More than 1,000 Berkshire County residents braved freezing temperatures Saturday to march against bigotry and rally around President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1941 call to ensure "four freedoms:" Freedom from fear; freedom from want; freedom of speech; and freedom of religion.

PITTSFIELD -- More than 1,000 Berkshire County residents braved freezing temperatures Saturday to march against bigotry and rally around President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1941 call to ensure "four freedoms:" Freedom from fear; freedom from want; freedom of speech; and freedom of religion.

The event, presented by the newly formed nonpartisan 4 Freedoms Coalition, brought people from across the Berkshires and Western Massachusetts together in downtown Pittsfield as part of an effort to build community connections and to speak out against hateful rhetoric and incidents of discrimination.

Taking veiled jabs at President-elect Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., told rallygoers to reaffirm their commitment to Roosevelt's four freedoms.

The senator, who contended that Martin Luther King Jr. helped build upon those freedoms with his 'dream,' warned that "there are others out there who also have 'a dream.'"

"A dream that one day our nation will be surrounded by a wall built with bigotry and hate. Their dream that one day our nation will judge you by your race, by your religion, by the country of your origin," he said. "Their dream that one day our nation will have no more Muslims, or mosques or Planned Parenthood, or Social Security. These people do not want the dream of Dr. King or President Roosevelt to be realized -- they want to see it crushed."

Markey urged Massachusetts residents to stand up against such efforts and to remain true to their revolutionary roots by fighting for the values they believe in.

"The revolution began here, in Lexington, in the Berkshires -- the American revolution. The abolitionist movement started here in the Berkshires in Massachusetts ... the movement against the war in Vietnam started here. That is who we are, that is why we matter," he said. "We are not just any state, we are the state that begins these revolutions."

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, meanwhile, cast federal entitlement programs as keeping with Roosevelt's vision of the four freedoms.

Neal, the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, told rally participants about his own experience growing up on the Social Security survivor benefit initiative, arguing that without the program, which Roosevelt signed into law, he doesn't know how his upbringing would've gone.

Contending that Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act are "bedrock guarantees that have made America a much better and more equitable place," Neal urged his constituents to remember one thing during Congress' upcoming debate over the programs: "you can outlive an annuity, you cannot outlive Social Security."

James Roosevelt, the grandson of the former president, joined other speakers in urging rallygoers to stand up and fight against what he called "an assault on each of the four freedoms."

"On the freedom of speech, we've seen the banning of the Washington Post and Buzzfeed from presidential campaign events; we've seen fake news from Breitbart to Alex Jones to RT, the Russian propaganda television network that's carried on many of our cable systems," he said. "We've seen freedom of worship attacked; for the first time in 75 years an attempt to ban people of a particular religion from this country and to create a registry of those people.

"We've seen an attack on the things that protect us from freedom from want: an attack on the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security -- they all face serious efforts to repeal, privatize and cut benefits and shift responsibility back to local governments where it was 100 years ago...And we see a serious attack on freedom from fear: From Oklahoma City to chants of 'go back where you came from;' to 'string her up,' to Orlando, to Fort Lauderdale. We are confronted by a culture of weapons and verbal assault."

It's essential, he stressed, that all Americans rally to defend democracy and the four freedoms.

Amy Pulley, who traveled from Cummington to participate in the march down North Street and rally inside the First Church of Christ on Park Square, said she believes its important for people to show support for one another -- particularly in wake of rhetoric that surfaced in the 2016 presidential election.

"I believe that the new administration is going to try and take a lot of freedoms away from us and I think as Americans it's our duty to stand up for ourselves and for others who can't stand up for themselves," she said in an interview. "Whether it be refugees, people of color, Jews -- Swastikas showed up on Mt. Tom the day after the election. There's a lot of hate out there and I think we need to stand for love."

John Cheek, a Great Barrington resident who marched in representation of Grace Episcopal South Berkshire Church, also said he was concerned about the future of the freedoms spelled out in Roosevelt's famous address.

"The election has definitely ramped up our concerns tremendously, although that's always been a concern," he said. "We have a lot of needs here in Berkshire County. I volunteer at the food pantry in Great Barrington and we give food away once a week to needy families - -there's no means test given. We see the numbers rise and fall depending on time of year and the need. There are obviously people who are falling through the cracks."

In addition to marching and listening to an array of speakers, rally attendees were encouraged to "take action" and sign up to volunteer with an array of local organizations, which hosted information tables following the event.

The Berkshire County branch of the NAACP, Berkshire Central Labor Council, Berkshire Brigades and dozens of other community organizations joined the 4 Freedoms Coalition in presenting the event.

The Iraq war veteran accused of killing five travelers and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida was charged Saturday and could face the death penalty if convicted.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- The Iraq war veteran accused of killing five travelers and wounding six others at a busy international airport in Florida was charged Saturday and could face the death penalty if convicted.

Esteban Santiago, 26, told investigators that he planned the attack, buying a one-way ticket to the Fort Lauderdale airport, a federal complaint said. Authorities don't know why he chose his target and have not ruled out terrorism.

Santiago was charged with an act of violence at an international airport resulting in death -- which carries a maximum punishment of execution -- and weapons charges.

Authorities said during a news conference that they had interviewed roughly 175 people, including a lengthy interrogation with the cooperative suspect, a former National Guard soldier from Alaska. Flights had resumed at the Fort Lauderdale airport after the bloodshed, though the terminal where the shooting happened remained closed.

Santiago spoke to investigators for several hours after he opened fire with a Walther 9mm semi-automatic handgun that he appears to have legally checked on a flight from Alaska. He had two magazines with him and emptied both of them, firing about 15 rounds, before he was arrested, the complaint said.

"We have not identified any triggers that would have caused this attack. We're pursuing all angles on what prompted him to carry out this horrific attack," FBI Agent George Piro said.

Investigators are combing through social media and other information to determine Santiago's motive, and it's too early to say whether terrorism played a role, Piro said. In November, Santiago had walked into an FBI field office in Alaska saying the U.S. government was controlling his mind and forcing him to watch Islamic State group videos, authorities said.

"He was a walk-in complaint. This is something that happens at FBI offices around the country every day," FBI agent Marlin Ritzman said.

On that day, Santiago had a loaded magazine on him, but had left a gun in his vehicle, along with his newborn child, authorities said. Officers seized the weapon and local officers took him to get a mental health evaluation. His girlfriend picked up the child.

On Dec. 8, the gun was returned to Santiago. Authorities wouldn't say if it was the same gun used in the airport attack.

U.S. Attorney Karen Loeffler said Santiago would have been able to legally possess a gun because he had not been judged mentally ill, which is a higher standard than having an evaluation.

Santiago had not been placed on the U.S. no-fly list and appears to have acted alone, authorities said.

The attack sent panicked witnesses running out of the terminal and spilling onto the tarmac, baggage in hand. Others hid in bathroom stalls or crouched behind cars or anything else they could find as police and paramedics rushed in to help the wounded and establish whether there were any other gunmen.

Mark Lea, 53, had just flown in from Minnesota with his wife for a cruise when he heard three quick cracks, like a firecracker. Then came more cracks, and "I knew it was more than just a firecracker," he said.

Making sure his wife was outside, Lea helped evacuate some older women who had fallen, he said. Then he saw the shooter.

"He was just kind of randomly shooting people," he said. "If you were in his path, you were going to get shot. He was walking and shooting."

Over the course of about 45 seconds, the shooter reloaded twice, he said. When he was out of bullets, he walked away, dropped the gun and lay face down, spread eagle on the floor, Lea said.

By that time, a deputy had arrived and grabbed the shooter. Lea put his foot on the gun to secure it.

Lea went to help the injured and a woman from Iowa asked about her husband, who she described. Lea saw a man who fit his description behind a row of chairs, motionless, shot in the head and lying in a pool of blood, he said. The man, Michael Oehme, was identified as one of the dead victims on Saturday.

Bruce Hugon, who had flown in from Indianapolis for a vacation, was at the baggage carousel when he heard four or five pops and saw everyone drop to the ground. He said a woman next to him tried to get up and was shot in the head.

"The guy must have been standing over me at one point. I could smell the gunpowder," he said. "I thought I was about to feel a piercing pain or nothing at all because I would have been dead."

Santiago had been discharged from the National Guard last year after being demoted for unsatisfactory performance. Bryan Santiago said Saturday that his brother had requested psychological help but received little assistance. Esteban Santiago said in August that he was hearing voices.

"How is it possible that the federal government knows, they hospitalize him for only four days, and then give him his weapon back?" Bryan Santiago said.

His mother declined to comment as she stood inside the screen door of the family home in Puerto Rico, wiping tears from her eyes. The only thing she said was that Esteban Santiago had been tremendously affected by seeing a bomb explode next to two of his friends when he was around 18 years old while serving in Iraq.

Santiago, who is in federal custody, will face federal charges and is expected to appear in court Monday, Piro said.

It is legal for airline passengers to travel with guns and ammunition as long as the firearms are put in a checked bag -- not a carry-on -- and are unloaded and locked in a hard-sided container. Guns must be declared to the airline at check-in.

Santiago arrived in Fort Lauderdale after taking off from Anchorage aboard a Delta flight Thursday night, checking only one piece of luggage -- his gun, said Jesse Davis, police chief at the Anchorage airport.

Four men attempted to plow the snow off of a frozen pond on Saturday afternoon--with mixed results.

EAST LONGMEADOW — Good intentions don't always lead to good results. That certainly may have been the case for four men who attempted to plow the snow off of a frozen pond in East Longmeadow on Saturday afternoon.

The men decided to drive their Ford F-350 pickup truck with an attached plow out onto the frozen waters of the Heritage Park pond, with the stated intention of clearing snow off of the ice.

The result, of course, was that the vehicle--some models of which weigh as much as 6,000 pounds--broke through the ice and began to sink, said Sgt. Daniel Manley of the East Longmeadow Police Department.

Manley said that he and other officers were called to the scene at approximately 3:51 p.m. to investigate the sinking vehicle.

"Two thirds of the truck was in the water, but only about 20 percent was actually submerged," said Manley, noting that the men were still in the truck when he arrived at the scene.

Manley said it was being debated as to whether the men would face any charges.

No injuries were suffered as a result of the incident.

A Vermont woman was taken into custody on Thursday night after driving the wrong way on I-89 near the town of Georgia, Vermont.

FAIRFIELD, Vt — A woman was arrested by Vermont State Police after a drunken episode in which she allegedly drove the wrong way on the highway, almost inciting multiple car crashes, police said, in a statement.

State Troopers were called to intercede Thursday night after multiple 911 calls came in for a Volkswagen Jetta headed the wrong direction on I-89 near the town of Georgia.

Police say that 56-year-old Patricia Guerrera, of Fairfield, was clearly over the limit and almost crashed into oncoming vehicles three times as she traveled south in the northbound lanes of the interstate.

Police say that a police officer for the city of St. Albans was headed north on I-89 at the time of the incident, and overheard radio traffic about the wrong way driver. The officer apparently encountered Guerrera's car as it headed south and he was able to safely execute a motor vehicle stop in the vicinity.

Guerrera was subsequently arrested and now faces the charges of refusing to take a blood, breath, or urine test, as well as grossly negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

She is slated to appear in Franklin County Superior Court on February 21.

Firefighters stopped a fire at a local auto repair shop in Chicopee on Saturday afternoon.

CHICOPEE — Chicopee firefighters put out a blaze at a local auto repair shop on Saturday afternoon.

Deputy Chief Daniel Dupre of the Chicopee Fire Department said firefighters responded to 926 Front Street a little after 4 p.m., where a fire had started inside the building.

Dupre said nobody was inside the building at the time of the fire but that employees in an adjacent business noticed smoke emanating from the structure and called 911.

Dupre said that no one was injured as a result of the incident, and that most of the damage was confined to a car inside the shop that had caught on fire.

The cause of the fire is not currently known and that it is still under investigation.

Richard Dumont of North Attleboro was riding a snowmobile owned by a friend and business partner on Messalonskee Lake in Oakland when it broke through the ice.

OAKLAND, Maine -- A 52-year-old Massachusetts man died Saturday after a snowmobile he was operating fell through thin ice on a lake in Maine.

Richard Dumont of North Attleboro was riding a snowmobile owned by a friend and business partner on Messalonskee Lake in Oakland when it broke through the ice, according to the state Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife. It happened shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday.

Witnesses called 911, and fire department personnel used an ice rescue sled to pull Dumont from the water. He was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

The Maine Warden Service said this is the second snowmobile-related fatality this season and it urged people to use extreme caution on any body of water.

An investigation of Saturday's accident is continuing.

A Killington Ski Resort employee was found with a head injury in one of the Skyship Gondola Lift terminals. He had apparently fallen 13 feet from a catwalk to a concrete floor below. Jeffrey Chalk was pronounced dead at the Rutland Medical Center.

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

Vermont State Police said in a written statement that Jeffrey Chalk, 53, was found lying on a concrete floor of the Skyeship Gondola's North Brook terminal late Saturday afternoon. Chalk had suffered a serious head injury and was unresponsive when his fellow employees found him. He was transported to the Rutland Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 5:33 p.m., police said.

Preliminary indications are Chalk was working alone on a metal catwalk approximately 13 feet above the concrete floor when he fell. His body will be transferred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

The incident is under investigation by the Vermont State Police and the Vermont Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

When Jaclyn Alexander returned to the United States from military service in Iraq, her war was just beginning.

This is first in a MassLive special report on the the impact of the opioid crisis on children in Massachusetts.

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When Jaclyn Alexander returned to the United States from military service in Iraq, her war was just beginning.

From an airbase nicknamed "Mortaritaville," to nerve damage in her back, to oxycodone, to morphine, to addiction. From addiction, to motherhood, to theft, to heroin, to detox and dope sickness, to recovery, to the Baystate Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where she sat holding her second daughter, quiet and calm but born dependent on the suboxone keeping her mother from relapse.

It has been, she said, a long road.

"I could not be in a better place. If you asked me a year ago if I would be right here right now I would absolutely have said no," Alexander said, amid the soft whooshes and mechanical chirps of the medical ward. "It's a phenomenal turnaround."

Alexander's baby, Ella Donna, is one of the growing number of children born dependent on opioids - what doctors call neonatal abstinence syndrome. It is a condition that requires special care, but is treatable, with approaches that have been refined as Massachusetts' addiction crisis has given the state one of the highest rates of NAS in the country.

And like the mothers of many NAS babies, Jaclyn is clean - and has been for a year. Dr. Rachana Singh, the head of Baystates' NICU, said that doctors advise mothers to enter medically assisted treatment programs and not cut heroin cold turkey, to ensure the highest chance of recovery and keep the baby stable.

While the use of medically prescribed opioids to kick heroin provides the best outcomes for babies, Singh said, it does mean that those children are born exposed to opioids - which, in about 40 percent of cases, leads to withdrawal and neonatal abstinence syndrome.

Ella Donna is a "trooper," her mother said, without the fussiness that many other NAS babies experience as a symptom. But though Alexander is proud of the life she has stitched back together, and is following her doctor's advice, her daughter's dependency still weighs on her.

"It's one thing to put yourself through it. It's heartwrenching to put a child through it," Alexander said. "You do have a lot of blame and guilt on yourself - could I have been tougher? Was I too weak?"

Alexander's path to and from the brink took her from Western Mass., across the globe and back again.

Alexander, 31, grew up in Palmer. After high school she worked at an Italian restaurant in Wilbraham, but soon felt hemmed in by her life there and its limited ambitions.

She decided to join the Army in 2007.

"I think I was just tired of working nonstop. I didn't have health insurance. I kind of wanted to go to school," Alexander said. "I wanted to get out of a small town and do something with my life, do something that could make everybody proud."

She was already experiencing some back pain by the time her unit deployed to Iraq in 2008, but it was not severe and she did not want to be left behind. She would spend 13 months working on Balad Air Base north of Baghdad - a hot zone that soldiers took to calling "Mortaritaville."

"We were mortared on a daily basis," Alexander said. "It was a pretty big target. You kind of get used to it after dealing with it every day."

The pain in her back got worse. When she was redeployed to the United States in 2009, she received an MRI and was diagnosed with nerve impingements and herniated disks.

She was stationed in Savannah, Georgia, and began receiving pain management from an off-base civilian doctor.

The solution the doctor prescribed was opioids, in heavy doses. At her peak, Alexander was taking 120 mg of oxycodone per day, including "breakthrough" doses designed to control the pain as her long-acting pills wore off.

"Looking back now I was massively overprescribed," she said. "You build up such a tolerance to oxycodone that you have to keep increasing, keep increasing."

By 2011, she knew she was addicted. She had begun snorting pills and finding extras when she ran out at the end of the month. Neither the military nor her doctor knew she had a problem, she said.

When she moved back to Massachusetts in 2012, she began seeing a Veterans Adminsitration doctor who prescribed her lower doses. But Alexander made up the difference by buying off the street, and continued using after receiving a medical discharge in 2013.

She had a daughter, Lana, while on medically prescribed morphine for her back. She tried to wean off the drug while pregnant, but the baby's heartrate spiked and Alexander began feeling withdrawal sickness, so her doctor advised her to stay on the painkillers.

Lana was born dependent and spent time in the NICU for withdrawal symptoms.

And then, when Lana was 6 months old, Alexander began snorting heroin. It was a financial decision; heroin was about 10 times cheaper per dose than oxycodone.

Her addiction began fraying her relationship with her family.

"I had significantly taken advantage of a lot of people in my life. Stolen a lot of money from my grandmother. Morally done things that were beyond anything I would ever do," Alexander said. "It was not who I am."

Her daughter's father, who was also addicted, moved to Florida, and Alexander had a realization: she was all her daughter had. She knew she had to get clean, she said.

"If something happens to me, what's going to happen to her? I couldn't shake that," she said.

Lana's second birthday was coming up, and Alexander called her father: she wanted to start detox the day after. Her father dropped her off at the VA in Northampton and she entered treatment, which began with days of withdrawal - no drugs, and consuming, shaking sickness.

It was a reminder of the cost of relapse, Alexander said. She began medically assisted addiction treatment and has not used again since; she was a year clean as of Nov. 29, she said.

Her life began turning around. Her treatment program was "amazing and supportive." She began going to support groups. And she met Matt, a fellow veteran in treatment at the VA. They began dating; he became a father figure to Lana, she became pregnant again, and they got engaged.

Ella Donna was born in December, and entered treatment at the Baystate NICU for neonatal abstinence syndrome. She is on medication, similar to what her mother takes, for withdrawal symptoms.

Alexander has been here before, after Lana's birth, which she described as "emotionally traumatic." Having her daughter taken away from her, and the fears that her condition was worse than doctors were letting on; Lana's distress as she was weaned off opioids.

Ella Donna is doing better than her sister; she is a "tough cookie," a "champ," Alexander said. And despite the struggle, the judgment and the long path to recovery, Alexander said she is grateful for where she and her daughters have ended up.

"I don't have any shame in it," Alexander said. "I could be in a lot worse place."

Nationally, the number of babies being born addicted to opioids tripled in 15 years and Massachusetts is not immune to the growing problem.

"Bye, good luck!" Dr. Leslie Kerzner yells in a cheery voice as a baby leaves the Special Care Nursery at at Massachusetts General Hospital. She also reminds them to see her again in a few months for a check up.

Kerzner is the associate director of the Special Care Nursery and specializes in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) -- a problem increasing due to the opioid epidemic.

Nationally, the number of babies born dependent on opioids tripled in 15 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 1999, NAS cases were 1.5 per 1,000 hospital births. By 2013, that number jumped to 6 per 1,000 births.

Massachusetts is no exception. In 2012, there were 12.5 NAS cases per 1,000 births. And while 2012 is the most recent data available, experts think that number has continued to increase.

"The opioid epidemic is being looked at but we're a very small fragment of that," Kerzner said, referring to NAS cases.

Caring for both the mother and baby

Kerzner said one of the biggest myths she deals with is that a mother of a baby with NAS can't be a good parent because "once an addict, always an addict."

She fights hard to prove that's not true, but, she admits, it is not easy for the mothers.

"The services are really lacking, suboptimal, across the state for our mother-baby dyad," Kerzner said.

Mothers and babies dependent on opioids can have a constant fluctuation in moods, she said, and when "you put those two together, you get a really tough dyad to work with."

But it is possible. And as Department of Children and Family services continues to struggle with the increase of children in foster care, hospitals around the state are working to keep mother and baby together.

As of June 30 there were 9,655 children in foster care and a plurality of cases reported for suspected abuse or neglect, known as 51A's, were drug allegations, according to DCF.

Plus, Kerzner added, it can be "retraumatizing" to mothers to have their baby taken away.

"That's just a cycle that really has no good end to it either. So how can we improve care to this specific population, mother and baby?" Kerzner asked.

But mothers have to be ready to enter treatment and get clean to create the best outcomes for their babies. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists does not recommend weaning off drugs during pregnancy, Dr. Rachana Singh, NICU director for almost 11 years at Baystate Medical Center said.

Treatment drugs - methadone, buprenorphine - can also lead to NAS when babies are born, but it is better for the baby than mothers experiencing withdrawal and possibly relapsing, Singh said.

"Those parents are able to provide better care for their kids. They are able to do what we call non-pharmacological care, which is breastfeeding the baby, doing a lot of skin to skin care with the baby," Singh said. "Those babies will be able to taken care of without needing more pharmacological management from us."

Babies with NAS used to have to stay in NICU for two to three months but places are working to significantly cut down that time and decrease cost. Now, Singh said, the average length of stay is 17 days.

For the first four days of the baby's life, doctors at Mass General Hospital monitor the baby closely. During that time they are treated and length of stay is based on an objective number scoring system, "not how nurses feel," Kerzner said.

In December, Mass General added four new beds so the mother can sleep next to the baby to increase breastfeeding and bonding. Kerzner said they are not specific for NAS cases, but they are given priority.

Simultaneously, doctors and nurses are working with the mothers to teach how to be a parent-- sometimes even having to teach them basic needs.

"When the baby's hungry, a non-former drug addict can tell the baby isn't acting right and maybe they're hungry," Kerzner said. "But when your brain has actually changed and it's white and gray matter, you don't think that way. You may think 'Oh, I'm not hungry so my baby's not hungry.' "

Beyond the basics, the hospital works to give the mothers confidence and show that they can do this.

One method is to give mothers whiteboards to let the nurses know their babies' preferences -- how their baby likes to be swaddled, if they like white noise or if they like the lights on or off.

"Make them the experts," Kerzner said. "So much of the time these women have so much shame and guilt and self hatred, really, they have a hard time feeling that they're taking care of anybody."

The highest risk is after the baby and mother leave the hospital because unless there are major problems, Kerzner said, nobody, including DCF, are watching them extremely closely.

In the future, Kerzner hopes there will be more residential programs, peer mentors or other options for women to get help if they need it.

For now, Kerzner continues to monitor the babies, seeing them for a full hour every couple months until they are 2. Although, she admits "sometimes it's hard for me to let go, so I see them at 2 1/2 and 3."

There is also a program for the mothers to meet with early intervention staff before they leave the hospital. She used to see mothers refuse the service because they thought they were involved with DCF. Now, the mothers can ask questions and straighten out any myths before ever going home.

All of Kerzner's programs lead back to one belief: "Give [mothers] the chance to show that they can do it."

Opioid epidemic in Massachusetts

About 10 years ago, rates of NAS in Springfield were similar to rest of country, said Singh, the NICU director at Baystate Medical Center. Now that's not the case, with NAS cases making up 10 percent of NICU patients at Baystate.

"We unfortunately are one of the higher numbers in the country," she said.

There's a similar trend across the state. At Mass General Hospital, doctors saw four NAS cases from Sept. to Dec. 2015. This year during the same time period, they saw 13 cases.

Other places, such as Boston Medical Center are seeing anywhere from 100 to 120 NAS cases.

South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth said they've been working hard on this issue, however, and saw a 7 patient decrease from 2015 to 2016.

In July, the Health Policy Commission awarded $11.3 million in investments through Health Care Innovation Program, $2,997,778 of which is going specially to NAS interventions.

The money will be used for various projects that look to improve hospital models, training and two year programs, similar to the one at Mass General Hospital.

Training and having systems in place are important, Kerzner said. This way larger hospitals can work with places closer to where patients live for long-term care.

Prognosis for children is unclear

The threat of fetal drug exposure can call to mind the "crack baby" scare of the 1980s - an ultimately unfounded panic, spread by credulous media reports, that in-utero exposure to cocaine could cause a lost generation of damaged children.

In that case, the early studies that sparked the concerns turned out to be false; there is no evidence that cocaine caused an epidemic of development problems for children, according to a long-term study of children exposed to cocaine in-utero.

For infant opioid exposure, the long-term effects are still not clear and researchers are proceeding carefully, said Dr. Veeral Tolia from Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. Research from when Australia had a similar outbreak of neonatal abstinence syndrome a decade ago suggests affected children could do worse in school, but it can be difficult to separate medical problems from environmental and social factors.

"These kids are at risk, but we don't really know the long term effects of these things," Tolia said. "We're trying to be cautious in making long term prognostications."

Even if researchers could separate environmental and social factors, other medical problems would still cloud the results.

Many of the women Kerzner sees also have a mental illness such as anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, depression, or also smoke. She said these other medications then cause their own withdrawal for the baby and that it's not uncommon for a baby to be coming off of 5 things at once. So, she said, it's hard to tell what's what.

"All these extra medications are increasing the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome because the baby is having to manage coming off more things," Kerzner said.

What is clear is that the surge in infant opioid cases places a significant burden on neonatal ICUs and is costing the state $66,700 to $93,400, according to Boston Business Journal.

A focus on mental health, education and training, could change that, Kerzner said.

"I'm about: treat the baby however you need to treat the baby, get the healthiest mother baby dyad, so that her mental health is better, her relapse rate is lower and that the baby does better," Kerzner said. "Because long term that will save way more cost than 2 days extra in my special care nursery."

Dan Glaun contributed reporting.

An autopsy conducted by the Office of the Cheif Medical Examiner on the body of Helen Jones, 89, of Arlington confirmed that she died from multiple stab wounds. her body was discovered Wednesday when a friend went to look in on her.

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

The Vermont State Police announced that an autopsy conducted by the Chief Medical Examiners' Office in Burlington confirmed that Helen Jones, 89, was stabbed several times perhaps during the commission of an armed home invasion. The cause of death is attributed to the multiple stab wounds.

Jones's body was found Wednesday night when a friend went to her home at the request of a family member. The friend found Jones and called 911.

Thre Burlington Free Press reported Saturday that state police investigators discovered evidence of forced entry into the house. State Police Maj. Glenn Hall, criminal division commander, said there have been several reports of burglaries in the area of Jones's Buck Hill Road home. Police are looking into any possible connection.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Major Crimes Unit at the Shaftsbury barrack at 802-442-5421.

Springfield state Rep. Bud L. Williams and Jesse Lederman, who will be his successor on the City Concil if Williams gives up the seat, have not always seen eye-to-eye on the issues.

SPRINGFIELD -- As state Rep. Bud L. Williams ponders whether he will remain on the City Council in 2017, the man who would automatically take his place has not always had kind words for the incumbent.

Jesse Lederman, who ran for City Council in 2015 and lost to Williams and four other at-large councilors, said Friday he stands ready to take the seat if Williams chooses to step down. Lederman would get the seat as the next highest vote-getter in the 2015 election.

"In the event he does choose to step down from the City Council, I am prepared to serve and it would be a great honor," Lederman said.

Williams has been asked multiple times by The Republican since September if he planned to give up his council seat upon his election to the state House of Representatives. He had no opponents after winning the September primary.

On Friday, Williams said that he was very busy during his first three days as state representative for the 11th Hampden District, and would wait until Monday to make a decision.

During the 2015 council campaign, Lederman criticized Williams and other councilors for failing in 2008 to block a wood-burning biomass plant in East Springfield and for accepting thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the developer's family.

Williams responded at the time: "Bud Williams is not for sale."

In addition, Lederman served as campaign chairman for Ben Swan Jr., who was Williams's top opponent in the 2016 election for state representative. Williams beat Swan 1,576-1,158.

During the campaign, Swan's campaign committee accused Williams of making erroneous claims of endorsements in a mailing and political advertisement. Lederman was quoted at the time as saying: "It is concerning that an 'experienced politician,' who is also a current public official would so readily mislead his constituents."

Williams defended his endorsement list at the time, accusing the Swan campaign of desperation and negative campaigning.

Lederman on Friday was quick to point out that he and Williams have also agreed on issues.

"There are issues we have disagreed on; there are also many issues we have agreed on, such as the police commission," Lederman said, noting that both he and Williams strongly support re-establishing of a citizen panel to oversee the Police Department.

Lederman said many people have asked him in recent weeks what is going on with the council seat.

"My response has been I can appreciate what a difficult decision this is for him to make," Lederman said. "I have also made clear that it is his decision to make and I want to be clear regardless of what his ultimate decision is, I stand ready to work with him for the betterment of the entire community."

Williams was asked after his September primary victory if he would step down from the council, and he said he would not make any decision until after the Nov. 8 election.

Fifteen of Palmieri's photographs will be on display and for sale at the Woodstar Cafe, 60 Masonic St., Northampton. Proceeds will benefit Fisher House in Amherst, where she received hospice care.

NORTHAMPTON — Photojournalist Nancy Palmieri left a lasting legacy to the Pioneer Valley, not just with her images but through her generous spirit.

"She was friends with so many people it's amazing," said Kathy Borchers, a longtime photojournalist with the Providence Journal who worked there with Palmieri from 1989 to 1992. "Everyone kind of felt that they were her best friend."

Borchers, who has been entrusted with Palmieri's archives, is preparing a tribute to her work, called "Scenes from the Valley." It will be on display at Woodstar Cafe, 60 Masonic St., Northampton for eight weeks, starting Jan. 9.

Palmieri lived in Northampton for 18 years. She died of cancer on July 18 at Fisher House in Amherst.

All proceeds from the sales of the 15 photographs that Borchers has selected for the tribute will benefit Fisher House, which provides hospice services.

Palmieri worked for the Union-News and Sunday Republican, predecessors to The Republican, in the early 1980s and the early 1990s. She went on to do freelance work in the area for the New York Times, Boston Globe, Associated Press, Smith College, Jacob's Pillow and other entities.

Borchers said Palmieri's positive outlook on life was mirrored in her work.

"She was an extremely enthusiastic person and it carried over into her photography, it was always upbeat and positive," she said.

Dave Roback, a longtime photojournalist for The Republican newspaper and its predecessors, said Palmieri had a knack for putting people at ease.

"She always made her subjects very comfortable with her ever-present smile," he said.

Behind the lens, however, behind that smile, was an accomplished professional, Roback said.

"During her time with the Springfield Newspapers, she always had beautiful pictorials, especially the silhouettes in the black and white form," Roback said, "Later on while freelancing, she was versatile, excelling at any assignment coming her way."

Borchers said Palmieri especially liked photographing animals and human interest subjects.

Those two subjects melded for Palmieri in 1984 when her photograph of a West Springfield police officer chasing a chicken in the Century Plaza won first prize in the animal category in an annual competition sponsored by the Boston Press Photographers Association. She also took home two prizes in the spot news category that year.

The chicken photograph is included in the Woodstar tribute.

The framed photo prices are $100 for framed and matted 11x14s, $150 for framed and matted 14x18s and $200 for 20x30 canvas photos.

Borchers thanked Woodstar Cafe owner Rebecca Robbins for hosting the exhibit.

"Woodstar Cafe was Nancy's favorite coffee shop in Northampton, so it's appropriate that she'll still be present there with this exhibit," she said.

Obituaries from The Republican.

The 2017 St. Patrick's Committee of Holyoke held the 63rd annual Colleen Pageant at the Holyoke High School on Saturday. The two-hour event attracted several hundred visitors despite the snowstorm.

HOLYOKE - The 2017 St. Patrick's Committee of Holyoke held the 63rd annual Colleen Pageant at the Holyoke High School on Saturday. The two-hour event attracted several hundred visitors despite the snowstorm.

Fifteen contestants were competing for the title of 2017 Holyoke Grand Colleen with four of those contestants serving as the Grand Colleen Court. The contestants were, Lara Clare McGeer, of Holyoke; Hannah Grace Kelleher, of South Hadley; Caisey Ann Lavelle, of Holyoke; Kayley Lauren Dineen, of Holyoke; Summer Jade Kaeppel, of Holyoke; Rachel Elizabeth Dearman, of Holyoke; Margaret Elizabeth Walsh, of Holyoke; Adeline Skuse, of Holyoke; Nora Elizabeth Taupier, of Holyoke; Elizabeth Julia Mercier, of South Hadley; Mimi Rose Whalen, of Holyoke; Caitlyn Marie Hoschtetler, of South Hadley; Maya Emily Birks, of Holyoke; Margaret Ann Briant, of Holyoke; and Ann Elizabeth Cavanaugh, of Holyoke.

The field of 15 contestants was narrowed down to five who will compete for the title of 2017 Holyoke Grand Colleen at the Grand Coronation Ball February 18 at the Log Cabin in Holyoke. The Grand Colleen will have her choice of a trip to Ireland for two and a $500 scholarship or forfeit the trip in return for a $3,000 scholarship, a Tavern on the Hill gift certificate, an Odyssey Bookshop gift certificate, a Colleen tiara and a Claddagh ring.

Serving as emcee for the evening was Kathy Tobin. Entertainment included the Irish Step Dancers from the Cassin Academy of Irish Dance, the Madrigal Choir, and the Holyoke Caledonia Pipe band.

The 66th St. Patrick's Parade will be held on Sunday, March 19 and the 42nd St. Patrick's Road Race will be held on Saturday, March 18. For more information visit www.holyokestpatricksparade.com.

Professional wrestling was the buzz in Enfield on Saturday night when Blitzkrieg! Pro kicked off their first 2017 show

ENFIELD - Professional wrestling was the buzz in Enfield on Saturday night when Blitzkrieg! Pro kicked off their first show of the new year. The large crowd who braved the snow were treated to match after match of excitement that made for a card to remember.

The slate of bouts were diverse and dynamic, featuring one-on-one action, tag teams, a five-man scramble and a triple threat. Regional favorites such as the Masterminds & Genius Bar joined forces with Sydney Bakabella to take on an assembled crew of DeNucci Dynasty's Ryan Malice, "The Unpredictable" Jgeorge, JustNeph, and DG Haven as well as Bryce Donovan.

A featured event of the night was teased to the public during the weeks prior promising something big and it didn't disappoint. Former WWE tag team champions Mikey and Kenny of the Spirit Squad squared off in a four-corner tag match that was truly epic.

In the main event, "Dirty Daddy" Chris Dickinson defeated Donovan Dijak.

Wawel Hall in the Old Country Banquet Facility on Alden Avenue continued to prove to be a terrific venue. For more information about Blitzkrieg! Pro wrestling, visit their website or official Facebook page.

First responders rushed to a pier in Provincetown Saturday night to recuse a fisherman who fell into the water during the height of the snowstorm.

First responders rushed to a pier in Provincetown Saturday night to recuse a fisherman who fell into the water during the height of the snowstorm.

Officials were called to the McMillan Pier around 9:41 p.m. after they received a call about a man in the water, according to Provincetown Police.

The man had fallen overboard from a docked boat and he was being pushed away from the pier because of the high winds during the storm, police said.

Provincetown Police and Fire along with the Department of Public Works, U.S. Coast Guard and the harbormaster all responded to the scene.

Firefighters were able to pluck the man from the water with the harbormaster's help. The man was taken to Cape Cod Hospital for treatment.

A Haverhill man was stabbed in the back, shoulder and forearm outside of a Cambridge club Sunday morning. Police are searching for the suspect.

A Haverhill man leaving a concert at a Cambridge nightclub Sunday morning was stabbed several times after a fight broke out, according to police.

Officers from the Cambridge Police Department were called to the Central Square area around 12:30 a.m. They learned a man had been stabbed in the back, shoulder and forearm during a fight.

The victim was taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police said the victim was leaving a concert with friends when an argument turned physical outside a club on Massachusetts Avenue.

"Additional officers arrived on-scene to disperse the altercation and speak to witnesses and involved individuals," Cambridge Police said. "At this point, a suspect has not been identified and an investigation is ongoing."

Anyone with information is asked to call Cambridge Police at (617) 349-3300.

A top Senate Republican is urging President-elect Donald Trump to defend democracy in the United States and around the world by punishing Russia for trying to interfere in the American presidential election as U.S. intelligence agencies allege.

WASHINGTON -- A top Senate Republican is urging President-elect Donald Trump to defend democracy in the United States and around the world by punishing Russia for trying to interfere in the American presidential election as U.S. intelligence agencies allege.

"He's going to be the defender of the free world here pretty soon," Sen. Lindsey Graham, a frequent Trump critic, said in remarks broadcast Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." ''All I'm asking him is to acknowledge that Russia interfered, and push back. It could be Iran next time. It could be China."

Trump has consistently refused to blame Russia in the hacks that American intelligence agencies say were directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. U.S. intelligence officials on Friday briefed the president-elect on their conclusions that the Kremlin interfered in the 2016 election in order to help him win the White House. An unclassified version of the report directly tied Putin to election meddling and said that Moscow had a "clear preference" for Trump in his race against Hillary Clinton.

Trump has repeatedly sought to downplay the allegations, alarming some who see a pattern of skepticism directed at U.S. intelligence agencies and a willingness to embrace the Russian leader. On Friday after receiving a classified briefing on the matter, Trump tried to change the subject to allegations that hadn't been raised by U.S. intelligence. "Intelligence stated very strongly there was absolutely no evidence that hacking affected the election results. Voting machines not touched!"

He then declared in a series of tweets on Saturday that having a good relationship with Russia is "a good thing, not a bad thing." Trump added, "only 'stupid' people or fools" would come to a different conclusion.

Trump had earlier urged Americans to get on with their lives. Graham retorted in the broadcast Sunday:

"Our lives are built around the idea that we're free people. That we go to the ballot box. That we, you know, have political contests outside of foreign interference."

There has been no official comment from Moscow on the report, which was released as Russia observed Orthodox Christmas.

But Alexei Pushkov, an influential member of the upper house of parliament, said on Twitter that "all the accusations against Russia are based on 'confidence' and suppositions. The USA in the same way was confident about (Iraqi leader Saddam) Hussein having weapons of mass destruction."

Margarita Simonyan, the editor of government-funded satellite TV channel RT who is frequently mentioned in the U.S. report, said in a blog post: "Dear CIA: what you have written here is a complete fail."

During the election, Trump praised the Russian strongman as a decisive leader, and argued that the two countries would benefit from a better working relationship -- though attempts by the Obama administration at a "Russian reset" have proved unsuccessful.

At the same time, intelligence officials believe that Russia isn't done intruding in U.S. politics and policymaking.

Immediately after the Nov. 8 election, Russia began a "spear-phishing" campaign to try to trick people into revealing their email passwords, targeting U.S. government employees and think tanks that specialize in national security, defense and foreign policy, the unclassified version of the report said.

The report said Russian government provided hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee and Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta, to the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. The website's founder, Julian Assange, has denied that it got the emails it released from the Russian government. The report noted that the emails could have been passed through middlemen.

Russia also used state-funded propaganda and paid "trolls" to make nasty comments on social media services, the report said. Moreover, intelligence officials believe that Moscow will apply lessons learned from its activities in the election to put its thumbprint on future elections in the United States and allied nations.

The public report was minus classified details that intelligence officials shared with President Barack Obama on Thursday.

In an interview with The Associated Press after the briefing, Trump said he "learned a lot" from his discussions with intelligence officials, but he declined to say whether he accepted their assertion that Russia had intruded in the election on his behalf.

Trump released a one-page statement that did not address whether Russia sought to meddle. Instead, he said, "there was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election" and that there "was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines."

Intelligence officials have never made that claim. And the report stated that the Department of Homeland Security did not think that the systems that were targeted or compromised by Russian actors were "involved in vote tallying."

Trump has said he will appoint a team within three months of taking office to develop a plan to "aggressively combat and stop cyberattacks."

On Saturday, he said he wanted retired Sen. Dan Coats to be national intelligence director, describing the former member of the Senate Intelligence Committee as the right person to lead the new administration's "ceaseless vigilance against those who seek to do us harm."

Coats, in a statement released by Trump's transition team, said: "There is no higher priority than keeping America safe, and I will utilize every tool at my disposal to make that happen."

Lopez, described as a former Golden Gloves boxer, was charged with murder after allegedly sucker punching a state social worker in July following a night of drinking.

These were the top stories out of Springfield District Court last week, plus a few from previous weeks. If you missed any, click on the links below to read them now.

Springfield man denies murder charge after allegedly sucker punching state social worker who later died

Springfield man registered as sex offender in Florida charged with sexual assault on New Year's Eve

Florida sex offender's bail reduced by $200,000 in Springfield assault case

Easthampton man facing bestiality charge; allegedly filmed sex act with dog

Springfield Kmart employee charged with $3,300 theft; store has lost $80,000 in 4 months

Prosecutors subpoena medical records in Martin sisters' assault case

Police: Bystanders filmed fight in Springfield's entertainment district

Springfield shooting suspect has 14 aliases, including Nick Nolte, Big Nic and Cheeze, records show

Springfield market owner wants EBT fraud charges dropped

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

The driver was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield with serious injuries, and was pronounced dead there.

AGAWAM - A driver was killed in a single-car crash at the intersection of Poplar Street and Shoemaker Lane on Friday.

Western Mass News, media partner of The Republican/MassLive, reports the driver was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield with serious injuries, and was pronounced dead there.

The identity of the victim has not been released.

The crash remains under investigation.