The move, if it happens, would position MGM as a major East Coast player with resorts in Springfield, Atlantic City and National Harbor, Maryland.

MGM Resorts International, the world's second-largest casino company and the developer of the $950 million MGM Springfield project, is reportedly in discussions to buy the Sands Bethlehem casino in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley.

Neither side is commenting on the potential deal, according to a story in the (Allentown) Morning Call newspaper Friday. The Call cites sources including a Pennsylvania state senator.

Sands is the largest casino operator.

The Bethlehem deal could be worth $1 billion.

Pennsylvania Gaming officials have confirmed to the Call that there is a deal afoot for the Sands to sell the Bethlehem casino, and Sands notified its Bethlehem employees.

The move would continue a major East Coast expansion for Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts.

The 14-acre MGM Springfield project is set to open in the fall of 2018. In December, MGM opened  the $1.4 billion MGM National Harbor resort in Maryland.

In 2016, MGM bought out Boyd Gaming's shares of the Borgata in Atlantic City and became that resort's sole owner.

MGM executives have said they plan to market the East Coast resorts together with Las Vegas properties as a package leveraging an already large database of gamblers developed through the company's rewards program. Las Vegas customers in the database who live in the East will get marketing materials for these resorts, for example. An MGM Springfield customer would be encouraged to take a Vegas vacation at MGM's properties there.

Opened in 2009, the Bethlehem Sands has 2,5000 employees and attracts 9 million visitors a year to a site that was once the heart of Bethlehem Steel. Sands has talked about a $90 million expansion.

But recently, 146 security guards at Sands Bethlehem voted to unionize. Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson is famously anti-union.

This isn't the first time Adelson has shopped the Bethlehem Sands to potential buyers. He worked on a rumored deal with Tropicana and Carl Icahn back in 2014.

The Bethlehem Sands is about a four-hour drive from Springfield. The Borgata is about five hours away.

Related photo gallery -- MGM Springfield construction:

 

Raymond Collazo of Springfield is charged with murder in the 2010 death of his 5-month-old son. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- A prosecutor told a Hampden Superior Court jury Friday that 5-month-old Davian Collazo was killed by his own father on Dec. 10, 2010.

"A 13 pound, 11 ounce baby boy killed, the evidence will show, by being shaken, causing injuries to his brain, and hit, causing blunt impact to his head," Assistant District Attorney Jane Mulqueen said in her opening statement in the murder trial of Raymond Collazo.

After Davian died, it was discovered he had fractures "in both his little arms and both his little legs," Mulqueen said.

Defense lawyer Jeffrey S. Brown told jurors Davian's death resulted from undiagnosed medical conditions. He said the fractures were the result of metabolic bone disease and said the doctor seeing Davian on Dec. 3, 2010, didn't notice the fractures. Brown said Davian had a condition of chronic bleeding in his brain.

Collazo, 29, and Dayanna Pagan, 31, are both charged with murder in the death of their son in Springfield. They will face trial separately. Mulqueen said Pagan will be called by the prosecution to testify at Collazo's trial.

The two were arraigned on murder charges in 2013. Prosecutors said at the time that delayed autopsy results from the state medical examiner's office were the reason it took so long to file charges. Although they were initially held without right to bail, neither Collazo nor Pagan are incarcerated now.

The defendants are also charged with assault and battery on a child with substantial injury, assault and battery on a child with injury and reckless endangerment of a child.

Collazo and Pagan had separated shortly after Davian's birth but Collazo took an active role in caring for the child, Mulqueen said.

The night before Davian's death, Collazo stayed over in Pagan's apartment to help with the baby, she said. Mulqueen told jurors Davian had a cold. She said Pagan fed Davian at about midnight, then Collazo told her he would take over care of the baby.

"That was the last time she would ever see her baby boy normal," Mulqueen said.

Mulqueen said Dr. Stephen Boos, a child abuse pediatrician, will testify as to his opinion on the cause and timing of the fatal injuries.

In his opening statement to the jury, Brown was critical of the quality of medical testing done after Davian's death. He told jurors Boos "presumes the worst in parents when he cannot explain a medical finding."

Brown said that on Dec. 10, 2010, at about 7 a.m., Collazo went to Davian's crib and found him cold, not breathing and with no heartbeat.

The trial continues Monday before Judge Mary-Lou Rup.

Co-owner of Mary Jane Makes Your Heart Sing Selina Christian said she used medicinal marijuana after being diagnosed with stage four cancer. Watch video

When Selina Christian was diagnosed with cancer, she was given three months to live.

It was that experience - and the medicinal marijuana she used to ease her pain - that motivated her and her husband to open Mary Jane Makes Your Heart Sing, the Springfield store shut down by the city Wednesday for distributing samples of cannabis after charging entrance fees.

"The idea behind it started with my wife's stage four cancer," Charles Christian Jr. said Friday following a press conference at the shop's Page Boulvard storefront. "At that point, we had decided why not try marijuana, to at least to help with the pain."

"I'm fighting cancer every day," Selina Christian said in an interview.

The store was shut down Wednesday after police served a cease and desist order. The city's law office and city police said the store's business model - charging a cover fee to get in and then giving "gifts" of marijuana as customers headed out the door - violated the ongoing prohibition against unlicensed retail marijuana sales.

But Christian maintains the shop's business model is legal, and said that he was motivated to provide access to the drug for people who may not be able to afford the cost of obtaining a medical marijuana card.

"Obviously I'm not a doctor so I can't tell you medically how it helped, but my wife is alive," Christian said. "That's what matters."

Asked how many customers the shop had during its weeks of operation, Charles Christian Jr. said he expected "thousands" of people would be disappointed by the closure but did not give an exact figure. He declined to state where his business acquired the marijuana it gave out.

Massachusetts voters approved the legalization of recreational marijuana in November, and since December 15 the personal possession and gifting of up to an ounce of cannabis is legal.

But sales of the drug are still illegal and punishable by up to two and a half years in prison. And Gov. Charlie Baker signed a law in December pushing back the licensing process for marijuana shops by six months to mid-2018.

Selina Christian criticized the delays in implementing legal sales after voters approved the referendum.

"Once the people have spoken and voted, it should be six months in my opinion for people to receive the procedures and policies as to how to operationalize that legislation," Christian said. "Outside of that I think we're not listening to the people."

City, state and law enforcement officials have not shared the couple's view.

Springfield City Council President Orlando Ramos and Councilor Michael Fenton called for the store's closure Wednesday morning, describing it as "clearly an illegal operation." Baker described the store's operations as "troubling," and as a consequence of the legal "no man's land" the state finds itself in four months after voters approved legalization.

And on Wednesday, after serving the cease and desist order, Springfield Police Sgt. John Delaney said Mary Jane Makes Your Heart Sing was violating the law.

"He can no longer do business like he's doing right now -- taking a cover at the door, leaving with a gift of marijuana," Delaney said. "It's not legal in the state to do that. He's not a licensed distributor of marijuana. That's yet to come."

 

"Students, faculty and staff were never in any imminent danger," Agawam Mayor Richard A. Cohen said at a press conference Friday afternoon.

AGAWAM -- Students and staff were never in any danger after an apparent social media threat prompted a shelter-in-place order and early dismissal at Agawam High School on Friday morning.

The threat did not target the school or anyone affiliated with it, but it spread quickly over social media and ultimately led to an investigation by Agwam police after a concerned parent contacted authorities.

"Students, faculty and staff were never in any imminent danger," Agawam Mayor Richard A. Cohen said at a press conference Friday afternoon.

"The Police Department and school administration acted appropriately in response to the information they had received, and the students were dismissed as part of protocol."

A parent contacted school officials after her son received an inappropriate social media message on his cellphone, according to William Sapelli, superintendent of Agawam Public Schools.

"So we immediately contacted our resource officer, who is on staff here, and he immediately contacted the detective department, and the police jumped right into action, came and responded immediately," Sapelli said.

A "stay in place" order was issued "just as a precautionary measure," he said. "We immediately contacted our bus company to set up an early dismissal."

Parents were alerted shortly after 8:30 a.m., dismissal began around 9:15, and all students were out of the building by 9:30, according to Sapelli.

Agawam Police Eric P. Gillis said the criminal investigation is ongoing.

"I can tell you that this is yet another issue when it comes to social media," Gillis said. "One person likes something and it's instantly shared with tens, hundreds, perhaps thousands of (people ), and that's what we have here."

The threat was posted to social media but had nothing to do with Agawam or the city's high school.

"Quite simply, the connection is this: Agawam students sharing a post and liking it," Gillis said. "It's just that simple. I wish I could tell you it was more complex or more confined to the school, where we could really narrow it down, but it's just not. It's just kids sharing posts."

The evacuation was ordered "out of an abundance of caution," Gillis said. "The superintendent and his staff, along with myself in consultation, decided that it was probably prudent to release students for the day."

A sweep of the building turned up nothing, police said.

The social media post that started it all was a screenshot of a post that was posted by a student at the high school. But the post, which was shared with other students at the school, was not created by Agawam students, police said, but rather a student who lives on the West Coast.

"We are currently working with police officials in that state to further ascertain the identify of the person with whom the post originated," Gillis said. "We are obviously in the multi-state, multi-jurisdictional investigation, so we cannot elaborate with any more specificity than that at this time."

The case illustrates the difficulty of police work in the age of the internet, where information, whether it's accurate or wildly inaccurate, can be shared instantly on social media sites. In this instance, Gillis said, there was no active shooter, no bomb threat, and no threat made against anyone linked to the high school.

"I just want to be crystal-clear about that right from the jump," he said. "We take these threats very seriously."

Depending on where the investigation leads detectives, Agawam police will seek charges if and when it's appropriate, Gillis said.

"Many rumors have been widely circulated on various social media platforms that we detained three individuals, and that one had a gun," Gillis said. "That is patently false."

Hampden Superior Court Judge Richard J. Carey gave jurors the standard caution, saying the photos may be unpleasant to view and may elicit sympathy. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- Jurors in the Hampden Superior Court murder trial of Benjamin Martinez on Friday were shown autopsy photos of the wounds inflicted on Caridad Puente, who was stabbed 30 times in her Springfield apartment 13 years ago.

Retired Springfield police officer Edward McDonald identified each photo that he had taken at the autopsy of the 35-year-old Puente after her death on June 9, 2004.

Assistant District Attorney Karen J. Bell showed each photo briefly on the large televisions in the courtroom, taking each off the screen as soon as McDonald identified it.

The photos showed deep and gaping wounds to Puente's neck and face, as well as other wounds.

Judge Richard J. Carey gave jurors the standard caution, saying the photos may be unpleasant to view and may elicit sympathy. He reminded them they must decide the case solely on the evidence, without being influenced by sympathy.

Puente, who was found dead in her apartment at 443 Taylor St. in Springfield, was pregnant at the time of her death. Her 11-month-old child was next to her, screaming and covered in his mother's blood.

Defense lawyer Mary Anne Stamm told jurors in her opening statement on Monday that Martinez will take the stand in his own defense.

Stamm said in her opening statement that Martinez will tell jurors he was in Puente's apartment but did not kill her. She said Martinez is going to be able to tell jurors "who it was that killed Caridad Puente."

Martinez, 48, of Chicopee, was arrested in 2014 after his DNA was found to match blood in the apartment as well as DNA recovered from under Puente's fingernails.

Bell told jurors they will hear evidence that Puente was a drug dealer, and Martinez was a drug addict.

Erica Nadeau, a supervisor at the Massachusetts State Police crime lab criminalistics unit, testified about her role testing swabs from red brown stains in the apartment and on Puente's body. She said once she confirmed the stains were human blood, she preserved them for future DNA testing.

There is no session of the trial on Monday, so it will continue Tuesday morning.

One official with the center said the threat would not deter it from its mission serving the community.

This is an update of a story posted at 3:03 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD -- A threat discovered in the locker room at the Jewish Community Center forced the evacuation of the building Friday afternoon while the police and fire investigators searched the facility.

Nothing was found, but JCC officials decided to keep the center at 1160 Dickinson St. closed for the remainder of the day. A decision has not been made about opening on Saturday.

Updates will be posted on the center's website, SpringfieldJCC.org.

Assistant Executive Director Rabbi James Greene said the threat made against the center, as with similar incidents reported at Jewish Community Centers across the country in recent weeks, represents "threats against the very fabric of what makes America special."

After police and fire officials had deemed the building safe, Greene was adamant that the center would be unchanged in its commitment to the community.

"Our Jewish Community Center stands for inclusiveness, diversity and community," he said. "We are the living room of the community, and we will remain the living room of the community."

The center was evacuated shortly before 3 p.m. after a threat was found in the men's locker room, said Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant. He did not elaborate on the threat.

Springfield police, firefighters and the city Arson and Bomb Squad were dispatched to the scene. A search of the building found nothing, Leger said. 

Greene said he was thankful for the police response and the "grace and courage" shown by staff.

Federal officials have been investigating 122 bomb threats called in to Jewish organizations in three dozen states since Jan. 9 as well as a rash of vandalism at Jewish cemeteries, the Associated Press reported.

An email sent to Springfield JCC members Jan. 13 notes another incident in which a threatening note was left at the center. Executive Director Michael Paysnick wrote that "the authorities have determined there was no credibility to the threat and all evidence leads to this being a prank perpetrated by youth."

Parents could be seen driving into the rear of the facility to pick up their children under the watchful eye of Springfield and Longmeadow police.

Waiting out front for the center to open were two young women who had come for a job interview. Jawanda LeBron and Samantha Mateo said they were applying for jobs as early childhood education staff, but they found the building closed and police would not let them inside.

When told why the building was closed, each expressed shock.

"We hope it's just somebody jerking around," LeBron said.

Federal authorities have made an arrest in the wave of bomb threats against Jewish Community Centers in recent weeks, saying some of the threats appear to be part of a former journalist's harassment campaign against his ex-girlfriend.

Juan Thompson of St. Louis allegedly made at least eight of the threats, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Friday by the U.S. attorney's office for the Southern District of New York.

A threatening message was reported at the JCC, 1160 Dickinson St., shortly before 3 p.m. Friday.

SPRINGFIELD -- Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno spoke out Friday, hours after the city's Jewish Community Center was evacuated because a threatening message was found there.

The message was found at about 3 p.m. The center is at 1160 Dickinson St.

More than 100 threats have been reported at Jewish community centers across the country in recent weeks. Vandals have attacked Jewish cemeteries as well.

Sarno wrote in a news release:

"(Police Commissioner John Barbieri) and I will continue to work with state and federal authorities to pursue the individual or individuals who perpetrated this dastardly crime in hopes to bringing the person or persons to swift and just punishment. The recent rash of bomb threats and vandalism to Jewish centers and vandalism to cemeteries is absolutely unacceptable and terrible and will not be tolerated. It must be swiftly dealt with. Anything that I or our Police Department can do for our Jewish community will be done."

Federal authorities made an arrest Friday connected to at least some of the other threats against Jewish centers. Juan Thompson of St. Louis allegedly made at least eight of the threats, according to Justice Department.

Springfield police detectives are seeking to identify an unarmed robbery suspect.

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield police detectives are looking to identify a suspect in a recent unarmed robbery. 

The suspect--described only as a Hispanic female--is accused of attacking a 58-year-old woman and attempting to steal her purse during an early morning incident on March 1, said Sgt. John Delaney of the Springfield Police Department, in a statement. 

Delaney said the incident occurred after the victim withdrew money from an ATM located at 600 State Street and was returning to her car.

While the attacker was struggling with the victim, another person in the parking lot saw what was happening and scared the suspect away, Delaney said. 

Delaney said the victim was not injured and the robber was not successful in stealing any money from her. 

Police have asked for the public's help in identifying the suspect. Anyone who believes they may know the woman pictured in the photo above has been asked to contact the Major Crime Unit at 413-787-6355. 

Holyoke High School is offering a reward of $250 for information that identifies the person who made three threats that led to shelter-in-place lockdowns at the 500 Beech St. school in what the principal said on Friday, March 3, 2017 in a letter to parents were "low-level threats" that nonetheless had to be investigated.

HOLYOKE -- A $250 reward is offered for information leading to the person or persons who made three threats that prompted shelter-in-place lockdowns of Holyoke High School this week, according to a letter sent today to parents.

"We will always do everything possible to keep our students and staff safe. We will also take every measure to hold accountable any individual who issues such a threat," Principal Stephen Sullivan said in the letter dated March 3 (See below).

The 500 Beech St. school was not evacuated based on a protocol of dealing with such treats developed by the Massachusetts State Police and approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Determination about the level of the threat is based on the nature of the threat such as how specific it was, said Stephen K. Zrike, the state-appointed receiver in charge of managing the public schools.

In cases determined to be "low-level threats," police walk the grounds and inside the building and check spaces while students and staff are inside, he said in a phone interview.

"They do a full review of the building," Zrike said.

In the letter, Sullivan described the incidents as "three anonymous, low-level threats."

"A shelter in place was issued, and together with police and fire officials, we determined that there was no threat to student or staff safety in any of these incidents," Sullivan said.

According to the American Red Cross, shelter in place is a precaution designed to keep people safe indoors: "This is not the same thing as going to a shelter in case of a storm. Shelter-in-place means selecting a small, interior room, with no or few windows, and taking refuge there. It does not mean sealing off your entire home or office building."

Anyone with information about who made the threats can call the Holyoke Police Department tip line at 1-413-533-8477. Or they can use the anonymous "Text a Tip" line by texting 274637, putting "SOLVE" in the message and specify it's about Holyoke High School and the threats, Sullivan said.

Letter from Holyoke High School Principal Stephen Sullivan: by Mike Plaisance on Scribd

Traffic may be affected near the site of a motor vehicle crash that East Longmeadow police are currently investigating.

Sections of Shaker Road near where the accident occurred have been closed while police investigate the scene, said Officer Terri Shaw of the East Longmeadow Police Department. 

Traffic may be affected in the immediate vicinity of the crash. 

No details on the nature of the incident have been released at this time. 

This story will be updated when more information becomes available. 

Reports of Trump administration officials and confidants connecting with Russian agents are sounding somewhat like the Watergate scandal, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Friday. Watch video

Reports of Trump administration officials and confidants connecting with Russian agents are sounding somewhat like the Watergate scandal, Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Friday.

In Lawrence to participate in a small business roundtable with Congresswoman Niki Tsongas and Mayor Dan Rivera, Warren was asked about the accusations that Trump associates were in contact with Russian officials and whether that brought to mind Watergate, the scandal that drove President Richard Nixon out of office.

"In some ways of course it does, that there are more and more revelations over time," Warren said. "But let's be clear, we've never had anything like this in our history."

The questions about Russia and the Trump administration aren't partisan in nature, said Warren, D-Mass., who has called for Attorney General Jeff Session's resignation after he reportedly met with a Russian agent and then later said it never happened.

Sessions, former US senator from Alabama, has since acknowledged he met with a Russian agent twice while a top Trump campaign supporter. He recused himself this week from any FBI investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Should Attorney General Jeff Sessions resign?

"The idea that a presidential campaign may have been in league with Russia, may have been working with them during the electoral process?" Warren told reporters Friday.

"That cuts at the very foundations of our democracy and that's why it is that we both need Attorney General Sessions to resign and we need a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of this," she said.

President Trump said on Twitter and in a statement that the Session questions are a "total 'witch hunt.'"

"The Democrats are overplaying their hand," he stated "They lost the election, and now they have lost their grip on reality."

Jeff Sessions is an honest man. He did not say anything wrong. He could have stated his response more accurately, but it was clearly not....

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2017

Warren accused Sessions of lying under oath during his Senate confirmation hearing.

"He lied to the United States Senate and I believe that disqualifies from being the attorney general of the United States," Warren said. "And he lied about a topic that is under direct investigation right now by the government."

Professors: Investigation needed into President Donald Trump's Russian connections

Sen. Elizabeth Warren came under fire after an initial vote for Dr. Ben Carson, a former rival of President Trump nominated for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. She changed her mind weeks later, voting against his confirmation this week. Watch video

Sen. Elizabeth Warren came under fire from many supporters after an initial vote for Dr. Ben Carson, a former rival of President Trump nominated for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

She changed her mind weeks later, voting against his confirmation this week. The Senate approved his nomination on Thursday in a 58-41 vote, according to Associated Press.

Asked about the flip on Friday after touring a textile business in Lawrence, Warren said, "You know, in the five weeks since Dr. Carson passed out of the committee, President Trump has made clear just how lawless he intends to be. He has issued at least two executive orders that are clearly unconstitutional and illegal, he has fired his acting attorney general, he's had his head of [National Security Council] have to resign in disgrace."

She continued: "And I think it has become ever clearer that the president needs -- the country needs -- heads of agencies and members of the cabinet who will stand up to the president and Dr. Carson just doesn't pass that test."

Warren, D-Mass., noted that she voted for Trump's secretary of defense, Jim Mattis.

"Look, I voted for General Mattis and in no small part because both in the public hearing that I had with him and in private conversations with him, he made it clear what principles he would stick to, and that he would speak up and he would speak back to the president of the United States, and I supported him for that job and I still do," Warren said.

The Massachusetts Republican Party hit Warren over the change in vote, saying she flipped her vote in a bid to pacify "far-left activists."

MassGOP slams Sen. Elizabeth Warren for changing vote on Trump cabinet nominee Ben Carson

Warren is up for re-election in 2018, and a number of GOP candidates could jump into the ring, including businessman Rick Green and state Rep. Geoff Diehl, R-Whitman.

Red Sox ace Curt Schilling floated the idea of challenging Warren, but on Twitter this week he threw support behind Shiva Ayyadurai, who claims he invented email.

Asked about Sen. Warren, 46 percent say give someone else a chance

Obituaries from The Republican.

U.S. Reps. Jim McGovern and Richard Neal said it's possible to end hunger in the region.

HATFIELD -- The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts in 2016 provided 10 million pounds of food to 323,000 people in Hampden, Franklin, Hampshire and Berkshire counties.

But at a ceremony in Hatfield on Friday, Executive Director Andrew Morehouse said that's not enough.

Speaking to a crowd at the food bank's headquarters and warehouse, Morehouse announced a "bold and pragmatic plan" to end hunger in the region.

The first step involves a partnership with the Holyoke Health Center, which serves a largely low-income population in Holyoke and Chicopee. Moving forward, pediatric patients and their families will be screened for food insecurity and referred to food bank programs.

"So many times we prescribe medicines without even asking if people have access to healthy food," said Ana Jaramillo, a Holyoke Health Center nurse who helped initiate the program.

Speakers included Democratic U.S. Reps. Jim McGovern and Richard Neal, as well as Vincent Biggs, a pediatrician at Holyoke Health Center.

Neal said millions are struggling to get by in today's economy, and that the need for food assistance is great. "People who never thought they would need help are now turning to food pantries," he said.

Growing up Irish Catholic, Neal said he often heard the phrase, "There but for the grace of God go I." He said there was "always room at the table for one more."

McGovern said that many of today's hungry people are working, but that too many jobs don't pay a living wage. He argued that federal funding for food assistance is at risk under President Donald J. Trump.

"We need a new definition of national security, based upon employment, shelter and quality of life," said McGovern.

Biggs spoke about the pilot program at Holyoke Health Center. He described an effort to offer "one-stop shopping, wraparound services" for struggling families who pass through the clinic. Such services can include food assistance, help with job training and employment, or with childcare and transportation.

"Our goal is to impact the social determinants of health," he said.

Morehouse said the new action plan was developed by the Task Force to End Hunger, a group of 26 "community thought leaders" convened by the Food Bank last year. Its members didn't just talk about hunger -- they worked to find solutions.

"We believe everyone has the right to healthy food, regardless of their circumstances," said Morehouse.

The plan seeks to erase the stigma associated with hunger, provide integrated services for those in need, and address relevant public policy issues.

Established in 1982, the food bank distributes food to member agencies in the four western counties. The pantries, meal sites and shelters are on the front lines of emergency food assistance. The food comes from state and federal government programs, local farms, local food businesses, community organizations and individual donations. The food bank also runs its own farm in Hadley.

The partnership between the food bank and the health center is funded by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts.

Two women from New York were arrested in North Adams on Friday following an investigation into drug activity at a local residence.

NORTH ADAMS - Two women from New York were arrested in North Adams on Friday after police executed a search warrant at a local residence and discovered illegal narcotics. 

Police say Shanta Chisholm and Lavetta Hill, both of Troy, New York, were both taken into custody as the result of a raid by the Berkshire County Drug Task Force at a residence on Willow Dell. 

At the residence, police say they discovered and confiscated 21 grams of crack cocaine and powder cocaine, as well as roughly $1,000 in cash.

Chisholm is now being charged with trafficking cocaine, while Hill faces a charge of cocaine possession, subsequent offense. 

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a car in East Longmeadow on Friday night.

EAST LONGMEADOW - Police are investigating after a pedestrian was struck and killed by a car in East Longmeadow on Friday. 

Sgt. Michael Ingolls of the East Longmeadow Police Department said that the fatal incident occurred on Shaker Road in the vicinity of Pease Road at approximately 6 p.m.

No details about the victim are being released at this time, pending notification of family, Ingolls said. 

Ingolls also said no information could be released about how the incident occurred, as it is still an active investigation--though he added that no one is currently facing charges for the incident.  

State Police were also called to the scene shortly after the deadly incident occurred. 

Shaker Road was closed at approximately 6:20 p.m. while police investigated the scene, and was reopened around 8:30 p.m., Ingolls said.

This story will be updated when more information becomes available.

Springfield's Bruce Landon, the man who seems to have done it all in hockey, was honored tonight at the MassMutual Center.

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield's Bruce Landon, the man who seems to have done it all in hockey, was honored Friday night at the MassMutual Center.

Prior to the game, the Thunderbirds recognized Landon for his five decades of dedication to hockey and his undying effort to keep the sport alive in Springfield.

The first 1,500 fans to enter were greeted with a commemorative Bruce Landon bobblehead and the entire crowd cheered as the on-ice ceremony commenced.

The excitement continued as Landon dropped the ceremonial puck and the Thunderbirds battled the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

The large crowd in attendance again enjoyed the popular "Dollar Fridays" promotion. Fans were able to purchase $1 hot dogs, $1 sodas and $1 popcorn through the start of the second period.

Although fun was had, in the end, the Phantoms defeated the Thunderbirds 5-4.

The Thunderbirds next home game is on March 11th against their I-91 rival Hartford.

Obituaries from The Republican.

A 23-year-old Bennington woman, Kalene McGurn, was killed when her car crossed the center line of Route 100 in Pittsfield Friday evening and crashed head-on into an oncoming pickup truck.

Photo courtesy of Vermont State Police 

Vermont State Police officials said Kalene McGurn was trapped in her car after the crash and was pulled from the wreckage just before it burst into flames.

Police said witnesses told them that McGurns Toyota Rav-4 was leading a line of cars along Route 100 when it veered across the center line of the two-lane highway and crashed into a pickup truck traveling in the opposite lane.

The driver of the pickup truck, 23-year-old Robert C Towle II, was not injured in the crash. Towle and others were able to remove McGurn from her car before it burst into flames.

MvGurn was taken to the Rutland Hospital by Pittsfield Fire Department ambulance where she died from her injuries shortly after arrival.

The investigation into the crash is on-going, police said, but no criminal charges as anticipated.

An 18-year-old East Granby college student, Taylor Lavoie, was killed when she fell four stories from the roof of the Angry Bull Saloon in downtown Hartford Friday morning.

Dwight B. Shepard | dshepard@repub.com 

WFSB-TV reported that the bar has voluntarily given up its license to serve alcohol for three weeks after Taylor Lavoie, a student at Central Connecticut State University, was found dead outside the popular bar.

Police said Lavoie, who was drinking with friends at the bar at about 12:30 a.m. Friday, apparently made her way to the fourth-floor roof, and once there became disoriented in the dark and fell down a five-foot gap between buildings to the pavement below.

The bar as been under law enforcement scrutiny for some time, police said. Lavoie and her friends were there for the regular "Thirsty Thursday" special prices, including 25-cent beers and $1 shots of hard liquor. Hartford Police had filed three separate complaints with the city's Liquor Control Commission over the course of the last four months about underage drinking at the bar.