Catherine Marier was ordered to stay away from the First Congregational Church.
File photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanThe steeple of the First Church of Monson lies in ruins on the lawn of the church the day after three devastating tornadoes hit Western and Central Massachusetts.
PALMER - A Bumstead Road woman has denied charges in Palmer District Court after Monson police said she and her daughter posed as tornado victims in order to obtain $600 worth of free items from the First Church of Monson.
Catherine F. Marier, 71, of 110 Bumstead Road, was charged with two counts of attempt to commit a crime in connection with a June incident at the church, which was providing various items for free for tornado victims.
Marier was released on her own recognizance by Judge Michael Mulcahy at her arraignment on Tuesday, and was ordered to stay away from the church.
She returns to court for a pretrial conference on Oct. 3, the day that her daughter, Wendy Dion, 51, of the same address, is due to be arraigned on the same charges.
According to the narrative provided by Monson Police Detective Kristen M. Marciniec in the court file, a volunteer at the church approached an officer after suspecting that the mother and daughter were not tornado victims.
Bumstead Road was not affected by the June 1 tornado that decimated parts of town, and volunteers became suspicious when they were provided with that address.
Volunteers loaded their pick-up truck with three shade canopies, toiletries, a microwave, refrigerator, a table top grill, water, Gatorade, cleaning supplies, flashlights, batteries, work gloves and tarps.
The pick-up truck was unloaded before Marier and Dion could leave with the items, Marciniec's narrative stated.
When police arrived at the home on June 9, a man at the residence said they didn't have any tornado damage, but lost power.
Marier told police that she heard on the news that the church was giving away free items to Monson residents, Marciniec's statement said.
Marciniec said the items are for tornado victims only.
A volunteer at the church that day, Caitria O'Neill, also provided a statement, saying the women were "complaining and mumbling" once the items were taken away. O'Neill wrote that they were told that they could come back for the items once they could provide more proof of their need.
This marks the third incident involving people posing as tornado victims to obtain items from the church.
Judge Cornelius Moriarty imposed a 30-day committed sentence on the disorderly conduct charge and continued the felony charge without a finding for a period of five years.
NORTHAMPTON – Timothy Strader, 47, of Westhampton, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Hampshire Superior Court to charges stemming from an armed standoff with state and local police in the early morning hours of Feb. 19 on King Street in Northampton.
Strader displayed an unloaded firearm to Massachusetts State Police Trooper Steven Larocco after Larocco pulled him over for speeding.
Larocco called for backup, and a 45 minute standoff ensued as police tried to persuade Strader to drop the weapon and surrender. During the standoff, Strader yelled that he was having a “bad night” and told the police that they were going to have a “bad night” as well.
After holding the firearm to his temple for several minutes, Strader eventually dropped the weapon and was taken into custody.
Strader pleaded guilty to indictments charging him with assault by means of a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct.
Judge Cornelius Moriarty imposed a 30-day committed sentence on the disorderly conduct charge and continued the felony charge without a finding for a period of five years, during which time Strader will be on supervised probation with conditions and requirements.
The authority owes city agencies either less than $1 million or more than $2 million, depending which official is arguing.
Republican file photoHolyoke Geriatric Authority
HOLYOKE – Mayor Elaine A. Pluta has called a special meeting of the City Council for Thursday at 6 p.m. at City Hall to discuss issues related to the Holyoke Geriatric Authority.
The reason for the meeting is to discuss a councilor’s order that a hearing be held to discuss removal of the authority board of directors regarding the facility’s more than $2 million owed to city agencies.
Other councilors and agencies also have sought ways to pressure the authority regarding its unpaid bills.
The Retirement Board on Sept. 20 is scheduled to consider a plan to make taxpayers responsible for $449,000 in delinquent payments.
The authority’s unpaid retirement appropriations go back to 2008, said Daniel R. Owens, Retirement Board executive director.
State law requires that entities such as the authority and the city make contributions according to a schedule to ensure retired employees’ pensions get funded.
Officials have said the authority is current on pension payments made from employee payroll deductions, but has problems making its own pension contributions.
Also, the City Council on Aug. 2 referred to the state attorney general an order from Ward 6 Councilor Todd A. McGee. McGee questioned whether the board violated the state Open Meeting Law in deliberations about a new contract last year for Executive Director Sheryl Y. Quinn.
Quinn hasn’t returned calls seeking comment. Authority board member Steven J. Kravetz said last week Quinn’s yearly salary is about $90,000 and all board discussions and votes on the contract were done properly.
Part of the contract calls for Quinn to get $500 a month, or $6,000 a year, in an “automobile allotment.” Kravetz said that was a standard payment for such administrators.
Ward 5 Councilor Linda L. Vacon filed an order at the Aug. 2 meeting because she said authority board members have failed to acknowledge the money owed to city agencies.
Bills consist of more than $810,000 in health insurance costs, more than $450,000 to the Holyoke Gas and Electric Department, more than $200,000 in city overpayment for authority property in 2007 and retirement costs.
Authority officials argue they are hindered by federal reimbursements that cover only 75 percent of costs, leaving the authority to try to account for the remaining 25 percent.
They say the debt is less than $1 million. They say they are seeking payment plans. And they contest whether the authority is responsible for the health insurance costs for retired authority employees and for the property expense.
The authority is a nursing home at 45 Lower Westfield Road with more than 120 employees, 80 beds and 80 daycare slots for senior citizens.
The authority became a quasi-official city agency in 1971, with the City Council appointing three board members, the mayor appointing three and those six voting a seventh.
The authority board consists of Chairman Joseph T. O’Neill, Helen Arnold, John P. Counter, Charles F. Glidden, Raymond P. Murphy Jr., Jacqueline Watson and Kravetz.
Hegarty said she was in a daze the night of the stabbing and didn’t give police a description of the suspect.
File photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanEric B. Denson, left, of Springfield, is seen in Springfield District Court during his arraignment in March with his court-appointed lawyer Harry L.Miles. He is accused of stabbing Cathedral High School athlete Conor Reynolds to death.
SPRINGFIELD – Danielle Hegarty testified in court Wednesday she saw the man who pushed Conor W. Reynolds against a wall of the Blue Fusion nightclub in March 2010, becoming the first witness in six days of testimony to identify the murder suspect by face rather than by clothing.
The identification of Eric B. Denson, 22, of Springfield, as the suspect in the stabbing death of Reynolds has been the subject of a hearing last week and Wednesday in Hampden Superior Court.
Denson’s lawyers contend police secured a dozen faulty identifications of their client as the suspect by using a still photograph from a nearby surveillance camera to present to some witnesses. The photograph did not show the individual’s face, they said. The district attorney said nothing improper was done in using the surveillance photograph of Denson.
While other witnesses have testified that the attacker was wearing the same clothing as the man in the photograph, Hegarty said she saw the man’s face. Hegarty said she saw a man push Reynolds against the wall with one hand and with his other hand deliver what she first thought was a punch.
Hegarty said, “Conor was holding his neck. He walked out slowly.” Hegarty stayed inside the club because she thought more fights would happen outside.
While on the witness stand she picked out Denson as the man she saw assault Reynolds at an overcrowded birthday party at the club March 13, 2010.
She said she first saw a “big commotion” between “a group of kids” including a number of her friends from Cathedral High School.
Hegarty, who was friends with 18-year-old Cathedral High School soccer standout Reynolds, said she got a good look at the side view of the stabber, and noticed he had a prominent jawbone.
Denson’s lawyers are challenging whether she was led by media, friends and police to pick out Denson as the killer. Denson’s murder trial begins Oct. 3.
Hegarty did not identify Denson until two weeks ago when she was asked to meet with police, at the behest of Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni.
Hegarty said she talked to a police officer while she was waiting at Baystate Medical Center, where the fatally stabbed Reynolds and another injured friend were brought the night of the attack.
She said, “I was in a bit of a daze;” that’s why she didn’t give police a description.
She said she never contacted police to offer information, even when she saw Denson’s picture on news outlets. At one point during her testimony Hegarty said when she first saw Denson’s picture on the news she was 75 to 80 percent sure it was the man she had seen assault Reynolds.
Hegarty said her identification of Denson in court Wednesday – as he sat at the defense table with his lawyers – was based on her memory from that night “but I’ve also seen his picture many times and that helped me say that’s him.”
Hegarty was the last witness in six days of hearings before Judge Peter A. Velis.
Defense lawyers Harry L. Miles and Bonnie G. Allen are asking Velis to throw out the identifications of Denson made by 12 people who were at the party.
The judge gave Mastroianni and Miles until Sept. 6 to submit written arguments of their positions; oral arguments will be Sept. 12. Velis will then decide what testimony he will allow in the trial.
Velis said he wants to keep things on track for the Oct. 3 trial date.
“I think it’s going to be difficult to get a jury,” he said; he then said some of his past predictions of length of jury selection have proved wrong.
Neither CBS nor the late night talk show host have commented on the report.
Associated PressTelevision talk show host David Letterman
CBS Late night talk show host David Letterman has been targeted by extremists after making jokes about the death of al-Quaida leaders.
A violently worded post popped up on an extremist networking site frequented by al-Qaida, according to SITE Intelligence Group, a private company that monitors the Interent for possible terrorist activity.
A SITE analyst described the Shumukh-al-Islam website as a "clearing house for al-Qaida material" and told EW.com that they perceived the diatribe against Letterman was "a more explicit threat" than the one aimed at "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone after they depicted the prophet Muhammad over the course of two episodes in 2009.
E! reported that the posting called, in part, to "cut the tongue of this lowly Jew and shut it forever... He showed his evil nature and deep hatred for Islam and Muslims, and said that (senior al Quaid member) Ilyas Kashmiri was killed and he joined (Osama) bin Laden... We ask Allah to paralyze his tongue and grant the sincere monotheists his neck."
Neither CBS nor Letterman, who is not Jewish, have commented on the threat.
Don Borrelli, former assistant special agent in charge of the FBI-NYPD joint terrorism task force, and senior vice president with security firm the Soufan Group, told the New York Daily News that the rhetoric is no joke.
"In general, you cannot write any of these off as a non-viable threat. These Internet threats have been a rallying cry to 'have the guy's head,'" Borelli said. "If I am the guy targeted in one of those things, I would be taking it seriously and hunker down."
McCarthy rejected a second application by Springfield police officer Michael Sedergren to charge a private citizen with illegal wiretapping for videotaping the alleged beating of a motorist.
Some of the people involved in the Melvin Jones III wiretapping case include, clockwise from top left, Tyrishia Greene, MacAnthony Mack, Joanne McCarthy and Melvin Jones.
CHICOPEE - A Springfield police officer was denied a criminal complaint against a woman who videotaped him standing by as a colleague allegedly brutally beat a black motorist with a flashlight during a traffic stop in 2009.
Sedergren filed an application for a criminal charge against Greene for videotaping the Nov. 27, 2009, alleged beating of Melvin Jones III, through her window on Rifle Street.
State law prevents secret audiotaping. However, there must be an expectation of privacy to fall within the law, according to Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni.
Assistant Clerk Magistrate Joanne M. McCarthy rejected the application after a short closed-door hearing. The Republican unsuccessfully petitioned to open the hearing to the public. McCarthy denied the petition based on Sedergren’s objection, according to those present.
Sedergren was among a group of white officers who stood by as now-retired and now-fired Patrolman Jeffrey M. Asher apparently bludgeoned Jones with his police-issued flashlight, according to witnesses.
The police report stated Jones, who had a criminal record that has continued to grow since the incident, grabbed one of the officer’s gun. There has never been evidence to substantiate that during court proceedings thus far, however.
Sedergren declined to comment outside the hearing.
Jones said during a previous interview that he tried to wheel away from Asher after Asher grabbed him roughly by the back of his pants after police pulled over his cousin’s car in which he was a passenger. Asher and his lawyer has argued he only used enough force to subdue Jones during the stop.
Medical records state nearly every bone in Jones’ face was broken, teeth were knocked out and he was left partially blinded in one eye.
Asher was charged criminally in connection with the incident; he also was fired a day after he received a stress-related disability pension from the state. Sedergren and two other officers involved were suspended over the alleged beating. No criminal charges were filed against them.
Jones ducked drug charges related to the traffic stop, but since that arrest he has been charged with shoplifting, domestic assault and cocaine trafficking in separate cases. He is being held without the right to bail.
Greene, whose lawyer said she has so far refused to give any statements, said the complaint Sedergren filed was misguided and based on a faulty interpretation of the wiretapping statute.
“We expected a fair hearing and we received one,” David B. Kelly said outside the courtroom on Wednesday. “We felt as though there was no evidence against Ms. Greene for wiretapping.”
Had McCarthy opted to issue the complaint, Mastroianni said he likely would not have prosecuted the case at any rate.
“I’m leaving the door open if there is more evidence presented to me, but as I understand the facts now, this case falls far short of the wiretapping statute,” he said.
MacAnthony Mack, 41, was visiting Greene at her home the night she shot the video out her window into the darkness with a video camera that was brand new to her.
Greene provided an animated, expletive-filled soundtrack to the film as the scene unfolded, while Mack predicted on the tape that it would be a “Rodney King” incident soon after the officers and Jones poured into the frame.
Mack also received a summons in late July to face a wiretapping charge sought by Sedergren. McCarthy rejected that application as well.
“The area it was in, the lighting .¤.¤. the number and color of the officers. It was just a recipe for disaster,” said Mack, who sat outside the hearing on Wednesday to learn its outcome.
Jones has a federal civil rights lawsuit pending in U.S. District Court. That complaint alleges that Sedergren kicked Jones in the groin and back during the incident and called him a racial expletive.
Kelly said Greene may reconsider her previous inclination to avoid statements to law enforcement.
“These continued hearings don’t help matters,” Kelly said.
Mayor candidates said the clambake is an event they must attend if running for office.
AGAWAM – Candidates running for mayor this November mingled with candidates considering running for U.S. Senate next year at Hampden Sheriff Michael J. Ashe Jr. 34th clambake at Six Flags picnic grove.
Ashe even proposed there may be a potential governor’s candidate in 2014 when Lt. Gov. Timothy P. Murray arrived. Murray said it was too soon to consider a run.
“He understands the issues of our urban area,” Ashe said. “He will be, in my opinion, the next governor of this state.”
There were plenty of other announced candidates shaking hands and meeting people at the clambake that traditionally attracts several thousand people, many of them local politicians.
With mayoral races in six Western Massachusetts cities, candidates for those seats were everywhere.
Springfield mayoral challengers Antonette E. Pepe and Jose F. Tosado attended. Holyoke Mayor Elaine A. Pluta and one of her three opponents, Alex B. Morse, was there. Chicopee Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette attended. His challenger, Gary R. Lefebvre, did not.
“If you are running for office, you have to be here,” said former state Rep. Rosemary Sandlin who jumped into the Agawam mayor’s race this month.
One of her opponents, Mayor Richard A. Cohen, also attended. The two are being challenged by Walter A. Meissner III.
“It is awesome,” Cohen said. “It is a time when you can meet with so many people and groups, and you can get a lot of work done informally.”
Also attending were state-wide office holders including Secretary of State William F. Galvin, Auditor Suzanne Bump, Treasurer Steven Grossman. Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni was seen sharing a laugh with his predecessor William J. Bennett.
Ashe said he continues the picnic partly to thank the community for supporting his programs, which help released inmates find jobs and return to the community. Because of those efforts, the recidivism rate has dropped from 30.1 percent to the current 19.6 percent.
He also thanked the more than 150 volunteers who helped shuttle guests and serve food.
Newton Mayor Setti Warren, one of six declared Democratic candidates who plans to run against freshman Republican Sen. Scott Brown next year, spent hours at the clambake. Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren, who is considering a run, did not attend.
“It is a great tradition, and I look forward to talking and listening to a lot of people,” Warren said.
State Rep. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, also attended. Even as the Legislature’s Special Joint Committee on Redistricting is considering his seat as the one that will be cut in the state, he said he isn’t concerned about losing his job.
“The committee is doing its job. There is no sense worrying about it,” he said.
The Police Department is bursting at the seams, the Public Works Department's highway garage is in a flood zone, and the high school tennis courts are in such disrepair that they can no longer be used.
Charles T. Blanchard
PALMER - Interim Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard expects to bring more information to the Town Council regarding the cost of a new police station and public works facility, adding that spring would be the earliest that a debt exclusion to fund the projects would come before voters.
Preliminary numbers indicate that it would cost anywhere from $6 million to $8 million for a new, 14,000-square-foot or 19,000-square-foot police station, and $4.8 million to $6 million for a new, 20,000-square-foot or 25,000-square-foot Public Works Department.
A $10.8 million police-DPW project would be built to last 20 years, whereas a $14 million combination project would be built to last 30 years. Blanchard presented the figures at a recent Town Council meeting, after councilors asked him to gather information about new police and public works facilities, as well as high school tennis courts.
If the debt exclusion passed, the tax impact on the average home valued at $184,500 would be an extra $234 annually. That would be the tax impact for a 20-year project, according to preliminary estimates.
The first task would be allocating money for a feasibility study and schematic designs, Blanchard said. That could cost anywhere from $40,000 to $70,000 and could be pulled from so-called "free cash" (unexpended funds from the treasury) or the stabilization account, he said.
"At some point we need to have a debt exclusion," Blanchard said. "It's long overdue. The projects are needed."
Blanchard recently toured the police station with Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk, who has long advocated for new quarters for his staff and calls the current building "deplorable."
"I don't think anybody can argue that they don't need the buildings," Frydryk said, referring to not only the police, but highway as well.
The police station, which is located in the Town Building in Main Street, has 2,000-square-feet of space. Frydryk said the space is cramped, and prisoners are booked in the department's hallway.
Land behind the police station was purchased years ago with the intent that the police would expand, but voters twice defeated debt exclusion proposals that would have funded a new police station, in 2001 and 2002.
After the defeat at the polls, the police got a trailer to attach to the building, to provide more room. That was only supposed to last five years.
The highway garage sits in a flood zone and was underwater during the 2005 flood; it also is cramped for space.
A new Public Works Department would be built on town-owned land at Burleigh Park off Old Warren Road. Besides highway, the Public Works Department also includes the cemetery and parks divisions, as well as recreation.
The incident may be related to a similar one that occurred overnight in Springfield
EAST LONGMEADOW – Police are probing a so-called “smash and dash” break-in Thursday morning at a North Main Street package store.
Sgt. Patrick Manley said one or more suspects broke the front window at City Line Package Store shortly before 7 a.m. and made off with beer, wine and liquor.
The incident may be related to a similar one that occurred overnight in Springfield’s Sixteen Acres neighborhood, Manley said.
Those with information on the City Line break-in are asked to call police at (413) 525-5440.
Travel on narrow Monroe Street has been a long-standing issue.
WESTFIELD - City officials will look at traffic conditions on Monroe Street with an eye towards possibly making it a one-way street.
Police Chief John A. Camerota will inspect conditions on Monroe Street, a short street between Chapel and Thomas streets, in the city's downtown area, and "determine the best alternative" to concerns that the road is too narrow to continue to support two-way traffic.
Ward 3 City Councilor Peter J. Miller Jr., who represents that section of the city, said this week he supports changing the street to one-way traffic in support of residents' concerns there.
"It is too congested," said Miller, adding that location of students from Westfield State University to downtown housing at Lansdown Place on Thomas Street will add to the problem. The college will assign as many as 216 students to the housing complex this fall.
Miller's suggested solution is to make Monroe Street one-way travel from Chapel Street towards Thomas Street. Chapel Street is already one-way from Elm Street.
"The street is too tight now and, sinse we want to preserve parking on both sides of the street, it should be made one-way," Miller said.
Travel on Monroe Street has "been a long-standing issue" before the location of the university students in the downtown, the councilor added.
The police chief said once his review is complete, a recommendation will be sent to the Traffic Commission for consideration.
The college first began assigning students to Lansdown earlier this year as part of its commitment to support revitalization of Westfield's downtown.
Currently the city is involved in a reconstruction project at the Thomas Street off-street parking lot which has also added to traffic woes on Monroe Street.
She was indicted last week on a charge of conspiracy to harbor and conceal a fugitive, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of five years.
Associated PressThis courtroom sketch depicts Catherine Greig, second from right, longtime girlfriend of former crime boss James "Whitey" Bulger, during a hearing before Magistrate Judge Jennifer Boal, right, in a federal courtroom in Boston Monday, July 11, 2011. Her attorney, Kevin Reddington, second from left, and her sister Margaret McCusker, left, also are depicted. Greig is charged with harboring a fugitive.
BOSTON — James "Whitey" Bulger's girlfriend, who is accused of helping the reputed former crime boss elude authorities during 16 years on the run together, will not cooperate with law enforcement authorities in their case against him, her lawyer said Thursday.
Catherine Greig's lawyer, Kevin Reddington, made the remark after Greig pleaded not guilty in federal court to a charge of conspiracy to harbor and conceal a fugitive.
Prosecutors say Greig actively helped Bulger escape capture, but her attorney says she was in love with Bulger and wasn't aware of the extent of Bulger's alleged crimes when she fled with him in 1995. Bulger is accused of participating in 19 murders while heading up Boston's notorious Winter Hill Gang.
The couple was apprehended in Santa Monica, Calif., in June, more than 16 years after Bulger fled.
When asked by reporters whether Greig would cooperate with authorities against Bulger, Redding said, "Not while I'm representing her."
"She's going to trial on the case — that's it," he said.
Greig entered her not guilty plea during a brief appearance in U.S. District Court. The charge carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.
Greig has been jailed since she and Bulger were captured. She agreed to be voluntarily detained while her attorneys gather information to support her request to be released on bail, including real estate appraisals for two properties Greig plans to use as collateral — her house and her twin sister's house.
During her arraignment, Reddington told U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer Boal that he is still working on documents to support her bail request.
"I think she's an excellent bail candidate," Reddington told reporters after the hearing.
When asked what's changed since Greig fled with Bulger 16 years ago, Reddington said Greig wants to be with her sister and move on with her life.
"Where's she going to go? Where's the incentive to take off?" Reddington said.
Greig smiled at her sister, Margaret McCusker, seated in the front row of the courtroom, as she was led in and again as she left.
She is due back in court for a status conference on Sept. 29.
Obama will issue his call in a written statement on Thursday morning, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will echo the language soon after in an on-camera appearance. The administration will also slap new sanctions on Syria to bolster Obama's move.
In this photo taken Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011, released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad addresses a meeting for the central committee of the Baath party in Damascus, Syria. A senior U.S. administration official told the Associated Press that President Barack Obama will demand on Thursday that Syrian President Bashar Assad resign for unleashing a sustained assault against his people. (AP Photo/SANA) EDITORIAL USE ONLY
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Thursday will make his first explicit call for Syrian President Bashar Assad to resign, a senior administration official said, as international pressure mounted for the embattled leader to leave power over the brutal repression of his people.
Obama will issue his call in a written statement on Thursday morning, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will echo the language soon after in an on-camera appearance. The administration will also slap new sanctions on Syria to bolster Obama's move.
Until now, the administration had said Assad had lost all credibility to rule with his ruthless crackdown on pro-reform demonstrators. The administration notified its Arab and European allies on Wednesday that Obama was going further and that an announcement was imminent.
Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
Although the officials acknowledged the move is not likely to have any immediate impact on the Syrian regime's behavior, they said it would send a powerful signal that Assad is no longer welcome in the international community. And they noted that the additional sanctions would further boost pressure on Assad and his inner circle.
As Syrian protesters have called for an end to his regime, Assad has unleashed tanks and ground troops in an attempt to retake control in rebellious areas. The military assault has escalated dramatically since the start of the holy month of Ramadan in August, with Assad's forces killing hundreds and detaining thousands.
The administration had planned to make the announcement last week but postponed it largely at the request of Syria's neighbor Turkey, which asked for more time to try to convince Assad to reform, and because Clinton and other officials argued it was important to build a global consensus that Assad must go. Clinton on Tuesday publicly questioned the effectiveness of the United States acting alone.
"It is not going to be any news if the United States says Assad needs to go," she said. "OK, fine, what's next? If other people say it, if Turkey says it, if (Saudi) King Abdullah says it, there is no way the Assad regime can ignore it."
Since then, however, the coordination strategy appears to have borne fruit.
Ahead of the U.S. announcement, a high-level U.N. human rights team in Geneva said Thursday that Syria's crackdown "may amount to crimes against humanity" and should be referred to the International Criminal Court. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay is expected on Thursday afternoon to urge the U.N. Security Council to make that referral
The investigators say they found "a pattern of human rights violations that constitutes widespread or systematic attacks against the civilian population." In their report, they said they had compiled a confidential list of 50 alleged perpetrators at "various levels" of Assad's government. Syria insists it is rooting out terrorists but rights groups accuse Syrian troops of killing more than 1,800 civilians since mid-March.
Jordan's foreign minister said Thursday that his country is "angered" and "extremely worried" by the killings of civilians in Syria and Switzerland recalled its ambassador. A day earlier, Tunisia recalled its ambassador from Syria, following the lead of several other Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, that the U.S. has been lobbying to show displeasure with Assad.
Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday has compared Assad to Libya's Moammar Gadhafi for refusing to heed calls to change. Turkey has joined calls for Gadhafi to leave power and Erdogan said Wednesday he had personally spoken to Assad and sent his foreign minister to Damascus, but "despite all of this, they are continuing to strike civilians."
In New York on Wednesday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon spoke to Assad demanding the immediate end of all military operations and mass arrests. In response, Assad said military and police operations had stopped, according to a U.N. statement said.
But the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which documents anti-regime protests, said Thursday that Syrian troops had shot dead nine people in the central city of Homs on Wednesday night. Another rights group said Assad's crackdown also killed nine people elsewhere in Syria on Wednesday.
Fontaine still faces 6 counts of assault by means of a dangerous weapon in connection with the incident.
umarex.comFontaine allegedly brandished a Baby Desert Eagle BB gun during the standoff.
SPRINGFIELD - Palmer police officer Scott Camilleri was legally justified in the July 4 shooting of 17-year-old Shawn Fontaine, Hampden County District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni said in a statement released Thursday morning.
Officers responding to a Pinney Street home that evening found Fontaine standing outside, holding a BB gun that officers initially believed was a semi-automatic handgun. A standoff ensued, with officers asking Fontaine multiple times to drop the weapon. Camilleri shot Fontaine once in the abdomen as the teenager approached the officers, still holding the gun. When Fontaine got up and continued his advance toward the officers, Camilleri fired a second shot that struck Fontaine in the ankle.
"Fontaine had armed himself before he had arrived at the residence with criminal intent to use the weapon," Mastroianni said in a press release. "He knew that his weapon looked like a firearm, and he maintained it drawn throughout his encounter with police, giving the clear impression he was going to fire it."
None of the officers involved in the standoff will face criminal charges, Mastroianni said.
Fontaine faces six counts of assault by means of a dangerous weapon -- a Magnum Research Baby Desert Eagle BB gun -- and one count of carrying a dangerous weapon in connection with the incident. He is scheduled for a pre-trial conference in Palmer District Court on Aug. 25.
Camilleri had been placed on administrative leave pending the completion of Mastroianni's investigation, Palmer Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk said in July. “This is not a punitive action, but is standard police procedure of an incident of this type,” Frydryk said.
This is a developing story. Details will be added as our reporting continues today. Read District Attorney Mastroianni's full statement below.
SPRINGFIELD – The Friends of Mater Dolorosa in Holyoke plan to conduct another prayer vigil Thursday night outside the chancery of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield on Elliot Street.
The vigil will begin at 6:30 p.m.
About 60 members of the group attended a similar vigil at the chancery on July 21, seeking a meeting with the Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, bishop of the diocese.
The Friends of Mater Dolorosa have been holding a continuous vigil in the church since June 30 in protest of the bishop’s decision, based on declining attendance and other factors, to close the church and merge the parish with the former Holy Cross. Masses are held at the former Holy Cross’ church, now Our Lady of the Cross.
Mark Dupont, spokesman for the diocese, said Thursday that McDonnell will not meet with the protesters until they leave the church and apologize for their behavior.
“We don’t believe this unlawful occupation and the disharmony they have created within the community has earned them the right to make any demands,” Dupont said. “Certainly, once they have relinquished this vigil we are more than willing to consider any requests they have made through the parish.”
Victor Anop, a spokesman for the group, has said they will stop the vigil if the bishop agrees to reopen Mater Dolorosa and hold one Mass a week in Polish and one in English.
WILBRAHAM - Police have issued a citation to an 82-year-old woman whose vehicle allegedly struck a motorcyclist on Boston Road Wednesday morning.
The victim, Michael V. Critelli, 53, of 41 Dubois St., Springfield, was listed in fair condition at Baystate Medical Center Thursday morning, a hospital spokesman said.
Police said the accident occurred shortly before 8 a.m. near Woodcrest Condominiums at 2205 Boston Road. Critelli was riding east on Boston Road when he was struck by Mildred Colapietro, 82, who was making a left turn out of the condominiums.
Police Officer John Siniscalchi said he issued a citation against Colapietro for failure to yield to oncoming traffic at an intersection.
Siniscalchi said that he also issued a citation against Critelli for failure to wear a helmet that meets U.S. Department of Transportation standards.
The police officer, who performs accident reconstructions for the department, said the impact of the crash threw Critelli about 30 feet and that his injuries included trauma to the back of his head.
“I believe that if he were wearing a certified helmet that would not have happened,” Siniscalchi said of Critelli’s head injury.
Both citations, issued for civil motor vehicle infractions, carry a $35 penalty. Siniscalchi said.
Certified helmets are marked as such inside and on the back, Siniscalchi said.
Colapietro’s car, a 2010 Honda Civic, sustained front-end damage and had to be towed from the scene. Colapietro, who lives at Woodcrest Condominiums, was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, Siniscalchi said.
Siniscalchi said the intersection can be dangerous. It’s not, however, illegal to make a left turn from the condominiums onto Boston Road, he said
The collapse at 534 South Bridge St. was reported late Thursday morning.
Photo by John Suchocki / The Republican Deputy Fire Chief Timothy Moran, in ladder at right, looks over damage resulting from a partial building collapse at 534 South Bridge St. Thursday morning.
HOLYOKE - No injuries were reported following the partial roof collapse of an apartment building on South Bridge Street Thursday morning.
“Police and fire are down there right now,” Sgt. David M. O’Connell said of the building at 532 and 534 South Bridge St., early Thursday afternoon.
Lt. Thomas Paquin, spokesman for the Holyoke Fire Department said more than 30 families were evacuated.
“If you look at the sidewalk and see the piles of bricks on it, it’s amazing that nobody got hurt,” Paquin said, adding that several vehicles parked in front of the building were damaged by falling debris.
Paquin said that tenants from 530 and 542 South Bridge were also evacuated, as a precaution, following the late morning collapse and will likely be allowed back into their homes later Thursday.
In the United States, more people joined the unemployment line last week than a week earlier.
Associated Press photoSpecialist Philip Finale, left, directs trades at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Thursday.
NEW YORK — More signs of economic weakness triggered a global sell-off in stocks Thursday. The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 400 points in a return to the wild swings in the market last week.
In the United States, there were reports that more people joined the unemployment line last week than a week earlier, gasoline prices contributed to higher inflation and manufacturing slowed in the mid-Atlantic.
In Europe, bank stocks slid on worries about the region's debt problems. In Asia, Japan's exports fell for the fifth straight month.
The U.S. and European economies are "dangerously close to recession," Morgan Stanley economists wrote in a report. "It won't take much in the form of additional shocks to tip the balance."
STOCK MARKETS
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The Dow Jones industrial average was down 409 points, or 3.6 percent, to 11,001 at noon. The Dow was down by as much as 528 points about a half-hour into trading.
The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 46 points, or 3.9 percent, to 1,147. The Nasdaq composite fell 105, or 4.2 percent, to 2,406.
Last week was one of the wildest in Wall Street history. The Dow moved more than 400 points on four straight days for the first time.
But stocks had been relatively stable this week because investors were calmed by strong earnings reports. The Dow had fallen 76 points Tuesday and risen four points Wednesday — the first time this month that the average rose or fell by less than 100 points on two straight days.
That ended Thursday. And with stocks down big, money flooded into U.S. Treasurys and gold, both considered safer investments.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury note briefly fell below 2 percent for the first time, before recovering to 2.07 percent. Low yields show that investors are willing to accept a lower return on their money in exchange for safety. Demand for government debt has stayed high, and yields low, even after Standard & Poor's stripped the United States of its top credit rating.
Gold rose $26.30 per ounce to $1,820.30 after earlier climbing to a record of $1,829.70. That's up from $1,400 at the start of the year and more than double the price several years ago. The price of gold has set one record after another, with some investors looking for stability and others simply looking to cash in.
The Morgan Stanley economists cut their forecast for growth in developed economies this year to 1.5 percent from 1.9 percent. Over the past 20 years, growth for developed economies has been closer to 2.3 percent.
Among the disappointing U.S. economic news:
• 408,000 people applied for unemployment benefits last week, up from 399,000 the week before and the most in four weeks.
• Inflation at the consumer level rose 0.5 percent in July, the highest since March. It had fallen 0.2 percent in June.
• Manufacturing has sharply weakened in the Philadelphia region, according to a report from the Federal Reserve. Manufacturing had been one of the economy's strongest industries since the recession ended in 2009, but its growth has slowed this year.
• The National Association of Realtors said the number of people who bought previously occupied homes dropped in July for the third time in four months.
The fresh signs of economic weakness underscore the challenge for the Federal Reserve as it tries to help the economy with prices rising and the job market weak, said Jack Ablin, chief investment officer at Harris Private Bank.
"Every time the economy got the sniffles, we had the Federal Reserve standing by with tissues," Ablin said. "This time around, I think the box is empty, and we're going to have to go through this alone. I think we can do it. It's just not something we're accustomed to."
The Fed has already said it will keep short-term interest rates super-low into 2013. But the risk of further stoking inflation may keep it from taking additional steps, such as an additional round of massive bond-buying.
In the meantime, worries about European debt hang over the markets. A default by any country would hurt the European banks that hold European government bonds, plus American banks that have loans to their European counterparts.
"Europe is the big question in the market, and nobody really knows what happens from here," said Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James.
On Thursday, stocks in industries that depend on a growing economy fell the most. Industrial stocks in the S&P 500 fell 5.4 percent, technology stocks 5.1 percent and financial stocks 4.6 percent.
Crude oil fell $4.11 per barrel to $83.47 on worries that a weaker global economy will mean less demand. Falling prices for crude oil should work their way to the gas pump, though, and bring household budgets at least some relief.
Asian markets started Thursday's drop. Japan's Nikkei 225 index fell 1.3 percent. South Korea's Kospi stock index fell 1.7 percent, and India's Sensex index fell 2.2 percent.
The declines extended to Europe. In London, the FTSE 100 index fell 4.5 percent after a report showed that growth in British retail sales slowed more than economists expected last month. Germany's DAX index fell 6.5 percent.
Top national Democrats desperate to take back the seat long held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy have been urging Warren to run.
Associated PressElizabeth Warren, head of the Congressional Oversight Panel testifies before a Senate Finance Committee hearing to examine the Troubled Asset Relief Program in Washington, In this July 21, 2010 file photo.
WASHINGTON — Consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren on Thursday launched an exploratory committee and a website for a possible challenge against GOP Sen. Scott Brown, a top Democratic target in 2012.
Warren will use the committee and the website to begin raising money and lining up volunteers. A Massachusetts Democrat familiar with Warren's plans said the paperwork was filed Thursday for the exploratory committee. The Democrat requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
The Harvard Law School professor is meeting with activists and party officials across the state and plans to decide after Labor Day whether she will run.
Top national Democrats desperate to take back the seat long held by the late Sen. Edward Kennedy have been urging Warren to run despite a crowded primary field.
A favorite of consumer groups and liberals, Warren got a boost from the pro-abortion rights group EMILY's List, which raises money for female Democratic candidates.
"The EMILY's List community has been telling me loud and clear that they want Elizabeth Warren in the race to beat Scott Brown," Stephanie Schriock, the group's head said in a statement Thursday. "Today, they got a little bit closer to getting their wish."
Supporters say Warren's image as a crusader on behalf of consumers against well-heeled Wall Street and corporate interests and her national profile would make her a strong candidate, even though she's never run for public office before.
Warren was chosen by President Barack Obama last year to set up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but congressional Republicans opposed her becoming the bureau's director, and Obama in July decided not to pick her to head the new agency.
Entergy Corp. now wants an independent third party to analyze the water samples.
Photo by John Suchocki/ The RepublicanThe Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant as seen from the Hinsdale, New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River on April 14, 2011.
That word comes one day after the Vermont Health Department announced test results confirming for the first time that tritium leaking from the Vernon reactor had reached the river.
In a statement issued Thursday, Entergy Corp. said its testing shows levels of tritium below what is known as the minimum detectable amount. The state Health Department reported Wednesday that two samples taken last month from the river's shoreline showed concentrations just above the minimum detectable amount.
Spokesman Larry Smith says Entergy now wants an independent third party to analyze both sets of samples to resolve the discrepancy.
There are still 263,400 residents unemployed in the Bay State, a decrease of 41,000 since October 2009.
By MATT MURPHY
and KYLE CHENEY State House News Service
BOSTON - The unemployment rate in Massachusetts held steady in July for a third consecutive month, hanging at 7.6 percent despite the addition of 12,700 jobs fueled by seasonal hiring.
Unchanged since May, the state unemployment rate remains 1.5 percentage points below the national 9.1 percent rate. There are still 263,400 residents unemployed in Massachusetts, a decrease of 41,000 since October 2009.
“We obviously want to see the rate come down but it’s encouraging that jobs are being added,” Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray said after announcing a science, technology, engineering and math initiative at a Boston hotel.
Asked if national economic turmoil was hurting the state’s ability to grow jobs, Murray said, “I think it affects everything and I think it’s unfortunate.”
As the federal government looks to make spending cuts and mulls job creation ideas, Murray said an unwillingness among elected officials in Washington to compromise was hampering “certainty and predictability” for businesses.
Massachusetts has added 56,800 jobs since July 2010 for a growth rate of 1.8 percent. The private sector has added 61,900 jobs over the past year, and 53,000 jobs have been created in 2011, according to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.
The July job gains follow a revised 9,400 job gain in June, 1,000 fewer jobs than initially reported.
State officials reported job growth last month in six of 10 private sector areas.
The education and health services sector gained 3,000 jobs, the majority of which, about 2,600 jobs, were added in the health care and social assistance fields.
Other services added 3,800 jobs - a result of seasonal hiring that took place later this year than in previous years, according to the data, while manufacturing jobs were up 2,400.
Trade, transportation and utilities gained 2,900 jobs; professional, scientific and business services gained 700 jobs; and the financial sector was up 600 jobs.
Job losses were recorded in the information sector, which shed 200 jobs despite having the strongest rate of growth over the past year at 5 percent.
Construction also lost 1,500 jobs following a 1,900 job gain in June, and leisure and hospitality lost 100 jobs after state officials revised a previously reported 1,400 job gain in June to reflect an actual 1,800 job loss.
Government gained 1,100 jobs in July across all job levels. Over the past year the government sector has lost 5,100 jobs with decreases at the federal and state levels offsetting growth in local government jobs.
The Patrick administration said methodological changes implemented by the Bureau of Labor Statistics earlier this year are causing “volatile changes” to monthly job estimates.
The steeple of the First Church of Monson lies in ruins on the lawn of the church the day after three devastating tornadoes hit Western and Central Massachusetts.
