The following schools have announced they will be closed or delay opening for Friday, March 10.

The following schools have announced delays or closings for Friday, March 10. This list will be updated as announcements are made. Refresh page to see updates. To have an alert send to your phone when your school closes or delays, sign up for MassLive school closing alerts.

• Barnstable Public Schools -- Closed Friday
• Bay State School Of Technology -- Closed Friday
• Bridgeview Montessori School -- Closed Friday
• Cape Cod Children's Place -- Closed Friday
• Cape Cod Regional Technical High School -- Closed Friday
• Dennis - Yarmouth Regional -- Closed Friday
• Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School -- Closed Friday
• Falmouth Academy -- Closed Friday
• Falmouth Public Schools -- Closed Friday
• Massachusetts Maritime Academy -- Closed Friday
• Monomoy Regional -- Closed Friday
• Nauset Regional & Union 54 -- Closed Friday
• Our Lady of the Assumption, Osterville -- Closed Friday
• Our Lady of Victory, Centerville -- Closed Friday
• Pope John Paul II High, Hyannis -- Closed Friday
• Sandwich Montessori School -- Closed Friday
• Sandwich Public Schools -- Closed Friday
• St. John the Evangelist, Pocasset -- Closed Friday
• Trinity Christian Academy -- Closed Friday
• Truro Central School -- Closed Friday
• Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical School -- Closed Friday
• Wareham Public Schools -- Closed Friday

West Springfield police are searching for a suspect--considered to be "armed and dangerous"--who is believed to be responsible for a shooting that occurred on Thursday afternoon.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Authorities in West Springfield are searching for an armed suspect believed to be responsible for a shooting that occurred in the area of Veterans Field off City View Avenue on Thursday afternoon. 

Police say the suspect is 21-year-old Jose A. Marte Jr., of 516 Cold Spring Avenue, West Springfield. He is considered to be "armed and dangerous." 

Police say it is possible that Marte is in the company of a 19-year-old female and that the couple are traveling in a gray 2006 Ford Freestyle SUV, with a Massachusetts registry of 4EM442.

Police were called to the area of Veteran's Field at approximately 4:40 p.m. on Thursday, after reports of a shooting came in, said West Springfield Detective Captain Paul Connor. 

A victim was found at the scene and subsequently transported to an area hospital for treatment. He sustained a wound to the upper leg but is expected to survive his wounds, said Connor.  

How and why the shooting occurred is still under investigation, Connor said. 

Anyone who believes they may know where Marte is have been encouraged to contact the West Springfield Police Dept. at 413-263-3210.

The Texas tour bus hit by a freight train in a deadly crash wasn't supposed to have taken the road where it got stuck at a rail crossing earlier this week, a federal official said Thursday. Watch video

JACKSON, Miss. -- The Texas tour bus hit by a freight train in a deadly crash wasn't supposed to have taken the road where it got stuck at a Mississippi rail crossing earlier this week, a federal official said Thursday.

National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt said the driver may have followed a GPS set for commercial vehicle use rather than directions from the tour company, WLOX-TV reported.

Speaking at a news conference, Sumwalt also said two other buses apparently followed the route provided by Florida-based Diamond Tours to the casino where they were headed in Biloxi, Mississippi.

In Texas, survivors and family members of four who died in the crash began filing lawsuits as more details emerged of Tuesday's crash, in which the CSX freight train slammed into the bus at a humped rail crossing on Biloxi's Main Street. Authorities said 35 people were hospitalized.

The NTSB official Sumwalt said a forward-facing camera on the train took clear color photos of the bus leading up to and immediately after the crash, The Sun Herald reported.

Sumwalt didn't give details of what the pictures showed and said investigators haven't yet interviewed the driver. He said the investigation is continuing and a team will be traveling to Dallas to meet with bus owner Echo Transportation, and to Florida to meet with Diamond Tours.

A survivor said Thursday that after bus became lodged on the crossing, the bus driver yelled for all the passengers to get off shortly before the train hit. The female passenger was seated right behind the driver.

"He told us to get off, and he was trying to see that everybody got off," said Justine Nygren, speaking by phone with The Associated Press after returning to her Texas home. "He stuck with the bus, I know that. He didn't get off when we did."

Nygren said she left through the front door of the bus and walked a short distance alongside the tracks, not looking back. As she did, the train struck the bus and pushed it past her, she said.

Another bus returned her and seven other uninjured survivors Wednesday night to Bastrop, Texas, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The weeklong trip was organized by a senior citizens' center in Bastrop, about 30 miles east of Austin.

Those killed were identified as Peggy Hoffman, 73, and Ken Hoffman, 82, both from Lockhart, Texas; Clinton Havran, 70, of Sealy, Texas; and Deborah Orr, 62, of Bastrop, Texas.

Among the lawsuits, Mitch Toups of Beaumont, Texas, sued CSX and Echo on Thursday in a Dallas County court on behalf of survivors Darwyn and Marie Hanna. Both were injured, according to the lawsuit. It doesn't describe the injuries but said they probably will "endure physical pain, suffering, and mental anguish for ... the rest of their life."

Attorney Mikal Watts said he filed suit Wednesday against the railroad, the bus company and its unidentified driver in state court in Dallas for Peggy Hoffman's son. His lawsuit, like Toups', requests at least $1 million in damages.

Biloxi train-bus crash kills 4, injures 40 Texas tourists headed to casinos

Sumwalt had said earlier that the crossing on Biloxi's Main Street has a hump that has caused tractor-trailers to bottom out, and the federal agency is looking into whether the steep grade played a role in Tuesday's crash.

A soft drink delivery truck and a tractor-trailer also were hit by trains after getting lodged at the same crossing in January of this year and August 2014, respectively.

Watts' lawsuit said CSX Transportation allowed "ultra hazardous" conditions at the crossing, and that the Echo Transportation driver failed to follow traffic signs.

The crossing has a warning sign about low clearance, topped by a graphic of a tractor-trailer stuck on a railroad track.

"CSX was responsible," Watts said. "Instead of fixing it they put up a sign warning that vehicles could get caught. The bus driver either didn't see the sign or, if he did, went over anyway, resulting in the deaths of four good people and injuries to 25 or 30 others."

CSX spokeswoman Laura Phelps and Echo spokesman John Ferrari said in separate emails that their companies don't comment on pending litigation.

Phelps said Wednesday that the railroad can only work four to five feet out from its tracks on a public road, so creating a more gradual slope would be up to the city.

The crossing has had at least 17 accidents involving vehicles and trains since 1976, though 11 involved moving cars or trucks -- including one in which an automobile hit the 38th car of a train that had stopped on the crossing.

Two other wrecks involved cars which were "stalled or stuck" on tracks; neither report had any clarifying details.

The Springfield Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying a truck owner believed to be responsible for a recent hit-and-run.

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield police are asking for the public's help in identifying a truck owner who is believed to be responsible for a hit and run that occurred in the city on Tuesday. 

The incident occurred at the intersection of Dwight Street and Harrison Street at approximately 4:45 p.m., on Tuesday, Sgt. Delaney of the Springfield Police Department. 

Surveillance video of the vehicle leaving the scene of accident was captured by officers with the city's Traffic Division, said Delaney.

Anyone who believes they might recognize the truck or who can identify its owner have been asked to contact the Springfield Police Department's Traffic Division at 413-787-6333 or simply "Text a Tip" your anonymous information.

Add sleep to the already long list of hazards in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) -- Add sleep to the already long list of hazards in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

A video posted on the official race website shows a dog team that arrived at a checkpoint without a musher. "Now you've seen it all, huh?" a man in the video says.

As the video scanned the faces of the mellow-mannered dogs, a man could be heard saying, "Where's Linwood?"

That would be Linwood Fiedler, a race veteran. He arrived at the checkpoint about an hour behind his dogs after falling asleep and toppling off his sled, according to information accompanying the video.

Fiedler checked in at 4:09 a.m. Thursday and was back on the trail at 11:37 a.m., race standings show.

He told Anchorage television station KTUU that he had been fighting to stay awake.

"I was doing a pretty good job, and then I lost," he said, laughing.

"I'll tell you one thing. From the minute my body left the sled until my face smashed into the snow, I was still asleep," he said.

"Wish I had some great story about how a moose attacked my team, but I just fell asleep." Linwood Fiedler. More: https://t.co/Ya7zDv6gpk pic.twitter.com/a6HRtxfvXM

-- Iditarod on KTVA (@IditarodKTVA) March 10, 2017

Fiedler told the station he has fallen off his sled only a few times during his career. The last time it happened, he was awake, so he said, "Whoa," and his dogs stopped.

"I was really hoping for a repeat of that last night," he said. "You feel a little alone and naked walking down the Yukon River all by yourself in the middle of the night, looking at wolf tracks that every once in a while, you go, 'Hmm.'"

Fiedler began dog mushing in 1977, according to his profile on the race website. For the last 16 summers, he's operated a glacier tour business.

Race director Mark Nordman said Fiedler faced no penalty for his separation from his dogs.

"It's another story for his book," he said.

The winner of the nearly 1,000-mile race across Alaska is expected in Nome early next week. Racers set off from Fairbanks on Monday.

Some Springfield city councilors said that if the School Committee meetings merit an on-duty officer, so do regular City Council meetings.

SPRINGFIELD -- City councilors are urging Mayor Domenic J. Sarno to provide a police officer for security at council meetings, saying that past requests have been met with inaction and "excuses" despite an officer being assigned to School Committee meetings.

As mayor, Sarno is automatically chairman of the School Committee. He typically does not attend City Council meetings.

Councilors Justin Hurst and Bud L. Williams raised the issue in a news release this week, with Hurst saying there are many "hot-button issues" before the council with passionate views on all sides.

The use of an extra-duty officer at regular School Committee meetings has been a practice for many years, and is paid for out of the School Department budget, said Superintendent Daniel Warwick. He does not recall any serious incidents at local meetings, but there have been violent incidents elsewhere in the nation, he said.

Warwick said the cost is not significant for the schools, as there are approximately 20 regular meetings a year, generally lasting two or three hours. The School Department budget is primarily state funded, and also receives local and federal funds.

Hurst said his concern is primarily the safety of citizens. He and councilors did not cite any specific incidents.

"If you think the presence of an officer is necessary for your meetings, then for those reasons one should be present at the City Council meetings," Hurst said in the news release, addressing Sarno. "If you don't think having an officer present is necessary for your meetings, then stop wasting taxpayers' money."

Sarno said Thursday he has been consistent on the issue.

"My request would be if an officer is needed at a School Committee meeting on some type of issue or a City Council meeting, fine, the officer can be assigned," Sarno said. "If not, I would rather have the officers on the street, to tell you the truth."

Williams joined in calling for the on-duty officer at regular council meetings.

"If you're not committed to keeping all 59 new officers downtown, then it shouldn't be too difficult to spare one officer for an hour twice a month," Williams said. "The risks to public safety outweigh the costs associated with providing security to the citizens during City Council meetings."

Springfield is preparing to ramp up police patrols in the downtown and South End area ahead of the opening of the $950 million MGM Springfield casino project on Main Street.

[enhanced link]

Hurst said there can be upwards of 100 people in the council chambers when some contentious issues are being debated.

"I'm more concerned about the citizen and not necessarily the councilors," Hurst said, noting that an on-duty police officer is present for Worcester City Council meetings.

Hurst said he is not sure of the mayor's rationale for having an officer at School Committee meetings, "but I do know that the safety of those attending should be paramount, and with so many officers planned to saturate such a small area of downtown in the near future, such a request should not be an undue hardship on the department to provide the citizens who attend City Council meetings with the same on-duty police officer that he affords himself during School Committee meetings."

Hurst alleged that Sarno in December ordered the on-duty officer to escort a citizen from the School Committee meeting, saying the action allowed Sarno to maintain order and decorum. Sarno said he never ordered the officer to escort the person out.

On three occasions in the past year, councilors asked Sarno provide an officer at the regular City Council meetings, "and each time he has come up with an excuse not to do so," Hurst said. The most recent request for an officer came in January from council President Orlando Ramos.

On controversial issues ranging from medical marijuana to the residency requirement for municipal employees, Hurst said, the council will continue to welcome all viewpoints.

The thrashing continued after Carmen Gibson was taken to the ground, and only ended after two bursts of pepper spray to her face, the police report said.

SPRINGFIELD - An apparent labor-management dispute broke out at a Springfield strip club on Feb. 26, according to the police report.

Just after midnight, police were asked to remove one of the dancers at the Fifth Alarm Lounge following a disagreement between her and the club's manager, the report said.

The dancer, Carmen Gibson, 23, of Hartford, refused to leave and began yelling at her boss. As officers escorted her toward the door, the yelling gave way to threats, with Gibson promising "to (obscenity) him up," according to the report.

Carmen Gibson, 23, of HartfordSpringfield Police Department 

"Wait till I see you," she added.

Once outside, the dancer began "thrashing wildly and striking officers with her hands and elbows," as well as biting a bar employee who was helping the officers, the report said.

The thrashing continued after Gibson was taken to the ground, and only ended after two bursts of pepper spray to her face, the report said.

After being transported to police headquarters, she was booked on five charges -- trespassing, resisting arrest, threatening to commit a crime and two counts of assault and battery on a police officer.

At the station, Gibson had minor scrapes and abrasions on her forehead, the result of "thrashing and rolling about on the asphalt parking lot," the report said. She was released on $40 bail.

The next day, she pleaded not guilty in Springfield District Court to the charges and was released on personal recognizance. She is due back for a pretrial hearing on May 2.

Gibson was the third Hartford resident arrested in nine days at the Fifth Alarm. Two others -- Luciano Torres, 59, and Luis Rosa, 35 -- were charged on Feb. 26 after allegedly fighting with police who ordered them to leave the club, according to the arrest report.

Taylor is the author of "From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation," an examination of the history and politics of black America and the development of the social movement in response to police violence.

AMHERST -- Hampshire College students have chosen Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, a scholar of black history, to address graduates at commencement May 20.

Taylor, who is on sabbatical from Princeton University, is the author of "From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation," an examination of the history and politics of black America and the development of the social movement in response to police violence. Taylor has received the Lannan Foundation's Cultural Freedom Award for an Especially Notable Book, according to her Princeton biography.

Taylor's research examines race and public policy, including American housing policies. She is working on a manuscript titled "Race for Profit: Black Housing and the Urban Crisis of the 1970s," which looks at the federal government's promotion of single-family home ownership in black communities after the urban rebellions of the 1960s, according to her biography.

She was also one of the organizers of the International Women's Day strike Wednesday.

Hampshire spokesman John Courtmanche said college community members -- students, employees, trustees -- are invited to submit speaker nominations to the commencement committee. Some 26 names were submitted this year, which were then put to the graduating class for a vote.

"This guided the commencement committee in inviting Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor as keynote speaker," he said in an email. "Taylor's scholarly focus, her book and her life's work clearly resonated with our students."

The Guardian wrote that Taylor is "the rare academic writer whose sense of humor is as sharp as her scholarship."

Last year, the college had to ask its first speaker, Dr. Emily Wong, not to address graduates because she didn't come from the pool of potential speakers, which had upset some students. College President Jonathan Lash had invited her originally. Reina Gossett, an activist, writer and filmmaker, spoke instead.

The ruling ended a two-month legal drama involving Missy, an 80-pound, barrel-shaped shar-pei with a brooding expression and a recently acquired rap sheet.

SPRINGFIELD -- A judge's ruling has given Missy, an 8-year-old dog facing a death sentence, a new leash on life.

Following a six-hour hearing last week, Judge William Hadley reversed an euthanasia order imposed by Springfield officials on Feb. 8 and appealed a week later by the dog's owner, Meaghan Scott of Springfield.

Scott was pulling up to the drive through window at Dunkin' Donuts Monday morning when her lawyer, Shawn Allyn, called with news of Missy's reprieve.

"He said, 'Meaghan, go get your dog,' I just started screaming -- and crying," she said.

The ruling ended a two-month legal drama involving Missy, an 80-pound, barrel-shaped shar-pei with a brooding expression and a recently acquired rap sheet. In April 2016, she was declared dangerous after allegedly attacking two dogs and biting the man walking them outside Scott's home on Central Street.

Scott, testifying before the city's Dog Advisory and Hearing Committee, insisted the two dogs initiated the hostilities. But the committee ruled against Missy, effectively placing her on probation. It also ordered Scott to get the dog spayed, licensed and microchipped, take out a liability insurance policy and make sure Missy was muzzled whenever she was taken off the property.

Ten months later, as Scott carried groceries into the house, Missy and another dog ran out the front door. The dogs were picked up by an employee of the nearby Dakin Humane Society shelter, and brought to the Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center.

Scott picked up the younger dog that night, but Missy, who was not wearing a muzzle when she escaped, was held at the shelter.

On Feb. 8, the dog advisory committee met to consider Missy's fate. Despite testimony that Missy posed no danger after running from the house, the board ruled that the escape violated the dog's probation and ordered her euthanized within 10 days.

Scott contacted Allyn, a Holyoke attorney and friend. On Feb. 16, Allyn filed a request in Springfield District Court for a stay of execution, arguing the euthanasia order was issued "without proper cause (and) in bad faith."

A judge granted the stay and scheduled a hearing for Feb. 27.

About 10 people spoke at the session, from Scott and two neighbors to members of the dog advisory board. When it ended, Hadley said he would issue an order in next few days.

At home, Scott had been telling her two daughters, ages 2 and 3, that Missy was at the doctor's and would be coming home soon. Her two other dogs seemed to miss Missy, especially the younger one, Scott said.

"She considered Missy her mother; she followed her everywhere," she said.

By the time Allyn called Monday, Missy had spent nearly two months at the animal control center, the last three weeks on death row.

In his decision, Hadley wrote that Missy's escape did not violate the committee's order because she was not deliberately taken from the property. "It appears undisputed that the dog accidentally escaped and there is no evidence that contradicts this," Hadley said.

Testimony also showed that Scott had complied with all conditions imposed by the committee before the escape, the judge said.

To Allyn, taking the case was about more than helping a friend with a dog. "This is Massachusetts. We don't end human life...through the death penalty. We should afford our pets the same rights, including due process under the law," he said.

Missy, Scott, her two children and two other dogs were reunited later Monday. By then, she had already left several messages on Allyn's phone. "I must have called him six times, saying I can't thank you enough," she said.

"One of the board members told me that nobody goes this far (to appeal an euthanasia order), but you have to," she said.

"You have to fight for your dog," she added.

Jimmy Roman and Brandon Thompson-Clay are charged with armed assault with intent to murder for the shooting of Xsadrian Gonzalez in Springfield on May 29, 2015.

SPRINGFIELD -- Xsadrian Gonzalez's identification of the man who allegedly shot him in a Dunkin' Donuts parking lot -- leaving him paralyzed from the waist down -- can be used in court, a Hampden Superior Court judge recently ruled. 

At an October hearing on defense motions to suppress the identifications, Gonzalez testified that Jimmy Roman and Brandon Thompson-Clay approached him in the parking lot on Main Street in the South End at about 1:30 p.m. on May 29, 2015.

According to that testimony, Thompson-Clay asked Gonzalez to stop, Roman pulled a gun, and Gonzalez, 19, backed up. But he didn't have time to run, he said. Gonzalez said Roman shot him -- first in the stomach while he was standing up and then again when he fell to the ground. 

Gonzalez knew the men as "Jimmy" and "Brandon" of the Sycamore Street gang. Police were able to determine their last names after learning their street names.

Roman, 22, and Thompson-Clay, 20, of Springfield, are charged with armed assault with intent to murder and other charges.

Defense lawyers for the men filed motions to suppress Gonzalez's identifications, which came after he viewed police photo arrays. 

Hampden Superior Court Judge John S. Ferrara held multiple days of hearings over several months on the defense lawyers' motion to suppress the identifications, and issued his ruling last month. The full text of the ruling is embedded at the end of this story.

Ferrara said the identifications can be used at the trial of the two defendants.

During the hearings that led up to the judge's ruling, defense lawyers Leonardo A. Angiulo for Roman and Matthew J. Fleischner for Thompson-Clay argued the identification of their clients was obtained through an overly suggestive process.

The defense lawyers argued that some people in the community, including Gonzalez's mother, found Facebook photos of Roman and Thompson-Clay and gave them to police as photos of the shooters.

That led police to include photos of the two defendants in a photo array from which Gonzalez picked Roman and Thompson-Clay, the attorneys said.

But Assistant District Attorney Max Bennett told Ferrara the process was done in accordance with the "best practices" outlined by the state's highest court.

Ferrara, in his ruling, said it is clear from the testimony at the hearing of two detectives and a review of a tape of the identification procedures the detectives used an identification protocol that followed federal Department of Justice guidelines.

The defense lawyers argued Gonzalez's mother, who was in the hospital room when Gonzalez looked at the photo arrays, influenced her son's choices of photos.

Ferrara wrote, "There is no merit to the defendants' assertions that the presence of Gonzalez's mother in the hospital room may have influenced his selection of the defendant's photos from the array or increased his confidence in his identifications."

At the October hearing, Gonzalez -- who said he now can use his arms, although it took him five months after the shooting to regain that ability -- testified that gang rivalries and a past homicide were behind the shooting.

Gonzalez said he knew the two defendants, but they were not his friends. He said he was "Knox Street" and they were "Sycamore," engaged in a bitter and violent gang battle.

He said he believes he was targeted in part because of the June 2014 fatal shooting of Caleb Worrell. At the time of Gonzalez' shooting, his relative, Austin Garcia, was one of the men who faced a murder charge for Worrell's death, the result of a confrontation between the Knox Street and Sycamore gangs.

In August 2015, Nathan Cruz, 20, of Springfield, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Worrell's death. Cruz was sentenced to 22 to 25 years in state prison.

Co-defendants Austin Garcia, 19, and Isaiah Ayala, 18, pleaded guilty as youthful offenders to armed assault with intent to kill. Both were sentenced to four to five years in state prison followed by three years probation.

Judge Ferrara decision in Springfield shooting case by The Republican/MassLive.com on Scribd

The fire was reported just before 7 a.m.

Patrick Johnson | pjohnson@repub.com 

 GRANBY, Connecticut - Fire Departments from several area communities and Bradley International Airport responded to fire Friday morning on Rickwood Lane, according to Granby police.

The fire was reported just before 7 a.m.

Residents of the house were able to evacuate safely and were not injured.

Granby firefighters were assisted through mutual aid by fire departments from East Hartland, East Granby, Simbury in Connecticut and Southwick. Firefighters from the Air National Guard at Bradley International Airport also assisted.

The fire is contained and Granby firefighters remain on the scene, police said. The road is a dead-end street and traffic is not affect.

The state Fire Marshal is investigating. 

Ridgewood Lane is off Route 168 near the Southwick line. 

The fox charged after a police cruiser three times, biting at the tires and front bumper, police said.

GILL - Poliuce announced that on Thursday officers have shot and killed the aggressive fox that they believed threatened two residents earliers - but not before the fox attacked the town's brand-new police cruiser.

Officers found the animal on Franklin Road Thursday afternoon. When they arrived, they spotted the fox attacking two horses in a pasture, police said.

"The fox then charged and attacked our new cruiser three times by biting at the tires and push bumper before being dispatched," police said. "The fox will no longer be a hazard."

Earlier in the day, police had sent out a warning to residents about an aggressive fox going after two people in the area of Franklin Road. One of the people managed to chase it away with a shovel.

There was also a report of it attacking and injuring a house cat in the area.

Police said the animal was clearly agressive but it did not show the usual signs for being rabid. They also said testing of the fox carcass is uncertain for now.

SPRINGFIELD -- Falling snow and the staccato horn blasts from dozens of passing motorists filled the air as city teachers hit the streets to demand a raise Friday morning.

Falling snow and the staccato horn blasts from dozens of passing motorists filled the air as Springfield Public School teachers hit the streets Friday morning. 

"We deserve a fair contract," said Gary Boisseau, a teacher of history and government at Central High School. "They gave the superintendent a pay raise and the Legislature gave themselves a pay raise. We're educating the future leaders of this country and this local area. We need a good contract so we can do what we do best."

He added, "In order for us to do a good job, we need a proper wage. All the districts in the surrounding area pay their teachers at a higher wage than we do here in Springfield. That's unfortunate. We're a big district. We should be paying top dollar, recruiting top teachers and making this one of the best teaching areas in all of Massachusetts."

Springfield salary database 2016: How much do city employees make?

Negotiations between the district and the Springfield Education Association - the city's teacher's union - began in May, a month before the former two-year contract expired. 

The district has sought to institute a longer school day and mandate more hours of professional development.

Discussions foundered. The two sides have not met at the bargaining table since December, according to Susan Barry, a Spanish teacher at Central for 21 years.

Barry said annual two percent raises over three years would satisfy teachers.

"We're professionals, we're highly educated," Barry said. "A doctor sees one client at a time, I see 30 in my classroom."

Teachers from numerous schools across the city participated Friday, standing in front of their schools with signs. 

"This is a show of solidarity across Springfield," Barry said. 

Former Secretary of State John Kerry has signed a book deal for a memoir recounting his life and public service, publishing company Simon & Schuster announced this week.

Former Secretary of State John Kerry has signed a book deal for a memoir recounting his life and public service, publishing company Simon & Schuster announced this week.

Kerry's memoir will touch on his childhood years in Cold War Europe, his time in the U.S. Navy, opposition to the Vietnam War and nearly three decades of service representing Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate, according to the publisher.

It will also recount the Democrat's unsuccessful 2004 presidential campaign and time serving as former President Barack Obama's secretary of state. A publication date has not yet been set.

The former senator, who was recently named the head of the new Kerry Initiative at Yale University, said he hopes the book gives readers an inside to his own story, as well as lessons he has learned over the years.

"This is the first opportunity I've had in a long time to pause and look back, with an eye towards looking forward. I hope we can produce a good book that captures for readers not so much my story, but some of the lessons learned along the way, including lessons learned the hard way," he said in a statement.

John Kerry to oversee Yale's new Kerry Initiative, named distinguished fellow for global affairs

Kerry further said he is grateful for the opportunity "to revisit meaningful moments lived at the intersection of history."

Carolyn Reidy, the Simon & Schuster president and CEO, said her company is happy to publish what she called an "extraordinary American story."

"John Kerry's life story reflects our country's journey during the last 50 years," she said in a statement. "Through it all--whether as an idealist signing on to the civil rights movement during the Kennedy Years, as a naval officer in Vietnam, an activist, a senator from Massachusetts, the Democratic presidential nominee or our indefatigable secretary of state--his lifelong commitment and work to fight for change mark an exemplary career and life in public service."

Jonathan Karp, the publisher of Simon & Schuster, contended that the exciting part about Kerry's memoir "is that he's finally got the time and perspective to tell the full story, in all of its sweep."

Hampden residents who haven't renewed their dog's license for 2017 have until March 31 to head down to the Hampden Town House for a new one. You may also obtain one at an April 1 rabies clinic at Hampden Veterinary Clinic, 28 Somers Road.

HAMPDEN -- Town residents who haven't renewed their dog's license for 2017 have until March 31 to get a new one.

Dog licenses are $5 for spayed or neutered dogs and $10 for dogs that haven't been spayed or neutered. They are available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday in the Hampden town clerk's office at the Hampden Town House, 625 Main St. 

Licenses will also be available at the Hampden Board of Health's annual rabies clinic for dogs and cats at the Hampden Veterinary Clinic, 28 Somers Road, from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 1. Rabies shots are $15 an animal. 

State law requires all dogs over the age of 6 months be vaccinated against rabies and licensed. To obtain a new one, dog owners will need a current copy of their pet's certificates or the prior year's registration form showing their dog is up to date on shots.

The Board of Health has more information at 413-566-2125, ext. 102.

The truck drove off after getting involved in an accident at Dwight Street and Harrison Avenue.

SPRINGFIELD - Police are seeking the identity of the driver of a truck that was involved in a hit-and-run accident this week in downtown Springfield, police said.

Sgt. John Delaney said the truck was involved in an accident Tuesday at about 4:45 p.m. at the intersection of Dwight Street and Harrison Avenue, and then fled the scene.

Police released surveillance footage of the truck and trailer a short time later as it drove past Apremont Triangle. The truck, which appears to be black and silver is towing a white car on a long black trailer.

Delaney said police were uanble to make out the plate number or any logos on the truck from any of the footage.

Anyone who recognizes the truck is asked to call the Springfield Police Traffic Division at 413-787-6333.

Those who wish to remain anonymous may text a tip via a cell phone by addressing a text message to "CRIMES," or "274637," and then beginning the body of the message with the word "SOLVE."

See how much snow communities across Massachusetts got on Friday, March 10.

The following is a list of reported snow totals as reported by weather spotters to the National Weather Service for Friday, March 10. Numbers include the time at which the report was made. This list is updated as numbers become available. 

Barnstable County

• Brewster, 3.5 inches at 10:07 a.m.
• East Falmouth, 2.8 inches at 9:43 a.m.
• Fairhaven, 0.2 inches at 6:08 a.m.
• Harwich, 3 inches at 10:12 a.m.
• Marstons Mills, 3 inches at 10:15 a.m.
• Pocasset, 0.5 inches at 5:52 a.m.
• Yarmouthport, 3 inches at 10:11 a.m.

Berkshire County

• Becket, 0.2 inches at 7 a.m.
• Great Barrington, 0.2 inches at 7 a.m.

Bristol County

• Acushnet, 0.5 inches at 6:05 a.m.
• Assonet, 2 inches at 9:47 a.m.
• Attleboro, 2.5 inches at 8:50 a.m.
• Darmouth, 2 inches at 9:54 a.m.
• Freetown, 3.7 inches at 11:04 a.m.
• New Bedford, 3 inches at 9:59 a.m.
• Taunton, 3.2 at 11:04 a.m.
• West Acushnet, 3.7 at 11:04 a.m.

Dukes County

• West Tisbury, 3 inches at 10:03 a.m.

Hampden County

• West Springfield, 0.5 inches at 8:30 a.m.

Middlesex County

• Hopkinton, 1.2 inches at 10:56 a.m.

Nantucket County

• Nantucket, 1 inch at 10:50 a.m.

Norfolk County

• Quincy, 0.5 inches at 8:56 a.m.

Plymouth County

• Cedarville, 1 inch at 6:09 a.m.
• Plymouth, 2 inches at 6:12 a.m.

Suffolk County

• Boston, 0.1 inches at 8:08 a.m.
• Winthrop, 0.1 inches at 8:08 a.m. 

Worcester County

• Fitchburg, 01. at 10 a.m.

Police, fire and emergency medical services were called to the eastbound lanes of the Massachusetts Turnpike Friday morning following a two-vehicle crash.

Police, fire and emergency medical services were called to the eastbound lanes of the Massachusetts Turnpike Friday morning following a two-vehicle crash. 

A car and a tractor-trailer collided while heading east through Auburn, Massachusetts State Police report. 

Members of the Auburn Fire Department are on scene assisting. The department reports fuel spilled at the scene from the tractor-trailer and one person injured in the crash. 

Two right travel lanes are closed as emergency responders remain at the scene. There is a multi-mile backup of traffic heading east due to the crash. 

Bay Path University held the "On the Move Forum" on Wednesday, March 8 also known as International Women's Day to honor the first National Women Conference held in 1977.

Bay Path University held the "On the Move Forum" on Wednesday, March 8 also known as International Women's Day to honor the 40th anniversary of first federally funded National Women's Conference held in 1977.

The 1977 National Women's Conference was a conference for, by and about women in the effort to address women's issues.

Speakers at the Bay Path "On the Move" forum event included Diana Mara Henry, photojournalist and author, who was also the official photographer of the 1977 National Women's Conference and Janine Fondon, Assistant Professor and Chair of Communications at Bay Path University.

Check out the photos above for a glimpse of the event.

Swastikas were found drawn in a Milton middle school bathroom on Wednesday, two and a half months after a similar incident led to disciplinary actions against students.

Swastikas were found drawn in a Milton middle school bathroom on Wednesday, two and a half months after a similar incident led to disciplinary actions against students.

WCVB reports that school officials sent an email to parents on Thursday, reporting that swastikas were found in the 8th grade and 6th grade boys' bathrooms at Pierce Middle School.

"The fact that swastika graffiti was again found in the Pierce Middle School is far, far beyond disappointing," Principal Karen Spaulding wrote in the email, according to WCVB.

Police are working with school officials to investigate the graffiti.

Swastikas were also found in Pierce Middle School bathrooms in late December. The students responsible were identified and disciplined, WCVB reported.