As February kicks off, Black History Month in Western Massachusetts will also get under way with a variety of events happening throughout the area. Here are events and things happening around you to help celebrate the month of February.

Wayne Hooker is seeking a new larger location for his Chef Wayne's Big Mamou restaurant.

SPRINGFIELD - The owner of Chef Wayne's Big Mamou restaurant on lower Liberty Street is looking for a new location in the downtown district to provide stability and greater space for his well-known Louisiana cuisine destination.

Wayne Hooker, owner and chef, said he has enjoyed being in business nearly 22 years at his current site, which is across the street from the U.S. Post Office and a short distance from the Peter Pan Bus terminal and the nearly completed Union Station redevelopment project.

But he has been operating without a lease at 63 Liberty St., and at 62 years old, has no interest in retiring. He intends to stay in Springfield and preferably the downtown dining district, he said.

"It's a matter of finding the right place," Hooker said. "Because of the uncertainty, I have to position myself. I'm still working and my employees need their jobs. We're family and we argue like a family. I have them to consider too."

Hooker would not reveal if he currently has a preferred site, saying such a decision is "TBA," to be announced. He said he has looked at a lot of potential sites, aided by city officials.

The mayor's office has been working closely with Hooker, and he has also been getting information and assistance from the city's Economic Development Office, the Business Improvement District, and MassDevelopment, he said.

He currently has a dining capacity for 40 patrons, and would like to expand to 80 to 90 patrons, no more than that, Hooker said. He would like to double the size of his kitchen space.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said Hooker has "a destination restaurant, a great eclectic Louisiana cuisine for people from all walks of life." The city wants to continue working with him to keep him in Springfield and help him thrive, he said.

Kevin Kennedy, the city's chief development officer, said the city is actively trying to help Hooker.

"We see Chef Wayne and Big Mamou as a Springfield Institution that we want to help," Kennedy said. "It's a great business and a great following and something that is very good for Springfield."

Neither Kennedy nor Hooker would rule out Union Station as a possible site. In addition, Hooker said he is open to any suggestions from the city, whether a lease or purchase of a site.

Hooker said he would face a major investment in a new site, "and it's got to to feel good."

Hooker had wanted to finish his career at the current site, but said that "without a lease, it's scary." He has nine part-time employees.

There is some uncertainly about what will be happening to some of the buildings in the area of Union Station, including the Peter Pan headquarters. Peter Pan will be moving its bus operations to the $94 million refurbished Union Station.

Hooker is hoping that his selected site will have enough land for some outdoor activity such as a crawfish festival, and to be "a little more festive when New Orleans celebrates which is every day."

Big Mamou does not have a license to sell beer or alcohol, but patrons can bring their own.

Town census forms may be returned to the clerk's office or mailed to Wilbraham Town Clerk, Wilbraham Town Hall, 240 Springfield St., Wilbraham, MA, 01095.

WILBRAHAM -- With over 39 percent of town census forms still outstanding, Town Clerk Beverly Litchfield is asking people to return the documents as soon as possible.

Around 2,185 census forms had not been returned as of Jan. 25, according to Litchfield, who can be reached at 413-596-2800, ext. 200.

Anyone who has lost a form may call her at that number or download an electronic copy from the town's website, www.wilbraham-ma.gov, under the the town clerk's department.

"Our goal is to reach 100 percent and we need your help to reach it," Litchfield said.

Census forms may be left in the dropbox at the clerk's office or mailed to the Town Clerk's Office, Wilbraham Town Hall, 240 Springfield St., Wilbraham, MA, 01095.

Each year, Wilbraham residents must provide certain basic information about household occupants. A current listing of occupants is sent to each household in January and must be updated and returned to the clerk's office.

The information is used for jury selection and voter records and helps various town departments anticipate service requirements.

Wilbraham's estimated population was over 14,500 in 2015, the latest year for which U.S. Census data were available.

The declining enrollment at Thornton W. Burgess Middle School is the result of 48 transfers to Wilbraham Middle School and around 44 fourth-graders at Green Meadows Elementary remaining at that Hampden school for fifth grade, rather than moving up to TWB.

HAMPDEN -- Thornton W. Burgess Middle School will have about 90 fewer students by the start of next school year.

The lower enrollment at the fifth- through eighth-grade school in Hampden is the result of 48 TWB students transferring to Wilbraham Middle School and around 44 fourth-graders at Green Meadows Elementary School remaining at that Hampden school for fifth grade, rather than moving up to TWB.

Superintendent Al Ganem and the School Committee backed the changes.

The most recent state enrollment figures for TWB and Wilbraham Middle School (WMS) are 222 and 534, respectively, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's website.

The Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee approved the transfers after determining the Hampden students met the criteria, as laid out in the regional school agreement between Hampden and Wilbraham, to transfer to WMS.

The TWB transfers are as follows: 21 sixth-graders, 14 seventh-graders, and 13 eighth-graders.

The agreement that created the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District allows students to attend another school with permission from their parents and the School Committee, the latter of which must determine if the transfer is "prudent, can be accomplished, and is in the best interest of the student."

The enrollment changes at TWB and WMS come as the district continues to work on a long-term plan for the two middle schools. In October, a formal vote to temporarily merge TWB students with WMS students was rejected by Hampden voters and supported by Wilbraham voters. The merger plan needed to be approved by both towns to take effect.

Consolidating the schools on a single campus was expected to save money and bolster academics, according to proponents.

Before the vote, district officials were working with the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which partially reimburses public school districts for building and renovation projects.

Last month, however, MSBA officials turned down Hampden-Wilbraham's "statement of interest" to participate in the program, giving the school district until April 9 to resubmit its application.

Meanwhile, Mary Ellen Glover, a former Hampden school board member when Hampden's two schools joined the regional district more than two decades ago, has accused the School Committee of trying to limit public discussion of the middle school issue. The committee now allows its members to directly rebut inaccurate statements made during the public comment period.

"There may be fewer people able to make public comment because of our responses," Lisa Morace, the School Committee's chairwoman, said at the board's meeting on Jan. 24.

"The School Committee has chosen to adopt an adversarial position on public comment in an apparent effort to stifle dissent," Glover said at the meeting, addressing her remarks to Morace and her colleagues on the board.

Glover, an anti-merger supporter, said limiting public input is shortsighted and sends the wrong message to taxpayers. 

The Boston Police Department are seeking the public's help to identify a man they believe purchased $13,000 worth of merchandise at the Copley Mall using a stolen credit card.

The Boston Police Department are seeking the public's help to identify a man they believe purchased $13,000 worth of merchandise at the Copley Mall using a stolen credit card.

The department posted multiple photos of the man on their Facebook page.

He's described as a bald, 6-foot-tall white male with an Italian accent. He is seen in the images wearing a white shirt, purple tie, blue suit and glasses.

According to the Facebook post, the man used the stolen card on Jan. 11 around 2:30 p.m.

The Boston Police Department is actively reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident. Anyone with information relative to this person's identity is asked to call to District D-4 Detectives at (617) 343-4683.

Amazon is facing class action complaints from eight local black and Latino delivery drivers who claim the tech giant discriminated against them when they were fired under an altered background-check policy.

Amazon is facing class action complaints from eight local black and Latino delivery drivers who claim the tech giant discriminated against them when they were fired under an altered background-check policy.

The complaints were filed Tuesday with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, a state agency responsible for civil rights enforcement, on behalf of the drivers by Boston-based Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Economic Justice and law firms Fair Work PC and the Law Offices of Howard Friedman.

The Lawyers' Committee group first publicly accused Amazon of discriminating against the drivers last year, shortly after it learned that Sharon-based delivery contractor Miller's Express had terminated dozens of drivers at Amazon's direction, the group said at the time.

Amazon reached out to delivery-services providers in August about a change in its background-check policy, according to an email provided to the Business Journal. It mandated that drivers be screened by a certain background-check provider. Any drivers who failed the background check would have their account "deactivated," the email said.

The firings were based on the drivers' job performance, but on their criminal background -- a discriminatory policy, considering the degree to which law enforcement targets people of color and how Amazon's cuts disproportionately affected minority drivers, according to lawyers for the drivers. The attorneys described some of the drivers' run-ins with the law as years-old and minor.

The complaints allege Amazon has violated federal and state anti-discrimination laws.

When the Lawyers' Committee made the allegations public in October, it said it may ultimately bring a lawsuit if it was dissatisfied with Amazon's response. The company has since claimed the policy is justified and has not shown a willingness to change the policy voluntarily, Lawyers' Committee litigation director Oren Sellstrom said Tuesday.

The drivers can take their claims to court after they have been before MCAD for 90 days, a move their lawyers are "strongly considering," Sellstrom said. They will wait to see how Amazon responds to the MCAD complaints and how the agency investigates the claims, he said.

Amazon spokesman Ernesto Apreza said the company does not comment on active litigation. "That said, safety and customer trust are our top priorities, which is why we have always required delivery service providers to conduct comprehensive background checks for their employee drivers," he said. "Our supplier code of conduct stipulates that our suppliers must not discriminate. The background check process is focused on job related criminal and motor vehicle convictions and does not consider race, gender, ethnicity, religion or other protected characteristics."

An attempted Rogaine heist saw a homeless man run out of the King Street CVS and into a waiting car carrying more than $250 of the hair re-growth foam.

An attempted theft of the hair regrowth product Rogaine led to a man being arrested on larceny and drug charges.

The store manager of the CVS on King Street in Northampton called city police Monday afternoon to report a hooded, white male "rustling" products in the hair products aisle, according to a Northampton police report.

Moments later, the man set the store alarm off by crossing the security checkpoint and proceeded to take off running out the doors and down the street. He entered a black Nissan Altima waiting at the curb.

The vehicle left at "a high rate of speed," the manager told police.

The pair did not make it far.

Northampton Police Officer Jeffrey Staples stopped the Altima at the intersection of King and Main Streets. According to his report, Staples found five boxes of Rogaine and drug paraphernalia, including needles and a glass pipe.

Staples notes in his report how thieves often target small, expensive items for quick resale. The Rogaine boxes retail at more than $50 each.

The vehicle's two occupants -- Omar J. Jimenez, 39, of Amherst and Christopher C. Thomas, 23, of Holyoke -- were placed under arrest on charges of larceny over $250.

Pretrial hearings have been scheduled for Feb. 24.

Many mountains are reporting that it is still snowing.

The Berkshire ski mountains made out the best in Tuesday's snowstorm with Berkshire East and Jiminy Peak reporting the highest totals, each seeing five inches of new light, fluffy powder.

Some of the other Berkshire mountains also got some love from Mother Nature and some are hoping for a little more on Wednesday.

"Five inches of fresh snow has fallen since yesterday afternoon, and it's STILL snowing!," Jiminy Peak officials said on their conditions report.

Some of the other totals in the Massachusetts mountains are:

• Blandford: 4 inches
• Catamount: 4 inches
• Butternut: 3 inches
• Otis Ridge: 2-3 inches
• Wachusett: 2 inches

This time the northern mountains didn't make out as well. The farther north the less snow, but some are reporting there is more to come during Wednesday.

"In the early morning hours heavy snow began to fall with 1 inch already recorded in the base area," Mad River Glen reported on its website

Here are some of the totals reported in Vermont so far.

• Mount Snow: 3 inches
• Killington: 2 inches
• Okemo: 2 inches
• Stratton: 2 inches
• Bromley: 2 inches
• Stowe: 1 inch
• Sumgglers Notch: 2 inches
• Bolton Valley: 2 inches
• Mad River Glen: 1 inch

New Hampshire areas are reporting about the same amounts, but the storm may not have hit all the areas yet. Wildcat, located near Mount Washington, is reporting it is snowing now.

"It started snowing early this morning and as of 6:30 a.m. there's an inch on the ground with more projected to come throughout the day. The forecast calls for 2 to 4 inches of daytime accumulations, according to the website.

Here are some of the totals at New Hampshire mountains:

• Waterville: 4 inches
• Cannon: 2 inches
• Loon: 2 inches
• Sunapee: 2 inches
• Wildcat: 4 inches

For individuals interested in serving their country, the Massachusetts Army National Guard will be hosting an informal information session where recruiters will offer insight into possible career opportunities with the military organization.

For people interested in serving their country, the Massachusetts Army National Guard will be hosting an informal information session where recruiters will offer insight into possible career opportunities with the military organization.

The Guardex session will be held on February 22 at the Agawam Armory located at 140 Maynard St. from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., where recruiters from Western Massachusetts will discuss the work that the Army National Guard does within the community for the nation at large.

The session is free and open to the public, and will provide attendees with information on the various benefits, jobs, and educational opportunities offered to men and women who enlist.

People will have the opportunity to see the equipment and vehicles members of the Army National Guard use on the daily basis, and will be given information on the enlistment process.

According to the Army National Guard, those who enlist will have access to training in a variety of job skills and will be able to use the military branch's 100 percent tuition and fee waiver benefits at one of 29 higher education institutions in Massachusetts.

Erick Buchanon, 47, of Springfield is charged with the fatal stabbing of 29-year-old Salina Merritt on March 11, 2015.

SPRINGFIELD - The lawyer for murder defendant Erick Buchanon said Tuesday he will file a motion to dismiss the case against his client.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney set April 19 for a hearing on that motion to dismiss which defense lawyer David M. Hodge said he will file by Feb. 28.

Buchanon has been in court many times since he was arrested for the March 11, 2015, fatal stabbing of 29-year-old Salina Merritt in Springfield.

He has been examined for competency and was found competent to stand trial.

Salina Merritt 

Hodge became Buchanon's lawyer after James Gavin Reardon Jr. was nominated in August and later confirmed as a Superior Court judge.

Reardon had taken the case over from another lawyer.

Buchanon, 47, in past court appearances, has persisted in talking angrily to the judge or his lawyer after being told to be quiet. He has talked repeatedly at his court appearances about the state of certain evidence he believes has been altered.

He started out at Tuesday's pretrial hearing trying to express his anger about his case to Sweeney, but she said, "Don't give me orders. I'm going to conduct this hearing."

Buchanan remained silent after Sweeney said that.

He has also been charged with stabbing and wounding two other people, a man and a woman, just before 1 a.m. during a disturbance at 356 Belmont Ave. in lower Forest Park.

So in addition to the murder charge, Buchanon is charged with two counts of armed assault with intent to murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

On March 11, 2015, police got separate 911 calls moments apart. The first involved a 27-year-old woman with serious stabbing injuries on Fairfield Street, and the second involved a 29-year-old man on lower Belmont Avenue with stabbing injuries. The two people each told police they had just been stabbed at 356 Belmont Ave., and when police went there to investigate, they found Merritt's body.

Assistant District Attorney Melissa G. Doran has said the woman who is the alleged victim in one of the armed assault with intent to murder counts was involved in a dating relationship with Buchanon.

The Massachusetts State Police Violent fugitive apprehension section and the Springfield police warrant and K-9 units were conducting surveillance on April 22, 2015, when they spotted Buchanon walking on Northampton Street.

There was a warrant out for Buchanon for the fatal stabbing.

Police said Buchanon fled, running through several backyards and jumping fences in an attempt to evade capture. Police used a dog to help them locate Buchanon hiding on a front porch.

According to her obituary, Merritt was survived by three children.

Veer off Route 9 onto Park Street near downtown and one can shortly find a new eatery operated by familiar faces.

Veer off Route 9 onto Park Street near downtown Florence and one can find a new eatery operated by familiar faces.

Peter and Kim Allen, the couple formerly behind popular Northampton food and coffee shop SIP, have opened up an new space called Pine Street Cafe featuring greatly expanded menu options and roughly three times the space.

In an interview, Kim Allen explained part of the reason SIP closed in April was the space was too small. She and Peter searched eight months before finding the new spot at 176 Pine St.

Pine Street Cafe has been serving up breakfast and lunch classics alongside more eclectic items -- the barbecue tempeh wrap, for instance, the popular crab cake eggs Benedict, or a warm pulled pork salad with apples, roasted corn and blue cheese vinaigrette -- at the new spot since Jan. 2.

"We've been able to grow our concept here," Kim Allen said. "There's no more limits to what we can do."

The concept isn't the only thing growing. The Allen family itself, with Kim several months pregnant, is about to add a new member. The pair already have a 5-year-old named James who Kim deemed "the star" of Pine Street Cafe.

The employees of area businesses served as a natural clientele in the early goings, now, with things running smoothly, Allen said, the couple seeks to grow their audience.

To that end, the restaurant will host a grand opening on Feb. 11, which will be attended by Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz.

Peter Allen, a native of central Massachusetts, has been cooking for 20 years.

"I get a full range of equipment here, and I'm excited to give to the community," he said.

Store hours are presently 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week. The cafe will soon add dinner hours on Thursday and Fridays, Kim Allen said.

Students, staff and faculty at Amherst College are staging a walkout at noon Wednesday calling for the administration to "explicitly condemn" Donald Trump's executive order banning immigrants.

AMHERST - Students, staff and faculty at Amherst College are staging a walkout at noon Wednesday calling for the administration to "explicitly condemn" Donald Trump's immigrant executive order and to take concrete measures to protect "our threatened peers to the fullest of the college's ability," according to the press release.

The planned walkout is also to show support 'for those who have been singled out by this order and to make a commitment to protecting their rights in the face of this drastic policy," according to the release.  

Trump on Friday signed an order barring nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the U.S. for 90 days. The order also banned refugees from entering the country for 120 days, and halted the entry of Syrian refugees indefinitely.

College President Carolyn "Biddy" Martin Sunday issued a statement that read in part, "We value every member of this community and are committed to doing everything we can within the limits of the law to protect those who will be affected by this order. 

"All of higher education will be weaker for the exclusion of talent and the interruption of education and careers."

But junior Areej Hasan said this is not enough.

In an email, he wrote that her statement "lacks conviction and any specific commitment to the students affected.

"President Martin writes largely in abstract terms and offers her sympathy without committing to any specific measures that will be taken to support students affected.

He wrote that other college presidents, citing Cornell University have "released a detailed list of commitments including legal consultation and representation and assistance in the case that a community member is detained or prevented from re-entering the country."

College spokeswoman Caroline Hanna said about five are effected from campus.

Martin in her statement also is advising Amherst students, faculty and staff from the affected countries, including those who are dual citizens or have green cards, not to travel outside of the U.S. 

Hasan in his email wrote he is expecting about 350 to attend the rally in the quad near Valentine Hall. 

Juan A. Aviles pleaded guilty to burning a building, assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest in May in Springfield.

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

SPRINGFIELD - A 35-year-old city man was on PCP when he used his lighter to set fire to some paper on a wall at the courthouse here, his lawyer said.

Despite the claim Juan A. Aviles was on PCP, he had the presence of mind to put the fire out, defense lawyer Nicholas J. Horgan said Tuesday.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Tina S. Page sentenced Aviles, of Springfield, to 2 1/2 years in the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow with 18 months to be served and the rest suspended with two years probation.

That was the recommendation of Horgan. Assistant District Attorney James M. Forsyth wanted a sentence of 2 1/2 years in the Ludlow facility plus two years probation.

Aviles pleaded guilty to burning a building, assault and battery on a police officer (on State Police Sgt. Brian Gladu) and resisting arrest.

Forsyth said on May 2, Aviles was in the Springfield District Court clerk's cashier's office to recover bail money due him.

When Aviles was told it would take some time, he took his lighter and lit a piece of paper on the wall. Then Aviles either blew or tapped the fire out, Forsyth said.

He fled the courthouse being chased by Chief Court Officer Leonard Johnson, who was joined by Gladu and other officers. When they caught up with Aviles, he was rolling around and struck Gladu, Forsyth said.

Forsyth said the damage to the courthouse, which included charring to the wall, was minimal. "To his credit, he put it out," Forsyth said.

Horgan said Aviles was raised by his grandparents in Springfield, while his mother battled drug addiction and his father was in and out of jail.

Aviles became addicted to cocaine at a young age, and also began using Percocet and PCP, Horgan said.

Answering questions from Page, Aviles said he had two children ages 16 and 15, both of whom are in high school.

Page flipped through his 11-page record which she said spanned 20 years. She noted he had never been to state prison, but violating probation in this case would mean he could end up there.

"It sounds like you've got two decent children and your son needs someone to look up to, not someone doing ridiculous things out in the street," Page said.

As conditions of probation, Aviles must remain drug free with random testing and maintain employment or go to school.

In 2000, Aviles was convicted for burning a motor vehicle to defraud an insurer, according to court records.

Although the 2016 presidential primaries have long since ended, respective Democratic and Republican presidential runners-up U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will return to the debate stage next week to go head-to-head over the Affordable Care Act.

Although the 2016 presidential primaries have long since ended, respective Democratic and Republican presidential runners-up U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, and Ted Cruz, R-Texas, will return to the debate stage next week to go head-to-head over the Affordable Care Act.

The two senators will make their cases for keeping or dismantling the contentious health care law known as "Obamacare" during a Feb. 7 town hall-style debate hosted by CNN, the news outlet announced Wednesday.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper and chief political correspondent Dana Bash will moderate the 9 p.m. event broadcast from The George Washington University.

Sanders, who lost the 2016 Democratic presidential primary to Hillary Clinton, has remained a vocal supporter of keeping President Barack Obama's signature health care law, despite pushing for more universal coverage throughout his White House run.

Cruz, meanwhile, has remained firm, along with President Donald Trump -- his GOP primary opponent -- and Republican congressional leaders, in calling for the repeal and replacement of the health care law.

The senators will field questions from the moderators, as well as voters from across the country during the prime time event, according to CNN.

The 90-minute debate will be broadcast on CNN, CNN en Espanol, CNN International, CNNgo, Westwood One Radio Network and Sirius XM.

The building suffered some water damage but no fire damage, Capt. Anthony Cerruti said.

HOLYOKE - An early morning fire at Valley Mill Wire caused minor damages, and a fire spokesman said the combination of an overhead sprinkler system and a functioning alarm system helped to limit the size and spread of the blaze.

Fire Department spokesman Capt. Anthony Cerruti said the fire at 650 Beaulieu St. was reported at 4:12 a.m. The fire department dispatch center was alerted by the business's alarm system that had a direct tie-in to the dispatch center, he said.

When firefighters arrived and forced their way into the building, they found the sprinkler system had activated, he said.

There was what he called "a small amount of fire which was being kept in check." Firefighters extinguished the fire with a single fire hose line, he said.

The fire caused no damage to the building, but there was some water damage, he said.

Investigators determined the fire was started by some combustable materials left too close to a heater.

No Injuries were reported.

Valley Mill Wire is a full service wire recycling company.

Steve Wynn, the developer behind resorts like The Mirage and Bellagio in Las Vegas, has been named the Republican National Committee's new finance chairman, party officials announced this week.

Steve Wynn, the developer behind resorts like The Mirage and Bellagio in Las Vegas, has been named the Republican National Committee's new finance chairman, party officials announced this week.

Wynn, a longtime GOP supporter and the founder, chairman and CEO of Wynn Resorts, Limited, will help lead Republican fundraising efforts heading in to the 2018 campaign cycle.

RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who announced the move late Tuesday, said she was proud to have Wynn on the board as the committee's finance chairman.

She added that Wynn, who served as a finance vice chairman on President Donald Trump's inaugural committee, understands and shares the enthusiasm for the new commander in chief.

"His incredible career has been marked not just by extraordinary business success, but meaningful relationships with his employees, guests and Americans of all backgrounds. He understands and shares the national enthusiasm for President Trump, and will bring his passion for American values, his leadership skills and his track record of outstanding results to our finance operation," she said in a statement.

"We welcome to our team a true patriot who is all-in to help us raise the support needed to maintain the RNC's record level of organizational strength," McDaniel added.

Wynn, in turn, said "he look(s) forward to helping President Trump and his administration make America greater again for the people who work hard every day."

"Our goal is to bring together people of all backgrounds to meet the challenge of making a better life for all Americans," he said in a joint statement.

Wynn Resorts, Limited is currently developing a $2.1 billion hotel and casino just outside of Boston. The Wynn Boston Harbor resort is expected to open its doors in June 2019.

Over four hours Saturday night into Sunday morning, the Amherst Fire Department went on 20 ambulance and two fire calls and needed mutual aid for 9 ambulances.

AMHERST -- It was the kind of weekend that gets the Fire Chief up in the wee hours.

Over four hours Saturday night into Sunday morning, the Amherst Fire Department went on 20 ambulance and two fire calls.

During that time, the department had to bring in nine ambulances through mutual aid.    

"It was an insane 4-5 hour period," Fire Chief Tim Nelson wrote in an email. He said they had the call force in for most of the time along with all three of the deputy fire chiefs.

He said during the weekend the department had to request mutual aid 11 times.

A dozen times the department had to send a fire engine to respond to a medical call. "That of course means no ambulances were available," Nelson wrote.

Ten of the calls during that time were to the University of Massachusetts for intoxication, and another was for someone unconscious.

According to Nelson, there were five instances in which ambulances responded directly from the hospital to new calls in Amherst.

He said in one case there was no Amherst ambulance, available so Northampton provided one.     

Overall the department responded to 62 calls including six fire runs. Of the total number, 24 calls were to UMass, according to the department's log.

Fifteen were for intoxication and one was for an overdose. There were two responses to fire alarms that were determined to have been intentionally pulled, and two responses for occupants stuck in an elevator. 

There was only one call to Amherst College for an intoxicated person there.

Nelson wrote there is "no rhyme or reason for what happened. History shows we don't get this busy till later in the spring or early in the fall." 

He said such circumstances happen a few times a year, and appear to be anomalies. "There's no predicting something like this," he wrote.  

UMass provides the Amherst Fire Department with $80,000 per academic year to pay to staff two additional ambulances Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The increase means a total of five staffed ambulances during those times.

The department, meanwhile, is waiting for a consultant to finish a staffing analysis to determine what happens next when it comes to department staffing.

Boston police have two people in custody after reports of a shot fired inside the municipal building that houses the administrative headquarters of the Boston Public Schools. No one appeared to be hurt after the shot was fired on Wednesday morning.

Boston police have two people in custody after reports of a shot fired inside the building that houses the administrative headquarters of the Boston Public Schools.

No one appeared to be hurt after the shot was fired on Wednesday morning.

Police told the Boston Herald they responded at 9:20 a.m. The incident appeared to stem from two juveniles getting into a back-and-forth, and witnesses tackled them, the newspaper said.

The Bruce Bolling Municipal Building, which houses the headquarters of the Boston Public Schools, is in the Dudley Square neighborhood and opened in 2015. 

@bostonpolice removing crime scene tape now @nbcboston pic.twitter.com/SvgpKXXJbJ

-- Desiree Wiley (@DWileyNBCBoston) February 1, 2017

.@bostonpolice detectives at Boston School Dept HQ where reported shooting occurred.Evidence markers visible #fox25 pic.twitter.com/qTEPbpKB39

-- Capturegirl (@jenyp) February 1, 2017

"These students have faced extraordinary hardships and we believe it is our responsibility as global educators to make this commitment at this time."

Wheaton College will begin offering a full scholarship to one refugee annually with special preference to candidates living in countries included in President Donald Trump's travel ban.

College President Dennis Hanno published a post on the college's website calling for the nation's leaders to end the ban on welcoming refugees and foreign nationals. To promote the school's mission, Hanno is extending a full scholarship to students from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

"We call on our colleagues at institutions of higher education across the country to join us in making a clear statement about the importance of diversity and openness on our campuses," Hanno wrote.

According to the scholarship page, students who qualify as refugees interested in signing up for the scholarship are required to submit a 100-200 word personal statement outlining their background and what receiving the scholarship would mean to them or write about this topic in the application essay.

The schools will waive application fees for potential candidates. The application deadline is extended to March 1.

"These students have faced extraordinary hardships and we believe it is our responsibility as global educators to make this commitment at this time," the application page reads.

The scholarship does make selection preferences for those students living in countries included in Trump's travel ban, however, all refugees, including those already in the U.S. are invited to apply.

Tuition for Wheaton College is $61,512 per year, including room and board.

"By providing scholarship support to refugees from these countries, we extend the hand of opportunity and friendship to those who need it most and offer a model to our nation for more constructive engagement with the world," Hanno wrote.

A person driving past a park or school is not "present" in such spaces, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently ruled in a decision that can affect drug cases across the state.

A person driving past a park or school is not "present" in such spaces and not subject to drug-free school zone law, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently ruled in a recent decision.

The Justices heard the case of Marcus G. Peterson. In May of 2014, Boston police officers were on patrol near Dorchester's Ceylon Park when they signaled for a white Chevrolet Cruze to pull over.

There were four people in the vehicle at the time, including Peterson who sat in the front passenger seat. As two of the officers ran the occupants' information, another noticed Peterson remove a clear plastic bag from a pants pocket and place his seat on the floor of the vehicle.

Officers determined the bag contained 40 individually wrapped "bumps" of what appeared to be crack cocaine and six prescription pills. During the search of the vehicle, officers also discovered a loaded, semiautomatic handgun in a leather bag in the front passenger seat near Peterson's feet.

Peterson was arrested on a number of offenses, including three narcotics charges: possession of a class B controlled substance, possession of a class B controlled substance with intent to distribute and committing a drug offense within one hundred feet of a public park.

The vehicle was within 100 feet of the park when Boston police signaled for it to pull over yet more than 100 feet away when they did.

People in possession of drugs within 300 feet of a school or within 100 feet of a public park or playground can face an additional fine and mandatory minimum two-year term in a state prison or jail.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court heard Peterson's case and released a ruling in recent weeks calling it unjustified.

"It is well settled, through legislative history and two decades of decisional law examining that history, that the purpose of G. L. c. 94C, 32J, is to protect children from the harmful impact of drug dealing," the ruling states. "We do not think the Legislature possibly intended G. L. c. 94C, SS 32J, to apply to an individual who merely passes momentarily by a school or a park while traveling on a public roadway in an automobile driven by another person, which would not have stopped but for a change in a traffic signal."