He pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors and agreed to never seek public office. Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey will ascend to the governorship. Watch video

Embattled Gov. Robert Bentley this afternoon agreed to a deal that forced him to resign the office of governor, plead guilty to two misdemeanors and agree to never again hold public office.

The extraordinary agreement, hammered out over the weekend and throughout the day by lawyers for the Alabama Attorney General's office and Bentley attorneys Chuck Malone and Cooper Shattuck, requires Bentley to repay the state for misused funds and perform community service.

In response, the state attorney general's office will not pursue other felonies against Bentley, including those referred for prosecution last week by the Alabama Ethics Commission.

Bentley, as part of the deal, was expected to:

• Resign immediately and leave public life.
• Plead guilty to two campaign violations: converting campaign contributions for personal gain and failing to report campaign contributions.
• Serve one year of probation.
• Perform 100 hours of unpaid community service as a physician.
• Repay the $8,912 his campaign spent on the legal fees of former aide Rebekah Mason, whose involvement with Bentley led to the charges against him.
• Forfeit all the money in his campaign account, which is currently $36,912. The money will go into state coffers.

In response, the state attorney general's office will not pursue other felonies against Bentley, including those referred for prosecution last week by the Alabama Ethics Commission.

Whether the governor faces jail time on the misdemeanors - which are technically punishable by as much as a year in prison - is left to the judge who will sentence him. It is unlikely he will serve time.

Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey will, as the Alabama Constitution demands, ascend immediately to the governorship. Ivey, a Republican who was elected State Treasurer prior to her election as Lieutenant Governor, will become the first woman governor since Lurleen B. Wallace. Wallace, the wife of George Wallace, was elected in 1966 but died in office 16 months later.

Bentley held a press conference after being booked on his crimes, saying "I love this state from the bottom of my heart, and the people who live here."

Bentley's plea comes after a turbulent year and a catastrophic week for the governor. On Friday, facing public criticism and pressure from his own party, he vowed to remain in office.

"Once again let me say, I do not plan to resign," he said in an emotional press conference. "I have done nothing illegal."

But in many ways the writing was on the wall after the Ethics Commission on Wednesday found enough evidence to believe Bentley had committed four felonies, including a violation of the ethics act and three violations of the Fair Campaign Practices Act.

Those charges, which the commission forwarded to Montgomery County prosecutors, are each punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The attorney general's office, which has long been investigating, has the ability to take over those ethics cases.

Perhaps the most damage to Bentley came Friday, when the House Judiciary Committee - which has initiated impeachment proceedings against him - released the findings of lawyer Jack Sharman, who was hired to investigate Bentley and whether he used state money or resources to conduct or cover up an improper relationship.

The report was damning, including sworn testimony from current and former state employees who claim they were harassed and threatened as Bentley sought to keep the affair secret.

Tapes of conversations between Bentley and Mason were made public more than a year ago, after former Law Enforcement Secretary Spencer Collier revealed the affair. Bentley acknowledged making "inappropriate" sexually tinged comments to Mason, including now-infamous phrases about the way he liked to touch her breasts. Throughout, however, he has consistently denied having a sexual relationship.

The testimony and transcripts in the House report landed like a bomb Friday - even as Bentley lawyers went to court to stop impeachment proceedings and to prevent the report's release. That fight was expected to continue in filings before the Alabama Supreme Court today, but the plea deal renders them moot.

Alabama House Speaker Mac McCutcheon and Senate Majority Leader Del Marsh - both Republicans like Bentley - each asked the governor to resign last week, before the report was released. The Alabama Republican Party Steering Committee asked him to resign Sunday.

But Bentley on Friday - seeking to head off the release of the report - said he had made his peace with God and had moved forward. He chided those who would expose "personal details of my past personal life," and said there was no reason to do it except "vengeance, jealousy, anger or personal benefit."

But the release of the report - and its 3000-plus pages of exhibits - painted a dark picture of the governor. Sworn testimony from former staff members revealed a long-running affair, with questionable activities from improper use of state aircraft to intimidation of witnesses and campaign violations. The report revealed that Bentley's ex-wife, Dianne Bentley, made the recordings of the phone conversations when she began to suspect an affair.

The report did not just damage Bentley. It raised questions about Alabama Law Enforcement Secretary Stan Stabler, who has stood with Bentley and denied knowledge of an improper relationship. Sworn statements in the report say he was aware of the relationship and participated in many conversations about it.

Questions remain about other staffers and officials. It raises serious questions about the appointment of former Attorney General Luther Strange to the U.S. Senate. Strange as AG, asked the House Judiciary Committee to hold off on impeachment while his office investigated. Then he sought and received the Senate appointment.

It also raises questions about methods and links between the governor and the University of Alabama, and of companies such as PowerSouth, that paid for the salary of Mrs. Mason. Ivey will determine the future of Mrs. Mason's husband Jon, who runs the governor's Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives, also known as Serve Alabama.

Bentley joins a growing list of Alabama governors - three of the last six -- who have run into trouble with the law. Gov. Guy Hunt was convicted of misusing his inaugural account in 1993 and forced from office. Gov. Don Siegelman was convicted in 2006 of bribery while in office. He was only recently released from prison.

Sources say the plea by Bentley does not end the investigation surrounding the governor. The Attorney General's office, under new AG Steve Marshall, is expected to pursue others who may have committed crimes.

Federal investigators have also investigated the Bentley affair, though many believe that investigation has grown dormant. A state plea deal would not affect a federal probe.

Bentley Plea Deal by Jeremy W. Gray on Scribd

The alleged victim in the racially-charged incident is the son of School Resource Officer Alan Schadel, an Easthampton police officer.

NORTHAMPTON -- An Easthampton High School student who was arrested after a racially-charged altercation in the school parking lot will no longer be represented by a public defender now that a private, Northampton-based lawyer has taken his case.

At his March 31 arraignment on charges of assault and intimidating a witness, Joshua R. Brown, 18, was assigned Atty. Marlene Morin of the Committee for Public Counsel Services. Morin withdrew from the case April 4 when Atty. Peter T. Lane entered a formal appearance.

Brown is one of three students of color accused of surrounding and punching a white student on school grounds on March 29. Brown, 18, was arrested March 30 at an Easthampton home. The alleged victim had posted a racial slur to social media, according to court records.

The victim is the son of Easthampton Police Officer Alan Schadel, a school resource officer at Easthampton High School, court records show and city officials have publicly revealed.

Lane appeared Friday in Northampton District Court and petitioned Judge W. Michael Goggins for a modification of Brown's conditions of release.

As a result, Brown, who is free on personal surety, is no longer required to stay 10 yards away from the victim on school property, and now must simply "avoid abuse" and "avoid contact as much as possible unless required by school." Brown is still required to stay 100 yards away from the victim off school grounds.

At a meeting between Lane and school officials on April 6, Principal Kevin Burke stated that the high school "is not able to enforce this stay away order and can only act as a reporter," according to court records. Burke also reportedly expressed concern that the original order was "not fair to the defendant."

Lane was not immediately available for comment Monday.

Brown's arrest followed an investigation by Easthampton Police Officer Rick Rogalski, who is also an assistant football coach at the high school. Two other students arrested are juveniles, and it's not clear if they have been arraigned.

Officer Schadel has been out on medical leave for some time and is expected to remain on leave through the end of the school year, city officials have said. Police Chief Robert Alberti did not return a call Monday afternoon seeking confirmation of Schadel's current employment status.

A group of parents at a packed April 5 School Committee meeting called for Schadel's removal as resource officer, asserting that he has a "conflict of interest." The parents also called for Burke's ouster, saying he has exhibited a lack of leadership when it comes to issues of diversity.

Superintendent Nancy Follansbee has since defended Burke, telling parents that he "has a number of things in place ... to promote respect for diversity" including an upcoming course called "Diversity 101" and planned training for teachers.

She also wrote that the schools could not discipline the alleged victim because the "inappropriate and offensive" message he sent to "a former girlfriend who does not attend our schools" was a "private communication" that "did not occur on school premises."

The victim on March 25 sent his former girlfriend a message on Snapchat saying "are you still dating that n-----?" The ex-girlfriend shared the message with a friend, who posted it to Facebook, according to court records and a statement by Follansbee.

The victim suffered a concussion from the March 29 assault, according to his father, who cooperated with Rogalski in the investigation, court records show.

Brown is scheduled to be back in court for a pre-trial hearing on May 10. The case is being prosecuted by ADA Yvonne Pesce of the Northwestern District Attorney's office.

Voting for the April 11 election will be at South Hadley High School, 153 Newton St. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

 

SOUTH HADLEY -- Polls will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday for the annual town election that includes contests for Selectboard, School Committee, Board of Health, Planning Board and Library Trustee. There are also two non-binding ballot questions.

Voting for all residents will be at South Hadley High School, 153 Newton St.

There are three candidates campaigning for two selectboard seats: incumbent Sarah Etelman and challengers Andrea G. Miles and Scott R. Moore. Francis J. DeToma, a selectboard member the past seven years, is not seeking re-election.

Kyle R. Belanger and Carly K. Lapinski are challenging School Committee incumbents Eric M. Sarrazin and Barry Waite for two seats.

Diane L. Dietzen is running against incumbent Michael A. Rosner for a Board of Health seat.

Incumbent South Hadley Public Library Trustees David C. Morrell, Susan E. Obremski-Crowther and Gillian M. Woldorf are being challenged by Donald J. D'Amato and Amy Diehl for the three seats.

Larry E. Butler and Diane V. Supczak-Mulvaney are running for a seat on the Planning Board.

The non-binding ballot questions are as follows:

1. Would you support a resolution on behalf of the Town of South Hadley limiting or eliminating the involvement of political action groups, lobbyists and/or special interests from elections, and further endorse consideration of additional anti-corruption laws at all levels of government?

2. Would you be in favor of banning plastic die-cut bags, commonly used by retailers, in favor of allowing only reusable, compostable or biodegradable bags?

Springfield's intermodal Union Station opens in June following a $95 million rehabilitation.

SPRINGFIELD -- The Springfield Redevelopment Authority issued a formal request for proposals Monday seeking qualified intercity bus carriers to operate long-distance service from the soon-to-reopen Union Station.

Negotiations continue with Springfield's own Peter Pan Bus Lines, said Springfield Chief Economic Development Officer Kevin Kennedy.

"We don't have an agreement," Kennedy said.

The RFP announcement requires interested parties to respond by 2 p.m. April 28.

The RFP doesn't mean the city and the Redevelopment Authority will never reach a deal to bring Peter Pan into Union Station. The bus company now operates out of the Peter Pan-owned Peter L. Picknelly Transportation Center a block away at 1776 Main St.

But it does mean the Redevelopment Authority would like to hear from other bus companies that service the Northeast. It's possible that bus companies, including Peter Pan, would be interested in renting some but not all of the new Union Station's 27 bus berths, which will accommodate intercity and Pioneer Valley Transit Authority buses.

That would mean one or more companies could end up servicing Union Station with intercity bus routes in addition to PVTA's intracity buses on local routes around Greater Springfield.

Peter Pan partners with Greyhound already and both companies jointly run the Bolt Bus service in major East Coast cities but not in Springfield.

Among competitors, Megabus services Amherst from a stop at the Hampshire Mall in nearby Hadley. Megabus also runs to Brattleboro, Vermont, Hartford, Connecticut, and Albany, New York.

From Springfield, Peter Pan services stops allover the East Coast.

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Union Station will reopen in June following a years-long, $95 million ground-up rehab. Built in 1926, the railroads shut down most of the station in the 1970s, and it was left empty and unused for nearly four decades.

On Monday, the city accepted an $18,000 rebate from Columbia Gas of Massachusetts for the new high-efficiency heating system in Union Station.

Planners say that the refurbished union Station could draw 5 million to 8 million visitors a year through its complex, including the parking deck, bus berths and the station itself, with office tenants including architects Dietz & Co.

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Peter A. Picknelly, chairman & CEO of Peter Pan Bus Lines, has said the company has plans to completely remodel its bus terminal for a new tenant once it moves bus operations to Union Station.

Picknelly has said he does plan to make the move, but that negotiations are continuing. He couldn't be reached Monday afternoon.

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Union Station Bus by Jim Kinney on Scribd

A woman who was shot in West Springfield on Monday afternoon has died, according to a TV news report, citing a police officer and Mayor Will Reichelt as the source for that information.

WEST SPRINGFIELD -- A person who was shot in West Springfield on Monday afternoon has died, according to Mayor Will Reichelt, who said he could not release further details about the incident, which remains under investigation.

"I can confirm only it's fatal and currently under investigation," he said in a message to The Republican on Monday evening, adding that more information would likely be released soon. 

Chief Ronald Campurciani could not immediately be reached for comment.

The victim of the fatal shooting was a woman, according to a TV news report, citing a police officer as the source for that information.

Details about the shooting remain unclear, including whether the fatal injury was self-inflicted or if investigators are searching for a suspect.

The incident happened around 1 p.m. at the Hillcrest Arms Apartments at 25 Highland Ave. The apartment complex, which is near the Holyoke line, has been the scene of past criminal activity, according to police reports.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni showed up at the scene on Monday afternoon, but his office has yet to make any public statements about the incident.

MAP showing approximate location of death investigation:

"It took place in a particular apartment and does not appear at this point to be random," West Springfield Police Ron Campurciani told The Republican on Monday night, April 10, 2017.

WEST SPRINGFIELD -- Police Chief Ronald Campurciani confirmed that West Springfield police detectives and Massachusetts State Police investigators are probing the city's first homicide of the year.

The fatal shooting occurred around 1 p.m. at the Hillcrest Arms Apartments at 25 Highland Ave. Police have not released many details about the incident, but preliminary reports indicate the victim was a woman.

"It took place in a particular apartment and does not appear at this point to be random," Campurciani told The Republican on Monday night. "I can also tell you that it involves a gunshot wound," he added.

Authorities have not publicly identified the victim or indicated if they are searching for a person of interest in the fatal shooting.

The apartment complex, the scene of past criminal activity, is in the northern part of West Side near the Holyoke line.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni went to the crime scene Monday afternoon, but his office has yet to make any public statements about the crime.

MAP showing approximate location of homicide:

Montgomery, who had darted behind German lines with the Office of Strategic Services during World War II and became one of the most admired CIA officers of his generation, died April 6 at his home in McLean, Virginia.

Benny Goodman and his band serenaded the guests as Hugh Montgomery slipped into the powder room in the Moscow residence of the U.S. ambassador to the Soviet Union. The date was July 4, 1962 - Independence Day - and the musical entertainment had attracted Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev to the ambassador's festivities.

Montgomery, a CIA officer posing as a diplomat, was there to receive a cache of documents from Oleg Penkovsky, a Soviet intelligence officer widely considered the most valuable double agent working for the West during the Cold War. Penkovsky was to leave the material in the ambassador's toilet tank, where Dr. Montgomery would furtively collect it.

What transpired was "more 'The Pink Panther' than John le Carre," a writer for U.S. News and World Report quipped decades later. To reach the tank, suspended up high, Montgomery first stood on the toilet seat, which cracked under his weight. He then climbed atop the sink, causing it to detach from the wall. He retrieved the documents - but only after soaking his sleeve in the toilet-tank water. Taking his wife by his wet arm, he escaped unnoticed.

Montgomery, who had darted behind German lines with the Office of Strategic Services during World War II and became one of the most admired CIA officers of his generation, died April 6 at his home in McLean, Virginia. He was 93 and had congestive heart failure and other ailments, said his son, Hugh Montgomery Jr. Montgomery had retired at 90, after more than six decades in intelligence.

Hugh Montgomery, 91, a former CIA and OSS officer who parachuted into Normandy on D-Day with the 82nd Airborne., holds two photographs of himself in 1943, at his McLean, Va., home, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015. Montgomery went behind enemy lines for the OSS, where he was among the first Americans to come upon the Buchenwald concentration camp. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

"He really was the last link to the OSS and the very beginning of the American intelligence capability," former CIA director Leon E. Panetta said in an interview. "He was every bit a symbol of the kind of officer that we were proud to have in the CIA."

Hugh Montgomery was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Nov. 29, 1923. His father ran a firm that manufactured wire products. His mother, a linguist, inspired her son's interest in languages. Montgomery brought to the CIA proficiency in eight languages and working knowledge of more.

He was studying Romance languages and literature at Harvard University when he joined the Army around the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. On D-Day, he parachuted into Normandy, France, with the 82nd Airborne.He was wounded in action, leaving him with a lifelong limp.

He was soon recruited to the OSS - a wartime predecessor of the CIA - and in particular to its counterintelligence detachment, called X-2, although he did not know the secretive operation's name until much later.

Panetta described Montgomery as having a "calmness" that served him well in the field. He repeatedly went behind enemy lines, searching for German nuclear physicists and Americans POWs and on one occasion commandeering an enemy intelligence radio outpost.

Hugh Montgomery, 91, a former CIA and OSS officer who parachuted into Normandy on D-Day with the 82nd Airborne., autographs photographs of himself for the Office of Strategic Services Society (OSS) at his McLean, Va., home, Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)The Washington Post 

In Germany in spring 1945, Montgomery said that he and his colleagues discovered a compound surrounded by barbed wire and emanating a "ghastly smell." They had arrived at the Buchenwald concentration camp, not yet officially liberated by the Americans, but no longer under firm Nazi control.

"The surviving inmates begged us to leave the German guards to their hands, which we did," Montgomery recalled in a speech in 2015, when he received the William J. Donovan Award, named for the founder of the OSS, bestowed by the OSS Society.

He returned to the United States after the war and resumed his studies at Harvard, where he received a bachelor's degree in 1947, a master's degree in 1948 and a doctorate in 1952. He "epitomized what was described as an ideal OSS candidate," Charles Pinck, president of the OSS Society, wrote in an email, "a Harvard Ph.D who could handle himself in a bar fight."

Montgomery joined the CIA in 1952. In Berlin, he participated in operations involving the Berlin tunnel, burrowed by the CIA and British MI6 to tap Soviet communication lines. He later served as deputy station chief in Moscow, where he was a handler for Penkovsky, who was executed by the Soviets in 1963. Montgomery also served as station chief in Vienna and Rome.

During the Reagan administration, he left the CIA to serve as director of the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research and later as alternate U.S. representative to the United Nations for special political affairs, holding the rank of ambassador.

Under CIA Director Robert M. Gates, Montgomery oversaw all foreign intelligence relationships. He later helped document and preserve the history of U.S. intelligence, both within the CIA and as chairman of the OSS Society. His awards included the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal.

Montgomery's wife of 66 years, the former Annemarie Janak, died in 2015. Survivors include two children, Hugh Montgomery Jr. of Batavia, Ohio, and Maria Montgomery of Columbia, Maryland.

In an interview, Gates describes Montgomery as "a man of extraordinary integrity and character" - and also as one who would not be out of place "in any one of a number of spy novels." His escapade at the Soviet Embassy in 1962 ended with a surprise for the U.S. ambassador - and a timeless tale for the CIA.

"At the next embassy staff meeting," then-CIA Director John O. Brennan recounted at the Donovan Award ceremony, the ambassador demanded the name of the Russian "who trashed his wife's powder room."

(c) 2017, The Washington Post. Emily Langer wrote this story.

Salaries for the district chiefs range from $96,177 to $105,325. The proposed agreement called for 2 percent annual pay raises until 2019, retroactive to 2013.

SPRINGFIELD - The City Council rejected a proposed contract with the Fire Department's district chiefs on Monday night because of a residency clause that only applied to future hires.

The vote was the latest step in a long dispute between the city government and the Springfield Fire Chiefs Association over the enforcement of the residency ordinance.

"We don't bargain over following a law," said City Council President Orlando Ramos before casting a no vote. "I don't have to pay you for following a law. That's not how it works."

Under the proposed contract, only Fire Department employees hired after July 1, 2017, who were eventually promoted to district chief, would be required to live in Springfield.

Records show six of the eight current district chiefs live outside the city, and critics argue those jobs should be held by residents.

The issue is the subject of a lawsuit in Hampden Superior Court. Ten Springfield residents want the court to require enforcement of the ordinance.

Lawyers for the union argue that the ordinance has not been enforced since the 1970s, and thus is outdated. Springfield City Solicitor Ed Pikula and William Mahoney, the city's director of Human Resources and Labor Relations, say the ordinance is valid, but should be negotiated at the bargaining table.

The City Council rejected a contract proposal in September because it did not contain a residency clause.

"It's clear that that message wasn't received," said Ramos, the council president.

City Councilor Kenneth E. Shea said he understands the need to work out the residency matter, but urged his colleagues to "solve the puzzle of at least getting the raises" to the union members. He said the controversy is "denying people just compensation for doing a very dangerous job."

Salaries for the district chiefs range from $96,177 to $105,325. The proposed agreement called for 2 percent annual pay raises until 2019, retroactive to 2013.

There was another 1.5 percent pay raise effective July 1, 2014, for new "collateral duties" involving information technology, rules and regulations, dangerous buildings and special hazards coordination.

The 10-member union consists of the eight district chiefs, a fire repair supervisor and a fire alarm supervisor.

The prior contract expired in 2012.

Mahoney, the human resources director, said the City Council has approved negotiated residency requirements "time and time again." 

City Council Vice President Justin Hurst argued that this situation is "unique" because those who follow the residency requirement are suffering from a lack of available promotions.

"We have six district chiefs who are currently in violation of the law," said Hurst. "What good is this body if we create laws that don't have to be followed?"

Councilor Kateri B. Walsh disagreed, saying the city has never fairly enforced residency rules, and it's "unfair to penalize" the district chiefs.

Springfield Union Station will reopen in June following a $95 million rehabilitation.

SPRINGFIELD -- The head of Peter Pan Bus Lines said Tuesday his company plans to respond to the city's request for proposals to provide long-distance bus service to the newly rebuilt Union Station.

"We're optimistic," said Peter A. Picknelly, the company's chairman & CEO. "The goal is to secure space in Union Station on terms that are beneficial for the company and for the city."

Springfield-based Peter Pan and the Springfield Redevelopment Authority, which owns and manages Union Station, have been in talks over a lease at the station.

Picknelly said Tuesday that he and Peter Pan management have worked for years with the city on the new Union Station's design and fit-out.

But the grand opening date in June is fast approaching.

Monday, the Springfield Redevelopment Authority issued a formal request for proposals seeking qualified intercity bus carriers to operate long-distance service at Union Station.

The RFP announcement requires interested parties to respond by 2 p.m. April 28.

Picknelly said he has plans to redevelop the current bus station on Main Street, which is owned by Peter Pan. But the first domino to fall is the move to Union Station. Any redevelopment would follow once the Main Street building is vacated.

Springfield Union Station will reopen in June following a $95 million rehabilitation. Union Station was rebuilt with bus ticketing offices, waiting areas and 27 bus berths shared by both intercity service and local intracity buses run by the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority.

The PVTA plans to use Union Station as its downtown hub.

Planners estimate that once open the Union Station complex could see 5 million to 8 million visitors a year using buses, train service through Amtrak and the Connecticut commuter rail, as well as offices and food providers.

Connecticut commuter rail plans to run 12 trains a day starting in 2018.

Springfield Chief Economic Development Officer Kevin Kennedy said that under the request for proposals, more than one operator could end up running long-distance buses from Union Station. 

Picknelly dismissed that possibility, saying only Peter Pan and its partner Greyhound serve Springfield and they are both working to secure space in Union Station.

Competitor Megabus services Amherst with a stop at the Hampshire Mall in Hadley. The local Megabus Route to and from New York city also services Brattleboro, Vermont and Hartford. 

The Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) interchange 4 on-ramp from Interstate 91 northbound and southbound in West Springfield will be closed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. on Tuesday, April 11 and on Wednesday to make drainage system improvements.

HOLYOKE -- The Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate 90) interchange 4 on-ramp from Interstate 91 northbound and southbound in West Springfield will be closed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. today and on Wednesday to make drainage system improvements.

Traffic will be detoured onto Route 5 north at Providence Hospital, Brightside Drive, here to reverse direction and access the I-90 on-ramp via Route 5 south, said a press release from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).

"This ramp closure is necessary to install drainage across the full width of the ramp," the press release said.

"Drivers who are traveling through the affected areas should expect delays, reduce speed and use caution. All scheduled work is weather dependent and subject to change without notice," the press release said.

For more information:

• Dial 511 before heading out onto the roadways and select a route to hear real-time conditions.


• Visit www.mass511.com,which provides real-time traffic information, including access to cameras, and allows users to subscribe to text and email alerts for traffic conditions.


• Follow MassDOT on Twitter @MassDOT to get updates on road and traffic conditions


• Download MassDOT's GoTime mobile app and view real-time traffic conditions before setting out on the road.

View obituaries from The Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts.

No one was injured in the crash.

CHICOPEE - A neighbor accidentally backed across a street and crashed into a home, badly damaging the porch area.

No one was injured in the accident that happened shortly before noon on Tuesday near the intersection of Newbury and Springfield Streets, Michael Wilk, Chicopee Police public information officer said.

The driver accidentally put the car into reverse, backed across the road, crashed through a fence and struck the front of 18 Newbury St., he said.

No one was injured in the crash. Police and Firefighters responded to the accident.

The car was towed from the scene and no citations were issued at the scene, Wilk said.

The Rt. Rev. Douglas J. Fisher, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, has sent a letter to Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson asking him to "spare the lives of seven men scheduled for execution in Arkansas in the coming weeks."

SPRINGFIELD - The Rt. Rev. Douglas J. Fisher, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts, has sent a letter to Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson asking him to "spare the lives of seven men scheduled for execution in Arkansas in the coming weeks."

Bishop Douglas FisherRepublican file 

"We understand that each man has been found guilty and sentenced to die in accordance with the laws of Arkansas. We ask that you consider the mercy that Jesus offers all sinners, a mercy transcending human understanding and the inevitably imperfect system of human justice," the letter states.

"Executing the children of God during the Easter season is particularly heartbreaking and offensive to us. We pray that you will exercise your wisdom, compassion, and power to spare the lives of these men. Society can hold them accountable for their crimes without carrying out legalized murder."

The letter, also signed by members of the diocesan Social Justice Commission, is to be delivered to Hutchinson Wednesday. The executions are scheduled to begin Monday, if a federal judge now hearing testimony from lawyers for the seven fails to stop them on the basis that a sedative drug scheduled to be used is not safe and effective for executions.

Noting that the signers "live at a distance" from Arkansas, where the executions will take place, the letter states, "We grieve the enormous suffering endured by the victims of the heinous crimes that were carried out by the prisoners now condemned to die."

"We know that Jesus, himself an innocent victim, likewise suffered torment before he died, hanging on the cross between two criminals. Jesus responded to the suffering and injustice that he endured with non-violent love," it says.

"As followers of Jesus, we believe that murder - whether it be carried out by criminals or enacted according to the laws of the state - grieves the heart of the living God."

Arkansas is set to execute more than 20 percent of its 34 death row inmates by the end of April when its supply of the execution sedative midazolam expires and controversy surrounding its use makes it difficult to purchase.

The letter notes that the "Episcopal Church has officially opposed the death penalty for more than half a century" and that its leaders "have been working for decades to end capital punishment."

"We are convinced that murdering murderers - taking 'an eye for an eye' - will never lead to the just, fair, and humane society that all of us long to create," it states.

"What's more, the Church is painfully aware of the ongoing racial and socioeconomic biases in our legal system, which reflect centuries of prejudice and unjust discrimination against African-Americans and other minorities. We likewise remain concerned about cases of wrongful conviction and the execution of innocent people."

The letter can be read in its entirety on the diocesan website.

The station was evacuated and Springfield Street was closed during an investigation.

AGAWAM -- A man who carried a "hoax" device into the police station Tuesday has been arrested. 

Agawam Police Chief Eric Gillis said the man fled after dropping jars filled with an unidentified liquid. Police did not immediately identify the suspect.

The station was evacuated and Springfield Street was closed during an investigation.

This is a developing story that will be updated after further reporting.

The building was evacuated at around 5:50 p.m. and 911 calls were temporarily rerouted to West Springfield, said Police Chief Eric Gillis.

AGAWAM - A man known to Agawam police was arrested on Tuesday evening after he allegedly brought a hoax device into the police headquarters on Springfield Street.

The building was evacuated at around 5:50 p.m. and 911 calls were temporarily rerouted to West Springfield, said Police Chief Eric Gillis. The road was closed in that area for about an hour.

Gillis said the suspect, whose name was not immediately released, walked into the lobby, approached the dispatch center carrying the device, and said he had found it outside. He then dropped it and fled.

Gillis described the device as jars that were taped together and filled with fluid.

Massachusetts State Police and the Western Massachusetts Anti-Terror Task Force responded. The device was determined to be a hoax.

The suspect was arrested near his home, said Gillis.

The incident is consistent with threats the suspect has made in the past, he added. The last time police interacted with him was Friday.

No one was hurt.

A draft report outlines $600 million in spending in the first phase of the plan to replace, repair and restore Bay State court facilities, including Northampton and Pittsfield.

The Hampden County Hall of Justice adorns the cover of a draft report on repairing, renovating and replacing Massachusetts courthouses, but there's little mention anywhere in the report of addressing facility needs in Springfield.

An executive summary of the Courts Capital Master Plan, a joint project of the Massachusetts Trial Court and the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, was distributed to the press Tuesday afternoon.

The summary outlines $600 million in spending in the first phase of the plan to replace, repair and restore declining court facilities statewide, including Northampton and Pittsfield. Phase 1 in slated to being next year and run through fiscal 2022.

The Springfield courthouse is, however, listed as being in Phase 2, but when exactly that begins remains unknown.

"That is very frustrating to me and to the entire delegation," said State Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow. Lesser is a proponent of making either extensive repairs or replacing the 44-year-old Hall of Justice.

He said that he received a copy of the entire 190-some-odd page master plan document. While he said he hasn't had time to read it in detail, he was able to skim through it and noticed that Springfield was not mentioned very often.

"The needs of the Springfield courthouse are frankly obvious to everyone who works in that building," he said.  "The building is in desperate need of repair."

The building is so overcrowded that there are times when defendants and people testifying against them end up in the same space, he said.

According to the report, many courthouses throughout the state are in the same desperate state as Springfield.

"The majority of the courthouses in Massachusetts are in a state of disrepair due to inadequate major repairs and capital investment over the past few decades," the summary notes.  While spending for repairs and new facilities has increased in the last three years, "this alone is proving insufficient to eliminate the backlog of facility issues."

Those can only be addressed through a major capital investment by the state over a period of 20 years or more, according to a statement issued by Judge Paula M. Carey, chief justice of the Trial Court, and court administrator Harry Spence.

The plan is part of a "long-term roadmap," including $600 million over the next five years to replace, modernize or renovate several courthouses statewide. The courthouse in Northampton is eyed for modernization, while Pittsfield District Court is listed among those due for a major renovation.

Tuesday's release is considered a draft. Members of the public will have an opportunity to weigh in before a final report is completed.  People are invited to make comments through May 26 by email through MP.Public.Comments@jud.state.ma.us.

While the preliminary plan sets spending goals for Phase 1, there is just one mention of Springfield, a single paragraph that mentions construction of a new medium-sized courthouse that would "address operational issues between the Springfield Hall of Justice and the historic Springfield Courthouse."

The construction, however, not included in Phase 1, but rather in Phase 2. There is no time frame set for Phase 2.

Jennifer Donahue,  public information officer of the Supreme Judicial Court, said it is not possible to speculate on a timeline beyond what is outlined in Phase 1. Needs and priorities of court buildings are revisited periodically, she said. Funding decisions and project schedules would be determined through the state's capital planning project.

The Springfield courthouse recently received money for new trial court elevators and a full electrical upgrade. It is also being eyed for exterior repairs to the roof and windows as part of annual deferred maintenance.

The preliminary plan for a new courthouse would accommodate nine courtrooms for Superior Court and two for Juvenile Court. The existing Hall of Justice would be renovated over two phases.

Of the state's 97 court facilities, 65 percent are older than 50 years. The Hampden County Hall of Justice is 44 years old.

There have been calls in recent years about an urgent need to replace the Springfield courthouse, and many of those calls have come from the people who work in the building. The Hampden Bar Association in 2015 formed a courthouse construction feasibility committee.

As far back as 2013, it has been called "woefully inadequate" and plagued by broken elevators, windows that don't open, leaking ceilings and poor air quality.

A year ago, the state Legislature approved spending $100,000 on a feasibility study looking at ways to rehab or replace the current court facility. Lesser said that could be used to "get the ball rolling" on the project.

Executive Summary Capital Master Plan Draft Report Massachusetts courthouses by Patrick Johnson on Scribd

Molly Keegan, the incumbent Select Board chairwoman, picked up 531 votes to win a second term.

HADLEY - Molly Keegan beat challenger John S. Mieczkowski Sr. in the race for Select Board, the only contested seat on Tuesday's town election ballot.

Keegan, the incumbent Select Board chairwoman, picked up 531 votes to win a second term, while Mieczkowski, a member of the Planning Board, earned 212 votes.

Town Clerk Jessica Spanknebel said 754 voters cast ballots for a turnout of 19 percent.

Polls closed at 8 p.m.

A public hearing was continued to April 25, 2017 at Holyoke City Hall on Tuesday on a Leominster company's proposal for a zone change needed to build an auto parts store at 527 South St., a plan neighbors said they oppose.

Updated at 10:51 p.m. on Tuesday, April 11, 2017 to note that the Planning Board earlier Tuesday voted to recommend against approval of the zone change sought by Lisciotti Development of Leominster for 527 South St.

HOLYOKE -- Residents submitted a petition to the City Council Ordinance Committee on Tuesday at City Hall opposing a zone change that an auto parts developer seeks in order to put a business at 527 South St.

"The best use for that is to not have a business at that location," said Brian P. Ramoth of Carlton Street.

The petition contained 103 signatures of residents opposed to the zone change, he said.

Lisciotti Development of Leominster requested a continuance in the public hearing regarding the change in the zoning that it is seeking at 527 South St. to business general from the current two-family residential zone.

The Ordinance Committee voted to continue the public hearing to 6:30 p.m. on April 25.

The Planning Board earlier Tuesday voted to recommend against approval of the zone change.

No one spoke in favor of the zone change at the Ordinance Committee's public hearing in a proposal the city has been considering for several months.

City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain said he agreed that a business, let alone an auto parts business, would be the wrong use for the lot.

"These auto parts stores are not very desirable businesses to have next to you, especially if you own a house," Jourdain said.

Negatives of placing an auto parts store at the site would include noise, such as drivers working on vehicles and blaring radios, increased traffic and lots of lighting at night intruding on neighbors, according to speakers at the hearing.

The property at 527 South St. near Russell Terrace has been vacant for decades, said Ordinance Committee member David K. Bartley, the Ward 3 councilor. The lot is diagonally across from the Racing Mart store on South Street.

Julio Ramos, 25, faces numerous firearms and drug charges, including possession with intent to distribute Clonazepam pills.

HOLYOKE - Police arrested a 25-year-old Holyoke man on Tuesday afternoon after reports of two armed men sitting in a car and selling drugs in the city's Flats section.

At around 1 p.m., detectives stopped a vehicle on Center Street matching the sedan described in those reports, according to Lt. Jim Albert.

Police said Julio Ramos was in possession of an illegal handgun, a stun gun, narcotics and cash.

Ramos faces numerous firearms and drug charges, including possession with intent to distribute Clonazepam pills.

He will be arraigned on Wednesday in Holyoke District Court.

A teenager was shot and killed at a West Springfield apartment complex on Monday, April 10, 2017, and another teen has been charged with pulling the trigger.