Jason Sefton, 20, is being accused of murder in the Oct. 15 death of William Catalano.

PITTSFIELD - A third man charged with beating and stabbing a 34-year-old man to death in October was arraigned Tuesday on a murder charge and is being held without the right to bail.

Jason Sefton, 20, entered a not guilty plea for murder in Berkshire Superior Court. Judge John Agostini ordered him held at the Berkshire County House of Correction, said Fred Lantz, spokesman for Berkshire District Attorney Paul J. Caccaviello.

Sefton is the third person arrested in the Oct. 15 death of William Catalano. The Pittsfield resident at Berkshire Medical Center, roughly 90 minutes after he was found lying on the sidewalk in front of 219 Robbins Ave. suffering from multiple injuries.

Witnesses told police there had been an altercation involving multiple people. When people yelled that they were calling 911, the group scattered, leaving Catalano on the sidewalk.

Two Pittsfield residents, Bruce D. Ramono, 22, of 126 Elizabeth St., and Anthony O. Boone, 22, of 274 Bradford St., were arrested the day after his death and charged with murder. They are being held without bail, Lantz said.

At the same time, police received a warrant for the arrest of Sefton, who lives on 23 Lake St. He remained at large for several weeks prompting police to put out an alert asking people to notify them if they saw him, he said.

Police also charged Shane Smith, 34, with lying to investigators the day after the homicide, Lantz said.

Employees at the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton have asked the National Labor Relations Board to take a formal union vote.

NORTHAMPTON -- Aaron Julian, president and CEO of Newspapers of New England, which owns the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Valley Advocate and Amherst Bulletin newspapers, sent a letter to employees Tuesday stating his opposition to union organizing efforts.

In the letter, Julian references a large printing press project for the company's New Hampshire operations and says, "things have gotten off-track at the Gazette." But he calls for more communication between staff and management.

The letter was made public Tuesday by New England Public Radio.

"I strongly believe that adding a union to the mix will erode this newspaper," Julian wrote. "Among other factors, it would mean we no longer have the ability to deal directly with you about your employment terms and would inject an outside third party into our relationship. I fear that a union would demand that we treat everyone the same, insisting that we eliminate what I believe is the critical flexibility to treat each of you in a way that's sensitive, as much as possible, to your situation."

There are 72 employees at the Gazette, Advocate and Bulletin. Union organizers on the staff say they have signatures on a petition of support from about 70 percent of those workers.

Workers met with management Monday and asked the company to voluntarily recognize the union that employees are forming in affiliation with NewsGuild-Communications Workers of America.

But if that voluntary recognition doesn't happen, union backers say they are prepared to vote to organize on their own and force the issue. On Tuesday, they filed paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board to schedule an election, and that vote could happen in about four weeks.

In a news release Monday, the workers who support unionizing efforts said they understand the issues surrounding the newspaper industry. But they are concerned about changing job responsibilities, a gender pay disparity that made national news and the overall quality of the product.

Unionizing efforts do not include workers at other area papers also owned by Newspapers of New England: the Greenfield Recorder and the Athol Daily News.

Westfield State University, with an enrollment of 6,000, had 10 separate hate crimes reported in 2017. This is more than some cities.

Reported hate crimes, both in Massachusetts and nationwide, increased in 2017 from the year before, according to information compiled by the FBI.

The federal agency released its annual report on reported hate crimes Tuesday. The report is based on information supplied by 16,149 law enforcement agencies in communities and colleges. The reporting agencies increased by about 900 from 2016.

Nationwide, there were 7,175 hate crimes reported in 2017, up by 17 percent from the 6,126 reported the year before.

In Massachusetts, the total was 486, which is a 9 percent increase from the 444 reported in 2016.

Boston, mostly because of the size and diversity of its population of 682,000, reported the most number of hate crimes in Massachusetts with 140. No other city or town was anywhere close. Springfield reported eight and Worcester six.

Peculiar in the list for Massachusetts is that Westfield State University, with its enrollment of a little more than 6,300 students, reported 10 hate crimes. It was the most of any college or university in the state and more than any municipality other than Boston, Arlington (14), Newton (12) and Salem (11).

There were multiple times in the fall semester of 2017 where racial and anti-Semitic bias emerged at Westfield State. Black students reported finding threatening notes stuck on or slid under dorm room doors. A Latina student said she was assaulted by unknown assailants who made racial comments toward her. And anti-semitic graffiti was scribbled on the walls in a campus building.

The incidents led to news stories, student demonstrations and some strongly worded statements from the college administration denouncing the hatred.

Tricia M. Oliver, Westfield State director of campus communication, said since then Westfield State has taken a number of steps to combat bias on campus, including through programming and curriculum, by working with state and local police and by installing security cameras around the campus.

"Westfield State University addressed these terrible incidents openly, swiftly and comprehensively," she said. "We made it clear that hate will not be tolerated in any form on our campus."

She said the campus has seen "a sharp decline in such incidents."

Oliver did not provide numbers so far for 2018. The university will continue to be vigilant in the future, she said.

The FBI defines a hate crime as a criminal offense against a person or property that is motivated by the perpetrator's bias against someone based on race or ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender or gender identity.

Typically, a hate crime involves another offense -- such as arson, assault, destruction of property or even murder -- that has what the FBI calls "an added element of bias."

The FBI is quick to note that it is not the hate that is illegal -- it is the acting on that hate to target someone that makes it a hate crime.

"Hate itself is not a crime -- and the FBI is mindful of protecting freedom of speech and other civil liberties," it notes in the report.

Nationwide, there were 8,437 hate crimes reported in 2017.

California, the nation's most populous state with around 40 million residents, accounted for the highest number of hate crimes at 1,270.

Nationwide, nearly 60 percent of reported hate crimes involve racial bias, followed by 20.6 percent based on religious views and 15.8 percent on sexual orientation.

The most common offenses tied to hate crimes are vandalism, 27.6 percent, intimidation, 27.1 percent, and assault, 20 percent.

Of the reported racial incidents, nearly half involved the targeting of blacks.

Among religion-based hate crimes, Jewish people were targeted 58 percent of the time and Muslims about 19 percent. Every other religion was in single digits.

In Massachusetts, the majority of incidents were based on race or ethnicity, 232, followed by those based on religion, 118, and sexual orientation, 65. Hate crimes based on disabilities, gender or gender identity were each in single digits.

Comparing 2016 to 2017 for Massachusetts, hate crimes based on race or ethnicity increased from 212 to 232, or about 9 percent. Incidents based on religious bias increased by 22 percent from 94 to 118.

At Massachusetts colleges, there were 49 incidents of reported hate crimes among the 13 campuses reporting. The previous year, there were 47 incidents reported among 13 campuses. The 13 colleges reporting were not the same both years. Only four of them -- Boston University, Clark University in Worcester, UMass-Amherst and Hampshire College in Amherst -- reported in both 2016 and 2017. There are more than 100 colleges and universities in the state

Racially based incidents doubled from 14 to 37, while incidents based on religious bias declined from 22 to 8. Those based on sexual orientation declined from 10 to 4.

Making a straight comparison is difficult from one year to the next because providing data to the FBI is voluntary, and some reporting agencies do not report each year.

At Hampshire, there was one hate crime reported in 2016. In 2017, the number increased to 3. All were based on race or ethnicity.

At UMass-Amherst, just one hate crime was reported last year. It was based on race or ethnicity. The year prior there were 12, six based on race, four on religion, and two based on sexual orientation.

Gregory Carter, 61, on Haverhill, was on probation when he robbed the Santander Bank in Boston.

BOSTON - A Haverhill man who has 44-year criminal record and has been sent to prison 10 times, was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to robbing a Santander Bank in Boston.

Gregory Carter, 61, was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $6,129 in restitution by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel on Tuesday. He pleaded guilty in to one count of unarmed bank robbery in August 2017, said Christina DiLorio-Sterling, spokeswoman for Attorney General Andrew Lelling.

Prosecutors recommended a 12-year prison sentence, citing his long criminal record. At the time of the March 25, 2017 robbery of the Santander Bank, he was on probation for a prior bank robbery that he had been convicted of committing in 2003 and was sentenced to 151 months in prison, she said.

Carter admitted to robbing the bank on Commonwealth Avenue while wearing a black hat, ski mask, sunglasses, and blue latex gloves. He passed a note to the teller saying he had a gun and demanded money. He fled the bank with $6,127, DiLorio-Sterling said.

Carter was later identified through bank surveillance camera footage, she said.

Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Somerville Police Chief David Fallon; Haverhill Police Chief Alan DeNaro; and Boston Police Commissioner William Gross made the announcement Tuesday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth G. Shine of Lelling's Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

Boston Bud Factory owners told Holyoke councilors they will address questions about their proposed marijuana business by Nov. 27. Watch video

Video added at 8:49 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018.

Updated at 8:27 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018 to add comments from Frank Dailey, a Boston Bud Factory owner, saying the company will work through officials' questions; details about the proposed business' security plan; Councilor Nelson Roman praising the company's neighborhood outreach; Councilor Dave Bartley asking why the company has chosen Holyoke; and an embed of the Boston Bud Factory special permit application.

HOLYOKE -- A public hearing on a proposal to open a recreational marijuana business at 73 Sargeant St. was continued to Nov. 27 Tuesday at City Hall after discussions about traffic, parking and security.

Boston Bud Factory, consisting of owners Frank Dailey and Carlo Sarno, would run a retail sales and manufacturing facility in first floor space the company would lease, they told the City Council Ordinance Committee.

Continuing the public hearing gives Boston Bud Factory time to address the questions of councilors and city planners about parking around the site at Race and Main streets, an updated security plan, lighting and trash collection.

Also, Marcos A. Marrero, director of the city Planning and Economic Development Department, requested more details about effects the proposed business would have on traffic.

Boston Bud Factory will address officials' questions before the hearing resumes, Dailey said.

"I know we have some ways to go on the plans, but we're working through it," Dailey said.

No one aside from the Boston Bud officials spoke to support or reject the proposal during the public hearing.

Security measures would include surveillance cameras, improved lighting outside and a guard checking patrons' identification cards and then permitting entry buzzing open a door, Dailey said. State law prohibits sales of marijuana to those under age 21.

The initial door buzzing would get a patron into only the business' vestibule, with another buzzing in necessary after that, Dailey said.

"You can't get anywhere into our lobby without being buzzed into the door by our security guard," he said.

Committee members participating in the discussion were Chairwoman Linda L. Vacon and councilors David K. Bartley, Nelson R. Roman and Rebecca Lisi.

Roman, the Ward 2 councilor, praised Boston Bud officials for contacting residents and business owners in the neighborhood to discuss the plan.

"I just want to thank you gentlemen for reaching out to the neighborhood, going door to door," Roman said.

Dailey said after the hearing the business would employ five to 10 people in retail and eventually double that when marijuana manufacturing gets underway. Boston Bud so far has invested over $150,000 in the project, he said.

Dailey is a Springfield native and Sarno a Longmeadow native, according to the Boston Bud special permit application. Both are listed as owners and with an address of 37 Commercial St. here on the application.

The public hearing is part of the process the City Council uses to review such proposals. Boston Bud Factory needs a special permit from the Council, as the local approval, and a license from the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, to begin operating.

At the state level, Dailey said the commission has done background checks and fingerprinting in relation to the Boston Bud Factory license application. The commission forwarded some questions to the company in October and there could be another two or three more rounds of questions from the commission for the company to address, he said.

Bartley asked why Boston Bud Factory has chosen Holyoke as a possible business site.

Holyoke has been a pioneer in welcoming proposals about marijuana businesses, Dailey said.

"We really want to keep the local feel to the industry. One of my concerns is all this big money is coming from out of town ... so we're encouraging as many people locally. The more that we can do this locally ... the more positive impact we'll have on the community," Dailey said.

Check back with The Republican and MassLive.com for more coverage of the Holyoke City Council Ordinance Committee public hearing on the Boston Bud Factory proposal.

Boston Bud Factory marijuana special permit application in Holyoke: by Mike Plaisance on Scribd

The company hopes to sell its first recreational products by the end of the year.

EASTHAMPTON -- The up-and-running medical marijuana dispensary known as INSA has gained city approval to grow and process recreational cannabis.

INSA must wait for final authorization from the Cannabis Control Commission in Boston before it sells adult-use products at its 122 Pleasant Street facility in Easthampton. Such sales are expected before the end of the year, company representatives said at Tuesday night's Planning Board hearing.

Principals with INSA requested a modification of their existing special permit, which has allowed for medical marijuana cultivation and processing at an 89,000 square-foot grow facility at the Keystone Mill.

INSA previously gained local approval to add adult-use sales at its dispensary. Tuesday's meeting covered growing and processing for the adult-use market.

Medical and adult-use plants will be cultivated in exactly the same way, and the plants will be tracked using RFID tags and the METRC software program as required by the state, said INSA operations director Ian Kelley.

A portion of the plants will always be reserved for medical use, said Stephen M. Reilly Jr., general counsel and chief compliance officer for INSA. He said the exact percentage will be determined by the Cannabis Control Commission.

"They want to make sure the medical market does not lose out to the adult use market," Reilly said. 

The company is now waiting for the state to give its final approval and issue a sales ready certificate. Reilly said INSA hopes to be on the commission's agenda at its Nov. 20 meeting.

INSA opened its Easthampton facility in February. It opened a second medical dispensary on Cottage Street in Springfield, but that cannabis is grown in Easthampton.

The Cannabis Control Commission recently issued three adult-use retail licenses in Massachusetts, including one for New England Treatment Access in nearby Northampton. However, no Massachusetts dispensary has yet received a final notice to proceed from the state.

The Mega Millions jackpot is back on the climb after a single winning ticket claimed a $1.6 billion jackpot last month.

The Mega Millions jackpot is back on the climb after a single winning ticket claimed a $1.6 billion jackpot last month.

Mega Millions

Here are the winning numbers in Tuesday's drawing:

34-46-57-65-69; Mega Ball: 11; Megaplier: 3X

The estimated jackpot for the drawing is $106 million. The cash option is about $59 million. If no one wins, the Mega Millions jackpot will get bigger for the next drawing.

According to the game's official website, the odds of winning the jackpot are 1 in 302,575,350.

Players pick six numbers from two separate pools of numbers -- five different numbers from 1 to 70 and one number from 1 to 25 -- or select Easy Pick. A player wins the jackpot by matching all six winning numbers in a drawing.

Jackpot winners choose whether to receive 30 annual payments, each five percent higher than the last, or a lump-sum payment.

Mega Millions drawings are Tuesdays and Fridays and are offered in 44 states, Washington D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Tickets cost $2 each.

Mega Millions and Powerball winners should do these 5 things

The Massachusetts State Police trooper and a driver of one of the cars were hurt in the crash but are not believed to have serious injuries.

SPRINGFIELD - A West Springfield man accused of driving in the wrong direction on Interstate-91 while drunk, slammed into a Massachusetts State Police cruiser and two other vehicles before his car flipped over Tuesday night.

The driver, whose name was not immediately released, was not injured. He was arrested on several charges including drunken driving, said David Procopio, state police spokesman.

The state trooper was taken to Baystate Medical Center and was being evaluated early Wednesday morning, but his injuries are believed to be minor. He was not identified by name.

At least one other driver was also hurt in the crash but is not believed to have serious injuries, Procopio said.

The West Springfield man reportedly drove from Connecticut and entered Longmeadow heading north on the southbound side of Intestate-91. Police received multiple calls from people reporting the wrong-way driver at about 10 p.m., he said.

A nearby trooper on patrol quickly spotted the truck driving in the breakdown lane, heading toward him near Mile Marker 3, Procopio said.

"The trooper positioned his cruiser in front of the wrong-way operator in an attempt to stop him and prevent injury to other motorists," he said. "The suspect vehicle did not stop, hit the cruiser, and continued to go north in the southbound side. It struck two other vehicles before flipping over in Springfield."

Police responding to the crash removed the driver from the truck, detected what they felt what were signs that he was intoxicated and arrested him. He was booked at the State Police barracks in Springfield, he said.

The cruiser was badly damaged in the crash. Procopio did not immediately release any information about the two other vehicles that were hit.

State Police closed all southbound lanes so ambulances and police could clear the cars and investigate the crash. The highway was reopened shortly after midnight Wednesday, he said.

About 150 people connected to issues of homelessness will gather Friday to talk about ways in which they can address the problem together.

GREENFIELD -- About 150 people connected to issues of homelessness will gather Friday to talk about ways in which they can address the problem together. 

Those gathering at Greenfield Community College includes mayors and town managers, hospital administrators, members of human services agencies and newly elected state legislators. 

It was the election of five new members that spurred the creation of the forum, said Pamela Schwartz, director of the Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness.

"We knew how committed they are to addressing this issue of homelessness," she said referring to the five -- state Sen.-elect Jo Comerford and state Reps.-elect Lindsay Sabadosa, Mindy Domb, Dan Carey and Natalie Blais.

"It began with the desire to bring them into this work, to orient them to concrete numbers to (help address) this challenge." This way, she said, "they can bring their leadership to bear."

Other legislators or their aides will also attend, as will outgoing state Rep. Solomon Goldstein-Rose, who did not seek re-election and will be succeeded by Domb. 

Schwartz said the thinking was, "Let's reach out early. Let's help inform them (on how) to reduce, prevent and end homelessness."

To do that meant inviting the various people who work with homelessness. While the homelessness coalition has held large forums in the past, "I think this is the first of its kind in the breadth and depth across the counties."

Also participating will be representatives from housing authorities from Chicopee, Greenfield, Holyoke, North Adams, Northampton, Pittsfield and Springfield, as well as from community colleges and the University of Massachusetts and from the state departments of Housing and Community Development, Transitional Assistance, Public Health, and Children and Families.

Homelessness is connected to a range of social issues including poverty, lack of public transportation and child care, and mental health needs, Schwartz said. The forum will provide "a blueprint" for addressing those issues. 

"The real hope is that by learning together about the most effective strategies for addressing homelessness, we can more widely implement them on a local and state level." She said the strategies exist but are "in various pockets." This way they can be shared.

"The network has high hopes for real concrete change and practice. ... This is opportunity to educate and inspire," she said.

The event is not open to the public, she said.

Ready for snow?

Ready for snow? 

Another storm will sweep through New England on Thursday, bringing rain, snow and ice. 

Accumulating snow is likely to develop Thursday during the evening commute and continue into Friday morning.

The National Weather Service estimates communities in Massachusetts will see up to six inches of snowfall. Communities in the Berkshires, Franklin County and northern Worcester County are expected to see the highest snowfall totals.  Communities north of Boston and further south in Central and Western Massachusetts are likely to see three to four inches.

In Boston, Worcester and Springfield, two to three inches are expected. Little to no snow accumulation is expected on the Cape and islands. 

Framingham Police and the school district are investigating the possible hate crime.

Framingham police are investigating a possible hate crime after a Muslim elementary school student reported receiving threatening letters. 

Framingham Police are investigating to identify the suspected individual at Hemenway Elementary School, where several hateful letters were placed into a student's storage bin on Friday and again this week, according to Superintendent Robert A. Tremblay. The Framingham School District is also conducting its own internal investigation. 

"As I have stated in the past, any form of hate or bias is unacceptable and unwelcome in our community," Tremblay wrote in a statement to the Framingham community, adding the school will use the act of hate as a "teachable moment" for students. 

Tremblay continued, "It is not lost on me the harm these letters have caused the family and the greater Muslim community. I want to reassure you that the Framingham Public Schools stands with you. We will not accept hate. We will stand united against it."

The student, identified by WBZ as a 10-year-old girl in fifth grade, reportedly received multiple letters that read, "You're A Terrorist" and "I Will Kill You."

Tremblay, city officials and other school leaders have condemned the threatening notes. The uncle of the targeted student told WBZ that the school principal sent a notice to parents and asked the person who wrote the letters to come forward and apologize. 

The hateful acts in Framingham come on the heels of a new FBI report identifying increasing hate crime rates across the country. In 2017, the FBI reported 427 hate crimes in Massachusetts, compared to 391 in 2016.

Of the hundreds of hate crimes reported last year, the FBI said more than a quarter of the crimes were motivated by the victim's religion.

FBI report shows reported hate crimes on rise in Massachusetts and nationally

The suspect, Donald Moody of 130 Shaker Road, shot at police four or five times during the standoff, Western Mass News reported. No injuries were reported.

ENFIELD --  An hours-long standoff between Enfield police and a Shaker Road man reportedly ended about 6 a.m. Wednesday when tactical teams took him into custody.

The suspect, Donald Moody of 130 Shaker Road, shot at police four or five times during the standoff, Western Mass News reported. No injuries were reported.

 The incident began Tuesday night when police attempted to serve a warrant on Moody, who was wanted for a domestic violence incident in which he pointed a gun at a victim's head.

Western Mass News is television partner to The Republican and MassLive.com.

 This is a developing story. Additional information will be posted as soon as it is available.

Michelle Obama began her 12-stop book tour Tuesday by sitting with Oprah Winfrey before an audience at the home arena of the Chicago Bulls, speaking on everything from piano lessons and washing socks to crying on a plane the day her family moved out of the White House and President Donald Trump moved in. The crowd of 14,000 roared...

Michelle Obama began her 12-stop book tour Tuesday by sitting with Oprah Winfrey before an audience at the home arena of the Chicago Bulls, speaking on everything from piano lessons and washing socks to crying on a plane the day her family moved out of the White House and President Donald Trump moved in.

The crowd of 14,000 roared as the former first lady stepped onto a stage at the sold-out United Center event, which felt part talk show, part political rally and part rock concert, complete with $35 Michelle Obama T-shirts emblazoned with her face and the title of her just-released memoir, "Becoming." Family pictures of Barack Obama and their children flashed on a screen over her shoulder as she spoke.

During the more than 90-minute conversation under Bulls' NBA championship banners in Obama's home city, she never directly criticized Trump. Crying on the plane leaving Washington on Inauguration Day 2017, she explained, had nothing to do with Trump.

"When I got on the plane, I sobbed for 30 minutes," she said. "I think it was just the release of eight years trying to do everything perfectly."

Obama turned to her husband, who had just become a former president. "I said to Barack, 'That was so hard, what we just did. That was so hard." She said she didn't mention that episode in her book.

She didn't criticize Trump directly at the event despite direct criticism of him in her book.

She writes in "Becoming" that Trump's "loud and reckless innuendos" about her husband's birth certificate stirred people up and put "my family's safety at risk." And for this," she adds, "I'd never forgive him."

Trump responded last week, saying Michelle Obama "got paid a lot of money" to write that book and they always expect a little controversy." The current president said that he'd never forgive his predecessor for making the country "very unsafe."

When Winfrey, who selected "Becoming" for her influential book club , introduced Obama she referred to the divisive political climate, also without directly naming Trump.

"So many people are feeling uneasy... afraid of the impending darkness," Winfrey told the audience. "But you all being here tonight is a testament to the light."

"Becoming" describes Obama's upbringing on Chicago's South Side and her transition to college at Princeton University. As she does in her book, she recounted Tuesday being raised in a family that struggled economically -- but with parents who encouraged her to be successful.

When she was a child, she said her dad would complain to her mother that she wasn't teaching her children how to wash socks, because he had had so few socks growing up that he had to wash them and dry them on a radiator himself.

"My mom said, 'I'm not teaching them how to wash their socks. I'm going to teach them to go to college, so they can buy a washing machine,'" Obama said Tuesday.

She also talked about learning how to play the piano on a rickety one and her surprise at seeing her first piano that was in good condition.

"You mean there are perfect pianos out there?" she recalled thinking. "I didn't even know about it."

The memoir, officially released Tuesday, is already a best-seller. It topped Amazon.com's best-seller list throughout the weekend.

The tour that started in Chicago moves on to Los Angles, Washington, Detroit, Paris and London, and other U.S. cities. It ends next month in New York City.

Tens of thousands of people purchased tickets to Obama's United Center appearance -- paying from just under $30 to hundreds or even thousands of dollars for VIP packages. No tickets are available online for some stops.

Although some fans have complained about the high cost, 10 percent of tickets costs are being donated to local charities, schools and community groups.

The Springfield Fire Department reported the two children suffered life-threatening injuries in the late Tuesday morning crash. Information on the children was not immediately available Wednesday morning.

SPRINGFIELD - A Springfield woman, who along with two children was seriously injured in a late Tuesday morning crash on Page Boulevard, has died from her injuries, police said.

The crash, between a car and a tractor trailer, occurred about 11:45 a.m.

 The Springfield Fire Department reported the two children suffered life-threatening injuries. Information on the children was not immediately available Wednesday morning.

Firefighters used hydraulic equipment to extricate the two children.

Ryan Walsh, spokesman for Springfield police, referred further comment to the Hampden District Attorney's office.

This is a developing story. Additional information will be posted as soon as it is available.

After striking the cruiser, the truck continued for around another half-mile and then struck two other vehicles.

SPRINGFIELD - State police announced they have charged Yevgeniy Rudenko, 31, of West Springfield in connection with the Tuesday night crash on Interstate 91 that injured a state trooper and two other people.

Rudenko is charged with operating under the influence and other charges related to the 10 p.m. crash on I-91 South near the Springfield - Longmeadow line, said David Procopio, state police spokesman.

A full list of charges against Rudenko was not available Wednesday morning.

Rudenko was spotted by state troopers heading north in the southbound lane in a Chevrolet pickup. He apparently entered the highway in the wrong lane somewhere in Connecticut, Procopio said.

State police received several calls from drivers on I-91 reporting a wrong-way driver.

A trooper spotted him driving in the breakdown lane near mile marker 3 and positioned his cruiser in the path of the truck to get it to stop, he said. Instead the truck plowed into the front end of the cruiser and continued heading the wrong way.

The trooper, whose name was not released, suffered minor injuries. He was checked out at Baystate Medical Center and discharged Wednesday morning, Procopio said.

After contact, the truck continued in the wrong direction for around a half-mile, and struck a Chevrolet Tahoe and a Toyota Corolla before rolling over and bursting into flames.

Rudenko suffered minor injuries to his hands.

A passenger in one of the Tahoe and the driver of the Toyota were each taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment of injuries. Procopio said the injuries were serious but not life-threatening.

Juul Labs is pulling popular flavors of its e-cigarette pods from retail outlets until retailers can install technology that scans buyers' IDs to verify they are aged 21 or older.

Juul Labs is pulling popular flavors of its e-cigarette pods from U.S. retail outlets until retailers can install technology that scans buyers' IDs to verify they are aged 21 or older.

E-cigarettes, which manufacturers have said were developed for adult smokers wishing to cut back on their nicotine habit, have proved immensely popular with teens who have cited their flavors as much of the appeal.

"As of this morning, we stopped accepting retail orders for our Mango, Fruit, Creme, and Cucumber JUUL pods to the over 90,000 retail stores that sell our product, including traditional tobacco retailers (e.g., convenience stores) and specialty vape shops," said Ken Burns, chief executive officer of the California-based company that has more than 70 percent of the e-cigarette market share in the United States, in a release posted Tuesday on the company's website.

Burns statement says the flavors will be available only on the company's website "where we are adding additional age-verification measures to an already industry-leading online sales system that is restricted to people 21+ and utilizes third party verification."

The Food and Drug Administration announced in September that it had issued letters to the manufacturers of the most popular brands of e-cigarettes asking each company to submit within 60 days plans describing how they were to address what the FDA called "the widespread youth access and use of their products."

The FDA indicated failure to do so could result in at least a temporary removal from the market of some or all of the flavored products seen as contributing to market popularity.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey had announced in July her office was investigating JUUL Labs and other online electronic-cigarette retailers over concerns that they were targeting their products to minors.

Healey told the New York Times Tuesday that her "investigation into Juul's practices, including if it was knowingly selling and marketing its products to young people, will continue."

FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb tweeted Tuesday that FDA regulatory action was still planned but that "we want to recognize actions by Juul today and urge all manufacturers to immediately implement steps to start reversing these trends."

Burns' statement said the FDA and Juul "share a common goal."

"We don't want anyone who doesn't smoke, or already use nicotine, to use JUUL products. We certainly don't want youth using the product. It is bad for public health, and it is bad for our mission," Burns' statement says.

"JUUL Labs and FDA share a common goal - preventing youth from initiating on nicotine. To paraphrase Commissioner Gottlieb, we want to be the off-ramp for adult smokers to switch from cigarettes, not an on-ramp for America's youth to initiate on nicotine. We won't be successful in our mission to serve adult smokers if we don't narrow the on-ramp."

The statement adds, "Only JUUL pods that mirror what is currently available for combustible cigarettes - tobacco and menthol-based products (Menthol and Mint pods) - will be sold to retail stores, including traditional tobacco retailers (e.g., convenience stores) and specialty vape shops."

The statement says that the company has also "decided to shut down our U.S.-based social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram" though the statement says "more than 99 percent of all social media content related to JUUL Labs is generated through third-party users and accounts with no affiliation to our company."

"To remove ourselves entirely from participation in the social conversation, we have decided to shut down our U.S.-based social media accounts on Facebook and Instagram," the statement says.

"Our presence on Twitter will be confined to non-promotional communications only. YouTube will only be used for posting testimonials of former adult smokers who have switched to the JUUL system, in part to support online content on JUUL.com."

The statement from Burns adds, "We have already imposed 21+ age-gating restrictions for users to access our YouTube content."

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, urged Congress this week to pass legislation protecting Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation into Russian election meddling from becoming targets of new acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker.

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, urged Congress this week to pass legislation protecting Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation into Russian election meddling from becoming targets of new acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker.

Pointing to Whitaker's public criticism of the Justice Department's probe, Markey said lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle should come together to pass a bill so that Mueller can not be fired without cause and to ensure all of his investigation's documents are preserved and available to Congress. 

"That effort is going to be made over the next couple of weeks on the floor of the United States Senate," he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer in a Tuesday interview. "We intend on doing everything we can do to make sure that Whitaker is not brought in as a political hatchet man to destroy the Mueller investigation before the American people get the answers that they have been waiting for."

Markey said lawmakers will seek to add such protections to a "must-pass" bill in the final weeks of the legislative session.

The senator added that such protections for Mueller will be important regardless of whether Whitaker recuses himself from the Department of Justice's investigation.

"If Acting AG Whitaker refuses to recuse himself from the Mueller investigation, Congress must pass legislation protecting the special counsel," he tweeted. "If Whitaker does recuse himself ... Congress must pass legislation protecting the special counsel."

If Acting AG Whitaker refuses to recuse himself from the Mueller investigation, Congress must pass legislation protecting the Special Counsel.

If Whitaker does recuse himself... Congress must pass legislation protecting the Special Counsel. #ProtectMueller pic.twitter.com/Am7YCzjHv3

-- Ed Markey (@SenMarkey) November 13, 2018

Markey further accused the White House of appointing Whitaker as part of an effort to undermine Mueller's investigation. 

"They're trying to have Whitaker take over at the Justice Department ... to defund the investigation, to severely limit the scope of the investigation -- all towards the goal of making sure the American people never get the answers to what happened in 2016 and any potential collusion between the Russian government and the Trump campaign," he argued.

Report: Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigns

President Donald Trump announced last week that Whitaker would take over for Jeff Sessions as the new acting attorney general before a permanent replacement is "nominated at a later date" -- an appointment which has drawn criticism and even legal challenges from some.

Sessions, whom Trump repeatedly criticized for recusing himself from the Russia probe, resigned at the president's request. 

Whitaker has publicly criticized Mueller's probe, suggesting in July 2017 that any replacement for Sessions could defund the special counsel's work. 

Number of states reporting cases increases to 27.

The number of confirmed and suspected cases of the polio-like disease acute flaccid myelitis as well the number of states reporting cases continue to rise in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly report.

"As of today, we have 252 patients under investigation, which is an increase of 33 patients under investigation since last week," said Dr. Nancy Messonnier, director for the National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases, during a telebriefing Tuesday with reporters.

"We have confirmed an additional 10 cases to bring the total confirmed AFM case count to 90 in 27 states. So far there have been no deaths among AFM patients reported to CDC in 2018."

The number of states reporting cases for the prior week was 25.

Although a rare condition, the CDC began to release weekly reports in October of patients under investigation for it after noting an increase starting in August as certain seasonal viruses begin to circulate.

There have been 414 confirmed cases of AFM since the CDC began tracking it in 2014.

Messonnier stressed in her briefing that the cause of the disease remains unknown. It has been compared to poliomyelitis because its symptoms can include limb paralysis.

Messonnier noted that while some patients "fully recover" from AFM she said "at least half of the patients don't recover" from all symptoms.

"And some of those patients have actually really serious swelling," Messonnier said.

"Unfortunately, we have not been following every AFM patient. It's a gap in our understanding of AFM that we don't understand the long-term consequences in every patient. And it's something we're going to be really looking at really closely, both for the patients this year and also to follow up the patients that have gotten AFM in previous years."

There is no specific clinical management for the disease that involves the expertise of both infectious disease specialists and neurologists and it can take the CDC "a week to a few weeks," Messonnier said, to classify and confirm suspected cases sent by state health departments.

AFM is said to affect the body's nervous system, causing inflammation in the spinal cord and interfering with the transmission of nerve signals to and from the brain.

It is defined by the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists as a "rare and very serious condition that affects the nervous system causing weakness in the arms or legs and is, in some instances, also associated with long-term disability."

It can be diagnosed through spinal cord fluid and an MRI, but Messonnier noted in her briefing that spinal cord fluid tested negative in the majority of cases of children recently diagnosed with AFM. Evidence of a virus was found more often in respiratory and stool samples.

Messonnier said of the 80 confirmed cases through Nov. 5, "Most were children; particularly between 2 and 8 years old; about half were male; almost all reported fever and/or respiratory illness in the three to 10 days before limb weakness" and that in "almost all patients, an upper limb was involved" and that "about half had only upper limb involvement."

"CDC has tested 125 spinal cord fluid respiratory and stool specimens from 71 of the 80 confirmed AFM cases. Of the respiratory and stool specimens tested, about half were positive for enterovirus or rhinovirus, including EVA-71 and EVD-68," Messenger said.

"The spinal cord fluid was positive in two cases. One had evidence of EVA-71, and one had evidence of EVD-68. One of the cases was in an adult who was on immune-suppressive medication and the other was in a child who had very rapid progression of paralysis."

She added, "It is important to put these two cases in context."

"Since 2014, we have tested spinal cord fluid of most AFM cases, and in only a few have we identified a pathogen. When a pathogen is found in the spinal fluid, it is good evidence that it was the cause of a patient's illness," Messenger said.

"However, oftentimes, despite extensive testing, no pathogens are found in the spinal fluid. This may be because the pathogen has been cleared by the body or it is in hiding in tissues that make it difficult to detect."

She added, "Another possibility is that the pathogen triggers an immune response in the body that causes damage to the spinal cord."

"Polio testing nowadays certainly doesn't look at spinal fluid, because we know that finding polio in the gastrointestinal track tells us that a patient has polio," Messonnier said.

"We haven't yet figured out AFM to understand completely what the significance is in finding it in respiratory specimens."

She added, "We know that most patients with AFM have fever and/or respiratory symptoms before developing AFM."

"However, at this time of year, many children have fever and respiratory symptoms. Most of them do not go on to develop AFM," Messonnier said.

She said the CDC is "broadening our hypotheses" in terms of causes and that more sophisticated testing may be needed to find the cause at the point the illness occurs.

She added, "It is important for parents to realize that this still is a relatively rare condition."

"If parents have concerns about their child, they should reach out quickly to their physician and get their child evaluated," Messonnier said.

Messonnier said "so far, the curve from 2018 looks similar to 2016 and to 2014" when asked to predict the number of AFM confirmed cases for this year.

The highest number of confirmed cases in recent years were 120 in 2014 in 34 states and 149 in 2016 in 39 states.

In 2017, CDC received information for 33 confirmed cases of AFM in 16 states across the U.S.

A number of ed-tech companies are emerging to help bring lessons to life, using virtual reality to inspire kids beyond the walls of their classroom.

A number of ed-tech companies are emerging to help bring lessons to life, using virtual reality to inspire kids beyond the walls of their classroom. Some say virtual reality is poised to replace the traditional classroom experience, claiming it leads to better engagement. Others argue that VR will supplement classroom learning, but can never truly replace it. VR technology is a great tool, but can't accomplish what a human teacher can. What do you think? 

PERSPECTIVES

There's a reason kids look forward to field trips; getting outside of the school and encountering the same material you're studying provides a much different learning experience than a traditional classroom. Virtual reality takes the concept of field trips and brings it to the classroom itself. 

CNN's Emma Kennedy reports: 

'Kids love to engage with [VR] lessons,' said Guido Kovalskys, chief executive and co-founder of US-based edtech company Nearpod. 'One minute, they are learning about Roman history, and the next, they are transported to ancient Rome and are exploring the Colosseum.'

According to Nearpod's figures, more than 6 million students in the US and beyond have experienced its VR-based lessons, such as virtual field trips, after it began offering the service two years ago.

'We see a direct correlation between VR usage and increased engagement by students,' Kovalskys said. 'Added engagement boosts learning outcomes.'

Kennedy also looks to Jeremy Bailenson, a professor of communications at Stanford University and founding director of Stanford's Virtual Human Interaction Lab, for further insight. Bailenson has been studying VR for nearly 20 years: 

He believes that VR should supplement classroom learning, not replace it. 'It's about using VR to shake it up and frame the other work being done in the regular classroom,' he said. 'It's about stepping away from the mundane stuff and experiencing something.

'Learning to conjugate verbs, for example, that's not making the best use of VR. It works just fine on a blackboard. Doing something that requires you to watch but not move, that doesn't really justify the use of VR.'

According to Bailenson's research, using VR can also have a psychological impact on children:

In some cases, children who experienced swimming with whales in a VR environment developed false memories of having visited SeaWorld in real life.

Clearly, a lot of research still needs to be done before VR should be allowed in classrooms at all, let alone be seen as viable replacement. 

Is virtual reality dangerous for children?

Technology is already maturing from distraction to valuable tool in classrooms across the country. Technology during field trips used to be limited, and now elementary schools host "Technology Days," where kids are encouraged to bring different gadgets into class. 

VR could easily be among the Smart Boards and iPads that have become commonplace in some schools. The Ed Tech Times' Coraline Hentsch points out a number of benefits of VR: 

Schools today seem to be getting more and more concerned with making their students 'future-ready.' By bringing the revolutionary medium of VR to the classroom and letting kids experiment with it, they help prepare them for the digital world in which they will grow and later start a career.

Last but not least, the new medium also adds a considerable amount of fun to the classroom as students get excited to receive the opportunity, sometimes for the first time, to put a headset viewer on and try VR.

VR also has the potential to stimulate enthusiasm within the classroom and increase students' engagement. Several teachers have reported that they were impressed by the impact on students' motivation and in some cases, even on their new perspective toward learning matter.

Using #VirtualReality to explore the Rotunda at the @USNatArchives and learn about the American Constitution! pic.twitter.com/PuNiemC4R2

-- mrnerdstrom (@mrnerdstrom) November 8, 2018

Even so, the idea of VR completely replacing traditional classroom education is both unrealistic and counterproductive. Students take cues from teachers and classmates. If young kids have VR goggles on at all times, the consequences could be disastrous. As Study points out: 

Teacher-to-student interactions, along with student-to-teacher and student-to-student interactions, are all part of the learning experience. Spontaneous and random interactions via questions or stated opinions are necessary in presenting a full scope of the subject being taught. In the virtual classroom, the teacher is usually able to interact with only one student at a time and it is from behind a computer screen. Raising questions and listening to other students' opinions typically takes place through group message boards, as opposed to real-time, face-to-face communication.

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Fox News has come out in support of rival CNN in its lawsuit against the White House's decision to pull the press credentials of Jim Acosta.

Fox News has come out in support of rival CNN in its lawsuit against the White House after the Trump administration pulled the press credentials of Jim Acosta.

"Fox News supports CNN in its legal effort to regain its White House reporter's press credential," Fox News President Jay Wallace said in a statement on Wednesday.  "We intend to file an amicus brief with the U.S. District Court. Secret Service passes for working White House journalists should never be weaponized. While we don't condone the growing antagonistic tone by both the President and the press at recent media avails, we do support a free press, access and open exchanges for the American people."

In addition, Fox News, as well as the Associated Press, NBC News,  New York Times, USA Today, Politico, Bloomberg, The Washington Post and others issued a joint statement saying  "Our news organizations support the fundamental constitutional right to question the President, or any President. We will be filing friend-of-the-court briefs to support CNN's and Jim Acosta's lawsuit based on these principles."

CNN filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and several aides Tuesday, seeking the immediate restoration of correspondent Acosta's access to the White House.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., is a response to the White House's suspension of Acosta's press pass, known as a Secret Service "hard pass," last week.

The suit alleges that Acosta and CNN's First and Fifth Amendment rights are being violated by the ban.

Both CNN and Acosta are plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

There are six defendants: Trump, chief of staff John Kelly, press secretary Sarah Sanders, deputy chief of staff for communications Bill Shine, Secret Service director Randolph Alles, and the Secret Service officer who took Acosta's hard pass away last Wednesday. The six defendants are all named because of their roles in enforcing and announcing Acosta's suspension.

The White House suspended Acosta's press access, with Sanders claiming Acosta "put his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern."

Sanders appeared to have been trying to back up that claim by tweeting what NBC News described as a sped-up video.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway acknowledged the video had been sped up, but she disagreed with claims that the video had been "doctored."

On Wednesday afternoon, the White House responded it court filings that it can pick and choose which journalists are given a permanent pass to cover it.

"The President and White House possess the same broad discretion to regulate access to the White House for journalists (and other members of the public) that they possess to select which journalists receive interviews, or which journalists they acknowledge at press conferences," lawyers said in the filing.

(Updated at 2:08 p.m.to include White House court filing.)