Cocchi said the sheriff's department invests heavily in after-release programs to help former inmates stay out of trouble.

Hampden Sheriff Nick CocchiGreg Saulmon / The Republican 

LUDLOW - Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi responded to a recent report critical of statewide correctional spending by saying it is not as simple as to say a decline in the inmate population should also result in a proportional decline in spending.

Cocchi said that the Hampden County Sheriff's Department invests heavily in after-release programs that aid former inmates in the areas of employment, housing, mental health, and addiction treatment, and those efforts contribute to former inmates not becoming repeat offenders.

"I simply believe laying blame on the jails is missing the point," Cocchi said. "In our case, we work diligently every day to successfully re-enter individuals. For every one inmate released from my custody who makes positive changes to a law-abiding lifestyle, we are preventing countless other crimes and further victimization."

His response was directed at a report issued May 15 by MassINC, an private think tank focuses on Massachusetts public policy, that questioned why Massachusetts is spending more on corrections while the overall inmate population in state prisons and county jails has declined.

The report notes that between 2011 and last year, the total budgets for state prisons and county jails grew by 18 percent. This was during the same period where the total inmate population declined by 2,900 inmates.

The report concludes that much of the increase statewide went to new staff and salary increases, and not to programs that benefit inmates or reduce recidivism.

According to the MassINC report, it costs the Hampden County Sheriff's Department an average of $54,600 to keep one inmate incarcerated for one year. This amount is less than any of the four Western Massachusetts county jails. Berkshire is first at $87,500 per year, followed by Franklin at $61,100, and Hampshire at $58,700.

Hampden spends more per year on health services per inmate, $7,000, than the other three counties, and is third overall behind Suffolk, Norfolk and Bristol count jails.

According to MassINC numbers, the Hampden Sheriff's budget increased by 19 percent between 2011-16 while the population number dipped by 10 percent.

According to the Sheriff's Department, the budget for the jail alone increased from $65.9 million in 2011 to $71.9 million in fiscal 2016. That's an increase of $6 million or nine percent overall.

Regional components also funded.

The budget for fiscal 2017 decreased by a little more than $1 million to $70.9 million.

Cocchi said the population of the jail has declined from 1,644 in 2011 to 1,435 today, a decline of 209 bodies or 12 percent.

Despite a decline in inmates, the Sheriff's Department still maintains several programs in the community that are intended to combat recidivism, or the likelihood that a released inmate will commit new crimes, and operates a number of regional programs that extend beyond the county line.

The Sheriff's Department also disputed a point in the report that the sheriff's department maintains an inmate-to-correctional-officer ratio of 2 to 1.  The Sheriff's Department said the most recent figures show 2.94 inmates to every officer or a ratio of nearly 3 to 1.

Cocchi said that as a result in a decline in the inmate numbers, he has made some structural changes within the walls of the Ludlow facility. Some jail housing pods have been closed, and some corrections staff has been reassigned to inmate re-entry programs. Security staffing levels needs to be maintained to insure safety and order inside the facility, he said.

Two senior citizens died this afternoon after they were struck by a car while walking across Route 6A in Sandwich.

Two senior citizens died this afternoon after they were struck by a car while walking across Route 6A in Sandwich.

The Sandwich Police Department received calls at 1:45 p.m. reporting the crash, the department said in a Facebook post. 

"Callers reported that there were serious injuries, and at least one person had no pulse," the department said.

Police responded to the scene and determined that two women, 88 and 70 years old, were crossing Route 6A toward Merchant Square in a crosswalk when they were struck by a Honda Odyssey.

Both women were brought to Cape Cod Hospital, where they were pronounced dead around 3:40 p.m., the Cape Cod Times reported. The driver of the vehicle was also hospitalized.

Barnstable County's Crime Scene Unit and the Massachusetts State Police Crash Reconstruction Team are participating in the ongoing investigation into the crash.

The names of the victims have not been released pending notification of family members, the department said.

About 3,000 Turkish people call Western Massachusetts home. Watch video

Istanbul, Turkey may be almost 5,000 miles from Springfield, but about 3,000 Turkish people call Western Massachusetts home. This large population of Turkish people was the impetus for a "courtesy call" by Turkish Consul General Omur Budak to Mayor Domenic J. Sarno in his City Hall office on Monday.

The two men spoke of the close ties between the Turkish community and Springfield.

"We are proud that one of the oldest associations of Americans of Turkish origin was established in Springfield about 25 years ago," said Consul General Budak. "Our job, our ambition, and our dream is to increase interaction between Western Massachusetts and our country in almost every field possible."

Sarno added, "We are looking forward to cultural, economic, and educational opportunities," mentioning behind-the-scenes discussions between Gov. Charlie Baker's administration and business interests looking to come to Western Massachusetts.

Budak works out of the Turkish Consulate in Boston and is one of nine Turkish Consul Generals spread across the United States. Consul representatives serve the citizens of their nations and facilitate business, trade, education, cultural linkages and international understanding between their respective countries and the host city.

 

Robert Honsch is on trial for murder in the 1995 slaying of his wife Marcia Honsch. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- For Dan Adams, an Oct. 6, 1995 camping trip to Tolland State Forest turned into a nightmare.

Adams, 66, was on the witness stand Monday at the Hampden Superior Court trial of Robert Honsch, who is charged with murder in the 1995 fatal shooting of his wife, Marcia Honsch.

Adams, who lives in Woodstock, New Hampshire, described pulling his camper into the dumping station to fill the tanks with water. He and his wife noticed a "distinct odor."

He looked down an embankment and saw what he thought was a dummy that was part of a Halloween prank. The campground was celebrating Halloween early.

Adams went to investigate -- and, he said, "I saw a female body lying there."

The woman was about eight to nine feet down an embankment. Her hair was heavily matted. Her fingers and toes, as well as her face, appeared to have been hurt by animals, Adams said.

The mystery of the "Jane Doe" remained a cold case until 2014, when the body was identified as that of Marcia Honsch, 53, of Brewster, New York.

Robert Honsch was arrested in July 2014 in Dalton, Ohio, where investigators said he was living under an assumed name with a new wife and three children.

According to Assistant District Attorney Karen J. Bell, Robert and Marcia Honsch-- who had been estranged for about seven years -- got back together for a month or two before Marcia Honsch was killed.

Robert Honsch is also charged in Connecticut -- where there will be a separate trial -- in the fatal shooting of his daughter, Elizabeth Honsch.

Elizabeth Honsch's body was found behind a shopping plaza in New Britain, Connecticut, on Sept. 28, 1995. She was 16 at the time of her death.

Springfield trial begins

In her opening statement in the trial before Judge Constance M. Sweeney, Bell told jurors they would hear how in 1995 Robert Honsch told two of Marcia Honsch's four daughters from a previous relationship he was moving to Australia with Marcia and Elizabeth.

Marcia and Elizabeth Honsch's family members reported the two women missing but no investigation was begun, Bell said. She told jurors they will hear from witnesses about each step in the process that ultimately resulted in Robert Honsch's arrest.

Defense lawyer Andrew M. Klyman said in his opening statement Robert Honsch had nothing to do with the deaths of Marcia and Elizabeth Honsch.

He told jurors Honsch witnessed their killings and went into shock, not remembering anything about their deaths. He said as much as police tried to get Honsch to confess to killing his wife and daughter, he never did.

He said a restaurant owner saw a man that did not match Honsch's appearance drive near the spot where Elizabeth Honsch's body was found in New Britain.

 

Bell said one of Robert Honsch's full palm prints and two partial palm prints were found on the plastic bag wrapped around sleeping bags in which Elizabeth Honsch's body was found.

Klyman challenged the conclusion of the print experts.

Trooper's testimony

Retired State Trooper John Murphy testified there were signs of a fresh strike from a projectile on a wood guard rail near where Marcia Honsch's body was found. A shell casing was found there.

Jurors were shown photos on a large television screen of Marcia Honsch's body, and where evidence was found at the crime scene.

Murphy identified a large pool of blood in one picture, in which a pair of women's glasses were seen.

Murphy said he believes Marcia Honsch was dragged, perhaps by her ankles, to spot where her body was found. He said her fractured skull indicated a gunshot wound to the back of her head, with an exit wound in the front. 

The Latino Scholarship Fund will hold its annual awards banquet honoring high school students for academic achievements and community leaders at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House, 500 Easthampton Road, Holyoke, Massachusetts.

HOLYOKE -- The Latino Scholarship Fund will hold its annual awards banquet honoring high school students for academic achievements and community leaders at 6 p.m. on Tuesday at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House, 500 Easthampton Road,

"The Latino Scholarship Fund cordially invites you to its annual dinner and celebration in honor of those who have inspired the Latino community, and those who will become our future leaders," said the event's Facebook listing.

The fund is dedicated to encouraging Latino academic achievement by awarding scholarships for students to pursue a higher education. The average scholarship is $1000. This year, 12 scholarships will be awarded, the press release said.

The event will include presentation of the Antonia Pantoja Award to Sylvia Galvan and presentation of the Carlos Vega Community Champion to Harry Melendez III and the Center for New Americans, the press release said.

"Our awardees are remarkable Latinos, supporters, and supportive organizations that work with the community to strengthen and enhance the experience and future possibilities of Latinos in our region and beyond," fund chairwoman Madelaine Marquez said.

Tickets to the banquet are $65 or $600 for a table of 10, the press release said.

For information contact Marquez by email at mmarquez@hampshire.edu or send an email to latinoscholarshipfund413@gmail.com

Latino Scholarship Fund celebrates 25 years
"The (fund) has been awarding college scholarships to Latino students in Holyoke and surrounding communities in Western Massachusetts for over 25 years," the event listing said.

Those who want to help the fund can make contributions to:

Latino Scholarship Fund P.O. Box 6706 Holyoke, MA 01041-6706

Contributions also can be made via PayPal at https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/1343116

Holyoke City Clerk Brenna Murphy McGee will begin her drive for a second, four-year term with a reelection event scheduled for May 31 at 5:30 p.m. at Slainte Restaurant, 80 Jarvis Ave., Holyoke, Massachusetts.

HOLYOKE -- City Clerk Brenna Murphy McGee will begin her drive for a second, four-year term with a reelection event scheduled for May 31 at 5:30 p.m. at Slainte Restaurant, 80 Jarvis Ave.

"I feel that we have had a very successful first term and accomplished a great deal in the city clerk's office, but I also know that there is still more to do and I look forward to campaigning for the opportunity to continue serving the city and the residents for another term," Murphy McGee said in a press release.

Besides a reelection launch, the May 31 also is a fundraiser and suggested donations are $25, $50, $100, she said.

The clerk is the official keeper of municipal records. The office issues birth, death and marriage certificates, as well as dog licenses. Businesses may register newly formed sole proprietorships and partnerships and renew previously granted licenses in the clerk's office

The clerk also is clerk to the City Council, keeping a record of council meetings, preparing the agenda and recording votes.

In some cities and towns, city clerk is an appointed position, but voters elect the city clerk in Holyoke.

Since taking office in January 2014, Murphy McGee, a former city councilor, said she has worked with her staff and the city Law Department to reduce to 10 minutes the previously time consuming process of obtaining a business certificate, she said.

"One of my campaign promises to the residents and business of Holyoke from 2013 was to help make doing business in the city easier and we feel this was a significant step in the right direction," she said.

With up to 70 percent turnout expected Election Day, early voting can ease process: Holyoke City Clerk Brenna Murphy McGee

Murphy McGee held meetings around the city to prepare voters and explain the early voting process that took place in Massachusetts for the first time last fall leading up to the November election. The process gave voters the convenience of voting a few weeks before Election Day in confidential ballots under a 2014 law intended to boost turnout by making voting easier.

Also, Murphy McGee worked with the state in arranging to have use of new technology at the polls in the November election called Poll Pad. The mounted computer tablets allow for quick and efficient voter check-ins. The possibility of repeat voting, of an early voter showing up again on Election Day intent on repeat balloting, is blocked. That's because voters are unable to obtain a ballot to vote unless they check in with city clerk voting staff and using the tablets establishes proof immediately that a voter has voted, she said.

"The successful execution of the early voting period helped to reduce lines and save on paper and toner, that is required when using paper lists. These electronic tablets also allow each polling place to be directly linked with the city clerk's office," she said.

This year the city clerks' office began an online dog licensing system.

"To date we have licensed over 500 dogs online and have high hopes of it becoming more and more successful as the word gets out how convenient it is," she said.

Also, she said she will continue working with staff of other city offices to make the permitting process easier. She has submitted a request for $100,000 to the mayor and City Council to replace the more than 20-year-old voting machines, she said.

Murphy McGee is married to Todd A. McGee, the Ward 7 representative on the City Council, and they have a son and daughter.

Add 'Certified Municipal Clerk' to repertoire of Holyoke City Clerk Brenna Murphy McGee

In August, Murphy McGee earned the designation of Certified Municipal Clerk from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks Inc., a professional association. Among the courses she took in pursuit of the certification was a week at Plymouth State University in New Hampshire in July.

Next year she plans to graduate from the New England Municipal Clerks Institute and Academy as she works to attaining designation of master municipal clerk, she said.

In November, she received a "Women of Excellence" award from a national association of women legislators at a ceremony in Orlando, Florida.

Murphy McGee is secretary of the executive board of the Massachusetts City Clerk's Association

"I am looking forward to continuing my work for the City of Holyoke. I take pride in my job and the city that I love. I will continue to work hard and to educate myself, in order to stay abreast of the always changing laws as a validation of my commitment to this city," Murphy McGee said.

The jet, which for years lured Elvis fans to a weedy old runway in Roswell, N.M, is now up for auction. The starting bid is $10,000.

Elvis Presley traveled in style, needless to say.

Which, in the 1970s, meant a whole lotta red shag carpet.

The King of Rock 'n' Roll, who died in 1977 at 42, zoomed around not on a tour bus but on a tour jet. A 1962 Lockheed Jetstar with the interior custom designed by Elvis himself.

The jet, which for years lured Elvis fans to a weedy old runway in Roswell, N.M, is now up for auction. The starting bid is $10,000, but Britain's The Telegraph reports that "a lot including the jet and original paperwork signed by the singer outlining his specifications for its build has racked up a bid of $126,000."

Bidders have until 10 a.m. (Pacific time) on Saturday, May 27, to put in an offer.

Here's the pitch by California-based GWS Auctions, LLC.:

"This jet was personally designed and ordered by Elvis Presley. This is the 'Lost' jet he owned with his father, Vernon Presley. It is still in its original condition, and has been privately owned for over 35 years. ... The interior was custom designed to Elvis' specifications. Down to the gold-tone, woodwork, inlay and red velvet seats and red shag carpet. This jet has the potential of being fully restored, and placed on exhibit for the world to come see."

As GWS makes clear, the jet has not been restored. Right now, it has no engine.

Still, the plane "could potentially earn its new owner millions of dollars in exhibit, or entry fees as an attraction," the auctioneer insists.

Elvis' aesthetic style as showcased in the original cabin isn't the only reason this plane is special. The Jetstar model was built as a side project by Lockheed in the 1960s and '70s. Reportedly only about 200 of them were made.

There are two other Elvis planes in existence; they're both at the Elvis Presley Museum in Memphis.

* Check out the auction.

-- Douglas Perry

View obituaries from The Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Greater Manchester Police said 19 people were confirmed dead and roughly 50 were injured by the explosion at Manchester Arena. Emergency vehicles were helping the injured and bomb disposal units were later seen outside the venue. Watch video

LONDON (AP) -- An explosion struck an Ariana Grande concert in northern England late Monday, killing at least 19 people and injuring dozens in what police say they are treating as a terrorist attack.

Greater Manchester Police said 19 people were confirmed dead and roughly 50 were injured by the explosion at Manchester Arena. Emergency vehicles were helping the injured and bomb disposal units were later seen outside the venue.

There was mass panic after the explosion at the end of the concert, which was part of Grande's The Dangerous Woman Tour. The singer was not injured, according to a representative.

Witnesses reported hearing two loud bangs coming from near the arena's bars at about 10:35 p.m. but there were few further details.

"A huge bomb-like bang went off that hugely panicked everyone and we were all trying to flee the arena," concertgoer Majid Khan, 22, told Britain's Press Association. "It was one bang and essentially everyone from the other side of the arena where the bang was heard from suddenly came running towards us as they were trying to exit."

Added Oliver Jones, 17: "The bang echoed around the foyer of the arena and people started to run."

Video from inside the arena showed concertgoers screaming as they made their way out amid a sea of pink balloons.

Police advised the public to avoid the area around the Manchester Arena, and the train station near the arena, Victoria Station, was evacuated and all trains canceled.

Joseph Carozza, a representative from Grande's U.S. record label, said the singer is OK and they are investigating what happened.

The Dangerous Woman Tour is the third concert tour by Grande to support her third studio album, "Dangerous Woman." The tour began in Phoenix in February. After Manchester, Grande was to perform at venues in Europe, including Belgium, Poland, Germany, Switzerland and France, with concerts in Latin America and Asia to follow.

@SkyNewsBreak if you look to the left you hear the bang and see a flash. #Manchester pic.twitter.com/xMNwsnfIaL

-- Kieran (@Kieran_MacHugh) May 22, 2017

Several people killed and many injured after two explosions in Manchester Arena at the end of Ariana Grande gig https://t.co/jcG5iNyCRg pic.twitter.com/pVuUECMmDo

-- Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) May 22, 2017

Chaos in Manchester, UK after explosion at concert. See former tweets pic.twitter.com/GetFBLbPn2

-- Voice of Europe (@V_of_Europe) May 22, 2017

RT @pzf BREAKING NEWS: MULTIPLE FATALITIES AFTER REPORTED EXPLOSION AT ARIANA GRANDE CONCERT IN MANCHESTER. pic.twitter.com/DGxZIC6CEF

-- Signor Paparazzo (@paparazzo504) May 22, 2017

WATCH: Man says he heard "loud bang" half a mile away from Manchester Arena; it sounded "like a train crash" https://t.co/2vnMEne0IE pic.twitter.com/HgriR9vPnu

-- CBS News (@CBSNews) May 22, 2017

The landing pad project to allow easier handicapped accessibility is funded primarily by a $105,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.

SPRINGFIELD -- The City Council on Monday night approved a plan for the PVTA to install concrete landing pads at 143 bus stops around the city to allow easier handicapped accessibility.

The council also continued a public hearing for a special permit to allow table and video games at a Forest Park market because the petitioner was not present.

Councilor Kateri Walsh, chairwoman of the Maintenance and Development Committee, said the PVTA's plan will help people throughout Springfield access public transportation.

David Elvin, a senior planner for the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, said the pads will be placed at bus stops that "are either muddy, or there's grass that's uneven so it's difficult for people using wheelchairs or scooters" to get on or off a bus.

The pads, which are 8 feet by 5 feet concrete slabs, will be used to connect sidewalks to curbs at locations where they are separated by grass or tree belts.

The project is funded primarily by a $105,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. The PVTA plans to use money from its capital budget to complete the work by Sept. 30.

"We've made sure that all these locations will be retained in our bus stop consolidation project," said Elvin.

Councilor Bud Williams asked Elvin for an update on the consolidation project, which would have eliminated 46 percent of PVTA bus stops. Elvin said that number is now down to 38 percent, and the agency is willing to work with anyone who is concerned that their nearest bus stop will change.

"So all the stops on the chopping block can be reworked?" Williams asked.

"The truth is that if anybody calls and has a concern, we get right on the phone with them, we go right to the map, and we put it back," said Elvin.

The PVTA estimates 15 percent of riders would be affected, but no one will have to walk more than 500 feet to their new stop.

Also on Monday night, the City Council was scheduled to take up a special permit request that would allow table games like checkers and chess, ping pong and pool to be played at Interstate Market in the city's Forest Park neighborhood.

But the council continued the hearing to a future date because representatives of the Nepalese grocery store at 475 Sumner Ave. were not present.

The Interstate Friendship Club would be part of Interstate Market. The Office of Planning & Economic Development recommended the council approve the special permit, which would also allow arcade-style video games, and it received the support of the Forest Park Civic Association.

"It's an opportunity for the Nepali community to have a safe place to meet," said Walsh, adding that Forest Park is home to 200 Nepalese families. "I think it would have passed tonight."

The council's next regularly scheduled meeting is set for June 5. At that time, a reconsideration vote will be taken on the food truck ordinance that was approved on May 15.

In a tweet on Monday, state police reported that Matthew Cooperstein, 37, has connections to Waltham and may be headed there.

BOSTON - Massachusetts State Police are asking for the public's help to find a man who walked away from the Solomon Carter Fuller mental health facility.

Matthew Cooperstein

In a tweet on Monday, state police reported that Matthew Cooperstein, 37, has connections to Waltham and may be headed there.

He is described as a white male, and a photo released by police shows him with close-cropped, dark-colored hair.

The Fuller center is a state facility located at 85 E. Newton St.

Anyone who sees Cooperstein is urged to call Department of Mental Health Police at 617-626-8888 or the South Boston State Police Barracks at 617-740-7710.

President Donald Trump's proposed $4.1 trillion budget slashes safety net programs for the poor, targeting food stamps and Medicaid, while relying on rosy projections about the nation's economic growth to balance the budget within 10 years.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump's proposed $4.1 trillion budget slashes safety net programs for the poor, targeting food stamps and Medicaid, while relying on rosy projections about the nation's economic growth to balance the budget within 10 years.

The cuts are part of a budget blueprint for the upcoming fiscal year that amount to a dramatic restructuring of the government, with protection for retirement programs for the elderly, billions of dollars more for the military and the rest of the government bearing the bulk of the reductions.

The plan was outlined in White House summary documents. It will be officially released on Tuesday.

The politically perilous cuts to Medicaid, the federal-state health care for the poor and disabled; college loans, food stamps and federal employee pension benefits guarantee Trump's budget won't go far in Congress, even though Republicans control both the House and Senate. Those cuts follow a partial plan from March that targeted domestic agency operations and foreign aid that were quickly dismissed by lawmakers.

"I just think it's the prerogative of Congress to make those decisions in consultation with the president," Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said as he predicted the Medicaid cuts wouldn't survive the Senate. "But almost every president's budget proposal that I know of is basically dead on arrival."

The plan cuts almost $3.6 trillion from an array of benefit programs and domestic agencies over the coming decade. It assumes Republicans will repeal and replace former President Barack Obama's health care law, known as "Obamacare," while reducing Medicaid, eliminating student loan subsidies, sharply slashing food stamps and cutting $95 billion in the program for highway funds for the states.

"We need people to go to work," White House budget director Mick Mulvaney told reporters Monday. "If you are on food stamps, we need you to go to work. If you are on disability and you should not be, we need you to go back to work."

The budget plan reflects the small-government views of Mulvaney, a former tea party congressman; Trump has so far displayed little interest in budget issues and the plan is being released while the president is on his first overseas trip.

Trump's plan promises that overhauling the tax code and easing regulations will lift economic growth from the lackluster 2.1 percent average rate of recent years to sustained annual gains of 3 percent or better. Higher growth means lower deficits and Trump's plan folds in more than $2 trillion in unspecified deficit savings over the coming decade from "economic feedback" to promise balance.

Without the juiced-up growth projections, Trump's plan would be almost $500 billion in the red instead of sporting a small surplus in 2027, the target year.

Trump would keep campaign pledges to leave core Medicare and Social Security benefits for the elderly alone. His cuts to domestic agencies budgets approved by lawmakers each year would be redirected to the Pentagon. He promises a new parental leave program championed by his daughter Ivanka, but will fall short on his promises for a massive tax cut.

Among the cuts:

--Medicaid would be reduced by more than $600 billion over 10 years by capping payments to states and giving governors more flexibility to manage their rosters of Medicaid recipients. Those cuts are paired with the repeal of Obamacare's expansion of the program to 14 million people and amount to, by decade's end, an almost 25 percent cut from present projections.

--A 10-year, $191 billion reduction in food stamps -- almost 30 percent -- goes far, far beyond prior proposals by congressional Republicans. The program serves about 42 million people.

The budget lands as Trump's GOP allies in Congress are grappling with repealing and replacing Obama's health care law and looking ahead to a difficult rewrite of the loophole-clogged tax code. Trying to balance the budget isn't in the plan in Congress, but conservative Republicans are pushing for some action this year on spending cuts.

That includes cuts to pensions for federal workers and higher contributions toward those pension benefits, as well as cuts to refundable tax credits paid to the working poor.

On taxes, Trump promises an overhaul that would cut tax rates but rely on erasing tax breaks and economic growth to avoid adding to the deficit. It would create three tax brackets -- 10 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent -- instead of the current seven.

The budget adds details to the earlier blueprint, which proposed a $54 billion, 10 percent increase for the military above an existing cap on Pentagon spending, financed by an equal cut to nondefense programs, which meant slashing medical research and foreign aid. Law enforcement and border security would get increases, however.

At least one Cabinet-level official, Energy Secretary Rick Perry, said Monday he would work with Congress to ensure money for the 17 national laboratories and other projects.

During a tour of Oak Ridge National Lab in Tennessee, Perry said he has "not been in the job long enough to go through the budget line item by line item."

But Perry, who once called for the abolition of the department, has become an outspoken proponent of the department's importance, particularly the national labs.

"Hopefully we will be able make that argument to our friends in Congress that what DOE is involved with plays a vital role, not only in the security of America but the economic well-being of the country as we go forward," Perry said.

The Springfield Health and Human Services' Maternal Child Health Commission held its 23rd annual Community Baby Shower recently at Springfield's High School of Commerce.

SPRINGFIELD -- The Springfield Health and Human Services' Maternal Child Health Commission held its 23rd annual Community Baby Shower recently at Springfield's High School of Commerce.

As in past years, the Community Baby Shower provided a high energy, enthusiastic atmosphere where attendees, including mothers, expecting mothers, fathers, children and grandparents received information on proper nutrition, prenatal education, general good healthy practices and personal safety for the expecting mother, their baby, and entire family.

Hundreds of people attended the festive and family-friendly event. Besides information at dozens of social and health services vendor tables, there were games, a free lunch and a free raffle.

Hundreds of free diapers and books were distributed, and at one vendor table, hand-knitted baby blankets and baby clothing were distributed.

Other popular activities included 100 Acts of Kindness for a pregnant woman, WIC; Kids corner, and Safe Sleeping for babies, among others.

An apparent suicide bomber attacked an Ariana Grande concert as it ended Monday night, killing 22 people among a panicked crowd of young concertgoers, some still wearing the star's trademark kitten ears and holding pink balloons as they fled.

An apparent suicide bomber attacked an Ariana Grande concert as it ended Monday night, killing 22 people among a panicked crowd of young concertgoers, some still wearing the star's trademark kitten ears and holding pink balloons as they fled.

Teenage screams filled the arena just after the explosion, which also killed the attacker and injured dozens.

Greater Manchester Police say they have arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with the apparent suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in the city.

Update: Suspected suicide bomber identified as Salman Abedi

Police say the man was arrested in south Manchester Tuesday, a day after the explosion killed 22 people and injured 59, many of them teenagers.

The attack sparked a nightlong search for loved ones -- parents for the children they had accompanied or agreed to pick up, and friends for each other after groups were scattered by the blast. Twitter and Facebook were filled with appeals for the missing.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said police are treating the blast as an act of terrorism "until we know otherwise."

A police helicopter hummed over the city as somber commuters hurried to work.

Public transport shut down following the concert, and taxis offered to give stranded people free rides home, while residents opened their homes to provide lodging.

The concert was attended by thousands of young music fans in northern England. Grande, who was not injured, tweeted hours later: "broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words."

Forensic investigations are trying to determine if the attacker had accomplices, Hopkins said. He provided no information about the person who set off the bomb.

He said some of the dead were children but provided no further details.

Hayley Lunt was staying at a hotel nearby and had taken her 10-year-old daughter Abigail to her first concert at Manchester Arena on Monday evening.

She said the explosions rang out as soon as Grande left the stage. "It was almost like they waited for her to go."

"We just ran as fast as we could to get away from that area," Lunt said. "What should have been a superb evening is now just horrible."

Campaigning for Britain's June 8 election was suspended.

The explosion struck near the exit around 10:30 p.m. Monday as Grande was ending the concert, part of her Dangerous Woman Tour. Police cars, bomb-disposal units and 60 ambulances raced to the scene as the scale of the carnage became clear. More than 400 officers were deployed.

"A huge bomb-like bang went off that hugely panicked everyone and we were all trying to flee the arena," said 22-year-old concertgoer Majid Khan. "It was one bang and essentially everyone from the other side of the arena where the bang was heard from suddenly came running towards us as they were trying to exit."

Home Secretary Amber Rudd decried "a barbaric attack, deliberately targeting some of the most vulnerable in our society -- young people and children out at a pop concert."

The local ambulance service said 59 people were taken to hospitals.

The city's regional government and its mayor, Andy Burnham, were among scores of Twitter users who circulated the MissinginManchester hashtag, used by people looking for family members and friends.

Among the names being circulated was Olivia Campbell. Her mother, Charlotte Campbell, said the 15-year-old attended the concert with her best friend from school. He is hospitalized but Olivia is missing, the mother told ITV television's Good Morning Britain breakfast show.

"I've called the hospitals. I've called all the places, the hotels where people said that children have been taken and I've called the police."

She said she last heard from her daughter just before the concert.

"If anyone sees Olivia, lend her your phone, she knows my number."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Supporters of the extremist Islamic State group, which holds territory in Iraq's Mosul and around its de facto capital in the Syrian city of Raqqa, celebrated the blast online.

U.S. President Donald Trump, in Bethlehem, said the attack preyed upon children and described those responsible as "evil losers."

"This wicked ideology must be obliterated. And I mean completely obliterated," he added.

If the explosion is confirmed as a terrorist attack it would be the deadliest in Britain since four suicide bombers killed 52 London commuters on three subway trains and a bus in July 2005.

Video from inside the arena showed people screaming as they made their way out amid a sea of pink balloons.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is due to chair a meeting of the government's COBRA emergency committee later Tuesday.

The Dangerous Woman tour is the third concert tour by 23-year-old Grande and supports her third studio album, "Dangerous Woman."

Grande's role as Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon's high school sitcom "Victorious" propelled her to teen idol status, starting in 2010.

After Manchester, Grande was to perform at venues in Europe, including Belgium, Poland, Germany, Switzerland and France, with concerts in Latin America and Asia to follow.

Pop concerts and nightclubs have been a terrorism target before. Most of the 89 dead in the November 2015 attacks in Paris were at the Bataclan concert hall, which gunman struck during a performance by Eagles of Death Metal.

In Turkey, 39 people died when a gunman attacked New Year's revelers at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul.

Manchester, 160 miles (260 kilometers) northwest of London, was hit by a huge Irish Republican Army bomb in 1996 that leveled a swath of the city center. More than 200 people were injured, though no one was killed.

Police asked Gonzalez why he washed blood from the passenger seat in his car, but left "large concentrations of blood" on the steering wheel and console, the report said.

SPRINGFIELD - Jose Gonzalez and the woman he allegedly stabbed to death were tenants at a boarding house in Springfield's McKnight neighborhood.

They lived on the third floor, in separate rooms -- and not always happily, according to court records.

On April 6, Gonzalez called police to report that his housemate had threatened to kill him. He later filed a formal complaint, leading to a charge against the woman, records show.

On Sunday, just hours after the woman's death, Gonzalez failed to mention her alleged death threat and made several false statements during an interview with city homicide detectives, according to the arrest report.

"Mr. Gonzalez stated in his interview that he did not have a problem with (the victim). This was also not true," Sgt. Jeffrey Martucci wrote.

The interview -- combined with wounds on Gonzalez's hands and blood evidence in his car -- led Springfield police to charge him with killing his housemate.

Gonzalez, 32, pleaded not guilty Monday to first-degree murder and was ordered held without right to bail. No new details of the killing or the defendant's background were mentioned in court. But the arrest report and related court documents offer a summary of the crime and the investigation leading to Gonzalez's arrest.

The victim, whose name has not been released, was pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center less than an hour after a pizza delivery driver spotted her body by the side of Amore Road late Saturday night.

In addition to stab wounds to her throat and neck, the 42-year-old woman suffered fractures to her skull and jaw and lacerations to her shoulder and cheek, the report said.

At the scene, police found the victim lying on her left side, with "severe cutting and stab wounds," the report said. One of the woman's shoes and a black sandal were found on the roadside, along with evidence that the suspect had fled in a vehicle.

Given the number of knife wounds, police suspected the assailant would have injuries to his hands as well, the report said.

Around 3:45 a.m., Gonzalez arrived at Mercy Medical Center, claiming he had just been stabbed in a robbery.

Giving his address as 31 Colonial Ave., Gonzalez said he stepped outside to smoke a cigarette when two black males approached and demanded money. The men "became angry and cut him on his right hand" before fleeing, Gonzalez told police.

When police went to 31 Colonial Ave., a man who actually owned the home said Gonzazlez showed up around 1 a.m., shoeless and bleeding heavily from a wound to his right hand. The homeowner, an acquaintance of Gonzalez, said he went into the bathroom to bandage up his hand, then came back out and mopped up his blood trail in the house.

Around 4 a.m., the homeowner's mother and her husband drove Gonzalez to Mercy Medical Center, where his wound was closed with sutures, the report said.

At the hospital, homicide detectives began questioning Gonzalez. After learning the suspect and victim lived at 135 Westminster St., the detectives drove there and found a blood trail on the stairs leading to the third floor, the report said.

Released from the hospital, Gonzalez volunteered to undergo more questioning at police headquarters. Confronted with the homeowner's account of his visit, Gonzalez insisted he owned the house and said the man was lying, the report said.

Gonzalez said he had last seen the victim at 6 p.m. Saturday, and showed cellphone photos taken in her room to prove it. The timestamp on the photos was 9:21 p.m., more than three hours later than Gonzalez had claimed, the report said.

Police also asked Gonzalez why he washed blood from the passenger seat in his car, but left "large concentrations of blood" on the steering wheel and console. The passenger's side is where "the victim's blood most likely would have been," the report said. Gonzalez said all the blood in the car was his, the report said.

He is due back in Springfield District Court for a pretrial hearing on June 28.

New England is one of several regions in the country that is predicted to see an unusually warm summer season.

Winters in New England are reckoned only by one truth: summer. Last winter brought several blizzards and lingering cold temperatures, but soon that will all change in what the National Weather Service predicts will be an unusually hot summer.

A new seasonal map published by the NWS shows the three-month outlook across the country. In the Northeast and along the East Coast, as well as the tips of the most Southern states, temperatures are predicted to be "above normal" for the next three months. That measurement is based on what the organization defines as climatological normal, based on average temperatures over a recent 30-year period, from 1981-2010.

Cape Cod Rentals 2017: 15 Cape rentals available on AirBnB.com this summer for $100/night or less

ICYMI: long range weather charts support an increased probability for warmer than normal temps this summer in all of New England. #MA #RI pic.twitter.com/cRsvtF0oH3

-- NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) May 23, 2017

According to U.S. Climate Data, Massachusetts' average temperatures in the summer land at 76 degrees in June, 81 degrees in July and 80 degrees in August. It is unclear how much variance an "above normal" forecast could bring, but it probably means it is time to dust off the air conditioners.

This Memorial Day will be biggest for travel since 2005, AAA says

Roughly 40 million Americans plan to hit the road and travel more than 50 miles over Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA's annual forecast, a million more than last year.

Roughly 40 million Americans plan to hit the road and travel more than 50 miles over Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA's annual forecast, a million more than last year. 

If the prediction bears out, it will be the highest Memorial Day travel volume the country has seen since 2005 and the third consecutive year the travel crowd has grown, this time by 2.7 percent.

"The expected spike in Memorial Day travel mirrors the positive growth seen throughout the travel industry this year," Bill Sutherland, AAA senior vice president, said. "Higher confidence has led to more consumer spending, and many Americans are choosing to allocate their extra money on travel this Memorial Day."

About 35 million of the travelers plan to drive and will pay the highest price at the pump seen since 2015, notes AAA.

Meanwhile, 2.9 million Americans plan to fly and another 1.75 million will employ other means of travel, going by train or boat. 

Most all of the travelers are heading out of their state of residence.

Popular destinations, according to Priceline, include Cancun, Mexico, Jacksonville and Tampa in Florida, Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Cincinnati, Ohio. 

Julie Hall, a AAA spokeswoman, reminded drivers to "pack their patience."

"With 34.6 million people traveling by car over Memorial Day weekend, drivers should plan for crowded highways and allow plenty of extra time to get to their destinations safely," she said. 

You could own Rembrandt's Storm on the Sea of Galiliee and Vermeer's The Concert, Craigslist user Mordokwan claimed in an online advertisement. Watch video

You could own Rembrandt's Storm on the Sea of Galiliee and Vermeer's The Concert, Craigslist user Mordokwan claimed in an online advertisement.

However, his post is now being tied to an alleged scheme to bilk the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum of millions for the legendary paintings, which were stolen from the museum in 1990 in what is considered one of the largest art thefts in history. 

According to security guards keeping watch that night, two white males dressed in Boston police uniforms gain entrance to the museum, claiming they were responding to a reported disturbance. More than a dozen works of art valued at $500 million were stolen.

The museum put out a $5 million reward for the 13 paintings after they were stolen. 

Authorities say the man behind Mordokwan is 47-year-old Todd Andrew Desper, of Beckley, West Virginia. He was arrested Monday and charged with wire fraud and attempted wire fraud. He will appear in federal court in West Virginia on Tuesday before being transported to Boston to face additional charges. 

Desper allegedly acted under the Mordokwan pseudonym to solicit buyers for the two pieces of artwork. Desper posted on Craigslist in a number of foreign cities, such as Venice and London, directing interested buyers to create an encrypted email account to barter with him, authorities said.

Authorities were tipped off to Desper's scheme by individuals seeking to recover the art, as well as collectors seeking the museum's $5 million reward. 

Under the perview of federal authorities, the security director for the Gardner Museum started sending encrypted emails to Desper in an attempt to discover whether or not he actually had either of the paintings. 

Desper allegedly instructed the director to send over a cashier's check for $5 million to a location in West Virginia. Afterwards, he'd have the Storm on the Sea of Galilee delivered to the museum, hidden behind another painting.

The plan might have worked, if Desper actually owned Rembrandt's legendary painting.

However, an investigation ultimately revealed that Desper had no access to, nor any information about, either painting. It was all a scheme to defraud collectors of millions for the elusive works, authorities said.

He faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines if proved guilty. He will appear in federal court in Boston on June 9. 

The 1886 stone building is owned by "the inhabitants of Hampshire County" and controlled by the membership-based Hampshire Council of Governments.

EASTHAMPTON -- The City Council on Thursday voted 9-0 to block spending $25,000 in local Community Preservation Act funds to help restore the historic Hampshire County Courthouse in Northampton.

The Hampshire Council of Governments has been trying to raise $1.3 million from 20 communities to leverage a $4 million historic restoration of the 130-year-old building in downtown Northampton, which needs major structural repairs.

It's the first time in recent history the City Council overturned a recommendation from the Community Preservation Committee, officials said.

The preservation committee voted 6-2 in April to recommend a $25,000 contribution to the cause -- less than the $45,000 requested by HCOG executive director Todd Ford, and a sliver of the $135,000 Ford had initially proposed -- yet still a symbolic expression of local support for the regional project. 

The City Council's Finance Subcommittee, after hearing from Mayor Karen Cadieux and some residents, on May 10 voted 2-0 not to recommend the funding. Cadieux had said she did not support sending Easthampton CPA money to Northampton, a view she repeated Thursday night.

City Councilor Daniel Rist, who chairs both the CPA and finance committees, on Thursday explained how his position on the matter had evolved.

In April, he had voiced support for the effort, saying "it's not just a Northampton project" because of the historic role of county government. But at the May 10 finance meeting, he abstained, saying he was conflicted. By the May 17 City Council meeting, Rist had changed his mind and decided to oppose the appropriation.

The primary reason, he said, was recent news that the state match for local spending under the Community Preservation Act would stand at only 15 percent next year. A decade ago, the state had provided a 100 percent match, but the partnership has steadily frayed, and local CPA money now has less of an impact.

"That news really made me angry," said Rist. "It changed my lukewarm 'yes' vote to a 'no' vote."

Rist said recent decisions by Holyoke, Springfield and Boston to adopt the CPA mean there will be even less money to go around from the state's Community Preservation Trust Fund. He encouraged his peers to lobby Beacon Hill for passage of legislation to bolster the fund.

Nearly half of all Massachusetts cities and towns have adopted the Community Preservation Act, which lets municipalities tack a small surcharge onto property tax bills to raise money for projects in four categories -- open space, housing, recreation, and historic preservation. State matching funds come from transaction fees gathered at Registries of Deeds.

Rist and other councilors said Easthampton has its own major historic preservation project on the horizon -- the restoration of the city-owned Old Town Hall, a multi-million dollar project that aims to create a performance venue and arts center downtown.

"It's not because I don't believe the cornerstone of Northampton should be preserved, but this is a Northampton project," said City Councilor James "J.P." Kwiecinski. "We don't want to bond or borrow to finance the Old Town Hall. To send money to Northampton now is not our current priority."

State bond money held back

Council of governments director Todd Ford in April told city officials the release of a $3.5 million state bond for the courthouse project was contingent upon local support. But when pressed by Rist, Ford admitted there is nothing in writing from the state's Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, or DCAM, about the necessity of local funds.

"One thing that disturbed me greatly was when I asked Mr. Ford, 'Do you have anything in writing from DCAM that you must get this?' And he said 'No,'" said Rist at Thursday's meeting. "So it's just a phone call or a subtle thing. It's like, 'you get everybody, then we'll consider it.'"

Rist said the state should release the bond money without holding the municipalities hostage, and opined that towns without Community Preservation Act funds are unlikely to pony up at all. 

He noted that Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst; Rep. Stephen Kulik, D-Worthington; Rep. John Scibak, D-South Hadley, and Rep. Peter Kocot, D-Northampton had written to DCAM asking that the funds be released.

"It should be a state thing," said Rist.

Of the 20 former Hampshire County communities, Northampton has agreed to contribute $200,000 in CPA funds; Hatfield approved $10,000; and Goshen recommended $8,000. Amherst and Belchertown are among communities that have declined to contribute to the courthouse project, and now Easthampton has joined that list.

The Legislature included funding for the courthouse restoration in a 2015 capital bond bill. DCAM in 2016 released $500,000, which was used to restore the exterior stairs and portico roof. Major structural work is still needed, including repairs to the foundation and roof, Ford has said.

Hampshire County government, formed in the 1600s, was abolished in 1998 and most functions were transferred to the state. However, the old courthouse was transferred to the Hampshire Council of Governments, which provides services to dues-paying municipalities and leases space in the stone building, which is owned by "the inhabitants of Hampshire County."

The Hampshire County Law Library is a longtime tenant in the building's walk-out basement. The restoration of the 1886 courthouse cannot proceed without the state money, the council of governments said in a recent press release.

"In the 1950s and 1970s when planners presented the idea of demolishing the courthouse to make way for a parking lot, citizens rose up to protect the historic building," according to the HCOG. "Now, as time threatens the structure, citizens from around Hampshire County are rising to the occasion once again."

The HCOG says it has collected $38,000 in donations from local banks and $168,852 in private donations for the project.

Rist on Thursday read a letter of support from preservation committee member Greg Rolland. "This beautiful historic courthouse belongs to all of us," it said. "The structural integrity of the tower is compromised. The masonry is crumbling. the roof is leaking. Tiles are falling from the tower. The deferred maintenance has reached the point of emergency. A slow building collapse is not an acceptable outcome."

Rolland said the people of Easthampton have a 10 percent interest in the building via population.

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com

The number of unemployed people rose as well.

SPRINGFIELD -- The city's unemployment rate inched upward in April to 6.9 percent.

That's a tenth of one percentage point higher than the March rate of 6.8 percent, but lower than the 7.1 percent recorded a year ago in April, 2016, according to statistics released Tuesday by the state Executive office of Labor and Workforce relations and the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Local jobless numbers are not adjusted for seasonal changes in the economy.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the statewide unemployment, unadjusted for seasonality, rate for April was 3.8 percent.

Springfield saw more people working in April, with the number of residents with jobs growing from 59,815 in March to 60,158 in April. There were 58,504 residents employed in April 2016.

The city's labor force grew to 64,649 from 64,1674 in March. This accounted for the rise in the unemployment rate. There were 62,986 people in the labor force in April 2016.

Check back for an updated story.