The position is available immediately and offers salary and benefits, according to a press statement.

WESTFIELD -- Sen. Don Humason, R-Westfield, announced he's looking for a full-time legislative aide in his district office. The position is available immediately and offers salary and benefits, according to a press statement.

"This position is an integral part of my office staff, with responsibilities that primarily include maintaining my daily schedule and coordinating meetings with constituents, elected officials, and advocates," Humason wrote, adding that the job could also involve research, press communication, and social media outreach.

Humason said preference will be given to experienced candidates who are familiar with his 2nd Hampden and Hampshire District, comprising Agawam, Southwick, Granville, Tolland, Russell, Montgomery, Southampton, Easthampton, Westfield, Holyoke, and parts of Chicopee.

Humason said he'll hire a "motivated, responsible, independent self-starter who enjoys working in a professional, fast-paced, public setting." The candidate must be "friendly, outgoing, and possess integrity and excellent people skills."

Granby selectmen and the town administrator said the issue needs to be reviewed and that the board of health should approve the substance's use prior to the club applying it.

GRANBY -- Responding to numerous concerns from residents, the board of selectmen and the town administrator want to halt deliveries of BioMix, a manufactured topsoil that would be provided by a waste company to the Granby Bow and Gun Club.

Selectmen and the administrator said the issue needs to be reviewed and that the board of health should approve its use prior to the club applying it. Selectmen also want the planning and zoning boards to determine if the club has complied with permits previously issued.

A lawyer for the club said Tuesday deliveries of BioMix have been suspended pending town review.

In a letter dated Aug. 8 to Granby Conservation Commission Chairman Wilmont Lewis, Town Administrator Christopher Martin said that he and selectmen chairman Mark Bail recently visited the gun club facility.

Martin, in the letter to Lewis, said that he and Bail were told by the club that they already had made arrangements with Casella Waste Systems, Inc., of Rutland, Vermont, to use the product "and were expecting delivery of said BioMix to their site."

The Martin letter, which The Republican requested from the town and received on Monday, says Granby selectmen have "concerns."

The letter to the conservation commission chairman says that the selectmen, "in reviewing the prior documents" of the commission, ascertained that "the documents stated that a separate permit will be filed for the application of the Biomix product. We have not found a permit issued by your commission granting permission for the application" to use BioMix, Martin said in the letter to Lewis.

"The Board (of selectmen) requests that you do not issue a permit of the application of this product until the Board of Health has had an opportunity to review it and its use and concerns by local residents has been addressed," the letter states.

In a separate letter, also dated Aug. 8, to the Planning Board, Martin, on behalf of selectmen, noted that the board issued a special permit to the club in 2010.

The letter to Planning Board Chairman Glen Sexton requested that the board "review the conditions listed in the decision to determine if any have been violated."

Martin's letter to the ZBA chairman Donald Zebrowski asked the same of them.

A lawyer representing the club, Edward F. George, Jr., said in an interview on Tuesday deliveries of BioMix have been suspended pending town approval. He said the product would be used to replace topsoil that was moved during construction of a rifle range that is 1,015 yards -- three-fifths of a mile -- long.

The lawyer said the gun club has complied with the conditions established by the town, and operates in a legal and proper manner.

The Casella website describes BioMix as follows:

"BioMix is a manufactured topsoil that is highly resistant to erosion. BioMix ingredients are Fiberlime (short paper fiber), compost, and a mineral base soil - most of which we source from residual streams that would otherwise go to waste. Most cost-effective is when an end user can provide a suitable base soil (mineral sand or a low quality loam), then we provide the Fiberlime and compost, recipe blend recommendations, and technical assistance to mix the blend onsite.

The Granby Bow and Gun Club, located at 85 Chicopee St., was established in 1947.

Residents from Granby and Belchertown living near the club have complained to the boards of selectmen in both towns about loud noise emanating from high-powered rifles. 

A week after two babysitters were charged with putting an infant in a refrigerator, more teenage girls are facing charges in connection with the case, officials said.

A week after two babysitters were charged with putting an infant in a refrigerator, more teenage girls are facing charges in connection with the case, officials said.

Five girls were arraigned in Lynn Juvenile Court on Tuesday, each charged with one count of witness intimidation in connection with the baby allegedly being put inside a fridge last week.

One of the girls charged is one of the babysitters who were initially arrested, according to a spokeswoman for the office of Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett.

The four other girls were not previously charged in connection with the case.

Not-guilty pleas were entered during the arraignments. 

Two teenage girls were babysitting for a family in Danvers on Aug. 7. A video was posted on Snapchat that showed an infant being put inside a refrigerator.

Law enforcement and the Department of Children and Families opened an investigation.

The two babysitters were arrested last week and arraigned in Salem Juvenile Court on charges of child endangerment and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. 

The girls are not being identified because of their age.

A man at the scene told reporters his brother was shot.

SPRINGFIELD -- Police closed a section of Belmont Avenue Tuesday afternoon during a heavy response that followed a report of a shooting.

A man at the scene told reporters his brother was shot. A reporter at the scene could not immediately confirm that information with police.

Cruisers were seen blocking the roadway at Woodside Terrace, and yellow police tape cordoned off parts of two properties on Belmont.  

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

The incoming MBTA general manager, Luis Manuel Ramirez, has weighed in the Manchester Arena bombing and a variety of other topics, including President Donald Trump's firing of FBI director James Comey, and Tiger Woods.

"Was the Manchester Arena bombing a cowardly act?"

The incoming MBTA general manager, Luis Manuel Ramirez, has weighed in on that and a variety of other topics, including President Donald Trump's firing of FBI director James Comey, Tiger Woods, climate change and Brexit.

Ramirez, 50, is being tapped for his insight and experience as a top executive with General Electric and other companies, transportation officials say. In a statement announcing his hiring, Gov. Charlie Baker's transportation chief Stephanie Pollack said they chose Ramirez because of his "unique personal background, deep exposure to a range of challenges and constituencies and proven leadership skills."

In a blog attached to the website of his strategic and turnaround business consulting firm, TodoModo Group, which is based in Dallas, Ramirez sounded off on Trump having the right to fire Comey, and he called Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate accord was a "senseless political move."

Reacting to the Manchester Arena terrorist bombing that killed 22 people in May 2017, Ramirez called extremism a "plague in our society."

"Many observers claim that these are the acts of cowards," he wrote. "I disagree."

"A coward does not offer up his own life for an ideology or belief," he continued. "If that were the case, Jesus, Gandhi and many others would also be categorized as cowards, for they too died for their cause. No. These acts against humanity are not cowardly."

The blog post added: "They are criminal. And as such, those who sympathize, support or celebrate these crimes are themselves carriers of this plague. I pray for the murdered victims and their grieving families and friends and the injured."

The MBTA's new general manager, Luis Manuel Ramirez, will get a $320,000 base salary

Other topics he wrote about included:

• Former FBI Director James Comey wrote a "cover-your-ass memo" about President Trump before testifying to members of Congress and Trump had "every right" to fire him, Ramirez said. "After reading the continuous rhetoric from all sides of the Comey drama, and based on my 28 years of assessing organizations, employees and global leadership teams, I conclude that Comey has been playing both sides: he wrote a cover-your-ass letter to congress that shook up and perhaps spiraled the Clinton campaign to an election loss; and now, he writes another cover-your-ass memo documenting a confidential meeting with President Trump that somehow makes it to the press."

• The opposition wants to "destroy" Trump and "any or all Republicans because they are all the enemy in their eyes," he added. "What everyone seemingly fails to understand is that without moderates, independents or even mainstream republicans, no president can successfully carry out their agenda. Somehow, even the Democrats have forgotten that fair play, goodwill and compromise are still part of the political playbook. It's true that many Republicans have also ignored what their constituencies want and need. However, the last election revealed that a large percentage of the nation is divided."

• After Tiger Woods was charged with driving under the influence, Ramirez asked, "It has been known that he was on prescribed pain medications for many years; doesn't he know how these drugs can affect cognitive reasoning and perception?" Ramirez continued: "I have long suspected that Tiger may be addicted to pain pills. He has suffered several sports injuries that have resulted in severe chronic pain. It stands to reason that when Tiger stopped taking them, his golf game was affected." Pointing to other celebrities who died from drug use, Ramirez wrote, "we must realize he could be in the same high-risk category." Having a child with an addiction gave him an education about available treatments, he added.

• In December 2016, a month after Trump won, Ramirez reflected on media coverage of Russia interfering with US elections. "Why are folks so bent on thwarting these election results to the point of suggesting that a third party, Russia in this case, helped throw the elections (especially when it has been quoted that Russian officials were as surprised as the Democratic National Committee (DNC) when they learned that Trump had won the election)?" he wrote in a post that did not have an author but he said on Twitter he wrote.

  He mused that it could be something else at play, wondering what the incoming Trump administration will find after the transition of power. "What will we learn was really going on these last years, and why are folks willing to go to any extreme to protect it?" he wrote. "The more they push back, the more I wonder. And often where there's smoke, there's fire."

• A campaign to get organizations to divest from Israel can be a "smoke-screen for anti-Semitism, and the use of the apartheid label is absurd," Ramirez wrote in another blog post. "In Israeli society, there is no such [apartheid] system. In fact, Palestinians living in Israel have Israeli passports, vote in national elections and are not classified as second-class citizens."

• Trump's withdrawal from the Paris climate change agreement was "senseless," he wrote. "This decision only serves to appease certain constituents in coal-producing regions, leading them to believe that the U.S. will go back to coal-fired power generation; thereby creating new employment opportunities for coal miners. In fact, the economics from inexpensive natural gas and more efficient energy production alternatives are driving Electric Utilities to close down inefficient and dirty coal-fired plants at an accelerated rate."

• Brexit wasn't a good thing, he said. "In fact, it is another excellent example of rampart populism where democracy is manipulated with fear and a false sense of patriotism to promote populist agendas."

• Ramirez penned a tribute to the late actor John Hurt, and relayed how he met Hurt in an Atlanta hotel in June 2011. "While all of us were slightly inebriated by night's end, I noticed John Hurt's excessive chain smoking and definite love for the drink. I also observed that he coughed a lot, and noticed other signs that perhaps his health was not goo," he wrote. "So when I read the news over the weekend that he had died from pancreatic cancer, I was not surprised. In fact, he reminded me a lot of my own father: they were both the same age, and had lived with many vices that we now know greatly affect our health."

Ramirez, who was raised in South Florida, also wrote about the recent special Congressional election in Georgia, pride in the U.S. government and the American flag as "more than a symbol," the U.S. policy on Cuba and whether British Prime Minister Theresa May should resign.

His posts did not appear to touch on public transportation issues.

Asked about his posts and his Twitter feed, a MBTA spokesman pointed to Pollack's statement on the hiring of Ramirez.

Here is the MBTA's new general manager, Luis Manuel Ramirez

Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday announced $72 million in direct funding and $28 million in state and federal tax credits for 25 affordable housing projects around the state including in Chicopee, Holyoke and Springfield.

Officers responded to the vicinity of 160 Belmont Ave. at around 5:15 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD - At least one male was shot Tuesday evening on Belmont Avenue, and police are blocking the area to traffic while they investigate.

Officers responded to the vicinity of 160 Belmont Ave. at around 5:15 p.m.

There is no further information about the victim or the shooting at this time.

A witness told The Republican/MassLive he was driving past the shooting scene when he saw the victim on the ground, losing a significant amount of blood. He was taken by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center.

A man at the scene claimed to be the victim's brother, and tried to disrupt the filming of a television news crew by using loud profanities near their camera. He said he did not want reporters to cover the shooting.

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

View obituaries from The Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The 8.5 acre Chamber Road site where the growing plant is planned would initially employ 25, with the possibility of increasing the workforce to 80, by 2020

PALMER -- The Town Council on Monday unanimously voted to support Altitude Organic Corporation's application for a state license [pdf] that if approved could allow the Colorado company to build a medical marijuana cultivation facility at 8 Chamber Road.

Company officials attending the meeting said the council's letter would assist the company obtain Massachusetts Department of Public Health approval to operate.

The AOC submitted an "application of intent" with the DPH, which regulates medical marijuana, on June 14. The application is a "request for a certificate of registration to operate a registered marijuana dispensary," according to the DPH.

If the state allows the certificate request to proceed, the AOC would be required to pay a nonrefundable $30,000 application fee.

It lists Aaron Bluse as the chief executive officer of "Altitude Organic Corporation of Massachusetts," which, according to the secretary of state, registered as a company in the commonwealth on June 5. The AOC website lists Bluse as the co-founder of AOC and a Colorado native.

Bluse, speaking at Monday's Town Council meeting, said that during his seven years running marijuana facilities that he owns in Colorado, there had been "zero infractions ... zero product recalls."

"We feel that we'd be a very good fit for the town of Palmer," he said.

The 8.5-acre Chamber Road site where the growing facility is planned would initially employ 25, with the possibility of increasing the workforce to 80 by 2020, he said.

Bluse said that the company's minimum wage would be $15 per hour, and pledged to hire locally.

The "labor force is our most valuable (resource)," he said.

Bluse told Palmer officials that the company also hopes to open a medical marijuana retail shop to sell the product, but that would be located in another community.

He said that the company does not have plans to operate a recreational marijuana facility, saying their business model shows a need for additional medical marijuana facilities in Massachusetts, but also said that could change should town officials, down the road, support a recreational operation.

There is only one preliminary race this year for School Committee in Ward 1.

CHICOPEE - The City Clerk's office held a drawing Tuesday to set the ballot for the only preliminary election that will be held in the city.

The only race is for School Committee in Ward 1 where voters will reduce the number of candidates from three to two. The election is scheduled for Sept. 19, City Clerk Keith W. Rattell said.

The ballot order will be James Edward Tanhauser Jr. listed first, incumbent Dana C. Cutter listed second and Trina House-Labonte listed third.

There was also potential for preliminary contests in several other wards, but candidates who took out papers decided against running and did not return them by the Aug. 1 deadline to appear on the ballot.

Teaching children how to grow food and providing education to establish new restaurants and chefs are ways to improve Holyoke's access to healthy food, participants in a workshop said on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017 at the Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center. Watch video

Updated at 8:16 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017 to include: a video; officials noting that Holyoke was one of 125 communities that applied to the EPA to participate in the "Local Food, Local Places Workshop" and drafting of a report and one of 24 that were accepted; listing of workshop goals like the need to increase production of food in the city; ideas about downtown Holyoke ranging from "full of history, beauty" to "economic instability"; and resident Gloria Caballero urging the gathering not to "romanticize an issue that is really harsh."

HOLYOKE -- Teaching children how to grow food and providing education to establish new restaurants and chefs are ways to improve Holyoke's access to healthy food, participants in a workshop said Tuesday.

"Once kids know how to grow something, they will eat it," said Neftali Duran of Nuestras Raices, at the "Local Food, Local Places Workshop."

The workshop drew about 50 people to the Picknelly Adult and Family Education Center at 206 Maple St. It is part of a two-day effort led by federal agencies aimed at identifying issues and determining how to strengthen the local food system.

A report with recommendations on how to make improvements will be published online in three to four months, said Melissa G. Kramer, of the federal Environmental Protection Agency in Washington.

"We hope to create an action plan for a resilient community in which we are building a resilient food system in the city of Holyoke and Springfield that takes care of a lot of the issues that we face," said Duran said, a chef and teacher with Nuestras Raices.

Nuestras Raices seeks to promote economic, human and community development in Holyoke through projects relating to food, agriculture and the environment. The organization began in 1992 in South Holyoke.

Holyoke is one of 125 communities that applied to the EPA to participate in the "Local Food, Local Places Workshop" and drafting of a report and one of 24 that were accepted, said Holly Fowler, co-founder and CEO of Northbound Ventures of Somerville, a consultant, who led the workshop.

The goal of the workshop is to determine ways to use the community's "food system" to strengthen downtown, help farmers, improve the environment and give healthy-living options to people, she said.

Fowler used slides on big screens to identify workshop goals:

• establish methods for ongoing coordination of food-related activities in Holyoke
• improve healthy food access in Holyoke
• increase production of food in the city
• increase opportunities for farmers and food businesses to market their products
• make downtown Holyoke a place where people want to live, eat and visit.

Several speakers noted the potential of Holyoke to succeed and achieve a renaissance and the cultural pride exhibited by its residents of different backgrounds.

That prompted Gloria Caballero, a Cuban native and Holyoke resident, to urge the gathering to avoid getting swayed by such lofty thoughts in the face of gritty daily struggles people face.

"Please do not romanticize an issue that is really harsh," Caballero said. 

In addition to the EPA, federal agencies involved in the workshop were the Department of Agriculture, Department of Transportation, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Also participating were representatives of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Holyoke Community College and state, city and nonprofit agencies such as Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture.

Fowler asked the crowd to list their thoughts about downtown Holyoke and Kramer wrote the ideas on white paper sheets:

• real opportunities to fulfill basic human needs
• misunderstood and under-represented
• opportunity for affordable dining options
• full of history, beauty
• can be destination and vibrant place to live
• full of exciting community initiatives
• need safe streets
• opportunity for community engagement
• on the rise
• lack access to jobs, job training
• needs improvement but endless opportunity
• economic instability

The Northwestern district attorney's office has identified the driver killed when a dump truck crashed into a house Tuesday morning as Robert Leustek, 46, of Winchester, New Hampshire.

COLRAIN -- The Northwestern district attorney's office has identified the driver killed when a dump truck crashed into a house Tuesday morning as Robert Leustek, 46, of Winchester, New Hampshire.

The house, on Jacksonville Road, was unoccupied at the time of the 8 a.m. crash, the DA's office said. 

The incident remains under investigation by Colrain police, state police assigned to the DA's office, as well as the state police Crime Scene Services and Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section .

Jacksonville Road, or Route 112, runs between the Vermont state line and Route 2 in Shelburne. 

Western Mass News reported that the accident scene was in the area of 3 Jacksonville Road, which would be near the intersection with Greenfield Road.

A national advocacy group opposed to graphic sex, violence and profanity in the media touted its work to help parents protect children from television's harmful impacts during a Springfield event Tuesday.

SPRINGFIELD -- A national advocacy group opposed to graphic sex, violence and profanity in the media touted its work to help parents protect children from television's harmful impacts during a Springfield event Tuesday.

The California-based Parents Television Council, a non-partisan organization which aims to "provide a safe and sound entertainment media environment for children and families across America," highlighted its advocacy efforts, as well as challenges to that work, during an evening reception at the Michele and Donald D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts.

Michele D'Amour, the educational partnership administrator at Big Y and chair of the PTC Board of Directors, said she decided to host the free public event ahead of the board's Springfield meeting to "spread the word" about the non-profit organization's work. 

D'Amour, who said she's been connected to the group for several years, noted that Parents Television Council routinely holds board meetings in regions across the country as part of its outreach efforts. 

"It's been very fruitful for us in terms of engaging people on our mission and understanding that it's an important thing that we do," she said in an interview. "Like with every organization that's a non-profit, we need folks that are willing to go online and push those 'take action' buttons that say, 'I don't want this on TV.'"

PTC President Tim Winter, a former executive at NBC and MGM who addressed local parents and grandparents at the Springfield reception, said such events help the non-profit understand the issues important to American families.

Those issues, he argued, often span the political spectrum and enjoy broad support from liberal and conservatives alike.

"It's interesting when I do travel, I can be in a liberal city, in a liberal state and people are concerned about especially violence. I can be in a conservative city, in a conservative state and the parents seem to be more concerned about the sexually explicit content," he said in an interview. "It's interesting, but what the common thread is, the science says it's all negatively impacting kids. So it's important that we have a big tent in terms of liberal, conservative -- you name it: left, center, right, people of faith, people who don't have faith. Almost everybody cares about the welfare of kids and that's what we're all about."

The organization, which conservative leader L. Brent Bozell III founded in 1998, has launched campaigns to hold sponsors accountable for content, urge the Federal Communications Commission to enforce decency laws and overhaul television ratings, among other things, Winter said.

PTC has also advocated for various legislation at the federal and state levels, monitored and issued its own ratings for broadcast television shows and sponsored research on how media influences children's behavior.

Despite the non-profit's work to pressure the FCC and advertisers to ensure family-friendly content is aired, D'Amour stressed that the Parents Television Council doesn't promote censorship or dialing back the First Amendment.

"As long as it's on out of the family hour, that's fine...We want to make it so that when the family sits down together they can be guaranteed that they see healthy programming for their young children," she said.

Jan and Joe Peters, of Chicopee, who attended the evening reception, said they were surprised to hear about some of the shows being aired on broadcast television during day-time and late-afternoon hours, as well as content that can be accessed online. 

They expressed concerns about the impact it could have on their grandchildren.

"TV is not like it used to be," Joe Peters said, adding that he was impressed with the Parent Television Council's work. "I'm glad that there's somebody out there doing this and that they have an influence too."

Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville, the only gambling facility to open under the state's six-year-old expanded gaming law, generated $15.5 million in gross gaming revenue in July from a record $194.6 million in wagers

By COLIN A. YOUNG, State House News Service

BOSTON -- Bettors wagered more than ever before at the state's lone slots parlor in July -- approaching $200 million -- helping Plainridge Park Casino post its second strongest month yet.

Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville, the only gambling facility to open under the state's six-year-old expanded gaming law, generated $15.5 million in gross gaming revenue in July from a record $194.6 million in wagers, according to the company's revenue report.

The slots parlor, owned by Penn National Gaming, reported a payout percentage of 92.07 percent.

Gross revenues were higher at Plainridge only during the first full month the facility was open, in July 2015.

The state is entitled to nearly $6.2 million of Plainridge's July revenue in the form of state taxes intended for local aid and another nearly $1.4 million for the Race Horse Development Fund. That works out to a total tax or assessment hit of $7,566,627 according to the Gaming Commission.

Plainridge is taxed on 49 percent of its gross gaming revenue, with 82 percent of the tax levy going to local aid and 18 percent to fund set up with the goal of supporting horse racing, an industry that is struggling in Massachusetts.

While thoroughbred racing is near its all-time low in Massachusetts, harness racing has experienced something of a revival, in part thanks to the track at Plainridge Park Casino. The standardbred track at the slots parlor has seen a $10 million increase in its live handle since 2014 and another $3 million increase from simulcasting, according to the United States Trotting Association.

On July 28, the track hosted the Spirit of Massachusetts open trot which was the richest race in Massachusetts standardbred history -- a $250,000 purse awarded to winner JL Cruze, driver Andrew McCarthy and trainer Eric Ell.

Since the slots parlor opened in late June 2015, gamblers have wagered more than $4.21 billion there and the state has collected more than $166 million in taxes and race horse assessments, according to data provided by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

The commission has licensed full-scale resort casinos that are being built in Springfield and Everett. MGM Springfield is expected to open its doors in September 2018 and Wynn Boston Harbor casino in Everett in June 2019.

With two casinos complementing the Plainville slots parlor, commission chairman Stephen Crosby has said Massachusetts can expect to collect about $300 million in annual gaming revenue.

Ivy Negron was last seen at the Motel 6 on Burnett Road.

CHICOPEE - Police are asking for help to find a woman who has been missing for 11 days.

Ivy Negron, 47, left the Motel 6 on Burnett Road around 11:30 p.m., Aug. 4 and hasn't seen since, Michael Wilk, Chicopee Police public information officer, said.

A friend contacted police on Tuesday to report her missing, he said.

Police are asking anyone who has information about her disappearance, has seen her since she went missing or knows about her whereabouts to contact the detective bureau at 413-594-1730 or send a private message to the Chicopee Police Facebook page, he said.

The Boston Red Sox scored eight runs in the fifth inning Tuesday night en route to a 10-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park.

BOSTON -- The bottom half of the fifth inning was nothing special for the Boston Red Sox at the start.

A fly out to left did nothing for the team other than send the top of the batting order to the plate.

Then 10 consecutive batters reached base.

By the end of the inning, Boston pushed across eight runs on eight hits en route to a 10-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in the first part of a two-game series at Fenway Park.

Eduardo Nunez and Mookie Betts got the offense going in the fifth, hitting back-to-back singles before Cardinals starter Mike Leake hit Andrew Benintendi in the knee to load the bases. Hanley Ramirez then cranked a two-run double off the Green Monster to make it a 3-0 game.   

Boston continued to find success off Leake after the righty intentionally walked Rafael Devers to once again load the bases. The next five batters drove in runs to cap off the inning.

Sox' offense puts up 15 hits

By the end of Tuesday night, every Red Sox starter had recorded at least one hit with five players recording multi-hit games.

Ramirez had two of the loudest hits of the night in a game where the Red Sox did not hit the ball out of the park. In the first inning, Ramirez's two-out single off the Green Monster put runners at the corners to set up Devers. In the fifth, his two-run double also hit off the Monster, giving the Red Sox the first two runs of its eight-run inning.

Bogaerts reached base four times for Boston, going 3-for-5 with a run, an RBI and reaching first on an error.

Devers on offense

It didn't even take Devers an inning Tuesday evening to continue his impressive start to his major-league career.

With Andrew Benintendi and Hanley Ramirez on the corners with two outs, Devers hit a changeup sharply into left field to give the Red Sox a 1-0 lead.

Devers offensive abilities have been on display in his first 17 games as a major leaguer -- so much so that Leake intentionally walked the 20-year-old and instead faced Xander Bogaerts during the Red Sox eight-run fifth inning. Bogaerts responded with an RBI single.

Devers finished the day at the plate 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI and an intentional walk. 

Devers on defense

Just hours after Red Sox manager John Farrell described Devers' defense as "better than anticipated," the 20-year-old third baseman kicked off a triple play in the top of the fourth inning.

The three outs marked the first time the Red Sox had put together a triple play since Aug. 16 2011 -- almost six years ago to the day.

Devers picked up an easy grounder from Yadier Molina that went down the line with runners on first and second. He stepped on the base before swinging it over to Nunez at second. Nunez then tossed it to Mitch Moreland at first with plenty of time to get the team and starting pitcher Rick Porcello out of the jam.

An 18-year-old Springfield man was shot once in the face Tuesday afternoon on Belmont Avenue. Police said the man was hit in the face.

SPRINGFIELD - An 18-year-old Springfield man was rushed into emergency surgery at the Baystate Medical Center Tuesday afternoon after he was shot once in the face.

Springfield Police Lt. Mark Rolland said the bullet entered the man's jaw and exited from his throat. 

Police were dispatched to 151-152 Belmont Ave. at about 5 20 p.m. for a ShotSpotter activation indicating four gunshots had been fired. 

Officers found the victim lying on the ground bleeding heavily from his wounds. He was transported to the hospital where his condition is currently unknown. 

Springfield detectives are investigating the incident.  

A witness told The Republican/MassLive he was driving past the shooting scene when he saw the victim on the ground, losing a significant amount of blood.

A man at the scene, claiming to be the victim's brother, tried to disrupt a television news crew as they tried to cover the story by shouting profanities near their camera. He said he did not want reporters to report on the shooting.

Republican reporter Brian Steele contributed to this story.

More than 100 people demonstrated at the Walnut and State streets intersection Tuesday afternoon decrying violence and hatred at the Charlottesville, Virginia white nationalists rally Saturday. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- Dozens of activists and residents occupied the four corners of the intersection of State and Walnut streets Tuesday afternoon to vent their anger and frustration over the last weekend's events in Charlottesville, Virginia. 

Ellen Graves, criminal justice organizer for Arise for Social Justice, said the demonstration was organized to give local people the opportunity to call out racism and hatred.  

"People are mad and upset enough to say,'Enough is enough,'" Graves said. "We need to get different groups working together to stop the KKK and confront the horrible truth of racism."

Springfield native Ron Clayborne pushed his sign into the windows of cars stopped at the traffic lights so no one would miss the message.

"We have racism in this country," he said. "We have got to call it what it is and to work together to take care of each other."

Clayborne said racism has always been part of the country.  All the talk about "post-racism" during the Obama era was just that - talk.

"It would be decent to think racism is no longer here, but we need to confront it and call it what it is, We need to show we don't accept it and we don't want it," he said. 

Down the street, Emily Jones held a sign decrying violence. She said she lives in Connecticut but works in Springfield. She came to the demonstration after work because she felt it was the responsible thing to do.

"Because it is up to us to speak out against racism and hatred in our country," she said. "Silence is complicity." 

Not everyone agreed with the demonstrators' take on Donald Trump.  One woman stopped at a red light, leaned out her car window and shouted,: leave him alone.  he is our legal president." 

As demonstrators took up a chant, she shouted,"Trump, Trump, Trump," in time with the demonstrators' chant.

A few minutes later a large, black pickup truck carrying two large flags p[assed through the intersection several times.  One flag was the Stars and Stripes.  the second, the Gadsen flag, with its coiled snake and "Don't tread on me," legend.

Amy Shulman stood out on the southeast corner of the intersection because she said doing so could help save the country.

"Because we all need to get off the couch, get off our phones and take peaceful and persistent action to preserve the democracy all our ancestors worked so hard for us to be able to live in," she said.

Springfield police said between 100 and 110 people took part in the demonstration. Lt. Mark Rolland said the stand out was orderly and there were no arrests. 

Boston Red Sox Andrew Benintendi was pulled from Tuesday's win over the St. Louis Cardinals out of precaution after he was hit in the left knee with a pitch.

BOSTON -- Andrew Benintendi loaded the bases Tuesday night in the fifth inning when he was hit in the left knee with a pitch. The plate appearance helped set up a lengthy inning where Benintendi came around to score and the Boston Red Sox plated eight runs. 

Ultimately, that inning spurred the Red Sox' 10-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Fenway Park. That inning also led to Benintendi's removal from the game. 

While the Red Sox left fielder stayed in the game after taking a Mike Leake pitch off the inside of his left knee, Benintendi started to tighten up during the long inning, according to manager John Farrell. 

Benintendi was removed from the game in the top of the sixth, with Chris Young taking his spot in left field. 

"(He's) sore," Farrell said. "He was starting to get a little bit more tight even inside that long inning. ... (It was) precautionary more than anything. Got him off his feet as he was getting a little bit more tight, but we'll check him out tomorrow and certainly hope he will be back in the lineup tomorrow."

Despite the early exit, Benintendi finished the night 1-for-3 with two runs scored. 

Weekend retreats on issues like post traumatic stress disorder and sexual abuse. Clothing for children and adults. Massage and yoga. All of these services and events are available to military personnel and veterans and their families through Project New Hope at 476 Appleton St. in Holyoke, Massachusetts. All for free.

HOLYOKE -- Weekend retreats on issues like post traumatic stress disorder and sexual abuse. Clothing for children and adults. Massage and yoga.

All of these services and events are available to military personnel and veterans and their families through Project New Hope at 476 Appleton St.

All for free.

And all confidential, said William H. "Bill" Moore, Project New Hope founder, president and a disabled U.S. Air Force veteran.

"If somebody is on the base and they're struggling and they don't want the base to know, they can come here and it's all confidential. We don't tell the military," Moore said Tuesday at the office in Suite 3.

Project New Hope opened June 1 with a grand opening held on June 27. That came after Moore sought a Western Massachusetts location to provide a presence in this area to help military personnel and veterans in whatever they need. 

"And it's all free," Moore said.

The program began in January 2011 from his home in Worcester, where the main office now operates. It is based on an operation he saw in a visit to Michigan seven years ago, he said. Moore was injured in the U.S. Air Force while making a successful rescue of two pilots from a burning F-111, according to projectnewhopema.org

"Project New Hope Inc. believes in the healing power of mutual support, targeted services and the camaraderie of friends. All veterans of all eras from across the United States are welcome," according to its mission statement.

Eyeing Western Massachusetts, Moore at first sought a storefront in Westfield. He wanted to help because the Massachusetts Air National Guard's 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base has nothing in the way of a commissary, convenience store or clubhouse for its military personnel, he said.

Maj. Gen. Gary W. Keefe, adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard, who spoke at the grand opening, heard of Moore's plans and made a suggestion. Perhaps it made more sense to position a Project New Hope office that could help the 104th Fighter Wing in Westfield, Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee and military personnel and veterans in Springfield, Moore said, recalling the words of Keefe.

"He says, 'You'd be better off finding an area in Holyoke,' " Moore said, adding later, "Holyoke's a beautiful city."

The list of services that Project New Hope offers poured from Moore and Cecelia Staryos, the Holyoke office coordinator, in an interview at the office.

On Sat. Aug. 19 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., free back-to-school backpacks will be provided to children of military personnel and veterans.

From Aug. 27 to Sept. 1, a retreat for military and veteran caregivers will be provided in collaboration with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation at the Oceanwood Camp and Conference Center in Ocean Park, Maine.

From Oct. 13 to 15, an LGBTQ retreat will be held at Grotonwood Camp and Conference Center in Groton to welcome home LGBTQ veterans and offer a safe and protected setting to be among peers.

The Team 22 part of Project New Hope is aimed at younger veterans and military personnel. The program provides regular sessions of exercise and events like obstacle course races, marathons and "ruck marches" (marching with a full load of weapons, boots, canteens and other gear).

The doorway with the Project New Hope sign, military branch insignias and photos of military helicopters, ships and vehicles is unmistakable.

Show a military or military dependent identification card, U.S. Veterans Administration health card or driver's license stamped with "Veteran," and Project New Hope will help, Staryos said.

"As long as they're part of the military community," she said.

The office includes a wall with cubicles containing all new clothing for children. Another large closet has clothing and boxes of boots for adults. A closet in the front room is filled with new coats.

Moore said he is grateful for the help given to Project New Hope from corporations and businesses. The Bose Corp. of Framingham donated 5,000 headphones and boxes of stereo equipment. Most of the office furniture came free of charge from Conklin Furniture here, he said.

"I've got to give them a shout-out because they were fantastic," he said.

Photos and video of clothing and other items that are available are posted on the Project New Hope Facebook page, he said.

Meeting space is available for private chats in the office. A kitchen area has a refrigerator, microwave oven and coffee maker. There's a room with a bed for the "holistic healing" practices like massage, reiki, yoga, acupuncture and meditation.

The office is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 1:20 p.m., Staryos said.

Moore said that the Project New Hope Facebook page serves today as the meeting place for military and veterans that for years was provided by Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion clubs.

"This is where I reach all my veterans," Moore said.

To offer a donation or other kind of help or for more information about Project New Hope, the phone number is 1-413-315-3873 and email contacts are bmoore@projectnewhopema.org and cstaryos@icloud.com