The campaign to raise money for funeral services for Julia Hernandez has closed after generating nearly $10,000 in donations.

AMHERST - The campaign to raise money for funeral services for Julia Hernandez has closed after generating nearly $10,000 in donations, according to the posting on the GoFundMe page launched last week.

Hernandez, 67, died when she was struck Dec. 20 in the driveway of her Hunters Hill Circle home by a vehicle driven by her husband in a accident.

Antonio's manager Jay Carreiro created the fund for Hernandez, who helped establish the downtown Amherst pizza restaurant 25 years ago.

In his message, Carreiro thanked everyone who supported the campaign. 

He reported that the total raised on the page was $3,650, with an additional $1,272 raised through the shop.

Antonio's contributed $5,000 for a total of $9,922. 

"I'm proud of our community for the way they supported this campaign. The monetary donations were extremely generous, the local papers writing about the campaign and people sharing the campaign on Facebook all helped us to ease the burden of a grieving family," Carreiro wrote.

"You are all wonderful people who helped a wonderful woman. Thank you."

Hernandez came to Amherst in the mid-1980s fleeing civil war in her native El Salvador, Carreiro said.

She worked with Bruno Matarazzo in the old Bruno's and helped Matarazzo get Antonio's off the ground in 1991, he said.

In El Salvador, she baked bread.

Hernandez was working 40 to 45 hours a week and had worked the day she was killed, Carreiro said.

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

The Northeast was the only geographic region in the country to see a decline in melanoma rates over the past decade, a new study has found.

The Northeast was the only region in the country to see a decline in melanoma rates over the past decade, a new study has found.

Published Dec. 28, 2016 by the Journal of American Medical Association, the study "Comparison of Regional and State Differences in Melanoma Rates in the United States" looked at Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data from 2003 and 2013 to assess the progression of melanoma death and incidence rates in each state.

Melanoma, a skin cancer that causes more than 9,000 deaths annually, "continues to increase faster than the rate associated with any other preventable cancer," the study noted. Skin cancer is currently the most common type of cancer in the United States.

New England was specifically cited as the only geographic region in the nation in which most states saw a reduction in both melanoma incidence rates and deaths.

Massachusetts named second healthiest state in 2016; Connecticut, Vermont also in top 5

Of the 49 states studied (data for Nevada was not available), 11 saw a decrease in incidence rates and 38 saw increases. Of those 11, five were from New England. Maine was the only New England state that saw increased incidence rates in 2013 compared to 2003.

Maine and Rhode Island also saw increased death rates in 2013 compared to 2003. Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Connecticut all saw decreases in both incidence and death rates.

The authors suggested that New England's success was driven by strong skin cancer prevention programs, including the work done by the Melanoma Foundation of New England. The nonprofit was lauded for its Practice Safe Skin initiative, which installed sunscreen dispensers in public and recreational areas in Boston and beyond.

Incidence rates may have risen nationwide due to increased awareness of melanoma prompting more people to consult doctors and get diagnosed in the years between the data sets, the study noted.

According to the CDC, the best ways to prevent skin cancers like melanoma include staying in the shade; limiting skin exposure by wearing longer clothing, hats and sunglasses; using sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher and avoiding indoor tanning.

This will be the first dynamic merge system in Massachusetts, and the state is hopeful that it can be used elsewhere.

SPRINGFIELD -- Drivers faced with a "lane ends soon" sign and decision about when to merge into a continuing lane don't always make the best decisions, said Stephanie Pollack, Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation.

That's why MassDOT is testing out dynamic merge technology in the work zone of the Interstate 91 rehabilitation project in Springfield. It's Massachusetts' first experiment with dynamic merge and Pollack said Wednesday that it will go live Feb. 1 for drivers heading into the Interstate 91 construction zone in Springfield either from the north or from the south.

MassDOT hopes to use dynamic merge elsewhere.

"We are running a test to see if it helps us out in this construction zone in Springfield," Pollack said Wednesday during an hour-long meeting in Springfield with reporters and editors of The Republican and MassLive. "But what we really want to see is if this is a tool we want to use more broadly."

Merging is a problem because some drivers move over too early. This leaves the lane that will close empty and underutilized for hundreds of feet before the actual merge point.

Others merge to late, speeding down the lane that will end until the very last moment and then forcing traffic in the other lane to stop and let them in as other drivers fume in anger.

It turns out there is not one answer. When to merge depends on how traffic is flowing. Hence the word "dynamic".

Here is how dynamic merge works:

Sensors and radar units built into traffic barrels record traffic speed and volume. Based on that, a computer posts messages on changeable signs telling drivers to do one of two things: merge now or merge later.

Merging immediately is good when traffic is light, like late at night and early in the morning, MassDOT has said in the past. Merging quickly reduces speed, gets cars away from lanes nearest to highway workers and keeps traffic flowing.

Merging later works best when traffic is flowing in a high volume, but slowly. Traffic is slow enough that it can be nearer to highway workers and people will, at least in theory, leave gaps at the merge point so the lanes can merge smoothly.

MassDOT first announced the dynamic merge program in the fall. Software tests are going on now.

Pollack said the  $183.3 million I-91 project is ahead of schedule and under budget. The work will rehabilitate about 2 miles of elevated highway that opened 45 years ago in December of 1970.

She expects the highway reconstruction project to reach "full beneficial use" in May 2018. Full beneficial use is a highway term of art meaning work is effectively done, although punch list items will remain.

The electric company said the investments will increase efficiency, reliability and resiliency.

SPRINGFIELD -- Eversource Energy in 2016 invested $940 million to improve and maintain the Massachusetts power grid, the company announced this week.

The stated goal of the grid modernization effort is to increase the "efficiency, reliability and resiliency" of the electric system and make it less vulnerable to weather-related outages.

Among big-ticket items, Eversource built a new electrical substation along the South Boston waterfront. In order to withstand ocean storms, the facility was placed on an elevated platform with supports anchored 80 feet into bedrock, the company said in a statement.

In Western Massachusetts, a massive new transformer at the Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Facility substation, combined with a mile-long high-voltage power line, are expected to "improve the flow of electricity along the commonwealth's electrical superhighway."

Smaller projects included a $2 million reliability upgrade to serve customers in Easthampton, Southampton and Westhampton.

"The strategic investments we're making in the electric grid across Massachusetts are allowing us to deliver more reliable power to our customers," said Craig Hallstrom, regional electrical operations president at Eversource. "We all remember the historic storms of the last several years. Building a better, stronger, smarter grid will improve reliability for our customers no matter the weather."

The company touted its proactive inspection and maintenance activities. Eversource conducts annual helicopter inspections of all major power lines, and this year trimmed trees along more than 3,000 miles of lines across Massachusetts.

The publicly traded Eversource, through its natural gas utilities and investor-owned electric companies, serves 3.6 million customers in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Eversource owns a growing portfolio of renewable generation assets, and this month announced a partnership with the Danish DONG Energy to build an offshore wind farm off the Massachusetts coast.

The company owns three fossil fuel plants and nine hydroelectric dams in New Hampshire, which are currently on the market due to a divestiture agreement.

Eversource has also invested in proposed interstate transmission and natural gas pipeline projects. The high-voltage Northern Pass would carry Canadian hydropower across New Hampshire to southern New England. Access Northeast, a pipeline proposed by Eversource, National Grid and Spectra Energy, would carry natural gas from the Marcellus shale fields to New England markets.

As for the grid upgrades in Massachusetts, Hallstrom said the effort would continue in 2017. "The results are clear," he said. "Well-planned, well-executed projects help us deliver our promise of reliable energy to our customers. People don't necessarily notice when they don't lose power, but that's what this work is all about."

The state's Department of Public Utilities in 2014 required each electric distribution company to develop and implement a 10-year grid modernization plan. Eversource filed its draft plan in August 2015, and the document is still under review. Evidentiary hearings are due in May.

Matt Gabriel, of Stoughton, showcased rescued animals to over 100 attendees during school vacation's Week of Superheroes at the Quadrangle.

SPRINGFIELD — Parents and children were able to get an up-close look at Bubba, The Hulk and Diesel during "The Animal World Experience" at the Springfield Museums on Wednesday.

Hulk, a scorpion, was held ever so gently in the hand of his owner, Matt Gabriel, as he walked around the Davis Auditorium at the Michele and Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts at the Quadrangle.

Gabriel, of Stoughton, showcased rescued animals to over 100 attendees during school vacation's "Week of Superheroes."

Featured during the hour-long program was Max the red-eared slider turtle, Bubba, a blue tongue skink, Daisy, a degu, Booger, a tree frog, Diesel, a hedgehog, Clementine, a corn snake, and Hulk.

From the Animal World website, it states:

"The mission of Animal World Experience is to provide fun, interactive, and educational animal presentations to audiences of all ages. Programs will focus on local and exotic wildlife, the importance of protecting endangered species, and responsible pet ownership. We hope that through our animal presentations people will develop respect and awareness for animals of all kinds."

Story founded the commission in 2010 and has led it ever since. She leaves the state House of Representatives at the end of this year.

BOSTON -- For approximately 15 percent of women, the period after giving birth can be an extraordinarily difficult one emotionally, even if the baby is wanted.

"It used to be called the baby blues, but it can be much more serious than that," said state Rep. Ellen Story, D-Amherst.

In 2010, Story introduced the bill that founded Massachusetts' postpartum depression commission. As Story retires from the state Legislature, Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday signed a bill naming the commission after her. It will now be called the Ellen Story Commission on Postpartum Depression.

"She is the postpartum depression commission. She's worked on it for a very long time," said state Sen. Joan Lovely, D-Salem, who co-chairs the commission with Story and sponsored the bill to name it after her, S.2458.

Postpartum depression is a mood disorder caused by the quick drop of hormones in a woman's body after childbirth. It can result in extreme sadness, moodiness or anxiety. Women may lose interest in their normal activities, withdraw from friends and family, experience physical symptoms or consider harming themselves or their babies.

Postpartum depression can be treated through talk therapy with a counselor or through medication. In rare cases, it can require psychiatric hospitalization.

"It's a mental illness that can be not just treated but cured, so you can end up feeling absolutely fine," Story said.

Story wrote a bill in 2010 that would have mandated screening whenever a new mother saw her obstetrician and required insurers to pay for the screening. Those provisions were not passed, but she was successful in creating the 35-member commission, which is made up of psychiatrists, pediatricians, obstetrician/gynecologists and other experts.

The commission meets four times a year at the Statehouse. It tries to coordinate statewide the pockets of professionals who are addressing postpartum depression. It has worked to expand the number of doctors who perform screenings and the numbers of insurers that cover it.

Today, Story said doctors in almost every medical practice screen for postpartum depression, and both Medicaid and private insurers generally cover the screening. There is an annual postpartum depression awareness day at the Statehouse.

"We are trying to decrease the stigma and trying to make this be better known and better understood, and to have places to refer people," Story said.

"We're trying to let people know this is something that happens to people, and you can get much better, you can get well," Story said. "You can do what you thought you would do, which is enjoy your baby."

Story said she personally did not suffer from postpartum depression, but she has met many mothers who have. "I always thought, life is hard, legislators should do as much as possible to make things easier for people, especially for families," Story said.

Lovely said Story has been instrumental in the commission's accomplishments: pulling together a team of professionals, securing funding, organizing advocacy days, educating women and doctors, developing a pilot program to teach pediatricians how to screen mothers for postpartum depression, and getting funding for screenings at community health centers. The group is now discussing how to help fathers who are struggling emotionally after a birth.

"All of this is a direct result of Rep. Story and her vision and her drive to make this happen," Lovely said.

Mass. Senate President Stan Rosenberg on Wednesday defended lawmakers rushing a bill delaying retail pot shops to Gov. Charlie Baker's desk. The new bill does not affect the personal possession and homegrowing provisions in the marijuana legalization law. Watch video

BOSTON - Mass. Senate President Stan Rosenberg on Wednesday defended lawmakers rushing a bill delaying retail pot shops to Gov. Charlie Baker's desk.

The new bill does not affect the personal possession and homegrowing provisions, which went into effect on Dec. 15, in the marijuana legalization law.

But the new bill, which moved quickly on a sleepy Wednesday at the Massachusetts State House, delays by six months key provisions that were due to go into effect in 2017, including the set-up of the Cannabis Control Commission and applications for retail pot shops that were slated to open in early 2018.

The bill flew through the Massachusetts House and Senate with a small number of lawmakers in attendance. Lawmakers are holding "informal sessions," lightly attended gatherings where most of the legislation passed tends to be non-controversial.

Rosenberg said there were no objections to the proposed delay among lawmakers. Conversations about the delay started behind closed doors three weeks ago.

The governor's office said Baker, who opposed legalization, is reviewing the bill.

Gov. Baker to 'carefully review' bill delaying retail marijuana shops

Massachusetts voters in November passed a law legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Marijuana advocates have defended the timelines laid out in the law for a Cannabis Control Commission to be set up by March 2017 and to start taking applications for retail shops later that year.

"We're going to support their will, what we're doing is working on the details," Rosenberg, D-Amherst, told reporters after senators and representatives sent the delay bill to the governor's desk.

Here's what you can and can't do with legal pot, according to Mass. law enforcement

"For example, most of us who've looked at this don't have a clue whether there's enough money from that tax rate to actually pay for setting up the agency, for doing the licensing, for doing the enforcement and there also have to be considerations for public safety and for public health," Rosenberg said.

Under the current marijuana legalization law, there is proposed tax rate of up to 12 percent on retail pot. But some Beacon Hill policymakers have expressed interesting in significantly hiking that number, and the proposed six-month delay gives Beacon Hill lawmakers time to review and revise the law, along with the tax rate. They hope to get the bill revising the marijuana law to the governor's desk within those six months.

Experts, activists provide advice on how to get legal marijuana

"We're going to review the whole bill and we're going to determine which parts need to be changed," Rosenberg said.

According to a release from his office, in the "coming weeks" Rosenberg and his House counterpart, Speaker Robert DeLeo, plan to establish a special Beacon Hill committee on marijuana that will draft marijuana-related legislation.

Now that marijuana is legal in Massachusetts, can you smoke it in your car?

MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis recently commented that the project, slated to open by September 2018, remains on schedule, aided by good weather.

SPRINGFIELD — As 2016 comes to a close, we offer a year-end look at the MGM Springfield casino project rising in the city's South End.

The 14-acre casino footprint is a sea of concrete and steel that marks the $950 million project.

MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis recently commented that the project, slated to open by September 2018, remains on schedule, aided by good weather.

"We are really being blessed by a warm winter. This is our second mild winter, which is really helping with activity around the site. We feel really good about construction," Mathis said.

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 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 jobs, of which at least 2,200 will be employed on a full-time equivalent basis with benefits.

A Sharon man has donated a large menorah to a California community in the wake of their own menorah's theft.

In what is being called a Hanukkah miracle, a Sharon, Mass., man has donated a large menorah to a California community in the wake of their menorah's theft.

As reported by NBC Bay Area, when Yochanon "Mitch" Bogart heard that a 6-foot, 100-pound menorah displayed in the city's Washington Square Park had been stolen over the weekend, he jumped into action.

After spending around $300 to overnight the handcrafted wooden menorah to North Beach Chabad of San Francisco's Rabbi Peretz and Miryum Mochkin, it arrived on Wednesday, Dec. 28. Bogart valued the new, collapsible fir menorah at around $700, but said the money wasn't what was important.

"I just knew this was meant for them," he said in an interview with NBC Bay Area.

Donated Menorah arrives in SF from the east coast after one is stolen from Washington Square Park. pic.twitter.com/kNEt7xB9cx

-- Christie Smith (@christies_nbc) December 28, 2016

Bogart has created menorahs like these as part of his MenorahToGo business. SFGate, a sister site to the San Francisco Chronicle, reports that DBI Woodworks co-owner Dovi Hirsch, whose shop fabricated the menorah, called the design "lightweight and very portable" and recommended the group stake it to the ground to avoid another theft. 

The Mochkins say they plan to hold a final candle lighting in the park using the new menorah on New Year's Eve to observe the final night of Hanukkah.

But they're not taking any chances, either: the Mochkins plan to fold the menorah up and bring it inside overnight, according to SFGate.

NBC Bay Area reported that police say the old menorah may not have been stolen as an intentional act of anti-Semitism but rather to sell off the brass candelabra sticks.

At Springfield menorah lighting, rabbi offers modern analogy for 'miracle of Hanukkah': a cell phone lasting 8 days on 10% battery

At Pride Stores' annual Christmas party at the Fifties Diner in Chicopee, the company hosted 60 children and their families who dined for free, met Santa Claus and received holiday gifts.

SPRINGFIELD — Even though Christmas has passed, Pride Stores was still in the giving mood Wednesday as the company donated $15,000 to the MaryAnne's Kids fund.

The fund helps the Center for Human Development provide children in the state's foster care system with support.

Pride Stores officials said the Springfield business has made helping children in need a part of the fabric of the company's values through the years, and they've kept that tradition going with its longstanding relationship with the CHD, a Springfield social service organization.

"My wife and I and all our employees believe in giving back, and so we are happy to do it however we can," said Bob Bolduc, founder and CEO of Pride Stores. "Our customers support us, and the more people that support us, the more we can give back, and it is as simple as that."

The CHD's MaryAnne's Kids program helps foster children through special activities, educational materials and other needs beyond what the state provides.

James Williams, MaryAnne's Kids program director, said the work that Pride Stores has done goes above and beyond for children in the program.

"It is amazing. Mr. Bolduc and his staff and all of his customers have been a godsend for our children," he said. "I think Mr. Bolduc is a wonderful man. He encourages his staff and his clientele to donate to a worthy cause, so it goes to a wonderful benefit for children who wouldn't get these things otherwise, and it's not just for Christmas. It's year-round."

Throughout the holiday season, all 32 Pride Stores throughout Western Massachusetts employed a couple of ways to get customers involved in the cause.

Cindy Wetlich, Pride Stores' marketing and merchandising manager, said customers could purchase an ornament for $1 that they could write their name on and have hung in the store, with the proceeds going to the fund.

There was also a "giving tree" in each store that was filled with tags bearing the names of children and what they wanted for Christmas. Customers could pick one or more tags from the tree and purchase and donate the gifts at the cash register.

At Pride Stores' annual Christmas party at the Fifties Diner in Chicopee, the company hosted 60 children and their families who dined for free, met Santa Claus and received gifts for the holidays.

"They've supported us for a number of years now, and they are just so helpful," said Jim Goodwin, president of the CHD. "A lot of the kids are funded through (the Department of Children and Families), but DCF only pays for the basics. They'll put a roof over their heads and clothes on their backs, but those kind of extra things are not a part of the bargain. Pride and a number of other funders have helped us to complete that process."

A Gofundme page has been set up for the teen victim of a hunting accident that occurred in Orange on Christmas Eve.

ORANGE — A Gofundme page has been set up for 19-year-old Hunter Richardson, the Orange teen who was critically injured during a Christmas Eve hunting accident, according to The Recorder.

Richardson was hunting with his father, brother, and cousin, in the area of Tully Road around 8 a.m., when he accidentally shot himself in the chest, according to the paper.

Richardson's family quickly called 911 and he was rushed to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester by LifeFlight.

Richardson, who is a freshman at Keene State College, was incorrectly carrying his weapon, said Maj. William Bilotta of the Massachusetts State Environmental Police. Bilotta said that Richardson had his weapon facing towards instead of away from himself when the weapon fired, which resulted in him being injured.

A Gofundme page now appears to have been set up by Richardson's mother, LeeAnna Richardson, which is designed to help with the teen's rehabilitation.

The page, whose goal is $50,000, describes Hunter's road to recovery as a battle that will "not only be tough physically and emotionally" but "financially tough too."

"If you are able, a donation of any kind would really help him and his family," reads the page.

The page further states that Hunter will likely "be in the ICU for a least a few more days and will have along road to recovery after that," and that "his mom, dad, brother, and girlfriend are with him at the hospital not leaving his side."

Richardson's left lung collapsed, his sixth rib was broken and shoulder blade were broken as a result of the accident, said his mother.

One person was seriously injured during a car crash in Deerfield on Wednesday night.

DEERFIELD — One person was rushed to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield on Wednesday evening after a two vehicle crash in Deerfield.

Deerfield police say the crash occurred at the intersection of North Main Street and Greenfield Road at approximately 5 p.m.

The South Deerfield Fire Department were forced to use the Jaws of Life to extricate the victim from the wreckage of one of the vehicles, said police.

One other person in the other vehicle suffered minor injuries, but refused to be taken to the hospital, police said.

Police say the crash remains under investigation.

No further description of the victims or vehicles involved in the crash have been made available at this time.

A Pittsfield man is being held as "dangerous" after allegedly threatening to kill his ex-girlfriend.

PITTSFIELD — Pittsfield resident Richard E. Dixon was ordered held without bail in Central Berkshire District Court on Tuesday, after an ex-girlfriend accused him of threatening to kill her in the presence of her father, according to The Berkshire Eagle.

At his dangerousness hearing on Tuesday, the woman alleged that she and Dixon had dated for several months, but that he had taken their break up badly.

The woman alleged that on Dec. 17 Dixon had persistently texted her, and that he later appeared outside her apartment and began pounding on her door, demanding to be let in.

The woman said that when she finally opened the door to tell Dixon to leave that he forced his way into the apartment and attacked her, grabbing her by the throat and threatening to kill her and her father.

During the incident, Dixon was also allegedly armed with a 9-inch metal knife, which the victim said he used to threaten her and her father.

The woman told the court that during the incident she struggled with Dixon and was able to shove him back out of the apartment.

Assistant Berkshire District Attorney Caitlin Shugrue said that Dixon exhibited a lack of concern with "boundaries," and that he might pose a danger to the alleged victim.

Shugrue also brought to the court's attention a 2009 case involving Dixon, in which he was accused of assaulting a person with a "short sword."

Court testimony also alleged that Dixon possessed a number of knives and kept them "on display" at his residence.

Dixon is scheduled to reappear in court for a pretrial hearing on Jan. 27.

The new addiction center on Mill Street faced a lot of resistance from residents, but ultimately the state and the neighborhood came to an agreement about the the facility.

SPRINGFIELD -- It has been a long and uncertain road for the Hampden County Sheriff Department's treatment facility, but after several years of being in a temporary space, the Western Massachusetts Correctional Addiction Center has found a new home and a new name on Mill Street.

"It is now the Western Massachusetts Wellness and Recovery Center," said Steve O'Neil, public information officer for the Hampden County Sheriff's Department.

On Wednesday night, neighborhood residents were invited to take a tour of the facility, which opened about two weeks ago.

"We want the neighbors to feel really comfortable having us in the neighborhood as part of their community," said Della Blake, the director of the center.

After being pushed out of the city's South End to make room for the MGM Springfield casino in the spring of 2015, the program was temporarily located at the Holyoke Geriatric Authority. An initial plan to site a new facility in Springfield's Brightwood neighborhood was met with vehement opposition from neighbors and withdrawn.

The center is now located at the former Ring Nursing Home, at 155 Mill St., and can house up to 149 people.

There is a 10-year-lease signed by the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, building owner Jeremy Lederer and Sheriff Michael Ashe. The cost is about $1.2 million a year.

Due to the resistance of some residents to the project, a neighborhood advisory council was created to make sure people who live in the neighborhood could have a say, particularly on the exterior appearance of the building.

Lee A. Vaughn, a lifelong resident of Springfield, remembers when the center was a nursing home. He sat on the advisory council and said he is pleased with the outcome of the facility.

"I think they were very receptive to our requests, and we worked well together," said Vaughn. "After this place was no longer a nursing home, everyone knows the condition it was in. It obviously looks much better now."

Neighbors were able to give their input on everything from the type of fencing on the property to signage, lighting and more.

"I also sit on the Maple Hill/Six Corners neighborhood council, and I have not really heard many complaints. They had a good relationship with the neighbors when they were on Howard Street, and I expect the same with us," he said.

The center will have a larger open house in the new year.

New Hampshire authorities are searching for a man believed to be "armed and dangerous" who fled police after a violent altercation on Wednesday morning.

FRANKLIN, Nh — Police in Franklin, New Hampshire, are searching for a man alleged to be "armed and dangerous" who may have shot at police during an incident on Wednesday morning, according to The Boston Globe.

Police say that Ryan Brouillard, 33, has a long and "combative" history with law enforcement, and is currently wanted for an incident involving a violent altercation that occurred in Franklin early Wednesday morning.

Authorities were called to an apartment complex on Prospect Street at approximately 2:15 a.m., after a tenant called in a heated dispute occurring next door to their residence.

Police say that a victim was injured as a result of the incident. "Suffice it so say, we believe Mr. Brouillard was responsible," said Franklin Police Chief David Goldstein, declining to comment further on the nature of the incident until Brouillard has been apprehended.

The suspect involved in the altercation fled police on foot and, while doing so, fired a gun--though police have not said whether they believe the gunfire was aimed at officers.

Police thought that they had cornered the suspect inside Brouillard's residence, but a search of the home by State Police and tactical officers found no one.

Goldstein said that police had a long and involved history with the police. "We are very sensitized to this gentleman. He has had interactions with police on many, many, many occasions . . . and a relatively combative past with law enforcement," said Goldstein.

Police say that Brouillard is "armed and dangerous." He is further described as being roughly 6-feet-6-inches tall, weighing 250 pounds, and having green eyes and brown hair.

Those images along with coverage of Pioneer Valley weather, local and national political candidates and a federal judge selfie are included in the 2016 end of year gallery of The Republican Staff Photographer Dave Roback.

SPRINGFIELD- There are two barber photos that made the cut this year.

Those images along with coverage of Pioneer Valley weather, local and national political candidates and a federal judge selfie are included in the 2016 end-of-year gallery from The Republican Staff Photographer Dave Roback.

From the thousands of images taken each year, Roback chose a number of frames showing some of the youngest people from the area like Areyh Edelson, featured in a Valley Gives story, to 105-year-old Peg Sterns, chatting with Congressman Richard Neal, on the steps of the old The Technical High School.

Humor found its way into some of the images with a well placed pair of moose antlers and a donkey in a field in Southampton that may have switched political parties the day before election day.

Follow Dave Roback on Twitter here.

Despite the bridge being clearly marked, trucks continue to slam under the bridge, including an incident that occurred just last Christmas Eve. Watch video

Westwood Police has announced that it will no longer upload videos of trucks crashing and scraping the infamous, low-hanging, East Street Railroad Bridge.

The videos have garnered quite a bit of popularity since Westwood police started publishing them on Youtube a few years ago. The bridge has a low 10-foot 6-inch clearance, meaning inattentive drivers who miscalculate underpass could end up scalping their vehicle.

One video has more than 500,000 views, and numerous compilation videos have been made collecting many of the truck crashes that have occurred since a camera was placed in

Another popular video titled "Lobsterpocalypse," shows a truck carrying tons of lobster striking the bridge and then going up into flames. It has been viewed nearly 150,000 times.

Despite the bridge being clearly marked, trucks continue to slam under the bridge, including an incident that occurred just last Christmas Eve.

Detective Paul Toland of Westwood Police Department discussed a number of possible factors of why drivers scrape under the bridge.

"...Some involve rental trucks where the operator may be unaccustomed to the observance of height restrictions because they are usually driving a sedan or primary vehicle other than a truck; some may be relying on a dated GPS where a travel route is suggested, not inclusive of truck exclusions," Toland wrote in an email.

Toland said the original intention of the video was to highlight the issues of the bridge. That goal has partially been accomplished as the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority is midstream in redesigning the bridge.

Westwood police originally began posting the videos to simplify the numerous media requests for them. However, Toland said the videos began to reflect poorly on the town, despite the fact that progress is being made of redesigning the bridge.

"While no longer posting the videos does not simplify requests for them, it has otherwise accomplished the goal of affecting change," Toland said.

The MBTA is still digging itself out of a $7 billion differed maintenance hole, Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack said Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD -- Besides supplying new subway cars for the MBTA, the gargantuan CRRC MA rail car factory nearing completion in East Springfield might get work doing heavy maintenance on cars for the T, according to the state's transportation secretary.

The T is digging itself out of a $7 billion differed maintenance hole and has no interest in climbing back down under a pile of breaking equipment anytime soon, Secretary Stephanie Pollack told reporters and editors at The Republican and MassLive during an hour-long meeting Wednesday.

The desire to keep up with maintenance is one reason the MBTA is in discussions with CRRC about having CRRC do heavy maintenance on its fleet.

CRRC MA is nearing completion on its 204,000-square-foot, $95 million factory at the former Westinghouse site on Page Boulevard in East Springfield. Construction is expected to be completed in April or May.

The plant was built to make rail cars for the MBTA's Orange and Red subway lines. CRRC, which is part of the Chinese state-owned railways and undergoing a worldwide expansion, is close to making final a deal to sell subway cars that would be built in Springfield to the Los Angeles County Metro in California.

CRRC also has said it will use the Springfield factory to build components for a proposed plant in Fort Edward, New York, that would make subway cars for New York City.

The T's old maintenance plan was to run cars and do as little as possible to them until a major "mid-life" overhaul, Pollack said. The new plan is to treat the subway cars, buses and Green Line trolleys much more like careful owners treat their own automobiles: regular maintenance.

But she said there just aren't that many companies that work on transit vehicles. The maintenance company that won the contract to rehab Green Line trolley cars came in and built a workshop within a workshop on T property.

"We know that because the Red and Orange cars will come east from Springfield, we can just send them back out for maintenance," Pollack said.

Earlier in the week, Falmouth was in mourning for two high school students and hockey teammates were killed after their car slammed into a group of trees.

Just about a week after two high school students succumbed to injuries from a serious car crash, a third person has been killed as a result of a motor vehicle accident in the town of Falmouth. 

Falmouth police said they responded to reports of a two car crash around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night. A Chevrolet Silverado and Volvo V70 had crashed into each other on Route 151 at the intersection of Currier Road. 

Falmouth police shut down the road for a few hours during the investigation. 

Both drivers were transported to Falmouth Hospital.

The operator of the Volvo, a 23-year-old female of East Falmouth, was treated for life-threatening injuries. The male driver succumbed to the injuries he sustained in the crash. 

Earlier in the week, Falmouth was in mourning for two high school students and hockey teammates who were killed after their car slammed into a group of trees.

The Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis & Reconstruction Section is partnering with Falmouth police to investigate the crash.

The names of the victims were not released and it is still unknown what caused the crash.  

A public information session on a proposed affordable housing project elicited strong reactions from Ludlow officials and citizens, most of whom criticized the location of the HAP Housing project.

LUDLOW -- The site of a future housing project is unsuitable because of its proximity to a busy intersection, elementary school, and wetlands habitat, according to town officials and residents who are unhappy with a proposal by HAP Housing, the region's largest nonprofit developer of affordable housing.

"It's a lousy location for this project," William E. Rooney, vice chairman of the Ludlow Board of Selectmen, said at a recent public comment session on the plan.

The nonprofit organization plans to use the Chapter 40B affordable housing law to build 43 low-income rental units on a 5-acre parcel at 188 Fuller St. The proposal has elicited strong opinions, some of which were shared during a long, occasionally tense meeting at Ludlow High School on Dec. 21.

Public safety officials in attendance expressed concerns about traffic congestion and access to the site, while citizens worried about the project's impact on taxes, property values and Chapin Elementary, the overcrowded school located across from the proposed housing complex.

"If you're looking to be a partner with the Town of Ludlow, you've got to hear it loud and clear: This is not the project for 188 Fuller St. It just shouldn't be there," Rooney said. "And I think the sooner that we all come to that conclusion, the better off we're going to be."

Chapter 40B sets a 10 percent affordable housing goal for all municipalities and permits developers to override certain aspects of local zoning bylaws to help communities reach that goal. Only around 2.2 percent of Ludlow's housing is considered affordable, according to the Chapter 40B Subsidized Housing Inventory maintained by the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

Some Ludlow residents commented on the difficulty of stopping a 40B project, a sentiment shared by Ed Minnie, a member of the town's Planning Board and Conservation Commission.

"Personally, I have reservations about the neighborhood and the density and putting a project like this next to single-family homes," Minnie said. "But HAP is an organization that knows what they are doing. ... They purchased this property, and whether people like it or not, they're going to come in. I think it would be best for us to work with them."

When one resident asked why the town was discussing the project if it's a done deal, as Minnie suggested, Selectmen Chairman Brian M. Mannix took issue with the idea of Ludlow being powerless against the 40B process. "Well, sorry, Mr. Minnie, I don't believe you -- 'like it or not,'" Mannix said, using Minnie's own words and receiving hearty applause for the remark.

"There are many legal, legitimate reasons why a project of this type might not go through," Mannix said. "A lot of them have to with safety issues. A lot of them have to do with conservation issues. So just to make a blanket statement of 'like it or not, it's going through,' I don't believe that."

HAP officials plan to file a Chapter 40B application with the town in January. Once that happens, the public will have more opportunities to provide feedback on the project, according to Ellen Freyman, an attorney representing the housing organization.

"We are now doing all our preliminary work that we need in order to finish the application so that we can file our 40B application with the ZBA," she said, adding that several public meetings have already been held and HAP is receptive to people's concerns.

"I don't think we're trying to push it through at all. This is a process that we're working on together with the town," Freyman said. "We do take your comments and concerns seriously."

Faith Williams, HAP's senior vice president of property and asset management, was unable to immediately provide selectmen with certain financial figures, including the projected cost of the housing complex. "I don't even know that we have a total development cost, because we don't have final plans yet," she said.

Selectmen have repeatedly raised concerns about the location and scale of the project, which includes too many units for the parcel, according to Rooney. "That was something that we talked about with you when you first came in front of us, that you should go back and take a look at and consider," he said. "I haven't seen any evidence of that."

Mannix pointed out that the housing project would be built next to wetlands and a brook. "You're putting a project right down next to a swamp," he said. "I asked the question in the past: 'Gee, where are the children going to play in this project, and what are we going to do to keep them out of this swamp?' We have no answer."

The intersection of Fuller and Chapin streets is already a congested area, said Ludlow Fire Chief Mark H. Babineau, who also raised concerns about the maneuverability of fire trucks trying to enter and exit the facility.

Police Chief Paul Madera said his focus is on public safety, noting that the intersection is a candidate for traffic control. "And I'm talking about lights," he said. "It has become very, very congested over the years."

One of the more heated exchanges occurred when Ludlow resident "Ryan," a transplant from Palmer who didn't provide a surname, suggested that the town is opposed to the project because of the type of people who might live there.

"It sounds to me that we're not really complaining about location. We're complaining about something else, OK, and that's another issue entirely," he said, his voice rising as he continued.

"We have a 1 percent minority status in this town. One percent! We're all white!" Ryan claimed, despite U.S. Census estimates indicating the town is about 94 percent white. "The towns that are successful now are towns like Amherst and Northampton that are diversified and take care of their citizens."

Ryan works with single moms from Springfield and Holyoke "who are raising kids who would love to live in a town like Ludlow and who are happy to pay taxes and be part of the community," he said. "But you guys sound like you don't want them here."

That prompted Mannix to interrupt the man. "Excuse me, but I've heard very few if any people here speaking that way," the selectmen chairman said.

When Ryan continued to talk, Mannix asked him to "be quiet," stating, "I have the floor at the moment."

"No you don't," Ryan said. "I'm talking."

"You are excused," Mannix said.

"No I'm not," Ryan said. "You cannot treat people like this."

Ryan offered a parting comment: "If you will not let HAP have a project here, simply on the grounds that you don't want more people here, I will stand with HAP and try to encourage them to sue the town in court for discrimination, OK. You do not treat people like that."

Rooney, an attorney by trade, called Ryan's remarks "outrageous." Ludlow works well with HAP and the color of a person's skin has never been part of past discussions with the organization, according to Rooney. "For you to suggest that, get your facts straight before you accuse this town and anybody here of being discriminatory," he said.

Resident Bruce Benjamin asked about the project's impact on taxes. "What's going to happen when my property value goes down? Are my taxes going to go down, or is the tax rate going to go up so that I'm still paying the same thing?" he said. "Everything that I've worked for is my home."

Benjamin said the project would affect all town residents. "I understand people need housing, but at the same time you gotta be fair to the people that are living here, that spent their life savings where they're living," he said.

Jason Martowski, chairman of the Ludlow Conservation Commission, said the town missed an opportunity to buy the Fuller Road parcel. "We made a mistake in not purchasing this property and nobody wants to talk about it," he said. "We, as taxpayers, did not vote for the Community Preservation Act ... and this could have paid for this piece of property."

Martowski proposed sitting down with HAP and its lawyers to come up with a solution, such as reimbursing HAP for the cost of the property "and any fees they've incurred," he said. "Let's offer them an opportunity to come up with a new site -- no harm, no foul -- and let's work together and find another location in Ludlow."

Selectmen voted to issue a letter of opposition to the project.