They keep seafood cold, they keep flowers cold, they keep produce cold. The warehouse is comprised of 189,000 square feet of space, most of it cooled. Watch video

It was hot this summer. Heatwaves in July and August made air conditioned offices invaluable. Perhaps the best job in the area belonged to workers at the Big Y Cottage Street Perishable Distribution Center in Springfield.

With inside temperatures ranging from 33 to 55 degrees, many employees wear jackets all day.

They keep seafood, flowers and produce cold.

The warehouse is comprised of 189,000 square feet of space, most of it cooled. Refrigerated storage for Big Y is a complicated thing.

It needs a 33 degree cooler for fresh seafood from Boston piers, deli meats, salads, olives and cheeses; a 35 degree dry cold storage for fresh berries, apples, oranges and other fruit; wet humid storage for broccoli, kale and other leafy greens; 45 degrees for fresh flowers and 55 degrees for tomatoes.

There are six rooms just for bananas, the most popular produce item in the 71 Big Y stores. But bananas are also the most difficult product that George Newman, director of distribution & support services, has to handle.

"It's the item we need to handle with the most care,"says Newman. "You have to have them at the right temperature, you can't drop them, you can't bang them because they bruise."

Fresh flowers fill shelves but are only in the warehouse for hours before heading out to the stores.

Workers (called selectors) zip around the warehouse on forklifts unloading trucks from local farms and suppliers and then loading trucks headed to the stores.

Deliveries start coming in to the warehouse at 4:30 a.m. and head out to the stores starting at 4 p.m. If everything goes according to schedule, stores should have all their product by 4 or 5 a.m.

Over the next year, the family owned Big Y Foods Inc. will expand the distribution center with 234,000 square feet of additional space in order to provide capacity for the next 20 years including 20 new supermarkets.

There are currently 92 employees working at the distribution center now and collectively they move 20 million cases of food a year. The new center will result in 32 new jobs, according to the company.

The next time you are wandering the aisles of your local Big Y supermarket, think of all those selectors scurrying around the Big Y warehouse moving your fresh bananas, each one driving with care, doing the coolest job in town.

Emergency response agencies are searching for a diver who went missing off the coast of Nahant.

Update: The body of the diver has been found.

Emergency response agencies are searching for a diver who went missing off the coast of Nahant.

The U.S. Coast Guard, the Massachusetts State Police Marine Unit and Dive Team and the Nahant Police and Fire Departments are all participating in the search.

Coast Guard aircraft are also supporting the effort.

The diver was reported missing around 10 a.m. about a mile south of Nahant, state police and the Coast Guard said.

This is a developing story.

Wait until the Kool-Aid Man hears about this.

Wait until the Kool-Aid Man hears about this.

The New England Patriots have applied to trademark the phrase "AWWW YEAH."

While lacking the fame of better-known team slogans like "Do your job," the catchphrase is a locker-room staple after victories, according to ESPN.

The Patriots "Aww Yeah" Preview - from ESPNFrontRow on Vimeo.

The two trademark applications, filed on October 14, include the use of the phrase on clothing and for "providing expert commentary on sports events via the Internet."

The team also used the catchphrase in a promotional video celebrating the re-signing of special teams player Matthew Slater earlier this year.

Josh Gerben, an experienced trademark attorney with Gerben Law Firm, said the filing means that Patriots fans can expect to soon find AWWW YEAH apparel on store shelves.

"It is somewhat common to file for these catchphrases, but the key is in order to get the trademark registered they're going to have to put products out on the marketplace," Gerben said.

The Patriots have a history of trademarking catchphrases, including "Do your job," "Ignore the noise" and "Blitz for six," according to filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The body of a diver reported missing Saturday morning about a mile south of Nahant has been found.

The body of a diver reported missing Saturday morning about a mile south of Nahant has been found.

The Nahant Fire Department responded to the Town Wharf around 10:25 a.m. for a report of a missing diver, the department said in a press release.

The U.S. Coast Guard, the Massachusetts State Police Marine Unit and Dive Team and the Nahant Police and Fire Departments all participated in the search.

Coast Guard and fire department dive teams recovered the diver's body around noon, authorities said.

The diver's identity has not been released.

With Halloween right around the corner, costumes and jack-o-lanterns were in abundance.

TURNERS FALLS -- Under dramatic skies that threw sun and clouds across Avenue A, thousands turned out for the 9th annual Great Falls Festival.

Music on three stages, food trucks, craft vendors, and entertainers added to the draw as people young and old -- many in Halloween regalia -- strolled the main downtown street, which was closed to traffic.

Organizers changed the name from "Turners Falls Pumpkinfest" several years ago, but jack-o-lanterns and pumpkins were still in abundance.

"This will always be Pumpkinfest to me," said one local woman. "My kids wouldn't miss it for the world."

Investigators are looking into a fire near a city industrial building Saturday morning. A large pile of heavy timbers was found burning next to a building at 125 Paridon St., just before 1 a.m.

The Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad is investigating large fire next to a 300,000 square foot industrial building at 125 Paridon St. early Saturday morning.

Executive aide to Springfield Fire Commissioner Bernard Calvi, Dennis Leger said firefighters found a heavy volume of fire from a burning pile of large timbers next to the building when they arrived at the fire scene just before 1 a.m.

Firefighters were able to knock down the flames before the fire spread to the structure itself. 

After a year in sanctuary, undocumented Lucio Perez told his supporters Saturday that he was grateful for their help. Watch video

AMHERST - Lucio Perez, a Guatemalan national who took sanctuary in an Amherst church last year amidst announcements of the federal government's crackdown on undocumented immigrants, said Saturday that he was doing well despite the circumstances.  

Standing before a crowd of hundreds in the First United Church where he has spent the last twelve months, Perez told his supporters that he felt their support acutely. 

"When I see so many people here before me I feel that I am not alone," he said. 

Designed to acknowledge the time he had spent inside the church, Saturday's event took place exactly a year after Perez took shelter there after being ordered to return to his home country by federal officials. 

Dressed in a red tie, dress shirt and black pants, Perez smiled broadly before the large crowd, thanking them for coming and for the support throughout the past months. Though cheerful, Perez said the year had not been easy. 

"No, it has not been easy to be in this church for a year," he admitted. "But I thank God for putting desire into all of your hearts...It has been a year of fighting, of struggle. It has not been easy for anyone." 

"But with the help of every one of you I know that we can change the world, that we can change what is happening," he said, to applause.  

The event was largely put on and attended by individuals who had played pivotal roles in securing Perez's sanctuary throughout the past year. Many of the audience members had contributed to work connected to Lucio's sanctuary over the past year--including helping to provide meals and companionship for him.  

The event was also partially organized by the Pioneer Valley Workers Center--a Northampton-based non-profit whose focus on immigration and labor rights led it to  organize in defense of Perez last year. 

Margaret Sawyer, a pastor with the FUC and a lead organizer with PVWC, spoke at length, giving voice to hope and frustration over the current climate for immigrants across the country. 

Towards the end of her remarks Sawyer laid out her political vision for immigration--one in which the federal government laid out a "road to citizenship" for the 25 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the country. 

"Don't be scared, be bold," Sawyer said, encouraging local activism. 

Perez's son Tony spoke as well, thanking audience members for their support throughout the past twelve months and describing some of the difficult emotional experiences that the family had endured since his father took sanctuary. 

"This year has been a very tough year for all of us," Tony said, recalling the stress and fear that had overcome him upon hearing that his father had been briefly taken out of sanctuary and hospitalized for an operation related to appendicitis. "My first thought was [that] ICE" may have detained his father, Tony said, after his mother had told him that his father was receiving medical attention.   

Vicki Kemper, a pastor at the church, said that the congregation would continue to fight for Perez's safety and rights. "This work is ongoing," Kemper said. 

"We come together today with mixed feelings," Kemper said. "We don't want to celebrate the year in which Lucio and his family have been kept apart by the policies of our government--and yet we give thanks that they can still see each other regularly." 

"We don't celebrate Lucio's year long confinement to a church building, and yet we are grateful that he is safe," she went on. 

A number of local and regional officials and political candidates were present at Saturday's event and gave brief remarks in support of Perez. 

Springfield City Councilor Jesse Lederman said that he supported the efforts of local activists, and that similar efforts were being made in Springfield--where undocumented immigrant Gisella Collazo is also currently in sanctuary.  

Mindy Domb, Lindsay Sabadosa and Jo Comerford were all present, and gave remarks.  

Additionally, representatives from the offices of Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey were also present at Saturday's events, reading statements from the two officials in support of Perez. 

Check out the winning jackpot numbers in Saturday's Powerball lottery drawing.

The latest Powerball drawing offers another hefty jackpot for someone with a winning ticket.

File

Here are Saturday's winning numbers:

16-54-57-62-69, Powerball: 23, PowerPlay: 2X

The estimated jackpot is $470 million. The lump sum payment before taxes would be about $268.6 million. If there is no jackpot winner, the amount grows larger for the next drawing.

The last big payout occurred when a single winning ticket, sold in New York City and worth $245.6 million, won Aug. 11.

Powerball is held in 44 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

A $2 ticket gives you a one in 292.2 million chance at joining the hall of Powerball champions.

The drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Eastern Wednesdays and Saturdays. Deadline to purchase tickets is 9:45 p.m.

Billboard-chart topping virtuoso Natasha Paremski made her SSO debut with Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor.

The Springfield Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Kevin Rhodes, served up a pre-Halloween treat for music lovers at Symphony Hall on Saturday night.

Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor and John Harbison's Remembering Gatsby: Foxtrot for Orchestra were performed by the SSO, which is currently celebrating its 75th anniversary season.

Billboard-chart topping virtuoso Natasha Paremski made her SSO debut with her performance of Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor.

Born in Moscow, Natasha moved to the United-States at the age of 8. She has performed with major orchestras in North America including Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony and Houston Symphony. 

Up next for the SSO is a pops concert, A Holiday Celebration, which is slated for Dec. 8. It will feature conductor Nick Palmer, Cantor Elise Barber and the Springfield Symphony Chorus under the direction of Nikki Stoia.

The SSO's next classical concert, a salute to women composers, is set for Feb. 2.

Tickets for SSO performances may be obtained through its box office, by calling (413) 733-2291, or online at springfieldsymphony.org

Westfield officials said a man was apparently steruck and killed by a CSX train on tracks running parallel with Route 20 at about 8 p.m. Saturday evening. Westfield police, state police and the Chief Medical Examiner's Officer are investigating the incident.

A man walking on railroad tracks in Westfield was apparently struck by a train and killed Saturday evening.

Deputy Fire Chief Patrick Kane said CSX Transportation notified the Westfield Fire Department of the incident at about 8 p.m. Fire department emergency medical personnel along with Westfield police officers and State Police troopers responded to the scene near the intersection of Route 20 and East Mountian Road. 

Kane said authorities found the remains of a man who had apparently been struck by a train.  He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner took custody of the remains.

Westfield Police and State Police detectives attached to the District Attorney's Office will be investigating the incident. 

Springfield officials are calling for a cleanup of a lumber storage yard at the former Diamond Match property on Paridon Street in East Forest Park, as the owner seeks a special permit from the City Council.

SPRINGFIELD -- City officials are calling for a cleanup of a lumber storage yard at the former Diamond Match property on Paridon Street in East Forest Park as the owner seeks a special permit from the City Council.

The owner, Klaas Armster, said he hopes to complete the cleanup at Armster Reclaimed Lumber as directed by the Fire Department in the next two to three weeks while continuing to invest in improvements.

Armster Reclaimed Lumber is seeking a special permit from the City Council for lumber storage and a recycling center, but Armster said he expects that will be postponed until after the cleanup is completed.

The hearing is scheduled Monday at 7 p.m. at City Hall, and the postponement was unverified. 

The fire department conducted an inspection of the property on Oct. 12, and directed the business to clear lumber that is stored outside a fenced area in the front parking lot and to provide access throughout the property to fire apparatus.

The planning department has recommended that no special permit be issued until the owner can verify that he has complied with all fire department requirements.

The city's zoning inspectors had cited the business in June for violations and the need to obtain a special permit from the council, said Zoning Administrator Michael Jachym.

Armster said he purchased the property in 2015, but the business is primarily located in East Windsor, Connecticut. The Springfield site is primarily used for storage, with about three employees there, he said.

The factory building there is only partially occupied, and some prior tenants have moved out, he said.

There are not a lot of trucks or heavy equipment coming on the site, and not much noise, Armster said. He described the business as a pretty good neighbor.

The city of Springfield has announced paving projects that are tentatively scheduled for the week of Oct. 22.

SPRINGFIELD -- The city's Department of Public Works has announced roadway projects scheduled for the week of Oct. 22.

• Dennis Street, from Plumtree Road to Regal Street - Paving tentative

• Plumtree Circle, from Plumtree Road to southerly 600 feet - Paving tentative

• Skyridge Drive, from Parker Stret to northerly 1,220 feet - Paving tentative

• Talbot St. from Plumtree Road to North Road - Paving tentative

Sidewalk Restoration
East Springfield
Liberty Heights

Intersection Reconstruction
Cass and Carew Street

Both victims went to Baystate Medical Center in a private vehicle.

SPRINGFIELD -- Two people, a man and a woman, suffered gunshot wounds at about 2 a.m. Sunday in the parking lot across from the Zone Nightclub at 80 Worthington St.

Springfield police made two arrests in the case, but had few details to share Sunday morning. The two arrests were for drugs and for assault and battery on a police officer, according to the Twitter account of police spokesman Ryan Walsh.

Further detail on the arrests will not be available until Monday, Walsh said.

Police were on a call nearby when they learned of the shooting. By the time they arrived, the two shooting victims were gone, but police found enough evidence to led them to Baystate Medical Center where the two victims were arriving for treatment.

 The woman had a wound to her her arm. The man was hit in the stomach and neck, police told the station. But he is expected to survive, police said Sunday .

Police said neither victim is cooperating with the investigation. Police plan to look at surveillance video from the parking lot.

Family and friends of Arthur Medici, the 26-year-old Revere man killed in a fatal shark attack in September, gathered in Cape Cod to remember the man who "loved life."

Family and friends of Arthur Medici, the 26-year-old Revere man killed in a fatal shark attack in September, gathered in Cape Cod to remember the man who "loved life."

The Cape Cod Times reports more than 100 people went to Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet Saturday and paddled out into the water to remember Medici.

Medici, who was engaged, was killed Sept. 15 while boogie boarding. He was attacked by a shark and died at Cape Cod Hospital.

People gathered in the water to remember Medici.

Family of Medici spoke at the remembrance.

The brother of Medici's fiancee, Isaac Rocha, was with Medici at the time of the attack.

"You've given me a friendship, and you've given me a brotherhood, and you taught me how to live life to the fullest. But you also made me cry plenty," Rocha said, according to the Cape Cod Times.

Medici, a part-time engineering student at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, was "joyful and willing to help others," friends and family said in a Gofundme post.

"Our lives are never going to be the same without him. His laughter filled our home and he will be greatly missed by us all," the page continued to say.

A Facebook post for the event asked people to attend the remembrance to honor the life of a young man who was gone too soon.

"As an event that gives back to the surf community, we could not stress enough how important this paddle out will be not only those who surf in Cape Cod/Massachusetts/New England, but also to friends & family of the Medici family (many of whom will also be in attendance)," The New England Longboard Classic Surf Contest wrote on Facebook. "It will be an opportunity to come together and show our compassion as a community through the hurt of a difficult time."

Several groups and experts are continuing to meet to discuss safety measures to keep people safe in the waters off Cape Cod.

One month before Medici was killed, 61-year-old William Lytton of New York was bit by a shark as he waded in the waters off Long Nook Beach in Truro.

One man is dead after a vehicle struck a tree in Norton Sunday morning.

One man is dead after a vehicle struck a tree in Norton Sunday morning. 

Police and firefighters were called to the area of 96 Maple St. around 1:15 a.m. for a report of a crash. 

The driver, who has not been named publicly, lost control of his vehicle and struck a tree, according to police. 

The man died at the scene. 

Norton police and the Massachusetts State Police are investigating the crash.

The knife-wielding man who was fatally shot by police Friday has been identified as 25-year-old Christopher Calabro.

The knife-wielding man who was fatally shot by police Friday has been identified as 25-year-old Christopher Calabro.

The Plymouth County District Attorney's office announced Sunday that Calabro, a Brockton resident, died.

Police say Calabro brandished a knife and advanced on two officers Friday after police responded to a report of a man with a knife in the Court Street area around 12:20 p.m.

"They encountered a male with a knife. The man advanced at the officers and shots were fired," the district attorney's office said.

Calabro was taken to a local hospital then to a Boston hospital where he died around 8:14 p.m. Friday.

A witness told The Enterprise the man ignored orders by police to drop the knife. The newspaper reports Calabro came at one of the officers, who stepped back and fired his weapon.

The district attorney's office requested an independent review of the shooting. The Cape and Islands District Attorney's office is conducting the review.

Trespassers frequently cross or walk along the busy tracks that parallel Route 20, according to police

WESTFIELD -- Railroad CSX said Sunday it is cooperating with City Police as they investigate the death of a man who was struck by a train while walking on the CSX tracks just east of town.

The train crew notified police just before 8 p.m. Saturday that a train had struck a man who'd been on the track near the intersection of Route 20, also known as Springfield Road, and East Mountain Road, said Westfield Police Lt. Jay Pitoniak. The Railroad stopped all train traffic at that point.

Responders were able to find the man. Pitoniak said police knew his name by midday Sunday but are not yet releasing it.

Officers were on the scene until after midnight Saturday into Sunday morning.

CSX released a statement:

"Just before 8:00 p.m. yesterday, a CSX train struck a pedestrian near East Mountain Road and Springfield Road in Westfield, MA. There were no reported injuries to the train crew. Local authorities confirmed the pedestrian was fatally injured. CSX is cooperating with the Westfield Police Department, who are investigating the incident. CSX appreciates the swift response by local emergency personnel and extends its thoughts to those impacted by this tragic event."

Pitoniak said its fairly common for trespassers to walk along the tracks or to cross them in that area. It's just across from Walmart in one of Westfield's busiest shopping districts.

The tracks are easily seen from busy Route 20.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner took custody of the remains.

Columbia Gas will have 151 crews working Sunday said in its regular daily email update.

LAWRENCE -- Columbia Gas said Sunday that its replaced 3,317 service lines in Lawrence, North Andover and Andover, the area damaged by a series of gas explosions, Sept. 13.

Of those, 3,144 gas lines are now "gas ready" putting the utility over the halfway point of getting 6,100 damaged lines back to "gas ready" status.

One teen  was killed and at least 21 injured during the disaster. It was by a Columbia Gas contractor. Workers didn't shut off regulator sensors while replacing a gas line. When that equipment couldn't find any pressure in the removed line, the system increased the flow of gas, putting too much pressure into the  and leading to gas leaks and explosions.

Columbia Gas is working with weather getting worse and people calling for heat.

With weather getting worse. Temperatures were expected to dip to a low of 29 Sunday night.

As of Friday there were still 1,881 families, 6,646 individual people, in alternative housing like trailers and hotel rooms.

Columbia Gas said it will have 151 crews working Sunday on main lines and service lines. Nearly 480 plumbers, 425 gas fitters, 220 electricians, 230 field operations staff, 13 local inspectors, and 40 linguists were planned to be working on the project.

Columbia Gas said has received 21,143 claims to date and paid $23 million paid to date as of Sunday.

The city is building a 'Climate Resiliency & Regeneration Plan.'

Resiliency, adaptation, and mitigation are the latest buzzwords when it comes to dealing with the reality of climate change. As global temperatures rise and severe weather events increase, what can a city or town actually do?

Northampton residents are invited to a climate action workshop to learn about the city's options and brainstorm ideas.

On Oct. 23, the Department of Planning and Sustainability plans two events: a 5:30 p.m. "climate action workshop" to discuss energy issues, followed by a 7:30 p.m. discussion of "green infrastructure."

The second session will focus on the city's stormwater system, and look at ten sites in the city for their potential to handle flood control through natural means. Can Northampton do a better job of "designing with nature?"

Both events are free and open to the public.

If you go:

What: Climate Action Workshop and Green Infrastructure Discussion
When: 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Oct. 23
Where: First Churches, Lyman Hall, Center St., Northampton

A CSX train crew reported the incident at about 8 p.m. Saturday.

WESTFIELD -- A man struck and killed Saturday night by a CSX freight train near the intersection of East Mountain Road and Route 20 apparently died by suicide, the Hampden County District Attorney's Office said Sunday afternoon.

It is the area near Walmart.

The man's name was not released in the email from spokesman James Leydon.

A CSX train crew reported the incident at about 8 p.m. Saturday. Responding police and firefighters were able to find the body. CSX stopped traffic on the line to allow for the search.

Police were on the scene until after midnight Saturday into Sunday morning.

CSX had already released the following statement:

"Just before 8:00 p.m. yesterday, a CSX train struck a pedestrian near East Mountain Road and Springfield Road in Westfield, MA. There were no reported injuries to the train crew. Local authorities confirmed the pedestrian was fatally injured. CSX is cooperating with the Westfield Police Department, who are investigating the incident. CSX appreciates the swift response by local emergency personnel and extends its thoughts to those impacted by this tragic event."