Police Chief Jody Kasper said a recent discussion over a proposed ammunition donation from Walmart included "anti-police rhetoric."

NORTHAMPTON -- In response to concerns raised by the mayor and police chief about "anti-police rhetoric," Northampton City Council President Ryan O'Donnell and Vice President Gina-Louise Sciarra are proposing a sit-down conversation.

In an email sent Wednesday to Mayor David Narkewicz and Police Chief Jody Kasper and shared with The Republican, O'Donnell said he was troubled by the characterization of the City Council "as insufficiently supportive of the Police Department," and invited them for "a conversation about the issues ... rather than communicating exclusively via email or through the newspaper."

"The fact is that with the exception of a 2017 proposal to add surveillance cameras downtown, the City Council has approved every request the Police Department has made, at least during my tenure," O'Donnell wrote.

"Insofar as these concerns relate to rhetoric used by members of the public who speak before the City Council rather than the nine councilors themselves (a distinction that is important to make), I can only say that the Northampton City Council does not censor members of the public," O'Donnell wrote.

O'Donnell added that the council hears everyone who wishes to speak, regardless of the content, and that practice will continue.

At a city council meeting last week, Narkewicz proposed accepting a gift of nearly $13,000 worth of ammunition from the Northampton Walmart, which is no longer selling ammunition. The ammunition would have been used by the police for training purposes.

A handful of residents who asked the council to reject the donation, along with questions from some members of the City Council, showed a "lack of trust in the police," Narkewicz said.

Walmart withdrew its offer days later. The retailer was surprised at the pushback over its intended donation, according to Kasper.

Kasper also said she was frustrated with "continued pushback against the efforts" of the police department.

"Within City Council chambers, matters involving the police department quickly shift to aggressive anti-police rhetoric from a small number of community members," she wrote in an email to the mayor.

Freedom Mortgage Corporation has filed a foreclosure notice.

The Stafford Springs, Conn., home where All That Remains guitarist Oli Herbert was found dead two months ago may soon be on the foreclosure market.

Freedom Mortgage Corporation is presently seeking to take possession of the property. 

The bank filed a foreclosure notice in June alleging that the 44-year-old Longmeadow guitarist hadn't paid the $132,554 loan for the home, according to The Hartford Courant. Herbert did not contest the foreclosure and a judge issued a default motion against him for failing to appear in court in September.

Herbert purchased the home for $135,000 five years ago, according to muncipal records.

He was found dead at the edge of a pond on the property on Oct. 16 and the Connecticut's medical examiner's office ruled Herbert drowned, but called the manner of death "undetermined."

In a since deleted Facebook posting, Herbert's widow, Beth, wrote:

"Oli was apparently self-treating for manic-depression that has run in his family for several generations. Anti-depressants were found in his system, as well as a sleep aid. The psych meds found in his system were the same ones that a close relative has been prescribed for a long time, so he knew what to hunt down for the "treatment". Seeing how he was not going (and WOULDN'T GO) to a doctor to get diagnosed with the issue and was not being prescribed the medications and monitored on them, it explains his occasional erratic behavior here at home."

Herbert's death is under investigation by Connecticut State Police, who are reportedly compiling a timeline of his final 24 hours.

Some fans have espoused various theories surrounding the metal guitarist's death and a Facebook page, Justice for Oli Herbert, has more than 10,000 followers.

Herbert began playing guitar at 14. His first paid gig was a Battle of the Bands on his final day of his senior year at Longmeadow High School.

He made a name for himself in Western Massachusetts clubs with Netherworld, a thrash metal band he formed in 1991.

Herbert co-founded All That Remains with Phil Labonte in 1998.

Labonte told a radio interviewer he was shocked by the death of his bandmate.

"He would go hang out with people and stuff, but he didn't really do a lot of drinking. ... He didn't do drugs, he didn't really drink a lot."

These are the winning numbers in the Powerball lottery drawing Wednesday. Watch video

Got lottery fever? The latest Powerball drawing offers a very healthy payout for someone holding a ticket with the right numbers.

File

Here are Wednesday's winning numbers:

05-25-38-52-67, Powerball: 24, PowerPlay: 2X

The estimated jackpot is $294 million. The lump sum payment before taxes would be about $177.6 million. If there is no jackpot winner, the amount grows larger for the next drawing.

The last time someone won the Powerball jackpot was Oct. 27 when tickets sold in New York and Iowa split a $687.7 million payout.

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

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

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

Several bank cards, a phone charger and a pay stub with a woman's name on it fell from Shane Murphy's sweatshirt as he was frisked, police said.

CHICOPEE -- Judging by the police report, Shane Murphy is no Robin Hood.

Early on Dec. 22, a Chicopee woman woke to the sound of someone bumping into a Christmas tree in her living room. Sitting up in bed, she saw a man carrying a crossbow walk through her kitchen and down the basement stairs, she later told police.

Murphy, 20, was arrested nearby after police, responding to the woman's 911 call, saw him riding by on a mountain bike with a crossbow slung over his shoulder.

"For what, I didn't do anything," Murphy allegedly said when told to get off the bike and get on the ground. Several bank cards, a phone charger and a pay stub with a woman's name on it fell from his sweatshirt as he was pat frisked, the report said.

He was charged with breaking into two homes and stealing a variety of objects, from a cellphone, checkbook and credit cards to wrapped presents under a Christmas tree.

Murphy pleaded not guilty Monday in Chicopee District Court to six felonies: one count of larceny from a building and five counts of breaking and entering a building in the nighttime.

Two homes -- one on Jennings Street, the other on Columba Street -- were allegedly targeted by Murphy, who also attempted to break into a home on Boileau Terrace, police said.

Several items stolen from the Columba Street home were found "dumped on the ground" on Boileau Terrace, according to the arrest report. Some, including a wallet, checkbook and credit cards, had been stolen from the homeowner's purse while others had been wrapped and placed beneath her Christmas tree the night before, the homeowner told police. 

At the home on Jennings Street, police found a package of hunting arrows in the basement, with all but one arrow missing. The homeowner identified the arrows, archery gloves and a kitchen knife as being stolen from her home, but could not immediately say if the crossbow Murphy was carrying when arrested had been stolen, police said.

Additional items, including keys to a Cadillac and the bike Murphy was riding, are being held by police until owners can be identified.

At his arraignment on Monday, Murphy's bail was set at $1,000 and the case was continued for a pretrial hearing on Jan. 18. Judge Bethzaida Sanabria-Vega also ordered Murphy, if released, to have no contact with the alleged victims.

The defendants allegedly forced their way inside the 21-year-old victim's apartment, smashed his television and then struck him on the head with the hammer, police said.

CHICOPEE -- Two Chicopee men facing home invasion charges will remain behind bars until a judge decides if they are too dangerous to be released on bail.

The suspects -- Andrew Newell, 23, and Christian Barbosa, 26 -- were arrested on Dec. 17 after allegedly breaking into a Percy Street apartment and using a hammer to beat a man who had allegedly disrespected Newell's girlfriend.

Both defendants are charged with home invasion, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon and vandalizing property.

At a prosecutor's request, Judge Bethzaida Sanabria-Vega ordered the pair held for a hearing on Dec. 24 to determine if they posed too great a threat to the victim or the public to be granted pretrial release.

After hearing arguments from the prosecution and defense, the judge said she wanted to further review the case and issued no ruling. Both defendants will remain held without right to bail at the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow until the judge rules on their bail requests.

The suspects allegedly forced their way inside the 21-year-old victim's apartment, smashed his television and then struck him on the head with the hammer as he ran out the back door, according to an arrest report.

The victim's mother witnessed the attack and later identified both suspects, the report said. "The one (dressed) in cammo told me I needed to teach my son some respect. The one in plaid was chasing my son around the apartment with a hammer," she said.

Following his arrest, Newell acknowledged going to the apartment to confront the victim for disrespecting his girlfriend, but said he "blacked out from anger" and did not recall any details.

Barbosa denied any role in the attack.

The Amherst officials told residents at a well attended meeting last week the 14-foot span, traversing Hop Brook, closed since September, would be replaced by a temporary structure, until a permanent bridge is installed

AMHERST -- Town officials here remain hopeful a temporary bridge can be constructed on Station Road by April.

A 14-foot span traversing Hop Brook was closed in September after the state deemed it unsafe for vehicular traffic.

Amherst officials told residents at a well-attended meeting last week that it would be replaced by a temporary structure until a permanent bridge is installed.

The timeline calls for the new bridge to be in place by August 2020.

"Town staff will make a presentation to the Town Council on January 7th as part of the request for funds to pay for the temporary and permanent bridges. No decision by the Town Council is expected that night," a statement from Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman's office says. "Once the temporary bridge is in place, the Town will move toward designing, permitting, procuring, and installing a permanent bridge."

The town hired the engineering firm CDM Smith as a consultant for the work. Wetlands issues and the related permitting process prevented the municipality from immediately building a temporary bridge.

The state Department of Transportation is currently reviewing the design for the temporary bridge.

According to the town's "aggressive" timeline on the project, the MassDOT review could be completed by next month, when the bid specifications to build the new bridge are expected to be ready.

The town hopes construction on the temporary bridge will begin in March and be completed April 17.

The city has lowered the speed limit in thickly settled areas from 30 mph to 25 mph. Starting January, police will target intersections considered the most dangerous for drivers.

HOLYOKE - Drivers will need to slow down in the city's residential areas and business districts.

The city has created 25 mph zones for thickly settled areas where the current speed limit is 30 mph. The Department of Public Works will install signs for the new speed limit at entrances to Holyoke.

A statement from Mayor Alex Morse's office says the reduced speed is "an effort to keep the city's streets safer for pedestrians, bicyclists and other motorists."

Regulations consider thickly settled business zones quarter-mile or more spans where buildings are situated under 200 feet apart, such as the downtown. Existing posted speed limits will remain in certain areas.

"This new measure will allow the city greater flexibility in installing traffic control measures that will result in a safer community for everyone," the mayor's statement says.

Speeding continues to plague Holyoke neighborhoods, especially residential areas adjacent to busy roads.

In recent meetings with the City Council's Ordinance Committee, homeowners on Sterling and Sunset roads, situated between Westfield Road and Homestead Avenue, repeatedly complained about speeders cutting through.

In October, the DPW installed a temporary barrier at the entrance to Sunset Road. Large, flashing highway signs warned drivers not to speed or cut through the residential area.

After the temporary barrier went up, neighbors noted a marked reduction in speeders and drivers passing through. Residents told the Ordinance Committee it was finally safe for their children to trick-or-treat on Halloween or to simply go for a walk in the neighborhood.

"No Exit to Westfield Road" signs have since replaced the barrier.

The DPW also painted lines at crucial intersections and installed "Do Not Block the Box" signs near Sterling Road. Vehicles often blocked the entrance to the Homestead Avenue firehouse during morning and afternoon rush hours.

Drivers who block intersections can face fines upward of $300.

Starting in January, the Holyoke Police Department will intensify traffic enforcement in 10 problem intersections around the city. The department received a $67,500 federal Sustained Traffic Enforcement Grant, which pays for increased patrols in problem areas.

Police examined traffic data and found 10 areas where violations or accidents frequently occurred, including portions of Northampton Street. Drivers stopped by police can expect fines or, in some cases, arrest.

The police department must meet grant requirements, including the number of stops made over four-hour periods. Grant funding ends in September. The City Council, which accepted the grant, requested a final report on the program.

The program was created with a $2 million yearly grant from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Center for Substance Abuse Treatment program Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- Shannay Diaz said she loves being able to be in the halls of Friends of the Homeless and see Christy O'Brien there. 

Diaz, a guest at the shelter, has been treated by O'Brien for a while at an outpatient site. Now they have an even stronger relationship because O'Brien is program director of Integrated Treatment Services at the Worthington Street shelter. That means she is there full time.

The program was created in October with a $2 million yearly grant over five years from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to the Northampton-based Clinical & Support Options. CSO took over operating the shelter about two years ago when it merged with Friends of the Homeless.

The new program means that O'Brien and what will soon be four other caseworkers and outreach workers are there 24 hours a day. A psychiatrist is also there one day a week. While CSO provides care at its Maple Street clinic, having services at the shelter means someone in crisis entering the shelter doesn't have to wait.

Heather Fox suffers from fibromyalgia, so going out in the cold is painful. Seeing the psychiatrist at the shelter and getting medication for her bipolar disorder there "has been a true godsend." 

Karin Jeffers, CEO of CSO, said the grant is vital to the organization's mission to help people move from shelter to a home.

"We can look at how we're bringing people (into shelter)," she said. "Instead of bringing them into shelter (and giving them a bed) we can immediately offer support and clinical services on site."

Jeffers said CSO staff can also prescribe Suboxone, a drug that treats adults addicted to opioids.

People seeking shelter have often suffered some kind of trauma that led them there. O'Brien said the outreach workers and case managers can help people become more functional.

Outreach workers can take people through the process of finding housing, from getting on a waiting list to seeing an apartment, if needed. Jeffers said the goal is to get 75 percent of the people seeking emergency shelter into stable housing.

"It is a big improvement, with more to come," said Bill Miller, vice president of housing and homeless services at CSO and Friends of the Homeless. 

"When people are struggling with addiction or with mental health challenges, we have assistance we can offer right on site," he wrote in an email. "Not everyone necessarily takes advantage of it. But, it is a very substantial step forward."

Miller said he works with similar homelessness programs across the state. "I don't know anyone else who has this level of service integration at this point. It is very significant."

Diaz has been at the shelter since May and said she can get agitated quickly. "Seeing her (O'Brien) every day, it helps. I'm getting more patient, don't get so irritated." She said being in shelters can be "overwhelming." 

She said O'Brien has helped her see that crying is not a weakness. If O'Brien is not available, she can see another caseworker, Deborah Lee, who is also there.

Diaz said she is getting closer to finding an apartment, and could have a new home in a matter of months.

Fox came to the shelter this fall to help her son who was staying here. She had been homeless in New Mexico before she came here. She said being able to talk to O'Brien or Lee for even five minutes helps her feel less overwhelmed. She said she likes that the outreach workers are available in the dorms at night too.

The psychiatrist she is seeing "is very knowledgeable" and was able to find the right medication for her mental illness while not exacerbating her physical condition.

The grant is new, O'Brien said, so "there is more to do. ... (There are many) unnamed, unspoken challenges to homelessness."

"We're thrilled to be able to provide this additional support," Jeffers said.

She said CSO will be tracking the outcomes over a five-year period and hopes the program can become a national model.

Ludlow's current governing structure is Town Meeting with a five-person board of selectmen. Resident Eric Gregoire had organized the signature drive.

LUDLOW -- Advocates for a review of the municipal charter did not submit signatures to the town clerk's office by the Dec. 14 deadline, the office confirmed Thursday.

The advocates had hoped to gather signatures so that a question on whether to review the town charter could be placed on the March 25 municipal election ballot.

They would have needed signatures from at least 15 percent of the town's 14,302 registered voters -- 2,146 signatures certified by the town clerk.

Resident Eric Gregoire had organized the signature drive. Attempts to reach him for comment were unsuccessful.

In an interview in November, Gregoire said the goal was to put the question on the March municipal ballot, asking voters if they supported forming a nine-person charter commission and to simultaneously elect that commission.

At the time, he said about 1,000 signatures had been gathered.

Ludlow's current governing structure is Town Meeting with a five-person Board of Selectmen.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention weekly report on the emerging disease indicates there are currently 182 confirmed cases of acute flaccid myelitis in 38 states.

The number of confirmed cases of acute flaccid myelitis, a rare polio-like disease, has increased by one in Massachusetts while cases under investigation have increased by two.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, there are now "3 confirmed, 1 probable and 5 suspect cases of AFM in Massachusetts."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention weekly report on the emerging disease indicates there are currently 182 confirmed cases of AFM in 38 states as well as in New York City to date this year among a total of 336 reports that the CDC has received of patients under investigation for AFM as of Dec. 21.

States reporting their first confirmed cases as of Dec. 21 include Florida and South Dakota. States with no confirmed cases to date this year include Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia as well as the District of Columbia.

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

At that time, Massachusetts had two confirmed cases and four suspected cases, with the CDC reporting 62 confirmed cases in 22 states as of Oct. 17.

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 few weeks to classify and confirm suspected cases sent by state health departments.

AFM 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."

The disease, which is seen mainly in children, has been compared to poliomyelitis because its symptoms can include limb paralysis, though the CDC has said no confirmed cases have yet to test positive for the polio virus.

It can be diagnosed through spinal cord fluid and an MRI, but no single pathogen or specific inflammatory process has been identified yet as the cause of AFM. Evidence of a virus, the CDC has said, has been more often found in respiratory and stool samples than in spinal fluid.

The CDC has detected coxsackievirus A16, EV-A71 and EV-D68 in the spinal fluid of four of 508 confirmed cases of AFM since 2014, when it began tracking the disease. For all other patients, the CDC has said, no pathogen has been detected in their spinal fluid to confirm a cause.

The onset of AFM sometimes presents first as a respiratory condition and then progresses to muscle weakness, including facial droop or weakness. Parents are urged to contact their health care provider if they notice such symptoms.

Read obituaries from The Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Here are the obituaries published Thursday in The Republican:

Obituaries from The Republican, Dec. 27, 2018

The meeting convenes at Amherst Town Hall at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 28, 2018.

AMHERST -- The Amherst and Pelham Regional School District Planning Board will convene Friday morning for the 25th time since forming a year ago.

The panel has been examining the pros and cons of forming a fully regionalized school district between the two towns.

Specifically, it will study the potential creation of a regional district for pre-kindergarten through grade six. Amherst and Pelham are already regionalized in grades seven through 12.

Among the items the board will discuss Friday are public forums expected to take place starting next year, when the community will get the chance to comment on the board's research of the issue.

At a meeting last month, the board unanimously voted to hire, at a cost of $7,850, the Logue Group, which was founded by Bill Logue. LG will be tasked with helping facilitate the upcoming public forums.

The meeting convenes at Amherst Town Hall, 4 Boltwood Ave., at 10:30 a.m. Friday.

The panel has made no decision to date on whether to recommend regionalizing.

Attention was focused on homelessness in Greenfield this summer when nearly two dozen camped on the Town Common.

GREENFIELD -- Michael Natale was one of the two dozen or so who camped on the town common this summer, part of an encampment that drew the region's attention to the crisis of homelessness. 

For a time there was a focused effort to find help for the people camping on the common. But since the city cleared the encampment Aug. 24, many still are without homes. 

Natale, 29, has been camping in a park, trying to stay warm with four blankets and a tarp over his tent. But when it's cold, he's cold, he said.

He said he's contacted ServiceNet's emergency shelter on Wells Street, but the 20-bed facility is always full. A plan to expand the shelter ran into funding problems and other issues, and the dozen or so beds the shelter hoped to add could not be added.

Some of those on the common found shelter beds locally or were taken to shelters in New York state.

Pat Culver said the homeless people on the common got all the attention, but there were and are homeless people in town who did not get help. 

She and her longtime partner, Joe Finn, are two of them. Finn guesses there are several hundred others in town, now hidden behind shopping centers and other places.

The couple slept in their car for nearly a year. In October, with help, they bought a motor home, where they are staying for now. They can't afford the $850 needed to stay in a year-round trailer park, so they spend nights looking for a place to park. 

Culver said they had been parking in the Registry of Motor Vehicles lot on Miner Street but were told to move. The same happened with other lots like Home Depot and McDonald's. They wish the city would offer them a place to park.

They'd like to get an apartment, but they rely on disability payments and don't have enough money for rent, let alone the first and last month's rent needed up front, Culver said.

Finn had been a truck driver for 17 years. He developed a seizure disorder and had to give up his license, he said. Culver, 64, had been a health care aide but arthritis in her knees got so bad she had to stop working. She said she'd love to be able to work.

The two get breakfast and lunch at the Salvation Army and shower there. They also get meals at local churches, which helps.

Rhonda Ely has been homeless for about 10 years after being evicted from an apartment. She was receiving $575 from Aid to Families with Dependent Children. But her ex-husband wasn't helping anymore, so she fell behind on rent, which she said was $475.

The state took her kids, she said, and she lost her benefits. She and her fiance, Rory Anderson, couch-surfed for a time, then lived on the street.

They got a bed at the Wells Street shelter but then were placed in a group home operated by ServiceNet. That house closed, and they again are at Wells Street waiting to see if there's a room in another ServiceNet home in Turners Falls.

Ely said they spend their mornings at the Salvation Army and then at Greenfields Market in the afternoon until they return to the shelter when it reopens at 4. At the group home they didn't have to leave during the day.

She talked about all the vacant town buildings and doesn't understand why they can't be used. Homeless people could rent rooms, she said.

"A lot of the buildings are just rotting. Why can't they open up?" she said. 

Currently she's living on $303 a month from the state while she's waiting to see if she can again collect disability.

She said she had worked at Stop & Shop and as a waitress, but has disabilities including vascular disease and an anxiety disorder.

Natale said he was offered a job at Lightlife in Turners Falls but it started at 5 a.m. and buses don't start running until then. He said he and his fiancee, who lives with her family in Colrain, want to get an apartment, but don't have money for the first or last month's rent or a security deposit.

He has no income except for occasional panhandling. His fiancee is on disability but has to pay for food and rent to her family, he said. Her family won't let him stay with them, he said. 

Natale said every couple of weeks he's able to apply to a respite program run by the Northampton-based Clinical & Support Options and stay for seven days, which he does. He has applied to the state Department of Mental Health to see if he can stay longer. He is a recovering heroin addict, he said, and he suffers from a severe panic disorder.

Asked what will happen when temperatures drop even lower, he said, "I honestly don't know."

There are few options. M.J. Adams of the town's economic development office said state building and fire codes prevent churches from offering space to people who have no place to go. "Building codes are much more stringent," she said.

She said the city keeps track of vacant buildings but does not own them. The state in June announced the availability of $1.25 million in the Abandoned Housing Initiative Receivership Fund. The city has considered the receivership program but many of the buildings "are in need of substantial rehab," Adams said.

And while it's not advertised, she said, the police department lobby is open 24 hours a day.

Acquaintances told police Carl Morin was armed, high on cocaine and had made suicidal and homicidal threats, according to the arrest report.

SPRINGFIELD - A judge has set bail at $100,000 for a man facing firearms charges in Springfield and firearms and domestic assault charges in Chicopee.

Carl Morin, 37, of Springfield, pleaded not guilty in Springfield District Court on Dec. 20 to carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possession of a large-capacity feeding device and two related gun charges.

The charges were filed after Springfield and state police arrested Morin at a White Street home on Dec. 19. Morin, who was wanted on a warrant out of Chicopee, was sleeping on a couch with a 9 mm firearm tucked into his waistband when police entered with permission of the homeowner, according to the arrest report.

The gun was loaded, with one round in the chamber, the report said.

In their attempts to locate Morin, investigators spoke to several acquaintances who said he was armed, high on cocaine and had made suicidal and homicidal threats, the report said.

The acquaintances "reiterated that Morin was in a very volatile state of mind," the report said.

Police had been searching for Morin since a Chicopee incident Dec. 16 that led to charges of armed assault inside a dwelling and other gun charges following an alleged domestic assault.

Chicopee police offered no details of the incident, citing state law protecting the privacy of domestic assault victims. The status of the Chicopee case was unclear Thursday.

Following Morin's arrest in Springfield, Trooper Matthew Donah requested that his bail be set at $100,000. "Morin is a danger to himself and suicidal, a threat to the female victim (in the Chicopee case), and a threat to the community," Donah wrote.

Judge Jennifer Tyne set bail at $100,000 with the agreement that defense lawyer Terrence Dunphy could request a lower figure later in the case.

Morin is due back in court for a pretrial hearing on Jan. 18.

Michael V. Taylor, 30, has a criminal history in Florida and Massachusetts, according to court documents.

NORTHAMPTON -- A man accused of sticking up a Hatfield bank with a stick on Christmas Eve and eluding police for four hours has been ordered held on $25,000 bail.

Michael V. Taylor, 30, of Mattapan, a neighborhood in Boston, appeared before Judge Maureen Walsh on Wednesday at Northampton District Court, where he denied single counts of armed robbery and failure to stop for police, court documents show.

Taylor has a criminal history in Florida, a prior conviction of armed robbery at Middlesex Superior Court and has deployed aliases, according to a judge's order setting bail conditions. He is also the subject of an outstanding warrant at Orange District Court for failure to appear on motor vehicle charges, a police affidavit states.

Taylor allegedly held up the People's United Bank on West Street (Routes 5 and 10) while brandishing a sharpened stick. A teller told police that on Monday around 9:30 a.m., a man wearing a partial mask ran into the bank, jumped over the counter, demanded all loose and bundled cash and fled with a canvas bag full of money.

The suspect fled south in a maroon Jeep Liberty, failed to stop for Northampton police, jumped out of his still-rolling SUV on Interstate 91 in Holyoke and escaped into the woods with a bag containing $10,807 in cash, according to a Massachusetts State Police affidavit filed with court documents.

Following a manhunt involving police from four communities, Taylor was arrested by a state trooper in a wooded area near the Holyoke Canoe Club around 2 p.m., and the bag of cash was nearby, the affidavit said.

Questioned at the Massachusetts State Police barracks in Northampton, Taylor initially said the bag of cash had been left in his car by a friend, but eventually admitted to being the bank robber, according to the statement filed by Trooper Alan J. Gamache.

Northampton Police Chief Jody Kasper said on Facebook that the suspect had climbed a tree near the Holyoke Canoe Club, which is located on the Connecticut River east of the highway.

"The tree branch that the suspect was standing on broke, sending him to the ground, sack of stolen cash in hand," Kasper wrote.

Taylor, who gave a Mattapan address, is believed to be living in Springfield, police said. The search was aided by police from Easthampton, Holyoke, Northampton, and Hatfield, including the K-9 unit from Easthampton.

Taylor's next court date is set for Jan. 15.

The new Hadley Senior Center is about 14 smaller than the plan approved by Town Meeting and the town but requires few parking spaces.

HADLEY -- After a lawsuit, a delay addressing parking issues, and a cutback in the building's size, the senior center-library project is moving forward with the Hooker School -- the current site of the senior center -- likely being razed this spring. 

Jane Nevinsmith, chairwoman of the senior project building committee, said the center will relocate temporarily by April 1, possibly to Holy Redeemer Church, 120 Russell St. less than a half a mile away. 

The new building is about 14 percent smaller, which cut down the amount of parking needed. Cuts were made in the size of the dining and exercise room, and the conference room was eliminated to reduce the building from 12,096 to 10,350 square feet. Nevinsmith said the dining room won't be able to host large gatherings they had hoped it would. 

Despite the reduction in size, the cost will still be about $7.1 million. "There's inflation costs and tariffs on building materials," she said.

The American Legion sued the town in 2017 over a parking area they said they had the right to because they had been using it for decades. 

The initial project footprint would have extended into that town-owned property and eliminated the lot. 

The lot remains with the new footprint, Nevinsmith said. She said the building and the library project to be built on the same site needs only 104 spaces.

Projects require parking that is twice the area of the buildings. The proposed library is 11,635-square-feet.

The Select Board in a 3 to 2 vote in September voted on the smaller building even though Town Meeting and voters in a special election voted to increase funding to allow for the larger building.

Nevinsmith said the library grant includes money for the Hooker School to be razed. The library, too, has been eager to move the project forward because of rising costs. 

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners in 2017 awarded $3.9 million for a new library. Construction has to begin by January of 2020 or the library would lose the grant. 

The current Goodwin Memorial Library will remain and be used once it becomes compliant with the American Disabilities Act, Nevinsmith said. 

Architects are working to get the final specifications into the bid documents and they hope to have those reading for bidding in late January. "That means we should be able to choose our contractor by early March, and they could start work immediately," she said.

"I'm very happy as are most of the seniors in Hadley," that the project is going forward, Nevinsmith said. And even though it's smaller she said, "It's a wonderful building." 

Jaime Tudryn was a 2003 graduate of East Longmeadow High School.

NORTHAMPTON -- Donors have given $58,000 to help the family of Northampton firefighter Matthew Tudryn, whose wife Jaime died on Christmas Day. She was 33.

The couple has an 11-month-old son, Bode. 

According to the GoFundMe campaign the money "will be used to help cover the costs of Jaime's stay in the hospital over the past several months," while any additional money will go toward a college fund for Bode. 

According to the post, Jaime Tudryn was taken to Baystate Medical Center Dec. 24 for treatment of a potential brain injury. "Despite the amazing efforts and care of the ICU team, her condition worsened over the next 24 hours, and she passed, surrounded by family, on Christmas Day," the description reads.

The fundraising goal is $75,000.

The Deerfield Fire Department contributed $1,000 to the campaign, and Wilbraham firefighters contributed $500. Nearly 700 individuals have contributed since the page was launched on Christmas. 

According to her obituary, Jaime Tudryn was a 2003 graduate of East Longmeadow High School and earned a bachelor's degree in kinesiology from the University of Massachusetts in 2007. 

At Holyoke Community College she earned an associate degree in science concentrating in Radiologic Technology. She worked at Mercy Medical Center.  

Calling hours are 4 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 1, at the Forastiere Smith Family Funeral Home, 220 North Main St., East Longmeadow. Her funeral services begin at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. 

Northampton Fire Chief Duane Nichols said Tudryn has been a firefighter for about six years. He said Jaime Tudryn had medical issues following the birth of the baby, when doctors discovered a genetic condition that led to her death.

"It's great to see the department pull together," Nichols said.

He said firefighters sat with the family in the hospital and some will cover shifts, so others can attend the funeral. Nichols said it shows that people who work in fire services are "a great big family."

Now in its 5th year, the program funds modest projects to improve farm operations.

Do you need a root crop bagging machine? A quick-cut greens harvester? A vegetable washer? Or, perhaps, upgrades to your cheese pasteurization vat?

These and other modest farm investments have been funded in recent years by the Harold Grinspoon Charitable Foundation in collaboration with Big Y and other partners.

The Local Farmer Awards program, now in it fifth year, has helped more than 125 Western Massachusetts farmers with grants up to $2,500. The grants must go to equipment or infrastructure that will help improve farm operations.

The latest funding round has been launched, and farmers are invited to apply.

"Farmers don't typically ask for help," said philanthropist Harold Grinspoon in announcing the 2019 grant program. "They are genuinely appreciative of these awards and use the money in creative ways for projects to help their businesses." 

"Big Y has been partnering with and supporting local farmers since we began over 80 years ago," said Big Y president and CEO Charles L. D'Amour.

Eligible farms must have gross sales of at least $10,000, and either be a member of Berkshire Grown or Community Involve in Sustaining Agriculture, or reside in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden or Hampshire counties.

The application deadline is January 31. Applicants are encouraged to visit www.farmerawards.org for more information.

Former Hampshire College student and immigrant rights activist Eduardo Samaniego was denied release on bond Thursday, according to a news release from The Action Network.

Former Hampshire College student and activist Eduardo Samaniego was denied release on bond from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Georgia on Thursday, according to Rose Bookbinder from the Pioneer Valley Workers Center in Northampton.

The center is calling for his release and asking people to sign a petition. Samaniego was working for the center before he went to Georgia this fall.

Samaniego had been held in the Robert A. Deyton Detention Facility in Lovejoy, Georgia, for 71 days. On Friday he was moved to the Irwin Detention Center in Ocilla, Georgia. Bookbinder said his legal team was given less than 24 hours notice of his Thursday hearing. They plan to appeal.

She said the lawyers reported the court deemed Samaniego a flight risk. She said because they didn't have much notice they didn't have a large support team to testify on his behalf.

A GoFundMe campaign continues to raise money for his legal fees. 

Bookbinder said Samaniego's health is precarious. He was injured in a gas explosion two years ago, suffering burns on 45 percent of his body and being hospitalized for three months. 

The trauma of that, plus the fact that he has been isolated in detention, is causing him great difficulty, Bookbinder said. She said he wasn't allowed visitors, including someone from the Mexican consulate. A guard allowed his mother to visit two days ago, Bookbinder said.

Samaniego, an undocumented immigrant who came to the U.S. from Mexico when he was 16, graduated with honors as president of Junior Achievement of Georgia, president of the Hispanic Honor Society and the only National Society of High School Scholars gold medal winner in his class.

He said in an earlier interview he couldn't go to college because he didn't have a Social Security number. In 2014, Hampshire gave him a four-year scholarship.

Read obituaries from The Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Here are the obituaries published Friday in The Republican:

Obituaries from The Republican, Dec. 28, 2018