Massachusetts saw a 200 percent year-over-year increase in the number of people killed while trespassing on train tracks, Fox 25 reports.

Massachusetts saw a 200 percent year-over-year increase in the number of people killed while trespassing on train tracks in 2016, Fox 25 reports.

With three more people killed by commuter trains since the beginning of last week alone -- the most recent coming Monday night in Brockton, according to Transit Police -- the problem is on pace to get even worse in 2017.

Twelve people out of the nearly 500 pedestrians killed by passing trains in the U.S. in 2016 died in Massachusetts -- a disproportionately high number for the state -- according to Fox.

Teresa Rondinelli Mejia's son died five years ago after being struck by a train in Norwood. 

She told Fox, "To this day I still can't fathom that my kid got hit by a train. Of all things to die from to cross through a hole in the fence, an opening, and be in an area where a train can actually kill you."

One of the people struck and killed by a train in the state last week, a woman in her 50s, also died in Norwood.

The woman was struck by an outbound train headed from South Station to Franklin on Sunday while she was walking on the tracks.  

Mejia told Fox there's often no barrier blocking people from accessing active tracks. She said the four-foot gap in the fence her son went through before getting hit five years ago remains unfixed.

"I just want it to be fixed," she told Fox. "So another kid doesn't get killed. Someone doesn't have to remember that their kid got hit by a train."

In December in Amherst, a 40-year-old man survived after being struck by a train in the area of Main and High Streets.

One of the people killed in 2016 was a 17-year-old Chinese Boston University student, in what Transit Police Superintendent Richard Sullivan called a "horrendous, tragic accident," according to The Boston Globe. 

The student climbed a fence to get on to the tracks, transit officials told The Globe. The accident occurred in September near the Massachusetts Turnpike overpass.

Police have identified the man killed in an early Monday morning vehicle crash on Cottage Street as 31-year-old city resident Jose Flores.

SPRINGFIELD -- Police have identified the man killed when his car crashed into the rear of a tractor trailer on Cottage Street early Monday as 31-year-old city resident Jose Flores.

The crash was reported shortly before 4 a.m. in the area of 649 Cottage St.

Police said the Methuen Street resident drove his 2013 Mercedes under the back of a tractor trailer. There were no passengers in the car.

Sgt. John Delaney said speed appears to have been a factor in the crash. It remains under investigation by the Springfield police Traffic Bureau and the Massachusetts State Police.

It occurred as a tractor trailer pulled out of a lot owned by "Dave's Truck Repair" and was making a left to go west on Cottage. The truck was heading toward Interstate 291, which is a short distance away on Page Boulevard, Delaney, public information officer for the department, said.

While it was turning, the Mercedes sedan, heading east on Cottage Street, slammed into the rear part of the trailer, becoming wedged underneath, he said.

Photos from the scene show the roof of the car was peeled back upon impact.

Delaney said there were no skid marks on the road, which would indicate the driver tried to stop.

Springfield firefighters had to use hydraulic equipment to lift the trailer off the car in order to get to the driver, according to Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant.

The driver of the truck was not injured.

Other new entries include microagression and safe space.

SPRINGFIELD -- Merriam-Webster has added the word Seussian -- meaning of or related to Springfield native son Dr. Seuss -- to its famous dictionary along with other neologisms like photobomb, humblebrag and prosopagnosia.

So if a man you just can't recognize pops his head into the frame as you take a family photo when the new Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum opens later this year at the Quadrangle, at least now you have words to describe the incident -- while casually mentioning your background in art history.

Because, of course, to photobomb is to intrude in photo, a humblebrag is self-aggrandizing statement cloaked in a casual reference and prosopagnosia is the inability to recognize faces.

These are just a few of the 1,000 new words Springfield-based Merriam-Webster has added to its dictionary, the company announced Tuesday.

But Suessian is the only entry to honor a fellow Springfield institution: Dr. Seuss in real life was Theodor Seuss Geisel, born in Springfield in 1904.

Geisel, who died in 1991, based much of his work on Springfield, from the red Indian Motocycles the police ride in his illustrations to the fanciful factories full of tubes and chutes that resemble the industrial Springfield of his youth.

Raising the question: Is Springfield Seussian, or is Seuss Springfieldian?

Merriam-Webster, which is 190 years old, is in the headlines now with its robust social media presence and penchant for publicizing words associated with the latest in politics, art and culture.

That is reflected in the list of new words, which includes "microaggression" -- meaning "a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group (such as a racial minority" -- and safe space, defined as "a place (as on a college campus) intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations."

To ghost now means to abruptly cut off all contact with a person -- such as a former romantic partner -- by no longer accepting or responding to phone calls, instant messages.

The other kind of ghosting might involve the new word woo-woo, defined as "dubiously or outlandishly mystical, supernatural, or unscientific."

If you don't like the new words, feel free "to express contempt or disrespect for someone publicly especially by subtle or indirect insults or criticisms" -- the definition for another new entry, throw shade.

With the U.S. Senate deadlocked in its vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary, Vice President Mike Pence used his tie-breaker authority Tuesday to officially approve President Donald Trump's controversial nominee.

With the U.S. Senate deadlocked in its vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary, Vice President Mike Pence used his tie-breaker authority Tuesday to officially approve President Donald Trump's controversial nominee.

Despite a reported flurry of opposition and phone calls to Senate offices, lawmakers voted 51 to 50 along party lines to add DeVos to Trump's cabinet.

Democrats, who led the charge against DeVos heading the U.S. Department of Education, picked up votes from Republican U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who broke with GOP leadership following vocal pushback from constituents.

The defections left the chamber at a 50-50 split, requiring Pence to weigh-in on confirmation.

Although vice presidents are given tie-breaker power when the Senate is split 50-50, Pence's deciding vote marked the first time in history one has used it to resolve a tie on a cabinet nomination, the New York Times reported.

The last tie-breaker vote occurred in March 2008 when then-Vice President Dick Cheney weighed in as Congress worked on a federal budget, according to the Secretary of the Senate. Ahead of Tuesday's confirmation, vice presidents had cast just 241 tie-breaking votes since 1789.

U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, opposed DeVos' confirmation.

Warren, who has been an outspoken critic of Trump's pick for education secretary, said last month she would vote against DeVos, arguing that "it is hard to imagine a less qualified or more dangerous person" for the position.

Elizabeth Warren: Betsy DeVos education secretary nomination 'not in the best interests of the young people of America'

Markey, in a Monday speech from the Senate floor, meanwhile, argued that DeVos does not believe in equal opportunity through education.

"I don't believe she is qualified to serve as Secretary of Education," he said.

The Massachusetts Democrat further tweeted his opposition to DeVos after casting his "no" vote on the Senate floor.

I voted NO on the nomination of Besty #Devos for Secretary of Education. #NoOnDevos https://t.co/S7qBS6ncdx

-- Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) February 7, 2017

Democratic National Committee Interim Chairwoman Donna Brazile contended that with DeVos' confirmation "Trump's swamp got a new billionaire."

"Millions of teachers, parents and students could not have made their opposition to Betsy Devos' confirmation any clearer - they do not want someone whose only education experience is dismantling public schools," she said in a statement chiding Republicans for not joining Democrats in opposition.

The Republican National Committee, however, argued that DeVos' leadership as education secretary "will bring success to America's students and schools."

Secretary @BetsyDeVos! Her leadership at @usedgov will bring success to America's students and schools. pic.twitter.com/ibdwXCHVnN

-- GOP (@GOP) February 7, 2017

RNC Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel also touted DeVos' confirmation.

"Welcome Secretary @BetsyDeVos --thrilled to have such great leadership for our schools. Great choice, President @realDonaldTrump!" she tweeted.

Welcome Secretary @BetsyDeVos --thrilled to have such great leadership for our schools. Great choice, President @realDonaldTrump! pic.twitter.com/C9gZ55Ygkk

-- Ronna RomneyMcDaniel (@RRMGOP) February 7, 2017

Trump announced his intent to nominate DeVos, the chairwoman of privately held investment and management firm the Windquest Group, to serve as his administration's Department of Education secretary in late November. 

He called DeVos a "brilliant and passionate education advocate," adding that "under her leadership we will reform the U.S. education system and break the bureaucracy that is holding our children back so that we can deliver world-class education and school choice to all families."

DeVos, a four-time chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party, serves as the chairwoman of the American Federation for Children.

State Police on Monday night arrested a man wanted for the fatal stabbing of two New Hampshire women after learning that he was at a medical facility in Lawrence.

State Police on Monday night arrested a man wanted for the fatal stabbing of two New Hampshire women after learning that he was at a medical facility in Lawrence.

Timothy Verrill, 34, of Dover, New Hampshire, was wanted in the deaths of Christine Sullivan and Jenna Pellegrini, who were discovered dead at 979 Meaderboro Road in Farmington on Jan. 29. Police responded to an emergency call to the address at 3 a.m.

The New Hampshire Attorney General's office said Sullivan, 48, was stabbed multiple times and hit in the head with a blunt object. Pellegrini, 32, was also stabbed multiple times.

Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas A. Andrew determined that the manner of both deaths was homicide, according to the office of New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph A. Foster.

Troopers from the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section obtained an arrest warrant from Lawrence District Court for Verrill after learning he was at a medical facility in Lawrence.

The State Police Detective Unit for Essex County and Lawrence Police assisted with the arrest, State Police said.

Verrill is being charged with two counts of second-degree murder, the attorney general's office said. He is being held and will return to New Hampshire to face charges.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the victims in the days leading up to their deaths or regarding the facts or circumstances of the murders is asked to call Sgt. Brian Strong of the New Hampshire State Police at 603-223-4381.

Massachusetts State Police will not release any further information.

The crash occurred near exit 1, in Seekonk. Two westbound lanes have been closed.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is warning drivers of a rollover crash on Interstate 195 westbound.

The crash occurred near exit 1, in Seekonk. Two westbound lanes have been closed. 

Accidents have occurred across the state due to a minor snow storm that hit parts of the state earlier in the morning. Snow and ice accumulation have complicated morning and afternoon commutes. 

MassDOT did not specify what vehicles were involved. This story will be updated when more information is available.

#MAtraffic Alert: Seekonk, I-195 WB, west of exit 1, rollover. 2 lanes closed.

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

Stay updated with breaking traffic news by signing up for MassLive.com text alerts.

The crash occurred near exit 1, in Seekonk. Two westbound lanes have been closed.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is warning drivers of a rollover crash on Interstate 195 westbound.

The crash occurred near exit 1, in Seekonk. Two westbound lanes have been closed. 

Accidents have occurred across the state due to a minor snow storm that hit parts of the state earlier in the morning. Snow and ice accumulation have complicated morning and afternoon commutes. 

MassDOT did not specify what vehicles were involved. This story will be updated when more information is available.

#MAtraffic Alert: Seekonk, I-195 WB, west of exit 1, rollover. 2 lanes closed.

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

Stay updated with breaking traffic news by signing up for MassLive.com text alerts.

Devin Roman of Chicopee was arrested shortly after shooting another man after the end of the March 19 St. Patrick's Road Race in Holyoke.

SPRINGFIELD -- A Chicopee man who pleaded guilty last week to a March 2016 shooting in downtown Holyoke was sentenced Monday to 10 to 12 years in state prison.

Devin Roman, 20, admitted firing three shots into his victim's back and two into the man's left elbow. The victim was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

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 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.

Schmidt asked Hampden Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ford to sentence Roman to 14 to 15 years in state prison.

Roman expressed happiness and pride after his arrest, according to Schmidt. He told Holyoke police, in a profanity-laced statement, that the victim "deserved to die" and he was "glad" he shot him.

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

Roman pleaded guilty to 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 during a foot chase, 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. According to police, Roman yelled, "It's a .25, (expletive)!"

A bystander told police Roman had thrown something in the back of a truck. Police searched the vehicle and recovered the gun. 

President Trump hit the links months before former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush did, according to a Politico report.

President Trump hit the links months before former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush did, according to a Politico report, despite Trump previously criticizing his predecessor for taking to the green.

Obama's inaugural golf outing as president came four months into his first term while Bush waited nearly six months before breaking out his clubs.

Trump, meanwhile, took less than a month. The commander-in-chief spent eight hours at the Trump International Golf Club on Saturday and Sunday during his first vacation as president to his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida. 

Next weekend the new president plans to play again, with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

A recent issue of Golf Digest featured a photograph of Trump on the cover over the moniker "Golfer in Chief."

The vacation, and golf outing, drew remarks from some because Trump was prolific in his criticism of Obama for doing the same things as president.

Can you believe that, with all of the problems and facing the U.S., President Obama spent the day playing golf.Worse than Carter

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 2014

Bush, meanwhile, encouraged presidents to engage in such outings and defended Obama, Politico notes.

Protecting Planned Parenthood from defunding and reproductive healthcare as a whole are just a couple of points that will be covered this weekend at the "Our Bodies, Our Justice" rally in downtown Springfield.

With an aim of protecting Planned Parenthood from potential federal de-funding and protecting reproductive healthcare as a whole, a group plans to hold a demonstration this weekend at a "Our Bodies, Our Justice" rally in downtown Springfield.

The rally, which is set for Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m. at City Hall, is in response to the GOP-controlled White House and Congress taking aim at Planned Parenthood. The group says it wants to raise awareness about reproductive health care and how limited access would be harmful to families in communities that rely on organizations like Planned Parenthood.

"This is a critical issue for communities of color in Hampden County," said Jossie Valentin, Ward 4 representative on the Holyoke City Council, in a press release. "Racism and poverty have significant effects on health outcomes and do huge damage to our communities. We must address the causes of health disparities in our communities while securing access to much-needed healthcare."

Valentin will serve as one of the rally's guest speakers along with State Rep. Aaron Vega, D-Holyoke, WEIB Radio Host Reverend Alysia Cutting, and others who will address various issues that regarding "reproductive justice" and access to healthcare services.

"We can't tolerate the loss of reproductive healthcare resources like Planned Parenthood," Valentin continued. "We can't stand for a Supreme Court nominee who would allow discrimination and overturn Roe v. Wade. We know who will suffer if these things happen: poor people, people of color, and queer people. This is why we are coming together for 'Our Bodies, Our Justice'!"

Along with guest speakers, the rally will also include live performances and music. The demonstration comes on the heels of the national March for Life and the Springfield Mini March for Life, where women came together to stand against abortions.

"Our Bodies, Our Justice" is sponsored by community and social justice organizations including the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, Western Massachusetts Nursing Students for Sexual and Reproductive Health, GLAD, the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice, the American Friends Service Committee of Western Mass., Arise for Social Justice, the Abortion Fund of Western Massachusetts, the International Socialist Organization, 413 Action, the Western Massachusetts Health Equity Network and the Pioneer Valley Women's March.

"In today's political climate, Massachusetts can and must serve as a national leader in defending and improving access to sexual and reproductive health care for women and families across the state," said Jennifer Childs-Roshak, president of the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, in a press release.

Around 20 rabbis blocked traffic near Trump Tower after hundreds marched from a nearby synagogue to express solidarity with refugees and immigrants.

A Northampton rabbi was one of around 20 Jewish spiritual leaders arrested in New York City Monday night after blocking traffic to protest President Trump's executive order that banned travel to the United States from seven majority-Muslim nations.

Rabbi Justin David is leader of Congregation B'nai Israel at 235 Prospect Street.

"It's 1:30 am and we were just released," David posted to Facebook early this morning. "So glad this action could gain this attention and hopefully inspire all of us to find our part in the ongoing work."

Around 20 rabbis were arrested on disorderly conduct charges after blocking traffic in front of Trump International Hotel and Tower in Manhattan. Earlier, hundreds had marched from a synagogue on the Upper West Side, said Rabbi Riqi Kosovske of Northampton, who participated in the action.

"We were three or four blocks long," she said. "It was joyous and prayerful. Our Jewish teaching is all about standing by our neighbors when they are in trouble, and not standing idly by."

Kosovske, rabbi of the Florence-based Beit Ahavah congregation, said the group marched down Broadway singing Jewish and Hebrew songs about "strength, peace, freedom, love, and redemption." Along the way, people joined the march and stepped out from shops and restaurants to express their support, she said.

Outside Trump Tower, leaders delivered speeches and prayers. She said the direct action was planned in advance, conducted peacefully, and that police were respectful.

Jewish people "know what it's like to be turned away from the border of this country," she said, and referred to the 1939 voyage of the St. Louis, a German ocean liner carrying more than 900 Jews fleeing the Third Reich. The ship was not allowed to land in Miami, and its passengers were forced to return to Europe.

"Many of those passengers were then murdered," Kosovske said.

Monday night's action was part of a three-day national conference sponsored by the rabbinical group T'ruah. The rabbis, following an earlier prayer service, began their walk to Columbus Circle, accompanied by a police escort.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, executive director of T'ruah, told the New York Times the protest was meant to show that many Jews oppose Trump's actions concerning Muslims.

"We remember our history, and we remember that the borders of this country closed to us in 1924 with very catastrophic consequences during the Holocaust," Jacobs said. "We know that some of the language that's being used now to stop Muslims from coming in is the same language that was used to stop Jewish refugees from coming."

Three Northampton rabbis took part in the action: David, Kosovske, and David Seidenberg, a scholar and activist. 

Seidenberg said it was powerful to convene with rabbis from around the country.

"We're going to stand up and fight. We're going to be there for each other," he said. "We're part of a fellowship that is deeply and spiritually committed to justice."

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com

The West Springfield Town Council voted Monday to amend the expiration date for the town's moratorium on recreational marijuana facilities to reflect changes in the state's timetable for allowing retail sales of the drug.

WEST SPRINGFIELD -- The West Springfield Town Council voted Monday to amend the expiration date for the town's moratorium on recreational marijuana facilities to reflect changes in the state's timetable for permitting retail sales of the drug.

Over 53 percent of Massachusetts voters approved a statewide ballot initiative in November that allows adults 21 and over to possess and use limited amounts of pot and grow up to a dozen plants in their homes. The new law, which took effect Dec. 15, allows marijuana to be sold commercially, but state lawmakers voted to delay retail sales until July 1, 2018.

In West Springfield, the moratorium runs through Dec. 31, 2018, which is six months longer than the state's temporary ban on retail pot.

"In this circumstance, the state actually extended their moratorium so (it) expires in July 2018. Ours, I'm asking, would expire in December 2018," Reichelt said during Monday's public hearing on the amendment. There was no opposition to the amendment, which was unanimously approved by the council.

"It allows us to see what the state actually gives us for rules and regulations, and kind of tells us what our authority is going to be and how we're going to be able to zone," Reichelt said. "This should give us enough time to see what the state comes out with then see how we're going to implement it here."

The town can always extend or roll back its moratorium, according to the mayor.

Massachusetts lawmakers pushed through the six-month delay in late December, saying they needed more time to tinker with the voter-approved marijuana measure. A state Cannabis Control Commission, expected to be in place by Sept. 1, will have sole supervision and regulatory authority over marijuana establishments.

South Hadley Town Meeting voters rejected an article on last month's warrant that sought to ban the use of carryout plastic bags used by retail establishments.

SOUTH HADLEY -- The Selectboard at Tuesday's meeting will discuss whether to place a question on April's election ballot asking citizens to decide if they want to enact a ban on plastic bags in town.

South Hadley Town Meeting voters rejected an article on last month's warrant that sought to ban the use of carryout plastic bags used by retail establishments.

The article proposed banning the use of plastic bags, including "common retail plastic bags with die-cut handles." It would not have barred biodegradable bags, re-usable bags or "small item bags."

"The Town seeks to reduce the number of plastic bags that are being used, discarded and littered, and to promote the use of reusable checkout bags by retail establishments," an attachment to the proposal said.

Town Meeting defeated the measure by a vote of 52 to 39.

The Feb. 7 Selectboard meeting at Town Hall, 116 Main St., begins at 7 p.m.

Agenda - February 7 2017 by The Republican/MassLive.com on Scribd

Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts anticipates the arrival this week of several refugee families.

SPRINGFIELD - Several refugee families are expected to arrive here this week after a federal judge temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's executive order closing America's borders to seven predominately Muslim countries.

Maxine SteinRepublican file 

"We are expecting several families by the end of the week. They are from Bhutan and Eritrea. They will be settled in the Springfield area," said Maxine Stein, president and chief executive officer of Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts.

JFS was able to settle refugee families from Iraq and the Congo in Springfield, just days before Trump's order, as well as a family from Somalia earlier in January.

Federal Judge James Robart of Federal District Court for the Western District of Washington blocked enforcement of the executive order's 90-day admission ban on citizens of seven countries, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, as well as its ban on the entrance of refugees for four months, and Syrian refugees indefinitely. Robart's ruling also prohibits "any action that prioritizes the refugee claims of certain religious minorities."

Trump had indicated that when his order's 90-day ban ended Christian refugees from the restricted countries would be given priority because they have suffered "more so than others."

In his ruling, Robart found no support for the government's argument that the U.S. be protected from individuals from the seven banned countries.

The Justice Department has asked the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, to reinstate the executive order and oral arguments are set for this afternoon.

Stein, whose agency last year settled more than 240 refugees in the area, said "the lifting of the current ban gives us some hope."

"We are still concerned about the overall number allowed in the country - reduced to 50,000," she added, however, in, a reference to the fact that the Trump administration plans to slash the country's refugee quota from 110,000 for fiscal year 2017 to 50,000.

Last year, some 1,734 refugees were resettled in Massachusetts, according to the state Office of Refugees and Immigrants

Despite the U.S. Senate's historic tie-breaker vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary on Tuesday, members of Massachusetts' congressional delegation continued to question her qualifications and raise concerns about her potential impact on the U.S. Department of Education.

Despite the U.S. Senate's historic tie-breaker vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary on Tuesday, members of Massachusetts' congressional delegation continued to question her qualifications and raise concerns about her potential impact on the U.S. Department of Education.

As U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, cast ballots opposing DeVos' confirmation, a handful of the state's congressmen -- who do not officially weigh-in on cabinet nominees -- took issue with the 50-50 Senate split, which Vice President Mike Pence broke with a historic vote in support of President Donald Trump's pick.

Vice President Mike Pence casts deciding vote as Senate confirms Betsy DeVos as education secretary

Markey, in announcing his "no" vote on DeVos' confirmation, pointed to a Monday floor speech in which he called her "one of the most dangerous nominees in President Trump's cabinet."

Touting Massachusetts' top national education rankings, Markey said the success of the state's public charter schools is due largely to strong accountability measures and oversight -- something he said DeVos opposes.

"Betsy DeVos wants charter schools to have less accountability and has fought to keep charter schools unregulated across Michigan," he said. "When the Michigan legislature introduced a bipartisan bill that would've expanded oversight of charter schools, Betsy DeVos stepped in, she and her family donated $1.45 million to state legislators in order to strip the helpful oversight, accountability language out of the bill."

The Massachusetts Democrat, who contended that DeVos has also pushed for voucher programs that use taxpayer money to pay for a child's private school tuition, stressed that the education secretary must fight for all children, not promote companies "seeking to profit off the backs of our students."

"If Besty DeVos is allowed to expand her school choice policies across the United States, it would be devastating for our students and for the future of our country," he said. "Her ideas are too extreme, they will not work for our students or for school districts in our nation."

I voted NO on the nomination of Besty #Devos for Secretary of Education. #NoOnDevos https://t.co/S7qBS6ncdx

-- Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) February 7, 2017

Warren, who previously argued that it is hard to imagine a "less qualified or more dangerous person" for education secretary, also spoke out against DeVos' confirmation on the Senate floor Monday.

Contending that "this whole process stinks," the Massachusetts senator accused Republicans of "ram(ming) this nomination down the throats of the American people sideways."

"With at least 50 senators, Democrats, Republicans and independents, publicly opposed to this nomination, the Republican leadership has rigged the vote so that Sen. (Jeff) Sessions can drag her across the finish line just before he is confirmed as attorney general," she said. "Why is Sen. Sessions even voting on this nomination? It is a massive conflict of interest." 

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, who has been an vocal critic of DeVos, meanwhile, continued to question her qualifications for education secretary, pointing to Republican U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who broke with GOP leadership to vote against her confirmation.

"#DeVos is so unqualified 2 GOP senators crossed party lines & refused to vote for her. Very embarrassing for Trump," he tweeted following the Senate's afternoon confirmation vote.

Contending that "millions of Americans helped Democrats fight back against" DeVos, McGovern further took issue with remarks she reportedly has made about public education.

"#DeVos never attended a public school and never sent her kids to a public school, but she had the nerve to call public schools a dead end," he posted on Twitter. "#DeVos gave MILLIONS to GOP and today she proved you can buy a @WhiteHouse cabinet seat. This should outrage every American."

#DeVos never attended a public school and never sent her kids to a public school, but she had the nerve to call public schools a dead end. https://t.co/xO8nWvhI8m

-- Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) February 7, 2017

Congressman Joe Kennedy III, D-Brookline, also spoke out against DeVos' confirmation, calling her an "unqualified education secretary."

"(The) future of our students is too important to jeopardize on an unqualified education secretary. Now we must hold her accountable. #NoOnDeVos," he tweeted shortly after the Senate's vote.

Future of our students is too important to jeopardize on an unqualified Education Secretary. Now we must hold her accountable. #NoOnDeVos

-- Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) February 7, 2017

U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-South Boston, meanwhile, took issue with Trump's cabinet nominees as a whole, contending that "all of us have a duty to our constituents to hold accountable President Trump's choices to lead the executive branch."

"Trump's cabinet is filled with wealthy Wall Street insiders that have financial stakes in the industries they are meant to be regulating. It's atrocious that a president who has promised to drain the swamp would rely so much on Goldman Sachs," he wrote in a series of Tuesday tweets. "Are we expanding the swamp instead?"

It's atrocious that a President who has promised to drain the swamp would rely so much on Goldman Sachs. Are we expanding the swamp instead?

-- Rep. Stephen Lynch (@RepStephenLynch) February 7, 2017

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has a new book coming out this spring, one that continues her battle for progressive economics.

NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has a new book coming out this spring, one that continues her battle for progressive economics.

Warren's "This Fight Is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America's Middle Class" will be published April 18, Henry Holt and Co. told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

"This Fight Is Our Fight" will be released through Holt's Metropolitan Books imprint. It will offer a mini-history of the American middle class, from the New Deal of the 1930s to what the publisher calls President Donald Trump's "phony promises" that endanger it now.

It will also include "candid accounts of her battles in the Senate, vivid stories about her life and work, and powerful descriptions of the experiences of working Americans," along with a plan for advancing progressive goals.

"Washington works great for the rich and powerful who can hire armies of lawyers and lobbyists, but it is not working very well for everyone else," Warren, who began the book well before Trump's election, said in a statement. "America's once-solid middle class is on the ropes, and now Donald Trump and his administration seem determined to deliver the knockout punch. At this perilous moment in our country's history, it's time to fight back -- and I'm looking for more people to join me."

Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts and prominent liberal voice in the Senate, has written 10 previous books.

Her 2014 release, "A Fighting Chance," was a best-seller.

For her new book, she was represented by Washington attorney Robert Barnett, whose other clients include former President Barack Obama and Warren's colleague Sen. Al Franken, who has a memoir coming out in May. Warren will donate a portion of her author proceeds to a handful of food banks based in Massachusetts, including The Greater Boston Food Bank and the Merrimack Valley Food Bank.

Police say the driver hit a tree on West Street early Sunday, drove away and then attempted to have his pickup truck towed away without contacting police.

HADLEY -- A motorist who hit a tree on West Street early Sunday and then drove away left behind a key piece of evidence - a hunk of his front bumper with the license plate still attached, police said.

Police learned of the accident, which occurred shortly before 4 a.m., when a local tow truck operator reported that a driver had summoned him to Hadley Elementary School to tow away his pickup truck, Sgt. Mitch Kuc said.

When the tow truck operator got to the school, he saw that the pickup had clearly had been in a crash and sustained heavy front-end damage, Kuc said.

When the tow truck operator told the motorist that he could not tow the pickup away until the crash was reported to police, the latter opted to leave the scene and drove home, Kuc said.

Investigating police found evidence that the crash had occurred in the area of 32 West St. They found debris, including a section of the front bumper with the license plate still attached.

Police, searching the state Registry of Motor Vehicles database, tracked the pickup, a 2007 Toyota Tacoma, to the owner's home.

Kuc, speaking Tuesday afternoon, said police have yet to contact the owner. Evidence suggests, however, that the owner had been behind the wheel at the time of the crash, he said,

The owner most-likely faces charges of leaving the scene of a property damage accident, negligent operation and marked lanes violation.

Police posted an item regarding the accident on the department's Facebook page.

Kuc said it's not all that unusual to find a license plate that has been left behind at the scene of a hit-and-run crash. "We have had that before," he said. "It certainly is a welcome clue when we find them."

The tree sustained heavy damage as well and may have to be cut down, Kuc said.

Rabbis blocked a roadway in Manhattan to show that many Jews oppose President Donald J. Trump's travel ban targeting Muslim-majority countries.

NORTHAMPTON -- Rabbi Justin David of Congregation B'nai Israel said today that he and 18 other rabbis must appear before a New York City judge on April 4 to answer to disorderly conduct charges.

David was among a group of rabbis arrested Monday night after blocking traffic outside Trump International Hotel and Tower in Manhattan. The arrests took place after hundreds of rabbis and others marched from a synagogue on the Upper West Side to show Jewish solidarity with Muslim immigrants and refugees.

The march was organized by the rabbinical group T'ruah in response to President Donald J. Trump's executive order banning travel into the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries.

Shortly after 8 p.m., the 19 rabbis walked onto the roadway across from Trump Tower and sat down, David said. They were arrested around 8:20 p.m. and transported to a police precinct station in northern Manhattan, where they were held until around 1:15 a.m.

He said members of the group were released, issued bench tickets, and told to return for their court date.

The sit-in, certain to result in arrests, had been planned in advance by T'ruah, a coalition of rabbis and cantors that pledge support for human rights in North America, Israel, and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Before setting out Monday night, the rabbis, both men and women, gathered in prayer at B'nai Jeshruan, a synagogue on 88th St. The march down Broadway was protected by a police escort, and police were aware of the group's plans.

David said that weeks ago, he was asked by T'ruah if he would be willing to be arrested. Instead of making the decision himself, he put the question to his congregation. He said that one by one, members of B'nai Israel stepped forward to voice support and encouragement.

"I didn't do this simply because I wanted to," David said. "I did it as a conduit for others."

Asked what motivated him, David said that America is a nation built by immigrants, and that welcoming refugees who have no other place to go "must be part of the American experience."

He said Trump's travel ban represents a "gross violation of American values and an assault on existential Jewish identity," and that the marginalization of Muslims is "irrational, immoral, and incredibly destructive."

David added that despite years of headlines about Israel and Palestine, Jews and Muslims have historically had a warm and creative relationship. He said that the two groups have much in common, including the experience of trying to create new lives in America.

"So many Jewish families need only look back one or two generations to find refugees and immigrants, who did not always arrive under the best of circumstances," he said.

Also present at Monday's march in New York were Northampton rabbis Riqi Kosovske and David Seidenberg. Kosovske, leader of Beit Ahava synagogue in Florence, said Jewish teaching "is all about standing by our neighbors when they are in trouble, and not standing idly by."

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com.

Beacon Communities is proposing to build 26 affordable housing units as part of the $47.5 million project called North Square.

AMHERST -- The developer of a 130-unit mixed retail project received Zoning Board of Appeals approval and tax incentive commitment from the town on the same day -- Monday

Beacon Communities is proposing to build 26 affordable housing units as part of the $47.5 million project called North Square.

The ZBA attached 130 conditions to the project, details of which were not immediately available, but the number of units will remain what was proposed despite some neighbors asking that the project size be reduced. 

"We felt it was fair, reasonable," Dara Kovel, president of Beacon, said of the ZBA approval process. "We're very happy that it was approved."

"I think the ZBA had an incredibly thorough and careful process, listening to a lot of public comment," said Town Manager Paul Bockelman.

He said the board incorporated neighborhood concerns into the conditions, and those conditions "are getting locked in."

Besides housing, the project includes 22,000 square feet of retail space.  

The town agreed to the Beacon tax incentive request, allowing Beacon to pay reduced taxes of $140,302 in the first year and increase payments incrementally until full taxes of $499,000 are paid in Year 11.

The site is generating about $10,000 in taxes now, according to the developers. The overall tax benefit to Beacon would be $2.7 million.

Bockelman said the tax incentive won't cost the town money, but means lower tax revenue from the project for 10 years.

The project would not be built without the incentive, Kovel has said.

Kovel said the next step is to apply for federal and state tax credits. The application is due Feb. 16, and she expects to hear whether Beacon's request is successful in the spring.

If the project succeeds in obtaining federal and state tax credits, developers would break ground in the fall, with construction taking about 18 months, Kovel said. 

The ZBA expects to file its ruling in writing either later this week or next, Senior Planner Brandon Toponce said in an email. Once that happens, opponents have 20 days in which to file an appeal.

Kovel said "we will proceed regardless if there's an appeal or not. We feel we have a very solid project."

There were seven ZBA hearings, plus developers met with neighbors in dozens of meetings, Kovel said.  

"We don't really see a basis for appeal," she said.

W.D. Cowls Inc., which signed a preliminary agreement with Beacon, owns the planned first-floor commercial space and is looking for tenants, said Cinda Jones, Cowls president and Mill District Developer.

In an email, she wrote that Cowls is pre-leasing the space and looking for businesses such as a yoga or nail salon or a fitness club type of business.

Massachusetts officials hired a private contractor to provide clinical services at the hospital, a move away from using correctional officers.

BOSTON -- Gov. Charlie Baker's administration is taking the first steps toward improving care for mentally ill individuals housed at Bridgewater State Hospital.

State officials said Tuesday that they had entered into a contract with the private company Correct Care Solutions, which offers health care in state psychiatric hospitals and prisons, to provide clinical services at Bridgewater.

The state is also moving to separate inmates who have received state prison sentences from those who are civilly committed or awaiting trial.

"Our administration is confident that this new contract will bring about the culture change needed to deliver an entirely new level of care," Baker said in a statement.

Advocates for people with mental illness have long complained about the conditions at the state hospital, which they say is more of a prison than a treatment center. A report released in June blamed the facility for the suicide of an inmate.

Until now, the hospital was run by the Department of Corrections, and advocates for people with mental illness have been pushing to have Bridgewater run by mental health professionals instead.

Baker announced in his recent State of the Commonwealth address that he would implement reforms to the way Bridgewater State Hospital is run.

In his state budget, he asked for an additional $37 million to be steered toward clinical services at the hospital. The total spending increase would be $22 million, because some corrections officers currently at Bridgewater will be moved elsewhere. 

Under Baker's plan, inmates who have already been sentenced will be transferred to a special unit at a facility next to the Bridgewater complex. This will reduce the number of patients at Bridgewater State Hospital.

Clinical care in both buildings will no longer be provided by correctional staff, but by Correct Care Solutions. The organization has reduced the use of seclusion and restraints at other facilities where it has worked in the past, and that will be a goal here. Department of Correction staff will provide security at the unit for sentenced inmates, as well as on the perimeter of the correctional and hospital facilities, but they will have limited contact with patients.

Each patient will get an individualized treatment plan when they arrive in the facility. There will be expanded collaboration with the Department of Mental Health, although the contract will remain under the Department of Correction.