Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito met Thursday with local leaders to discuss the need for more science, technology, engineering and mathematics internship opportunities.

SPRINGFIELD -- The No. 1 challenge Massachusetts employers face is their need for skilled employees.

On Thursday, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito met with leaders from local government, education and industry to recruit more of those employers to host high school and college interns in the STEM -- science, technology, engineering and math -- fields.

She also announced that Columbia Gas of Massachusetts will now host interns.

"Today's discussion is really about talent," said David Cruise, president of the Hampden County Regional Employment Board. "Talent is the differentiator."

Polito said Massachusetts has been called the most innovative state in the nation.

"But that is a title that can go away if we are not smart in how we develop our state and how we develop our people," Polito said. "We need to make sure that our educational assets are able to keep up with the change in our economy. We have 100,000 manufacturing jobs to fill over the next 10 years. Where are these people going to come from?"

Just 20 percent of the state's high school students are in vocational and technical programs, she said. That ratio needs to grow if Massachusetts is to grow its economy.

John C. Becker, president of Creative Material Technologies in Palmer, said he's hosted about a dozen high school and college interns since 2011. Many of them have earned jobs with the company after graduation.

"The thing they bring is energy and ideas," Becker said. "The best thing is when they get it. They might be studying physics with us; they can see how physics relates to the are working on."

Projects at Becker's company are about molecules. Molecules that make chemicals that are new products like a roofing material he recently developed that changes color: white in summer to stay cool and black in winter to gather the heat.

He's also developed interns from B or C students into experts in the field.

"We need to engage the talent from an early age," he said. "They have the aptitude, but teachers don't have the resources, time or otherwise, to pull that out of them. But when you get them one-on-one, you can challenge them."

Tapping Foxmyn for the job occurred after the Deerfield board -- and the candidate they had recently selected to serve as town administrator, South Hadley selectman Ira Brezinsky -- were unable to reach agreement on an employment contract.

 

DEERFIELD -- The Selectboard has unanimously voted to ask Wendy Foxmyn to serve as town administrator.

Foxmyn is the town's special projects administrator, and has previously served as interim town administrator in Deerfield and Northfield.

The board tapped Foxmyn for the job after it failed to reach an agreement on an employment contract with the candidate selected in November to serve as town administrator, South Hadley Selectman Ira Brezinsky.

Chairwoman Carolyn Shores Ness' motion to "ask Wendy to submit a formal application" was approved by a 3-0 vote at the Jan. 5 meeting.

"We would love you" to serve as town administrator, Ness said following the vote.

"We really, really need the office staffed," she said. "I hope we can work something out"

"I am honored," Foxmyn told the board.

The parties are negotiating a contract.

Foxmyn, who resides in Northampton, earned a bachelor of science degree at the University of Cincinnati in 1977. She is a certified mediation specialist, and has been employed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency.

She is also a part-time concert violinist, trained in the western classical music tradition, and counts Johannes Brahms among her favorite composers.

Supporters of President-elect Donald Trump traveled from near and far Thursday for the chance to participate in the incoming president's inauguration events.

WASHINGTON D.C. -- Supporters of President-elect Donald Trump traveled from near and far Thursday for the chance to participate in the incoming president's inauguration events.

Americans, who gathered on the National Mall to catch a glimpse of the president-elect at his inauguration concert, said they felt compelled to make the trip to the nation's capital -- some for the first time -- in order to witness history.

Among them was Saundra Kiczemski, a 52-year-old Trump supporter from Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, who said she wanted to see the Republican take the oath of office, despite having never been to or even watched a presidential inauguration on television before.

"This is my first time - I've never seen any highlights of it on television, nothing," she said in an interview. "This time, I decided I wanted to see it in person because I've met Donald Trump many times and got his autograph ... and he's one of the nicest people you can ever meet."

Kiczemski, who said she saw Trump nearly a dozen times during the 2016 campaign, called him "the voice of the people."

"The main thing about him is he says it like it is, he basically tells the truth," she said, adding that she finds his style of speaking refreshing in American politics.

Brendan Gutenschwager, 19, of Wyandotte, Michigan, also said he finds the incoming president refreshing.

"I thought his ideas were refreshing, I thought that his tone was very different - it just caught my attention," he said in an interview. "He has a lot of plans that a lot of people just wouldn't put forth - they're just aren't willing to put forth ... and I like that he has this direct way of speaking to people, I like that he tends to take different sides of the equation and then come up with a direct answer."

Gutenschwager, who drove from Michigan for the inauguration, said he decided to make his first trip to Washington D.C. for the event because he believes it's important to witness American history.

"A lot of people, they'll read about it and they kind of know that it's going on in the back of their minds, but they don't actually think about what these things are like on the ground," he said. "For me, personally, I don't think looking at videos or watching it on TV or reading about it in the newspaper - any of that - can actually truly convey what it's like to truly be there."

Gutenschwager added that the inauguration holds added significance as the 2016 presidential election marked his first real time getting involved in politics.

What time will President-elect Donald Trump be sworn in on Friday? Everything you need to know about the 2017 inauguration

Trump's inauguration also marked a first for Thomas Kearney, 20, of Silver Spring, Maryland.

Kearney, who said he has supported the incoming president since he kicked off his White House run, stressed that he wanted to be in Washington for Trump's inaugural events.

"I thought I should see all my hard work of campaigning pay off," he said in an interview.

Kearney said he hopes Trump in his Inaugural Address will address what he has planned for the next four years.

Kathleen Noonan, 56, of Burlington, Massachusetts, meanwhile, said she decided to take the trip down for the inauguration because she believes the president-elect "has a super message for everyone."

"I think Trump brings something that we haven't had in eight years and I think that we have to support that," she said. "He's a businessman, he's different - and good or bad he's different. We need someone that is going to bring the economy back."

Trump will take the oath of office from the steps of the U.S. Capitol at noon on Friday to become the 45th president of the United States.

Four of the five board members are communicants at St. Mary's Parish. A recovery center has been proposed at the church's former convent.

WARE -- With four of the five Planning Board members communicants at St. Mary's Parish, the chairman said Wednesday they would seek legal guidance should the board have to act on a proposal for a recovery center at the church's former convent.

The West Springfield-based Gandara Center is working with other town officials and hopes to open the facility next month. The social services agency envisions a 15-unit recovery center for women ages 18 to 25 at the South Street location in Ware.

"If this comes to us" for review, said Chairman Rick Starodoj, he would reach out to the State Ethics Commission or the attorney general's office for guidance.

Gandara plans to lease the church building from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield and is negotiating with them, not St. Mary's, Starodoj said.

According to Town Manager Stuart Beckley, a building permit for needed renovations has been issued. He said Gandara would make a presentation at the next selectmen's meeting, including a discussion of when the facility would open.

The agency's director of communications and development, Lisa Brecher, said in a recent interview that Gandara hopes zoning issues can be worked out so the facility can open next month.

MassDevelopment used state funding to enhance and prepare the Ludlow Mills complex for new business.

LUDLOW -- Landlord Westmass Development and tenant Iron Duke Brewing should sit down and hammer out a resolution to the dispute that threatens to get the popular craft brewer evicted from Ludlow Mills, said Richard K. Sullivan, president and CEO of  the Economic Development Council of Western Massachusetts.

Sullivan on Thursday wouldn't go into the roots of the disagreement beyond expressing regret that it has become public.

Westmass Development is an affiliate of the larger EDC umbrella organization. Westmass leadership itself has not returned calls for comment on Iron Duke over the past two days.

Earlier this week, fans of Iron Duke started circulating an online petition in an attempt to avoid a threatened eviction that could take place by the end of January.

Iron Duke's owners said their relationship with Westmass Development soured about six months ago when Iron Duke proposed to expand, adding fermenting equipment to its brewery and seating and food-service areas to its tap room.

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

Westmass responded, Iron Duke said, by stopping the business from hosting food trucks and entertainment and telling the brewery it had 30 days to stop running its tap room. While Iron Duke sells beer offsite through bars and package stores, the tap room is its most important retail channel.

The 30 days expire at the end of January.

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

Westmass is 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.

It brought in more than 1$35 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, a company developing firearm silencers and other businesses.

The new Pope Francis High School is taking shape, with the almost $55 million project scheduled to open in the fall of 2018.

SPRINGFIELD -- Steel beams are rising in Springfield's East Forest Park neighborhood and students will soon be walking the halls of the new Pope Francis High School.

The almost $55 million project is scheduled to open in the fall of 2018 at the Surrey Road site.

Fontaine Brothers General Contracting began installing structural steel this week, and the project is moving at a rapid pace. The new building will be 127,464 square feet and replaces the old Cathedral High School devastated by a tornado in 2011.

The new Pope Francis High rises from the merger of Cathedral and Holyoke Catholic high schools and will be able to accommodate from 500 to 550 students. There are 366 students currently enrolled at Pope Francis, which operates at the former Holyoke Catholic building in Chicopee.

The victim was under the erroneous belief that she was helping a grandson who had gotten into trouble with the law, police said.

George Graham | ggraham@repub.com 

CHICOPEE -- A 76-year-old city woman, under the erroneous belief that she was helping out a grandson who was in trouble with the law, lost $4,000 to telephone scammers Wednesday, police said.

A number of residents called police yesterday to report they were subject to similar scam attempts, said Michael Wilk, public information officer for the department.

The incident involving the city woman occurred when somebody called pretending to be her grandson. Another man then got on the phone, claimed to be a police officer and said that he needed $4,000 to make her "grandson's record go away," Wilk said.

That scammer told the woman to purchase four $1,000 Walmart gift cards. She went to the store, purchased the cards and then gave the "police officer" the card numbers and pin numbers, Wilk said.

The woman realized she had been scammed when she called her grandson after the fact and learned that he was fine and not in trouble with the law.

Wilk, in a post on the department's Facebook page, urged residents to tell their elderly relatives, friends and neighbors about the scam.

"No officer or anyone else will ever say you need to pay in store gift cards to have a record go away," Wilk said. "If for some reason a family member is under arrest, they will be allowed to call you. If they do need bail, you would have to bring money to that police department."

The scam has a number of variations, including one in which the scammer calls and claims to have kidnapped a loved one.

President-elect Donald Trump kicked off his inaugural festivities Thursday by welcoming supporters to the nation's capital with a "Voices of the People" concert on the National Mall. Watch video

WASHINGTON D.C. -- President-elect Donald Trump kicked off his inaugural festivities Thursday by welcoming supporters to the nation's capital with a "Voices of the People" concert on the National Mall.

The afternoon event, which marked the first part of Trump's "Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration," treated thousands of Americans who gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial to performances from an array of marching bands, choirs and other groups that applied to showcase their talent in honor of the incoming president.

Marlana VanHoose, who sang the National Anthem at the 2016 Republican National Convention, took the stage several times throughout the "Voices of the People" event.

The North Andover-based American Tap Company also performed at the inauguration concert.

Other performers, meanwhile, included: The DC Fire Department Emerald Society Pipes and Drums, King's Academy Honor Choir, Montgomery Area High School Marching Band, Northern Middle School Honors Choir, TwirlTasTix Baton Twirling and Celtic United Pipes and Drums.

The second half of the concert, which will take place Thursday evening, is expected to feature remarks by Trump, as well as appearances by Toby Keith, Jon Voight, The Piano Guys, Lee Greenwood, RaviDrums, 3 Doors Down and The Frontmen of Country.

Robert Hatcher, 52, pleaded guilty to armed robbery while masked in connection with a holdup at Berkshire Bank on Allen Street in 2015.

SPRINGFIELD -- Robert Hatcher said he had a drug debt, and robbed a bank to try to pay it off, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Hatcher, 52, pleaded guilty to armed robbery while masked in connection with a holdup at the Berkshire Bank at 1363 Allen St. on Dec. 8, 2015.

Robert Hatcher 

Hampden Superior Court Judge Richard J. Carey sentenced Hatcher to eight to 10 years in state prison followed by three years probation.

As conditions of probation he must remain drug-free with random testing, be evaluated for mental health counseling, participate in the Soldier On social service program, and stay away from Berkshire Bank and the two victims in the case.

At 1:55 p.m. on the day of the robbery, Hatcher, wearing a knit cap and with a scarf over his face, approached a teller, said Assistant District Attorney Nina A. Vivenzio. He pointed a gun at her and passed her a blue bag, telling her to put the money in it.

A customer at the next teller station, who didn't see that he had a gun, told him, "We don't speak to people like that." Hatcher struck that customer in the face with his gun, Vivenzio said.

Exterior surveillance from a house nearby on Chalfonte Drive showed a man running to a Chevrolet Malibu and getting into the car, which drove off quickly.

The next day police got an anonymous call naming Hatcher as the robber. Police found he rented a car matching the one spotted on Chalfonte Drive. They did surveillance on Hatcher's house, saw him come out and get in the car, and arrested him, Vivenzio said.

Hatcher admitted he was involved in the robbery but said he used a plastic toy weapon. Vivenzio said the gun was never found, so it was only Hatcher's word that it was a toy weapon. He said he dropped the toy gun and clothing in the Connecticut River, Vivenzio said.

She said Hatcher has an extensive record that includes 34 separate incidents of conviction on more than 80 counts. Hatcher in 2004 was sentenced to eight to 10 years in state prison in a larceny case, she said.

In this bank robbery case, Hatcher misled police about the identity of the driver, Vivenzio said. Hatcher gave police a first name of Corey and said it was someone he got high with.

Police eventually identified the driver as Tom Paul Dark, whose case is still pending. He is a relative of Hatcher.

The woman who was struck in the face with the gun was in the courtroom for the plea. She wrote a victim impact statement saying she was traumatized by what happened.

"This has been a horrific incident," the woman wrote. She said she had severe headaches since being hit.

The woman wrote she is scared all the time now, and has had to make changes in her life that will affect her future because of that fear.

Defense lawyer Joseph A. Franco said Hatcher, who served in the military in the late 1980s, has post-traumatic stress disorder. He said when Hatcher is not using drugs he does well and is a different person from the man who committed an armed robbery of a bank.

Hatcher has 405 days credit for time spent in jail awaiting trial.

Paul Johnson Jr. worked with Cassidy Spence in the SPARK! after-school program at Trinity United Methodist Church in Springfield, where Spence was a teen mentor.

SPRINGFIELD -- Cassidy Spence loved basketball, was great with kids and had hopes of becoming a U.S. marshal.

Cassidy Spence 

The 17-year-old Springfield Central High School senior was one of four people killed in a car accident Tuesday night on Union Street.

An outpouring of love and support for all of the victims including Spence, Adrianna Hernandez, Katrina Maisonet Jones and Andrew Savage has flooded Facebook pages since news of the accident spread across the city.

Paul Johnson Jr. worked with Spence in the SPARK! after-school program at Trinity United Methodist Church in Springfield, where Spence was a teen mentor.

"I met her when she was in middle school and she was feisty, had a little bit of an attitude, but always had everyone laughing. She was the life of the party," he said Thursday, remembering Spence.

After completing the program, Spence, like many of the other kids, would come back to see Johnson and the other program leaders.

"A lot of them kept coming back, so we convinced Trinity to let us do a teen mentoring program, and Cassidy started doing that when she was in ninth grade and has done it every year since," he said.

Johnson said Spence was an avid basketball player, although a leg injury kept her off the court.

"One of her big things was working with the kids even though she was not able to play at the time. We have this annual game between Trinity church members and the kids, and she was faithfully committed to that," he said. "She would help the kids get ready for the game, practice with them and lift their spirits," he said.

The most recent game was held in December and Spence arrived late, so she was not able to play but was ready to coach the kids and cheer them on.

"She got there in the fourth quarter and sat on the sidelines with me and just encouraged the kids. She was really good about that," he said.

Johnson said he hopes people will remember Spence as a young woman who was vibrant, smart, funny and driven. She had hopes of going to Springfield Technical Community College and then transferring to a criminal justice program so that she could become a U.S. marshal.

"If you knew Cassidy, you knew that she fit the bill. She was a always very funny, but she could be serious too," he said.

Thursday afternoon, Johnson will meet with the kids in the after school program to discuss what happened.

"I bought some sparkling grape juice and we will make a toast to Cassidy. She was a great kid, one of the best, and she will be missed terribly," he said.

On Facebook, Johnson posted this:

"If anyone who knew her, she always made you laugh...was a great basketball player, I always told her to go out for Central's girls' basketball team...always checked in with myself...with how she was doing in school...looked after her cousins...she had a bright future," he wrote.

Related photo gallery:

 

Tenants displaced by a fire at 395 Main St. in Holyoke, Massachusetts were scheduled to receive help with emergency housing on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017 from state and city agencies at the War Memorial at 310 Appleton St. after the Jan. 17 blaze.

HOLYOKE -- City and state officials were scheduled to work today at the War Memorial at 310 Appleton St. with the 36 tenants displaced by a fire Tuesday at 395 Main St. to ensure they have places to stay.

That came after an early afternoon demonstration in which City Councilor Nelson R. Roman and tenants gathered at Enlace de Familias at 299 Main St. and said the assistance from government and relief agencies had stopped and they faced life on the streets.

"Literally, they have no place else to go," said Roman, the Ward 2 councilor.

Mayor Alex B. Morse and members of his staff showed up at Enlace de Familias, and after Morse phoned the state Department of Housing and Community Development, arrangements were made for representatives of that office to meet with tenants at the War Memorial.

Massachusetts is a right to shelter state, which guarantees housing for families in emergencies.

"They will absolutely make sure you have a place to stay," Morse said.

Tenants today originally were told to go to meet with the state representatives at the City Hall auditorium, but that was changed to the War Memorial, which has better accommodations for such a gathering, said Rory Casey, Morse's chief of staff.

The blaze at 395 Main St. was reported about 5:30 p.m. The American Red Cross was helping hose displaced.

The investigation determined that a bedroom wall outlet on the second floor overheated, Fire Department Capt. Anthony Cerruti said. Firefighters and police and the state fire marshal's office worked on the investigation.

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

The opening of Plainridge Park Casino, the sole slot parlor in Massachusetts, did not ding state lottery sales, according to new report from UMass Amherst.

The opening of Plainridge Park Casino, the sole slot parlor in Massachusetts, did not ding state lottery sales, according to new report from UMass Amherst.

"An analysis of lottery revenues one year after the opening of Plainridge Park Casino shows that, on average, lottery revenues have not decreased statewide or nearer the casino, whether this includes designated surrounding communities or agents within various driving distances," the report said.

"However, lottery revenues for agents nearer the casino grew more slowly on average than the rest of the state," the report added.

Plainridge Park Casino, which is near the Massachusetts-Rhode Island border, opened in June 2015. The facility includes several Lottery machines inside.

Plainridge Park casino shows revenue boost after slow start

During an unsuccessful 2014 effort to repeal the state's expanded gambling law that allowed up to three resort casinos and one slot parlor, casino opponents frequently warned of the Lottery taking a potential hit thanks to the law.

Money from the Massachusetts Lottery is a large part of funding for cities and towns.

UMass Amherst's Rachel Volberg, who oversaw researchers looking into the impact of expanding gambling in Massachusetts, joined Mark Nichols, professor of economics at the University of Nevada Reno, in presenting the report to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

"We will continue to monitor lottery sales to determine if the first-year results reflect longer term trends and whether the much larger casinos planned for Everett and Springfield will have similar or different impacts on lottery sales in the Commonwealth," they said.

Watch MassLive's live video walking tour of the MGM Springfield site

Lottery sales hit $5 billion in fiscal year 2015, and $945.8 million went to cities and towns.

MGM is building a resort casino in Springfield, while Wynn Resorts plans to open a resort casino on the Mystic River in Everett, a community north of Boston.

The UMass Amherst report said lottery revenues in Attleboro and Mansfield increased after the slot parlor opened, and revenues decreased in Foxborough, North Attleborough and Wrentham.

"Whether the casino had differential impacts on communities or is the source of variation in lottery revenue cannot be definitively determined as variation in lottery revenue may stem from other factors," the report said, cautioning that the analysis covers just one year of data.

"Moreover, the result is not indicative of what may happen when casinos in Everett and Springfield open, both of which will be larger casinos with more non-gambling amenities," the report said.

MGM opens National Harbor casino, offers preview of MGM Springfield (photos, video)

A car accident on Union Street in Springfield on Jan. 17, 2017 has left four people dead and one in critical condition.

SPRINGFIELD — Described as "smart, beautiful and sassy," Katrina Maisonet Jones had big dreams and a big heart, but the Springfield teen's life was cut short in a car accident on Union Street Tuesday night.

Friends of the four victims of the crash are seeking donations to pay for the unexpected funeral costs.

The accident took the lives of Springfield Central High School seniors Jones, Cassidy Spence and Adrianna Hernandez as well as 20-year-old Andrew Savage. One victim remains in critical condition.

A GoFundMe page has been created for Jones by her stepmother Myra Cebrian Figueroa.

"Katrina was smart, beautiful, sassy but always smiling. Don't mess with her family either! She would defend all who she loved to the end. She would walk up to anyone and talk to them like she knew them at any event," Figueroa wrote.

Andrew SavageGoFundMe photo

Figueroa wrote the money will be used to give her a proper memorial service.

"Katrina was ambitious and hardworking- an honor student ready to graduate this year and go to college to be an Occupational Therapist. We all knew she could do it! We all wish you would have gotten a chance to know her," she wrote.

A Facebook post circulated by Chelan Brown, the diversity specialist for MGM Springfield, is asking for donations of food, snacks and water for Spence and Savages family members.

Donations can be brought to En Motion Dance Studio, 531 Belmont Ave., between noon and 3 p.m. or 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday.

A GoFundMe page has also been created for Savage by Jane Allan, a friend of the family.

"I personally know the Savage family and this has hit home on so many levels from being a mother myself to a family friend that has watched their children grow. We want to help in any way that we can; This is a tragic loss for us all and would love if we come together as a community to help with funeral costs for the Savages," she wrote.

Anyone wishing to donate money to Hernandez's fund should contact Springfield City Councilor Adam Gomez through his Facebook page.

A page has not been created for Spence yet.

Related photo gallery:

West Springfield police are seeking to identify a shoplifting suspect.

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Authorities in West Springfield are seeking to identify a shoplifting suspect.

Police say security cameras show the woman pictured above took something from the Natural Nails salon--located at 244 Memorial Avenue.

Anyone who believes they can identify the woman above or who has information regarding the described incident should contact the West Springfield Detective Bureau at 413-263-3210 and refer to case #17-814.

Lyft drivers can pick you up at Boston's Logan International Airport, beginning Feb. 1, 2017. Massport, which owns and operates Logan, announced the agreement Thursday.

Lyft drivers can pick you up at Boston's Logan International Airport, beginning Feb. 1, 2017.

Massport, which owns and operates Logan, announced Thursday the agency and Lyft finalized an agreement to allow drivers who have gone through the state's background check process to pick up riders.

Other ride-hailing companies, like Uber, are still negotiating similar agreements, Massport said in a release.

"This is something our customers requested and we're glad to provide it as we ensure appropriate checks are in place," Massport CEO Thomas Glynn said in a statement. "Massport staff has been working to design, produce and install wayfinding materials and train our customer service staff to assist passengers looking to utilize our newest ground transportation option."

The state's Department of Public Utilities handles the driver background checks as part of a law passed in 2016.

Companies like Lyft and Uber, known as transportation network companies (TNC), will have a parking lot, similar to ones used by taxi cab drivers and limousine or livery companies.

The Lyft drivers will wait in the pool until they get matched to a customer through the Lyft system. They'll then head to the appropriate terminal to pick up their passenger. "A fee of $3.25 for pickups will be assessed on every TNC ride originating at Logan, the same as traditional livery vehicles," Massport said in its release.

In Terminals A and B, passengers will be picked up in the terminal limo lots, while passengers in Terminals C and E will have a "newly dedicated TNC pick up area between the two terminals," according to Massport.

Uber and Lyft drivers can drop passengers off at Logan Airport, but they needed to go through Massport in order to be able to pick them up.

The taxi cab industry has decried ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft, saying they're cutting into the market and devaluing the price of "medallions" needed to operate a cab.

"As we continue to implement legislation that includes the nation's strongest background check system, the agreement announced today with Massport will expand the safe and diverse transportation options available to those travelers using Boston Logan International Airport," Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement.

Massachusetts reaches agreement with Uber and Lyft on background checks

Ronald H. Moore, 58, of 69 Willard Ave. is considered a Level 3 sex offender by the state Sex Offender Registry Board

LUDLOW - Police are advising residents of a Level 3 sex offender residing in the community and that that the degree of danger posed by him makes notification of the community appropriate.

Ronald H. MoorePatrick Johnson | pjohnson@repub.com 

Ronald H. Moore, 58, of 69 Willard Ave. is considered a Level 3 sex offender by the state Sex Offender Registry Board.

A level 3 offender is someone previously convicted of a sex offense who is considered of high risk to offend again.

Moore was convicted of rape in April 1993 and again in November 2015.

He is described as white, 6-feet tall, 190 pounds and with brown hair and green eyes.

He is not wanted, and police warn against targeting him for harassment or discrimination.

Temporary housing had been found as of Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017 for the 12 families forced from their apartments at 395 Main St. in Holyoke, Massachusetts by a fire on Jan. 17. Watch video

This story elaborates on an article published at 3:46 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017:

HOLYOKE -- Short-term housing was found Thursday for the 12 families forced from their apartments by a fire at 395 Main St. on Tuesday, an official said.

Seven of the families were placed in emergency housing by the state Department of Housing and Community Development, said Rory Casey, chief of staff for Mayor Alex B. Morse.

The five other families didn't qualify for such housing because they don't include children or a pregnant woman. They will stay at the Residence Inn, 64 Border Way, in West Springfield, at the expense of the landlord of 395 Main St., Ernst Pierre-Lous, of Berlin, Massachusetts, Casey said.

Pierre-Louis, who couldn't immediately be reached for comment, had until Thursday been uncooperative with city and relief-agency efforts to help the tenants displaced by the fire, Casey said.

The city will file a complaint against Pierre-Louis Friday in state Housing Court over his alleged negligence in dealing with tenants in the aftermath of the fire. The city will ask the court to appoint an emergency receiver to take charge of 395 Main St. and begin repairs, he said.

"It's ultimately the responsibility of the landlord to take care of his tenants," Casey said.

Tenants forced from 395 Main St. and City Councilor Nelson R. Roman gathered in a demonstration for assistance Thursday afternoon at Enlace de Familias at 299 Main St.

Roman said city inspection records showed problems at 395 Main St. that included signs of rats and windows that failed to close properly.

After two nights at a hotel, tenant Victoria Feliciano said at the demonstration that she didn't know where her family would be staying two days after the fire at 395 Main St.

"Today, we don't know where we're going," Feliciano, 24, said in a video (see above).

Later, Feliciano said arrangements had been made for her, her partner Hector Velez, 29, and their three children Jayden, 5, Jasaiah, 3, and Jasiem, 1 to stay at a shelter at 323 Beech St. but she was unsure for how long.

The American Red Cross had paid for them to stay Tuesday and Wednesday at the Country Inn & Suites, she said. The hotel at 1 Country Club Road off Route 5 is connected to the Delaney House banquet facility.

Mayor Alex B. Morse and members of his staff showed up at Enlace de Familias, and after Morse phoned the state Department of Housing and Community Development, arrangements were made for representatives of that office to meet with tenants at the War Memorial here at 310 Appleton St.

Massachusetts is a right to shelter state, which guarantees housing for families in emergencies.

"They will absolutely make sure you have a place to stay," Morse told tenants.

Roman, the Ward 2 councilor, and tenants were critical of the landlord and of relief agencies and government for what they perceived to be a failure to continue helping tenants.

"Literally, they have no place else to go," Roman said.

But Morse's staff provided a detailed spreadsheet that showed each tenant's name and cell phone number, and said they have been in touch with state agencies about helping them since the fire broke out.

Red Cross helping 11 families after Holyoke fire

The fire was caused by an overheated second-floor bedroom wall outlet, Fire Department Capt. Anthony Cerruti said.

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,

A committee of experts told lawmakers on Thursday that salaries for the state's highest public officials should be increased.

BOSTON -- A committee of experts told lawmakers on Thursday that salaries for the state's highest public officials should be increased.

"Compensation for the most important public officials in the Commonwealth is outdated and inadequate and needs to be adjusted to better conform to responsibilities," said Ira Jackson, vice provost of UMass Boston and a former state revenue commissioner, who chaired the 2014 Special Advisory Commission Regarding the Compensation of Public Officials.

The commission, a group of nonpartisan experts, released a report Dec. 1, 2014. The report looked at elected officials' salaries, considering factors such as job responsibilities, the ability to attract talented individuals, comparisons with public officials in other states and with private sector jobs, cost of living and the impact on state finances.

The report concluded that the current compensation structure for constitutional officers and legislative leaders "is generally outdated and inadequate." The report recommended large pay hikes to the salaries of the governor, House speaker and Senate president.

But lawmakers never acted on the report when it came out. More than two years later, the Committee on Ways and Means held a public hearing on the report, indicating that lawmakers are now deciding whether to raise salaries for state lawmakers and elected officials.

State Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, said she hopes having an open, public process will "help produce a more well-rounded perspective."

The cost of implementing all of the report's recommendations would be $934,300 a year.

The report recommends raising the governor's salary to $185,000, plus a housing allowance of $65,000, compared to the current $151,800.

Jackson said Thursday that the governor is CEO of a $36.5 billion organization with 136,000 employees.

"The governor's job is singularly important, demanding, high profile and certainly 24/7," Jackson said. Yet, he noted, 1,254 state employees earn more than the governor -- a number that swells to 2,000 when overtime pay is included.

Those earning more than the governor include every member of the governor's cabinet.

Massachusetts is also one of just six states not to offer their governor an official residence.

"Unless increased, the current compensation for governor can serve as an impediment to attracting a diverse pool of talented candidates who are representative geographically and socioeconomically of the public who the governor is sworn to serve," Jackson said.

The report recommends paying the attorney general and treasurer $175,000 a year; and the secretary of state, auditor and lieutenant governor $165,000 a year. Currently, those positions pay between $122,000 and $135,000 annually.

Attorney General Maura Healey, for example, earns less than most first-year associates at prominent Boston law firms.

The commission recommends increasing salaries of the House speaker and Senate president to $175,000, from the current $102,233. The current figure includes a base salary of $60,033, a $35,000 stipend for the leadership positions and a $7,200 stipend for office supplies. 

Mike Widmer, former president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation and a member of the compensation committee, acknowledged that there is "rarely if ever a good time" politically for lawmakers to increase their leaders' pay. But he noted the additional $35,000 stipend awarded to the House and Senate leaders has been flat for 34 years. When adjusted for inflation, it should be $86,000.

Widmer said he would like to see the salaries for House and Senate leaders adjusted every two years according to a formula, the same way rank and file legislators' pay is adjusted. He said that would create "an appropriate and fair way to do this every other year, modestly and with a formula."

The commission recommended some reforms to accompany the pay raises, including banning outside employment by the constitutional officers, the House speaker and the Senate president, and eliminating the per diem travel expense given to lawmakers in exchange for raising office expense reimbursements with a bump for legislators living more than 50 miles from Boston.

Committee member Lynn Griesemer, executive director of the UMass Donahue Institute, said under the current pay structure, "You can only be a constitutional officer in this state if you have wealth, have a spouse who has wealth, or live in Boston already."

In 2014, as governor-elect, Baker said he opposed pay raises at a time when a budget deficit was forcing cuts to services.

Recently, Baker again made mid-year cuts to the state budget to keep it in balance. He is in the process of formulating his fiscal 2018 budget. Baker declined to comment on specific pay raise proposals.

"I think our message to the Legislature is that the lieutenant governor and I are fine with where we are, but we'll obviously take a look at anything that they pursue on their own and give it a good, solid review," Baker said earlier this week.

A Baker spokesman said the governor and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito have no plans to accept pay raises, but Baker will review any legislation that reaches his desk.

Baker recently gave Massachusetts lawmakers a 4.2 percent pay raise, from $60,000 to $62,500, after a biennial review process in which legislative salaries are adjusted based on median household income, which was $70,600 in Massachusetts in 2015. Baker and Polito declined to accept their own raises.

The anti-tax group Citizens for Limited Taxation opposes the raises, noting that Massachusetts lawmakers' salaries are already the sixth-highest nationwide, even without considering additional pay for leadership and committee roles, expenses and per diem payments for travel.

Chip Faulkner, a spokesman for Citizens for Limited Taxation, on Thursday called the proposed jumps in pay "incredible" and far beyond what voters wanted when they approved a constitutional amendment in 1998 tying lawmakers' pay to median household income.

Additionally, Faulkner said, "Giving these raises...in the face of a budget deficit is just not kosher."

State Rep. Alan Silvia, D-Fall River, said in two terms in the Legislature, he has seen a dozen lawmakers leave for private practice or industry where they could make a better salary. "They left because they couldn't survive," Silvia said. "We need a living wage."

South Deerfield resident Tom O'Neil, a disabled businessman who previously ran Toyota dealerships, traveled to the Statehouse to testify against the pay raises.

"Folks like myself get x amount of dollars every year, and we have to take those dollars and stretch them to pay the electric bill," O'Neil said.

He said he would not oppose gradual pay raises for state officials, but the proposed hikes are too great for pay raises that will come from taxpayers' pockets.

Police were releasing little information about the accidents except to say one is located in Palmer and the other in Monson.

Patrick Johnson | pjohnson@repub.com 

PALMER - Two separate accidents Thursday night along Route 20, one in Palmer and one in Monson, has resulted in the road being blocked off to traffic in both directions, Palmer police said.

Little information about either accident was available from either department. Officials described the accidents as serious but were releasing no information about any injuries. It is also not clear if they are connected.

According to Palmer police, one of the accidents occured on Route 20 inside Palmer, and the other occured on the other side of the line in Monson.

Monson police said Route 20 is closed to all traffic between Three Rivers Road to North Main Street.

This is a developing story and more information will be added as it is known.

Amherst College religious leaders came together Thursday to consecrate the campus chapel in a gesture of solidarity with the illegal immigrants a day before Donald J. Trump becomes president.

AMHERST -- Amherst College religious leaders came together Thursday to consecrate the campus chapel in a gesture of solidarity with the illegal immigrants a day before Donald J. Trump becomes president.

Trump has threatened to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. The Boston Globe reported that spaces like Chapin Chapel could be used as a sanctuary should immigrants be pursued. 

Neither the event nor the sentiment were sanctioned by the school. According to a statement from Amherst College, "this event was privately organized by multifaith religious advisers who use our campus chapel."

"They are not acting on behalf of the College," spokeswoman Caroline Hanna said.

"As we previously emphasized, we indeed care deeply about the concerns of students who may be worried about immigration issues, and that is why we are providing a wide range of resources to assist those individuals. At the same time, we have upheld the law and always will."

In November, after Trump was elected, hundreds gathered at the college to express fears and opposition to potential changes in the law.

Demonstrations were held on campuses all across the country, including the University of Massachusetts. 

At the time, Amherst College President Carolyn "Biddy" Martin issued a statement:

"At Amherst, we have an obligation to ensure that all our students are able to take advantage of the educational opportunity we offer without fear for their well-being. At this moment, we are particularly focused on undocumented students and students with legal status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order. We will do everything we can within the limits of the law to support them and fulfill our promise of educational opportunity."

The Rev. Paul Sorrentino in an email explained that a someone from the faculty approached him in December and asked if Chapin Chapel had ever been sanctified.

"I did research and found that there was no recording the archives. The Religious & Spiritual Life staff thought that we should do that," Sorrentino wrote. "Since Chapin Chapel is used by all religious groups, it made sense to have a multipath consecration."