A man from Springfield was sentenced on Thursday for selling crack cocaine.

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield resident Larry Smith Jr., 30, was sentenced to seven years in prison and three years of supervised release on Thursday for the possession and distribution of crack cocaine. 

Smith, who sold crack cocaine to a cooperating witness in 2015, pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing and one count of possessing with the intent to distribute in November 2016.  

Smith has a fairly extensive criminal history in Massachusetts. 

• 2004 convictions for two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, as well as possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
• 2007 convictions for both assault with a dangerous weapon, four counts of assault and battery of a police officer, and resisting arrest.
• 2009 convictions for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery of a police officer.  
• 2010 conviction for carrying a firearm without a license, as well as carrying a firearm, as well as a loaded firearm without a license.

Carmen Ortiz, who recently stepped down as the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts, on Thursday defended law enforcement officials' actions during her tenure and voiced concerns about the current national climate amid President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

BOSTON - Carmen Ortiz, who recently stepped down as the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts, on Thursday defended law enforcement officials' actions during her tenure and voiced concerns about the current national climate amid President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

The first woman and first Hispanic to serve as US Attorney in Massachusetts, Ortiz took part in a panel on media, free speech and the war on terror at Roxbury Community College.

"These are difficult times and not just for the Muslim community," she said, adding that Hispanics in the US are "living in fear" that they could get "corralled" and put into a detention center.

Asked to elaborate on her remarks after appearing on the panel, Ortiz said, "Between the executive order and some of the policies that are being issued, like the more recent policy by the Department of Homeland Security as to how they're going to carry out the laws that have been on the books for years but have been carried out in a certain ways, and there's always discretion in how you carry out the laws, I think there are many communities that are afraid right now and concerned about what the future holds, in terms of the immigration policies, in terms of the ban of individuals whether they're refugees, immigrants, or others from different countries, and I think that that concern, it's valid, to see how things will play out."

Homeland Security details Trump administration's immigration enforcement, border security efforts

Are the Trump administration's proposals constitutional? Ortiz said she hasn't seen the latest version and she'll "leave it to the courts to decide that."

"Even if it's constitutional on its face, still the way that it's carried out and the policy itself can have a certain negative impact, so that should be considered as well," she said.

President Obama appointed Ortiz as the US attorney in 2009 and she stepped down in January 2017, allowing President Trump to appoint his own US attorney for Massachusetts.

Her office prosecuted former Massachusetts House Speaker Sal DiMasi, Boston gangster James "Whitey" Bulger and the Boston Marathon bomber.

US Attorney Carmen Ortiz, who prosecuted Whitey Bulger and Boston Marathon bomber, resigns

During Thursday night's panel, Ortiz sometimes caught herself using the word "we" when talking about government officials. "I keep saying 'we' - I'm not in law enforcement anymore," she said.

Afterwards, she told MassLive.com she isn't interested in entering the political arena.

"I have no interest in running," she said. "I'm not planning to and I have no interest in running."

The Roxbury Community College panel, moderated by journalist Bill Marcus, included the ACLU's Rahsaan Hall and Shannon Al-Wakeel, executive director of the Muslim Justice League.

"We are living in dangerous times," Ortiz said in discussion about what is and isn't protected speech. Speech that threatens, incites a crowd or another individual, and recruits individuals to commit criminal acts does not fall under protected speech, she said.

Law enforcement officials monitor social media to identify child predators and gather evidence, like rap songs that identify who someone wants to hurt or kill, according to Ortiz. "The same thing with terrorism. They're going to look in social media to see what is being stated."

Sting operations are sometimes set up to determine whether social media chatter is "just talk or is it more serious than that," she said.

Ortiz pointed to the case of one of the Tsarnaev brothers, who was on the FBI's radar two years before they set off the bombs at the Boston Marathon. The FBI investigated him but didn't find sufficient evidence to keep up surveillance, she said. "And yet they got criticized for that."

Judge to Dzhokhar Tsarnaev: 'Whenever your name is mentioned, what will be remembered is the evil you have done'

Ortiz also defended the prosecution of Tarek Mehanna, a Sudbury man convicted by a jury in 2011 of providing material support to Al Qaeda, the terrorist group. Critics said the prosecution violated his free speech rights.

He traveled to Yemen and translated documents that were used as recruiting tools, Ortiz said.

"He was convicted of these offenses," she said, adding that the conviction was upheld by an appeals court. "He lied to the FBI."

"There is no question there are bad players in law enforcement," she added, acknowledging remarks by other panelists about distrust of law enforcement officials in some communities.

"But I think it's important to build a dialogue so folks have a certain relationship with law enforcement that can lead to a better relationship," Ortiz said.

Court lets terrorism conviction stand for Sudbury man

Markey spoke up for clean energy, limits on nuclear proliferation, support for immigrants and refugees, and affordable healthcare while ripping into Trump's cabinet nominees.

NORTHAMPTON -- Speaking to a largely supportive crowd at Smith College Thursday night, U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey pledged to work with fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill to fight the administration of President Donald J. Trump.

"This is an incredible moment in history," Markey said. "I'm fighting twenty-four-seven. I'm fighting harder now than I ever have in my whole career."

The 625-seat Sweeney Concert Hall was completely full, and hundreds more who were turned away watched a live stream of the event at the First Churches on Main Street. Members of the crowd carried signs emblazoned with slogans such as "Save the EPA," "Protect Medicare," and "Investigate Russian Ties."

Markey delivered rousing praise for Massachusetts -- "the home of the American Revolution" -- as well as for Mayor David Narkewicz, who introduced Markey while proclaiming that Northampton stands as "a proud sanctuary city."

Markey spoke up for clean energy, restraints on nuclear proliferation, protections for immigrants, equal rights for all, universal broadband, affordable healthcare, and sustained attention to the nation's opioid addiction crisis.

"Because of the Affordable Care Act, 2.8 million people are receiving care for their opiate addiction," he said. "If you pull that away, the tragedy would just skyrocket."

He lit into the full slate of Trump nominees, including Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt, Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch, Health and Human Services secretary Tom Price, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of Exxon-Mobil.

Markey said Republicans will run into trouble when their constituents realize that they have no plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. He said Republicans are like "the dog chasing the car, where the car has stopped, the door has opened, the dog jumped in, and he doesn't know how to drive."

Trump's executive order limiting travel from seven countries -- the so-called "Muslim Ban" -- won't stand, Markey predicted.

"We are introducing legislation to overturn the ban, and we're going to force a fight on this," he said.

As for climate change and clean energy, Markey said market forces and renewable electricity programs in around 30 states can't be stopped by the White House. He noted that auto industry executives are pushing for a rollback of fuel efficiency requirements, and said he would fight to preserve the CAFE standards.

"Trump believes climate change is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese, but here in Massachusetts, we believe in science," said Markey.

For three hours, Markey fielded questions and comments.

Earlier in the evening, musician Nerissa Neilds took to the stage with an acoustic guitar. "I'm a patriot, a Democrat, I love this country and I'm part of the resistance," she said to applause and cheers. 

Neilds delivered a rendition of the song "America," and the crowd joined in on the chorus. A children's group soon joined her to sing Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land." Local teacher Kimaya Diggs sang the National Anthem.

"Northampton is a very special place," Markey later remarked.

Markey served 37 years in the House of Representatives before winning his Senate seat in a 2013 special election. He was reelected to a full six-year term in 2014.

He sits on the Science, Commerce, and Transportation committee; the Committee on Environment and Public Works, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

Markey said he plans a series of similar town hall meetings across the state.

Northampton police announced the presence of a Level 3 sex offender in the city.

NORTHAMPTON - The Northampton Police Department notified residents Thursday that a Level 3 sex offender is currently living in the city.

Randy Bruce Lee, 59, was convicted of two charges of assault and battery on a child in 2009, as well as one count of assault and battery on a child in 1985.

Lee re-registered with the Northampton Police Department, on February 19th, 2017, in accordance with state law.  

He is 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighs approximately 240 pounds, and has blue eyes and brown hair. He currently lives at 91 Grove Street.

Level 3 offenders are considered to be the most likely to re-offend. 

Obituaries from The Republican.

Stone Soul Inc. is looking to bring Springfield residents together for a night of fun, music and fellowship as the organization hosts its annual Legacy Awards ceremony Saturday.

SPRINGFIELD -- Stone Soul Inc. is looking to bring Springfield residents together for a night of fun, music and fellowship as the organization hosts its annual Legacy Awards ceremony Saturday.

With a 5:30 p.m. start time at Symphony Hall, the awards reception will recognize four individuals for their contributions and service to the city.

Stone Soul is a nonprofit that began in 1989 as way to bring residents of the Mason Square neighborhood together. It has grown through the years to cover the entire city of Springfield, hosting events and festivals to help foster unity.

This year's Legacy Awards recipients are Jessica Henderson, Springfield's first African-American police lieutenant; WEIB-FM's Carol Cutting; WTCC-FM's Kenneth Barnett; and Robert Jackson, owner of Robert C. Jackson Transportation and Security Services.

Stone Soul is also collaborating with CityStage and Symphony Hall to present a concert featuring A Temptations Revue following the awards ceremony at 7:30 p.m. Symphony Hall will be filled with classic tunes like "My Girl" and "Get Ready."

The concert will feature Grammy-award winner and former Temptations lead singer Barrington "Bo" Henderson, who performed with the legendary Motown group from 1998 to 2003.

Tickets for Saturday's festivities are available at Symphony Hall and the CityStage box office, and online at varying prices for members and nonmembers.

Holyoke Police Chief James Neiswanger said on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2017 that imposition of harsher discipline such as firing an employee rests with the mayor as the chief gave his reaction to the mayor's rejection of his recommendation that a sergeant be fired after an alleged attendance violation.

HOLYOKE -- In his first public comments on a sergeant's suspension, Police Chief James M. Neiswanger said Thursday he is authorized to issue "lower level discipline" and can make only a recommendation for a harsher measure such as termination.

"An internal affairs investigation was conducted in which substantial misconduct was upheld against an employee. After reviewing the investigation, I forwarded my recommendation for discipline to the mayor. Subsequently, the mayor issued that employee a two week unpaid suspension," Neiswanger said in an email.

The Republican had asked Neiswanger his reaction to Mayor Alex B. Morse's rejection of his recommendation that Sgt. Charles P. Monfett be fired for failing to return to work after scheduled time off as ordered and failing to cooperate with a subsequent investigation.

Police sergeant suspended for failing to return to work after scheduled time off, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse says

Morse said, "Sgt. Monfett was suspended due to a time and attendance matter. Specifically he failed to timely return after scheduled time off as ordered (last year) and then failed to fully cooperate with an investigation. After a review of the findings with the (city) Law Department, I became concerned about losing an appeal to civil service and a possible lawsuit for wrongful termination, which would have opened the city to having to pay tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of dollars in legal expenses. It is for this reason I decided the appropriate disciplinary action was a lengthy suspension."

Monfett, an eight-year veteran, was suspended two weeks without pay and is scheduled to return to work March 5, officials said.

Here is the statement Neiswanger emailed to The Republican:

"In the city of Holyoke, the mayor is the appointing authority, and is responsible for hiring and for the dismissal of personnel. As chief of police, I can only administer lower level discipline. This includes warnings, reprimands, unpaid suspensions up to five days, and I can make recommendations for greater discipline to the mayor. An internal affairs investigation was conducted in which substantial misconduct was upheld against an employee. After reviewing the investigation, I forwarded my recommendation for discipline to the mayor. Subsequently, the mayor issued that employee a two week unpaid suspension. The employee in question was injured on duty on March 25, 2015."

Neiswanger didn't identify "the employee" by name but the questions posed to him were about Monfett.

Neiswanger announced the suspension of Monfett on Feb. 17 in an internal email to police that said, "Sergeant Monfett has been suspended from duty without pay for the next two weeks. He is scheduled to return to work on Sunday, March 5, 2017. James M. Neiswanger, Chief of Police."

Monfett was placed on paid administrative leave Sept. 22 and the two-week suspension began Feb. 19, officials have said.

Lawyer Shawn P. Allyn, representing Monfett, said in a text message Thursday that termination was an excessive discipline intended to block Monfett from competing for a promotion to lieutenant and would have led the city into a costly defeat in court.

"The (internal police) investigation was rushed and sloppy. The chief's recommendations would have led to successful litigation and cost the city a half-million dollars in legal fees and settlement. My client had no prior history of discipline, so termination was pure retaliation for being out injured," Allyn said.

Monfett began working for the Police Department Feb. 1, 2009, was promoted to sergeant in June 2013 and makes a yearly salary of $76,142.

A follow up with the Boy Scouts of America showed that Caldwell is no longer participating with the organization in any capacity.

The Boy Scouts of America and the Narragansett Council team have responded to the criminal allegations facing a former member by banning the man from ever participating with the organization.

Kyle Caldwell, 18, of Attleboro was arrested last Friday after police discovered him in possession of 50 grams of cocaine, dozens of Xanax pills, marijuana and wads of cash, NECN.com reported. Caldwell was discovered to be a card-carrying member of the Boy Scouts of America, despite being too old to be a boy scout.

A follow up with the Boy Scouts of America showed that Caldwell is no longer participating with the organization in any capacity. 

"Though this individual does not have a current registration in Scouting and these actions appear unrelated to Scouting, upon learning of these allegations we took immediate action to preclude him from any further participation in Scouting," Narragansett Council Scout Executive and CEO Tim McClandess said. 

Caldwell was arrested on Friday, along with 18-year-old Georgia Stinchfield, and a 16-year-old girl, both of Scituate, R.I.

Police have responded to Caldwell's home nearly a dozen times since July on reports of drug dealing. Just two weeks ago, police checked on the home after he was accused of assaulting his mother.

McClandess said Caldwell's alleged behavior is a disappointment for the Boy Scouts. 

"The behavior included in these allegations runs counter to everything for which the Boy Scouts of America stands," McClandess said. "These actions do not represent the Narragansett Council, BSA, or our volunteers, who work tirelessly to accomplish our mission to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law."

According to The Sun Chronicle, Caldwell is being held on $10,000 cash bail. He is being charged with trafficking cocaine, conspiracy to violate drug control laws, distribution of marijuana and possession of marijuana and Xanax.

Stinchfield was released on $250 bail.

Built in 1968, Eastfield Mall was Western Massachusetts' first enclosed shopping mall.

SPRINGFIELD -- Macy's has put its former store in the Eastfield Mall up for sale, part of a nationwide effort by the beleaguered retailer to dump its closed or soon-to-be-closed stores.

The Eastfield Mall space, once a suburban location of Springfield's beloved Steiger's Department Store, is owned by Macy's. That means it has separate ownership from the mall to which it is attached.

A sales brochure posted on the real estate website LoopNet this week does not include an asking price. But the advertising piece, embedded below, does describe the store. It totals 127,000 square feet on two floors and 7.2 acres of property. It was built in 1968.

The mall has 824,000 square feet of retail space.

In January, Macy's contracted with real estate firm CBRE Inc. to dispose of 32 locations in 20 states. That includes finding someone to take over Macy's lease of its former location in the Berkshire Mall in Lanesboro, near Pittsfield, and a buyer for the former Macy's in the Silver City Galleria in Taunton.

The Eastfield Mall was Western Massachusetts' first enclosed shopping mall, once home to Steiger's and Forbes & Wallace, another downtown Springfield staple.

But like many malls, Eastfield has lost anchor stores in recent years.

Macy's, which still has a store in the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside, shut down the Eastfield Mall store last year, along with the store in the Berkshire Mall and furniture and department stores in the Enfield Square Mall in Connecticut. The Enfield locations are not on CBRE's list of stores to sell or sublease.

JCPenney closed its store in the Eastfield Mall in 2011. Eastfield Mall's owner, Mountain Development Corp., subsequently bought the JCPenney space. It had been separately owned like Macy's.

In 2015, New Jersey-based Mountain View got permission from the city to tear down the JCPenney. But the demolition never happened and the space has hosted Halloween pop-up retailer Spirit the past few years.

On Thursday, Eastfield Mall co-manger David Thompson said he doesn't know if Mountain View has plans to buy the Macy's as well. It's a corporate decision, he said.

In the meantime, Eastfield Mall still has its Sears. Sears is closing in Enfield.

Thompson said he's also seeing reinvigorated interest from businesses about leasing smaller retail spaces in the mall. All but three of those locations are spoken for now, he said. In the past few weeks, Eastfield has rented to a bounce house operator and dance and karate studios.

Soon, the mall will get Knockerball, a business that puts people in big plastic bubbles so they can run into each other during a soccer-like game.

"It's an experiment we are doing where we are going for more experience-type businesses and services and not so much traditional retail," Thompson said.

Macy's Eastfield Mall by Jim Kinney on Scribd

For the young boy from Framingham, there is no operation, there is no cure.

Devin Suau loved snowboarding, until one day in January when he fell off his board and became concussed.

While diagnosing 6-year-old Suau's concussion, doctors discovered a very rare type of pediatric brain cancer called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. The tumor is lodged in his brain stem. 

For the young boy from Framingham, there is no operation, there is no cure. He's been given eight months to two more years to live.

Now the family is spreading awareness about the rare, aggressive disease, which affects about 300 children each year. The family wants to raise $250,000 to help deal with medical costs. 

In the past 24 days, the family has raised more than $175,000 from over 2,360 sponsors for the #WhyNotDevin campaign.

"As we struggle to pick our heads up and grasp what we are being told we just simply cannot allow this to happen without a fight," Amy Suau-Biggin, a cousin of the boy, wrote. "We have been calling doctors, sending scans and turning to clinical trials to see if any breakthrough treatments exist."

The story has been picked up by several media outlets, and even Kim Kardashian has tweeted about the story to spread the word.

Just read this heart breaking story! Sending prayers out to their family Please retweet #WhyNotDevin [?] [?] [?] [?] [?] [?] https://t.co/tPshopfepH

-- Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) February 24, 2017

According to the family's GoFundMe page, Suau loves to play soccer and lacrosse. In one picture, he can be seen dressed head-to-toe in Batman pajamas.

He is the youngest of four brothers and can be seen in photos with dozens of cousins, often at the front of the group portraits. 

The family has also started posting videos of the charming young man on their Facebook page. 

However, while the support helps, the tragedy continues to haunt the thoughts of the family. 

"Losing Devin would have a profound effect, not only on his older brothers, but also on his cousins who will each be left with the plaguing question WHY????  This is so difficult for us as adults how can all these kids come to terms with this," his cousin wrote.

The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education placed the Holyoke school system in receivership on April 28, 2015 and City Councilor Diosdado Lopez said on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017 he will keep pushing to freeze payment of stipends to School Committee members since the receiver's presence means they lack authority.

HOLYOKE -- Signatures on a petition could be the next step for City Councilor Diosdado Lopez as he pursues placement of a question on the Nov. 7 election ballot to ask voters if they want School Committee members to keep getting paid.

"We will see, but I will never surrender," Lopez, an at large councilor, said in a text message Wednesday.

Council colleagues Tuesday opted against proceeding with the referral to committee that Lopez sought to prompt a discussion about his proposal for a ballot question on whether the city should keep paying School Committee members stipends of $5,000 a year each.

That's based on Lopez' belief that the presence of a state-appointed receiver supplanting the authority of the School Committee means the stipends are unnecessary spending.

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.

Previously, getting a ballot question placed on the municipal election ballot has required that a petition be submitted to the city clerk with signatures of at least 10 percent of the city's registered voters. The city as of the Nov. 8 election had 26,677 registered voters, 10 percent of which is 2,668.

Such an election ballot question would be nonbinding because freezing the stipends would require an ordinance change, not a simple deletion of funding, City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain has said.

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.

The council voted 12-3 to give Lopez' proposal leave to withdraw.

In May, the council referred to committee Lopez' proposal to freeze the stipends until the state removes the receiver and restores local control over the public schools to the elected school board. The item has received little attention in the Ordinance Committee.

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

School Committee members have said they 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 despite lacking voting authority.

The committee has continued its same level of work and held the same schedule of meetings, albeit without voting authority on policy decisions, officials said.

Zrike has said the payment of stipends to School Committee members is beyond his authority because such funding is a city government decision. He also praised the School Committee's work.

Fortune allegedly forced the clerk to open the cash register, and then attacked her when she couldn't open the safe.

SPRINGFIELD -- Until recently, the clerk knew Matthew Fortune as one of her regular customers at Tedeschi Food Shops on Boston Road in Springfield.

Now she identifies him as the assailant who robbed the store and beat her so savagely that she needs plastic surgery and might have suffered permanent vision loss, a prosecutor said Thursday.

"When police arrived, she was bleeding and crying," Assistant District Attorney Thomas McLeod said during Fortune's arraignment in Springfield District Court on charges of aggravated assault and battery, armed robbery while masked, threatening to commit murder and kidnapping.

Fortune, 25, of Springfield, turned himself in after being named the city's most wanted fugitive on the Springfield Police Department's Facebook page. His photo was posted Wednesday night, leading to a dozen tips on his whereabouts, said police spokesman Sgt. John Delaney.

After Fortune pleaded not guilty to the charges, the prosecutor asked for $100,000 cash bail, citing the violent nature of the new case, plus Fortune's extensive criminal record.

Along with his father, mother and sister, Fortune was arrested in 2015 after city police raided their Pine Point home and allegedly seized 100 packets of heroin, 48 oxycodone pills and a .22-caliber handgun.

Fortune was out on bail in that case when he allegedly entered the convenience store earlier this month with a red bandanna pulled over his face, McLeod said.

He forced the clerk to open the cash register, and then attacked her when she couldn't open the safe -- throwing her to the floor, punching and kicking her and threatening to kill her, McLeod said. Before fleeing, he took cartons of cigarettes and strip of lottery tickets, the prosecutor said.

The victim showed police Fortune's photo on Facebook, and later picked him out of an eight-person photo array at police headquarters, McLeod said.

Defense lawyer Terrence Dunphy asked for $25,000 cash bail, noting that Fortune's release in the pending drug and gun case had been revoked earlier in the day.

"He isn't going anywhere. He's not going to be released," Dunphy said.

Judge Michelle Rooke set bail at $100,000 and ordered the defendant to return for a pretrial hearing next month.

The hour-long discussion featured a live studio audience at WGBY in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD — After an hour long discussion on the manifestations of racism in the Pioneer Valley on Thursday, WGBY and the Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley hope viewers at home will continue the conversation with family, friends and colleagues.

"The goal of today was really to help create awareness, to help educate and provide additional language so that people can, within their own spaces and circles of influence, have candid conversations, and I feel we accomplished that," said Waleska Lugo-DeJesus, director of the Healing Racism Institute.

Instead of offering its viewers prepared speeches or lectures about racism and how it affects the Pioneer Valley, WGBY took a different approach, teaming up with the institute to engage a live studio audience as well as viewers at home in a town hall format about racism.

"The benefit is that it's an actual dialogue with community. It's not planned, it's not contrived, it's real, it's in the moment," said Tony Dunne, executive producer for WGBY, which hosted the live discussion, "Healing Racism: A Community Dialogue."

"It's an important discussion that is talked about in a broad sense, but lately it's been a national discussion and this brings it home to Western Massachusetts, to our community and our viewers," Dunne said.

Springfield -WGBY hosts live forum.Elizabeth Roman | The Republican 

The forum was moderated by WGBH news reporter Tina Martin. Panelists included: Lisa Bakowski, principal of Boland Elementary School in Springfield; Heshima Moja, co-facilitator of Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley's two-day seminars; Bishop Talbert Swan, president of the Greater Springfield NAACP; and David Woods, principle of Springfield-based Woods Financial Group.

Swan said the forum was just a " conversation starter."

"Anything that gets the conversation about racism and how to deal with it going is a positive thing," he said. "The Healing Racism Institute is doing a fabulous job of carrying out that dialogue."

The conversation touched several times on the issue of white privilege, the concept that being born white, particularly white and male, comes with inherent advantages in life.

Swan said it's difficult for many people to see or acknowledge white privilege.

"We are not looking for apologies for white privilege, it's what you do with it that really matters," he said. "It's realizing that you have white privilege and then determining how you are going to manage it when it comes to interacting with people of different races."

Woods said he grew up in an all-white community and was a racist without really knowing it.

"I grew up with this intuitive sense that there was something wrong with those people (African Americans) and I better not mix with them, so I was a racist without even knowing it," Woods said. "As I grew up and went to college and the service I came in contact more often with people of other races and became less frightened because fear is a big motivator."

Bakowski talked about how important it is to teach children from an early age not only at home but at school about acceptance.

Moja said he appreciated the live forum format.

"I welcome it because I believe it's representative of the chaotic nature of a conversation in which you are talking about race and racism in America," he said.

Lugo-DeJesus said she is looking forward to collaborating with WGBY again.

"This is a visual illustration of what can happen when you bridge across differences," she said. "I felt like a proud mom because we not only had healing racism alumni, but people from the community, not only from Springfield, bring in their particular perspectives."

Viewers are encouraged to continue the conversation using the hashtag #wgbydialogue on Facebook and Twitter. They can follow WGBY at facebook.com/wgbytv and @wgby on twitter.com/wgby.

A witness told police that her ex-boyfriend and another man pulled defendant Rene Quinones from his car and assaulted him with a knife.

SPRINGFIELD -- A teenager awaiting trial for allegedly assaulting a principal and two staffers at a Springfield alternative high school was back in court Tuesday after being charged with stabbing two people over the weekend.

Rene Quinones, 19, of Springfield, pleaded not guilty in Springfield District Court to two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon following his arrest Sunday outside a market on Bay Street.

Rene Quinones, 19, of SpringfieldSpringfield Police Department 

Quinones and a woman passenger were sitting in a vehicle when two men approached and began arguing with them, according to the arrest report. The woman had previously dated one of the men. As the argument escalated, Quinones stepped from the car and stabbed the ex-boyfriend in the back, then slashed the other man on both hands, the report said.

Both men were taken to Baystate Medical Center, where they were treated and released, the report said.

The woman passenger later told police that her ex-boyfriend and another man had pulled Quinones from the vehicle and assaulted him with a knife. Quinones suffered a minor stab wound to his side before gaining control of the knife and stabbing his two assailants, the woman told police. The other men were not charged.

Following his arraignment Tuesday, Quinones was released on $100 bail, the same figure he posted Sunday after being booked at police headquarters. He is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on April 11.

The new charges come three month after Quinones rejected a plea deal in the school assault case that would have placed him on probation for 18 months.

In September, 2015, he was arrested following an alleged hallway brawl at the Springfield Public Day High School with Principal Breon Parker and two counselors. The trouble started when Quinones shoved a counselor, and ended with him and three school officials wrestling on the floor as students watched from nearby classrooms, according to the police report.

Later that day, Quinones pleaded not guilty to resisting arrest, disturbing a public assembly and three counts of assault and battery. He was released with orders to stay away from the school and the alleged victims.

By rejecting a plea deal in November, Quinones set the stage for a trial later this year in a case that has stretched over two school years, with nine pretrial conferences and multiple continuances, nearly all of them requested by the defense.

Quinones, meanwhile, picked up new charges in September following his arrest for bicycle-related misconduct during the annual Puerto Rican parade.

He is due back in court next week for a pretrial hearing in the school assault case.

Plans for a third Connecticut casino - one just across the state line with Massachusetts - are expected to be announced in coming days.

Plans for a third Connecticut casino - one just across the state line with Massachusetts - are expected to be announced in coming days.

"There is draft language in the hands of the legislature," Kevin Brown, chairman of the Mohegan Tribe told the Associated Press on Thursday. "We have to get it passed this session. We are at the 11th hour."

Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes formalized a partnership in 2015 to construct a third tribal casino in the state. The tribes say the joint casino will be smaller than Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Resort Casino and is expected to cost between $200 million and $300 million. 

The latest gambling venture is expected to compete directly with MGM Springfield, and has received support from the legislature in Connecticut as a means to keep casino revenue within the Constitution State. 

The new casino was authorized by a gaming act signed by Gov. Dannel Malloy in 2015. Now the tribes await approval by the state's General assembly. 

MGM Resorts International attempted to block the effort by filing suit against Connecticut state officials, arguing the 2015 tribal gaming act showed showed discriminatory favoritism Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot tribes. A federal judge last summer dismissed the company's lawsuit, siding with the state. 

MGM Springfield is scheduled to open a $950 million casino in September of 2018. 

Judge throws out MGM's lawsuit against Connecticut gaming act

Inside MGM Resorts International's lawsuit against the new Connecticut gaming act

Eastbound traffic heading into Boston Friday morning on the Massachusetts Turnpike should expect delays.

Update: The lane has been reopened. 

Eastbound traffic heading into Boston Friday morning on the Massachusetts Turnpike should expect delays. 

The right lane near Exit 24 is closed following a crash, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation said. 

No information was immediately available on how many vehicles were involved in the crash, nor regarding injuries. 

The former owner of Boston-area Alpha Omega Jewelry -- who once counted Bill Clinton and Ben Affleck among his customers -- was arrested in Los Angeles on Tuesday after nearly a decade on the lam.

The former owner of Boston-area Alpha Omega Jewelry -- who once counted Bill Clinton and Ben Affleck among his customers -- was arrested in Los Angeles on Tuesday after nearly a decade on the lam. 

Federal agents were waiting at Los Angeles International Airport to intercept Raman Handa, 67, a former Lexington resident, after his disembarked off his flight from India. 

Unsealed Wednesday, a 2011 indictment accuses Handa of 12 counts of wire fraud, which allegedly cost his bank lenders millions. 

According to the Department of Justice, the high-end jewelry company began experiencing "severe financial troubles" in 2007 and "had difficulty keeping current" on loans" with several banks.

"As part of the scheme to defraud Alpha Omega's lenders and in order to obtain additional loans, Handa allegedly fabricated inventory on reports that were submitted to the banks," a Justice Department press release on the arrest read. "These reports were used by the banks to calculate the credit limit for Alpha Omega, and included inventory such as luxury watches and high-end items from Indian jewelry vendors, that Alpha Omega never in fact possessed."

Handa and his family abruptly left the country for India in late 2007, prompting lenders to take control of Alpha Omega. A subsequent review of the company's inventory allegedly found more than $7 million in unaccounted for or missing inventory. 

The business opened its initial location in Harvard Square in 1980, according to The Boston Globe, and later expanded with new locations inside Boston's Prudential Center and shopping malls in Burlington and Natick. 

Handa will appear in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on Friday. His first court date in Boston has yet to be scheduled. 

All eastbound lanes on the Massachusetts Turnpike have reopened Friday following a crash.

All eastbound lanes on the Massachusetts Turnpike have reopened Friday following a crash. 

The right lane near Exit 24 was temporarily closed following a crash Friday morning, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation said. 

Fionnuala Quinlan, the Irish-Consul General in Boston, is scheduled to tour the Irish Cultural Center of Western New England on Morgan Road in West Springfield at 2 p.m. today, Friday, Feb. 24.

WEST SPRINGFIELD -- It's only about three weeks until St. Patrick's Day, when Western Massachusetts' large Irish-American population descends on Holyoke for the annual parade, Nathan Bill's Irish Bar in Springfield fills to capacity, and people of Irish descent from all over the region show up to work wearing green.

In West Springfield, where roughly one out of every five city residents claims Irish heritage, the big news is next month's debut of the Irish Cultural Center of Western New England, a facility that will feature the best in Irish cultural programming, a bar, restaurant, and event space.

Today at 2 p.m., Consul-General of Ireland Fionnuala Quinlan will tour the new Irish Cultural Center (ICC) with West Springfield Mayor Will Reichelt and ICC President Sean Cahillane, among others.

"We're honored to have the likes of Fionnuala Quinlan here to help christen our new place," Cahillane said. "This is the beginning of a longstanding relationship that is sure to grow."

The ICC moved to the site of the former Elks Lodge at 429 Morgan Road in West Springfield in July 2015. Prior to that, the ICC was based at Elms College in Chicopee, where the center first opened in 1999.

Quinlan has led the Consulate General of Ireland in Boston since 2015. She officially represents the Irish government in the states of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont and Rhode Island. Her focus is on deepening the historic cultural, business, and political ties between Ireland and New England, including engaging the region's vibrant Irish and Irish-American communities.

She was formerly director of press relations at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Dublin, where she managed the department's engagement with traditional and new media.

Prior to that, the former journalist in Ireland and Australia was press adviser for Irish Aid, the government's overseas aid program, and traveled extensively through Africa and Asia in that role.

The ICC is an independent, nonprofit organization.

The gender identities of close to 150,000 teenagers across America differs from the sex marked on their birth certificates, newly released analysis of federal and state data shows. The gender identities of close to 150,000 teenagers across America differs from the sex marked on their birth certificates, newly released analysis of federal and state data shows.

The gender identities of close to 150,000 teenagers across America differs from the sex marked on their birth certificates, newly released analysis of federal and state data shows.

In addition to one in every 137 teens between the ages of 13 and 17 years old identifying as transgender, 1.4 million American adults identify as transgender.

The report was released by The Williams Institute at the University of California Los Angeles School of Law, a think tank focused on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy. It provides new data as protections of transgender youths are rescinded in schools and public spaces.

Federal guidelines enacted by the Obama administration that required schools to let transgender students use the bathroom that conformed with their gender identity were ended by President Donald Trump on Wednesday. 

Trump administration revokes transgender bathroom guidance

"This is an issue best solved at the state and local level," Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said. "Schools, communities, and families can find -- and in many cases have found -- solutions that protect all students."

The federal change will not affect Massachusetts, where an anti-discrimination law was passed last year to protect transgender people's rights. Several Massachusetts leaders said they did not agree with the federal decision. 

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said the rollback "will subject vulnerable young people to harassment and intimidation."

She said, "Every student deserves to be treated equally in our schools, and this decision sends a message that discrimination is acceptable." 

AG Maura Healey, Rep. Joe Kennedy criticize President Donald Trump's rollback of transgender protections

Calling being a teenager "an incredibly difficult and challenging time," Governor Charlie Baker said he's grateful Massachusetts has protections in place for transgender youth. 

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says Trump administration sends wrong message with rollback of transgender protections