Bottles of Big Mac Special Sauce will be available on Thursday at select McDonald's restaurant locations nationwide.

For one day only, McDonald's is giving away 10,000 limited edition bottles of its famed Big Mac Special Sauce for the first time ever in the United States.

Bottles of Big Mac Special Sauce will be available on Thursday at select McDonald's restaurant locations nationwide.

Quantities are limited and may vary by location. Customers arriving at the designated McDonald's restaurant locations for the Big Mac Sauce giveaway will line up in order and will receive the bottles on a first come, first served basis. No purchase is required to receive the sauce, but they must say the special code phrase, "There's a Big Mac for That."

In Western Massachusetts, the sole location is the McDonald's at 2392 Main St. in Springfield at 2 p.m.

For customers who aren't in a location where the bottles are being given away, there will also be a chance to win a bottle by following McDonald's on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. (A Big Mac iMessage app will be available nationwide highlighting the nearest restaurant where the limited edition bottles will be available.)

The Big Mac was first introduced in 1967 by Jim Delligatti, a McDonald's franchisee from Pennsylvania, and the following year was available nationwide.

Recently, McDonald's issued the Grand Mac and the Mac Jr., a variation on the Big Mac and available for a limited time only.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Kareem Nesbeth, 26, of Springfield, pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of heroin and was sentenced to two years in the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow.

SPRINGFIELD -- A case that involved well over a dozen drug and firearms charges ended Monday with the defendant's guilty plea to one count of selling heroin. 

Kareem Nesbeth's plea was made possible by the role of Springfield Police Officer Gregg Bigda -- a former narcotics detective -- as a lead investigator in the case.

While Nesbeth pleaded guilty to a single count of heroin distribution and was sentenced Monday to two years in the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow, a total of 15 other charges against him -- including heroin trafficking, cocaine dealing and 13 firearms charges -- were dismissed by the prosecution.

James Leydon, spokesman for Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, said the involvement of city police officer Gregg Bigda in the case against Nesbeth played a role in plea negotiations.

"Under these difficult circumstances ADA (Assistant District Attorney) Robert Schmidt did a commendable job by obtaining a jail sentence for an individual who had no prior convictions," Leydon said. "The Hampden District Attorney's Office will continue to prosecute these cases to the fullest extent in the promotion of public safety on behalf of the residents of Hampden County."

When Nesbeth, 26, was arrested Aug. 4, 2015, a police statement said Bigda applied for and received a District Court search warrant for Nesbeth's 746 Carew St. address.

Bigda was suspended for 60 days over video footage showing him threatening two teenage suspects. When he returned to work in December he was assigned to the Records Bureau.

The February 2016 footage of Bigda and partner Luke Cournoyer interrogating two juveniles accused of stealing an undercover, unmarked police vehicle that another detective left idling outside a Worthington Street pizza shop has thrown a wrench into a number of drug prosecutions.

Defense attorneys have repeatedly cited the videos -- which show Bigda threatening to plant drug evidence on one of the teens and threatening physical violence against both of them -- in order to call his credibility as a witness into question.

The police statement at the time of Nesbeth's arrest said narcotics detectives seized nearly 700 bags of heroin, a large amount of cocaine, a sawed-off shotgun and two handguns.

The charges against Nesbeth, who was represented by Joe A. Smith III, which were dropped this week were:

• Trafficking heroin in the amount of 36 to 100 grams.
• Possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
• Possession of a firearm without a firearms identification card (2 counts).
• Possession of ammunition without a firearms identification card (2 counts).
• Storing a firearm improperly (3 counts).
• Possession of a firearm in commission of a felony (3 counts).
• Possession of a sawed-off shotgun.
• Possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number (2 counts).

The ownership duo of Vitek Kruta and Lori Divine-Hudson at Gateway City Arts at 92 Race St. in Holyoke, Massachusetts has added a restaurant called the Bistro at Gateway City Arts to the facility's repertoire of art classes, event spaces, commercial kitchen, full liquor-license bar and 499-capacity concert space with stage.

HOLYOKE -- Gateway City Arts, the city's Swiss army knife of fun, has opened a restaurant, the Bistro at Gateway City Arts.

"You know how everybody gathers in the kitchen when they come over to your house? I see the kitchen as the heart of everything we do at Gateway City Arts," said Vitek Kruta, co-director with Lori Divine-Hudson of Gateway City Arts at 92-114 Race St.

"Some people want to come for a drink and then order dinner to go," Divine-Hudson said. "We try to be part of the community and have community events here, and part of that involves food."

The bistro, or small restaurant, is open Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and on Sunday for its popular brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The adjacent bar is open for cocktails and food Wednesday to Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m.

Sixteen people work full- and part-time in the bistro, Divine-Hudson said.

"This will grow in the coming year and I am happy to say that right now most are from Holyoke." she said.

Gateway City Arts will mark its fifth anniversary here in June. Besides the new bistro and full liquor license bar, the renovated former factory warehouse at the canals downtown includes:

• spaces artists can rent

• live music with performance stage in the bar

• live theater

• catering

• spaces for private events like retreats

• community gathering, conference and fundraiser spaces

• events like the Alchemy Artisan Fair and "Czechtoberfest"

• art classes

• wood shop

• ceramics studio

• incubator kitchen

The latter, Divine said, means that fledgling restaurateurs can rent time in the commercial kitchen and learn the craft.

Holyoke teens paint murals and learn restoration at Gateway City Arts

The bistro opened Jan. 18. The menu includes salads (chipotle caesar, $8; spinach salad, $7.50), sandwiches (Bistro BLT, $9; veggie torta, $8), "bistro classics" (soup and quiche of the day; bistro burger, $10; brown bag salmon, $12) and  "GCA Signature Dishes" (Czech beef goulash, $10; lentil and winter vegetable shepherd's pie, $10; Mediterranean turkey meatloaf, $12).

Lunch menu specials are intended to preview the plan to have dinner hours eventually, Divine-Hudson said.

The bistro seats nearly 40 with tables on the floor and balcony views that take in the canal across the road.

"There is no doubt that Lori and Vitek have breathed new life into downtown Holyoke over the past five years," Mayor Alex B. Morse said. "Like so many of us, they see promise and potential, and they have worked tirelessly to advance a vision that has made the arts, music and food a driving force for activity along our canals."

Gateway City Arts works to bring people downtown, which can help the area return to being a destination, he said.

"I appreciate all they do to attract Holyokers -- and those far outside our city -- into our community to enjoy everything we have to offer. I couldn't be more excited than to see Gateway City Arts expand with the bistro, adding another quality dining experience to our city," Morse said.

Holyoke's Gateway City Arts to be scene of Alchemy Artisan Fair with arts, juggling, entertainment

Kruta is an artist, art restorer, set designer and teacher. Divine-Hudson is a painter, photographer, sculptor and welder. The bistro, like the rest of the Gateway City Arts facility, reflects an attention to detail that would be expected of such stylists.

Their works decorate the walls. Kruta has murals adorning the walls and ceiling.

In the bar, Kruta and Divine-Hudson used wood and other items from the Holyoke Steam and Plumbing Supply building they also own nearby to outfit the space. Planks of old brown wood frame the bar and comprise the DJ booth.

Posted above the bar, backlit in purple, blue and green, is a three-rowed wooden grid of boxes that held pipes, elbows and other fittings in its previous incarnation as shelves at the plumbing supply business, each box with its old labels still attached.

Wall areas that appear to be tiled on closer look prove to be, as fashioned by Kruta, squares of old wood in shades of brown and textured over time with grain and gouges .

The bar has a 499-person capacity. Kruta said the stage is professional touring quality. Singer-songwriter Beth Orton recently performed. Colorful handbills of upcoming shows are stuck to walls, as Divine-Hudson said the musical acts play rock, blues, jazz, folk, classical and experimental.

Authorities believe they have discovered the cause of the 10-alarm fire in Cambridge that displaced over 160 people and damaged 18 buildings.

Authorities say they have discovered the cause of the 10-alarm fire in Cambridge that displaced over 160 people and damaged 18 buildings.

The fire began on Berkshire Street at approximately 3 p.m. on Dec. 3. A video of the fire's aftermath shows a landscape of charred building across the Berkshire and York streets area.

Several people were injured, including two police officers, and many of the damaged buildings were later demolished. A fund was created to help those displaced by the fire.

Investigators have determined that the fire began around some recycling bins on the left side of 35/37 Berkshire St, NBC Boston reports. The bins were full of construction debris from the ongoing renovation on the property, into which fire officials found smoking materials. 

Assistant Chief Gerard Mahoney told WCVB that the "careless disposal of smoking material" left behind by subcontractors caused the fire.

Mahoney said investigators are still determining whether or not press criminal charges against the subcontractors.

According to NBCBoston, Wilfredo Villanueva, the owner of Daddy Construction, the general contractor for the property, said he had hired roofing and framing crews for the job, but couldn't say who would be smoking on the job. He says he placed no smoking signs on the site.

Hundreds of people turned out on Saturday for a Celebration of Life fundraiser to benefit the families of four young people who were killed in a car accident a week ago. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- Hundreds of people turned out on Saturday for a Celebration of Life fundraiser to benefit the families of four young people who were killed in a car accident a week ago.

The Union Street crash took the lives of three Central High School seniors: Katrina Maisonet Jones, Adrianna Hernandez and Cassidy Spence. Also killed was Andrew Savage, 20, of Springfield.

At the event on Saturday, the ceremony was also an opportunity for community members to come together around the victims' families.

Donations, a raffle, and various other fundraising events were a key part of the afternoon as a means of raising proceeds to go towards the victims' burial expenses.

Funeral arrangements have been set for the victims. The families of all four young people killed are asking for privacy during this difficult time. The media will not be allowed on the property of any of the wakes or funerals.

If all 47 transfer requests are granted, Thornton W. Burgess Middle School could begin the 2017-2018 academic year with as few as 110 students.

HAMPDEN -- As Thornton W. Burgess Middle School continues to experience falling enrollment and tumbling test scores, the Hampden school may take another big hit if the School Committee approves roughly four dozen student transfer applications, drastically reducing enrollment at the 222-student school.

Add in the school district's recent decision to move TWB fifth-graders to Green Meadows Elementary School, a prekindergarten through fourth-grade school in Hampden, and TWB may resemble a ghost town by the start of the school year in fall 2017.

All 47 transfer requests were made by parents or guardians of TWB students seeking to educate their children at Wilbraham Middle School, a better-performing school of 534 students on Stony Hill Road.

The transfers, which are being considered on a case-by-case basis by the School Committee during closed-door executive sessions, are permitted under the regional agreement that created the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District over two decades ago.

The regionalization agreement requires district students in kindergarten through eighth grade to attend schools in their hometowns, with infrequent exceptions granted for family hardship reasons and students requiring special education programs. A transfer to another school is possible if the School Committee deems such a move to be prudent and in "the best interest of the student."

The transfer requests follow Hampden voters' formal rejection of a plan to temporarily consolidate the district's two middle schools under one roof. Wilbraham voters supported the merger plan, which had to be approved by both towns in order to take effect.

During the proposed five-year merger period, district officials would have monitored enrollment at the middle schools and worked with the Massachusetts School Building Authority on a long-range solution, including the possibility of constructing a new school or renovating existing buildings.

However, Superintendent of Schools Al Ganem announced last month that the MSBA had rejected the district's plan to either renovate existing buildings or build a new middle school. The MSBA turned down the district "because we don't have a unified middle school," School Committee member William Bontempi said at the board's Jan. 10 meeting.

The administration and School Committee have consistently supported unification of the middle schools, which, they say, would bolster enrollment and academics at a single campus that offers a more robust educational experience for Hampden and Wilbraham students.

Of the 47 TWB transfer applications, 19 were from sixth-grade students, 14 were from seventh-graders, and 14 were from eighth-graders. TWB currently has 222 students, but once next year's fifth grade is moved to Green Meadows, the school will have around 157 students.

If all 47 transfer requests are approved, the middle school's population could plummet even further, to a mere 110 students, leaving TWB in a precarious financial and educational position. Declining middle school enrollment was the No. 1 reason district officials were eyeing consolidation in the first place.

With TWB's fate in question, some Hampden residents who voted against the temporary closure of the middle school in October still believe that the administration wants to permanently shut the nearly 50-year-old school. They point to the decision to advertise the transfer process on the homepage of the district's website, and to the decision to move TWB fifth-graders back to elementary school.

Transfer requests have always been an option, according to Mark Casey, a former member of the Hampden Board of Selectmen, but "those requests have never been promoted until recently," Casey told the School Committee at its Jan. 10 meeting.

"So it appears to most voters that even though Hampden voted overwhelmingly to keep TWB open, the School Committee and administration is intent on implementing closure of TWB," Casey said. "I hope this is not the case."

After Hampden voters rejected the merger proposal in October, Peter Salerno, a former School Committee chairman, offered a somewhat ominous assessment of the situation. "Our children will suffer from your hollow victory tonight," he said. "What needs to be done with TWB still needs to be done. It is not over yet."

Even before the consolidation vote was held, Ganem warned of possible cuts at TWB, including reducing some full-time teachers to part-time status and closing off sections of the building that wouldn't be used due to low enrollment.

Danvers police are actively searching for an 80-year-old Alzheimer's patient who went missing Tuesday.

Danvers police are searching for an 80-year-old man with Alzheimer's who went missing Tuesday.

Alzheimer's pt William Keenan is still missing - left Hobart St home wearing brown jacket & jeans, wears glasses has beard Call 978-774-1212 pic.twitter.com/2BcfFVPu3X

-- Danvers Police Dept (@DanversPolice) January 25, 2017

Police put out the advisory around 10 p.m. Tuesday stating that William Keenan was missing. They believe he walked away from his home on Hobart Street.

Authorities said to be on the look-out for a bearded man with glasses, wearing a brown jacket and blue jeans.

Both cities are under a federal Environmental Protection Agency mandate to stop dumping raw sewage into area rivers.

CHICOPEE - The city is embarking on a new, innovative way to reduce the amount of untreated storm water and raw sewage that is dumped into the rivers in heavy rains and at the same time is hoping to make neighborhoods more attractive and greener.

Instead of having rain water flow into storm drains, the city is hoping to create urban green areas along streets and in the yards of willing homeowners will be complete with trees to soak up the water instead of having it flow into storm drains and eventually into the Chicopee and Connecticut Rivers.

"The idea is to create an urban forest and a watershed," said Dave Bloniarz, of the U.S. Forest Service and Re-Greening Springfield.

Chicopee and Holyoke officials are now joining with a variety of organizations including the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, the U.S. Forest Service, the Department of Conservation and Recreation the Valley Opportunity Council, Nuestras Raices and students from the Conway School of Design to create the green neighborhoods for so many reasons.

A similar project has already been completed in the Forest Park neighborhood in Springfield, Bloniarz said.

Chicopee and Holyoke are among hundreds of cities across the country faced with a decades-old federal Environmental Protection Agency mandate to stop dumping raw sewage into local rivers. The problem is created because most communities have combined pipes that carry both storm water and sewage to a treatment plant and when it rains heavily the system is overwhelmed and raw sewage is dumped into the river.

Chicopee is currently working to separate all sewer pipes from storm drains. It has spent $153 million and is expected to spend at least $150 more before the project is completed. The urban gardens will in a small way keep some of the water from flowing into sewer and storm drains.

But that is not the only reason. The trees also reduce street flooding, Bloniarz said.

"It is beyond a nuisance. Over the past few years as we have more pronounced storms we have more flooding," he said.

After an examination of the city streets following the October 2011 snowstorm, Chicopee did a survey of the location and condition of the street trees throughout the community, City Planner Lee Pouliot said.

"Our urban forest is essentially empty," he said, citing another reason for the project.

Using state and federal grant funds Chicopee and Holyoke will each begin to create a small urban garden in areas where streets are already going to be under construction. In Chicopee that is going to be in the downtown area on Dwight Street, between Front and Cabot streets, and on Perkins Street.

Both streets are going to be torn up for the sewer separation project so before pavement and sidewalks are replaced, the city will work with students from Conway Design to create an area where trees and other vegetation can be used to suck up rainwater so it can be incorporated to the design when streets are restored, he said.

"Street trees and tree belts are a piece of the infrastructure and it is a little bit of a cultural change," Pouliot said.

The Holyoke project will also happen in the downtown area.

The urban garden will take planning and study, which is where students from the Conway School of Landscape Design are vital, said Chris Curtis, chief planner for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

"It is not just planting the trees," he said. "We will look at the water flow and make a mini water shed."

Designers will determine where the water does flow and create tree boxes in those areas. The boxes are almost like storm drains but trees will be planted in them instead. They will also have to find places to plant trees to ensure they won't grow into power lines or are too close to other infrastructure, Curtis said.

Even selecting the type of trees is important because designers want trees that will drink a lot of water, but at the same time they want hardy trees which can also withstand drought conditions, Pouliot said.

One of the key components to the project is to have residents agree to work with city officials to care for the trees. Officials may also ask some people if they will agree to have a tree planted on their property if studies find it is a good location for one, Curtis said.

Chicopee residents currently pay a storm water management fee and that may be able to be waived for people who agree to do so, he said.

Organizers are holding several upcoming meetings to discuss the tree planting projects in more depth and to answer questions from residents.

The next meetings in Chicopee are scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 25 and March 1 in the Chicopee Public Library.

The Holyoke meetings are scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 30 in the Green High Performance Computing Center Meeting Room and March 2 in the Holyoke Public Library.

Councilors supported an $850,000 appropriation for a feasibility study and schematic designs so West Side can move ahead with plans for a new school.

WEST SPRINGFIELD -- Mayor Will Reichelt thanked the Town Council for doing its part to help create a new Phillip G. Coburn Elementary School.

The rundown school at 115 Southworth St. is expected to be rebuilt with help from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. First, though, a feasibility study and schematic designs must be completed for the project, whose overall price tag has yet to be calculated.

The Town Council last week appropriated $850,000 for the study and schematic design costs, 75 percent of which will be reimbursed by the MSBA.

That leaves the town responsible for the roughly $209,355 balance, which will be paid for with leftover funds from the high school project. That project came in on time and under budget, according to Reichelt.

"We have about half a million dollars sitting there that we can use to cover the cost," he said. "So we're not asking for any more additional dollars to use for this project yet."

Coburn students, teachers and parents who packed a Jan. 17 public hearing on the issue cited air quality and other problems at the 92-year-old building. After listening to the testimony, the Town Council voted 7-1 to appropriate the money for the feasibility study.

"Thank you, councilors," Reichelt said, as the audience burst into applause.

Councilor Brian Griffin was absent from the hearing, but his colleague, Councilor Brian Clune, relayed that Griffin also supports the appropriation to help move the project forward.

The lone councilor to vote against the measure was George Kelly, who emphasized that he is not opposed to a new Coburn school. Rather, Kelly said, he simply needs more information about enrollment and other issues at Coburn before voting on the matter.

The MSBA is a quasi-public organization that reimburses school districts for eligible construction costs. The proportion of funding depends primarily on a school district's economic health, with reimbursement rates for 31 percent to 80 percent of the cost of a new or rehabilitated building.

As the spring semester gets under way at Springfield Technical Community College, the school has announced its lineup for the Spring 2017 Ovations Speaker Series.

As the spring semester gets under way at Springfield Technical Community College, the school has announced its lineup for the Spring 2017 Ovations Speaker Series.

The speaker series brings authors, artist, political figures, and experts in health and science to STCC's campus to present culturally educational events for students and non-students free of charge.

This semester's lineup consists of Executive Editor of The Republican Wayne Phaneuf, Poet Lenelle Moise, as well as the annual Dorothy Jordan Pryor Award Luncheon, and the STCC Storytelling Contest.

All performances, besides the Dorothy Jordan Pryor Award luncheon, will be hosted in the Scibelli Hall theater on campus.

On Feb. 7, at 9:30 a.m. Phaneuf will kick off the speaker series and Black History Month as he discusses the role that Western Massachusetts had in the fight for racial equality, which is chronicled in the book "The Struggle for Freedom, the History of African Americans in Western Massachusetts," which he co-authored.

"The Struggle for Freedom is the first comprehensive history of African American from Western Mass," said Phaneuf, who will be presenting with co-author Joseph Carvalho III. "It chronicles the struggle from early slavery in the 1600s to the last chapter in the book which highlights President Obama's inauguration and also the church burning in Springfield on the night of his election. One of our co-authors was Dr. Todd Robinson, son of Bishop Bryant Robinson, the pastor of the church that was burned on the eve of President Barack Obama's election. We are all proud of this book which was a combination of success and failure in the black community over the years has it wrestled with prejudice poverty. Great progress has been made but the struggle continues."

Moise, who has performed on college campuses across the nation, will be featured twice on March 22, first at 10:10 a.m. and then at 11:15 a.m. where she will perform spoken word pieces that earned her recognition as "a modern Renaissance woman" by The Commons, a newspaper.

On April 5 at noon, the Ovation Series will host the Dorothy Jordan Pryor Award Luncheon on the 7th floor of Scibeli Hall. The event will honor retired English professor Marcia Sias by recognizing her work with the STCC Civitan Club which has conducted several community service projects throughout the year that have the STCC community and the surrounding area.

STCC Civitan Club honored for service by Civitan International

The Ovation Series will wrap up on April 18 at 9:30 a.m. with the school's storytelling contest's finals in the Scibeli Theater.

Over the next few months, STCC students will also be able to participate in an open storytelling events where six finalists will be chosen to present in the Ovation Series.

Cohen says he needs at least a 30-day notice of any federal pesticide-application programs slated for his city.

AGAWAM -- Mayor Richard A. Cohen wants to know why the U.S. Department of Agriculture waited until the last minute to tell Agawam officials about a plan to kill European starlings.

Earlier this month, in a scene from a Stephen King novel, tiny birds began falling from the sky, prompting calls to local officials from citizens who found the dead creatures in their yards.

"At first blush, it looked like a story of biblical proportions," Cohen stated in a Jan. 12 letter to Agawam's congressional delegation, demanding better communication from the USDA.

The so-called avicide used to control the local starling population was DRC-1339, also known as starlicide. The pesticide is highly toxic to starlings and a handful of other bird species, and moderately toxic to several additional species.

"It is unclear how much of the pesticide was used, how it was applied, when it was applied, and what possible impacts it may have (on) other species," Cohen said in the letter, which was addressed to Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Richard Neal.

The USDA sent an email notification on the day the pesticide was administered in local communities, but Agawam's health agent was away and other city officials knew nothing about the initiative, said Cohen, who had scant information to share with the public.

The mayor said Agawam officials should be told of any pesticide-application programs at least 30 days before they are slated to begin. "The public and municipal officials deserve notice, education and infonnation on the dissemination of any pesticides to have a full understanding of its purpose and what the consequences are to the environment," he said.

"On behalf of all the citizens of Agawam, please accept this letter as the objection of pesticides being applied without proper education and notice or input to communities directly impacted, and a request that your office compels the USDA to be more open and engaged with the Town of Agawam and others," Cohen said.

Copies of the mayor's letter were sent to local and state officials, including Agawam City Council President Jim Cichetti, state Sen. Don Humason, and state Rep. Nick Boldyga.

The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shared its anger over the mass bird killing on Facebook:

"Once again, USDA Wildlife Services has prioritized the broad-based killing of wildlife over humane solutions to human-wildlife conflicts. Unfortunately, Wildlife Services has again done so without notice or input from residents or the local community.

Humane solutions exist to address conflicts with wildlife and the MSPCA encourages individuals and our federal and state governments to prioritize those options over indiscriminate killing."

The birds were poisoned as part of a USDA program to control their numbers. An overabundance of starlings can produce excessive noise, increase the risk of disease, and threaten air traffic safety, a USDA spokesman told Western Mass News, TV partner of MassLive / The Republican.

Chief Mike Gorski said staffing concerns, particularly during weekday business hours, remain a major concern for the tiny Hampden Fire Department, a volunteer department with about two dozen volunteers.

HAMPDEN -- With no public water supply and about two dozen volunteer members, the Hampden Fire Department relies heavily on mutual aid from departments in surrounding communities.

But that reliance is teetering on overreliance, according to Chief Mike Gorski, who's pushing to convert the volunteer department to a paid call department with a handful of career firefighters. 

After a batch of high-profile fires this cold-weather season, including a late-afternoon fire that burned through the night and destroyed the landmark "castle" residence on Stafford Road, local fire officials are once again sounding the alarm to hire some full-time firefighters to staff the small station on North Road.

An electrical fire that caused extensive damage to a family's Stony Hill Road home on Jan. 3 appears to have been the last straw, prompting firefighters to point out they were shorthanded for the call and still cannot guarantee minimum staffing levels during regular weekday business hours. That's when most Hampden firefighters are working their real jobs.

Gorski believes the department could add three full-time firefighters to its ranks without breaking the bank. He estimates that two firefighters, each earning about $59,536 with full benefits, and one supervising officer earning around $71,379 with benefits would cost the town around $190,451 a year.

Add in roughly another $65,000 to compensate call firefighters, and the total annual bill climbs to around $255,451, according to Gorski, who says "response capacity" is the single biggest issue confronting the Hampden Fire Department.

The majority of the department's calls occur Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., when most Hampden firefighters are at work, he said.

"We struggle to get adequate responders to calls even when we expect that most volunteers are in town," Gorski said in a memo to the Hampden Board of Selectmen.

The efficacy of a "remuneration model" is indisputable, said Gorski, who would like to see his station staffed on a full-time basis at least during regular weekday business hours.

"The current situation, which brings little or no staffing during the work week and meager staffing at other times, is not sustainable or tolerable," he said. "It threatens the lives and property of residents and visitors to Hampden and is a very real threat to the lone firefighters that may respond and be expected to rescue someone or begin suppression activities while they await mutual aid resources."

Speaking of mutual aid, firefighters from other towns "may end up being the sole responders to a Hampden fire," Gorski said, particularly on weekdays.

"As I have warned in the past, we must be cautious of overreliance on mutual aid," he said, emphasizing that such pacts are designed to bring in additional manpower or equipment when local resources are inadequate.

"Mutual aid is a network of sharing, with resources flowing back and forth across jurisdictional borders, and should not routinely benefit one partner in the form of subsidized services by the taxpayers of another community," he said.

Gorski said he believes homeowners and taxpayers would support adding some full-time firefighters to they were "fully advised of the potential risk to their property, safety and well-being."

Selectmen are keenly aware of local firefighters' concerns and are exploring various options. "You can't just jump from zero-funded to fully funded in one year," Selectmen Chairman John D. Flynn said a the board's Jan. 3 meeting. 

Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi and Christina Royal, new president of Holyoke Community College, will be featured speakers from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2017 at the annual Candidates and Elected Officials Reception held by the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce at Gary Rome Hyundai, 150 Whiting Farms Road.

HOLYOKE -- The new sheriff and a new college president will be main speakers today from 5 to 7 p.m. at a reception held by the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce at Gary Rome Hyundai, 150 Whiting Farms Road.

Nick Cocchi was elected Hampden County Sheriff on Nov. 8 and sworn into office Jan. 4.

Christina Royal became the new president of Holyoke Community College (HCC) in November after HCC's Board of Trustees recommended her to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.

The annual Candidates and Elected Officials Reception, formerly called the "Winner Circle Reception," honors newly elected officials and introduces them to the business community.

Robert W. Gilbert, Jr., Dowd Insurance's chairman of the coard and the Chamber's Governmental Affairs Committee co-chairman, will preside over the event with Margaret Mantoni, chief financial officer at Loomis Communities and chamber of commerce chairwoman, a press release said.

The event is presented by Dowd Insurance Agency and Holyoke Community College and sponsored by Ferriter Law and People's United Bank, the press release said.

An executive order to fund a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico is expected to be coming from the pen of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, according to a senior administration official who spoke to NBC.

An executive order to fund a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico is expected to be coming from the pen of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, according to a senior administration official who spoke to NBC.

Trump plans to sign the order to move money away from other federal programs and towards his much-promised border project during an appearance Wednesday at the Department of Homeland Security, which houses U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

In a tweet Tuesday night, Trump teased the development, referencing a "big day" ahead and again vowing to build the wall. 

Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017

At virtually every campaign rally, Trump reiterated his promise to build the wall and have the Mexican government pay the cost. After being elected, his transition team began signaling to Republican lawmakers that the administration wanted to fund the border wall through the appropriations process.

Responding to criticism, Trump assured supporters the move was "for the sake of speed" and the funds "will be paid back by Mexico later."

The official told NBC to expect many more immigration-related executive orders this week. 

Tayshia Hoisington has ties to the Springfield and Pittsfield areas, according to a post on the detective bureau's Facebook page.

Tayshia Hoisington 

WESTFIELD -- Police are seeking the public's help as they attempt to locate a 16-year-old teen who has been missing from her foster home for several weeks.

Tayshia Hoisington has ties to the Springfield and Pittsfield areas, according to a post on the detective bureau's Facebook page.

She is 5 feet 8 inches tall. Those with information are asked to call 413-562-5411.

Police posted an update to the department's Facebook page, thanking the public for sharing info about Buddy, who's now back with his family.

LUDLOW -- Buddy, a beagle who fled the scene of a car crash early Tuesday morning, has been found, according to Ludlow police, who posted the news on the department's Facebook page.

The 3-year-old beagle bolted from a car that was involved in an accident on Chapin Street around 3 a.m. Tuesday.

Buddy, who is black and brown with white legs, was spotted in the areas of Pinewood Drive, Clover Road and Hunter and Center streets before disappearing for a spell.

Police did not indicate where the dog was located, but he's now back with his owner.

"Thank you all for sharing," police said on Facebook.

People currently face a $50 fine for failing to shovel sidewalks.

CHICOPEE - The City Council is considering raising the fine for failing to shovel sidewalks, saying too many people are not clearing walks of ice and snow.

"Hopefully this will give people a little encouragement to do what they should do," said Councilor William Courchesne, who proposed changing the fines.

People have 24 hours after a snowfall to clear sidewalks abutting their property. Those who fail to do so face a $50 fine, according to the Chicopee city codes.

Courchesne said he would like that to be doubled for the first offense and have it grow larger if people continue to ignore the requirement.

The City Council voted 12-0 to send the proposal to its Ordinance Committee for more study and discussion.

"It is $50 now, it would go to $100," said Councilor James K. Tillotson, chairman of the City Council's Ordinance Committee.

The proposal is calling for incremental fines so those who fail to shovel for a second time in the same calendar year would face a $200 fine and a third offense would result in a $300 fine.

According to the city ordinances, the Police Department currently enforces the requirement.

Most communities do fine people for failing to clear sidewalks. Currently the fine for failure to shovel sidewalks in Springfield is $50 and the fine is Holyoke is $25.

Tillotson said he has heard from some homeowners in the past who have a difficult time finding anyone who is willing to shovel sidewalks for a fee if they cannot do it themselves.

The devices, which can record account numbers and PIN information, were placed on ATMS in the Canterbury and Moosup Savings Institute Bank branches on Jan. 7 and 8 and Jan. 14-16.

PLAINFIELD, Connecticut -- Complaints of fraudulent charges from customers of two bank branches here led to the discovery that skimming devices had been placed on ATMs two separate times this month.

Connecticut State Police posted surveillance images of two suspects on its Facebook page.

The devices, which can record account numbers and PIN information, were placed on ATMS in the Canterbury and Moosup Savings Institute Bank branches on Jan. 7 and 8 and Jan. 14-16.

In both cases, the devices were installed by white male suspect and removed by a black male suspect. Both suspects, as shown in the surveillance images, apparently smoke cigarettes.

Plainfield is located near the southeast corner of the state.

The Connecticut State Police and the Plainfield Police Department ask that anyone with information to contact Trooper Tefft of Troop D at 860-779-4900 or text "TIP711 + the info you have" to 274637 or contact the Plainfield Police Department at 860-564-0804.

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will seek a "major investigation" into alleged voter fraud in the 2016 election, despite little evidence suggesting it occurred.

President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he will seek a "major investigation" into alleged voter fraud in the 2016 election, despite little evidence suggesting it occurred.

The newly sworn-in president stated in a series of morning tweets that he will look into whether any alleged fraud occurred by "those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and even, those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time)."

"Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!," he wrote.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.