The incident occurred late Wednesday night as Officer Nicholas Gero drove a marked cruiser on Grattan Street, Michael Wilk, public information officer for the department, said.

CHICOPEE -- A 29-year-old city man faces a number of charges, including drunk driving, after he nearly crashed head-on into a police cruiser on Grattan Street late Wednesday night.

The incident occurred shortly after 11:45 p.m. as Officer Nicholas Gero drove a marked cruiser on Grattan Street, Michael Wilk, public information officer for the department, said.

As Gero drove, he saw a dark SUV traveling towards him in its proper lane. As it approached, it suddenly swerved into Gero's lane, coming at the cruiser head on.

After a short distance, the driver swerved out of the way, missing Gero's cruiser by inches. As Gero turned around, he saw the SUV skid and lose control, hit a curb and then a home where it came to a stop.

Gero saw the driver flee on foot and called an ambulance to take care of a female passenger still in the car. She identified the driver. Gero, seeing the SUV was still in drive, secured it by placing it into park.

Officer Tim Brodeur, checking the area, saw a man matching the driver's description emerge from a backyard on Holly Street. The driver was unsteady on his feet and Brodeur detected a strong odor of alcohol emanating from him.

During the investigation, suspect admitted he was the driver and said he fled due to pending jail time, Wilk said. He also admitted to drinking a large quantity of beers.

Bruce Charpentier lll, 29, of 1246 Granby Road, was also charged with operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license, leaving the scene of a personal injury crash, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, marked lanes violation and misleading/intimidating/impeding an officer.

Misael Sanchez is charged with manslaughter while driving under the influence of alcohol.

SPRINGFIELD -- A 34-year-old city man has been indicted for manslaughter while driving while under the influence of alcohol in the Aug. 4 crash that killed Christopher Martin.

A Hampden Superior Court grand jury handed up the indictment against Misael Sanchez on Oct. 16.

Martin, 48, of Springfield, was killed in a collision on Parker Street in Sixteen Acres around 4:40 a.m.

According to police, he was driving east on Sunrise onto Parker where his 2000 Toyota Avalon collided with a 2012 Acura TSX.

Police at the time said the driver of the Acura, who they did not name at the time, suffered minor injuries.

The mandatory minimum sentence for the crime is five years in state prison.

Do you want to try your hand at being a dealer for the recently opened MGM Springfield casino? If so, you'll get another chance later this month.

SPRINGFIELD - Do you want to try your hand at being a dealer for the recently opened MGM Springfield casino? If so, you'll get another chance later this month. 

The Massachusetts Casino Career Training Institute is set to offer blackjack classes starting Oct. 29 for anyone interested in obtaining the necessary training to work as a dealer at MGM Springfield.

The classes at MCCTI, 95 State St., Springfield, will run Oct. 29 through Dec. 14, Monday through Thursday, 7:15 p.m. to 10:15 p.m.

For people new to the gaming industry, it's recommended they start training with blackjack and then continue on with carnival games. 

MGM guarantees a chance to audition to work at the entertainment complex in Springfield after successful completion of at least two table game certifications.

Carnival game classes are scheduled  to run from Jan. 2 to Jan. 31.

Holyoke Community College and Springfield Technical Community College, in collaboration with MGM, created the training school to help people learn skills to work at MGM Springfield.

To register online for classes and learn more, visit www.mccti.org/school.html. Scholarships are available. For any questions, call (413) 552-2086.

Pride CEO Robert Bolduc said he'll demolish the complex soon, and build a new store this spring.

AGAWAM -- Pride Convenience Inc. on Oct. 1 pulled a permit with the city's Building Division to demolish an old service station and car wash at 395 Main St.

In its place, a new, 5,400-square-foot "Pride Kitchen" convenience store with gas pumps and a drive-through will be built, Pride Stores CEO Robert L. Bolduc said Thursday.

In a telephone interview, Bolduc said demolition will take place this fall, that he will submit applications to the city's Planning Department and that he hopes to start construction in the spring.

Building the new store will take about 90 days, Bolduc said.

At their Oct. 1 meeting, members of the City Council discussed the derelict property and expressed displeasure with its condition, apparently unaware of Bolduc's plans.

As of Wednesday, no demolition permit had been posted at the property, which remains overgrown with weeds and strewn with litter. Old gas pumps were seen stored within the gas station building, which had several missing windows. Taped-up paper signs warned of an Oct. 3 "pesticide application made or in progress."

The property is valued at $307,200, according to Agawam assessors records.

The 1955 concrete block building was previously a Citgo service station, with a separate car wash on the site. Pride ran it as a bare-bones gas station "for about two years" before closing the operation about a year and half ago, Bolduc said.

Pride Convenience Inc. bought the land and buildings in August 2017 for $450,000 from Agawam LLC 395 Main Street/Mead Street, an entity formed by Connecticut entrepreneur Michael W. Frisbie, property records show.

Pride owns dozens of gas station convenience stores across Western Massachusetts and Connecticut. The company is now pushing its "Pride Kitchen" concept, with sit-down hot food restaurants and drive-through service. Last year, Pride opened a $100,000 bakery at its Cottage Street headquarters, which delivers fresh-baked goods overnight to other Pride locations.

In Agawam, Pride also has stores at 824 Suffield St. and 6 North Westfield St.

Nearly 400,000 acres of the Massachusetts Wind Energy Area will be up for grabs in December, as the Trump administration holds its next offshore wind auction, officials announced this week.

Nearly 400,000 acres of the Massachusetts Wind Energy Area will be up for grabs in December, as the Trump administration holds its next offshore wind auction, officials announced this week. 

U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke revealed Wednesday that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will auction off 388,569 acres located on the Outer Continental Shelf offshore Massachusetts on Dec. 13. 

A total of 19 companies -- including Deepwater Wind New England, LLC, Mayflower Wind Energy LLC, and Northeast Wind Energy, LLC, among others -- have qualified to take part in the auction, according to the agency's final sale notice.

The bureau will auction off three leases that are located in an area where two former leases were unsold during the Atlantic Wind Lease Sale in January 2015. The new lease areas will respectively cover about 129,000 acres, 127,000 acres and 132,000 acres.

Zinke touted the December auction, offering that "the Massachusetts sale has a lot of potential for both energy and economic activity."

"If fully developed, the wind auction could support approximately 4.1 gigawatts of power to supply nearly 1.5 million homes," he said in a statement. "This is just one example of the importance of fostering wind energy as a new American industry."

The Trump administration, which first proposed the lease sale in April 2018, noted that the leases' operation terms have since been extended from 25 years to 33 years. 

Officials added that leases issued from the December auction will not constitute an approval of project-specific plans to develop offshore wind energy, adding that any such plans will be subject to environmental, technical and public reviews.

The bureau will hold a mock auction for bidders beginning at 9 a.m. on Dec. 11. The monetary auction will be held online beginning at 9 a.m. on Dec. 13, according to the bureau. 

Bidders looking to take part in the auction must submit financial forms to the bureau by Nov. 2 and submit a $450,000 bid deposit by Nov. 16.

In addition to the Massachusetts offshore wind auction, Zinke this week also announced the environmental review of a proposed wind project offshore Rhode Island and the next steps to a first-ever wind auction in federal waters off California, officials noted. 

SilverBrick's plan for Cabotville is a mixed-use property with 600 apartments, light manufacturing, office space and other similar commercial uses.

CHICOPEE - SilverBrick Group's plans to rehab the historic Cabotville Mill into 600 modern apartments are under more scrutiny now following Springfield's shutdown of work on a SilverBrick project after inspectors found unlicensed plumbers using substandard pipes.

Mayor Richard J. Kos said SilverBrick's Cabiotville project, an oft-delayed revitalization of a mill complex in Chicopee Center, is still in the planning stages.

SilverBrick founder and managing principal Aaron J. Papowitz, has not responded to questions from The Republican.

"Clearly having a situation like this will increase or sensitivities to what will be going on here," Kos said Thursday. "I think it is concerning."

SilverBrick's plan for Cabotville is a mixed-use property with apartments, light manufacturing, office space and other similar commercial uses.

Springfield building inspectors on Tuesday shut down work at the SilverBrick Square project, 122 Chestnut St., the former YMCA. Workers there were using lesser-grade materials and sanding the indicator colors off pipes to hide the fact, the city said. Fines will likely be issued Thursday afternoon.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno expressed his disappointment in SilverBrick, saying the city helped it out with tax breaks, and called on them to hire a local qualified contractor. Springfield City Council members who'd been skeptical of the project all along called on SilverBrick to voluntarily abide by an ordinance requiring developers who get tax breaks to use responsible local contractors. The ordinance was passed after SilverBrick got its tax break and can't be applied retroactively.

In July, Chicopee approved SilverBrick's Cabotville project for the state's Housing Development Tax Increment Exemption. That exemption could give SilverBrick tax breaks over 20 years and is still pending before the state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development.

Kos said Chicopee has no ordinance like the Springfield one that would require local contractors for projects that get tax breaks.

Work at the crossing, where five people have died since 1975, is expected to begin next year.

LONGMEADOW -- MassDOT will pay $700,000 toward safety upgrades at the railroad crossing where a DPW foreman died in a March 2017 collision with a train, officials announced Thursday. 

The funding will cover an estimated 90 percent of the cost to install gates and warning lights at the crossing, where five people been killed since 1975. Amtrak will pay the remaining 10 percent. 

Work is expected to begin next year, officials said.

Warren P. Cowles, 59, was plowing in whiteout conditions on March 14, 2017 when he backed onto the tracks and into the path of a northbound Amtrak train that was clearing snow. 

The crash was seventh collision at the crossing since 1975, according to court records and Federal Railroad Administration data. A review of town records by The Republican last year found members of the town's select board began discussing safety issues at the crossing as early as May 1981.

"On behalf of the Select Board, I want to express the Town's gratitude for the commitment being made to this important crossing," said Town Manager Stephen J. Crane. "While it cannot undo the tragedies that have occurred there, this needed improvement will prevent future accidents and spare others the grief that we have felt."

Crane said the project "is the result of many months of focused and diligent effort by the Cowles family," as well as local, state and federal leaders who worked with Amtrak. 

"I look forward to its completion," Crane said.

"The improvements that are being funded in part by MassDOT will help prevent vehicles from traveling over the railroad crossing as trains are approaching this location," Astrid Glynn, MassDOT's rail and transit administrator, said in a statement. "We thank all the stakeholders and federal, state and local elected officials who have supported these infrastructure upgrades and ensured that this project is able to move forward."

Tom Moritz, Amtrak's assistant vice president of infrastructure access and investment, said safety is the railroad's "top priority," and that the agreement with MassDOT "shows that both parties are equally committed and dedicated to safety."

State Sen. Eric P. Lesser called the announcement "tremendous news" in light of the town's decades-long effort to improve safety at the site.

"It is imperative that the crossing at Birnie Road is made safe again so that no family will have to suffer a tragic loss like those the Cowles family and others have had to bear," he said. 

U.S. Senator Edward J. Markey, who brought up the crossing during questioning of a nominee to Amtrak's board of directors last year, said five deaths at the crossing is "five too many."

"Five deaths at the Tina Lane and Birnie Road rail crossing is five too many. I'm proud to have helped secure this critical federal funding and hasten the projects approval to ensure we make lifesaving improvements to this crossing as soon as possible," said Markey, a member of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which has jurisdiction over Amtrak and rail safety. 

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal said the improvements are "are of great importance now more than ever" as rail traffic increases on the Hartford Line. 

At least two lawsuits have been filed in connection with collisions at the crossing since the 1980s, and Amtrak settled with the plaintiffs in both cases.

In the second case, involving a November 1990 collision that seriously injured a man who was driving to the town's leaf dump, the town paid $5,000.

"There were no warning lights, flashing lights, gates or other signal devices which would warn of or protect one from an oncoming locomotive," read the complaint, which The Republican reviewed at the National Archives in Waltham. "Visibility up and down the tracks is obscured by bushes, trees, other vegetation, thereby impairing the line of sight of vehicle operators who are about to cross the tracks."

A state review in the early 1990s determined the crossing was not "in need of railroad signalization." That determination followed months of discussion at select board meetings as town officials sought approval for warning signals.

Dustin O. Rogers, 36, of West Springfield, was indicted on 17 charges related to using bombs in Agawam.

SPRINGFIELD -- A 36-year-old West Springfield man was indicted by a Hampden Superior Court grand jury this week on 17 charges related to detonating homemade bombs.

Dustin O. Rogers was arrested in late August and charged with detonating two bombs outside an Agawam woman's bedroom window and another on her front lawn.

He denied charges in Westfield District Court Aug. 27. The indictments move the case to Hampden Superior Court, where defendants face potentially greater sentences if convicted.

The charges were filed after three explosions were reported within 18 days during August at the woman's home. Two of the blasts shattered windows in the woman's bedroom as she slept, and one left a crater on her front lawn, police said.

Using surveillance video, investigators identified a vehicle leaving the scene of the third explosion on Aug. 25 and arrested Rogers at his apartment on Memorial Avenue in West Springfield. Investigators seized six explosive devices, 70 fireworks and 47 rounds of 9 mm ammunition from Rogers' apartment, according to the arrest report.

At a prosecutor's request, a Westfield District Court judge ruled Rogers was too dangerous to be released on bail, and ordered him held at the Hampden County Correctional Center for at least 120 days.

The bomb investigation was conducted by the Agawam police and fire departments, state police and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to court records.

Rogers was indicted on three counts of using explosives, two counts of malicious damage to property, three counts of malicious explosion, six counts of possession of an incendiary device, and a count each of illegal possession of ammunition, sale or possession of explosive substances, and driving after his license was suspended.

The charges relate to three explosions at an Agawam woman's home beginning on Aug. 3, when a homemade bomb blew out a bedroom window about 3:30 a.m. A second explosion, on Aug. 17, blew out another bedroom window around 5 a.m., the report said.

On both occasions the woman was sleeping and the explosive devices were placed in windows with air conditioners. "The (victim) states that she was covered with glass" after the first explosion, the report said.

A third explosion took place on Aug. 25 in the front yard of the Cooper Street home.

A Milford native who works as a roofer, Rogers had been the subject of one restraining order, court records show. In 2009, he was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct, but neither case led to a conviction. A marijuana possession charge in 1999 was also dismissed.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is sending $500 to the "Yes on 3" campaign to uphold a transgender protections law that he signed.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is sending $500 to the "Yes on 3" campaign to uphold a transgender protections law that he signed.

Baker this week sent the money, a donation from his personal account and not the one used for his 2018 re-election campaign, the "Yes on 3" campaign confirmed. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, a fellow Republican, also sent $500 to "Yes on 3" from her personal account.

"I think we should keep it and I've donated to Question 3," Baker said during the WGBH-TV debate on Wednesday night.

Under the law, gender identity is on the list of prohibited discrimination in public places such as hotels, restaurants, sports facilities and hospitals. According to a state summary of the law, "'Gender identity' is defined as a person's sincerely held gender-related identity, appearance, or behavior, whether or not it is different from that traditionally associated with the person's physiology or assigned sex at birth."

A "yes" vote would keep the law, and a "no" would repeal the law. Proponents of the repeal claim the law has public safety loopholes, a notion dismissed by supporters of the law.

Supporters of the law pulled in over $2 million for the campaign to keep it, outraging and outspending opponents. The bipartisan campaign is backed by business and labor groups.

Groups release competing ads on Massachusetts transgender ballot question

Baker signed the law in October 2016 behind the closed doors, a move that has drawn repeated criticism from his Democratic opponent, Jay Gonzalez, who also supports upholding the law.

Maura Healey, a Democrat and the country's first openly gay state attorney general "had to hold a fake bill signing ceremony so people whose rights are protected by that legislation can celebrate the protection of rights," Gonzalez said during the WGBH-TV debate.

Baker chalked up the private signing to "scheduling" issues.

Baker noted he spoke to reporters after the bill signing. "I made very clear I was enthusiastic about the opportunity I had to sign it," the governor said.

Here are your Mass. ballot questions for November 2018: Patient-nurse limits, election spending and transgender anti-discrimination

Ware officials were told by the DEP on Sept. 28 that it was potentially unsafe to consume the town's drinking water due to the presence of E. coli bacteria and to issue a boil order.

WARE - Town Manager Stuart Beckley told selectmen Tuesday that recent upgrades to the municipal water system's chlorine disbursement apparatus should prevent the need for future boil orders.

Boil orders in Ware have been ordered by the state twice since 2017, most recently last month. In both instances, fecal matter was detected in untreated water piped into a cistern where it is treated before traveling to homes and businesses.

There was no evidence fecal matter ended up in the treated water.

"The town is in good shape ... to prevent future boil orders," Beckley told the board. "The town has installed new chlorine equipment."

The improvements were ordered by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

An analyzer device allows the system to more accurately test and quickly determine whether there is a risk to the public from contaminated water, he said. Test results will prompt the system to release chlorine as needed.

"Should there be contamination in the system again, it won't result in a boil order," he said.

Ware officials were told by the DEP on Sept. 28 that it was potentially unsafe to consume the town's drinking water due to the presence of E. coli bacteria and to issue a boil order.

The problem was discovered when test results released that day said a water sample indicated the public water system "tested positive for E. coli, which is a fecal indicator."

Selectmen told Beckley that many residents were not notified of the September boil order. He acknowledged the problem and said that the telephone system used to call residents would be fixed.

Beckley said about 3,500 calls did go out, but that some areas in town were not notified, including Eagle Street residents. There is a need for "better communication," he said.

The Revitalize Community Development Corp. kicked off its third annual #GreenNFit Neighborhood Rebuild Volunteer Day in Holyoke on Thursday, with the aim of helping around 100 homes in a day. Watch video

HOLYOKE - The Revitalize Community Development Corp. kicked off its third annual #GreenNFit Neighborhood Rebuild Volunteer Day in Holyoke on Thursday, with the aim of helping around 100 homes in a day. 

Focusing on the Highlands neighborhood, registration took place at the Beacon Avenue home of Roseline Taylor, an elderly widow whose husband passed away two years ago after 14 years on dialysis. They owned their home for decades, raising their five children there. Taylor has 15 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren and she works part-time at Shriners Hospital in Springfield so that she has quality health insurance.

The work on the homes on Beacon Avenue is focused on making them safe, healthy, accessible and energy efficient. The scope of work includes installing or replacing smoke detectors, new insulation, installation of "age-in-place" modifications such as grab bars and accessible ramps, repairing steps and siding, installing hand railings, exterior painting, yard cleanups, mulch, planting of shrubs, trees and flowers.

Revitalize CDC says it focuses on "making meaningful improvements on homes to help reduce energy use, save money, and create a safe, healthy and sustainable living environment for our residents and the community." Since Revitalize CDC's inception in 1992, the organization says it has repaired and rehabilitated almost 600 homes with the help of 10,000 volunteers, investing $30 million into Western Massachusetts.

A trial date has been set for Jan. 7 in federal court for a discrimination charge filed against the former owners of a State Street building who evicted three tenants allegedly because of their participation a substance abuse program.

SPRINGFIELD -- A trial date has been set for Jan. 7 in federal court for a discrimination charge filed against the former owners of a State Street building who evicted three tenants allegedly because of their participation a substance abuse program.

In a Sept. 30 ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni declined to issue a summary judgment for either the plaintiffs or the defendants in one count in the case involving the Dec. 13, 2013, evictions of three tenants from 888 State St.

Mastroianni did issue a summary judgment on one count of discrimination in favor of the plaintiffs and also dismissed one count as requested by the defendants. 

The three tenants were participating in a substance use recovery program in a building that had been owned by Craig Spagnoli, Christopher Spagnoli, Lorilee I LLC and Lorilee Property. The property company is no longer operating.

The owners could not be reached for comment.  

Besides the charge, "the court will be determining damages owed to the plaintiffs for the housing subsidy discrimination claim we already won on," said Ashley Grant, legal director of the Holyoke-based Massachusetts Fair Housing Center, which filed the suit on behalf of the tenants.

According to Mastroianni's ruling, the defendants discriminated against the tenants by evicting them over their participation in the program.

In his ruling, Mastroianni cited a letter from Craig Spagnoli to city officials in which he wrote, "We need to get tenants out, secure the building, change the locks then get better tenants."

According to the ruling, Christopher Spagnoli said he wouldn't have evicted the tenants if they withdrew from the program. In dismissing one charge, the judge said the defendants "presented sufficient evidence in support of the contention that they were motivated by legitimate safety concerns and fundamental failings of the program, rather than discriminatory animus against disabled tenants."

Meris Bergquist, executive director of the housing center, said at the time of the ruling that the plaintiffs did nothing wrong. "They complied with lease terms and program rules to strengthen their recovery," Bergquist said. "They did not deserve to be evicted because they were successful participants in a recovery program."

The 15-unit building operated as a residential recovery program for individuals in recovery from substance use from 2000 to 2013. 

The defendants bought the building 10 months before the evictions, agreeing to continue to operate the building as a recovery program, as required by a deed restriction on the property, according to a Massachusetts Fair Housing Center press release.  

U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, urged Columbia Gas officials Thursday to provide information on the number of residents who remain displaced and homes deemed uninhabitable following last month's Merrimack Valley gas explosions.

U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, urged Columbia Gas officials Thursday to provide information on the number of residents who remain displaced and homes deemed uninhabitable following last month's  Merrimack Valley gas explosions. 

The senators, who said they have received inconsistent or incomplete data since the Sept. 13 explosions, pressed Columbia Gas of Massachusetts President Steve Bryant for details on how many homes sustained "damage beyond repair" and how many "may require major repairs before residents can return to them."

They further, "for the sake of transparency," requested information on how many residents remain displaced and what assistance Columbia Gas has been providing or plans to offer to those individuals. 

"Over the past several weeks, we have received inconsistent and incomplete estimates of how many homes remain uninhabitable and little-to-no information as to what, if any, assistance Columbia Gas gas offered impacted residents with repairing their uninhabitable homes," they wrote in a joint letter, noting that they "received drastically different estimates on at least three occasions."

Warren and Markey, for example, offered that a week after the explosions, Columbia Gas estimated 73 homes were uninhabitable. Days later, company representatives put that number at 123, they said. 

US Sen. Ed Markey seeks additional answers on Merrimack Valley gas explosions

The senators, meanwhile, said that the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported it was only aware of 15 structures that were seriously destroyed and unsafe for habitation and 19 that suffered damage limiting their full use. 

The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary investigation further estimated that Columbia Gas' distribution system "damaged 131 structures, including at least 5 homes that were destroyed," they noted.

Stressing that they are "deeply concerned about the effects that extended displacement will have on the Merrimack Valley residents who were told their homes are uninhabitable," Warren and Markey asked how Columbia Gas plans to help affected residents if the company is unable to "provide swift and accurate information regarding the number of damaged residences."

They asked Columbia Gas to respond by Nov. 1 with information on how many residences in the Merrimack Valley have been found to be uninhabitable, the number of individuals who lived in these homes before Sept. 13, and how many are currently receiving temporary housing assistance from the company.

The Democrats, among other things, also requested details on whether Columbia Gas designed and deployed a standardized process for determining which residences were uninhabitable following the gas explosions and fires in Lawrence, Andover and North Adover, as well as how the company defines "uninhabitable home."

Ed Markey, Elizabeth Warren say NTSB report confirms Columbia Gas 'woefully unprepared' for disaster, gas explosions may have been prevented

The NTSB report, released last week, detailed the Sept. 13 explosions and fires caused by over-pressurization of a Columbia Gas distribution system.

It suggested that a crew working to replace a gas line in Lawrence neglected to remove the pressure sensors from the old line -- an error that is believed to have triggered a flood of high pressure through the system, resulting in fires and explosions, which damaged homes, injured dozens and killed at least one person.

The report noted that the board's investigation remains ongoing. 

A 90,000 square foot facility in Leicester, which will cultivate, process and package marijuana products, on Thursday received the approval of Massachusetts regulators.

A 90,000 square foot facility in Leicester, which will cultivate, process and package marijuana products, on Thursday received the approval of Massachusetts regulators.

The Cannabis Control Commission signed off on provisional licenses on in-door cultivation and product manufacturing for East Coast Organics LLC.

The five-member commission also handed out provisional licenses to the following marijuana businesses: Caroline's Cannabis of Uxbridge (retail); Commonwealth Cultivation Inc. in Pittsfield (cultivation); Curaleaf Massachusetts Inc., of Webster and Oxford (cultivation, product manufacturing and retailing); and Theory Wellness, Inc. in Great Barrington (retail). 

The commission also signed off on final licenses to a key part of the nascent marijuana supply chain: CDX Analytics of Salem and MCR Labs LLC of Framingham, independent testing laboratories.

The two labs are involved in testing medical marijuana. State law calls for recreational marijuana to be tested for safety before it can be sold.

"One more piece of the puzzle, coming together," Steve Hoffman, the commission chairman, told reporters. 

MCR Labs received the license despite an incident last year involving an alleged marijuana theft by an employee. Hoffman said the commission was aware of the issue, "we looked into the issue, we do not believe it was a disqualifying issue."

Hoffman noted commission staff had said MCR Labs made changes to its security operations since the incident.

'We're weeks away' from Massachusetts marijuana retail shops opening, Cannabis Control chairman says

Asked when retail marijuana shops, which would be the first on the east coast, will open in Massachusetts, Hoffman said, "We're getting very close. I mean, I don't think there's any merit in me saying two weeks, three weeks, four weeks."

The commission earlier this year provided final licenses to another Leicester-based marijuana establishment: Cultivate Holdings, which runs a medical marijuana dispensary in the Worcester County community.

Cultivate Holdings received final licenses for retailing, product manufacturing and cultivation.

New England Treatment Access (NETA), which wants to open a recreational marijuana shop in the same location as its Northampton medical marijuana dispensary. NETA has also received a final license for retail.

The two businesses must still meet several conditions before opening and selling recreational marijuana.

"It's a complicated process, it is a controversial process," Hoffman told reporters after the commission's Thursday meeting. "We have always said we're going to get this right and that's more important to us than an artificial deadline."

Here's where the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission could put its headquarters

"The board fully reviewed and discussed each of your complaints. After everything was fully investigated, the board found that your complaints lacked sufficient, substantive evidence to support them. As a result of this determination, no action will be taken against the town administrator,"

GRANBY - Selectmen have determined that a complaint filed by Assistant Fire Chief George Randall against Town Administrator Christopher Martin "lacked sufficient, substantive evidence" and that no action would be taken against Martin.

Selectman Glenn Sexton read aloud the results of the board's investigation at Monday's meeting.

"After our thorough investigation," Sexton said, "and speaking with Mr. Martin, our conclusion is such - I will read this," the selectman said at the Oct. 15 meeting.

"The board addressed your letter," Sexton said, referring to Randall.

"The board fully reviewed and discussed each of your complaints. After everything was fully investigated, the board found that your complaints lacked sufficient, substantive evidence to support them. As a result of this determination, no action will be taken against the town administrator," Sexton said.

The three selectmen signed the statement.

Selectmen convened in executive session with Martin on Oct. 1 to discuss the matter.

Randall filed the complaint against Martin on Sept. 12. He alleged that both Martin and Fire Chief John Mitchell sabotaged a roadmap spelling out conditions for the chief's return to work.

Mitchell was on paid administrative leave from July through September while the town investigated multiple complaints against him. Selectmen allowed Mitchell's return to work on the condition that he be placed on probationary status for six months, and that a mentor would assist the chief.

Randall's complaint alleged that "the Town, under Martin's direction, fails to provide a safe environment for employees to voice concerns without fear of retaliation or punishment."

The Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce welcomed Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito to the group's annual Governmental Affairs Luncheon at the Wherehouse? Banquet Hall.

HOLYOKE - Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito hailed the public-private partnerships promoted by the Baker administration at the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce's annual Governmental Affairs Luncheon.

The Wherehouse? Banquet Hall hosted the chamber's event Thursday.

Polito noted the commonwealth's continued collaborations with the business community. She used Holyoke as "Exhibit A" in describing those relations, with the keys being planning, people, places and partnerships.

Polito said the state extends grants, low-interest funding and tax credits to businesses that promote expansion, innovation and workforce development.

MassWorks alone allocated $275 million in funding to "bread and butter" projects such as the Lyman Terrace renovations underway, Polito said.

"Housing is a key component of economic development," she said. "We need more housing."

She said the vision must come from the communities, which can best determine their housing needs, such as transit-oriented development. With housing comes residents' desire for a 24/7 economy, which includes nearby shops and restaurants.

Site readiness grants help prepare an environmentally compromised parcel, the lieutenant governor said.

The Cubit Building along the Upper Canal on Race Street relied on a public-private partnership, which led Holyoke Community College relocating its culinary and hospitality programs to the Cubit, Polito said.

The Cubit's upper two floors house 18 loft-style apartments, which reached full capacity shortly after opening. "We have an innovation economy that has been real," Polito said.

She praised the efforts of the commonwealth's community colleges in educating and training an ever-changing workforce. She said classrooms must resemble the workplace, offering the latest in equipment and technologies.

Polito thanked the business community for advising the Baker administration in "peeling back" more than 1,200 regulations that no longer aligned with a 21st century economy.

The lieutenant governor called for a Massachusetts that retains and attracts workers and businesses and continues to innovate.

The chamber introduced Barry Feingold, the organization's new president. Feingold replaced Kathleen Anderson, who took a position with Holyoke Medical Center.

State Sen. Donald Humason, R-Westfield, State Rep. Aaron Vega, D-Holyoke, and Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse attended the function.

Morse said the chamber and the city continue to support the business community and welcome new ventures. He recognized the Baker-Polito administration for their ongoing efforts in housing and economic development.

A Save-A-Lot supermarket has opened at the Breckwood Center Plaza, praised for bringing jobs and shopping convenience to the Sixteen Acres-Pine Point neighborhood.

SPRINGFIELD -- City officials and shoppers gathered Thursday for the grand opening of a new Save-A-Lot supermarket at the Breckwood Center Plaza in Sixteen Acres, saying it provides added convenience, jobs and economic vitality to the area.

"I'm thrilled to have a grocery store back in the neighborhood," said Linda Charest, a neighborhood resident. "It's clean. It's friendly. There's a real buzz in there -- the neighbors are happy to have them."

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Ward 5 City Councilor Marcus Williams were among officials and residents taking part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony on the opening day of the supermarket located at the intersection of Wilbraham Road and Breckwood Boulevard.

Sarno praised Fran Cataldo, president of C&W Realty Enterprises, which owns the plaza, for his efforts in bring in new tenants and vitality to the plaza.

In addition, Save-A-Lot provides nearly 40 new jobs, "and that's music to my ears," Sarno said.

"You can see all the storefronts here are vibrant, many are redone," Sarno said. "We appreciate Save-A-Lot's belief and investment in the city of Springfield."

During the opening ceremony, Save-A-Lot presented a $2,000 donation to the Gray House, a local charitable organization.

Cataldo said it was a long but successful effort to bring Save-A-Lot to the plaza in the Sixteen Acres-Pine Point area and add to the variety and vitality of the plaza. The plaza was once location of the Springfield Cinemas, a 12-screen movie theater that closed in 2004.

Cataldo said he had heard from many residents who spoke of the need for a grocery store in the area.

"The experience has been great," said Tyler Elliott, district manager for Save-A-Lot. "We had a lot of excitement leading into the (opening) event within the community, a lot of citizens in the area are really excited. And we're excited to serve them."

The supermarket is approximately 15,000 square feet.

Plaza tenants also include an expanded Dollar Tree store adjacent to Save-A-Lot, Wynn Liquors, Peppa's Express Pizzeria and Paddy's Irish Pub.

On Saturday and Sunday, more festivities and music are planned at the Save-A-Lot to further kick off the store opening, Elliott said.

Cataldo said the location at 1060 Wilbraham Road has great traffic and is in a great neighborhood.

There are also Save-A-Lot stores in Springfield at 459 Main St., Indian Orchard, and 655 Liberty St.

Ronald Kelly was arrested at his home after police recognized his car from having been at the Eastern Avenue shooting.

SPRINGFIELD - Police arrested a 38-year-old man Wednesday night in Pine Point in connection with a shooting an hour earlier in the city's Upper Hill neighborhood.

Ronald Kelly, 38, was arrested in front of his home on Wilton Street at around 9 p.m., said police spokesman Ryan Walsh.

Officers spotted a car parked in front of the house that matched the description of a vehicle reportedly involved in a shooting on Eastern Avenue, he said.

As officers stopped to look at the house, Kelly walked outside. He was stopped by officers and arrested, Walsh said. 

He is charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without a firearm identification, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Police responded to the area of 300 Eastern Avenue just before 8 p.m. for an alert for gunfire on the city's Shotspotter gunshot detection system. They would find a man on Alden Street, around the corner from Eastern Avenue, suffering from gunshot injury.

Walsh said the man's injuries were not life-threatening.

President Donald Trump said Thursday it "certainly looks" as though Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and he threatened "very severe" consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered him.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump said Thursday it "certainly looks" as though Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is dead, and he threatened "very severe" consequences if the Saudis are found to have murdered him.

As the U.S. toughened its response to Khashoggi's disappearance, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pulled out of a major Saudi investment conference Thursday amid global pressure. However, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also said the kingdom should be given more time to investigate before the U.S. lays any blame or considers action.

Trump, who has insisted that more facts must be known before making assumptions about Khashoggi, did not say on what he based his statement on the writer's demise two weeks ago. He commented as he left Joint Base Andrews for a political trip to Montana.

Asked if Khashoggi was dead, he said, "It certainly looks that way. ... Very sad."

While Turkish officials have accused Saudi Arabia of the murder in Istanbul of Khashoggi, a U.S.-based writer who has been critical of Saudi leaders, Trump has cautioned against a rush to judgment against an important Mideast ally. And Pompeo, just back from talks with Saudi and Turkish leaders, said earlier Thursday that the U.S. needed more facts before deciding "how, or if" to respond.

Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Mnuchin announced, "We have decided I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia." The Saudis had hoped to use the forum, billed as "Davos in the Desert" to boost their global image, but a number of European finance ministers and many top business executives have pulled out as international pressure on Riyadh has intensified over Khashoggi.

Turkish reports say Khashoggi was brutally murdered and dismembered inside the Saudi Consulate by members of an assassination squad with ties to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudis have dismissed those reports as baseless but have yet to explain what happened to Khashoggi, who was seen on video entering the consulate but has not been seen since.

Trump has rejected talk that his reluctance to act is providing cover for the Saudis. And a senior U.S. official said Pompeo had warned the Saudi crown prince that his credibility as a future leader was at stake, reflecting the administration's concern about how the case could affect relations.

Pompeo, who returned late Wednesday from an emergency visit to Riyadh and Ankara to impress on senior officials in both nations the need for a credible investigation, said:

"I told President Trump this morning that we ought to give them a few more days to complete that so that we, too, have a complete understanding of the facts surrounding that, at which point we can make decisions about how, or if, the United States should respond to the incident surrounding Mr. Khashoggi."

Pompeo declined to comment on what the U.S. believes might have happened to Khashoggi but made clear Washington takes the situation "very seriously." He said that Saudi leaders, including the crown prince, "assured me that they will conduct a complete, thorough investigation of all of the facts surrounding Mr. Khashoggi, and that they will do so in a timely fashion, and that this report itself will be transparent for everyone to see, to ask questions about, and to inquire with respect to its thoroughness."

He cautioned, however, that whatever response the administration might decide on would take into account the importance of the long-standing U.S.-Saudi partnership. "They're an important strategic ally of the United States, and we need to be mindful of that," he said.

Although Pompeo suggested the U.S. could wait another several days for results of the Saudi investigation an official familiar with his meetings in Riyadh and Ankara said he had been blunt about the need to wrap the probe up quickly. U.S. lawmakers from both parties have expressed outrage over Khashoggi's disappearance and reports of his murder and have been calling for consequences, including possible sanctions against Saudi Arabia.

The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the private meetings and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Pompeo had told the crown prince that "time is short."

The official also said the Pompeo had warned Prince Mohammed that given the allegations it would be "very difficult for you to be a credible king" without a credible investigation into the case. The crown prince is next in line for the throne, which is held by his ailing, aged father King Salman.

City building inspectors Tuesday stopped work at SilverBrick Square, 122 Chestnut St., after finding unlicensed plumbers installing substandard materials.

SPRINGFIELD -- The city's decision this week to stop work at SilverBrick Square, 122 Chestnut St., after building inspectors found unlicensed plumbers installing substandard materials is not the first time regulators have fined a subcontractor and stopped work at the project.

The Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents cited a different  subcontractor on the site, JLRN Home Framing of New Haven, Connecticut, on Aug. 8, for not having a valid workers' compensation policy, said Charles Pearce, a spokesman for the agency. The state fined JLRN $300. The contractor got the required coverage and the stop-work order was lifted three days later.

Citing state records, Pearce said JLRN has just two employees, including the owner of the business, Jose Luis Romero Nava. A call to the business phone number Thursday was not returned.

Organized labor picketed the site in September complaining that out-of-state contractors had been hired to work on a project benefiting from a city tax break.

This week's stop-work order came after city inspectors found plumbers had sanded color-coded markings from pipes. The markings indicate the grade of pipe.

The plumbing contractor, Mikhail K. Shtefan, of West Springfield, also has not returned calls from The Republican.

The city sent notice to the state, which might now conduct hearings to revoke Shtefan's license.

In May, the City Council approved up to $150,000 over 10 years in tax incentives for SilverBrick's 122 Chestnut St. project. The incentives are tax savings on the value SilverBrick plans to add to the property, not the assessed value when it bought the building.

SilverBrick already owns 280 apartments downtown at SilverBrick Lofts -- the former Morgan Square Apartments. SilverBrick bought Morgan Square for $9 million in 2014, and the company has done approximately $6 million in renovations.

SilverBrick also has plans to renovate the largely vacant Cabotville Mill in Chicopee Center into a mixed-use complex including apartments. Chicopee Mayor Richard Kos said the city will now place the Cabotville project under greater scrutiny.