The suspect, Thomas Pitoniak of 2 Karen Drive, Southampton, had a "substantial amount" of loose change and electronics in his possession, according to a post on the department's Facebook page.

Thomas Pitoniak 

EASTHAMPTON -- Police arrested a Southampton man early Wednesday following a break-in to a car on East Street.

The suspect, Thomas Pitoniak of 2 Karen Drive, Southampton, had a "substantial amount" of loose change and electronics in his possession, according to a post on the department's Facebook page.

He was charged with breaking and entering and larceny, police said. The break-in was reported.

Police urge residents to keep their vehicle doors locked.

WestmassArea Development Corp. bought the 170-acre complex six years ago and has been redeveloping it ever since.

LUDLOW -- Iron Duke Brewing is looking to either go to court or move to a new location as a dispute with its landlords at the sprawling Ludlow Mills Complex comes to a head.

Iron Duke expects to be served with eviction papers sometime in the next few weeks, said co-owner Nick Morin. Morin said Iron Duke's relationship with landlord Westmass Area Development Corp. soured six months ago after he and partner Mike Marcoux submitted plans to expand the business with more fermentation space and facilities for food service.

The expansion would have taken the company from four full-time employees to 10 or 12 full-timers.

Westmass Development's response was to tell Iron Duke that it could no longer run its popular tap room, host food trucks at the site or provide entertainment, according to Morin.

Iron Duke sells some of its beer off-site, but the tap room at Ludlow Mills is by far its largest and most profitable sales channel. Not having the tap room would put iron Duke out of business.

"It's our feeling and our attorney's feeling that we have every right to continue to run the tap room the way we have for that last two and half years," Morin said. "We have a lease that we can run the tap room."

That lease, he said, has three years and 10 months left to run.

But Westmass Development apparently is more comfortable with a production brewery, not a tap room and restaurant on the property.

Calls to Westmass Development were not returned Wednesday morning.

A nonprofit economic development agency that historically built industrial parks on raw land, Westmass Area Development Corp. bought the 170-acre Ludlow Mills Complex six years ago.

In those years, its been able to draw $135 million in public and private investment to the site, including plans for a $60 million project of 100 to 136 market-rate apartments announced last year by WinnDevelopment.

WinnDevelopment also has a $24.5-million senior housing project on the property and there is a new $26 million HealthSouth rehabilitation hospital.

The site also continues to host small businesses and industrial operations like machine shops, welders, countertop fabricators and other businesses.

Iron Duke Brewing opened in a 3,000-square-foot-space in the complex in 2014.

The Ludlow Mills complex is entwined with the town's history. The clock tower at one end of the complex is on the town seal.

The Ludlow Manufacturing and Sales Co. made cloth, rope and twine out of Indian-grown jute, flax and hemp from the 1868s through the 1970s.

At its height in the years before World War I, Ludlow Manufacturing had about 4,000 employees, many of them children. But the Great War disrupted the supply of jute fiber from India, so the company decided to open a mill in India instead and started shifting production overseas. The Ludlow operations went into a long decline.

James "Chip" Harrington, a former member of the Town of Ludlow Board of Selectmen, said that history makes Iron Duke a special place to visit for Ludlow residents. Harrington, a current member of the school board, sells Iron Duke products at this Our Town Variety store and is friends with owners.

He created an online petition calling for Westmass Development to let Iron Duke stay. The petition got 2,500 signatures in its first 24 hours.

"These guys have worked so incredibly hard," Harrington said. "It's like the American dream."

Morin said he'd much rather be spending money on new brewing equipment and on growing his business than on attorneys fees. Moving Iron Duke, if that's the only option, would also be very expensive given the extensive equipment already installed, he said.

Morin said he fears Westmass has plans for the space currently occupied by iron Duke. Under the terms of iron Duke's lease, Westmass would be responsible for moving the brewery if it needed Iron Duke to move in order to make room for a different project.

This is a developing story which will be updated.

The court filings follow a joint sweep by city inspectors and police last week at 47-49 Draper St. and 39 Forest Park Ave.

SPRINGFIELD -- The city filed a civil complaint Wednesday seeking to force the landlords of two Forest Park houses to correct alleged code violations and fire hazards, and provide alternate housing to tenants.

The court petitions, filed in Western Division Housing Court, follow a joint sweep by city inspectors and police last week at 47-49 Draper St. and 39 Forest Park Ave.

The city condemned the Draper Street house, condemned an allegedly illegal third-floor apartment of the Forest Park Avenue house, and ordered that all known and unknown tenants be evicted.

David Cotter, the city's director of housing code enforcement, said the third-floor apartment on Forest Park Avenue was a "fire trap," with deadbolt locks on all doors and no working smoke detectors.

Caitlin Castillo, associate city solicitor, said the separate cases are scheduled to be heard in Housing Court on Jan. 27 at 9:30 a.m.

The city is asking the court to order the owners to board up and secure the houses, to provide written plans for rehabilitation or demolition, and to provide alternate lodging to tenants. In addition, the city asks the court to order the owners to correct all violations of the state sanitary and building codes, as well as electrical codes.

At 47-49 Draper St., according to city officials, an inspection found conditions including: "no gas, no electricity, missing/defective smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, non-functioning lights, exposed wires, missing/defective outlets, broken windows, temporary wiring, 1st floor front and rear blocked egress, maintenance of land violations, missing gutters" and a second-floor porch in need of repairs.

At 39 Forest Park Ave., officials said an inspection found conditions including: "an illegal 3rd floor apartment consisting of four make-shift rooms including obstructed egress, egress blocked with debris, temporary wiring in use, missing/defective smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors, doubled keyed locked doors and wall/ceilings with smoke/water damage."

There were also numerous code violations on the second floor of the Forest Park Avenue site including a black, mold-like substance in a rear room, bathroom and kitchen, temporary wiring, front egress blocked with debris, a rotting kitchen sink cabinet, and missing / defective smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

The city believes the owners of both properties are absentee landlords, Cotter said.

Alycia A. Drake is listed as owner of 47-49 Draper St., and Julio Carangui is listed as owner of 39 Forest Park Ave. Both owners have those addresses listed as last known addresses, but have alternate addresses listed that are out of state.

Food stamp recipients use nearly 10 percent of the $74 billion program, called SNAP, on sweetened beverages, The New York Times reported this week.

Food stamp recipients spent nearly 10 percent of the $74 billion program, called SNAP, on sweetened beverages, The New York Times reported this week.

Beverages in question include soft drinks, juices, energy drinks and more, and make up 9.3 percent of total program spending by recipients, according to an exhaustive United States Department of Agriculture study.

It proved the most significant finding of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) study. A total of 43 million people receive food stamps in the U.S.  

The study found just over five percent of the total spent on sweetened beverages goes towards soda -- considered nutritionally worthless and a big contributor to obesity rates by health experts. 

"In this sense, SNAP is a multibillion-dollar taxpayer subsidy of the soda industry," Marion Nestle, a New York University professor of nutrition, food studies and public health told The Times. "It's pretty shocking."

For this Amherst mother of two, SNAP benefits are a lifeline

In response to the news, Tennessee state Rep. Shelia Butt (R-Columbia) introduced a bill to ban SNAP recipients from purchasing "food that is high in calories, sugar, and fat ... without any nutritional value," reported WBIR.

However, Butt pulled the bill Tuesday.

According to The Times, the food and beverage industries have spent millions opposing such changes to the program, foiling years of efforts by dozens of cities, states and medical groups to get the government to impose health standards on foods and drinks purchased with federal money.

The USDA has resisted such standards by calling them unfair to recipients, The Times said.

The study's data came from an unnamed, national food chain, which provided the USDA monthly records of food bought in 2011 by three million food stamp recipients. 

The USDA concluded food stamp recipients not only consume too many sweetened beverages, but too much unhealthy food in general.

Can you buy that with food stamps?

Citizens for Limited Taxation is blasting Massachusetts lawmakers who are interested in reviewing their compensation levels. Lawmakers are planning a Thursday hearing on a 2014 report that found pay for the state's constitutional officers and legislative leaders is "generally outdated and inadequate."

Citizens for Limited Taxation is blasting Massachusetts lawmakers who are interested in reviewing their compensation levels.

Lawmakers are planning a Thursday hearing on a 2014 report from a compensation commission that found pay for the state's constitutional officers and legislative leaders is "generally outdated and inadequate." The commission recommended pay increases.

Base pay for Massachusetts lawmakers is currently $62,547, though leaders receive additional pay due to their positions. The pay is adjusted through a mechanism in the state's constitution, and lawmakers just received an increase to the current level.

"This makes them the sixth-highest paid state legislators in the nation, even without their additional leadership and committee pay, expenses, and per diems," Citizens for Limited Taxation said in a statement Wednesday.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stanley Rosenberg make roughly $97,000 a year, according to the State House News Service.

Massachusetts state employee salary database 2017

The group also noted that the hearing on the 2014 report is being held on Thursday, which is the day before "the inauguration of a new President of the United States of American when all eyes will be on Washington."

Voters passed a 1998 statewide ballot question setting up the mechanism to determine salaries, and it was "sold to voters as a means to prevent legislators from ever again voting to increase their salaries," the group said.

"Now legislative leaders are looking for ways to end-run the constitution to boost their pay even more," the group added.

Gov. Charlie Baker, asked about the hearing on Tuesday night, said he is satisfied with the salary he makes. Baker receives $151,800 per year, and he declined to take the pay hike recently allowed under the formula within state's constitution.

But he said he was willing to review a future proposal from legislators about their pay.

Gov. Baker weighs in on lawmakers exploring pay levels

Student ambassadors are chosen for an exemplary ethic of service and a potential for leadership.

SPRINGFIELD -- Four students from the Springfield Public Schools have been selected as ambassadors for Gov. Charlie Baker's community service program, Project 351.

This year's students include Damien Gonzalez of South End Middle School, Henry Greer of the Springfield Conservatory of the Arts, Laila Kibodya of Chestnut Middle School Talented and Gifted and Alivia McClendon of Kiley Middle School.

Student ambassadors are chosen for their exemplary ethic of service, a potential for leadership and by reflecting the values of compassion, commitment, humility and kindness, according to a statement released by the Springfield Public Schools.

As part of Project 351's Class of 2017, Gonzalez, Greer, Kibodya and McClendon will join 300 middle school students from the state's 351 cities and towns to participate in year-round special community service programs.

The Springfield School Committee will recognize the 2017 SPS Project 351 Ambassadors during its regularly scheduled meeting on Feb. 2 at City Hall.

Former President George H.W. Bush is being treated in an ICU for pneumonia and former First Lady Barbara Bush has been hospitalized as a precaution.

Former President George H.W. Bush is being treated in an ICU for pneumonia and former First Lady Barbara Bush has been hospitalized as a precaution.

On Wednesday morning, Bush family spokesman Jim McGrath said on Twitter that the former president had been admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital on Saturday for shortness of breath. At the time, McGrath expressed hope that Bush's discharge from care was imminent.

.@GeorgeHWBush was taken to @MethodistHosp Sat. for shortness of breath, has responded very well to treatments. Hope to have him out soon.

-- Jim McGrath (@jgm41) January 18, 2017

But Bush's condition quickly worsened.

"Shortly after our previous report on President Bush's condition, he was admitted to the ICU at Houston Methodist Hospital to address an acute respiratory problem stemming from pneumonia," The Office of George H. W. Bush said in a statement. "Doctors performed a procedure to protect and clear his airway that required sedation."

Bush's condition is stable and he is resting comfortably in the ICU, the statement said.

Barbara Bush was also admitted to Houston Methodist Wednesday morning for fatigue and coughing. Her treatment is precautionary, the statement said.

The news of President Bush's hospitalization comes just over a week after he sent a letter to President-elect Donald Trump saying he would not attend Friday's inauguration due to health concerns.

George H.W. Bush in letter to Trump about #Inauguration: "My doctor says if I sit outside in January, it likely will put me six feet under." pic.twitter.com/NDGeq6wFSI

-- ABC News (@ABC) January 18, 2017

According to town counsel, "the proposed slaughterhouse is not permitted as of right in any zoning district in the Town under the Zoning Bylaws."

BELCHERTOWN -- The zoning board of appeals on Wednesday will continue a public hearing involving the town's denial of a request by New England Small Farm Institute to operate a poultry slaughterhouse at 295 George Hannum Road.

The meeting begins at 6:35 p.m. at Lawrence Memorial Hall, 2 Jabish St.

Judith Fuller Gillan, New England Small Farm Institute director, asked for the continuance last month, saying more time was needed to review a legal opinion from Belchertown's town counsel.

Zoning Enforcement Officer Paul Adzima issued a cease and desist order to NESFI last year, saying a slaughterhouse is not an allowed use in town.

To date, no poultry have been processed at the site.

According to the town's counsel, Kopelman and Paige, "the proposed slaughterhouse is not permitted as of right in any zoning district in the Town under the Zoning Bylaws."

NESFI is a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 located on Lampson Brook Farmstead. The 416-acre property had been the former Belchertown State School Farm, according the NESFI website.

Congressman Michael Capuano, D-Mass., says he is not attending Donald Trump's inauguration on Friday.

BOSTON - Congressman Michael Capuano, D-Mass., says he is not attending Donald Trump's inauguration on Friday.

"While I have great respect for the office of the President and I accept the results of the election, I will not attend the Inaugural," he said in a Wednesday email to constituents.

Capuano becomes the second member of the all-Democratic Massachusetts delegation planning to skip the inauguration. Rep. Katherine Clark was the first to say she would not, and since then, other Democrats have joined her.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, both Massachusetts Democrats, said earlier this week they still plan to attend. Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican who frequently criticized Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign, is also attending.

Gov. Baker to attend Indiana ball as guest of Mike Pence

Roll Call has put the number of lawmakers who plan to skip the inauguration at "more than 60 Democrats in the House."

Instead of attending, Capuano said he is planning to hold an "open house" at his district office in Cambridge, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

"So many of you have contacted my office to raise concerns about the future of our great country I wanted the opportunity to hear from you directly," he wrote. "Please spread the word to anyone you think might want to stop by."

Capuano comments came days after President-elect Trump and Congressman John Lewis, D-Georgia, engaged in a war of words through the media. Lewis, a civil rights icon, said he is not attending the inauguration.

Capuano, who was first elected in 1998, also made the same announcement on Twitter.

Capuano's Congressional district includes the cities of Chelsea, Everett, Randolph, Somerville, and parts of Boston, Cambridge and Milton.

Sen. Warren says John Lewis has earned right to question Trump legitimacy

Councilors Alisa F. Klein and Maureen Carney are sponsoring the measure, which includes support for employees subjected to wage theft and substandard working conditions.

 

NORTHAMPTON -- The city council on Thursday will discuss a resolution that would declare the municipality a "Fair Employment City" and an order allowing the denial of licenses to businesses that have violated wage laws.

Northampton City Councilors Alisa F. Klein and Maureen Carney are sponsoring the fair employment resolution, which includes support for employees subjected to wage theft and substandard or unsafe working conditions.

The resolution also alludes to a need to recognize the difficult situations some independent contractors face.

"The misclassification of employees as independent contractors presents one of the most serious problems facing affected workers in the construction industry and misclassified workers often are denied access to critical benefits and protections to which they are entitled, such as the minimum wage," the resolution states.

The resolution also spells out actions the city could take to ensure compliance.

Those steps include awarding city contracts "to responsible contractors;" not awarding contracts to "vendors and/or contractors who violate" wage laws; asking the license commission to ensure wage laws are followed as part of the application process; and ensuring that Community Preservation Act funds are disbursed to entities complying with wage laws.

The council will also consider an order filed by Klein and Carney that would put the license of a business in jeopardy if state or federal officials found violations of labor laws. The order would allow the council to consider any criminal or civil judgments or other citations in deciding whether to issue, re-issue, modify, suspend or revoke a license.

The order would also allow the council to require potential licensees to post a wage bond or insurance if the business has any history of wage violations.

Wage theft became an issue in the city last year when a study by the Pioneer Valley Workers Center and the University of Massachusetts Amherst Labor Center found that many of Northampton's restaurant employees said they were either not being paid a living wage or had been harassed on the job.

The study relied on 235 worker surveys and 32 in-depth interviews with employees from 85 Northampton establishments.

A number of restaurant owners disputed the findings, with some saying there was no need for the city to take any local steps beyond state and federal laws that are already in place. 

The Jan. 19 Northampton City Council meeting at the Walter J. Puchalski Municipal Building, 212 Main St., begins at 7 p.m.

A 35-year-old Easthampton man, in a "state of rage" over the unavailability of "drugs," hit his mother in the head with his grandmother's walker, leading to his arrest Sunday.

A 35-year-old Easthampton man, in a "state of rage" over the unavailability of "drugs," hit his mother in the head with his grandmother's walker, leading to his arrest Sunday, police say.

Easthampton police officers around 3 p.m. arrived at a Johnson Avenue home, where Benjamin J. Biladeau showed them minor abrasions and blamed his mother for dragging him "down the street by her vehicle's door handle," according to a report by Easthampton Police Officer Robert J. Pouska Jr.

Biladeau said he grabbed the door handle to prevent her from leaving.

His mother, following the incident, had proceeded to Easthampton Police Department, where she told a different version of the story.

She said Biladeau had become "very agitated and began yelling about drugs," picking up a kitchen chair and throwing it several times inside the home.

Biladeau allegedly slapped his mother in the face, began yelling at his grandmother and "in a state of rage" "picked up his grandmother's walker and hit (his mother) in the head with it," Pouska's report states.

According to the mother, Biladeau proceeded upstairs, "where she could hear him ranting and raving," and, frightened, she took the opportunity to flee.

"She began driving away from the house when she looked into her rearview mirror and observed Ben holding onto the spoiler of her vehicle," Pouska's report states.

Upon hearing the mother's story, police proceeded to arrest Biladeau, whereupon he began cursing, telling officers to, "[Expletive] shoot me."

Biladeau appeared in Northampton District Court on Tuesday, where he faced charges of assault and battery on a disabled person over 60 and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. A pretrial hearing has been scheduled for March 3.

The blaze at 395 Main St. was reported about 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The American Red Cross is aiding those displaced.

HOLYOKE -- An electrical malfunction was the cause of a fire that displaced 11 families from Main Street apartment complex Tuesday night, according to investigators.

The blaze at 395 Main St. was reported about 5:30 p.m. The American Red Cross is aiding those displaced.

The investigation, conducted by the state Fire Marshal's office and the Holyoke police and fire departments, determined that a bedroom wall outlet on the second floor overheated, Anthony Cerruti, a spokesman for the fire department, said.

The fire smoldered for some time before it broke out on the exterior of the building.

The fire damaged three apartments on the second, third and fourth floors on the right side of the building.

The building has since been turned over to the property owner, Ernst Pierre-Louis of Berlin,to make repairs, Cerruti said

The fire went to two alarms, and firefighters from Chicopee and South Hadley provided mutual aid. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries,

People who have been arrested are allowed to make phone calls from jail so if an intermediary calls it is likely a scam.

CHICOPEE - Several residents have reported Wednesday they have received scam calls telling them a friend or family member is in jail and the person needs money to be bailed out or to pay a fine.

Police dispatchers said concerned citizens have been calling them about the solicitations. None have sent money.

"This is a scam. Please do not give any money or any information to anyone who calls like this," said Michael Wilk, public information officer for Chicopee Police.

People who are under arrest and need bail money are allowed to make phone calls to come up with the funds. If an intermediary is calling instead of the relative or friend, it is likely a scam, Wilk said.

He recommended people should, at a minimum, ask the caller where the person was arrested and call the police department to ensure they are in jail and need bail money. No one should ever share any personal information over the phone to anyone they do not know, he said.

The book traces the history of Italian immigration to Western Massachusetts and includes stories of families who settled here, well-known athletes, successful entrepreneurs, politicians and educators in the region.

BOSTON — A bit of Springfield history is now a part of the official collection of books at the State Library of Massachusetts in the Statehouse.

"On Being Italian: A Story of Food, Family and Faith," the latest book released as part of The Republican's Heritage Series, was donated to the library by state Rep. Angelo J. Puppolo Jr., D-Springfield.

"This is an heirloom book that contains a treasure trove of information, history and photographs of the Italian heritage in Western Massachusetts," Puppolo said.

The book was written and edited by Wayne E. Phaneuf, Romola "Mimi" Rigali and Joseph Carvalho and includes photographs by celebrated photographer James Langone. It traces the history of Italian immigration in Western Massachusetts and includes stories of heroic families who settled here, well-known athletes, successful business entrepreneurs, politicians and educators in the region, among many others.

State Rep. Angelo J. Puppolo presents the book "On Being Italian" to State Librarian Elvernoy Johnson. 

"I wanted to make sure that people from all over the state, country and world could have access to this book and appreciate the great work of Wayne, Mimi and Joe and have an opportunity to see the wonderful photographs by Jimmy Langone," Puppolo said.

State librarian Elvernoy Johnson said she is pleased to have the book in the collection.

Puppolo said he hopes inclusion in the state library will help more people enjoy the book.

"I am pleased to have sponsored a special signed copy of this book to the Statehouse Library and to make sure it received a library call number so people can have access to it and enjoy it for centuries to come," he said.

The book's call number is F75.18 O53 2016. It can be purchased at The Republican, 1860 Main St. , Springfield, MA 01103 or online here.

Curt Freedman thought he was talking to a customer service representative when his computer froze and he was told that he must pay a $1,000 ransom.

LONGMEADOW -- The conversation began pleasantly, if mundane.

A person claiming to be a customer service representative from a purported computer support firm from which Curt Freedman of Longmeadow sought a $199 refund -- he received no help, he said -- called Freedman's home.

Freedman's credit card company had told him he could expect a refund, and the man on the other end of the phone claiming he was processing the refund knew the date of the charge and amount owed.

With the situation seeming plausible enough, Freedman gave the man remote access to his computer.

"Then the conversation changed abruptly," Freedman said. "These fellows are really rough on you, they're like mafia wise guys."

A pleasant-enough exchange turned on a dime to the man telling Freedman, "We have control of your computer. You're going to tell us how to get on your electronic banking account. You're going to tell us your Social Security number. Don't you dare shut off your computer!"

The caller, who said he was phoning from India, demanded a ransom of $1,000, threatening to disseminate financial and personal information he said was on the computer, Freedman said.

Knowing he had no such data on his computer, Freedman first talked the man down to $400. He went to CVS to wire the money, but after explaining the situation, employees said they sympathized with him but would have no part in the scam.

He eventually took his computer to Best Buy's Geek Squad, who were able to restore his computer for far less, he said.

"It ended up costing me about $160 to have the Geek Squad do their magic," Freedman said.

[enhanced link]

Freedman's situation is nothing new for the Geek Squad, Best Buy spokesman Kevin Flanagan said in an email.

"Unfortunately, Geek Squad is frequently contacted by clients to address ransomware attacks," Flanagan said. "To prevent further incidences, we strongly advise clients to keep their computer's operating system up to date and to be sure to run a current internet security software suite or antivirus program."

While this particular scam has been around for some time, it's lately become more common, said Longmeadow Police Department Lt. Robert Stocks.

The sudden change in tone from friendly to aggressive and intimidating is done by design, Stocks said. "A lot of times, they'll use a lot of high pressure tactics to get people to give them their information," he said. "They'll go to any lengths to put the victim in fear and give their information.

On Monday, about a month after the initial ransom attempt, Freedman received a call from, he suspects, the same people, he said. The caller said he was from "Irvine Tech," and was processing a $199 refund.

[enhanced link]

This time, Freedman said, he hung up the phone and called police.

The brazen nature of calling again bothers Freedman, who recalls feeling victimized when his computer was held for ransom.

"You are literally being robbed, and you feel powerless," Freedman said "These are people who are bright who are capable, and they use those talents to hurt, not help. It's sociopathic."

A judge said Bemben could be released to a 90-day residential drug treatment program.

NORTHAMPTON -- A 25-year-old Hadley man accused of taking part in a violent Oct. 30 home invasion in Amherst remains held without bail -- at least for now -- after a hearing Wednesday in Hampshire Superior Court. 

The situation may change on Friday, when defense lawyer David Hoose is set to report back to Judge Mark Mason on whether Swift River, a drug and alcohol rehab center in Cummington, will agree to hold his client for 90 days.

Assistant District Attorney Steven Gagne had asked that Bemben be held without bail.

But Mason said he would agree to hold Bemben on $35,000 cash bail with a set of strict conditions -- one being that he remain on the Swift River campus for a 90-day treatment program while wearing a GPS tracking device and observing other requirements.

However, the judge quickly changed his mind when Hoose announced he had just learned that Swift River would only agree to a 30-day stay. Hoose said Swift River claimed the time limit was imposed by the state.

"At that point, they would transfer him to one of their other facilities, or to a halfway house," said Hoose. He said Bemben's parents had agreed to pay for the 90-day treatment at Swift River.

Mason was unequivocal in his rejection.

"That's not gonna happen," he said. "This is a bit of a mess at this point. ... I was willing to accept a 90-day, not 'a 30-day, and then we'll see what happens.' That's not gonna fly."

Mason said he had crafted his bail decision based on Bemben's lack of a previous criminal record, his reported mental health and addiction issues, and the availability of a secure, long-term treatment option.

Hoose said he would attempt to clarify things with Swift River, saying he believed the facility should be able to offer a 90-day stay to a privately paying client.

Police say Bemben acted with others in the incident, during which several people were tied up, a was man hit with a hatchet and another was pistol-whipped.

Bemben was allegedly armed with a hatchet, boot knife, folding knife, pepper spray and a baton. Police say at the time of his arrest, he was wearing a ski-type mask, goggles, a head lamp, binoculars, communication radio equipment and a tactical bulletproof vest.

Called to the scene on Oct. 30, police reported finding residents "flex-cuffed" and injured, and seeing "several masked men flee in different directions into the woods." Officers said they were able to catch Bemben.

Bemben allegedly stole around $300 worth of marijuana and other items.

He has been held without bail at the Hampshire County Jail and House of Correction since his Oct. 31 district court arraignment in Belchertown. Bemben was indicted by a Hampshire County Grand Jury on Dec. 7, and entered innocent pleas at his superior court arraignment Tuesday.

Benben is now charged with conspiracy to commit home invasion; conspiracy to commit armed masked robbery; assault and battery with a dangerous weapon; assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury; three counts of armed and masked robbery; breaking and entering in a building in the nighttime with the intent to commit a felony; larceny from a building; and use of body armor during the commission of a felony, according to the indictment.

Mason continued the bail hearing until Jan. 20 and set a pre-trial hearing for May 31. 

Police are not yet releasing the names of the dead pending notification of their families. Watch video

This is an update of a story originally posted at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday and updated throughout the day

SPRINGFIELD -- Springfield police say the vehicle involved in the Tuesday night accident that killed three people and critically injured two others had been reported stolen over the weekend in Connecticut.

Springfield Police spokesman Sgt. John Delaney said Springfield police have determined the SUV had been reported stolen in Connecticut on Saturday.

 

The accident was reported at about 8:15 p.m.

An SUV went off the road at Union and East Park streets, traveled about 50 feet on the sidewalk and slammed into a large tree.

All five people were trapped in the wreckage and had to be freed by the Springfield Fire Department.

Two of the occupants died shortly after the accident, and a third died Wednesday morning.

Police are not releasing their names pending notification of their families.

Delaney said the dead are two women and one man but would not release any other information.

The vehicle was heading west on Union Street heading toward Main Street.

Police have said excessive speed was likely a factor.

The speed limit for Union Street is 30 mph westbound and 20 mph eastbound toward Maple Street.

Ronald Mitchell of Springfield was sentenced to five years in state prison after admitting to having cocaine to sell and possessing two firearms.

SPRINGFIELD -- A 22-year-old city man was sentenced Wednesday to five years in state prison after admitting to having cocaine for sale and two loaded guns in his basement.

Assistant District Attorney Kerry Anne Beattie said when police came into 697 Bay St. using a search warrant, Ronald Lee Mitchell's girlfriend and a small child were in a basement bedroom.

In the basement police found loaded .357- and .40-caliber handguns, Beattie said.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Tina S. Page asked, "And the guns were found in the basement with a child there?" Beattie said the guns were in a basement closet.

Defense lawyer Daniel D. Kelly pointed out the family members in the courtroom in support of Mitchell, calling them an "unbelievably strong" and "unbelievably loving" family who would be there for Mitchell when he came out of prison.

Page asked Mitchell's girlfriend, the mother of his 1-year-old and 2-year-old children, to stand up. "Just keep your children safe," she told the young, crying woman.

After being introduced to Mitchell's mother by Kelly, Page said she was "so tired" of the phenomenon of mothers and grandmothers having to come to court as their children and grandchildren face charges.

To Mitchell Page said, "It's time for a wake-up call, and if this doesn't do it I don't know what will."

Beattie and Kelly both asked Page to sentence Mitchell to five years in state prison. Beattie said it is the first state prison term for him and a lengthy sentence.

She said on Jan. 28, 2016, police, armed with a search warrant for Mitchell's address, stopped him as he left and found crack cocaine on him. In the apartment they found the two handguns, $1,640 and a digital scale, Beattie said.

Mitchell pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute (subsequent offense) and two counts of illegal possession of a firearm (as a person with one prior violent or drug crime).

The prior conviction was in 2015 for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.

Kelly and Beattie said an open Springfield District Court case against Mitchell will be resolved soon. It was for a fight in lockup at the courthouse, Beattie said.

Charges of possessing a firearm in commission of a felony and violation of a drug-free school zone were dropped as part of the plea agreement.

Westover crews have been flying different versions of the C-5 Galaxy jet for 30 years. Watch video

CHICOPEE - As the last C-5B Galaxy jet in the U.S. Air Force fleet took off from Westover Air Reserve Base on Wednesday and headed to Georgia for a complete upgrade, Lt. Col Jordan Murphy lamented the departure.

"A lot of us who are airplane folks are going to miss the TF39 engine whine," said Murphy, the 439th Airlift Wing Maintenance Squad commander.

The Westover jet is the last one in the Air Force that will get a new engine, replacing the older TF39 one. The distinctive whine may be gone, but so will be a lot of maintenance problems that come with older engines, which occasionally cause mission plans to be changed, delayed or scrapped because there is a mechanical problem, Murphy said.

Several years ago Department of Defense officials embarked on a program to upgrade the Air Force's entire fleet of C-5 cargo jets, which are the largest planes made in the country, said Master Sgt. Andrew Biscoe, public relations technician.

The 49 C-5B models, which were built in the 1980s, are all being upgraded with new engines and wiring. They will see improvements and repairs to the exterior and interior air frame of the plane and eventually will also see cabin overhauls including new seats, Murphy said. At the end of the process they'll be called C-5M Super Galaxies.

The cost of the project is $90 million per plane. The major work is being done at the Lockheed Martin plant in Marietta, Georgia. The plane will then head to New York where the upgrades to the cabin and cockpit will be made, he said.

At the same time, the oldest C-5A models, which were built in the late 1960s and early 1970s, are being retired. The exception is two original C-5As that had been converted to carry more equipment and dubbed C-5Cs. They are also getting new engines, he said.

At the height of the construction of the C-5s there were about 127, but several were shot down or destroyed in crashes. There are about 70 remaining C-5As that will be retired, Biscoe said.

The project to upgrade the jets is called Reliability, Enhancement and Re-engineering, Murphy said.

"Reliability is a big part of it," he said. "They break far less often. We have started to see reliability has fallen below acceptable" with the older planes.

But there are other advantages as well. The engines will be far more fuel-efficient so the jets will be able to carry even larger, heavier loads or will be able to go farther without making stops or refueling in the air, Murphy said.

"They are so much quieter a lot of people are going to hear it and say what is going on?" Biscoe said.

The first C-5B jet left Westover for an upgrade in 2015. Because budget cuts reduced the number of jets that will be assigned to Westover from the original 16 to eight, that plane never returned after the work was done. Instead it and some of the others was flown to Lackland Air Base in Texas after it was upgraded, he said.

With the Wednesday morning takeoff, it means every C-5B has now either been upgraded or is in the process of being improved. Westover is scheduled to see its first C-5M plane arrive around June 18, Murphy said.

It takes about 18 months to completely upgrade a plane, so the one that left Wednesday should return sometime around the summer of 2018.

Meanwhile, Westover flight crews and maintainers are not sitting idle. They are using four "loaner" C-5A jets that will be retired when the new jets return. Ironically, two of the planes, including one built in 1969, is among the first planes to arrive at Westover when its mission changed to flying cargo planes, Biscoe said.

Maintenance crews and flight crews are also being sent to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, which already has the new C-5Ms, to be trained on the upgraded planes, he said.

Westover first started flying C-5 jets 30 years ago in 1987. The base has now had C-5s longer than any other type of plane, he said.

"It is a new chapter of avionics history here with the last C-5B leaving," Biscoe said.

But gasonline was cheaper in Massachusetts compared with the national average.

BOSTON -- Households in New England paid electricity prices last month that were 47 percent higher than the national average, according to federal data released Wednesday.

Consumer energy information released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for its Boston region showed the area's households paid an average of 19.5 cents per kilowatt hour for electricity, compared to the national average of 13.3 cents. The region includes Hampden and Worcester counties as well as Greater Boston and parts of New Hampshire, Connecticut and Maine. 

The figures came out one day after energy utility Eversource proposed a 10 percent increase in its electricity transmission rates 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.

This winter, though, monthly Eversource bills for customers using an average of 600 kilowatt hours of electricity are about 6.4 percent lower than last year. As of Jan. 1, 2017, monthly bills for such customers were estimated at $120.31, compared to $128.51 last year.

High energy prices here have been blamed on a lack of power generation in the region and the high cost of bringing in natural gas to fire generating stations.

The company says it needs to raise rates to upgrade its electrical network, make outages less frequent -- and shorter in duration -- and to build up its capacity to charge electric vehicles.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey opposes Eversource's plan. Under state law, she acts as the attorney representing ratepayers as Eversource seeks state permission for the hike.

Prices for other forms of energy released Wednesday include:

Gasoline: The price of gasoline averaged $2.245 per gallon in December 2016, which was up 16.8 cents from the $2.077 per gallon area residents paid last December. Nationally, gas prices were similar at $2.29.

According to AAA, gas prices in Springfield averaged $2.30 a gallon this week. That is up from $2.20 a month ago and from $1.89 a year ago.

Natural gas: In December 2016, area natural gas prices increased 14.9 cents from one year ago. Consumers here paid $1.315 per therm of natural gas, 35.3 percent above the national average of $0.972. Households in the Boston area have paid 28 percent or more than the national average for natural gas in the month of December in each of the last five years.

New England Energy prices by Jim Kinney on Scribd