A significant number of Boston's sex offenders have flown under the radar by labeling themselves homeless, a so-called "loophole" City Councilor Michael Flaherty aims to initiate a process to close, reports The Boston Herald.

A significant number of Boston's sex offenders have flown under the radar by labeling themselves homeless, a so-called "loophole" City Councilor Michael Flaherty aims to initiate a process to close, reports The Boston Herald. 

Last month, The Herald reported that more than 200 sex offenders refused to register in Boston and an additional 173 registering stating they were homeless. 

Now, Flaherty is calling for a public hearing to "convene all the appropriate stakeholders to craft a solution and get it to Beacon Hill," according to The Herald. 

"Having this loophole puts the public at a huge disadvantage when trying to protect children from sex predators," Flaherty was quoted as saying in The Herald. 

Boston is home to a total 1,101 sex offenders, according to state records. 

Sex offenders who register as homeless, according to The Herald, may legally list their addresses as South Station or Boston Common, defeating the purpose of a sex offender registry by making it difficult for police to track them. 

Wendy Murphy, an attorney who specializes in sexual violence cases, told The Herald the hearing, if convened, would likely "be the ignition switch that very quickly turns into statewide policy."

Police in North Reading have issued arrest warrants for two men accused of running a drug manufacturing operation that was uncovered after a house fire.

Police in North Reading are searching for two men accused of running an Ecstasy manufacturing operation that was uncovered after a house fire, creating an "extremely dangerous" situation, officials said Tuesday.

Officials discovered the alleged operation at 6 Travelled Way on Feb. 7. Police and firefighters went to the address at 11:45 p.m. to find the house fully engulfed in flames and a strange odor coming from plumes of thick black smoke, police said in a statement.

An odor coming from plumes of thick black smoke is not usually associated with a house fire, the statement said.

"On scene, North Reading Police Officers and North Reading Firefighters quickly determined, from their training and experience, that there was a possible drug manufacturing operation in the home," police said.

After the fire was under control, police got a search warrant for the address.

"Investigators made their way inside the home and located a hidden, unfinished room with a venting system and glass laboratory case," the statement said. "Police also found chemicals as well as other evidence pointing to a drug manufacturing operation used to create MDMA/Ecstasy."

Police are seeking two suspects: Lowell Navarro, 28, and Jacob Stanish, 31, both of North Reading.

They are being charged with unlawful manufacturing of a Class B controlled Substance (MDMA) and conspiracy to violate drug laws, police said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

A hazardous materials team and the Drug Enforcement Administration's Clandestine Drug Lab Response Team also responded to the scene out of caution, police said.

"This was an extremely dangerous situation, in which a drug lab was operating in a residential neighborhood with houses stacked closely to one another," Chief Michael Murphy said. "We are very fortunate that no one was injured or killed."

The chief said he encourages parents to talk with their children about drug use.

"Unfortunately, there's a demand for drugs like Ecstasy. If people knew the noxious chemicals that went into drugs like Ecstasy and some other synthetic drugs, they would think twice before using it," Murphy said. "The home in question was full of deadly, burning chemicals that presented an extremely dangerous situation for first responders and neighbors."

East Longmeadow's Town Council will likely give final approval to officially hire Denise Menard as permanent town manager.

EAST LONGMEADOW &#8212 East Longmeadow's Town Council expects to officially instate the town's first town manager during their meeting Wednesday.

Denise Menard, who has served as interim town manager since August, was hired for the permanent position Dec. 1. Since then, her interim town manager has been extended twice as she negotiated her employment contract, said Town Council President Kevin Manley.

Barring any unexpected developments, the council will vote for final approval of Menard's hiring as permanent town manager, and sign the contract, he said.

"I don't foresee any issues," Manley said.

Under her current contract as interim town manager, Menard earns $120,000 per year.

The hiring completes East Longmeadow's transition from a Board of Selectmen/Town Meeting form of government to their new Town Manager/Town Council form. In April nearly 60 percent of voters in East Longmeadow approved adoption of the home rule town charter.

That vote coincided with an alleged bribery scandal stemming from the search for a new police chief in East Longmeadow last year, which led to the firing of former East Longmeadow Town Administrator Gregory Neffinger.

Town Councilors began searching for a town manager during their first meeting last July, and hired Menard, East Windsor, Conn.'s former first selectman, as the town's interim chief executive on July 26.

Harwich Town Administrator Christopher Clark and Bourne Town Administrator Thomas Guerino were also interviewed for the permanent town manager position.

The process of hiring a town manager has been deliberately slow to ensure the right candidate was chosen, Manley said in an interview about the process last year.

But the pace has paid off, said Manley, who added that the process has remained uncontroversial.

"I think the process actually went very smoothly," Manley said. "It was open, transparent, we got a great candidate, so were really happy with the search and the results."

Four of the seven elected Palmer Town Councilors voted yes; two did not attend the meeting

PALMER - A proposal advocated by Coucilor Robert Lavoie to paint a "thin blue line" on the road adjacent to police headquarters as an act of symbolic solidarity with the force, was approved at Monday's meeting.

Four of the seven elected Palmer Town Councilors voted yes; two did not attend the meeting.

Town Council President Barbara Barry was the lone dissenter, saying she did not disagree with the show of support for the law enforcement agency, but adding, "there are other ways (to show support)."

"I don't think painting a blue line is necessarily the answer," Barry said. "We have other people" that serve in public safety roles in the community, such as the fire and ambulance functions, she said.

"I am not going to support it," she added.

"There is no downside," Lavoie said to his colleagues on the council. "We could look at spreading" the idea to other Massachusetts cities and towns. "Law enforcement is in favor of it."

Fire Chief William Flaherty told WWLP that the fire was reportedly before 2 a.m. The building was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.

George Graham | ggraham@repub.com 

WEST SPRINGFIELD -- The former West Springfield Fish and Game Club on Bondi's Island was destroyed in an early Tuesday fire, officials said.

Fire Chief William Flaherty said the fire was reported before 2 a.m. "When they got there the place was fully-involved in flames," he said. "When they pulled up, the walls had already started collapsing out. The good thing was there was no exposure around it."

Firefighters knocked the fire down pretty quickly. No injuries were reported.

Flaherty said the cause of the fire will likely remain undetermined. The single-story building, officially closed for years and without power, was subject to vandalism.

A fire, that started on the outside of the building, occurred there on Christmas night 2010.

Investigators believe this particular fire started inside, in a rear corner, because there was no evidence that anybody had outside in the snow.

A Massachusetts State Police K-9 team found no evidence that an accelerant had been used, Flaherty said.

Easthampton has the region's lowest property taxes, spends little on its public library, and lost $1.4 million last year to students attending charter schools and schools of choice.

Easthampton residents interested in learning more about their city's financial indicators need look no further than a recent budget document prepared by Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz. 

"Financial Trends and Projections for FY2018 Budget Process" was unveiled Jan. 31 at a joint meeting of the Northampton City Council and School Committee. 

The document compares ten communities -- Longmeadow, Amherst, Northampton, West Springfield, Easthampton, Westfield, Agawam, Greenfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee -- and looks at indicators such as residential tax rate, average home value, school and library spending, and more. 

It shows the average value of an Easthampton home at $228,400, placing it squarely in the middle of the ten communities. However, Easthampton's fiscal 2017 residential tax rate, at $16.21 per thousand, was the lowest in the region. 

Of the ten communities, Easthampton government had the smallest amount of money saved in its capital stabilization funds. In fiscal 2015, Easthampton had less than $2 million socked away, while Northampton had nearly $16 million. By comparison, Amherst fell in the middle, with around $6 million saved, according to the report. 

Easthampton falls at the bottom of the heap when it comes to per-pupil education spending, according to the Northampton document. In fiscal 2015, Easthampton spent $12,916 per pupil; Northampton $14,056, and Amherst $20,236. 

Narkewicz' report calculates the impact of charter schools and school choice upon surrounding city budgets -- in Massachusetts, a pot of state money follows every student. In fiscal 2016, Easthampton lost around 269 students to either charter schools or schools of choice, but only 86 students "choiced in" to the Easthampton district. As a result, Easthampton had a net loss of $1,434,880. 

By contrast, Northampton lost around 284 students to charter and choice, but 221 students from other districts chose to attend Northampton schools, offsetting the financial hit. Northampton had a net loss that year of $895,472 due to its local children attending charter schools or schools of choice. 

The figures show that Holyoke lost the most to charter and choice, at $11.4 million, while Longmeadow actually had a net gain of $219,846. 

Easthampton is higher than average when it comes to the percentage of its municipal budget devoted to public safety spending, but is dead last when it comes to per capita support for its public library, the figures show.

The document may be viewed or downloaded below. 

Northampton MA Financial Indicators - FY2018 Budget 

North Adams seeks help in an alternative way to support small business: voting.

North Adams seeks help in an alternative way to support small business: voting.

The Berkshire County community is a finalist in a small town competition and in the running to win a $500,000 prize to support locally-owned businesses in town.

North Adams is one of five finalists in the second annual Small Business Revolution competition. Other communities include: Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania; Georgetown, South Carolina; Kingsburg, California; and Red Wing, Minnesota.

"We're the only community representing Massachusetts, the only community representing New England," said Suzy Helme, the director of community events for the city.

The competition is sponsored by Deluxe Corporation. North Adams was entered by local business owners in town and chosen from the nearly 14,000 nominations as a finalist.

Helme believes North Adams - the smallest city in Massachusetts - made it to the final round in the competition thanks to the "goldilocks effect." The community has a high ratio of locally owned businesses, a thriving arts community - thanks in large part to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the largest museum of its kind in the country, and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts - historic places and the benefit of being surrounded by the natural beauty offered by the Berkshires. Plus, she said, the city is small enough that the half-million dollar prize can make a noticeable different for the community.

Small business owners in the winning town will receive financial support and business advice from a team of marketing experts including, Deluxe Corporation's chief brand and communications officer Amanda Brinkman and Shark Tank's Robert Herjavec.

The remaining half of the winnings will go to the municipality, to fund large-scale community projects in the community.

The winner will also be featured in an eight-episode series to be streamed on the contest website. 

The contest ends Thursday and the winner is chosen by popular vote. People can vote once per day, per device, per browser. The winner will be announced on Feb. 22.

Two University of Massachusetts professors believe that Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch will be approved but both think it would be prudent for the Democrats to take a stand against him.

AMHERST - Two University of Massachusetts professors believe that Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch will be approved, but both think it would be prudent for the Democrats to take a stand against him.

Neither Jesse Rhodes, assistant professor of political science, or Paul Collins Jr. legal studies professor, are surprised by Donald J. Trump's pick to replace Antonin Scalia who died last February.

"He is a very prominent conservative distinguished jurist," Rhodes said of Gorsuch. "He's someone that could have been a George W. Bush nominee.  I haven't seen anything (radical)...it's not a shock."

His selection fits to the norms "surrounding Supreme Court appointments." And has appointment -replacing the conservative Scalia-  would not change the balance on the courts. Rhodes said, "he's going to be appointed."

The question is whether "Democrats should punish the Republicans for not being willing to consider Merrick Garland," who was nominated by former president Barack Obama.

Obama nominated Garland but the Republican-led Senate refused to consider that nomination because as Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell said it was an election year.  

Rhodes thinks Democrats "should punish the Republicans to try to maintains some norms of the Senate."  

And he said "under the circumstances there's nothing to lose."

Collins added that Gorsuch is a traditional selection.

"He is extremely well qualified. It's really an issue of how Democrats want to approach it. Hard to attack Gorsuch himself given the qualifications," Collins said.

So instead of focusing on him, Democrats could "focus on the seat and the treatment of Merrick Garland."  

He said they could pursue the idea that the Republicans "stole the seat."

Collins said "the treatment of Garland was unprecedented." He was nominated in March. The fact that hearings were never held is the strongest argument for the democrats to filibuster.

A filibuster would require 60 votes to end debate before moving on to a vote on the actual appointment so that would mean eight democrats would have to support that.

But if that doesn't happen, Republicans could use what they call the nuclear option - that would allow for debate to end without the 60. The actual approval of the appointee requires just 51 votes, according to Politifact in a post answering questions about a filibuster.

"I've been thinking (about) the costs and benefits of a filibuster," Collins said. "It might mobilize the democratic base who I think are looking for a fight."

Carlos Aponte, the man found dead in Lynn by a resident snow blowing after Winter Storm Orson, was shot to death, officials said.

Carlos Aponte, the man found dead in Lynn by a resident snow blowing after Winter Storm Orson, was shot to death, officials said.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Aponte suffered a gunshot wound to his upper chest/lower neck area, according to a statement from the office of Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.

The investigation is ongoing.

Aponte's body was discovered around 5 a.m. Monday near 10 Surfside Road.

[enhanced link]

Aponte, 38, does not have a known address, the district attorney's office said.

No further information was immediately available.

Lynn police responded to Surfside road at 4 a.m. on Monday, but did not find anything suspicious at the time.

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Watch victims of an alleged police beating in Springfield give their accounts to Major Crimes Unit investigators.

The resignation of President Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, is "another red flag," Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey said Tuesday. Sen. Elizabeth Warren also weighed in via Twitter.

The resignation of President Trump's national security adviser, Michael Flynn, is "another red flag," Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey said Tuesday.

Markey, D-Mass., is a member of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee and had previously demanded an investigation into Flynn's talks with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

The pair allegedly discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia before Flynn joined the Trump administration. Flynn initially denied that they spoke about sanctions and later backtracked, reportedly angering Vice President Mike Pence, who feels he has been mislead by Flynn. According to reports, officials with the Department of Justice told the Trump administration that Flynn was a security risk and vulnerable to Russian blackmail.

In a statement on Tuesday, hours after the White House announced Flynn's resignation, Markey said the president appears to be "more focused on Russian interests than American interests."

"Reports that the Trump administration knew for weeks about General Flynn's vulnerability to Russian blackmail as a result of the undisclosed contact with Russia also raises troubling questions about how much the President himself may have known and when he learned it," Markey said.

Here is the list of potential Flynn replacements

Markey continued: "Answers to questions about General Flynn's contacts with Russian officials could impact U.S. national security and foreign policy at the very highest level, and we need a thorough investigation by both Congress and federal law enforcement. President Donald Trump may say his foreign policy is America First, but it appears to be Russia First."

Earlier on Tuesday, the president took to Twitter, saying the "real story" is "why are there so many illegal leaks coming out of Washington?"

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a Trump critic, also posted to Twitter on Tuesday morning, calling Flynn's resignation a "win for American values."

When did @WhiteHouse know that Flynn lied? What other contacts with Russia occurred during the campaign? Who knew what? Who approved what?

-- Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 14, 2017

Congress must pull its head out of the sand and launch a real, bipartisan, transparent inquiry into Russia. Our natl security is at stake.

-- Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 14, 2017

Ariel Serrano, 22, was charged with possession of heroin and crack with intent to distribute.

GREENFIELD - A Springfield man who was riding in a car driven by another man was arrested on drug charges after a routine traffic stop on Interstate 91 led to the discovery of 450 packets of heroin and some crack cocaine in his possession, state police said.

The man, identified as Ariel Serrano, 22, police said. He was charged with possession of heroin and crack cocaine, each with intent to distribute, and conspiracy to violate drug laws.

The possession with intent to distribute charges are his second offence.

Serrano was a passenger in a car that was stopped on I-91 north near at exit 27 in Greenfield. Trooper Jesse Gadarowski stopped the car because its rear license plate was obscured.

There were five people in the car, but only Serrano was found to be in possession of drugs, police said.

The others were not arrested. The driver, whose name was not disclosed to the press, was issued a summons to appear in court for the license plate violation.

Trooper Gararowski, assisted by Trooper Matthew Trombley, during a search of the vehicle found 6 small bags of crack cocaine and 450 packets of heroin, stamped with the logo "Jet Blue."

Serrano was booked at the state police barracks in Shelburne Falls and is due to be arraigned Tuesday in Greenfield District Court.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said that in contrast to comments by Jewish Family Service, he did raise concerns last August about plans by the Jewish Family Service to add refugees to Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD -- Mayor Domenic J. Sarno has rebutted a claim by the Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts that his office did not raise concerns about the resettlement of refugees in Springfield following a meeting last July.

On Monday, Sarno provided to The Republican a copy of a two-page letter dated Aug. 29, 2016 that he said was sent to Jewish Family Service President and CEO Maxine J. Stein. The letter specifically raises concerns about her organization's plans to resettle additional refugees in Springfield.

Sarno within the letter to Stein states that Springfield is already struggling to meet the demand for services from its poorest residents and asks that other communities be called upon to support additional refugee families. Sarno alleges in the letter that the agency's involvement with the refugee families "substantially ends after 11 months."

"The City's departments, most especially our school department, but also our health and human services department, our housing and neighborhood services, our code enforcement division, our community policing department and our elder services are already stretched to the near breaking point due to the demands placed upon them," Sarno's letter stated.

Sarno said he received no response from JFS to his letter.

Stein was sent a copy a letter by The Republican late Monday afternoon, and has not yet responded to a request for comment.

The Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts, however, stated last week that after a meeting last July with Springfield officials, "JFS has not received information about any concerns from the Mayor's Office since that meeting."

Sarno was critical of the Jewish Family Service after there was news that several refugee families were coming to the Springfield area. He said the resettlement of refugees was a case of concentrating "poverty on top of poverty" in Springfield, straining city schools and services, and done without adequate follow-up services.

"Enough is enough," Sarno said last week.

Stein and Jewish Family Service, in a three-page press release last week, said the agency "is proud to be part of the greater Springfield community and have a history of over 100 years rooted in this city." It detailed an array of services provided to the refugee families and said Springfield was "well aware" of the numbers coming.

Further, it stated that it had not received any concerns from the mayor's office following the July meeting. The agency disclosed it was going to resettle 230 refugees in Hampden County during fiscal 2017, the period of Oct. 1, 2016 to Sept. 30, 2017.

Sarno's letter to Stein states in part: "You have indicated that another 200 or more individuals will be brought to Springfield in the coming year. As I have stated, we are asking that other communities be called upon to offer support to the incoming refugees, so that both the benefits of having these new citizens and the burden of provided services can be spread more evenly across the region."

Sarno also stated his concerns that Springfield "is already providing substantial support and assistance to our many of our most disadvantaged citizens in the Commonwealth."

"We have a large number of group homes here, we house many homeless families within the City, and as stated above we have a large number of people living at or below the poverty line," Sarno said.

Sarno stated that approximately 44,220 residents in Springfield live at or below the poverty line. The city's population is approximately 155,000.

Sarno also stated that at the time in August, the city's unemployment rate was 8.1 percent, as compared to the statewide average of 4.3 percent.

Mayor Letter to Maxine Stein by The Republican/MassLive.com on Scribd

Police in Vermont say a 22-year-old Massachusetts man has died after going missing while snowboarding with a friend on Monday.

Police in Vermont say a 22-year-old Massachusetts man has died after going missing while snowboarding with a friend on Monday.

Brett Cohen was at the Stowe Mountain Resort when he went missing around 3:30 p.m. Monday, according to Stowe, Vermont Police Chief Donald Hull.

The chief said the two friends got separated while in the woods.

Several search and rescue teams began looking for Cohen on the mountain.

He was found in a wooded area about 50- to 60-feet away from the ski trail around 11:30 p.m., Hull said.

Cohen was transported to the University of Vermont Medical Center Monday night. He was pronounced dead at the hospital early Tuesday morning, Hull said.

The death appears to be an accident, Hull said. Further information will be determined by the office of the medical examiner.

Hull said there have been no other deaths on the mountain this year.

A recent report by Business Insider ranked Worcester and Boston in the top 20 for best places to earn a high salary.

When the U.S. News & World Report released its 100 Best Places to Live in 2017, Boston, Worcester and Springfield all ranked in the top 75, but Business Insider took a different look at the cities and ranked Boston and Worcester in the Top 20 places to earn a high salary.

Business Insider used the Top 100 Best Places to Live report and re-ranked the communities based on average annual salary in order to find cities where people earned more than $50,000, according to Business Insider's report.

The change in rankings bumped Worcester to 18^th in the country in terms of best places to earn a high salary. The second-largest city in New England was ranked 54^th on the best places to live list.

Business Insider took a look at the 2015 national average wage index by the Social Security Administration. The 2015 national average wage index was $48,098.

According to Business Insider, the 928,405 people living in Worcester had an average annual salary of $51,630.

"Though by no means small, Worcester offers a more pastoral atmosphere than many cities its size - known for its rolling hills and nearly 500 acres of parks," Business Insider wrote. "A dynamic healthcare sector, including several hospitals and medical-research universities, furnish many residents with lucrative careers."

The city of Worcester is in the midst of a renaissance of development, dining and culture that has accelerated in the past few years with hundreds of millions of dollars invested in the downtown area. 

In terms of growth in health care, UMass Memorial Health Care is leasing 74,600 square feet of space in Mercantile Center. More than 500 jobs are being moved into the space with anywhere from 150 to 200 of those positions being new jobs. 

Business Insider ranked Boston 4^th in this list, compared to U.S. News & World Report's 8^th position in the best places to live list. 

With a population of almost 4.7 million, the average annual salary in Boston is $62,070, according to Business Insider. 

"Boston attracts a diverse group of residents, including everyone from recent college graduates to retirees and musicians to engineers," the report states. "The historical city -- often referred to as the 'Cradle of Liberty,' according to one local expert -- also overflows with team spirit for the Red Sox and 2017 Super Bowl champions, the Patriots."

San Jose, California was given the top spot in Business Insider's list. 

Springfield College employees now have even more incentive to become homeowners in the City of Firsts as the College announced the expansion of its Employee Neighborhood Homeownership Program.

SPRINGFIELD -Springfield College employees now have even more incentive to become homeowners in the City of Firsts as the college announced the expansion of its Employee Neighborhood Homeownership Program.

"Myself and the city have had a great relationship with Springfield College," said Mayor Domenic Sarno. "Through their leadership, they've really reached out to the community and to the neighborhoods which I deeply appreciate. This builds on my vision of increasing home ownership opportunities in our neighborhoods. We have some great housing stock and some great buys in the city."

In an effort to grow worker residency within the city, Springfield College has increased the amount of money full-time employees can receive in matching funds to help pay for their homes.

Springfield College's homeownership program has been helping employees buy homes within surrounding neighborhoods since 1999, initially offering employees up to $1,000 in matching funds toward their down payment on a homes within the Old Hill and Upper Hill area.

"The college will match dollar for dollar up to a maximum contribution from the college of $5,000 in down payment funds," said Springfield College Vice President for Inclusion and Community Engagement Calvin Hill in a press release. "We hope our employees take advantage of this opportunity as the College continues to make a real difference contributing to a great college community and helping more people live in the city, both in its vibrant downtown corridor, and near the college campus."

Along with the increase in financial assistance, Springfield College also expanded the number of eligible neighborhoods for employees to purchase homes, adding Six Corners, South End, and Metro Center areas to the list.

"Promoting Springfield as a great place to live by encouraging the expansion of employer home buying incentives was a major goal of the Young Professionals Committee, and I am thrilled Springfield College has revitalized its neighborhood home buyer program in 2017," said Springfield City Councilor Michael Fenton in a press release. "The college has always been an excellent community partner, and I thank them for their continued cooperation and this investment in Springfield's future."

Following loan disbursement, employees must maintain their position at the school for five years with the property as their primary residence to in order to have the entire loan forgiven.

One woman reportedly found her rental car's tires slashed after she removed a barrel to snag a parking space.

As the snowbanks grow higher, so too does the fierce competition for parking spots along crowded neighborhood streets in Boston. Drivers found slashed tires and threatening notes in East and South Boston this weekend after a second snow storm dumped close to a foot of snow on the city.

Community blog UniversalHub shared a vulgar note found on a woman's car in South Boston on Monday after she parked in a visitors' spot. The note's author threatened to slash tires if that car was ever spotted on the street again.

That threat was reportedly one woman's reality in East Boston on Sunday morning, before the last winter storm swept through the state.

East Boston resident David Sullivan and neighbors looked on from their homes on Marginal Street as a woman had to call for another rental car after finding the tires on her original rental slashed.

Sullivan said the woman lives a street over and was fairly new to the neighborhood. He said that neighbors told him the woman moved a space-saving barrel and parked her rental car there Saturday evening. When the woman and two children visited the car the next morning, someone had slashed the car's tires.

After posting a photo of the vandalized car on Facebook with friends in the "East Boston Open Discussion" group, Sullivan said the post garnered a lot of attention.

"It's getting out of hand," Sullivan said in a phone interview. As a lifelong resident of Eastie, 55-year-old David Sullivan has seen the neighborhood's transformation. He lives in Jeffries Point, where two-family homes sell for close to $700,000. Sullivan said for the last 16 years he has worked just down the road at the shipyard on Marginal Street. Space-saving is nothing new in the neighborhood, he says, but only recently has the unspoken rule become a problem.

"I know why it's changed," Sullivan said. "It's 70 percent new people. And when I say new people, it's people that have moved here from Maine, Vermont, all over the place." Sullivan said new neighbors are unfamiliar with or do not believe in the "unspoken rule" of shoveling out your own space and claiming it.

Space savers for parking in Boston: an art form or nuisance?

Sullivan recalled the blizzard of 1978, a time when he says neighbors chipped in to help one another shovel. It was about respect, Sullivan says. But in his experiences, the time of neighborly understanding has passed.

"I am scared to death to move somebody's space saver," Sullivan said. "I've seen a whole car keyed and scratched, I've seen it all to be honest with you." The Eastie native believes the vandalism is wrong, and that a polite note is a good fix.

In places like Cambridge and South Boston, the custom has been banned altogether. Through efforts by the South End Forum, the neighborhood became the first area in Boston to officially ban the controversial practice in January 2017, according to the Boston Globe.

In recent years, some small changes have been made to keep space savers in check. The city of Boston permits space saving up to 48 hours after a snow emergency expires, though in the past this rule was not always enforced.

On the morning following last week's blizzard, Marty Walsh announced that space savers are allowed in most neighborhoods, but warned residents "be respectful."

"If we see those threatening signs, we're gonna take those space savers and throw them in the truck," Walsh told reporters at a press conference, acknowledging he made up the new rule on the spot.

Along with his sons, Hurwitz established the American Restaurant Management Corp. which operates several UNO Pizzeria & Grill and Sonic Drive-In locations in the greater Springfield area.

SPRINGFIELD -- Stuart J. Hurwitz, a restaurant owner known as "Mr. Springfield" when he ran the Springfield Civic Center, died Sunday. He was 83.

In a 2003 profile in The Republican, Hurwitz answered the question "I'm successful because" with "I'm willing to work hard and because I love what I do."

He listed "People who don't give their all to the job" as a pet peeve in the same piece.

According to his obituary, Hurwitz lived in Longmeadow, where he raised a family with his wife, Joan. Along with his sons he established the American Restaurant Management Corp., which operates several UNO Pizzeria & Grill and Sonic Drive-In locations in the greater Springfield area.

He left the business in the hands of his sons in 1999 to become general manager of the Springfield Civic Center. He was at the arena until 2005, using his business acumen to revitalize the operation.

He guided the center through major renovation and transition into state ownership as the MassMutual Center.

He served as a board member and leader of a number of civic organizations including JGS Lifecare, Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau, Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Springfield Business Development Corp., Springfield Performing Arts Development Corp. and the Economic Development Council of Western MA.

Following his time at the Civic Center, he rejoined the restaurant business. The Hurwitz family opened Rein's Deli locations in West Springfield and in Tower Square, but both locations closed in the face of the Great Recession.

Hurwitz brought a West Coast chicken restaurant concept, Pollo Campero, to Boston Road. He quickly recognized that it was a poor fit and replaced it with the region's first Sonic.

In 1990, Hurwitz was asked why he established a Pizzarea Uno downtown the year before. He said he did it because of the diversity and dynamism present in the central business district.

"You find unique things here that you can't find anywhere else," he said.

He wasn't afraid to add to that dynamism. Here is how he expanded on a call for "crazy ideas" to enliven downtown: "We can't have a nudist party, but we could have a toga party or some other event to put Springfield on the map," Hurwitz said.

He is survived by his wife Joan (Solomon), his children Steve, Michael and Mark and their wives, his sister Ida Ward and seven grandchildren.

Click here for details of Hurwitz's funeral services.

Jacqueline Patterson will speak on the disproportionate affect of pollution and climate change on low-income communities of color.

AMHERST -- While environmentalism is often associated with well-to-do communities, there's a growing realization that poorer regions can be disproportionately affected by pollution, dysfunctional urban planning and climate change. 

Jacqueline Patterson, national director of the NAACP Environmental and Climate Justice Program, will address the issue when she speaks in Amherst on Feb. 26.

Patterson and others say low-income communities of color are far more likely to be chosen for facilities such as coal-fired power plants and incinerators, which emit mercury, arsenic, lead and other contaminants into the atmosphere. 

Poor communities and communities of color are more likely to experience the destructive effects of climate change while having fewer resources to deal with them, according to the NAACP. Such communities are less likely to escape mega-storms and flooding, less likely to have air conditioning during heat waves and are unable to afford high food prices. 

Patterson holds a master's degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University and has a lengthy history of working for women's rights, racial justice and environmental equity. 

Pattersons' talk is sponsored by the Amherst Area NAACP, Climate Action NOW and Coming Together. 

If you go:

What: When Movements Unite for Climate Justice
When: Sunday, Feb. 26, 2-4 p.m.
Where: Unitarian Universalist Society, 120 North Pleasant St., Amherst