View obituaries from The Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts.

At least 14 people have been killed by tornadoes or flooding in the South and Midwest by a storm that also dumped a rare late-season blizzard in western Kansas on Sunday.

CANTON, Texas -- At least 14 people have been killed by tornadoes or flooding in the South and Midwest by a storm that also dumped a rare late-season blizzard in western Kansas on Sunday.

Tornadoes hit several small towns in East Texas, killing four people. Five people were killed by flooding and winds in Arkansas, including a fire chief who was struck by a vehicle while working during the storm. Two deaths were reported in Missouri, including a woman who drowned after rushing water swept away a car. One of two deaths in Mississippi included a 7-year-old who died by electric shock and a 2-year-old girl died in Tennessee after being struck by a soccer goal post thrown by heavy winds.

Flooding closed part of Interstate 44 near Hazelgreen, Missouri, and officials expected it would be at least a day before the highway reopened. Interstate 70 in western Kansas was closed because crews were waiting for snow falling at 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) an hour being blown by 35 mph (56 km/hr) winds to subside.

In Arkansas, Cove Creek/Pearson Fire Chief Doug Decker died shortly before 4 a.m. Sunday after being struck by a vehicle while checking water levels on Highway 25 near Quitman, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Little Rock, Trooper Liz Chapman said. The volunteer chief's death will be included as a storm-related death.

A 2-year-old girl in Tennessee died after being struck by a heavy, metal soccer goal post that was blown over by high winds, The Metro Nashville Police Department posted on its Twitter page on Sunday evening.

Melanie Espinoza Rodriguez was transported to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to a second post from the department.

Middle Tennessee was hit by a strong line of storms that knocked down trees and power lines earlier Sunday.

Rescuers in northwest Arkansas continued Sunday to look for an 18-month-old girl and a 4-year-old boy who were in a vehicle swept off a bridge by floodwaters in Hindsville, the Madison County Sheriff's Office said.

In northwest Arkansas, a 10-year-old girl drowned in Springdale and the body of a woman who disappeared riding an inner tube Saturday was found in a creek in Eureka Springs. Also, a 65-year-old woman in DeWitt in the eastern part of the state was struck and killed in her home by a falling tree, officials said.

In Texas, search teams were going door to door Sunday after the tornadoes the day before flattened homes, uprooted trees and flipped several pickup trucks at a Dodge dealership in Canton.

"It is heartbreaking and upsetting to say the least," Canton Mayor Lou Ann Everett told reporters at a news conference Sunday morning.

The storms cut a path of destruction 35 miles (56 kilometers) long and 15 miles (24 kilometers) wide in Van Zandt County, Everett said. The largely rural area is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) east of Dallas.

The National Weather Service found evidence of four tornadoes with one twister possibly on the ground for 50 miles (80 km).

The first reports of tornadoes came about 4:45 p.m. Saturday, but emergency crews were hampered by continuing severe weather, said Judge Don Kirkpatrick, the chief executive for Van Zandt County.

"We'd be out there working and get a report of another tornado on the ground," he said.

The storms rolled through Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on Sunday with strong winds causing isolated pockets of damage. In Durant in central Mississippi one person died in the storms. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency didn't give details. Later Sunday the agency reported the death of a child from Rankin County, 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Jackson, who died from electric shock in flood waters. The Rankin County Sherriff's Department reported that a 7-year-old boy had unplugged an electric golf cart and dropped the cord in water on the ground and was shocked.

Alexa Haik went to bed Saturday night expecting just rain, but heard the sirens Sunday morning and turned on the television to see the tornado warning. She rounded up her pets and hid in a hallway with her family, then was stunned to emerge to trees down all in her neighborhood in Clinton, Mississippi, about 20 miles (32 km) west of Jackson.

A trip up the road showed how isolated the worst of the storms were. "I really thought when we got out of our neighborhood, there would be damage everywhere. But our little subdivision was the only one hit," Haik said.

Near Clever in southwestern Missouri, a man tried to save his 72-year-old wife from floodwaters that swept away their vehicle Saturday, but her body was found when the water receded, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said.

A second death from weekend flooding was announced Sunday by Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens but he did not release any details about the victim or the circumstances of the death.

A 21-month-old toddler was killed when the child;'s father moved his truck in the family's driveway. Bristol police said the child died at the scene just after noon Sunday.

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

Bristol police told the New Haven Register that the child died at the scene shortly after noon on Sunday.

Police have not released the identities of the child or the father.

The incident reami8sn under investigation.

A Connecticut motorcyclist was killed and his passenger seriously injured Saturday when the bike they were riding collided with a car in Coventry, Connecticut.

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

According to Coventry police, the motorcycle collided with a car at the intersection of Bread and Milk Road and Zeya Drive in Coventry. The driver of the motorcycle was killed in the crash and pronounced dead at the scene. His passenger, a female, was airlifted to Hartford Hospital by Life Star medical helicopter.

Police had been seeking help identifying woman, said to be in her 20s, as she was unconscious and carried no identification. She was identified Sunday, but her identity is being withheld until Monday morning.

The driver of the car was also injured and transported to Hartford Hospital with what police described as non-life threatening injuries.

A region accident reconstruction team is investigating the accident.

The Massachusetts Medical Society this weekend released a recommendation to open a pilot supervised injection facility for drug users. Watch video

BOSTON -- Gov. Charlie Baker has not yet taken a position on a recommendation by the Massachusetts Medical Society to open a supervised injection facility for drug users.

"Certainly, this is another new idea, and we'll take a look at it," Baker said. "It's pretty unorthodox, but I'd like to see why they came to this conclusion and read about it and what they think the benefit of it might be."

The Massachusetts Medical Society approved the recommendation, along with several others aimed at curbing opioid addiction, at its annual meeting on Saturday.

The idea would be to have a facility operated by and under the supervision of the state where people could inject drugs safety. The goal would be to reduce serious illness and disease, such as HIV and hepatitis C, by providing sterile injection equipment. State officials could also offer referrals, health information and counseling to people who show up.

Opponents of the policy say it essentially sanctions drug use.

These types of facilities currently exist in Europe but not in the U.S.

Asked about the proposal by reporters at the Statehouse on Monday, Baker noted that the medical community nationally has helped Americans get addicted through the over-prescription of opioid painkillers, and "I do appreciate the decision made by the medical society to step into this discussion."

Baker said he was not familiar with the idea of supervised injection sites, but he will take a look at it, "because we need as many ideas as we possibly can to deal with this problem."

Baker said his administration has been aggressive about addressing the epidemic of opioid addiction through prevention, education, intervention, treatment and recovery.

"The question for me is, is this going to help people get better or not, and I don't know the answer to that," Baker said.

A multi-generational and ethnically diverse crowd of hundreds marched through downtown Northampton on Monday, May Day, to press demands for social justice and immigrant rights. Watch video

A multi-generational and ethnically diverse crowd of hundreds marched through downtown Northampton on Monday, May Day, to press demands for social justice and immigrant rights. 

The marchers chanted out slogans supporting a living wage, open borders and a public education and opposing draconian immigration policy and rightwing worldview generally down Main Street on the way to City Hall, where speakers addressed the crowd. 

Through an interpreter, a Latin American immigrant named Carlos shared his experience of coming to the U.S. alone to find work to support his family back home. 

"I was suffering for my family," he said. "All parents know that you will do anything for your children. I was picking up trash, picking up bottles to raise money to send back to my family."

He added, "Fortunately, I made a lot of friends."

Eighteen businesses in Northampton, Springfield and Florence closed their doors Monday to honor the strike and 179 organizations in Western Massachusetts committed to participate, bolstering the crowd seen on the streets Monday. 

May Day, celebrated for centuries in western culture as a spring day of festivities, was during the late nineteenth century chosen by workers' organizations as a day of solidarity among worldwide laborers.

Different countries celebrate the day with varying traditions, festivals and showings of community.

In 1958, President Dwight Eisenhower's administration deemed May 1 "Law Day" in an attempt to dampen U.S. participation in a holiday associated with labor struggle, but the move hardly stuck.  

The Food Chain Workers Alliance, a Los Angeles-based union representing 300,000, called the national strike of which Monday's demonstration in Northampton was part. 

"May 1 is connected to a larger, radical tradition of immigrant women demanding equal pay, the minimum wage, eight hour work days," said Diana Sierra, an organizer with Pioneer Valley Central Labor Council. "After this strike, we're not going anywhere. It's just one tactic to continue building the movement."

She added, "We want sanctuary city legislation nationwide. We're calling for the legalization of all undocumented immigrants in the United States, all 11 million. We want overtime for all workers and a minimum wage of $15 an hour. We want an end to state violence against workers, immigrants, women, people of color and LGBT people. We also want to dismantle Immigration Customs Enforcement. It sounds like a radical demand, but we are facing radical conditions. ICE is a racist institution that protects the interest of capitalists. They are 21st century slave-catchers. They are literally chasing and incarcerating undocumented black people."

The march began at Pioneer Valley Workers Center on Hampton Avenue and ended at City Hall with a variety of immigrant speakers, songs and more cries from the sizable audience. 

The 2017 edition launches at midnight tonight and continues all day Tuesday until midnight Wednesday. The online donation page is at valley-gives.org. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- Valley Gives, the annual day-long fundraising push by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts and others, is about collecting money for and raising awareness of participating charities.

But Valley Gives also seeks to help charities build up their databases of donors by reaching out to new, and younger, contributors through social media.

The 2017 edition launches at midnight tonight and continues all day Tuesday until midnight Wednesday. The online donation page is at valley-gives.org.

"Fundraising is about relationships," said Michael DeChiara, Valley Gives Coordinator for the Community Foundation.  "And in fundraising, you need to keep replenishing donors. This is a way of keeping that pipeline open."

He spoke Monday during a kickoff event at Stearns Square.

Tuesday marks the fifth Valley Gives Day. Participating charities have raised more than $7.6 million since 2012. Last year, nearly 10,000 donors made just under 20,000 donations totaling $1.6 million on Valley Gives Day.

The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts has registered 407 organizations for Valley Gives 2017. Many charities will host special events to drum up interest and support. A list is available at http://communityfoundation.org/valleygives/events-vg/. 

New this year is a challenge prize, where one donor from each of the 69 towns in the Valley Gives region will be selected at random, and that donor's giving will be boosted by $250.

Also new is a contest for the charity with the most donors younger than 40, DeChiara said.

"We are encouraging giving across all geography and across all age groups," he said.

For Gary Bourbeau, advancement director at St. John the Baptist School in Ludlow, Valley Gives is a chance to reach donors via social media like Twitter and Facebook and to collect donations online.

"We have a lot of younger alumni," he said. "This is how you reach out to them, electronically. It's really vital for us."

This will by St. John the Baptist School's fourth time in Valley Gives. The school raised $4,000 the first time, $5,500 the second year and $7,200 the third year, and has a goal of hitting $10,000 this year. 

Springfield's Pioneer Valley Riverfront Club coupled Valley Gives Day with its Revelry fundraiser at its clubhouse on West Street on Saturday night, said Benjamin Quick, executive director.

"It's a way to encourage people to give online," he said. "It has always been a very big event for us."

DeChiara said many Valley Gives charities are small. A third have budgets of less than $100,000 a year, and many are run solely by volunteers.

"A lot of what we do is capacity building," he said. "We host workshops for charities on online fundraising, and we teach them how to get their stories out by social media."

Processing and website development and maintenance  performed by Kimbia of Austin, Texas, costs 5.99 percent of the donations, DeChiara said. Of that 3 percent is the credit card processing fee, with 2.99 percent going to administer the website. 

Donors have the option of adding the 5.99 percent to their gift so the charity of their choice gets a round amount. Last year, enough donors did that to increase giving by $70,000.

On a day when immigrants rallied at the Statehouse to support immigrant rights, Baker reiterated his position that he does not want Massachusetts to become a sanctuary state. Watch video

BOSTON -- On a day when immigrants gathered at the Statehouse for a rally to support immigrant rights, Gov. Charlie Baker reiterated his position that he does not want Massachusetts to become a sanctuary state.

Sanctuary cities or states are those where local and state police officers refuse to enforce federal immigration policy. President Donald Trump has threatened to withhold federal funding from any jurisdiction where law enforcement do not cooperate with U.S. immigration officials.

"We've been pretty clear on this issue, which is we believe in and support Massachusetts' status as a welcoming state and a global community," Baker told reporters at the Statehouse Monday. "But I've said from the beginning of this discussion that I believe these decisions are best made at a local level, and I don't plan to change my mind."

Immigrants and their advocates have been pushing for the passage of a bill that would prevent state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities, and would prohibit state databases from being used for any kind of Muslim registry.

The owner of the Paper City Brewery at 108 Cabot St. in Holyoke, Massachusetts has made a plan with the city to pay off $22,000 in tax debt after having paid $216,040 on its tax bill on Dec. 27, 2016, City Treasurer Sandra A. Smith said on Monday, May 1, 2017.

HOLYOKE -- The owner of the Paper City Brewery at 108 Cabot St. has made a plan with the city to pay off $22,000 in tax debt after having paid $216,040 on its tax bill on Dec. 27, City Treasurer Sandra A. Smith said Monday.

Co-owner Jay Hebert said Friday that Paper City Brewery has ceased brewing but was hopeful the stoppage could be temporary as he seeks investors.

"We are in a repayment program with the city and we are keeping our options open with regards to the building," Hebert said in an email Monday.

Hebert said the micro-brewer, which yielded its first beer in November 1996, stopped brewing at the end of 2016.

'Not in production at moment' owner says of Paper City Brewery in Holyoke

"I'm hoping something will resume this year," Hebert said.

As of 2014, the brewery was making 15 beers such as Paper City Pilsner and Ireland Parish.

Smith said that on Dec. 27, Pioneer Valley Trucking, which owns the five-story former mill, made a payment to the city treasurer of $216,040. The owner also has entered into a $3,000-a-month payment agreement to address the outstanding balance of approximately $22,000, she said.

The market is held rain or shine May 2 through October every Tuesday.

SPRINGFIELD -- Mayor Domenic J. Sarno is slated to visit the Farmers' Market at Forest Park on Tuesday to help launch its 20th season.

Sarno and Farmers' Market at Forest Park director Belle-Rita Novak will open the market at 12:15 p.m. at its location in the Cyr Arena parking lot. The market promotes healthful eating and sustainable agriculture by providing fresh products and produce from area farms.

"I'd like to thank and congratulate Belle-Rita on 20 years!" Sarno said in a press release. "Our Farmers' Market offers a wide array of 'healthy flavors' of Springfield and Western Mass. - special thanks to Pat Sullivan, Director of Parks, Buildings and Recreation Management, for this enhancement of our beautiful Forest Park, too."

The market is held rain or shine May 2 through October every Tuesday from 12:30 to 6 p.m.

For more information, visit the Farmers' Market at Forest Park's website at www.farmersmarketatforestpark.com/.

The May 8 clinic runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., but registration is required.

NORTHAMPTON -- In recognition of National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, dermatologist Richard Wyatt and physician's assistant Mike Brown will provide a free skin cancer screening clinic May 8 at Cooley Dickinson Hospital.

The clinic runs from 5:30 to7:30 p.m. and is sponsored by the Mass General Cancer Center at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Pioneer Valley Dermatology and the American Academy of Dermatology.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the incidence of skin cancer grew significantly in white men and women between 2003 and 2012. Nearly 5 million people are treated for skin cancer each year in the United States.

Risk factors include a history of unprotected or excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation, including sunlight and indoor tanning. Those with a fair complexion, family history, multiple or atypical moles, or severe sunburns as a child are in a higher risk category, as are those with certain occupational exposures.

Ultraviolet rays from sunlight are the greatest during late spring and early summer between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., according to a statement from the hospital.

Registration for the screening is required. Call 888-554-4234.

Holyoke Councilor James Leahy is inviting Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni to discuss the possibility of a connection between panhandling and human trafficking in a meeting with the City Council, Leahy said on Monday, May 1, 2017.

HOLYOKE -- The possibility of a connection between panhandling and human trafficking would be the topic of a meeting a councilor hopes to schedule between Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni and the City Council.

"It's too well organized to be homeless people. I talked to people I know throughout the country and this is happening in many big cities. There is a hierarchy involved. I filed this order for compassion for these people who I believe are being trafficked unwillingly," Councilor at Large James M. Leahy said.

The Council on Tuesday will consider an order Leahy filed on the matter:

"the City Council invite in District Attorney Anthony Gulluni to discuss panhandling in the City of Holyoke. I believe that this isn't a homeless issue but more of a Human trafficking issue similar to sex trafficking."

James Leydon, spokesman for Gulluni, said he would decline to comment until the City Council formally asks the district attorney to discuss the matter.

Holyoke Police Chief James M. Neiswanger didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about whether police here have found links between panhandlers and human trafficking.

According to the Office on Trafficking in Persons, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, forced labor such as begging is a common exploitation used by human traffickers.

"Forced labor is a situation in which victims are forced to work against their own will, under the threat of violence or some other form of punishment, their freedom is restricted and a degree of ownership is exerted. Forms of forced labor can include domestic servitude; agricultural labor; sweatshop factory labor; janitorial, food service and other service industry labor; and begging," the agency said.

A similar form of exploitation of people is called bonded labor, in which work is demanded of victims to pay for a service or pay off a debt, with the terms of the arrangement not defined or the value of the victim's services not reasonably assessed, the agency said.

The National Human Trafficking Hotline said that traffickers seize most or all of the earnings of a panhandling victim under threat of violence and sexual assault.

"Begging and peddling rings may include U.S. citizens, immigrants, adults, or children. Sales crews typically recruit U.S. citizen youth ages 18 to 25, with promises of travel, a care-free life, and the ability to make a lot of money," according to humantraffickinghotline.org

"A 'crew' consists of an average of 3 to 40 youth, under the direction of a manager, who moves the crew from city to city every few weeks. Crew members receive a small daily stipend of $8 to $15 or less, to cover the cost of meals and personal items," according to humantraffickinghotline.org

The National Human Trafficking Hotline is operated by Polaris, of Washington, D.C., "Named after the North Star that guided slaves to freedom in the U.S., Polaris systemically disrupts the human trafficking networks that rob human beings of their lives and their freedom."

The National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888.

The ramp will be closed to accommodate paving work, MassDOT said.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation will close the Interstate 90 Massachusetts Turnpike Exit 4 on-ramp from Interstate 91 northbound and southbound in West Springfield from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday.

The ramp will be closed to accommodate paving work, MassDOT said Monday.

Vehicles will be detoured onto Route 5 North to the "jug handle" at Providence Hospital, otherwise known as Brightside Drive, to reverse direction and access the I-90 on-ramp via Route 5 South.

Drivers should expect delays, reduce speed and use caution. All scheduled work is weather dependent and subject to change without notice, MassDOT said.

Under current state law, family members of first responders killed in the line of duty are eligible for a benefit paid from the state budget.

LONGMEADOW -- A state senator will introduce a proposal to extend a death benefit for family members of first responders killed on the job to additional public employees.

State Sen. Eric P. Lesser, D-Longmeadow, spoke about the proposal Monday, ahead of a meeting with town residents about the railroad crossing where Department of Public Works foreman Warren P. Cowles was killed.

"He died in the line of duty," Lesser said of Cowles, who was plowing snow for the town when his truck was hit by a northbound Amtrak plow train on March 14. The crossing where he was killed, at Birnie Road and Tina Lane, has been the site of several previous crashes and fatalities.

Lesser said he would introduce his proposal in the Senate during the state's upcoming budget discussions.

It will build off a bill first introduced by State Rep. Jay D. Livingston, D-Boston, last year.

Livingstone's proposal was referred to the legislature's Committee on Public Service in January.

Lesser expressed optimism that the effort will gain traction. "I think circumstances have changed," he said. 

Gov. Charlie Baker in March signed a bill in March doubling the death benefit for first responders from $150,000 to $300,000. Currently, the benefit is available to the family of any firefighter or police officer -- full-time or reserve -- as well as public prosecutors, municipal or public emergency medical technicians and correction officers killed in the line of duty.

Livingstone's bill expands the coverage to "any public employee working for state or county government, a Massachusetts public 6 higher education institution, a municipality, public school department, or public school district or 7 public authority who, while in the performance of his/her duties and as a result of incident, 8 accident or violence, was killed or sustained injuries which were the direct and proximate cause 9 of his/her death."

As written, Livingstone's bill set the benefit at $150,000. Lesser said he anticipated updating the amount to reflect the new law signed by the governor in March.

If the effort is ultimately successful, Lesser said he will push to apply the benefit retroactively to Cowles' family. 

Lesser and State Rep. Brian M. Ashe, D-Longmeadow, convened a meeting about the crossing Monday night at Longmeadow's police station. Nearly 20 town residents, as well as family members and friends of Cowles attended.

The meeting was planned, Lesser said, to give the legislators a chance to hear more about the concerns residents have about the crossing.

"This is personal as well as professional for all of us," Ashe said as the meeting got underway, noting that he knew Cowles from his time as a member of the town's Select Board.

"It's too late for me, but I can help protect others," said Cowles' sister, Cindy J. Cowles of Springfield, as she urged the officials to continue the pursuit of upgraded safety signals at the crossing.

West Springfield Police Chief Ronald Campurciani described the suspect, Robert DeCotto, 30, as a veteran who is "clearly going through issues." Watch video

By PATRICK JOHNSON, GEORGE GRAHAM, STEPHANIE BARRY and BRIAN STEELE

WEST SPRINGFIELD -- A distraught veteran led West Springfield police on a chase down Riverdale Street on Monday afternoon after allegedly rigging up explosives in his truck and in his home in Russell, setting off a large police response in both towns.

West Springfield Police Chief Ronald Campurciani described the suspect, Robert DeCotto, 30, as a veteran who is "clearly going through issues." He said DeCotto was taken into custody, then brought to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield "to get help."

DeCotto is being "cooperative" with investigators, said Campurciani. Investigators are working to determine the charges he will face.

The incident began in West Springfield at around 1:30 p.m., when DeCotto allegedly told staff at the veterans center at 95 Ashley Ave. that he had explosives.

He fled from responding officers, at one point waving an explosive device out his driver's side window, said Campurciani.

"This could have been 1,000 times worse if he had started lighting them off and throwing them out the window" along Route 5, Campurciani said. "You have Costco and all these other congested areas. It could have been horrible. We could have had a crime scene 5 miles long with mass casualties."

DeCotto was stopped and arrested near the intersection of Riverdale Street and Bobskill Drive after a brief chase. The area was closed to traffic for most of the day, reopening around 8:30 p.m.

The Massachusetts State Police bomb squad recovered four pipe bombs from the vehicle and rendered them safe.

Meanwhile, police responded to DeCotto's home at 70 Fairview Ave. in Russell, blocking the dead-end road off of Route 20.

State and local police from nearby communities, including Huntington and Blandford, secured the scene. The state Fire Marshal's office sent a bomb squad.

Campurciani said at least one device, which used a propane cylinder that was taped to a can of gasoline, was found inside.

Further details about the situation in Russell were not immediately available.

This is a developing story. Stay with The Republican/MassLive for more information as it becomes available.

View obituaries from The Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts.

May Day has roots as a spring festival in European pagan cultures, but it was dubbed International Workers' Day by socialist, anarchist and communist groups.

Thousands of labor and immigrant right activists took to the streets Monday for a wave of protests in conjunction with May Day, a day that sparks protests annually among progressives but which took on a sharper edge this year over concerns about President Donald Trump's agenda.

Across the country, groups urged immigrant workers to skip work, school and shopping to demonstrate their impact on the economy. In Austin, activists staged a sit-in at the governor's office at the capitol complex to protest a bill increasing immigration enforcement in Texas.

Elsewhere, some of the actions led to arrests. In New York, several protesters were arrested for blocking the entrance to Wells Fargo over the bank's role financing private Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers, according to local news reports. In Oakland, California, four protesters were arrested for trespassing after sneaking past security at the Alameda County government building and unfurling a sign related to sanctuary cities, according to the sheriff's office.

Live updates from OregonLive.com >>

And late Monday, police in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle braced for the possibility of violence as far-left "anti-fascists" gathered to march, and Trump supporters and far-right activists prepared to counterprotest - a faceoff that has previously erupted in brawls in Berkeley, California, and Seattle.

The demonstrations come as the scope of Trump's approach to immigration is coming into focus. Immigration arrests rose 33 percent in the first weeks of the Trump administration, including thousands of people who were unlawfully present but otherwise had no criminal record, according to a Washington Post analysis. He has pledged to build a wall that stretches across the U.S.-Mexico border, despite a number of setbacks.

And they come as tensions are rising between far-left and far-right activists. While masked, black-clad activists on the left have been known to vandalize storefronts and damage cars on May Day and during other demonstrations, they have mobilized heavily in the wake of Trump's election to oppose his supporters, particularly those who espouse racially charged views.

Trump supporters, meanwhile, including members and allies of the loose coalition of far-right activists known as the alt-right, have more recently become engaged in opposing the "antifa" groups. They accuse these groups of trying to block free speech and have sometimes confronted them violently.

In Seattle, Mayor Ed Murray urged calm Monday. Seattle has in the past been the site of violent protests on May Day, as anarchists damage property after dark, when many of the main demonstrations are finished. Far-left and far-right groups have clashed there in recent weeks over planned speeches by conservative provocateurs.

"We celebrate & encourage peaceful #MayDaySea rallies but not violence," he tweeted Sunday night.

Tensions were high Monday afternoon in Portland, where more than a thousand marchers overflowed downtown Shemanski Park. Protesters waved red cloth flags - some adorned with a yellow hammer and sickle, a communist symbol. From the stage, speakers spoke of ICE raids in local courthouses. Above the crowd waved signs preaching solidarity.

Toward the rear, about 100 black bloc anarchists stood in a huddle with faces and hair covered with black masks. They wheeled in three gigantic black papier-mache spiders, eyes glowing red. All around the park stood police, reporters and legal observers.

But as of Monday evening, the protests nationally were overwhelmingly peaceful.

May Day has roots as a spring festival in European pagan cultures, but it was dubbed International Workers' Day by socialist, anarchist and communist groups. The moniker commemorates the Haymarket affair, the name given to the violent confrontation that took place in Chicago in 1886 between police and union strikers demanding an eight-hour workday.

It became associated with immigrant workers in the United States in 2006, after weeks of massive protests over a bill that would have cracked down on immigrants in the country illegally. The marches, which took place in the spring and on May 1, are credited with energizing Latino workers and killing the bill, although demonstrators did not achieve their goal of comprehensive immigration reform.

The City Council protest started as a march for workers' and immigrants' rights, one of hundreds worldwide to mark International Workers' Day. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - Dozens of protesters flooded City Council chambers on Monday night to demand Springfield become a "sanctuary city" for undocumented immigrants.

Generally, in communities that designate themselves sanctuary cities, police officers only inquire about a person's immigration status if it's relevant to a case. Local police also do not help federal immigration agents with deportations.

On Monday, the council considered a resolution that Springfield is a "welcoming" city. The resolution asked that local law enforcement officers not be required to do the job of federal immigration officials, according to City Council President Orlando Ramos.

Ramos said the resolution, which did not pass, would not have made Springfield a sanctuary city. 

The protest started as a march for workers' and immigrants' rights, one of hundreds worldwide to mark International Workers' Day, or May Day. A reporter estimated at least 500 people marched from 1515 Main St. to City Hall, but said the number of participants could have been much higher.

Some protesters were bused in from other communities. Northampton held a similar march earlier in the day.

Ben Taylor, a member of the Pioneer Valley Central Labor Council, said May Day "has taken on a new significance under the Trump presidency."

"He's threatening to deport or harass 11 million people," said Taylor. "Trump's anti-immigrant (stance) is about dividing immigrant families and native-born families, and pitting them against each other.

"There's really no reason not to pass (the resolution), other than appealing to, honestly, white supremacy," he said.

Inside the council chambers, protesters chanted and cheered as supporters of the resolution testified in favor of shielding undocumented immigrants from deportation.

"Deportation is a manifestation of racism," said Darlene Elias, co-chairwoman of the Massachusetts Green Party. "When the city of Springfield was founded by the French, by the Irish, by the English, by the Italians, they were not considered illegal."

Harris Freeman, a professor at Western New England University School of Law, pointed out an April federal court ruling that said the Trump administration cannot cut off funding to sanctuary cities, as the president had threatened to do. 

Freeman said it is "urgent" that Springfield become a sanctuary city "so that resources and public safety (will not be) used to harass, intimidate and strike fear in the hearts of your citizens."

The protesters got rowdy several times, and Orlando Ramos, the council president, tried to gavel the meeting back to order. After Ramos called for a break in the testimony, the protesters filed out slowly, chanting, "What do we want? Sanctuary! When do we want it? Now!"

In January, Mayor Domenic Sarno said that Springfield is a "caring city," but has no plans to become a sanctuary city.

Groden unseated incumbent Jacqueline Sears and beat back challenger Gary Swanson.

SOUTHAMPTON -- John Martin won a second three-year term, and Maureen Groden unseated incumbent Jacqueline Sears and defeated challenger Gary Swanson in a four-way race for two seats on the Board of Selectmen.

Unofficial results from the May 1 annual town election, announced shortly after 8 p.m., showed Groden with 478 votes, Martin with 398, Swanson with 269 and Sears with 237.

The new, five-member Board of Selectmen will consist of Chairman Charlie Kaniecki along with members Shannon Cutler, James Labrie, Martin, and Groden.

The selectman's race was the only contest on the ballot, although a question that would allow the town to keep plowing private roads passed by a comfortable margin.

With 781 ballots cast out of 4,441 registered voters, turnout stood at about 18 percent, said Town Clerk Janine Domina.

Speaking to reporters, Martin said he would advocate for an affordable new public safety complex. He said a facility for police, fire and ambulance is "much needed" and could be built for around $7.5 million without raising taxes.

He noted that $135,000 in annual debt service will retire this year for Norris Elementary School construction, and $250,000 will retire in 2020 for the Hampshire Regional High School. He said he believes voters would support a debt exclusion under that window.

In 2015, Town Meeting rejected an $10.8 million override for a public safety complex. The 95-62 vote failed to muster the necessary two-thirds majority. Voters at a subsequent special election also rejected the borrowing.

"We need to look at a cost that's affordable to the town," said Martin, who offered words of praise for Fire Chief John Workman and Police Chief Michael Goyette, saying they "have done a good job organizing their departments."

Martin is director of procurement and campus services at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and previously served on the town's Finance Committee.

Groden is a part-time interim manager at Mercy Hospice and teaches nursing at UMass. She previously served on the Board of Health and the Hampshire Regional School Committee.

Groden, the top vote-getter, was not present at Town Hall Monday night because she was at a conference in Washington. However, she previously expressed support for a public safety complex and other community investments.

Selectman Jim Labrie said he was happy that voters supported a question about snow removal and private ways.

The question asked if Southampton should adopt a state law which authorizes towns and cities to remove snow and ice from private ways "therein open to public use."

Southampton has historically plowed three private roads with houses on them, he said. They are Bass Cove Road, Wallace Road, and Brickyard Road Extension.

"Somebody complained, and demanded that we stop," he said. "But we didn't want to just pull the plug after plowing the roads for 40 years."

In related news, Town Moderator Robert Floyd will host a Town Meeting information session on May 4 at 7 p.m. The session, which will go over the warrant, will be televised live on Southampton's Public Access Channel 191.

Town Meeting is set for May 16 and 18 at the Helen E. Norris Elementary School, starting at 7 p.m.

The bill would expand the list of crimes for which the police can get a warrant to wiretap a suspect.

Five words in the state's wiretapping law can put an investigatory tool on the shelf for police and prosecutors pursuing cases involving an array of serious crimes, including murder, human trafficking and possessing weapons of mass destruction.

The roadblock posed by those words -- "in connection with organized crime" -- would be removed under a bill proposed by Gov. Charlie Baker that would make a number of updates to the statute. 

Baker and Attorney General Maura Healey joined law enforcement officers Tuesday to announce the filing of the bill, which would expand the use of electronic surveillance by investigators in Massachusetts. 

It was a bipartisan show of support by the Republican governor and Democratic attorney general for modernizing a law that has not been changed since 1968.

"Many things have changed around how we communicate and how we live since then," Baker said. He called the bill a "common sense" update that will allow law enforcement to more easily investigate and prosecute serious crimes.

Gavi Wolfe, legislative council at the Massachusetts ACLU, called the proposal "a serious intrusion into people's privacy."

The bill will now be considered by the Legislature.

Under current state law, electronic surveillance can only be used when a crime is committed "in connection with organized crime." Law enforcement officials say this hinders their ability to investigate a number of offenses, including murder.

The Supreme Judicial Court, in separate cases in 2011 and 2014, threw out recordings of incriminating statements made by homicide suspects in Brockton and New Bedford because the murders had not been committed in connection with organized crime.

Chief Justice Ralph Gants, in a concurring opinion in the 2014 case, urged the Legislature to consider updating the statute, since the current law hinders investigations into violent crimes such as gang-related homicides where witnesses are reluctant to talk to the police.

"The legislative inclusion of five words, 'in connection with organized crime,' means that electronic surveillance is unavailable to investigate and prosecute the hundreds of shootings and killings committed by street gangs in Massachusetts, which are among the most difficult crimes to solve and prosecute using more traditional means of investigation," Gants wrote.

The bill proposed by Baker would allow wiretapping for a much wider range of offenses, which Baker referred to as "the most heinous and violent crimes." These include: murder or manslaughter, rape, human trafficking, drug offenses involving trafficking, manufacture or distribution, trafficking in weapons, civil rights violations causing bodily injury, intimidation of witnesses, and use or possession of explosives or chemical, radiological or biological weapons.

Baker pointed out that if, for example, someone had expressed concerns that the Tsarnaev brothers were plotting to bomb the Boston Marathon, law enforcement would not have been allowed to wiretap them under current law because they were not part of an organized crime ring.

The bill would also let the police apply for a search warrant to monitor cell phones and electronic communications, like email, rather than just land-line telephones. It would allow monitoring for 30 days rather than 15 days. It would let Massachusetts law enforcement use wiretapping to investigate a conspiracy happening outside of Massachusetts -- for example, New York residents planning to import heroin into Massachusetts.

The bill does not make any changes to the process or the standards needed to get a wiretap, which include demonstrating probable cause for a particular crime, getting approval from a judge, and showing that other techniques have been tried and failed to solve the crime.

Healey said the changes reflect the changing nature of how criminals communicate -- for example, by using cell phones or text messaging. "Updates to the statute will assist law enforcement to better investigate the most challenging crimes without compromising strong protections for civil liberties and civil rights," Healey said.

Bills have been introduced in the past to update the wiretapping law, but they never passed the Legislature.

Wolfe said the ACLU agrees there should be some changes made to update the law due to new technology, but the ACLU wants to see more done to protect individual privacy.

"What they're talking about is change to many different facets of the wiretap statute, and there's cause for concern about each one of them -- expanding the length of time that wiretaps can be in process, changing the nature of the kinds of crimes that can be subject to a wiretap... making it possible to wiretap individuals as opposed to coordinated criminal activity," Wolfe said.

Martin Healy, chief legal counsel for the Massachusetts Bar Association, said the association has some concerns about how wide-sweeping the bill is.

"The association is concerned from a due process and civil rights perspective," Healy said. "They're asking for the inclusion of a host of new crimes that would be swept into the area where they can wiretap an individual."

Healy said state law enforcement already have the ability to investigate some of these crimes by working with federal law enforcement agencies that have wider authority for wiretapping.

"Wiretapping was created to get after organized crime," Healy said.