A total of 2,896 voters, or nearly 11 percent of the city of Holyoke, Massacdhusetts' 26,677 registered voters, participated in the state's first early voting period this year in balloting for Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016.

HOLYOKE -- Nearly 11 percent of registered voters participated in the state's first early voting period this year for Election Day on Tuesday, City Clerk Brenna Murphy McGee said today.

That included 519 today, which was the last day of the 11-day early voting availability, she said.

A total of 2,896 voters, or nearly 11 percent of the city's 26,677 registered voters, cast early voting ballots, she said.

The state permitted early voting for the first time with this election as a convenience and to encourage turnout. Early voting began Oct. 24.

Voters said that they liked the convenience of being able to check off voting on their list of duties ahead of time and that it eliminated anxiety in case they were unable to get to the polls on Election Day.

Voters on Election Day will decide the presidential race between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, the major party candidates, along with ballot questions and other contests.

Most of the early voting was held at City Hall with booths set up in the hallway outside the registrar of voters office. Early voting also was available at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home, Holyoke High School and the Senior Center.

Besides picking a president, voters Tuesday will decide four statewide ballot questions and a local referendum. The four state questions will ask whether marijuana should be legalized for recreational uses; whether more charter schools should be permitted; whether to allow a second slot machines gambling parlor in Massachusetts; and whether to ban certain confinement procedures used for farm animals.

The local question will ask if voters want the city to adopt the state Community Preservation Act (CPA). That would impose a surcharge on property tax bills of home and business owners. That revenue, along with state funds triggered by having adopted the CPA, would have to be used for projects in three areas: open space, historic restoration and affordable housing.

Northbound traffic traveling along Interstate 91 became backed up Friday evening following a crash. Emergency responders were called to the crash scene near exit 23 in Connecticut. Traffic was funneled into one northbound lane as police and fire officiaps set up at the scene. An ambulance was seen at the crash scene around 6:45 p.m.

Northbound traffic traveling along Interstate 91 became backed up Friday evening following a crash.

Emergency responders were called to the crash near exit 23 in Connecticut. Traffic was funneled into one northbound lane as police and fire officiaps set up at the scene. An ambulance was seen at the crash scene around 6:45 p.m.

The full development project will be approximately 850,000 square feet of residential, dining, retail and entertainment (including hotel and gaming) facilities and will spread over three city blocks in downtown Springfield. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- Giant metal beams are being lifted and fitted into place one by one as the MGM Springfield casino project continues to rise in the city's South End neighborhood.

From Union Street, a segment of the seven-level, 3,400-space parking structure looks complete, but a view of the other side looks like a real-life Jenga puzzle. Huge pre-cast sections continue to be lifted onto the garage.

The full development project will be approximately 850,000 square feet of residential, dining, retail and entertainment (including hotel and gaming) facilities and will spread over three city blocks in downtown Springfield.

The city has announced that lower State Street in the downtown will be closed to traffic on Saturday for one day to allow utility work partially related to the MGM Springfield casino project.

The MGM project has been promised to create a minimum of 2,000 construction jobs and, once open, at least 3,000 casino, hotel and other workers, of which at least 2,200 will be employed on a full-time equivalent basis with benefits.

Two people were arrested in Greenfield on Friday for narcotics charges.

GREENFIELD — Two people were arrested on narcotics charges in Greenfield on Friday.

Anthony Orlando, 42, and Tammi Nightingale, 50, both of Wallingford, Connecticut, were taken into custody after a traffic stop by State Police on Route 91 led to the discovery of narcotics in their vehicle.

Police say that the traffic stop initially happened as the result of a plate light being out. However, inside the vehicle, police discovered 23 bags of Heroin, two bags of cocaine, and five bags containing Ritalin pills.

Orlando and Nightingale were subsequently booked at Shelburne Falls Barracks and were held at the Franklin County House of Correction before being arraigned at the Greenfield District Court.

Both have been charged with possession of a class A substance, as well as possession of a class B and E substance with intent to distribute, and conspiracy to violate drug laws.

The rally raised money and awareness for the Native Americans trying to save their land and water. Watch video

AMHERST -- More than 125 students, faculty and staff gathered on the lawn at the Goodell Building to oppose the North Dakota Pipeline and to raise money for those protesting.

The event was a collaboration between the Native American Students Association, Divest UMass and the Student Farmers' Market to raise awareness about the protests and money for the Sacred Stone and Red Warrior Camp.  

Native Americans oppose the $3.8 billion, 1,172-mile Dakota Access Pipeline, which would run through North and South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois and could transport about 500,000 barrels of oil a day.  

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approved the pipeline, which would cross under the Missouri River a mile north of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe reservation. The Missouri is the source of water for the reservation's 8,000 residents. Pipeline opponents fear a leak would pollute that water supply.

At the rally, students were selling "Water is life" T-shirts that they made to raise money and posted signs.

UMass junior Erick On-Sang wanted to show his support for those who are "fighting for their right to live." He said what's happening in North Dakota is a continuation of "settler colonialization."  

Late last month, state police, county sheriff's deputies from four other states and the North Dakota National Guard members made more than 140 arrests, using pepper spray, rubber bullets and Tasers to clear protesters from a camp they set up on the path of the oil pipeline, which is under construction.

More than 50 people were treated for injuries, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"The pipeline is not OK," said 9-year-old Bo Mendoza. "It is hurting the land," he said.

His mother, Sonya Atalay, an assistant professor of archaeology, said she talks to her children all the time about what's happening.

Atalay spoke at the rally Friday. "We cannot respond to oppression with silence," she said. "(What's happening in North Dakota) affects us all."

"(It's) inhumane and unconscionable to destroy sacred sites in the way," she said.

Atalay appreciated the melding of Divest UMass along with Native Americans. The issues of climate justice are related, she said.

Paulette Steeves, a lecturer in the anthropology and archaeology department, said people need to change the way they live to reduce their dependence on oil.

Atalay said what's happening in North Dakota is not new. "It's a story that has happened across this land (including Amherst.) Why do we not call it Norwottuck? Why do we call it Amherst?" she asked.

She said the native Norwottuck people were moved out because settlers wanted land and water.

"It's the story that's happening in North Dakota to our sisters and our brothers there," she said.

Melania Trump was paid for 10 modeling jobs in the United States worth $20,056 that occurred in the seven weeks before she had legal permission to work in the country

WASHINGTON -- Melania Trump was paid for 10 modeling jobs in the United States worth $20,056 that occurred in the seven weeks before she had legal permission to work in the country, according to detailed accounting ledgers, contracts and related documents from 20 years ago provided to The Associated Press.

The details of Mrs. Trump's early paid modeling work in the U.S. emerged in the final days of a bitter presidential campaign in which her husband, Donald Trump, has taken a hard line on immigration laws and those who violate them. Trump has proposed broader use of the government's E-verify system allowing employers to check whether job applicants are authorized to work. He has noted that federal law prohibits illegally paying immigrants.

Mrs. Trump, who received a green card in March 2001 and became a U.S. citizen in 2006, has always maintained that she arrived in the country legally and never violated the terms of her immigration status. During the presidential campaign, she has cited her story to defend her husband's hard line on immigration.

The wife of the GOP presidential nominee, who sometimes worked as a model under just her first name, has said through an attorney that she first came to the U.S. from Slovenia on Aug. 27, 1996, on a B1/B2 visitor visa and then obtained an H-1B work visa on Oct. 18, 1996.

The documents obtained by the AP show she was paid for 10 modeling assignments between Sept. 10 and Oct. 15, during a time when her visa allowed her generally to be in the U.S. and look for work but not perform paid work in the country. The documents examined by the AP indicate that the modeling assignments would have been outside the bounds of her visa.

It is highly unlikely that the discovery will affect the citizenship status of Mrs. Trump. The government can seek to revoke the U.S. citizenship of immigrants after the fact in cases when it determines a person willfully misrepresented or concealed facts relevant to his naturalization. But the government effectively does this in only the most egregious cases, such as instances involving terrorism or war crimes.

The disclosures about the payments come as Mrs. Trump takes on a more substantial role advocating for her husband's candidacy. She made her first speech in months Thursday, in which she spoke of her time working as a model in Europe and her decision to come to the U.S.

"As a young entrepreneur, I wanted to follow my dream to a place where freedom and opportunity were in abundance. So of course, I came here," she said. "Living and working in America was a true blessing, but I wanted something more. I wanted to be an American."

The documents obtained by the AP included ledgers, other accounting documents and a management agreement signed by Mrs. Trump from Metropolitan International Management that covered parts of 1996 and 1997. The AP obtained the files this week after seeking copies since August from employees of the now-defunct modeling firm, after Mrs. Trump made comments earlier this summer that appeared inconsistent with U.S. immigration rules.

A New York immigration lawyer whom Mrs. Trump asked to review her immigration documents, Michael J. Wildes, also reviewed some of the ledgers at AP's request. Wildes said in a brief statement that "these documents, which have not been verified, do not reflect our records including corresponding passport stamps." He did not elaborate or answer additional questions asking for clarification. Wilde appeared to be referring to Mrs. Trump's arrival in the United States on Aug. 27, 1996, one day after the ledgers list a charge for car service to pick up Mrs. Trump from the airport. Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks also did not answer additional written questions from the AP.

Since questions arose earlier this year, Mrs. Trump has declined to publicly release her immigration records. Wildes, the immigration lawyer, released a letter in September that laid out the details of what he said Mrs. Trump's immigration records show, including a seven-week window in which Mrs. Trump was in the U.S. before her work visa was issued.

During that seven-week period, the ledgers list modeling work for clients that included Fitness magazine and Bergdorf Goodman department store. The management agreement, which said it was not an employment agreement, included a handwritten date of Aug. 27, 1996. The top of the document said it was "made and entered into as of this 4th day of September 1996."

Many of the documents were part of a legal dispute related to the dissolution of the firm in the late 1990s and found recently in storage. The accounting ledgers for the firm's models were listed on hundreds of pages of continuously fed paper that appeared yellowed with age. They were authenticated by a former employee who worked at the firm at the time. The employee spoke on condition of anonymity because this person feared retaliation and threats from Trump's presidential campaign.

Exhibit markings with the records were also consistent with documents filed in New York state court, including a deposition of one former partner that referred to the same exhibit number. The sworn testimony describing the exhibit's content matches the documents obtained by the AP.

Melania Trump vows to take on cyberbullying as first lady

A former partner, Paolo Zampolli, who previously told the AP that he recruited Mrs. Trump to come to the U.S. as a model, confirmed that the contract language was used by his firm and his signature appeared on the document. Mrs. Trump's signature on the contract resembled her signature on her marriage license recorded in 2005. Asked about the two dates on the document, Zampolli said he usually vacationed in Europe each August and likely arranged for the contract to be formally executed when he returned to New York after Labor Day, even though Mrs. Trump had signed it eight days earlier.

Zampolli previously told the AP that Mrs. Trump obtained a work visa before she modeled professionally in the United States. He said the ledgers for Mrs. Trump were consistent with printouts used by his firm at the time, but he would not personally vouch for them because he said money matters were handled by the company's chief financial officer, who has since died.

Zampolli said he did not recall Mrs. Trump working without legal permission. "Honestly, I don't know. It's like 20 years ago," he said. "The contract looks (like) a real one and the standard one."

Foreigners are not allowed to use a visitor visa to work for pay in the U.S. for American companies. Doing so would violate the terms of that visa and could prohibit a foreigner from later changing his or her immigration status in the U.S. or bar the foreigner from the United States again without special permission to come back. The E-verify system started in 1997-- after Mrs. Trump came to the country-- and was dramatically expanded after 2007.

Some ledgers obtained by the AP identify Mrs. Trump by her professional name and detail her involvement with the modeling agency from July 18, 1996, through Sept. 26, 1997. Other documents from the same accounting ledgers identify Mrs. Trump as Melanija Knaus and list $20,526 in gross earnings for the period before she was granted her work visa on Oct. 18, 1996. The documents also show the modeling company paid for her rent, lent her money and paid for her pager.

Some ledgers were first made available to True.Ink, an online lifestyle publication, and then independently obtained and verified by the AP.

Metropolitan International Management managed the careers of about 65 women in 1996 and 1997, according to court records. It paid the women as independent contractors, collecting a 20 percent commission and deducting expenses. The ledger shows that the firm also deducted federal taxes from the models' gross earnings, including Mrs. Trump's.

With Trump's interest in legal immigration, what kind of visa did Melania have? (Commentary)

At least one person has been injured in a three-alarm fire in Roxbury, Boston Fire Department officials reported Saturday morning.

ROXBURY ‒ At least one person has been injured in a three-alarm fire in Roxbury, Boston Fire Department officials reported Saturday morning.

Firefighters responded to reports of heavy fire at two-story home located at 94 George St. just after 8:30 a.m.

The blaze was initially reported as a 2-alarm fire. It was later upgraded to a 3-alarm fire after the building collapsed on itself, fire officials said.

Firefighters continued exterior operations, using several ladder pipes, blitz guns and hand lines as of 9:45 a.m., according to the Boston Fire Department.

One adult was treated and transported to an area hospital for serious burns, fire officials reported. No other injuries have been reported.

pic.twitter.com/Ag8F49wN1d

— Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) November 5, 2016

You can pretty much set your clock to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which states that Daylight Saving Time annually begins at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and ends at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November.

Sorry, folks -- we have to endure another hour of the 2016 elections, thanks to the Energy Policy Act of 2005 [pdf], which spells out the beginning and end of Daylight Saving Time.

And the end, for 2016 anyway, is nigh: Daylight Savings Time concludes its annual 238-day run Sunday morning, November 6, at 2 a.m. At that time, you are to fall back and turn all your clocks, watches and various timepieces back one hour to 1 a.m., unless you live in the non-Daylight Saving Time-observing Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Arizona (not including the Navajo Indian Reservation, where DST is in effect).

Whoop, did I put the "s" to make  it "Savings" in that last graph? And in the headline? Sorry, Energy Policy Act of 2005, I'm leaving it because I and most Americans say and search it with the "s."

You can pretty much set your clock to the 11-year-old legislation, which states that Daylight Saving Time annually begins at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and ends at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November. So use Sunday morning's extra hour thoughtfully, because you'll have to give in back in just 18 weeks on March 12, 2017.

For those who like to celebrate milestone anniversaries, start making plans for 2018, which will be the 100th anniversary of the United States' observation of Daylight Saving Time.

More info:

National Institute of Standards and Technology Daylight Saving Time rules >>

U.S. Naval Observatory Daylight Time >>

timeanddate.com sunrise and sunset calculator >>

Democratic presidential Hillary Clinton will take her campaign concert tour to New Hampshire Sunday, where she will join Grammy Award-winning singer James Taylor for a final get-out-the-vote push.

Democratic presidential Hillary Clinton will take her campaign concert tour to New Hampshire Sunday, where she will join Grammy Award-winning singer James Taylor for a final get-out-the-vote push.

Clinton, who has returned the the important battleground state several times in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential campaign, will tout her campaign platform and encourage voters to turn out for Tuesday's election, during an evening event at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester.

Doors for the 8:15 p.m. rally, featuring a special performance by Taylor, will open at 5:45 p.m., campaign officials announced Saturday.

Taylor, who resides in Western Massachusetts, has previously hit the campaign trail for Clinton, including in North Carolina earlier this week. He marks the latest celebrity to turn out for the Democratic presidential nominee in the final days before the election.

Beyonce and Jay Z campaigned alongside Clinton in Cleveland Friday. Katy Perry, meanwhile, was set to join the former first lady for a Saturday evening campaign rally and concert.

The campaign stop -- which will likely be the Democrat's last in New Hampshire ahead of Election Day -- comes as polls place Clinton neck-and-neck with Republican rival Donald Trump.

Poll: Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump tied in N.H. following news of FBI's email review

The businessman, who has also campaigned hard in the key swing state ahead of the election, will return to New Hampshire Monday for an election eve campaign rally with vice presidential running mate Mike Pence at SNHU Arena in Manchester.

Doors for the 8 p.m. rally will open at 5 p.m., according to Trump's campaign.

President Barack Obama, meanwhile, is also scheduled to be in New Hampshire on the final day before the general election.

The outgoing commander-in-chief, who has served as a key Clinton campaign surrogate, will make the case for his former secretary of state during an afternoon rally at the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

Three people sustained non-life-threatening injuries following an early Saturday crash on Route 9 in Hadley, police have reported.

HADLEY ‒ Three people sustained non-life-threatening injuries following an early Saturday crash on Route 9 in Hadley, police have reported.

Emergency crews responded to reports of a two-car crash near the intersection of Route 9 and Bay Road just after midnight.

The crash reportedly occurred after a Prius attempted to turn left from Route 9 to Bay Road when it crossed the path of a Chrysler, which was east on Route 9, according to Hadley Police.

The three occupants of the Chrysler were transported to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

No injuries were reported for occupants of the Prius.

Police were attempting to arrest Clifford Ahern, 59, on a warrant for assault and battery out of Palmer District Court. He was accused of assault and battery on a family member.

EAST LONGMEADOW - A man who attacked a police officer Friday evening is in critical condition after another officer shot him.

Police were attempting to arrest Clifford Ahern, 59, on a warrant for assault and battery out of Palmer District Court.

He was pulled over Friday, but sped away from the traffic stop after a brief interaction with the officer, police said. Ahern drove directly to his home, where three officers were already waiting.

Ahern allegedly charged at one of the officers and slashed his shirt with a knife. The officer suffered minor injuries. Another officer shot Ahern.

Police said Ahern has a "history of confrontations with police and prior violent criminal offenses."

Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni praised the officers Saturday.

"The dedicated and professional officers who serve and protect in our cities and towns across Hampden County face potential danger each and every day they go out on patrol," said Gulluni. "This incident is an unfortunate reminder of this reality."

The shooting is under investigation by Massachusetts State Police and the Hampden County District Attorney's Office.

"I am proud of the men and women of the East Longmeadow Police Department," said Chief Jeffrey Dalessio. "Like all the other officers out there who wear the badge, to protect and serve the public every day, often putting their own lives on the line."

Dalessio said the officers involved in the incident are on administrative leave.

West Springfield's 16th Annual Veterans Breakfast at the Saint Thomas School Gymnasium was attended by several hundred veterans, their families, and friends early Saturday morning.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - West Springfield's 16th Annual Veterans Breakfast at the Saint Thomas School Gymnasium was attended by several hundred veterans, their families, and friends early Saturday morning.

The breakfast opened with an introduction by Robert Pomeroy, U.S.N. sergeant of arms for the West Springfield Veterans' Council. Jose H. Irizarry, president of the West Springfield Veterans Council, introduced local and state officials along with distinguished guests.

Veteran Award winners included: Charles P. Andre, posthumously, U.S. Navy; Ernest M. Bedard Jr., posthumously, U.S. Marine Corp.; Daniel Grover, posthumously, U.S. Army; Victor M. Mancini, posthumously, U.S. Marines; Oliver D. Patten, posthumously, U.S. Air Force; James A. Sevigne, posthumously, U.S. Army; Glenn Simpson, posthumously, U.S. Navy; Robert L. Baker, U.S. Air Force; David Berube, U.S. Army; David Carlson, U.S. Air Force; John Conway, U.S. Air Force; Daniel Culver, U.S. Navy; Michael Culver, U.S. Navy; George Dubois, U.S. Marines; William Grassetti, U.S. Air Force; Jeffrey Joseph, U.S. Air Force; Carl King, U.S. Army; Robert Lane, U.S. Marines; Nicholas Latino, U.S. Army; James Nallett, U.S. Air Force; Joseph Reed, U.S. Navy; Roger Rousseau, U.S. Navy; Mitchell Salamon, U.S. Army; Matthew Sawyer, U.S. Air Force; Edward Walsh, U.S. Army; Allen Wood, U.S. Army.

The 2016 West Springfield Veteran of the Year Award was presented to Kyle Boucher, U.S. Army Veteran. The 2016 West Springfield Community Service Award was presented to Charlotte Pasquerella.

The annual breakfast was sponsored by the West Springfield Veterans' Council.

As with much of America, Ohio is in the throes of a heroin and opioid epidemic that shows no signs of abating.

Edwin Sobony II had had enough.

It was December 2015 and Sobony's wife was on heroin, which she got from her cousin, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Sobony had asked the cousin, Larry Jewell, to stay away from their home. But that day in December, Jewell came by, and Sobony picked up an aluminum baseball bat and began to beat him.

Jewell was hospitalized with skull fractures after the incident. In September, Sobony, a mail carrier, was convicted of felonious assault.

Now, Sobony has received his sentence for the conviction: Two years of probation.

The judge, according to the Dispatch, noted the community's support for the defendant during the sentencing hearing.

"I'm not supporting what Mr. Sobony did," Judge Charles Schneider said. "Vigilante justice is not supported by the court. But the people in this community have just had it."

Schneider, a judge in the Franklin County Common Pleas, told the court that he frequently receives supportive pre-sentencing letters about defendants - but "not the numbers I've received on this case."

He also mentioned comments posted on the Dispatch's website, including some from readers "wanting to pay his legal bills, wanting to post his bond if I put him in jail . . . The reaction in the community was immediate, and it's because this community has had it with drugs."

Sobony could have gone to prison for two to eight years after his felonious assault conviction, which came after a jury deliberated for less than three hours. The Dispatch noted in its report on the sentencing that state law "includes a presumption of prison for the offense."

Here's the newspaper, explaining the judge's reasoning: "Schneider placed him on probation for two years, saying the presumption of prison was outweighed by Sobony's lack of a criminal record, little chance that he will offend again and the level of provocation that triggered the assault."

"Judge Schneider is a champion," Sam Shamansky, Sobony's attorney, said Friday, "and he is not one of those cowards who is influenced by anything other than doing the right thing."

Shamansky called the judge's decision "perfectly appropriate."

"You know in Ohio, even with a beating as severe as this, there's only a presumption of prison, which means you can overcome it," Shamansky said. "So given my client's background, which was exemplary, his work history, second to none, he busts his a - carrying mail every day, the abject behavior, negative behavior of the victim, and the mitigating circumstances, it was perfectly appropriate."

As with much of America, Ohio is in the throes of a heroin and opioid epidemic that shows no signs of abating.

In 2015, a record 3,050 fatal drug overdoses were reported in the state, according to the Ohio Department of Health. That grim tally was up by more than 20 percent over the previous year.

"We have heard too many tragic stories about families who have lost a loved one, with their entire life ahead of them, due to what started as prescription drug abuse," according to Ohio's Opiate Action Team, which was launched five years ago by Republican Gov. John Kasich.

Nationwide, opioids such as heroin and prescription pain relievers killed more than 28,000 people in 2014, more than any year on record, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least half of all opioid overdose deaths involved a prescription drug, the CDC said, adding that the number of overdose deaths involving opioids has nearly quadrupled nationwide since 1999.

Behind the bleak statistics are haunting scenes of overdose victims.

Twice in recent months, Ohio has been the setting for such shocking spectacles.

In September, authorities in the town of East Liverpool stopped a car and found a man and a woman barely conscious in the front seats. The woman's 4-year-old grandson sat in the back seat.

A disturbing photo of the scene - the driver with his head tilted back, the woman slumped across the passenger seat, and the boy staring at what's in front of him - spread like wildfire.

Weeks later, in northeast Ohio, a recovering addict delivered some devastating news to his 8-year-old son.

"Mommy died last night," Brenden Clark said. "OK?"

"What do you mean? My mom?" his son said.

"Yes," Clark said.

"How!" the boy cried out.

"From drugs," Clark said.

Clark posted video of the heart-wrenching discussion on Facebook, where it has been viewed more than 35 million times.

Just like that, in an instant, the 8-year-old boy became the sobbing face of the collateral damage from the epidemic, which claims about 78 lives nationwide each day, leaving many children without a parent.

The Dispatch reported that Sobony told investigators that Jewell was often at the family's home and sold heroin to his wife.

Sobony had repeatedly told Jewell to keep away from the house, according to the newspaper.

He also said that he had previously caught his wife and her cousin doing drugs in the home, in which the couple lived with their children. And the day of the attack, he had asked local authorities for their assistance in the matter.

"My actions were a little aggressive," Sobony said during an apology in court. "I'm sorry, but I felt I was protecting my family."

Sobony told the Dispatch that his wife was "fine."

"We'll put the pieces back together and get on with our lives," he said.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post. Sarah Larimer wrote this story.

Billerica Police are searching for a man who is said to have struck and dragged a police officer with his car.

BILLERICA — Authorities are searching for a man alleged to have hit and dragged a police officer with his car in Billerica on Friday night.

Police say 28-year-old Eric Oblenis is now wanted for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

The incident began after police were called to the parking lot of a Rite Aid on Boston Road for a report of suspicious activity.

Oblenis was reportedly in a parked van in the lot, and was witnessed injecting some sort of substance into his arm by one of the officers.

When the officer approached the van, however, Oblenis allegedly threw the needle to the floor of his van and accelerated in reverse, striking the officer. The officer was then dragged 15 feet before he fell, and Oblenis proceeded to speed out of the parking lot and escape down Boston Road.

Police also believe a second man was in the vehicle at the time, who is also wanted for drug violations and assault and battery.

Oblenis is described as a slender white male who was last seen sporting a red sweatshirt and a red flat-brim baseball hat. The vehicle the two suspects were driving is believed to be a green 1999 Dodge Ram Van with a Rhode Island license plate IY888.

The officer's wounds from the incident were non-life-threatening, and they were transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Police have asked anyone with information on the whereabouts of Oblenis or the other party in the vehicle to contact Billerica Police at 978-667-1212.

Authorities said they're looking for suspects in two vehicles who reportedly were shooting at each other.

BROCKTON, Mass. -- A Massachusetts family believes a stray bullet entered their Brockton home Saturday and grazed a 3-year-old boy's leg during a shootout in broad daylight.

Police responded to reports of gunfire at about 1 p.m., near the end of a peace rally at City Hall a few blocks away. Authorities said they're looking for suspects in two vehicles who reportedly were shooting at each other.

Relatives of the boy told The Brockton Enterprise that he was crying after the shootout and they thought he was just scared, but they noticed blood on his pants. They say he is going to be fine. His name hasn't been disclosed.

Police said they're not sure whether the boy was shot, and doctors will make that determination.

The shooting remains under investigation.

Family: 3-year-old boy grazed by bullet during Brockton gunfire https://t.co/6GhL1romBE

-- The Enterprise (@enterprisenews) November 5, 2016

Two men from Massachusetts who committed a home invasion in Connecticut were sentenced on Saturday.

HARTFORD, Ct — Two Massachusetts men who were shot while attempting an armed home invasion in Hartford, Connecticut, last year, were given lengthy prison sentences on Saturday, according to the Hartford Courant.

Joel Matias, 23, and Derick Sarra, 20, both of Lawrence, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty in Hartford Superior Court to committing a home invasion, and were sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison and 11 years and five months in prison, respectively.

On Sept. 5, 2015, both men attacked a grocer as he was walking home from work--pressing a gun into his neck, threatening to kill him, and coercing him into his own home at gunpoint, where the man's wife and six-year-old boy were.

However, when Sarra--who was in possession of the firearm--backed up to close the door to the house, the victim pulled his own licensed gun out of his pocket and shot Sarra multiple times in the arm and chest.

A struggle then ensued for Sarra's firearm, and the victim also shot Matias--who was struck in the chest, head, and penis.

Due to his wounds, Matias collapsed at the scene of the incident, while Sarra ended up fleeing the scene, but was apprehended at a hospital later that night.

The victim has not been charged with any crimes, as the court found that he was protecting himself and his family.

A fire was intentionally set in a bathroom at Baystate Medical Center, according to the Springfield Fire Department.

SPRINGFIELD — A fire was intentionally set in a women's bathroom in the Baystate Medical Center's Daley building, according to Dennis Leger, spokesman for the Springfield Fire Department.

Springfield firefighters were called to the scene at approximately 6 p.m. on Saturday to find the fire already largely extinguished.

Leger said that the city's Arson Squad subsequently investigated and had determined that the fire appears to have been set on purpose.

No injuries occurred as a result of the fire, but it caused approximately $10,000 in damage to the building, Leger said.

The Springfield Police Department has asked that anyone with any information regarding the incident get in touch with the city Arson Squad at 413-788-6370.

Springfield police are searching for two men who robbed a food mart in Liberty Heights on Saturday night.

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield police are searching for two suspects that held up a food mart at gun point in the city's Liberty Heights neighborhood on Saturday night.

Lt. Mark Rolland of the Springfield Police Department said officers were called to 889 Carew Street at approximately 9:10 p.m.

Two men wearing black gloves and masks entered the Quick Stop Food Mart and demanded money. A black firearm was shown, said Rolland.

The men took an undetermined amount of cash and fled down Newbury Street, said Rolland.

The suspects were described as being a Hispanic male and a black male, but no further description was given, said Rolland.

Here are the winning numbers in Saturday's Powerball drawing.

Powerball players are on another lottery thrill ride as the jackpot approaches a quarter of a million dollars and hopes remain alive for another huge payout.

File

Here are Saturday's winning numbers:

21-31-50-51-69, Powerball: 08, PowerPlay: 3X

The estimated jackpot is $217.8 million. The lump sum payment before taxes will be more than $142 million.

Powerball is held in 44 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

A $2 ticket gives you a one in 292.2 million chance at joining the hall of Powerball champions.

The drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. Deadline to purchase tickets is 9:45 p.m.

15 states could decide the 2016 presidential election, including the annual battleground states that come across every election.

ARIZONA

The Grand Canyon State hasn't voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Bill Clinton in 1996, but Democrats believe that increased Hispanic voter registration will keep things competitive.

Recent polling has given Republican Donald Trump a slight edge over Democrat Hillary Clinton, but Democrats cite an advantage in early voting as evidence that it could be a close night. On Friday, the final day of early voting, thousands of Arizonans stood in long lines.

Two other races in the state also signal the growing power of the state's Latino voters.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the 2008 Republican presidential nominee who has tepidly stood by Trump's candidacy this year, is running for a sixth term. McCain appears headed to victory due partly to modest Latino support.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, a Republican who became a polarizing national figure in the debate over immigration and border control, is facing the toughest reelection of his 24-year reign amid tussles with the Justice Department. National liberal and Hispanic groups have targeted the race as a chance to knock off the man they consider the poster boy for unjust immigration detention policies.

COLORADO

Colorado is one of the most widely swinging battleground states. It cast its vote for Republican George W. Bush in 2004 by a higher percentage than the nation as a whole. Four years later, it did the same thing - except for Democrat Barack Obama.

That pattern is set to hold if the nation votes for Clinton. She's been leading in most polls in Colorado for most of the general election. Her campaign didn't run TV ads in the state for most of this campaign, though she has jumped in with ads in the past few days, as the race has tightened.

Only termed a swing state in the past few elections, Colorado has been shifting to the left rapidly. This year, for the first time in decades, Democratic and unaffiliated voters outnumber Republicans.

The state's growing Latino population, more than 20 percent, as well as the Denver area's explosion of younger voters are among the reasons for the shift.

Yet, like other Western swing states, Colorado is starkly divided, with a strong conservative streak as well.

If Clinton wins Colorado, it will be the first time in a century Colorado has voted for the Democratic nominee for president three times in a row.

FLORIDA

The Sunshine State is once again the center of the presidential campaign and has been a frequent stop for Clinton and Trump. Florida is essential to Trump's chances. Barring big upsets elsewhere, failure to win here blocks the Republican's path to the 270 electoral votes he needs to capture the White House.

Clinton and Trump have focused especially on winning Central Florida, which stretches east to west from Daytona Beach on the Atlantic Coast and ending in Tampa. Democrats are buoyed by record-high early voting by Latinos fueled primarily by an influx of Puerto Ricans fleeing the island's economic difficulties. Across Florida, more Latinos had voted by Wednesday than during the entire early voting period in 2012, according to the Clinton campaign.

The politics of South Florida are also shifting as young Cuban Americans buck their elders and align with Democrats.

The state's closely watched U.S. Senate race pits Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who used his presidential campaign to trash Congress, against Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.). Rubio has surged ahead, and Democrats have pared back ad spending, but Murphy could be helped if Clinton pulls far ahead of Trump.

GEORGIA

The last Democrat to carry Georgia was a fellow Southerner, Bill Clinton in 1992, so the Peach State didn't appear particularly ripe for Hillary Clinton when the race began. But it has turned unexpectedly competitive this year.

Several recent polls have shown the contest to be within the margin of error or Trump leading by a modest margin.

Clinton is being buoyed by an overwhelming lead among black voters in Atlanta and elsewhere. She was up 89 percent to 5 percent among African Americans in an NBC-Wall Street Journal-Marist poll released last week.

The booming Atlanta suburbs have opened a possible path to victory for Democrats that does not require winning over conservative whites, the bedrock of Trump's constituency.

A key will be how well Clinton can mobilize not only African Americans but also growing populations of Latinos and Asian Americans. Some Democrats acknowledge they could be another election away from being consistently competitive.

Sensing an opportunity, the Clinton campaign stepped up investments in its ground game in Georgia in August, and a supportive super PAC is airing television ads.

IOWA

Donald Trump's strength among white, non-college-educated voters could help swing Iowa to the GOP this cycle, after it voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012. Iowa is more than 90 percent white.

Trump has a five-point lead, according to a polling average of recent surveys calculated by The Washington Post. The Clinton campaign has touted its robust ground operation in Iowa, but the candidate herself has not held many rallies in the state.

Trump has faced criticism in many battleground states for implementing a late and weak ground operation and relying on operatives who lack the strategic experience to keep pace with Democrats. But in Iowa, Trump has Eric Branstad, the son of Gov. Terry Branstad. The Branstads know Iowa politics well, giving Trump a boost he doesn't enjoy in other important states.

Trump has made several appearances in the Hawkeye State in recent weeks and has frequently sent his quintessentially Midwestern running mate, Gov. Mike Pence, to campaign there.

Despite the buzz, Iowa has just six electoral college votes. Still, it is a must-win for Trump, given his limited path to the 270 electoral votes needed to win the White House.

MICHIGAN

This industrial, Midwestern state, which dealt a surprise blow to Clinton in the Democratic primary when it backed Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, could be poised for another upset in the general election.

Michigan voters have not supported a Republican for president since 1988. But backlash against globalization has made trade deals a major issue in parts of the state where Trump expects to do best, especially among white, non-college-
educated voters.

With national polls tightening in the final days of the campaign, Trump's campaign has made a late play for Michigan, and Clinton and surrogates have recently increased visits in an effort to boost Election Day turnout. Both campaigns are now airing ads statewide. On Monday, Clinton will visit Grand Rapids, and President Obama will visit Ann Arbor.

With an electorate that is 72 percent white, Michigan is one of the least diverse states, meaning Clinton's demographic advantages - she is strong among minorities - could be limited. Clinton is trying to maintain her strength in the state's urban centers, particularly among black voters in Detroit. But they are key, and there are signs in early voting elsewhere that she is struggling with them.

NEVADA

Nevadans have voted for the winner in every presidential election since 1992. But like most swing states, Nevada is starkly divided between red and blue. The state's southern tip, home to Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County, is blue. The northern city of Reno and surrounding Washoe County are purple. And the rural towns dotting the vast expanse of desert in between are red.

Nevada is changing, though. Almost a third of the state is Hispanic, and there's a growing Asian American population as well. Democrats have worked hard to harness the state's new population in their favor, and Nevada is leading the way among Western states trending Democratic.

Nevada has an independent and libertarian streak, and Trump seems to have tapped into that. He's leading or tied in three of the past four high-quality polls, suggesting that his populist economic message is resonating with Nevadans still struggling to recover from the recession.

But early voters - a solid indicator in Nevada - favor Democrats in similar numbers to when President Obama won the state in 2012. This race looks like it could be a nail-biter.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Tiny and independent-minded, New Hampshire figures most prominently in the presidential election as the site of the nation's first primary vote, typically a few days after the kickoff caucuses in Iowa.

With four electoral votes, it's not a big prize in the general election, but it is considered a battleground because of significant Republican strength amid solidly Democratic northeastern states.

New Hampshire has voted Democratic in five of the past six presidential elections. Barack Obama took the state by about 5.5 percentage points over Mitt Romney in 2012, but Clinton looks unlikely to match that margin.

The Democrat has suffered a reversal of fortune in New Hampshire in polls over the past two weeks, falling to a two-point lead over the weekend, according to a poll average calculated by The Washington Post.

Some polls suggest a strong effect from the announcement on Oct. 28 of a renewed FBI inquiry into Clinton's State Department email. She is expected to return to New Hampshire for a final rally Sunday.

In addition, Obama will travel to the state on Monday on the eve of the election - a sure sign that it is closer than Clinton would like.

NEW MEXICO

The Land of Enchantment has been a Democratic stronghold during the past two presidential elections, with Obama winning by double-digit margins both times. Trump recently visited the state for an evening airport rally as part of an 11th-hour attempt to put it in play. But not a single public poll has shown Clinton trailing the Republican nominee there.

Trump's anti-immigrant rhetoric and repeated vows to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border have made him deeply unpopular among Latino voters. That presents a major challenge for him in New Mexico, where exit poll data showed the electorate was more than a third Hispanic in 2012.

Clinton has been taking no chances with New Mexico down the stretch, opting to air ads in the state during the final week for the first time in the general election.

Democrats have won five of the past six presidential elections in New Mexico. George W. Bush narrowly won here in 2004.

One potentially complicating factor for Clinton and Trump: Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson served two terms as governor and has pockets of support. The most recent poll showed Johnson attracting 7 percent of the vote.

NORTH CAROLINA

North Carolina has been one of the most heavily traveled states on the campaign trail this year and could tip either way.

The state has historically been favorable turf for Republicans in presidential races. Obama narrowly carried the Tar Heel state in 2008 but lost by a close margin to GOP nominee Mitt Romney in 2012.

Democrats see longer-term trends in the state working in their favor: an influx of white, college-educated professionals along an urban and suburban corridor stretching from Raleigh to Charlotte, and an uptick in the African American share of the electorate - part of the legacy of Obama's campaigns.

To win in North Carolina, Clinton has been banking on an Obama-like turnout from African American voters. According to exit polls, African Americans accounted for about 18 percent of the electorate in 1996. By 2012, the black share of the vote rose to 23 percent. But early voting among that group got off to a slow start this year, raising a flag about enthusiasm.

Donald Trump is trying to drive up turnout in rural North Carolina, including the east, where tobacco was once king and where the state is still suffering from manufacturing losses.

OHIO

This Rust Belt state's demographics play to Donald Trump's strengths, with a population that is about 80 percent white - and heavy with working- and middle-class Americans who are anxious about the economy.

Although Obama carried the state in the 2008 and 2012 elections, Ohio has consistently polled in Trump's favor this cycle. After briefly falling to a tie in some polls in mid-October, Trump now leads Clinton by five percentage points, according to a polling average calculated by The Washington Post.

Republicans are bullish that Trump will carry the state, which is a must-win if Trump hopes to take the White House. His considerable strength among white voters in the state, especially those without college degrees, is also bolstered by his double-digit strength among men.

(Trump and Clinton appear to be tied with women voters, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll.) The Clinton campaign has made an aggressive push in Ohio in the final days of the election, hoping to compel enough nonwhite voters to cast ballots to stave off a Trump victory. On Friday night, musicians Beyonce and Jay Z headlined a concert in Cleveland to get out the vote.


PENNSYLVANIA

With a large population of working-class and middle-class whites, Pennsylvania is an attractive yet elusive prize for Republicans despite having voted Democratic in the past six elections.

Trump has sought to energize the Republican part of the state, which, in past elections, has been outvoted by solidly Democratic Philadelphia in the east and the area around Pittsburgh in the west. Clinton has focused primarily on those two large urban areas this year.

For Democrats, winning Philadelphia has become the key to holding Pennsylvania, and doing so means motivating the large African American population in the city along with whiter suburbs at the periphery. Those "collar counties" have held appeal for Republicans in past elections but have not given Trump much hope this year.

In 2008, Obama won nearly all of the Philadelphia suburbs atop the most populous urban areas.

A polling average calculated by The Washington Post gives Clinton a five-point advantage, but her campaign may see signs of trouble. She is campaigning twice in the state in the closing days of the race, and Vice President Biden, a Pennsylvania native, was spending the entire weekend there on her behalf.

UTAH

Utah, a red state that hasn't chosen a Democrat for president since 1964, isn't likely to do so on Tuesday. But it could be the only state to hand a loss to both Clinton and Trump, thanks to a former CIA agent.

Evan McMullin, a Utah-born Mormon, is running for president as an independent. He claims to be competitive in 34 states, either on the ballot or as a write-in candidate. Utah is his best chance at becoming the first third-party candidate in 92 years to win a state. Some polls have shown him tied with Trump here, with Clinton not far behind.

McMullin's surge reflects the qualms of Utahns, many of them Mormons, about voting for Trump, a brash, thrice-married New Yorker who has made lewd comments about women and wants to bar Muslims from the country. To take advantage, Clinton opened a campaign office and dispatched surrogates.

Mitt Romney, who won Utah with nearly 73 percent of the vote in 2012, strongly disavowed Trump. Others have tried walking a finer line. After a tape emerged of Trump bragging about groping women because he is a "star," Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said he could no longer endorse him. Nineteen days later, Chaffetz said he would vote for Trump.

VIRGINIA

Although Virginia is considered a swing state, for months Clinton had such a comfortable lead that both campaigns went off the airwaves in the summer. But polls have tightened, and both Clinton and Trump are back on TV, and Trump is scheduled to make a last-minute visit on Sunday.

Clinton's running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, will return to his home state the day before Election Day to try to shore up support among African Americans and others in Richmond, where he was once mayor, and in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, a fast-growing region that is rapidly diversifying and trending Democratic.

Clinton has several advantages, including strength among suburban college-educated women, a sizable portion of the electorate in Fairfax, Loudoun and Henrico counties. And she stands to benefit from higher enthusiasm among Latinos in the state.

Trump has sought to bolster his support among rural voters and made an appeal to the state's heavy presence of active-duty and military veterans.

Obama carried the state in 2008 and 2012. A Democratic win could cement Virginia's status as a blue state in presidential races.

WISCONSIN

The state where the Republican Party was formed has not gone to the GOP nominee for president since 1984, but Trump is making a last-minute and unsteady push to try to turn the state red.

Trump had planned to campaign in the state Sunday but abruptly canceled his trip the day before. He had included Wisconsin in his $25 million multistate advertising investment during the final week of the campaign.

Clinton's running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, will barnstorm here Sunday as Democrats hope to maintain the lead they have built.

Trump is wagering that his crusade against sweeping multinational trade deals will boost turnout among conservative white, working-class voters who have experienced firsthand the decline of the manufacturing industry in the United States.

Wisconsin is the home state of Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus and Speaker Paul D. Ryan. The latter has had a rocky relationship with Trump throughout the campaign.

The last time Clinton and Trump faced voters in Wisconsin, neither experienced much success: Both lost by double-digit percentage margins to opponents during the primary.