The suspect threatened a store clerk with a handgun in both robberies.

CHICOPEE - Police believe two armed robberies that happened within five hours and about 1.2 miles apart on Monday were committed by the same man.

Detectives are on the scene investigating the second robbery that happened just before 3 p.m. at the Stop and Go Mart, 643 Prospect St.

The man entered the store threatened the cashier with a gun and ran away with merchandise, Michael Wilk, public information officer for Chicopee Police, said.

Earlier a man entered the Honeyland Farms, 1296 Montgomery St. at about 9:35 a.m., threatened a clerk with a handgun and fled with merchandise. In that case her ran toward the train tracks and the Chicopee Street area, Wilk said.

The suspect is described as being white, in his mid 20s, about 6 feet tall and clean shaven. He was wearing sunglasses and was wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt in the robbery in the Stop and Go and a white jacket in the first robbery at the Honeyland Farms store, Wilk said.

The man was caught on camera during the robbery at the Stop and Go. People who can identify the suspect or has any information about either robbery are asked to call the detective bureau at 413-594-1730, he said.

A two-vehicle crash on E. Columbus Avenue has caused traffic to back up just before the on-ramp to Interstate 91.

SPRINGFIELD - A two-vehicle crash on E. Columbus Avenue has caused traffic to back up just before the on-ramp to Interstate 91.

The crash shortly before 5 p.m. involved a sedan and a construction truck. Paramedics were on-scene evaluating several people from the car, but none appeared seriously injured.

The sedan sustained heavy front-end damage.

Drivers should expect delays in the area and seek alternate routes.

Proceeds from a fundraiser at Chipotle restaurant at 235 Whiting Farms Road in Holyoke, Massachusetts on Monday, Jan. 16, 2017 will be donated to the Holyoke Mayor's Fire Relief Fund to help victims of the deadly New Year's Day fire at 106 North East St.

HOLYOKE -- The Chiopotle restuarant at 235 Whiting Farms Road is donating 100 percent of proceeds today to a fund to help victims of the New Year's Day fire at 106 North East St. that killed three people and displaced 49 tenants.

"It's going very well. We have people coming in saying that they're here for the funraiser," General Manager Dan Bergeron said.

The event at the Mexican-themed restaurant began at noon and runs to 9 p.m., he said.

Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse established the Holyoke Mayor's Fire Relief Fund the day of the fire.

This is a developing story and details will be added as reporting continues.

The book and film tell the untold story of the many women, including African-American women who worked together to help launch astronaut John Glenn into outer space.

SPRINGFIELD -- When history is amended to include new information, it can sometimes be frustrating and confusing, but also inspiring.

Inspiration was one of the feelings many women had after seeing "Hidden Figures," a movie detailing the contribution of women, particularly African-American women, to NASA.

"During a time when the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields were dominated by white males, Mrs. Dorothy Vaughn, Mrs. Katherine Johnson and Mrs. Mary Jackson, all members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and graduates of historically black colleges and universities, throughout their careers at NASA had significant impact on the success of Americans' travel into space," said Rhonda M. Brace, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority's Xi Xi Omega Chapter of Western and Central Massachusetts and Connecticut.

The chapter recently gathered at Rave Cinemas at the Eastfield Mall in Springfield for a private screening of the movie, based on the book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly.

The book and film tell the untold story of the many women, including African-American women of Langley's West Computing Unit, who worked together to help launch astronaut John Glenn into space, propelling the U.S. position in the space race of the 1960s.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, is the oldest Greek-lettered organization established by African-American, college-educated women. The organization's event was sold out with 200 people from Hampden, Hampshire and Berkshire counties attending.

Brace said the film can inspire more than just women and girls.

"(The movie) is important to all people regardless of race, creed, color or sex. It confirms for each of us that we have the ability to be great in whatever we do and that we have the ability to make significant contributions in the world in which we live," she said.

Brace cited the work of women like Adrienne Smith, dean of engineering technologies and mathematics at Springfield Technical Community College.

"... It is equally important that women, like Dr. Adrienne Smith, be celebrated for their accomplishments as they continue the legacy of the three remarkable women whose story is shared in 'Hidden Figures,'" she said.

Locally, Xi Xi Omega Chapter members support women with a variety of community service programs and activities, including initiatives focusing on STEM  for girls, Community Impact Days and the sorority's signature enrichment program, ASCEND Youth Enrichment Program.

Attendees were asked to bring new backpacks, school supplies, hats or gloves that will be donated to a youth serving agency in the Greater Springfield community.

The most frequent types of calls are questions about criminal matters, domestic relations, consumer protection, housing and employment law. Caller identity remains anonymous to the volunteer attorneys.

SPRINGFIELD -- The Hampden County Bar Association's Legal Help Hotline call-in program is scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. on Feb. 16.

Volunteer lawyers from the Hampden County Bar Association will answer phone calls. To use the hotline, call 413-796-2057.

"This program can assist people who have fallen through the cracks of the legal and criminal justice system," Noreen Nardi, executive director of the Hampden County Bar Association, said in a press release. "It helps provide equal access to justice for all segments of our diverse community."

The association holds the event twice each years. The volunteer lawyers operate out of space at the Western New England School of Law.

The most frequent types of calls are questions about criminal matters, domestic relations, consumer protection, housing and employment law.

Callers may remain anonymous. 

The spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was alive and well today in the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield as masses of citizen's gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of the iconic activist. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD — The spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was alive and well Monday in the MassMutual Center as a large crowd gathered to celebrate the life and legacy of the iconic activist.

City officials and Springfield residents gathered for the 2017 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration and event that was a co-hosted by Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services, Community Music School of Springfield, DREAM Studio and Springfield College.

With the theme of "Lifting the Spirit of Healing and Unity," hundreds of Springfield youth echoed ideals of the late civil rights leader on the holiday named in his honor through song, dance and oratory that pulled the audience together and out of their seats.

"We wanted to do something that ... really focused on young people," Ronn Johnson, CEO of Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services, said about the genesis of the event. "So I asked partners to join with us and some of the corporate sponsors so we can make it happen from the financial perspective, and people embraced the vision that I had. So now we are five years and five programs later, running what has now become a centerpiece event for the Pioneer Valley."

Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services is a Springfield organization that offers housing, health and family stabilization programs along with youth development and enrichment programs.

Performers included members of the Sonido Musica School Partnership programs, which featured students from public schools in the city. The Sonido Musica Partnership is part of the Community Music School of Springfield, a nonprofit organization that unifies youth of different ages and backgrounds through performing arts education.

Johnson said King's lessons of unity and civil rights make him regarded by many as a 20th century prophet.

"A prophet is someone who can forecast what the future may be and gives us a prescription for how we can alleviate or address the issue that may cause for serious concern, so we got back to some of the readings and teachings of Dr. King," Johnson said. "He already told us what we needed to do in terms of being a society that would be more just. That we would elect political leaders who would truly have the heart of the people in their heart and in their mind. So it's not a big stretch for us to be able to go back to some of those teachings and then try to live them out in our daily lives, and that's at every level."

A musical selection from the Springfield Community Chorale, a culturally diverse gospel choir, and a dramatic performance from DREAM Studio got people out of their seats and moving, receiving standing ovations as they inspired the audience with messages of unity and hope.

A celebration of King would not be complete without a selection of speeches to feed the soul, and Waleska Lugo DeJesus, of the Healing Racism Institute, and Wesley Days Jr., winner of the 2016 Senator Edward W. Brooke III Oratorical Competition, both spoke to civil injustice, discriminatory practices and the need for change in today's society.

Bishop Talbert Swan II, President of the Greater Springfield NAACP, in a recent interview said that while King was one of the most inspiring figures in modern history, he was also largely misunderstood. Swan said many people who remember King's legacy tend to focus in on bits and pieces of it, particularly his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.

"When you look at the 19 minutes of that speech, people really don't get the total significance of what he said in that speech, because they focus on a few catchphrases, and that's the world we live in now, where everything is about 140 characters or less or a soundbite," Swan said. "They focus in on 'I have a dream that one day my four children will be judged not by the color of their skin but of the content of their character,' and those are wonderful phrases from that speech, but they don't quote him talking about, in that same speech, that America has written African Americans a 'bad check, a check which has come back marked ''insufficient funds,' in terms of the American promise. They don't talk about the part of that speech that says 'let freedom ring,' and there is so much more in that speech than 'I have a dream.'"

Swan said that along with the side of King that preached nonviolence to the masses, there was also the side of the late civil rights leader that taught lessons of protesting and unifying to challenge systemic racism and civil injustice.

Mass. state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz on Monday admonished Gov. Charlie Baker and top Beacon Hill lawmakers, saying they've moved too slowly on a promised overhaul of the state's criminal justice system.

BOSTON - Mass. state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz on Monday admonished Gov. Charlie Baker and top Beacon Hill lawmakers, saying they've moved too slowly on a promised overhaul of the state's criminal justice system.

"I'm done waiting," she said while addressing a crowd gathered inside the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for a breakfast celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr.

Gov. Baker sat a few feet away as she spoke. "The time is ripe to stop your waiting too, and to live up to your word," she said, addressing him as well as top lawmakers who were not present.

Chang-Diaz -- a Democrat and a Latina who represents parts of Boston's Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Roxbury and Roslindale neighborhoods, among others -- noted that lawmakers passed a "three strikes" bill in 2012, increasing penalties and lengths of sentences for a number of crimes.

Then-Gov. Deval Patrick signed the bill, but he said Democratic leaders on Beacon Hill had pledged to return to mandatory minimum sentencing issues. That hasn't happened.

Boston senator 'made nauseous' by criminal justice working group

When Baker ran for governor in 2014, he supported repealing mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenses, Chang-Diaz said. Baker took office in 2015.

"Massachusetts has a long history, with respect to criminal justice, of being a progressive state," Baker said when asked to respond to Chang-Diaz's comments. "We have always had a relatively low rate of incarceration compared to other states, and at this point in time, I think we probably have the lowest or the second lowest rate of incarceration in the country."

He added that since he took office, the Department of Correction population has dropped by 1,300 inmates, or 13 percent reduction, out of a starting population of 11,000 inmates.

Baker credited state programs, as well as education and training for when they're released back into communities.

"I think Massachusetts has done a fine job on these issues and we need to do more," Baker said.

Report to recommend better post-release supervision for inmates

According to Chang-Diaz, top lawmakers asked for a working group to issue recommendations for potential reforms, but the group as it wraps up its work appears unlikely to wade into sentencing reform or "racial bias," leading to more time spent waiting as more people are sent to jail for non-violent crimes.

"Perhaps it is easy, when it isn't your life on the line, when it isn't your child, your neighbor, your constituent, to say wait," Chang-Diaz said.

Quoting Dr. King, she added, "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

Study finds racial disparities in sentencing

The suspect is accused of robbing stores at 9:35 a.m. and shortly before 3 p.m. on Monday.

CHICOPEE - Police have made an arrest in two back-to-back armed robberies that happened less than a mile from each other on Monday.

Detectives have the suspect in custody and he is being processed through the criminal system, Michael Wilk, public information officer for Chicopee Police, said.

The suspect is being accused of a short crime spree that started at about 9:35 a.m. when a man, described as white, in his 20s and about 6 feet tall, entered the Honeyland Farms, 1296 Montgomery St., threatened the clerk with a handgun and fled with merchandise.

A little more than five hours later a man fitting the same description threatened the clerk at the Stop and Go Mart with a handgun. He also fled with merchandise from the store, Wilk said.

In the second robbery, the suspect was caught on the store camera. Police then publicized the photographs asking people for help identifying the man who was wearing white framed sunglasses and a blue jacket.

The investigation is continuing and police will release the suspect's name and the charges he faces as soon as is possible, Wilk said.

He thanked people for sharing the information and the photos and offering tips to help police solve the crimes.

The fire was reported just before 6 p.m. at 137-139 Orange St.

SPRINGFIELD - The Red Cross is assisting 18 people displaced Monday night by a fire in a two-family home.

The fire was reported just before 6 p.m. at 137-139 Orange St. in the city's Forest Park neighborhood.

Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, said there is damage to the cellar and the first and second floors, but it's not clear yet where the fire started or what caused it.

Leger estimated the damage at $35,000 to $40,000.

Everyone in the house made it out safely.

A firefighter suffered a hand injury and was taken to Baystate Medical Center to receive stitches.

Trump's supporters think it's time America reconsiders its obligations to foreign nations to ensure no one is taking advantage of us. What do you think?

President-elect Donald Trump says NATO is an "obsolete" program. Furthermore, he says it goes against American interests as some member nations don't pay their dues. Trump's critics say his rejection of NATO is a slap in the face to U.S. allies and could destabilize the international power balance. Trump's supporters think it's time America reconsiders its obligations to foreign nations to ensure no one is taking advantage of us. What do you think?

PERSPECTIVES

Trump is playing with fire here. Russia's ambitions to become a great power is kept in check by NATO and the assumption that a massive army will be on Moscow's doorstep if Russia ever attacks a NATO member.

The full ramifications of a breakdown in transatlantic relations are so extensive they are difficult to total. U.S. guarantees underpin European security. The United States and the European Union, with a population of 500 million, are each other's most important trading partner. For decades, European nations and the United States have worked tightly together on issues of war, peace and trade.

European leaders are worried that NATO will be ineffective without U.S. backing which would enable an increasingly aggressive Russia. It's important to remember that the only time Article 5, which calls for automatic military aid for members, was used was in defense of the U.S. after the 9/11 attacks.

Trump's attitudes have alarmed Europe, which is facing a wave of elections this year in which anti-immigrant, Euroskeptic leaders could gain in power. Most mainstream leaders had committed to working with Trump after his inauguration Jan. 20, even as they expressed hope that he would moderate his views once he took office. His hard line has created the grim realization in Europe that they may now have to stand alone, without their oldest, strongest partner.

Trump's supporters say it is important to reconsider things the establishment has taken for granted--like NATO funding and support.

Yes, NATO is an alliance based on values and not just parochial interests. But it is not a US-funded charity, and that is how it has been treated since the end of the Cold War by the majority of its members.

The U.S. cannot pay for all of Europe's defense.

The other 23 countries have decided for decades that they don't want to pay for their own protection. They'll just freeload on America's good will. (I mean the yanks saved Europe from self-destruction twice, so they'll do it again. Right. Right......??)

Trump also argues NATO was created for a different geopolitical climate. In a world where ISIS is the biggest enemy, NATO is an ineffective solution. Here, Alexei Pushkov, Russian head of the Foreign Affairs Committee, questions NATO's priorities.

"The question is whether NATO really is an organization, which is capable of ensuring adequate security and protection for its member-states. Judging by the recent terrorist attack in Paris, it is not, and not only because it failed to prevent these attacks happening. The fact is that NATO is simply not preoccupied with things like standing up to terrorist threats," Alexei Pushkov told Friday's session of the State Duma lower house of parliament.

 

Trump-NATO "didn't deal with terrorism"

Only time Article V ever invoked was 9/11. 1000+ soldiers from NATO allies have died in Afghanistan

-- Zeddy (@ZeddRebel) January 15, 2017

Nato doesn't fight terrorism? Tell that to the families of 1,000+ Nato soldiers who died in Afghanistan after 9/11

-- Steve Bloomfield (@BloomfieldSJ) January 16, 2017

 

NATO was built to fight a country that no longer exists and currently provides no benefit to fighting Islamic terrorism. It is obsolete.

-- RC Cola and Moonpies (@RCColaMoonpies) January 16, 2017

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Vermont State Police identified the victim as Jeffrey O'Connor, a 39-year-old father of three children.

WARREN, Vt. - A man from Hampden, Massachusetts, was killed Monday morning in an accident at the Sugar Bush-North/Mt. Ellen ski resort.

Vermont State Police identified the victim as Jeffrey O'Connor, a 39-year-old father of three children.

Troopers responded to the ski resort at 11:40 a.m. State police said O'Connor had gone off the groomed path and struck a tree head-on.

First responders tried to save O'Connor's life, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

State police said O'Connor had significant head injuries and was not wearing a helmet or any other kind of head or face protection. The Medical Examiner's Office will perform an autopsy, although his death is believed to be accidental.

Activist Lois Ahrens said no jails should be built until meaningful reforms are enacted.

NORTHAMPTON -- Massachusetts, with its blue-state reputation, is far from progressive when it comes to criminal justice and incarceration, a leading advocate said Monday.

Lois Ahrens is director of The Real Cost of Prisons Project, and spoke during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day symposium at the Edwards Church sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee.

It was not long ago that a federal judge ruled in favor of 178 female inmates at the Western Massachusetts Regional Women's Correctional Center in Chicopee, Ahrens said. In his 2014 decision, Judge Michael Ponsor wrote that the jail's strip search procedures, which involved male prison guards operating video cameras, "clearly transgressed the Constitution."

In Arkansas and Massachusetts, prisoners can legally be placed in solitary confinement for up to 10 years -- locking them "in a concrete box the size of a parking space for 23 hours a day, seven days a week," said Ahrens.

People of color are disproportionately represented among the prison population, she said, because of race-based policing and prosecution, mandatory minimum sentencing, drug laws that criminalize possession, poor access to lawyers and a state Legislature that has resisted criminal justice reform.

As for roadblocks to reform, Ahrens cited "the unchallenged power of district attorneys," the lobbying power of police and police unions, guards and guard unions and "professional victims rights organizations."

The state's 2012 "three strikes" law, supported by leading Democrats, prohibited parole for repeat violent offenders and eliminated judicial discretion in sentencing for dozens of crimes. Ahrens said it also increased the power of district attorneys to extract plea bargains from indigent defendants.

"If every person pressured to accept a plea bargain said they wanted to go to trial, we would see a complete breakdown of the court system," she said.

Massachusetts taxpayers spend more than $1 billion a year to keep around 11,000 people incarcerated. Around half are under lock and key while awaiting trial, most because they could not make bail, according to Ahrens.

"The solution to overcrowded prisons is to let more people go free," she said, citing California and New York, which have closed state correctional facilities and taken steps to reduce their inmate populations.

Ahrens said she worked last session to defeat a bill to site a new women's prison in Middlesex County. She said there is a coalition ready to challenge any prison construction or siting bill that should arise on Beacon Hill this year.

"Our position is that no new jails should be built until bail reform and alternatives to incarceration are passed and implemented," she said. "We will be fighting this bill again in the current session."

She said she is also leery of a "justice reinvestment" effort being pushed by the Council of State Governments, or CSG. While billed as a "data-driven approach to reduce recidivism, avert costs and invest in public safety," Ahrens said she believes the approach only offers "the illusion of reform" while shifting costs, funding police budgets and enriching vendors.

Gov. Charlie Baker in 2015 formed a 25-member working group to partner with CSG and "explore opportunities for policy consensus and reform." The group's  leadership consists of Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Sen. Pres. Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, and Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants.

Ahrens said advocates statewide will push to "expand the legislative focus" of the working group to include consideration of racial inequities in the criminal legal system. "It's important to get involved now," she said.

She said "progressives" are obsessed with local agriculture, war and peace and the environment while turning a blind eye to the issue of criminal justice reform.

"Massachusetts remains a deeply segregated state," Ahrens said. "Therefore the concerns that deeply impact and hurt African-American and Latino communities are not known to most white people in a visceral way."

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com

Detectives allegedly seized 845 bags of heroin and $352 in cash from Ivan Santiago.

SPRINGFIELD -- Surrounded by undercover police cruisers, Ivan Santiago decided his best chance to escape would be ramming one head-on, police said.

He was wrong.

His pickup truck was not only crippled by the collision, it was quickly surrounded by plainclothes detectives flashing badges and yelling "police, open the door," according to the arrest report.

Santiago refused, but his 81-year-old passenger eventually opened his door, ending the standoff Thursday afternoon on Liberty Street, the report said.

Santiago, 53, pleaded not guilty Friday in Springfield District Court to nine charges, including three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (motor vehicle), and two counts of heroin possession with intent to distribute, subsequent offense.

Before the excitement began around 4 p.m. in Liberty Heights, detectives had spent hours watching Santiago run errands and attend a lengthy medical appointment. The surveillance was part of a broader investigation into heroin sales by Santiago and another man from a Langdon Street home, the report said.

By late afternoon, after allegedly conducting a drug sale on Cherrelyn Street, Santiago found himself boxed in at a traffic signal by undercover cruisers with flashing blue lights, the report said.

When one cruiser pulled in front of him, Santiago backed up, striking one behind him. Pulling onto the sidewalk, Santiago struck a second cruiser before swerving into heavy traffic on Liberty Street, the report said.

The third collision occurred moments later as Santiago accelerated into the path of an oncoming cruiser, the report said.

The impact left Santiago's vehicle "disabled and rendered inoperable" and the officer in the the cruiser with minor injuries. Santiago declined medical attention, the report said.

Armed with a search warrant, police seized 845 bags of heroin and $352 in cash from Santiago's vehicle and the Langdon Street apartment, according to the report.

In court, Assistant District Attorney Cary Szafranski asked for $100,000 bail, citing the new charges and Santiago's past record of drug offenses. Judge John Payne granted the request and continued the case for a pretrial hearing on Feb. 9.

A native of Santurce, Puerto Rico, Santiago is single and employed as a personal care attendant, court records show.

Detectives are seeking a "person of interest" in a suspicious event that occurred on the night of Jan. 12.

WESTIFELD -- Detectives are seeking a "person of interest" in a suspicious event that occurred on the night of Jan. 12.

Those who can identify the man are asked to call the detective bureau at 413-572-6400 or private message the bureau's Facebook page.

Detectives have not released any additional information on the case.

Bryan Asrary allegedly told victims that he could connect them with Justin Bieber over text over KIK.

Detectives from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department traveled more than 3,000 miles this week to arrest a man in Massachusetts who they say admitted to impersonating Justin Bieber on social media in order to convince young girls to send him nude photos.

Bryan Asrary, of Revere, was taken into custody on Dec. 18 with help from Massachusetts State Police. Authorities said Asrary, 24, confessed to extorting young female victims across the country and to possessing child porn.

The LA Sheriff's Department first began investigating the cyber sextortion scam after receiving reports of an 11-year-old girl being extorted for sexual pictures over the internet.

The victim told detectives that two years ago she received a direct message from someone who said they knew Justin Bieber. The user told the victim that they could connect them with Justin Bieber over KIK, a social media messaging site.

Authorities said Asrary then represented himself as Justin Bieber and demanded nude photos of the victim, allegedly threatening to harm her if she didn't cooperate. The victim sent nude photos and video. Afterwards, they deleted all of the texts and kept the incident a secret.

However, two years later, in 2016, the suspect began contacting the victim, demanding they send more photos and threatening to publish previous ones if they didn't comply.

The victim contacted her mother, who then alerted the police.

The LA Sheriff's Department began investigating the identity of the person pretending to be Justin Bieber. During their investigation, they discovered that Asrary had been committing this sextortion scam across the country, authorities said.

Asrary faces charges in California and Massachusetts, including possession and manufacturing of child pornography, extortion and communicating with a minor with the intent to commit a sex act.

William Welch is accused of robbing two Chicopee stores located within 1.2 miles of each other on Monday.

CHICOPEE - Police arrested a 36-year-old Westfield man and charged him with committing two back-to-back armed robberies that happened within about five hours and 1.2 miles of each other.

William Welch, of 19 Meadowbrook Lane, was arrested Monday night and charged with two counts of armed robbery with a firearm and on two warrants from Springfield and Westfield, Michael Wilk, public information officer for Chicopee Police, said.

He was held in the Chicopee Police jail overnight and is scheduled to be arraigned in Chicopee District Court on Tuesday, Wilk said.

Welch is accused of robbing the Honeyland Farms store on 1296 Montgomery St. at about 9:35 a.m. and the Stop and Go on 643 Prospect St. at about 2:55 p.m.

In both cases he threatened the clerk with a handgun and ran away with merchandise. Wilk did not say specifically what he took.

After the suspect was caught on camera in the second armed robbery, Chicopee detectives publicized his photos and asked for help to identify him. Acting on tips, Sgt. Brett Nichols and Det. Brian LePage worked with Westfield Police detectives and they were able to confirm the man's identity and his address, Wilk said.

Detectives and members of the Chicopee and Westfield Police Special Response Teams were able to arrest Welch at his home without incident Monday night, Wilk said.

"We would like to thank everyone for sharing, and calling in tips. A community invested in itself, and its police department, is a better, stronger community. We would also like to thank the Westfield PD for their assistance. Great job to all involved," Wilk said on Facebook.

Material from a repaired pothole came loose under one vehicle and shot up into a second on Interstate 91 south Tuesday morning, causing significant damage and a traffic snarl.

Material from a repaired pothole came loose under one vehicle and shot up into a second in the southbound lanes of Interstate 91 in Springfield Tuesday morning, causing significant damage and a traffic snarl.

Two more motorists then hit the pothole, again exposed, causing their tires to burst and more inoperable vehicles to pile up in the area -- the center lane near the 5.2 mile marker.

The events occurred in quick succession, beginning at roughly 7 a.m., according to information provided by Massachusetts State Police Trooper Angelo Valentini.

"A large piece of concrete came up off the roadway," Valentini said.

Nobody suffered injuries in the first incident, called a two-car accident.

Both the car damaged in the two-car accident and the two cars with flattened tires needed to be towed away.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation closed the center and right lanes of I-91 south in order to make emergency repairs to the pothole, Valentini said. The pothole had initially been repaired by MassDOT on Monday.

"I guess it didn't work," Valentini said. "The repair came loose."

The area saw traffic backups while the repairs were underway, but the traffic cleared up shortly after it was completed, around 8 a.m.

Police said at least four vehicles were involved in the crash on Route 20 and Meadowbrook Ave.

George Graham | ggraham@repub.com 

WEST SPRINGFIELD -- Injuries were reported following a multiple-vehicle crash at Route 20 and Meadowbrook AvenueTuesday morning.

Police Capt. Daniel Spaulding said at least four vehicles were involved in the crash. It was reported about 8:40 a.m.

Spaulding said he believes the injuries are minor.

The crime was reported shortly after 3:40 a.m. at the store at 134 King St., Capt. John Cartledge said.

NORTHAMPTON -- Police are investigating an armed robbery early Tuesday at the King Street Cumberland Farms.

The crime was reported shortly after 3:40 a.m. at the store at 134 King St., Capt. John Cartledge said.

A male entered the store and displayed a black handgun to the clerk. The suspect demanded money from the clerk. The suspect fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money.

The suspect is described as a light-skinned male, approximately 6 feet tall, slim build. He was wearing a black hoodie and green piece of clothing, which covered part of his face.

Those with information are asked to call the Northampton Police Detective Bureau at 413-587-1100.

Bought milk? If so, you may be entitled to a portion of a $52 million class-action settlement.

Bought milk? If so, you may be entitled to a portion of a $52 million class-action settlement.

Residents of 15 states - including Massachusetts - and the District of Columbia who purchased milk or fresh milk products between 2003 to the present are invited to request a cash payout.

The National Milk Producers Federation agreed to pay $52 million in September to settle the antitrust class-action lawsuit, which accused the large-scale farms in the U.S. of killing half a million cows to limit the production of milk and increase prices.

The defendants deny any wrongdoing or liability for the claims alleged.

Individuals who purchased milk for personal consumption could receive up to $70. Entities that purchased milk for a larger group - for example, an after-school program in which students were not charged - may receive up to $560. Such purchases must have been made at a grocery store, not directly from the farms. 

To be apart of the settlement, residents must file claims by Jan. 31 of this year. Claims can be filed through a website set up for the settlement.