The dictionary's newest words include some made famous by author Roald Dahl.

The Oxford English Dictionary's newest set of words run the gamut from pop culture slang like "YOLO" (You Only Live Once, for those out of the loop) to dishes like "spanakopita."

The 197 new entries also include terms like:

• Moobs: "Unusually prominent breasts on a man (likened to those of a woman), typically as a result of excess pectoral fat."
• 'Merica: "A truncated form of 'America', now often used ironically or self-consciously draw attention to emblematic or stereotypical American ideals, institutions, or traditions."
• Fuhgeddaboudit: "In representations of regional speech (associated especially with New York and New Jersey): 'forget about it', used to indicate that a suggested scenario is unlikely or undesirable."

Alongside the more modern lingo, other new additions to the OED are classic words created by author Roald Dahl such as "scrumdiddlyumptious" and "Oompa Loompa."

Today's release falls on what would be Dahl's 100th birthday.

Also added were 410 new sub-entries and 33 new senses.

Click here for the full list of new words.

SilverBrick LLC. wants to create 600 market-rate apartments and retail and business space in the former Cabotville Mill.

CHICOPEE - The City Council agreed to delay taking any action on the proposal to convert the Cabotville Mill into apartments for another six months, at the request of the company which plans to buy the building.

At the end of July, SilverBrick LLC., of New York, announced plans to purchase the 170-year-old former Cabotville Mill building and convert it into 600 market-rate apartments and use another 40,000 square feet for retail and business space.

Aaron J. Papowitz, SiverBrick's founder and managing principal, initially announced he had planned to begin construction by the end of the year, but the request will now put off the permitting process until March.

The company's lawyer Thomas Murphy attended the City Council meeting to ask for the extension, explaining SilverBrick officials need more time to work out some details of the sale.

"We respectfully request that the draft review, public hearing and City Council vote pertaining to the special permit application be postponed for 180 days until transaction related matters are clarified," Papowitz wrote in a letter to the council.

SilverBrick owners must first receive a special permit for the project to move forward. Because Cabotville is in the city's mill conversion and commercial center overlay district, it will be up to the City Council to grant the license.

Last month the Council voted to send the request for a special permit to its Zoning Committee for more study and a public hearing. SilverBrick is also asking for a waiver to reduce the number of parking spots from the required 1,085 to 623. It is also requesting waivers for requirements for noise levels, signage, parking lot screening and screening of mechanical equipment.

The sale of the property will not be finalized until the company does receive the special permit, so owners are certain they will be able to redevelop the mill, City Planner Lee Pouliot said previously.

The City Council did not object to the delay, but Councilor James K. Tillotson said the board members must make sure they meet deadlines for acting on the special permit. City Regulations call for the council to hold a public hearing within 65 days of receiving the complete application, but the hearing and decision dates may be extended at the applicant's request.

"This is too big of a project. We want to make sure the city's concerns are addressed," Tillotson said.

One of the biggest problems that will have to be addressed before the special permit is approved is the main water pipe that services Cabotville runs through the canal parallel to Front Street and could freeze if the water level is too low in the winter. The canal is owned by a different entity so the owners of Cabotville do not have control of the water level.

Because of that, the project by 200 Tillary LLC. had no reliable source of water for the sprinkler system. It is one of the reasons the project stalled originally.

The city has hired an engineering firm to study the problem, which will also impact the proposal to renovate the nearby Lyman Mill building and turn that into about 110 live and work apartments.

The work is to be funded with a $2.64 million MassWorks Infrastructure Grant from the state, which the city received to improve utilities, such as water, sewer, storm drains and electrical lines, in the west end of Chicopee Center.

A project to replace the Morgan-Sullivan Bridge linking West Springfield to Agawam is expected to cost more than $23 million and will likely cause traffic congestion along the Route 147 corridor in both towns, according to state transportation officials.

WEST SPRINGFIELD — A project to replace the Morgan-Sullivan Bridge connecting Agawam to West Springfield near The Big E won't begin until 2018, according to Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials, who have yet to establish a detailed timetable for the $23 million project.

"We anticipate three construction seasons for the project," Alwin Ramirez, bridge project manager for MassDOT's Highway Division, said at a Sept. 8 public hearing on the project, 80 percent of which will be funded by the federal government. The state is responsible for 20 percent of the cost.

"It's too early for us to tell what the dates are going to be exactly right now," Ramirez said at the hearing in West Springfield. Design work is expected to be finished in fiscal 2017, he said, with construction slated to begin in spring 2018.

"The plans have not yet been finalized," Ramirez said.

The project will require both permanent and temporary right-of-way easements, according to MassDOT officials, and land needed for the project must be acquired through donations, deed grants, eminent domain, or other means. Municipalities frequently seek property donations to minimize community acquisition costs, said MassDOT engineer Bryan Slack, who detailed the right-of-way process at the hearing. "Property owners are entitled to an appraisal and just compensation," he said.

The project calls for widening the bridge, which will include two vehicle lanes in each direction, sidewalks, bike lanes, and a center left-turn-only lane. The project also calls for rebuilding key intersections on both sides of the bridge: the Memorial Avenue and River Street area of West Springfield near The Big E, and the area of Springfield, Walnut, Suffield and Main streets in Agawam.

Additional work will include minor roadway widening, new traffic signals, and various safety improvements for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.

Traffic delays are expected once the project begins, according to engineers. One bridge lane will remain open at all times, however, and construction will cease during The Big E's annual run in September.

West Springfield Town Councilman George Kelly, who attended last week's hearing, said he wished transportation officials had considered building a new bridge alongside the Morgan-Sullivan Bridge, then dismantling the old bridge. "When half of that is done, take half of the Morgan-Sullivan down," Kelly said, predicting heavy traffic.

"I believe we're going to have significant problems when this is going down," he said. "I know we have to do it, because if that bridge ... keeps shaking, somebody's going to have a bad day."

Morgan-Sullivan carries Route 147 over the Westfield River and shakes whenever traffic crosses the aging span, which officials have discussed replacing for years.

"We're concerned about the impact of the traffic flow from Agawam down Memorial Avenue eastbound to our facility," said Mike Messer, store director of Big Y Foods on Memorial Avenue in West Springfield, who inquired about traffic estimates for the project.

Steve Ullman, an engineer with Alfred Benesch & Co., the firm responsible for the project's design, said no traffic data is available at this time.

"It will be one lane in each direction, so there will be significant capacity reduction on the bridge," Ullman said. "However, the way we're planning to phase the project ... there will be significant work done on the roadways approaching the bridge beforehand to help facilitate ease of flow over the bridge."

Holyoke City Councilor James Leahy wants to discuss the funding and building in his city of a memorial to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America so the Massachusetts city can honor them on anniversaries of the event.

HOLYOKE -- It's time that a memorial to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America be built here so the city can honor them on anniversaries of the event, a city councilor said Tuesday.

"I believe we should dedicate a monument in Veteran's Park in honor of the men and women who lost their lives on that day. Fifteen years ago all of our lives changed forever. I believe we should have something in Holyoke to pay tribute to this sad day," Councilor at Large James M. Leahy said.

The 15th anniversary of the attacks was commemorated Sunday. On that morning in 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners. Two were crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, one into the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C. and the fourth in an empty field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The attacks killed about 3,000 people.

Leahy has filed an order calling for a meeting of the council Public Service Committee, of which he is chairman, to discuss funding and erecting a memorial to the 9/11 victims .

The meeting should include members of the Holyoke War Memorial Commission, local veterans officials and Bennett W. Walsh, superintendent of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home and a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, Leahy said.

"The September 11, 2001 terrorist attack was one of the most tragic events in American history," he said.

Leahy recalled these remarks from then-President George W. Bush:

"A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining."

The Rev. Mychal Judge, New York City Fire Department chaplain, ran into the North Tower of the World Trade Center after the first plane crashed and became the first recorded victim of the terrorist attacks. Judge had a connection to Holyoke as he attended the Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade in 1999, said Leahy, a member of the Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade Committee.

Virginia gun rights activists have filed a $12 million defamation lawsuit against Katie Couric and other makers of a documentary over an edit they say misrepresented the activists' response to a question.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Virginia gun rights activists have filed a $12 million defamation lawsuit against Katie Couric and other makers of a documentary over an edit they say misrepresented the activists' response to a question.

The segment in "Under the Gun" shows nearly 10 seconds of silence after Couric asks members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League how felons or terrorists could be prevented from purchasing a gun without background checks.

Activists can be heard on audio of the exchange responding to Couric's question almost immediately.

Couric was executive producer of the film. She said in a message on the film's website in May that she regrets that the edit was misleading and that she didn't raise her initial concerns about the segment "more vigorously."

Couric's spokesman declined to comment Tuesday.

US Sen. Elizabeth Warren picked up a majority of voters in a potential electoral battle with former Red Sox ace Curt Schilling, according to a new poll of likely Massachusetts voters from WBUR/MassINC.

US Sen. Elizabeth Warren received support from a majority in a potential electoral battle with former Red Sox ace Curt Schilling, according to a new poll of likely Massachusetts voters from WBUR/MassINC.

Warren, a Cambridge Democrat elected to the Senate in 2012, picked up 54 percent of the vote, while Schilling received 29 percent. Schilling has expressed interest in unseating Warren.

The poll shows 15 percent saying they don't know or they're undecided, and three percent choosing another candidate.

The next U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts is in 2018. Warren won a six-year term in 2012 after beating Republican incumbent Scott Brown.

The WBUR poll, conducted by MassINC Polling Group, included 506 likely voters. The poll occurred between Sept. 7-10.

Appearing on the radio last month, Schilling, a conservative, floated the idea of challenging Warren.

"I think she's a nightmare and I think that the left is holding her up as the second-coming of Hillary Clinton, which Lord knows we don't even need the first one," he said.

Asked by reporters about Schilling's interest in possibly running against her while in Roxbury, Warren shrugged and said she wasn't worried about it.

The WBUR poll showed Warren with a 53 percent favorability rating among Massachusetts likely voters, compared to a 36 percent unfavorability rating. Ten percent said they were undecided.

Sen. Warren reacts to idea of Curt Schilling running against her

Emilio De La Rosa is being charged for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Wanda Rosa, in the Methuen home she shared with their 4-year-old son.

METHUEN -- Overnight, Emilio De La Rosa, 32, went from a person-of-interest to a suspect charged with the murder of Wanda Rosa, 29, of Methuen, in the home she shared with their 4-year-old son.

Rosa was found unconscious in her home Monday morning after relatives had called the police to check on her. They made the call after her violent ex-boyfriend, De La Rosa, dropped off their 4-year-old son some time before 5:45 a.m. Monday.

She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

De La Rosa is currently on probation for the kidnapping of Rosa four years ago. He was served an abuse-prevention order, which barred him from assaulting Rosa, but under the order, he could still contact and visit her and their son.

According to WCVB.com, a warrant for De La Rosa's arrest was officially issued Tuesday evening. He is being charged with the murder of Rosa.

The cause of death is still unknown, although an autopsy was performed yesterday.

De La Rosa is still at large, and the District Attorney's office is asking anyone who knows about De La Rosa or of his whereabouts outside of his home to contact Methuen and state police.

Four firefighters were promoted to leadership positions Tuesday in a ceremony in Chicopee City Hall.

CHICOPEE - Four firefighters were promoted to leadership positions Tuesday in a ceremony in Chicopee City Hall.

The four new Fire Department officers are Lt. Thomas Canady, Lt. Zachary Vozella, Capt. Robert Anderson and Capt. Marcel Lapierre. Vozella and Lapierre will serve in the positions in a temporary role for now, said Mayor Richard J. Kos, who officially made the appointments.

"I am pleased to promote these individuals," Kos said. "Robert (Anderson) and Thomas (Canady) have been serving in their respective positions temporarily and their training and experience has prepared them to serve permanently. In addition we are filling a lieutenant and captain's position temporarily to provide individuals the same training and experience from which our two permanent appointees have benefited."

The four bring many years of experience to the Fire Department. Lapierre was first appointed to the department in 1986, Canady joined in 1997, Anderson became a Chicopee firefighter in 2000 and Vozella was appointed in 2012.

The appointments will fill current vacancies in the leadership roles of the department created by retirements, resignations or promotions. The officers will officially begin their new jobs Sept. 18.

"I am glad to join Mayor Kos in celebrating these promotions," said Acting Fire Chief Dean F. Desmarais. "They will continue to serve the people of Chicopee well."

A 2-year-old child who was struck by a vehicle in Norfolk on Wednesday morning was being prepared for a flight to an emergency center.

NORFOLK -- A 2-year-old child who was struck by a vehicle in Norfolk on Wednesday morning was being prepared for a flight to an emergency center.

Police say the accident happened at a school bus stop on Strawberry Lane around 8:30 a.m. As of 9:25 a.m., a helicopter med-flight containing the injured child was "about to take off" headed for an unnamed hospital, Norfolk police dispatch reported.

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

Students and faculty were evacuated from Central High School in Springfield Wednesday morning following a report of a natural gas leak.

SPRINGFIELD - Students and faculty were evacuated from Central High School in Springfield Wednesday morning following a report of a natural gas leak.

Around 9 a.m., Springfield police officers and firefighters evacuated the school while they awaited arrival of crews from Columbia Gas. 

The odor of natural gas prompted the precautionary evacuation at 1840 Roosevelt Ave.

An investigation by Columbia Gas officials with sophisticated detection equipment, however, determined there was no leak and no danger. 

The beacon of Boston Harbor is the nation's first and oldest lighthouse.

For three centuries, Boston Light has stood on Little Brewster Island, telling sailors that downtown Boston is nearby.

The beacon of Boston Harbor is the nation's first and oldest lighthouse.

"Not many things are 300 years old in this country," Coast Guard Lt. Karen Love Kutkiewicz told WCVB. "It's a really big deal. This is America's lighthouse, and it's still doing the mission it had 300 years ago, lighting up the path for mariners coming up the Eastern Seaboard. They see this light and they know there's a safe harbor in Boston for them."

Tours of the lighthouse are held twice a day on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from June 17 to October 2. For more information, visit the lighthouse's website. There's an anniversary event planned for Wednesday morning.

Rintala is accused of murdering her wife, Annamarie Cochrane Rintala, in the basement of their Granby home in 2010.

NORTHAMPTON -- Opening statements in the third trial of murder defendant Cara Rintala are set to begin Wednesday in Hampshire Superior Court.

Rintala is accused of murdering her wife, Annamarie Cochrane Rintala, in the basement of their Granby home in 2010.

Rintala has been tried twice before. Both trials ended with hung juries.

This trial is expected to last up to five weeks.

The Republican is in the courtroom and will provide updates throughout the trial.

Among the automotive enthusiasts at the Summit View Banquet House's "Brews, Cruise & BBQ'S" event was Ray Sweeney, of West Springfield, who drove up in his gleaming red 1970 Volkswagen Beetle, which underwent a frame-off restoration.

HOLYOKE – It had all the ingredients for a perfect end-of-summer evening – beer, cars and barbecue.

Together they provided an enticing mix that a crowd of 150 people found too irresistible to ignore. And the beautiful weather was an added touch.

Among the automotive enthusiasts at the Summit View Banquet House's "Brews, Cruise & BBQ'S" event was Ray Sweeney, of West Springfield, who drove up in his gleaming red 1970 Volkswagen Beetle, which underwent a frame-off restoration.

"It's a fun car, it's small and easy to take care of," said Sweeney, who pointed out that his wife likes the car, too. He said they often take the car to shows and on weekend drives.

What does Sweeney like most about the car? "It brings back the memories," he said.

Vintage and late-model cars and trucks kept automotive enthusiasts busy as they checked out the rows of vehicles. Inside the Summit View's pavilion, visitors got to enjoy their favorite beer and tasty barbecue dishes.

The event, sponsored by Red Rock Cruisers, also featured oldies music and a 50-50 raffle.

Next Tuesday, Sept. 20, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., is the Summit View's final Cruise Night of the season.

City officials said Wednesday they’re exploring self-driving vehicles, including on-street testing scenarios and policy recommendations. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said the city is collaborating with the World Economic Forum, the international nonprofit, on the new initiative.

BOSTON - City officials said Wednesday they're exploring self-driving vehicles, including on-street testing scenarios and policy recommendations.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said the city is collaborating with the World Economic Forum, the international nonprofit, on the new initiative. The city is a "lead partner" with the WEF's City Challenge, which according to Walsh's office is "designed to support cities in their efforts to prepare for the future of urban mobility."

"We are focused on the future of our city and how we safely move people around while providing them with reliable mobility choices," Walsh said in a statement.

"With our start-ups and educational institutions, Boston is a leader in technology, robotics and innovation," he said. "Together with our partners, we know the City of Boston is ready to lead the charge on this transformative technology."

Massachusetts officials will also be involved, working with the city, WEFT and the Boston Consulting Group, among other entities, in developing policy goals and testing scenarios in Boston over the next year.

Do smart cars and Mass. drivers mix? State officials look to future

"Shared, autonomous vehicles have the potential to fundamentally improve urban transportation by enhancing accessibility for the city's residents and increasing road safety," Nikolaus Lang, senior partner at the Boston Consulting Group, a management consulting firm, said in a statement.

According to the mayor's office, research on autonomous vehicles shows they have "the potential to take 60-70% of cars off the road," reducing pollution and crashes caused by human error.

The National Conference of State Legislatures, which keeps track of legislating across the United States, says Nevada authorized the operation of self-driving vehicles in 2011. "Since then, seven other states--California, Florida, Louisiana, Michigan, North Dakota, Tennessee and Utah--and Washington D.C. have passed legislation related to autonomous vehicles," according to the group.

In April 2016, five major companies - Ford, Google, Lyft, Uber and Volvo - set up the Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets.

"Fully self-driving vehicles can revolutionize how people, goods, and services move from one place to another," the coalition said on its website.

Former Mass. Army base floated as testing ground for self-driving cars

On an especially cold day this winter, Gabriella Quinn was born. She was slightly premature at four pounds, but her parents and doctors quickly became worried for a reason beyond her weight.

On an especially cold day this winter, Gabriella Quinn was born. She was premature at 4 pounds, but her parents and doctors quickly became worried for a reason beyond her weight.

The infant and new parents were rushed to Boston Children's Hospital, where Gabriella was diagnosed with biliary atresia, a life-threatening disease in which the bile ducts both inside and outside the liver do not have normal openings. The disease is rare and only affects about one out of every 18,000 infants, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

"We are devastated," mother Meghan Stuart wrote on an online crowdfunding page to help pay medical bills. "We are now faced with the most difficult journey we could have ever imagined."

Gabriella is Stuart's first child. The 30-year-old said she had a difficult pregnancy, made harder by her daughter's diagnosis. "Boston Children's Hospital is like our second home," she said. "Yet somehow, Gabriella wakes up everyday with a beautiful smile on her face."

At seven months still waiting on a liver transplant, Gabriella's risk has increased exponentially.

"Unfortunately, this is a disease if it gets to this point can be fatal for her if it progresses any longer without a liver transplant," Boston Children's Hospital Liver Specialist Dr. Maureen Jonas told CBS.

The family is hoping for a partial liver donation from a donor with either O positive or O negative blood types. 

"We are now lucky that these procedures have been perfected," Jonas told CBS.

Twenty-four years ago the body of 27-year-old Susan Taraskiewicz of Saugus was found in the trunk of her car at an auto body shop on Route 1A in Revere. State Police and Taraskiewicz's mother continue to ask for information in solving her murder and will again produce a video asking for help.

Part of an ongoing series from the MassLive Unsolved Case Files, a look at families of victims and the investigators who continue to dig for answers. 

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Twenty-four years ago the body of 27-year-old Susan Taraskiewicz of Saugus was found in the trunk of her car at an auto body shop on Route 1A in Revere. State Police and Taraskiewicz's mother continue to ask for information in solving her murder and will again produce a video asking for help.

Taraskiewicz's body was found on Sept. 14, 1992 after her car had been left at the auto body shop. The ramp supervisor for Northwest Airlines at Logan International Airport had left to go pick up sandwiches for co-workers and never returned. Authorities discovered she had been badly beaten.

"At the time of her death, other Northwest ramp employees were involved in a major credit card theft ring," State Police said in a Facebook post Wednesday. "Susan, who had endured vicious harassment from her co-workers, was not part of the ring."

Marlene Taraskiewicz, the victim's mother, will be speaking to State Police as officials there produce a video about the case. Marlene had been part of a video in 2014 where she asked for help and information about the case.

"Please come forth, it's not too late. It's never late to solve a murder," she said in 2014. "A murder case is always open. I am a very healthy woman and I am not going away. You're going to look over shoulder until the day that I go, but I will get you and I will get justice for my Susan."

Clear Channel Outdoor is donating electronic billboard space, starting Sept. 14, to help solicit information about the case. The new video and the billboard will be posted on the State Police's Facebook page and other media platforms in the coming days.

"Susan was beautiful, intelligent, friendly and had a heart of gold," her mother said in the 2014 video.

The State Police, Revere Police and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office investigated the murder. Authorities pursued several leads and theories, but the case remains unsolved.

"Today, nearly a quarter of a century after her homicide, Susan's case remains extremely active," State Police said. "Investigators work the case every day, and know that there are people with knowledge of the murder who have not yet told what they know. Justice for Susan is long overdue. Help us speak for her and bring some peace to her family."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Massachusetts State Police at (617) 727-8817.

The new center will have room for 86 children and will include an after-school program for elementary school students.

CHICOPEE -- It took less than two weeks for 60 children to fill the Valley Opportunity Council's newly rebuilt early childcare center after it opened in late August.

"The demand for slots is overwhelming," said Stephen C. Huntley, executive director for the Valley Opportunity Center. Since the center opened on Aug. 22, parents transferred 14 children from other Valley Opportunity Council locations and another 46 enrolled their children in the open slots.

The Valley Opportunity Council initially purchased the building at 374 Montgomery St. from STEPS Development Day Care Center a decade ago. But the center, which was originally a dental office, was not well designed for a day care center, Huntley said.

The 3,000-square-foot center did not have enough room to meet the demand and it was laid out inefficiently for a preschool. A 2011 study of the center by the state Department of Early Education and Care found the deficiencies affected the quality of teaching and learning, he said.

Valley Opportunity Council wanted to rebuild to make a larger and better-designed center, but did not have a way to pay for the project, Huntley said.

"This project has been lingering for a long time and then we received $1 million from the state and that was the tipping point," he said.

Using the grant, combined with federal Community Development Block Grant money from the city and a Chicopee Savings Bank loan, the Valley Opportunity Council razed the existing building and constructed a new 5,200-square-foot, $1.6 million building designed for young children, Huntley said.

The new building has four classrooms and a large outdoor playground. It accepts preschool children from ages 2 years, 9 months to 5 and also has an after-school program for 26 children in kindergarten through grade four, Huntley said.

The school is considered a "mixed delivery system" that combines children of low-income parents who have vouchers to attend and those of parents who pay tuition, Huntley said.

The day care closed last year on Labor Day for the yearlong construction project. A total of 14 children were transferred to other Valley Opportunity Council preschools, but the majority were heading to kindergarten, so it was a good time to close the center temporarily, he said.

The Valley Opportunity also runs preschools at its headquarters on Mount Carmel Avenue, at Cabot Manor in Chicopee. In Holyoke it has schools in Beaudoin Village, at Churchill Homes and operates two preschool classrooms in the Lt. Clayre Sullivan and Morgan schools.

The Valley Opportunity Council will hold a grand opening of the new center on Friday. Expected to attend are Mayor Richard Kos; Thomas Weber, the commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care; Michael Knapik, a representative of Gov. Charlie Baker's Springfield office; and local lawmakers.

The ACC will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, at the Agawam Public Library, 750 Cooper St. The meeting is open to the public.

AGAWAM — The Agawam Cultural Council is seeking new members.

The ACC is slated to meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, at the Agawam Public Library, 750 Cooper St. The meeting is open to the public.

"If you have an interest in providing diverse cultural events for the town, a great opportunity exists with the Agawam Cultural Council," the all-volunteer organization said on Facebook.

Council members are appointed by Mayor Richard Cohen.

The ACC, partially funded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, is charged with bringing entertainment and educational events to children and adults from Agawam and surrounding communities.

Electronic transponders, soon to be a requirement for driving on the MassPike, will be distributed free of charge from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, at Southwick Town Hall, 454 College Highway.

SOUTHWICK — Sen. Don Humason and Rep. Nick Boldyga are hosting an E-ZPass giveaway event at Southwick Town Hall on Friday, Sept. 16.

With the switchover to all-electronic tolling on the Massachusetts Turnpike rapidly approaching, MassDOT has been sponsoring transponder distribution events across the commonwealth.

The transponder itself is free, but enrolling in the state's E-ZPass program will cost you $20. Massachusetts residents must also provide a photo ID and valid vehicle registration to qualify.

The new system is set to go live Oct. 28. That means no more cash, no more slowing down at toll plazas, and no more scrounging around for loose change. In fact, it means no more toll plazas — period.

Instead, drivers with transponders will be able to zip through electronic gantries at highway speeds. The gantries deduct toll costs from drivers' E-ZPass accounts each time they go through the large metal gates — and without having to slow down.

"With all-electronic tolling set to begin this fall, it is of utmost importance that drivers are able to take steps to prepare for changes in a convenient and timely way," said Humason, R-Westfield.

"It is important that residents be given ample opportunities to sign up for an E-ZPass transponder before they are required. I hope that all residents will take advantage of this event," said Boldyga, R-Southwick.

Friday's transponder giveaway will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the first-floor auditorium at Southwick Town Hall, 454 College Highway. The event is open to drivers from across the region, not just Southwick residents.

MassDOT estimates the free transponder program could cost up to $4 million, depending on how many devices it distributes. Transponders are typically mounted on the inside of a vehicle's windshield, though some drivers prefer to hold up the devices as they pass through electronic toll centers.

 

The girls said the man got "uncomfortably close to them while making obscene statements," police said.

SPRINGFIELD -- A Springfield man charged with making obscene remarks to two Longmeadow middle school students has been ordered to undergo psychological testing to determine if he is competent to stand trial.

Brian Howlett, 45, was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Springfield District Court for lewd and lascivious conduct, enticing a child and other charges related to his encounter with two girls biking to Williams Middle School Tuesday morning.

Brian Howlett, 45, of Springfield(Longmeadow Police Department) 

But Judge Matthew Shea postponed the session after defense lawyer Deborah Roberge expressed concern about Howlett's mental state.

At her request, Shea ordered the court's forensic clinic to determine if Howlett is competent to stand trial and capable of assuming criminal responsibility for his alleged actions.

With the exam scheduled for Thursday morning, Howlett was held without right to bail for the second time since his arrest Tuesday morning.

Longmeadow police received a 911 call around 8 a.m. reporting that a man approached two girls near Longmeadow Street and Westmoreland Avenue, according to Lt. Robert Stocks. The girls said the man got "uncomfortably close to them while making obscene statements," Stocks said.

The girls quickly left the area and one called 911 on her cellphone. Based on their description, police spotted an "agitated and disheveled" Howlett a short time later on Longmeadow Street, according to Stocks, who said officers had to use force to take him into custody.

Howlett appeared in Springfield District Court briefly on Tuesday, but was held overnight for his arraignment Wednesday.