The decision was a rare split vote for the 13 member City Council.

CHICOPEE - In a battle between the merits of spending money on technology or making brick-and-mortar repairs, the repairs won in a close vote this month.

The City Council voted against spending $70,000 to purchase a pavement management system which would evaluate the surface of the majority of streets in the city and give officials a list of what are the most critical and should be repaired first. Instead members said the money would better be used to pave at least one disintegrating street.

The 7-5 decision is one of the rare split votes the City Council has taken in the past three years. In nearly all cases a large majority of the councilors have voted together to pass proposals.

"It is to project over five years what the needs are," Councilor Shane D. Brooks said. "I think there is some merit in this because we can find hidden problems."

Others agreed that the city engineer can only do a visual inspection to determine which streets need to be paved first while the system can instead do more to find out things such as the thickness of the pavement and determine other problems.

"I think it is a useful tool," Councilor Timothy McLellan said. "I don't know why people don't want to embrace technology. I think it will save us money in the long run."

He argued the system is unbiased and not political so decisions would not be made to make any councilor or city official happy.

But other councilors disagreed, saying the city already has limited money to pave streets and a long list of roads that they know need to be improved.

"I waited 35 years to get Bonneville Avenue done. The problem...is there isn't enough money," Councilor William Zaskey said.

He agreed with several other councilors who said they would prefer to take the $70,000 and use it to make repairs on a street or sidewalk.

Chicopee typically receives between about $1.2 million in state entitlement highway grants a year. Along with road paving, the city also uses the money to purchase eligible equipment for the Department of Public Works.

"To me it's a waste of taxpayers' money," Councilor Frank N. Laflamme said. "We have enough streets we know have to be done."

Councilor Stanley Walczak agreed and recounted his experience after Mayor Richard J. Kos proposed to allow each councilor to decide how to spend $100,000 in their ward on street and sidewalk repairs.

He said there are 110 streets in Ward 9 and he gave the Department of Public Works a list of five streets that most needed to be repaved and repaired. Walczak said he was told he could only have one road repaired.

"I don't have a problem with technology. I have a good knowledge of what needs to be fixed," he said.

Residents of Ward 7 in Holyoke, Massachusetts can question and discuss issues with elected representatives on the City Council and School Committee on Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. at E.N. White School, 1 Jefferson St.

HOLYOKE -- The elected representatives for Ward 7 on the City Council and School Committee will take residents' questions and discuss issues at a neighborhood meeting Feb. 16 at 6 p.m. at E.N. White School, 1 Jefferson St.

Todd A. McGee, the Ward 7 councilor, announced the meeting Monday. Nyles L. Courchesne is the Ward 7 School Committee member.

For more information call McGee at 413-262-5895 or Courchesne at 413-533-0531.

Springfield's library director believes the city has submitted a strong application for state grant assistance to build a new, $9.5 million branch library in East Forest Park.

SPRINGFIELD -- City Library Director Molly Fogarty said she knows the competition is tough but believes Springfield has made a strong case in its application for state grant funds to help build a proposed $9.5 million new branch library in East Forest Park.

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners has a total of up to $110 million to distribute to communities proposing new libraries and renovation-expansion projects, with 33 communities submitting applications by the deadline.

The communities applying for grants also include Amherst, Hadley, Greenfield, Deerfield, and Orange in Western Massachusetts.

"I think we did an excellent job," Fogarty said Monday, regarding Springfield's application. "We worked with our architect, the (city) Capital Assets department. We have a really good project and a great application, and we're hoping for the best."

Springfield is proposing to build a 16,801-square-foot branch library on the grounds of Mary Dryden Veterans Memorial Elementary School on Surrey Road. It is more than four times the size of the existing leased branch in a shopping plaza on Island Pond Road.

The application document includes details of library usage, including that East Forest Park is the second most popular of the city branches behind Sixteen Acres, but is dead last for program participation because of limited building space and limited computer bandwidth and space, Fogarty said.

A spokeswoman for the state Board of Library Commissioners said it is difficult to predict how many projects will be funded statewide in this round of grant money. Grant announcements are scheduled in July.

"The construction grant process is always very competitive, and this grant round is no exception," state board spokeswoman Celeste Bruno said Monday.

Springfield is hoping to receive millions of dollars in grant assistance, officials said. Under the grant formula, the state could cover 40 percent of eligible costs.

Fogarty said the $9.5 million project cost includes all costs: construction, equipment, furniture, landscaping, paving and escalation costs.

Within Springfield's application, the city provides documents about library usage and related statistics from fiscal 2016.

For example, there were 46,725 visitors in fiscal 2016 at the current East Forest Park Library and 53,571 items borrowed, ranging from books to DVDs and music. Both numbers were second highest of the eight branches, Fogarty said.

However, there were 9,189 people counted at programs and 9,030 computer uses recorded at the plaza branch in fiscal 2016, lowest count of the branches, Fogarty said. The East Forest branch does not have a community room and has limited capability to provide computers.

"There is a demand there, and certainly we could provide more programming for the residents if we had more space," Fogarty said. "At the new library, there is a community room, a children's program room, and teen program room and area (and) a lot more programming."

Aetna is considering a move to Boston and has been in discussions with Gov. Charlie Baker's office regarding the potential move for many months, the Hartford Courant reports, citing sources close to the negotiations.

Aetna is considering a move to Boston and has been in discussions with Gov. Charlie Baker's office regarding new headquarters for many months, the Hartford Courant reports, citing sources close to the negotiations.

The company has been based in Connecticut since its founding in 1853. Aetna, headquartered in Hartford, employs more than 50,000 people and has a market capitalization of $40.2 billion, according to recent figures reported by Forbes. 

The insurance giant has looked into potential spaces in Boston, interested in as much as 400,000 square feet of office space, the Courant reports.

Should Aetna move, it would not be the first company wooed to Boston in recent years. Massachusetts officials aggressively courted General Electric to the city from Connecticut, inviting a GE team to a get-together in Boston's North End and pitching the state's health care and educational sectors.

'Holy friggin' moly'; Read the behind-the-scenes emails that show Massachusetts courting General Electric

GE's 800-employee campus will be located in the Seaport District. GE headquarters, which once housed the NECCO candy company, are expected to open in 2018. The city's Seaport District will soon also be home to Reebok, another company relocating to Boston from Canton in search of a trendier work environment. 

Reebok to move headquarters to Boston's Seaport District

Mark T. Berolini, the chief executive of Aetna, has sought to set Aetna apart from other health care companies as a healthy and happy place for employees. Following a near-death expierence, the New York Times reports, he reshaped his health regimen and began offering free yoga and mediation classes to his employees. Conference rooms in the Hartford headquarters are temporarily shut down for business during the day and converted into mediation classes. Thousands of employees have participated in the programs, the Times reports. 

The company also pays employees to get a good night's sleep. Aetna introduced a program last year to pay employees $25 a night if they get seven or more hours of uninterrupted sleep for 20 nights in a row.

Bertolini promoted the benefits of sleep in an interview on CNBC in 2016. "You can't be prepared if you're half-asleep," he said, adding, "Being present in the workplace and making better decisions has a lot to do with our business fundamentals."

A former Massachusetts contractor who filed for bankruptcy while secreting millions away in a New Hampshire safe deposit box has been extradited and charged after 11 years on the run.

A former Massachusetts contractor who filed for bankruptcy while allegedly stashing millions in safe deposit boxes has been extradited from Canada and charged after 11 years on the run.

Cyril Gordon Lunn, 68, formerly of Pepperell, plead guilty in U.S. District Court in Worcester on Monday to charges related to the incident, which dates back to 2001.

While owner and operator of Pepperell construction and land development company CY Realty Corporation, Lunn transferred up to $4 million to safe deposit boxes in Canada just before declaring bankruptcy in 2001.

The U.S. District Attorney's Office became aware of the cash transfers after Lunn gave testimony concerning the funds in a 2004 Canadian civil lawsuit.

Less than a year later, in 2005, Lunn rented a snowmobile in Maine and drove it across the border into Canada, where he promptly disappeared for nearly a decade.

Canadian authorities first arrested Lunn in 2014 on a extradition warrant. Lunn fought extradition in Nova Scotia Supreme Court for years, alleging his then-wife had actually stolen the money. A judge found Lunn's claim to have no merit.

Lunn was finally turned over to the U.S. in 2016.

U.S. District Court Judge Timothy S. Hillman on Monday scheduled Lunn's sentencing for May 3, 2017. He faces a prison sentence of up to five years and fines of $250,000. 

The suspect said he picked up the baggie because he was concerned a child would get it.

CHICOPEE - A Westfield man who tried to toss a bag of cocaine away while being watched by a police officer was arrested on drug charges Monday.

Alvin J. McClure, 37, of 24 Bartlet St., was arrested just before noon and charged with possession of cocaine subsequent offense. He was booked and then arraigned at Chicopee District Court, Michael Wilk, public information officer for Chicopee Police said.

Officer Genevieve Mora was parked near the Willimansett Bridge on Chicopee Street on the lookout for a vehicle suspected of being used in a shoplifting when she observed a man walking toward the bridge and examining an plastic baggie, Wilk said.

"He smirked (at the officer) and tossed the item over his shoulder and continued walking," Wilk said.

Mora located the baggie and determined it was cocaine. She called for backup and then arrested McClure, he said.

When asked by officers about the cocaine, McClure said he found the baggie and was concerned a child might pick it up. But he then threw it away when he saw the officer, Wilk said.

Wal-Mart is replacing a program that offered free shipping but had an annual fee with one that has a lower free shipping threshold and faster delivery.

By ANNE D'INNOCENZIO ,  AP Retail Writer

Baker's budget proposal would take $3 million away from regional tourism councils and put the money toward events celebrating the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower.

Gov. Charlie Baker is - again - fighting with regional tourism councils over how much money tourism will get in the annual budget and how that money will be allocated.

Last year, lawmakers gave $6 million to regional tourism councils, which are in charge of marketing tourist attractions around the state. Baker cut that amount in half, to $3 million, through mid-year budget cuts.

In his fiscal 2018 budget proposal, Baker proposed again giving the tourism councils just $3 million. He would shift another $3 million to grants for events celebrating the 400^th anniversary of the sailing of the Mayflower and the founding of Plymouth Colony in 2020.

"When you have something unique like a 400^th anniversary, that's what you want to trumpet, because it makes you stand out from everyone else," said Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash. "It's the same amount of money, just reallocated differently."

But tourism councils say the grants will only help certain parts of the state for a limited time, three years from now, while the councils do the job of marketing the entire state every day. "Clearly, we're disappointed," said Mary Kay Wydra, president of the Greater Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. "I think that it's fundamentally unfair that regional tourism isn't going to be funded at a higher level, yet one-time events will be."

Since he took office, Baker has disagreed with the state Legislature and tourism officials over how much money should be allocated for tourism marketing.

In 2015, Baker proposed an $8 million cut to state funding for the Office of Travel and Tourism. He would have nearly eliminated state funding for regional tourism councils - from $5 million to $500,000 - and turned the funding into a competitive grant program. The Legislature overrode him.

When Baker makes mid-year budget cuts, which he can do unilaterally, he tends to cut tourism spending. Total funding for the regional tourism councils dropped from $7.5 million in fiscal 2014 to between $3 million and $6 million each of the next three years, after two of those budgets were cut mid-year.

Ash portrayed the funding shift as a way to highlight a unique aspect of Massachusetts history, with at least 20 different communities, not only Plymouth, planning events to recognize 400^th anniversaries.

"There's only one other place - Virginia - that has anything else close to that," Ash said. "This is where it all started, and we want to make sure we target our marketing dollars to that."

Paul McMorrow, a spokesman for Ash, said there are 35 local celebrations being planned between 2020 and 2030. McMorrow said the anniversary will provide a unique opportunity to focus national and international attention on Massachusetts and create more tourism-related economic development opportunities.

There are 16 regional tourism councils. Currently, the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau gets 35 percent of the money allocated for the councils, based on a formula. The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce gets 8 percent and everyone else gets less than that. McMorrow argued that the funding shift is a way to allow other parts of the state to get more money through competitive grant opportunities.

But State Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development, pointed out that there will still be regional inequity. "Those 400^th anniversary celebrations are not going to help Western Massachusetts, because they're oriented towards eastern Massachusetts," Lesser said.

"What we've seen time and time and time again is that the administration is not focused on tourism and cultural development," Lesser said. "And people in Western Massachusetts should be concerned about that because our economy is highly dependent on those sectors."

Lesser said with a competitive tourism market, travelers could just as easily visit Vermont or the Catskills or Mystic, Conn. as Six Flags or the Basketball Hall of Fame in Western Massachusetts.

Wydra said New York State runs ads frequently to attract visitors, which provides direct competition with Western Massachusetts. "Our products very similar," Wydra said. "They're going to gain market share and we're going to continue to lose market share as we continue to underfund tourism."

Wydra said the Springfield area needs more marketing dollars, as the MGM casino and a new Dr. Seuss Museum both prepare to open and the Basketball Hall of Fame is planning an upgrade.

"If you look at the products we've introduced into the marketplace, the timing couldn't be worse," Wydra said. Wydra said the bureau spends its money to get visitors to stay in the region longer and spend more money - which generates more taxes for the state and jobs for the region.

Suzanne Beck, executive director of the Hampshire County Tourism and Visitors Bureau, said she too is disappointed in the governor's proposal, and she hopes lawmakers will provide more money for tourism councils in their versions of the state budget.

"There's a long process between now and when the budget is approved for us to make the case that tourism is more of an economic development contributor than I think the administration's budget recognizes," Beck said.

She said the industry will lobby lawmakers by pointing out the financial benefits of the tourism industry, which generates hotel and meal taxes, jobs and spending. A 2014 study by the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism found that travelers to Massachusetts generate $20.2 billion annually, $1.3 billion in state and local taxes and 135,000 jobs paying $4.4 billion in wages. The state gets more than 25 million domestic visitors a year, 2.5 million overseas visitors and 735,000 Canadians.

"No one's hitting the panic button, but everybody is disappointed that that recognition of the economic impact of this sector as a whole isn't understood at the front end and needs to be argued at the back end," Beck said.

Beck sits on the committee that is coordinating the 400^th anniversary celebrations. She said she supports that funding, but thinks the anniversary celebrations should be funded separately and should not be used to undercut money for the tourism councils. She also said the $3 million may be premature, since the committee has not yet developed a comprehensive strategy for the event and how it can benefit the whole state.

Police, in a post on the department's Facebook page, stress that the utility does not use the telephone to request payment of overdue bills.

Patrick Johnson | pjohnson@repub.com 

SOUTHWICK -- Police warn of numerous telephone scam attempts made to residents Monday from one or more callers claiming to be with Eversource and threatening to shut off power if a bogus bill is not paid.

Police, in a post on the department's Facebook page, stress that the utility does not use the telephone to request payment of overdue bills.

"If you are behind on your bill, you will be notified by mail," police stated in the post.

One of the numbers associated with the scam is 855-223-2165, according to police.

Trooper Daniel Paras of the Shelburne Falls barracks stopped the Toyota Yaris last Wednesday for motor vehicle violations and subsequently found 240 wax bags of heroin, according to a post on the department's Facebook page.

DEERFIELD - State police arrested a 22-year-old Greenfield man and a 27-year-old Belchertown man on heroin charges last week following a motor vehicle stop on Interstate 91.

Trooper Daniel Paras of the Shelburne Falls barracks stopped the Toyota Yaris last Wednesday for motor vehicle violations and subsequently found 240 wax bags of heroin, according to a post on the department's Facebook page.

The post does not identify the suspects. Both were charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute. The driver was also charged with motor vehicle violations.

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

As meteorologists predict several inches of snow to fall, Holyoke has declared a winter parking ban.

As meteorologists predict several inches of snow to fall Tuesday, Holyoke has declared a winter parking ban. 

No parking will be allowed on the odd numbered side of any city street and no parking on cul-de-sacs. If Holyoke residents have driveways, they're asked to use them. 

The parking ban will be in effect from 12 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31 until 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1.

The National Weather Service has issued winter weather advisories and forecasters are calling for snow by early afternoon Tuesday.

Sign up for parking ban alerts here. 

Snow by early afternoon, up to 6 inches of accumulation possible in some areas

Three bystanders saw the beating and grabbed the suspect. They were sitting on his chest when police arrived, Kenniston said.

SPRINGFIELD - The victim was on the floor when police arrived.

"He was unconscious, in a fetal position and bleeding," Assistant District Attorney Carrie Kenniston said Monday in Springfield District Court.

The defendant - Melvin Dunham, 30, of Springfield - stood behind her, handcuffed, shackled and showing no emotion. He had just pleaded not guilty to a charge of assault and battery with injury on a person over 60.

In this case, the victim was 31 years over 60, and suffered injuries to his head and face during an assault in the hallway of his Pendleton Avenue apartment building, the prosecutor said.

Three bystanders saw the beating and grabbed the suspect. They were sitting on his chest when police arrived, Kenniston said.

The victim was taken to Baystate Medical Center, where he was described as being in good condition, police said.

Kenniston asked for $10,000 bail, citing the victim's age and injuries as well as the suspect's criminal record, which includes convictions for assault and battery, larceny, burglary and other charges.

Defense lawyer Stephanie Woods opposed the bail recommendation and requested a mental health evaluation for her client.

"He is a schizophrenic...and his family tells me he's been off his meds for at least two months," Woods said.

Her client and the victim did not know each other, and there was no apparent motive for the alleged attack, Woods said.

Judge William Boyle set bail at $10,000 and scheduled an evaluation for Thursday.

A passenger, a 23-year-old Springfield man, was charged with several drug violations, including possession of heroin with intent to distribute and conspiracy to violate drug laws.

CHESHIRE -- Massachusetts State Police arrested 2 people on heroin charges following a motor vehicle stop on Route 8 Sunday night.

Trooper Gregory Warren of the Cheshire barracks stopped a Lincoln MKZ for motor vehicle charges and subsequently discovered 250 bags of heroin, according to a post on the department's Facebook page.

A passenger, a 23-year-old Springfield man, was charged with several drug violations, including possession of heroin with intent to distribute and conspiracy to violate drug laws.

The driver, a 37-year-old Hinsdale man, was also charged with conspiracy to violate drug laws.

The post does not identify the suspects.

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

Detectives charged a 25-year-old city woman with trafficking cocaine Monday following an investigation that began earlier this month.

Jeanette DeForge | jdeforge@repub.com 

Police, in a post on the department's Facebook page, stated the woman possessed three bags of cocaine with a total weight of 41.37 grams.

The post did not include the woman's name and address.

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

lans to resettle 51 refugees into Northampton ground to a halt this weekend following President Donald Trump's executive order suspending the United States' refugee program

Plans to resettle 51 refugees into Northampton ground to a halt this weekend following President Donald Trump's executive order suspending the United States' refugee program, leaving uncertain futures for the African and Middle Eastern nationals scheduled to find new homes in the Pioneer Valley this year.

Trump's order, which also temporarily banned travel from seven Muslim-majority countries, paused the country's refugee program for 120 days and prohibited the entry of Syrian refugees indefinitely.

18 of Northampton's 51 planned refugees had already cleared all State Department vetting and been approved for entry prior to Trump's order, according to Catholic Charities Agency of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, the local agency that coordinates refugee resettlements with the State Department in the Pioneer Valley.

Those people, who include children as young as nine months old, were supposed to begin arriving as soon as Feb. 20. Now, they will remain in camps and temporary shelters overseas, said Catholic Charities Agency of Springfield Executive Director Kathryn Buckley-Brawner.

"It is probably as bad as we thought it could possible be," Buckley-Brawner said.

Trump has described the refugee program suspension as a necessary national security measure designed to develop better tools for identifying potential terrorists.

Our country needs strong borders and extreme vetting, NOW. Look what is happening all over Europe and, indeed, the world - a horrible mess!

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017

Critics have disputed his reasoning, including hundreds of State Department employees who signed a memo opposing the executive order as counter-productive and against American values.

For Northampton, the most immediate impact of the suspension will be the absence of 18 refugees who had already passed the State Department's two year vetting process and been given final approval to settle in the city.

Some incoming refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been in refugee camps since 1996, when an invasion and then civil war broke out that has since killed millions of people. Children who would have arrived range in age from nine months to nine years old, and the families came from Syria, Iraq and Butan," Buckley-Brawner said.

The Syrian family was part of the Kurdish minority group and had fled both government and ISIS violence into the Kurdish region of Iraq, she said.

"They are one of the ethnic groups that is very much persecuted and discriminated against," Buckley-Brawner said.

Catholic Charities of Springfield does not have direct contact with refugees until they enter the United States.

Rather, the State Department assigns cases through the charity's parent organization, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and then the local agency gives final confirmation that it can accept the settlement -- a process known as "assurance."

All 18 refugees had received final assurance, but were not in transit by the time the order went into effect and so are now in limbo, Buckley-Brawner said. Northampton's 32 other expected refugees had not yet been assigned.

"Because they did not have their airplane tickets at the moment this order was signed their travel was suspended," she said.

Catholic Charities had held public meetings in Northampton and recruited volunteers to aid for refugees once they arrived. The State Department provides just 90 days of funding once refugees resettle; Catholic Charities had found volunteers to commit to long-term support, and three Congolese families had been assigned to local "circles of care" prior to the suspension.

In December of 2015, the Northampton City Council unanimously passed a resolution calling for the city to serve as a sanctuary for refugees from the Syrian civil war, which has killed at least 470,000 people, according to the Syrian Center for Policy Research."

At a public meeting in September of last year, some residents raised concerns about funding and whether an influx of new refugees would divert services from Northampton's existing homeless population. Supporters, including Mayor David Narkewicz, said the city was seeking grants and volunteer support to defray costs.

Buckley-Brawner said she hopes the suspension will expire as planned after 120 days, and that the indefinite ban on Syrian refugees will be lifted. Her organization and others are firmly opposed to the order, and are advocating politically to reverse it and considering legal challenges.

"We feel that from a faith based perspective that this order does not reflect the way we feel about those who are marginalized and against whom violence is perpetrated," Buckley-Brawner said. "As a country we always have been open to those who need to flee, who need safe harbor. We feel very strongly that this action has been very uncompassionate and ill thought-out

Police arrested the suspects after conducting surveillance Monday in the area of 65 Sumner Ave. They also seized $23,265, Sgt. John Delaney said.

George Graham | ggraham@repub.com 

SPRINGFIELD -- Narcotics detectives seized 500 bags of heroin, bags of cocaine and arrested four suspects Monday morning.

Police arrested the suspects after conducting surveillance in the area of 65 Sumner Ave. They also seized $23,265, Sgt. John Delaney said.

This is a developing story. Additional information will be posted.

The parking ban will go into effect at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017 and remain active until further notice.

With several inches of snow predicted to fall Tuesday, the city of Springfield has issued a winter parking ban.

The parking ban will go into effect at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017 and remain active until further notice. The parking ban regulations are as follows:

No parking on the even side of the street from 7:00 p.m. - 7:00 a.m.
No parking on the odd side of the street from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued winter weather advisories and forecasters are calling for snow by early afternoon Tuesday.

Sign up for parking ban alerts here. 

Snow by early afternoon, up to 6 inches of accumulation possible in some areas

The municipal governing body said the meeting would be a forum for them to receive feedback on things the community would like the Council to address

 

PALMER -- The Town Council will convene a "town hall" meeting on Monday, and is inviting residents to attend.

The municipal governing body said the meeting would be a forum for them to receive feedback on things the community would like the Council to address.

In a prepared statement, the body said the aim is "to discuss issues, suggestions, questions or comments that residents would like to bring forward for the consideration of the Town Council."

The Feb. 6 meeting will be at Palmer Police Station Meeting Room, 4417 Main St., starting at 6:30 p.m.

Sgt. Anthony Grasso and Officers Edward Connor and John Moccio are fighting to be reinstated as Agawam officers. All three were fired in the wake of a use-of-force-incident involving a drunk and violent offender, according to the officers' attorney. Watch video

AGAWAM -- The third and final civil service hearing for three former Agawam police officers is being held today at the state office building in downtown Springfield, where Anthony Grasso, Edward Connor and John Moccio are trying to win back their jobs.

The officers have been fighting for reinstatement to the Agawam Police Department since Mayor Richard Cohen fired them on Oct. 16, 2016, in connection with the arrest of a disorderly man at Six Flags New England on June 19, 2016.

The Massachusetts Civil Service Commission is conducting the hearings and could render a decision by May. The hearings are designed to vet whether the officers' terminations were proper.

Agawam authorities questioned the level of force used by the officers to subdue a drunk-and-disorderly patron who refused to leave the Agawam amusement park back in June.

That sparked an investigation leading to Cohen's decision to terminate the officers. The firings, in turn, sparked a grassroots effort to support the "APD 3," as the officers have come to be known. That effort has included lawn signs, a Facebook page, and a petition demanding that the officers be reinstated with back pay.  

The suspect in the case, 27-year-old David Desjardins of Connecticut, was highly intoxicated and combative when he was taken into police custody, according to attorney John Connor, who is representing the officers. Connor is not related to Officer Connor.

The lawyer said the suspect's violent behavior continued at Agawam police headquarters and was caught on camera. A video of the incident was released earlier this month by Agawam Police Chief Eric Gillis, after the district attorney decided not to pursue any charges against the officers.

The snowstorm is expected to dump 3 to 5 inches throughout Western Massachusetts.

SPRINGFIELD - As the snow began falling Tuesday afternoon, a number of communities in Western Massachusetts began declaring emergency parking bans.

Springfield, Monson and Easthampton were among the first to declare bans to aid in the anticipated need to plow any accumulations from the streets.

In Springfield, the ban will go into effect at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday,and remain active until further notice.

The ban forbid parking on the even side of streets from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., and on the odd side from 9 a.m.. to 4 p.m.

In Easthampton, the town enacted a ban that goes into effect at 5 p.m. and will continue through 7 a.m. on Wednesday.

The ban prevents parking on all city streets.

Mountain Road, or Route 141, the main route connecting Easthampton and Holyoke over Mount Tom, remains open.

In Monson, the parking ban on all city roads went into effect from noon Tuesday and will continue through noon on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service is forecasting snowfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches in most of Western Massachusetts.