Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse said on Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2017 he was willing to discuss the controversial practice of browning out of Fire Department trucks, a step done to save overtime spending, but said ending brownouts won't happen immediately because they are part of a multi-step budgeting process. Watch video

HOLYOKE -- Mayor Alex B. Morse said Tuesday he was willing to discuss the brownouts of Fire Department trucks, a removal from service on certain shifts to save overtime spending, but said a change won't happen immediately because brownouts are one part of a multi-step budgeting process.

Morse spoke about brownouts and the controversy surrounding them in relation to the deadly New Year's Day fire at 106 North East St. in a video posted on his personal Facebook page Tuesday (See above).

A demonstration was held on the High Street sidewalk outside the windows of Morse's office at City Hall Tuesday. Demonstrators urged that the mayor stop the brownouts and fund all fire trucks after a fire on Jan. 1 at an apartment building at 106 North East St. killed three people and displaced 49 tenants.

'Stop brownouts' demonstration urges Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, Fire Chief John Pond to restore all fire trucks to service

In cases such as the 106 North East St. fire, it is often the mayor of a city people point fingers at, Morse said in the video.

"I understand after events like these some people look for someone to blame," Morse said.

Fire Chief John A. Pond and Morse have said the browning out of Engine 2 at Fire Department headquarters at 600 High St. didn't affect the fighting of the 106 North East St. fire.

An electrical problem in an outlet of the five-story apartment building caused the fire, officials said.

Morse said he was willing to discuss the role brownouts in the municipal budget with the City Council. The council has referred an order for such a discussion to its Public Safety Committee, with a meeting scheduled for Jan. 19, Chairman Daniel B. Bresnahan said.

But Morse said that changing the practice is unlikely to happen overnight because brownouts are one part of a process that leads to forming the municipal budget. In this case, the goal with brownouts is to limit overtime spending while maintaining "adequate fire protection," he said.

"Our city budget is a process that involves all branches of our government and over the last few years, the (City) Council and I have worked hand in hand to limit overtime spending while maintaining adequare fire protection in our community," Morse said.

Morse said in the video he had a "productive" meeting Tuesday morning with Chad Cunningham, president of Holyoke Fire Fighters Association, Local 1693,International Association of Fire Fighters, and other union officials. Cunningham has criticized Morse and Pond over the brownouts.

Deadly fire leads Holyoke union president Chad Cunningham to seek removal of Fire Chief John Pond

Cunningham said the lack of personnel with the absence of Engine 2 hindered the firefighters who were first on the scene at the 106 North East St. fire.

If Engine 2 had been in service, nine firefighters would have been first on the scene instead of just the six who were able to show up, he said.

Morse said in the video about the meeting with Cunningham that he has no interest in a political back-and-forth on issues related to the fire.

"Our residents deserve more," Morse said.

Cunningham said he disagreed that the meeting with Morse could be considered "productive."

"We began dialogue and agreed to meet again. Productive would be if we began developing answers to public safety issues we have drawn attention to. No such answers or solutions came from today's discussions," Cunningham said.

In the video, Morse said he has approved millions of dollars in spending for public safety as mayor, including $2 million a few weeks ago to improve the public safety radio network, he said.

Despite focus on the brownouts, problems with dealing with the fire at 106 North East St. included the building's alarm system malfunctioning, the building lacking sprinklers and the fire burning for several minutes before the first call to the Fire Department, he said.

Under state law, the 112-year-old, 95-room building wasn't required to have a sprinkler, though a sprinkler would be required if such a structure were built today and if such a building were renovated or its use changed, officials have said.

Morse said he will keep pushing to require that owners of such buildings install sprinklers. He also will ask the City Council to adopt an ordinance requiring that all landlords install monitored alarm systems in such buildings, he said.

Morse thanked Holyokers for their work, donations and compassion related to helping the fire victims. He again singled out the Fire Department for praise of its efforts at the 106 North East St. fire.

"Our Fire Department did an outstanding job and they should be commended for that," Morse said.

Obama's valedictory speech in his hometown of Chicago was a public meditation on the trials and triumphs, promises kept and promises broken that made up his eight years in the White House.

CHICAGO -- Conceding disappointments during his presidency yet offering vigorous encouragement for the nation's future, Barack Obama issued an emotional defense Tuesday night of his vision to Americans facing a moment of anxiety and a dramatic change in leadership.

Obama's valedictory speech in his hometown of Chicago was a public meditation on the trials and triumphs, promises kept and promises broken that made up his eight years in the White House. Arguing his faith in America had been confirmed, Obama said he ends his tenure inspired by America's "boundless capacity" for reinvention, and he declared: "The future should be ours."

His delivery was forceful for most of his speech, but by the end he was wiping away tears as the crowd embraced him one last time.

Reflecting on the corrosive recent political campaign, he said, "That potential will be realized only if our democracy works. Only if our politics reflects the decency of our people. Only if all of us, regardless of our party affiliation or particular interest, help restore the sense of common purpose that we so badly need right now."

He made no mention of Republican Donald Trump, who will replace him in just 10 days. But when he noted the imminence of that change and the crowd began booing, he responded, "No, no, no, no, no." One of the nation's great strengths, he said, "is the peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next."

Earlier, as the crowd of thousands chanted, "Four more years," he simply smiled and said, "I can't do that."

Soon Obama and his family will exit the national stage, to be replaced by Trump, a man Obama had stridently argued poses a dire threat to the nation's future. His near-apocalyptic warnings throughout the campaign have cast a continuing shadow over his post-election efforts to reassure Americans anxious about the future.

Indeed, much of what Obama accomplished over the past eight years -- from health care overhaul and environmental regulations to his nuclear deal with Iran -- could potentially be upended by Trump. So even as Obama seeks to define what his presidency meant for America, his legacy remains in question.

Even as Obama said farewell to the nation -- in a televised speech of just under an hour -- the anxiety felt by many Americans about the future was palpable, and not only in the Chicago convention center where he stood in front of a giant presidential seal. The political world was reeling from new revelations about an unsubstantiated report that Russia had compromising personal and financial information about Trump.

Steeped in nostalgia, Obama's return to Chicago was less a triumphant homecoming and more a bittersweet reunion bringing together Obama loyalists and loyal staffers, many of whom have long since left Obama's service, moved on to new careers and started families. They came from across the country -- some on Air Force One, others on their own -- to be present for the last major moment of Obama's presidency.

Seeking inspiration, Obama's speechwriters spent weeks poring over Obama's other momentous speeches, including his 2004 keynote at the Democratic National Convention and his 2008 speech after losing the New Hampshire primary to Hillary Clinton. They also revisited his 2015 address in Selma, Alabama, that both honored America's exceptionalism and acknowledged its painful history on civil rights.

After returning to Washington, Obama will have less than two weeks before he accompanies Trump in the presidential limousine to the Capitol for the new president's swearing-in. After nearly a decade in the spotlight, Obama will become a private citizen, an elder statesman at 55. He plans to take some time off, write a book -- and immerse himself in a Democratic redistricting campaign.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Voters agreed to all nine debt exclusion ballot questions at a special town election Tuesday including the building of a $5.3 million senior center and a $2.9 million fire substation.

HADLEY - Voters agreed to all nine debt exclusion ballot questions at a special town election Tuesday including the building of a $5.3 million senior center and a $2.9 million fire substation.

Town Meeting had approved all the spending in November but a general vote was needed because the projects require borrowing.

With approval, the average tax bill on a home valued at $313,7000 will rise $95.

The cost of financing all the projects is $228,000 annually, but with prior debt coming off the tax bill the net hike is about $95, Assessor Daniel Zdonek has said.

 Spending for all nine ballot questions adds about 72.7 cents to the current tax rate of $11.15 per $1,000 of assessed valuation, but about 42 cents is coming off from prior debt exclusion expenses. The net hike would be about 30 cents per $1,000, he said.

The closest vote was for a heating and cooling system for the schools passing by 601 to 501.

Voters in a 655 to 460 vote agreed to spend $2.9 million for a new fire substation that will cost the average property owner about $64.43 annually for 20 years. The spending adds about 20 cents to the tax rate.

Voters 629 to 490 approved spending $5.3 million for the new senior center that will cost about $114.50 annually or add about 36 cents to the tax rate.

The costs are based on 3 percent interest. The senior center and fire station would be paid off over 20 years where the other projects would be paid off over 10.

He told his mother he found gummy bears on the bus. Those gummy bears turned out to be four marijuana-laced gummies.

Police are investigating how edible marijuana got in the hands of two Framingham Middle School students Monday morning, the Framingham Source reported.

Fuller Middle School Principal Jose Duarte told the Source that two boys were hospitalized after eating edibles on the school bus.

Stacey Velasquez told WHDH.com that she received a frantic call from her 12-year-old son who said he had eaten something and felt ill.

He told his mother he found gummy bears on the bus. Those gummy bears turned out to be four marijuana-laced candies, WHDH reported.

Velasquez said her son was in a trance-like state when she arrived at the school.

Duarte told the Source that both boys became very ill but were back in school Tuesday. He sent out a letter to parents urging them to speak to their children about the dangers of edible marijuana and eating foods when they don't know where they came from.

The Framingham superintendent told WHDH that police are investigating how edible marijuana got on the school bus.

Marijuana was recently legalized in Massachusetts. You can learn more about edible marijuana and other changes to the law here:

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To many, Dylann Roof is exactly the kind of monster who deserves the death penalty. Others think death is too easy of a punishment.

Dylann Roof was sentenced to death by a jury of his peers for killing nine black parishioners in a racially based attack 19 months ago. To many, Roof is exactly the kind of monster who deserves the death penalty. Others think the death penalty should be abolished entirely -- and that death is too easy of a punishment. What do you think?

PERSPECTIVES

Roof's lack of remorse and depravity have convinced some people to reconsider their positions on the death penalty.

Initially, the savagery of Roof's crimes and his unquestionable guilt in the slaughter of nine African-Americans in a Charleston, S.C., church in 2015 did nothing to change my anti-death-penalty stance. I wanted him locked up for the rest of his miserable life, but another murder was not my idea of justice.That was until passages from Roof's prison journal, a racist manifesto, were read in court during the ongoing death-penalty phase of his federal murder trial."I would like to make it crystal clear I do not regret what I did. I am not sorry. I have not shed a tear for the innocent people I killed," Roof wrote. He expressed sympathy for "innocent white children forced to live" in a country he described as "sick." His only tear, Roof said, was shed in "self-pity for myself. I feel pity that I had to do what I did in the first place. I feel pity that I had to give up my life because of a situation that should never have existed."

COLUMN: Dylann Roof deserves the death penalty

Some people are opposed to the death penalty no matter who it is. In general, the death penalty does not work to deter crime and there are too many opportunities for mistaken convictions. In this case, there's another reason to back a life sentence -- death is too easy.

I'm recommending that it's better to condemn Roof to a lifetime of suffering than to end his miserable life. Easing him to eternal rest does nothing to heal the wounds he has inflicted. But ensuring that he has to live every day for the rest of his life with the same horror, pain and, eventually, perhaps even recognition of the sorrows he caused is the punishment I wish for him. Life in prison without possibility of parole is what he deserves.

Perhaps the most important reason to spare his life is because this is what the victims' family members say they prefer. These are the same folks who forgave Roof less than two days after the shootings when they faced him at his bond hearing.Because they have found it in their fertile hearts to leave Roof's fate to the final arbiter of justice, killing him would be a betrayal of their higher purpose and their faith in the power of redemption.

COMMENTARY: Dylann Roof deserves a life in prison without hope of parole

Roof's sentence has some anti-death penalty activists conflicted. There are many things wrong with the death penalty as a policy, but some people are so evil they deserve death. Roof is one of these people. 

Mixed feelings about the Roof death penalty verdict. I think he's an evil person who committed an unforgivable crime.

-- C (@BeAgrestic) January 10, 2017

Dylann Roof was just sentenced to death. I don't support the death penalty personally, usually, but I am unsure how I feel about this.

-- savannah mullins (@savannahnatasha) January 10, 2017

When you're against state sanctioned violence but see that Dylan Roof got the death penalty pic.twitter.com/sZuPdrvwMf

-- caro (@CarolineTraylor) January 10, 2017

I think the death penalty is wrong even when it's Dylann Roof being executed, don't @ me

-- ruth bader meinhof (@americanitis) January 10, 2017

Giving Dylann Roof the death penalty is too easy. Try spending a week in your closet and see if you wouldn't welcome death to set you free

-- Educated&Petty (@vareemalone) January 10, 2017

Dylan Roof got the death penalty. pic.twitter.com/EQ2LjyweC5

-- Daphnene (@Whitty_Huton) January 10, 2017

In many cases, I don't agree with the death penalty. However, there is no other punishment suitable for Dylann Roof, evil personified. https://t.co/pZIBuHkrxd

-- Cassandra Govert (@cegovert) January 10, 2017

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Looking for something to keep you and your children entertained during the cold winter months? Here are some options in Massachusetts.

Michael Rodriguez is charged in the Feb. 22, 2009, Springfield fatal shooting of Julian Cartie.

SPRINGFIELD — Michael Rodriguez, charged with murder in the 2009 fatal Springfield shooting of an Iraq-bound Connecticut soldier, now has a March 31 trial date.

The trial date was recently moved from Jan. 18, and there was a decision last month on a motion to suppress identifications. Several other trial dates have been postponed in the case.

Rodriguez, 32, of Holyoke, has pleaded not guilty in the killing of 25-year-old Julian Cartie, of New Britain, Connecticut.

Rodriguez was arrested by police and federal agents in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in December 2014. The arrest came nearly six years after Cartie was shot to death on Feb. 22, 2009, near Crown Fried Chicken at State and Main streets.

Cartie, a former football star at New Britain High School, was scheduled for deployment with the Connecticut National Guard to Iraq later that year.

David Rountree, lawyer for Rodriguez, in March argued before Hampden Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney that identification of Rodriguez as the shooter by three people should be suppressed.

On Dec. 19, Sweeney made her ruling, saying the identification of Rodriguez by a man who was with Cartie the night he was shot is not admissible at trial.

She ruled, however, the identifications of Rodriguez by two people in the car with him at the time of the shooting are admissible at trial.

At the time Rodriguez was arrested, police said the break came with information through a message to Text-A-Tip.

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In the "Facts" section of Sweeney's ruling, she writes the tip said Jacinda Matias was the driver of a blue Honda sedan involved in the shooting and her boyfriend, Rodriguez, was the shooter.

From that tip, detectives determined Matias, who is charged with accessory after the fact of murder, leased a blue Honda sedan at the time of the shooting. Detectives approached her at work and she said she was alone driving a blue Honda Civic in downtown Springfiend the night in question when she gave a ride to an unknown couple and a man known as "Flacko," whose real name she thought was Angel Morales.

Springfield detectives got a Holyoke Police Department report about an incident between Matias and Morales, who was found to be Rodriguez.

They took a Holyoke police photo of Rodriguez and made a photo array.

In September 2014, when Matias was arrested on the accessory after the fact charge, she gave a police interview, with her lawyer, which was videotaped.

Jacinda Matias is charged with accessory after the fact of murder in the shooting death of Julian Cartie.The Republican [file]

She was shown the photo array and identified Rodriguez as her boyfriend. She said there was another man in her car at the time of the shooting.

"Follow-up investigation indicated that the man was Magdiel Cortes," Sweeney wrote in her ruling. Matias later identifed a photo of Cortes as the man in the backseat of her car.

Police interviewed Cortes, who was not charged with a crime. Sweeney wrote: "Detective (Anthony) Pioggia assured him that he was not in trouble, but also warned him that willfully misleading a police officer was a felony punishable by imprisonment."

Cortes identified Rodriguez as the front seat passenger at the time of the shooting and said he had known him for about 18 months.

Rodriguez was arraigned in Hampden Superior Court on April 23, 2015, Sweeney wrote.

Norberto Rodriguez was at the arraignment and Pioggia, at the request of an assistant district attorney, interviewed him.

Norberto Rodriguez said he and some friends, including the victim, were at a local bar in downtown Springfield when they encountered Michael Rodriguez. He said Michael Rodriguez brushed past him and walked up to Cartie, who was dancing with a woman.

Michael Rodriguez told the victim "that's my girl" and grabbed her by the wrist, Norberto Rodriguez said.

Norberto Rodriguez said he had recently seen photos of Michael Rodriguez in the news and recognized him as the man he had seen go up to Cartie in the club.

Sweeney ruled Norberto Rodriguez's identification of Michael Rodriguez cannot be used at trial because it was the result of highly suggestive circumstances "that lend little probative value to the identification while at the same time creating a very substantial likelihood of mistaken identification."

"Norberto's identification of the defendant rests almost exclusively on his viewing photographs of the defendant in news broadcasts, wherein the defendant was identified as the suspected shooter who was being sought by law enforcement in both Connecticut and Massachusetts," Sweeney wrote.

Then Norberto Rodriguez attended Michael Rodriguez's arraignment and identified him to police right after the arraignment, she said.

Sweeney ruled Matias' identification of Michael Rodriguez was not the result of an impermissibly suggestive identification procedure and can be used at trial.

She also ruled Cortes' identification of Michael Rodriguez could be used at trial.

She said the defense contends Cortes' identification of Michael Rodriguez was obtained through a "veiled threat" by police — that of warning Cortes he could be prosecuted for giving false information.

"This bald assertion is unsupported by the facts," Seeney wrote. "The police did not threaten Mr. Cortes. Rather they told him that he had to tell the truth or he could be charged with a crime.They did not, either directly or indirectly, tell him what they thought the truth was."

The city is expected to be the first in Hampden County to host a medical marijuana facility.

CHICOPEE - The City Council is debating a proposal to place a year-long moratorium on permitting stores to sell recreational marijuana in the city.

The moratorium was proposed by Mayor Richard J. Kos, who said the idea is simply to give the city time to develop zoning regulations that will decide appropriate places were the stores can be located.

He said the moratorium is not an attempt to ban the retail establishments, which voters made legal statewide after approving a ballot question in November.

In fact, Chicopee is likely to become the first community in Hampden County to host a medical marijuana dispensary and growing facility. Mass Alternative Care Inc., of Springfield, this fall received final zoning permits to build a dispensary on 1247 East Main St. The company is continuing to negotiate the sale of the property and must do extensive renovations, so it is unsure when the dispensary will open.

City Councilors voted 10-1 to discuss the details of the moratorium more in its Ordinance Committee, but most members said they thought the delay was needed.

"The state is still working on it, we are still working on it but we just want some control over it," City Councilor Robert Zygarowski said.

A retired police officer who ran the anti-drug education DARE program for years, Zygarowski said he favors medical marijuana but is opposed to the idea of making it legal for recreational purposes. He said he wants to make sure stores are not allowed to be located near schools or churches.

Councilor James K. Tillotson said he feels the moratorium is appropriate especially since the state has not developed any rules and regulations for the sale.

As of Dec. 15 it became legal for people in Massachusetts to possess marijuana and residents can grow up to six plants in their homes. The state legislature and Gov. Charlie Baker put off allowing retail marijuana shops until mid-2018, six months after they were originally scheduled to be opened.

Tillotson said there are too many questions for the city to even begin crafting an ordinance. He asked it if the state would design it like the state liquor laws, which limits the number of licenses any community can award.

Airing similar concerns about the fact there are no state regulations on recreational marijuana, in December the City Council sent a letter to legislators asking for some community control as the state begins to create rules for marijuana sales, he said.

City Councilor Adam Lamontagne was the sole vote against the moratorium, saying he felt it was too long and too strict.

"I have a problem with a year. I'm pretty confident this City Council can come up rules and regulations sooner," he said.

He argued the ballot question passed by a solid majority in Chicopee and the opening of retail shops should not be delayed long.

"The question passed. People have spoken," he said.

Authorities said the SUV hit the tractor trailer so forcefully that the trailer hit the cab of the Freightliner and cracked the rear window.

A motorist on Route 125 was killed in a car crash Tuesday after his minivan slammed into the back of a tractor-trailer at a traffic light, Massachusetts State Police say.

The crash occurred around 5 p.m. Tuesday on Route 125 near Gould Street in Andover. A 2016 Freightliner tractor-trailer was stopped at a red light when it was struck from behind by a 2009 Dodge Caravan.

Authorities said the vehicle hit the tractor trailer so forcefully that the trailer hit the cab of the Freightliner and cracked the rear window. Impact resulted in the passenger vehicle bursting into flames.

Members of the Andover Fire Department managed to put the flames out and declared the sole occupant, 75-year-old George Sanborn, deceased at the scene. The road was closed down for more than three hours.

Vehicle fire kills 75-year-old man following crash on Route 125

The driver of the Freightliner, a 42-year-old man from Marblehead, stayed at the scene of the crash.

This crash remains under investigation with assistance from the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section, State Police Crime Scene Services Section, State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Section, and the State Fire Marshal's Office.

While several of Almodovar's tattoos celebrate the primacy of money, one suggests otherwise. "Mo Money, Mo Problems," it reads.

SPRINGFIELD - David "DJ" Almodovar describes himself as a salesman and his tattoos testify to his business instincts.

Dollar signs decorate both forearms, along with statements such as "Money Comes First" and "Paper Chasin," according to court documents.

Before his arrest Friday, police were chasing Almodovar for allegedly augmenting his salary as an auto parts salesman by selling cocaine. During the pursuit, he allegedly threw five bags of crack cocaine to the ground before being arrested in the Forest Park neighborhood, according to the arrest report.

Almovadar, 28, of Springfield, pleaded not guilty Monday in Springfield District Court to cocaine trafficking, more than 18 grams.

Police spotted him standing near a convenience store on Fort Pleasant Avenue around 7 p.m. Friday. After seeing the officers, he walked away and stopped on the porch of a nearby house, according to the arrest report.

When police approached, he fled down Leete Street, tossing several plastic bags as he ran. When the chase ended, police found $555 in Almodovar's pocket and five bags with a total of 33 grams of crack cocaine on the ground, the report said.

"All five bags were located in close proximity to each other and were still warm to the touch, as only a few minutes had elapsed since the pursuit began," the report written by Officer Anthony Keller noted.

By agreement of prosecution and defense lawyers, Judge William Boyle set bail at $5,000 and ordered Almodovar to return on March 15.

A native of Monterey, California, he is single, works as a salesman at a Liberty Street auto parts store and has 20 tattoos, according to the arrest report.

While several tattoos celebrate the primacy of money, one suggests otherwise.

"Mo Money, Mo Problems," it reads.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is reporting on a one-vehicle crash on Interstate 495 that is likely to cause delays.

Update: All lanes have been reopened. 

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is reporting on a one-vehicle crash on Interstate 495 northbound that is likely to cause delays.

The crash occurred in Raynham, near exit 8 on I-495, where the highway meets Route 138. MassDOT warns that the right and middle travel lanes are closed, as well as the breakdown lane.

#MAtraffic Rt 495 N/B exit 8@ Rt.138 #Raynham 1 car crash. Right & middle travel lanes & BDL closed.

-- Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) January 11, 2017

A Google Traffic Maps image indicates heavy delays on the road, although MassDOT has not released an update on what kind of hold-up drivers will experience on the road.

To receive updates on traffic alerts and other breaking news, sign up for MassLive text alerts.

National Grid reported that 610 customers were without power in Shutesbury and another ten were without power in New Salem. The utility reports that it is still assessing those outages.

File Photo 

SHUTESBURY - Scattered outages were reported throughout the region early Wednesday, including this town where more than 600 residents remained without power as of about 8 a.m.

National Grid reported that 610 customers were without power in Shutesbury and another ten were without power in New Salem. The utility reports that it is still assessing those outages.

WWLP reports that outages were reported in Longmeadow, Leyden and Southwick, but have since been fixed.

Finesse Pastries ran a pop-up in the market in December, selling close to 10,000 macarons in the month. Seeing a demand, Chelsey Erickson, pastry chef and owner of Finesse Pastries, set out to set up permanent shop.

A new vendor in the Boston Public Market offers sweet treats in an array of flavors. 

Finesse Pastries, an authentic French pastry shop and cafe based in Manchester, New Hampshire, has opened its first Massachusetts location. 

Finesse Pastries ran a pop-up in the market in December, selling close to 10,000 macarons in the month. Seeing a demand, Chelsey Erickson, pastry chef and owner of Finesse Pastries, set out to set up permanent shop. 

"The Boston Public Market affords us the unique opportunity to incorporate locally sourced and grown ingredients so that we can offer high quality, handcrafted French macarons," Erickson said.

Finesse Pastries sells handcrafted French macarons and pastries, all of which are gluten-free and several are vegan. Erickson seeks to incorporate local flavors into her goods including macarons featuring Taza Chocolate Tazatella, Crescent Ridge Eggnog, and Boston Honey Company Japanese Knotweed Honey, created for the Boston shop location. 

The pastry shop also sells everyday staples including vanilla bean, salted caramel and pistachio.

Finesse Pastries is now open at the Boston Public Market - 100 Hanover St. - located off the Market Hub. 

If you need some inspiration while working on your next novel, try writing it from inside Mark Twain's personal library.

If in need of inspiration while working on your next novel, try writing it from inside Mark Twain's personal library.

The Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford is allowing aspiring writers "three hours of uninterrupted writing time in Mark Twain's own library," according to the website.

There are a few rules, however. The website said laptops are welcome, but reminds writers that there are no power outlets, so "make sure you charge up before you come." Also, the house has not been updated to include Wifi. If you plan to embrace the experience and write on paper, you'll have to use pencils as there are no pens allowed.

The experience also comes with a price. It costs writers $50 and is only available for four nights this year -- Jan. 26, April 20, July 29 and Oct. 12.

Can't make it one of those nights? Be sure to check out the house by going on one of their tours.

A 75-year-old man was killed in a vehicle fire after he drove into a tractor trailer on Route 125 north on Tuesday, according to Massachusetts State Police.

A 75-year-old man was killed in a vehicle fire after he collided into a tractor trailer on Route 125 north in Andover on Tuesday, according to Massachusetts State Police.

Responders pronounced George Sanborn of Andover dead at the scene.

Sanborn, operating a 2009 Dodge Caravan and headed south, "struck from behind" a tractor trailer while the latter sat at a traffic light around 5 p.m. at the Gould Street intersection.

"As a result of the crash, the Dodge became engulfed in flames," a MSP press release said.

Members of the Andover Fire Department found Sanborn dead inside the vehicle, while the 42-year-old driver of the tractor trailer, of Marblehead, remained at the scene.

Responders shut down Route 125 for more than three hours, during which time they extinguished the fire, towed away the vehicles and conducted an investigation. The crash remains under investigation.

Andover police and fire were assisted by members of the MSP and Massachusetts Department of Transportation in the response.

The rusty patched bumble bee is the first bee in the continental U.S. to be named an endangered species.

In a first, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has declared the rusty patched bumble bee an endangered species.

A species found in the Northeast and upper Midwest, the rusty patched bumble bee helps pollinate crops like tomatoes, cranberries and peppers. Besides being the first species of bumble bee to be added to the list, this is the first bee species in the contiguous 48 states to be added to the list; seven species of yellow-faced bees found in Hawaii were added in October of 2016.

Once a common species across 28 states, it has seen what the agency called a "swift and dramatic" decline in population since the 1990s, with abundance dropping by 87 percent. The declining population of the species was attributed to a combination of factors including loss of habitat, disease and parasites, use of pesticides and climate change.

This species and other pollinating insects are estimated to provide an estimated $3 billion worth of crop pollination annually.

"Pollinators are small but mighty parts of the natural mechanism that sustains us and our world. Without them, our forests, parks, meadows and shrublands, and the abundant, vibrant life they support, cannot survive, and our crops require laborious, costly pollination by hand," said the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's Midwest Regional Director Tom Melius.

Melius urged the public to take steps to help the rusty patched bumble bee and species like it by planting native flowers (even in urban areas), limiting or stopping altogether the use of pesticides and leaving grass and plants uncut after summer to provide a habitat for overwintering bees. As one of the most active species of bumble bees, it requires a constant supply of flowers blooming between April and September.

The designation officially goes into effect on February 10, 2017.

UMass, agricultural department create first state apiary in Amherst

The West Springfield Town Council will hold a public hearing on Jan. 17 on whether to allow the city to borrow money to cover preliminary costs associated with building a new Philip G. Coburn Elementary School.

WEST SPRINGFIELD -- The Town Council will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17, to consider authorizing a loan for the preliminary cost of building a new Philip G. Coburn Elementary School.

West Springfield officials are fully aware of the problems at 115 Southworth St. and working on a solution with the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The school needs more than just a makeover, according to some Coburn teachers, who are looking forward to a healthier learning and teaching environment. 

West Side may be eligible for a grant from the MSBA. That's why city officials say they need to borrow $850,000 for a feasibility study and schematic designs for the Coburn School project. The loan authorization would allow city Treasurer Kathleen O'Brien-Moore, with Mayor Will Reichelt's approval, to borrow the money.

The MSBA is a quasi-public organization that reimburses school districts for eligible project costs during construction. The proportion of funding depends primarily on a school districts's economic health, with reimbursement rates covering 31 percent to 80 percent of the cost of a new or rehabilitated building.

In February 2015, the Town Council acknowledged that Coburn was in "dire need of repair and renovation or replacement" and permitted the school superintendent to seek help from the MSBA. The school's problems haven't gone away since then.

Some Coburn teachers have complained of deteriorating conditions and ongoing problems at the school, including asbestos, mold, insect, plumbing and stormwater issues. In November, Superintendent Michael J. Richard addressed the claims, rebutting some of them and highlighting corrective measures that have been taken.

According to Richard, any identified asbestos in the school is professionally managed in accordance with the regulations of the federal Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act. And past stormwater-related plumbing system backups affected only one classroom, he said. 

"All of this, of course, is in the context of the fact that the West Springfield Public Schools is working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority to build a new Coburn Elementary School," Richard said.

Police are searching for a man who threatened to stab a cashier at the Chipotle Restaurant in Quincy with a hypodermic needle if she didn't hand over cash.

Police are searching for a man who threatened to stab a cashier at the Chipotle location in Quincy with a hypodermic needle if she didn't hand over cash.

Officers were called to the Chipotle at 68 Newport Ave. in Quincy around 5:40 p.m. Tuesday for a report of an armed robbery, according to police.

The cashier told police that a man grabbed a bag containing his food and then demanded cash.

"Put all the money in the bag," the man allegedly said.

The cashier told police she didn't understand what the man was asking and the man pulled out a hypodermic needle. The suspect then threatened to stab the woman, police said.

A restaurant manager approached the suspect and he ran off.

Police described the suspect as a white male in his mid-20s to early 30s. He was 5 feet 10 inches tall, 165 pounds with a beard. The suspect wore a black jacket with a hood.

A police dog searched the area, but police were unable to find the suspect.

Anyone with information is asked to call Quincy Police at (617) 745-5766.

President-elect Donald Trump continued to push back Wednesday against unsubstantiated claims of Russian attempts to discredit him, blasting such reports as "a complete and total fabrication" that aim to belittle his victory.

President-elect Donald Trump continued to push back Wednesday against unsubstantiated claims of Russian attempts to discredit him, blasting such reports as "a complete and total fabrication" that aim to belittle his victory.

Following reports that Russia may have collected compromising personal information about the incoming president, Trump took to Twitter, where he adamantly denied having ties with Russia.

"Russia has never tried to use leverage over me. I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA - NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!" he wrote in a morning tweet.

Russia has never tried to use leverage over me. I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA - NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2017

The president-elect further chastised U.S. intelligence agencies for allowing the unverified and classified intelligence report to become public -- something he compared to "Nazi Germany."

"Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to 'leak' into the public," he tweeted. "One last shot at me. Are we living in Nazi Germany?"

Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to "leak" into the public. One last shot at me.Are we living in Nazi Germany?

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2017

Casting reports of the unverified claims as "crooked opponents try(ing) to belittle our victory with fake news," Trump continued to cast doubt on the authenticity of allegations contained in the dossier.

"Russia just said the unverified report paid for by political opponents is "A COMPLETE AND TOTAL FABRICATION, UTTER NONSENSE." Very unfair!" he wrote.

Russia just said the unverified report paid for by political opponents is "A COMPLETE AND TOTAL FABRICATION, UTTER NONSENSE." Very unfair!

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2017

Dmitri S. Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Wednesday that the Kremlin does not have a compromising dossier on Trump, the New York Times reported.

"Such information isn't consistent with reality and is nothing, but an absolute fantasy," he said.

The president-elect's Wednesday morning tweets came several hours after he called reports of Russia's alleged compromising dossier "a total political witch hunt."

An addendum to the classified intelligence report on alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election contained unverified claims of possibly compromising information gathered on Trump, according to CBS News. 

President-elect Donald Trump briefed on claims Russia has compromising information on him

U.S. intelligence officials are in the process of corroborating details of the information, which reportedly came from a former British intelligence official.

The addendum was presented to just President Barack Obama, Trump and top members of Congress, according to the news outlet.