the Williams' claim that Local 509 had endorsed him.

Fenton was not immediately available for comment.

Williams said his endorsement list has been public for an extended period of time, and has not heard any complaints from those listed. He said the Swan press release is "negative campaigning, desperation."

"Their campaign is faltering and this is desperation," Williams said.

The Swan committee press release said it had many reports from supporters that lawn signs for Swan were being removed, and that Williams signs were being placed on their properties without permission, as well as on vacant and city-owned properties.

"It is concerning that an 'experienced politician,' who is also a current public official, would so readily mislead his constituents," Lederman said. "We are proud that Ben Swan Jr. has run a clean campaign on the issues facing our district, city and region, and I know that we intend the same going forward."

The Democratic ballot for the Sept. 8 primary also includes candidates Ken Barnett and Larry Lawson.

"Sorry, it just happened. We had a lot to drink today," Adis A. Negron said, according to a police report.

SPRINGFIELD -- A judge will hear arguments this week over evidence against a couple charged with having sex on the kitchen floor in front of their crying children.

Lawyers for Adis A. Negron, 30, and Elias Alicea, 38, are scheduled to present motions to suppress evidence against their clients Wednesday in Springfield District Court.

During a hearing last month, a judge gave defense lawyers Patrick Goodreau and Matthew Hutchinson until Aug. 17 to file motions to exclude evidence collected by Springfield police.

The specific evidence the lawyers want excluded was not identified in court documents at the time, but motions to suppress often claim violations of Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure.

No trial date has been set, but the couple has requested a jury trial.

Alicea, meanwhile, had his pretrial release revoked last month after being arrested on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and threatening to commit a crime. At a prosecutor's request, Judge William Boyle ordered Alicea held without right to bail for 90s days.

Eleven months ago, Alicea and Negron were released on personal recognizance after pleading not guilty to open and gross lewdness.

The charges were filed after Springfield police, responding to a neighbor's complaint, went to the couple's Haumont Avenue home on the evening of June 13, 2015.

After hearing children crying inside, the officers entered and found the couple having sex on the kitchen floor in front of their three children, according to the arrest report.

"The children were all visibly upset, crying, sobbing ... tears rolling down their cheeks while looking at their ... actions," the arrest report stated.

Alicea was upset when he saw the officers, the report said. He stood up and ordered Negron to get dressed, saying: "Babe, go put on some (obscenity) clothes; I don't want the pigs to look at you."

He then ordered the officers to "get the (obscenity) out" of his apartment. "I'm going to hurt someone if you don't leave now," he added, according to the report.

After a brief struggle, Alicea was handcuffed and arrested. In addition to open and gross lewdness, he is charged with two counts of assault and battery on a police officer.

Six pretrial hearings have been held since the couple were arraigned on Sept. 23.

The prosecution has turned over several documents to the defense, including a tape of the 911 call made by a neighbor and reports from the state Department of Children and Families, which investigates allegations of child abuse and neglect.

Negron, who was pregnant when she was arrested, told police that state child welfare officials were already familiar with the family, according to the police report.

She initially denied having sex in front of the children, then looked away, the report said. "Sorry, it just happened. We had a lot to drink today," she said, according to the report.

Hampshire County Sheriff Robert Garvey said Morneau has a history of fighting for equal justice.

Jeff Morneau, Democratic candidate for 8th District Governor's Council, has won the endorsement of sheriffs from Franklin and Hampshire counties.

"I am endorsing attorney Morneau for Governor's Council because he is the only true progressive in this race. His commitment to progressive values makes him the right choice," said Hampshire County Sheriff Robert Garvey in a statement. "Jeff Morneau is not just another politician; he is a professional who has a long and distinguished record of fighting for equal justice."

"Jeff has been a staunch advocate for drug courts and addiction treatment for non-violent drug offenders as a way to combat the terrible scourge of opioid abuse. He understands this complicated problem and that it will take new ways of thinking to solve it," said Franklin County Sheriff Christopher Donelan.

"Sheriffs Garvey and Donelan have extraordinary public service records and I am honored to have their endorsement," said Morneau.

Morneau, president of the Hampden County Bar Association, in 2011 founded
Connor, Morneau & Olin, a law firm that specializes in labor and consumer protection law. Morneau received his law degree from Western New England University and a master's degree in law from Georgetown University. He previously worked with the Springfield law firm of Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas.

The eight-member Governor's Council meets weekly to provide advice and consent on gubernatorial appointments, including judges and parole board members. Among other matters, the council considers commutations and pardons for convicted criminals.

Morneau, an East Longmeadow resident, faces retired district court judge and former Springfield mayor Mary Hurley in the Sept. 8 Democratic primary. With no Republicans on the ticket, the winner will replace Governor's Councilor Michael Albano, who is running for Hampden County sheriff instead.

Citizens shared stories about nightmarish neighbors during a recent Town Council hearing on West Springfield's new "disorderly residences" ordinance.

Below are Tuesday's most-read news stories at MassLive.com. If you missed any of them, click on the links below to read them now.

1) Judge to consider throwing out evidence against Springfield couple charged with having sex in front of children [Jack Flynn] (Photo gallery above)

2) East Longmeadow man, 64, charged in Connecticut stabbing [Patrick Johnson]

3) Springfield drug suspect never realized new car had 95 bags of heroin inside, lawyer claims [Jack Flynn]

4) Why wasn't Jeffrey Lovell, accused in fatal Chicopee shooting of Springfield teen mistaken for burglar, indicted for murder? [Buffy Spencer]

5) Nightmare neighbors: West Springfield residents share stories of fistfights, 'sexually explicit language,' and more [Conor Berry]

Christopher Montgomery had faced a murder charge in connection with the March 15, 2015, fatal shooting of Rakeem Nixon in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD -- Citing a main witness who is unavailable, prosecutors have dropped a murder charge against Christopher Montgomery for the 2015 fatal shooting of 22-year-old Rakeem Nixon.

Montgomery was 17 years old at the time Nixon was killed.

Assistant District Attorney Matthew Green, in the document dropping the case, said the state declines to prosecute at this time.

"The commonwealth's main percipient witness is unavailable to testify in this matter. Until such time that additional evidence is discovered or the commonwealth's necessary witness become available to testify, there is not enough evidence to sustain the government's burden of proof," reads the nolle prosequi, the document ending the prosecution.

"The interests of justice therefore require that the commonwealth decline prosecution at this time," Green wrote.

In April, Hampden Superior Court Judge John A. Agostini reduced Montgomery's bail from $100,000 to $5,000 cash after hearing details about the case against him from defense lawyer Donald W. Frank. Montgomery posted bail and was released to his parents' home.

At the bail hearing, Frank said the prosecution's witness, a juvenile, had recanted his initial statements that he saw Montgomery shoot Nixon multiple times. The shooting took place March 15, 2015, at about 3 p.m. on a residential street off Boston Road.

Assistant District Attorney Matthew W. Green said at the hearing he needs that juvenile witness to testify to make his case. "I expect he will testify either by choice or compulsion," Green said. Green acknowledged that if the juvenile witness testified, he might not say he saw the shooting.

Agostini said setting a low bail for a murder defendant is something he seldom does.

Green said the juvenile testified before a grand jury that he did not see the shooting, although he said Montgomery was with him in the area of the shooting, then borrowed his bike and left and came back.

He said the grand jury listened to police interviews with Montgomery after the murder when the juvenile said he saw Montgomery shoot Nixon. Green said the grand jury indicted Montgomery despite the fact the juvenile witness recanted his story there.

The juvenile witness said Montgomery was upset because Nixon passed him and looked at him funny, according to Green.

Bennett Walsh, superintendent of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home and a 24-year U.S. Marine, said he will be honored in a "Hats Off to Heroes" ceremony by the Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2016.

HOLYOKE -- Superintendent Bennett W. Walsh of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home, a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel, said he will be honored in a "Hats Off to Heroes" ceremony today at Fenway Park as the Red Sox play the Tampa Rays.

Walsh will appear on the Red Sox dugout in the middle of the fourth inning, the public address announcer will introduce him and his image will be shown on the big screen, according to emails team personnel forwarded to Walsh. Game time is 1:35 p.m.

"I am incredibly humbled and honored to be recognized as a veteran during the 'Hats Off to Heroes' ceremony. For an organization that I have loved my entire life to take time during a game to recognize veterans is a wonderful act of recognition for the U.S. military -- both active duty and retired," said Walsh, who retired earlier this year after 24 years in the Marine Corps.

"It is both an honor and a privilege to be selected by the Red Sox organization and represent the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke, the WMass region and the USMC for this recognition ceremony. I sincerely thank the Red Sox organization and am hoping to give David Ortiz some retirement advice," he said.

Major League Baseball teams often honor military veterans with such in-game ceremonies and gestures like ticket discounts.

Walsh, a Springfield native, took over as superintendent of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home May 31. He took the oath of office for the $115,000-a-year job with Gov. Charlie Baker on July 6.

Walsh' most recent assignment with the Marines was as deputy commander of a 950-member unit in Paris Island, South Carolina, where his unit provided administrative support for a training facility. He served in combat during the Gulf War and in Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

He and his wife Shannon have four children and live in Springfield.

The Holyoke Soldiers' Home is a state facility on Cherry Street overlooking Interstate 91. It has 265 long-term care beds and 30 private rooms for veterans and serves 2,200 veterans a year with its in- and out-patient facilities. It was founded in 1952, has a yearly budget of $23.1 million and employs more than 300 people.

Massachusetts law offers up to $500,000 for wrongfully convicted felons, but the process can be long and complicated. Watch video

WINDSOR, Conn. -- Mark Schand spent 26 years, 11 months and 25 days behind bars before his conviction in a 1986 Springfield murder was overturned in 2013.

Now, with his freedom won, he is fighting for $500,000 from the state, under Massachusetts' wrongful conviction compensation law.

Schand, 52, has spent half his life in prison and suffered the immediate consequences - confinement, decades of separation from his family, and the title of "convicted murderer," all while he continued to maintain his innocence.

But his conviction also came with devastating financial costs, he said at an interview in his Windsor, Conn. home. 27 years with no income or career advancement. The steady expense of his wife Mia's weekly trips to visit him and pay for his prison commissary. And, even after his release, the persistence of his conviction on some criminal background checks, which he said cost him job opportunities.

"I'm sure I wouldn't be working a $14, $15 an hour job at this point in my life. I'm 200 percent sure that's because of my incarceration," Schand said. "I don't think that's OK. I definitely feel that I was held back."

Schand was convicted in the 1986 killing of Victoria Seymour, outside Springfield's former After Five lounge, and languished in prison as local defense attorneys John and Linda Thompson launched a decades-long legal campaign to clear his name.

Mia Schand, his wife, had testified at the original trial that Schand was with her at the time of the shooting. And in 2010 the innocence organization Centurion Ministries uncovered new evidence to support that claim. In 2013, Schand was granted a new trial after eyewitness Anthony Cooke recanted his identification of Schand, and three new witnesses testified that he was not at the club that night.

Then-Hampden County District Attorney Mark Mastroianni, who is now a federal judge, dropped the murder charge, sparing Schand another trial and clearing the path for his return home.

 

Massachusetts passed its wrongful conviction compensation law in 2004, allowing people imprisoned for false felony convictions to receive up to $500,000 in compensation. The law, which applied retroactively to people convicted before its enactment, was passed as the increased prevalence of DNA testing brought wrongful conviction cases into the public spotlight.

The District of Columbia and 29 other states also have wrongful conviction compensation statutes, according to the Innocence Project. Over 60 convicts have applied for relief under Massachusetts' law, and the state has paid out $8.34 million to those found wrongfully convicted.

The path to compensation can be lengthy and complicated. While convictions can be vacated due to prosecutorial misconduct and errors in the court system, those cases are not necessarily eligible for compensation; rather, prisoners must prove their innocence to receive state money, according to the law. And cases can take a long time to resolve, with two years allowed for evidence discovery under the trial schedule used for compensation cases.

"This process is designed to last at least three years," said Schand's attorney John Thompson. "That means that the guy who's coming out of prison has to wait at least three years to get the benefits from this, if he ever gets them."

Only people who have received full pardons or had their convictions overturned on grounds that tend to establish innocence are eligible for compensation, according to the law. Once proving their eligibility in court, claimants then head to trial, where they must prove their innocence to receive money.

Many claims in Massachusetts are settled; others are dismissed or withdrawn. Only one person - Ulysses Charles, who served 17 years before DNA evidence cleared him of rape and robbery charges in 2001 - has taken a compensation claim to trial and won.

For Schand, who filed for financial relief in January 2014, the case has stretched on for 2 1/2 years, and is part of a legal battle that has extended long after his release from prison in 2013. Schand has also filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Springfield, the City of Hartford and the Hampden County District Attorney's Office.

The Attorney General's Office opposed Schand's claim of eligibility, arguing in court that the state had never conceded his innocence and that the testimony of the new eyewitnesses was questionable. But in Oct. 2014, Hampden Superior Court Justice Tina Page ruled that Schand could seek financial relief.

"The newly discovered evidence in this case tends to substantiate Schand's defenses at trial of misidentification and alibi," Page wrote in her decision. "Witness testimony that Schand was not present at the scene of the homicide Is evidence that another party was, in fact, responsible for the shooting death of Victoria Seymour."

Since then, the state and Schand's attorneys have gone back and forth on evidence discovery, leading up to a trial or possible settlement.

Schand now lives with his wife on a tree-lined street in Windsor, Conn., and the last three years have been an abrupt shift to suburban normalcy. His three children are grown; he has four grandchildren, all born while he was in prison. He works in a Colt factory, making gun components, and Mia, his wife, is a stylist at a hair salon.

"I think about it every day, but I'm going about my life," Schand said. "There was a time when I thought I would never get out."

Shand's time in prison meant that Mia raised their family on a single income. She spent about $200 per week visiting and supporting him, she said, from funding his prison commissary account to the cost of gas and tolls when driving from Connecticut to the Eastern Mass. prisons where he was held.

"It was a big sacrifice," she said. "Every week I went to see him. It was really costly."

Schand earned about 16 college credits during his first years in prison, studying with community college professors under a federal Pell grant program for inmates. But prisoners were banned from using the Pell program under the federal 1994 crime bill, and Schand spend the last 19 years of his sentence without higher education.

And, counterintuitively, Schand was not eligible for the state Department of Corrections' post-release services, which include job training and job placement programs. Those services are only for prisoners who have served their full terms, not those whose charges are vacated.

His conviction continued to haunt him economically even after charges were dropped. Though he has found steady work since he got out, at first the charge continued to pop up on employer background checks, leading to missed job opportunities and canceled interviews.

"The whole wrongfully convicted thing didn't catch on in the computers and didn't catch up to the system," Schand said. "It was difficult convincing them I was wrongfully convicted."

Before he was arrested, Schand wanted to own a restaurant franchise, following in the footsteps of his father, a small businessman who owned grocery and liquor stores, clubs and tenement buildings in Brooklyn, Queens and Hartford.

He still has that dream, he said, though it has been further delayed by the long path to financial compensation.

"It's their law. They made it up. But then they turn around and fight you for it," Schand said. "You have to prove you're innocent."

Springfield firefighters train at the recently renovated and upgraded Mass.Department of Fire Services' regional training academy for Western Massachusetts fire departments in Indian Orchard. Watch video

Editor's note: This is the latest in a series of multimedia reports where we take you behind the scenes of interesting places around the region. Email rrizzuto@repub.com with suggestions for future locations & ideas.

SPRINGFIELD— Smoke is billowing from a building, a firetruck arrives on the scene and firefighters quickly do their job laying hoses and hooking them up to hydrants.

This time it's just practice, but the scenario is very real thanks to the recent $13.4 million renovation and upgrades to the Mass.Department of Fire Services' regional training academy for Western Massachusetts fire departments in Indian Orchard.

Formerly owned by the City of Springfield, the facility was bought by the state, renovated and now serves all the fire departments of Western Massachusetts. Springfield maintains their own space in the facility and uses the grounds for regular training.

Springfield Fire Department Acting Training Director Robert McCaffrey said, "The importance of training is huge. Things change, the way we fight fires today is different than years back. In the future, it is going to change again."

As firefighter Justin Reid worked to attach a five-inch hose to a hydrant, engine one roared off letting the hose trail behind.

Reid made the connection and then joined fellow firefighter Jaquan Davis on the business end of the hose, making their way inside the live fire training structure and up stairs to the second floor.

The smoke was real, the flames were real, but this time it was just burning wooden pallets and bales of hay that officials use to simulate a building fire. Next time it could be your house.

Massachusetts has paid out $8.34 million to people wrongfully convicted of felonies under a 2004 law that allows up to $500,000 in compensation for people imprisoned on false charges.

Massachusetts has paid out $8.34 million to people wrongfully convicted of felonies under a 2004 law that allows up to $500,000 in compensation for people imprisoned on false charges.

The law was passed as the increased prevalence of DNA testing brought wrongful conviction cases into the public spotlight. At the time, the Boston Globe reported that New York, Texas, California, and Maryland had similar statutes; now, 29 other states and Washington, D.C. have passed compensation laws.

Under the Massachusetts statute, wrongfully convicted prisoners must prove their innocence to receive compensation. They must first prove to a court that they are eligible for compensation, meaning that they were either granted a full pardon or had their cases overturned in a manner that "tends to establish the innocence of the individual." Prisoners freed solely due to prosecutorial misconduct or on technicalities are not eligible under the law.

With that hurdle cleared, former inmates then must prove a series of claims: that they never pleaded guilty to the offense, that they were sentenced to at least a year in prison, and, crucially that they did not commit the crime. The process is a higher burden than winning a not-guilty verdict in the criminal justice system, where the burden is on prosecutors to prove the guilt of the accused.

Compensation cases are also not subject to rules of evidence typical of criminal trials. Evidence cannot be excluded, even if it was obtained in violation of the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendments to the Constitution, according to the compensation law.

Cases can take a long time to resolve, with two years allowed for evidence discovery under the trial schedule used for compensation cases.

63 people have filed for compensation under the law, which also applied to people convicted before its enactment, according to a listing of cases and judgments obtained by MassLive in a public records request.

David Siegel, a professor at New England Law, was critical of the statute's effectiveness in an interview with MassLive. 

"I think the capped payment level is unfair because it's not reflective of the length of a person's compensation," Siegel said. "And it's inefficient since it encourages delay because there's a maximum level people can recover."

Some states, like Tennessee, have higher payout caps; others, like Texas, pay a set amount per year of wrongful imprisonment. Massachusetts' fixed $500,000 cap leads to cases where people wrongfully imprisoned for decades end up with less money than if they had spent that time working for the state's average wage, Siegel said.

"I think people who are wrongfully convicted deserve compensation for the wrongful deprivation of their liberty," Siegel said. "I think they deserve more than just payment for not having been able to work, and this doesn't even do that."

Of the claims brought under the law, 19 were dismissed, 23 were settled, for sums ranging from $60,000 to the legal maximum, and 17 are still pending.

Massachusetts' compensation law is not the only recourse for wrongfully convicted prisoners, who can also file lawsuits.

But the state's settlements with claimants typically include a clause that the state can reclaim the money if the petitioner later wins damages from a federal civil rights suit, the Attorney General's Office told MassLive. In two cases the state gave out a total of $1 million that was later returned due to those settlement terms, in addition to the other $8.34 million awarded.

Just three cases have gone to trial, with two of those decided in favor of the Commonwealth. Ulysses Charles, who served 17 years before DNA evidence cleared him of rape and robbery charges in 2001, is the only former prisoner to win a judgment against the state at trial, and was awarded $500,000.

One case was dropped after the former prisoner amended his complaint and did not request compensation under the 2004 compensation law.

Check out the full list of cases below:

Restoration Worship Center meets has nearly 800 members many of which attended the first-ever FamFest 2016 at Kenefick Park in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD — For Pastor Eli Serrano, the word of God is not only meant to be shared in elaborately decorated churches with stained glass windows or grand pulpits, but is meant to be shared on street corners, in alleyways and even in city parks.

"Our mission is reaching the unchurched and the de-churched with the message of Jesus Christ," he said.

Serrano is the lead pastor at Restoration Worship Center, a non denominational church based in Springfield which gathers on Sundays in the auditorium of Chestnut Accelerated Middle School and currently boats nearly 800 members.

Serrano and his staff decided to take the service out to the streets of Springfield with its first ever FamFest, a celebration held Sunday at Kenefick Park which included music by George Colon, a well known Latin gospel singer, a preaching, impromptu baptisms and even face painting and free school supply giveaways for children.

"FamFest was birthed as a way to encourage the concept of family and what better way to do it then by the word of Jesus Christ," Serrano said.

Pastor Netzy Diaz and her husband Manny Diaz, an executive pastor at RWC, said the event also served as a way to highlight the positive things happening in Springfield.

"So many people have a negative perception of the city and we really wanted to show that there is so much good happening here and so many good people who live and work and practice their faith right here in Springfield," she said.

RWC currently holds three services on Sunday to accommodate its growing membership. There is a 9 a.m. service in English, followed by an 11 a.m. service in English and a Spanish language service at 1 p.m. The church currently owns a plot of land on Boston Road and is hoping to erect a building there in the near future.

Hundreds of church members attended the event but there were also many neighborhood residents who walked across the street from their homes to listen to the music and preaching by Serrano.

Some recognizable faces were also present including Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, State Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, Hampden County Sheriff's candidate Tom Ashe and Springfield Ward 1 City Councilor Adam Gomez.

"Pastor Eli Serrano is a dynamic pastor and he has been there whether it's for my inaugurations, whether I needed him for worship and prayers or thoughts of encouragement," said Sarno. "It's wonderful to see all of these people gather as one and no matter what people want to say about urban centers across America, there is plenty of good."

Sarno said he was inspired by Serrano's message on Sunday.

"Not every day is going to be a great day, but family is so important and like Pastor Serrano said, when you are faced with those days of adversity and challenges God can be there for you and make you stronger so you can learn from it. That is something I live by every day," he said.

Serrano said he hopes to make FamFest an annual tradition for the community.

"In a time of so much uncertainty this was a way for us to provide hope and to encourage the concept of family," he said. "We certainly want to make this an annual event around the same time of year. It's a way to open up our doors to the community and celebrate Jesus."

An Aug. 8 inmate assault is being by the correctional officers union for political purposes, jail spokesman Stephen O'Neil said.

LUDLOW -- Officials with the Hampden County Sheriff's Department are disputing a charge by the correctional officers union that a recent stabbing during a fight between pre-trial inmates at the Ludlow jail was the result of insufficient staffing.

"We don't agree that the staffing levels are low," Stephen O'Neill, the community affairs officer for the Hampden County Sheriff's Department, said Monday.

Sheriff Michael Ashe issued a statement Tuesday saying the number of correctional officers is "quite sufficient" compared to other jails nationwide, and the Ludlow jail is "far from understaffed."

The stabbing occurred Aug. 8 during a fight between three inmates that was quickly broken up by correctional officers, O'Neil said. One of the participants had fashioned a piece of metal into a homemade knife and was able to stab another inmate in the left arm, he said.

The incident came to light recently when officials with the National Correctional Employees Union, which represents some 400 Hampden County correctional officers, cited it as an example of what it claimed was insufficient staffing where it matters most

Christopher Murphy, the national president of the union, issued a press release mentioning the stabbing while criticizing the Sheriff's Department for relying on high-priced outside consultants for many administrative positions at the expense of security. "The safety and security of inmates and staff needs to come first," Murphy said in the press release on NCEU letterhead. He called on the Sheriff's Department to end its consultant contracts and to use the savings to hire more correctional officers.

The stabbing incident was reported in a story on jail salaries that appeared on MassLive on Sunday.

In that article, William L. Griffith, president of NCEU local 105, cited the incident as an example what he claimed were inmates growing more defiant and violent. "The rank and file think it would be better spent on security," he was quoted as saying. "Yet they cut security."

O'Neil said the incident is being overblown by the union for political purposes. The National Correctional Employees Union has endorsed former Springfield mayor Mike Albano, a Democrat, in his campaign for Hampden County sheriff.

Sheriff Ashe, who is not seeking re-election for the first time since being elected in 1974, has endorsed Democrat Nick Cocchi, one of his assistant superintendents. Albano, Cocchi and Springfield City Councilor Tom Ashe (no relation to the sheriff) will be on the Sept. 8 ballot for the Democratic nomination for sheriff.

Michael Ashe defended correctional staffing levels in Hampden County as higher than at many state and federal facilities.

"I am quite confident that as regards to other Massachusetts correctional departments, and, indeed, correctional departments nationally, our numbers of inmates per uniform security are some of the most favorable to officers," Ashe said.

The Sheriff's Department employs 473 uniformed correctional officers at the Ludlow facility for men and the Western Massachusetts Regional Women's Correctional Center in Chicopee. These officers supervise, at the most recent count, a total of 1,390 inmates in the two facilities.

That works out to a ratio of one uniformed officer for every 2.94 inmates.

According to data from the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics that was supplied by the sheriff's department, federal prisons average one corrections officer for every 10 inmates, state prisons average one for every 4.9 inmates, and county jails average one for every 3.3 inmates.

"What it comes down to is that no matter how you try to tweak the numbers and how you slice it, any citizen can plainly see that we have quite sufficient number of staff for our inmate population," Ashe said. "We are far from understaffed in security."

He said the number of correctional officers has been reduced from a peak of 528 in 2008, or about 10.4 percent. Over that same period, the inmate population at the two jails has been reduced 31.4 percent.

O'Neill said the Aug. 8 stabbing occurred at about 9 p.m. and involved a fight between three pre-trial inmates.

A pre-trial inmate is someone who either cannot make bail or has had their bail revoked and is being held at the jail until going on trial.

O'Neill said the three inmates got in a fight, and one of the correctional officers on duty immediately signaled what is called a "code blue" emergency. Other correctional officers moved in to break up the fight and to quickly restrain the participants.

At that point, they found one of the men suffered stab wounds to the left arm and was bleeding heavily. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment and then returned to the jail. The other two inmates were placed in segregation units to keep them from the rest of the pre-trial population, O'Neill said.

The weapon was a piece of metal that had been bent back on itself to make a handle and then wrapped in cloth to make a grip. One end had been filed to a point.

O'Neill said it is not clear where the inmate got the weapon. Jail staff regularly conduct "shakedown" searches of the different inmate pods to search for contraband and any type of weapons, he said. "A weapon can be made out of anything," he said.

He did not disclose the names of the three inmates involved in the fight or why they are being held. Additional charges related to the assault are likely to be added, he said.

Monica Atkins was 10 when her mother was found strangled, bound and gagged in a downtown alley on Oct. 25, 1997, according to court records.

SPRINGFIELD -- A grand jury has indicted three defendants -- including a woman who lost her mother to serial killer Alfred Gaynor -- for allegedly breaking into an elderly woman's home, soaking her with gasoline and demanding her ATM card.

The suspects -- Monica Atkins, 28, Jovan Malone, 28, and Angel Roman, 37, all of Springfield -- pleaded not guilty to kidnapping, home invasion, armed robbery, armed burglary and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon during their arraignment Aug. 9 in Hampden Superior Court.

Monica Atkins, 28, and Angel Roman, 37, both of Springfield(Springfield Police Department) 

Bail for each defendant was set at $25,000 cash or $250,000 personal surety, court records show.

The 63-year-old victim was duct-taped and doused with gasoline during an early morning home invasion on Arden Street, police said. The assailants demanded the woman's ATM card and eventually withdrew $400 from her account.

The three defendants were arrested several hours later at the Springfield Inn in West Springfield. During an interview with Springfield police, Atkins smelled strongly of gasoline and admitted to her role in the robbery, according to the arrest report.

In addition to the new charges, Atkins was wanted on a warrant for larceny over $250 and passing bad checks. For his part, Roman was wanted in a domestic assault case from 2015, with Atkins listed as the victim, records show.

Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri called the alleged home invasion a "horrific crime" and praised the responding officers for making a quick arrest.

In the arrest report, Monica Atkins was identified as the daughter of Robin Atkins, one nine women Gaynor admitted to killing between 1995 and 1998. Atkins was 10 when her mother was found strangled, bound and gagged in a downtown alley on Oct. 25, 1997, according to court records.

On Tuesday, Atkins was scheduled for a probation violation hearing in Springfield District Court on larceny and check forgery charges from 2012. The outcome of the hearing was not immediately available Tuesday afternoon.

Atkins, Roman and Malone are due back in Superior Court for a pretrial hearing Feb. 6.

No teachers were laid off and no programs were cut due to financial difficulties.

CHICOPEE - The city schools are ready to open this week for the about 7,700 students, despite last-minute struggles with the budget.

On Thursday students in grades one through nine will begin classes for the year. The rest of the high school students arrive on Friday and kindergartners begin Sept. 8.

Teachers started Monday with the traditional convocation. Along with Superintendent Richard W. Rege Jr. and Mayor Richard J. Kos, who also serves as School Committee chairman, former school superintendent turned motivational speaker Norm Bossio addressed educators.

Teachers have been in training and preparing classrooms and lessons since then, Rege said.

"Our theme this year is social and emotional learning. The professional development is based on the fact we have to get them emotionally ready to learn," he said.

Many children come to school with emotional problems that make it difficult to concentrate and absorb lessons. Few children want to misbehave so educators have to work with them to find out why they are acting out so they can learn, he said.

Rege also started the year telling staff good and bad news.

The bad is there will be a modified budget freeze from the beginning of the year, so all expenses will be carefully monitored. The schools received little increase in state financing this year, which funds two-thirds of the budget, and meanwhile all staff negotiated a 2 percent pay raise and the and the cost of health insurance increased by 7.7 percent.

The City Council and Mayor Richard J. Kos agreed to boost the budget with $1.25 million above what the city is required by state law to spend on education, but at the same time a $260,000 state kindergarten grant was cut.

No teachers were laid off and programs were preserved, but the School Committee shaved money from supplies, the fund to pay substitute teachers, consultants and other expenses, Rege said.

Enrollment is smaller in some of the elementary schools, so Rege said he was able to consolidate 10 different classes into five to save some money.

"We had our budget woes and we are operating on fumes this year," he said.

The good is preliminary results from the PARCC and MCAS exams students took in the spring show children are improving academically. The state bans communities from revealing results until a specific date is set.

"When scores come off embargo I think it will be good news and that is a big plus," he said.

There will also be a number of other new changes. About 40 new teachers have been hired to replace staff who retired or resigned for new jobs. The schools also purchased a new English language arts book and curriculum materials which better matches standards educators have been teaching for the past few years, Rege said.

"The old one did not reflect the Common Core (federal educational standards)," he said. So far teachers have been happy with the new curriculum materials.

Teachers at Patrick E. Bowe School tested the materials last year and found them more rigorous and a better fit with what they were already teaching. They also had all the "bells and whistles" to help keep children's attention, Principal David T. Drugan said.

"It is a nice companion for teachers to bring to their small group instruction," he said.

In addition educators have revamped the science curriculum in kindergarten through grade eight, also to better meet state and federal standards, Rege said.

The school department will also spend more time teaching computer skills to younger students, since the state has mandated all children in grades four and eight will take the PARCC online this year.

Last year students in Gen. John J. Stefanik, Lambert-Lavoie, Dupont Middle and Chicopee Academy schools piloted the exam online and preliminary results show the scores dipped in some spots, mainly because children had difficulty handling parts of the computer programs, Rege said.

Paving and other roadwork will get underway in September.

HAMPDEN — The Hampden Highway Department has announced upcoming roadwork projects in town.

On Sept. 13, DPW crews will begin milling and paving Main Street from around the White Birch Apartments to Green Meadows Elementary School on North Road. The project, which also includes new sidewalks and other work, is expected to last around three weeks and may result in minor traffic delays.

The next phase of grading and paving work on Bennett Road is expected to begin around Sept. 2 and last for several days, with chip sealing slated for later this fall or spring 2017.

Roadwork on Steepleview Drive, a dead-end street off Main Street, could get underway by mid-September, requiring one lane to be closed while the work is performed.

The Highway Department has more information at 413-566-8842.