Trump suggested Massachusetts voters were illegally bused to New Hampshire to vote. Watch video

BOSTON -- Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday declined to comment on allegations made by President Donald Trump that Massachusetts voters were illegally bused to New Hampshire to vote.

"I certainly don't know much about what goes on in New Hampshire, so I'm really not in a position to speak to that one," Baker said. "Obviously, if people have concerns up there, I'm sure there's a process for redress you can pursue to determine if in fact there were any issues."

Trump has provided no evidence to back up his claims of voter fraud in New Hampshire, and New Hampshire officials have said they have seen no indication of large-scale fraud.

A reporter at the Statehouse on Monday also asked Baker if he supports allowing same-day voter registration, which New Hampshire offers and Massachusetts does not. Baker said he does not support it. "I think it's a really difficult task for a lot of our smaller communities to manage," Baker said.

Reports emerged over the weekend of raids by federal immigration officials in several major cities, which the Trump administration said were routine sweeps to catch criminals who were in the country illegally.

Baker said he was not aware of any raids in Massachusetts.

At around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8, paramedics and police officers responded to a report of a man lying unconscious on the sidewalk outside 591 High St.

HOLYOKE - Three brothers are charged with severely injuring a man they allegedly robbed last week on High Street, and investigators are treating the case as a major felony.

At around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 8, paramedics and police officers responded to a report of a man lying unconscious on the sidewalk outside 591 High St.

He was transported to Holyoke Medical Center because his condition was believed to be related to a medical issue. He was later taken to Baystate Medical Center "for a serious injury which was not apparent at the scene," said Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni's office in a news release on Monday.

The three suspects are: Julian Rivera, 22, of Holyoke; Roberto Rivera, 31, of Holyoke; and Edwin Rivera, 32, of Marshill, N.C. They were arrested on Saturday at an apartment at 123 Cabot St.

Each is charged with assault and battery causing serious bodily injury, and unarmed robbery. Edwin Rivera faces an additional count of intimidating a witness.

All three are held at the Holyoke Police Department on $25,000 cash bail.

Gulluni thanked Holyoke and state police "for their quick action and hard work that led to these arrests."

"I and my office's Murder and Major Felonies Unit are working together with detectives towards a successful prosecution and justice for the victim," he added.

A superintendent's report says capital costs of $1.2 million would be needed to keep the building functioning.

PALMER -- A public forum to discuss a plan to close Converse Middle School has been rescheduled to Wednesday night after it was postponed due to last week's snowstorm.

Palmer School Superintendent Patricia Gardner said the Feb. 15 meeting at the high school auditorium will begin at 6:30 p.m.

"Considering the high costs and the impact on the school budget, a proposal was presented to close Converse Middle School and move the sixth grade to Old Mill Pond Elementary School and the seventh grade to Palmer High School," a report Gardner recently provided to the school board states.

The report says capital costs of $1.2 million would be needed to keep the building functioning. It says declining enrollment within the entire Palmer school district means Converse students could be relocated to another building.

Voters in Holyoke, Massachusetts could have a say with a nonbinding ballot question on whether School Committee members should continue receiving stipends since a state-appointed receiver has stripped them of authority, an official said on Monday, Feb. 13, 2017.

HOLYOKE -- Voters would get a say in whether School Committee members should continue receiving stipends, since the presence of a state-appointed receiver has stripped them of authority, with a proposal for a Nov. 7 election ballot question.

"Basically, my first order never made out of committee, so I decided to ... put it out to the voters at the municipal election this Nov. 7, 2017. It's a lot of money, $45,000 a year, and who knows how long the receiver will be in charge of the schools," Councilor at Large Diosdado Lopez said Monday.

School Committee members get a yearly stipend of $5,000 each. The School Committee has 10 members, including the mayor, who is chairman but doesn't receive the stipend. 

The $45,000 the city pays to the Sc hool Committee, which has no decision-making power, is on top of the $185,000 paid in yearly salary to receiver Stephen K. Zrike, Lopez said.

City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain said that halting the School Committee stipends would require an ordinance change, not a simple deletion of funding, which would make the election ballot question nonbinding.

The ordinance states that School Committee members each be paid half of the $10,000 a year that each of the 15 members of the City Council receives.

The City Council will consider Lopez' proposal for a ballot question on Feb. 21.

The council reluctantly referred a proposal from Lopez in May to freeze the stipends to its Ordinance Committee, where it has received little if any attention.

Proposal to end Holyoke School Committee members' pay criticized but kept alive with committee referral

Zrike, formerly superintendent of schools in Wakefield, took charge of the Holyoke public schools July 6, 2015 with complete authority over hiring, firing and policy decisions in the public schools.

The extraordinary step came after the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education placed the Holyoke school system in receivership on April 28, 2015. That was because students' academic abilities -- reading and writing English, math and science skills -- barely improved despite years of warnings in a plight categorized by the state as chronically under-performing.

The receiver supplanted the Holyoke school superintendent, Sergio Paez, whose exit was negotiated, and the School Committee.

Devin M. Sheehan, School Committee vice chairman, on Monday reiterated remarks he made in May when Lopez proposed the stipend freeze, that the committee has continued its same level of work and held the same schedule of meetings, albeit without voting authority on policy decisions.

"The work is still the same level of work," Sheehan said.

School Committee members continue to hold meetings and participate in the redesigning of middle and secondary schools and on the relocation of school administrative offices and other issues, he said.

"They're involving the School Committee in all of this, so there's sustainability" once the receiver is gone, he said, adding, "And I'm not doing this for a paycheck. I do it because I like it and I want to serve the community."

After the City Council referred Lopez' order to committee in May, the School Committee provided the council with the information it requested regarding School Committee meeting minutes and attendance records, he said.

"We're prepared to talk to the Council. This is sitting in Ordinance....I mean, have a discussion with us," Sheehan said.

Zrike said in May his understanding was that he lacks authority over whether School Committee members' stipends should continue.

Besides the mayor, two at large members and one representative from each of the seven voting wards round out the School Committee.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and some of the state's top law enforcement officials on Monday honored the troopers and Somerville detectives who worked to capture James Morales, who escaped from a Rhode Island detention facility. Watch video

BOSTON - Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and some of the state's top law enforcement officials on Monday honored the troopers and Somerville detectives who worked to capture James Morales, who escaped from a Rhode Island detention facility.

They apprehended him on Jan. 5, days after he fled and soon after two attempts at a bank robbery. He took the four of them - State Police Troopers Joseph Merrick and Brendan Cain, and Somerville Police Detectives Kilsarys Leguisamon and Derrick Dottin -- on a chase through Somerville.

Baker called Morales' December 2016 escape a "cause of significant concern for people around the region."

A former Army reservist, Morales was in the Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island on charges that he stole 16 weapons from the Stoddard US Army Reserve Center armory in Worcester in November 2015.

'No fight left in him': State troopers who caught escaped inmate James Morales tell how it happened

"And the process through which they apprehended him was a wonderful example of collaboration and cooperation between local police department folks and two state troopers, and the chase that took place to actually capture him I think is just a great story," Baker told reporters after the ceremony honoring the Somerville detectives and state troopers.

"We do this every day," Merrick said. "It's nice to get recognized."

"We were at the end of our day," when the call came in, Dottin said. "Just goes to show you sometimes your day never ends."

Timeline of James Morales' days on the run

Obituaries from The Republican.

At issue is acreage at 53 Wilbraham Road, whose owners have been getting a tax break, and now want to convert the use to a commercial entity.

MONSON -- Selectmen at Tuesday's meeting will be asked to purchase Wilbraham Road farmland at the request of a group of citizens led by Jessica Allen, who will present the board with a petition.

At issue is acreage at 53 Wilbraham Road. The property owners have been getting a tax break, and now want to convert the use of their property to a commercial entity — a 2-megawatt solar farm within a 12-acre footprint.

The solar farm proposal has been controversial.

The Planning Board unanimously approved the project, allowing construction of the 2-megawatt solar farm, in December following months of deliberations. ZPT Energy Solutions, LLC said it will construct 7,625 solar arrays at the site.

The tax break has been contingent on the land remaining in agricultural-related use, according to the state's Chapter 61A program.

[enhanced link]

The conversion to a commercial use means Monson selectmen have the right of "first refusal," and therefore the option to purchase the land, the petition says.

According to Allen, the petition to selectmen will have about 100 signatures.

"We, the undersigned residents of Monson, understand that the Town of Monson has the first right to exercise its desire to purchase the 22.1 acres of 61A forest land included for proposed use in a 2-megawatt commercial solar project on 53 Wilbraham Road, a rural residential zone. We, the undersigned, respectfully request that that you give fair deliberation to this opportunity," a copy of the petition provided to The Republican says.

"As you are aware, we townspeople of Monson do not want commercial solar in our residential neighborhoods. In 2016, over 200 townspeople signed a petition to move forward a bylaw that restricts large solar farms to industrial and commercial districts. At an unusually highly attended Aug. 22 Special Town Meeting, this bylaw was voted in by an overwhelming 181 to 30 vote. It passed review by the Attorney General's office late last year and exists as a current bylaw."

The Feb. 14 Monson selectmen's meeting at the municipal building, 110 Main St., begins at 7 p.m.

The map below shows the approximate location of the proposed solar farm:

Monson Selectmen Agenda Feb. 14, 2017 by The Republican/MassLive.com on Scribd

The Holyoke, Massachusetts Historical Commission will hold a public hearing on March 7, 2017 on a proposal from the Roman Catholic Diocese's request to demolish the closed Mater Dolorosa Church at Maple and Lyman streets.

HOLYOKE -- A public hearing will be held on March 7 regarding a request to demolish the closed, 116-year-old Mater Dolorosa Church at Maple and Lyman streets, the Historical Commission decided on Monday.

The hearing will be held at 6:30 p.m. but the location has yet to be determined, though the Senior Center on Pine Street was a possibility, the commission said.

The decision came after Building Commission Damian J. Cote rejected a request for an emergency demolition of the church and nearby rectory from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, which owns the properties.

An engineer hired by the Diocese had recommended emergency demolition in a Jan. 24 report for public safety reasons because pieces of the steeple have been breaking off and falling to the ground.

But Cote and others have said it was false to say that a compelling need exists to take down the church.

A story with additional detail will be published on the Historical Commission meeting later this week.

A male suspect entered the bank at around 3:30 p.m. and passed a note to a teller demanding money. No weapon was shown.

GREAT BARRINGTON - Police are investigating a Monday afternoon robbery at the Salisbury Bank branch on Main Street.

A male suspect entered the bank at around 3:30 p.m. and passed a note to a teller demanding money. No weapon was shown.

He fled southbound down Route 7 with an undisclosed amount of cash, police said. Police believe a second suspect picked him up in a getaway vehicle.

The robbery suspect is described as a white male in his late 20s or early 30s, between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighing about 150 pounds. He was wearing sunglasses and a grey sweatshirt.

No one was injured.

The Great Barrington Police Department is investigating with assistance from Massachusetts State Police.

Anyone with information is urged to call Great Barrington police at 413-528-0306.

Environmental activists and local government officials warned more than a decade ago about the risk of catastrophic flooding below a major Northern California dam.

Environmental activists and local government officials warned more than a decade ago about the risk of catastrophic flooding below a major Northern California dam -- the very scenario that threatened to unfold over the weekend, forcing the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people downstream.

State and federal regulators dismissed those fears at the time, saying they were confident the hillside that helps hold back billions of gallons of water was stable and did not need to be reinforced with concrete.

That decision has come under scrutiny now that the hillside -- or emergency spillway, as officials call it -- has been put to its first test in the Oroville Dam's nearly 50-year history.

Over the weekend, water from the storm-swollen reservoir behind the dam spilled down the unpaved slope, causing such heavy erosion that authorities feared a huge breach could open and send a 30-foot-high torrent down the Feather River, devastating thousands of homes. The dam is about 70 miles north of Sacramento.

The danger appeared to ease slightly on Monday as the water level behind the dam dropped, but more rain was in the forecast, and residents as far as several dozen miles downriver in Yuba City were not allowed back into their homes.

In 2005, at the start of dam's still-unfinished relicensing process, environmental groups asked federal regulators to require that the California Department of Water Resources "armor" the hillside -- or reinforce it, typically with concrete or boulders -- to prevent potentially catastrophic erosion from water escaping around the side of the 770-foot-high dam.

The groups said soil, rocks and other debris could be swept into the river below, damaging highway bridges and power plants. In a worst case, they warned, a major breach would unleash floods that could take lives and destroy property.

But the water resources department dismissed the need to fortify the natural earthen barrier and insisted the hillside would not be in danger if water flowed down it. In a final environmental impact report dated June 2008, state officials wrote that no "significant concerns" about the hillside's stability had been raised in any government or independent review.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the agency that oversees the dam's relicensing and received the request for armoring, agreed that paving was not needed.

On Monday, Bill Croyle, acting head of the Department of Water Resources, refused to comment on the 2005 concerns, saying he was not familiar with the warnings and would need to research the matter.

"I think that the warning that was given should have been taken with the utmost seriousness," Bob Wright, an attorney at Friends of the River, which raised the concern along with the Sierra Club and South Yuba River Citizens League, said Monday. "We're talking about the danger to life and property."

Starting last week, officials had been trying to relieve pressure on the dam by releasing a torrent of water through an adjacent, concrete-lined channel designed to handle heavy flows. When a section of that channel began to crumble, dam managers eased off those controlled releases. Water then began spilling down the hillside.

A FERC spokeswoman said the original, 50-year license for the dam expired in January 2007 but has been automatically renewed each year pending a full renewal

"We have just, in December 2016, received all the necessary permits and other documents we need before issuing a final decision on the application," spokeswoman Mary O'Driscoll said.

Republicans said Mnuchin's long tenure in finance makes him qualified to run the department, which will play a major role in developing economic policy under President Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A bitterly divided Senate on Monday confirmed Steven Mnuchin as treasury secretary despite strong objections by Democrats that the former banker ran a "foreclosure machine" when he headed OneWest Bank.

Republicans said Mnuchin's long tenure in finance makes him qualified to run the department, which will play a major role in developing economic policy under President Donald Trump.

"He has experience managing large and complicated private-sector enterprises and in negotiating difficult compromises and making tough decisions -- and being accountable for those decisions," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, chairman of the Finance Committee.

Votes on President Donald Trump's Cabinet picks have exposed deep partisan divisions in the Republican-controlled Senate, with many of the nominees approved by mostly party-line votes.

The vote on Mnuchin followed the same pattern. He was confirmed by a mostly party-line vote of 53-47. Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia joined the Republicans.

The Senate also confirmed a less divisive nominee Monday evening, physician David Shulkin, to be secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. The vote was unanimous.

Like others in Trump's Cabinet, Mnuchin is a wealthy businessman. He is a former top executive at Goldman Sachs and served as finance chairman for Trump's presidential campaign.

As Treasury secretary, Mnuchin is expected to play a key role in Republican efforts to overhaul the nation's tax code for the first time in three decades. Trump has promised to unveil a proposal in the coming weeks.

Mnuchin will also be in charge of imposing economic sanctions on foreign governments and individuals, including Russia.

Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin goes over notes while testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2017, at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Democrats complained that Mnuchin made much of his fortune by foreclosing on families during the financial crisis.

In 2009, Mnuchin assembled a group of investors to buy the failed IndyMac bank, whose collapse the year before was the second biggest bank failure of the financial crisis. He renamed it OneWest and turned it around, selling it for a handsome profit in 2014.

"Mr. Mnuchin has made his career profiting from the misfortunes of working people," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich. "OneWest was notorious for taking an especially aggressive role in foreclosing on struggling homeowners."

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said, "I simply cannot forgive somebody who took a look at that banking crisis and took a look at the pain that Wall Street had sent in a wave across all of America, and thought, 'Ah, there's a great new way to make money, foreclosing on people.'"

Rep. Maxine Waters of California, the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, called Mnuchin "the foreclosure king."

Mnuchin has said he had worked hard during the financial crisis to assist homeowners with refinancing so that they could remain in their homes.

He said his bank had extended more than 100,000 loan modifications to borrowers.

But several Democratic senators raised examples of residents in their states who they said were not treated fairly by OneWest, including elderly homeowners and members of the military.

Democrats also complained that Mnuchin failed to disclose nearly $100 million in assets on forms he filed with the Senate Finance Committee.

In his testimony before the committee, Mnuchin defended his actions while heading OneWest. He said he had worked hard during the financial crisis to assist homeowners with refinancing so that they could remain in their homes.

He told the committee that his bank had extended more than 100,000 loan modifications to borrowers.

Mnuchin called his failure to disclose assets an oversight. After meeting with committee staff Mnuchin amended his disclosure forms and also disclosed his position as director of Dune Capital International in the Cayman Islands, a well-known offshore tax haven.

When pressed by Democrats to explain the omissions, Mnuchin said: "I did not use a Cayman Island entity in any way to avoid taxes for myself. There was no benefit to me."

The Treasury Department is responsible for a wide range of activities, including advising the president on economic and financial issues. The department oversees the IRS, negotiates tax treaties with other countries, imposes economic sanctions against foreign governments and individuals, and targets the financial networks of terrorist groups and drug cartels.

The department also issues the bonds that finance the government's deficit spending.

Republicans and Democrats praised Shulkin, who is charged with delivering on Trump's campaign promises to fix long-standing problems at Veterans Affairs.

Shulkin, 57, a former Obama administration official, has been the VA's top health official since 2015. He secured the backing of Senate Democrats after pledging at his confirmation hearing to always protect veterans' interests, even if it meant disagreeing at times with Trump.

He has ruled out fully privatizing the agency and says wide-scale firings of VA employees are unnecessary, describing the VA workforce as "the best in health care."

President Donald Trump's embattled national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned late Monday night, following reports that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia.

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump's embattled national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned late Monday night, following reports that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia. His departure upends Trump's senior team after less than one month in office.

In a resignation letter, Flynn said he gave Vice President Mike Pence and others "incomplete information" about his calls with Russia's ambassador to the U.S. The vice president, apparently relying on information from Flynn, initially said the national security adviser had not discussed sanctions with the Russian envoy, though Flynn later conceded the issue may have come up.

Trump named retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg as the acting national security adviser. Kellogg had previously been appointed the National Security Council chief of staff and advised Trump during the campaign. Trump is also considering former CIA Director David Petraeus and Vice Admiral Robert Harward, a U.S. Navy SEAL, for the post, according to a senior administration official.

The Trump team's account of Flynn's discussions with the Russian envoy changed repeatedly over several weeks, including the number of contacts, the dates of those contacts and ultimately, the content of the conversations.

Late last month, the Justice Department warned the White House that Flynn could be in a compromised position as a result of the contradictions between the public depictions of the calls and what intelligence officials knew to be true based on recordings of the conversations, which were picked up as part of routine monitoring of foreign officials communications in the U.S.

A U.S. official told The Associated Press that Flynn was in frequent contact with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak on the day the Obama administration slapped sanctions on Russia for election-related hacking, as well as at other times during the transition.

An administration official and two people with knowledge of the situation confirmed the Justice Department warnings on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. It was unclear when Trump and Pence learned about the Justice Department outreach.

The Washington Post was the first to report the communication between former acting attorney general Sally Yates, a holdover from the Obama administration, and the Trump White House. The Post also first reported last week that Flynn had indeed spoken about sanctions with the Russian ambassador.

Trump never voiced public support for Flynn after that initial report, but continued to keep his national security adviser close. Flynn spent the weekend at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate and was in the president's daily briefing and calls with foreign leaders Monday. He sat in the front row of Trump's news conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Monday afternoon.

White House officials sent contradictory messages about Flynn's status throughout the day. Counselor Kellyanne Conway said Trump had "full confidence" in Flynn, while spokesman Sean Spicer said the president was "evaluating the situation" and consulting with Pence about his conversations with the national security adviser.

Asked whether the president had been aware that Flynn might have planned to discuss sanctions with the Russian envoy, Spicer said, "No, absolutely not."

Flynn's discussions with the Russian raised questions about whether he offered assurances about the incoming administration's new approach. Such conversations would breach diplomatic protocol and possibly violate the Logan Act, a law aimed at keeping citizens from conducting diplomacy.

Administration officials said misleading Pence was ultimately Flynn's downfall, though they insisted he resigned and was not fired by Trump.

Flynn was spotted near the Oval Office just after 10 p.m. Monday. As uncertainty about his future swirled, several of the president's top advisers, including chief of staff Reince Priebus and counsel Don McGahn, ducked in and out of late-night meetings in the West Wing.

California Rep. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said Flynn's resignation "does not end questions over his contacts with the Russians." He said the White House has yet to be forthcoming about whether Flynn was acting at the behest of the president or others.

Flynn's resignation comes as Trump and his top advisers seek to steady the White House after a rocky start. The president, who seeks input from a wide range of business associates, friends and colleagues, has been asking people their opinions on his senior team, including Spicer and chief of staff Reince Priebus.

Advisers have privately conceded that the White House spit out too many disparate messages in the first few weeks, though they also note that the president's own tweets sometimes muddy the day's plans before most of the White House staff has arrived for work.

Trump voiced support for Priebus Monday, saying the chief of staff was doing, "not a good job, a great job." But he did not make a similar show of support for his national security adviser.

Over the weekend, Trump told associates he was troubled by Flynn's situation, but did not say whether he planned to ask him to step down, according to a person who spoke with him recently. Flynn was a loyal Trump supporter during the campaign, but he was viewed skeptically by some in the administration's national security circles, in part because of his ties to Russia.

In 2015, Flynn was paid to attend a gala dinner for Russia Today, a Kremlin-backed television station, and sat next to Russian President Vladimir Putin during the event.

Flynn apologized to Pence about the matter on Friday, according to an administration official. The official said Pence was relying on information from Flynn when he went on television and denied that sanctions were discussed with Kislyak.

Kellogg takes the helm of the National Security Council at a time when the young administration is grappling with a series of national security challenges, including North Korea's reported ballistic missile launch. The president, who was joined at his Mar-a-Lago estate by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over the weekend, voiced solidarity with Japan.

The White House is also dealing with fallout from the rocky rollout of Trump's immigration executive order, which has been blocked by the courts. The order was intended to suspend the nation's refugee program and bar citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.

Flynn stepped down late Monday, ending days of speculation about his fate following reports that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia.

NEW YORK (AP) -- His administration dealt a significant blow after not even a month in office, President Donald Trump must now fill a vital national security post after the resignation of embattled national security adviser Michael Flynn.

Flynn stepped down late Monday, ending days of speculation about his fate following reports that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia.

Flynn conceded that discussions of sanctions may have come up during several calls with the Russian ambassador during the transition period leading up to Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration.

He acknowledged that he gave "incomplete information" about those discussions to Pence who, apparently relying on information from the national security adviser, initially said Flynn had not discussed sanctions with the Russian envoy

Trump named retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg as the acting national security adviser and a senior administration official said he was one of three candidates the president was considering to replace Flynn on a permanent basis.

Whoever emerges as Trump's choice will take the helm of the National Security Council at a time when the young administration is grappling with a series of national security challenges, including North Korea's reported ballistic missile launch. The president, who was joined at his Mar-a-Lago estate by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over the weekend, voiced solidarity with Japan.

The White House is also dealing with fallout from the rocky rollout of Trump's immigration executive order, which has been blocked by the courts. The order was intended to suspend the nation's refugee program and bar citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States.

Here's a look at the top named contenders for the post, which does not require Senate confirmation:

RETIRED LT. GEN. KEITH KELLOGG

Kellogg had previously been appointed the National Security Council chief of staff and, along with Flynn, advised Trump on national security and foreign policy issues during the campaign. He had been considered for national security adviser before the post went to Flynn.

Kellogg was chief operating officer of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, the interim governing body following the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. He previously worked as executive vice president of research and technology for Virginia-based information technology firm CACI International, which works as a contractor for defense, intelligence and homeland security agencies.

DAVID PETREAUS

The most audacious choice would likely be former CIA director David Petreaus. Petraeus, a retired four star general, was bounced from his position atop the intelligence agency in 2012 after he it was revealed that he passed on classified information to his biographer, who had also become his mistress.

But Trump during the campaign spoke sympathetically about Petreaus' plight despite his frequent criticisms of his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton for mishandling classified materials. Petreaus was briefly under consideration to become secretary of State before Trump picked Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson.

RETIRED VICE ADMIRAL ROBERT HARWARD

Robert Harward, a Navy Seal, served as Deputy Commander of the United States Central Command when it was under the command of General James Mattis, who is now secretary of Defense. He served on the National Security Council for President George W. Bush and commissioned the National Counter Terrorism Center.

Upon retirement in 2013 after a nearly 40-year career in the Navy, Harward took a post as a chief executive officer for defense and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin in the United Arab Emirates. Trump has recently been in very public negotiations with Lockheed over the cost of its F-35 fighter jet program.

A federal judge Monday granted a preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from implementing its travel ban in Virginia, adding another judicial ruling to those already in place challenging the ban's constitutionality.

McLEAN, Va. (AP) -- A federal judge Monday granted a preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from implementing its travel ban in Virginia, adding another judicial ruling to those already in place challenging the ban's constitutionality.

The ruling is significant from a legal standpoint because U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema found that an unconstitutional religious bias is at the heart of the travel ban, and therefore violates First Amendment prohibitions on favoring one religion over another. She said the evidence introduced so far indicates that Virginia's challenge to the ban will succeed once it proceeds to trial.

A federal appeals court in California has already upheld a national temporary restraining order stopping the government from implementing the ban, which is directed at seven Muslim-majority countries. But the ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals was rooted more in due process grounds, said Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat who brought the lawsuit against Trump in Virginia.

*BREAKING* The court has GRANTED Virginia's motion for a preliminary injunction against Pres. Trump's immigration ban.

-- Mark Herring (@MarkHerringVA) February 14, 2017

In her 22-page ruling, Brinkema writes that Trump's promises during the campaign to implement what came to be known as a "Muslim ban" provide evidence that the current executive order unconstitutionally targets Muslims.

"The president himself acknowledged the conceptual link between a Muslim ban and the EO (executive order)," Brinkema wrote. She also cited news accounts that Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani said the executive order is an effort to find a legal way for Trump to be able to impose his Muslim ban.

Herring said that "the overwhelming evidence shows that this ban was conceived in religious bigotry."

Also, the preliminary injunction issued Monday night by Brinkema in Alexandria is a more permanent type of injunction than the temporary restraining order issued in the Washington state case. Herring said he expects the injunction to remain in place until the case goes to trial.

Brinkema's injunction, though, applies only to Virginia residents. Herring had asked the judge to issue the injunction nationwide, but Brinkema limited it to Virginia, saying that the nationwide restraining order in place out of the Washington state case already provides much of the relief Virginia is seeking. Herring said he could ask the judge to extend the injunction nationally if the 9th Circuit stay gets reversed.

Virginia's lawsuit also does not challenge the portion of the executive order directed at refugees. The 9th Circuit case covers refugees.

Virginia based its arguments on the harms the state would suffer if the travel ban were allowed to go forward. The state has said, for instance, that 1,000 students at its universities and dozens of university staff members and professors could be affected by the ban.

*BREAKING* A federal judge in Virginia has blocked enforcement of Pres. Trump's ban. pic.twitter.com/HX57HltC9A

-- Mark Herring (@MarkHerringVA) February 14, 2017

Brinkema chided the federal government for offering no evidence to support its rationale for the ban, other than arguing the president's authority for issuing such an order.

She said the president's executive authority is still limited by the Constitution. "Every presidential action must still comply with the limits set by Congress' delegation of power and the constraints of the Constitution, including Bill of Rights," she wrote.

A Justice Department spokeswoman did not immediately return an email seeking comment Monday night. Trump has raised the possibility that he will issue a new executive order to replace the one being challenged in court.

Staples offers on-site child care to employees. The on-site center opened in 1999 with space for 100 children between the ages of six weeks to six years old. The facility was open to all Staples employees at a discount of between 30 to 40 percent of standard rates. Two years later, the facility doubled in size due to demand.

On a dreary Thursday morning last October, Kat Swaby was worried about her boys.

Her 4-month-old twins were fussy that morning and she was waiting on a call from her doctor.

She drove them to day care and luckily did not have to be far away. As a Staples employee, her children are enrolled in child care a short walk from her office. 

Staples offers child care in a facility across the street from its corporate center in Framingham.

The on-site center opened in 1999 with space for 100 children between the ages of 6 weeks to 6 years old. The facility was open to all Staples employees at a discount of between 30 to 40 percent of standard rates. Two years later, the facility doubled in size due to demand.

The center is run by Bright Horizons, a Watertown-based child care organization that operates more than 600 facilities across the country.

Open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., the facility allows parents to choose how many days and hours per week a child will spend at the center. 

Bright Horizons offers educational instruction at an early age with a low child to teacher ration. There are two day care workers for every seven infants and up to one for every five in kindergarten. The facility features playgrounds designed for children across the age groups they serve, an indoor space for children to play outside their classrooms and specialized zones for STEM learning. 

Such offerings come at a cost. Staples spent several million dollars just before the new millennium to build it.

It's offered at a price to the company but the value outweighs cost, said Susan Rodriguez, the director of benefits for Staples.

"It's all about that work-life balance and if you feel good with your child care, you feel good about the job," Rodriguez said. "There's a certain comfort in knowing that if your child seems fussy one morning and you get a call, you're right across the parking lot."

The on-site child care has assisted with recruitment and retention as well as cutting the rate of absenteeism. Additionally, the company believes higher employee morale has resulted in higher rates of productivity for working parents.

"We know that there's a very high level of satisfaction with the center," Rodriguez said.

That level of satisfaction is reflected in childcare arrangements. The facility has a long waiting list and parents often choose to enroll their children in Bright Horizons facility through kindergarten. 

While no internal studies have been conducted regarding performance since the center was opened 17 years ago, Rodriguez estimates turnover has gone down by 25 percent. She credits the higher worker retention rate to "peace of mind." 

The proximity to the 640,000-square-foot corporate office allows parents to step away from their desks and check on their children mid-day. 

Swaby is able to nurse her twins on her lunch break. Brooke O'Reilly, director of global vendor management for Staples, enjoys eating lunch with her kids. 

"When I started with Staples I was inspired by the company, the culture, the people I work with and the projects I work on," O'Reilly said. In her seventh year with the company, O'Reilly is grateful for the perks offered, especially the company subsidized child care. 

"It's such an important benefit," said the mother of two. "When you have more than one kid, your salary doesn't double but your day care expense does."

While the benefits of on-site child care are apparent to families enrolled, it is not an opportunity offered to all. 

Staples is among 5 percent of workplaces across the country to offer on-site child care. 

When the average cost of full-time day care in Massachusetts is more expensive than a student enrolling at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, such benefits can be especially appealing. 

"I talk to a lot of young people who are at that age where they're dating or getting engaged while trying to make something of their careers and deciding whether to stay or look elsewhere for work," O'Reilly said. "I always tell people that if they're thinking of having kids not to undervalue the benefit of having a daycare on site." 

She added, "People get pregnant and realize, 'thank god I'm here.'"

This cost is higher than a state resident would pay for a year of tuition and mandatory fees at the flagship University of Massachusetts campus.

In a state known for its high cost of living, raising a child in Massachusetts is incredibly expensive.

A newly released report from the the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found cost of center-based infant care to exceed the federal cutoff for affordability in 49 states, all but Louisiana. 

Massachusetts tops that chart for unaffordable expenses. Full-time day care for an infant in Massachusetts costs just over $17,000 per year, on average, according to Child Care Aware of America, a child care policy and advocacy organization. 

For the median married couple in Massachusetts, this cost represents 14 percent of their combined incomes - double the federal standard for affordable child care. For the average single parent in the Bay State, full-time day care for a young child eats up the majority of the household income - 61 percent. 

The annual cost of full-time infant day care is more than the cost of enrolling at the University of Massachusetts Amherst for a year. 

As a child ages, a family's cost of care decreases. The average cost for a 4-year-old in daycare full-time is $1,065 per month, $12,781 annually in Massachusetts. 

Why is the cost so high?

It's largely due to the cost of operating in Massachusetts -- from staff wages and paying monthly bills to providing educational opportunities for a limited number of children.

There are approximately 6,000 licensed in-home child care programs and 3,000 licensed center facilities across the state, reports the Department of Early Education and Care.

Such facilities are required by state regulators to have a low child to educator ratio. For infants, the ratio is one for every three children with a maximum group size of seven.

Child care workers operating out of their home may not have more than 10 children in their facility at a time, from infants to children attending after school.

Whether enrolled in an home or center-based facility, stimulating activities must be offered throughout the day. Children must have at least an hour of physical activity per day, opportunities for creative expression - including art and music - be read to or have access to books daily and have "learning experiences that support problem solving, critical thinking, communication, language and literacy development, social skills and relationship building," the state Department of Early Education and Care said.

To provide such opportunities to a group of children, parents are charged either by the hour, week or month. Parents who spoke with MassLive reported paying between $30 to $600 each week for child care. Most reported paying five figures annually.

This cost is offset by families in an array of ways. Some adjust their work schedules, with parents working opposing schedules or from home to allow for more time with their children. Others rely on family and friends to help care for children.

Massachusetts provides an estimated $500 million annually in subsidies for child care, approximately 94 percent of Department of Early Education and Care's annual budget. 

Families who make less than 50 percent of the state median income can qualify for a voucher. A couple with a pair of children qualifies if they earn less than $54,489 in 2017. Families that earn more than 50 percent of the state median income can apply for subsidized rate.

Parents must be working, going to school or participating in a job training program to qualify.

The average annual cost of full-time infant care in Massachusetts is $17,062 - or $1,422 per month. The cost of care lowers as a child ages, with the state average falling to $12,781 annually - $1,065 per month - for full-time care a four-year-old in Massachusetts.

For the amount they pay in child care, Katy and Mike Monopoli could pay the mortgage on a second home.

The couple welcomed their son Noah into their family four years ago and consider themselves lucky.

"When my wife learned she was pregnant we already had a house together, had full-time careers," Mike said.

The average annual cost of full-time infant care in Massachusetts is $17,062 -- or $1,422 per month, according to a survey of data collected by the Child Care Aware of America, a child care policy and advocacy organization.  The cost of care declines as a child ages, with the state average falling to $12,781 annually -- $1,065 per month -- for full-time care a 4-year-old in Massachusetts.

This average resonates with the Monopolis. The couple recently paid as much as $200 per week for their 4-year-old son to attend center-based day care. 

"Day care is not cheap but at the same time we're getting a lot out of it," Mike said. The couple considered several options, from center-based care to home care or a nanny. 

Families across the state chose an array of childcare arrangements. Some choose full-time day care so parents can go back to work, often the only option for one parent households. Others choose part-time care with parents working from home or opposite schedules so they can spend more time with children. A decreasing number of families choose to have one parent serve as the primary or sole breadwinner so the other parent can become a stay at home mother or father.

About 69 percent of Massachusetts families with children under 6 years old have both parents in the labor force, according to data provided by Strategies for Children, a Boston-based not-for-profit that advocates for early education programs.

Why are more parents staying in the workforce? Practicality. A majority of parents surveyed in a national Pew poll that having two incomes has allowed their families to live more comfortably.

As the number of working mothers has doubled over the past several decades, so has the amount families spend on child care, according to the Census Bureau.

Massachusetts has the highest state average cost of child care in the nation. In Mississippi, the state with the lowest cost, annual costs average under $5,000 per infant in full-time day care, close to a quarter of the average Massachusetts price tag. 

What could make it more affordable? Capping the cost, suggests researchers with the Economic Policy Institute, a national think tank. 

Child care is considered affordable by federal standards set by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services if it costs no more than 7 percent of a family's income. 

By federal standards, day care is affordable for less than one in every five Massachusetts families. 

If child care costs were capped at the federal standard, Bay State families would save an average of more than $10,000 annually. 

Researchers with the Child Care Aware of America suggest lowering costs for families by expanding the voucher program that offers sliding-scale prices for daycare. 

Massachusetts is the third most least religious state in the country, according to a new Gallup poll.

Massachusetts is the third least religious state in the country, according to a new Gallup Poll.

Only 25 percent of people said they were "very religious," compared to the 59 percent of people in the most religious state, Mississippi. 

But this shouldn't come as a surprise. 

Gallup has been conducting this poll since 2008 and in the past nine years, little has changed in rankings. 

"The least religious states have typically been concentrated in the upper Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northwest regions," according to Gallup. 

The rankings are based on 174,969 interviews and classifies Americans as "very religious," "moderately religious" or "nonreligious" depending on their answers. 

This past year, all six New England states were among the 10 least religious states.

But there was one surprise. For the first time in nine years, New Hampshire wasn't the least or second-least religious state in the union. Instead, it tied for the 10th least religious state.

According to Gallup, there's no "clear-cut answer" as to why the differences exist but it mostly relates to each state's culture.

A five-car wreck along Interstate 91 south near the Holyoke Mall has been cleared by responders and normal traffic flow through the area has resumed.

HOLYOKE -- A five-car wreck along Interstate 91 south near the Holyoke Mall has been cleared by responders and normal traffic is again flowing through the area without delay. 

State police reported the accident around 7:45 a.m. Tuesday, later saying one minor injury resulted. 

Massachusetts Department of Transportation closed the right and center lanes of the highway to facilitate cleanup, resulting in a miles-long traffic backup. 

At its peak, the backup extended all the way past Exit 17B towards Easthampton. 

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Looking to get out of the house with your significant other on Valentines Day? Look no further than the Majestic Theater this year, where musical director Dan Kane has cooked up quite the feast of musical delights to brighten up your valentines day.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Looking to get out of the house with your significant other on Valentines Day? Look no further than the Majestic Theater this year, where musical director Dan Kane has cooked up quite the feast of musical delights to brighten up your holiday.

The Valentine Love Song Concerts made way on Monday night, getting off to an excellent start without an empty seat in the house.

Kicking off with a musical number by the 20+ person cast, the show was off with a bang. Veteran broadcaster and Western Mass News anchor Dave Madsen would be the master of ceremonies for the night, leading the audience back to a simpler time in music when you wouldn't need to pay $100 a ticket to see the greatest artists in the world. You could simply head down to your local watering hole and be greeted with the likes of Frank, Dean, Sammy and the rest of the pack.

Dan Kane took the lead for the night at the piano, joined by Bob Ferrier on Guitar and Bruce Krasen on the saxophone. Artists were supported by the DK GR8T, an all male octet, and The Pearls, an all female nonet, both composed of some of the greatest singers in Western, Mass.

Guest performances throughout the evening were provided by vocalists from the area including, Ethel Lee, Paul Pierce, Tracie Mnich, Lauren Fleit, Jeanine Braceland and Jillian Hess.

The group puts on a final performance Tuesday, on Valentines Day evening at the Majestic Theater, the show starts at 7 p.m.. Tickets are sure to go quickly due to limited seating, be sure to call the theater box office ahead of show time to reserve yours.

View photos from opening night above, and visit the Majestic's official website to learn about more exciting shows coming to the theater in the upcoming months.