Another wave of snowfall is expected in Massachusetts.

Another wave of snowfall is expected in Massachusetts. 

Up to six inches of snowfall is forecast to fall Tuesday through the evening with northern Worcester County seeing the highest expected totals, four to six inches. 

East and west of Central Massachusetts, along the New Hampshire and Vermont state lines, three to four inches is likely. 

Further south, from Amherst to Worcester, up to two inches is likely. 

Southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands are expected to see little to no snowfall, as are pockets of communities in Central and Western Massachusetts. 

The "Today Show" was scheduled to broadcast live as NETA became the first recreational marijuana facility to open east of the Mississippi.

NORTHAMPTON -- Rain and a sunrise yet to come didn't stop the more than 30 people who had lined up by 5:30 a.m. to be among the first customers to buy marijuana at a retail store in Massachusetts on Tuesday.

By 6:23 a.m., the count was 73 and growing.

The opening day crowd was materializing as expected with sales of marijuana for recreational use set to begin at 8 a.m. at New England Treatment Access at 118 Conz St.

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission said Friday it had granted the final approvals for NETA here and Cultivate Holdings LLC in the Worcester County town of Leicester to open the state's first recreational marijuana shops, both on Tuesday.

They will become the first stores to legally sell cannabis east of the Mississippi.

Before the sun rose, NETA staff circulated among the rain-soaked pot fans.

"Can I get anyone a poncho?" one employee asked.

"Can I get anyone a coffee?" asked another.

Tents were set up offering free coffee, muffins and fruit.

"Thank you for your hospitality," a young man said.

Over 100 staffers have been added at NETA and service stations for customers have increased to about 25 from the normal 15, said Amanda Rositano, NETA director of operational compliance.

As daylight emerged, the media satellite dishes didn't look as weird as they did clustered in the dark in the NETA parking lot.

The "Today Show" was scheduled to broadcast live as NETA became the first recreational marijuana facility to open on the East Coast, NETA spokesman Peter Brown said.

Mark Andre, 58, of Northampton wouldn't have missed it.

"I think there's going to be a lot of people coming out here," Andre said, standing in line. "I was kind of thinking maybe I should have gotten here before 5:30 a.m."

NETA's doors open at 8 a.m. and the ceremonial first sale is scheduled to be made by Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz.

MassLive will have continuing coverage Tuesday of the opening day of retail marijuana sales in Massachusetts

More than 223,000 people in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties are affected by food insecurity, according to the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

Incessant rain did not stop Monte Belmonte and his supporters from marching from Springfield to Northampton on Monday to raise awareness about hunger in Western Massachusetts and it won't stop him today as he makes his way from Northampton to Greenfield.

By tonight Belmonte, of WRSI 93.9 FM The River, will have pushed a shopping cart 43 miles in two days to raise funds for the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts.

"This is probably the worst weather we've had," he said as he made his way down State Street in Springfield on Monday morning, a large umbrella covering his radio equipment.

Every year Belmonte broadcasts live during his march, encouraging his listeners to donate.

"We are poised to break the $1 million mark after nine years of doing this walk and I hope it will help towards ending hunger in all of the four counties of Western Massachusetts," he said.

Belmonte is joined every year by anti-hunger advocates as well as Andrew Morehouse, executive director of the Food Bank and U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester.

"This is a good cause  and whatever discomfort we feel in this freezing rain or snow  is nothing compared to what  millions of families have to deal with on a daily basis who struggle with hunger," he said.

Morehouse said that money will help the Food Bank serve 3 million meals.

"While that might sound like a lot that only represents a third of the food we distribute every year. The challenge is great and in order for us to feed people today, tomorrow and when they need it most we need to raise awareness across all four counties  so that people know that it's their neighbors, elders, children, people with disabilities, veterans and working families who struggle to put food on the table."

A local businessman is proposing to open two retail marijuana stores in Springfield, one in the South End across from the MGM casino and the other at "The X."

SPRINGFIELD -- A local businessman wants to open two retail marijuana stores in Springfield, one in the South End across from the MGM casino and the other at "The X" in the Forest Park neighborhood.

David Mech, of Springfield, is proposing one marijuana store at 1021 Main St., in the South End, in the same building as Raices Restaurant in an adjacent storefront. The property is across from MGM Springfield.

"It's a good site, central to the downtown area and is located conveniently right next to the Caring Health Center," Mech said.

The store plans will be discussed during a community meeting Nov. 27 at 7 p.m., at 1021 Main St.

Mech's second proposed marijuana shop is at the Potco store at 522 Sumner Ave., at "The X."

A community meeting scheduled this month has been postponed, Mech said. A new date is not yet finalized.

The City Council approved an ordinance in September that will allow up to 15 retail marijuana stores in the city that must be located in a business or industrial zone and only on 58 designated streets in those zones.

Mech, business owner of the Potco store, said the addition of marijuana sales there will be a "natural progression."

Potco has been in business approximately three years selling products including fertilizers, grow lamps, indoor growing tents and hydroponic and aquaponic setups. The business also sells cannabidiol, or CBD -- an extract of hemp that lacks marijuana's psychoactive properties.

In 2016, Mech described the business as the "Costco of marijuana."

The planning department, however, said it believes the Sumner Avenue site is within 500 feet of the Springfield High School building housed in the former Holy Name School at 37 Alderman St. The city ordinance prohibits the location of marijuana shops within 500 feet of a school.

Mech said the Holy Name property line is within 500 feet, but that includes a church. He would also want to find out if a variance is possible, if needed.

Both of the shops, if approved, would be in rented locations, Mech said.

"We go beyond just wanting to sell marijuana," Mech said. "Our big thing is coordinating care between providers and patients and their caregivers."

The meeting for the Sumner Avenue location was postponed because the initial date chosen conflicted with a City Council meeting that night, Mech said. The business wants councilors, as well as the public, to be in attendance, he said.

Regarding the South End meeting, there will be additional meetings scheduled with the South End Community Council and the Forest Park Civic Association to discuss the Main Street store, Mech said.

Mech's proposed marijuana stores have become the third and fourth such businesses proposed in Springfield.

There were recent community meetings regarding a marijuana store proposed at the former Hampden Bank headquarters at 1665 Main St., in the downtown, and a store proposed at 732 Cottage St., in East Springfield.

Hundreds of people were waiting for hours in the snowy rain to buy marijuana for recreational use in Northampton, Massachusetts at one of the first two shops to open on the East Coast. Watch video

NORTHAMPTON -- Northampton Mayor David J. Narkewicz handed over $24 this morning and made history.

By buying a candy bar he plans not to even eat.

Arrangements made Narkewicz the first one to buy marijuana for recreational use on the East Coast at New England Treatment Access (NETA) at 118 Conz St.

The mayor paid $20 plus $4 in tax for a 50 mg D-Line candy bar made of dark Belgian chocolate infused with marijuana 

"It's just a historic moment for the commonwealth and for the city. I'm glad to be a part of it," Narkewicz said.

He plans to preserve the rectangular-shaped candy bar with the Frank Lloyd Wright-like label design in his office, he said.

Surrounded by high-fiving and selfie-taking NETA staffers, and as media members snapped photos and recorded video, Narkewicz made the buy after NETA spokesman Peter Brown shouted a "10, 9, 8, 7 ..." countdown. The place erupted in whoops and hollers.

Meanwhile, a line of hundreds of people shuffled along for hours waiting to enter NETA and buy pot legally.

The first guy in line, Daquaan Hamilton, said he got there to wait at 12:30 a.m. The line snaked outside in the rainy snow down the side of NETA to Pleasant Street looped back onto Conz Street and stretched down Wright Avenue.

Narkewicz walked into NETA at 7:27 a.m.

Brown made sure the first purchase didn't take place until the clock had ticked to the legal opening mark of 8 a.m.

"I kind of felt bad walking past that line," Narkewicz said.

By 8 a.m., marijuana -- the oldest recorded use dates back to 2727 B.C. China -- finally was legal for anyone over 21 to buy, albeit still in the face of "it's a drug and drugs are bad" stigma.

"I really wanted to be first in line," Hamilton said. "I knew that this was going to be a benchmark, historical moment. I really wanted to be there."

He bought a vape pen and edibles, he said.

Part of the significance of marijuana being available legally is that despite its widespread use for so long, many people have suffered for having pot paraphernalia or small amounts of marijuana, he said.

"It's pretty great," Hamilton said.

Was it worth the wait?

"Absolutely, 100 percent," he said.

"Honestly, I'm just excited to get home, get out of the cold and use legally," he said.

Eric Leidberg, 56, of Montague was the second non-mayor to make a recreational marijuana purchase.

He bought five joints for $86, he said.

"Of course it's too expensive but how many people spend money on expensive Scotch or bourbon or cigars?" Leidberg said.

Worth the wait?

"Yeah, I had a good time, met some cool folks, kind of a festival atmosphere. I got here at 4:15 a.m., but that's not because, I'm always up at that time, so it was no big deal."

"Well it's expensive but I'm not going to blow through one joint in one sitting, I guarantee you that, so this will last me quite a while," Hamilton said. "The only problem I'm going to have is when I give the receipt to my wife and she goes, 'What?', so anyway."

Medical marijuana has been legal in Massachusetts since 2012. NETA has been offering marijuana for medicinal uses since October 2012.

Voters in Massachusetts passed a ballot question to make pot legal for recreational use, as well, in 2016. Gov. Charlie Baker signed the measure into law July 28, 2017.

Complaints arose that the state was going to slow in actually finalizing approval to get such pot shops up and running.

On Friday, the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission said the agency had granted the final approvals for NETA here and Cultivate Holdings LLC in the Worcester County town of Leicester to open the state's first recreational marijuana shops, both today.

As people lined up to legally buy the first marijuana retail products at two Massachusetts stores, Rep. Joe Kennedy III said he's changing his position on legalization.

As people lined up to legally buy the first marijuana retail products at two Massachusetts stores, Rep. Joe Kennedy III said he's changing his position on legalization.

"From health care to criminal justice, the failures of our nation's prohibition on marijuana can be seen in every corner of our society," he said in a Twitter post. "Status quo isn't working & states aren't turning back. It's time to legalize & regulate marijuana at the federal level."

Since his election in 2012, the former prosecutor had opposed legalization and other marijuana measures on Capitol Hill.

Marijuana sales begin in Massachusetts: Dispatches from the first day of sales on the East Coast

The Twitter post on his reversal included a link to an opinion piece he authored and had published on STAT, a news site focused on health and medicine. Marijuana legalization is "not a cure-all," he wrote.

"My concerns about the public health impact of marijuana remain," he continued. "But it has become clear that prohibition has wholly failed to address them. I believe legalization is our best chance to actually dedicate resources toward consumer safety, abuse prevention, and treatment for those who need it."

From health care to criminal justice, the failures of our nation's prohibition on marijuana can be seen in every corner of our society. Status quo isn't working & states aren't turning back. It's time to legalize & regulate marijuana at the federal level. Read my @STATnews op/ed: https://t.co/q5ZHzYpRwz

-- Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) November 20, 2018

Who is Joe Kennedy III?

Kennedy, a Newton Democrat, is the grand-nephew of President John F. Kennedy. His district includes Brookline, Newton, Hopkinton, Foxborough, North Attleborough, Taunton, Somerset and Fall River.

Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), which has railed against the new marijuana industry as "profit-hungry," said the group understands the "frustration" outlined in Kennedy's opinion piece. Patrick Kennedy, the former congressman from Rhode Island and a son of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, is an adviser to the organization.

"Because the federal government - led by all political parties - has failed to adequately address state votes that are in clear violation of federal law, we are left in a limbo that allows pot companies to act just like their 20^thcentury predecessors in Big Tobacco," the group said in its own statement posted to Twitter.

Heath Morse is accused of selling the puppies, which were routinely sick, for thousands of dollars, according to AG Healey.

A Shrewsbury man has been sued after he allegedly sold fatally ill bulldog puppies out of an unlicensed shop in his home, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey's office said.

Heath Morse is accused of selling the puppies, which were routinely sick, for thousands of dollars, according to the office.

"According to the complaint, these consumers later paid thousands more in veterinary bills after their puppies suffered from serious diseases and, in some cases, died within days or even hours after they were purchased," the AG's office said in a press release Tuesday.

The release said Morse advertised the dogs as "'show-dog quality,' American Kennel Club certified, pure bred, and veterinarian checked."

Morse kept puppies "who were infected with contagious diseases alongside the healthy dogs in an outside-fenced in area, which was covered in their own waste," Healey's office said. Morse claimed the dogs lived in "five-star" living conditions.

State law requires animals that are suspected of disease to be quarantined from other animals for at least 10 days.

Morse received a cease and desist order and multiple penalties from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, but continued to run an unlicensed shop, according to Healey's office.

Healey's complaint seeks restitution for Morse's customers and a "permanent injunction preventing Morse from ever selling puppies or falsely advertising puppies again."

The City Council approved special tax funds totaling $1.1 million for 11 community preservation projects including studies aimed at restoring the long-deteriorated Campanile tower and advancing bike-walkway projects along an abandoned rail line.

SPRINGFIELD -- The City Council on Monday night approved special tax funds totaling $1.1 million for 11 community preservation projects including studies aimed at restoring the long-deteriorated Campanile tower and advancing bike-walkway projects along an abandoned rail line.

The funds were approved by unanimous votes and are dedicated to historic preservation, open space and recreation and affordable housing initiatives under the Community Preservation Act property tax surcharge program. The new surtax was approved by Springfield voters two years ago.

"It's really exciting to finally be at the point to be able to make recommendations and get their support," said Robert McCarroll, chairman of the Springfield Community Preservation Committee, which evaluated applications. "We are looking forward to now actually having the projects completed."

Of the total amount awarded, $250,000 was granted to the city to help fund a study, now underway, of the historic Campanile tower at Court Square. The city has also set aside budget funds for the estimated $450,000 study.

"There is a study for the needs of the Campanile, which of course is crying out for renovations," McCarroll said. "But you need an analysis of what the problems are."

The council also approved $250,000 that will be used for the stabilization of the historic Gunn Block building at 477 State St. The funding was deemed "urgent and critical to its preservation" ahead of future restoration work by the owner, DevelopSpringfield.

Other projects funded by the council as recommended by the Community Preservation Committee were:

• Design of the McKnight Community trail -- $200,000 to assist with the design of a 3-mile recreational path from State Street to Armory Street along an abandoned railroad line.

• East Forest Park Rail Trail Feasibility Study -- $63,200 as a first step toward the potential design and construction of an active recreational path that could eventually connect the McKnight Community Trail with the East Longmeadow rail trail.

• East Forest Park Community Reading Garden -- $138,000 for creation of a passive recreational space at the site of the new East Forest Park Library on Surrey Road.

• First Time Homebuyers Down Payment Assistance -- $100,000 that will expand the pool of homeowners and income levels that would qualify for assistance in buying a house.

• Godfrey Triangle Revitalization in Indian Orchard -- $62,500 for some new trees, benches and irrigation improvements.

• Regreen Springfield Invasive Plant Eradication Program -- $40,000, described by the committee as a means of helping to confront a persistent citywide conservation problem with Japanese Knotweed.

• River Walk Enhancement -- $24,000 to create signage for the Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway, described by the committee as a means of providing visitors of the pathway with "an understanding of Springfield's heritage, both natural and historic."

• Conservation Trail Heads -- $12,196 to provide signage at various underutilized conservation areas including Garvey Promontory, White Cedar Bog, Delta Hills and Abbey Brook (see maps below)

• East Springfield Veterans Memorial Garden -- $10,750, for plantings, benching and paving work.

Two other projects recommended for funding totaling $125,000 were referred to subcommittee for further review because of legal questions about having third-party organizations making decisions on how the funds would be distributed, officials said. The funds were for a Historic Preservation Trust Fund and for a McKnight Preservation Revolving Loan Fund.

The total approved was $1,150,646.

The committee initially received 33 requests for funds. In addition to reducing the applications, the committee also reduced amounts requested in a few cases.

Daniel Hernandez, better known as rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, faces life imprisonment.

Daniel Hernandez, better known as rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine, faces life imprisonment on federal charges including racketeering allegations stemming from his alleged  involvement with the Nine Trey Bloods gang.

Following his public separation from his gang-affiliated associates last week, investigators learned via a wiretap of a retaliatory plan to "super violate" Hernandez. The rapper declined FBI protection, according to The New York Times. After authorities learned Hernandez planned to go from a Manhattan hotel to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut on Sunday, he was arrested to avoid a possible violent incident there.

"There could (have been) a random shooting,"  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Longyear noted in a New York Post report, adding they feared innocent bystanders could get caught in the crossfire, should an attempt be made on Hernandez's life.

Hernandez faces federal charges including racketeering allegations stemming from his involvement with the Nine Trey Bloods, as well as a previously unreported armed robbery.

"(Hernandez) is a member of a violent sect of the Bloods," Longyear said at the arraignment on Monday. "This defendant participated in multiple acts of violence."

He has been placed in general population at Brooklyn's Metropolitan Detention Center as he await a bail hearing, according to TMZ.

As Massachusetts residents lined up Tuesday to purchase legal recreational marijuana for the first time, two members of the state's congressional delegation said they're optimistic Capitol Hill lawmakers will soon address federal laws barring such sales.

AMHERST -- As Massachusetts residents lined up Tuesday to purchase legal recreational marijuana for the first time, two members of the state's congressional delegation said they're optimistic Capitol Hill lawmakers will soon address federal laws barring such sales. 

U.S. Reps. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, and Joe Kennedy III, D-Newton, told The Republican that recent Trump administration changes and Democrats' winning control of the U.S. House set the stage for Congress to finally take action on marijuana legalization. 

Neal, McGovern poised for powerful roles in Democrat-led US House of Representatives

McGovern, who is expected to takeover as the new House Rules Committee chairman when the next Congress convenes in January, argued that he, unlike the panel's current leader, has no intention of blocking marijuana-related measures from being debated on the chamber's floor. 

"We're going to have votes on marijuana reform. I'm not going to block marijuana amendments like my predecessor has done," he said in an interview. "There are things that are just ridiculous: For example, even in states where marijuana is legal, if a veteran goes to the (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) he can't get medical marijuana -- we ought to fix that."

Marijuana in Massachusetts: Dozens line up at NETA in Northampton as 1st East Coast retail cannabis sales set to begin

McGovern said he hopes to bring measures addressing medical marijuana and other legalization-related issues to the floor for consideration and a possible vote.

"As chairman of the Rules Committee, I'm not going to block marijuana amendments. People ought to bring them to the floor, they should be debated and people ought to vote the way they feel appropriate," he said.

Kennedy, who joined McGovern as part of "Monte's March" in Amherst, said he also expects the new Democrat-led House to take up marijuana legalization, particularly as states have not backed down on this issue. 

"We've seen, of course, over the past several years that the sentiment of the American public and Congress has shifted on this. It's not uniquely a Democratic position ... and so I expect it will be something that a Democratic House will act on," he said in an interview. "The details of which though, I can't speak to. But, I certainly think that's something you can expect."

Kennedy added that although former Attorney General Jeff Sessions had been hostile to states' legalization efforts, "he didn't stop them."

"One would imagine -- at least from my perspective at the federal level -- if those efforts wouldn't halt it under a Jeff Sessions Department of Justice, the Trump administration and Republican unified control of government, then they're probably not going to," he offered. "So, I think it becomes incumbent on the federal government to try to update their policies to make sure that as states make these decisions that they're doing so with the proper consumer protections and everything."

In January, Sessions announced he was rescinding Obama-era rules that largely left states alone on marijuana legalization issues.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, marijuana legalization opponent, says states have 'right to set their own laws'

He, however, told reporters in July that "states have a right to set their own laws and will do so," adding that the Department of Justice will "will follow the federal law."

President Donald Trump has also hinted at possible changes to marijuana laws, saying in June that he may endorse a bipartisan effort to shield states that have legalized marijuana for recreational and medical purposes from federal crackdowns.

President Donald Trump says he 'probably will end up supporting' Elizabeth Warren, Cory Gardner's marijuana bill

U.S. Rep. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-California, meanwhile, told FoxBusiness in October that Trump has committed to establishing marijuana reform after the November midterms. 

Marijuana buyers began lining up at 12:30 a.m. on the first day of legal weed in Massachusetts. Watch video

NORTHAMPTON -- History-makers were reporting wait times of 1.5 to 3 hours to buy marijuana and marijuana products today at New England Treatment Access on the first day of legal pot sales in Massachusetts.

"We waited a long time for it to be legal and now that we're able to buy it legally, you've got to do it," said Lee White, 26, of Pittsfield.

White spoke at about 11 a.m. as the line shuffled along toward the New England Treatment Access (NETA) entrance at 118 Conz St. He arrived at 8:25 a.m., he said.

NETA staff distributed free coffee, muffins and fruit to those lined up in the cold.  They also gave out green ponchos like the one Anna Gow was wearing to help customers lined up outside deal with the rainy snow.

Gow, 32, of Holyoke, had been waiting since 8:20 a.m., she said.

"I've just been a smoker my whole life," Gow said. "I figured it would be a long wait. I was prepared."

Northampton Mayor David J. Narkewicz was the ceremonial first to make a recreational marijuana purchase inside NETA, with a swarm of media recording the transaction, at 8 a.m.

After the mayor made history, Daquaan Hamilton, of Northampton, was the first "civilian" in line. He said he began waiting at 12:30 a.m.

History made with 1st purchases of recreational marijuana in Northampton, Massachusetts

NETA and Cultivate Holdings LLC in the Worcester County town of Leicester were granted approval to open today. They're the first recreational pot retailers on the East Coast in approvals issued Friday by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission.

The closest state to Massachusetts that sells marijuana legally is Colorado, about 2,000 miles away.

That came two years after Massachusetts voters passed a ballot question to legalize marijuana for recreational use.

NETA began offering marijuana for medicinal use in October 2012. Company representatives assured such patients that they would be spared the wait times of those lined up to buy pot recreationally. Service stations in the shop were reserved for medical marijuana patients' to get in and out.

"Things are going incredibly smoothly, exactly as we planned," said Amanda Rositano, NETA director of operational compliance.

NETA staffers were admitting recreational marijuana customers seven at a time. Admission involved showing a photo identification card such as a driver's license and having the card scanned to ensure it was authentic.

The legal age to buy pot is 21.

No time limit was being imposed on recreational pot shoppers to browse NETA products and discussed them with staff once inside, Rositano said.

"We want to make sure that people have enough time that they need to do this responsibly," she said.

The report includes safety tips and lists of toys that have been recalled by manufacturers for safety violations but might still be found on store shelves. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- Slime might be ooey, gooey fun, but that jar of the pre-made variety on a toy store shelf might have toxic levels of boron in the form of borax.

And kids who ingest borax can end up with nausea or vomiting and can even experience long-term negative effects to their reproductive health, said Sarah Vonck, a campus organizer with MASSPIRG, a consumer advocacy and lobbying organization, at a press conference Tuesday at New Beginnings Early Education & Care Center on State Street.

MASSPIRG added boron-laden slime this year to a list of hazards parents, grandparents and anyone else who buys toys needs to keep in mind. Other dangers include excessive noise, choking hazards and -- in a category added for the first time in 2017 -- internet-connected toys that can spy on kids' conversations and gather data they'll pass on to advertisers.

For example, Vonck demonstrated the "Wonder Workshops -- Robots" toy. This cute little guy connects to phones, and thus to the wider internet.

MASSPIRG posts its list on its website Trouble in Toyland, an updated version of which launched Tuesday at the beginning of the holiday shopping season.

The report includes safety tips and lists of toys that have been recalled by manufacturers for safety violations but might still be found on store shelves.

"Obviously, manufacturers are shifting responsibility for safety to parents and to reasonable adults," said state Rep. Jose Tosado, D-Springfield. "Get educated."

Tosado, a grandfather, joined MASSPIRG at the press conference along with state Sen. James Welch, D-West Springfield.

Tosado said everyone needs a reminder of what might be obvious: "How do kids explore the world? By putting things in their mouth, or, for some reason, in their ears," he said.

Vonck said the United States places no limit on how much boron can be in children's toys. But the European Union, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan all do have limits.

MASSPIRG is lobbying for limits here as well.

Choking remains a major hazard, and Vonck warned of toys with small parts that can be lodged in a child's throat.

Balloons are a common choking hazard, representing 40 percent of all toy-related choking deaths, according to the report. But Vonck claimed 87 percent of the balloons sold on Amazon lacked an online choking hazard warning for shoppers.

With Democrats poised to take control of the U.S. House of Representatives when the new Congress convenes in January, at least two Massachusetts lawmakers said they hope funding for anti-hunger and other safety net programs is a top priority.

AMHERST -- With Democrats poised to take control of the U.S. House when the new Congress convenes in January, at least two Massachusetts lawmakers said Tuesday that they hope funding for anti-hunger and other safety net programs is a top priority. 

U.S. Reps. Jim McGovern and Joe Kennedy III, who walked in "Monte's March" as the 43-mile anti-hunger fundraiser made its way through Amherst, offered that they're confident Democratic leaders will push to protect and fund efforts that help Americans facing poverty and food insecurity. 

US Rep. Jim McGovern to walk 43 miles in 9th annual 'Monte's March'

McGovern, a Worcester Democrat who is expected to take over as the next House Rules Committee chairman, said he's "sure (Democrats) are going to fight for more money for these programs."

"Look, hunger is a political condition: We know how to end it, we have the money, we have the infrastructure, we have everything but the political will," he said in an interview. "I think with a Democratic House we're going to start building that political will."

Noting than an estimated 40 million Americans struggle with hunger, McGovern argued that "there is not a congressional district in America that is hunger free."

"We should all be ashamed of that fact and we ought to fix it," he said. "That's what (Monte's March) is about, it's about raising money for the food bank, as well as raising awareness and hopefully encouraging more activism around this issue."

The congressman, who has been an outspoken anti-hunger advocate, added that he intends to use his expected chairmanship to "do even more" on this front. 

Only @RepMcGovern walks 50 miles through rain and snow on his birthday to march against hunger. Thrilled to join him and @MonteBelmonte along the way. #MontesMarch pic.twitter.com/Q3VCpM4NxJ

-- Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) November 20, 2018

Kennedy, D-Newton, also said he thinks Democrats will push for safety net program funding and protections in the new legislative session.

Specifically, the congressman said he expects Democratic House leaders to end Republicans' efforts to attach work requirements to food stamps -- something which he argued would result in "unnecessary administrative hurdles that do nothing to try to make people less hungry."

US Rep. Jim McGovern condemns SNAP cuts included in House-passed farm bill

Kennedy added that lawmakers need to acknowledge the fact that while the economy is generating extraordinary wealth for some, it's not doing that for everyone. 

"The best way we can try to address those circumstances is to try to make sure that some of those structures of our economy are shifted to make sure that everybody benefits -- at the moment, everybody's not," he said. "So, I expect that will be a big priority as well."

Monte's March to end hunger in Western Massachusetts continues despite rain

Monte's March, a two-day walk from Springfield to Greenfield seeks to raise more than $1 million for the The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, as well as awareness about hunger-related issues. 

Participants began the second leg of the walk Tuesday morning at McGovern's Northampton office.

The marijuana company I.N.S.A., Inc. received a final license on Tuesday to move forward with cultivating, manufacturing and selling marijuana at its Easthampton facility.

The marijuana company I.N.S.A., Inc. received a final license on Tuesday to move forward with cultivating, manufacturing and selling marijuana at its Easthampton facility.

The company will still need another inspection and final approval by the Cannabis Control Commission before it can open to customers.

I.N.S.A., located at 122 Pleasant St. in Easthampton, plans to sell adult use marijuana at the same location where it is currently operating a medical dispensary.

The company has an 8,500 square-foot grow facility on the same site, and it is looking to expand its cultivation space as it moves into the adult use market. 

I.N.S.A. plans to manufacture and sell a wide range of cannabis-infused products, including chocolate bars, fruit chews, beverages, brownies, vaporizers and tinctures. 

The Cannabis Control Commission vote was 4-0 in favor of granting the final license, with Commissioner Shaleen Title abstaining.

The commission also granted a final license to Alternative Therapies Group to open a retail store in Salem.

On Tuesday, Cultivate in Leicester and New England Treatment Access (NETA) in Northampton opened for sales, becoming the first stores in Massachusetts to legally sell recreational marijuana.

I.N.S.A.'s Easthampton facility is less than five miles away from NETA's Northampton store.

Other companies that hold final licenses but have not yet opened are retailer PharmaCannis in Wareham, and the Milford-based SIRA Naturals, which holds licenses to cultivate and transport cannabis and manufacture marijuana products.

The iconic field draws 100,000 visitors each season.

The 21-year-old who drove onto and damaged the Iowa baseball field made famous in the Kevin Costner movie "Field of Dreams" will serve two to five years of probation.

KCRG-TV9 in Cedar Rapids reported that Austin Pape was granted on Monday a deferred judgment, which allows his conviction to be removed from court records if he fulfills his probation terms. He will also have to pay a $750 fine.

Pape of Dyersville pleaded guilty in September to felony criminal mischief after prosecutors dropped a charge of reckless driving.

His lawyer noted that Pape has been publicly shamed, paid restitution, and completed 50 hours of community service in Dyersville.

The field's owners estimated the cost of repairs and improving security at $15,000 back in January.

A crowdfunding GoFundMe campaign raised $20,836.

The iconic field draws 100,000 visitors each season.

The 1989 movie, which starred Costner and James Earl Jones, was nominated for three Academy Awards, including for Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.

Last year, "Field of Dreams" was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

The long-closed Getty station has been sold to the recently incorporated Triangle Park Properties LLC for more than twice as much as what the previous owner paid for the property with limited usage.

HADLEY - The long-closed Getty gasoline station on Russell Street (Route 9) at Old Bay Road was sold this month to the recently incorporated Triangle Park Properties LLC for more than twice what the previous owner paid.

Todd Marchefka, owner of Triangle Park Properties, paid $205,000 for the property, according to the Hampshire County Registry of Deeds.

B&B Brothers LLC, of Northampton, bought the site for $95,000 in 2015. The Triangle Park company listed with the Corporations Division of the Secretary of State's office last month.

The station, built in 1966, closed in 2013. While zoned business, it doesn't conform to anything and can't operate under the rights of past zoning, according to Hadley Building Inspector Timothy Neyhart.

Neyhart said that Marchefka owns a number of businesses in the area and inquired about setting up a single PODS container -- a trademarked portable storage unit -- there for people to see.

Neyhart said Marchefka needs Zoning Board and Planning Board approvals. He also advised Marchefka to have an engineer determine whether the current building is structurally sound.

"It's pretty mundane," he said of the usage. But he said, "We couldn't guarantee him (the use would be allowed.)

"It's something so subtle it might be granted," Neyhart said.

Marchefka said he has hired an architect to work on a design for the building. He said he'd like to be able to sell snacks and moving supplies in the building.

He said the site would offer "a good presence" to area colleges for the display of a single PODS container so people could see what they look like. He said PODS is a national company, but he wants to offer people a local business.

He said he has a PODS business in Northampton.

Gov. Charlie Baker filed legislation that would require any risky natural gas work to be reviewed and approved by an engineer.

As some families struck by the gas disaster in Greater Lawrence prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday outside of their homes, Gov. Charlie Baker introduced legislation designed to ensure safe natural gas work.

The legislation filed by Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito would require all natural gas work that could pose a risk to the public to be reviewed and approved by a professional engineer.

The proposal aims to "provide another critical check and balance on the Commonwealth's gas infrastructure," Baker said in a statement.

Columbia Gas disaster victims endure first winter storm in trailer housing in Lawrence

Under the proposed legislation, the Department of Public Utilities would be responsible for determining when natural gas engineering work would pose a "material risk to public safety."

The effort to secure gas work safety stems from a recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board last week. According to a report by the NTSB, Massachusetts is one of many states that do not require a professional engineer to approve public utility plans. 

The goal of the proposed legislation, according to Baker's office, is to lay out  a consistent "standard of care" and code of ethics with which natural gas engineering work should be performed across the state. 

The governor's legislative announcement follows months of disarray in the state's natural gas industry, including the disaster tied to Columbia Gas in the Merrimack Valley in September, as well as the nearly five-month lockout of National Grid workers. 

Columbia Gas has paid out $19.8 million for Lawrence area gas explosion claims, with most still unfulfilled

As recovery efforts and investigations into safety have continued in the last few months, the DPU has ordered Columbia Gas of Massachusetts and National Grid to impose a moratorium on all non-emergency work. 

The state agency is also overseeing a review of Massachusetts' gas systems by safety consulting firm "Dynamic Risk Assessment System, Inc." Baker's office said in a statement the assessment is being conducted "out of an abundance of caution."

Many students said not vaccinated at Waldorf school because of religious exemptions.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists for parents "14 Disease You Almost Forgot About (Thanks to Vaccines)," but a real-time scenario this week may be a better reminder or introduction.

Three dozen chickenpox cases have been diagnosed at a private school in North Carolina where religious exemptions from mandated vaccinations are said to be high.

The CDC has long reiterated the country's vaccines are the safest in world and the best prevention against diseases that once killed millions, but an anti-science skepticism rooted in a long-debunk association with autism continues to motivate some parents not to have their children vaccinated.

Massachusetts law requires children be immunized in accordance with current Department of Public Health recommended schedules against vaccine preventable diseases.

These means students in kindergarten through 12th grade are required to be immunized with diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (DTaP/Tdap), polio, measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), hepatitis B and varicella vaccines.

Children who are not immunized in Massachusetts may be admitted to school on the basis of either a medical or religious exemption and religious exemptions in a state where philosophical or personal exemptions are not allowed have been on the increase in recent years.

How a school district enforces excluding students not vaccinated is up to each district in Massachusetts.

The importance of herd immunity - rates of vaccination between 90 to 95 percent - is highlighted by the recent reported 36 cases of chickenpox at North Carolina's Asheville Waldorf School where many families of the nursery-school to sixth-grade students are said to claim religious exemptions from school immunization requirements.

Individuals infected with such a preventable disease as chickenpox not only infect others not vaccinated but put at risk individuals who may not be able to be vaccinated because of a compromised immune system that makes them especially vulnerable to any disease in the first place.

While Massachusetts has a 1.3 percent average exemption rate for vaccines, one of the lowest in the country, the percentage rates of students with one or more exemptions are uneven across the state.

Medical exemptions come from a student's doctor and document a contraindication to getting immunized. Religious exemptions come from the parent/guardian and state in writing that a vaccine conflicts with his/her sincerely held religious belief.

Children not immunized may be excluded from school during outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases.

Franklin County continues to have the highest percentage of medical and religious exemptions of kindergarten students with a medical or religious exemption to one or more vaccines at 5.3 percent, according to state data for 2017.

Hampshire County is second at 3.7 percent, Cape Cod's Barnstable County, second at 3.1 percent and Berkshire County, third at 3.0 percent.

The remaining counties in the state are under 2 percent, including Hampden County at 1.8 percent and Worcester County, at 1.2 percent, with Boston and Suffolk County, 0.3 percent.

Franklin County also has the highest percentage at 3.2 percent of kindergarten students in 2017 with an exemption and no documented vaccines on file.

The state average for the rate of kindergarten students with an exemption and no vaccines is 0.6 percent.

According to the state, students who are "completely unimmunized pose a greater risk to the community as they are unprotected from multiple infectious diseases."

Berkshire County has the highest rate of kindergarten students - some 5.3 percent - who began the 2017 school year not meeting school requirements, something that can change as, for example, homeless children not vaccinated are allowed in school where officials are mandated to help them get up-to-date on immunizations.

Franklin County was second for the rate of kindergarten students beginning the 2017 school year not meeting vaccination requirements at 4.9 percent, followed by Hampden County at 4.3 percent.

The state average for kindergartens entering school without meeting school vaccination requirements in 2017 was 4.1 percent.

According to the Massachusetts Childcare/Preschool Immunization Survey Results for the 2016-2017 school year, two of the schools with the highest percentages for vaccine exemptions were in Western Massachusetts counties.

These were the Hartsbrook School, a Waldorf school in the Hampshire County town of Hadley, with a 34 percent exemption rate and Sanderson Academy, a public school, in the Franklin County town of Ashfield with a 22 percent exemption rate.

There have been three recent measles cases in the commonwealth.

Two in the Lowell area of Middlesex County and one in the Boston area.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there has been a total of 15 outbreaks - defined as 3 or more linked cases - of measles so far in the country in 2018.

It says the outbreaks in countries to which Americans often travel - a number of European countries have had an increase in measles cases related to a drop in immunization rates - can directly contribute to an increase in measles cases in the U.S. and has warned travelers to be up-to-date on their vaccinations.

All 50 states have legislation requiring specified vaccines for students and all school immunization laws grant exemptions to children for medical reasons.

Forty-seven states permit vaccine exemptions on religious grounds, and 18 states allow exemptions on personal or philosophical grounds.

The two-dose varicella vaccine for chickenpox is made from a live but weakened virus and has helped eliminate the disease, which can be deadly, in the U.S. during the last 20 years.

Prior to the development of vaccines, the CDC notes:

• Nearly everyone in the U.S. got measles before there was a vaccine, and hundreds died from it each year. Today, most doctors have never seen a case of measles.
• More than 15,000 Americans died from diphtheria in 1921, before there was a vaccine. Only two cases of diphtheria have been reported to CDC between 2004 and 2014.
• An epidemic of rubella (German measles) in 1964-65 infected 121/2 million Americans, killed 2,000 babies, and caused 11,000 miscarriages. Since 2012, 15 cases of rubella were reported to CDC.

The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a "terrible" and "horrible" crime, but the United States "intends to remain a steadfast partner" of Saudi Arabia, President Donald Trump said in a statement Tuesday.

The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was a "terrible" and "horrible" crime, but the United States "intends to remain a steadfast partner" of Saudi Arabia, President Donald Trump said in a statement Tuesday.

The statement drew a rebuke from the publisher of the Washington Post, who called the president's statement a "surrender to this state-ordered murder" and a "failure of leadership." Before his death, Khashoggi found a home for his writings in the Post.

According to the Associated Press, US intelligence officials have said Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing.

Trump, who declined to listen to an audio tape of Khashoggi's killing provided by Turkey, said a statement that US officials have already sanctioned the 17 Saudis "known to have been involved in the murder" and disposal of Khashoggi's body. The Saudi crown prince is not one of them.

Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Trump's statement said King Salman and the crown prince have denied any involvement.

"That being said, we may never know all of the facts surrounding the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi," the president's statement continued.

"In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," the statement said. "They have been a great ally in our very important fight against Iran. The United States intends to remain a steadfast partner of Saudi Arabia to ensure the interests of our country, Israel and all other partners in the region." 

Elizabeth Warren seeks answers on consulting firms' work for Saudi government

Trump's statement noted US defense contractors are planning to sell military equipment to Saudi Arabia. 

"If we foolishly cancel these contracts, Russia and China would be the enormous beneficiaries - and very happy to acquire all of this newfound business," his statement said. "It would be a wonderful gift to them directly from the United States!"

Fred Ryan, the publisher of the Washington Post, called Trump's response a "betrayal of long-established American values of respect for human rights and the expectation of trust and honesty in our strategic relationships."

Ryan continued: "He is placing relationships and commercial interests above American interests in his desire to continue to do business as usual with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia." 

Ryan called on Congress to "stand up for America's true values and lasting interests."

US Rep. Jim McGovern seeks to bar military sales, aid to Saudi Arabia after journalist's death

A total of 13 out of 32 reported people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning consumers not to eat romaine lettuce after it was determined to be linked to an outbreak of E. coli that has impacted 11 states.

The outbreak, which includes Massachusetts, had reported illnesses beginning in early October. A total of 13 out of 32 reported people have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported.

The CDC is warning consumers to throw away all romaine lettuce. If someone is unsure if their salad mix has the lettuce in it, they are advised to still throw away the bag.

Drawers and shelves where the lettuce was stored should also be sanitized.

According to the CDC, the E. coli strain "is closely related genetically to the E. coli strain isolated from ill people in a 2017 outbreak linked to leafy greens in the United States and to romaine lettuce in Canada."

They added that it's not related to an outbreak that happened earlier this year that also involved lettuce.

The source of the germ remains under investigation, but no "common grower, supplier, distributor, or brand of romaine lettuce has been identified."