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East Longmeadow police arrest man for alleged afternoon assault

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East Longmeadow resident Victorio Carmino Decaro, 31, of North Main Street was arrested on assault and other charges, police said.

EAST LONGMEADOW — A town resident was taken into custody when police responded to a domestic incident late Friday afternoon.

Victorio Carmino Decaro, 31, of 271 North Main St. was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, domestic assault and battery and threatening to commit a crime, according to East Longmeadow police records.

Police received a 4:21 p.m. call for assistance at a North Main Street address.

Details of the incident were not immediately available, but Decaro will likely be arraigned Monday on the charges.


Truck strikes Holyoke bridge near Canal and Lyman streets

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The incident was causing traffic to backup, according to police reports.

HOLYOKE — A tractor-trailer struck a bridge near Lyman and Canal streets shortly before 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

According to police, who were already in the area for a similar earlier incident, the accident was causing traffic to backup on Canal Street.

Holyoke Police Lt. David D. Fournier said the previous incident was reported around 7:40 a.m., but details regarding the precise location of that incident were not immediately available.

This is not the first time a large truck has gotten stuck on a Paper City bridge, most of which are relatively narrow and span waterways near the eastern edge of the city.

More details will be posted on MassLive as they become available.

Springfield police bust pair for armed robbery involving 'fake' gun

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Two men, one of whom was brandishing a toy gun, robbed four people near the corner of Dwight and Lyman streets, police said.

This story has been updated. Click here.

SPRINGFIELD — Police Capt. Cheryl Clapprood said she wasn't sure if the weapon used by suspects in a gunpoint robbery early Saturday was a water pistol or some other kind of toy weapon, but it looked like the real deal.

"It looked good, like a real gun," she said, adding that the four victims of the robbery didn't know it was a fake.

The incident happened around 1 a.m. Saturday near the intersection of Dwight and Lyman streets. Two assailants, one of whom was armed with what appeared to be a handgun, initially made off with victims' cash, credit cards, cellphones and other items before being caught a short while later.

The suspects' identities were not immediately available, but both will face armed robbery and other charges when they are arraigned Monday in Springfield District Court.

Most of the stolen items were recovered, police said.

One media report described the weapon as a squirt gun that was painted black, but Clapprood said she was unsure of the toy used in the incident.

More information will be posted on MassLive as it becomes available.

Springfield City Council considers using reserve funds to balance budget and further opposition to wood-burning plant

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The council rejected a proposal in June to use $10.5 million in reserve funds to balance the city budget.

051711 springfield biomass protesters.jpgProtesters for and against a proposed wood-burning biomass plant in East Springfield rally earlier this year on the steps of Springfield City Hall prior to a Springfield City Council public hearing.

SPRINGFIELD – The City Council will consider taking votes on Monday night ranging from approval of the mayor’s proposal to use $6.2 million in reserve funds to balance the budget to passage of two resolutions that would reaffirm the council’s opposition to a proposed wood-burning plant in East Springfield.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m., at the City Council chambers at City Hall.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno has asked for the $6.2 million transfer from the city’s stabilization “rainy day” fund, saying it is necessary to balance the current fiscal year 2012 budget.

The council had approved a $542.2 million budget in June, which took effect July 1, but rejected the mayor’s proposal then to take $10.5 million from the reserve account.

As a result the budget has been unbalanced since July 1, and would need to be balanced before the council can set new tax rates in December, officials said.

The city has approximately $44 million in reserves, and some councilors objected to the initial proposal of $10.5 million as being too high.

Rather than approve the $10.5 million, the council cut approximately $2.7 million from the mayor’s proposed budget, and later restored nearly $700,000.

Sarno and his finance team have continued to review the city’s revenues and expenses, leading to Monday’s request for a $6.2 million transfer. In addition to the council’s budget cuts, the city received $2.3 million in new local aid on Oct. 31.

Chief Administrative and Financial Officer Lee C. Erdmann said his review has determined that “the city’s financial resources and revenues are and will continue to be adequate to support the proposed expenditures and obligations involved in the transfer, without a detrimental impact on the continuous provision of the existing level of municipal resources.”

The council will also consider taking two nonbinding votes on the wood-burning biomass plant being proposed at Page Boulevard and Cadwell Drive. Several councilors sponsored the resolutions, which were filed prior to the developer obtaining a building permit from the city’s code enforcement commissioner for first-phase construction.

One resolution urges the commissioner, Steven T. Desilets, not to issue the building permit, and the second resolution states that a special permit, which was revoked by the council, is needed before a plant could be built.

Opponents of the plant, including the group Stop Toxic Incineration in Springfield and the Conservation Law Foundation, said Monday’s votes are important to reaffirm and even strengthen the council’s stance and could lead to additional steps.

Both Desilets and a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection said last week that the state’s air permit for the project is under appeal, and any construction by Palmer Renewable Energy, if done, would be at the company’s risk. If the appeal of the state permit or an expected appeal of the building permit, is successful, it would stop the project, Desilets said.

The council will also consider a nonbinding vote to “strongly oppose” a proposal by the U.S. Postal Service to shift its first class mail handling service from its Indian Orchard plant.

Hampden County Jail honored for work with Massachusetts Department of Corrections on offender re-entry

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Sheriff Michael Ashe said the Hampden County Sheriff's Department's re-entry program brings state inmates who will be returning to live in the Springfield area once they are out, and who are within a year of their release dates, to facilities and programs at the Ludlow jail.

111511 michael ashe.JPGHampden County Sheriff Michael Ashe, pictured outside the Hampden County Jail and House of Correction in Ludlow, recently accepted an award for the jail's program to help inmates return to life outside the prison system.

LUDLOW — The Hampden County Jail and House of Correction was recently honored for its work with the state Department of Correction on offender re-entry.

Sheriff Michael J. Ashe Jr. accepted the “Innovations in Corrections” award, presented by Correction Commissioner Luis S. Spencer.

Ashe said the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department’s re-entry program brings state inmates who will be returning to live in the Springfield area once they are out, and who are within a year of their release dates, to facilities and programs here.

The transfer of those inmates here allows them a smoother transition to life on the outside and have housing, jobs and supportive services in place, Ashe said.

“When you think about years ago in corrections, they were just dropped off at the bus station, and they became shadows in the community,” Ashe said. “We want the neighborhoods to be safe and to enhance public safety.”

Ashe said the sherrif’s department has been doing so for seven or eight years, and has further refined the practice during the last three or four years.

“I was reallly honored and humbled by the award and its acknowledgement, as well, of the dedication and commitment of the Hampden County Sherrif Department’s staff who have been trailblazers,” Ashe said.

Ashe said that for him, the recognition acknoledges the increased coordination and cooperation between the state Department of Corrections and county corrections personnel.

“I like to feel that this recognition enhances more of a sense of oneness in bringing the department together,” Ashe said.

“We don’t just want them to be isolated. We don’t want them to be just dropped off and dunped into the community. We want to provide this more professional re-integration process, which is so important to ehance public safety.”

The state Department of Corrections recognized more than 50 employees during its annual “DOC 2011 Beyond Excellence” awards ceremony held on Nov. 4 in Wrentham.

British woman to try to ski across Antarctica -- alone

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Felicity Aston will try to become the first person using only muscle power to cross Antarctica alone.

110411_felicity_aston.jpgIn this photo taken on Friday Nov. 4, 2011 provided by the Kaspersky ONE Trans-antarctic Expedition, British adventurer Felicity Aston poses for a photo by a map in Punta Arenas, Chile. Aston plans to ski by herself across the Antarctica, all the way to the other side of the frozen continent. If she manages to complete this journey of more than 1,000 miles (1,700 kilometers) in late January, she'll become the first human person to cross Antarctica alone under her own power. She would also set a record for the longest solo polar expedition by a woman, at about 70 days. A charter flight from Chile will take her to a base in Antarctica on Friday Nov. 18, 2011. (AP Photo/Kaspersky ONE Trans-antarctic Expedition/Kaspersky Lab)

By MICHAEL WARREN

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Reaching the end of the Earth has become almost routine these days: One hundred years after Norway's Roald Amundsen beat Britain's R.F. Scott to the South Pole, more than 30 teams are trying for it this year.

Some will kite-sail over the vast Antarctic ice and snow. Others will drive in from the coast. A wealthy handful will be dropped off one degree north of the South Pole, for relatively leisurely guided treks of about 70 miles to the pole.

But Felicity Aston has been there, done that. Weather and her own considerable stamina permitting, the 33-year-old British adventurer will only pause at the pole long enough to pick up more food and fuel. Her plan is to keep on skiing, by herself, all the way to the other side of the frozen continent — and become the first person using only muscle power to cross Antarctica alone.

If she manages to complete this journey of more than 1,000 miles (1,700 kilometers) in late January, she would also set a record for the longest solo polar expedition by a woman, at about 70 days.

"This is my first solo expedition, the first time I will have spent this length of time without company," she said in a phone interview with the Associated Press. "It's part of the challenge of the expedition, to see how I'll cope with it."

Aston spoke from Punta Arenas, Chile, where she was boarding a charter flight Friday after losing a precious week waiting for weather to break. From a base in Antarctica, she'll then take a second plane to her starting point at the foot of the Leverett Glacier, where the Ross Ice Shelf meets the rocky coast.

Already, she was "channeling down," getting her mind set on what would be a grueling routine.

"Your life reduces to eating, sleeping and skiing. It's a form of meditation. You get into a rhythm, and all you can hear is your own breathing, your own heartbeat, the sound of your clothes and your skis. It's kind of an altered state," she said. "A trip like this is all about keeping going — the stamina, endurance, keeping going day after day after day."

Aston, whose trek is sponsored by the Russian software company Kaspersky Lab and makers of the equipment she is using, has plenty of experience in long-endurance expeditions. She spent nearly three years as a meteorologist with the British Antarctic Survey, and in 2009 led an all-woman group from the coast to the South Pole. Her long list of travel adventures includes skiing across the Canadian Arctic, crossing the Greenland ice sheet and trekking over Siberia's frozen Lake Baikal. She's also run across Morocco's Sahara Desert and tracked jaguars in Paraguay.

"I've been preparing for 10 years and only now do I feel capable of this. Every trip teaches you something: how tough you are, what your personal limits are, how to wrap up a blister better, how not to get sick," she said. "Particularly on the psychological side, each journey I've had has taught me something about how to feel better about a situation, how to react, how to behave."

The 5-foot-11 (1.80-meter) Aston weighs around 170 pounds (77 kilos) and she'll be hauling up to 187 pounds (85 kilos) of gear on a sledge. It includes freeze-dried food, fuel and a camp stove for melting snow. She's also bringing along a solar recharger and two MP3 players — one has music donated by her friends, everything from peaceful ska tunes to heavy metal and "fluffy pop songs;" the other has mostly audio books from her father on "the whole of British history ... 300 hours of it!"

Antarctic Treaty rules require private support teams to be able to pull people out in a pinch, and Aston is carrying two Iridium satellite phones and a GPS beacon to keep in touch with hers.

"She has to have the beacon, because it's so easy for a solo person to get in trouble," said David Rootes, a veteran polar guide who runs Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions. The company is supporting most of this year's trips, making about 20 flights into Antarctica and moving about 500 people around the continent in all. Most are traveling in groups, hoping to make it in time for a polar party on Dec. 13, (South Pole time), the centennial of Amundsen's achievement.

"What Felicity is doing is not routine at all," Rootes said. "Until she hits the pole, she's really out of contact with anybody at all."

Rootes met Aston years ago at a Royal Geographic Society function in London, and has followed her exploits in the clubby world of adventurers ever since.

"She's a very substantial woman. You have to have a hell of a lot of drive and single-mindedness to do this, because everything in the world will get in the way to stop you," he said.

Once Aston sets off, climbing thousands of feet (meters) in altitude through the Transantarctic Mountains and onto the continent's vast central plateau, she'll be utterly alone, with no other living thing in sight. Then, she'll have to push through fierce headwinds for more than 300 miles (500 kilometers) as she follows a route along 132 West Longitude to the pole.

Her way out — skiing along the 80 West Longitude line to the company's base camp on Hercules Inlet on the Ronne Ice Shelf — would presumably be easier.

"The West Winds, quite notorious. That's the bit I'm most worried about in terms of weather, but once I'm past the pole, I've got the wind at my back," she said. "So in the scheme of things, it works out pretty good this way!"

Gadhafi son Seif al-Islam seized in southern Libya

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The murky circumstances surrounding the deaths of Gadhafi and another son Muatassim, and the decision to lay their bodies out for public viewing drew widespread criticism and raised questions about the commitment of Libya's new rulers to respecting human rights.

9c9744dc008fed1afe0e6a7067008fe5.jpgThis image from Libyan television and made available by the Libyan Outreach group via Facebook, Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, purportedly shows Seif al-Islam Gadhafi in custody in an undisclosed location. Moammar Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam, the only member of the ousted ruling family to remain at large, was captured as he traveled with aides in a convoy in Libya's southern desert, Libyan officials said Saturday.


TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Moammar Gadhafi's son Seif al-Islam — the only wanted member of the ousted ruling family to remain at large — was captured Saturday as he traveled with aides in a convoy in Libya's southern desert, Libyan officials said. Thunderous celebratory gunfire shook the Libyan capital as the news spread.

A spokesman for the Libyan fighters who captured him said Seif al-Islam, who has been charged by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, was detained about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of the town of Obari with two aides as he was trying to flee to neighboring Niger. But the country's acting justice minister later said the convoy's destination was not confirmed.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo told The Associated Press that he will travel to Libya next week for talks with the country's transitional government on where the trial will take place. Ocampo said that while national governments have the first right to try their own citizens for war crimes, he wants to make sure Seif al-Islam has a fair trial.

"The good news is that Seif al-Islam is arrested, he is alive, and now he will face justice," Ocampo said in an interview in The Hague. "Where and how, we will discuss it."

Seif al-Islam Gadhafi, at 39 the oldest of seven children of Moammar and Safiya Gadhafi, spent years courting Western favor by touting himself as a liberalizing reformer in the autocratic regime but then staunchly backed his father in his brutal crackdown on rebels in the regime's final days.

He had gone underground after Tripoli fell to revolutionary forces in late August and issued audio recordings to try to rally support for his father. He was widely reported to have long been hiding in the besieged town of Bani Walid but escaped before it fell to revolutionary forces.

His capture just over a month after his father was killed leaves only former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senoussi wanted by the ICC, which indicted the three men for in June for unleashing a campaign of murder and torture to suppress the uprising against the Gadhafi regime that broke out in mid-February.

"This is the day of victory, this is the day of liberation, finally the son of the tyrant has been captured," said Mohammed Ali, an engineer, as he celebrated on Tripoli's Martyrs' Square. "Now we are free, now we are free, God is Great."

Libyan state TV posted a photograph purportedly of Seif al-Islam in custody. He is sitting by a bed and holding up three bandaged fingers as a guard looks on, although it could not independently be confirmed where or when the picture was taken or how he was injured.

Other photos showed him wearing brown robes and a turban in the style of ethnic Tuaregs, a nomadic community that spans the desert border area of Niger, Mali, Libya, Algeria and Chad and long fought for his father's regime.

Adel al-Zintani, a spokesman for the revolutionary faction from Zintan, said Seif al-Islam was captured at 4 a.m. after a gunbattle.

"The Zintan revolutionaries who were guarding the southern-most borders of Libya received information two days ago that Seif al-Islam was planning an escape to either Niger or Algeria and they were able to find his location exactly and stop him," al-Zintani said. "He looked tired. He was wearing Tuareg clothing."

The murky circumstances surrounding the deaths of Gadhafi and another son Muatassim, and the decision to lay their bodies out for public viewing drew widespread criticism and raised questions about the commitment of Libya's new rulers to respecting human rights.

Marek Marczynski of Amnesty International urged the governing National Transitional Council to transfer Seif al-Islam to the ICC base in the Netherlands as soon as possible.

"The ICC has an arrest warrant out for him and that is the correct thing to do. He must be brought before a judge as soon as possible," he said. "It matters for the victims. What they need to see is true justice. They need to know the truth about what happened."

A spokesman for the Zintan brigades, Bashir al-Tlayeb, who first announced the capture at a press conference in Tripoli, said the NTC, which took over governing the country after Gadhafi was ousted, would decide where Seif al-Islam would be tried.

"Seif al-Islam was caught with two aides who were trying to smuggle him into Niger," al-Tlayeb said, adding that he had no information about al-Senoussi's whereabouts.

In confirming the capture, however, interim Justice Minister Mohammed al-Alagi told The Associated Press that Seif al-Islam was detained closer to Algeria and the convoy's destination was not known.

Seif al-Islam was being held in Zintan but would be transported to Tripoli soon, according to al-Alagi.

The White House said it was aware of the reports but had no immediate comment.

The International Criminal Court had earlier said that it was in indirect negotiations with a son of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi about his possible surrender for trial.

ICC prosecutor Ocampo said jurisdiction should not be hard to determine.

"The rules are, primacy for the national authorities, depending on if they have a case," he said.

But he added that judges at the ICC would have to formally approve a transfer of venue, under international law.

Libya's Information Minister Mahmoud Shammam said the NTC had not taken an official position yet, but in his personal view, Seif al-Islam "is an outlaw and should be tried in front of the Libyan Court, by Libyan people and by Libyan justice."

The international community said the treatment of Seif al-Islam would be an important test for the role of rule of law in post-Gadhafi and key to reconciliation efforts, regardless of where he is tried.

"The Libyan authorities should now ensure that Seif al-Islam is brought to justice in accordance with the principles of due process and in full cooperation with the International Criminal Court," the European Union said in a statement.

Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague called the arrest an important step forward as Libya tries to put its past behind it.

"I welcome the Libyan authorities' commitment to ensure his detention and trial meet international standards," Hague said. "His arrest will allow the Libyan people to move on to the challenge of rebuilding their country."

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Two city men arrested by Springfield police for armed robbery; toy gun was used

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All the victims positively identified Ruiz and Montijo as the armed robbers, police said.

This updates a story posted at 9:11 a.m. Saturday.

SPRINGFIELD - Two city men are facing armed robbery charges after robbing, or attempting to rob, four individuals early Saturday morning with a toy gun during three separate incidents.

Sgt. John Delaney said Miguel Ruiz, 38, of 86 Knollwood St., and Jorge Motijo, 30, of 501 Worthington St., are being held in the police lock-up until their arraignment on Monday in Springfield District Court on two counts of armed robbery, and one count each of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and attempted armed robbery with a firearm.

Delaney said the first incident happened just before 1 a.m. Officers were flagged down at Chestnut and Lyman streets by a 21-year-old male Chicopee resident who said two men threatened him with a gun and attempted to steal his wallet. The victim refused, and was “pistol-whipped,” Delaney said. The victim was able to hold on to his wallet. He provided police with a description of the robbers.

miguelruiz38 (2).jpgMiguel Ruiz

The second incident was reported 20 minutes later, when a 48-year-old male city resident flagged down the same officers and said he was just robbed by two men. He provided descriptions that matched the men involved in the earlier robbery, Delaney said. This victim, who was at Stafford and Chestnut streets, had his wallet stolen, police said.

Five minutes later, at 1:25 a.m., officers again were flagged down, this time at Chestnut and Frank B. Murray streets by two Chicopee residents, ages 21 and 28, who frantically told police they also were robbed at gunpoint by two men, and that their wallets and cell phones were taken, Delaney said. Delaney said police located Montijo and Ruiz in front of 125 Frank B. Murray Street, where they were “hiding in the shadows.”

All the stolen items were recovered, as well as the “replica” handgun. Police said the toy resembled a .40-caliber semiautomatic handgun; the orange trigger had been painted black.

All the victims positively identified Ruiz and Montijo as the armed robbers.

jorgemontijo30 (2).jpgJorge Montijo

Delaney praised the officers involved in the investigation and arrests - Sgt. Jeffery Martucci and Officers Matthew Longo and Darren Fitzpatrick.

“Great work by all officers at the scene. The victims did an outstanding job cooperating with the police investigators,” Delaney said.


Volunteers clean up tornado-damaged properties in Monson one last time before winter

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The tornado clean-up will resume in the spring.

monson tornado.JPGBill Noel, a volunteer with Grace Baptist Church in Hudson, carries branches that the group cut up for a homeowner at 22 Bethany Road in Monson. The church group, along with other volunteers, helped tornado victims clean up on Saturday. It was the last organized clean up before winter.

MONSON – Nearly 100 volunteers, including church groups and middle school students, traveled to Monson on Saturday to help the tornado-torn town clean up one last time before winter.

“This is the last big push before the cold weather,” Wendy J. Deshais, the Monson Tornado Volunteers’ coordinator manager, said.

“Most of the volunteers that we’re seeing here today have come from a long distance. They haven’t forgotten about the tornado. They haven’t forgotten about a small-town community like Monson,” Deshais, of Palmer, said.

A core group of volunteers, including Deshais, who said Monson is where her heart is, having lived there for 14 years, has been coordinating recovery efforts ever since the twister tore through town on June 1. Deshais and her crew were set up at the First Church of Monson, which served as a volunteer base in the days and weeks after the tornado.

“This is a labor of love,” Deshais said about the volunteer effort. “People have tried to stop it, but we won’t let it end . . . This is what makes a community a community.”

Even though work has continued all summer and fall - the buzz of the chainsaw is a familiar sound in Monson - she said there is still plenty to be done in the spring. Tornado recovery typically takes 18 to 24 months, she said.

At the home of Charles Della Penna and Yvette Wheeler at 22 Bethany Road, a group from Grace Baptist Church in Hudson tackled downed trees. Della Penna and Wheeler were so grateful for the help that they went to the church to make a donation to the Monson Tornado Volunteers.

Wheeler said they are blessed that they did not lose their home. Across the street, homes were blown from their foundations.

William A. Burger, of the Hudson church group, said it was heartbreaking to see the damage.

“It’s quite a scene,” Burger said, adding it feels good to help. “It’s the least we can do.”

Tornado volunteer Karen Maggi, who was supervising the group, explained that all the brush was being put in a pile, so that volunteers can return with a chipper in the spring and remove it.

Deshais said there were five planned work sites - properties that they knew needed work to be done before winter set in.

Inside the church, video footage from the day the twister struck was on a continuous loop, showing the tornado as it spun from West Springfield, debris flying in the funnel cloud, the Connecticut River surging, into downtown Springfield.

Russell Bressette Jr., whose home on Stewart Avenue was destroyed by the tornado while he clung to a pipe in the basement, stopped by just to thank the volunteers.

“I think they’re spectacular,” Bressette said.

Mary Kostorizos, of 34 Ely Road, called the clean up “awesome.” She had seventh- and eighth-graders from Miscoe Hill Middle School in Mendon helping, as well as students from South Hadley, piling brush into piles. Kostorizos said two-thirds of the trees on her 3-acre property were downed by the tornado.

“When you look at the hillside, it’s really overwhelming. We used to feel like we were in a little cocoon here. The backyard was entirely surrounded by trees . . . We never knew that view was behind the trees,” she said.

Over the past five months, the Monson Tornado Volunteers have relied on donations, as well as a $20,000 grant, to help more than 200 families in Monson who experienced tornado damage.

UC Davis launches probe after video surfaces showing police using pepper spray on protesters

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Video: A police officer displays a bottle before spraying its contents on seated protesters in a sweeping motion while walking back and forth.

111811_uc-davis_pepper_spray.jpgIn this image made from video, a police officer uses pepper spray as he walks down a line of Occupy demonstrators sitting on the ground at the University of California, Davis on Friday, Nov. 18, 2011. The video - posted on YouTube - was shot Friday as police moved in on more than a dozen tents erected on campus and arrested 10 people, nine of them students. (AP Photo/Thomas K. Fowler)

By SUDHIN THANAWALA

SAN FRANCISCO — The chancellor of the University of California, Davis said Saturday that the school was launching an investigation after "chilling" video images surfaced online showing an officer using pepper spray on several protesters as they sit passively with their arms interlocked.

"The use of the pepper spray as shown on the video is chilling to us all and raises many questions about how best to handle situations like this," Chancellor Linda Katehi said in a message posted on the school's web site.

Katehi said she is forming a task force comprised of faculty, students and staff to review the events surrounding the Friday protest and the police response.

"While the university is trying to ensure the safety and health of all members of our community, we must ensure our strategies to gain compliance are fair and reasonable and do not lead to mistreatment," her message went on to say.

In the video, posted on YouTube and widely circulated online, the officer displays a bottle before spraying its contents on the seated protesters in a sweeping motion while walking back and forth. Most of the protesters have their heads down, but at least one is hit in the face.

Some members of a crowd gathered at the scene scream and cry out. The crowd then chants, "Shame on You," as the protesters on the ground are led away. The officers retreat minutes later with helmets on and batons drawn.

It's not clear from the video what agency the officer who used the pepper spray represents. Officers from UC Davis and other UC campuses as well as the city of Davis responded to the protest, according to Annette Spicuzza, UC Davis police chief. Davis is about 80 miles north of San Francisco.

Spicuzza told the Sacramento Bee that police used the pepper spray after they were surrounded. Protesters were warned repeatedly beforehand that force would be used if they didn't move, she said.

"There was no way out of that circle," Spicuzza said. "They were cutting the officers off from their support. It's a very volatile situation."

The tents went up on Thursday, and protesters were apparently warned on Friday that they violated university policies.

Katehi said she is also asking for a review of the university's policies regarding encampments to see if they allow students enough flexibility to express themselves.

Occupy Springfield demonstrators clash with anti-gay minister Scott Lively

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Video: Lively, the Redemption Gate Mission Society pastor, confronts Occupy Springfield demonstrators outside his State Street coffee house.

011011 scott lively.jpgScott Lively, the pastor of Redemption Gate Mission Society, confronted Occupy Springfield protesters on Friday at the Holy Grounds Coffee House he runs in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD – A group of protesters and Scott Lively, a prominent anti-gay minister clashed Friday afternoon at a downtown demonstration.

Protesters from the Occupy Springfield movement gathered at the Holy Grounds Coffee House at 455 State St., the free coffee house operated by Lively, described by demonstrators as an internationally known anti-gay minister.

Protesters videotaped the demonstration and posted it on the Occupy Springfield Facebook page and on YouTube.

As the demonstration continued, Lively came out of the coffee house and confronted the protesters, reading a Bible passage as demonstrators chanted: "Preach
love, not hate."

The pastor of he Redemption Gate Mission Society, Lively attracted controversy after participating in a 2009 tour of Uganda by evangelical ministers, which critics say stoked anti-gay sentiment in the country and anti-homosexual violence.

Lively is the the author of "The Pink Swastika: Homosexuality in the Nazi Party," which asserts that Germany's Nazi party was conceived, organized and controlled ... by masculine-oriented male homosexuals."

He has denied charges that he promotes hatred of homosexuals, and told The Republican earlier this year that while he continues to serve as a conference speaker around the world on the topic of homosexuality, the work "has nothing to do with the ministry in Springfield."

Lively said he and his wife moved to Springfield about four years ago, started a ministry here and opened the coffee house in October 2010. He said he has never raised the issue of homosexuality at the coffee house, which also serves as a place for worship and Bible study.

Pedestrians injured in Chicopee, West Springfield

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Pedestrians were injured in separate incidents involving vehicles in Chicopee and West Springfield.

CHICOPEE — A pedestrian was hospitalized after being struck by a vehicle on Chicopee Street around 5 p.m. Saturday.

Chicopee Police Lt. Patrick Major said the victim, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries, was treated at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and later released.

No charges were filed against the driver involved in the incident, which happened on the south end of Chicopee Street.

Meanwhile, police were unable to immediately provide an update on the condition of the pedestrian who was struck by a car on Route 20 in West Springfield around 9:30 p.m. Friday.

The injured man was taken to Baystate with "potentially life-threatening injuries," according to abc40, media partner of The Republican and MassLive.

The incident happened by Lyons Package Store, 1399 Westfield St. (Route 20), near the intersection of Kings Highway. An accident reconstruction team was brought in to investigate, according to abc40.

A West Springfield police official reached early Sunday said he had no information about the injured man.

City and town officials in Western Massachusetts brace for casinos

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Massachusetts' expanded gambling bill includes a 5-member gaming commission that would be charged with determining which surrounding communities would need to reach agreements with proposed casinos as part of the licensing.

casino slot machines.JPGCasino industry representatives browse through rows of new slot machines on display at the industry's 2011 G2E conference in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

BOSTON – Municipal leaders in Western Massachusetts are getting ready to negotiate with casino companies for road improvements, fees, guarantees for jobs and local vendors or other sweeteners that could come with deals for gambling resorts in their communities.

Under a bill that Gov. Deval L. Patrick plans to sign Tuesday, casino developers, as part of their licensing, would need to reach comprehensive compacts with local officials of communities where they want to locate and then put the details before the community's voters for an up or down vote. Casinos would also need agreements with certain surrounding communities, making regional planning and cooperation important, officials said.

The bill authorizes one slot parlor and up to three casino resorts in different zones around the state, including one for anywhere in the four counties of Western Massachusetts.

Proposed casinos already are announced by Hard Rock International in Holyoke, Ameristar Casinos in Springfield and the Mohegan Sun in Palmer.

101911 domenic sarno.JPGDomenic Sarno

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said that if a project makes economic sense for the city, he would drive a hard bargain with a casino company. Sarno said he would consider agreements with developers for casinos proposed for Springfield or elsewhere in Western Massachusetts such as the “casino in the woods” planned for Palmer.

Sarno said he would “put everything on the table” to assure any deal benefits local businesses and residents in Springfield and directs entertainment to venues such as the MassMutual Center and Symphony Hall.

“This is a long process,” Sarno said. “I am going to stay open-minded and let things play out.”

Ameristar Casinos, Inc. of Nevada on Wednesday became the first casino company to stake a claim in Springfield, unveiling plans to buy 41 acres at the old Westinghouse plant on Page Boulevard to build a hotel and casino.

Sarno said he has not spoken with the company. He said a main concern would be traffic in the residential area around the proposed casino, but he would remain open to the proposal.

Sarno said he would ask the City Council to hold a city-wide vote on any casino agreement for Springfield, not just a vote by the ward that would host a casino. Under the bill, the state's three most populated cities, including Springfield, would have to hold a ward vote unless they choose to put the question to all voters.

Rep. Joseph F. Wagner, D-Chicopee, said the bill assures that before a proposal goes on the ballot in a potential host community, people will know exactly what's included in any agreement with a casino.

"They will vote on the actual deal," Wagner said.

2011 alex morse mug.jpgHolyoke Mayor-elect Alex Morse

Holyoke Mayor-elect Alex Morse, who will be sworn in in January, said he has “some grave reservations” about a casino for Holyoke, but as mayor he would be obligated to listen to any proposal for investment in the city.

“If a comprehensive proposal is presented to me as mayor I would
certainly review it, allow an appropriate public discussion and consider
whether there is any possibility of meeting the needs of Holyoke's diverse
population,” Morse said in an e-mail.

Chicopee could also soon be home to a casino proposal.

Chicopee Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said the city might hire an expert to lead negotiations if a developer proposes a casino for the city. Unless it is careful, a community could be easily deceived by a casino developer, Bissonnette said.

"Now that we have legislation on the governor's desk, it is time to look at regional mitigation and regional cooperation," Bissonnette said.

121210 michael bissonnette.jpgChicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette

The bill creates a five-member gaming commission to regulate casinos, take bids, and award licenses. The commission would also need to develop regulations for administering, enforcing and establishing casinos.

The commission, consisting of a chairman appointed by the governor, is also charged with determining which surrounding communities would need to reach agreements with proposed casinos as part of the licensing. Casinos could also independently talk with adjoining communities and submit any agreements with their application.

The treasurer and the attorney general would also each appoint a member to the gaming commission. The remaining two commissioners would be appointed by a majority vote of the governor, attorney general and the treasurer.

If the commission designates "a surrounding community," that city or town gets 30 days to seal a deal with a nearby proposed casino, while no action is taken on the application in the meantime, the bill said. If no agreement comes after 30 days, the commission must move to close the talks and ensure "a fair and reasonable" deal with a surrounding community.

Proponents of a casino in Palmer might face opposition from adjoining Monson, where there is some strong anti-casino sentiment. Unless the Mohegan Sun first cuts a deal with Monson for its casino proposed for Palmer, the gaming commission would determine if Monson would be designated a surrounding community and whether an agreement with Monson would be required.

Monson Town Administrator Gretchen E. Neggers noted that a survey was done three years ago that polled residents about their concerns if a casino were to open in a nearby community. The majority of respondents expressed concern about the loss of the community's character.
"And I think that's a very difficult thing to mitigate," Neggers said.

Paul E. Burns, president of the town council in Palmer, said the town is looking forward to negotiating an agreement with the Mohegan Sun. He said it is too early to say when an agreement could be placed on a ballot, but it could possibly be next spring.

Burns said he would like to host a regional meeting on the casino proposal to discuss how it could be done to bring the most benefits for the area.

Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, a Barre Democrat whose district includes Palmer, said the bill is balanced to protect the interests of host and neighboring municipalities. An abutting community could not veto a casino, but a developer would need to negotiate in good faith with an abutter, Brewer said. The bill also creates committees to advise the commission on ways to mitigate a casino.

Seven communities share a border with Palmer and each could potentially at least seek mitigation money or other concessions from a Palmer casino.

Brewer said the gaming commission will consist of "hard-nosed regulators" who would look to ensure a level playing field for cities and towns.

"This isn't going to be Wayne Newton sitting on the gaming commission," Brewer said.

As part of an application, casinos would also need to complete studies and reports on regional economic benefits, social and environmental effects, impacts on cultural attractions and small businesses and costs to communities.

Staff reporters Mike Plaisance and Lori Stabile contributed to this story.

State Police attempting to corral loose dogs on Mass Pike

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A couple of dogs were spotted running loose on the turnpike in West Springfield, police said.

WESTFIELD — CAUTION: Dogs Ahead!

Anyone traveling the Massachusetts Turnpike this morning should be on the lookout for some dogs running along the westbound lane, according to state police at the Westfield barracks, who were still attempting to capture the hounds as of 6:30 a.m. Sunday.

Police have no idea who let the dogs loose, but they were trying to corral them before pike traffic picks up for the day.

"We're hoping someone didn't just set them loose," Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Edwin E. Lockhart said, adding the animals would likely be taken to an area shelter once they are captured.

Lockhart said authorities were looking for "a couple" of dogs last seen in the westbound lane in West Springfield, several miles east of the Westfield barracks.

The good news for both the cops and the canines is that pike traffic tends to be light on Sunday mornings.

"That is a good thing," Lockhart said.

Massachusetts State Police: Motorist abandoned vehicle after I-91 crash in Holyoke

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A car was found abandoned on the Exit 16 north ramp of Interstate 91, according to police, who continue to investigate the cause of the crash.

HOLYOKE — State police from the Northampton barracks are investigating a single-car crash that occurred around 3 a.m. Sunday on Interstate 91 north in Holyoke.

A trooper confirmed that a brown Nissan Xterra struck the guardrail near Exit 16, causing extensive damage, then proceeded onto the ramp, where the vehicle was abandoned.

"The guardrail was pretty heavily damaged," the trooper said.

The crash is under investigation, he said, referring further press inquires to Massachusetts State Police headquarters in Framingham.

Exit 16 north leads to Cherry Street in Holyoke.


Springfield police arrest city man on laundry list of charges following OUI arrest

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Roberto Melendez, 27, of Harrison Avenue will be arraigned on more than a half-dozen charges, including driving while intoxicated on both drugs and alcohol, police said.

SPRINGFIELD — A city man was arrested early Sunday on charges of drunken driving, drug possession and a host of other offenses, according to Springfield Police Lt. John Slepchuk.

Roberto Melendez, 27, of Harrison Avenue, was taken into custody around 3:40 a.m. after allegedly attempting to shake pursuing police officers.

"They attempted to pull him over, and he tries to lose them," Slepchuk said of Melendez, who finally stopped near his Harrison Avenue home.

But that's when Melendez allegedly refused to hand over his license and registration. From that point, Slepchuk said, things just got worse for Melendez, who was cited for more than half a dozen offenses, including operating under the influence of liquor, OUI drugs, cocaine possession, speeding, driving with a suspended license, failure to submit to police, and resisting arrest.

Slepchuk said officers could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from Melendez, who is expected to be arraigned Monday in Springfield District Court.

Holyoke police arrest pair for alleged lewd behavior in public

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A detective came across two people engaged in a sex act inside a car, according to Holyoke Police Sgt. Kevin Thomas.

HOLYOKE — A city detective who came across a car parked in a residential area Saturday afternoon noticed the vehicle's occupants were engaged in a sex act, according to Holyoke Police Sgt. Kevin Thomas.

Holyoke resident Michelle Tondryk, 40, of 757 Dwight St., Apt 2L, and Northampton resident Vernon Senecal, 53, of 91 Grove St., were each charged with trespassing and open and gross lewdness in connection with the incident, which was reported at 4:48 p.m.

Thomas said Tondryk was in the process of performing a sex act on Senecal as the detective rolled up to the car, which was parked near the corner of Oak and West Franklin streets.

"It's a residential area," Thomas said.

Both Senecal and Tondryk are expected to be arraigned on the charges Monday in Holyoke District Court.

Springfield police: Domestic dispute leads to arrest of man wanted by California authorities

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Eugenio Delacruz, 26, of 117 Ranney St., charged locally with domestic assault, is wanted in both California and Lawrence, Mass., police said.

SPRINGFIELD — A man arrested in the city's Forest Park neighborhood early Sunday morning is wanted by authorities in California, Springfield Police Lt. John Slepchuk said.

Officers responding to a domestic dispute around 4:30 a.m. at 117 Ranney St. ended up arresting 26-year-old Eugenio Delacruz, a resident of that address. Delacruz was charged with domestic assault, malicious destruction of property worth more than $250, and for having two outstanding warrants from courts in Lawrence, Mass., and Orange County, Calif.

Police said the Massachusetts warrant was for disturbing the peace, while the California warrant stems from alleged financial transgressions.

Officers were called to the Ranney Street address after Delacruz got into a domestic dispute with his girlfriend. The altercation spilled into the street, where Delacruz began "breaking things," Slepchuk said.

Delacruz is expected to be arraigned Monday in Springfield District Court. After that, he could be brought before courts in the other jurisdictions, authorities said.

State police tracker dog hunts for Ware break-in suspects

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Police are probing a burglary in Ware early Sunday morning.

WARE — Troopers from the Belchertown barracks at the Quabbin Reservoir assisted Ware police with a break-in investigation early Sunday morning.

A Massachusetts State Police tracker dog was involved in the probe, though it wasn't immediately clear if authorities found any evidence connected to the crime.

The incident was reported around 1 a.m., according to a Ware police official, who said no arrests had been made as of 8:30 a.m. Sunday.

He had no further information about the case, including whether the burglary occurred at a business or residence.

More information will be posted on MassLive as it becomes available.

Police departments look to tune out public by encrypting radio communications

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Encryption has put police at odds with the media, who say their newsgathering is impeded when they can't use scanners to monitor developing crimes and disasters.

Scanner Hansen.jpgView full sizeScanner hobbyist Rick Hansen holds his scanner/Ham radio device at his home Saturday, Nov. 19, 2011, in Silver Spring, Md. In an effort to restrict access to their internal communications police departments around the nation are moving to encrypt them. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

By ERIC TUCKER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police departments around the country are moving to shield their radio communications from the public as cheap, user-friendly technology has made it easy for anyone to use handheld devices to keep tabs on officers responding to crimes.

The practice of encryption has become increasingly common from Florida to New York and west to California, with law enforcement officials saying they want to keep criminals from using officers' internal chatter to evade them. But journalists and neighborhood watchdogs say open communications ensure that the public receives information as quickly as possible that can be vital to their safety.

D.C. police became one of the latest departments to adopt the practice this fall. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said recently that a group of burglars who police believe were following radio communications on their smartphones pulled off more than a dozen crimes before ultimately being arrested and that drug dealers fled a laundromat after a sergeant used his radio to call in other officers — suggesting that they, too, might have been listening in.

"Whereas listeners used to be tied to stationary scanners, new technology has allowed people — and especially criminals — to listen to police communications on a smartphone from anywhere," Lanier testified at a D.C. Council committee hearing this month. "When a potential criminal can evade capture and learn, 'There's an app for that,' it's time to change our practices."

The transition to encryption has put police departments at odds with the news media, who say their newsgathering is impeded when they can't use scanners to monitor developing crimes and disasters. Journalists and scanner hobbyists argue that police departments already have the capability to communicate securely and should be able to adjust to the times without reverting to full encryption. And they say alert scanner listeners have even helped police solve crimes.

"If the police need to share sensitive information among themselves, they know how to do it," Phil Metlin, news director of WTTG-Fox 5, in Washington, said at the council hearing. "Special encrypted channels have been around for a long time; so have cellphones."

It's impossible to quantify the scope of the problem or to determine if the threat from scanners is as legitimate as police maintain — or merely a speculative fear. It's certainly not a new concern — after all, hobbyists have for years used scanners to track the activities of their local police department from their kitchen table.

David Schoenberger, a stay-at-home dad from Fredericksburg, Va., and scanner hobbyist, said he understands the chief's concerns — to a point.

"I think they do need to encrypt the sensitive talk groups, like the vice and narcotics, but I disagree strongly with encrypting the routine dispatch and patrol talk groups. I don't think that's right," he said. "I think the public has a right to monitor them and find out what's going on around them. They pay the salaries and everything."

One iPhone app, Scanner 911, offers on its website the chance to "listen in while police, fire and EMS crews work day & night." Apple's iTunes store advertises several others. Though iPhones don't directly pick up police signals, users can listen to nearly real-time audio through Internet streaming services, said Matthew Blaze, director of the Distributed Systems Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania.

The cost of encryption varies. The Nassau County, N.Y., police department is in the final stages of a $50 million emergency communications upgrade that includes encryption and interoperability with other law enforcement agencies in the region, said Inspector Edmund Horace. Once the old system is taken down, Horace said, "You would not be able to discern what's being said on the air unless you had the proper equipment."

The Orange County, Fla., sheriff's office expects to be encrypted within months. Several police departments in the county are already encrypted, and more will follow suit to keep officers safe, said Bryan Rintoul, director of emergency communications for the sheriff's office.

In California, the Santa Monica police department has been fully encrypted for the past two years, enabling police to communicate more freely during high-risk calls, said spokesman Sgt. Richard Lewis.

Smaller communities like Garden City, Kan. — with a population of roughly 27,000 — are also converting.

"It was an unknown. There was no criminal act, but it concerns the officers when you see the same vehicle keep showing up at your scenes," said spokesman Sgt. Michael Reagle. "What is their intent when they keep showing up?"

The shift to encryption has occurred as departments replace old-fashioned analog radios with digital equipment that sends the voice signal over the air as a stream of bits and then reconstructs it into high-quality audio. Encrypted communication is generally only heard by listeners with an encryption key. Others might hear silence or garbled talk.

Still, full encryption is cumbersome and difficult to manage, especially for large law enforcement agencies that must keep track of who has the encryption key. The more individuals or neighboring agencies with access, the greater the risk that the secrecy of the system could be compromised and the harder it becomes to ensure that everyone who needs access has it, Blaze said.

"I would not be surprised if a lot of departments that do it would switch back to non-encryption. The practical difficulties of trying to maintain an encrypted system at scale start to become apparent," he said.

Some departments have studied full encryption but decided against it, including police in Greenwich, Conn.

"Because we've always retained the ability to encrypt traffic on a case-by-case basis when we need to, in a community like Greenwich, I think the transparency we achieve by allowing people to listen to our radio communications certainly outweighs any security concern we have," said Capt. Mark Kordick.

Some departments have tried to compromise. The Jacksonville, Fla., sheriff's office leased radios to the media, allowing them to listen to encrypted patrol channels. That practice ended last summer out of concern about maintaining the confidentiality of radio transmissions, said spokeswoman Lauri-Ellen Smith.

In D.C., Lanier says the department is stepping up efforts to advise the public of developing crimes through Facebook, Twitter and an email alert system. Officers will use an unencrypted channel starting next month to alert the public to traffic delays, said spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump. But the chief has refused to give radios to media organizations, which continue to assail the encryption.

"What about the truly terrifying crimes?" Metlin, the news director, asked at the hearing. "What if, God forbid, there is another act of terrorism here? It is our jobs to inform the public in times of emergency."

Rick Hansen says he's been listening to police communications since he was 13 or 14 and considers efforts to shut them off a way to make government less transparent. The Silver Spring, Md., man says they should use technology to keep sensitive information on the airwaves on a selective basis.

"Yes, it's a concern — and it's something that can be addressed through proper procedures and processes as opposed to turning out the lights on everybody," he said.

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