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Ohio beverage CEO, wife, 2 sons and 2 others on plane that vanished over Lake Erie

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Superior Beverage Group executive John T. Fleming was piloting the Columbus-bound plane when it disappeared late Thursday about 2 miles over Lake Erie, his parents and company confirmed. Watch video

CLEVELAND -- The chief executive of a beverage distribution company was piloting a plane carrying his wife, two sons and two other people when it quickly lost altitude after takeoff from Cleveland's lakeshore airport and vanished from radar, according to his family and a flight-tracking service Friday.

columbus.jpgJohn T. Fleming

Superior Beverage Group executive John T. Fleming was piloting the Columbus-bound plane when it disappeared late Thursday about 2 miles over Lake Erie, his parents and company confirmed.

The five other people on the plane were Fleming's wife, Sue, teenage sons Jack and Andrew, a neighbor and the neighbor's daughter, said John W. Fleming, the pilot's father, and Joseph McHenry, an executive vice president at Superior Beverage in Columbus.

Crews combing Lake Erie for the plane on Friday remained hopeful that the occupants could be found alive, and were in search-and-rescue mode, not recovery mode, as they plied waters about 50 feet deep, said Capt. Michael Mullen, the chief of response for the Ninth Coast Guard District.

Tracking service FlightAware logged only three location pings for the plane after takeoff from Burke Lakefront Airport, and the last one indicated rapid altitude loss. Authorities have said there were no distress signals from the pilot.

No debris from missing plane found in Lake Erie in Cleveland

The aircraft took off westward from Burke, then turned north across the lake, according to the tracking service flightradar24.com. The departure procedure at Burke could take an aircraft north over the lake before turning south toward a destination, Mullen said.

The plane, which had made the roughly half-hour trip from Columbus earlier in the day, is registered to a limited liability company under the same Columbus address as Superior Beverage.

Authorities have detected "faint hints" but no strong pulse from an emergency locating transmitter, a beacon that could help find the plane, Mullen said. Searchers have found no sign of debris.

"We're very hopeful. We will be very hopeful up until the point that we have to turn the search off and we switch over to assisting with recovery," Mullen said at news conference Friday.

But when asked about the possibility of the twin-engine jet landing safely on Lake Erie, Mullen said, "Aircraft are not designed to float, especially in 12-foot seas."

The search overnight was made difficult by snow squalls, high seas and darkness, Mullen said. Weather prevented smaller Coast Guard boats in the Cleveland area from launching. A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and a Royal Canadian Air Force plane were used along with a Coast Guard ship from Detroit began the search overnight that has continued in the daylight hours Friday.

It would have been the pilot's responsibility to determine whether it was safe to fly, Mullen said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the Cessna Citation 525 plane left Burke at 10:50 p.m., and the Coast Guard said it was notified about the missing plane by air traffic control at Burke about 30 minutes later. Investigators from the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board were expected to arrive in Cleveland on Friday.

The aircraft was headed to Ohio State University Airport northwest of downtown Columbus.


Salem police searching for missing woman

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Salem authorities are asking for the public's help in locating a missing woman.

SALEM — Authorities in Salem are asking for the public's help in locating a local woman who has been missing for several days.

Police say that 33-year-old Christine Amara was last seen leaving her house on Dec. 28, between 4 and 4:30 p.m., in her father's red Toyota Tundra pickup truck.

Amara was supposed to show up to work at Not Your Average Joe that same day, but never appeared, police said.

She is described as standing 5 feet 4 inches tall, weighing approximately 115 pounds, and blonde hair and hazel eyes.

Christine's mother told authorities that she last saw her daughter wearing jeans, a red jacket, grey hat, and black shoes.

Anyone who has any information on Christine's whereabouts has been asked to contact the Salem Police Department at 978-744-1212.

Body found on the banks of the Merrimack River

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A body was discovered near the Merrimack River on Friday.

AMESBURY — A man's body has been discovered on the banks of the Merrimack River in Amesbury, according to The Boston Globe.

The body was found shortly after 3:30 p.m. in the vicinity of 152 Pleasant Valley Rd., according to a spokesman for the Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett's office.

The body was dressed in winter clothing and does not seem to have any visible signs of trauma, the spokesman said.

The man has not yet been identified by authorities.

No further information has been released at this time.

 

Dennis police searching for missing man

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Police in Dennis are searching for a man who has been missing for several days.

DENNIS — Authorities in Dennis are asking for the public's help in locating a man who has been missing since Wednesday.

Police say that 30-year-old Mitchell Smith hasn't been seen since he failed to return to his home in West Dennis on Dec. 28.

Smith is described as standing 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing approximately 187 pounds, and having brown hair and blue eyes.

Police say that Smith was last seen leaving his house on foot, and was not driving a motor vehicle.

Anyone who believes they may have information about Smith's whereabouts has been asked to contact the Dennis Police Department at (508) 394-1315.

Nor'easter buries Maine in 2 feet of snow, leaves 100,000 without power

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More than 100,000 homes and businesses in Maine were without electricity at the storm's peak, and residents were warned that it could take days to restore service.

PORTLAND, Maine -- The most powerful nor'easter in nearly two years brought heavy snow, powerful winds and even thunder and lightning to northern New England, leaving tens of thousands of people in the dark Friday and burying some towns under 2 feet of snow.

More than 100,000 homes and businesses in Maine were without electricity at the storm's peak, and residents were warned that it could take days to restore service. The National Weather Service received reports of snow falling at up to 6 inches per hour.

"It went from just a garden-variety, low-pressure system to a turbocharged storm," meteorologist Eric Schwibs said.

In Brunswick, resident Jason Weymouth went to bed with a sense of dread as powerful thunderclaps accompanied the falling snow.

"It hit over the house, and it was pretty loud and very strong and very unusual. That set me a little bit on edge," he said.

By Friday morning, he was among the thousands of Maine residents without power. Compounding his misery: His snowblower was unable to cope with the heavy snow and his wood-carving shop was knocked offline for the day.


The storm's fury walloped some places and skipped others as powerful bands of snow buried some communities while others just miles away received mostly rain.

Hundreds of cars slid off roads from the beginning of the storm on Thursday through Friday morning, when the sun appeared. In Vermont, a 69-year-old man was killed in Cornwall when his car went off the road in slippery conditions Thursday and crashed into a tree, state police said.

In Maine, the storm was believed to have contributed to a fatal fire in the town of Pownal. The victim's power had gone out, and investigators suspect he was using an alternative heat source when he died early Friday.

The heavy snow knocked down power lines and tree limbs. In Orono, the domed structure used by student-athletes at the University of Maine athletic complex collapsed under the weight.

Southern and western Maine turned out to be in the storm's bull's-eye, but the storm played a game of hopscotch, pummeling some communities with snow while leaving others just miles away drenched in rain.

In Cumberland County, Portland received 7.7 inches of snow while Standish was buried under 27 inches of snow, Schwibs said.

Other big snow totals in Maine included 27 inches in Naples, 25 inches in Parsonsfield and 22.7 inches in Hollis. Snow in New Hampshire peaked at around 17 inches in several towns near the Maine border.

New Hampshire and Vermont were largely spared significant damage and power outages. The power company Eversource said about 11,000 New Hampshire homes lost power, but most was restored by Friday morning.


The nor'easter's barometric pressure reading was expected to close in on readings from a crippling storm on Valentine's Day 2014, a storm that canceled flights, knocked out power and claimed more than two dozen lives on the East Coast.

Because of the power outage Friday, the National Weather Service couldn't immediately provide a comparison of the two storms.

More snow was forecast for New Year's Eve, providing incentive for people to get busy cleaning up before more snow began falling.

Portland resident Richard Haynes found out the hard way that the icy conditions were hazardous. He slipped Thursday night and ended up in the emergency room. But that didn't keep him from digging out Friday.

"It caught us off-guard," he said Friday as he shoveled snow. "I almost broke my back, had to get it checked at the hospital before I started shoveling."

2 people dead, 2 injured after head-on collision in Easton

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Two people are dead and two others severely injured after a crash in Easton.

EASTON — Two people have been killed and two people severely injured in a car crash in Easton, according to The Boston Globe.

At approximately 6 p.m. on Friday, Easton authorities and State Police responded to Depot Street, where a head-on collision between two vehicles had occurred, said State Police Sgt. Tom Ryan.

While Ryan said an investigation into the crash is currently being carried out, no further information about the incident has been released at this time.

This story will be updated when more information becomes available.

 

U.S. officials allege Russian hackers accessed U.S. electrical grid through utility in Vermont

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U.S. officials have accused Russia of hacking into the U.S. electrical grid using a utility in Vermont.

U.S. officials claim that Russian hackers recently accessed the U.S. electrical grid through a utility in Vermont, according to The Washington Post.

The Obama administration is calling the hacking operation "Grizzly Steppe," and anonymous sources within the government allege that certain pieces of code related to the operation were found within the Vermont utility.

The sources said that while the functionality of the grid was not disturbed as a result of the hacking, it is concerning that the Russians were able to penetrate it.

While officials say they are not yet sure why the hackers accessed the grid, interpretations range from possibly wanting to disrupt or to test the penetrability of the grid.

Any actual disruptions of the nation's electrical grid could prove disastrous for a number of reasons, including the fact that many medical or emergency services rely upon it to function.

It has not been made public as to which specific utility was accessed by the hackers, though the Post notes that there are only two large utilities located in Vermont: Burlington Electric and Green Mountain Power.

 

2 dead, 2 wounded in Oakdale Theater rap concert shooting

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Wallingford, Connecticut authorities said two people have died and two others are hospitalized after shooting broke out just as rap artist Meek Mill left the Oakdale Theater stage following his concert Friday night.

WALLINGFORD, Connecticut— Two people were killed, two others wounded when shooting broke out at the Oakdale Theater Friday night just as rap artist Meek Mill walked off the stage at the end of his concert, the New York Daily News reported.

Mill, whose real name is Robert Williams, had just completed his concert at about 11:15 p.m. and patrons apparently were starting to leave when shots rang out near the entrance to the theater, Wallingford police said.

Two people were killed at the scene and two people were wounded. One of the injured was taken to Yale/New Haven Hospital, the other to Hartford Hospital. Both of the wounded are expected to survive, Wallingford Police Lt. Cheryl Bradley told a press conference.

Mill/Williams was backstage by the time the shooting started and was not injured.

Wallingford police called in all available officers from surrounding towns to help control the scene, and to search for a suspect or suspects. It is unclear how many people police are searching for.

The gunfire in among a packed crowd of people moving toward exits created panic. The newspaper described a cellphone video shot near the entrance to the theater. People were heard screaming, while security guards attempted to get patrons to take cover from the gunfire.


Fatal shooting, 3 deadly accidents, superintendent's departure top Amherst news in 2016

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A controversial buyout for the schools chief, the hiring of a new town manager and a fatal shooting are among the events that made headlines in Amherst in 2016.

AMHERST -- A controversial buyout for the schools chief, the hiring of a new town manager and a fatal shooting are among the events that made headlines in Amherst in 2016.

In February, Amherst launched a search for a new permanent town manager. Four months later, Paul Bockelman, the director of administration and finance for the Massachusetts Municipal Association and a Hampshire College graduate, agreed to a three-year contract. He became the first permanent manger since John P. Musante died in September of 2015.

In March, voters approved the creation of a Charter Commission to study alternatives to the current form of government and elected nine people to serve on the commission. The commission recently decided to pursue an investigation of a mayor-town council form of government. The town has a Select Board, a 240-member Town Meeting and a manager now.

On Aug. 2, Adrienne Paquette, 22, of Chicopee was killed when the car she was driving south on South Pleasant Street crossed the road and stuck a parked Peter Pan bus. The cause of the accident is unknown. 

Aug. 9, the Union 26 and Amherst-Pelham Regional school committees agreed in a 5-3 vote to a settlement with former Superintendent Mary Geryk that is paying her $309,515 over the next two years. That includes 18 months of salary, 69 vacation days and health insurance through 2018. She had threatened to the sue the district.

Oct. 15, Jose "Joselito" Rodriguez was shot and killed at Southpoint Apartments. Another man was also shot but survived. A Hampshire County grand jury earlier this month indicted Soknang Chham, 33, on charges including murder, and attempted murder. His brother Soksot Chham, 35, faces a charge in Eastern Hampshire District Court of being an accessory after the fact to the killing. He is due back in court Jan. 25.

On Oct. 30, two men were injured in a home invasion on Southeast Street. Patrick Bemben, a 25-year-old Hadley man, has been indicted on 11 charges in Hampshire Superior Court. Police are still investigating. They say Bemben had accomplices.

On Nov. 2, a fire destroyed the Bond family home on Tamarack Drive. The family plans to rebuild, and a GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $26,000. The fire was as electrical in origin.

On Nov. 6, William E. Wanczyk of Northampton was killed after being struck by a pickup truck, which was reportedly travelling at high speed without lights. Wanczyk was sitting in a bus shelter near the post office on North Pleasant Street. Police are still investigating.

On Nov. 8, voters approved building a new elementary school where Wildwood Elementary is now. But on Nov. 14, Town Meeting rejected it. Town Meeting is being asked to consider the proposal again Jan. 30.

On Dec. 16, five people chained themselves inside the front and rear lobby of TD Bank to protest the bank's financial involvement in the North Dakota Access Pipeline. The action closed the branch, leaving just the drive-through window open.

Firefighters cut the chains nearly six hours after the action began. Four demonstrators were arrested on trespassing charges and the case was dismissed with each ordered to pay $200 restitution to the town.

Dec. 20, Julia Hernandez, 67-year-old woman from El Salvador, was killed when she was struck in the driveway of her Hunters Hill Circle home by a vehicle driven by her husband. Hernandez helped establish Antonio's Pizza.

Events on Amherst college campuses also made big headlines this year. Check out the multimedia slideshow below:

Top Western Massachusetts business stories of 2016

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The top business stories of 2016 include MGM Springfield, the sale of Friendly Ice Cream and others.

Prosecutors subpoena medical records in Martin sisters' assault case

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The victim, in a written statement, claimed the sisters were "looking for her" because of her friendship with Jessica Martin's ex-boyfriend.

SPRINGFIELD -- Prosecutors have subpoenaed medical records of a woman who allegedly suffered a concussion and other injures during a fight with two sisters outside a Springfield bar.

The subpoena, approved by Judge Robert Murphy, seeks records of the victim's treatment at Mercy Medical Center following the alleged assault Sept. 21 outside Rory Fitzgerald's bar on Page Boulevard.

The sisters -- Danielle Martin, 21, of Springfield, and Jessica Martin, 26, of Ludlow -- pleaded not guilty during their arraignment Sept. 28 to assault and battery with serious bodily injury. Both are free on $500 bail.

They allegedly kicked and punched the 25-year-old victim outside the bar, leaving her unconscious on the sidewalk. In her request for a subpoena, Assistant District Attorney Colleen Monroe wrote the defendants allegedly "punched the victim in the face and kicked and stomped victim's head/face."

The victim, in a written statement, claimed the sisters were "looking for her" that night because of her friendship with Jessica Martin's ex-boyfriend.

"I was told that both girls fought me and Jessica kicked me in the face ... all over nothing," she said, adding she has no recollection of the fight.

Lawyers for the sisters, meanwhile, claim the alleged victim started the fight, and was too drunk to defend herself. "Her injuries were self-inflicted," attorney Thomas Bessette said in court, adding that the woman passed out and fell on the sidewalk.

Bessette's client, Danielle Martin, was arrested on new charges in November after allegedly assaulting a campus police officer at Western New England University.

In her second arraignment in five weeks, Danielle Martin pleaded not guilty to disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and assault and battery on a public employee. She was released on personal recognizance.

The sisters are due back in Springfield District Court for a pretrial hearing on March 21.

Huntington, Vermont man found dead, apparent victim of fire

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Vermont State Police said they are investigating the death of a Huntington man they say may well have died as the result of a fire in his camper. Ryan Campbell was found dead Friday afternoon on his Sherman Hollow Road property.

HUNTINGTON, Vermont— Vermont State Police arson investigators and the state's Fire Marshal's Office are investigating the apparent fire death of a Sherman Hollow Road man, whose body was found Friday by a family member.

State Police investigator, Det. Sgt. Michael Kamerling said Friday that Ryan Campbell, 36, was found dead in his camper by his mother, who contacted authorities.

Kamerling said Campbell apparently died due to a fire in his camper and may have been dead for several days before he was discovered.

Police pointed to a wood stove as a possible culprit in the fire, that apparently went out before consuming the entire structure. Flames gutted the interior of the camper but did not show on the exterior investigators said.

The victim's body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Burlington for autopsy.

Police said the death does not appear to be suspicious.

Chicopee Parks offering trip to see Red Sox in Baltimore

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The cost is $499 per person double occupancy and children 18 and younger are discounted to $349.

CHICOPEE - The Chicopee Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring a three-day trip to Baltimore to watch two Boston Red Sox games.

The trip includes transportation, hotel stay for two nights and admission to two Red Sox vs. Baltimore night games at Camden Yards.

Participants will be staying a short walk from the Inner Harbor which features the Baltimore Aquarium, ferry rides, restaurants and a shopping mall.

The trip departs April 21 and returns April 23. The cost is $499 per person double occupancy, the triple occupancy rate is $479 per person and a single room is $699. The cost for children 18 years old and under is $349. There is a $100 deposit per person due upon registration and the full payment is due on March 10.

People can register at the Chicopee Parks Department on Front Street. For more information look at the Chicopee Parks Department website or call 594-3481.

There is a $100 deposit per person due upon registration and the full payment is due on March 10.

What Springfield's 'most wanted' wanted most: condoms, beef jerky and candy for the movies

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In a one-month spree, Scott Laclair allegedly shoplifted more than $1,400 worth of merchandise, including $1,052 in condoms, from two CVS stores in Springfield, according to police and court records.

SPRINGFIELD -- Before being named Springfield's most wanted criminal this month, Scott Laclair was already one of CVS's most unwanted customers.

In a one-month spree, Laclair allegedly shoplifted more than $1,400 worth of merchandise, including $1,052 in condoms, from two CVS stores in Springfield, according to police and court records.

On seven occasions, he allegedly walked into a store, filled a basket with merchandise and walked out. On six occasions, no one stopped him, records show.

Laclair, 40, is being held on $50,000 bail after allegedly knocking down a 79-year-old man and stealing $400 from him. He was arrested Dec. 14 after his photo appeared on the Springfield Police Department's Facebook page, with a note from Sgt. John Delaney: "Let's get this guy before he robs again."

In addition to assault and robbery charges, Laclair is facing four shoplifting cases from earlier this year. No stranger to the court system, he has picked up convictions for armed robbery, heroin distribution, receiving stolen property, shoplifting and other charges during a 25-year criminal career, records show.

He was allegedly shoplifting from Kohl's department store in West Springfield at the time of his latest arrest. Captured after a chase along the Connecticut River, Laclair was wearing three pairs of sweatpants -- two of them stolen from Kohl's, police said. He was also carrying a pair of wire cutters used to remove security tags from merchandise, police said.

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Laclair needed no tools while targeting CVS stores on Belmont Avenue and State Street earlier this year, according to court records. Between April 5 and April 27, he allegedly stole $1,490 in merchandise by filling up one or two shopping baskets and carrying them out the front door, the records show.

On April 17, for example, he walked into the Belmont Avenue CVS at 7:28 a.m. and headed for the family planning section; there, he picked up five boxes of Trojan Magnum extra-large condoms, at $28.49 each, and 10 boxes of other condoms, at $15.79 each, and then walked out, according to a statement given by CVS to police.

The total loss was $305.35, including the cost of the plastic basket, the statement said.

Three days later, he returned to the Belmont Avenue store at 7:30 a.m. and took two plastic baskets. He went to the oral care section, picking up eight boxes of Crest 3D whitening toothpaste, before moving on to family planning, where he took four packs of Trojan Magnum condoms, at $27.49 each, and four packs of other condoms, at $15.79 each, the records show.

The total loss was $320.96, including two plastic baskets, CVS said.

He also visited the grocery sections at both stores.

On April 5, he left the Belmont Avenue CVS with five large packages of beef jerky, at $11.99 each, five smaller packages, at $6.99 each, and 20 boxes of assorted "movie-sized candy" at $1.77 each. The total loss, including the basket, was $140.77, CVS said.

Four days later, he walked out of the State Street store with 12 large packages of beef jerky, at $2.85 each, and 20 boxes of movie-sized candy, at $1.77 each, for a total loss, including the basket, of $129.28, records show.

Not every trip ended so well for Laclair, however.

On April 21, a manager at the Belmont Avenue store stopped him walking out with 45 boxes of Colgate toothpaste in two baskets, records show. "He admitted to the theft and handed over the baskets full of product," an employee wrote in statement to police.

Laclair's luck was better on April 27. He left the State Street store with $332.75 in condoms, his largest haul of the month, records show.

The alleged thefts from CVS during April represent just one of the four shoplifting cases pending against Laclair in Springfield.

Eventually, CVS obtained a no-trespassing order against Laclair, who lives within walking distance of the Belmont Avenue store. But the order did not prevent him from allegedly walking out with another basket of condoms last month, records show.

"He has been trespassed by CVS and is on store security video for the second time in less than a week," an employee noted in a loss report from Nov. 15.

Laclair is due back in Springfield District Court for a pretrial hearing on Jan. 13.

Early morning fire destroys Turners Falls' Railroad Salvage building

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Firefighters are still working to extinguish an early morning blaze that destroyed an empty railroad salvage building on Power Street.

TURNERS FALLS ‒ Firefighters are still working to extinguish an early morning blaze that destroyed the empty Railroad Salvage building on Power Street.

Emergency crews responded to reports of a possible structure fire at the building located near 10 Power Street in Turners Falls just after 1:30 a.m. Saturday, according to fire officials.

Firefighters, who were met with heavy flames, called in mutual aid from Greenfield, Montague Center, Northfield, South Deerfield, Bernardston, Orange, Gill and Brattleboro, Vermont.

The fire appeared largely under control as of 9:30 a.m., with crews still on scene dousing hot spots, fire department officials said.

The cause of the blaze, which the Turners Falls Fire Department described as a second alarm fire, remains under investigation.

The building will likely be a complete loss, according to fire officials who noted that the structure has been empty for at least a decade.

No one appeared to be on scene upon emergency crews' arrival, the Turners Falls Fire Department reported. No one was injured in the fire.


3rd person dies following head-on crash in Easton

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A third person has reportedly died as a result of injuries suffered in a Friday night head-on crash on Route 123.

EASTON -- A third person has reportedly died as a result of injuries suffered in a Friday night head-on crash on Route 123.

The crash, which appears to have occurred around 6 p.m. after a Chevrolet HHR crossed the center line on Depot Street and hit a Toyota Sequoia SUV, killed the driver of the Chevrolet, 58-year-old William Fleming, of Easton, and 17-year-old passenger Kayleigh Desrosiers, of Halifax, police told NECN.

Another passenger, 17-year-old Robert Fleming, of Easton, was transported to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton with injuries and later flown to a Boston hospital where he died, the news outlet reported.

The driver of the Toyota was reportedly transported to a local hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

2 people dead, 2 injured after head-on collision in Easton

A family member identified the victims in the Chevrolet as her husband, her son and her son's girlfriend, The Enterprise reported.

Fire officials told the newspaper that it appeared the people inside the Chevrolet were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.

The cause of the crash is under investigation by Easton Police and the Massachusetts State Police accident reconstruction unit.

President-elect Donald Trump wishes 'Happy New Year' to his 'many enemies'

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President-elect Donald Trump ended 2016 Saturday by wishing a "Happy New Year" to his supporters, political rivals and self-proclaimed "enemies."

President-elect Donald Trump ended 2016 Saturday by wishing a "Happy New Year" to his supporters, political rivals and self-proclaimed "enemies."

The incoming president, who has previously called out opponents on social media, tweeted the New Year's message before taking a shot at those who resisted his 2016 presidential run.

"Happy New Year to all, including to my many enemies and those who have fought me and lost so badly they just don't know what to do. Love!" he wrote in the Saturday morning post.

Trump will ring in 2017 at a New Year's Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, along with his wife Melania and their son Barron, presidential transition officials told Politico.

More than 800 people are expected to attend the event, including actor Sylvester Stallone, the news outlet reported.

Vermont couple denies trying to break into Springfield's Paramount theater on Christmas morning

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Marek Jagoda and Heather Maples planned to spend Christmas morning taking pictures of buildings downtown, Jagoda told police.

SPRINGFIELD -- Judging by his 911 call, Marek D. Jagoda received a rude welcome to Springfield on Christmas Day.

Around 7:15 a.m., the resident of Putney, Vermont, told a police dispatcher that three men driving a white SUV had just robbed him of $10,000 in camera equipment on Main Street near the Paramount theater, also known as the Hippodrome.

When officers arrived, Jagoda introduced himself as a photographer and said he and his girlfriend had hoped to spend Christmas morning taking pictures of buildings downtown, according to the police report.

He gave police the license plate of the SUV, but offered few details about the cameras beyond their cost, the report said.

Questioned later, the three alleged camera thieves told a different story: They were driving back from a methadone clinic in Chicopee when they spotted a man crouching outside the Paramount, trying to pry open one of the front doors. A woman was standing by, acting as a lookout, they told police.

When the men stopped, the couple fled, abandoning three backpacks on the sidewalk, they said.

Police believed the men and arrested the couple.

By noon, Jagoda, 52, and Heather Maples, 43, also of Putney, were each charged with attempting to commit a crime, possession of burglary tools and receiving stolen property over $250.

Jagoda, who has a criminal record in New Jersey, New Mexico and California, was held over the long weekend for his court appearance Tuesday. He denied the charges and was released on $2,500 bail after passing a drug test.

On Wednesday, Maples pleaded not guilty to the same charges and was released without cash bail.

In his statement to police, Jagoda offered vivid details of the alleged robbery. He claimed three Hispanic men drove by twice as he and Maples walked by the Paramount. After he told Maples to leave the area for her safety, the men returned, threatened him and took three backpacks filled with camera equipment, Jagoda said.

The men were posing as plainclothes police officers, he alleged.

While speaking to police, Jagoda showed little concern for Maples' whereabouts and could not remember her cellphone number even though they have been a couple for the past three to four years, the arrest report said.

Maples was later spotted walking by the bus station. When police approached, she began waking away but then stopped. "Get me a lawyer," she said when the officers began to question her, the report said.

The white SUV, meanwhile, had been tracked to a Wilmont Street home. When police arrived, they found three "very cooperative" men claiming they had just foiled a break-in at the Paramount. Police also found the three backpacks, which the men had taken after the couple fled, the report said.

Two backpacks contained photography equipment, but a third contained tools
"used to cut open or pry open heavy items like doors/windows etc.," the report said.

One of the men, pointing to a red Craftstman pry bar, said, "That's the bar I saw him holding while he was bent down" outside the theater, the report said.

By then, police had found signs of forced entry at the Paramount, adding to doubts about the couple's story. At the police station, Jagoda described himself as an unemployed welder, not a photographer, the report said.

"It seems odd that (Jagoda) would be walking around downtown on a quiet Christmas Sunday morning with these cameras thrown into two backpacks and with a separate bag of tools," reads the report, by Officer Martin Germain.

Beyond claiming the cameras were worth $10,000, Jagoda "could not give a solid description of the cameras or associated equipment, and did not have any paperwork for these items," the report said.

No cameras were listed as stolen from the Paramount in the report, leaving their actual value and ownership something of a mystery.

Both Jagoda and Maples are due back in Springfield District Court for a pretrial hearing on Jan. 27.

Happy New Year 2017: Watch live video from Times Square in New York City as ball drop bids farewell to 2016

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Watch all the live music, interviews with celebrities and revelers and the New York Times Square ball drop to ring in the new year 2017.

It's time to ring in the new year at the one place everyone recognizes as THE New Year's Eve 2017 party – the annual ball drop at Times Square in New York City, and we have all the revelry right here.

The organizers of the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration, Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment, are once again presenting a six-plus-hour live, commercial-free webcast — embedded at the top of this article — of the festivities from the iconic New Year's Eve gathering place.

The show starts at 5:55 p.m. and continues right up to the always anticipated 60-second countdown to midnight ball drop at One Times Square. This year, the 12-foot, 11,875-pound ball is covered with 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles and illuminated by 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LED bulbs.

No matter where or how you're ringing in the new year, you can watch the ball drop that marks the end of 2016 and the start of 2017 right here on your favorite device.

2016-times-square-ball.JPGThe New Year's Eve ball rests at the top of One Times Square, in New York. The dropping of the ball has been a tradition in Times Square since 1907. 

Produced with Livestream, the eighth annual webcast will put you in the middle of the revelry in Times Square, with all the live music, interviews with celebrities and revelers capped by the ball drop that starts at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Allison Hagendorf, Global Head of Rock at Spotify, a network television host and live announcer of the MTV Video Music Awards and MTV Movie Awards, returns for her fifth year as the Times Square New Year's Eve host. Jonathan Bennett, star of "Mean Girls" and host of "Cake Wars," will be the webcast host for the first time.

Live entertainment includes performances by Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum-selling singer/songwriter Gavin DeGraw; award-winning pop star Rachel Platten; platinum-selling producer, rapper and songwriter Silento; Jojo Abot, a Ghanaian singer-songwriter whose music features an experimental blend of electronica, afrobeat, jazz, neo-soul, house and reggae; and the USO Show Troupe, which will perform its popular "A Military Salute" to honor U.S. Armed Forces.

On Twitter, follow #BallDrop to join the Times Square New Year's Eve conversation.

Read more about the Times Square ball »

FAQ about the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration »

A history of New Year's Eve at Times Square »

First Night festivities in Northampton

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First Night festivities in Northampton are in full swing as the crowds pack the Main St. and venues to see musicians, dancers, jugglers and fireworks on New Year's Eve 2016.

NORTHAMPTON - First Night festivities are in full swing as the crowds pack the Main St. and venues to see musicians, dancers, jugglers and fireworks on New Year's Eve 2016.

The city's annual event culminates with the raising of the lighted ball atop the Hotel Northampton at midnight ringing in the New Year.

Check out the photographs above of some of the acts or visit the First Night webpage for performances and times.

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