The Holyoke, Massachusetts treasurer's office finally released a list of the city's top tax delinquents that shows 91 property owners owe nearly $5.6 million.

HOLYOKE -- In its first year, the city's Problem Property Group worked with courts to get receivers appointed to manage and put buildings on the road back to the tax rolls while a new list shows the top 91 tax delinquents owe nearly $5.6 million.

"All of the efforts by the Problem Property Group to hold property owners accountable will have a tremendous ripple effect. When we have safe and stable properties, we will attract more residents and businesses," Mayor Alex B. Morse said.

The Problem Property Group also filed 48 cases in state Housing Court, expects three or four receivership appointments to turn around vacant properties in the first half of 2017 and saw two new inspectors add 361 inspections of residential properties, he said.

Meanwhile, City Councilor at Large Daniel B. Bresnahan said a focus must continue on seizing overdue taxes from delinquent property owners.

The Republican obtained an updated list of the top tax delinquents from Todd A. McGee, chairman of the City Council Finance Committee, on Jan. 24 after months of seeking the information from the office of City Treasurer Sandra A. Smith. The list showed 91 owners of 115 properties owe the city $5,562,182 in taxes, interest and other fees.

Smith said that the spreadsheet shows the total owed by the delinquent property owners to be $6,007,162 but that the correct calculation was $5,562,182.

"My hopes were to get this list much more frequently," Bresnahan said. "If the city has no tax base we have nothing. We as a city need to aggressively collect monies owed to the city by all means necessary."

Lacking such revenue prevents the hiring of more firefighters, for example, said Bresnahan, who requested a similar list of tax-delinquents over the summer.

Top 100 property tax delinquents owe Holyoke $7 million

"That is a threat to the safety of Holyoke's residents. So yes collecting taxes to run the city is a top priority of mine and should be of everyone," Bresnahan said.

The Problem Property Tax Group consists of representatives of the Building, Law, Fire, Planning and Economic Development, Board of Health, Treasurer's, Community Development and Public Works departments, as well as the mayor's office.

Previously, efforts to address the problems of abandoned and vacant properties were scattered. Key now is that the necessary players are together once a month to discuss issues regarding properties and property owners, Morse said.

"By eliminating silos, this allows for a strategic plan to rehabilitate, market and grow the city of Holyoke," he said.

10 worst abandoned buildings in Holyoke show ravages of neglect, nature, safety hazards

Smith said that in the past six years, the treasurer's office collected over $3,283,000 in back taxes and held public property auctions.

"This is a time-consuming process that has not been done in over twenty years and this current office is working diligently along with Assessors, Law, Board of Health, Building and Fire Department to clean these tax titles up," said Smith, who is running for reelection to the treasurer's seat in the Nov. 7 election.

"Along with the daily functions within the Treasurer's office we continually deal with this issue. We have an open door policy to the public and clear lines of communication with all departments within the city to rectify any and all issues," she said.

List of Holyoke property tax delinquents: by Mike Plaisance on Scribd

This most recent purchase means Balise Motor Sales has spent more than $3.1 million on property in the city's South End in 2016 and the first month of 2017.

SPRINGFIELD -- Balise Motor Sales has purchased an office building at 322 Main St. and two nearby vacant lots from HAP Housing Inc. for $1 million.

The purchases, which were recorded in the Hampden Country Registry of Deeds, brought the total amount the auto dealerships have spent on real estate in the city's South End since April to more than $3.1 million.

That amount includes $850 for the former Springfield Shopping News building at 340 Main St., which is next door to the HAP office building. Balise acquired the property in June and had it demolished in November and December.

Balise Collision Repair at 292 Main St. is adjacent to both properties.

The Jan. 18 purchase of 322 Main St. also includes vacant lots at 14 Elmwood St. and at the southwest corner of Main and York streets, which was once a parking area for the McDonald's on that block that remains.

Balise had already bought 22 Elmwood St. and the commercial building at the corner of Elmwood and Main streets, a low-slung green structure at 470-472 Main St.

The company buys property in the neighborhood under the name of a subsidiary, Bar South Land Holdings.

Taken together, all these purchases mean that Balise owns much of the real estate in three square blocks of the South End, including properties fronting on Main Street. The recent purchases include occupied commercial and office property, homes both occupied and not, vacant lots and improved parking lots Balise now uses to store new Hyundai inventory for its Springfield dealership.

Cars were parked Monday on the site of what was once the Springfield Shopping News building at 340 Main St.

Jeb Balise, CEO of West Springfield-based Balise Motor Sales, responded to questions about the purchase Monday without saying what the company plans to do with the property it has collected.

"We take great pride in being a fourth-generation Springfield business. We are committed to being a part of Springfield's renaissance and our investments are to ensure that the South End of Springfield is a part of it," Balise said in a written statement. "We have no specific plans at this time other than continuing to work with the South End Citizens' Council and leadership in the city to help Springfield realize its potential as one of New England's most vibrant cities."

Balise' Springfield businesses include Balise Hyundai, Balise Ready Credit used cars and Balise Columbus Ave Car Wash, all on East Columbus Avenue, and Balise Collision Repair nearby at 292 Main St. Balise Chevrolet, Buick and GMC is located a few blocks away at 440 Hall of Fame Ave.

As for now, HAP Inc. is not moving from 322 Main St., said  Peter Gagliardi, president and CEO of the housing agency. HAP will lease back the office space and continue to use it as a headquarters and for all its public-facing activities like homelessness and foreclosure avoidance counseling, as well as financial literacy and home buying classes.

But space in the building is running out. HAP recently moved some operations to space on Maple Street and would like to find a bigger spot to replace 322 Main St. Selling the property and leasing it back gives it the financial flexibility to find a new headquarters.

"We have looked at a number of locations," Gagliardi said. "We are also going through a transition with the new administration. We do a lot of government work."

HAP moved into the building in 1988, renting it from former owners William and Laurence Foggle before buying the structure in 2003 for $835,000.

 

It was the second gun-related homicide in Dorchester that weekend.

Boston police have identified a victim in Dorchester's second fatal shooting over the weekend.

Authorities said Brianna Hardy, 22, of Jamaica Plain, was shot to death in the area 24 Juliette Street Sunday evening.

When officers responded to the area, they immediately transported her to an area hospital.

According to the Boston Herald, Hardy was shot "execution style" in her car.

She was later pronounced dead.

It was the second gun-related homicide in Dorchester that weekend. On Saturday two men were shot at while walking on Ames Street.

Police said they responded to a report of shooting in the area and found two men lying on the ground with gunshot wounds.

Dantley Leonard, 28, was pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital. The second victim's injuries were non-life-threatening, police said.

Boston police are reaching out to the public for information on either case.

Anyone with information is asked to call Homicide Detectives at (617) 343-4470.
Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1(800)494-TIPS or by texting the word 'TIP' to CRIME (27463).

Springfield College wants to grow its pipeline of students coming from China after opening recruiting offices in Beijing and Shanghai.

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield College has hit the ground running with new recruiting efforts in China, rallying behind students past and present to set up shop in the heart of two of the country's biggest cities.

With a relationship extending more than 30 years, the school wants to grow its pipeline of students coming from China after opening recruiting offices in Beijing and Shanghai.

"Springfield has a very unique and long history of collaboration and partnership that really began with educating some very now famous individuals, and then exchanges of scholars, faculty and curriculum," said Stuart Jones, vice president of enrollment. "Finally, after so many years, it kind of dawned on us, and some of our Springfield College alumni who are Chinese, why not share the love? Why not share the good news more broadly in China about this relationship and invite more Chinese students to consider an education in the United States and more specifically at Springfield College?"

SC began its recruiting in Beijing, opening up its first office on Oct. 20 with the help of Joe Chou, a member of the Springfield College class of 1994 who established a base of operations in the heart of China's capital.

Chou heading the recruitment effort in Bejing paved the way for current student Zhou Peng to pursue the same in Shanghai three months later.

While Peng, who is a doctor of sport psychology candidate at SC, finishes his studies, he leads a team of recruiters based in Shanghai who are actively searching for students in high school and college who would be interested in pursuing an education in the U.S.

Jones said both men strengthening the pipeline between Springfield College and two of China's largest cities will nurture scholarship and academic relationships with a variety of universities in China.

"We have students from 20 countries at Springfield College, not just China, but we do want to increase our Chinese population because our relationship with them has been so long and so great," said Jones. "We have such a great reputation in China with some universities, and we want to expand that and make the most of it in terms of enrollment."

Jones said that Springfield College has maintained a strong partnership with Chinese institutions such as Shanghai University of Sport, East China University and Soochow University, collaborating and exchanging students and faculty in the process.

Jones says that he would like to see more Springfield College students studying abroad as well while opening up more opportunities to do the same for Chinese undergraduate and graduate students.

Among ideas for the future is to have students Chinese interested in basketball spend time in the birthplace of the game and get a taste of the New England culture in the process.

"Children could come with their parents and get a cultural immersion in New England, but also get the chance to learn basketball skills, life skills, physical education skills and health and wellness skills," said Jones.

Basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891 in Springfield at the International YMCA Training School, which became Springfield College.

Holyoke Fire Chief John A. Pond recently presented photographs, maps and text to the City Council about deployment of trucks, station locations and brownouts, which are the temporary removal from service of trucks on short-staffed shifts. The use of brownouts has prompted criticism after a Jan. 1, 2017 fire killed three people and displaced 49 tenants at 106 North East St. Officials and firefighters have disagreed about whether the browning out of Engine 2 out of Fire Department headquarters on New Year's Day affected firefighters' abilities to battle that blaze.

"It was sex, sex, sex -- and drinking," Rovelli said. "I had to help her get out of the shower in the morning and to get dressed," he added.

SPRINGFIELD -- A judge and a defendant exchanged rhetorical questions Friday in Springfield District Court.

"What kind of girl sends you pictures of her 'down there' with her dress pulled up," asked Paul Rovelli, 53, of Springfield.

"What kind of a boyfriend shows those pictures to his friends," Judge Robert Murphy responded.

The photos, Rovelli said, epitomized the erratic and abusive behavior he endured from the woman now seeking a restraining order against him.

"I let her stay at my house ... and now she's blaming me?" he added.

On Friday, he pleaded not guilty to charges of stalking, threatening to commit a crime and violating a protection order. The victims were listed as a member of Rovelli's family and the woman seeking the restraining order against him.

The woman, who appeared to be much younger that Rovelli, testified that he repeatedly showed up at her apartment and threatened to shoot her and her friends. The threats were accompanied by descriptions of violence he had inflicted on others, according to the woman, who said Rovelli had an extensive criminal record.

"I don't own a gun. I don't have a gun. I've never been to (the woman's home)," Rovelli responded.

"I never hit her," he added.

While questioning the pair about their relationship, the judge repeatedly warned them to stop interrupting him and each other.

The woman testified that she met Rovelli on Dec. 15 but offered few details. She refused to call him her boyfriend, but said they had spent time together.

At some point, his behavior became obsessive and verbally abusive. He didn't want her seeing another man and even showed up at her drug rehab program in Westfield, the woman said. Rovelli said his appearance "was an authorized visit" and he showed up at her request.

She began staying at his apartment and sending him nude photos, according to Rovelli, who acknowledged that his friends had seen them on his phone.

"It was sex, sex, sex -- and drinking," he said. "I had to help her get out of the shower in the morning and to get dressed," he added.

When the judge asked the woman how long she wanted the restraining order for, she replied "forever."

"I don't do forever," Murphy said.

He eventually issued an order barring Rovelli from having any contact with the woman for a year.

He also ordered Rovelli held for a bail hearing Tuesday on the stalking and threatening charges.

This is the first time Chicopee has used the federal Community Development Block Grants to boost private businesses.

CHICOPEE - In a new effort to attract development to Chicopee Center, a city program will offer business loans and grants to people who want to open their own company or expand or improve the one they already have.

This is the latest move the city has made to try to redevelop and revitalize the downtown area. Just a month ago, the City Council agreed to designate the same area as a Housing Development Incentive Zone that will allow the city to offer tax incentives for developers who renovate or build new market-rate housing in the area.

"Programs like this can create or be the added push for projects that can have a positive difference in our downtown. We can see the value that this can bring to businesses located in this area, which ultimately broadens the tax base and demonstrates the commitment the city is making to revitalizing downtown," Mayor Richard J. Kos said in announcing the new business financing.

The business loans will be available through the federal Community Development Block Grant program, which is designed to help improve low-income areas. In the past the city has used the grants for a variety of different things including upgrading parks, cleaning up brownfields and improving affordable housing.

But the business loans are new to the city's federal Block Grants. People can fill out applications now and the city is hoping to award loans as soon as possible, Michael Vedovelli, community development director, said.

"We are trying to expand economic opportunities within the West End zone," he said.

The loans available will range from $10,000 and $150,000 and the recipients may be able to defer payments as long as they meet a variety of conditions such as remaining in business in the West End for a set amount of time and increasing the number of employees, Vedovelli said.

The program is designed to be flexible. An entrepreneur may apply for a loan to start a business downtown or an existing business could use the money to expand in a variety of ways.

Uses include making repairs or improvements to commercial properties, acquiring property or to purchase equipment needed to bring the business to a new level, he said.

The goal is to create jobs, especially for low and moderate-income residents, Vedovelli said.

"I'm eager to see what interest it draws. We are hoping to give out multiple awards this year," he said.

City officials have been focusing on trying to improve the area designated as the West End for years. The area includes the large Cabotville and Lyman Mills, Delta Park, Center and Exchange streets and neighborhoods off them as well as West Street neighborhoods.

Several years ago a study was done to figure out ways to spur downtown development, the city has held events to bring people downtown such as a block party and Halloween trick-or-treat walk.

Applications for the business loans are on the Community Development page of the city's website. Interested people can also contact the Community Development Department if they have questions.

Nathan Connolly teaches undergraduate and graduate courses covering black and civil rights history.

HOLYOKE -- Holyoke Community College will feature award-winning author and historian Nathan Connolly in a talk Wednesday as part of the college's Black History Month celebration.

The talk, which will begin at 11 a.m. in room 301 of the Kittredge Center for Business and Workforce Development, is sponsored by the ALANA Men in Motion, a support program for African American, Latino, Asian and Native American students at HCC that helps mentor and guide students of color.

Andrew Fletcher, Program Coordinator for ALANA Men in Motion, said the program regularly hosts speaking events featuring influential figures to help inspire HCC students and audience members.

Connolly serves as the Herbert Baxter Adams associate professor of history at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses covering black and civil rights history such as America after the Civil Rights Movement, Jim Crow in America and Racial Literacy for Historians.

"(Connolly) is a rising star and he's won several book awards and has won accolades for his dissertations," Fletcher said. "He's going to come and talk about his journey. He will be touching on what it is like to be an academic and a historian while also talking about the research of his book."

Connolly has received accolades for his book "A World More Concrete: Real Estate and the Remaking of Jim Crow South Florida," including the 2015 Liberty Legacy Foundation Book Award from the Organization of American Historians and the 2014 Kenneth T. Jackson Book Award from the Urban History Association.

His talk is free and open to the public, and lunch will be served.

The Paul Reed Smith guitars, valued at $3,500 or more, had been tossed under trees in the backyard along with a sweatshirt worn by Eduardo Ayala, police said.

SPRINGFIELD -- Jimi Hendrix set them on fire.

Pete Townshend smashed them on stage.

And Eduardo Ayala allegedly dumped two expensive electric guitars in the snow while being tracked by a Springfield K-9 officer and his dog Friday night.

Ayala, 31, of Springfield, pleaded not guilty Monday in Springfield District Court to larceny over $250, breaking and entering and giving false information to police.

He allegedly broke into Falcetti's Music Store on Boston Road around 9 p.m. and grabbed two Paul Reed Smith guitars. Police, responding to the store alarm, tracked Ayala through the woods to a home on Waterford Circle, where they arrested him and recovered the guitars, according to Springfield police spokesman Sgt. John Delaney.

The guitars, valued at $3,500 or more, had been tossed under trees in the backyard along with a sweatshirt worn by Ayala during the break-in, Delaney said.

The price reflects Paul Reed Smith's reputation as a high end guitar line, a fact mentioned on the police radio during the chase Friday night. Musicians ranging from Carlos Santana and Al Di Meola to law-and-order advocate Ted Nugent have played guitars made by the Maryland-based company.

None of them would likely have appreciated seeing the police photo of two "PRS" guitars abandoned in the snow.

The arrest also heightened discord between Eduardo Ayala and his brother, Jose, also of Springfield. According to police, Eduardo Ayala falsely gave his brother's name and Social Security number when arrested, leading to an incorrect posting on the department's Facebook page.

The post was later corrected, but Jose Ayala said his brother has used this ruse several times, forcing him to prove to police that he is not his brother.

Judge William Boyle set Eduardo Ayala's bail at $2,500 on the new charges and imposed $500 bail in a second, unrelated shoplifting case.

Ayala is due back in court on Feb. 22.

The Boston Bruins announced on Tuesday that they have relieved Claude Julien of his coaching duties.

The Boston Bruins announced in a statement Tuesday morning that they have relieved head coach Claude Julien from his position with the team.

Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney also included in the statement that assistant coach Bruce Cassidy would become the interim head coach. 

The team has a 26-23-6 record through 55 games this season. 

Julien, who was the longest tenured active head coach in the NHL, was in his 10th season of coaching the Bruins after assuming the role on June 21, 2007. He is the Bruins' all-time coaching winds leader after putting together a 419-246-94 record with the team. 

Boston made seven trips to the playoffs with Julien as its coach. In that span of time the team won a Stanley Cup in 2011, was in the finals in 2013 and took the Presidents' Trophy in 2014. 

Cassidy will step up as interim head coach in just his first season with the team. He was previously the head coach of the Providence Bruins for five seasons. While with Providence, he had a 207-128-45 overall record. This is his second stint as a head coach in the NHL after he was at the helm for the Washington Capitals from 2002-2004. 

The Bruins next play at home against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday, Feb. 9. 

A disabled tractor-trailer was causing significant traffic delays near downtown Springfield on Interstate 91 north on Tuesday morning, according to state police.

A disabled tractor-trailer was causing significant traffic delays near downtown Springfield on Interstate 91 north on Tuesday morning, according to state police.

The truck broke down near the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame just after 8:30 a.m. State police closed off the right lane of the highway to assist the driver of the vehicle.

The traffic backup extended as far as the Longmeadow curve around 9 a.m., according to Google Maps.

A disabled tractor-trailer was causing significant traffic delays near downtown Springfield on Interstate 91 north Tuesday morning, according to state police.

A disabled tractor-trailer was causing significant traffic delays near downtown Springfield on Interstate 91 north Tuesday morning, according to state police.

The truck broke down near the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame just after 8:30 a.m. State police closed off the right lane of the highway to assist the driver of the vehicle.

The traffic backup extended as far as the Longmeadow curve around 9 a.m., according to Google Maps.

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The fire at 15 Crestview Drive was reported about 6:40 p.m.on Monday.

George Graham | ggraham@repub.com 

PITTSFIELD -- No injuries were reported in a house fire Monday night that displaced six people and caused some $50,000 in damage.

Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Garner told WWLP the blaze at 15 Crestview Drive was reported about 6:40 p.m.

Fire damage was confined to one room and a part of the attic. There was smoke damage throughout the 11/2-story home.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

A Boston woman has been convicted of two counts of vehicular homicide after she drunkenly crashed her car, killing two passengers.

A Boston woman has been convicted of two counts of motor vehicular homicide after she drunkenly crashed her car, killing two passengers, authorities said. A Suffolk Superior Court judge acquitted the woman on manslaughter charges.

The Associated Press reported that Jennifer Guzman, 28, was responsible for a crash that took the lives of 33-year-old Luz Puentes-Sheets and 44-year-old Maria Hernandez.

According to a Massachusetts State Police press release, on Oct. 19, 2014, authorities responded to a crash on Jamaicaway at Perkins St involving a 2007 BMW 530XI with three occupants and a 2002 Toyota Camry with two occupants.

Authorities said Guzman drove her BMW over the center lane marker and collided with the Camry head on. According to the release, she was transported to Beth Israel Hospital with minor injuries, but Hernandez and Puentes-Sheets, who were not wearing seatbelts, were killed in the crash.

The driver of the Camry, Cesar Viasus, 36, and his passenger, Luis Parra, 43, both of Roslindale, suffered serious injuries.

Police argued in court that Guzman's blood alcohol content was .20 at the time of the crash, the Associated Press reported. The legal limit is .08.

The results of a study on prostate cancer published in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine "suggests use of hormone therapy is important when giving radiation to men with high risk prostate cancer features," said area urologist Alexander Berry.

HOLYOKE - The results of a study on prostate cancer published in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine "suggests use of hormone therapy is important when giving radiation to men with high risk prostate cancer features," said urologist Alexander Berry.

The study, which bolsters information on prolonging life in treating prostate cancer as a chronic disease in some men, focused on the addition of hormone control therapy in treating patients who had surgery, as well as radiation, for high risk prostate cancer that showed evidence for recurrence.

"We have known for 20 years that the addition of hormone therapy to radiation for the primary treatment of prostate cancer is better than radiation alone in patients with high risk prostate cancer features," said Berry who is with Holyoke Medical Center's Urology Center.

Dr. Alexander BerryRepublican file 

"This study helps show that this also applies in the setting when radiation is used as a secondary treatment following prostate surgery."

In short, Berry said the "study helps confirm what we suspected. Patients who have high risk prostate cancer benefit from combined therapy with hormones and radiation versus radiation alone."

The study, funded by the National Cancer institute, was led by Dr. William U. Shipley, a radiation oncologist at Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital.

Conducted from 1998 through 2004, it followed 760 eligible patients who, in addition to radiation post surgery, were either given drugs for a period of 24 months to block testosterone to help kill off any existing cancer cells or slow their growth, or a placebo. The male hormone testosterone helps prostate cancer cells grow.

According to the study, the patients given the hormone control therapy had "higher rates of long-term overall survival and lower incidences of metastatic prostate cancer and death from prostate cancer than radiation therapy plus placebo."

Berry noted that some treatment changes for patients with high risk prostate cancer have already been made since the study was conducted. He said one of these includes giving such patients radiation before there is evidence of rising PSA.

PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, is a protein produced by cells of the prostate gland. Elevated levels of PSA in the blood can be indicative of a number of conditions, including prostate cancer, considered a slow growing cancer in that part of the male reproductive system involved with the creation of semen.

"Because prostate cancer is relatively slow moving studies take 10 to 15 years before final data is often collected. In the meantime certain ideas may have already changed," Berry said.

He added that patients in the study had prostate surgery and were "known to be at higher risk of prostate cancer recurrence because the prostate cancer at the time of surgery had been found to be just outside the prostate but within the surgical margin." However, until there was evidence of rising PSA (which can be produced by cancerous cells as well), he said patients in the study, on average, "had a gap of 2.1 years between surgery and the start of radiation."

"Over the past two to three years there has been growing evidence that patients with prostate cancer that is found outside the prostate but within the surgical margin at the time of surgery do better if they have radiation to the pelvis before the PSA is found to rise. This is normally three to six months after surgery to let things heal," Berry said.

"In addition other studies have shown that six months of hormone blockade in this scenario may be better than no hormones."

Barry added that there have been changes in the last 20 years to "what type of hormone therapy is preferable" as well as when radiation should be started and that such "changes would be expected to have additional benefit regarding overall survival."

He noted the study spanned two decades as the researchers "were looking for evidence of better overall survival between the groups."

"In the group who received the hormones and the radiation there was a lower chance they died from prostate cancer and a lower chance the prostate cancer became metastatic," Berry noted. However, he called "the impact of hormones on the overall survival" a finding from the study that "needs to be considered."

"At 12 years, 76 percent of men with hormones and radiation were still alive vs 71 percent of men who did not receive hormones," Berry said.

"It appears that adding hormones might reduce your chance of death from prostate cancer, but it might increase your chance from dying from something else. This is something we have see before with people who are on hormone therapy and are still exploring."

Berry said hormone therapy is something he regularly uses with his high risk patients, but said "there are downsides to using hormones."

"Hormones are a form of medical castration and as such there are potential negative side effects that should be considered. These include hot flashes, weight gain, potential mood changes, bone weakness and cardiac events. There is some suggestion that for men over 65 with moderate to severe cardiac disease the risk of fatal cardiac events outweighs the benefit from hormonal therapy," Berry said.

He noted that the "majority of prostate cancers that are detected are low risk."

"These respond very well to a number of different available treatments with low failure rates, including observation," Berry said.

He called high risk prostate cancer "a different story" and one that "can be difficult to manage" even when caught early.

"Unfortunately the course of prostate cancer is uncertain. We know that high risk prostate cancer has a higher rate of progression. In these cases the most important indicator is how soon treatment fails. If the PSA does not stay low, but climbs back up within two years of any initial therapy this is a strong indicator for more aggressive disease," Berry said.

Berry added that "there are plenty of men living with advanced prostate cancer that appears to be relatively slow moving."

"I try to tell my patients that managing prostate cancer is more like running a marathon than a sprint. Most of the time we think about long-term, ongoing management. Overall I would say that it is not the case that prostate cancer becomes more aggressive in later stages," Berry said.

"What tends to happen is that a man diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer - meaning a cancer that fails to respond to initial treatment - is far more likely to progress to advanced disease than a man with low risk prostate cancer. Luckily aggressive forms of prostate cancer are far less common than other forms of prostate cancer."

Berry said, "These ideas about low risk prostate cancer and aggressive prostate cancer are the main reasons behind the confusion around PSA screening for prostate cancer."

"In an ideal world doctors would have a way to screen for aggressive prostate cancer and intervene in such a way to change the patients outcome. Unfortunately, screening everybody for elevated PSA does not help achieve this," Berry said.

"The American Urology Association suggests PSA measurement in men with a higher risk of prostate cancer. This would include men who have a father or brother who were diagnosed with prostate cancer at a younger age, as well as African American men and those with an elevated PSA at baseline. If I could encourage anything it would be for men to get a baseline PSA at 45 and 50 years of age and then make an informed decision moving forward regarding further PSA testing."

Jose Roche, 29, of 283 Quincy St., faces multiple charges.

SPRINGFIELD -- Police arrested a Quincy Street man early Tuesday after he attempted to kick down the door of an Avon Place apartment.

Police Officers Lino Carasquillo and Stephen Sicard went to 75 Avon Place shortly before 2 a.m. after tenants in a second floor apartment dialed 911 to report an unknown suspect was kicking in the rear door of their apartment, Sgt. John Delaney said.

"The victims were in fear, they stated the suspect appeared to be aggressive," Delaney, public information officer for the department, said.

A male inside the apartment barricaded one of the doors to block the suspect's ability to get deeper inside.

The suspect, who was arrested after he fled the scene, threatened the officers with bodily harm the "next time he saw them on the street," Delaney said.

Jose Roche, 29, of 283 Quincy St., was charged with unarmed burglary and two counts of threat to commit a crime. He was also arrested on a warrant for assault and battery and strangulation.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has lowered the speed limit to 40 mph on the Massachusetts Turnpike from the New York border to Interchange 11 due to inclement weather.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has lowered the speed limit to 40 mph on the Massachusetts Turnpike from the New York border to Interchange 11 due to inclement weather.

Interchange 11 runs through Worcester and Millbury.

The speed limit ban coincides with a minor snow storm currently affecting areas of the state north of the Mass. Pike. The National Weather Service predicts 1 to 3 inches of snow accumulation in the early afternoon, followed by freezing rain in the evening.

#MAtraffic Alert: I-90 speed limit reduced to 40mph, NY Border to Interchange 11 #Worcester #Millbury. #MAsnow

— Mass. Transportation (@MassDOT) February 7, 2017

The combination of snow and freezing rain might complicate morning and evening commutes. The National Weather Service warns drivers to take caution while on the road Tuesday.

A man accused of forcing a woman to withdraw cash from a Chase Bank in Southbury, Conn. led Connecticut state police on a high-speed chase before crashing his car on an I-84 off-ramp.

A man accused of forcing a woman to withdraw cash from a Chase Bank in Southbury, Conn. led Connecticut State Police on a high-speed chase before crashing his car on an I-84 off-ramp.

Claude Williams, 25, of Waterbury, is facing a litany of charges in connection with the incident, including kidnapping, unlawful restraint, reckless endangerment, robbery, larceny, narcotics possession and engaging police in pursuit. He is being held on $250,000 bond.

The chase began after Southbury Police responded to Chase Bank Monday morning for a report of a woman being forced to take money out of her account, according to a Connecticut State Police report.

"Williams fled the scene upon seeing police, and refused to stop engaging police in pursuit," Trooper First Class Kelly Grant wrote in a statement.

Williams allegedly led police on a nine-minute pursuit through Southbury roads and on I-84. Williams attempted to make the turn off Exit 15 on I-84 while traveling at a high rate of speed, but crashed into the concrete median.

Williams was arrested at the scene and was not injured, police said.

The White House continued to clash with news outlets Monday, releasing a list of terror attacks that it claims have been underreported by western journalists.

The White House continued to clash with news outlets Monday, releasing a list of terror attacks that it claims have been underreported by western journalists.

The list, which included 78 attacks that Islamic State followers reportedly planned or carried out from September 2014 to December 2016, came shortly after President Donald Trump told senior military commanders that the media largely "doesn't want to report on" terrorism.

News outlets, however, rejected the White House's claims, pointing to widespread coverage of a November 2015 Paris attack that killed at least 129 and wounded 400, a December 2015 shooting attack in San Bernardino, California, March 2016 bombings at Brussels' Zaventem Airport and on a subway train, a June 2016 shooting at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida and a July 2016 attack in Nice, France -- all of which were included on the list.

Critics further argued that the administration's list included many attacks that didn't result in multiple or any fatalities and derided it for containing multiple misspellings of the word "attacker" and "San Bernardino."

Trump, during a Monday speech at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, pointed to various attacks in the United States and Europe as he stressed the dangers of what he called "radical Islamic terrorists."

"ISIS is on a campaign of genocide committing atrocities across the world. Radical Islamic terrorists are ready to strike our homeland, as they did on 9/11, as they did from Boston to Orlando to San Bernardino and, all across Europe: We've seen what happened in Paris and Nice -- all over Europe, it's happening," he said. "It's gotten to a point where it's not even being reported and, in many cases, the very, very dishonest press doesn't want to report it," he said. "They have their reasons, and you understand that."

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer later told reporters that Trump "felt members of the media don't always cover some of those events to the extent that other events might get covered."

"Protests will get blown out of the water, and yet an attack or a foiled attack doesn't necessarily get the same coverage," he said. "He's doing what he can to protect this nation and protect our people. And that's why I think sometimes the polls don't reflect what you see on the media. You see a wide degree of support for the president's policies to protect this country, to create jobs, to grow the economy. And yet a lot of those stories and success that he's had - in a mere two and a half weeks in office - aren't exactly covered to the degree to which they should be."

Reporters and even some lawmakers, however, were quick to criticize the administration's assertion.

Among them was U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-California, who praised news coverage of the San Bernardino attack.

"@POTUS You can't even spell #SanBernardino but you exploit our community to justify your #muslimban," he wrote in a series of tweets. ".@POTUS Reporters covered #SanBernardino nonstop for weeks. You should read it so you understand we're not a talking point. cc:@sbsun."

.@POTUS Reporters covered #SanBernardino nonstop for weeks. You should read it so you understand we're not a talking point. cc:@sbsun

-- Rep. Pete Aguilar (@RepPeteAguilar) February 7, 2017

Merriam-Webster, meanwhile, took a veiled jab at the list's reported spelling errors.

Reminder that our app has voice search, so you can look a word up even if you're not sure how it's spelled. https://t.co/gAH5JjwU32 https://t.co/oyxk2zwpWO

-- Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) February 7, 2017

The White House's focus on terror attacks comes amidst pushback the president has faced over his so-called travel ban, which has sparked protests and legal challenges. 

Appeals Court denies Justice Department's bid to restore President Donald Trump's travel ban

The executive order called for barring Syrian refugees from entering the U.S., suspending all refugee admissions for 120 days and blocking citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the country for 90 days.

A clash between a "large" "angry" crowd and bouncers at Platform Sports Bar drew "the "entire patrol staff of the Northampton Police Department" early Sunday morning.

A clash between a "large" "angry" crowd and bouncers at Platform Sports Bar drew the "entire patrol staff of the Northampton Police Department" early Sunday morning. 

Authorities on arrival found staff "yelling for police assistance" as they attempted to "identify the male who physically attacked" one of the bouncers, a report by Northampton Police Officer Monica L. Czerwinski states.

Police quickly arrested the suspect -- who had allegedly kicked a bouncer -- but the crowd of 50-plus people still refused to disperse from the Pleasant Street business, according to a second report on the incident by Northampton Police Officer Bradley D. Buzzee. 

Instead, the parties involved "continued to become increasingly angry, loud and tumultuous," Buzzee writes of the disturbance. 

Several of the brawlers turned on police, allegedly yelling profanities, threatening violence and gesturing as if preparing to strike responding officers, according to Buzzee's report.

"Officers were outnumbered at least 50 to five and officer safety was being placed in jeopardy," a third report, by Northampton Police Officer Timothy D Zantrofski, reads.

The spectacle continued to draw the attention of passersby, as area bars were emptying and dozens more patrons flooded the streets.

One suspect reportedly stood "directly in the middle of Strong Avenue" while "threatening to fight officers" and "causing a significant hazard" due to the passing traffic, Buzzee said. 

Another allegedly "walked straight up to officers in a hostile manner and attempted to incite another disturbance," Zantrofski's report adds. 

The same man "continued to escalate" the situation, "removed his shirt" and challenged officers' directives, Zantrofski said. 

Police in total arrested three of the people involved in the fight and one of their girlfriends in order to quell the disturbance. All appeared in Northampton District Court on Monday. 

Nariman Z. Askarov, 23, of Moseley Avenue in West Springfield, faced charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, wanton destruction of property and disorderly conduct. 

Islam Agayev, 20, of Piper Road in West Springfield, faced a charge of disorderly conduct. 

Abdi Mamedov, 27, of Allen Street in West Springfield, faced charges of disorderly conduct and two counts vandalizing with a noxious/filthy substance.

And Alyah C. Harbey, of Amostown Road in West Springfield, faced charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. 

All four will next appear in court for pretrial hearings on March 8.

The arrested parties told police they did not instigate the fight. Instead, the fight began when "an unknown patron" jumped Mamedov outside the bar, according to accounts by Mamedov and Harbey. 

Mamedov said Agayev "began to fight on his behalf" because he had recently suffered 12 broken ribs. He had removed his shirt to show police, according to his account.  

Nonetheless, Czerwinski blames "all of the parties involved" for "unnecessary and aggressive" actions and ignored "numerous warnings" as they "continued to yell at officers, obstruct traffic on both the sidewalk and the roadway."