Arrested without incident at about 7 a.m. was Travis Lewis, 22, of 196 Dumoreland St., Sgt. John Delaney said.

SPRINGFIELD -- Police arrested a city man wanted for numerous house break-ins Tuesday morning.

Arrested without incident at about 7 a.m. was Travis Lewis, 22, of 196 Dumoreland St., Sgt. John Delaney said.

Lewis rose quickly to the top of the police department's "Most Wanted" list following an extensive investigation by Capt. Trent Duda of the Major Crime Unit, Delaney, public information officer for the department, said.

Warrant Apprehension Officers Bobby Bohl and Robert Mariani arrested Lewis at 30 William Sands Jr. Road. They were assisted by Massachusetts State Police from the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section under the direction of Sgt. Michael Sullivan and U.S. Marshals.

Lewis was charged with District Court warrants for breaking and entering a building in the daytime with intent to commit a felony, larceny over $250 and two counts of larceny of a firearm and Hampden Superior Court warrants for breaking and entering into a building with intent to commit a felony and larceny from a building.

Delaney said the case remains under investigation and additional charges are likely. Lewis is slated to be arraigned Tuesday in District Court.

Police posted a mugshot of Lewis on the department's Facebook page on Jan. 11.

A search began for Arthas - a 3-year-old shepherd/beagle mix - in late December. The dog ran off following a rollover crash on Southbridge Road in Warren.

Nearly three weeks after a woman reported her service dog missing, the animal has been found.

A search began for Arthas - a 3-year-old shepherd/beagle mix - in late December. The dog ran off following a rollover crash on Southbridge Road in Warren.

Arthas was found in West Brookfield this week, caught by a town police officer at the elementary school. A woman who recognized Arthas from missing posters shared on social media reported him to the town.

He was thin but relatively healthy when found and has been returned to his owner.

The dog is in training to assist the owner, who has been diagnosed with autism and post traumatic stress disorder.

We will be walking through the casino's 14.5 acre footprint in downtown Springfield with MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis, as buildings continue to rise ahead of the facility's planned 2018 opening date. Watch video

Join MassLive at 2 p.m. today for a live video tour of the MGM Springfield casino site.

MassLive staff will be walking through the casino's 14.5-acre footprint in downtown Springfield with MGM Springfield President Michael Mathis, as buildings continue to rise ahead of the facility's planned 2018 opening date.

The tour will stream on MassLive's Facebook page this afternoon.

The casino project is a centerpiece of economic development plans for the city that is expected to boost tourism and spending while generating tens of millions of revenue for Springfield's city government

The project has been three years in the making, since MGM beat out Penn National Gaming to win approval to build a casino in downtown Springfield. The casino has survived local and state-wide referendum votes, and site work began in earnest last winter after lengthy negotiations with historical preservation agencies.

Construction on the casino site has accelerated since the company won needed demolition approvals in December of 2015. The demolition of the former Alfred G. Zanetti School in January kicked off a wave of knock-downs, and the last of the casino's legal obstacles was overcome when the Massachusetts Gaming Commission approved the redesign in May of 2015.

Since then, the site has completely transformed, with tornado-damaged office buildings and store fronts torn down and replaced with the skeleton of MGM's $950 million casino.

The MGM Springfield casino is expected to open in downtown Springfield in September 2018, after the completion of MassDOT's work on the I-91 viaduct in Springfield. The company has pledged to create 3,000 casino jobs and 2,000 construction jobs.

Related Video: First look at MGM National Harbor casino 

If traveling south on Interstate 495 Tuesday morning, be prepared for potential delays.

If traveling south on Interstate 495 Tuesday morning, be prepared for potential delays.

The right southbound lane of the interstate at exit 40 in Lawrence is closed Tuesday morning following a truck crash.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation reported the lane closure shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Canine teams from throughout the region are assisting in the effort.

LUDLOW -- Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi mounted a "comprehensive contraband search" of the entire Ludlow Jail and House of Correction Tuesday morning.

"We cannot tolerate any contraband entering our facilities," Cocchi stated in a release. "As a result, I have authorized a comprehensive search of the entire facility. My priority is the safety and security of our staff and the inmates in our custody. As such, this demands we do all in our power to prevent drugs and other contraband entering our facilities."

Canine teams from throughout the region, including those from other sheriff's departments, are assisting in the effort.

"I want to send a clear and direct message that we will not allow those who would attempt to introduce contraband and drugs into our jail and house of correction to succeed in doing so," Cocchi stated.

The sheriff, who took office Jan. 4, lauded the cooperative effort behind the "top-to-bottom" search of the facility.

"Just as we cooperate with outside law enforcement on Drug Task Force, Opioid Task Force and other regional efforts, I am pleased with the support we have today as we ask their assistance in this important effort. I want to thank all the agencies for their assistance today," he stated.

This is a developing story. Additional information will be posted as soon as it is available.

Keith Wilbur was placed on administrative leave and is scheduled to be arraigned in Taunton District Court Tuesday.

The Quincy police officer arrested following a domestic incident turned police standoff has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.

Police were called to a home in Raynham around 9 p.m. Monday following a report of a potential domestic violence incident. 

Quincy police officer arrested after domestic dispute turned into police standoff

A woman was evacuated from the home. She told police a man had barricaded himself inside a room and had guns in his possession. When police tried to speak with him through a door, he allegedly fired two bullets. 

State Police, a SWAT team and nearby departments were called to the scene for backup. 

Around 1 a.m. Tuesday, the man surrendered. He has been identified as Keith Wilbur, an 18-year veteran of the Quincy Police Department currently assigned to the patrol division.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in Taunton District Court Tuesday.  

Members of the Lynn Police Department were called at Fernwood Road Tuesday morning after a car veered off the road and into a home.

Members of the Lynn Police Department were called at Fernwood Road Tuesday morning after a car veered off the road and into a home.

The crash was reported shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday morning. The driver sustained non-life threatening injuries, police say. Two were inside the home at the time of the crash, NBC Boston reports, but neither were injured.

The name nor age of the driver has been released by police as the crash remains under investigation. NBC Boston, which has a crew at the scene, described the driver as an "elderly man."

Massachusetts State Police troopers used force nearly twice as much in 2016 as in 2015, a development attributed to new equipment, specifically Tasers, according to The Boston Globe.

Massachusetts State Police troopers used force nearly twice as much in 2016 as in 2015, a development attributed to new equipment, specifically Tasers, according to The Boston Globe.

Troopers deployed force in 402 situations in 2016 versus 208 in 2015, data compiled by a state police review committee. In 2014, force was used by state troopers in 356 circumstances.

However, due to reporting requirements, more than 100 of these incidents never saw suspects struck, rather troopers either drew or warned of using a Taser, the Globe reported. More than 32 percent of the total use of force incidents involved a trooper using a Taser. 

Use of force protocol among state police has not changed in recent years, spokesman Dave Procopio told the Globe. 

Half the number of troopers were injured in 2016 as compared to 2015 -- four versus eight. 

State troopers used police dogs against suspects in more scenarios and injured eleven more suspects -- 44 -- in 2016 than in 2015, the data also shows. 

Tracker Sue Morse will speak about predators Feb. 3 and 4 in Pittsfield and Sheffield.

PITTSFIELD -- Wolves, coyotes, foxes, and cougars hold a mythic place in human imagination as they continue to fight for their place in the natural world.

Two upcoming talks by noted wildlife tracker and photographer Sue Morse will explore the role of such predators in the New England ecosystem and beyond.

Morse will present "Wild Cousins of Our Best Friends: Wolves, Coyotes and Foxes" at Berkshire Community College on Friday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m.

Saturday's talk will be all about big cats. Morse's "The Cougar Comes East" will be presented at Mt. Everett High School in Sheffield on February 4, also at 6 p.m.

Both talks are free and open to the public, and will feature a slide show of Morse's photographs. 

Wild canines -- intelligent, loving, and loyal -- have much in common with man's best friend, while filling an important ecological niche, says Morse. She plans to talk about her work in Minnesota, Montana, Arizona, the Arctic, the Northeast, and Canada.

She says mountain lions are definitely present in New England and that some are attempting to recolonize their former habitats.

Morse's talks are sponsored by Berkshire Environmental Action Team, The Trustees of Reservations, Berkshire Natural Resources Council, Columbia Land Conservancy, and Berkshire Community College.

Morse is founder of Keeping Track, an organization that trains biologists, citizen scientists, land trust leaders and conservation planners to detect, record and monitor the status of wildlife and habitat in their communities.

Those seeking more information may contact Elia Del Molino of Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) at 413-429-6416 or elia@thebeatnews.org.

Plainville's Plainridge Park slots parlor took $12,638,807 in gross revenue in December -- a 3.5 percent jump from November and 12 percent increase since this time last year.

Plainville's Plainridge Park slots parlor took $12,638,807 in gross gaming revenue in December -- a 3.5 percent jump from November and 12 percent increase since this time last year.

The casino paid $6.19 million to the state, according to a newly released report by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. Plainridge Park, owned by Penn National Gaming, was the first casino to open under Massachusetts' 2011 gaming law.

The casino, which celebrated its one-year anniversary in June, pays 49 percent of its gambling revenue in taxes and has paid $119.2 million into the state coffers as of July. Eighty-two percent of the state's take goes to local aid and 18 percent to the state's Race Horse Development Fund.

It is in competition with the Twin River Casino just 11 miles away across the Rhode Island Border and has faced questions about its financial performance since state officials slashed their expectation for the gaming facility after its launch in June 2015.

The state initially expected to take in $105 million per year in tax revenues. With slots intake not meeting targets, that projection was lowered to $83 million. Revenues have recovered since a low of $11.3 million in December 2015.

The casino has not come close to its peak revenue during its much-hyped opening month, which saw $18.1 million in gross gaming revenue. Average revenues jumped to over $13 million during the spring and summer of 2016, before dipping again during the fall and winter.

Plainridge Park was fined $10,000 for violating alcohol regulations in August, after random and unannounced compliance checks by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

But there has been no broad increase in crime in surrounding communities due to the casino, crime analyst Christopher Bruce told the gaming commission in December.

The attorney for Rachelle Bond, the woman charged as an accessory after the fact in the alleged murder of baby Bella Bond, is asking a Superior Court judge to consider moving Bond's trial to Western Massachusetts. Watch video

BOSTON - The attorney for Rachelle Bond, the woman charged as an accessory after the fact in the alleged murder of baby Bella Bond, is asking a Superior Court judge to consider moving Bond's trial to Western Massachusetts.

Bond and her attorney, Janice Bassil, have argued that she is not an accessory, and she was afraid of Michael Patrick McCarthy, the man charged with Bella Bond's murder. A former boyfriend, McCarthy has denied the charge and blames Bond, the mother, for the alleged murder.

During a court appearance with her client in Suffolk Superior Court, Bassil held up a cover of the Boston Metro, a free paper, after Bond was arrested. "MONSTER," the headline said.

"There have been articles about the case that are highly negative, not just reporting the facts but reporting opinions as well," Bassil said, as Rachelle Bond, clad in a grey suit and white sneakers, sat next to her.

Bassil also complained about the tenor of the comment sections below the articles. "A lot of the comments are, 'why are we bothering with a trial?'" Bassil said.

"It's been pretty graphic," she added.

Bassil contended there is less interest in Western Massachusetts about what occurs in Boston, so the interest in the case would not be in intense, and there would be a better chance to get an impartial jury.

But the judge, Christine Roach, said people read newspapers and online sites in Western Massachusetts, and the facts of the case are "sensationalistic in nature."

Blame game over Bella Bond's death in full swing

"We are all going to be living in this world" with comments on the internet, Roach said.

"Our first goal is a fair trial for both sides," she said. "We have to take that step by step."

The judge took Bassil's motion and others, including a motion to dismiss the case against Bond, under advisement. The next court date is set for Jan. 26.

Attorney for McCarthy says Rachelle Bond's story of Bella Bond's murder 'unbelievable'

Secretary of State William Galvin's office investigated the May 2015 election and determined the vote was flawed.

PALMER -- Residents in the Three Rivers village Tuesday night will decide whether to remove Raymond Domey from that fire district's 3-person governing body.

The matter is one of the items on a Three Rivers Fire District Prudential Committee meeting agenda. The meeting, which begins at 7 p.m. at the fire station, 50 Springfield St., is open to the public.

Village residents who are registered to vote will be able to weigh in on item 9 on the warrant, which asks whether the results of a May 2015 should be "negated," in which case Domey would be removed from the board.

In asking whether Domey should remain in his seat, the item cites "irregularities" in the 2015 election.

The full article states: "Due to the irregularities identified in the May 2015 election the voters of the District request that vote be negated, Raymond Domey immediately be removed from his position on the Prudential Committee, and a new election for that position be held in accordance with Article 1, Section 4(a) of the Three Rivers Fire District Bylaws."

Following that 2015 election, two actions began taking shape.

Domey sought to discipline, and potentially oust, Three Rivers District Fire Chief Scott Turner. Turner had supported Dennis Moynahan, who opposed Domey in the race for the seat.

Residents also questioned whether proper procedures were followed during the election.

After numerous disciplinary meetings, the Domey-led effort against Turner fizzled -- but movement to remove Domey from office gathered steam.

Secretary of State William Galvin's office investigated the 2015 election, and determined the district lacked authority to conduct the election in the manner it had.

Question were raised about how votes were counted, and how absentee ballots were processed.

Opponents of Domey also filed a lawsuit in Hampden County Superior Court seeking invalidation of the election, but the court declined to rule on that matter.

There have also been public protests at meetings directed against Domey.

A police dog searched their car and found 400 packets of heroin in the glove compartment, police said.

GREENFIELD - A Greenfield woman and a man from Athol were arrested on drug charges Monday night after a traffic stop on Deerfield Street led to the discovery of 400 packets of heroin, police said.

Arrested were Samantha Carey, 27, of Water Street, Greenfield, and Jhims Grand-Pierre, 35, of Walnut Street in Athol. They were each charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of heroin, conspiracy to violate drug laws and being knowingly present where heroin is being kept.

The pair was arrested following a traffic stop on Deerfield Street at about 640 p.m.

Their car, which was already being monitored for possible drug activity, was stopped by police for having blue tinted headlights and heavily tinted glass. Both are considered illegal in Massachusetts.

Greenfield police warn of particularly dangerous heroin in town

Montague police K-9 officer James Ruddock and his dog Artie were dispatched to the scene to help inspect the car, and the dog led officers to check the glove box where a bag with 400 packets of heroin were found.

They also seized $325 in cash.

Carey and Grand-Pierre were held overnight at the Franklin County House of Correction pending their arraignments in Greenfield District Court.

If customers want to stock up at the current price, they should go to the Post Office by Saturday to buy stamps.

SPRINGFIELD -- The Postal Service will raise the price of its first-class "forever" postage stamps by 2 cents on Sunday, Jan. 22.

The price of a stamp will go from 47 cents to 49 cents. 

The hike was approved by the Postal Regulatory Commission last year.

The price will not change for postcards, for mail to international destinations or for additional ounces for letters.

Customers who want to stock up at the lower price should buy stamps on Saturday or before, said Christine Dugas, a spokeswoman for the Postal Service.

The new price reverses a 2-cent cut in April 2016. That decrease in the price of a first-class stamp was imposed on the Postal Service by Congress, which insisted that a previous 2014 price hike would be only temporary.

Last year, the Postal Service said the 2-cent cut worsened its financial condition by reducing revenue and increasing its net losses by approximately $2 billion per year.

Stamp prices have stayed consistent with the average annual rate of inflation since the Postal Service was formed in 1971, according to the service.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

The volume of first-class mail sent through the Postal Service fell in 2015, the most recent year available, to 62.4 billion pieces of mail. That's down from 64 billion pieces in 2014 and from a high of 103.5 billion in the year 2000.

he CBO study, released Tuesday morning, analyzed the Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act -- a bill passed with Republican support and vetoed by President Barack Obama a year ago.

A partial repeal of the Affordable Care Act proposed last year by Congressional Republicans would cost 18 million people their health insurance and lead to at least a 20 percent premium spike for individual plans in the first year after passage, according to a new study by the Congressional Budget Office.

The CBO study, released Tuesday morning, analyzed the Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act -- a bill passed with Republican support and vetoed by President Barack Obama a year ago.

The bill would have eliminated the ACA's subsidies, insurance mandates and Medicaid expansion, as well as cutting taxes implemented by the ACA, while keeping popular reforms like the ban on denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

The study found that 32 million people would lose and that premiums would double over the next 10 years, relative to projections under the ACA.

Congressional Republicans have long promised to "repeal and replace" Obama's signature health care act, and President-elect Donald Trump made opposition to the law a centerpiece of his campaign.

But it is not clear whether plans for repeal will look like the bill analyzed by the CBO.

Last week, Senate Republicans passed a budget blueprint calling for repeal plans to be finalized by Jan. 27, though Republicans leaders have said the date is not set and stone, according to the New York Times.

In an interview last weekend with the Washington Post, Trump said that his plan will guarantee "insurance for everybody." Trump declined to reveal specifics about his plan, but told the Post it was near completion and that he was prepared to roll it out alongside Republican congressional leaders.

The swift push to repeal Obama's health initiative has sparked nationwide protest by Democrats and supporters of the law. At a rally in Boston on Sunday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren branded Republicans "cowards" who wanted to "repeal and run."

The CBO analysis predicts that 10 million people on the individual insurance market would lose coverage, 5 million would lose Medicaid coverage and 3 million would lose employer-based coverage.

Many people would choose not to participate due to the repeal of the insurance mandate, the CBO said. But some insurers would withdraw from the marketplace due to higher costs and lower numbers of enrollees.

"As a consequence, roughly 10 percent of the population would be living in an area that had no insurer participating in the nongroup market," the CBO report said.

Premiums would spike because the end of the individual mandate would lead to a sicker, more expensive population in the insurance market once healthier people drop their insurance, the CBO said.

While not unprecedented, the facility-wide search "certainly hasn't been done on this scale in many, many years," spokesman Stephen O'Neil said.

Updates story posted at 10:26 a.m.

LUDLOW -- Medication hoarded by an inmate is so far the only contraband turned up during a comprehensive of the entire Ludlow Jail and House of Correction -- the first of its kind in many years.

"That's very good, it speaks to the diligence of the staff doing the spot checks," Stephen O'Neil, communications officer for the Hampden County Sheriff's Department, said early Tuesday afternoon.

While not unprecedented, the facility-wide search "certainly hasn't been done on this scale in many, many years," O'Neil said. "I think (Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi) just felt with a new administration and the ongoing challenges with individuals trying to get contraband into the facility that he really should put a full-court press on the issue."

The inmate in question was authorized to take the medication, but for some reason had "cheeked" it and was keeping a surplus supply, O'Neil said.

A powdery substance that turned up in the search turned out to be some kind of food and not an illegal substance, O'Neil said.

As many as 17 K-9 teams from area police departments and sheriff departments from as far away as Bristol County, are also participating.

O'Neil said the searches are so intensive that the dogs need to be frequently rotated in and out to give them a break.

The searches are being conducted some three to four cells at a time, O'Neil said. The inmates being removed from those cells are also being searched.

"There is no interaction between the dogs and the inmates," O'Neil said.

The facility has about 1,100 inmates, O'Neil said

While unannounced searches are performed quite often they are typically done on a smaller scale. Also, every Friday, facility staff perform what's known as a "command inspection," in which cells and other areas of the facility, including outer administrative areas, are searched, O'Neil said,

O'Neil said he suspects that Cocchi will conduct such facility-wide contraband searches again.

Police are hoping the state medical examiner can help determine why Donald Lajewski drove off the road.

Patrick Johnson | pjohnson@repub.com 

SOUTHWICK - The driver killed in Southwick car accident Friday night has been identified as Donald Lajewski of Westfield, according to police.

Office Paul Miles said Lajewski, 59, was critically injured in one-car accident at around 7 p.m. in the area of 21 Coes Hill Road.

The car went off the road and drove into a large tree.

Southwick firefighters and emergency medical technicians had to free him from the vehicle.

He was taken by ambulance to Noble Hospital where he was pronounced dead at around 7:30 p.m.

Miles said the cause of the accident remains under investigation. Police are not sure why he went off the road and hit the tree.

Miles said he may have had a medical episode while behind the wheel, but will need the medical examiner to determine that.

There were not issues with the weather or the state of the road.

Southwick police are waiting for autopsy results to possible shed light from the state medical examiner to possibly help determine why Lajewski lost control of the car, he said.

The civil rights icon who has questioned the legitimacy of Donald Trump's presidency will be honored May 13 at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams.

NORTH ADAMS -- A small public college in Berkshire County will host a legendary fighter for civil rights at its 118th commencement ceremony.

U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, will be keynote speaker at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on May 13, and receive an honorary Doctor of Public Service. Lewis was elected to Congress in 1986 and represents Georgia's 5th Congressional District.

At the age of 23, as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Lewis helped organize the 1963 March on Washington and delivered remarks at the historic event.

In 1965, Lewis and minister Hosea Williams led more than 600 peaceful protesters across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Lewis, Williams and others were tear gassed and beaten by state troopers in what became known as "Bloody Sunday." The Selma to Montgomery march helped hasten the passage of the Voting Rights Act.

The commencement announcement comes on the heels of a showdown between Lewis and Republican President-elect Donald Trump.

5 things to know about civil rights icon John Lewis

After Lewis on Sunday questioned the legitimacy of Trump's presidency on NBC's "Meet the Press," Trump fired back on Twitter. Trump condemned Lewis as "All talk, talk talk - no action or results" and described the congressman's district, including the Atlanta metro area, as "crime-infested" and "falling apart." The exchange occurred over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend.

Lewis has announced he will skip Trump's inauguration. More than 50 Democratic lawmakers have made the same decision, according to the Washington Post.

Trump, who during his campaign boasted of his "great relationship with the blacks," garnered 8 percent of the African-American vote.

In 2015, Lewis delivered the commencement address at the 84th graduation from Our Lady of the Elms College in Chicopee at the Mass Mutual Center in Springfield.

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday called Lewis "an American hero" while saying that he plans to travel to Washington Friday for the Trump inaugural.

Utility officials say the increase will help make up for a $35.7-million revenue deficiency to keep up with the cost of delivering power.

SPRINGFIELD -- Energy utility Eversource has asked state regulators to allow the company to raise its distribution rates for electricity by about 10 percent beginning early next year.

The new rates would mean an increase of about $11.64 on the average monthly bill for someone who uses 550 kilowatt hours of electricity a month.

Eversource said it is requesting new delivery rates to alleviate a revenue deficiency of $35.7 million for the company's Western Massachusetts service area.

Power bills are made up of two parts: delivery cost, which pays for wires, transformers, billing and other expenses, and the cost of power, which is based on market conditions and changes every six months.

If approved, the new rates would go into effect January 1, 2018.

Eversource said the proposed rate increase is part of what it is calling a the Grid-Wise Performance plan.

Grid-Wise would include automated vices and technology to cut the incidence and duration of power outages, an energy storage program to store power, an enhanced electric-grid management system; tools for the integration of distributed energy resources; and an electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Energy storage is an emerging challenge for utilities as more power is generated by non-demand wind, hydroelectric and solar sources and less is generated by demand sources - like coal, gas or nuclear --that utilities and turn up or down depending on how much power they need.

"Investments by Eversource are important to help address some of the critical gaps in EV charging infrastructure, such as multi-unit dwellings, workplace charging, DC fast charging along major highways, and solutions for disadvantaged communities," said Daniel Gatti, policy analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists in a news release from Eversource. "

Eversource has 210,000 customers in Western Massachusetts.

In addition, utilities can have a critical role in increasing consumer awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles and the many policies the state and federal government have in place to promote EVs. We look forward to working with Eversource and other stakeholders to refine their proposal and ensure that it meets the needs of all Massachusetts EV drivers with the hope of securing approval from the Department of Public Utilities for new infrastructure."

As of Jan. 1, 2017 residential customers using an average of 600 kilowatt-hours of electricity would have a monthly Eversource bill of $120.31 starting Jan. 1 compared with $128.51 last winter, or 6.4 percent less on the total bill.

The attorney for the mother of Bella Bond, the baby whose body was off Deer Island last year, is asking a Superior Court judge to dismiss the charges against Rachelle Bond.

BOSTON - The attorney for the mother of Bella Bond, the baby whose body was off Deer Island last year, is asking a Superior Court judge to dismiss the charges against Rachelle Bond.

Bond is accused of being an accessory after the fact. Her former boyfriend, Michael Patrick McCarthy, is charged with Bella Bond's murder.

Both Bond and McCarthy deny the charges. Bond through her attorney has said she is willing to testify against McCarthy, stating that McCarthy allegedly strangled Rachelle Bond and caused her to fear for her life, while McCarthy blames Bond for Bella's death. The events allegedly occurred in 2015.

Janice Bassil, Rachelle Bond's attorney, said "accessory after the fact" is a complicated charge. "This is different. This is more about inaction than action," she said of Rachelle Bond's case.

"Whatever she didn't do didn't rise to the legal definition of accessory after the fact," Bassil told reporters after a hearing in Suffolk Superior Court. "She never did anything with the intent that it would assist Michael McCarthy in avoiding detection, or trial or punishment. I've said it all along, she plans to testify against him and wants to see him punished for the murder of her child."

McCarthy often left to go to a methadone clinic and church, and he was not hiding from police, Bassil argued in court. "There's no evidence she wanted him to stay," she added.

But prosecutors said Bond had a duty to seek help for the child, and there was abundant evidence she did not call police or other authorities. Prosecutors also alleged that Bond and McCarthy went to Quincy to pick up weights to put in the bag used to hold Bella's body before they tossed it into the ocean.

Is the Bella Bond murder case coming to Western Mass.?

Bond continued to live with McCarthy for almost four months after the alleged crime, prosecutors added.

Bassil reiterated that Bond felt threatened by McCarthy, and while prosecutors say she had a phone, it did not have cell service. "If the police came to her and said where is the child and she lied, that would certainly be accessory after the fact," Bassil said.

 The judge, Christine Roach, said she would take the motion - as well as a push by Bassil to move the trial to Berkshire County in order to get an impartial jury -- under advisement. The next scheduled court date is Jan. 26.

Rachelle Bond, mother of murdered toddler Bella Bond, held on $1 million cash bail