The Springfield ceremony was preceded by a parade that traveled from Springfield Technical Community College to Court Square.

SPRINGFIELD – The crowd that gathered at Court Square on Friday for the annual Veterans Day ceremony ranged from the World War II veteran who comes every year to the 1-year-old boy being held by his proud military dad.

Staff Sgt. Jonathan E. Turner of Springfield, who recently returned from a tour in Afghanistan, said he came with his 1-year-old, Jonathan Jr., because “I wanted to share the experience with my son.”

“I missed him,” Turner said. “He turned one while I was overseas. I want to make sure he knows what I did.”

Turner, a 15-year member of the Massachusetts National Guard, said he also attended to recognize and honor those in the military “who can’t be here and didn’t come home.”

Communities with Veterans Day ceremonies on Friday also included Holyoke, Agawam, West Springfield, Westfield, Northampton, Amherst, Palmer, Ludlow, Wilbraham and Belchertown.

The Springfield ceremony was preceded by a parade that began outside Springfield Technical Community College, traveled down State Street, and over to Court Square.

The ceremony was conducted on the steps of City Hall, and was followed by the laying of the wreath at the War Monument by: Springfield Veteran of the Year Gerald W. Dolloff; Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet who was this year’s parade marshall; and Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno.

The Springfield high schools’ Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps and the Melha Shriners were among groups that participated in the Court Square ceremony and parade, sponsored by the Springfield Veterans Activities Committee.

“I come every year to honor the guys that are fighting today,” said Thomas Cooney of East Longmeadow, a World War II veteran. “It’s important. There are dangerous areas and they are risking their lives.”

Cooney served in the U.S. Navy, and was on the destroyer, USS Rall.

Theresa Royland of Holyoke stood with her three children: Abigail, 7; Olivia, 5; and Amanda, 3.

“I came to support our military and to expose my children to them and what they do for us,” Royland said.

She said it was the family’s first time coming to the Court Square ceremony. She was moved to come after reading an article in the Sunday Parade magazine which, she said, shared that military members really appreciate being acknowledged for their service to their country.

“Being here is a way to stand with them,” Royland said.

Cara Pagnoni, 8, of East Longmeadow, said she enjoyed being with her dad, Joseph A. Pagnoni, a member of the U.S. Army since 1987 and her sister Kate, 6. His service has included deployment to Iraq and being stationed in Landstuhl, Germany.

Cara said she enjoyed the music and marching, and said Veterans Day is all about the people who serve their country.

Sarno called on returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan to raise their hands, and they were applauded by the Court Square gathering, believed to number a few hundred people including participants.

“I know it’s Veterans Day but every day we should be thankful to veterans,” Sarno said.

Fitchet said the people march and pay tribute to the past veterans and their sacrifice, current veterans who continue to serve the country here and abroad, and the families of veterans and their sacrifice.

Dolloff said people cannot do enough for veterans — “the more we can do, the better.” He urged people to personally thank veterans.

There is a waiting list of people who want to move into the assisted living community on West Street, project manager Frederick Mielke told the board.

File photo by Mark M. Murray / The Republican Keystone Commons founder Victor J. Field, and Beth Cardillo, executive director of Keystone Commons, look over the exterior of the project under construction in 2007 at 450 West St. in Ludlow.

LUDLOW - The Planning Board on Thursday continued until Dec. 8 a proposal to add 10 one-bedroom units to Keystone Commons, an independent assisted living facility at 460 West Street.

The facility opened three and a half years ago with 90 units.

There has been a waiting list at the facility, project manager Frederick Mielke told the Planning Board.

He said there is demand for additional units by Ludlow residents who do not want to move their relatives out of town.

Sometimes an elderly parent needs help which relatives are unable to provide because of their work schedules, Mielke said.

Sometimes elderly relatives are no longer eating right or taking their medications on schedule, he said.

“They may have a falling risk,” Mielke said.

Keystone Commons is proposing to add a 1,000-square-foot addition to the existing 48,000-square-foot structure and to increase the number of units from 90 to 100.

The plan is to build nine more studio apartments and one, one-bedroom unit, he said, in a three-story addition.

In response to a question raised by the Fire Department, Mielke said all the units will be served by a sprinkler system.

The Planning Board will act on the proposed addition at its Dec. 8 meeting. Keystone Commons was asked to provide the maximum number of residents who will be housed in the facility.

Beginning at Lampron Park near the Bridge Street School, the parade ended at Pulaski Park downtown with ceremonies there.

NORTHAMPTON – Despite a brisk wind, hundreds gathered along Main Street waving flags and cheering as veterans, city and state officials, the Northampton High School and Florence Community bands and reenactors from the 9th Battery of Massachusetts and others paraded past during the annual Veterans Day parade.

Beginning at Lampron Park near the Bridge Street School, the parade ended at Pulaski Park downtown with ceremonies there. Acting Mayor David Narkewicz issued a proclamation thanking veterans for their service.

Ellenor Rennell, an 89-year-old city resident and a member of the Women’s Army Corps. during World War II, spoke.

While she enlisted as a way to see the world, she ended up serving stateside. Still, she said, “I loved every minute of the service. I wish I could have stayed in.”

She said she loved the order of it all. But she said the Army didn’t want women then so served her two years and received an honorable discharge.

She ended up marrying and her daughter was a nurse in Viet Nam. Her daughter died six years ago as a result of exposure to Agent Orange, she said. She was 54.

Thomas Dunphy was at the parade with his family including his mother Mary and daughter Reagan Dunphy. He said the family comes every year.

But this year was a little different. His father, John Dunphy, a Korean War veteran, died late last month. “We’re here in his honor,” he said.

Gov. Patrick used the Veterans Day holiday to sign a $52 million supplemental spending measure that includes $1 million in Welcome Home Bonus payments and additional veterans’ benefits.

Associated Press photoA member of an American Legion Color Guard, center, carries an American flag during Veterans Day ceremonies in front of the Statehouse, in Boston, Friday.

BOSTON – Gov. Deval L. Patrick and U.S. Sen. Scott P. Brown were among those honoring the state’s veterans at a ceremony at the Massachusetts Statehouse.

The Veteran’s Day event in the Statehouse Hall of Flags included remembrances and music recognizing the sacrifices of veterans and their families.

Patrick used the Friday holiday to sign a $52 million supplemental spending measure that includes $1 million in Welcome Home Bonus payments and additional veterans’ benefits.

The administration is also working with trade groups to encourage employers to hire veterans for open jobs.

Brown pointed to his efforts to push through federal legislation also designed to increase employment among veterans.

The Senate on Thursday approved a similar initiative offered by President Barack H. Obama.

Also Friday, Brown’s campaign announced the formation of a “Veterans for Brown” committee.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped nearly 260 points to close above 12,153.

File photo by Don TreegerThe entrance to the Nordstrom store in Farmington, Conn., is seen at the Westfarms Mall. The upscale retailer reported better earnings than expected Thursday, but lowered its outlook for the rest of the year, causing its stock to drop 0.3 percent,

NEW YORK – Stocks surged Friday, erasing their losses for the week, after Italy and Greece moved closer to getting their financial crises under control. The Dow Jones industrial average jumped back above 12,000.

Italy’s benchmark stock index leapt 3.7 percent and its borrowing costs plunged after the country’s Senate passed a crucial austerity budget demanded by the European Union. Other European stock markets and the euro also pushed higher as investors became more confident that Italy would avoid a fiscal disaster.

The passage clears the way for Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi to step down. Berlusconi was widely considered an obstacle to serious economic reforms. The yield on Italy’s benchmark two-year bond dropped 0.43 percentage point to 5.69 percent. That’s a sign bond investors think Italy will succeed in managing its massive debt load.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 259.89 points, or 2.2 percent, to 12,153.68. It closed below 12,000 the previous two days. Friday’s rally pushed the Dow up 1.4 percent for the week.

Together with a 112-point gain the day before, the Dow has now made up most of the 389-point plunge it took on Wednesday. That sell-off was triggered by a spike in Italy’s borrowing costs and a breakdown in talks to name a new prime minister in Greece.

In Greece, too, there was good news for the markets Friday. Lucas Papademos, a former central banker, was sworn in as interim prime minister. Lucas Papademos took over a coalition government after a two-week political crisis that jeopardized the country’s ability to continue receiving emergency loans.

Plenty of uncertainty still hangs over financial markets. Brian Gendreau, senior investment strategist at Cetera Financial Group, noted that the VIX index is still above 30, a sign that traders expect stocks to stay volatile.

Gendreau expects the S&P 500 to trade in a range of 1,200 to 1,275 until Europe’s debt crisis gets closer to resolution and the U.S. Congress signs off on a larger debt-cutting plan. A supercommittee in Congress has until Nov. 23 to agree on a deficit-reduction package of at least $1.2 trillion over a decade.

“We still don’t have a real resolution on either side of the Atlantic,” Gendreau said.

The S&P 500 rose 24.16, or 1.9 percent, to 1,263.85. Only 13 of the 500 stocks in the S&P fell. Technology and materials companies had the biggest gains. The S&P 500 gained 0.8 percent for the week.

Walt Disney Co. jumped 6 percent. The company reported record annual profits and revenues after the market closed Thursday, thanks to stronger advertising sales at ESPN and the Disney Channel.

The Nasdaq composite rose 53.60, or 2 percent, to 2,678.75. The index edged down 0.3 percent for the week.

In other corporate news:

• D.R. Horton Inc. returned to a quarterly profit as more people bought houses. But the builder’s earnings and revenue fell below what analysts had expected. D.R. Horton’s stock dropped 1.7 percent.

• Nordstrom Inc. also reported stronger quarterly profit late Thursday. But the retailer lowered its full-year profit outlook below what analysts expected. Its stock fell 0.3 percent.

• Viacom Inc., the parent of Nickelodeon, said it will move its stock listing to the Nasdaq Stock Market from the New York Stock Exchange next month because it’s more “cost effective.” The company’s class B stock rose 3 percent.

• E-Trade Financial Corp. sank 4.1 percent. The online broker said late Thursday that it had decided against putting itself up for sale. E-Trade’s largest shareholder, the hedge fund Citadel Advisors, had been pushing for a sale.

U.S. bond trading was closed for Veterans Day.

Five stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was light at 3.3 billion shares.

Police arrested Donald Rudolph after discovering what was described as a gruesome scene at the victims' home.

Associated PressA television news crew interviews a neighbor outside 10 Upland Street, the scene of a triple homicide, in Weymouth, Mass., Friday morning, Nov. 11, 2011. Donald Rudolph, 18, has been charged in the killings of his mother, older sister and his mother's boyfriend after police found him at a "gruesome scene" at their home in Weymouth. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

By BOB SALSBERG

WEYMOUTH — Police charged an 18-year-old man with the killings of his mother, older sister and their mother's boyfriend after discovering what was described as a gruesome scene at the victims' home.

Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said Friday that police found the bodies, which he said showed evidence of massive trauma, after a neighbor reported suspicious activity at the house just after 8 p.m. Thursday.

He said police saw a man in the house, and arrested Donald Rudolph after he crawled out a basement window. The prosecutor said officers began searching the house after noticing "the state of his clothing," and hearing Rudolph's "alarming" statements.

"It was gruesome," Police Chief Richard Grimes said. He did not say how the victims died or if a weapon had been found.

Morrissey said officers first saw the body of 52-year-old Frederick Medina on the first floor of the home, then found the bodies of 50-year-old Paula Rudolph and her 24-year-old daughter Caylin in a detached garage.

He said the victims lived at the house, but Donald Rudolph was not currently living there.

Weymouth Police Dept.Donald Rudolph

Grimes said Rudolph was known to police in the town, about 15 miles south of Boston, but no one at the house had any current restraining orders against him.

Authorities said Paula Rudolph also had a younger daughter, Brittany Rudolph, who attends college out of state. Neighbors said Caylin Rudolph had twin daughters who live with their father.

Because Friday is a court holiday, Donald Rudolph is not expected to be arraigned until Monday. It was not immediately known if he had a lawyer.

Some neighbors on Upland Road, a quiet side street where the family lived, said there had been signs the family had problems, but they expressed shock at the violent deaths.

"They had their own problems, like any family, but you never thought it would get to that," said Cease (pronounced KAY'-see) Deane, 18, who said he knew Donald growing up on the same street but would not describe him as a friend.

Deane said Donald Rudolph had a temper. "We would play basketball and he would just act out, like shoving people," he said.

Family members were often heard yelling at each other, Deane added.

Ronnie Lippett, a former defensive back for the New England Patriots, told The Boston Globe he came to know Rudolph through his work for a Lutheran social service agency. The teen had lived in Lippett's home for a time last year, but that ended in July when Rudolph lashed out violently at Lippett, breaking his jaw.

"He was just a disturbed kid who had a lot of issues," Lippett said.

Police would not comment on any past arrests or incidents involving the teen.

Pat Connor, who lives nearby, said Paula Rudolph worked at a Stop & Shop supermarket as a bundler and self-serve checkout assistant "to makes ends meet."

"She was good-hearted, but I think she had a rough life," Connor said. "I think she was a lonely person because when you would go into the store, she went over and hugged me. She just craved affection."

Police said the 3 were in a vehicle reported stolen earlier in Thompson, Conn.

DOUGLAS — Three teenagers have been taken to the hospital after their car stolen in Connecticut crashed in Massachusetts.

Douglas police tell The Telegram & Gazette of Worcester a 15-year-old boy from Putnam, Conn., driving the car and a 16-year-old male front-seat passenger from Ware, Mass., were ejected when the vehicle crashed at about 1:30 a.m. on Friday. Sixteen-year-old Skyelynn Mathieu of Ware was in the back seat.

They were taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester in critical condition.

Police say the vehicle had been reported stolen earlier in Thompson, Conn., just across the state line.

Connecticut police pursued the vehicle to the Massachusetts line before notifying Douglas police.

A Douglas officer saw the vehicle speed past at 77 miles per hour. He lost sight of the car, but moments later came across the crashed vehicle.

Hampden District Attorney Mark Mastroianni said his policy is to review all police shootings.

The Rev. Talbert Swan II, left, has called for an investigation into the death of Tahiem Goffe.

SPRINGFIELD - The Rev. Talbert W. Swan II, Springfield branch president of the NAACP, Friday called for an independent investigation of the shooting death of Tahiem Goffe.

Goffe, 18, died of injuries inflicted by a gunshot wound in the wake of a confrontation with police Nov. 6.

“The Springfield Branch NAACP is requesting an independent investigation to ensure that proper police procedures were employed and that the investigation will not be compromised,” Swan said.

Swan said Friday that ideally he would like an independent prosecutor to look at the case.

He added that at the very least he would like the D.A.’s office to look at the police investigation and for the D.A. to release the results of its investigation.

“My policy is to review all police shootings," Hampden County District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni said Friday.

He said the Springfield Police Department Detective Bureau is doing an internal investigation and a state police ballistics team is looking at the evidence.

“We have a procedure in place, just like the procedure used in the recent Palmer police shooting. We will review the police investigation.”

Mastroianni said that next week he will do an analysis to see whether the procedure needs to be further modified for this case.

“I don’t know yet whether I will modify our procedure, but if I modify it, I will make my decision public,” he said.

Tahiem Goffe, 18, was shot by Springfield police on Nov. 6 after police said he drove at Police Officer Matthew Benoit, who was on foot, striking Benoit and sending him airborne over the front corner of the vehicle and onto the pavement.

“The officer was able to fire a round at the oncoming car to possibly save his life,” Sgt. John M. Delaney said.

Benoit, who remains on paid administrative leave, was treated at Baystate Medical Center and released. Delaney, aide to Springfield Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said the department has begun an internal investigation into the shooting, as it automatically does with any shooting involving a police officer.

The results of that investigation will be forwarded to Mastroianni.

Goffe, who suffered a single gunshot wound, also was taken to Baystate, where he was listed in critical condition Monday morning and died Monday night.

Swan said the case is reminiscent of a 1994 incident in which Benjamin Schoolfield was in a van falsely reported as stolen, when he was shot and killed by a Springfield patrolman.

Garcia had decided against running, but when no candidate emerged, she had to mount a write-in bid.

File photo | The RepublicanSchool Committee member Yvonne S. Garcia works with a child on a drawing in a 1999 photo.

HOLYOKE – Yvonne S. Garcia will continue as the Ward 2 representative on the School Committee because in Tuesday’s election she received a total of five votes, or four more than anyone else, the city clerk said.

Also, most school board incumbents were re-elected, aside from Mayor Elaine A. Pluta, who is School Committee chairwoman by virtue of being mayor. She was defeated by Alex B. Morse.

Garcia had to solicit write-in votes because her name wasn’t on the ballot after she failed to submit enough signatures of registered voters to qualify. She has held the seat since 1995.

No other candidate for the seat emerged publicly.

Results from the city clerk’s office show a total of 80 write-in votes were cast for the Ward 2 School Committee seat, with 46 from Ward 2A and 34 from Ward 2B.

Garcia got the most with five, City Clerk Susan M. Egan said. It was unclear who the other 75 votes went to, but Egan said many were blank and others were write-ins for individuals.

Garcia said Thursday that though she will continue to be the Ward 2 member by virtue of getting only five votes, it was important that the ward have a school board representative.

“We couldn’t go without anybody filling the seat,” Garcia said.

Initially, she said, she decided against running because she felt she could do more for young people with her private after-school program Lean on Me.

In the next two-year term, she wants to work on projects that include having middle school students meet with upper-class students to help with the transition later to high school, she said.

To get her name on the ballot, Garcia had to submit nomination papers bearing signatures of at least 50 registered voters from Ward 2 by July 26. But some people who signed the forms lived outside Ward 2, City Solicitor Lisa A. Ball said in August.

Each School Committee member is paid $5,000 a year.

In other school board races, the new Ward 1 School Committee member is Joshua A. Garcia, of 76 North East St., who works at the Holyoke Housing Authority. He defeated John C. Pietrzykowski, of 28 North Bridge St., a former School Committee member, 411-165.

Incumbent Ward 1 member Gladys Lebron-Martinez will leave the seat after winning the Ward 1 City Council seat in the election.

In Ward 5, incumbent Devin M. Sheehan trounced Reynaldo Martinez Jr., of 14 Sterling Road, 1,291-395.

Ward 6 committee member William R. Collamore cruised to reelection over Jaime Cotto, of 6 Shawmut Ave., 885-374.

At large member Howard B. Greaney Jr., Ward 3 committee member Dennis W. Birks Jr., Ward 4 member Cesar A. Lopez and Ward 7 member Margaret M. Boulais were unopposed.

The two at large members have staggered, four-year terms. At large member Michael J. Moriarty’s term has two years left.

File photo | The RepublicanYvonne Garcia

The Northampton public works department does not have the ability to remove debris from privately owned trees.

File phot by David Molnar / The RepublicanA truck equipped with a plow travels along Florence Road in Northampton under a downed tree following the late October snowstorm left much of Florence Road littered with tree debris.

NORTHAMPTON – City officials have organized a community wide cleanup for Saturday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the wake of the October snowstorm and are looking for folks willing to help.

“Staff in the office have been getting calls from people about downed trees,” said acting Mayor David Narkewicz.

The city’s Department of Public Works is “cleaning the debris of its trees,” he said, and has extra crews on for that.

But the department “doesn’t have the capacity for that extensive (private) cleanup.”

He said some residents are able to hire a tree company or do the work themselves. But “some people, maybe the elderly or disabled” can’t.

So the city is trying this approach.

Anyone who can help is asked to call their ward representatives who are coordinating the cleanup. Also people who have pickup trucks are especially needed. People who need help should call as well.

Some people Narkewicz said might even able to clean up the yards themselves but don’t have a way of taking it to the landfill.

Residents will not need to purchase a sticker to drop off their material at the Glendale Road landfill on Saturday.

Narkewicz admits this is short notice. “We want to get it started.”

If the weather remains warm, the city might try this again next weekend.

“We have this warm weather, the snow is going to be coming soon, if this debris remains it could present hazards.”

Ward 2 Councilor Paul D. Spector said he’s been getting calls about whose responsibility it is to clean up the debris. He stressed too that the city can only take city debris and people should not be putting debris from their own trees out on the curb because the city won’t be picking that up.

He said he drove through Ward 2 and the city has picked up most of that.

“Basically we’re in pretty good shape.”

He said though that anyone in his ward who cannot afford to hire anyone or is unable to do the work himself or herself should call him and he’ll do what he can to help even if its not this weekend.

Ward 3 councilor Owen Freeman-Daniels said he’s received some calls from people willing to help but he said they are still looking for trucks.

He realizes the timing of the cleanup is not perfect because its on short notice. “It needs to happen whether the timing is in perfect or not. The timing of the storm wasn’t perfect. It ruined Halloween."

List of contacts
Here is a list of names, phone numbers and email addresses for anyone seeking to volunteer or more information:
Ward 1: Maureen T. Carney, 584-2904, mtcarney@comcast.net;
Ward 2: Paul D. Spector, 250-5226, pauldspector@gmail.com;
Ward 3: Owen Freeman-Daniels, 530-1054, owenfreemandaniels@gmail.com aol.com;
Ward 4: Pamela C. Schwartz, 586-7113, pschwartz77@gmail.com;
Ward 5: David A. Murphy, 586-5461, david.murphy8@comcast.net;
Ward 6: Marianne L. LaBarge, 584-7937, mlabargeward6@aol.com;
Ward 7: Eugene A. Tacy, 585-8878, genetacy@comcast.net;
councilor at Large Jesse Adams 586-7500, jessemadams@aol.com.

Westfield resident John Samel watched Westfield State University students work hard at clearing brush from his yard.

Photo by Manon MirabelliWestfield State University students Sam Streisand, of Sudbury, and Lauren Rechel, of East Lyme, Conn., haul away broken branches while cleaning storm debris from the yard of an elderly couple as part of a Westfield State University community service program Friday.

WESTFIELD – John Samel watched through the window as university students cleared fallen limbs and brush from his back yard Friday and had good feelings about their generation.

“I am 95 years old and I have worked hard all my life. I can see they are working hard. That’s not just words,” Samel said.

Matthew R. Barry, Lauren Rechel and Sam Streisand were working at the Samels’ property as part of a Westfield State University community service learning project.

This project was designed recently as a way to give the students some work in the community while helping senior citizens who would have a tough time themselves moving all the limbs and other brush left in their yards after the Oct. 29-30 snowstorm.

Throughout Friday morning and afternoon, 34 students who belong to the Circle K organization on campus took part in this work at several homes around Westfield.

Circle K is a community service club founded at Westfield State in 1970 as part of the international network of the Kiwanis clubs.

Kenneth Magarian, the director of advancement and college relations at Westfield State, serves as adviser to the club and directed the brush clearing Friday.

“We had a good afternoon. There were some people with an awful lot of stuff to clear. We are all exhausted,” Magarian said in the late afternoon when the work was done and calls of thanks were coming to his office from some of the grateful people served.

Barry, a criminal justice major at the university, said it might be unusual for college students to do this kind of work on a holiday but he saw it as an opportunity to help and to learn.

“You meet all kinds of people in these projects,” Barry said.

Rechel, a psychology major, said she likes to hear their viewpoints when she works on a community service project with senior citizens and she appreciates that this work gives her a chance to connect with an older generation.

Streisand said that being able to help people, especially elderly people do things they might find difficult, has been an important part of his experience at Westfield State, where he is studying sociology.

Magarian said community service has been an objective at Westfield State since the school was founded in the 1830s, and the current president, Evan S. Dobelle, has put strong emphasis on it.

The 90 students who participate in Circle K activities have worked in residential neighborhoods as well as in downtown Westfield and other communities throughout New England.

Oakland, Calif., City Council President Larry Reid said the encampment in his city has been a major setback for the area while attracting sex offenders, mentally ill and homeless people, and anarchists.

Associated PressDemonstrators light candles at a street corner where a man was shot and killed after an altercation near the campsite for Occupy Wall Street protesters at Frank Ogawa Plaza, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011 in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By TERRY COLLINS

OAKLAND, Calif. — Leaders across the country felt increasing pressure Friday to shut down Occupy encampments after two men died in shootings and another was found dead from a suspected combination of drugs and carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a propane heater inside a tent.

Citing a strain on crime-fighting resources, police pleaded with Occupy Oakland protesters to leave their encampment at the City Hall plaza where a man was shot and killed late Thursday.

The Oakland Police Officer's Association, which represents rank-and-file police, issued an open letter saying the camp is pulling officers away from crime-plagued neighborhoods.

"With last night's homicide, in broad daylight, in the middle of rush hour, Frank Ogawa Plaza is no longer safe," the letter said. "Please leave peacefully, with your heads held high, so we can get police officers back to work fighting crime in Oakland neighborhoods."

Mayor Jean Quan said the city would issue another official notice to protesters to leave the camp, but she did not give a deadline.

Since the shooting, anonymous fliers have been posted around the encampment urging protesters to leave.

"Occupiers, turn on your brains and see the harm you are causing to our town," it says. "You have devolved into mob rule. You have lost sight of the goal."

City Council President Larry Reid said outside City Hall that the shooting was further proof the tents must come down. He was confronted by a protester who said he wouldn't be in office much longer.

"You didn't elect me," Reid snapped back. "You probably ain't even registered to vote!"

Reid said the encampment has been a major setback for the area while attracting sex offenders, mentally ill and homeless people, and anarchists.

"This is no longer about Occupy Wall Street," he said. "This is about occupying Oakland and extracting whatever you can get out of Oakland by holding our city hostage."

The Oakland shooting occurred the same day a 35-year-old military veteran apparently shot himself to death in a tent at a Burlington, Vt., Occupy encampment.

Associated PressA body is removed from a tent in the Occupy Salt Lake camp in Pioneer Park, Friday Nov. 11, 2011 in Salt Lake City. The Occupy Salt Lake group has been in Pioneer Park for weeks, protesting what they say is corporate greed, in solidarity with the larger Occupy Wall Street protests in New York and elsewhere. Police say the body of a man in his 40s was found Friday morning in a tent. A cause of death was not available, but authorities say it did not immediately appear to be foul play. (AP Photo/The Salt Lake Tribune, Al Hartmann)

On Friday, a man was found dead inside a tent at the Occupy Salt Lake City encampment, from what police said was a combination of drug use and carbon monoxide.

A preliminary investigation into the Oakland shooting suggested it resulted from a fight between two groups of men at or near the encampment, police Chief Howard Jordan said. Investigators do not know if the men in the fight were associated with Occupy Oakland, he said.

Protesters said there was no connection between the shooting and the camp.

The coroner's office said it was using fingerprints to identify the victim and that a positive identification was not likely to be released before Monday.

Protesters have been girding for another police raid as several City Council members have said the Oakland camp must go. After police cleared the camp last month, Quan changed course and allowed protesters to return.

The mayor's reversal strained relationships with city police and other San Francisco Bay area law enforcement agencies. More than a dozen agencies joined Oakland police in the Oct. 25 raid on the camp under a mutual aid policy in which each agency covers its own costs.

Associated PressAn Occupy Oakland medic, center, red jacket, and others tend to a shooting victim in Frank Ogawa plaza near the Occupy Oakland camp on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011 in Oakland, Calif. The man was transported to the hospital and pronounced dead. (AP Photo/Jane Tyska/HOEP) Mags Out

Alameda County Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. J.D. Nelson said Friday that Oakland will have to pick up the entire tab if it asks for deputies to assist another raid.

Mutual aid was designed for law enforcement agencies to assist each other in unplanned emergency situations, Nelson said.

"When government officials allowed those campers to go back in, well now you know what you're getting. It's not an unplanned event," he said.

In Vermont, police said a preliminary investigation showed the veteran fatally shot himself in the head in a tent in City Hall Park. The name of the Chittenden County man was being withheld because not all of his family has been notified.

The shooting raised questions about whether the protest would be allowed to continue, said Burlington police Deputy Chief Andi Higbee.

"Our responsibility is to keep the public safe. When there is a discharge of a firearm in a public place like this it's good cause to be concerned, greatly concerned," Higbee said.

The discovery of the man believed to be in his 40s at the Occupy Salt Lake City camp led police to order all protesters to leave the park where they have camped for weeks. The man has not been identified.

Group organizers said many of the roughly 150 protesters plan to go to jail rather than abandon the encampment.

"We don't even know if this is a tragedy or just natural," protest organizer Jesse Fruhwirth said. "They're scapegoating Occupy."

Salt Lake City police Chief Chris Burbank said officers have made 91 arrests at the camp, roughly the same number seen in the area during all of the last year.

Tensions were also high at the 300-tent encampment in Portland, Ore., which has become a hub for the city's homeless people and addicts.

Mayor Sam Adams ordered the camp shut down by midnight Saturday, saying the tipping point came this week with the arrest of a camper on suspicion of setting off a Molotov cocktail outside an office building, as well as two non-fatal drug overdoses at the camp.

"I cannot wait for someone to die," he said. "I cannot wait for someone to use the camp as camouflage to inflict bodily harm on others."

Many at the camp said they would resist any effort to remove them.

"There will be a variety of tactics used," said organizer Adriane DeJerk, 26. "No social movement has ever been successful while being completely peaceful."

Police said some elements inside the camp may be building shields and makeshift weapons, including nails hammered into wood, while trying to gather gas masks.

"If there are anarchists, if there are weapons, if there is an intention to engage in violence and confrontation, that obviously raises our concerns," Portland police Lt. Robert King said.

Associated Press writers Dave Gram in Burlington, Vt., Nigel Duara in Portland, Ore., Josh Loftin and Brian Skoloff in Salt Lake City and Sudhin Thanawala and Marcus Wohlsen in San Francisco contributed to this report.

The 74-foot Norway spruce from Pennsylvania will be decorated with 30,000 multicolored LED lights.

Associated PressWorkers guide the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree in position, in New York, Friday, Nov. 11, 2011. The 74-foot Norway Spruce, from Mifflinville, Pa. is approximately 75 years old and is scheduled to be illuminated Nov. 30. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

NEW YORK — A 74-foot Norway spruce from Pennsylvania has been hoisted into place at Rockefeller Center in New York City for its starring role in a big Christmas tradition.

Workers accomplished the task with a crane on Friday.

The tree was cut down Wednesday in Mifflinville, Pa.

It will be decorated with 30,000 multicolored LED lights. It will take five miles of wire to cover the tree, which has a girth of 46 feet at its lowest limbs.

The lighting ceremony will be held Nov. 30. The lights will stay on until Jan. 7. After that, the tree will be milled into lumber for Habitat for Humanity.

Workers building Rockefeller Center set up the first Christmas tree at the site in 1931. The first official tree-lighting ceremony was in 1933.

600 students and staff gathered outside to form the 3 digits of 350 for an overhead photo.

Submitted photoPeck School students participating in lessons about global climate change in September gather into a "350" to mark a number of significance in the issue. Many scientists say the maximum safe amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 350 parts per million.

HOLYOKE – Climate change was the lesson for Peck School students recently in a program that featured formation of a giant “350.”

The number refers to a threshold: Some scientists say people must work to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide from its current level of 392 parts per million in the atmosphere to below 350 parts per million, which is considered the stable and safe upper limit.

To cap the climate-change lesson plan in late September, 600 students, teachers and other staff at the school gathered in a field outside the 1916 Northampton St. school. They divided into three groups of 200 each to form the three digits of 350, art teacher Darcy Dumont said.

“It was pretty complicated, actually,” Dumont said.

They were grateful for help, she said: A crew from the Department of Public Works painted lines on the grass to delineate the “3” “5” “0” formations.

The Fire Department provided an aerial ladder truck from which a staff member of the local Enchanted Circle Theater, which helped with the climate-change curriculum, snapped a photograph, she said.

Students were chanting, “350 means keep the air clean,” she said.

The program included students discussing causes of climate change and how it can be addressed. They used skits, poetry, posters and signs, she said.

They used the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website. They talked about melting glaciers, rising sea levels and changes in animal migration, she said.

“Students learned about the greenhouse effect generally and the problems that have been caused by people overloading the atmosphere with CO2, especially by the burning of fossil fuels,” Dumont said.

Greenhouse gases are those that affect the Earth’s environment when they reach high concentrations in the atmosphere.

Emission of carbon dioxide occur both naturally through the carbon cycle and in the burning of oil, coal and gas. Increased concentrations of carbon dioxide likely contribute to changes in climate, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Events similar to Peck’s were held in schools and other facilities worldwide, according to 350.org.

The 350 climate change rallying point is credited to James E. Hansen, who heads the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City. He is a long-time researcher of global warming and according to 350.org, was the first to testify about global warming before the Congress in June 1988, according to 350.org.

Romney didn't win in South Carolina in 2008, but he's back in the state and looking to capitalize on his strong position atop this year's field of Republican presidential candidates.

Associated PressRepublican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks during a Republican presidential debate at Oakland University in Auburn Hills, Mich.

By KASIE HUNT

MAULDIN, S.C. — Mitt Romney didn't win in South Carolina in 2008, but he's back in the state and looking to capitalize on his strong position atop this year's field of Republican presidential candidates. He hopes to sway voters who were cool to him four years ago.

The former Massachusetts governor's mission recently became easier, as several rivals struggle to mend damaged campaigns ahead of Saturday's debate on foreign policy.

Rick Perry is spending nearly $1 million on a national ad buy as he tries to recover from a gaffe in a debate earlier this week when he couldn't name the third federal Cabinet agency he says he'd eliminate.

Georgia businessman Herman Cain, on the defensive over allegations that he sexually harassed women in the 1990s, spent Friday in New York.

Romney's strategy is to maintain the steady, it's-all-about-the-economy campaign that's landed him in the top tier and, behind the scenes, prepare for any of his rivals to rise.

"I know there will be one or two others that will be doing well in the polls, that'll be you know, be real contenders. That's the nature of the process," Romney told reporters after spending part of Veterans Day at a barbecue restaurant near Greenville, S.C.

"Whether it's Newt (Gingrich), or Rick (Perry), or Rick Santorum or Herman Cain, I can't tell at this point," Romney said. "I just think that I'm in a uniquely qualified position."

Romney spent most of his 45 minutes at Mutt's barbecue listening to veterans describe difficulties with the Department of Veterans Affairs' health care system or their trouble finding work after leaving the service. He also spent time prepping for the debate.

Perry was also returning to the debate stage, just three days after saying a "minor brain freeze" caused him to forget the name of the Energy Department.

Since then, Perry's campaign has spent $975,000 to air an ad nationally on Fox News Channel. He's also done a blitz of TV interviews — including David Letterman's "Late Show" — and used humor to laugh off the embarrassing gaffe as a humanizing moment.

Perry marched in Veterans Day parade in Columbia on Friday, as did fellow GOP rival Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman.

Perry rocketed to the top of some polls when he entered the race in August. But a series of less-than-inspiring debate performances have hurt him. National donors privately worry that he won't be able to survive the gaffe.

"It's not helpful," Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad told The Associated Press on Friday.

Cain, the former chief executive of Godfather's Pizza, avoided the early voting states on Friday as he continued to face questions about the sexual harassment allegations. He was in New York for fundraisers, foreign policy briefings and interviews with Fox News Channel and the New York Post.

Cain conceded on Fox that his campaign might have to moderate its approach to the allegations. He has strongly denied the accusations against him.

"I'm going to dial it back from a 10 to a 9," Cain said, referring to his oft-repeated assertion that he's going to "let Herman be Herman."

He also defended a joke he made Thursday in Michigan about Anita Hill, who accused then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment during his confirmation hearings.

Cain said Friday that he was approached at an event by a supporter who said Hill was trying to contact him.

"And my response was 'Is she going to endorse me?'" he said.

Cain said the supporter was trying to be funny and that he tried to respond in kind.

"I gave back a humorous response. It was in no way intended to be an insult toward Anita Hill or anybody else," he said in an interview on Albany, N.Y., radio station WGDJ-AM.

Taken together, Cain and Perry's woes have Republicans privately wondering about yet another conservative alternative to Romney: former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Gingrich spent Friday in New Hampshire but planned several appearances Saturday in South Carolina before the debate.

Gingrich suggested that Republicans are still searching for an alternative to Romney. He was referring to a new CBS News poll showing Cain atop the GOP field with 18 percent support and Gingrich and Romney tied at 15 percent.

"The 85 percent who have not chosen Mitt Romney, who have known him now for five years, I think are looking for a conservative activist who will stand firm and who will fight to change Washington," Gingrich told conservative radio host Laura Ingraham.

Gingrich has ramped up his campaign efforts in recent weeks and is set to open a South Carolina headquarters Saturday. He has nine people working for him in the state, while Romney has just three paid staffers. Gingrich has been endorsed by the head of the Columbia Tea Party. Aides also say Republican Sen. Jim DeMint's decision not to endorse in the primary is a boon for the former speaker. DeMint backed Romney in 2008.

But Gingrich is just the latest conservative candidate to begin to emerge as a possible alternative to Romney, who has held a steady though not breakaway lead in the polls and has run his campaign without major gaffes or problems.

Romney wouldn't answer questions about Gingrich's popularity Friday, saying only that his responsibility is to continue to talk about fixing the economy and creating jobs.

Associated Press writers Philip Elliott in Washington, Beth Fouhy in New York, Thomas Beaumont in Iowa, Jim Davenport in South Carolina and Shannon McCaffrey in Georgia contributed to this report.

Many communities are planning weekend events to help residents clean up from the Oct. 29 snowstorm.

View full sizeThe Republican | Lori StabileFrom left, Chiara Esposito, 9; her mother Faith Esposito; her sister Carleigh Esposito, 7; and friends Bretonya Fontaine, 5, and Logan Fontaine, 8, sit in their "sleeping quarters" at the emergency shelter at Quarry Hill Community School in Monson on Nov. 3. The Esposito family lost their home to the tornado, and in the recent October nor'easter lost power at their rented home and had to stay at the shelter.

Five months after a tornado decimated parts of Brimfield, Monson, Springfield, Wilbraham and West Springfield, the communities were hit again two weeks ago on Saturday - this time by a crippling pre-Halloween nor’easter that downed trees and wires throughout the region and left residents in the dark for days.

The scene was eerily similar to the tornado’s destruction, as trees and wires littered streets, rendering them impassable. But this time, everything was covered in snow.

“Here we go again,” Wilbraham selectmen chairman Patrick J. Brady said about the Oct. 29. snowstorm.

Most of the communities opened emergency shelters, to give weather-weary residents places to seek refuge.

In Brimfield, the First Congregational Church was renewed as the hub of recovery efforts once its power was restored. Volunteers made food for residents without electricity and offered a place where they could bide their time as they waited - and waited - for the power to turn back on.

It took more than a week for some communities to get power back completely.

“I think what’s important for people to understand is that Brimfield was hit by two tornadoes (and) Hurricane Irene,” Mary Roy, assistant director of disaster relief at the church, said on Nov. 3. “But, this is an absolutely debilitating disaster where the whole town has been affected. The amount of work the volunteers have done here is heroic.”

Gina Lynch, the director of the church’s disaster relief center, said the volunteers had been talking about how things were finally slowing down after the tornado when the snow stormed through.

“We’re a really strong town,” Lynch said. “The people are just pulling together.”

Volunteers brought food to the emergency shelter at Brimfield Elementary School, while others toured tornado-damaged properties to check them for additional damage after the snow. Volunteers also made lunches for the utility crews working to restore power, she said.

Christine and Jerry A. Chaiffre had been staying at the shelter with their sons, Arthur, 10; Hunter, 9; and Ryan, 7, because it was too cold at their Warren Road home with no power. They were going to the church in the daytime, where Jerry was doing crossword puzzles and the boys gathered snow for the volunteer effort and for a snowball fight.

Christine Chaiffre said they wanted to go home, and were tired of staying at the shelter on cots.

View full sizeThe Republican | Lori StabileMary Roy, assistant director of the disaster relief center at Brimfield's First Congregational Church, stands inside the church on Nov. 3, five days after the historic October snowstorm left numerous Brimfield residents without power.

Lynch and her family lost electricity at their home and slept at the shelter, which closed Nov. 5. Staying there gave her a better understanding of “what the tornado people are going through,” she said.

Brett F. Minney, who was inside his mobile home on Hollow Road when the tornado spun it in the air before it crashed to the ground, praised the people at the church for continuously helping the Brimfield residents.

Minney called the latest weather setback “horrible.”

“I’ve been living this for five months. Not much has changed,” Minney said.

Over the line in Monson, people were bustling in and out of the emergency shelter at Quarry Hill Community School on Nov. 3. Some, like Judie Newberry, stopped in to take a hot shower.

Newberry, a member of the “street angels” tornado volunteer team, rattled off the list of epic weather that the region has experienced - from the tornado that tore a 39-mile path from Westfield to Charlton to a mid-summer microburst and tropical storm.

“I’m waiting for the locusts,” Newberry said.

Faith Esposito was staying at the Quarry Hill shelter with her family. Their Washington Street home was leveled by the tornado, and they now rent a home on Stafford Road, which lost power during the storm.

“We’re pretty familiar with this place,” Esposito said about the shelter. “We’re just going with the flow these days.”

The Monson shelter ceased operations on Nov. 6.

Monson was already coping with a $6 million tornado bill when the October snowstorm struck, creating another $1 million in expenses.

While the town expects to receive 75 percent reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for tornado costs, the remaining 25 percent is still a concern.

“It really is a long-term process. What can you do? Everyone is tired and we’re going to run out of money,” Monson town administrator Gretchen E. Neggers said.

In the days after the snowstorm, Neggers said, “I’m fairly tired of historic weather events.”

View full sizeThe Republican | Lori StabileBrett F. Minney talks about dealing with the latest weather event - the October nor'easter - outside First Congregational Church in Brimfield on Nov. 3.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said the tornado was “a devastating swath that affected one-third of the city,” but the snow storm compromised the majority of the city. The storm was a massive disruption to residents and businesses, said Sarno, adding he will meet with FEMA representatives to discuss it.

“We might be knocked down a little bit, but we will continue to get back on our feet,” Sarno said.

In Wilbraham, which was not only hit hard by the tornado, but experienced more damage from the microburst, Brady said, “People are cleaning up. You begin with picking up the first branch, that’s all you can do.”

“The Wilbraham residents show a great deal of character, in my opinion. They are very resilient,” Brady said.

Families were helping each other out during this latest weather event, he said. Those with generators were hosting two to three families in their homes, and making dinners for others, he said. Brady said some people just finished cleaning up from the tornado, then the nor’easter struck.

“We haven’t even thought about how to pay for this,” Brady said.

In West Springfield, residents of the Merrick section, where two people were killed during the tornado, coped with the blizzard.

Mohammed Najeeb, long-term recovery coordinator for natural disasters at Lutheran Social Services of New England on Main Street, said his clients are having trouble emotionally coping with a blizzard on top of the tornado.

“It is getting them more frustrated. They are worried about winter coming because they think it is going to be like this all winter long,” Najeeb said of the refugees his agency has settled in the area.

Ned Hubbard, who owns West Side Sign at 442 Main St., said he’s ready to move to Florida. “I’m so sick of the weather. I’m 62 years old and I’ve never seen a snowstorm do this much damage.”

“This is worse than the tornado,” Hubbard added.

“We’re still trying to catch up from the tornado,” Erik N. Hudson, of 580 Main St., said of the seven nights his family spent in a motel after the June 1 disaster. “That was $200 a day.”

Hudson, 37, did not lose power because of the blizzard, but his family played Good Samaritan this time around, hosting four adult friends and their three children overnight because they did not have any heat in their Springfield homes.

As for the double whammy of a tornado then a blizzard, Hudson said, “We’re used to it I guess. You don’t have much of a choice. You gotta do what you gotta do.”

Staff reporter Sandra Constantine contributed to this report

Obama said that the scandal shows that "you can't just rely on bureaucracy and systems in these kinds of situations."

Associated PressPresident Barack Obama watches the first half of the Carrier Classic NCAA college basketball game between Michigan State and North Carolina with Medal of Honor recipient John Baca aboard the USS Carl Vinson, Friday, Nov. 11, 2011, in Coronado, Calif. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

CORONADO, Calif. — President Barack Obama says the Penn State sex-abuse scandal should lead to "soul-searching" by all Americans, not just Penn State.

"Obviously what happened was heartbreaking, especially for the victims, the young people who got affected by these alleged assaults," he told Westwood One radio in an interview Friday night. "And I think it's a good time for the entire country to do some soul-searching — not just Penn State. People care about sports, it's important to us, but our No. 1 priority has to be protecting our kids. And every institution has to examine how they operate, and every individual has to take responsibility for making sure that our kids are protected."

The Penn State scandal has cost several university officials their jobs, most notably longtime football coach Joe Paterno, who was faulted for not alerting police after he was told about alleged sex abuse by a former assistant coach.

Obama said that the scandal shows that "you can't just rely on bureaucracy and systems in these kinds of situations. People have to step forward, they have to be tapping into just their core decency." When kids are mistreated — or anyone, for that matter — "all of us have to step up, we don't leave it to somebody else to take responsibility."

Obama spoke at halftime of a college basketball game — the Carrier Classic — between No. 1 North Carolina and Michigan State, held on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

The president, a huge basketball fan, also discussed the NBA lockout.

"It's killing me!" he said. But he also said he had no plans to intercede.

"My attitude is that, in a contest between billionaires and millionaires, they should be able to figure out how to divvy up their profits in a way that serves their fans who are allowing them to be making all this money," Obama said. He made a similar comment about the NFL lockout a few months ago.

The duck was a member of the Stanley Park family, Managing Director Bob McKean said. Watch video

Photo courtesy Stanley Park"Ozzie," a Muscovy Duck, was killed by teenagers late Friday afternoon, Stanley Park officials said.

WESTFIELD – Stanley Park officials are “heartbroken” that their resident Muscovy duck, which they named "Ozzie," was killed by some teens Friday afternoon.

“This is cruelty to animals,” Managing Director Bob McKean said.

“This duck came in on its own about three years ago. It is unique. First it stayed under the drawbridge, then it started following the other ducks around,” McKean said. “It learned to come to the barn for grain when it was raining out."

McKean is asking for the public’s help.

“If those responsible for this want to apologize that’s one thing,” he said. “We intend to pursue this.”

Anyone who witnessed the harming of the duck are asked to contact McKean at (413) 297-9455, or send him a confidential email to director@stanley park.org.

“We’ll keep reports confidential,” he said.

Websites call Jenne Farm anywhere from the one of the most photographed farms in New England to one of the most photographed farms in the world.

View full sizeMike Martin photoMike Martin of Ware says Jenne Farm in Reading, Vt., has always been one of his favorite subjects to photograph at any time of year, but especially in the fall. Martin's photo is the Day 3 winner in the fifth annual Fall Photo Contest presented by The Republican, MassLive.com and El Pueblo Latino. The contest is sponsored by Hunt's Photo and Video and Dunkin' Donuts, the exclusive online sponsor. To view more contest photos, visit www.masslive.com/fall-foliage.

Jenne Farm, along Route 106 in Reading, Vt., is such a popular scene for photographers, a Google search for "Jenne Farm Vermont" results in over a million results.

Websites call it anywhere from one of the most photographed farms in New England to one of the most photographed farms in the world.

But it isn't so popular that it can't be the setting for a prize-winning photograph in our popular contest.

Mike Martin of Ware's stunning shot of Jenne Farm taken a special autumn day is Saturay's winner in the fifth annual Fall Photo Contest presented by The Republican, MassLive.com and El Pueblo Latino. The contest is sponsored by Hunt’s Photo and Video and Dunkin' Donuts, the exclusive online sponsor.

"My image of Jenne Farm in the hills of Vermont has always been one of my favorite subjects to photograph at any time of the year, however I find autumn to be the best," Martin wrote on his entry form. "I captured this shot on Sept. 24, 2010, a special day for me, my birthday."

Saturday's runner-up photos:

Lucretia Hembdt of Hampden took this photograph at Quabbin Reservoir, looking north from the observation tower.
See Lucretia Hembdt's photo »

Dot Barnard of North Hatfield took this photo in Conway on a back road off Route 116.
See Dot Barnard's photo »

"Good photos are right next door," Norman Halpern of Holyoke wrote when he submitted this entry. He took the shot in his hometown last October.
See Norman Halpern's photo »

Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless, pictured here, said 19-year-old Zach Barbeau of Adams will face several charges when he is arraigned Monday in connection with online threats made against Drury High School students and teachers.

Berkshire District Attorney David F. Capeless

NORTH ADAMS — A 19-year-old Berkshire County man has been arrested in connection with making a threat on Facebook against his high school alma mater, according to District Attorney David F. Capeless.

Zack Barbeau, a former Drury High School student, was arrested Thursday afternoon after allegedly using the popular social media site to post a threat stating he intended to harm Drury students and faculty with a gun. Authorities said they became aware of the threat Thursday morning.

The online posting prompted administrators at the North Adams high school to place the campus under lockdown conditions, as local law enforcement officials remained at the school.

Capeless said the threat was posted through a fake Facebook account that was traced to Barbeau's IP address. A speedy investigation led authorities to the Adams resident, who was in police custody by Thursday afternoon, Capeless said.

Barbeau was charged with single counts of threatening to commit murder, threatening to use a deadly weapon and disrupting school, and disruption of a public assembly. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Northern Berkshire District Court in North Adams.

"The posting referred to a threat relative to the health and well-being of the students and faculty at Drury High School by use of a firearm," Capeless said. "Investigators determined that Barbeau had placed the threat on Facebook, but determined that he did not have access o a gun and had no intention of carrying out the threat."

After becoming aware of the Facebook message, North Adams Police Det. Francis Maruco contacted state police detectives assigned to Capeless' office for help in tracking the threat to its source. Investigators quickly determined the threat was posted under a fictitious account, but with the help of Facebook personnel and Verizon Internet Services, they were able to track the posting to Barbeau's Internet Protocol, or IP, address.

Others involved in the investigation included state troopers assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and members of the Adams Police Department.

Barbeau's legitimate Facebook page includes pictures of the shirtless teenager flashing various hand signals, smoking cigarettes and making such declarations as: "like to have fun ride dirt bikes work out so if you need to know anything more just ask haha and i dont take (expletive) from anyone so if your going to start (expletive) then leave my page!!!!!! [sic]."