U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, will visit the White House Thursday for a meeting with President Donald Trump and a handful of congressional lawmakers.

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, will visit the White House Thursday for a meeting with President Donald Trump and a handful of congressional lawmakers.

Neal, the ranking member of the House Ways and Means Committee, will join Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas; as well as Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, for the morning huddle, officials confirmed.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Boston's MSPCA-Angell humane society and local animal control officers rescued 78 cats from a Fall River animal hoarder on Tuesday.

Boston's MSPCA-Angell humane society and local animal control officers rescued 78 cats from a Fall River animal hoarder on Tuesday, prompting an urgent call for adopters.

The cats were removed safely, though many are suffering from eye and ear infections, the MSPCA said in a statement. The owner reached out to the MSPCA for help last week and is not facing charges; five neutered cats have been allowed to stay in the home.

"This was a case in which someone was overwhelmed and did the right thing by asking for help," MSPCA Law Enforcement officer Chelsea Weiand said in a statement.

54 cats were taken to MSPCA adoption centers, with another 24 entering the custody of Fall River animal control.

The sudden influx of cats has put a strain on the MSPCA adoption centers' resources, and the organization is seeking new homes for the cats.

"This is the perfect time to adopt as we now have so many cats to choose from," said Mary Sarah Fairweather of the MSPCA. "The cats are sweet natured and very friendly and will make excellent companions."

The MSPCA is seeking to rehome the cats in pairs or into homes that already have cats.

People interested in adopting from the MSPCA can reach the organization's Cape Cod adoption center at capeadoption@mspca.org and its Boston center at adoption@mspca.org.

The MSPCA has also launched a fundraising page to help pay for the care of the Fall River cats and other animals in its shelters.

An Amherst Town Meeting member is hoping to collect enough signatures to bring the question of building a "twin" elementary school to Town Meeting for a third time.

AMHERST -- A Town Meeting member is hoping to collect enough signatures to bring the question of building a "twin" elementary school to Town Meeting for a third time.

Town Meeting on Monday voted 123-92 on the measure, 20 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for it to pass. Nine people abstained.

In November, voters in the town election approved spending on the project, but Town Meeting subsequently rejected it 100-106. Both votes are required.

Town Meeting member Kevin Collins said he'll be collecting signatures to see if he can bring the proposal back for a third vote.

He said he challenged the vote on the grounds that the language of the two Town Meeting warrant articles did not match. The warrant Monday night called the measure a "Bond Authorization," whereas the Nov. 14 meeting warrant called it "Capital Program -- Bond Authorization."

Ultimately Collins said he decided collecting 200 signatures required for another special Town Meeting is the better way to go.

Save Amherst's Small Schools organizers, meanwhile, posted a Facebook message to the community Tuesday about the vote and why it was opposed to the project. The message also noted that "Amherst can reapply to the Massachusetts School Building Authority this year, once the existing plan is withdrawn, and that other districts which have done so have been offered funding in a few years' time."

The School Building Authority agreed to pay about $34.4 million of the construction cost, leaving Amherst to pay the remaining $32.8 million. Officials argued that it would be less costly to build the school now rather than wait.

The new school would have housed grades two through six, and Crocker Farm would have become an early childhood center for kindergarten and first grade.

Save Amherst's Small Schools favored retaining the three town schools for kindergarten through sixth grade.

"We are confident that a better plan for our district's future will emerge in coming months, as the many passionate and thoughtful people eager to see our schools improve come together," the group said.

"We hope for leadership, going forward, that will solicit, hear and document the opinions of all constituencies; and engage us in dialogue about not just our school buildings, but about curriculum, academic goals and social issues."

In his own message, Collins wrote, "Regardless of how you feel about the schools, our job was only to pass the bond authorization."

Students are also occupying outside President Carolyn "Biddy" Martin's office and vowed to remain until she addressed five demands. Watch video

AMHERST -- Hundreds of students, staff and faculty at Amherst College marched through campus and then gathered in front of Converse Hall on Wednesday, calling for the college administration to "explicitly condemn" President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration and demanding the college do more for those affected.

Students are also occupying outside President Carolyn "Biddy" Martin's office in Converse and vowed to remain until she addressed five demands.

According to the statement accompanying the demands, students said Martin's response "did not meet the needs of those who are directly and indirectly impacted. President Martin's campus-wide email neglected to swiftly condemn the order as antithetical to the College's values.

"Furthermore, the failure to guarantee concrete material and legal assistance also betrayed the College's apathy towards the emotional and physical welfare of the affected members of our community," the statement read.

The first demand called for the college to publicly condemn the executive order. "Peer institutions including Boston University, Yale, Cornell, Harvard, and Princeton have already issued clear condemnations of the order, to which President Martin's statement pales in comparison," the statement read.

Martin said she feels she has been forceful and was one of the first to address the executive order.

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.

Martin issued a statement on Sunday 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."

Martin praised the students for the rally and told the gathering that she supports them and that students "need to focus on people who don't support you, not the people who do."

"I'm on your side," she told them. She also suggested that the college community take concrete steps and establish a phone bank to contact congressional representatives with phone calls or letters.  

But some maintain the college did not do enough to reach out to those affected by the order. In addition to the demand for the college to publicly condemn the executive order, they are asking the college:

• "to provide one-on-one legal consultation and representation for students, staff, and faculty members who are directly or indirectly impacted by the executive order, or whose citizenship status puts them at risk;
• "provide legal aid for students, staff, and faculty members who are, now or in the future, detained or prevented from reentering the United States while traveling, including but not limited to emergency contact information for legal counsel;
• "to meet the housing, living, and academic needs of students, staff, and faculty members who are, now or in the future, detained or prevented from reentering the United States while traveling.
• "to meet the housing, living, and work needs of students, staff, and faculty members who are, now or in the future, unable to leave the United States as a result of the executive order."

Students are still occupying Converse Hall and said they will continue to until they are sure these commitments will be made. 

Aubrey Grube, spokeswoman for the occupying students, in an email said that "while President Martin told us in her address to the crowd that she, individually, agrees with all our demands, that does not amount to a commitment from the administration.

Here's a look at the arguments and implications of the lawsuit, which Attorney General Maura Healey has joined on behalf of the state of Massachusetts.

BOSTON -- Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey filed a brief on Tuesday joining a federal court case challenging President Donald Trump's executive order on immigration.

"The executive order is harmful, discriminatory and unconstitutional," Healey said at a press conference. "It discriminates on the basis of religion and national origin, denies our residents access to due process and equal protection of the law and violates federal immigration law."

In her brief, Healey argues that Trump's order "represents a stark and troubling departure from this nation's founding principles."

Trump's order bars travel into the U.S. for 90 days by non-U.S. citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia. It suspends the admission of all refugees for 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely.

U.S. District Court Judge Allison Borroughs, in a ruling issued around 2 a.m. Sunday, put in place a temporary one-week stay on Trump's order detaining and deporting people traveling from the seven countries. The court will have to issue a more permanent order after the week is up.

A hearing is scheduled for Friday at U.S. District Court in Boston.

The ACLU and private attorneys, who filed the original court challenge, filed an amended complaint on Wednesday to include additional plaintiffs.

"This executive order is illegal, it's unconstitutional and it's unpatriotic," said Carol Rose, president of the ACLU of Massachusetts. "We believe it will be struck down."

Here's a look at the legal action and what it means.

Can I read the briefs?

Not easily. Although there can be little doubt as to the public interest and importance of the case, because it is officially listed as an immigration case, U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton has ruled that the briefs will not be made available online through the U.S. District Court website.

The ACLU, which asked Gorton to allow electronic access, posted its brief online.

Healey's brief is available to the public only on a single computer at the Moakley federal courthouse in Boston.

Who are the plaintiffs?

The original complaint was filed by the ACLU of Massachusetts and private attorneys on behalf of two Iranian associate professors from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, Mazdak Pourabdollah Tootkaboni and Arghavan Louhghalam, who were detained at Logan Airport.

The expanded complaint includes four more individuals and Oxfam America. All the individuals are from Iran and are either lawful permanent residents of the U.S. or students with visas. Oxfam America is a social justice group that works to alleviate poverty around the world and brings people from different countries to talk to U.S. policymakers, including from several countries affected by Trump's executive order.

Two plaintiffs -- Fatemeh Yaghoubi Moghadem, who has a bachelor's degree in graphic design, and Babak Yaghoubi Moghadem, an engineer who develops medical devices -- are a sister and brother who fear visiting family in Iran in case they cannot return home. Plaintiff Ali Sanie is a grocery store cashier who planned to return to Iran to get surgery for neck pain but delayed travelling because of the ban. Zahrasadat Mirrazi Renani is a first-year doctoral student in linguistics at UMass Amherst who wants to visit family in Iran and attend a professional conference in Canada. Leily Amirsardary graduated from Wellesley College in 2016 and is starting a Boston-based luxury women's shoe and accessory company. She wants to travel to countries where her products are sourced, including Italy.

Who are the defendants?

The defendants are Trump, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and top officials at those agencies.

What is the role of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts?

Healey asked the judge to allow her to intervene on the side of the plaintiffs, on behalf of the state of Massachusetts and the University of Massachusetts.

Healey argues that Massachusetts residents, students and employers have a stake in the executive order. At a press conference, Healey said Trump's order provides "serious interference with our economic lifeblood as a state."

In her brief, Healey wrote that the executive order will "hinder the free exchange of information, ideas and talent between the affected countries and the Commonwealth, including at the Commonwealth's many educational institutions; will harm the Commonwealth's life sciences, technology, health care, and other industries, as well as innumerable small businesses throughout the Commonwealth; and will inflict economic harm on the Commonwealth itself."

Healey wrote that Massachusetts is home to more than 1 million immigrants, including thousands from the seven affected countries, and to tens of thousands of international students. It welcomes 2,000 refugees annually. She argued that hindering travel and immigration will hurt state businesses and institutions, particularly in higher education and health care. It will harm students and faculty who cannot attend professional conferences or visit family. It could make the state less competitive globally and discourage international conferences from being held here.

The University of Massachusetts has 160 faculty, researchers and staff and 350 students from affected countries.

Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, said his office worked with Healey's office on the brief and supports the legal challenge.

What are the plaintiffs asking for?

They are asking the court to overturn Trump's executive order by declaring it unconstitutional and to forbid U.S. officials from detaining or deporting anyone, or barring anyone from traveling, based on the order.

What are their legal arguments?

Both the ACLU team and Healey say the executive order fulfills Trump's campaign promise to institute a "Muslim ban." "If an Executive Order looks like a Muslim ban, acts like a Muslim ban, and has been talked about as a Muslim ban, then it's probably a Muslim ban," wrote lawyers for the plaintiffs.

Healey wrote that the executive order "effectively labels many Massachusetts residents as unworthy of certain rights and immigration benefits and as threats to our society simply on the basis of their religion or nation of origin, and thus unfairly and unreasonably casts a shadow of stigma and fear that will follow them to work, school, and elsewhere." She added: "The sweeping Executive Order was motivated by animus against the Islamic faith and those who are Muslim."

Trump officials disagree with the characterization, saying the ban applies to all residents of countries likely to pose a national security threat to the U.S.

Attorneys for Healey and the plaintiffs cite Trump's policy of favoring refugee admission of religious minorities -- in these countries, non-Muslims -- as well as Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani's comments that Trump wanted to find a legal way to implement a Muslim ban to argue that the order unconstitutionally discriminates based on religion.

The plaintiffs and their attorneys argue that the travel ban violates First Amendment rights prohibiting religious discrimination; violates free speech rights by prohibiting academics and scientists from engaging in an exchange of ideas; violates rights to due process and equal protection; and violates laws governing administrative procedures. Healey also argues that the law violates Massachusetts' sovereign commitment as a state not to discriminate based on religion and national origin in offering employment and educational opportunities.

Has the Trump administration responded?

The United States has not yet filed any response briefs in the case. Generally, Trump has defended the travel ban as a necessary step to keep Americans safe while his administration crafts new vetting procedures for immigrants and refugees. Over the weekend, U.S. officials said they would admit green card holders back into the country through a waiver process.

Is Massachusetts the only state to join a lawsuit against Trump's order?

No. The attorney general of Washington State also challenged Trump's travel ban in court.

Vida Tayebati had been looking forward to a visit from her parents later this month, but plans changed Friday when President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily banning travel from certain countries.

GREENFIELD -- Vida Tayebati had been looking forward to a visit from her parents later this month, but plans changed Friday when President Donald Trump signed an executive order temporarily banning travel from certain countries.

Tayebati is originally from one of those countries, Iran. Her parents still live there. They recently secured tourist visas to visit the U.S., but the president's order means they won't be able to come.

The executive order blocks citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. for at least 90 days. Tayebati's parents' visa will expire before that period is up.

Tayebati said the situation left her in shock, and so she took to Facebook to write about her feelings.

"It broke my heart so bad that I just wrote it," she said. "I thought of my parents. I felt so ashamed to have to call them and say, 'I know you went through this crazy process to get a visa, but now it's not going to happen because of this new rule.'"

Tayebati has been living in the U.S. for the last four years. She earned a master's degree from Dell'Arte International School in Blue Lakes, California, before moving to Massachusetts in September to work with her three-woman performance troupe, Til Lalazer Theater Co.

While the stated purpose of the executive order is to protect U.S. citizens from terrorism, in Tayebati's opinion it punishes people because of their country's politics and religion.

"It really is a crazy and complicated process for immigration and, at the same time, you're making this new life and new friends here, with people that you're so connected with and love, and you come with hope of a better life and you do your best," she said. "You accept the culture and you want to be a part of that and suddenly they say because you are from a country where the government is Islamic that you're banned."

Along with the several months and money they put into obtaining a temporary visa, Tayebati's parents, who are in their 50s, also had to fly to Turkey to go through the interview process because Iran does not have a U.S. embassy.

Even with the stress and heartbreak, Tayebati said her situation is small compared to the pain that thousands of other people are facing because of the immigration ban.

She said that being in another country as an immigrant can be difficult, and for many people an opportunity to see their family members provides hope during tough times.

"(Immigrants) came here for a better life," she said. "They started their new life, and there are so many students who don't have a green card but are on a student visa. Now, they have to decide to study here and stay and find a job and can't see their family for however long and parents can't see their kids, and the feeling is not just for me. It is the same for so many people and it's made me heartbroken and paralyzed."

Tayebati said she has spoken with her parents about what is happening in the U.S. and that they are still hopeful things will change and the ban will be lifted, allowing them to reunite.

"The strongest part of America has always been the diversity and its open arms to immigrants," Tayebati said. "So many Iranians came here 20 years ago after the revolution, and so many came here after the Green Revolution 8 years ago, because of the political issues they couldn't be in Iran, so the lives directly affected by this ban are those who consider the U.S. as their home."

Vida Tayebati's Facebook post on the Friday, Jan. 27, 2017, on the day President Donald Trump signed his executive order titled "Protecting the nation from foreign entry into the United States."

To Maman & Baba junam!

Today, Donald Trump signed the Muslim Ban executive order.He did it!

I'm sitting in the kitchen for the last 4hours, feeling paralyzed, broken and Hopeless . My heart is heavy and the only thing that helps me is writing these words...It's been two years since the last time that we have seen each other, and finally we were going to meet in less than a month!!! After you two, went through all the stress full and crazy process of getting visa, how much it cost you, your time and energy to travel to Turkey, get an interview and finally got a visa.

Now I'm so ashamed of calling you and saying that TODAY all your effort has destroyed by the hand of a mad man! That you can't visit your daughter even with having a visa...All these years being far from home and my love ones, the constant stress and anxiety of going through student- immigration process with all the immigration policy, Considering of possibilities of going back to Iran and knowing that I will face rejections and limitations, making my second family and community here, all these people that I deeply love and admire... (Maman and Baba joon- I'm describing you, my mildly new human pain name immigration. moving for education and hope for a better life..). But it all hurts more, when in all this struggle and effort to make a better life; they ban you and call you terrorist and destroy a chance of seeing your family.

It tears me to my gut. Opened my wounds to think of the ugliness of it. This violence.

Since last month that I knew you are coming here, every day I woke up with the image of that first moment I would see you two in the airport. I went through all the details of it for more than a hundreds times in my head already. That exact moment that I see your lovely faces in the crowd and run toward you. I imagined I would hug you tight for a long time. It made me deeply happy .I will hold this image and repeat it again and again every morning, until a day that I see you two! Until that I have your words maman joon in my heart. What you always told me in these years...be strong Vida and don't let fear makes you stop from your dreams.

Love you!--
Vida

Wieland was acquitted in a Washington D.C. court in 2010 on charges of unlawful assembly following her arrest at a political demonstration earlier that year.

Longtime Northampton activist Patricia "Paki" Wieland has added yet another arrest to her rap sheet in the nation's capital.

According to a report by the Daily Hampshire Gazette and other news outlets, Wieland was arrested Wednesday morning after a disruption that followed a Senate Judiciary Committee vote to advance the nomination of Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions as attorney general to the full Senate.

Videos show Wieland in the audience yelling "Shame! Shame! You've approved the nomination of a man who will not protect the vulnerable! That's why we have an attorney general!" before she was bodily pulled away by Capitol Police.

Wieland was wearing a vest that read "Say No to Islamaphobia."

It was hardly Wieland's first arrest for civil disobedience.

She was among six female advocates who were arrested in 2011 for chaining themselves to the gate at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, and more recently participated in the Standing Rock protests in opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline project.

In June 2010, she was acquitted in a Washington D.C. Superior Court on charges of unlawful assembly. She was arrested in January of that year during a political demonstration on the steps of the U.S. Capitol against the continued operation of a detention facility at Guantanamo Bay.

Wieland is a former nun and social worker.

Sessions won majority approval from the committee in an 11-9 vote.

Northampton activist Patricia 'Paki' Wieland, in a 2011 file photo.File photo / The Republican 

Devin Roman of Chicopee pleaded guilty to two counts of armed assault with intent to murder and six other charges related to a Holyoke shooting on March 19.

SPRINGFIELD -- Devin Roman admitted Wednesday that he fired five shots, three into his victim's back and two into his left elbow.

Roman was arrested shortly after the shooting, which happened after the end of the March 19 St. Patrick's Road Race in Holyoke. Large groups of people were still in the area following the event.

Roman, 20, of Chicopee, told police he shot the victim because he stole a $13,000 watch and other items from Roman several years earlier, Assistant District Attorney Robert A. Schmidt said.

The victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Roman expressed happiness and pride after his arrest, according to Schmidt. He told Holyoke police, using lots of profanity, that the victim "deserved to die" and he was "glad I shot that (expletive)."

Schmidt said Roman called his mother to tell him he shot the man, then told his mother, "I love you."

Hampden Superior Court Judge Daniel Ford agreed to hear sentencing arguments Feb. 6 and sentence Roman then.

Schmidt asked Ford to sentence Roman to 14 to 15 years in state prison. Defense lawyer Marissa L. Elkins said she will ask for a sentence of seven to nine years or something similar to that.

The charges to which Roman pleaded guilty are: two counts of armed assault with intent to murder, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, carrying a firearm without a license, possessing a firearm with a defaced serial number in commission of a felony and carrying a loaded firearm.

The shooting happened just before 4:30 p.m. near the intersection of Dwight and Linden streets. The victim was with two other men when he was shot as he walked out of Dwight Market.

Schmidt said Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Paul Horgan was driving past the market when he heard shots and saw Roman with a smoking gun. Horgan fired a shot at Roman as he chased him, but did not hit him.

He eventually caught up to Roman at Avery Field and arrested him with the help of Holyoke police officers.

As Roman was placed in the rear of a cruiser, he heard an officer on the police radio say that the shots fired may have been from a .22-caliber firearm. Roman yelled, "It's a .25, (expletive)!"

A bystander told police that Roman had thrown something in the back of a truck. Police recovered the gun from there.

Springfield's Tech Foundry job training nonprofit celebrated its third anniversary Tuesday evening.

Springfield's Tech Foundry job training nonprofit celebrated its third anniversary Tuesday evening, as the program's backers touted its progress to a crowd of community stakeholders, former students and business leaders.

Tech Foundry Director of Strategic Partnerships Jonathan Edwards and founder Delcie Bean described the nonprofit's successes, which include a 65 percent job placement rate for students seeking IT work, Tech Foundry said in a press release.

Mike Knapik, the head of Governor Charlie Baker's Springfield office, former Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Greg Bialecki and Baystate Health Services IT Director Patrick Streck also spoke at the event.

"When I see a resume from someone who graduated from Tech Foundry, I know they have the necessary skills to succeed in an entry-level IT job at Baystate," Streck said in a statement. "Other employers in the area need to know the same thing." 

Tech Foundry, a nonprofit that partners with organizations and corporations including Baystate Health, Crocker Communications, the Davis Foundation and the Beveridge Family Foundation, offers job skills training for Western Mass. residents trying to enter the information technology or coding fields. The program graduated its first class in June of 2015, its second in October of last year and its third in December.

Tech Foundry has refined its focus since its launch, targeting career-focused people and community college students rather than the high schoolers who made up its pilot class, Edwards said in a January interview.

The program has won praise from state officials including Sec. of Labor and Workforce Development Ron Walker and Housing and Economic Development Sec. Jay Ash.

"I was very impressed. It was much more than I thought it was going to be. I read the results of the first cohort, and I was thinking about a bunch of high school kids. These aren't high school kids," Ash said in February after a visit to the facility. "I wasn't expecting people to be dressed up in suit and tie. It looked like there was a workforce here. If you had dropped me in here blindfolded I would have thought I was in an IT department somewhere."

The City Council will introduce a resolution at Thursday's meeting that vociferously opposes President Donald Trump's recent executive order related to what he has termed "extreme vetting"

NORTHAMPTON -- The City Council will introduce a resolution at Thursday night's meeting that vociferously opposes President Donald Trump's recent executive order on immigration.

Trump's order bars travel into the U.S. for 90 days by non-U.S. citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen and Somalia. It suspends the admission of all refugees for 120 days and Syrian refugees indefinitely. 

City councilors have titled their objection, "A Resolution Condemning President Trump's January 27, 2017 Executive Order 'Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.'"

The resolutions alludes to 51 Syrian refugees the city had planned to accept this year.

"Northampton is committed to maintaining its status as a Sanctuary City, meaning we will not honor or enforce any detainer request from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that is non-criminal, and will continue to protect our residents from unfair targeting," the resolution states.

"President Trump's order establishes an unprecedented and unconstitutional religious test for immigration into the country. ...

"Northampton City Council is committed to channeling the grief and outrage felt by many in the City into defending and protecting refugees and immigrants, challenging the dangerous policy proposals of the Trump administration, and working to build a United States and a community that is welcoming and accepting of all people. ...

"The City Council of Northampton, Massachusetts calls upon the residents of Northampton to be guided by their consciences to resist this Executive Order and any others which they deem to be illegal or unethical," the document states.

Also on the council's agenda is discussion about the city's Syrian "Refugee Resettlement Initiative" underway in conjunction with Catholic Charities of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.

Kathryn Buckley-Brawner, Executive Director of Catholic Charities Agency, said she will attend the meeting.

In an email statement, she said: "I will be updating the City Council on the status of refugee resettlement in general, and the status of the plans for resettlement of refugee families in Northampton. Since response to the Executive Order is evolving at the national and state level, we will present what we know in that moment."

The Feb. 2 council meeting at the Walter J. Puchalski Municipal Building, 212 Main St., begins at 7 p.m.

See pages 16-18 in the meeting agenda below to read the proposed City Council "Resolution Condemning President Trump's January 27, 2017 Executive Order 'Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States":

02022017 Northampton City Council Agenda by The Republican/MassLive.com on Scribd

With the resignation of Norman Bay, the commission as of Friday will lack a quorum to hear appeals.

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, Wednesday asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to rescind its Jan. 25 order authorizing Spectra Energy's Atlantic Bridge natural gas pipeline project, saying FERC lacks the quorum needed to hear any administrative appeal.

The Atlantic Bridge, which would affect New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Maine, would expand natural gas transport capacity from the Marcellus shale basin into New England and the Canadian Maritimes.

Former commission Chairman Norman Bay announced Jan. 26 he will resign on Feb. 3 from the five-member body, which, among other duties, regulates interstate natural gas transmission. His departure will leave two commissioners in place.

"This resignation would leave FERC without the necessary quorum to conduct its business, preventing opponents of the Atlantic Bridge project from having challenges to this pipeline approval heard by the commission," Markey and Warren wrote in their Wednesday letter to acting Chairwoman Cheryl A. LaFleur.

Members of FERC are presidential appointees subject to confirmation by the Senate. LaFleur, an Obama appointee, on Jan. 26 was named acting chairwoman by President Donald Trump. Former Commissioner Tony Clark stepped down in September, and Phillip D. Moeller left the commission in October 2015. Remaining are LaFleur and Colette D. Honorable, whose five-year term is up this summer.

FERC approves Spectra's Atlantic Bridge Project

The $450 million Atlantic Bridge consists of targeted improvements to the Algonquin pipeline system, several new compressor and meter stations, and the directional reversal of an existing pipeline that travels through Maine.

The project includes a large compressor station on the Fore River in Weymouth, south of Boston. That proposal has met with strong local and regional opposition.

While the project's new capacity -- around 132,700 dekatherms per day -- has been spoken for in the form of contracts with domestic customers, Warren and Markey warned that Atlantic Bridge "could pave the way for the exportation of natural gas out of our region as liquefied natural gas."

"We are very troubled by the combination of FERC approving a pipeline project in New England -- the Atlantic Bridge project -- coupled with former Chairman Norman Bay's subsequent announcement that he will resign," the senators wrote.

Markey and Warren in a previous set of letters charged that a conflict of interest may exist between Spectra and a contractor that conducted an environmental review of the project. FERC has denied that a conflict exists, and has defended its process.

Atlantic Bridge is one of a trio of natural gas projects in the Northeast proposed in recent years by the Houston-based Spectra.

Spectra brought its Algonquin Incremental Market project into service in November, adding 342,000 dekatherms to the New England market. That project includes a lateral to serve a 674-megawatt power plant under construction at Salem Harbor.

Spectra's Access Northeast project, designed to serve a cluster of power plants, remains stalled after a Massachusetts judge ruled that electrical utilities may not enter into pipeline contracts on behalf of generators. Spectra has said it will reconfigure the project to serve local gas distribution companies instead.

A FERC spokeswoman said Wednesday in an email that the commission does not comment on letters from members of Congress, and does not comment on open dockets, such as the Atlantic Bridge Project.

Luis Angel Contreras was sentenced to four to five years in state prison after Holyoke police found him with gun on July 22, 2015.

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 28-year-old Holyoke man was sentenced Wednesday to four to five years in state prison after pleading guilty to carrying a firearm without a license and illegal possession of ammunition.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ford adopted the sentencing recommendation -- agreed upon by the prosecution and defense -- for Luis Angel Contreras.

Contreras has 560 days credit, about a year and a half, on the sentence for time spent in jail awaiting trial.

In recounting the details of the case, Assistant District Attorney Robert A. Schmidt told Ford that on July 22, 2015, Holyoke narcotics officers got a call about suspicious activity at 463 Appleton St.

When police arrived they saw two men in the alley. One man ran away.

Contreras remained and told police he had just gotten out of jail. He gave police his Social Security card.

Schmidt said the officers ran his name and saw he had a history of firearms offenses.

When the officers asked Contreras for consent to pat frisk him, "he sprinted away," Schmidt said.

When officers caught up with Contreras he took a gun out of his waistband and threw it away, Schmidt said.

Police found a .22-caliber semi-automatic handgun with a round in the chamber and five in the magazine, he said.

Schmidt said the prosecution feels there could be an issue if the defense litigated a motion to suppress evidence.

Defense lawyer Bernard T. O'Connor Jr. said Contreras was willing to waive his right to a motion to suppress hearing and accept responsibility.

An Ohio truck driver is said to have been driving under the influence when he crashed into an electrical transformer in Chelsea, Massachusetts.

CHELSEA, Ma — A truck driver from Ohio is now facing charges after allegedly crashing into an electrical transformer in Chelsea and causing it to burst into flames, according to The Boston Globe.

Police say Douglas Ray Mcclellan, 46, who works for the Plogger Transportation of Bellvue, Ohio, was operating under the influence of alcohol when, on Tuesday evening, he lost control of his truck and struck several fire hydrants, a number of cars, a fence, and finally an electrical transformer.

Police say the crash, which caused power to go out in several areas, occurred near the intersection of Library Street and Highland Street and was caught on video by one of the city's surveillance cameras.

Chelsea firefighters responded to the scene to knock down the transformer fire started by the crash and Eversource eventually restored power to the areas that had been affected.

Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes said that Mcclellan now faces the charge of operating under the influence of alcohol as well as leaving the scene of a crash after causing property damage.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, continued to rail against President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick Wednesday, contending that his nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch "is a threat to our American values."

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, continued to rail against President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick Wednesday, contending that his nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch "is a threat to our American values."

The Massachusetts Democrat, in a speech from the Senate floor, contended that although Gorsuch is "intelligent and accomplished,"his professional record has consistently favored the interests of corporations over workers and consumers.

Echoing concerns she raised following Trump's Tuesday evening Supreme Court nomination announcement, Warren stressed that the country needs justices "who will stand up to those with money, power and influence."

US Sens. Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren blast President Donald Trump's nomination of Neil Gorsuch to Supreme Court

"Judge Gorsuch may occasionally write in vague terms about the importance of independent courts. But today, right now, that's simply not good enough," she said. "Now more than ever, America needs a Supreme Court that puts the law first - every single time. That means justices with a proven record of standing up for the rights of all Americans - civil rights, women's rights, LGBT rights, and all other protections guaranteed by our laws."

Warren, pointing to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judge's record, argued that Gorsuch has shown insensitivity to the struggles of working Americans and an eagerness to side with businesses.

Specifically, she argued, he has sided with employers who deny wages and improperly fire workers, ruled against workers in discrimination cases and sided with insurance companies against disabled workers.

"Let's not mince words - the nomination of Judge Gorsuch is a huge gift to the giant corporations and wealthy individuals who have stolen a Supreme Court seat in order to make sure the justice system works for them," she said, urging Senate colleagues to oppose his nomination.

Contending that the Senate "cannot stand down while the president of the United States hands our highest court over to the highest bidder," Warren stressed that she will not support the judge's nomination.

Despite concerns raised by Warren and other Democrats, Gorsuch said he was "honored and humbled" by Trump's nomination and is committed to ensuring impartiality, independence, collegiality and courage on the bench, if confirmed.

President Donald Trump picks Appellate Judge Neil Gorsuch for US Supreme Court nominee

The judge whom President George W. Bush nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit in 2006, clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justices Anthony Kennedy and Byron White before spending a decade working in private practice.

He later served as the principal deputy to the associate attorney general and acting associate attorney general for the U.S. Department of Justice from 2005 to 2006.

Gorsuch received his law degree from Harvard Law School. He holds other degrees from Columbia University and Oxford University.

The judge, who reportedly beat out Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Thomas M. Hardiman for the nomination, must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to take the seat left open following Justice Antonin Scalia's unexpected death at a Texas ranch in February 2016.

Efforts to fill the 79-year-old influential conservative's seat have sparked tension between Democrats and Republicans, with Senate leaders refusing to hold hearings on former President Barack Obama's 2016 pick of Merrick Garland, the chief judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren launches petition for Senate vote on Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination

In recent years, broadcasters have been driving harder bargains, much to the distaste of cable companies.

Charter Communications cable company has added a $4.47 "local broadcast TV surcharge" line item to customer bills beginning this month.

The company -- which calls its cable, phone and internet service Spectrum --  told customers by putting a notice on last month's bill. The message on the bill indicates that consumers will see the overall bill increase.

Federal law allows owners of over-the-air television stations to charge cable and satellite companies for the ability to carry those stations to cable customers. In recent years, broadcasters have been driving harder bargains, much to the distaste of cable companies.

So Charter and its cable counterparts around the country have started itemizing bills as they add the cost of broadcast stations.

"We've begun breaking out the broadcast TV surcharge as a specific line on customer statements, as we do in other Charter systems, to reflect the cost of local broadcast TV stations," said Heidi Vandenbrouck, Charter's Worcester-based senior communications manager. 

Vandenbrouck said that would be the extent of the company's comment.

Customers in Ludlow were warned in January. Charter serves dozens of communities in Massachusetts, including Brimfield, Chicopee, Ludlow, Wales,  Belchertown, Hadley, Hampden, East Longmeadow, Easthampton, Southampton and Wilbraham.

Charter is not alone in adding itemization of broadcast channels. Comcast, which serves wide swaths of Massachusetts, started itemizing the broadcast fee in 2014, said Nicole Boudreau, a company spokeswoman.

Competitor Time Warner does the same, according to that company's website.

The building commissioner for the city of Holyoke, Massachusetts on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017 denied a request for emergency demolition of the closed, 116-year-old Mater Dolorosa Church at Maple and Lyman streets from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.

HOLYOKE -- The building commissioner has denied a request for an emergency demolition of the closed Mater Dolorosa Church at Maple and Lyman streets, he said Wednesday.

Instead, Building Commissioner Damian J. Cote said the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield is in violation of state building codes for failing to maintain the building, which is 116 years old and has been closed since 2011.

"After careful consideration of the evaluation provided to the city and multiple inspections it is not in my opinion that the steeple rates an order for an emergency demolition. Based on the report submitted, conversation with your representatives and our research into the matter it is clear that the structure needs work immediately on minor elements and more significant work over the next few years," Cote said in a letter to the Diocese dated Feb. 1 (see below).

"At this time it should be pointed out that this building clearly has not been and is not being maintained per the Massachusetts State Building Code ...This violation, if it continues, may result in enforcement action from this office," he said.

Cote said he has referred the matter to the Holyoke Historical Commission, which will do a review to determine historical significance of the church and the nearby rectory the Diocese also wants to raze.

Emergency demolition of Mater Dolorosa Church in Holyoke recommended: engineer

A report by an engineer hired by the Diocese, which owns the church and rectory, urged emergency demolition because pieces of the steeple recently have broken off and fallen to the ground, The Republican reported on Friday.

The Diocese is reviewing Cote's letter, spokesman Mark E. Dupont said.

"And we stand by the findings of the structural engineer's very detailed analysis," he said.

Cote's letter to the Diocese is the latest step in a road of rancor about Mater Dolorosa Church. The Diocese shut it down because parishioner numbers had declined and out of concerns about the stability of the structure's steeple.

But an engineer for Friends of Mater Dolorosa, a group that has fought the closing, said the steeple's stability would hold up for years.

Holyoke proposal for Polish historic district sees return of nastiness between groups over Mater Dolorosa Church steeple

Parishioners considered the church a centerpiece, built and paid for by Polish immigrants in 1901. They staged a round-the-clock occupation of the church for a solid year after the Diocese ended church services there.

Parishioners filed appeals to rescue the church from closure to the Vatican's highest court, which said in a ruling issued in May 2015 that the church could close.

An attempt to safeguard the church by including it in a proposed Polish Heritage Historic District on Lyman Street was rejected in April 2015 by an 8-7 City Council vote.

The Diocese combined Mater Dolorosa with the former Holy Cross Church to form Our Lady of the Cross at 23 Sycamore St.

The Jan. 24 report by Bernard J. Hunt, an architect and structural engineer with Barry Engineers and Constructors Inc. of Pittsfield, included photographs that showed separation of bricks, rotted wood and gaps in roof flashing that could allow in water that could lead to rapid deterioration, the report said.

"Based on our past structural investigations of the Mater Dolorosa Church and rectory and based on the recent event of steeple pieces falling to the public way below, it is our professional opinion that the building structure represents multiple dangerous conditions, as defined by the building code, and immediate action needs to be taken to secure and make safe the public way below and to begin the immediate demolition of the entire church and rectory building structures," the report said.

Cote inspected the inside of the church on Tuesday after an exterior examination on Monday where, he said, "I have not seen compelling evidence that would justify an emergency demolition order."

Accompanying Cote inside the structure were Holyoke Fire Chief John A. Pond, Deputy Fire Chief Jeffrey Przekopowski and Assistant Building Commissioner Kevin Lagimonier, along with Diocese representatives Robert Kirchherr, a senior health and safety engineer with O'Reilly, Talbot & Okun of Springfield and Hunt, from Barry Engineers and Constructors Inc., he said.

"During the meeting it was further made clear that if there is an unsafe structure in the city we will act on it immediately," Cote said.

The representatives of the Diocese were told during the inspection that the structural problems they were pointing out were due to a lack of routine maintenance. These included problems with roof cover, spot repointing of brick masonry, painting of exterior wood elements and securing the bell tower openings from weather and wildlife, he said.

Further, Cote said, if the church and steeple were "alleged to be so unsafe," why were those inside not required to wear protective equipment and why were no concerns expressed about adding the weight of the five grown men to the supposedly shaky structure?

"When bringing this point up toward the end of the inspection the response from (Diocese) representatives was 'that is not the point' and further that they do not have to prove that the structure is unsafe as much as any individual element such as a roof tile is in danger of falling," Cote said.

The Diocese also requested authorization to place fencing around Mater Dolorosa Church for safety. Cote said he told the representatives of the Diocese that they are required to place fencing if they feel the structure is an "imminent and substantial danger to the health and safety of the public."

Cote explained the process for obtaining permission for such fencing from the Department of Public Works and noted that the placement of a fence in a public right of way on a busy street with heavy pedestrian use also risked safety because of increased likelihood of a vehicle accident.

Letter from Holyoke Building Commissioner Damian J. Cote: by Mike Plaisance on Scribd

Obituaries from The Republican.

Samira Asgari said she had been invited to conduct her post-doctoral work at the Raychaudhuri Lab, a genetics lab at Harvard Medical School.

BOSTON — An Iranian-born scientist who had plans to travel to Boston to work in a Harvard Medical School lab has filed a federal lawsuit against President Donald Trump after his recent travel ban on Muslim nationals cut short her trip to the U.S.

Samira Asgari 

Samira Asgari, who holds a doctorate degree from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) — a highly ranked research institute in Switzerland — filed the lawsuit on Wednesday, seeking relief after having been barred from entry into the U.S.

In the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, Asgari states that she had been invited to conduct her post-doctoral work at the Raychaudhuri Lab — a genetics lab at Harvard Medical School — and had been in the middle of traveling to the U.S. when her journey was cut short by the president's Jan. 27 executive order.

Trump's "Protection of the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States" order has executed a 90-day suspension of entry into the U.S. for nationals from seven predominantly Muslim countries — one of which is Iran.

The relief Asgari seeks is for Trump to uphold the temporary restraining order issued by federal judges in Boston on Sunday against the President's executive order. Judge Allison Burroughs and Magistrate Judge Judith Dein signed a seven-day restraining order that states any immigrants or refugees with valid immigrant and non-immigrant visas as well as lawful permanent residents cannot be detained or deported by federal authorities.

In her lawsuit, Asgari states she first learned of the opportunity at the Raychaudhuri Lab on Nov. 30, and subsequently made plans to travel to Boston.

Asgari further states that after receiving her visa on Jan. 27 from the U.S. Embassy in Switzerland, she made plans to travel from Zurich to Boston, via Frankfurt, Germany, aboard Lufthansa Air Lines on Jan. 28.

Asgari says that she was able to complete the first leg of journey without disturbance, but that when she arrived at the gate in Frankfurt, she was turned away from her flight by a man identifying himself as a consulate of the U.S. in Frankfurt.

I was pretty excited to join @soumya_boston's lab but denied boarding due to my Iranian nationality. Feeling safer?

— Samira Asgari (@samsam_86) January 28, 2017

The man notified her that she was ineligible to travel to the U.S. due to the president's recent executive order, according to the lawsuit.

"I was heartbroken because I was so eager to go to Boston to continue my research," Asgari states in the lawsuit.

In addition to Trump, the lawsuit also list as defendants Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security John Kelly, Acting Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Kevin K. McAleenan, and Director of the Boston Field Office of CBP William Mohalley.

Despite the Federal Court restraining order @FlySWISS & @lufthansa told me Iranians still can't fly to Boston. @ACLU_Mass is this legal?

— Samira Asgari (@samsam_86) January 30, 2017

The hostage situation drew dozens of officers and law enforcement vehicles to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna and prompted a statewide lockdown of all prisons.

SMYRNA, Del. -- Inmates at a Delaware prison took five corrections department workers hostage Wednesday, a move the inmates told a local newspaper was due to concerns about their treatment and the leadership of the United States.

The hostage situation drew dozens of officers and law enforcement vehicles to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna and prompted a statewide lockdown of all prisons. One hostage was released Wednesday afternoon, but four remained in custody and negotiations were ongoing as the evening stretched on, authorities said.

A preliminary investigation suggests the incident began around 10:30 a.m. when a correctional officer inside Building C, which houses over 100 inmates, radioed for immediate assistance, Delaware State Police spokesman Sgt. Richard Bratz said at a news conference. Other officers responded to help, and five Department of Corrections employees were taken hostage.

Later, inmates reached out to The News Journal in Wilmington in two phone calls to explain their actions and make demands. Prisoners funneled the calls to the paper with the help of one inmate's fiancee and another person's mother. The mother told the paper her son was among the hostages.

In that call, an inmate said their reasons "for doing what we're doing" included "Donald Trump. Everything that he did. All the things that he's doing now. We know that the institution is going to change for the worse."

That caller said education for prisoners was the inmates' priority. They also said they want effective rehabilitation for all prisoners and information about how money is allocated to prisons.

Bratz did not address the phone calls during the news conference or give details about negotiations, which he said were ongoing. He did not take questions.

"We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of everyone involved and using all of our available resources," he said.

The inmates released one hostage around 2:40 p.m., and that person was taken by ambulance to a hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, Bratz said. Authorities don't know whether anyone else has been injured, he said.

Bratz did not say how much of the prison, which houses about 2,500 inmates, was involved in the incident. But Bruce Rogers, counsel for the Correctional Officers Association of Delaware, told The Associated Press Building C was under the inmates' control.

Rogers described the hostages as four guards and one counselor. He said he'd been briefed on the situation by the union president, who was talking to officials at the scene.

Video from above the prison Wednesday afternoon showed uniformed officers gathered in two groups along fences near an entrance to the prison. Later, video showed several people surrounding a stretcher and running as they pushed it across the compound. People could be seen standing near a set of doors with an empty stretcher and wheelchair.

A Corrections Department spokeswoman said firefighters were called to the scene after reports of smoke and were being held on standby.

According to the department's website, the prison is Delaware's largest correctional facility for men. It houses minimum, medium, and maximum security inmates, and also houses Kent County detainees awaiting trial. It was the site of the state's death row and where executions were carried out. The prison opened in 1971.

In 2004, an inmate raped a counselor and took her hostage for nearly seven hours at the Smyrna prison, according to an Associated Press report at the time. A department sharpshooter later shot and killed 45-year-old Scott Miller, according to the report, ending the standoff.

Critics, liberals and conservatives who disagree with a company's political advocacy, or lack thereof, are calling for people to boycott brands.

More businesses are publicly stating opposition to President Trump and his policies--but not all. Some companies (like Uber) have been coming under fire for supporting, or being perceived as supporting, the White House. Critics, liberals and conservatives who disagree with a company's political advocacy, or lack thereof, are calling for people to boycott brands. Others say business is still business regardless of politics. Companies must work with whoever is in power. What do you think?

PERSPECTIVES

This is the problem American companies face:

Business practices aside, Uber faces the American political problem in a nutshell. If Kalanick really plans to condemn the immigration order to Trump's face on Friday--and it's not clear he does--is that act of defiance worth the legitimacy he and other corporate leaders provide by taking on adviser roles? What is a "seat at the table" worth--and what does it cost?

Here's the problem in four tweets.

3/ I'm going to use my position on Pres economic council to stand up for what's right - https://t.co/L6U9LOv3IX

-- travis kalanick (@travisk) January 29, 2017

.@travisk Resign from anything to do with Trump, Travis. Stop being complicit in working with a fascist regime or keep losing customers.

-- EricaJoy (@EricaJoy) January 29, 2017

@EricaJoy @travisk is it not better better to have a seat at the table than no voice at all?

-- Danial Shaikh (@dnlshkh) January 30, 2017

@dnlshkh @travisk would you have enjoyed or found useful a seat at Hitler's table? Do you believe you could have swayed his thinking?

-- EricaJoy (@EricaJoy) January 30, 2017

 

Will tech leaders come out strongly and publicly against Trump's Muslim ban? I'm taking names. First part of that expression to follow.

-- Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) January 28, 2017

Either you're going to go down with a disgraced president, or you're going to be complicit in the death of democracy. Just say no 4/

-- Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) January 31, 2017

Jesus. I just saw a post trying to defend Uber. You guys made a business choice. It backfired. Stop blaming the "internet" for exposing it

-- PopTartGangster[?] (@megamuffin5285) January 31, 2017

 

whispers im getting from some inside tech co's who feel unfairly targeted: "you dont see other fortune 500 company CEOs speaking out."

-- tth_tth (@MikeIsaac) January 29, 2017

Gotta uber a couple times this week, support the people who are just trying to make a living, not their fault. dont boycott any business.

-- Troy Hermo (@TroyHermo) January 31, 2017

.@Uber stepping up in a big way for American people during the manufactured outrage against @POTUS. Unions don't dictate the rules anymore.

-- Roger Stone (@RogerJStoneJr) January 29, 2017

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