An early morning snow couldn't keep the estimated 200-plus, friends, family, students, and alumni, from attending the retirement party for longtime ministry English teacher Sr. Marlene Mucha at the War Memorial in Holyoke, Saturday.

HOLYOKE - An early morning snow couldn't keep the estimated 200-plus, friends, family, students, and alumni, from attending the retirement party for longtime ministry English teacher Sr. Marlene Mucha at the War Memorial in Holyoke, Saturday.

Mucha, who spent most of her 51-years of teaching at Holyoke Catholic High School and most recently at Pope Francis High School, made the surprise retirement announcement in November.

Alumni students from as far as Toronto, Canada attended the three-hour social event which featured plenty of cake and refreshments.

Former Chairman of the Catholic Board of Trustees, Jeffrey Trask said, "The overnight response that we received when planning this tribute for Sr. Marlene was a testament Sr. has had on countless lives throughout her 51-years of ministry teaching."

The special afternoon celebration included speeches from alumni, friends and parents with celebratory cakes brought by alumni honoring their graduation year. With the recent merger of Holyoke High School and Cathedral High School into Pope Francis High School many visitors used the occasion to reunite with their former classmates.

Anyone wishing to send a card or letter may send it to Sr. Marlene Mocha c/o Jill Gagne, 5 Hollygrape Circle, Holyoke, Mass. 01040

As some people avoided the highways Saturday during the snowfall, one swan decided to take a stroll on Route 2 in Arlington.

As some people avoided the highways Saturday during the snowfall, one swan decided to take a stroll on Route 2 in Arlington.

The injured swan was found waddling along Route 2 in Arlington as snow fell on the region. State Police directed traffic around the bird.

The Animal Rescue League of Boston posted a photograph on Twitter Saturday showing the injured swan. They then reminded people to enjoy wildlife from a distance.

[?] [?] [?] someone is NOT HAPPY with me. This is why wildlife should only be appreciated from a distance. pic.twitter.com/YWsNwwT4bl

— Animal Rescue League (@ARLBostonRescue) December 17, 2016

A drop in temperature will freeze standing water making black ice a concern across Massachusetts.

SPRINGFIELD -- The National Weather Service has issued a dense fog warning until 10 a.m. today.

While the fog will lift and temperatures will remain in the 40s until about 4 p.m. NWS is alerting residents to a quick drop in temperature late this afternoon.

"Such a quick drop in temperatures will cause a rapid freeze of standing water on roads and any other untreated surfaces, resulting in the development of black ice," the website reads.

The black ice alert is for all of Massachusetts and parts of Connecticut.

Commuters are advised to drive with caution.

Firefighters in New Bedford made a couple of special deliveries Saturday as they helped deliver twin girls during the snowstorm.

Firefighters in New Bedford made a couple of special deliveries Saturday as they helped deliver twin girls during the snowstorm.

New Bedford Fire Lt. Ken Silva and Firefighters Rich McCue, Mark Pacheco and Kevin Carvalho responded to a home around 6:30 a.m. and got there just as the first baby was arriving.

Firefighters clamped the cord and treated the baby until paramedics arrived to cut the cord.

The baby and mom were being transported to the hospital when the second little girl decided it was time for her to make an entrance.

The second baby girl was delivered in the ambulance at the hospital parking area.

"What an exciting morning for everyone involved! Congratulations to the family and to all first responders for assisting in the delivery of these two beautiful Christmas miracles," the New Bedford Fire Department posted on Facebook.

The officer who arrested the alleged shoplifter apparently kept his Santa Claus hat on "in keeping with the spirit of the holiday."

A man was arrested outside of a Target in Dartmouth Saturday after allegedly trying to shoplift while a group of police officers held a toy drive just outside the store.

Dartmouth police said they were holding their annual Christmas toy drive when they were alerted by Target employees that a man had shoplifted from the store.

Police arrested Patrick Machado, 42, of Acushnet, who allegedly was in possession of $120 worth of goods. The officer who arrested Machado apparently kept his Santa Claus hat on "in keeping with the spirit of the holiday," the department said.

Machado was charged with shoplifting and concealing merchandise. Police say Machado apologized to the officers after his arrest.

In the midsts of this weekend's snowstorm, a swan took to a Massachusetts roadway in search of greener - or rather, warmer - pastures.

In the midsts of this weekend's snowstorm, a swan took to a Massachusetts roadway in search of greener - or rather, warmer - pastures.

Massachusetts State Police were called to the westbound lanes of Route 2 in Arlington Saturday. They found an injured swan that would not move out of a the roadway.

Troopers directed traffic around the bird until members of the Animal Rescue of League of Boston arrived to transport the swan to seek medical attention.

Michelle Carter texted Conrad Roy III, "You said you were gonna do it. Like I don't get why you aren't. So I guess you aren't gonna do it then. All that for nothing." He killed himself later that day.

Michelle Carter, a teen who stands accused of encouraging her boyfriend through text messages to kill himself, is due back in court for a pretrial hearing Monday.

Carter, 18, is facing manslaughter charges in connection with the 2014 death of Conrad Roy III, who committed suicide by inhaling carbon monoxide. Prosecutors claim that Carter sent Roy dozens of messages encouraging him to follow through on his suicide plan.

Roy and Carter met in person once - in Florida in 2012 - and the two began dating. For the next three years afterward, the couple conducted their relationship entirely over text messages online.

Roy had a history of issues with depression and spent time in mental institutions in Worcester and Brookline. Following a stay in a Brookline facility, Roy attempted suicide.

Roy had told a girl he met in treatment that he was attempting suicide, prompting her to call 911. His life was saved by emergency responders, and prosecutors claim that Roy's life changed after that day.

"He told his mother he 'would never do that to [her] again,' and never again mentioned wanting or trying to take his life to her," prosecutors wrote in a court filing released in April.

On the day of his death, Roy spent the day walking the beach with his family and bought his sisters ice cream. He and his mother discussed his plan to attend the same college as his best friend and one day take over the family business.

However, while Roy spoke with his mother, he was simultaneously texting Carter about his plan to kill himself. Roy's mother told New York Magazine he was distracted by his phone for much of the walk.

Michelle Carter: 'All I had to say was I love you and don't do this one more time and he'd still be here'

At 4 a.m., Carter wrote to Roy, "You said you were gonna do it. Like I don't get why you aren't. So I guess you aren't gonna do it then. All that for nothing."

In the pretrial hearing Monday, Carter's lawyer is likely to make additional arguments defending her actions.

Earlier in the month, Carter's lawyer asked a judge for funds to hire an expert that could explain the effects on an antidepressant that both teens were taking. The judge denied that request.

In a defense brief, Carter's lawyers contested the claim that Carter was responsible for Roy's death, arguing the government had overcharged Carter to compensate for a lack of applicable law against encouraging suicide in Massachusetts.

Defense lawyers seek to throw out evidence against Michelle Carter, teen accused of urging boyfriend to kill himself

"Charging her with manslaughter was a transparent effort calculated to circumvent the fact that the legislature has not criminalized words that encourage suicide," the brief argued.

Prosecutors are likely to argue that Roy might still be alive today if not for Carter's words.

Lawyers for Michelle Carter, teen accused of urging boyfriend to kill himself, file to suppress police evidence

"Unbeknownst to his mother or any of the other people he was close to, for at least the past six days Conrad had been making plans to kill himself with carbon monoxide," prosecutors said wrote in a court filing released in April. "Carter played an instrumental role: she talked him out of his doubts point-by-point, assured him that his family would understand why he did it, researched logistics and reassured him that he was likely to succeed, and pushed him to stop procrastinating and get on with it, mocking his hesitation and threatening to get him help if he did not carry through with his plans."

The "most knowledgable person in the United States in terms of how do you create a regulatory framework for recreational marijuana," according to Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, is reportedly under consideration for a job in marijuana-legal Massachusetts, according to The Boston Globe.

LinkedIn 

In the eyes of Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, Andrew Freedman is the "most knowledgable person in the United States in terms of how do you create a regulatory framework for recreational marijuana."
 
According to the Boston Globe, Massachusetts may become the next state to benefit from Freedman's regulatory acumen. 

Freedman, 33,  is reportedly under consideration "to be one of the three regulators who will oversee the recreational industry in Massachusetts, or advise that group as a paid consultant," the Globe reports. 

A Tufts University and Harvard Law School graduate, Freedman has made his business in Colorado negotiating between state government, the marijuana industry, law enforcement, public health advocates and the medical community.

Some of his achievements include helping to pass Colorado's law banning marijuana-infused edibles in animal shapes attractive to youths and putting prominent warning symbols on packaging, controlling the black market that sprung up in the wake of legalization that state and stopping growers' usage of potentially dangerous pesticides. 

Freedman is also credited, according to the Globe, with helping "transform the way marijuana was seen in state government, aiding in a cultural shift" and getting resistant people in state government to accept the will of voters. 

Creating regulations for brand-new industries is difficult and essential work, Freedman told the Globe. 

"There is an enormous amount of responsibility to really think very hard that we're not making mistakes that we'll regret for 20 years before we can undo it," Freedman said.

Former lieutenant governor Joe Garcia told The Globe Freedman is "a person of substance, he's smart and won't get pushed around."

An email mistakenly sent to an activist described plant staffers as 'overwhelmed.'

PLYMOUTH -- Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station remains shut down after leaks were found in three of eight valves that prevent radioactivity from escaping during a nuclear accident, reports the Cape Cod Times.

A similar issue forced the plant, owned by Entergy Corp., to shut down temporarily in August. The 44-year-old Plymouth nuke is slated to close for good in June of 2019.

Federal inspectors spent Nov. 28 to Dec. 9 evaluating systems and worker performance at the plant, and will return for a final week Jan. 9. The leaks were found during scheduled internal testing in recent days.

In addition to the leaky valves, a communications leak by an inspector with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has local residents demanding answers.

Earlier this month, preliminary inspection findings were mistakenly emailed to activist Diane Turco, president of the Cape Downwinders, an anti-nuclear group. In candid remarks, a lead NRC inspector described staff as "overwhelmed." Turco provided a copy of the email to a reporter for the Cape Cod Times.

The initial findings reportedly said plant workers were not following industry protocols, that some staff failed to understand their roles and responsibilities, that expertise was lacking, that equipment wasn't getting fixed, and that employees appeared to be struggling with plant operation.

"We are observing current indications of a safety culture problem that a bunch of talking probably won't fix," wrote lead inspector Donald Jackson in his email.

Last year, Pilgrim was given low marks by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, placing it among the worst-performing plants in the country. The plant's "category 4" status is one step up from a forced shutdown.

Staffers with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission have refused to meet with local officials until their inspection report is completed, which would be sometime in February.

The plant was sold to Entergy in 1999, and its federal license was renewed in 2012 for another 20 years. In 2015, Entergy cited market conditions in its decision to close in 2009. The plant has a nameplate capacity of 680 megawatts.

In its release announcing the closure, Entergy said the plant was "undermined by unfavorable state energy proposals to subsidize renewable energy resources at the expense of Pilgrim and other plants."

In August, Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill requiring Massachusetts utilities to purchase 1,600 megawatts of offshore wind and 1,200 megawatts of hydroelectricity and other renewables in the coming years.

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com

A half-dozen pharmaceutical companies are facing a federal charges that they allegedly conspired to raise prices and reduce competition for generic drugs.

A half-dozen pharmaceutical companies are facing a federal charges that they allegedly conspired to raise prices and reduce competition for generic drugs.

The attorneys general of 20 states - including the office of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey - joined together in the major antitrust lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut this month.

The complaint alleges that the six drug makers conspired to fix prices and maintain market share to manipulate the prices of two drugs: antibiotic doxycycline hyclate delayed release and glyburide, an oral diabetes medication.

The six companies include: Heritage Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Aurobindo Pharma USA, Inc., Citron Pharma, LLC, Mayne Pharma (USA), Inc., Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.

The attorneys general allege in court documents that the New Jersey-based Heritage to be the "principal architect and ringleader of the conspiracies."

"Generic drugs play a vital role in keeping health care costs down and making medication affordable to those who need it, and companies that fix prices to illegally profit and drive up prescription drug costs must be held accountable," Healey said.

The investigation into the rising cost of certain generic prescriptions began two years ago.

Executives within the six companies are said to have communicated primarily in-person, by telephone or text message to discuss alleged schemes, according to the complaint filed. Additionally, the complaint alleges, drug companies deleted written communications upon learning of the investigation. 

Chelsea High School will remain closed at least two more days due to an ongoing fly infestation, The Boston Globe reports.

Chelsea High School will remain closed at least two more days due to an ongoing fly infestation, The Boston Globe reports.

Complaints about flies in the school's cafeteria were first lodged on Dec. 5.

Plumbers investigating the problem opened up the walls and floors to access the pipes, creating more access points and allowing in thousands of flies.

Though the work was necessary, according to the school, the resultant inflow of flies required the school to be close on Thursday and Friday of last week.

"The school is structurally supported by a foundation that is a concrete slab," school officials wrote in a letter to parents. "These pipes sit below the concrete slab and cover 1.5 acres."

Video examination of the pipes has so far identified four cracked pipes -- potential breeding grounds for flies.

"Now that we have diagnosed the cause of the problem, we are turning our attention to fixing it. Because of the structural nature of this work, our engineers have been working to develop a plan for cutting through the slab of concrete to get to the cracked pipes," Chelsea Public Schools Superintendent Mary Bourque wrote Sunday in a message to parents on the school district's website. 

She added, "Once we cut through the concrete, the timeline will move fast. We will fix the pipes and restore the concrete slab to its original condition. After this, a complete cleaning of the building will take place."

The school may have to remain closed on Wednesday as well, Bourque said, but she will not make the decision until Tuesday. 

Three years after he was partially paralyzed in a car crash, a Boston teen is able to walk again.

Three years after he was partially paralyzed in a car crash, a Boston teen is able to walk again.

Mark Delamere Jr. is one of 100 people across the globe to receive an exoskeleton suit from Marlboro-based ReWalk Robotics. Of the 100, he's one of the lucky few to be reimbursed for the total cost of the equipment - about $77,500 - by private insurance, the Boston Herald reports.

Delamere was paralyzed from the waist-down as a freshman at Boston Latin Academy. Now 18, he stands several inches taller than both of his parents at six-foot-three. 

In a video interview with the Herald, Delamere's father said "this is the best part," as he hugged his son, standing. 

Some of the other contenders for the Word of the Year include "bigly," "deplorable" and "revenant."

If you feel like 2016 has been "marked by the intense irrational reality of a dream," you're not alone.

That's the definition of "surreal," which Merriam-Webster announced Monday, Dec. 19 as its Word of the Year for 2016. The word was determined by both its high volume of searches throughout the year and its significant year-over-year spike in searches.

Lookups for the word apparently began growing early in the year, beginning with the Brussels terror attacks on March 22. It saw further spikes in July following the terror attacks in Nice and the attempted coup in Turkey, and again in November following the U.S. presidential election.

"Historically, 'surreal' has been one of the words most searched after tragedy, most notably in the days following 9/11, but it was associated with a wide variety of stories this year," said Peter Sokolowski, Editor at Large for Merriam-Webster.

"Surreal" dates back to the early 1930s as a derivative of the surrealist art movement of the early 1900s. Merriam-Webster first included it in a dictionary in 1967.

Some of the other contenders for the Word of the Year title were driven by the presidential candidates and pop culture. You can thank Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton for "bigly" and "deplorable;" meanwhile, searches for "revenant," "icon" and "in omnia paratus" were spurred by the Leonardo DiCaprio film, Prince's death and the "Gilmore Girls" revival, respectively.

To see the top searches of 2016, check out the Merriam-Webster website.

Merriam-Webster declares 'ism' as word of the year for 2015

For Jessica Kensky, seeing the new Mark Wahlberg movie about the Boston Marathon bombing was deeply personal.

BOSTON (AP) -- For Jessica Kensky, seeing the new Mark Wahlberg movie about the Boston Marathon bombing was deeply personal.

She and her husband, Patrick Downes, both lost their left legs below the knee in the 2013 bombing. Almost two years later, Kensky chose to have her right leg amputated because of excruciating pain caused by severe injuries she suffered in the bombing.

So when it came time to publicly express her feelings about the movie "Patriots Day," Kensky chose her words carefully.

She said she and her husband were initially reluctant to be involved in the film, but after seeing the movie during a special screening in Boston last week, she believes Wahlberg and director Peter Berg treated the victims and their stories with respect. But she said the question of whether the filmmakers "got it right" was one that's impossible for her and other survivors to answer.

"It can feel OK, they can feel respected, they can feel proud and happy it was done, but 'right' is so hard because what happened to us was just anything but right," she said.

"Patriots Day" is set to open Wednesday in theaters in Boston, New York and Los Angeles, and Jan. 13 nationwide. The movie's title refers to Patriots' Day, the day the Boston Marathon is run, a state holiday commemorating the battles of Lexington and Concord during the American Revolutionary War.

Some of the key characters in the movie who saw the film last week said they were anxious about it accurately capturing the devastation of the twin bombings near the finish line of the marathon. The explosions killed three people and injured more than 260, including nearly two dozen people who lost limbs.

Wahlberg and director Peter Berg took pains to show how many law enforcement agencies cooperated to find the bombers, and they also managed to capture the emotional toll the attack took on police and everyone else affected by the bombings, said former Police Commissioner Ed Davis, who helped lead the investigation.

"Watching the movie, not only did they get it right ... but at the end of this, it was a cathartic experience for me," Davis said.

Wahlberg, a Boston native, said he was initially hesitant to make the film but came to feel a personal responsibility to his hometown to tell the story and tell it right. In the film, Wahlberg plays Sgt. Tommy Saunders, an amalgam of Boston police officers who were at the finish line when the bombs exploded and later helped find the bombers, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

The movie depicts the carnage caused by the bombing: the bloodied victims, the severed limbs, the anguished screams, a police officer standing guard over the covered body of 8-year-old Martin Richard, the youngest casualty.

It also shows the city's response: strangers tying tourniquets around the injured, doctors and nurses racing around emergency rooms to save severely injured people, people lining the streets and applauding police after the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.

The film focuses heavily on the intense manhunt for the Tsarnaevs and the resilience that came to be known as "Boston Strong."

"I'm so proud of my community as a whole and the way they responded," Wahlberg said at a news conference Thursday in Boston.

Kensky said one of the most difficult things for her and some other survivors was seeing the Tsarnaev brothers portrayed in the movie. Tamerlan was killed during the shootout with police; Dzhokhar was sentenced to death and is appealing.

Another movie about the bombings -- starring Jake Gyllenhaal as survivor Jeff Bauman -- is slated for release next year.

Activists have been protesting the bank's funding of the controversial North Dakota Access Pipeline.

AMHERST -- A day after four people were arrested for chaining themselves to doors at the Triangle Street TD Bank branch, about 10 activists returned to the bank to continue a protest against the bank's financial backing of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline.

A bank employee called police for assistance just after noon Saturday, according to police. Protesters had gathered in the vestibule.

Police set ground rules with the group and all agreed to leave the bank. The protest continued outside on the sidewalk, according to the report.

No arrests were made.

On Friday, police filed trespassing charges against Alyssa Johnson-Kurts, 22, of Worcester, Vermont, Mark Osten, 54, of Amherst, Harrison Greene, 30, of Northampton, and Paxton P. Reed, 19, of Osterville.

Activists want the bank -- one of 38 institutions financing the pipeline construction -- to divest. They say the pipeline poses a threat to drinking water and violates Native American treaties.

On Dec. 5, about 200 protesters marched from the Amherst Town Common to the bank calling on customers to withdraw their money and close accounts.

The action Friday was an attempt to impel change, organizers said.

Bank spokeswoman Judith Smith wrote in response Friday that "as a proponent of responsible energy development, TD works closely with clients, local communities and environmental groups to enhance our understanding of key issues and promote informed dialogue."

"We support efforts to ensure the sustainability and safety of the Dakota Access Pipeline site," Smith wrote. "And we respect the rights of those who wish to voice their opinions in peaceful protest."

Neither is considered wanted by the police, but each is considered at risk to reoffend, police said.

NORTHAMPTON - Police are alerting residents of the presence of two Level 3 sex offenders residing in the city and that the degree of danger posed by each makes notification of the community appropriate.

The two offenders are identified as Bryan E. Bussler and Glen Wheeler.

Bussler, 34, of 297 Bridge Road in the Florence Section of Northampton was convicted of indecent assault and battery on a person age 14 or younger and open and gross lewdness on July 25, 1997.
He is described as white, 6 feet tall and 200 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes.

Wheeler, 67, of 149 Bridge St., was convicted of 22 counts of indecent assault and battery on a child, and two counts of posing a child in a state of nudity on June 15, 1999.

He is white, 5 feet, 11 inches tall, and weighs 150 pounds. He has brown eyes, gray facial hair and is bald.

Under Massachusetts law, everyone convicted of a sexual offense must register with the state Sex Offender Registration Board. The board determines a ranking level according to one of three categories for likelihood the person will commit another sex crime upon release.

A Level 3 offender is someone considered at high risk to reoffend.
All sex offenders must register with police annually or each time they move to a new address. Information on Level 3 offenders is made available to the public.

Northampton police that neither man is wanted, that each has registered according to the law, and targeting either for harassment is against the law.

New polls out shows little appetite among the American people for either an Electoral College revolt or a Trump presidency.

Several new polls suggest little appetite among the American people for either an Electoral College revolt or a Donald Trump presidency.

A CBS News poll recently released reports that just one-third of people across the country believe the president-elect will be a "good" or "very good" president. 

Both President Barack Obama or former President George W. Bush received higher incoming ratings - higher than 60 percent each, Politico reports. 

Another 36 percent of respondents told pollsters they believe Trump will be a "poor" president. 

While the majority of respondents to the CBS poll have little faith in the president elect, voters also showed little support for a revolt by the Electoral College. 

In  a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll, 46 percent of voters say electors should be required to vote for the candidate that won their state. An additional 34 percent think electors should vote their consciences if they have significant concerns about Trump, Politico reports.

The poll follows much speculation about a long-shot opportunity -- the last -- to avert Trump becoming America's 45th president.

The U.S. Constitution authorizes the country's 538 electors to vote against the candidate chosen by the voters of their state in extenuating circumstances.

"There is enough dissatisfaction with Trump for there to be defectors, but I can't see it being serious," an Ohio Republican who filled out the survey anonymously wrote. "The voters spoke and the electors will largely honor their voices."

In the modern period, the electors' vote has been purely ceremonial, but the intensity of opposition to a Trump presidency from some quarters brought about a well-publicized -- if never really plausible --effort to convince Trump-supporting electors to stray.

The actor Martin Sheen, who played the U.S. president in the show West Wing, appeared alongside a bevy of other stars in a popular YouTube video begging 37 Trump electors to ditch their candidate. 

"Our founding fathers build the electoral college to safeguard the American people from the dangers of a demagogue and to ensure that the presidency only goes to someone who is 'to an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications,'" Sheen says in the video. 

The video assures the electors they are not being asked to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton, but anyone they feel is more qualified for the job.

On the other hand, a change.org petition signed by nearly 5 million asks them to cast their votes for Clinton. 

A small movement among 10 self-titled "Hamilton Electors" -- a reference to Alexander Hamilton, who shaped the Electoral College in this way -- "has been working to convince at least 36 other Republicans to ditch Trump, just enough to block his immediate election and send the contest to the House of Representatives," Politico writes.

The same Politico article said the movement is more likely to result in an elimination of the Electoral College than any change in the 2016 U.S. presidential election's result.

Trump responded to the movement on Twitter on Sunday.

If my many supporters acted and threatened people like those who lost the election are doing, they would be scorned & called terrible names!

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 18, 2016

State election officials told the New York Times they had found few cases of illegal voting.

The integrity of the presidential election has been questioned by voices on the left wing of the political spectrum since Nov 8., whether due to fears of inaccurate vote counts or the impact of suspected Russian hacking on Hillary Clinton's campaign.

But one allegation raised by President-elect Donald Trump -- that millions of non-citizens illegally cast votes -- has found no support among state election officials, according to the New York Times.

The Times asked officials in 49 states -- Kansas did not respond -- how many cases of voter fraud they had identified in the 2016 elections. Thirty-four states said zero or one; several more found dozens of suspected illegal voters; and none reported enough to affect the outcome of an election.

On Nov. 27, after Green Party candidate Jill Stein announced plans to file for recounts in Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, Trump took to Twitter to voice some election allegations of his own.

In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 27, 2016

The assertion drew quick criticism from fact checkers. The nonprofit investigative news site Propublica had organized thousands of reporters to track voting problems on Election Day, and turned up no evidence of widespread fraud.

When the Times asked election officials about voter fraud cases in their states, the results were similar.

Twenty-six states reported no credible allegations of voter fraud. Eight reported one case. Tennessee reported 40 cases and Georgia has opened investigations into 25, out of more than 4 million votes cast in each state.

Officials have also tamped down on election fraud fears by opponents of Trump, spurred by Stein's suggestion in November that voting machines may have been hacked. The Obama administration released a statement in late November saying that the election results "accurately reflect the will of the American people."

Police are looking for a thief who stole assorted holiday gifts including electronics from packages left at a West Pomeroy Lane home sometime Friday afternoon

AMHERST - Police are looking for a thief who stole assorted holiday gifts including electronics from packages left at a West Pomeroy Lane home sometime Friday afternoon.

Police said that the homeowners returned to find multiple packages torn open and assorted gifts were taken, including electronics.

Police said family members had sent the gifts and the exact value is not yet determined. 

At this point police have no suspects. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Amherst Police Department at 413-259-3015 or to text a tip to the anonymous tip line at 27463.

Although the 2016 presidential race came to a close Monday as the Electoral College voted to solidify Donald Trump's place as the president-elect, the largely pro forma process did not escape the unpredictable and chaotic nature that marred much of the campaign cycle.

Although the 2016 presidential race came to a close Monday as the Electoral College voted to solidify Donald Trump's place as the president-elect, the largely pro forma process did not escape the unpredictable and chaotic nature that marred much of the campaign cycle.

In total, seven electors cast so-called "faithless" votes against the candidates to whom they were bound in Monday's Electoral College, breaking a record set in 1808 when six opposed James Madison.

Most of the "faithless" votes came in Washington, where a third of the state's 12 Democratic presidential electors bucked Hillary Clinton out of protest or strategy.

Three Washington electors opted to cast ballots for former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican, over the Democratic nominee in a failed attempt to block Trump's election, Washington Secretary of State Kim Wyman announced.

One, meanwhile, voted for South Dakota Native American elder Faith Spotted Eagle, an activist opposing the Dakota Access Pipeline.

David Mulinix, a rogue elector in Hawaii, meanwhile, refused to back Clinton, casting a ballot instead for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who ran against the former first lady in the Democratic presidential primary, the LA Times reported.

Although Clinton saw the majority of Electoral College defections, two Republican Texas electors bucked Trump when casting their ballots on Monday.

One voted for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who unsuccessfully ran against Trump in the GOP primary, while the other cast a ballot for former Rep. Ron Paul, Texas Secretary of State Carlos Cascos reported.

TX Votes are in for Prez: 36 for Trump, 1 for Paul, 1 for Kasich. #ElectoralCollege

-- Texas SOS Office (@VoteTexas) December 19, 2016

One elector in Maine and another in Minnesota, meanwhile, attempted to go against Clinton and vote for Sanders, but both were stopped by their respective state election officials, according to reports.

In Colorado, an elector was removed as he sought to cast a ballot for Kasich, Secretary of State Wayne W. Williams reported.

Although the 2016 Electoral College saw a relatively high number of "faithless" electors, such ballots have historically been rare.

According to FairVote, a nonpartisan advocacy organization, just over 150 electors had gone against their candidates since the founding of the Electoral College, including 71 of whom changed their vote due to their candidate's death.

Prior to 2016, the last "faithless" Electoral College vote occurred in 2004 when a Minnesota elector cast a ballot for then-Democratic nominee John Kerry's running mate John Edwards, FairVote found.

Despite chaotic Electoral College meetings in other states, Massachusetts' 11 electors cast their votes on Monday for Clinton, who won 60 percent of the vote in the Bay State.

Massachusetts Electoral College members cast their votes for Hillary Clinton

The votes for Clinton came as 200 people gathered outside the Massachusetts Statehouse to call on the Electoral College not to choose Trump.

In spite of such calls, electors from Texas put the president-elect over the 270-vote threshold needed to officially win the presidency on Monday afternoon, the Associated Press reported.

Trump touted his Electoral College win as "a historical electoral landslide victory," but noted work remains to unite the country behind his presidency.

"I will work hard to unite our country and be the president of all Americans," he said. "Together, we will make America great again."

Trump is set to be sworn-in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20, 2017.