Moderate Maine Sen. Susan Collins said in a statement that the legislation would make "devastating" cuts in the Medicaid program for poor and disabled people, drive up premiums for millions and weaken protections Obama's law gives people with pre-existing medical conditions.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The last-gasp Republican drive to tear down President Barack Obama's health care law essentially died Monday as Maine Sen. Susan Collins joined a small but decisive cluster of GOP senators in opposing the push.

The Maine moderate said in a statement that the legislation would make "devastating" cuts in the Medicaid program for poor and disabled people, drive up premiums for millions and weaken protections Obama's law gives people with pre-existing medical conditions.

Collins told reporters that she made her decision despite receiving a phone call from President Donald Trump, who's been futilely trying to press unhappy GOP senators to back the measure.

Senator Collins opposes Graham-Cassidy health care bills https://t.co/nW6MFUvYVg pic.twitter.com/0DSxDJNMPp

-- Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) September 25, 2017

She said the legislation is "deeply flawed," despite several changes its sponsors have made in an effort to round up support.

The collapse of the legislation marks a replay of the embarrassing loss Trump and party leaders suffered in July, when the Senate rejected three attempts to pass legislation erasing the 2010 statute. The GOP has made promises to scrap the law a high-profile campaign vow for years.

With their narrow 52-48 majority and solid Democratic opposition, three GOP "no" votes would doom the bill. GOP Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Texas' Ted Cruz have said they oppose the measure, though Cruz aides said he was seeking changes that would let him vote yes.

The only way Republicans could revive the bill would be to change opposing senators' minds, something they've been trying unsuccessfully to do for months.

The Senate must vote this week for Republicans to have any chance of prevailing with their narrow margin. Next Sunday, protections expire against a Democratic filibuster, bill-killing delays that Republicans lack the votes to overcome.

It was unclear if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., would have a roll call if he knew it would lose.

Collins announced her decision shortly after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said "millions" of Americans would lose coverage under the bill and projected it would impose $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts through 2026.

No. 3 Senate GOP leader John Thune of South Dakota conceded that the measure's prospects were "bleak."

By Alan Fram, Associated Press

Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz kicked off his campaign for re-election Monday. Watch video

NORTHAMPTON - Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz launched his campaign for re-election Monday at the World War II Club on Conz Street. 

Narkewicz, who has served in the city's chief executive spot since 2011, said he's optimistic about the opportunities for the city's development in a third term.  

Narkewicz first entered office six years ago when he defeated former council president Michael Bardsley to replace longtime mayor Mary Clare Higgins. 

During this race, Narkewicz faces a challenger: Florence resident and local business owner John Riley, who has said that he wants to bring more economic development and vitality to the city's downtown area.  

Speaking before a large crowd which included an array of the city's public officials, the Mayor called it an "honor" and a "privilege" to have served the last two mayoral terms in Northampton. 

In touting the accomplishments of those years, Narkewicz stressed that he had brought not only economic stability but development to the community. 

Narkewicz said that when he took office in 2011 the city faced what he called a "serious budget crisis," involving a $1.7 million deficit that "was going to require deep cuts to city and school budgets, including the layoff of teachers, police and other city staff." 

Having put together a multi-year fiscal stability plan, he and his team had managed to "build stability" into the city's budget, he said. That stability had allowed officials to continue to invest in education, public safety, public works, senior and veteran services and other necessary investments, he continued.  

"We worked hard, we stuck to our plan and for the last four years we have had that fiscal stability," Narkewicz said. 

He also touted the fact that the city had recently had its bond rating upgraded to AAA+, the highest bond rating a city can have. 

Looking towards the future, Narkewicz stressed that he wanted to continue to invest in the city's key areas--including education, business and entrepreneurialism, city services and what he called the city's "cultural economy," or the vibrant local arts and entertainment that the community is known for. 

"One of the keys to our budgetary success has been our strong local economy, with significant new business and housing development that has expanded our tax base," he said.  

Narkewicz closed his comments by saying the thing he was "proudest" of was the fact that he had committed himself to keeping Northampton a "diverse and welcoming community." 

"I've been proud to stand up for this community and stand up with this community for the values that we believe in," he said. 

Narkewicz said that he wanted to continue to protect the rights of everyone in the Northampton including women, minorities, immigrants and members of the LGTB community. 

The Massachusetts State Police announced it will set up a sobriety checkpoint somewhere in Franklin County the weekend of September 30 to October 1.

FRAMINGHAM - The Massachusetts State Police announced it will set up a "sobriety checkpoint" somewhere in Franklin County during the weekend of September 30 to October 1.

According to a release from the State Police headquarters in Framingham, the Superintendent of the State Police, Colonel Richard D. McKeon said the checkpoints serve to educate drivers and to reinforce the public's awareness of the need to detect and remove motorists who are operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs from the state's roadways. 

The checkpoints operated by the state police are set up on various roadways at varying times.  All vehicles that approach the checkpoints will be stopped and checked to eliminate the possibility of arbitrary enforcement. McKeon said the prior announcement of the checkpoints is designed to minimize fear and anxiety for the general public. 

State Sen. Eric Lesser held a wide-ranging discussion with constituents at the Greenleaf Community Center in Springfield Monday evening.

State Sen. Eric Lesser held a wide-ranging discussion with constituents at the Greenleaf Community Center in Springfield Monday evening, fielding questions on topics ranging from health care to the Equifax data scandal during an hour-and-a-half long town hall.

Lesser, a Longmeadow Democrat whose district also includes Ludlow, Belchertown, Granby, Hampden, Wilbraham, East Longmeadow, and parts of Springfield and Chicopee. first faced a series of questions about the state's public education system.

Several teachers and advocates, including former Springfield teachers' union head Timothy Collins, said the state was not fully funding its school systems and questioned the use of standardized testing to evaluate schools.

"We've gone way over the limit in putting the value on these tests and not putting the value on the growth of these kids," said Collins, citing a legislative study that found the state's funding formula underestimates the cost of education by over $1 billion per year.

Lesser, a supporter of the empowerment zone model that has overhauled management in struggling middle schools in Springfield, said he agreed that the state overemphasizes testing.

"It's gone way overboard," he said. "When you have kindergarten kids having panic attacks because of standardized testing regimes, it's a problem."

Another questioner asked Lesser if he would support legislation to fund student loan forgiveness by taxing the endowments of private colleges. Lesser is a supporter of legislation to tax endowments over $1 billion, but said that funding would be used to support community colleges -- not buy out student debt.

Rather, Lesser emphasized his proposal for a student borrowers' "bill of rights" that would crack down on tactics used by loan servicers like Navient, which was sued by the federal government in January for allegedly cheating borrowers out of their repayment rights.

Currently, the Department of Education outsources the processing and collection of student loans to private companies which lack oversight, Lesser said. 

"Quite frankly used car salesmen in Massachusetts have stricter regulations in Massachusetts than student loan servicers," Lesser said. "It's kind of crazy."

Lesser's bill would require that student loan servicers -- the companies which handle billing and collections for lenders -- be licensed by the state. Servicers based in Massachusetts would only be allowed to operate after paying a $1,000 license fee and having their business record evaluated by regulators.

The proposal would also create an ombudsman to help guide borrowers through the repayment process and advise them of their rights.

Lesser also received a question about the future of his proposal for higher speed rail between Springfield and Boston -- a signature issue for the senator which has faced repeated setbacks on Beacon Hill.

A measure to study the feasibility of a rail expansion has passed the Senate during each of Lesser's terms in office but has been failed to become law. Last year Gov. Charlie Baker's vetoed the measure and suggested a more general study in its place, but the state House of Representatives did not override the veto or implement Baker's plan.

And this year, the study again passed the Senate but was written out of the budget during the secretive conference committee process, in which House and Senate negotiators craft a final budget package.

Lesser said he believes Springfield to Boston rail is essential to Western Massachusetts' economic development, saying the region has not shared in the growth that has benefitted Boston and Eastern Mass. Western Mass. tax dollars paid for the Big Dig and continue to pay for the MBTA, Lesser said, arguing that the state should be willing to invest in infrastructure west of I-495 as well.

"We frankly have fallen very far behind other parts of our Commonwealth," Lesser said. "Unless we create growth and local opportunity here in Western Mass, we will not get the opiate crisis under control and we will not get the issues plaguing our schools under control and we will not solve health care."

Simsbury officials confirmed that Deputy Fire Chief Michael Jepeal was killed Sunday in a one-car crash in Bloomfield. Jepeal was a 40-plus year veteran on the volunteer force and served as Deputy Chief for 12 years.

SIMSBURY, Connecticut - Simsbury officials confirmed that one of the town's deputy fire chiefs was killed in a one-car crash in Bloomfield Sunday, the Hartford Courant reported. 

Bloomfield police said Michael Jepeal was killed at about 5 a.m. Sunday when the car he was driving ran off the road at a point where routes 187 and 189 split.  The car crashed a large rock formation in the median. Jepeal was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Jepeal was a 40-year veteran of the volunteer fire departments in the Simsbury area.  He started with the Tariffville Volunteer Fire Department until that department merged in the early 1980's he continued with the Simsbury Volunteer Fire Department. He worked his way up the promotional ladder to become Deputy Fire Chief 12 years ago.

Bloomfield police continued to investigate the cause of the crash. 

The program, at the South Hadley Public Library community room, 2 Canal St., begins at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 28, 2017.

SOUTH HADLEY -- The community group Know Your Town has scheduled a program on Thursday to discuss a "Smart Growth" zoning proposal that could result in a zoning change in the vicinity of the former Big Y grocery store.

A South Hadley Planning Department initiative targets about 14 acres on Newton and Lyman streets for commercial and residential development. The area currently has separate residential and business zoning districts that govern land use, but municipal officials hope to adopt a mixed zoning district under a state law known as Chapter 40R.

"This is an opportunity for community members to ask questions and express their vision for the future of this area. Please attend and speak up about how you would like to see the Newton/Lyman shopping plaza and surrounding area developed under 40R," Know Your Town said in a statement announcing the event.

The program, at the South Hadley Public Library community room, 2 Canal St., begins at 6:30 p.m. Thursday. Liz Austin and Linda Young will moderate. Refreshments will be served at conclusion of the event.

For each of the 10 factual claims in the wrongful death suit against Michelle Carter, her attorneys gave the same non-answer.

For each of the 10 factual claims in the wrongful death suit against Michelle Carter, her attorneys gave the same non-answer.

"The defendant neither admits nor denies these allegations in this form," attorneys Francis Lynch III and Andrew Lynch wrote last week in their response to the suit, which seeks $4.2 million from Carter for her role in the suicide of Mattapoisett 18-year-old Conrad Roy III.

In June, Carter was convicted of manslaughter in the 2014 suicide of Roy, with whom Carter had an on-and-off romantic relationship conducted almost entirely by texts and Facebook messages. Carter had urged Roy to end his life in a series of texts and phone calls, and a Taunton juvenile court judge found that she was responsible for his death.

Carter was sentenced in August to two and a half years in jail, with 15 months to be served and the rest suspended until 2022. But the judge in the case approved a stay in the execution of the sentence until Massachusetts courts rule on her appeal, meaning that for now she remains free under probation conditions.

With Carter holding out hope for a successful appeal, her attorneys' taciturn approach makes sense, said Northeastern University School of Law Professor Daniel Medwed.

"If they were to admit anything now, that's a statement that could be used against Carter if there's ever a retrial," he said. "It's good lawyering to not say anything in writing if you can avoid it, especially when there's the specter of a possible new trial."

Often, wrongful death suits are filed after any relevant criminal proceedings are complete or the defendant has been found not guilty of a crime. In perhaps the most famous such case, O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murdering Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman, but was later found civilly liable for their deaths.

But with Carter's conviction and pending appeals, statements entered in the civil case could affect future criminal proceedings in the case. Roy's family was up against a clock in filing the civil suit, Medwed noted -- Massachusetts has a three year stature of limitations for wrongful death suits, and the Carter suit was filed a week before the third anniversary of Roy's suicide.

In the wrongful death suit, filed in Norfolk Superior Court on July 6, Roy's mother Lynn Roy claims that his death has caused $4,224,000 in reasonably anticipated lost wages, citing the captain's license he obtained shortly before his suicide as evidence of his earning potential.

Carters' negligence and reckless conduct caused Roy to sustain "severe personal injuries, great conscious pain and suffering of body and mind and ultimately death," the suit alleges.

In August, Roy's attorney Eric Goldman said the family would use any winnings from the suit to establish a memorial for Conrad -- potentially, a scholarship fund.

"The family would obviously rather have their son back," Goldman said. "What the Roys are looking to do is somehow memorialize Conrad."

Carter's response to the suit also claims that -- hypothetically speaking -- Roy was more responsible for his own death than Carter, even if she did act negligently.

"If, in fact, the defendant was negligent, the negligence of the plaintiff's decedent was of a greater degree than that of the defendant, whereby the plaintiff is barred from recovery," the response says.

Goldman, Roy's attorney, downplayed that claim in an email to MassLive, suggesting that Carter's legal team was covering their legal bases.

"I would suggest that the Answer to the Lawsuit includes standard affirmative defenses that under the applicable law must be pled in an Answer or may be deemed waived," Goldman wrote.

William Scaccia suffered from PTSD and depression before killing himself and his 6-year-old son.

The wife of William Scaccia Jr. says her husband was driven to kill himself and their 6-year-old son due to his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. 

Laurie Tolliver told WHDH that Scaccia "one of the greatest guys you could ever meet."

Tolliver told WHDH that her husband served in Iraq in the 1990s and developed PTSD and depression from his tour. She said Scaccia was not in his right mind when he committed the acts. 

Scaccia, 49, of Foxborough, was known to law enforcement prior to the murder-suicide after he unsuccessfully attempted to apply for a pistol permit in Foxborough earlier this year. After it was denied by Foxborough police, he appealed it and was denied by the courts this month.

Police said Scaccia did end up obtaining a gun somehow, which he used to kill his son and then take his own life last Thursday. Police say Scaccia also ignited accelerant throughout the house in an attempt to burn it down.

"It was a horrific scene," said William D. Baker, chief of the Foxborough Police Department, told reporters during a press conference last Friday.

Scaccia was arrested earlier this month on domestic violence charges and had a pending assault charge against him. Police said Scaccia was not living at the home with his son at the time of their deaths. 

Tolliver is now speaking out to raise awareness about PTSD and depression, WHDH reports. She wants to encourage others with PTSD to seek treatment before it's too late.

According to WHDH, funerals for Scaccia and Anthony will be held this week. 

After beng removed and kept in storage for 12 years, Springfield officials have announced plans tto restore and return park benches to Court Square in the downtown. The city has long denied the removal of the benches was aimed at deterring the homeless from congregating.

SPRINGFIELD -- After being removed from Court Square 12 years ago and kept in storage ever since, numerous park benches will be returned, city officials say.

Patrick J. Sullivan, Springfield's director of parks, buildings and recreation management, and Mayor Domenic J. Sarno announced plans to repair and restore most of the benches this winter, and then return them to the large public square in the spring of 2018.

"The projects planned for downtown will enhance the downtown experience," Sarno said. "The benches which will be worked on over the winter by the Park Department Carpentry Crew along with the Sheriff's Department (inmate crews) will ensure the historic integrity of the benches is preserved."

The removal of the benches in 2005 drew criticism from community activists who said the move seemed to be aimed at discouraging the homeless from gathering at the square. Sullivan strongly denied the accusation then and now.

The benches were kept in storage because the city did not want to block access to a long-delayed major renovation of a historic building at 13-31 Elm St., Sullivan said. The city also did not want to create any obstruction for Court Square community events, he said.

In 2013, Northampton's now-defunct Business Improvement District removed some of the bolted public benches along Main Street in that city, as ordered by the mayor in response to complaints from downtown merchants about the benches being monopolized by a few people.

In Springfield, the benches were installed in the mid-1980s as part of the first restoration of Court Square, and then were removed during another renovation in 2005, Sullivan said.

Under current plans, approximately 30 benches, out of the original 50, will be returned to Court Square, Sullivan said. The benches will be primarily around the fountain and along sidewalks that lead to the fountain, he said.

The park department is not planning to return benches on the Elm Street side of the square because of the still-pending renovation of the Elm Street building and needed access for large equipment, and in order not to interfere with special events there, Sullivan said.

Court Square is bordered by Main, Court and Elm streets and is abutted by the historic Municipal Group buildings, Old First Church and the vacant Elm Street block. The MassMutual Center is across the street from the square, and the MassMutual building is also among the neighboring properties.

The city will be purchasing cedar slats for the benches, that will be cut, stained and mounted to the existing wrought-iron bench ends, Sullivan said. The benches are being refurbished and returned under the Downtown Refresh Program.

Court Square features brick sidewalks and has a large fountain, stone-step structure and monuments. Events there include the annual Springfield Jazz and Roots Festival and the Cruising in the Downtown classic car show.

"The (park) department has monitored the events of the past three years and we have a good understanding of a layout for the benches to ensure they do not interfere with the events schedule," Sullivan said. "We will be milling the cedar wood and staining and finishing the bench slats over the winter to install for the spring 2018."

In 2008, three years after the benches were removed from Court Square, city officials said the benches would remain in storage indefinitely. The decision to keep them in storage was based on the continuing construction plans for 13-31 Elm St., Sullivan said. That project, however, stayed on hold for the next nine years.

The selected developer, Peter Picknelly, and his development company, Opal Real Estate Group, in partnership with WinnDevelopment, is planning a housing project at that property along with some commercial space on the first floor. A critical component of that project moving forward is a major investment from the MGM Springfield casino, which is under negotiation.

Michaelann Bewsee of Arise for Social Justice said in the years after 2005 that she was convinced the removal of the benches was targeted at the homeless. She criticized the removal, saying it also penalized senior citizens, downtown workers having lunch and others wanting to sit on a bench.

Sullivan said that with various improvements taking place in the downtown, including the Stearns Square improvement project and the opening of the casino next September, "the timing was right" for bringing back the benches.

While the city's Human Rights Commission launched a "civility pledge" aimed at curtailing offensive language and speech, statistics show reported hate crimes in Northampton are rare.

NORTHAMPTON -- Citing an "increase in Northampton and around the country of bias motivated name-calling and language that demeans people based on who they are and where they are from," the city's Human Rights Commission is planning to launch a "civility pledge."

All commission members interviewed for this article said they believe bias incidents in Northampton have increased since the 2016 presidential election. 

Commissioner Karen Bellavance-Grace said that "soon after the election in November" the panel convened a meeting and found that many of the commissioners had "heard anecdotally that there had been an increase in people using derogatory language."

"We had heard that there were more incidents of name-calling around Northampton," Commissioner Laurie Loisel said. "It wasn't anything that was in data, it was more anecdotal. There's no way to track those types of things because they're not arrestable."

Northampton Police Chief Jody Kasper, who has expressed approval of the commission's pledge, said in an interview that she agrees with the sentiment that things have changed since the election.

"It's a notable change. We really weren't dealing with stuff like this a year or two ago," she said.  

While there hadn't been any rise in police reports related to bias incidents, Kasper said she heard "disturbing" anecdotes at a number of community meetings at the beginning of the year.

"I think we can all agree as a country that leading up to the election something happened where people all of a sudden felt more comfortable saying things that are hurtful," Kasper said. "Things that maybe used to not be said at all or were said on anonymous comment threads online were all of sudden becoming normalized."

Hate: A not so common crime? 

Derogatory language is not a crime -- in fact, it's protected by the First Amendment. But when offenses like assault or property damage are coupled with perceived bias, they can be considered hate crimes.

The HRC's pledge makes this distinction between speech and action clear, while also warning that the two may be entwined, arguing that "bias incidents" and "acts of hate" may often "escalate into criminal activity."

Yet while there may be an increase in hateful speech throughout the city, Northampton police don't have many encounters with hate-related crimes, according to Capt. John Cartledge.

"We don't take in many reports of actual hate-crimes, but when we do, we take them very seriously," Cartledge said in an interview.

Kasper said she could "count on one hand" the number of hate-related incidents that have been reported to police. 

The department's policy on hate crimes states Northampton police are committed to safeguarding the "rights of all individuals" irrespective of differences. 

Department statistics obtainted by The Republican reveal that only one hate crime has been reported in the city so far this year. That puts Northampton is at a six-year low in terms of the frequency of hate crimes. 

Between Jan. 1 and Aug. 18, the only reported hate crime occurred in June -- a case of assault to intimidate. While police did not provide details on the case, assault to intimidate in Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 265, Section 39, is described as a crime in which the aggressor attacks a person or destroys their property on the basis of their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national origin or disability.

A recent example is the case of city resident James L. McIntyre, who in March pleaded guilty in Northampton District Court to assault to intimidate and a civil rights violation and was sentenced to jail time. According to police, McIntyre drunkenly elbowed a black man in downtown Northampton last year, using a racial slur and saying, "Black lives don't matter."

When compared with other types of crime in Northampton, hate-related incidents are more anomalous than typical. During 2016 the city saw 505 assaults, 828 larcenies and 134 drug crime incidents, but only five instances in which police dubbed an incident hate-related.

Underreported but still prevalent   

Civil rights advocates and analysts say the vast majority of hate crimes are never reported.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics, which releases annual reports on hate crimes in the U.S., stated in a June report that approximately 54 percent of hate crimes from 2011-15 were not reported to police.

The organization also reported that, in the majority of the cases where a crime is not reported, the alleged victim often finds another way of mediating the issue, usually "privately" or through other channels. 

Although the Bureau of Justice Statistics does not have information for 2016-17, it does share some details about trends nationally over roughly the last decade. The report says there was no "statistically significant" shift in hate crimes between 2004 and 2015.

Community dialogue 

Members of the Northampton Human Rights Commission have said the civility pledge is meant to inspire a dialogue.

"We decided to work on this resolution because we wanted to do something to encourage people to be respectful of each other," said Loisel.

"We're trying to encourage civil behavior and exchange and make clear that the city of Northampton is not tolerant of any kind of speech that is unkind and based in bias," said City Councilor Alisa Klein, who has also been involved in drafting the pledge.

Bellavance-Grace acknowledged that Northampton already is a relatively diverse and civil place.

"We're not a perfect community but we have a pretty good culture of civility already present," she said. "We want to lift that up and celebrate that and encourage people to figure out how to disagree with people in ways that are still civil."

The City Council unanimously endorsed the pledge at its Aug. 18 meeting.

Loisel said the commission recently decided the pledge would be launched citywide over the next several months, starting first by contacting a cadre of local businesses, institutions and prominent officials and asking them to sign on.

After garnering support in this way, the HRC is planning a "high visibility" launch that will coincide with Human Rights Day in December, Bellavance-Grace said. 

Aspects of the plan still need to be clarified, however. Loisel said the commission plans to do that at its meeting Sept. 27.

This bar owner said he will offer patriot songs and free food in lieu of National Football League games.

The owner of Leominster bar Monument Tap announced he will not be airing any National Football League games this Sunday in response to players and owners taking a knee during the national anthem.

Owner Mike Cooley said he will not be airing Sunday games in the near future, but instead will be offering patriotic tunes and free food to customers at his Central Street restaurant this Sunday, from 1-4 p.m.

NFL national anthem protests: What New England Patriots players who knelt or stood had to say

"Patriots and the NFL decided to "take a knee" and insult our Veterans and our country," the restaurant's website says in a statement.

"Please join us on Sunday as we host Pat Perla with a great selection of patriotic music along with his regular line up. We will put out complimentary pizza, wings and an American flag for each customer."

AT 9PM: Hear from the Leominster bar owner who plans to not show any NFL games as his own protest of players protesting the anthem. #7News pic.twitter.com/20Ewuba0DW

-- Justin Dougherty (@DoughertyJC) September 26, 2017

The bar owner told WHDH that the football players taking a knee during the national anthem "want to jam it down our throat" and that protests should be held outside of work.

Every NFL game last Sunday reportedly had some kind of demonstration. Before the Patriots game, 17 players kneeled during the national anthem.

The kneeling action is intended to protest the treatment of black people in the United States, but the dramatic increase in kneelers on Sunday occurred in direct response to comments from President Donald Trump, who, during a rally in Alabama last week, referred to any protesting player as a "son of a bitch."

Under story on kneeling New England Patriots, Massachusetts local official Stephen Pina wrote 'dance monkey dance'

Gov. Charlie Baker: Most urgent need is for cash donations to relief organization. Watch video

State Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez has not yet heard from his family in Puerto Rico, and does not know if they are safe.

He knows what everyone else knows: roads are impassable due to mudslides, communication lines are down, some people are living on their roofs to escape the flooding.

"The apocalypse hit Puerto Rico, and Puerto Rico's screaming for help," Sanchez said Monday. "People are worried that their calls won't be heard."

Sanchez, a Boston Democrat, is chairman of the Legislature's powerful budget-writing Committee on Ways and Means. He is trying to make sure the state and U.S. governments are doing all they can to help Puerto Rico in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria. Yet at the same time, he is like any other American with family in the U.S. territory.

Monday morning, Sanchez heard from a friend who lives in the neighborhood with one of the few remaining cell towers in Puerto Rico. The friend's son was going to try to reach the area where Sanchez's father's family lives.

Sanchez asked if the man could look for his family. But he has no idea if the man will be able to find them.

"Puerto Rico isn't like here in Massachusetts," Sanchez said. "People live in the mountains and in the hills and in little hamlets. To tell them take kilometer 38 to kilometer 44 and go up the hill, it's a little difficult to explain to people here."

He continued: "I'm literally taking snapshots on Google maps then drawing on the map on my phone to show people where a few of my family members are."

Even if someone can find the location, Sanchez said the town where his father's family lives was settled in 1517, and there are dirt roads all over. He knows some towns are impossible to get into.

The federal government has sent search and rescue teams to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, including part of a task force team from Massachusetts, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Puerto Rican governor has asked for more help from the U.S. government.

Sanchez said one policy he would like to see the U.S. government implement is a waiver from the Jones Act, which requires that all goods shipped from the mainland U.S. to Puerto Rico be done by U.S.-owned and U.S.-made ships with American crews.

Massachusetts is part of a 50-state Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which organizes assistance between states in cases of disaster. For example, Massachusetts sent a team of nurses and an Emergency Operations Center team to Florida after Hurricane Irma earlier this month.

"We stand ready, as we have with every disaster that's happened since we took office, to respond in whatever way the (Emergency Management Assistance Compact) implies that we should respond," said Gov. Charlie Baker. "That means sending certain kinds of skilled expertise that they either don't have or can't get from somewhere else to Florida or to Houston or Puerto Rico."

Newton Mayor Setti Warren, a Democrat running for governor in 2018, called on Baker to send the Massachusetts National Guard to help out in Puerto Rico.

According to Massachusetts public safety officials, the Emergency Management Assistance Compact is essentially an online matching site, where Puerto Rico can request certain types of assistance and states that have that expertise can bid to send the assistance. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is monitoring Puerto Rico's needs and will bid to send a team if MEMA has a capability that Puerto Rico requests.

The head of the National Association of Emergency Managers sent an email to state emergency managers Monday discouraging governors from visiting Puerto Rico and saying that donations of goods outside of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact are not helpful to recovery efforts.

For now, Baker said the most important thing anyone can do is to send donations of money to the Red Cross or to other organizations that are working on the ground in Puerto Rico. "Cash can be converted quickly into exactly what they're looking for," Baker said.

Goods are less useful right now because it is difficult to dock or store them or to transport things around the island.

Baker said he tried to call Puerto Rican Gov. Ricardo Rossello but has not reached him, since all of Rossello's calls are going through a satellite phone, which is primarily being used to communicate with disaster relief agencies. Rossello's wife is friends with Baker's wife and the two did talk on a satellite phone about the need for cash donations to relief organizations.

On Friday, Baker emailed all 46,000 Massachusetts executive branch employees providing links for monetary donations and sending those people looking for information about family members to the Red Cross' "Safe and Well" website.

"It is important for all of us to remember that our neighbors in Texas, the Gulf Coast, Florida, and now Puerto Rico and the Caribbean will need our help and support long after this hurricane season passes," Baker wrote in the email. "Our thoughts and prayers go to the people of Puerto Rico, Massachusetts' Puerto Rican Community, and anyone else affected by this horrible storm."

Nathaniel Acevedo, 13, suffered massive internal injuries, was not breathing and had no pulse when paramedics arrived, according to the arrest report.

SPRINGFIELD - Joshua A. Cutler was free on bail in a heroin possession case when he allegedly ran down two young pedestrians Sunday night, leaving one with fatal injuries, court documents show.

In a courtroom packed with members of the victim's family, Cutler, 35, pleaded not guilty Monday to one count of leaving the scene of a fatal accident and was ordered held on $35,000 cash bail.

At a prosecutor's request, Springfield District Court Judge Michael Mulcahy also revoked Cutler's release in the open drug possession case and jailed him for 90 days.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Schmidt said additional charges are being considered in connection with the crash that killed 13-year-old Nathaniel Acevedo and injured his 12-year-old companion.

The pair were crossing Breckwood Boulevard around 7:20 p.m. when they were struck by a black Infiniti driven by Cutler, who fled the scene and was arrested about 30 minutes later at his home on Quentin Road, according to Schmidt and the arrest report.

The 13-year-old suffered massive internal injuries, was not breathing and had no pulse when paramedics arrived, according to the report, which said his blood and hair were embedded in the windshield of Cutler's vehicle.

"I was just on my way back to the accident I was involved in," Cutler allegedly told police outside his home. He was sweating profusely and appeared to be under the influence of "an intoxicating substance" other than alcohol, the report said.

Three empty bags of heroin were found in his pocket, police said. Following his arrest, he submitted to blood and urine testing at police headquarters, though the results were not available Monday, the report said.

The arrest was Cutler's second in six months. Late on March 25, Springfield police responding to a security alarm at Dorman Elementary School stopped and searched Cutler as he walked away from the school, court documents show.

Eighteen bundles of heroin with Walking Dead or Terror Squad stamps were found in his pockets, the report said. He was arrested and charged with one count of possession of heroin.

On March 30, he pleaded not guilty to the charge in Springfield District Court and was released on personal recognizance, court records show.

During Monday's hearing, Schmidt asked the judge to revoke Cutler's release in the pending case and set $500,000 bail on the new charge. Defense lawyer Matthew Fleischner asked for $1,000 bail, which drew gasps from relatives of the victim in the gallery.

Mulcahy set bail at $35,000. If Cutler posts the bail, he is barred from driving, must submit to GPS monitoring and drug and alcohol testing, and can leave his home only for work, medical appointments, court hearings and religious services, the judge ruled.

Cutler is a Springfield native and high school graduate.

Although court documents state he is an unemployed machinist, defense lawyer Matthew Fleischner stated in court that he has been employed for the last three months.

He is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on Nov. 13.

The cost of health insurance for the about 1,200 school department employees increased by a total of $1.3 million for the city.

CHICOPEE - Concerned about the large hikes in health insurance costs, city employees are asking officials to consider starting a search for alternate providers.

Officials from unions representing employees for schools, public works, administrators, custodians, fire, police, Chicopee Electric Light and others lined up at the City Council meeting to request a study to be done.

In the past two years the insurance premiums for the about 1,200 school employees represented by the Chicopee Education Association has increased by 21 percent, Charles Clark, association president and a Chicopee High School teacher said.

Health insurance increases have been a concern among all employees and is also a budget buster for the city. The school department, which pays 70 percent of the cost of a single plan and 60 percent of the cost of a family plan, saw an about $1.3 million increase in the amount spent on insurance for employees which is one of the reasons positions had to be cut through attrition and raises were banned this year.

The amount each employee pays for their health insurance varies depending on each union's contract and the type of insurance they have.

Clark with a half-dozen representatives from other unions said they are all working together and asked the City Council to consider going out to bid to hire an independent insurance consultant to help with cost containment.

"We want to look for level services with reduced costs," Clark said.

Brian Kennedy, a representative of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, local 455, which represents Chicopee Electric Light employees, said the city has such a large number of employees that collectively they should be able to find a way to lower the health insurance costs.

"Self-insured is the most cost-effective way to go," Kennedy said.

Representatives also asked for there to be some research into offering "plus one" plans for two people, which are less expensive than a family plan that can cover any number of people.

"The insurance rates are going up quite significantly," said Wendy Hollis, who represents the school nurses, which belong to a different union.

Union representatives said they plan to go to Mayor Richard J. Kos with their request for the study, but asked the City Council for its support first.

The union officials spoke during public input and the issue was not on the agenda so councilors could not discuss or vote on it under the state Open Meeting law.

Reports say nearly 80 percent of the U.S. island's agricultural crops were destroyed during the storm.

As Puerto Rico begins to recover from the devastation left by Hurricane Maria, the island's governor is asking his fellow Americans for help.

"Puerto Rico, which is part of the United States, can turn into a humanitarian crisis," Governor Ricardo A. Rossello said on Monday.

"To avoid that, recognize that we Puerto Ricans are American citizens; when we speak of a catastrophe, everyone must be treated equally."

On Friday night, the Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that Massachusetts sent members of the Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 1 alongside members of the New York Task Force 1 to assist in rescue missions on Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, which were also struck twice by back-to-back hurricanes over the past month.

Nearly all of Puerto Rico lost power after the hurricane, and residents continue to struggle in search of proper food and water. Approximately 80 percent of agriculture value was destroyed in the storm, reports the New York Times, striking an estimated $780 million blow in crop yields. 

Some have criticized the response by the federal government and President Donald Trump as less urgent compared to aid responses in Texas and Florida, following hurricanes there in the last month. 

The White House has challenged those criticisms. On Monday, Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders referred to the federal response to Puerto Rico as "an unprecedented push through of billions of dollars in federal assistance." She said responders are currently focused on lifesaving efforts and are still in a "fact-finding process" to determine what funds are needed. 

On Monday, President Donald Trump sent tweets referring to Puerto Rico's "massive debt...owed to Wall Street and the banks," adding that "food, water and medical are top priorities." 

Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble..

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

...It's old electrical grid, which was in terrible shape, was devastated. Much of the Island was destroyed, with billions of dollars....

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

...owed to Wall Street and the banks which, sadly, must be dealt with. Food, water and medical are top priorities - and doing well. #FEMA

-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

Lawmakers are trying to draft a federal aid bill for Puerto Rico, which, despite housing American citizens, currently lacks any voting representation in the United States. 

The Puerto Rican government has set up a donation page called "United for Puerto Rico," listing everyday items and construction materials most needed on the island.

Firefighters relied on tankers from multiple communities to put out the fire, fueled by railroad ties, that broke out early Monday night.

NORTHFIELD - Firefighters relied on tankers from multiple communities to put out a fire, fueled by railroad ties, that broke out in two open freight cars Monday night.

Fire Chief Skip Dunnell told WWLP he believes that sparks from the locomotive ignited the fire. The two freight cars were right behind the locomotive.

The burning train reportedly stopped at the River Road crossing shortly after 6:30 p.m. Tankers were called in from Gill, Erving, Bernardston and Vernon, Vermont.

Dunnell said the train, bound for Maine, continued on its way after the blaze was extinguished.

Boston Police Department spent nearly $20,000 to acquire three police drones in January but have yet to put the machines to use.

Boston Police Department spent nearly $20,000 to acquire three police drones in January but have yet to put the machines to use. 

The ACLU of Massachusetts obtained BPD documents detailing the purchases after a recent citizen complaint reported seeing a drone test flight in Jamaica Plain, reports The Boston Globe.

Boston Police Lieutenant Detective Michael McCarthy told the paper the department has not yet put the machines to official use, but considers them potential means to "photograph and capture an aerial view of a crime scene."

"If we get to that point, community input and discussions will precede any decision to use this technology," he added, according to The Globe. 

Civil rights organizations like the ACLU warn of the potential of these machines to violate privacy rights and make fluid the requirement of probable cause in the investigation of crimes, without judicial oversight and regulation. 

The drone test, conducted outside Mildred C. Hailey Apartments, according to The Globe, did in fact occur, but BPD adamantly told the paper the drones were not in use and residents should have been notified of the brief excursion. 

Many states have and continue to pass laws regarding the use of unmanned police machines. Bills filed in Massachusetts so far ban both use of facial recognition technology on drones and ban the targeting of particular political, religious, or social groups with drones.

he bills come in all denominations. They look like the real thing save for what appears to be pink Asian writing that appears prominently on them, according to a post on the department's Facebook page.

GREENFIELD -- Police warn of a rash of counterfeit bills circulating in the community.

The bills come in all denominations. They look like the real thing save for what appears to be pink Asian writing that appears prominently on them, according to a post on the department's Facebook page.

Detective Sgt. Daniel McCarthy reports he has been getting three or more reports of them surfacing at local businesses and banks who accepted them as cash.

Those with information are asked to contact McCarthy at 413-773-5411, Ext. 1305, or mccarthyd@greenfieldpd.org.

The head of Equifax is leaving the company following a massive data breach.

The head of Equifax is leaving the company following a massive data breach. 

Richard F. Smith, the chairman and chief executive of Equifax, has stepped down, the credit reporting agency said Tuesday. Smith had been Equifax's CEO since 2005.

From mid-May to June of this year, hackers exploited a software flaw and gained access to credit card numbers, people's names, social security numbers, addresses, driver's license numbers and birth dates. The personal information of up to 143 million people was compromised.

The data breach remains under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. 

A Brockton official has resigned after writing "dance monkey dance" on a comment about New England Patriots protestors.

A member of the Parks and Recreation Commission in Brockton has resigned after posting a controversial comment on a Facebook post about the New England Patriots' National Anthem protest.

Stephen Pina, a Brockton native who has worked on the commission for the past several years, resigned after commenting on a Boston 25 Facebook post about the 17 New England Patriots players who kneeled during the national anthem on Sunday at their home game against the Houston Texans.

Pina allegedly wrote: "Turds, your dumbass isn't paid to think about politics... dance monkey dance."

Under story on kneeling New England Patriots, Massachusetts town official Stephen Pina wrote 'dance monkey dance'

"It was not meant to be a racist comment, and if it was taken as such that's regrettable," Pina said when asked by The Brockton Enterprise. 

Pina resigned after Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter asked for his resignation.