The day culminates in the annual raising of the ball atop The Hotel Northampton as revelers count down the final seconds of 2016 and usher in the new year at midnight.

NORTHAMPTON - Thousands of people have packed into the downtown area for the 32nd First Night Northampton celebration, spending the day at musical performances, magic shows and many more family-friendly events.

The day culminates in the annual raising of the ball atop The Hotel Northampton as revelers count down the final seconds of 2016 and usher in the new year at midnight.

Steve Daury sits of the board of the nonprofit Northampton Center for the Arts, whose members and volunteers work year-round to prepare for this special day.

"Lots to do, lots to see, lots of good music," said Daury, sitting at a table at TD Bank to hand out buttons to volunteers. Anyone hoping to enjoy the special events needs a button, which can still be purchased with cash at a few venues, including The Academy of Music and the Senior Center, along with a few locations on the Smith College campus.

But the 6:15 fireworks and the midnight ball-raising are, of course, free and open to everyone willing to brace themselves for a breezy and cold night. If you get too cold, there are plenty of places along the downtown sidewalks to find hot coffee and hot chocolate.

Daury said there is "something for everybody" at First Night, and he's right.

Children screeched with delight as Ed the Balloon Man put on two shows at the Edwards Church, performing magic tricks with a fun, G-rated comedy style that drew capacity crowds to each performance. Lucky volunteers helped Ed Popielarczyk dazzle the audience, tying together handkerchiefs without touching them and swapping jars of peanut butter and jelly back and forth across a table using just a magic wand and the mystical words, "Happy new year!"

Ed the Balloon Man brought the house down when he "accidentally" used a yucky old banana to complete a trick, instead of the prop he really needed: a yellow and black bandana.

Puppeteer Tom Knight, performing at the Unitarian Society, sang songs with the help of his furry friends. A mouse helped teach the kids how to make soup out of stones and bones, while a momma and baby elephant taught them a pachyderm lullaby.

Other performances included Klezamir, a quintet playing Jewish music that got the people out of the Edwards Church pews and sent them dancing down the aisles with hands clasped. Wishbone Zoe offered a set of "junkyard rock," referred to as an "avant-indie neuron carnival" in First Night literature, at the First Churches' Lyman Hall.

First Night continues its 12-hour celebration until just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2017. Stay with The Republican/MassLive for continuing coverage, including updated photo galleries and videos.

Revelers around the world have been welcoming 2017 with crackling fireworks displays and loud cheering

Revelers around the world have been welcoming 2017 with crackling fireworks displays and loud cheering, saying goodbye to a year filled with political surprises, prolonged conflicts and the deaths of several beloved performers.

The people of Sydney were treated to a glittering display over their famed harbor and bridge that honored the singer David Bowie and actor Gene Wilder, who both passed away in 2016.

The display featured Saturn- and star-shaped fireworks set to "Space Oddity," the classic song by Bowie, among the seemingly endless parade of beloved entertainers who died in 2016.

Wilder was honored as the bridge lit up in a rainbow of colors while a song from his film "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" played.

The tone was more somber elsewhere, though, including Berlin, where some expressed worry about the political mood in Germany. It was also relatively quiet in China's two largest cities, Beijing and Shanghai.

In New York City,  New Year's Eve revelers, donning oversized 2017 eyeglasses and green Statue of Liberty hats, filled Times Square on Saturday hours before the glittering crystal ball was to drop.

Officials estimated as many as a million celebrants would descend upon the Crossroads of the World, braving cold temperatures and strong winds to ring in the New Year amid heavy police protection.

For more than two decades, security has gradually been tightened for the event. Recent deadly truck attacks in Germany and France brought about another security upgrade this year. Dozens of 20-ton sanitation trucks weighted with an extra 15 tons of sand are blocking off streets leading to the celebration zone.

This year, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has the honor of pushing the Waterford crystal button that begins a 60-second countdown to 2017.

Mariah Carey is the headline performer in Times Square for "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest" on ABC. Other featured acts include pop-rock band DNCE, country star Thomas Rhett and Gloria Estefan and the cast of her Broadway musical, "On Your Feet!"

Celebrity deaths in 2016: Famous people we've said goodbye to this year (photos)

A Pittsfield man has been arrested and is being charged with rape, among other charges.

PITTSFIELD — A Pittsfield man has been arrested and is now facing a number of charges, including rape, according to The Berkshire Eagle.

Though scant details about the incident have been made available due to the fact that the case's records have been sealed, authorities say that 36-year-old Joshua Bessette, of April Lane, was taken into custody on Friday.

Bessette now faces a number of charges, including rape, assault and battery, and intimidation of a witness. He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges in Central Berkshire District Court on Friday.

Bessette is scheduled to reappear in court for a pre-trial hearing on Jan. 27.

35 people are dead and at least 40 have been wounded in an apparent terrorist attack in Istanbul.

UPDATE 9:16 p.m.: President Obama has been briefed on the attacks and has expressed his condolences for the victims. A White House spokesman has released a statement on the attacks: "That such an atrocity could be perpetrated upon innocent revelers, many of whom were celebrating New Year's Eve, underscores the savagery of the attackers. We offer our thoughts and prayers to the families and loved ones of those killed, and a speedy recovery to the wounded," the spokesman said.

ISTANBUL — At least 35 people are dead and approximately 40 more have been wounded in an apparent terrorist attack that occurred during New Years celebrations in Istanbul on Saturday night, according to The Boston Globe.

At approximately 1:15 a.m., at least one attacker dressed in a Santa Claus costume entered the crowded Reina nightclub in Istanbul's Ortakoy district and opened fire.

Reports allege that the upscale, waterfront club had as many as 600 people in it when the attack occurred.

The Governor of Istanbul province, Vasip Sahin, has called the episode a "terrorist attack" but has not given details on who is believed to be behind the bloodshed.

"Unfortunately (he) rained bullets in a very cruel and merciless way on innocent people who were there to celebrate New Year's and have fun," Sahin in a statement to journalists.

Savin said that the attacker used a long-barreled gun to kill a police officer and a civilian outside the club, before entering and beginning to fire upon people who were partying inside.

It is so far unclear how many assailants were involved in the attack.

This is a developing story. It will be updated when more information becomes available.

A woman was stabbed during a robbery in Worcester on Friday night.

WORCESTER — A female cab driver was stabbed multiple times during an attempted robbery in Worcester on Friday night, according to a spokesman for the Worcester Police Department.

The victim, who works for High Class Limo Service, told authorities that she had just dropped off several patrons on Great Brook Valley Avenue, when two Hispanic men who appeared to be in their late teens or early twenties approached her vehicle.

According to the victim, one of the men opened the driver's side door and proceeded to strike her in the face while the other man ordered her to give them cash.

The suspects then dragged her out of the car, but she was able to fight them off and climb back into her cab. At that point, the assailants ran away without taking any money from her.

The woman realized that she had been stabbed during the incident, at which point she drove her self to the hospital, police said.

The victim described one of the attackers as being approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall and wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

Anyone who may have information on the incident or the whereabouts of the suspects involved has been encouraged to contact the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at 508 799-8651.

An estimated one million Times Square revelers watched the drop of the crystal ball signaling the start of 2017 in the United States.

NEW YORK -- An estimated 1 million people ushered in the new year in New York City's Times Square, screaming and kissing as the glittering crystal ball dropped.

New Year's Eve revelers, many donning oversized 2017 eyeglasses and green Statue of Liberty hats, began to fill Times Square hours before midnight. They braved cold temperatures and strong winds Saturday at the Crossroads of the World to greet 2017 amid heavy police protection.

Stefania Moran, from Puebla, Mexico, and five friends traveled to New York to secure a coveted spot in one of 35 metal pens where re-entry was prohibited.

"I've always wanted to come to New York, and this is one of the must-dos before you die," she said.

Dozens of 20-ton sanitation trucks weighted with an extra 15 tons of sand blocked off streets leading to the celebration zone to avoid the possibility of a truck attack like those in Germany and France in recent months. About 7,000 police officers, along with specially armed counterterrorism units and bomb-sniffing dogs, were on guard.

Mariah Carey was the headline performer in Times Square for "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest" on ABC.

Laura Ribera, from Bolivia, said people told her she was crazy for coming.

"But we wanted to be in New York," she said. "Even the people in our hotel were asking us why we would go out there. But I feel safe."

This year, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had the honor of pushing the Waterford crystal button that began a 60-second countdown to 2017.

World welcomes 2017 with New Year's Eve fireworks, mourns deaths in 2016 (photos)

After the crowd leaves, cleanup will be left to a small army of city employees including 235 sanitation workers, 45 police officers and two deputy police chiefs.

Last year, the crews removed more than 44 tons of debris.

A 31-year-old woman was killed Saturday afternoon when the snowmobile she was operating crashed into a tree near Rabbit Plains Road in St. Johnsbury. Amanda Dick was pronounced dead at the scene, while a juvenile passenger on the snowmobile was transported to DartmouthHitchcock Medical center in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

Vermont State Police said Amanda Dick was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. She was operating the snowmobile on private property and carrying a juvenile passenger at about 4:15 p.m. when she lost control of the vehicle and it crashed. Dick was not wearing a helmet.

The passenger was transported to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Hanover for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

The events leading up the crash continue to be investigated, police said..

This Holiday season the 94th annual Toy for Joy campaign, sponsored by The Republican, The Salvation Army, and MassLive.com, brought holiday cheer to families throughout Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties by providing toys to thousands of children in need.

This is the last of three planned increases. Massachusetts is now tied for the state with the highest minimum wage in the U.S.

Beginning today, minimum-wage workers in Massachusetts will enjoy a boost in their pay.

The state minimum wage increases from $10 to $11 an hour on New Year's Day, the last of three increases required by a 2014 law.

The raise is being cheered by workers' advocates, even as businesses' reactions are more mixed.

"By raising wages at the bottom, we get a lot more activity going in neighborhoods where people work and live, and that will be good for everybody," said Harris Gruman, executive director of the SEIU Massachusetts State Council, who has campaigned for minimum wage increases for years.

When former Gov. Deval Patrick signed the bill into law, the minimum wage had not increased since 2008. The law raised it from $8 to $9 in 2015, $10 in 2016 and $11 in 2017.

The minimum wage for tipped workers will be $3.75 an hour, as long as tips bring those workers' earnings up to at least $11 an hour.

Pablo Acosta, 46, lives in Boston and has worked at a range of jobs over the years for warehouses, a paper mill and a seafood distributor. Although he now earns more than the minimum wage as a Salvation Army employee, many of his previous jobs paid the minimum wage. Acosta said he is happy to see the minimum wage increase, although he does not believe $11 an hour is enough.

"The minimum wage in America is incredibly unfair," Acosta said. "Costs go up but wages don't. The cost of food, gasoline."

Acosta said even when he was married and had two paychecks coming in, he often found it hard to make ends meet. "(The minimum wage) is not keeping up with the economy, the cost of living, any of the expenses an everyday kind of person has to face," Acosta said.

Nineteen states will raise the minimum wage today. Massachusetts will be tied with New York and Washington state for the second-highest minimum wage in the country, after Washington, D.C., which has an $11.50 minimum wage. An estimated 500,000 Massachusetts workers will benefit from the wage hike, according to advocates for the law.

Businesses have been mixed in their reactions to the increase.

Dean Cycon, founder and CEO of Dean's Beans Organic Coffee Co. in Orange and an advocate for raising the minimum wage, pays his 13 employees at least $13 an hour and covers all their health care costs.

"I believe working people need to share in the benefits of the company, and frankly, they need all the help they can get in this economic era," Cycon said.

"I've always felt if the success of your business depends on paying people a very low wage, then maybe your businesses shouldn't be in business," Cycon said. "From a pricing point of view, businesses can afford to raise their prices a little bit to cover the small percentage of their costs of doing business that the increase in the minimum wage should represent."

Cycon said companies that do not pay their workers enough to live on are pushing costs onto the rest of society, since those workers then rely on food stamps or other government assistance.

"Companies that don't pay a reasonable wage to their entry-level or lower-level employees are calling upon the rest of society to support their business," Cycon said.

But Ryan Kearney, general counsel for the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, said while many retailers pay above the minimum wage, two related provisions in state law make it hard for businesses to cope with the increases.

First, Massachusetts does not have a teen wage, a lower wage that exists in many other states to encourage businesses to hire teenagers and train them. "A high minimum wage makes it unaffordable for retailers to bring them in and train them," Kearney said.

Kearney also criticized a state law that requires retailers to pay time and a half on Sunday. Only Massachusetts and Rhode Island have this law. With a $16.50 minimum Sunday wage, Kearney said Massachusetts retailers are less competitive with online sales and with neighboring states. New Hampshire, for example, pays a minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

"It's government-imposed discrimination against our retailers in Massachusetts," Kearney said. "For small businesses, it is something that will become unaffordable as the rate continues to skyrocket."

Kearney said as the minimum wage has increased the last two years, some retailers have raised prices, some have cut jobs and some have become less profitable. "Whether it's loss of jobs or loss of profitability or loss of sales, there's certainly an impact that's been felt by our membership," Kearney said.

Chris Geehern, a spokesman for Associated Industries of Massachusetts, a trade group, said this minimum wage increase is a little easier for businesses to handle because it was planned and phased in over three years.

But Geehern said he has heard anecdotally about companies not making new hires or not expanding the last couple of years because payroll costs have increased. He noted that when the minimum wage increases, companies may also feel pressure to raise wages of longer-term employees who were being paid near the new minimum wage.

"Whenever you have a minimum wage increase, it reduces the overall compensation budget for companies," Geehern said. "In some cases, it forces them to reduce hours, to not hire additional employees or sometimes it causes them to reduce employment."

This is not the end of the debate over the minimum wage in Massachusetts. Activists are now pushing to increase the minimum wage gradually to $15 an hour, part of a national movement led by unions in industries like fast food.

"We have an incredibly affluent state, yet we have one of the highest levels of inequality in the country," said Gruman. "If we want an economy that works for everybody, we need wages that keep up with the cost of living here.".

A new version of the wage and hour law poster that employers are required to display is now available on Attorney General Maura Healey's website.

Some of the Bay State laws with January 2017 effective dates relate to public records, economic development, MBTA fares and modernizing municipal laws.

Public records reforms and tax deductions for college savings accounts are among the new Massachusetts laws that will go into effect Jan. 1.

The legal change that has gotten the most attention is the final of three increases in the state minimum wage, to $11 an hour. But several other laws that passed the Legislature in 2016 also have effective dates of Jan. 1, 2017.

Here's a look at a few of them:

Public records reform

Gov. Charlie Baker in June signed into law the first comprehensive update to the state's weak public records law in 40 years. The new law sets timelines for public agencies to comply with records requests and limits how much money public agencies can charge for copies of documents. The law allows judges to award attorneys' fees to plaintiffs who take public agencies to court for failing to comply with requests.

Most of the provisions of the law will go into effect Jan. 1. After that date, state agencies will have 15 days to fully comply with a records request, and municipalities will have 25 days. There are ways for agencies to request additional time. Fees will be capped at $25 an hour for labor and 5 cents a page for copies.

Limits on MBTA fare increases

The Legislature in July passed a bill modifying a 2013 transportation funding bill to cap MBTA fare increases at 7 percent every two years, effective in 2017.

The bill was the result of a dispute between the Baker administration and transportation advocates over the meaning of the 2013 law. That law said fares cannot be raised "at intervals of less than 24 months or at an annual rate greater than 5 percent."

The administration of former Gov. Deval Patrick and the transportation advocates interpreted the law as limiting MBTA fare increases to 5 percent every two years. But Baker's transportation secretary Stephanie Pollack interpreted it to mean fares can increase by 10 percent every two years. With an increased focus on reforms and repairs to the struggling MBTA, the provision gained increasing relevance.

The new law represents a compromise between the interpretations of Patrick and Baker officials.

In 2016, the MBTA fiscal and management control board approved a fare increase of an average of 9.3 percent across the transportation system. The new fares took effect July 1.

Economic development

Also in July, lawmakers passed a nearly $1 billion economic development bill, which included a mix of funding for infrastructure, housing, workforce training, business development and other projects.

Several provisions of the law go into effect Jan. 1. One of the more notable ones is a new state tax deduction for money that families contribute to a college savings program established by the state, referred to as a 529 plan. Also in effect for the 2017 tax year are expanded tax credits for economic and housing development.

Additionally, there are some provisions that go into effect Jan. 1 related to zoning laws meant to encourage certain types of development.

Municipal modernization

On the last day of the formal legislative session in July, lawmakers passed a version of a bill that Baker introduced in December updating municipal-related laws. The 125-page bill was one Baker had referred to as "total weed whacking."

Many of the provisions were highly technical. They include a mix of updating obsolete laws and giving cities and towns more flexibility and authority to run their own affairs. The Legislature stripped out some of Baker's more controversial provisions, such as changing the requirement that the state Legislature approve new liquor licenses.

A few of the law's provisions go into effect Jan. 1, related to topics from local property tax assessments to valuing telephone poles to paying municipal retiree health care premiums.

Four people were transported to the Baystate Medical Center from a one-car rollover crash on Springfield's Page Blvd. shortly after 4 a.m. Police said none of the injries were serious.

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

Springfield Police Lt. David Kane said the car apparently slid on the icy road surface just after 4 a.m.and lost control as it drove on Page Blvd. in the area of the I-291 overpass The car slammed into a guard rail then flipped several times finally landing on its roof.

One of the passengers was able to get out of the car on her own and walked away from the accident scene. Kane said several cruisers were sent out to try to find the woman to make sure she wasn't injured but he said she was never found.

The four remaining occupants were transported to the hospital for treatment of what police called minor injuries.

Believed to be the oldest such organization in the U.S., the Bay State Table Tennis Club was started after World War II. Its members meet in Longmeadow.

LONGMEADOW — On a recent Thursday night, a house painter, a vascular surgeon, and a retired public accountant were among folks getting together at a synagogue's social hall for a meeting of the minds — specifically the strategies and skills it takes to be a top-notch table tennis player.

The trio are among scores of passionate players and students of the sport who belong to the Bay State Table Tennis Club, an organization whose roots date back more than half a century. They meet regularly at B'nai Torah to play the game, schedule league tournaments and pass on their skills to a new generation of competitors.

Bruce Moore, an East Longmeadow painter and supervisor of the club, said there are more than 100 members who range in age from 11 to 90 and hail from across the Pioneer Valley.

Moore said the State Table Tennis Club, believed to be the oldest such organization in the U.S., was started by Ralph Naylor after World War II.

Table tennis has been an Olympic sport since 1988, and a Paralympic sport since the inaugural 1960 Summer Paralympics. There is a lot to recommend the sport, also known as ping-pong, including the camaraderie the players develop, said Moore, who has been playing the game for more than 20 years.

"It's a great way to get a low-impact cardiovascular workout," he said, "and it's a lot of fun."

Moore said there's also "cerebral element" to the game.

"It can be a mental game," he said. "To win four out of seven games, the player has to figure something out. You can be ahead and wind up losing 4-3."

[enhanced link]

Michael Arnold, a MassMutual training consultant, agrees, saying the game tests the brain.

Dr. Leon Stechenberg said he stumbled on the club 30 years ago when he embraced table tennis as a fun and challenging form of exercise and was looking for advice on where to buy equipment.

"I searched the local Yellow Pages and found a telephone listing for the Bay State Table Tennis Club," he said.

But repeated calls to the number went unanswered. Finally someone picked up at Bethesda Lutheran Church on Island Pond Road, the former location of the club. Eventually Stechenberg was able to find out that the club had moved to the synagogue.

When he learned about the club's existence and mission, Stechenberg, a vascular surgeon at Baystate Medical Center, said he was hooked.

The club operates three nights a week — Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:30 to 11 p.m., with up to a dozen matches going on simultaneously.

On a recent Thursday night, 90-year-old Frank Grimaldi, a retired public accountant,
Daniel McNeil, a Ware consultant and former high school table tennis champion, Linda Skole, former owner of Chez Josef, Westfield chiropracter Jay Maslar and his 11-year-old son Nick were among the other players working on their game.

Members show up a with their own equipment bags, packing paddles that can cost $200 and upwards a set. This is a serious game; not your average basement ping-pong pastime. Club pros are available for lessons and coaching.

Moore said the earliest location was at Smith's Billiards on Worthington Street. Other locations included the second floor of the American Legion Hall on Bliss Street, the Springfield Boys and Girls Club on Carew Street, Bethesda Lutheran Church and now B'nai Torah.

Newcomers are welcome.

Bay State Table Tennis Club:
Meeting times: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, 7:30 to 11 p.m.
Fees: Students, $4; seniors, $5; all others, $6

One man was killed and two others injured when the van they were riding in was struck from behind, and forced off I-95 near Exit 17 in Westport Saturday morning. The van left the roadway, hit a stand of trees and rolled over, killing Muhamad Bahaga of the Bronx. Two others suffered minor injuries in the crash.

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

Connecticut State Police said 32-year-old Muhamad Bahaga of the Bronx was killed in the crash when the van rolled over after hitting the trees. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the crash occurred not far from Exit 17 in the northbound lanes of I-95 just after 5 a.m.

The van's driver and another passenger were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. The driver of the car that hit the van was not injured.

The incident remains under investigation by State Police.

Firefighters responded within a minute and there was already heavy fire showing. Watch video

HOLYOKE - The Fire Department is on the scene of a large blaze at the corner of North East and East Dwight streets where an apartment block is on fire.

"There were reports that people were trapped inside," Police Lt. Michael McCoy said.
At least some people have been rescued by firefighters, he said.

Several residents have been transported by ambulance. Fire Capt. Anthony Cerruti could not say if all tenants were safely evacuated from the building.

There have been no injuries to firefighters, who continue to work to extinguish the blaze.

"I was sleeping and I smelled the smoke. I opened the door and saw black smoke pouring up," said Carlos Diaz, whose apartment is on the fifth floor.

The fire was so intense he burned his hand when he tried to open his door. He had to escape through a second door and bolted down five flights of stairs to get out of the building, he said.

The fire started at about 8:50 a.m. Sunday. Firefighters responded within a minute and they could already see heavy fire coming from the structure, McCoy said.

The building is a five-story apartment block. It was not immediately known how many people live there, he said.

Police are on the scene assisting the Fire Department. Multiple streets around the area are blocked off. People are being asked to avoid the area, he said.

There are dozens of people displaced from the fire. Many residents escaped in their pajamas on the New Year's Day holiday. Many who did not have coats were standing outside watching the firefighters extinguish the blaze.

The American Red Cross is working with the city and has opened the Veterans War Memorial Building on Appleton Street and Dr. Marcella Kelly School on West Street to help those displaced from the fire, McCoy said.

Michael Arroyo and his stepbrother Wilfredo Lopez escaped from the second floor apartment. He woke up to see black smoke seeping into his apartment and the quickly woke up Lopez.

His stepbrother escaped with no shoes and was standing on the pavement in his bare feet. Eventually Arroyo was able to find him some shoes and socks.

"I just ran out and I lost everything," Arroyo said.

The top three floors on the front portion of the building are burned completely through and flames are shooting out the roof. There is substantial damage on the rear porches and on many of the apartments facing North East Street.

This is a developing story. Updates will be published on MassLive.com as additional information becomes available.

Reporter Dave Canton co-wrote this story.

The vessel was carrying more than 230 people from Jakarta's port of Muara Angke to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain, when it caught fire, officials said.

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- At least 23 people were killed and 17 others were missing after a ferry caught fire Sunday off the coast of Indonesia's capital, officials said.

The vessel was carrying more than 230 people from Jakarta's port of Muara Angke to Tidung, a resort island in the Kepulauan Seribu chain, when it caught fire, officials said. Most of the passengers were Indonesians celebrating the New Year's holiday, according to local media reports.

Seply Madreta, an official from the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency, said the fire gutted around half the vessel. He said that about 22 injured victims were rushed to hospitals, and that 23 bodies had been recovered.

Twenty bodies that were found inside the vessel were burned beyond recognition and were transferred to a police hospital for identification, said Col. Umar Shahab of the Jakarta police's health department.

A search involving around 10 ships was underway to find those who were missing, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency said.

Witnesses told MetroTV that the fire broke out about 15 minutes after the ferry left Muara Angke.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Some passengers told local media that they first saw smoke coming from the ferry's engine.

TV footage showed people in the water with the ferry in flames in the background. A woman in the water can be heard screaming "Ya Allah! Ya Allah!" or "Oh God! Oh God!"

Another woman told the TV station that she and other passengers were rescued by a small boat.

Despite officials saying that more than 230 people were aboard the ferry, the manifest showed that only 100 were registered as passengers, along with six crewmen, said Denny Wahyu Haryanto, head of the Jakarta Disaster Mitigation Agency. He said the vessel's captain was under police investigation over the incident.

Ferry accidents are common in Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation, with more than 17,000 islands. Many accidents are blamed on lax regulation of boat services.

A serious crash on Interstate 495 in Hopkinton has closed the right lane on the northbound side of the highway.

UPDATE: All lanes were opened at 11:20 a.m.

A serious crash on Interstate 495 in Hopkinton has closed the right lane on the northbound side of the highway.

Massachusetts State Police sent out a message on Twitter about the crash around 10:45 a.m. The single-vehicle crash occurred near Exit 21.

Authorities said there is a life-threatening injury in the crash, but did not release any more details.

A Lynn man was arrested on a motor vehicle homicide charge Sunday morning after police said he struck and killed a pedestrian with his car in East Boston, then was caught trying to walk away from the scene.

A Lynn man was arrested on a motor vehicle homicide charge Sunday morning after police said he struck and killed a pedestrian with his car in East Boston, then was caught trying to walk away from the scene.

Boston Police officers were called to the area of 220 Saratoga St. around 6 a.m. after receiving a report that a pedestrian was struck by a motor vehicle, according to a news release.

The male victim died at the scene. Police have not released any information about the victim.

Police identified the driver of the vehicle as 33-year-old Christopher Nalchajian of Lynn. Officers arrested him as "he attempted to walk away from the scene," police said.

Nalchajian was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident causing death or personal injury and motor vehicle homicide.

HOLYOKE— Fire ripped through a five-story apartment building at the corner of Northeast and Dwight streets New Year's Day morning, forcing dozens of people out of their homes. Most residents say they first became aware of the fire when they saw dense black smoke in hallways. Many said they immediately ran from the building to find the top floors already...

HOLYOKE— Fire ripped through a five-story apartment building at the corner of Northeast and Dwight streets New Year's Day morning, forcing dozens of people out of their homes.

Most residents say they first became aware of the fire when they saw dense black smoke in hallways. Many said they immediately ran from the building to find the top floors already engulfed in flames.

Flames consumed much of the third, fourth and fifth stories of the build and all the residents' belongings as well.

At latest report, authorities are still not sure if all residents made out of the burning building.

An estimated 49 people have been displaced from the fire. Watch video

HOLYOKE - One woman died after trying to escape from her apartment building and two more people are missing following a horrific fire in the flats section of the city New Year's morning.

Fire officials have not released the name of the woman, who was killed after jumping from the fourth or fifth floor of the building, Fire Capt. Anthony Cerruti said.

The fire was first reported at about 8:30 a.m. Sunday in a five-story apartment block at the corner of North East and East Dwight streets. Firefighters remain on the scene extinguishing the remainder of the blaze and securing the building.

Preliminary reports show 49 people from 29 different families have been left homeless, said Ron Dietrich, chief of the Auxiliary Police Department.

When firefighters arrived, Cerruti said, the scene was "total chaos." People were hanging out of windows of the upper floors of the apartment block, fire was coming from the upper windows of the North East side of the building and residents were holding blankets to catch children who were being released from windows by frightened parents.

Before the first fire engine arrived, they called for a second alarm for assistance. Firefighters who were off duty were called in and Chicopee and South Hadley fire departments were called to assist. Cerruti said.

"When they got there, on the North East (Street) side there was fire coming out of the windows on the top two floors. That is a lot of fire for an apartment block," he said.

Some firefighters entered the building, mostly to give people a chance to escape. Other firefighters used the ladder truck and rescued at least five people who were trapped on upper floors and at windows calling for help, he said.

Several residents were taken to the hospital by ambulance for treatment. Cerruti said he did not know the exact number or the nature of their injuries yet.

One firefighter also suffered a hand injury during the blaze, he said.

It took several hours to extinguish the blaze and at 1:30 p.m. the building was still smoldering.

The building inspector and others are currently examining the structure to determine if it is safe for fire investigators to enter to search the building to make sure everyone else was able to escape.

Demolition contractors are also standing by to take down part of the structure, if necessary, he said.

A warming center has been set up at the nearby Dr. Marcella Kelly School to assist the victims.

At least one person was killed and two others are missing. Watch video

HOLYOKE - When Wilson Lopez moved into his apartment November, he never expected he would be saving the lives of several of his new neighbors before he had a chance to pay his second rent check.

But early New Year's Day, he and another resident rescued two teenage girls who lived in the apartment above his and joined with other residents to catch children as frightened parents dropped them from windows while fire raged behind them.

"We were working together. We caught two kids in a blanket," Lopez said.

One woman died in the fast-moving fire in the five-story apartment block at the corner of North East and East Dwight streets in the flats section of the city, Fire Capt. Anthony Cerruti said.

Another two people are missing. Police are unsure if the people were not home when the blaze broke out at about 8:50 a.m. Sunday or if they were unable to escape the blaze, he said.

In addition a number of residents were injured and early counts have 49 residents displaced. One firefighter also suffered a hand injury while fighting the blaze, Cerruti said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The State Fire Marshal's Office is helping to investigate and the Building Inspector and demolition contractors are on the scene examining the structure of the building to ensure it is safe before firefighters enter, Cerruti said.

When firefighters arrived, the scene was "total chaos" with some people hanging out fourth and fifth floor windows calling for help, Cerruti said. The one known victim died when jumping from a fourth or fifth floor window, he said.

Lopez said he and his wife heard the fire alarms sounding from his second-floor apartment and he could hear people running from the floor above. While his wife dressed the children, who are 10, 6 and 6, he went outside and climbed the back stairs to the third floor. A woman was standing on the outside porch, saying her two children could not get out, Lopez said.

"Just when I said 'where are your kids?' they opened the window," he said.

The girls were trapped. The kitchen was on fire and they could not get near the door but the window was close to the porch, Lopez said.

A second neighbor arrived and they figured by reaching over the porch railing, the two men could grab the girls arms and drag them from the window to safety on the porch. It was fairly easy to rescue the first girl, who is about 12, he said.

But the second girl, who is in her late teens, was much bigger and she was afraid she would fall. Lopez said he just told her to grab his arms and as he dragged the girl out the window the second resident grabbed her and they were able to get her to safety.

"It was hard, she fainted when we were pulling her out," he said.

The girls and their mother were then able to escape down the back stairs. He said he later saw the mother and the younger daughter but wasn't sure if the older girl had to be treated for smoke inhalation.

"The mom just kept saying thank you for saving my children," he said.

After the rescue, Lopez said he went back to his apartment below to make sure his wife and children escaped safely. When he ran outside he was faced with another horrific scene.

"There was a woman hanging on the window and she jumped from the building," Lopez said. "They tried to give her CPR."

Cerruti later confirmed the woman did not survive.

Meanwhile other residents grabbed some blankets and were able to get a mattress and were catching people, mainly children, who were being dropped or jumped from upper windows. He with about a half-dozen other people caught two children and a woman in a blanket. A man refused to jump saying he was too heavy for them to catch.

Firefighters rescued at least five people using the ladder trucks when they arrived, Cerruti said.

Other people also relayed a scene of heavy smoke and a quick moving fire that meant they narrowly escaped.

"I was sleeping and I smelled the smoke. I opened the door and saw black smoke pouring up," said Carlos Diaz, whose apartment is on the fifth floor.

The fire was so intense he burned his hand when he tried to open his door. He had to escape through a second door and bolted down five flights of stairs to get out of the building, he said.

Michael Arroyo and his stepbrother Wilfredo Lopez escaped from the second floor apartment. He woke up to see black smoke seeping into his apartment and the quickly woke up Lopez.

His stepbrother escaped with no shoes and was standing on the pavement in his bare feet. Eventually Arroyo was able to find him some shoes and socks.

"I just ran out and I lost everything," Arroyo said.