Heavy snowfall on Feb. 9 prompted the Wilbraham Cemetery Commission to immediately close all cemeteries until further notice.

WILBRAHAM -- The town's cemeteries are once again open for burials, according to Wilfred R. Renaud, secretary of the Wilbraham Cemetery Commission.

On Feb. 9, heavy snowfall prompted town officials to close the cemeteries until further notice because there was no place to pile the snow. In order to prevent damage to graves and monuments while plowing, the Cemetery Commission decided to close the cemeteries.

The cemeteries include Adams, East Wilbraham, Glendale and Woodland Dell.

The Cemetery Commission is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the cemeteries, setting rates, selling graves, setting and implementing cemetery rules and regulations, and preparing and supervising burial services.

Renaud has more information at 413-596-9287.

Protesters packed Harvard Square Tuesday evening to speak out against a travel ban signed by President Donald J. Trump on Monday.

Protesters packed Harvard Square Tuesday evening to speak out against a travel ban signed by President Donald J. Trump on Monday.

Hundreds held up signs opposing the order and the Trump administration as they marched from the Harvard University plaza through part of Cambridge. 

The revised travel ban signed Monday is a scaled-back version of the controversial order introduced last month. 

America remains closed to new refugees seeking to enter the country and new visas will not be issued to residents of six Muslim-majority countries but the order eliminates some contentious language in the first ban, the Associated Press reports. 

Tuesday's rally was organized by several student groups, including Harvard Islamic Society, the Society of Arab Students. 

Massachusetts Democrats criticize President Donald Trump's revised travel ban

Responders at the scene of a tractor-trailer rollover on Interstate 90 east at the Warren-Brimfield line are reportedly struggling to clear the wreck due to the weight of its cargo of potatoes.

Responders at the scene of a tractor-trailer rollover on the Massachusetts Turnpike east at the Warren/Brimfield line are reportedly struggling to clear the wreck due to the weight of its cargo of potatoes.

The accident occurred around 1 a.m. but the roadway has not yet been cleared, Massachusetts State Police reported at 8 a.m.

A state trooper in the Charlton barracks attributed the lengthy response to the truck's heavy cargo of potatoes. According to a source on the scene, the truck was filled with 42,000 pounds of potatoes and took out 100 feet of guardrail. 

Crews are attempting to upright the truck with the load of spuds intact, the source said. 

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"It's fully loaded," the trooper told MassLive. "Which is the problem. They're trying not to breach the box of the truck."

A traffic backup on I-90 east continues as a result of the crash. One lane of the highway remains open. 

Commenters on the Waze app said the truck is being extracted from the side of the road with a boom crane.

Traffic backed up along the Mass. Pike due to a tractor-trailer roll over. Google Maps 

Chicopee police and troopers, including K-9 officers and their four-legged partners, converged on the area. The suspect was taken into custody after a foot chase near the McDonald's restaurant.

CHICOPEE -- A male, who fled after assaulting a Massachusetts State Trooper during a traffic stop on I-391 Tuesday night, was arrested after  a search and brief foot chase, police said.

The incident began about 9:45 p.m., according to a post on the Chicopee Police Department's Facebook page. The suspect fled off the highway toward Meadow Street.

Michael Wilk, public information officer for Chicopee police, said the suspect assaulted the trooper during the stop. He had no additional information on the incident, however.

City police and troopers, including K-9 officers and their four-legged partners, converged on the area.

The suspect was taken into custody after a foot chase near the McDonald's restaurant.

This is a developing story. Additional information will be posted as soon as it is available.

George Graham | ggraham@repub.com 

The Greenfield Recorder, citing the police log, reported the driver was "jumped" by two white males late Tuesday afternoon.

George Graham | ggraham@repub.com 

GREENFIELD -- Police are investigating the knifepoint robbery of a delivery driver on Wells Street late Tuesday afternoon.

The Greenfield Recorder, citing the police log, reported the driver was "jumped" by two white males shortly before 4:45 p.m.

The suspects were described as being in their 20s and at least one had a knife, according to the report.

Montague K-9 Officer James Ruddock and his four-legged partner, Artie, were sent to the scene to search for the suspect.

Police were not immediately available to comment Wednesday morning.

A 2 1/2-year-old pit bull named Aries was euthanized in Yarmouth on Tuesday afternoon after the dog attacked and killed a terrier mix and injured its owner in the process last month, reports Cape Cod Times.

A 2 1/2-year-old pit bull named Aries was euthanized in Yarmouth on Tuesday afternoon after the dog attacked and killed a terrier mix and injured its owner in the process last month, the Cape Cod Times reports. 

During a walk with owner Alexandra Collias on Feb. 1, Aries bit and shook the smaller dog, named Doc, multiple times, resulting in its subsequent death, according to The Times. 

Doc's owner Christine Lovico attempted to intervene and suffered bites to her hand and had her clothing torn. 

Collias surrendered Aries -- a 60-pound animal -- to Animal Inn of Cape Cod following the attack, Yarmouth Natural Resources Sgt. William Bonnetti told The Times.

According to Bonnetti, town officials and Collias' lawyer consulted with local animal shelters, pit bull rescue groups and animal evaluators to no avail.  

Students and Faculty at UMass Amherst gathered today as the college hosted a panel discussion covering the controversial topic of the "School-to-Prison Pipeline" that has burdened schools within minority communities. Watch video

AMHERST-- Students and Faculty at UMass Amherst gathered Tuesday as the university hosted a panel discussion covering the controversial topic of the "School-to-Prison Pipeline" that has burdened schools within minority communities across the United States.

The event in Furcolo Hall featured four panelists who offered in an in-depth look into the matter of school discipline and laws that have contributed to the growth of minority students being funneled into the criminal justice system at an early age.

Among the panelists were 19-year old Niya Kenny who is a former student of Spring Valley High School in Columbia, S.C and the lead plaintiff in a federal suit challenging South Carolina's "Disturbing a School" law.

Following an incident in 2015 where a deputy yanked a female 16-year-old student out of her desk and tossed her across the room, Kenny, who was in the class at the time was arrested along with her classmate, after she spoke out and encouraged students to record the incident.

Both girls were charged with disturbing school, which is a misdemeanor offense that could result in up to 90 days in jail or a fine of $1000. The video went viral and contributed to a national dialogue about race relations regarding the police and minorities. 

After showing the original video at UMass, Kenny opened up the discussion by recalling the incident, offering insight into the treatment she received during her arrest, calling it "the worst day of my life."

"I feel that there should be more designated people in schools to deal with students who are having issues at home that may affect their performance in the classroom," she said.

Back when the video of the classroom arrest first made it online it sparked a frenzy on social media and other news outlets and has since called others to action.

Panelists Sarah Hinger and Dennis Parker of the American Civil Liberties Union's Racial Justice Program voiced their concerns over laws like South Carolina's disturbing schools statute, which they felt has turned classroom misbehavior into criminal offenses that could end in jail time.

"Unfortunately what is not unique about this circumstance is the fact that these girls were charged with criminal offenses for not uncommon behavior of a teenager or even just being so brave as to speak out against violence," said Hinger.

According to Parker, who serves as the Racial Justice Program director, the "School-to-Prison" pipeline is a relatively new issue that has grown over the last 30 years.

"The kind of offenses that when I was in school would have resulted in you being sent to the principal or having to stay after school, now, can result in you being arrested, being sent to the police station, or being expelled or suspended," he said.

Parker added that he feels that school-based incidents like the one at Spring Valley pushes kids out of schools and leads to high dropout rates which feed into a continuum between the criminal justice and school system that directly impacts kids of color.

Fellow panelist Vivian Anderson and founder of Every Black Girl Inc, an organization designed to empower black women of all ages, expanded the discussion to youth confinement and the environment students of color are exposed to.

"...We are seeing it as early as elementary schools and its even in preschools now where kids are being introduced to the criminal justice system and juvenile justice system," she said. "The impact and trauma that it creates not just in prison systems but all the levels and ways that kids are confined."

According to Anderson, who said she was inspired by Kenny's courage, many school environments emulate prison environments with the use metal detectors and police presence--among other methods--which conditions students for the criminal justice system.

She feels that laws like the disturbing school's statute should be removed along with the notion that "everything needs to have a punishment," saying that schools should focus more on student development and getting to the root cause of a student's misbehavior.

"If we actually worked that angle, we would have restorative justice and transformational justice," she said. "We would actually be looking to create justice versus punishment."

Boston Mayor Marty J. Walsh will not participate in the city's St. Patrick's Day Parade unless organizers reverse their decision to prohibit a gay veterans group from marching. Watch video

Boston Mayor Marty J. Walsh and Gov. Charlie Baker will not participate in the city's St. Patrick's Day Parade unless organizers reverse their decision to prohibit a gay veterans group from marching.

"I will not tolerate discrimination in our city of any form. We are one Boston, which means we are a fully inclusive city," Walsh said in a statement Wednesday morning. "I will not be marching in the parade unless this is resolved. Anyone who values what our city stands for should do the same."

. @MassGovernor gets emotional in telling me he won't march in St Patrick's Day parade if OutVets not allowed, tells us veterans are "holy"

— Sharman Sacchetti (@SharmanTV) March 8, 2017

For the last two years, the LGBTQ veterans group OUTVETS had been permitted to march in the parade, quieting years of tension between parade organizers, gay rights activists and elected officials who called their exclusion discriminatory.

[enhanced link]

But the Allied War Veterans Council of South Boston, which organizes the annual event, voted 9-4 to again deny the group a spot in this year's parade, OUTVETS said in a Facebook post yesterday.

"The Council did not give a clear reason, but, given the tenor of the Council's deliberations, one can assume it's because we are LGBTQ," the Facebook post said. "This is a sad day for the LGBTQ community and for veterans of all backgrounds."

In 1995, the Allied War Veterans Council of South Boston won a U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding its right to ban gay groups from the annual parade, which draws hundreds of thousands of spectators.

In response to the exclusion, the city later pulled all funding from the parade and Mayors Thomas M. Menino and Walsh refused to march in protest.

The council denied an attempt to gain entry by gay rights advocacy group MassEquality in March 2014 but then narrowly voted to allow OUTVETS into the 2015 ceremony in December of the same year.

Walsh then marched in the 2015 parade.

Related Video:

MassLive reporter Phil Demers contributed to this report.

FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday decried the rise of encryption on users' devices, saying the process makes his agency's job harder. The debate over privacy has led to clashes with technology companies like Apple.

FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday decried the rise of encryption on users' devices, saying the process makes his agency's job harder.

Since former CIA employee Edward Snowden revealed global surveillance methods and programs, encryption is now sold on devices and widely available through a large number of applications, Comey said.

"The advent of default ubiquitous strong encryption is making more and more of the room in which the FBI investigates dark," Comey said at Boston College conference on cyber security, arguing the rise of encryption benefits terrorists and pedophiles.

In the last three months of 2016, the FBI seized 2,800 devices in investigations of gangs, pedophiles terrorist and counterintelligence work. Out of the 2,800 devices, they could not open 1,200, or 43 percent, of the devices.

"That is a big deal," Comey said.

The foundation of the country is based on having a reasonable expectation of privacy and security, he added. "We should never have to sacrifice one for the other."

But he added that there is no area outside of "judicial reach" - a judge can compel testimony in some circumstances, whether it's between a husband and wife or a person and clergy.

"There is no such thing as absolute privacy in America," Comey said, calling it a "general principle" of the country.

Widespread encryption shatters that principle and affects national security cases, he said.

But he added he appreciates privacy. Comey revealed he has an Instagram account, which has nine followers. He doesn't want anybody looking at the pictures, which are of his family and his travels, Comey added.

But he also believes in the principle of no absolute privacy, he said.

He called strong encryption a "great" thing and the FBI uses it.

"But we also believe user control of data is not a requirement for strong encryption," he said.

It's not the FBI's job to tell American people how to live, he said, but it's not the job of tech companies, either. Tech companies and the FBI have repeatedly clashed over how much information the companies should hand over to the FBI about their users.

Americans have to have that conversation, according to Comey.

"They're an awesome company, I love their stuff.," he continued, referring to Apple. "They're not evil people. They may weigh things differently than I do. That's ok."

"We have to stop bumper-stickering each other, there are no evil people in this debate," he said.

FBI director expects to serve out rest of term

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Holyoke, Massachusetts will hold its 41st annual "Irish Night" on March 11 beginning at 6 p.m. at 340 Chestnut St. with dancing, music and food.

HOLYOKE -- Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish will hold its 41st annual "Irish Night" on Saturday beginning at 6 p.m. at 340 Chestnut St.

The "Irish Stew and Brew" will feature the Cassin Academy of Irish Dance from West Springfield at 7 p.m. and the band Spancil Hill performing from 8 to 10 p.m., a press release said.

The event will include beef stew, braised cabbage, corned beef and cabbage empanadas, desserts, Irish coffee and other refreshments. Food will be available from 6 to 9 p.m., the press release said.

Raffles and a "50-50" drawing will be held. Such a drawing means proceeds are split between the winner and the organization.

Admission is $10 for adults and $7 for children under 12 for those eating food and $6 for adults and $3 for children without food, the press release said.

Patrons were asked to use the Chestnut Street side gymnasium entrance, the press release said.

For more information call 413-536-7418.

Medical marijuana and an Illinois company's plan to open such a dispensary in Holyoke, Massachusetts will be the topic of a "community conversation" on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Kelly School at 216 West St. organized by Ward 1 Councilor Gladys Lebron-Martinez.

HOLYOKE -- Medical marijuana and an Illinois company's plan to open such a dispensary here will be the topic of a "community conversation" today from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Kelly School at 216 West St.

"It's also an opportunity to learn about the medical marijuana, how it is regulated and how it is not just something you walk up and walk out, and the pros and cons regarding health purposes," said Gladys Lebron-Martinez, the Ward 1 representative on the City Council, who is holding the meeting.

"It's an opportunity for clarification and any concerns residents have. I encourage the residents to come out and bring other neighbors with them," she said.

The City Council has referred to its Ordinance Committee a request for a special permit for a medical pot dispensary from GTI Massachusetts NP Corp., which has corporate offices in Chicago, Illinois. GTI Massachusetts wants to open a facility on the second floor of a building in a general industry zoning district.

Peter Kadens, chief executive officer of GTI Massachusetts, has said the facility would hire 30 people for jobs in its first year and up to 100 over three years as trimmers and packagers of marijuana plants, supervisors and managers. Wages would start at $14 an hour with benefits, he said.

GTI Massachusetts registered as a nonprofit corporation with the state on July 2, 2015, according to records online at the state secretary of state's office.

Massachusetts voters in 2012 permitted medical marijuana facilities by approving a statewide ballot question, and state law prohibits a city or town from banning such facilities. But the city can regulate where such a facility can be located and require that the permit-holder disclose security measures and discuss issues like hours of operation.

Marijuana can be prescribed medically to treat cancer, glaucoma, HIV-AIDS and other illnesses.

Anthony Gillette, 20, was found with 3 1/2 ounces of cocaine, some other drugs, and a 16-year-old girl when police raided his home.

LUDLOW - A 20-year-old Ludlow man was arrested on drug trafficking charges after a narcotics raid Tuesday afternoon at his Laurel Lane residence led to the discovery of 100 grams, or 3 1/2 ounces, of cocaine,  some ecstasy tablets and psychedelic mushrooms, police said.

Anthony GilletteLudlow police 

Anthony M. Gillette of 37 Laurel Lane was arrested following the raid, which occurred shortly after 3:30 p.m., said Ludlow police Sgt. Daniel Valadas.

Gillette was arrested on nine charges: trafficking in cocaine, possession of a cocaine, and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and possession of ecstasy with intent to distribute, and two counts each of unlawful possession of prescription medication and possession with intent to distribute.

He was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Police found a 16-year-old girl in the house at the time of the raid, and she is not a relative of Gillette, Valadas said.

He said conviction on the cocaine trafficking charge could result in between 8 and 20 years in prison.

The raid was conducted by Ludlow police, state police troopers assigned to the Hampden District Attorney, and members of the Eastern Hampden County Narcotics Task Force.

Valadas said the raid was the result of an ongoing investigation into drug activity at the Laurel Lane address.

Gillette was scheduled to be arraigned on the charge in Palmer District Court Wednesday morning.

Benjamin Martinez is charged with fatally stabbing Caridad Puente on June 9, 2004, at her Taylor Street Springfield apartment. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - Assistant District Attorney Karen J. Bell on Wednesday told Hampden Superior Court jurors to believe the DNA and dismiss testimony by the murder defendant as lies.

Bell delivered her closing argument to jurors in the trial of Benjamin Martinez, accused in the 2004 killing of Caridad Puente, who was stabbed 32 times.

Defense lawyer Mary Anne Stamm, in her closing argument, said Martinez's testimony explained why his DNA was in various places in Puente's Taylor Street apartment in Springfield.

Jurors began deliberating around noon in the trial before Judge Richard J. Carey.

Martinez, 48, testified he saw a drug dealer named Alexi Guzman attack Puente, 35, with a knife, causing her to bleed from the face.

Martinez said when he left the apartment before noon on June 9, 2004, Guzman was going to take Puente to the hospital. Martinez said he did not call police to report what he had seen.

Puente was pregnant at the time of her death. Her 11-month-old child, screaming and covered in his mother's blood, was next to her in the closet in which her body was found.

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.

Stamm said the evidence collected from the apartment and Puente's fingernails was in the hands of investigators since 2004, but it wasn't tested until 2014.

"Why wasn't it tested long before 2014," Stamm said.

Bell acknowledged it "absolutely" should have been tested earlier. She said the evidence was at the State Police crime lab but the crime lab was waiting for police to give the go-ahead for testing.

She said police thought once the evidence was at the lab it would automatically be tested.

Martinez testified he was at Puente's apartment testing heroin for its potency. He said he got blood in the apartment because he couldn't find a vein while shooting heroin and he bled a lot.

He said he tried to intervene when Guzman was stabbing Puente, and got cut while doing that.

"I submit you should believe the testimony of Benjamin Martinez," Stamm told jurors. She said Guzman disappeared and didn't speak with police. Guzman was a drug dealer who was being undersold by Puente, she said.

Bell said Martinez's DNA got under Puente's fingernails as she was fighting for her life and the life of her 11-month-old son.

Police tried to speak with Guzman, Bell said, but he couldn't be found. She said Guzman was an illegal immigrant who didn't want to talk to police.

Police "left no stone unturned" in investigating Guzman, Bell said. They searched the home where he lived and searched his car for blood. If Guzman had brutally stabbed Puente, including causing a spurting wound to the carotid artery, there would have been blood in his car, Bell said.

She said Martinez "would say anying to save himself."

There was as much evidence Santa Clause committed the murder as there is that Guzman committed the murder, Bell said.

The prosecution wants the jury to convict Martinez of first degree murder under the theories of premeditation and extreme atrocity and cruelty.

Officer Rhyan Belisle grew up in town, graduated from South Hadley High School, served six years in the Navy, and earned an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from Springfield Technical Community College in 2014

SOUTH HADLEY -- The town's newest full time officer, Rhyan Belisle, was introduced to the public during Tuesday's Selectboard meeting by Police Chief Steven Parentela.

Belisle grew up in town, graduated from South Hadley High School, served six years in the Navy, and earned an Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from Springfield Technical Community College in 2014.

"We welcome Rhyan aboard," the chief said.

Parentela said the new officer is in his 17th week of training at Western Massachusetts Police Academy, and would begin patrols in town in May.

While many college students will be hitting Miami beach for their spring break, Springfield College faculty and students will be embarking on one of four trips across the nation and Caribbean to participate in a series of outreach efforts.

While many college students will be hitting Miami beach for their spring break, some Springfield College faculty and students will be embarking on one of four trips across the nation and Caribbean to participate in a series of outreach efforts.

As part of a yearly initiative to give back to communities across the globe, Springfield College's Alternative Spring Break Program will send around 50 students to volunteer in outreach programs in Springfield, San Diego, California; Monroe, North Carolina; and Haiti from March 13 to March 17.

According to Charlene Elvers, director of Student Volunteer Programs, the alternative spring break program is a culmination of student effort and commitment to community involvement and service.

"Students work extremely hard to organize and plan these trips," she said in a press release. "They host fundraisers throughout the academic year to assist with travel costs. I am very proud to be a part of this program."

Each trip will have a particular service theme based on specific concerns or social issues present in that given area.

Eight students will focus on food insecurity in Springfield as they work alongside community agencies that have tackled the issue which has left 25 percent of residents in Hampden county without reliable food sources.

Seventeen students will head south to work with Habitat for Humanity in North Carolina. Volunteers will spend five days in Monroe as they participate in a Collegiate Challenge build that will result in a family in need getting a new home.

The college will send 12 students to the west coast to address the growth of homelessness that has been plaguing San Diego. The participants will work within food pantries, shelters, and at outreach events alongside organizations and other college students.

Lastly, 12 students will participate in a youth engagement trip down in Haiti in Port-au-Prince. Volunteers will work within the YMCA, nurturing a longstanding partnership between the two institutions built on sharing best-practices for working with youth in the community.

"There is always a lot of anticipation each year and to have the opportunity to watch our students acting so selflessly is so enjoyable to watch," said Elvers, who will be serving as a staff advisor in the Trip to San Diego. "This week of service is just one example of the community engagement efforts Springfield College remains committed to, but giving back truly does take place year-round on the campus." 

In a show of solidarity with the "A Day Without a Woman" demonstrations taking place across the country, U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, joined a several congresswomen Wednesday in staging a symbolic Capitol Hill walk out.

In a show of solidarity with the "A Day Without a Woman" demonstrations taking place across the country, U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Melrose, joined a several Democratic congresswomen Wednesday in staging a symbolic Capitol Hill walk out.

The Massachusetts Democrat exited the U.S. House chamber following a short floor speech and took to the Capitol steps, where she and eight other female lawmakers offered remarks paying homage to women and their impact on the U.S. economy.

Taking aim at policies being pushed by President Donald Trump and Republican leaders, Clark contended that female lawmakers will continue to fight for women and girls in the U.S. and abroad.

"Despite this Trump administration and the Republicans' callous and cruel disregard for women, we will persist," she said. "We will persist and we will stand together."

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, and U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee, D-California; Lois Frankel, D-Florida; Brenda Lawrence, D-Michigan; Linda Sanchez, D-California; Pramila Jayapal, D-Washington; Cheri Bustos, D-Illinois; and Jackie Speier, D-California, joined Clark in commemorating International Women's Day outside the Capitol.

Despite their walk out, the congresswomen intend to still vote on the floor Wednesday and partake in their regular duties, according to Clark's office.

Clark recently joined several female House Democrats in wearing white -- the color of the suffrage movement -- to Trump's first joint congressional address. The move sought to bring attention to so-called equal pay, "reproductive rights," paid leave and other policy issues.

We're wearing suffragette white at #JointSession as a pledge to fight for women's #reprorights, #equalpay, #paidleave & more #WomenWearWhite pic.twitter.com/Ni1EBnwlfD

-- Katherine Clark (@RepKClark) February 28, 2017

The Massachusetts Democrat's walk out came as women across the United States stayed home from work, refrained from shopping and wore red as part in the "A Day Without a Woman" demonstration -- an event promoted by organizers of January's Women's March on Washington.

'A Day Without a Woman' rally to be held Wednesday in Boston

The protest aimed to highlight "the enormous value that women of all backgrounds add to our socio-economic system--while receiving lower wages and experiencing greater inequities, vulnerability to discrimination, sexual harassment, and job insecurity," organizers said.

As women on Capitol Hill staged a "walk out," Trump kicked off International Women's Day Wednesday by encouraging Americans to join him in honoring what he called "the critical role" women play in the U.S. and around the world.

The president, in a series of morning tweets, stressed his "tremendous respect for women" -- something Democrats and critics, including Clark, questioned during the 2016 campaign.

President Donald Trump touts his 'tremendous respect for women' on International Women's Day

Baker said he will not march in the parade if OUTVETS is not allowed to march.

Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday that he will not march in a Boston St. Patrick's Day parade if a gay veterans' group is not allowed to march.

"It's a veterans parade. Veterans' groups should be allowed to march in the parade," Baker said. "If veterans' groups aren't allowed to march in that parade, I will probably do something else. I won't march."

The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council on Tuesday voted against allowing OUTVETS, a Boston-based gay veterans organization, to march.

OUTVETS has marched in the parade the last two years.

Baker, a Republican, has a brother who is gay and generally supports gay rights.

Asked about the Veterans Council's decision after an unrelated press conference at the Statehouse, Baker said he spent most of last weekend with the family and friends of two people who died serving in the military in February - Brian Odiorne, of Ware, who served in the U.S. Army, and Kristina Lee Cooley, of Feeding Hills, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard.

"That word veteran, to me it approaches holy," Baker said. "And the idea that we would restrict the opportunity for men and women who put on that uniform knowing full well they could put themselves in harm's way, and deny them an opportunity to march in a parade that's about celebrating veterans, doesn't make any sense to me."

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh also said he will not participate in the march if OUTVETS is not allowed to march.

Congressman Seth Moulton says elected officials and others should boycott the St. Patrick's Day Parade in South Boston after OUTVETS, a gay group, said the organizers, the Allied War Veterans Council, banned them from marching.

Congressman Seth Moulton says elected officials and others should boycott the St. Patrick's Day Parade in South Boston after OUTVETS, a gay group, said the organizers, the Allied War Veterans Council, banned them from marching.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh have already said they won't be marching if OUTVETS cannot participate.

Moulton, D-Mass., marched with OUTVETS in the 2015 parade.

"It is outrageous and disgraceful that a group by the name of Allied War Veterans would decide to ban OUTVETS from marching in this year's St. Patrick's Day Parade," Moulton, a veteran of the Iraq war, said in a statement.

"Let's just be clear, these are men and women who courageously put their lives on the line for our country," Moulton said. "They deserve our respect just as much as anyone, and if this decision is not reversed immediately, I would encourage anybody who supports freedom, equality, and the service of our veterans no matter who they are, to boycott this parade."

Other elected officials have also called for Allied War Veterans Council to reverse their decision. OUTVETS said in a Facebook post late Tuesday that the council had voted against their group being able to march.

"For the last two years, I have had the honor of marching in an inclusive parade that has reflected the diversity of the brave men and women of our U.S. Armed Services," said state Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, who represents South Boston and Dorchester, and hosts the annual St. Patrick's Day roast that takes place before the parade. "I ask the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council to return to the table, reverse their vote and invite OUTVETS to participate in the parade."

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Gov. Charlie Baker will not march in St. Patrick's Day parade if gay veterans group excluded

Baker said state government is working with the FBI and law enforcement to investigate recent bomb threats made to Jewish institutions in Massachusetts and to protect residents.

Gov. Charlie Baker said state government is working with the FBI and law enforcement to investigate recent bomb threats made to Jewish institutions in Massachusetts and to protect residents.

"This is horribly destructive and disturbing behavior and activity," Baker said Wednesday. "I thank God that so far it's just been threats and not anything more than that," although he noted that there have been isolated incidents of religious-based violence.

On Tuesday, Jewish day schools in Newton and Framingham and the Boston office of the New England Anti-Defamation League all received bomb threats, part of the sixth wave of threats to hit more than 100 Jewish institutions around the country since January.

Several days ago, the Springfield Jewish Community Center was evacuated after a bomb threat was found in a locker room.

Baker said there is "no excuse" and "no reason" for the threats, and his staff has spoken to the FBI.

"We will work collaboratively with our colleagues in law enforcement to do everything we can to make sure people can safely and securely and enthusiastically practice their faith here in the commonwealth," Baker said.

Baker said he had not directly talked to FBI director James Comey, who is currently in Boston, about the threats.

The crowd chased John Cowles from the Olive Garden to the motel next door where he had a room.

SPRINGFIELD - A Westfield man who is accused of breaking into cars at the Olive Garden restaurant on Boston Road was apprehended after several people in the parking lot chased him from the scene, police said.

The man, identified as John Cowles of Russellville Road, is charged with two counts of breaking into a motor vehicle and larceny of less than $250.

Springfield police spokesman Sgt. John Delaney said one of the vehicles broken into belonged to an employee with the Hampden County Sheriff's Department. Among the items taken and later recovered were the woman's Sheriff's Department identification. Her name was not disclosed.

Delaney said police were called to the scene shortly before 5:30 p.m. for a reported car break-in. The first officers arrived on scene were told by witnesses that a suspect was chased down the street by several people.

The suspect, later identified as Cowles, ran toward the nearby Howard Johnson's motor lodge, where he was staying. He tossed a backpack into his room and then ran off again but without closing the door, Delaney said.

He was arrested when he was found across the street near the Planet Fitness gym, Delaney said.

The crowd led police back to the hotel room where Cowles had tossed the backpack, he said.

The backpack contained several items that were reported taken from two cars, including the sheriff's department ID, a pair of sunglasses, a hair tie and a cake mix, Delaney said.

A woman who was found in Cowles' motel room, Tia Ayers, 42, of Springfield, was taken into custody when she was found to have outstanding warrants for breaking and entering, trespassing, larceny of more than $250 and vandalism.

Cowles and Ayers were due to be arraigned Wednesday in Springfield District Court.