Police are investigating three house break-ins, a motor vehicle break-in and a stolen delivery vehicle over the long holiday weekend.

AMHERST - A woman driving a food delivery vehicle had it stolen at 12 a.m. Saturday after she left the keys inside while she ran into Wings Over Amherst. 

Springfield police found the vehicle at about 10 p.m. Saturday night, according to the report. No other details are available. 

Police are also investing three break-ins all reported Saturday afternoon. The first was at 340 Amity St. and the others at 3 and 5 Hobart Lane.

Entry was gained through windows, police said. They assume windows were unlocked because the glass was not smashed.

It is unclear at this point, police said, what was taken. On Hobart Lane, belongings were strewn all about the rooms, police said.

Every school vacation, police warn students to lock doors and windows before leaving and to hide valuables because break-ins tend to increase when they are gone.

Police are also investigating a motor vehicle break-in at Southpoint apartments.

Police said that a car window was smashed and a purse snatched from the back seat early Sunday morning.

During a press conference Monday, both Mayor Alex Morse and Fire Chief John Pond said the "browned-out" engine did not impede firefighting efforts. Watch video

HOLYOKE -- In the wake of a New Year's Day fire that killed three and left dozens homeless, the state firefighters union on Tuesday called on Mayor Alex B. Morse to restore a fire engine that has been taken out of service due to budget cuts.

"The 12,000 members of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts stand with our brothers and sisters in Holyoke in grieving with the families of the three victims," Rich MacKinnon Jr., president of the state union, stated in a release issued jointly with Holyoke Firefighters Local 1693. "We call on Mayor Morse to reinstate Engine 2 immediately."

The fire department announced in December 2014 that it would occasionally shut down Engine 2, which operates out of the department's headquarters at 600 High St., during staffing shortages because of dwindling overtime funds.

During a press conference Monday, both Morse and Fire Chief John A. Pond said the "browned-out" engine did not impede firefighting efforts.

Morse, asked if there "were enough firefighters and fire trucks to handle the situation," replied "Yeah, without a doubt. I think the fire department responded within a minute. I think the biggest challenge with this fire that we could confirm was a delay in the calling of the fire."

"Brown-out did not affect the response to this fire," Pond said.

Morse said the fire department was "effectively staffed in addition to mutual aid provide by Easthampton, Chicopee and South Hadley."

The union statement, however, challenged the assertions made by Morse and Pond.

"Engine 2 -- out of service for most of two years -- is located at 600 High St., along with Engine 1 and Truck 1, and it's personnel would have had a significant impact on the fire. This is a dangerous statement to make," Chad Cunningham, president of the local union, said in the statement.

During a press conference Tuesday, Morse reiterated his comments that the additional engine would not have changed the outcome of the fire.

Morse added the presence of a sprinkler system -- which the building did not have -- would have made prevented some damage

The mayor went on to say: "This is not the time or place for politics. There are people's lives that are lost."

 

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts Business Confidence Index rose 2.3 points to 60.4 points last month. That was a full 5.1 points higher than its level in December 2015 and the highest reading since December 2004, 12 years ago.

SPRINGFIELD -- Employer confidence in the Massachusetts economy hit a 12-year high in December, according to survey results released Tuesday by Associated Industries of Massachusetts.

And President-elect Donald Trump -- with his promise to start building highways, airports, bridges and other public facilities -- is part of the reason, the statewide business group said:

"Massachusetts employers are taking the president-elect at his word that he will prioritize economic growth at the national level, especially if he is able to work with congressional Democrats on a $1 trillion infrastructure initiative," Raymond G. Torto, Chair Associated industries' Board of Economic Advisors and a lecturer, Harvard Graduate School of Design said in a prepared statement. "But employer enthusiasm is also based upon a solid economic expansion during 2016 that most analysts believe will continue in a methodical manner though the first half of 2017."

The Associated Industries of Massachusetts Business Confidence Index rose 2.3 points to 60.4 points last month. That was a full 5.1 points higher than its level in December 2015 and the highest reading since December 2004.

December's results were the fourth consecutive monthly increase in sentiment among employers in a commonwealth where the unemployment rate recently fell to 2.9 percent.

Associated Industries surveys its members each month and uses those results to figure the Confidence Index. It is on a 100-point scale, with 50 as neutral. Anything greater than 50 is positive while less than 50 is negative.

The Index reached its all-time high of 68.5 on two occasions -- in 1997 and 1998 -- and its low of 33.3 in February 2009. The index has existed since 1991.

The index has remained above 50 since October 2013.

Further detail in the report:

• Hiring: Nearly 38 percent of respondents reported adding staff during the past six months while 19 percent reduced employment. Asked about the first half of 2017, 37 percent predicted hiring and only 10 percent downsizing. The Employment Index was the only indicator to go down month-to-month, falling 0.2 points to 57.2.
• The state we're in: The Massachusetts Index assessing business conditions within the commonwealth gained 2 points to 61.8. This was  leaving it 5.5 points ahead of the same time last year.
• The United States: The U.S. Index of national business conditions was 57.5 points, up 7.5 points from a year ago. It was up 5.5 points from 52 points in November.
• Right now: The Current Index of overall business conditions at the time of the survey increased 2.2 points to 59.1.
• Come June: The Future Index, measuring expectations for six months out, rose 2.5 points to 61.7 points.
• Good company: The Company Index, reflecting overall business conditions, rose 1.4 points on the month to 60.9. It was 56.7 points a year ago.
• Making things: The BCI Manufacturing Index jumped 0.6 points during the month and 2.6 points for the year. 
• Boston vs. the rest of the state: Companies in the eastern part of the Massachusetts were slightly more optimistic at 61.4 than those in the western part of the state at 57.6.

A $5,000 reward is being offered to anyone who can provide information that can provide answers about how the fire started.

MONTAGUE - The New Year's Eve fire that destroyed a vacant mill building that formerly a Railroad Salvage location has been determined to be of suspicious origin, according to the state Fire Marshal's Office.

The fire, reported at around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, ripped through the Power Street building, and took firefighters from Montague and surrounding community hours to put out.

Investigators who went through the wreckage have detemined that the cause is considered suspicious, according to Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey.

The building was destroyed by the fire and will have to be knocked down. Fire Chief John Zellman said Powers Street remains blocked off because the remains of the building "are structurally unsound and in danger of collapse."

People are being urged to avoid the area, he said.

The building had been vacant for at least a decade, officials said.

Ostrosky said a $5,000 reward is being offered to anyone who can provide information that can provide answers about how the fire started.

"Anyone with any information about the fire is asked to confidentially call the Arson Hotline, anytime, at 1-800-682-9229," he said.

Facing outcry from Democrats and Republican President-elect Donald Trump alike, House GOP leaders have halted proposed efforts to change the independent Office of Congressional Ethics.

Facing outcry from Democrats and Republican President-elect Donald Trump alike, House GOP leaders have halted proposed efforts to change the independent Office of Congressional Ethics.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who along with Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., opposed a Monday night amendment including the changes, offered a motion Tuesday to restore the current OCE rules, which was accepted by the GOP conference, Politico reported.

The amendment, which was included in a broader rules package, sought to weaken the Office of Congressional Ethics and place it under the oversight of lawmakers on the House Ethics Committee.

House Republicans' move away from the proposed changes came shortly after Trump took aim at GOP lawmakers for focusing on gutting the independent ethics arm instead of tax overhauls, health care and other policies "of far greater importance."

President-elect Donald Trump questions GOP-led Congress' focus on ethics changes

"With all that Congress has to work on, do they really have to make the weakening of the Independent Ethics Watchdog, as unfair as it...may be, their number one act and priority," he tweeted. "Focus on tax reform, healthcare and so many other things of far greater importance!"

Members of Massachusetts' congressional delegation joined the incoming president in blasting the proposed change.

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, called the proposed ethics changes "shameful," and contended that "Americans deserve better."

"GOP's secretive action to weaken ethics panel makes Congress less accountable to the American people. So much for draining the swamp," he tweeted Tuesday.

McGovern, who later noted that Republicans were holding an emergency huddle over the proposed ethics changes, urged constituents to "keep calling and speaking out."

"GOP now scrambling after action to gut ethics panel," he wrote. "Keep calling and speaking out. It's working. We can't let them get away with this."

GOP now scrambling after action to gut ethics panel. Keep calling and speaking out. It's working. We can't let them get away with this. https://t.co/oAECt2oJ2y

-- Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) January 3, 2017

U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, meanwhile, contended that by supporting the ethics amendment, as well as a proposed punishment to lawmakers who livestream from the chamber floor, House Republicans were "sending a dangerous message: they will do the bidding of special interests, ignore the will of Americans and be accountable to no one."

"Democrats will defend the People's House. We will speak up for American families. We will not back down to bullies," she said in a Tuesday statement. "No punishment or rules change will keep me from speaking out and standing up to extremists who promise to take our country backward."

Congressman Joe Kennedy III, D-Brookline, tweeted that "undermining independence and transparency of Congressional Ethics behind closed doors will only weaken accountability to American people."

Undermining independence and transparency of Congressional Ethics behind closed doors will only weaken accountability to American people.

-- Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) January 3, 2017

Massachusetts' senators also took aim at the proposed changes.

"1st order of 'business' for #GOP: vote in secret to gut independent ethics panel. So much for draining the swamp," U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., tweeted Tuesday, taking a swipe at Trump's campaign trail pledge to crack down on corruption in Washington D.C.

1st order of 'business' for #GOP: vote in secret to gut independent ethics panel. So much for draining the swamp. https://t.co/YxRuDMmRCf

-- Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) January 3, 2017

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., meanwhile, blasted the House GOP-backed proposal -- particularly how it would impact Congress' ability to hold the incoming president accountable for any possible conflicts of interest -- in a series of tweets.

"@realDonaldTrump still hasn't announced plans for his business empire while falsely claiming the president can't have conflicts. Trump's cabinet of billionaires & CEOs have ignored gov ethics rules & dragged their feet on FBI background checks & financial disclosures," she wrote. "And now the @HouseGOP is gutting its ethics office in the middle of the night - hours before the new Congress is sworn in."

House GOP 'gutting' ethics office as Donald Trump's nominees drag feet on background checks, Sen. Elizabeth Warren says

"Tell us, @GOP: Who, exactly, thinks that the problem with Washington is that we have too many rules requiring the gov to act ethically?" Warren added.

Tell us, @GOP: Who, exactly, thinks that the problem with Washington is that we have too many rules requiring the gov to act ethically?

-- Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) January 3, 2017

House Democrats created the Office of Congressional Ethics in 2008 after three separate bribery cases involving a Louisiana Democrat, a California Republican and an Ohio Republican.

A religious group that at one time had more than 300 members in Hancock and more around the nation are now down to two surviving members.

A religious group that at one time had more than 300 members in Hancock and more around the nation are now down to two surviving members.

Sister Frances Carr died at 89 years old after a brief battle with cancer, according to the AP.

The Shakers are also known as the United Society of Believers in Christ's Second Appearance. They live a communal, agrarian lifestyle that combines worship, hard work and simple living. But the group began declining because members, who are celibate, stopped taking orphans like Carr, who arrived as a 10-year-old, according to the AP.

Carr was part of the only remaining active community at Sabbathday Lake, Maine.

The Hancock Shaker Village in Massachusetts began in the late 1780s and is still available for tours and weddings today, according to their website.

The religious group sold the land in 1959, "to a local group committed to preserving the Shaker heritage," the website said. There are still 20 authentic buildings, a working farm and significant collections of Shaker furniture and artifacts.

Related Photos: Hiley-Pacala wedding at Hancock Shaker Village

 

A number of residents are reporting a pop-up window that warns of the virus and requires credit card payments to "disable" it.

Conor Berry | cberry@repub.com 

A number of residents are reporting a pop-up window that warns of the virus and requires credit card payments to "disable" it.

Sgt. Daniel Valadas said one of the victims made "significant" payments to the scammers.
Those who receive such solicitations are asked to call Internet provider.

"Residents should be very suspicious of these type of online requests for any type of monetary payments," Valadas said.

Smokey Joe's Cigar Lounge prepares to open at new site in downtown Springfield after its smoking permit renewal was rejected by the city.

SPRINGFIELD — Smokey Joe's Cigar Lounge, which closed New Year's Eve at the McIntosh Condominiums building on Chestnut Street after its smoking permit renewal was rejected by the city, is moving to a nearby building on Dwight Street.

Thomas Rooke, a lawyer representing Smokey Joe's owners, said Tuesday that the lounge closed Dec. 31, at midnight, when its permit expired. The business is moving to a second floor location at 395 Dwight St., formerly the location of the Oz nightclub, under a lease agreement.

"We are looking forward to a successful year at our new location," Rooke said. "We hope to have a grand opening by Feb. 1."

The building also houses the Mardi Gras Strip Club.

Health Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris rejected Smokey Joe's 2017 smoking permit at its former location, saying she was convinced by public testimony and documents that the business posed a potential hazard to public health for residents in the building. Members of the McIntosh Condominiums Association urged the permit denial.

Smokey Joe's is a private smoking club that had tried unsuccessfully to get a liquor license last January, rejected by the License Commission by way of a 2-2 tie vote.

"We're happy to move forward and put the unfortunate incident of the McIntosh Condominium Association behind us," Rooke said. "And we wish them well."

A cigar retail shop will also close at the McIntosh building in two weeks to relocate at the new site. There are significant renovations under way, Rooke said.

In early December, Rooke said the club was considering legal action in response to the Health Department's decision not to renew its permit. That is no longer being threatened.

"There are no plans to pursue legal action against any parties involved in our smoking permit not being renewed," Rooke said.

Caulton-Harris had stated there was cigar smoke odors migrating from the lounge to the residential condominiums in the upper floors. There are no apartments at the new location, Rooke said. Hearings were held after there were complaints filed by residents.

The business owners are listed as Joseph and Toni Hendrix.

The smoking permit had allowed smoking by all club members and their guests.

Rooke said the members of the club from the Chestnut Street location will transfer to remain members at the new location.

Police made multiple OUI and warrant arrests in the days leading up to Christmas 2016.

WILBRAHAM -- A gun-carrying man was arrested for driving drunk this holiday season, according to the Wilbraham Police Department, which has published a new batch of arrests on its Facebook page.

Alexander Lee, 22, of Monson, "was carrying a firearm while under the influence of alcohol and was charged accordingly," police said.

Officer Mark Shlosser, responding to a report of an erratic driver, stopped the suspect vehicle on Tinkham Road shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Dec. 24. A motorist dialed 911 after spotting a pickup truck crossing double-yellow lines, jumping curbs, and almost hitting a mailbox on Tinkham Road, according to audio archives of the police dispatch call.

A handgun was reportedly found during the traffic stop. That prompted officers to request a firearms check from dispatch, which reported that Lee was the registered owner of a .480-caliber gun. He was taken into custody.

Other recent police activity included multiple OUI and warrant arrests.

Officer Christopher Rogers stopped a car on Boston Road after a registration check showed the owner had an active arrest warrant. As a result, John Chapman 54, of Springfield, was taken into custody around 3:45 p.m. on Dec. 16.

Officer James Gagner almost became the victim of a head-on collision on Stony Hill Road, managing to dodge, then pull over the oncoming vehicle just after 2 a.m. on Dec. 18. The driver, 21-year-old Vitor Blanco of Springfield, was charged with OUI-liquor and negligent operation and received a ticket for a marked-lanes violation.

Around 12:20 a.m. on Dec. 19, Officer Shlosser stopped a vehicle for allegedly failing to active its headlights. Shlosser noticed the car had been in a crash that caused front-end damage and both air bags to deploy, police said. The driver, 39-year-old Ronald Rakaska of Ware, "stated he did not know where the crash scene was," said police, who subsequently charged him with OUI-liquor and negligent operation.

Later that afternoon, Officer Justin Wall stopped Naquan Murry, 23, of Springfield, "for not having a current inspection sticker," police said. Murry was found to have a warrant for his arrest and was taken into custody around 3:42 p.m. Officer Daniel Ryan assisted.

Later that night, Officer Sean Casella stopped a vehicle "for having an expired inspection sticker," said police, who didn't cite a location for the 11:52 p.m. traffic stop. Subsequent investigation revealed the driver, 32-year-old Angel Perez of Indian Orchard, Springfield, was under the influence of alcohol and drugs, according to police, who charged him with negligent operation and second-offense OUI.

His passenger, 22-year-old Natasha Krassler of Chicopee, was arrested because she had a warrant for her arrest, police said.

Just after 9:30 p.m. on Dec. 20, Officer Christopher Rogers stopped a vehicle on Stony Hill Road. The driver, Karissa Rogers, whose age and address were not immediately available, was taken into custody on an arrest warrant.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

HOLYOKE - Officials on Tuesday identified the third fatality in Sunday's apartment building fire as Trevor R. Wadleigh, 34, of Easthampton.

Wadleigh's body was found Monday in the wreckage of the 5-story building at 106 North East St. The identification was delay until his family could be notified.

Two other people, Maria Cartagena, 48, and Jorge Munoz, 55, both of Holyoke were also killed in the fire.

A total of 49 people were left homeless.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by Holyoke Fire and Police Departments and the Massachusetts State Police assigned to both the Office of the State Fire Marshal and the Office of Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni.

This is a developing story and more information will be added as it is known.

The Department of Public Health is considering changes related to monthly marijuana supplies, testing labs, growing and the registration of health care facilities.

BOSTON -- Proposed changes to Massachusetts' medical marijuana regulations aim to make it easier for patients in hospice care to access medical marijuana. But patient advocates say the new rules will not address the fact that the process takes too long and would not help patients who are being cared for at home.

"Hospice patients are literally out of time," said Elizabeth Dost, clinical director for the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance, which represents medical marijuana patients. "The patient's average length of stay (in hospice) in Massachusetts is 35 to 45 days. By the time they access cannabis, they are often deceased."

Four years after Massachusetts voters legalized medical marijuana, nine dispensaries have opened. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is considering a range of changes to program regulations meant to streamline processes, clarify language and improve patient access and public safety. A public hearing in Boston Tuesday on the new regulations drew attention to challenges patients face with the program, both under the current rules and under the proposed changes.

"Four years after the institution of the laws, we still wait for safe access with only nine dispensaries being opened," Dost said. "The medicine is expensive and often cost-prohibitive."

Under DPH's proposed rules, certified nurses, not just doctors, would be able to sign off on a patient's use of medical marijuana.

The current rules define a 60-day supply of medical marijuana as 10 ounces. But there is little scientific evidence backing up that number, and the new rules would let a doctor define a 60-day supply as less than that.

The proposed rules would let a medical facility -- like a hospice provider or nursing home -- become registered to offer medical marijuana, whereas today only a particular employee can apply to be a prescriber.

The new rules would maintain the current structure of independent testing labs, but would require labs to only test marijuana from registered medical dispensaries -- not, for example, marijuana grown by a patient or caregiver.

Other proposals relate to allowing more flexibility in a marijuana facility's security system, allowing cultivation from clones and not just seeds, allowing nonorganic cultivation and letting dispensaries post price lists on their websites.

There has been dissension over the proposed changes to the 60-day supply. Peter Bernard, president of the Massachusetts Grower Advocacy Council, said the state should leave the possession limit alone.

"Ten ounces might be a lot to some people, but when you talk about people with epilepsy or people with cancer or people that need highly concentrated forms of cannabis ... it takes a lot more than that 10 ounces to produce a 60-day supply," Bernard said.

Bernard said there is not enough scientific or medical data for a doctor to know an exact dosage. It depends on patients' tolerance and reactions and on the particular crop, he said.

Jeremiah MacKinnon, co-founder of the Cannabis Society of Massachusetts, said keeping the 10-ounce limit ensures patients get "equitable treatment." He said most patients do not buy that amount anyway because of high prices. The proposed change, he said, would also create a legal disparity, since possession of less than 10 ounces of marijuana is now legal under Massachusetts' new recreational marijuana law.

But Jordan Tishler, a doctor specializing in medical marijuana, said he would "welcome the ability to limit amount of the cannabis (patients) can buy."

Now, Tishler said, dispensaries have a financial incentive to get patients to purchase more marijuana, and he has had patients who have trouble regulating their own use. "The current system encourages overuse," Tishler said.

Patient advocates also criticized the proposed rule limiting labs to testing for dispensaries and not for patients. MacKinnon said that increases the risk that patients who grow their own marijuana or buy it on the street will be exposed to mold or other contaminants or will not properly understand the drug's potency.

"It would present public health and safety dangers," MacKinnon said. "DPH shouldn't deny patients and caregivers access to a regulated testing service."

Maggie Kinsella, a medical marijuana patient who works for the Northeastern Institute of Cannabis, said creating obstacles to patients to testing their medicine "can put their life at stake."

"The variance in cannabis is too broad for patients to trust a product sold at a dispensary," Kinsella said.

Patient advocates also asked state public health officials to go further than is proposed by the current rule changes. Nichole Snow, executive director of the Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance, said the state should drop a $50 fee for patient registration cards, which she said causes financial hardship for some patients. She suggested streamlining the process for terminally ill hospice patients who cannot wait three to six weeks after filling out paperwork to get marijuana. The current system, she said, "is inhumane."

A second public hearing will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Holyoke Community College Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development.

The Department of Public Health will consider testimony from both hearings before releasing final rules.

Longmeadow police arrested Johnny Melendez, 27 of Springfield and Kassidi Ramirez, 19, of West Halifax, Vt., after the two allegedly broke into 17 cars, and stole one early Saturday morning.

LONGMEADOW — Police in Longmeadow charged two men in connection with a string of New Year's Eve car break-ins, that led to the suspects' arrest following a multi-department search for one who fled.

Johnny Melendez, 27, of Springfield, was charged with larceny of a motor vehicle, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, larceny over $250, receiving stolen property and 17 felony counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle at night, Longmeadow Police Department Lieutenant Robert Stocks said.

Kassidi Ramirez, 19, of West Halifax, Vermont was charged receiving stolen property and 17 felony counts of breaking and entering a motor vehicle at night time, Stocks said.

Police first received a 911 call at about 2:30 a.m. Saturday, when a caller on Farmington Avenue reported his car been broken into, and items were missing, Stocks said. He told police he saw two men in the area.

A second call came in at about 4:40 a.m. from a Longview Drive resident, who reported seeing someone break into and drive away in his BMW.

When Sergeant William Albano and Officer Kevin Rowley and Officer Eric Chapdelaine responded to the call, Albano passed a Toyota Prius being followed by a BMW fitting the description, Stocks said.

Albano stopped the cars head-on, but Melendez threw the BMW into reverse, speeding backwards down Summit Avenue, until he crashed the stolen car into a traffic island, according to police.

Melendez fled into a wooded area, leading Longmeadow police to call in K9 unit handler Officer Amanda VanBuskirk, as well as nearby State Police Department troopers to search for him, Stocks said. About a half-hour later, police arrested him on Route 5, where he was trying to flee on a stolen bicycle.

When police interviewed Ramirez, he explained to police that he is recently homeless, and Melendez suggested they make some quick money breaking into cars in Longmeadow, Stocks said.

"He said 'hop in the car, we'll go to Longmeadow, those people don't lock their cars,'" Stocks said. "We're not here to blame the victims, we're just stressing the point that people should lock their doors."

In all, 17 cars were broken into, and police recovered stolen property including iPods, sunglasses, wallets and other items, according to police. Detectives have not matched all stolen items to their owners, and encourage people who believe their car may have been broken into on Saturday to contact the Longmeadow Police Detective Bureau at (413) 567-3311.

Benjamin Strepka replaces Joel McAuliffe who resigned to take a job with Sen. Eric Lesser.

CHICOPEE - A Parks and Recreation employee has been hired as the special projects manager for Mayor Richard J. Kos.

Benjamin Strepka, who began work on Tuesday, will replace Joel McAuliffe, who worked for Kos for three years before resigning at the end of the year. McAuliffe is now working as district director for Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow.

Strepka is a 2008 graduate of Chicopee High School and 2013 graduate of the Isenberg School of Business at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has worked for the maintenance department at the Parks and Recreation Department for the past three years, Kos said in writing.

"I am excited to bring Benjamin on as part of my staff," Kos said. "He is dedicated to improving our city and I look forward to working with him to keep the city informed."

Strepka joins two staff members in Kos' office. John Beaulieu serves as chief of staff and Janet Olbrych is the staff assistant.

"I want to thank Mayor Kos for this incredible opportunity to work for his office and the city," Strepka said. "I am honored and excited to begin work as we continue to make the city better every day."

MIlton Galarza said Wadleigh woke him up and told him to head for a window. Moments later he watched Wadleigh be swallowed by flames. Watch video

Just hours earlier, Milton Galarza, his girlfriend and friends had celebrated the start of what was supposed to be a happy new year.

Instead he woke up to disaster and tragedy.

"I woke up and we were already covered by fire," he said. "Thanks to God we are alive."

A resident of the 4th floor at 106 North East St., the 5-story apartment building that on Sunday was destroyed by fire, Galarza that in the span of a few moments, he lost his home of the last 18 months, and all of his possessions, those of his girlfriend, and those belonging to their unborn child.

And his friend and co-worker, Trevor R. Wadleigh, was dead.

"I've lost everything," he said. "I lost my friend."

Wadleigh, 34, of Easthampton, was identified yesterday by the office of Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, as the third victim of the New Year's Day fire.

Two other victims, Maria Cartagena, 48, and Jorge Munoz, 55, both of Holyoke were identified previously.

Galarza was one of several dozen people who turned out at the Holyoke War Memorial Building Tuesday morning. The common thread in their lives is that their home was now destroyed.

The War Memorial was scene of a disaster recovery center coordinated effort by the city of Holyoke, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, the American Red Cross and other agencies, to get assistance to the people affected by the fire.

Tables, staffed by people from different service agencies, were set up in the auditorium, helping people with such things as finding new housing, clothing, and food to replacing lost documents and identification cards.

"If there is anything you need, we'll be here all day," said Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse. "And if we need to, we'll be here tomorrow."

According to the city, 49 people were left homeless in the fire.

The cause remains under investigation by the Hampden District Attorney, state Fire Marshal's office and Holyoke Fire Department.

Galarza said he and Wadleigh worked together at Riff's Joint, a restaurant in Easthampton and Turners Falls. He said that recently Wadleigh had been staying with he and his girlfriend at the North East Street apartment.

He said he and his family owe their lives to Wadleigh.

It was he who shook Galarza awake and told him the floor was on fire. By this time there were flames in the apartment and a lot of smoke. Galarza describe it as looking like a scene from a disaster movie.

"It was terrible."

Wadleigh also told him to get his girlfriend and head to the window where they could get air and wait for help. Galarza said it was when they were scrambling toward the window, he Wadleigh become consumed by flames.

Galarza said he and his girlfriend clung desperately to the window while waiting for the fire department ladder to reach them

"We got into the widow and stayed there. I stayed there with my girl," he said. Thank God the firefighters rescued us from the window," he said.

Morse said the recovery center was intended to assist the 25 families with any help they need to get their lives back on track.

Many have already been placed in new apartments but there are a handful still in need of permanent housing, he said. Others need clothing, food for their children, and replacement furniture or beds and box springs to sleep on.

"We're helping with all their needs," he said.

Morse also announced the creation of Mayor's Fire & Emergency Relief Fund to assist with supporting the critical needs of families affected by the fire.

Donations can be made in person or by mail with a check made out to: Mayor's Fire Relief Fund, 536 Dwight St., Holyoke, MA 01040.

There is also a Gofundme account set up by the city.

As of Tuesday afternoon, it had raised $39,000 toward it's $100,000 goal.

Despite a bitter race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, are expected to attend the president-elect's inauguration later this month.

Despite a bitter race between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, are expected to attend the president-elect's inauguration later this month.

Aides to the Clintons told various media outlets Tuesday that the two Democrats will attend the Republican's inaugural swearing in ceremony on Jan. 20.

Hillary Clinton had reportedly discussed whether she should attend the inauguration with trusted advisers and friends in recent weeks, before deciding she and her husband would go "out of a sense of duty and respect for the American democratic process," sources told New York Magazine.

Trump beat the former first lady by an electoral college margin of 304 to 227 votes to win the White House, despite the Democrat holding a 2.8 million advantage in the popular vote. 

Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush, meanwhile, are also slated to attend the event, officials said in a Tuesday statement.

"President and Mrs. George W. Bush will attend the 58th Presidential Inauguration Ceremony on January 20, 2017, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.," the former president's office wrote. "They are pleased to be able to witness the peaceful transfer of power - a hallmark of American democracy - and swearing-in of President Trump and Vice President (Mike) Pence."

As of late-December, Jimmy Carter was the only living former president who had agreed to attend the event.

Reports: Jimmy Carter only former president to RSVP to Trump's inauguration

The 92-year-old Democrat who had endorsed Hillary Clinton's White House run, announced during his Sunday school class that he would attend the 2017 inauguration, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

George H.W. Bush, 92, had confirmed he will not attend Trump's inauguration due to his age, the former president's spokesman said last month.

Trump will be sworn-in as the 45th president of the United States at the U.S. Capitol on Friday, Jan. 20, before participating in the parade down Pennsylvania Avenue.

In total, the inaugural parade will include more than 8,000 participants representing 40 organizations. Each branch of the U.S. military will also be represented at the event.

The president-elect will kick off his official inaugural events on Thursday, Jan. 19 with a wreath laying at Arlington National Cemetery followed by a "Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration" concert at the Lincoln Memorial.

Agawam police officer Gary Nardi, 45, of Ludlow, was indicted by a Hampden Superior Court grand jury on three counts of larceny over $250.

SPRINGFIELD — An Agawam police officer has been indicted for allegedly stealing more than $10,000 from the Agawam Police Patrolman's Association, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Tuesday.

Gary Nardi, 45, of Ludlow, was indicted on Friday by a Hampden Superior Court grand jury on three counts of larceny over $250. He will be arraigned in Hampden Superior Court at a later date.

"We allege that this police officer abused his position as union treasurer by stealing funds in order to pay his personal bills," Healey said. "We will prosecute those who abuse their position of trust for personal profit."

Healey's office began an investigation in May. Since then, Nardi has been on paid administrative leave by the police department.

From 2011 through May 2016, Nardi was treasurer of the Agawam Police Patrolman's Association, where he was responsible for managing financials, according to the attorney general's office. The union is funded by monthly dues from members.

Authorities allege that Nardi stole the money through three different schemes. In the first, he allegedly took cash from the union by withdrawing funds from an ATM without authorization. In second, he allegedly paid his own bills using money from the union without authorization. In a third scheme, authorities allege Nardi wrote checks to himself from the union's bank account without authorization.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Vasiliades of Healey's Criminal Bureau. The investigation was handled by Sallyann Nelligan, director of Healey's Financial Investigations Division, and state police assigned to the AG's office.

U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal touted President-elect Donald Trump Tuesday for announcing Robert Lighthizer as his pick for United States Trade Representative,

U.S. House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal touted President-elect Donald Trump Tuesday for announcing Robert Lighthizer as his pick for United States Trade Representative,

Contending that the country's trade policies "are in need of reform, with a refocus on the American worker," the Springfield Democrat stressed that Lighthizer's nomination "could signal a welcome move in a new direction for the Republican Party."

Neal, however, acknowledged that some GOP lawmakers could push back against Trump's pick.

"Bob Lighthizer is a knowledgeable trade lawyer and a skilled negotiator. He has rejected the rigid ideological mantra of 'free trade' that most Republican leaders have blindly embraced, regardless of the consequences for the American middle class," Neal said in a statement. "His nomination could signal a welcome move in a new direction for the Republican Party, if he is able to overcome the resistance he is likely to face within his party."

Trump announced his intent to nominate Lighthizer, who served as deputy U.S. trade representative under President Ronald Reagan, early Tuesday.

Who's in Donald Trump's cabinet? Meet the president-elect's nominees

In his new role, Lighthizer would work closely with Secretary of Commerce-designate Wilbur Ross and Peter Navarro, head of the newly created White House National Trade Council, on policies that aim to shrink the country's trade deficit, improve economic growth and strengthen the United States' manufacturing base, according to transition officials.

Trump added that "Lighthizer is going to do an outstanding job representing the United States as we fight for good trade deals that put the American worker first."

"He has extensive experience striking agreements that protect some of the most important sectors of our economy, and has repeatedly fought in the private sector to prevent bad deals from hurting Americans," the president-elect said in a statement. "He will do an amazing job helping turn around the failed trade policies which have robbed so many Americans of prosperity."

Lighthizer, in turn, called Trump's nomination "a very high honor," and stressed that he is "fully committed to President-elect Trump's mission to level the playing field for American workers and forge better trade policies which will benefit all Americans."

The Senate must confirm Lighthizer's nomination.

The structure fire was reported at 3:12 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, at 62 Stony Hill Road.

HAMPDEN — Crews from the Hampden Fire Department and other area departments were battling a house fire on Stony Hill Road late Tuesday afternoon.

The structure fire was reported at 3:12 p.m. at 62 Stony Hill Road, a residence located on the west side of the road between Sessions and Circle View drives. A Hampden police SUV blocked Stony Hill and rerouted traffic down Circle View.

"The house is fully engulfed," a Hampden dispatcher said.

AMR and firefighters from East Longmeadow, Wilbraham, Monson and Somers were also dispatched to the call.

Pedestrians stood in the rain and watched as fire vehicles filled Stony Hill Road between Sessions and Circle View drives. Police were not letting anyone past the corner of Stony Hill and Circle View.

This developing story will be updated as information becomes available.

MAP showing approximate location of fire:

the former tax collector is accused of taking taxpayer cash payments without depositing those payments into the town bank account. Thompson would cover up the thefts by using other taxpayer monies to pay off the stolen funds.

SPRINGFIELD -- Former Blandford tax collector LeeAnn Thompson has been indicted on charges in connection with her alleged theft of more than $150,000 from taxpayers.

Thompson, 47, now a resident of North Chelmsford, was indicted on Friday by a Hampden County grand jury on one count of embezzlement by a public officer, one count of larceny over $250 and one count of use of an official position to secure an unwarranted privilege, according to a news release issued Tuesday by the office of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

Thompson will be arraigned in Hampden Superior Court at a later date.

The Attorney General's Office began an investigation in 2014, with the state Inspector General's Office joining that investigation in 2016, according to the release.

Thompson was the tax collector for the town of Blandford from 2002 to 2011, according to the release. Investigators allege that from 2006 to 2011, Thompson stole more than $150,000 from taxpayers and the town.

She is accused of taking taxpayer cash payments without depositing those payments into the town bank account. Officials say Thompson would cover up the thefts by using money from other taxpayers to cover for the stolen funds.

Further investigation revealed that Thompson allegedly took cash payments, used escrow checks to pay off stolen funds, gave credit to taxpayers without having money to back up the credit, and took payments from town taxpayers without applying monies to their taxes, according to the release.

The town discovered the scheme when Blandford's new tax collector requested a report to account for missing money. Later, the town employed a forensic auditor, who further uncovered more suspicious activity, according to Healey's office.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth Vasiliades of Healey's Criminal Bureau and Assistant Attorney General Jim O'Brien of  Healey's White Collar and Public Integrity Division. The investigation was handled by State Police assigned to the AG's Office and investigators in the Inspector General's Office.

With a current life expectancy of more than 82 years for a male Zachary Pearson's age, according to the Social Security Administration, he stands to reap around $3.3 million over his lifetime.

What could be better than getting an Xbox or a new car for Christmas? For one 19-year-old Barre resident, the answer is a gift that will keep on giving.

Zachary Pearson became the ninth grand prize winner in the Massachusetts State Lottery's "$1,000 a Week for Life" instant game after he received lottery tickets for Christmas and used the winnings to purchase more, including the grand prize winner, according to the Massachusetts State Lottery.

The winning lottery ticket was purchased at Market Place on the Common, at 6 Moulton St. in Barre.

Pearson opted to receive his prize in payments of $1,000 a week for the rest of his life before tax withholdings rather than the $800,000 cash option. With a current life expectancy of more than 82 years for a male Pearson's age, according to a Social Security Administration calculator, he stands to reap around $3.3 million over his lifetime. There is a minimum 20-year guarantee on the prize.

According to the Massachusetts State Lottery, Pearson plans to use his winnings to pay for his college tuition and a new car.

There is still one more "$1,000 a Week for Life" grand prize left in the $2 instant game.