Legendary Union is a light-bodied cranberry wheat-style beer with a German hop profile.

SPRINGFIELD -- White Lion Brewing Co. has created a beer called Legendary Union to celebrate the reopening next month of Springfield Union Station. It will release the new brew next week, in time for the first White Lion Wednesday get-together downtown and during American Craft Beer Week.

"White Lion is a part of the fabric of the city of Springfield and of Western Massachusetts. Union Station is a significant development for the city of Springfield and the region. It calls for a special beer," said Raymond Berry, company president and general manager.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Judith Matt of Spirit of Springfield will join Berry on Monday afternoon to sample the beer.

Legendary Union be available to the public starting at the first White Lion Wednesday pop-up beer garden of the summer from 4 to 8 p.m. at the MassLive Building, 1350 Main St.

The White Lion Wednesday beer gardens continue each week at the same time but at rotating locations. On May 24 it will be at The Shops at Marketplace at the rear of 1341 Main St., and on May 31 it will be at Tower Square Park, 1477 Main St.

This is not White Lion's first foray into commemorative beers. In 2016, White Lion made beers to celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Big E and, in partnership with the Springfield Museums, the history of brewing.

Founded in 2014, White Lion has its beer brewed in Ipswitch and in Williamsburg. Berry said White Lion has identified a site for its own brewery in Springfield but he couldn't go into details Friday. 

Legendary Union is a light-bodied cranberry wheat-style beer with a German hop profile.

Union Station opens in June after more than 40 years of decay and disuse and following a $94 million renovation.

The station was built in 1926. It will be home to Peter Pan Bus Lines, the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, Amtrak and, starting in 2018, commuter service offered by the Connecticut Department of Transportation.

Robert Honsch, 73, is charged with the 1995 fatal shooting of his wife in Tolland State Forest.

Belchertown Police and State Police are investigating an attempted break-in at a Belchertown residence that occurred on Friday morning.

BELCHERTOWN - Authorities are actively searching for several men who attempted to break into a home in Belchertown on Friday morning. 

Police were called to a residence on Ware Road at approximately 10:47 a.m., after reports of an incident there, according to a statement released by the Belchertown Police Department Friday.

The homeowner, who was home at the time of the incident, claims he interrupted the break-in after hearing glass shatter and seeing a black man attempting to break into his house. 

After the homeowner confronted the man, the suspect allegedly ran to an awaiting vehicle parked in the driveway. Another black male was at the wheel of the vehicle, which sped off once the other man was inside. 

The suspect who attempted the break-in appeared to be in his mid-30s, the homeowner said. 

The homeowner claims the car was a black SUV bearing some combination of the following numbers and letters on the license plate: "TWSA459." The state of the plate is not known. 

The car took off down Ware Road. 

Belchertown police along with the State Police with the Crime Scene Services Section were at the residence investigating the crime earlier Friday. 

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, announced Friday that a 14-year-old Stockbridge student's self-portrait will hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year as a winner of the 2017 Congressional Art Competition.

PITTSFIELD -- U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, announced Friday that a 14-year-old Stockbridge student's self-portrait will hang in the U.S. Capitol for one year as a winner of the 2017 Congressional Art Competition. 

Fiora Caligiuri-Randall, who submitted her 12-inch by 12-inch painting to Neal's office as part of the annual high school arts competition, said she was surprised her self-portrait was chosen as the winner. 

"Quite frankly I'm really shocked," she said. "I totally wasn't expecting to win. I'm just shocked."

The acrylic painting, which Caligiuri-Randall said is one of her first using the medium, was created for a Berkshire Community College art class assignment. It features an image of the largely self-taught artist among cherry blossoms and a blue sky. 

Caligiuri-Randall, who is homeschooled, said she decided to incorporate the cherry blossoms into painting for both personal and symbolic reasons.

"I really love cherry blossoms, I think they're the most beautiful thing ever -- I wanted to have them in my portrait, but also I think it kind of symbolizes my feeling that a lot of doors are opening up for me in my life, and I have a lot of opportunities right now," she said. "That's why I put the sky in the background versus greenery because the sky's the limit."

The blossoms, Caligiuri-Randall added, also represent her fear of running out of time.

Joanne Buoniconti, Donald Blanton and Tower Square served as judges for the 1st congressional district's arts competition, according to Neal's office. Caligiuri-Randall's winning portrait was among 45 submissions from 10 different high schools.

Neal, who called the 14-year-old's self-portrait, "a pretty magnificent achievement," said he believes it's important for Congress to recognize student artists in the same way they do athletes.

"We need to represent the success that young people have who can play the piano, who are gifted with this ability to draw art," he said. "There are many facets to the art world and I think highlighting those achievements is equally important."

Caligiuri-Randall, who hopes to someday become a children's book author and illustrator, will travel to Washington in late June for a grand opening event with other Congressional Art Competition winners from across the country. 

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren said there needs to be a full investigation between the relationship between "Trump, the Trump campaign and a hostile foreign government" and the naming of a special prosecutor to take that on. Watch video

AMHERST - Before the Senate or the House initiate impeachment proceedings against President Donald J. Trump, there needs to be a full, independent investigation of him and his relationship with Russia, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Friday.

A special prosecutor should be named to examine the relationship between "Trump, the Trump campaign and a hostile foreign government," Warren said in a brief interview before her University of Massachusetts graduation address. 

"This is why it's so significant that Donald Trump fired the head of the FBI," she said. "The idea of trying to stop an independent investigation that we can't get to the bottom of it, that's the part of it that's a real threat."

Warren was answering a question about the call to impeach President Trump and the firing of FBI Director James Comey, who was in the middle of an investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, something Trump has called a "witch hunt."

Before Comey's firing, Warren said, the most insistent issue was health care bill. Legislation that passed the House recently wasn't a health care bill, she said, it was a tax cut bill.

Warren argued the bill will raise costs for middle class families while producing a "tax cut for a handful of millionaires and billionaires."

The senator said she remains committed to the work she's doing and to people in this state and has no plans to run for president herself. She also said she loves giving graduation speeches and that she wrote the speech she was about to give herself.

Members of the Sugar Shack Alliance had hoped for a trial to highlight their cause.

GREAT BARRINGTON -- Pipeline protesters hoping for a trial on trespassing and disorderly conduct charges were disappointed Thursday when prosecutors and a judge converted their criminal charges to civil infractions -- depriving them of the opportunity to plead not guilty.

Seventeen members of the Sugar Shack Alliance appeared in Southern Berkshire District Court hoping to face misdemeanor charges, insist upon a trial, and deploy the court system to shine light upon their opposition to fossil fuels.

Instead, Judge Paul M. Vrabel allowed a motion by the office of Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless to treat the charges as civil infractions, akin to a speeding ticket. A civil responsibility hearing was set for June 20, a court official confirmed.

Members of the group expressed their dismay in a news conference on the steps of the courthouse, reports The Berkshire Eagle. "The state pulled a trick on us," said alliance member Vivienne Simon. "We were caught off guard today."

Simon said the group intends to push for a trial to "have our day in court to talk about the immorality and illegality of what is going on." Any civil hearing could result in the imposition of fines, but no jail time.

The 17 were among 24 arrested at the Otis State Forest in Sandisfield in recent days for impeding work on the Connecticut Expansion, a natural gas project by Kinder Morgan subsidiary Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co.

On two separate dates, the protesters blocked access roads to the right-of-way and temporarily stopped tree cutting by walking into a restricted area. The protesters were arrested without incident by Massachusetts State Police.

The pipeline, which would cut a four-mile swath through the forest, has been the subject of intense legal and regulatory wrangling. Around 900 acres of the Otis State Forest were preserved in a $5 million dollar deal more than a decade ago, protecting core habitat and pristine water resources.

Kinder Morgan has agreed to pay the state $640,000 to expand an existing corridor through the land owned by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Tree cutting began this week soon after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued Tennessee Gas a notice to proceed with construction. The pipeline won its overall certificate from FERC in March 2016.

The school's governing body met on Tuesday. The agenda included discussing "the reputation, character, physical condition or mental health, rather than professional competence, of an individual, or to discuss the discipline or dismissal of, or complaints or charges brought against" Goldman.

SOUTH HADLEY -- Scott Goldman, head of school at Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School, was suspended with pay this week by the board of directors, which is investigating complaints against him.

The school's governing body met Tuesday. The agenda included discussing "the reputation, character, physical condition or mental health, rather than professional competence, of an individual, or to discuss the discipline or dismissal of, or complaints or charges brought against" Goldman.

The administrator had previously announced he would step down when the school year ends in June. It is unclear if he will return to work before the school year ends. Attempts to contact Goldman via cellphone were not successful.

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Last month students organized a protest outside the school, attended by nearly 200, related to what the organizers said was the potential termination of a teacher and what they alleged was the school not involving them in the process.

"We have been shut out of the process in every possible way," states a student petition presented to Goldman that day. "PVPA has trained us to fight injustice wherever we find it. Today, we choose to fight injustice at PVPA."

Goldman also spoke at the demonstration.

"I think what I will say is that the fact that all the students out here organized this and have so much sense of their voice and wanting to be heard and needing to be heard is what makes PVPA the place that it is," Goldman said. "I appreciate you taking whatever action you feel is important to take."

In an email to MassLive at the time, Goldman said he was legally barred from discussing personnel matters.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette reported that, after the board of directors placed him on paid administrative leave Tuesday, Goldman dismissed complaints against him, including employee grievances and a petition requesting he be fired immediately. Goldman said the complaints were baseless, that staff were being "manipulated" and that he welcomed the investigation.

"I wholeheartedly and confidently invite a thorough and deliberate review of the complaints, including any improper motivation behind them and potential manipulation by some staff members," Goldman said.

PVPA teacher Haley Pearl told the board of directors at Tuesday's meeting that, under Goldman's leadership, "You only need to know that there is fear, that it is widespread, that it has been intensifying," the Gazette reported.

According to the PVPA bylaws, the trustees elect members to serve on the governing panel. It includes at least three parents of current students, at least four community members and no more that two teachers and/or staff.

"It's no longer possible to assume that democracy will work if most Americans simply wait until election time to learn a little about the candidates and otherwise ignore what's going on," Warren said. Watch video

AMHERST - The message from U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren to graduates was clear - "America needs you."

She exhorted students to get involved in issues that matter to them and that will in turn help them live a rich life.

Her speech to the 5,500 graduating from the University of Massachusetts Friday afternoon was about inspiring passion and mostly apolitical. She was greeted with loud applause and some students stood to greet her.

Warren did speak in support of "the principle that no one -- no one -- is above the law in this country, and that we need a Justice Department in this country, not an Obstruction of Justice Department," alluding to President Donald Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey this week while he was investigating possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia. That drew applause.

In a brief interview before her speech, Warren said "it was important to talk about getting engaged and in democracy," not politics.

Her address was for all, she said, not just Democrats.

"I'm not here today to make a pitch just to Democrats -- or to Republicans," she told the graduates. "Yes, I'm a Democrat, a proud Democrat, but my point applies to Ds and Rs -- and to independents, libertarians, and vegetarians ... and Big Mac-etarians. The point I want to make is about democracy."

Warren said she never considered running for student government. "I was a grandma by the time I ran my first campaign for the Senate. Believe me, there are days when I leave work at night so frustrated that I want to spit.

"But the decisions that get made by your government are important and far reaching. And it's no longer possible to assume that democracy will work if most Americans simply wait until election time to learn a little about the candidates and otherwise ignore what's going on. 

"Our country -- our democracy -- is not a machine that will run on its own. It needs you out there fighting for what you believe in," she said.

Elected officials need to "hear from you and people like you," she said, otherwise "policies will be set by the people they do hear from." And those include Wall Street executives "and others who spend buckets of money to make sure that their interests are heard."

"And here's the thing: Your elected officials are increasingly working only for the few, the very wealthy few, and they are setting policies only to benefit the few, the very wealthy few. If that doesn't change soon, then this country will fundamentally change. It's your world, your future, that is on the line."

"Each generation must rebuild democracy to serve its own time and its own needs.

"Your generation faces huge challenges -- sharp differences that divide this nation along deep fracture lines, intergenerational challenges that have saddled young people with an unprecedented $1.4 trillion dollars in student loan debt, an economy that is producing great wealth for the top 10 percent and locking out everyone else. 

"If democracy for you simply means leaving it to others, letting others set the terms of political debates, and surrendering the policy decisions to people in faraway Washington, then our country will work better and better for a smaller and smaller number of people.

"But if democracy for you means connecting up, studying, making hard decisions and defending them with intelligence and commitment, then this country will flourish," Warren said.

She exhorted students to become engaged with something they believe in.

"Start with something that's at the core of who you are. It's a lot easier to engage on an issue if you take the time to think through who you are -- if you know what you believe in and what you are willing to fight for."

She said there are myriad issues, from free speech to homelessness, students can take on.

"America needs your commitment." And she said what they take on "can reshape our country, and I guarantee it will reshape you."

During her speech, someone yelled out "Pochahontas," something Trump has called her. That drew a few claps. But when Warren finished, she received a standing ovation.

View obituaries from The Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The first of the three shows is not scheduled to end until Sunday, but the crowds seemed to swell on Friday because forecasts called for rain, rain and more rain over the weekend. The first of the three shows is not scheduled to end until Sunday, but the crowds seemed to swell on Friday because forecasts called for rain, rain and more rain over the weekend. The crowds seemed to swell on Friday because the forecast called for rain, rain and more rain throughout the weekend.

BRIMFIELD - The Brimfield Antique Flea Markets draws dealers and collectors from throughout the United States and abroad. If you listen carefully, you'll hear accents and languages not normally heard in this central Massachusetts town except for three times a year.

It is, according to its website, the World Famous Brimfield Antique Flea Markets.

The first of the three shows is not scheduled to end until Sunday, but the crowds seemed to swell on Friday because forecasts called for rain, rain and more rain over the weekend.  

You can find many experts in the fields that feature up to 4,000 dealers. Some may be better known than most - Lara Spencer.

She's best known for being a co-anchor for ABC's Good Morning America. But here in Brimfield, she is best known as the host of HGTV's Flea Market Flip. She was at the flea market Friday to film a segment for the show.

"I hope to see her," said Alisha Pender, a dealer from Raleigh, N.C. "I'm even wearing my Flea Market Flip t-shirt."

New this year, Ryan and Kaitlin Servant of Brimfield have made it easier for visitors to find dealers. They've developed an app that can be downloaded for free. Only about 150 dealers have signed up, but Kaitlin says the business is growing.

"The dealers that we have love it and are thrilled with it," she said.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick called on Berkshire County residents to be vigilant, but optimistic about the future of politics Friday, as he reflected on his life and political career during a Pittsfield event.

PITTSFIELD -- Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick called on Berkshire County residents to be vigilant, but optimistic about the future of politics, as he reflected on his life and political career Friday.

Although Patrick acknowledged Americans' frustration with the hyper-partisan state of U.S. politics, he encouraged attendees of Hancock Shaker Village's inaugural "Food for Thought" dinner to channel that discontent into positive action. 

"I think if we stay vigilant, or as the kids say 'stay woke,' and stay engaged and start to turn our frustration with this outcome toward a more positive agenda about what it is we want, then we'll be more than fine, we'll start to rebuild our democracy," he said in an interview.

Patrick argued that he believes Americans "don't have a choice" but to be optimistic about the future of politics.

"We cannot satisfy ourselves with just sort of curling up with our anger and seething," he said. "In a Democracy, we get the government we deserve and that means if we want better government, we've got to get engaged, we have to support and encourage people to run, we have to run ourselves and then we have to hold to account the people who represent us."

Reading passages from his 2011 memoir "A Reason to Believe," which chronicles his journey from the South Side of Chicago to Milton Academy, Harvard and eventually Beacon Hill, the Democrat shared insights and discussed his faith before fielding questions from dinner attendees.

Patrick, who owns a home in Richmond, said he hopes his optimism -- particularly when it comes to politics -- rubbed off on those who attended the event. 

"I'm on optimist and the book in many ways is a tribute to the people who have taught me the power of optimism and given me my own reasons to believe, so I wanted to get across some of those lessons," he said in an interview. "I guess I'm not totally surprised that folks wanted to talk about politics because it's on a lot of peoples' minds these days. And I'm even optimistic there because I think in a democracy so much of those outcomes are up to us."

Gov. Deval Patrick's memoir gets mixed reviews

Hancock Shaker Village President and CEO Jennifer Trainer Thompson said the monthly "Food for Thought" dinner series seeks to pay homage to the Shakers' values.

"We wanted to have a series of today's great thinkers and Deval's book is all about how you cope in the face of adversity, how you become the best you can be and what you make of your community," she said in an interview. "And community seems more important today than ever before."

Elected in 2006, Patrick became the first African-American governor of Massachusetts. 

His term as governor was marked by a mix of effective investments and growth in certain segments of the economy, but also problems at the Department of Children and Families, the Health Connector and elsewhere. He also got into political trouble for spending $10,000 on new office drapes and leasing a $46,000 Cadillac.

Gov. Deval Patrick reflects on 8 years in office

Patrick, who left the State House in January 2015 after leading Massachusetts for eight years, has largely remained out of the public spotlight in recent years despite being rumored as a possible vice presidential running mate for 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. 

The former governor took a position as a visiting fellow in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Innovation Initiative in 2015. He also joined Bain Capital -- a firm founded by his gubernatorial predecessor Mitt Romney -- as a managing director of the Double Impact business.

Prior to becoming governor, Patrick served as general counsel and a senior executive for Texaco and Coca-Cola. Before that he worked as a lawyer for the NAACP and in private practice.

In 1994, Democratic President Bill Clinton appointed him assistant attorney general for civil rights.

Shooters sprayed 46 Burr Street with gunfire Friday evening, firing nearly 30 rounds from two guns before the shooting was over.

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

Springfield Police Lt. Mark Rolland said a Shot Spotter activation at 9:15 p.m. indicated 24 rounds were fired, but once police searched the area of 46 Burr St. they come up with nearly 30 spent casings.

Rolland said police later made entry into the house and found damage from bullets through windows and walls from multiple projectile strikes but no human victims.

Among the evidence found in the street in front of the home was a fully loaded 9mm magazine. Rolland said the gunfire came from two different caliber weapons, a 9MM Parabellum and a .380 handgun.

Rolland said police have no information about how the shooters left the scene.

"No one in the US gets to fire the person who is investigating them," U.S. Sen. Warren, D-Massachusetts, said at a packed Ware High School auditorium.

WARE -- U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, said during a public forum at Ware High School on Friday night that her primary concerns while in Congress has been advocating for good health insurance coverage for Americans, but in the wake of President Donald Trump's recent firing of FBI Director James Comey, that issue is now paramount.

Among other things, the FBI is currently investigation whether there was collusion between the Trump campaign while he was running for office and the Russian Federation's government.

According to Warren, in the wake of Comey's firing, a "special prosecutor" is now required to investigate that matter.

She said there are three options to selecting a special prosecutor: Congress could name one; the deputy attorney general could; or a career officer in the AG's office could.

"No one in the U.S. gets to fire the person who is investigating them," she said, adding what should be in place is "someone who is independent and cannot be fired."

"The fight in front of us now is health care ... until Donald Trump fired the director of the FBI," Warren told the capacity crowd at Ware High School auditorium as she covered a litany of topics, and answered numerous questions for a crowd filled predominantly with her supporters.

Trump's appointment that "worried me the most was ... Steve Bannon," Warren said of the White House chief strategist.

She did not respond to a question asking her if she planned to run for president.

In response to a question from the audience on tips for organizing, Warren said, "Join a group, join two groups, join three groups ...10 voices or 10,000 voices become a force to be reckoned with."

Warren was introduced by State Sen. Anne M. Gobi, D-Spencer.

Video: Warren says special prosecutor needed

Gobi said Warren's appearance in Ware marks the first time since the 1950s, when then-Senator John F. Kennedy visited, that a sitting Massachusetts U.S. senator addressed the community here at a public forum in town.

Former state Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, a Barre Democrat, moderated the event that the Warren camp said was "Regional Town Hall."

A break-down of what happened at Senator Elizabeth Warren's Town Hall in Ware on Friday night.

On Saturday, May 13, the same day as the World's Largest Pancake Breakfast in downtown Springfield, Dr. David Peck of Taylor Street Dental will be hosting his second annual Dentistry from the Heart event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 41 Taylor St.

SPRINGFIELD -- On Saturday, May 13, the same day as the World's Largest Pancake Breakfast in downtown Springfield, Dr. David Peck will host his second annual Dentistry from the Heart event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Taylor Street Dental, 41 Taylor St., Springfield.

Registration for the free event begins at 8 a.m. and will end once all available time slots have been filled, according to Peck. 

Patients are encouraged to arrive early, dress for the weather, and bring chairs, blankets, snacks and water, as they wait outside to see Peck.

For patients attending the pancake breakfast, Taylor Street Dental will hold their place in line.

Dr. David Peck, a dentist, will treat people for free on Saturday at his Springfield office.THE REPUBLICAN / FILE PHOTO 

Dentistry from the Heart is a worldwide nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free dental care to adults in need. Patients must be at least 18 years old.

Individual dentists and practices around the world donate their time and resources to host Dentistry From the Heart events, providing patients their choice of one extraction, one filling or a cleaning.

"Dentistry from the Heart offers us a chance to give back to the community that supports us and to provide quality dental care to people in the area who cannot afford it," Peck said. "We're happy to do our part in bringing smiles to Springfield and we hope to keep this tradition going."

Dr. David's free dental service on Saturday, May 13, coincides with the World's Biggest Pancake Breakfast in downtown Springfield.THE REPUBLICAN / FILE PHOTO 

Peck opened his Springfield practice on Worthington Street over 30 years ago, relocating to his current digs at the historic Stacy Building on Taylor Street in 2015.

The building was refurbished with the latest state-of-the-art technology and equipment, and Peck welcomed new associate dentists into his practice.

As part of the event, Judy Matt, president of Spirit of Springfield, has donated free tickets to all patients to attend the World's Largest Pancake Breakfast, which runs from 8-11 a.m. on Main Street.

At least one of the ideas used to raise money to revitalize Eagle Street in North Adams came very naturally.

At least one of the ideas used to raise money to revitalize Eagle Street in North Adams came very naturally. 

A hot dog eating contest -- held in April, courtesy of Jack's Hot Dogs, one of the city's oldest businesses, coming up on a century of serving up frankfurters -- raised more than $1,000.

This and other business-oriented fundraisers helped the city raise more than $35,000, positioning stakeholders to more-than-qualify for a $25,000 grant from 

Patronicity, a community project based crowdfunding portal. 

North Adams announced this week that it had indeed received the Patronicity grant and would soon be putting more than $60,000 total into improvements on Eagle Street. 

The money will fund a major improvement of signage on the street and an expansion and beautification of a small park there, according to North Adams City Councilor Benjamin Lamb. 

"The changes are going to be very noticeable," Lamb said. "We have 15 to 20 businesses on Eagle Street, but looking at it you wouldn't be able to tell. We're going activate the street and make it more of a draw."

He added, "We want to give back to the community and make Eagle Street what they want it to be looking ahead."

A group calling itself the NAMAzing Eagle Street Initiative and another called The North Adams Partnership collaborated in securing the grant. 

More than 225 total individuals donated. 

Anh K. Ho, 31, was one of two pilots killed when an Air Cargo Carriers plane crashed in Charleston West Virginia May 5. She was a 2004 Lowell High School graduate and a Carney Medal winner.

LOWELL— One of two pilots killed when an Air Cargo plane crashed at Charleston, West Virginia's Yeager Airport was a former Lowell resident and Lowell High School Carney Medal winner, the Lowell Sun reported.

Anh K. Ho, 31, was a pilot for the cargo carrier. She and her co-pilot were killed May 5 when the plane they were flying made a hard landing at the Charleston airport and rolled off a steep, wooded hillside. The plane was carrying UPS packages from Louisville, Kentucky.

Ho graduated from Lowell High School in 2004, she was remembered as a bright student who was involved in school clubs. She was the recipient of the Carney Medal, awarded to the academic top three female and top three male students in the graduating class.

Ho was born in Vietnam and became an American citizen. After Lowell High School, Ho attended the University of California at Irvine. She was living in Cross Lanes, WV. at the time of her death. Her funeral was Friday in Mobile, AL.

She leaves her mother, Nga Thi Bui and six brothers, four sisters, and several nieces and nephews.

A Pittsfield man who prosecutors said raped a woman saying she was just "being stubborn" was released from the Berkshire County Jail after a district court judge ruled his actions did not constitute a public danger.

Dave Canton | dcanton@repub.com 

The Berkshire Eagle reported that Bryan Raney, 30, told police after the May 5 incident that while he tried to have sex with the alleged victim, she said "No" to him only "a couple of times" but didn't say it "a lot."

"Because he wanted to do it, he did it," prosecutor Jeffrey Clarke said, arguing that Raney should be held in the county jail as a dangerous person as the case made its way through the courts.

Raney faces a single count of rape in connection with the incident.

According to police filings with the court, the woman complained to police that Raney came to her Pittsfield home at about 11 a.m. on May 5 and got into the bed with her, demanded sex, and then attempted to take off her clothing. She resisted several times until Raney got angry, pulled her clothing off and allegedly assaulted her.

After the alleged assault, Raney left the house but returned later in the day.

Prosecutors said that while Raney was away from the woman's home, he texted her asking if she was angry, and she replied that she was angry. "You basically raped me," she reportedly said. "I said no, and you did it anyways."

Raney replied that it was a "stupid reason" to be mad at him.

Raney's attorney, Marc Vincelette, disagreed with the police and victim's accounts, calling the act a normal sexual experience.

But when police questioned Raney just after the incident, he reportedly said, "I guess I just didn't hear her telling me to stop."

Judge William Rota said the rape charge is serious, but said the state did not show Raney to be a danger to the public or himself. Rota released the defendant on his personal recognizance pending a July 11 pretrial hearing.

Rota set conditions on Raney's release. The defendant must have no contact with the alleged victim, stay at least 100 yards away from her, and wear a GPS monitoring device. Should he violate any of the conditions, Rota told Raney that he would revoke his release and order him held without the right to bail for 90 days.

ValleyBike Share will have 28 stations spread over five municipalities -- Amherst, Northampton, Springfield, Holyoke and South Hadley -- as well as UMass Amherst.

SPRINGFIELD -- ValleyBike Share, which plans to put up rent-a-bike stations across the Pioneer Valley including Springfield Union Station and the Amherst town green, has a federal funding contract in hand just in time for Bay State Bike Week.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation issued a contract last week for ValleyBike Share's $1.3 million in funding from the federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program, said Patrick Beaudry, communications manager at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

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ValleyBike Share will have 28 stations spread over five municipalities -- Amherst, Northampton, Springfield, Holyoke and South Hadley -- as well as the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The effort is modeled on Citi Bike in New York City and Hubway in Boston. UMass has a bike share on campus now.

The planning commission has been working on this project for more than two years, spending $87,000 in state money on feasibility studies and preparation. It's money that helped get the $1.3 million, Beaudry said.

The $1.3 million would cover the capital and equipment costs. Now, with money in hand, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission can issue a request for proposals soliciting bids from companies that would provide the bikes, the payment system, the bike racks and rental stations and then run the program, Beaudry said.

Although it was originally set to begin this summer, the planning commission has pushed ValleyBike Share's start date back to summer 2018 to give the yet-to-be-selected vendor time to get the program up and running.

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Operating expenses will be made up in rental fees and sponsorships. Sponsors lined up already are Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Florence Savings Bank, Smith College, the New England Treatment Access medical marijuana dispensary in Northampton, Dowd Insurance of Holyoke and Encharter Insurance in Amherst.

In Springfield, the Springfield Armory National Historic Site and Springfield Technical Community College will co-sponsor a ValleyBike Share location, Beaudry said.

Sponsorship doesn't necessarily mean that that's where a ValleyBike Share station will be built, he said. But Smith and STCC will probably host ValleyBike Share on campus. Other tentative locations include the Amherst common, downtown Northampton, the Lyman Street side of Springfield Union Station and the Holyoke Transportation Center.

Members will be able to pick up a bike at one ValleyBike Share station and drop it off at another.

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"We just want to give people the option to forgo the car keys and experience a new community, or experience their own in new way," Beaudry said.

The cost to users is not set, but a document on the ValleyBike Share website estimates annual members paying a $50 to $100 fee once a year. Casual users can purchase a 24-hour pass for $6 to $10.

The use of a bike for less than a half-hour would be free, Beaudry said. That means a visitor who arrives at Union Station by bus or train could bicycle to a meeting at STCC for no fee, and borrow a new bike to get back to the station for no charge as well.

But he said many will gladly pay to have the bikes for a longer period of time.

"Think about a visitor to Amherst for graduation this weekend who might have a few hours to spare," he said. "With ValleyBike, that visitor can easily take out a bike and get out and enjoy one of our trails."

Bicyclists could get a bike in Amherst, ride to Northampton for a show or to have a drink and not have to worry about bringing the bike back to Amherst. Beaudry said they could take a bus back.

Bay State Bike Week begins May 13 with a series of events around the state meant to encourage bicycle commuting, including a ride to the World's Largest Pancake Breakfast in downtown Springfield Saturday. A full schedule is here.

The Honeyland Farms store on Liberty Street in Springfield was denied a beer and wine license after facing some neighborhood objections.

SPRINGFIELD -- A lawyer for the Honeyland Farms convenience store on Liberty Street said Friday that the business will review its options, including a possible appeal, after being denied a beer and wine license this week.

The License Commission rejected the license to sell beer and wine after five residents in the neighborhood voiced objections during a hearing at City Hall on Thursday night. The store is at 766 Liberty St., in the Hungry Hill section of the Liberty Heights neighborhood.

Commission Chairman Peter Sygnator said the store faced "strong opposition" from the Hungry Hill Neighborhood Council, residents in the neighborhood and Ward 2 Councilor Michael Fenton, who represents the district.

"Opposition was based on the lack of a need for additional package stores and proximity to the new senior center and Mary Troy Park," Sygnator said.
"It was quite clear that the Hungry Hill neighbors did not welcome an additional package store license in their neighborhood.  The board heeded their request."

Thomas Rooke, a lawyer representing Honeyland Farms, said he will discuss options with the owners including a possible appeal to the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission.

Rooke said the owners submitted approximately 600 signatures in favor of the beer and wine license, and said those raising objections were not nearby neighbors.

Sygnator said that when the commission considers a request for a new license, "the board places great weight on the views of our neighbors who will have to live each and every day with that new license in their neighborhood."