Congresswoman Katherine Clark, who was among the first to announce she will buck tradition by not attending President-elect Donald Trump's upcoming inauguration, said Wednesday that she's not surprised to see a growing number of Democrats following suit.

Congresswoman Katherine Clark, who was among the first to announce she will buck tradition by not attending President-elect Donald Trump's upcoming inauguration, said Wednesday that she's not surprised to see a growing number of Democrats following suit.

The Melrose Democrat, who attributed her own absence in part to the incoming president's campaign trail and transition rhetoric, said she expected other members of Congress to boycott Trump's swearing-in following the Republican's recent criticism of U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia.

"You can ask any member of Congress from either party what (Lewis) means to them and you will hear that he is the conscience of the House, the conscience of the Congress," she said in an interview. "To have Donald Trump stoop so low as -- going into Martin Luther King Jr. weekend and with commemorations going on around to country -- to attack John Lewis, to make thinly veiled racist comments about his district, I was not surprised to see the reaction by so many people of Congress who were planning to attend."

More than 60 Democratic lawmakers have announced they will skip Trump's inauguration after the president-elect blasted the civil-rights icon for questioning his legitimacy, including U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Somerville, who added his name to the growing list Wednesday.

Massachusetts Rep. Michael Capuano becomes second delegation member planning to skip Donald Trump's inauguration

"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 tweeted.

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

-- Rep. Michael Capuano (@RepMikeCapuano) January 18, 2017

Capuano said instead of attending Trump's swearing-in ceremony he will hold an open house at his district office in Cambridge.

"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 said. "Please spread the word to anyone you think might want to stop by."

Like Capuano, Clark will also be spending Inauguration Day in her district meeting with constituents, many of whom she said have come to her with concerns about the incoming president.

The congresswoman, who contended that lawmakers "have to be a voice for those families and those concerns," will return to D.C. Saturday to join constituents for the Women's March on Washington.

"I want to be there with the thousands of women planning on attending from Massachusetts to say, 'We're here: Our voices matter, our families matter and our equality matters,'" she said. "That is the message that we're going to bring to Washington."

Women's March to draw 1,000-plus Western Mass. residents to Washington, sister events

U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Salem, will also participate in the march, which is expected to draw more than 200,000 people, including 9,200 from Massachusetts.

The congressman, whose campaign has chartered a train to bring 80 people from Eastern Massachusetts to Washington D.C. for the event, however, remained firm Wednesday that he will attend Friday's inauguration "out of respect for the office of the president, not out of respect for Donald Trump or his policies."

"This was a difficult decision, as President-elect Trump has shown time and time again that he is unfit to lead and doesn't respect the office," he said in a statement. "However, we need to show that our democracy is stronger than a single individual. And let me be clear, as soon as the ceremony ends, I'm going to get back to fighting as hard as I can to protect American values and stand up for hardworking families."

Trump will be sworn-in as the 45th president of the United States on the steps of the U.S. Capitol at noon on Friday.

Joe Colon, 32, of Springfield, denied two drug crimes and three gun crimes in Hampden Superior Court.

The exterior of the Hampden County Hall of Justice is seen Saturday evening, April 25. (Dwight B. Shepard / The Republican)Dwight B. Shepard / The Republican

SPRINGFIELD -- A 32-year-old city man denied five gun and drug charges Wednesday in Hampden Superior Court.

Judge Edward J. McDonough set bail for Joe Colon, of 130 Orchard St., at $15,000 cash.

Colon is charged with distribution of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, both as a subsequent offender. His previous conviction was in June 2005 for distribution of cocaine.

Colon is also charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card and possessing a firearm in a felony.

Colon is accused of committing the offenses Nov. 25 in Springfield, according to the indictments.

He is being represented by Nikolas Andreopoulos.

Firefighters carried the smoking stove out of the house and onto the front lawn.

SPRINGFIELD - A kitchen fire Wednesday afternoon caused an estimated $10,000 damage to a two-family duplex at 73-75 Melville St. in the city's Liberty Heights neighborhood, according to fire officials.

The fire, reported just before 4 p.m., was blamed on food left unattended on the stove, said Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commisioner Joseph Conant.

The fire was quickly extinguished but not before causing smoke damage to the house's interior.

Firefighters carried the smoking stove out onto the front lawn from the first floor kitchen.

No one was injured in the fire, and residents declined assistance from the American Red Cross. The second-floor resident was allowed to stay, Leger said. The first floor resident was displaced, but intends to stay with relatives until repairs can be made.

Springfield police report that the SUV involved in the deadly crash on Union Street on Tuesday night may have been going twice the speed limit. Watch video

Updates a story posted Jan. 18, 2017 at 5:06 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD -- Springfield police have revealed that the SUV involved in the deadly Union Street crash may have been travelling as fast as 60 mph when it slammed into a tree.

The speed limit on Union Street is 30 mph, meaning the vehicle may have been travelling at twice the legal rate of speed at the time of the crash that ultimately claimed the lives of three people and left two in critical condition.

Police had earlier reported that "excessive speed" was likely a factor in the fatal crash.

"It was reported that the Jeep Cherokee was traveling at a high rate of speed," said Sgt. John Delaney of the Springfield Police Department, in a statement.

Delaney further stated that the stolen Jeep Cherokee had "encountered" State Police prior to the crash and had "sped" away from them but had not been pursued by the troopers.

Directly prior to the crash, the SUV was headed west on Union Street and went straight through the intersection of Union and Maple Street, after which point the driver is believed to have lost control of the car, possibly causing the vehicle to be "airborne" before crashing into the tree.

Delaney also confirmed that two of the dead are female and one is male. The victims are said to be between the ages of 17 and 20 years old.

The two surviving victims are being treated at Baystate Medical Center, where they remain in critical condition, Delaney said.

Springfield police and State Police continue to investigate the incident.

The identities of the victims have not been made public at this time, pending familial notification.

Smashburger plans to employ 45 people at the restaurant.

ENFIELD, Conn. -- Smashburger will open its first Springfield-area location at noon Jan. 25 at 54 Hazard Ave. in Enfield, Connecticut.

The first 50 customers will receive free milkshakes for a year and the chance to win a $50 gift card, according to the company.

This Enfield location will be the the fifth Smashburger franchised by The Mohegan Holding Company LLC, a business diversification entity owned and operated by the Mohegan Tribe. The Mohegan Tribe already has Smashburger locations in Waterford, Manchester and Southington, Connecticut, as well as in Warwick, Rhode Island.

The Mohegan Tribe, which owns and operates Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, has plans along with Denver-based Smashburger to open as many as 20 more locations. The Mohegans have exclusive rights to a swath of New England including all of Rhode Island, New London, Tolland, Windham, Litchfield and Middlesex counties in Connecticut and Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden and Worcester counties in Massachusetts.

Another franchise holder has Smashburger locations in Natick, Westwood and Medford in Massachusetts. 

"As we continue to expand our footprint throughout New England, we are excited to bring our newest Smashburger location to Enfield and create 45 new jobs," said Kevin "Red Eagle" Brown, chairman of the Mohegan Tribe. "We look forward to serving the region a 'better burger' and to being a part of the Enfield community."

The 2,500-square-foot Enfield Smashburger has dining room seating for 68 guests and 24 additional guests on the outdoor patio, the Mohegan Tribe said in a news release.

Smashburger is part of the popular trend toward gourmet burgers. The first Smashburger opened in 2007 in Denver; now the company operates more than 340 corporate and franchise restaurants in 35 states and seven countries.

Smashbuerger has hamburgers but also grilled or crispy chicken sandwiches, fresh salads, and its own side dishes like Haystack onions and veggie frites. Smashburger also offers a hand-spun Haagen-Dazs shakes.

On each location's menu, Smashburger offers locally inspired items like the regional burger, regional sides and local craft beer.

Regular restaurant hours will be 10 a.m to 10 p.m. daily.

Mayor Sarno commented on the fatal Union Street car crash that occurred on Tuesday night. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- Mayor of Springfield Domenic J. Sarno released a brief statement on the fatal car crash that occurred on Union Street on Tuesday night, calling the incident a "tragic event."

"First of all, my sympathy, thoughts and prayers to all involved, family and friends," said Sarno on Wednesday evening, referencing the crash that left three people dead and two in critical condition at Baystate Medical Center.

While the identities of the victims have not yet been made public, Springfield police confirmed early Wednesday evening that the people in the car were between the ages of 17 and 20 years old.

"No matter what precipitated this tragic event - young lives and promise have been lost," Sarno said of the incident.

"To all our young people, a proper legacy of remembrance of these lost lives is to think and act accordingly when driving. May God rest their souls," Sarno said. 

The city of Boston is another step closer to BYOB. But add a couple of asterisks to what the city's licensing board did on Wednesday.

The city of Boston is another step closer to BYOB.

But if you're keeping track of when it's actually going into effect, add a couple of asterisks to what the city's licensing board did on Wednesday.

The board approved the rules and regulations allowing you to bring your own bottle (BYOB) but they haven't yet come up with an online application form, so you'll probably have to keep waiting until later this year.

And under the new rules, restaurants in downtown Boston, the North End, the South End, Bay Village, Fenway, Chinatown, the Seaport District, West End, Beacon Hill and Back Bay won't be eligible for a BYOB permit.

But BYOB will be allowed in Allston, Brighton, Charlestown, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Mission Hill, Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, and West Roxbury.

BYOB Mass.: Where you can bring your own bottle in Suffolk County

People who want to bring their own bottles will be limited to beer and wine, and they can't go back out to get more. (A passionate community of local craft beer enthusiasts made sure the rules allow for beer growlers.)

Holders of a BYOB license - they must have a capacity of 30 or less -- can't levy a surcharge or fee for allowing BYOB.

A BYOB license annually costs $400, far less than a $400,000 liquor license.

"This is about activating more of our neighborhood retail spaces," Boston City Council President Michelle Wu, one of the top backers of the effort, told MassLive.com. "BYOB is going to be another tool for restaurant owners to bring economic opportunity into the neighborhoods."

BYOB Mass.: Where you can BYOB in Hampden County

Advocates say a BYOB permit won't be a good fit for every restaurant, but could work for those neighborhood retail spots with a smaller footprint seeking to keep people coming in the door beyond breakfast and lunch.

And they say a BYOB permit could allow restaurant owners who want to get started with a concept and eventually graduate to applying for a liquor license.

"We're almost there," Wu said.

Noor Salman, 30, entered her plea in an Oakland, California, courtroom two days after she was taken into custody at the home she shared with her mother in suburban San Francisco.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The widow of the Orlando nightclub gunman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges of aiding and abetting her husband's support of the Islamic State group and hindering the investigation of the attack that killed 49 people and injured 53 others.

Noor Salman, 30, entered her plea in an Oakland, California, courtroom two days after she was taken into custody at the home she shared with her mother in suburban San Francisco.

Her arrest came after she was interviewed numerous times by FBI agents investigating the June 12 attack in Florida.

Federal prosecutor Roger Handberg said in court Tuesday that Salman knew about the plan by her husband Omar Mateen to attack the gay nightclub and then lied to investigators after it was over. Mateen was killed at the scene by authorities.

Handberg declined further comment on the indictment outside court, and no further details of the charges have been disclosed.

Salman will return to court Feb. 1 to argue for her release pending trial on the counts that could result in a life sentence if she is convicted.

Salman's uncle Al Salman has defended his niece, saying she is an innocent person who was physically and mentally abused by Mateen.

He said she remained in the marriage because she feared losing custody of the couple's 4-year-old boy.

Noor Salman was living with Mateen in Fort Pierce, Florida when he proclaimed his allegiance to Islamic State and attacked the nightclub.

The indictment charges her with aiding and abetting Mateen in providing material support and resources to Islamic State between April and June of last year. She was also charged with obstruction, accused of misleading and lying to police and the FBI during their investigation.

Charles Swift, her lead attorney, declined comment Wednesday outside court. He is director of the Texas-based Constitutional Law Center for Muslims in America,

Salman told The New York Times in an interview published in November that she knew her husband had watched jihadist videos but that she was "unaware of everything" regarding his intent to shoot up the club. Salman also said he had physically abused her.

After they vacate and dismiss charges against individuals whose criminal cases were irrevocably tainted by disgraced chemist Annie Dookhan, state prosecutors by mid-May will need to alert remaining defendants of their rights to seek dismissal of old drug convictions, the state's highest court ruled Wednesday.

By ANDY METZGER

After they vacate and dismiss charges against individuals whose criminal cases were irrevocably tainted by disgraced chemist Annie Dookhan, state prosecutors by mid-May will need to alert remaining defendants of their rights to seek dismissal of old drug convictions, the state's highest court ruled Wednesday.

The 2012 exposure of Dookhan's widespread fraud within the old Department of Public Health crime lab threw thousands of drug convictions into question, presenting legal quandaries still working their way through the court system.

In Wednesday's ruling the Supreme Judicial Court declined a route proposed by some for a wholesale dismissal of convictions connected to Dookhan while warning such a course could be taken on certain cases in the future if the state's public defenders become swamped with the cases prosecutors decided not to dismiss.

"It puts a very, very heavy burden on the prosecution to review all these cases and determine if there's any possibility that they could be prosecuted again if a motion for a new trial were allowed," said Terrence Kennedy, a criminal defense attorney and member of the Governor's Council. "It's an almost impossible burden. It's an expensive burden because it also puts the costs in the DA's budget, which is a huge factor, too."

Anthony Benedetti, chief counsel for the Committee for Public Counsel Services, which represents indigent criminal defendants, said the ruling in Kevin Bridgeman & others v. the District Attorney for Suffolk County is "clearly the biggest decision to date" related to Dookhan, and he said he is "extremely pleased" with it.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan, who is president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association, said she appreciated that prosecutors will retain the power to decide whether to proceed with cases and a review is underway.

"Today the court recognized the long standing principle that prosecutors should determine the cases appropriate for trial," Ryan said in a statement. "We are closely reviewing today's decision and look forward to meeting with the Single Justice [Margot Botsford] on Monday. We are already beginning to implement the Court's directive about the evaluation of cases."

Lawyer in cocaine case: Email exchange between disgraced drug lab chemists casts doubt on test results

Dookhan's misdeeds tainted cases in eastern Massachusetts, and Benedetti said a large number of defendants have been waiting to see how cases played out in courts.

Justice Geraldine Hines dissented from the decision written by Chief Justice Ralph Gants, arguing the cases should have been thrown out in bulk.

"The time has come to close the book on this scandal, once and for all, by adopting a global remedy," Hines wrote. She said, "The only fitting end to this blight on the integrity of our criminal justice system is vacatur and dismissal with prejudice of the convictions of all relevant Dookhan defendants."

Under the decision, prosecutors must within 90 days - or by April 18 - notify the courts about all the drug convictions they intend to vacate and dismiss; all the cases that prosecutors do not intend to dismiss on the belief they could win in a new trial; and all the cases where defendants "are not entitled to the conclusive presumption of egregious government misconduct" - because they pled guilty before Dookhan signed the drug certification.

For the cases prosecutors do not intended to dismiss and believe could result in a conviction despite Dookhan's role, prosecutors will need to mail out notifications within 30 days of the end of the initial 90-day period, according to the decision. Gants criticized earlier notices sent out by prosecutors to Dookhan defendants for being confusing and inadequate, and required the new notices to include the number of a hotline staffed by public defenders and allow defendants to check a box to indicate they want to talk to a lawyer about seeking to vacate a drug conviction through a motion for a new trial.

Gants warned that unless prosecutors dismiss a substantial number of the roughly 20,000 Dookhan defendants' cases, they run the risk of overwhelming the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), which could result in widespread dismissal of convictions.

Annie Dookhan is out of prison

"Therefore, unless the district attorneys were to move to vacate and dismiss with prejudice the drug convictions of large numbers of relevant Dookhan defendants, case-by-case adjudication poses the considerable risk that the demand of indigent Dookhan defendants for counsel might outstrip the supply of CPCS-qualified attorneys to represent them, and require this court to implement an appropriate remedy under our general superintendence authority for the constitutional violation suffered by indigent criminal defendants who are denied their right to counsel," Gants wrote. "If past is prologue, that remedy will likely be the dismissal without prejudice of their challenged drug convictions."

Gants also said that the majority of the relevant Dookhan defendants' convictions were for possession alone, and while "virtually all" have served their sentences, ill effects of the conviction remain. Gants said non-citizens can be deported for drug crimes; citizens can be barred from public housing; a conviction can hurt prospects of employment and government benefits; and a prior conviction can lengthen the sentence for subsequent convictions.

The chief justice said much of the responsibility will fall on prosecutors.

"The success of case-by-case adjudication will depend on the cooperation of the district attorneys, who will have to examine each drug conviction of each relevant Dookhan defendant in their district and determine which cases they reasonably could and would reprosecute if a motion for a new trial were granted, and move to vacate and dismiss with prejudice the rest," Gants wrote. "We rely on the exercise of the district attorneys' sound discretion to reduce substantially the number of relevant Dookhan defendants."

ACLU of Massachusetts Executive Director Carol Rose said prosecutors played a "key role" in the scandal.

"It's now up to prosecutors to decide how much money and time our Commonwealth will spend to re-prosecute people suffering from addiction," Rose said in a statement. "Our district attorneys played a key role in this scandal and could have done years ago what the Court asked for today. We hope that they welcome this effort to see that justice is finally done. In the concluding words of Justice Hines in today's ruling, 'If not now, when?'"

An Easthampton man who pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend with a gun and a knife on separate occasions was sentenced in Hampshire Superior Court on Wednesday.

EASTHAMPTON — A man from Easthampton pleaded guilty to attacking his former girlfriend on multiple occasions in 2015.

30-year-old Kevin Pardee was sentenced to 4-5 1/2 years in state prison in Hampshire Superior Court on Wednesday.

Pardee admitted that, in March 2015, he assaulted his girlfriend and threatened to kill her after putting a gun in her mouth. During that same incident, Pardee became embroiled in a stand-off with Easthampton police officers.

Several weeks later, Pardee attacked and threatened his girlfriend again--this time holding a knife to her throat, cutting her leg, and ultimately coercing her into driving him around Holyoke for several hours while he beat her. Only when the car was stopped at a red light was the girlfriend able to jump out and escape.

Before his sentencing, Pardee pleaded guilty to a long list of charges, including five counts of assault and battery on a household member, one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, one count of intimidation of a witness, and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.

He also faced a number of charges related to various firearm violations.

After Pardee's release, he faces a two year probation period with strict conditions--including that he stay off of drugs and alcohol, submit to both mental health and substance abuse treatment, and that he wear a GPS monitored bracelet.

Hundreds of people turned out to a vigil for the victims of the Union Street car crash on Wednesday night.

SPRINGFIELD -- Despite temperatures in the low-thirties, hundreds of people turned out to a candlelit vigil in Springfield on Wednesday night to mourn the victims of the fatal Union Street car crash.

Though police have not officially made the identities of the victims known, a woman in the crowd said that the two girls who had died in the crash were seniors at Central High School. "They were supposed to graduate this year," she said.

Police had earlier reported that the victims were young--between the ages of 17 and 20--and that two girls had been among the dead.

Central High cheers could be heard being chanted throughout the evening, and a large majority of the mourners present appeared to be teenagers and young adults. Most of the people present could be seen crying.

The vigil took place at the site of the fatal crash--the tree on Union Street where the SUV carrying the two girls and three other victims had crashed. Police have said that the crash may have been the product of "excessive speed." 

In addition to the two female victims, a male victim--whose identity has not been made public--was also killed as a result of the crash. Two people remain in critical condition at Baystate Medical Center. 

Springfield police assisted with security for the vigil by blocking off sections of Union Street between Maple and Dale so that the mourners could crowd into the street.

Later into the vigil, Mayor Domenic Sarno appeared and offered condolences to people in attendance. Earlier Wednesday Sarno had issued a statement regarding the crash, calling it "tragic" and saying that "young lives and promise" had been lost.

Many people brought candles and balloons that said "I love you" to the tree where the mourners had congregated; a sign that said "Rest in Peace Girls" could be seen hanging on a fence near the tree where lives had been lost.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey advised attendees on how they can get involved in government during a town hall meeting in Springfield Wednesday night.

SPRINGFIELD — During her fourth town hall since November's election, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey on Wednesday night stressed that civic involvement will be a necessary check on any federal policy that clash with Bay State residents' values.

Healey also spent much of the approximately 90-minute session criticizing the incoming Donald Trump administration and several of his appointees on issues ranging from the president-elect's pick for education secretary, to his continued refusal to release his tax returns.

"I've had people (I knew) from grade school reach out ... they've never been involved in politics," Healey said. "They're reaching out saying, 'What can I do? I'm so distressed ... how can I get involved?'"

Addressing about 300 people who packed the First United Church, Healey said people should run for office, support candidates whom they believe in and volunteer for local advocacy groups that share their values.

Such action will likely be necessary, Healey said, predicting a bumpy road ahead when it comes to federal policy.

"I don't know if we're going to have a federal partner on anything, folks," Healey warned the audience. "(But) know that we're going to press forward here in Massachusetts."

Questions asked by audience members during a question-answer portion illustrated a general unease about the incoming administration, especially regarding issues of immigration and health care.

On the night of Trump's election, Springfield Democratic Committee member Victor Davila came home to his father on the couch wondering if, as a Puerto Rican, he might lose U.S. citizenship, Davila told Healey. What leverage does Healey have to defend sanctuary cities that have committed to fighting deportations, he asked.

"I want the message to be from my office loud and clear that there's no place for the continued use of immigrant communities as a political football," Healey said, referencing recent comments by Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, who offered prisoners as laborers for Trump's proposal to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

One woman told Healey that she feared that the cost of her health insurance, which she receives through MassHealth, may rise even more than it has already if the Affordable Care Act is repealed.

Although Massachusetts has its own health care law that predates the ACA, the system could lose federal funds it depends on if the act is repealed, she said.

So far, the post-election town halls have been consistently packed, Healey said in an interview after the meeting. While many people seem worried about the future, they are also becoming more engaged, she said.

"Whenever people are asking, 'What can I do?' that's a good thing," Healey said.

Westfield authorities are searching for a missing 16-year-old who has not been seen for several days.

WESTFIELD — Westfield police are asking for the public's assistance in locating a missing teenager.

Police say that 16-year-old Aaron Ferrer has not been seen by his family for a number of days and that they are concerned for his well being.

Aaron is described as standing 6 feet 6 inches tall and weighing approximately 350 pounds.

Anyone with any information about Aaron's whereabouts has been encouraged to get in touch with the Westfield Police Department at 413-562-5411.

Obituaries from The Republican.

The 2017 Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce Directory & Business Resource Guide will be delivered with The Republican to 13,000 customers of the newspaper on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017.

HOLYOKE -- Thirteen thousand customers of The Republican today will receive copies of the 2017 Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce Directory & Business Resource Guide in their delivered newspapers, an official said Wednesday.

"It's a great guide and phone book to area businesses that will help you shop locally," said Kathleen G. Anderson president of the chamber and of the chamber Centennial Foundation Inc.

The directory has information about city departments like the city clerk and tax collector, health care facilities, the SPARK Holyoke business catalyst program, chamber member businesses listed alphabetically and by industry, fun things to do and a newly designed middle insert with area restaurants, banquet facilities, caterers and places to stay, she said.

'300 businesses' in 10 years in Holyoke goal set by new SPARK manager Tessa Murphy-Romboletti (photos)

"The directory is also used as a tourism guide for visitors to Holyoke and can be found at our member hotels and other retail venues throughout the city," Anderson said.

The full-color, 64-page directory was printed by The Republican.

Everything you need to know about the 2017 inauguration, including when President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in and details related to other inaugural events.

Allen Stotts, 71, allegedly told police that he was trying to murder his ex-wife with an ax, but missed, so he lit her house on fire with gasoline.

Norfolk police arrested an elderly man after responding officers witnessed him outside his ex-wife's burning home, armed with an axe.

Police say they received a frantic 911 call from the victim in Norfolk, saying that her house was on fire and her ex-husband was trying to kill her.

Allen Stotts, 71, was found by responding officers standing outside his ex-wife's burning home with an axe in his hands.

Police said Stotts was attempting to murder his ex-wife with the axe, but missed. He then proceeded to light his ex-wife's home on fire.

The victim was able to escape the home and was not injured in the blaze. However, the victim's home suffered some damage.

Stotts has been charged with attempted homicide, arson of a dwelling, intimidating a witness, assault with a dangerous weapon/elderly victim and malicious assault.

He is expected to appear in Wrentham District Court Thursday morning.

Holyoke Fire Department evacuated an Oak Street apartment complex where dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide were registered early Thursday morning, WWLP reports.

Holyoke Fire Department evacuated an Oak Street apartment building after dangerously high levels of carbon monoxide were registered there early Thursday morning, WWLP reports.

At around 5 a.m., firefighters shut off a malfunctioning boiler inside the apartment and had "some" residents leave and undergo evaluation by American Medical Response paramedics, according to WWLP 

A fix of the boiler is underway. Residents must stay away until workers finish the job. 

Vincent Lattanzio, 61, has been held behind bars since he was sentenced to nearly 30 years in prison for an armored car heist in 1991.

SPRINGFIELD -- A 61-year-old man who has served nearly half his life behind bars in connection with an elaborate, $1.2 million armored car heist may have two years shaved off a 30-year sentence thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Vincent A. Lattanzio, formerly of Brockton, filed a motion to vacate and amend a sentence handed down by the late U.S. District Judge Frank H. Freedman in 1995. His attorney argued his case in a hearing in federal court on Wednesday and early release looks possible.

Lattanzio is among scores of federal defendants classified as "armed career criminals" seeking sentencing breaks after a change in the interpretation by the nation's highest court of the Congressional act that created the classification. He arrived in court in tan prison drabs with a trim mustache and graying hair. He was 39 when he was sentenced.

Lattanzio was convicted of robbery, aiding and abetting and illegal weapons possession, among other charges. He and four co-defendants conspired to hold up two guards employed by the Berkshire Armored Car company in 1991 using disguises and an inside man who provided details about the car terminal and schedules.

The inside man, Charles Gattuso, entered the Witness Protection Program and testified against his co-defendants. One man who also turned prosecution witness, Donald J. Abbott of Burrillville, Rhode Island, was killed by a shotgun blast while the charges were pending and he was out on bail. That slaying was never solved.

Lattanzio was convicted at trial along with career outlaw Bernard Kiley and a fifth co-defendant, Francis J. Procopio.

Kiley died in prison in 2014, according to U.S. Bureau of Prisons records. Procopio was released in 2001.

Accounts of the crime at trial revealed that a search of Kiley's Pittsfield apartment by federal agents turned up cash ledgers sewn into the back of a teddy bear that detailed an accounting of spending on lavish trips to Miami, Las Vegas and London. Investigators also found a fake mustache and beard, police scanners, two-way radios and binoculars.

Lattanzio and Kiley met in state prison in 1990 and hatched the plan a year later, according to published accounts.

Federal prosecutors sought sentencing enhancements for Kiley and Lattanzio as armed career criminals -- adding significant years to their sentences. For Lattanzio, prosecutors based the enhancement, in part, on prior convictions for armed robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Though it seems to fly in the face of logic, the high court deemed those crimes inapplicable within the narrow confines of the law. Justices also decided the new interpretation should apply retroactively, allowing defendants such as Lattanzio to appeal decades-old sentences.

U.S. District Court Judge Michael A. Ponsor and lawyers involved in the case all agreed the Supreme Court decision has thrown decisions for lower courts into some disarray as many circuit judges have diverged on specific cases.

"The law in this area is a total mess. ... It's really confusing," Ponsor remarked at the beginning of Wednesday's hearing.

Defense attorney Dana Goldblatt argued that while the law may have become "a muddle" it is what it is, and her client clearly qualifies for a sentencing reduction.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Goodwin argued in court pleadings that Lattanzio lost previous appeals on other grounds. There also was a quarrel over whether one of the defendant's predicate convictions was misstated due to a typo in a district court in Essex County. But that was so old, no one could provide a first-person account of where the discrepancy lied.

At any rate, Ponsor appeared to signal that he was persuaded by the defense argument as he asked hypothetical questions about how quickly U.S. Probation could amend the pre-sentencing memo. The judge also indicated he would be inclined to sentence Lattanzio to a sentence that is lesser than the time he has already served.

"I'll make this a priority," Ponsor said.

The Republican will report the judge's decision when it is made publicly available.

Springfield Museums honored Congressman Richard Neal, D-Springfield, Wednesday for his recent appointment to ranking member on the powerful U.S. House Ways and Means Committee.

Springfield Museums honored Congressman Richard Neal, D-Springfield, Wednesday for his recent appointment to ranking member on the powerful U.S. House Ways and Means Committee.

Neal, who was elected to serve as the panel's top Democrat in early December, joined museum officials and other community members for a private evening event at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History.

The Ways and Means Committee, which is tasked with overseeing trade agreements, taxes and Social Security, among other things, is expected to play a major role in examining several of the policies President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans campaigned on.

Neal, as the panel's ranking member, has spoken out against Republican-led efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

US Rep. Richard Neal challenges Republicans to work with Democrats to fix Obamacare

He has further pledged to defend programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, which he argued are tied to the contentious health care law known as Obamacare.

Despite his opposition to some GOP-backed plans, Neal has expressed interest in working with Trump and Republicans on issues like infrastructure spending and tax changes that benefit working class Americans.

The Springfield Democrat, who was first elected to the U.S. House in 1988, sought the position of Ways and Means ranking member after 85-year-old Rep. Sandy Levin, D-Michigan, announced he would step down from the panel's leadership.

Neal was in the running for the position with House Democratic Caucus Chairman Xavier Becerra, who was selected to serve as California Gov. Jerry Brown's new attorney general.