Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton face off Monday in the first of three debates.

WASHINGTON -- Hillary Clinton held a statistically insignificant lead over Donald Trump in a poll of likely voters released Sunday, a day before both candidates will meet for the first of three debates.

The ABC News/Washington Post survey put Clinton ahead of Trump, 49 percent to 47 percent, well within the poll's margin of error of 4.5 percentage points. Clinton held a 51 percent to 43 percent advantage in the same survey earlier this month.

Two other surveys released in recent days gave Clinton a seven-point lead over Trump. As of Sunday morning, Nate Silver's FiveThirtyEight said Clinton had a 58 percent chance of winning the presidency and the Real Clear Politics poll average had Clinton ahead by 2.5 percentage points.

'Enthusiasm gap' narrows polls

Almost three-quarters of respondents said they planned to watch Monday's debate to be held at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y..

As in other surveys, likely voters in the ABC/Post consider Clinton more qualified than Trump to be president, but express doubts about her honesty even as the Pulitzer Prize-winning Politifact website said 70 percent of Trump's statements were false or mostly false, compared with 28 percent of those made by the Democratic nominee.

More than two-thirds of likely voters, 68 percent, said Clinton knew about world affairs, compared with 42 percent who said Trump did. Likewise, 55 percent said Clinton had the right temperament to be president while just 41 percent said the same about Trump, and 57 percent said Clinton was qualified to be president, while less than half, 47 percent, said Trump was.

Trump held the edge over Clinton when 45 percent said he was honest and trustworthy and just 36 percent said the same about her. Three-fourths of voters, 75 percent, said he was in good enough health, while 53 percent said she was in the wake of her bout with pneumonia.

The poll of 651 likely voters was conducted Sept. 19-22. 

The second weekend of the Eastern States Exposition tends to draw the largest crowds.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Sunny skies and cool temperatures are drawing large crowds to the Eastern States Exposition this weekend.

As of about noon on Sunday, traffic was backed up over the Memorial Bridge and past Bondi's Island. Fairgoers were also causing gridlock on Park Street, over the North End Bridge and onto Route 20 in Springfield, Police Sgt. Nolan Ryan said.

"It is still early and there is a lot of congestion," he said, adding traffic tends to get worse in the early afternoon.

The problem was the same on Saturday when Big E traffic was backed up on Interstate 91 into Connecticut by early afternoon, he said.

Currently Route 57 is clear for people heading to the fair from Agawam and Connecticut. Route 5 south is also one of the easier ways to reach the fair now, he said.

The traffic jams are typical for a weekend day of the Big E. Multiple West Springfield Police work all fair to direct traffic and move people into parking lots as quickly as possible, he said.

The middle weekend of the fair tends to be busiest with a lot of people coming from out-of-town to attend the Big E, said Noreen Tassinari, marketing director for the Eastern States Exposition.

This year Big E officials hired traffic engineers and are taking a number of steps to reduce traffic jams for the fair, she said.

A gunman who unleashed fire on several people and vehicles in a strip mall parking lot in Houston, Texas has been shot and killed by police.

A gunman who unleashed fire on several people and vehicles in a strip mall parking lot in Houston, Texas, has been shot and killed by police.

Houston Police chief Martha Montalvo said that six people were taken to the hospital, and three were treated at the scene. The families of the victims have been notified. 

Of those six victims in the hospital, one is in critical condition, and one is in serious condition.

Several people shot by suspect are being transported to area hospitals; unknown exact number or severity of injuries #hounews

-- Houston Police (@houstonpolice) September 26, 2016

Houston Police had originally tweeted that the suspect was "DOA" at the scene, but tweeted an hour earlier that authorities had shot him.

The shooter lives in a neighborhood near the shooting. He was also a partner at a local law firm, although no further details have been released. They are investigating if issues at the law firm led to the shooting.

Montalvo also confirmed that additional weapons were found in the suspects vehicle. 

A bomb robot has been deployed to near the shooter's black Porsche. His apartment will be investigated and cleared next.

It is unclear what sparked the shooting, which occurred around 6:30 a.m., but witnesses told The Associated Press that the shooter fired at cars passing through the neighborhood. Several cars in the strip mall parking lot were riddled with bullet holes and had shattered windows.

Houston Police said that the suspect was shooting at vehicles nearby a Petco store inside the Randalls supermarket strip center.

During a press conference, the Houston Police chief said that the department is trained for active shooter situations. 

The crash occurred late on the night of Sept. 20. The trooper was treated at Baystate and released.

George Graham | ggraham@repub.com 

SPRINGFIELD -- A 52-year-old Wilbraham woman, seriously injured when she crashed into the rear of state police cruiser on Interstate 291 last week, will be summonsed to court for drunken driving and other charges, state police said.

A state police trooper, injured in the Sept. 20 crash, was taken to Baystate Medical Center for observation and was released. The trooper's name has not been released

State police have not yet publicly named the woman. She too was taken to Baystate.

David Procopio, a spokeswoman for the state police, said he believed the woman was still hospitalized on Friday. Updated information was not available Monday.

The accident occurred about 11:15 p.m. as the trooper assisted in the set-up of a construction zone near Exit 6.

Springfield firefighters required the Jaws of Life to extricate the woman, who had been driving a Toyota Tundra pickup truck, Dennis Leger, aide to Commissioner Joseph Conant, said.

State police closed the eastbound lanes of Interstate 291 for about an hour while they investigated and cleared the scene.

The woman also faces charges of reckless operation, and negligent operation, Procopio said.

Brad Marchand has agreed to an eight-year, $49 million contract extension with the Boston Bruins.

It looks like Brad Marchand isn't leaving Boston any time soon.  

According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, Marchand has agreed to an eight-year extension with the Bruins that will pay just over $6 million per year.   The $49 million deal includes a full no-move clause for its first five seasons before a limited no-trade clause kicks in, per ESPN's Craig Custance. 

The 28-year-old winger is entering the final year of a four-year deal with Boston and is set to make $5 million this season. Marchand's new contract will begin during the 2017-18 campaign and will keep him locked up in Boston from age 29 to 36.

Marchand's new deal stands as a huge victory for Boston, as a team-friendly cap hit of $6.125 million is a bargain for a dynamic forward coming off of his best season in the NHL.

Marchand impressed in 2015-16, setting a career high with 37 goals and 61 points. The 5-foot-9 winger has dominated so far at the World Cup of Hockey for Team Canada -- scoring three goals and recording two assists over four games.

For a team that has been hampered by cap constraints over the last few years, inking a player of Marchand's caliber to an affordable deal sets a strong foundation going forward. 

The checkpoint will be held late Friday night into early Saturday morning. The exact location was not disclosed.

George Graham | ggraham@repub.com 

The Massachusetts State Police announced they intend to conduct a sobriety checkpoint somewhere in Hampshire County this weekend.

The checkpoint will be held late Friday night into early Saturday morning. The exact location was not disclosed.

The state police conduct periodic checkpoints throughout the state to look for drivers who are impaired by drugs or alcohol. State police say such checkpoints are operated during varied hours and that the selection of vehicles is not arbitrary.

Announcement of the event is made in advance by the state police as a way of minimizing any inconvenience, anxiety or fear on the part of drivers.

The checkpoints are funded by a grant from the Highway Safety Division of the state Executive Office of Public Security and Safety.

Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to call 594-1700.

CHICOPEE - A man shot in the back Sunday night is in stable condition and continues to be treated in the hospital.

Chicopee Police are investigating the crime and are asking anyone who witnessed anything suspicious around the time of the shooting or has any information about the crime to call the department at 594-1700, Michael Wilk, Chicopee Police public information officer said.

The shooting happened at about 7:45 p.m. outside 42 Stonina Drive. The victim was brought to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield by private vehicle, he said.

Police cordoned off the area and collected evidence after the shooting. Part of the road, which is on the Chicopee Housing Authority property, was closed while police completed their work.

As investigators tried to piece together information on Arcan Cetin, who was arrested Saturday evening after a nearly 24-hour manhunt, a picture emerged of a troubled young man.

OAK HARBOR, Wash. (AP) -- The 20-year-old man suspected of killing five people with a rifle at a Macy's makeup counter was described by a neighbor as so "creepy, rude and obnoxious" that she kept a Taser by her front door. He also had a string of run-ins with the law in recent years, including charges he assaulted his stepfather.

As investigators tried to piece together information on Arcan Cetin, who was arrested Saturday evening after a nearly 24-hour manhunt, a picture emerged of a troubled young man. Court records show more than a half-dozen criminal cases in Island County alone since 2013.

Authorities said the gunman in the attack at the Cascade Mall in Burlington opened fire in the department store's cosmetics department Friday night, killing a man and four females ranging from a teenager to a senior citizen. The killer then fled.

Cetin said nothing and appeared "zombie-like" when he was taken into custody on a sidewalk outside his apartment complex some 30 miles away in Oak Harbor by a sheriff's officer who recognized him as the suspect in the rampage, authorities said.

Cetin immigrated to the U.S. from Turkey and is a legal permanent resident, officials said. He is expected to make an initial court appearance Monday.

As the surrounding area absorbed news of the arrest, critical questions remained, including the gunman's motive. The FBI said early Saturday that there was no indication the shooting was terrorism, but local authorities said later in the day that they were ruling nothing out.

On Sept. 17, a 20-year-old man stabbed 10 people at a Minnesota mall before being shot to death by an off-duty police officer. Authorities said they are investigating the attack by Dahir Ahmed Adan as a possible act of terrorism.

On Monday, nine people were wounded when a man opened fire near a Houston strip mall. Police said the gunman, who was shot and killed by police, was a lawyer who was having problems with his law firm.

In Washington state, investigators searched Cetin's vehicle and the apartment complex Sunday and were seen carrying boxes from a rear, upstairs unit. The four-unit building was surrounded with yellow police tape. Detectives would not say what they found.

Amber Cathey, 21, lived in an apartment next to Cetin for the past three months and said she was so frightened by him that she complained to apartment management and kept a stun gun handy. Cathey said she blocked him on Snapchat after he sent her a photo of his crotch.

"He was really creepy, rude and obnoxious," Cathey said. She said she would try to avoid him by walking the long way around to her apartment if she saw his car in the parking lot. The two were in high school together as well, and Cathey said he acted the same way then.

The Seattle Times reported that court records show Cetin faced three charges of assaulting his stepfather. The newspaper said Cetin also was arrested on drunken driving charges. It gave no details on when the arrests took place or how the cases may have been resolved.

In the assault case, Cetin was told by a judge last December that he was not to possess a gun, the newspaper reported. However, the stepfather urged the judge not to impose a no-contact order, saying his stepson was "going through a hard time."

Attempts to reach Cetin's family for comment by phone and social media weren't immediately successful. It wasn't clear if Cetin had a lawyer yet. A man who came to the door Sunday morning at an Oak Harbor address believed to be where Cetin's stepfather and mother live asked an Associated Press reporter to leave the property.

Police said that they interviewed the suspect's former girlfriend, who has worked a different Macy's. No other details were released, including her name.

Social media accounts apparently belonging to Cetin showed he had a fondness for the military and video games.

A Twitter account showed, among other things, selfies, photos of him in younger years and pictures of Turkish food. He once participated in paintball and said he "can't wait for Halo 5," the first-person shooter video game. He also tweeted: "Shout out to the ROTC peeps." A Facebook account showed he liked military-related sites.

Cetin also appeared to have blogs on the site Tumblr that had not been updated in many months. They included seemingly random posts about serial killer Ted Bundy, a collection of selfies, the top-secret Area 51 Cold War test site and photos of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. The two blogs linked back to each other and one of them linked to what appeared to be his Twitter page.

Oak Harbor is a city of 22,000 on Whidbey Island with many military families associated with the nearby Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.

The names of the dead from the mall shooting were not immediately released by police. But The Seattle Times identified one as 16-year-old Sarai Lara. Her mother said she survived cancer as a young girl and was a happy student.

Authorities in suburban Seattle identified another victim as Belinda Galde, 64, a probation officer with the Snohomish County District Court.

___

Associated Press writers Lisa Baumann in Seattle, Phuong Le in Burlington, Washington, Gillian Flaccus in Portland, Oregon, Kimberlee Kruesi and Keith Ridler in Boise, Idaho, contributed to this report.

Robert D. Bobskill has been charged numerous times for motor vehicle infractions.

AMHERST - A Springfield man was arrested on numerous motor vehicle charges Friday afternoon after police found him driving on Montague Road.

Robert D. Bobskill, 69, of Springfield was charged with operating a motor vehicle with a license revocation as a habitual offender, concealing a number plate violation, operating an unregistered vehicle, operating and uninsured vehicle, second or subsequent offence.

Police were called to Summer Street apartment after noon Friday when Bobskill was reportedly sitting in a chair outside an apartment allegedly violating a no trespassing order issued to him.

When police responded, they say they saw Bobskill driving a Jeep Cherokee on nearby Montague Road.

In 2015, Northampton police drew their guns after Bobskill allegedly failed to stop for police in pursuit.

He was charged with failure to stop for police, driving an uninsured and unregistered vehicle and driving with a suspended license, subsequent offense as well as his fourth drunk driving charge in that traffic stop.

He is slated to be arraigned Monday in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown.  

Gus Bickford, Steve Kerrigan and Steve Tompkins are all hoping to replace State Sen. Tom McGee as the head of the state's Democratic Party.

After State Sen. Tom McGee announced that he would not seek reelection in November as chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, several Democratic activists have stepped up to try to replace him.

An election will be held at the Democratic State Committee meeting in Quincy on Nov. 14, where the 400 committee members will select a new chairman.

While the party's executive director is responsible for day-to-day operations at the party, the chairman sets strategy and acts as its public face and fundraiser.

Here is a look at the candidates so far - Gus Bickford, Steve Kerrigan and Steve Tompkins. Democratic National Committeeman David O'Brien of Concord has also been named as a potential candidate. He did not return a call for comment.

Gus Bickford

Bickford, 53, a political consultant from Westford, has been active in Democratic Party operations for 25 years on a state and national level.

Bickford was executive director of the Massachusetts Democratic Party from 1992 to 1998, during the administration of former Republican Gov. Bill Weld. Bickford said there are parallels between the Weld years and today, when Massachusetts is led by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker.

"I was at the party the last time this happened. I'm probably the only candidate who knows exactly what I'm getting into," Bickford said.

After the 1990 election, Bickford said, "It was significant for us to get out there and reenergize the Democratic base and grassroots." Bickford said without a standard bearer in the governor's office, the party must make an effort to reach out to newly active Democrats.

Bickford said he hopes to develop networks in inner cities and communities of color. Another goal is to get the party into a strong position with grassroots organizing and communications during the primary season so as soon as nominees are selected, they can immediately launch general election campaigns.

Bickford believes the party should take a stronger stance challenging the popular Baker. "There is a different role that the party plays when you have a Republican in the corner office, and that role is one that needs to get out the opposition messages," Bickford said.

He pointed to allegations that Baker appointees in the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs threatened the fiancee of a Democratic candidate who was challenging a Republican senator with retaliation at work if her fiance ran for office. Bickford said the Democratic Party should request documents to uncover the truth.

Over the years, Bickford has been active in fundraising and coordinated campaigns. He helped top Massachusetts candidates including U.S. Sens. John Kerry, Ted Kennedy and Elizabeth Warren. He worked on the presidential campaigns of Bill and Hillary Clinton and Al Gore. He helped build the Democratic National Committee's national voter file.

"I do this for a living. I love doing this, I have a passion for it, I know what we need to do," Bickford said.

Bickford said he has support from around 80 members of the Democratic State Committee. Governor's Councilor Eileen Duff, who considered running, now supports Bickford.

Steve Kerrigan

Kerrigan, 45, of Lancaster, was the 2014 Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. Kerrigan won a three-way Democratic primary but he and gubernatorial nominee Martha Coakley lost to Baker in the general election.

Kerrigan is board president of Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund, a non-profit he founded dedicated to helping families of Massachusetts' fallen soldiers. He runs a public affairs consulting firm.

Kerrigan also has a long history in politics. He spent a decade working for Ted Kennedy. He spent four years as chief of staff for Massachusetts attorney general Thomas Reilly, worked on the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, then became CEO of the 2012 Democratic National Convention. He was chief of staff for President Barack Obama's first inauguration and CEO for Obama's second.

Kerrigan said one of his priorities would be ensuring that the party organizes cities and towns statewide, not only in the Boston. "As someone not from the Boston area, getting folks to focus on the rest of the commonwealth is a challenge," Kerrigan said.

Kerrigan has raised millions of dollars for Democratic politicians and causes and said he believes he can raise money for the party at a level the other candidates cannot. He wants to use that money to organize each precinct, craft plans for appealing to different voting groups, hold city and town committee trainings, recruit candidates at all levels of government and develop stronger communications.

Kerrigan said his priority is creating "access to our party" and making the party diverse.

He criticized Baker for supporting charter school expansion and attempting to privatize some MBTA services. "My obligation as a citizen is to speak up when I think he's heading in the wrong direction, when I think his policies impact people in the wrong way," Kerrigan said.

Kerrigan has support from more than 100 Democratic State Committee members, including former Chicopee mayor Michael Bissonnette, Worcester State Sen. Harriette Chandler, former state treasurer Steve Grossman and Democratic Party vice-chairwoman Debra Kozikowski. He plans to hold informal meetings with Democrats around the state.

Steve Tompkins

Tompkins, 59, of Hyde Park, has served as Suffolk County sheriff since 2013.

He is a relative newcomer to Democratic Party politics, although he has worked on several Democratic campaigns - for Warren, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell.

Tompkins said his strengths are in management and communications. He believes he has proven as sheriff that he is a good manager, and he has expertise in marketing and advocating for an organization or initiative. Tompkins has worked in the sheriff's office since 2002, primarily in communications.

"I think the party can use some help with messaging internally and externally," Tompkins said. Tompkins wants to build the party's presence on social media and in ethnic media.

Tompkins' priorities for the party include: recruiting young people and people of color; fundraising to increase the party's budget from around $650,000 to $1 million; and developing a strategic plan.

Tompkins said he looks at himself as a "statesman," not an "attack dog." Tompkins said he would use the platform of the party to call attention to specific issues, rather than attack Republicans.

"We need to focus on the bread and butter, meat and potatoes that affects people's everyday lives - jobs, job training, health care, housing, public safety," Tompkins said. "The platform of chairman is one that can be utilized to look at these issue and say we can do better, we must do better. Just attacking Republicans or the governor, I'm not sure that's the right way to go." He also noted a particular interest in addressing substance abuse.

Tompkins said he hopes to appeal to individuals who do not want a political process that is "a lot of mud-slinging and partisanship and divisiveness."

Tompkins has not yet released a list of endorsements but expects to do so this week.

Longstanding Springfield institution the Student Prince Cafe and The Fort Dining Room has updated its menu, now featuring a lunch item dedicated to the governor of Massachusetts.

SPRINGFIELD -- Longstanding Springfield institution The Student Prince Cafe and The Fort Dining Room has updated its menu, now featuring a lunch item dedicated to the governor of Massachusetts. 

Customers can order "Governor Baker's Nothingburger," featuring eight ounces of sirloin beef on a bed of hydroponic green bibb lettuce.

The concept for the menu item came about after the governor dismissed a call for Paul Sagan, the chair of the state's elementary and secondary education board, to resign. 

Sagan was criticized after donating $100,000 to the ballot campaign to increase the number of charter schools in Massachusetts.

"I think that's ridiculous," Baker said after being asked by reporters about the matter. He added, "It's a nothingburger." 

It's a nothingburger,' Gov. Charlie Baker says when asked about education board chair's $100K to charter schools group

Andy Yee, owner and operator of multiple restaurants in Western Massachusetts, is an avid news reader, especially of articles regarding Baker. 

"Governor Baker is a great friend of Springfield, a great friend of the Student Prince," Yee said. "He comes in when he's traveling by Springfield." 

When he heard of the Baker's use of the phrase "nothingburger," Yee knew he wanted to feature it on the menu. 

The plain burger represents the nothingness of the phrase, with the lack of toppings. The large pile of green lettuce denotes money, in reference to Sagan's six-figure donation. 

Yee, whose family runs the Hu Ke Lau in Chicopee, bought the Student Prince Cafe and The Fort Dining Room with Peter Picknelly, chairman and CEO of Peter Pan Bus Lines and business consultants Michael K. Vann and Kevin B. Vann. 

Baker attended the grand reopening of the restaurant in 2014, where a ceremonial sausage was cut for the special occasion.

In years since, Baker has stopped by the restaurant to greet the owners and eat a quick bite. He attended a fundraiser for the Massachusetts Republican Party at the Student Prince last fall, an Oktoberfest cocktail hour and private dinner hosted by Picknelly and Tony Ravosa. 

Gov. Charlie Baker attends GOP fundraiser at Student Prince

The incident happened Sunday afternoon on Triangle Street.

AMHERST -  Police are asking the public for help identifying a man last seen driving a black Subaru Impreza Sunday afternoon on East Pleasant Street after he was allegedly seen masturbating while asking a woman for directions. 

According to police, the man followed the victim on Triangle Street before asking her for directions and soliciting her for sex while touching himself.

She described the suspect as a white man in his 20s with a buzz cut, blue eyes, gauged ears and a husky build wearing a gray University of Massachusetts t-shirt.

Police have notified the UMass police as well and asked police to provide a list of all black Subaru Impreza's registered on campus. 

The incident was reported just after 3 p.m. on Sunday. 

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Amherst police at (413) 259-3000. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the department's website here.

The Boys& Girls Club of Greater Westfield will host an event on Wednesday to celebrate the club's 25th anniversary and Director of Operations Kellie Brown, who was named a 2016 Maytag Dependable Leader award recipient.

The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield will host an event on Wednesday to celebrate the Club's 25th anniversary and Director of Operations Kellie Brown, who was named a 2016 Maytag Dependable Leader award recipient.

Kellie Brown 

The award recognizes Boys & Girls Club professionals and volunteers around the country who give tirelessly to their local communities.

The celebration will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield, 28 West Silver St.

Westfield Mayor Brian Sullivan, city officials, and club members and staff will participate in the event and honor the milestone and Brown's distinction, presenting her with $20,000 grant.

Brown committed over 10 years of service to the organization and its members and was named one of 12 recipients nationwide for her service to the organization. According to Jose Roma, program director for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Westfield, Brown has shown her dedication through her countless acts of outreach and selfless leadership.

"Kellie's dedication and admiration for our club kids and staff member radiates from her constant positivity, committed time for others and contagious smile," said Roman in a press release. "Without a doubt, Kellie is an extraordinary role model in our community and someone people can count on every single day."

The club will use the grant to create scholarships for members to put towards school, the arts and building future leaders.

If there was one message to take away from Monday morning's forum on opioid addiction, it was that the medical establishment shares much of the blame for the crisis. Watch video

NORTHAMPTON -- If there was one message to take away from Monday morning's forum on opioid addiction, it was that the medical establishment shares much of the blame for the crisis -- and will have to pull together with law enforcement, lawmakers and community groups to fix it.

There were 488 confirmed opioid overdose deaths in the first six months of 2016, with another 431-509 estimated deaths, according to state statistics. Those figures place 2016 on track to eclipse 2015's record-high overdose death toll of 1,531 despite the steps law enforcement, lawmakers and health officials have taken to change policies and dedicate resources to fighting addiction.

And over 80 percent of opioid addicts start their addiction on prescription painkillers -- a statistic that Cooley Dickinson Hospital Medical Director of Integrated Behavioral Health Programs Peter Halperin attributed to misguided care doctrines and pharmaceutical industry lobbying in the 1990s.

"Doctors were being taught that we really shouldn't have to worry that much. That we were being overly cautious," Halperin said. "We've been overtreating pain."

Halperin, West Springfield firefighter Sara Boucher, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Medical Director of Behavioral Health Ken Duckworth and Learn to Cope manager Marcy Julian participated in a panel led by NEPR reporter Karen Brown at the Hotel Northampton.

The wide-ranging conversation covered Blue Cross' efforts to push doctors to limit prescriptions, which became a model for state legislation passed this year. State Sen. President Stan Rosenberg spoke at the forum, saying the state had responded by passing laws restricting narcotic prescriptions and allowing for bulk purchasing of the anti-overdose drug Narcan.

"We took the next step and in law we now have a new rule that a doctor can't give a prescription for more than seven days on the initial opioid prescription," Rosenberg said.

 

Panelists also discussed the precipitous rise in overdoses dealt with by first responders, the role of drugs like Suboxone and Vivitrol in addiction treatment and how law enforcement can best deal with people arrested for heroin possession.

But the conversation again and again returned to the role of doctors in inadvertently sparking the crisis in what Halperin described as waves of over-prescriptions during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Halperin cited a 2000 study by Oxycontin manufacturer Purdue Pharma that used misleading data to claim that the drug was not likely to cause addiction. In 2007, Purdue was ordered to pay $600 million in fines and three of its executives were sentenced to three years probation over the company's promotion of the drug. And this year the Los Angeles Times published a lengthy investigation that found the company falsely promoted Oxycontin as having 12-hour effectiveness, leading patients to suffer withdrawals and increase their risk of addiction.

The misleading data was taught to doctors in medical school, Halperin said, causing an " "extreme distortion" in how opioid painkillers were prescribed. 

"That was in no small part due to the influence of the pharmacological industry on education," Halperin said.

Prescriptions are now much more tightly controlled, both by state law and best medical practices, the panelists said.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts CEO Andrew Dreyfus said that the problem began decades ago with a noble idea -- to reduce harm for pain patients, whose suffering had long gone undertreated. But the proliferation of high volume narcotic prescriptions for such everyday problems as high school sports injuries and wisdom tooth extractions led to addiction for young people who may otherwise never have encountered opioids.

In 2012, Blue Cross led a review of opioid painkillers among its providers and instituted limits that led to a major drop in prescriptions, Dreyfus said.

"To my surprise, we eliminated 21 million doses of prescription painkillers from entering our community," Dreyfus said. "The number was so big I didn't believe it when it was first told to me."

Marcy Julian, who manages the Western Mass. branch of the Learn to Cope support program for loved ones of addicts, said that overdose deaths have not appeared to slow down, citing the experiences of participants in her group.

"One of those moms lost both of her children in the span of three months," Julian said. "That's not unique unfortunately."

Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri also spoke up during a question-and-answer period, calling for better coordination between police and social service providers. The Springfield Police Department has made major drug busts, even as the price of heroin has declined from up to $15 to about $2 per bag, Barbieri said. But those seizures do not address the continued demand for the drug from addicted buyers.

"We hit houses, we take tremendous amounts of heroin off the street," Barbieri said. "[But] there's very little unity of effort."

Massachusetts officials and the family of Pete Frates, the man behind the Ice Bucket Challenge, on Monday unveiled the first-ever plate in the state geared toward fighting the neurodegenerative disease known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, and improving care for people who are diagnosed with the disease. Watch video

BOSTON - Massachusetts officials and the family of Pete Frates, the man behind the Ice Bucket Challenge, on Monday unveiled the first-ever plate in the state geared toward fighting the neurodegenerative disease known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, and improving care for people who are diagnosed with the disease.

"You have to put a license plate on your car. And for those 2 million registered vehicle owners that don't presently have a specialty plate, the registry would encourage you to think about how you may be able, by supporting ALS One and applying to have one of their plates, you not only keep your vehicle registered but you have the opportunity to save a life," said Erin Deveney, who heads the Massachusetts RMV.

Deveney said they hope to introduce the plate onto roadways in early 2017, calling it a "subtle reminder that each one of us makes a difference."

The RMV approved the ALS ONE plate, and the effort needs 750 registration applications in order to begin production and funding. More information is available at this link.

People can download a RMV application form and mail the form, with a $40 check made payable to "MA DOT to ALS ONE PLATE, 8 Industrial Park Way, Whitman MA 02382," according to ALS ONE, a nonprofit partnership between experts at UMass Medical School Mass. General Hospital and Compassionate Care ALS.

John Frates, the father of Pete Frates, said thanks to doctors and researchers, the disease is slowly "giving up its secrets."

The Ice Bucket Challenge raised $220 million across the world in summer 2014 and helped with a breakthrough, researchers say.

In a statement, Dr. Merit Cudkowicz, chief of neurology at Mass. General Hospital, said ALS remains "an extremely underfunded disease, and we're hopeful that through the launch of the Massachusetts ALS ONE License Plate program, people connected to the disease will step up to [the] plate to help continue to drive our critical ALS research and care work forward."

Ice Bucket Challenge helps UMass Medical School researchers in Worcester discover ALS breakthrough

Pre-homecoming events are scheduled for Friday.

WESTFIELD - The annual Homecoming at Westfield State University will be held Saturday with events beginning at 10 a.m..

Homecoming officially begins at 11 a.m. on Alumni Field with a men's soccer game between WSU and MCLA.

Open House at the Math Department in Wilson Hall is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon and a Reunion Brunch for all alumni will be held at the Garden Room at the Horace Mann Center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.. The reunion will include classes of 1976, 1991, 2006 and 2011. The 2016 Distinguished Alumna and Alumnus of the Year will be recognized during the brunch.

Disc Jockey Maura Collins, Class of 1996, will play music and entertain from noon to 2 p.m. and the main homecoming event will be held from noon to 5 p.m. at Alumni Field.

At 2 p.m. WSU's men's football team will play Plymouth State University on Alumni Field.

Tickets for homecoming, which is open to the public, are $10 each on Saturday but can be purchased in advance online for $5 at www.westfieldalumni.org/events/homecoming.

Following the main event, the Department of Communication will host 'Journey Through Communication for 35 years' from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Ely Campus Center. Admission is $10 with proceeds benefiting the Edwin J. Abar - Kiwanis Communication Scholarship.

Pre-homecoming events will be held Friday including the inaugural Henry O. Wefing Memorial Golf Tournament at 10 a.m. at Westfield's Tekoa Country Club. Also a reunion luncheon for the Classes of 1956, 1961 and 1966 in the Loughman Living Room at Scanlon Hall and the Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet at 6 p.m. at Scanlon Banquet Hall will be held.

Additional information is available by contacting Thomas Convery, Class of 1978 at 413-485-7358 or Cheri Baranowski at 413-485-7352.

Cara Rintala, 49, is accused of strangling wife Annamarie Cochrane Rintala, who was 37 at the time, on March 29, 2010, at the couple's Granby home

NORTHAMPTON — A simple gray rag was the subject of much of the morning's testimony Monday in the Cara Rintala murder trial.

Tina Gryszowka, a DNA analyst for the Massachusetts State Police crime laboratory, testified she tested a swab taken from the rag and found Annamarie Cochrane Rintala was included as a potential contributor.

This is the seventh day of testimony in the trial, which is expected to last at least four weeks in front of Hampshire Superior Court Judge Mary Lou Rup.

Rintala, 49, is accused of strangling Cochrane Rintala, who was 37 at the time, on March 29, 2010, at the couple's Granby home.

This is Rintala's third murder trial, following mistrials in 2013 and 2014 resulting from deadlocked juries. She has been free on $150,000 bail since March 2014.

The rag was found in an outside trash can at a McDonald's in Holyoke. Rintala was seen on surveillance videotape at that McDonald's parking lot in the afternoon.

She said after doing errands with the couple's 2-year-old daughter, including the stop in the McDonald's lot, she came home and found Cochrane Rintala dead.

Another crime lab worker had testified she swabbed a red brown stain from the rag after it passed a presumptive test for blood. It was the swab that Gryszowka tested.

Gryszowka said the sample from the rag was deteriorated.

Defense lawyer David Hoose asked Gryszowka if time was the most likely reason for the deterioration of the DNA swab. He asked if the stain is most likely an old stain.

Gryszowka said she cannot say if time is the most likely reason for the degradation because she doesn't know what all the other factors were.

The rag was submitted to the crime lab at 7:01 p.m. April 1, three days after the killing.

A state trooper testified he pulled it out of the trash March 30 and brought it to the Rintala's Granby home, where a state lab worker took a swab and a sample.

Follow Buffy Spencer's updates from the trial on Twitter:

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When Paul Milluzzo got up from the bar at Smitty's Tavern in December 2014, he left his Keno ticket and a full beer inside. He never walked back into the Worcester bar and was instead struck with a barrage of shotgun blasts in the parking lot by his cousin, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

WORCESTER -- When Paul Milluzzo got up from the bar at Smitty's Tavern in December 2014, he left his Keno ticket and a full beer inside. He never walked back into the Worcester bar and was instead struck with a barrage of shotgun blasts in the parking lot by his cousin, a prosecutor said Tuesday.

Peter Jasper, 49, of Worcester is on trial for the killing of his 45-year-old cousin outside the West Boylston Street bar on Dec. 22, 2014. Jasper is facing a charge of first-degree murder in Worcester Superior Court.

"The only word to describe what happened to Paul Milluzzo is assassination," Assistant District Attorney Brett Dillon said in his opening statement.

Milluzzo was shot in the right and left shoulders, then in the back of the head with a shotgun the night he was killed.

Dillon said Jasper planned out the killing, going so far as putting Super Glue inside the driver's side door of Milluzzo's car as it was parked outside of Smitty's Tavern.

Paul MilluzzoScott J. Croteau | scroteau@masslive.com 

The glue was still dripping from the door when Milluzzo went outside, Dillon said.
Jasper, according to authorities, was mad over a failed business relationship with his cousin.

The pair had bought some land in 2007, built a house and sold it. Jasper wanted the business deals to keep going, but believed Milluzzo was dragging his feet.

Milluzzo, a successful carpenter, was living in Leicester. Authorities said Jasper threatened to kill his cousin in 2007 and then put a gun to his head in 2008. Jasper told investigators the gun was fake.

Authorities said they are able to place Jasper in the area the night of the killing.

Dillon told the jury that Jasper was seen on videotape putting plastic sheeting on his car seats before the killing. Surveillance video also puts Jasper's car at the scene, authorities contend.

A hubcap and a sidelight were missing from a Mercury Marquis seen in the area at the time of the killing. Jasper drove the same type of car and it also had a missing hubcap and sidelight, authorities said.

People inside the bar heard loud booms coming from outside around 6:15 p.m. when Milluzzo was shot. A bartender found the victim outside. Dillon described it as a "grisly scene."

Defense attorney Edward Hayden argued that the prosecution and detectives in the case continued to follow their theory that Jasper killed his cousin once they heard about the threats in 2007.

"Theory is not proof," the defense attorney argued.

The investigators in the case twisted the evidence to make it appear Jasper was the killer, but they have no real proof he committed murder, he said.

Milluzzo's mother, Linda Milluzzo, testified Jasper told her he was going to kill his cousin.

"I'm going to shoot him," Jasper said, according to Linda Milluzzo. "I don't care how long it takes, how many years it takes, I'm going to get him."

The two cousins were best friends until the business deal in 2007. After the falling out, Jasper ordered his then-wife and daughter to no longer talk to Milluzzo.

When Jasper and his wife got divorced, she and her daughter moved to Leicester and were again close with Milluzzo. They would drive him to work and frequently be together.

As Milluzzo's life continued to go well, Jasper's continued to fall apart, Dillon said.

Jasper was bankrupt, divorced and his home in Worcester had just been sold at auction. The two men were on opposite paths, but Milluzzo's path ended the day he was killed, authorities said.

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Three artists will bring temporary galleries to downtown Springfield on Oct. 5, as the Springfield Central Cultural District holds its Art Stop Cultural Event.

Three artists will bring temporary galleries to downtown Springfield on Oct. 5, as the Springfield Central Cultural District holds its Art Stop program.

1550 Main Street, New England Public Radio and SilverBrick Lofts will host art and refreshments from 4 to 7 p.m., with street performers, musicians and food stands stationed on Main Street.

Mixed media artist Chelsea Revelle will present her work in NEPR's headquarters, painter Joe Tomaselli will be in 1550 Main Street and illustrator and cartoonist Justin Phillips' work will be on display at SilverBrick lofts.

"All three of these artists represent exactly what we're trying to bring to Downtown Springfield, color and the ability to move an audience to think," Springfield Central Cultural District Director Morgan Drewniany said in a statement. "Our judging panel had difficult decisions to make, but the work that was selected will truly activate and bring life to all three spaces along the walk."

Indie jazz duo The Greys and fiddle player Ann-Marie Messbauer, who teaches at Springfield's Community Music School, will perform on the sidewalk outside the galleries. Art students from Renaissance High School, a speed painter will provide additional entertainment, and food from Wheelhouse Farm will be for sale.

The Springfield Central Cultural District Forum is also partnering with the Springfield Public Forum for the night. Anyone who attends the Forum's event that night after attending the Art Stop will receive a "special (and artistic!) gift," according to a press release.

A Jacksonville area dog that went missing in August and was found in Swansea in September was reunited with his owner thanks to a microchip.

A Floridian Great Pyrenees mix had a great big adventure.

Apollo, owned by Jacksonville's Cynthia Abercrombie, disappeared from his home on August 11, according to Orlando's WFTV. On Sept. 8, Apollo was picked up by Swansea, Massachusetts' animal shelter, a journey of over 1,100 miles.

The shelter initially thought he was a local dog, posting on their Facebook page, "If anyone is missing a great Pyrenees mix from the ocean grove area, please call the shelter....we have it."

Shelter workers were later able to identify Apollo's owner thanks to his microchip.

"This is why getting your pet microchipped is so important. This woman never would have seen her dog again!!!" they posted.

Abercrombie reported to the Florida Times-Union that she feared she would not be able to recover Apollo, as she is on a fixed income and could not afford a trip to Swansea to pick him up.

The shelter was also wary of sending the dog by plane due to his age.

Transport home was later arranged through East Coast Paws Transport, a non-profit, volunteer-run animal transport group that rescues dogs from high-kill shelters and transports them elsewhere to find new homes. Thanks to a relay team of drivers, Apollo arrived safe and sound on Friday, September 23.

How exactly Apollo ended up in Massachusetts is unknown, but Abercrombie told the Florida Times-Union she believes he was stolen.