Jett, a missing 14-year-old dog, was last seen Dec. 11. She has been away from home for 61 days.

AMHERST -- Sixty-one days after she left home, Jett the 14-old golden retriever is still missing.

She was last seen Dec. 11 in broad daylight, said her owner Peter Mackey. There may have been another sighting very late last Friday night, he said, though he couldn't confirm that it was her.

Mackey said his family is "still hopeful, but of course each passing day is worrisome. Every sighting gives us renewed hope, and amazement at Jett's hardiness and will."

They found her in 2003, "starving, digging for food near a Dumpster, in a driving rain in Gary, Indiana," Mackey said in an email.

"She had no collar, no one there knew who she had belonged to, and we have been with her every day since," he said. "She is obviously a tough girl, we and our kids love her, and we want her back and safe."

He said the experts helping them in their search said that "dogs are tremendous survivors, and know how to find shelter, even in the terribly cold weather lately."

The recent snow could bring Jett out of the woods and onto roads, increasing the chances of her being spotted but also of her being injured in traffic, Mackey said.  

The family is still asking that people keep her picture and their phone number, 413-992-8787, in their cellphones and to call immediately if they see her. People should not chase her, Mackey said.

"We stress these steps because sightings are what is going to allow us to hone in on where she is frequenting, and then to use a safe trap -- with the help of experts -- to catch her."

Mackey is also asking anyone in Amherst, Belchertown or Pelham with a shed or barn to leave the door open for Jett to increase her chances of survival.

The family thanks people in the community "who have conveyed their concern for Jett and who are helping to keep an eye out for her," Mackey said. "It is their efforts to provide sightings and be careful not to chase her or go looking for her that will save her."

People can stay up with the latest news on Facebook.

The Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday continued until next month a hearing requested by New England Small Farm Institute, who are objecting to the town's denial of their plan to operate a poultry slaughterhouse at 275 Jackson St.

BELCHERTOWN -- The Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday continued until next month a hearing requested by New England Small Farm Institute, which is objecting to the town's denial of its plan to operate a poultry slaughterhouse at 275 Jackson St.

Belchertown Zoning Enforcement Officer Paul Adzima issued a cease and desist order against the NESFI in October. The order said operating a slaughterhouse would violate land use regulations and zoning regulations do not allow them in the town.

The order was issued prior to NESFI operating the slaughterhouse, and no poultry have been processed.

According to a legal opinion by town counsel that was read aloud by the ZBA chairman during Wednesday's meeting, "the proposed slaughterhouse is not permitted as of right in any zoning district in the Town under the Zoning Bylaws."

Judith Fuller Gillan, director of the New England Small Farm Institute, attended the meeting and asked for a continuation.

Gillan said that she had not had a chance to review the town's legal opinion, which is dated Dec. 15, and was not aware of it until the ZBA meeting was convened.

"It is a complex issue," Gillan said in an interview following the meeting.

[enhanced link]

The ZBA tentatively scheduled the next hearing date for Jan. 18.

The NESFI, a nonprofit founded in 1978, is located on Lampson Brook Farmstead, a 416-acre property that once served as the Belchertown State School Farm, according to the organization's website.

The map below shows the approximate location of the proposed poultry slaughterhouse:

A state police sobriety checkpoint will be deployed somewhere in Hampden County Friday night because drunken driving enforcement never takes a holiday

If you plan on overdoing it at any office parties tomorrow night in greater Springfield, a word of advice.

You better watch out. You better not drive. Find a designated driver and I'm telling you why:
a state police sobriety checkpoint is coming to town.

The state police announced they will be conducting a checkpoint beginning late Friday into early Saturday. As usual for these things, the location was not disclosed to the press.

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.

The Holyoke Soldiers' Home received a $50,000 donation on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016 from Victory 4 Veterans, the American Legion, Haymond Law Firm and Indian Motorcycle of Springfield, with the money possibly to be used for new recreation equipment or to fix the cracked driveway at the state facility at 110 Cherry St. in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

This story elaborates on an article published at 2:58 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016: $50,000 donated to Holyoke Soldiers' Home thanks to motorcycle run, fundraisers

HOLYOKE -- Ryan Flannery handed Bennett W. Walsh $50,000 on Thursday and they agreed to do it again next year.

"I'd like to thank you all for your service," Flannery, president of Victory 4 Veterans, told the residents at the Holyoke Soldiers' Home in a brief ceremony.

The donation to the Holyoke Soldiers' Home, a state facility on Cherry Street, came from Victory 4 Veterans, the American Legion, Haymond Law Firm and Indian Motorcycle of Springfield. Much of the funds came from the Victory 4 Veterans' annual motorcycle drive in May.

Walsh, superintendent of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home, said in remarks before the ceremony that the money perhaps would be used to buy recreational and other equipment, to repair the cracked driveway at the facility and generally in ways to improve the lives of the military veteran residents.

"It's overwhelming, the generosity we receive," Walsh said.

The main fundraiser in providing the $50,000 was the Victory 4 Veterans' annual sponsored motorcycle ride through the region held in May, which draws 1,200 to 1,500 riders, Flannery said.

Other fundraisers and raffles are held throughout the year and the group receives private donations from people and organizations who know the money is going to the Holyoke Soldiers' Home, he said.

Victory 4 Veterans is a nonprofit formed to help the Holyoke Soldiers' Home veterans and other veterans in New England, its website said.

"We're actually fortunate because we're well-known now and sponsors come forward interested in sponsoring us (at the motorcycle run). Plus this place is so well known, there's not a lot of arm-twisting needed to get people to help the Soldiers' Home," he said.

The Holyoke Soldiers' Home provides residential and out-patient medical care for military veterans at 110 Cherry St. overlooking Interstate 91.

The facility has 250 long-term beds and 30 residential dorm units and is 98 percent full, Walsh said.

The Holyoke Soldiers' Home is reducing the number of long-term care beds to 250 from 265 to comply with modern federal space standards, he told the City Council Development and Government Relations Committee at City Hall in November. Walsh, who had taken over as superintendent in May, was invited to address councilors.

'Humbling' to lead Holyoke Soldiers' Home, Superintendent Bennett Walsh tells Councilors

The reduction in beds is taking place as the result of a periodic inspection by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The facility was built in 1952 and since then, people and equipment have gotten bigger. That's requiring that four-person rooms be cut to space for three, three to two and two to one, he said.

"I want to thank all the veterans here," said Dennis Bolduc, owner of Indian Motorcycle of Springfield. "I'm a veteran myself. Thank you guys. You guys are heroes in my book."

"Amen," Walsh said.

Residents and family members sat at tables in the canteen as entertainer Rob Adams played the guitar and sang Christmas tunes like "White Christmas" and "Jingle Bell Rock."

John Roy, 69, of Chicopee, wore a leather jacket with the logo on the back, "Post 275 American Legion Riders Chicopee Falls, MA Veteran." He rides his vintage 1974 Triumph motorcycle during the Victory 4 Veterans May fundraising ride, he said.

"I'm a veteran myself and I enjoy helping out. I do a lot with our legion," said Roy, a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam War.

In the same news release, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation also outlined a lane closure next week following Christmas break.

SPRINGFIELD -- There will be no lane or road closures on the Interstate 91 viaduct project through downtown Springfield from noon, Friday, Dec. 23 through 5 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 27, during the Christmas holiday weekend.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has also outlined a lane closure next week following Christmas break.

MassDOT will close Exit 1A on Interstate 291 westbound, an exit that heads to I-91 south, from 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 27, to 5 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 28. Workers need to close the exit so they can clean up from recent demolition work.

Russia President Vladimir Putin said he's hopeful Donald Trump will join him in taking "real steps to restore the framework of bilateral cooperation" between the United States and Russia in a recent letter to the president-elect.

Russia President Vladimir Putin said he's hopeful Donald Trump will join him in taking real steps to restore the relationship between the United States and Russia in a recent letter to the president-elect.

Putin, who has been accused of interfering in the 2016 presidential election, contended in a Dec. 15 letter to Trump that recent global and regional challenges faced by the two countries "show that the relations between Russia and the U.S. remain an important factor in ensuring stability and security of the modern world."

The Russian president further wrote that he hopes that, upon assuming the Oval Office, Trump will work with him, "in a constructive and pragmatic manner, to take real steps to restore the framework of bilateral cooperation in different areas."

Putin added that he hopes to bring the two countries' "level of collaboration on the international scene to a qualitatively new level."

Trump, whose transition team released the letter Friday, expressed optimism about working with the Russian president.

"A very nice letter from Vladimir Putin; his thoughts are so correct," he said in a brief statement. "I hope both sides are able to live up to these thoughts, and we do not have to travel an alternate path."

The letter came as President Barack Obama pledged to "take action" in response to reported Russian cyberattacks, which U.S. intelligence officials believe sought to influence the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

President Barack Obama on Russian cyberattacks: 'We will' take action

The CIA, in a recent secret assessment, concluded that Russia intervened in the U.S. presidential election to help Trump win the White House instead of just influencing confidence in America's electoral system

Obama said he had spoken directly to Putin, whom the White House has suggested played a personal role in the hack, about his feelings on the matter.

Trump, however, has repeatedly questioned whether Russia meddled in the 2016 election, suggesting the White House's allegations are politically motivated.

"If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?" he tweeted on Dec. 15.

If Russia, or some other entity, was hacking, why did the White House wait so long to act? Why did they only complain after Hillary lost?

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 15, 2016

Russian officials, meanwhile, have cast the allegations as "absolute nonsense."

Judge Mary-Lou Rup denied the motion on Thursday. It asked her to set aside Rintala's conviction of first-degree murder in favor of voluntary manslaughter or of murder in the second degree.

NORTHAMPTON -- A motion to set aside the conviction of Cara Rintala on a charge of first-degree murder in favor of a lesser offense was denied Thursday by a Hampshire Superior Court judge.

"While it is in my discretion to do so, I do not conclude that a verdict of voluntary manslaughter or of murder in the second degree is 'more consonant with justice' than the verdict returned by the jury," Judge Mary-Lou Rup wrote in a four-page memorandum of decision.

Rup sentenced Rintala, 49, to life in prison without the possibility of parole on Oct. 12 for the murder of Annamarie Cochrane Rintala.

Rintala was convicted Oct. 7 in connection with the strangulation death of her wife on March 29, 2010, at the couple's Granby home. The jury deliberated four full days before returning its verdict.

Once the jury in the case returned a first-degree murder verdict, the only sentence possible under the law was life without parole.

Rup's memorandum cites case law supporting a judge's ability set aside a jury verdict and order entry of a finding of guilty "of any offense included in the offense charged in the indictment if the judge in her discretion concludes that a verdict of the lesser included offense is more consonant with justice."

The judge said Rintala argued that entry of a guilty finding of manslaughter is warranted. "She asserts that the evidence supported a factual finding of a killing committed during a sudden affray, and that the commonwealth neither argued nor suggested that she planned in advance to kill her wife."

Rup went on to state, however, that "deliberate premeditation does not require advance planning or even an extended time span; as a matter of law, the requisite intent can be formed in as little as a matter of seconds. While the Supreme Judicial Court has 'recognized the propriety of a discretionary reduction of a verdict of murder in the first degree when the evidence of premeditation was slim,' this was not such case."

A video released by an Islamic State-linked news agency called Amaq shows the suspected Berlin Christmas market terrorist pledging allegiance to the terrorist group.

A video released by an Islamic State-linked news agency called Amaq shows the suspected Berlin Christmas market attacker pledging allegiance to the terrorist group, The Washington Post reported.

Anis Amri became the subject of a Europe-wide manhunt after authorities connected him to the gruesome terrorist attack that left 12 dead and 56 others injured Monday.

Amri, a Tunisian migrant, was shot and killed by two Milan police officers early Friday morning. 

According to a Washington Post translation of the video, Amri starts the video saying, "I pledge allegiance to the prince of all believers, Abu Bakr el Boghadi el Husseini el Koreishi to hear and obey, through good and ill, bad and good with the knowledge that to disobey is the act of an infidel. And I see in him a sign from God I pledge allegiance to him."

Abu Bakr el Boghadi el Husseini el Koreishi, often identified as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is considered the Sunni militant leader of ISIS.

The Islamic extremist group has already taken credit for the attack.

Italy's interior minister told The Associated Press that Amri was stopped by two officers in Milan early Friday. Amri pulled a gun from his backpack and started shooting at the officers after they asked him for identity papers.

Amri shot one officer, causing a non-life-threatening wound. The other officer fatally shot Amri.

Amri became a suspect in the investigation after police found his wallet in the cab of the truck used in the attack.

According to arrest warrants acquired by The Associated Press, Amri had at times used six different aliases and three different nationalities.

Amri ended up in Italy during the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011. He spent three and a half years in Sicilian prisons for starting a fire at a refugee center. Prison records indicate that Amri bullied inmates and tried to spark insurrections, The Associated Press reported. 

Germany considered Amri a terrorist threat since at least last November and had even kept him under covert surveillance for six months this year. Authorities failed to deport Amri after Tunisia denied that he was a citizen.

As of Dec. 21, 40,000 current Massachusetts Health Connector members had switched plans.

Faced with price hikes, customers who buy health insurance through Massachusetts' exchange are shopping around for new plans, based on preliminary data from the Massachusetts Health Connector.

The Health Connector offers subsidized and unsubsidized coverage for people buying insurance on the individual or small business markets. The deadline is Friday for anyone who wants to subscribe to a new plan beginning Jan. 1. Open enrollment continues through Jan. 31, so members can switch plans until then.

"It's really important if you're thinking about getting in or making a change, doing it during open enrollment is a lot easier than after the fact," said Jason Lefferts, a spokesman for the Health Connector.

There are approximately 235,000 people who purchase health insurance in Massachusetts through the Connector rather than getting it through an employer. If customers do not change their plans, they will be automatically re-enrolled in their current plan.

This year, steep price increases in some plans meant state officials were encouraging people to shop around. The average premium increase was 6.7 percent, state officials said in October, and around 70,000 members were told in November that they would see premium price hikes of more than 15 percent.

Lefferts said state health officials had estimated that around 55,000 people would switch plans. As of Dec. 21, 40,000 current Health Connector members had chosen a new plan and paid their first month's premium. Customers must pay by Friday to get coverage for January.

Another 27,000 individuals who are not current Health Connector members also enrolled in Health Connector plans, while another 13,000 potential new customers picked a plan but did not yet pay. These could be people who were uninsured last year or who recently moved to the state or lost other insurance coverage.

Lefferts said the Health Connector has seen an uptick in people looking for help. A Health Connector call center has gotten 103,000 calls this month, compared to 87,000 last December. Walk-in centers have gotten more than 10,000 visits since Nov. 1, compared to 9,200 last year.

Lefferts attributed the increase in calls to the premium increases, which led state officials to encourage consumers to shop around. The Health Connector also has more enrollees this year than last year.

"Last year, we were telling people ... if you like your plan, sit tight, you'll be automatically renewed," Lefferts said. "This year, we're telling people you really should shop, particularly for people who are seeing a significant increase."

A SWAT team arrested a knife-wielding man who had barricaded himself inside a home in Arlington early Friday morning, Arlington police said. Sangpo Sherpa, 27, was arrested and nobody was seriously injured in the incident.

A SWAT team arrested a knife-wielding man who had barricaded himself inside a home in Arlington early Friday morning, Arlington police said.

Shortly before 6 a.m., Arlington police responded to 64 Silk Street after receiving report of a man screaming in the backyard.

They found Sangpo Sherpa, 27, who allegedly brandished a knife and began threatening responding officers. He was previously known to the department, police said in a Facebook post, and the Boston Globe reported that Sherpa had been involved in a disturbance at a pizza restaurant earlier this week.

Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan told the Globe that officers retreated and tried to de-escalate the confrontation. Officers shot Sherpa with a beanbag round, but his jacket cushioned the blow and he did not surrender, the Globe reported.

Police said that Sherpa fled back into the home, where two other residents were still inside. A witness told the Globe that police negotiated with Sherpa for about an hour, but he refused to exit the building, and at one point threw a six-pack of cans at police.

After Sherpa failed to exit the residence, Ryan called in support from the Northeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council SWAT Team, police said in a Facebook post.

The Globe reported that officers pinned Sherpa down on the first floor of the building while SWAT team members rescued the other residents from the home. Police then fired a tear gas canister into the building, prompting Sherpa to surrender.

"I am very proud that our officers fell back on their training and used de-escalation techniques and less lethal options," Ryan said in a statement. "This was a clearly violent individual and our officers were able to take him into custody without serious injury to anyone involved."

Sherpa was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, threatening to commit a crime, resisting arrest and disturbing the peace.

Troopers found evidence the car had been hit in the rear tire and door on the passenger side.

WINDSOR, Conn. - Connecticut State Police arrested a Manchester man Thursday night, charging him with shooting multiple rounds at another vehicle during an apparent road-rage incident on I-91 south.

Jacob DanisConnecticut State Police 

Jacob Danis, 32, was charged with unlawful discharge of a firearm, breach of the peace, second-degree assault and first-degree reckless endangerment.

He was being held on $50,000 bail and was due to be arraigned Friday in Enfield Superior Court.

State police said troopers were dispatched to the area near exit 35A in Windsor Thursday evening for a report of a car being struck by gunfire during what was described as a road-rage dispute between two drivers.

Police found the car and observed that it had damage to the rear tire and door on the passenger side from being struck by bullets. The car had been hit twice police said.

The driver of the car was able to provide a description of the other car and the driver, as well as the license plate.

A vehicle matching the description was found later at Danis' home and after police questioned him, he was taken into custody.

Holiday travelers in Western Mass. should be prepared for slippery conditions tomorrow, with a mixture of light snow and freezing rain expected overnight into Saturday afternoon.

Holiday travelers in Western Mass. should be prepared for slippery conditions tomorrow, with a mixture of light snow and freezing rain expected Saturday morning into the afternoon.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Western Mass. and Northern Connecticut warning of a wintry mix expected to fall between 5 a.m and 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

"This mix of freezing rain with light ice accumulations as well as accumulating snow may make for hazardous travel on untreated roadways and walkways," the NWS advisory states. "Those traveling for the Christmas Eve holiday are urged to use some caution and allow for extra travel time."

Less than one inch of snow is expected in areas below 1,000 feet of elevation, with one to three inches forecasted for higher areas, the NWS says.

The advisory applies to Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Northern Worcester Counties in Massachusetts, as well as Hartford and Tolland Counties in Connecticut.

Dozens of Paddington bears arrived with Hampden County Clerk of Courts Laura Gentile for her December Read-Aloud in Maureen Manos' second grade class. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD — It was a "beary" good time at the Hiram L. Dorman school in Springfield the day before the holiday break.

Dozens of Paddington bears arrived with Hampden County Clerk of Courts Laura Gentile for her December Read-Aloud in Maureen Manos' second grade class on Friday. The stuffed animals were distributed to the students by Gentile, her son T.J. and Gentile's aunt, Susan Mantoni. The Gentiles then read "Paddington" to the students, who sat attentively on the classroom rug in front of a large rocking chair.

"I have been reading to the public schools for about five years now, and Miss Manos and I have been together for just two years," Gentile said. Last year, the clerk of courts purchased pajamas for the class.

This year she wanted everyone to have something the same, thus 30 bears traveling in three large bags. "I thought it would be a good idea to get a cozy little bear and to be able to read them a book about the bear," Gentile said.

Before leaving, Gentile received a group hug from the class and signed the book for the classroom library.

In the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Springfield, art dealer Jim Jacobs says he worked with a personal banker at Berkshire Bank in Great Barrington to facilitate deals -- but not certain transfers to Hong Kong.

SPRINGFIELD -- In a federal lawsuit, international art dealer Jim Jacobs said he's emailed instructions  "from time to time" over the years asking an employee at Berkshire Bank's Great Barrington branch office to wire money for him.

Those transactions -- sometimes hundreds thousands of dollars -- were both domestic and international. They were for the purchase of artworks, Jacobs said.

But three emails the employee received in October asking the bank to wire a total of just more than $1.4 million to Hong Kong were from cyber criminals, not from Jacobs, the suit states, and now he's suing Pittsfield-based Berkshire Bank, saying it should have done more to warn him of the dangers and stop him from doing business via email.

In the suit filed Dec. 19 in U.S. District Court in Springfield, lawyers for Jacobs wrote: 

"Berkshire Bank was in the best position to appreciate the high risk involved in serving a customer who regularly performed international electronic transfer transactions involving hundreds of thousands of dollars, and to determine a commercially reasonable security procedure."

Jacobs lives in Dade County, Florida, according to court papers, but he has ties to the Berkshire County art industry, according to a number of online references to him and his work.

His attorney, Lucy Prashker of Cain, Hibbard  & Myers, of Pittsfield, couldn't be reached Friday.

Through a spokeswoman, Berkshire Bank declined to comment citing the pending litigation.

In the lawsuit, Jacobs said he opened the account in 1980 at what was then Great Barrington Savings Bank. He describes his deposits with Berkshire as "significant."

Jacobs in the suit cites years of warnings from the government to bankers about the lack of security when it comes to email, warnings he said the bank should have passed on to him along with instructions on a safer and more secure way to do business.

He said he was on vacation in Europe at the time of the fraud.

The emails, he said, told the banker he was at a nonexistent European art fair and to send money to an account in Hong Kong.

The suit states two emails should have been clues to the bank that they were fraudulent -- one transfer bounced back and the bank resent it, and another email was written clumsily.

Berkshire Bank offered to try and recover the money, the suit said, but only if Jacobs would sign a letter holding the bank harmless and indemnifying it for its expenses. He said he refused.

Earlier this week, the FBI office in Boston warned about the danger of using email for business transactions. Agents there said in an press release that approximately 370 victims from Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island have reported losses totaling approximately $33 million since October 2013.

Those losses range from $500 to $5.9 million, agents said. The average loss was   $90,000. The FBI said it successfully facilitated the return of approximately $13 million, with millions more frozen and in the process of being returned.

The FBI says victims should file a complaint with them and their Internet Crime Complaint Center no matter how much they have lost. Instructions are at www.ic3.gov/default.aspx.

Berkshire Bank sued in cyber crime case by Jim Kinney on Scribd

An anesthesiologist linked to West Springfield eye surgeries that caused five patients to lose vision has resigned his medical license.

An anesthesiologist linked to West Springfield eye surgeries that caused five patients to lose vision has resigned his medical license following an investigation by the Massachusetts Board of Registration.

Dr. Tzay Chiu administered anesthetic to five patients receiving surgery at Cataract & Laser Center West in West Springfield on May 20, 2014. Each patient was then operated on by Dr. John P. Frangie, and all five -- out of the 45 patients who were seen that day -- lost vision in the eye operated on.

Chiu had been licensed to practice medicine in Massachusetts since 1981, the board said in a press release.

"The Board accepted the resignation of the license to practice medicine of Dr. Tzay J. Chiu," the board said in a statement. "Resignation is a disciplinary action that permanently removes the physician from the practice of medicine anywhere in the United States."

Two of the affected patients described immediate and lasting vision loss after Chiu administered anesthetic in interviews with MassLive this summer.

Jim Craig, a former librarian at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, suffered a punctured retina during what should have been a routine cateract surgery.

"The needle went in and I went 'oh, oh, oh' It was like a three-step process of the needle going into my eye that I could feel," Craig told MassLive. "Then everything was black."

During a follow up appointment, Craig was diagnosed with inflammation and blood in his eye and had emergency surgery at Baystate Medical Center, he said.

Another patient, who asked not to be identified, described a worrying exclamation from Chiu after she suffered pain during the anesthetization process.

"I remember Dr. Chiu saying he was going to numb the muscles in my eye with a needle. When he did it, it hurt. I yelled," she said. "He put his head down and said, 'I'm bad, I'm bad,' and that's when it threw me."

She also had emergency surgery at Baystate, and was told her eye's globe had been punctured and injected with lidocaine.

Cataract & Laser Center West sent a letter to one patient saying an internal investigation had found that while the retinal puncture may have been caused by anesthesiologist error, in this case it was "not preventable."

Chiu had just started working at the West Springfield clinic and had been contracted through an "anesthesiologist broker" -- a common practice for facilities that do not have anesthesiologists on staff, according to the Boston Globe.

Chiu was placed under investigation by the Board of Registration in Medicine.

Attorney John Connor, who is representing three of the patients, was not available for comment on Friday afternoon.

The board did not immediately respond to a request for additional information about the investigation.

Michelle Williams contributed reporting.

The Springfield-based Rocky's Hardware is closing the store here Friday and is suggesting that customers shop at the store in South Hadley instead.

HADLEY — Springfield-based Rocky's Hardware stores is closing the store on Russell Street (Route 9) for good Friday.

Geoffrey Webb, marketing and advertising director, in an email wrote that the store has had a clearance sale since September.

"At that time we reached out to our customer base to thank them for their loyalty and to let them know they can continue to shop at Rocky's in nearby South Hadley, where we offer a greater selection and ample parking."

The South Hadley store is located at 487 Newton St. (Route 116).

The decision to close here had nothing to do with the opening of Lowe's or Home Depot, he wrote. The store had been in business well before Home Depot and Lowe's, both on Route 9, opened less than a decade ago.

The chain, founded in 1926, has stores throughout Massachusetts and in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Florida.

In addition to the property tax for residents, ratepayers also are assessed for water and fire services separately, due to the existence of South Hadley's two fire districts.

 

SOUTH HADLEY -- The town's associate assessor on Wednesday released the new tax rate for the fiscal year that began in July, and said property owners will pay an additional 27 cents for each $1,000 of assessed property value.

The state Department of Revenue has approved the fiscal 2017 tax rate of $17.83, Melissa Couture said in a statement.

In addition to the property tax for residents, ratepayers also are assessed for water and fire services separately, due to the existence of South Hadley's two fire districts. According to the Couture, the Fire District 1 tax rate remains unchanged at $2.29. The Fire District 2 amount decreased a dime, to $2.83.

"Therefore, the combined Town and Fire District tax rate for Fire District 1 property is $20.12 and for Fire District 2 property is $20.66," she wrote.

"Taxpayers are reminded that the Town tax rate is a result of appropriations approved by Town Meeting and debt exclusions for school and library building projects approved by town-wide votes. Fire District tax rates are a result of appropriations approved by District voters, independently in each Fire District."

Anthony Sirakowski, 55, was shot inside a trailer on Pine Street, a short time after purchasing drugs from one of two men now charged with his killing.

This is an update of a story posted at 9:24 a.m. Friday.

HOLYOKE -- The shooting death of 55-year-old Anthony Sirakowski Thursday night, according to court documents, was apparently the result of a botched robbery attempt that occurred shortly after he purchased a small amount of marijuana from one of two suspects now accused of killing him.

Police statements filed in Holyoke District Court indicate that Sirakowski had just paid $50 to Nashon Perez, 20, of 63 Pine St. for drugs. Police said Perez then left to tell Eric Carattini, 24, of 23 Hamilton St., where Sirakowski was and that he had cash on him.

At that point, Carattini is said to have picked up a gun and set off to rob Sirakowski, telling witnesses, "I'm gonna go grab some money."

Perez and Carattini were each arrested Thursday night and charged with Sirakowski's murder.

Both denied the charge at their arraignments Friday in Holyoke District Court. Each was ordered held without the right to bail and is due back in court on Jan. 23.

The police investigation narrative, authored by Holyoke Police Officer Jennifer L. Sattler, identifies Carattini as the suspected shooter. Perez was apparently not present for the shooting, but the police statements say he is suspected of telling Carattini that Sirakowski had money and where he could be found.

Sirakowski was shot twice inside a trailer at the rear of 100 Pine St. sometime around 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

When police arrived, they found Sirakowski lying on his back on a bed inside the trailer and suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was described as unresponsive and had no pulse.

He was rushed to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, where he was pronounced dead. It was determined he had been shot twice, according to the police report.

According to the police reports, an unidentified witness told police that he and Sirakowski had gone to the bank to withdraw money. The amount was not disclosed. The witness told police that, a short time later, Sirakowski called someone to arrange the purchase of marijuana "from a man on Pine Street."

A short time after the transaction, Sirakowski and the witness were inside the trailer when a man the witness knew as Eddy came in with a gun and demanded, "Give me your (expletive)."

The man fired two shots and ran off, and Sirakowski collapsed backward into a wall and then onto the bed. The witness told police he initially thought Sirakowski had been shot in the leg.

The police report says detectives examined Sirakowski's cellphone and found that he had recently called Perez's number.

When Perez was brought to the police station for questioning hours later, he gave inconsistent and contradictory information about his knowledge of the shooting, police said.

He first told detectives he had no knowledge of Sirakowski's killing. Then he said he learned of it from a phone conversation with his boss' brother. And then he changed his story again to say he learned about it from his girlfriend, who read about it on Facebook.

Perez eventually admitted to police that he had sold marijuana to Sirakowski for $50 inside his trailer, then went home. At some point in the evening he told Carattini about it.

Perez's statement and the statement from an unidentified witness indicate that Carattini left the apartment with a gun, saying that he was going to get money. Perez told police he was "pretty sure" Carattini was going to rob Sirakowski.

Each told police that when Carattini returned a while later, he was agitated and admitted to shooting Sirakowski.

Court records show Perez told police that Carattini told him he went there to rob Sirakowski, "but a big guy grabbed him and he shot and ran away."

The witness who was in the trailer at the time of the shooting picked Carattini out of a photo array as the man who fired the shots, court records said.

Sirakowski's death marked the city's second homicide of 2016. In 2015, there were two homicides in Holyoke.

At district court, each was assigned a public defender. Attorney Joan Williams of
Northampton will represent Perez, while attorney Alan Black will represent Carattini.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni said the investigation into the shooting is ongoing with Holyoke Police and state police detectives assigned to his office.

"I would like to thank the Holyoke Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit assigned to my office for their quick action and skill that led to these two arrests," Gulluni said.

The inmate was identified as Monica Piette, 32, of Moodus, Connecticut.

Patrick Johnson | pjohnson@repub.com 

The Connecticut state Department of Correction announced a female inmate at a Niantic correctional center has died Thursday after an apparent suicide attempt in her cell.

The inmate was identified as Monica Piette of Moodus, Connecticut.

Piette, 32, was a pre-trial detainee at the York Correctional Institution. She was being held pending her trial for criminal violation of a protective order, and was being held in lieu of $92,000 bond, according to corrections officials.

According to court records, she was due to appear in Norwich District Court on Jan. 20.

She had been at the York facility since Dec. 16.

She was discovered in her cell at about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday by correctional staff making a routine cell check. Piette was found with a ligature tied to her neck, official said.

She was the only person in the cell, officials said.

Corrections and medical staff attempted first aid before transporting her to a local hospital.

She was pronounced dead at 9:30 p.m. Thursday.

The Department of Correction's Security Division is investigate the death. The state Medical Examiner's Office is scheduled to conduct an autopsy to detemine the manner and cause of death, officials said.

This is the second apparent suicide around the region in less than a week.

A 32-year-old Springfield man who was awaiting trail for breaking and entering, died after hanging himself in his cell at the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow.

Firefighters extricated the driver of a Ford Explorer that drove off the right side of the roadway on Maple Street and slammed into a tree on the tree belt. The passenger of the vehicle was able to make her way out of the car on her own, while the driver had to be extricated from the wreckage.

SPRINGFIELD— Springfield Police accident reconstructionists remained at the scene of a one-car crash on Maple Street for several hours Friday night, investigating the accident that sent two people to the hospital.

Just before 11 p.m., police and firefighters were called to the are of 50 Maple Street where a Ford Explorer SUV rolled over on its roof then slammed into a tree on the tree belt.

Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, said a female passenger in the car was able to get out of the vehicle on her own. She was transported to the Baystate Medical Center by ambulance.

Firefighters then concentrated on extricating the driver of the car. The out of control vehicle impacted the tree at the driver's door, and firefighters used pneumatic tools to remove the door and obstructing car parts to pull him from the wreckage.

Once out of the vehicle, the driver was also transported to the Baystate Medical Center by ambulance.

Lt. Richard LaBelle said the Police Traffic Bureau was dispatched to the scene where they conducted an investigation into the crash.

The Explorer appeared to have been traveling southbound on Maple from State Street when it went out of control some distance from the point of impact.