Goodguys car show features 1,200 cars.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Growing up Tom Moore, of Monson, always wanted to have a Chevrolet Impala.

“Back then I couldn’t afford to buy one and I always said that when I had the chance I would get one,” said Moore, who’s twilight blue Chevy Impala won the staff’s pick award at the Goodguys 21st Grundy Worldwide Insurance East Coast Nationals held at the Eastern States Exposition grounds Sunday.

Moore was just one of thousands of fans and car collectors from across the country who attended the three-day event.

It’s the first time Goodguys brings its show to West Springfield.

“We’ve had a good experience and plan on holding it here again next year,” said Brandon Flannery, a feature editor for Goodguys magazine and an organizer for the event.

While the Friday and Saturday shows were limited to cars made before 1972 Sunday was open to all American made cars, he said.

Flannery said there were about 1,200 cars on display. The event is the eighth of 20 national hot rod and custom car festivals produced by the northern California based Goodguys Rod & Custom Association.

While there were newer cars on display it seems older classic cars were the highlight of the show.

West Springfield resident Sal Saimeri showed off his 1950 Mercury Monterey, one of only 40 left in the world.

“They only made 750 of them and now very few are left,” said Saimeri, who had the car restored by Twin Brooks Restoration in Suffield, Conn.

“I had a car like this back in the 1950s and I paid $150 for it,” said Saimeri, who participates in shows but also takes the car on the road occasionally.

“If there’s not much going on my wife and I might take a drive on the country side,” he said.

The car show included manufacturer and vendor exhibits, a swap meet and cars-for-sale area, Goodguys Autocross, which is an electronically timed road course to test vehicle agility and performance, a model car show and more.

“It’s really a family event for anyone who likes cars,” Flannery said. 

Hunter says she still has romantic feelings for Edwards but doesn't know how their relationship will turn out.

When John Edwards faced the prospect of an indictment that could put him behind bars, he calmly told his mistress he would probably wind up in a low-security prison in Virginia more like a country club than a jail. She quickly told him she and their daughter would move there to be near him if that happened.

Rielle Hunter details their phone call just days before his indictment in her new memoir, purchased by The Associated Press ahead of its release.

"What Really Happened: John Edwards, Our Daughter and Me," also includes Rielle Hunter's mixed views on Edwards' parenting of their daughter Quinn and descriptions of Elizabeth Edwards' outbursts. At the end of the book, Hunter says she still has romantic feelings for Edwards but doesn't know how their relationship will turn out.

The book also provides a window into Edwards' psyche as federal prosecutors began their case against him. Days before his indictment Hunter asked: "So if you went to jail, what kind of jail would it be? One of those country clubs?"

"He said, `Yeah.'"

"`Where?'" she asked.

"`Probably Virginia.'"

"So Quinn and I will move to Virginia. Virginia is a great state."

The only low-security federal prison in Virginia is in Petersburg, where former Washington, D.C., mayor Marion Barry once served time.

On the day of the indictment, the two shared a surreal phone call as a newspaper reporter banged on her door in Charlotte, while the man she refers to as "Johnny" throughout the book called her cell phone to say that he was also being pursued.

"`I've got helicopters circling my house,' Johnny said."

New York publishers had said they were not interested in Hunter's book, citing her negative image, so it is instead being released through a Dallas-based boutique publisher, BenBella Books, on June 26.

Federal prosecutors spent a year prosecuting Edwards, culminating in a six-week trial that ended last month. Jurors acquitted Edwards on one count of accepting illegal campaign contributions and deadlocked on five other felony counts. The judge declared a mistrial. Federal prosecutors then said in a court order earlier this month that they wouldn't retry Edwards, and the charges against him were dropped.

Neither Edwards nor Hunter testified.

Prosecutors had accused Edwards, 59, of masterminding a scheme to use about $1 million in secret payments from two wealthy political donors to hide his pregnant mistress as he sought the White House in 2008.

The trial publicized intimate details about Edwards' affair with Hunter as his wife, Elizabeth, was dying of cancer. Much of the book describes their unfolding relationship and the lengths to which Hunter went to sneak in and out of Edwards' hotel rooms, even after her contract as a videographer ended. She also describes paparazzi chases after news of their affair broke.

Hunter writes that Edwards is a doting father when he's around their daughter but that his obligations to his other children curtail their time together. The book features several pictures of the father and daughter together, smiling. Immediately after his trial, Edwards said during a news conference — with his adult daughter, Cate, by his side — that he loved Quinn "more than any of you can ever imagine." Quinn is now 4 and lives with Hunter in Charlotte.

"He is a great dad to her when he is with her," Hunter writes.

Charges of indecent exposure and threat to commit a crime could be filed in the future.

SPRINGFIELD – A man who threatened police and held officers at bay for five hours Saturday has not been charged with any crime yet.

The standoff started when police were called to do a well-being check on James Williams, who had reportedly been running naked down Locust Street.

When a patrolman arrived, Williams locked himself into his apartment at 228 Locust St. and threatened to shoot the officer through the door, a reference to the June 4 fatal shooting of police officer Kevin Ambrose.

Police cordoned off the block and called in its emergency response team to assist.

The standoff started at about 11 a.m. and ended at about 4 p.m. when the police department’s Tactical Response Unit, entered the apartment and used tear gas to subdue Williams, Capt. William Collins said.

“They tried to talk him out and that didn’t work,” he said.

Williams, who has a long history with the state Department of Mental Health, was not arrested and instead brought to the hospital. Police and hospital officials said they are not sure if he is still a patient there.

It is believed Williams was never armed because no gun was ever found in his apartment and no bullets were ever shot, Collins said.

Williams could be charged with indecent exposure and threat to commit a crime. If it is determined the standoff was due to illness, it is likely the charges will not be filed, Collins said.

If police do press charges Williams will be summonsed to court, Collins said.

Police Officer Kevin Ambrose's son, Kyle Ambrose, threw the ceremonial first pitch.

By MIKE LEONARD

SPRINGFIELD – In the iconic 1989 movie “Field of Dreams,” the character portrayed by James Earl Jones offered a comment that speaks volumes about Sunday’s Father’s Day event at Forest Park’s main diamond sponsored by the Springfield’s “Bring it Home” baseball committee:

“The one constant through all the years has been baseball. This field, this game, is a part of our past. It reminds us of all that once was good and what could be again.”

Following a 40-minute ceremony hosted by former ABC40 sports director Scott Coen and Mayor Domenic Sarno to celebrate Springfield’s rich baseball history, all eyes focused on the pitcher’s mound for the ceremonial first pitch prior to the third annual American Legion Father’s Day game between city rivals Post 21-Post 420.

On came family members of recently slain Springfield Police Officer Kevin Ambrose to watch the officer’s son, Kyle, 23, toss the ceremonial first pitch to long-time friend Carm “Doc” Bonavita.

Sarno labeled the day’s activities “a slice of Americana,” adding that memorializing Officer Ambrose in this way underscores that baseball is more than just a game, “it’s a lifetime.”

In the Ambrose family, sports, particularly baseball, played a significant role.

Officer Ambrose, 55, a 36-year veteran of the Springfield Police Departrment, coached a variety of junior sports over the years. Both Kyle and Bonavita were members of two of his teams - the 12-14 team sponsored by Our Lady of Sacred Heart, and the 14-16 Springfield Owls.

“As far back as I can remember, my dad was teaching me the game of baseball. I loved playing sports and that influenced my dad to keep teaching and coaching me throughout the years,” Kyle said.

The younger Ambrose went on to star at Minnechaug Regional High School, where he played third base and co-captained the 2007 team.

His father was a fixture at his son’s games, Kyle said.

“My dad loved loved watching me play. My dad was my biggest critic and my biggest fan. Whether I went 4 for 4, or 0 for 4, he always gave me advice.”

Kyle said his father would have been gratified by the “Bring it Home” committee’s recognition.

“It’s an emotional day for everyone that loved him, and I am honored to have been asked to do this for the American Legion.”

Both Sarno and Coen said it was remarkable that Kyle was able to demonstrate such poise on a day of grief and emotion for both him and his family.

“I think today’s event will continue the healing process for the Ambrose family,” Sarno said. “We will never forget how Officer Ambrose gave his life to save other lives and I am honored to be a part of this.”

Coen noted the significance of the day.

“This was Kyle’s first Father’s Day without his dad, and I can’t even imagine how he felt,” he said. “But having him throw out the ceremonial first pitch was definitely the best part of the day.”

And yes, even the Post 21 and 420 Legion game, won for the second time in three years by Post 21 by a 2-1 margin, had Father’s Day written all over it.

Winning pitcher Endy Francisco, a Central High senior and native of the Domincan Republic, had his biggest fan in the Walker Grandstand for the Father’s Day classic - his own father, who had just flown in from the Domincan Republic in time for the game.

Francisco crafted a fine seven-inning victory, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out seven.

“Endy didn’t pitch much for Central this past spring, but you couldn’t tell that today,” Post 21 coach Jeff Garrow said.

“We (Post 21) have only been in existence in Legion ball for three years now and we are really building a solid program,” the coach said.

And not to be lost on this day when the “Bring it Home” committee pulled off a weekend of special events at Forest Park, Republican sports writer Garry Brown handed last year’s winner, Post 420, the “Garry Brown Cup” during the pre-game ceremonies.’

The “Bring It Home” committee decided before the 2011 game to create the award in honor of Brown’s 59 years, and counting, of supporting and reporting local sports.

“This game is precious to me,” Brown said. “As a youth reporter I covered American Legion games, and this game becomes all the more significant with Kyle Ambrose throwing out the first pitch.”

Only one of the officers, who was bitten and hit over the head with a chair, sought medical treatment.

Republican file photoPolice cruisers parked along Locust Street during Saturday's standoff with a man who threatened to shoot police.

SPRINGFIELD – Six city residents were arrested and five police officers were injured in a Father’s Day party that turned into a brawl Sunday.

The most seriously injured officer was brought to Baystate Medical Center after he was bitten and hit over the head with a chair. He was treated and released and was temporarily taken off duty, Police Capt. William P. Collins said.

The other four suffered a variety of bruises, contusions and cuts but did not seek treatment, he said.

The brawl happened at 174 Locust St., a block from where police held a five-hour standoff with a man who threatened to shot officers the day before. The Saturday standoff ended without incident and the man, who has a history of mental illness, was brought to Baystate Medical Center for treatment.

Sunday night’s fight began at about 8 p.m. when a woman called police for assistance in picking her son who had visitation with his father. When she arrived she, the man and his friends argued.

“The father of the child raised a baseball bat at her and when people held him back another subject threw a bottle at the woman,” Collins said.

Det. Michael Chapin responded first. While he and the woman were talking outside, several people started surrounding the officer and the woman, Collins said.

Chapin asked the group the step back and soon more officers started arriving.

The brawl began when police tried to arrest the father and the woman who threw the bottle. When they entered the apartment, family and friends fought with police and tried to prevent the arrest, Collins said.

“They ended up arresting three males and three females. They will seek a complaint against another female,” Collins said.

That woman is pregnant so police declined to arrest her Sunday, he said.

The father of the child, Louis Ocasio, 33, of 174 Locust St., apartment 2R, was charged with assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, malicious damage of a motor vehicle, breaking and entering into a motor vehicle and assault and battery on a police officer, Collins said.

Yolandita Ocasio, 31, was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a police officer and resisting arrest. She lives at 174 Locust St. but in a different apartment, Collins said.

Jonathan Diaz-Rodriguez, 22, of 196 Locust St., and Natasha Bermudez, 20, of Spring St., were charged with assault and battery on a police officer, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, he said.

Juan Sanchez, 29, of 174 Locust St., apartment 2R and Marcia Foster, of 95 Locust St., were charged with assault and battery on a police officer, he said.

The suspect in the May 2008 mistaken-identity slaying of a Northeastern University student has pleaded not guilty in Boston.

AP Photo/Elise AmendolaNicolas and Virginia Payne, of New Milford, Conn., react as they hold pictures of their slain daughter, Rebecca, outside a Suffolk Superior Courtroom in Boston, Monday, June 18, 2012, after Cornell Smith, 30, was arraigned on first-degree murder charges in her shooting death in her Boston apartment.

BOSTON (AP) — The suspect in the May 2008 mistaken-identity slaying of a Northeastern University student has pleaded not guilty in Boston.

Cornell Smith was arraigned Monday while Rebecca Payne's parents sat in the courtroom's front row clutching photos of their daughter.

The Connecticut couple says the suspect didn't appear remorseful and seeing him was heart-wrenching.

A prosecutor told the judge that the 22-year-old New Milford, Conn., woman's slaying was a case of mistaken identity. Authorities say the suspect shot her thinking she was another resident of her Boston apartment building.

The 30-year-old Smith is already serving an unrelated 12-year drug sentence in federal prison. A grand jury indicted him in Payne's slaying in April.

Payne had just finished her junior year and was studying to be an athletic trainer.

Starting Monday, the Registry will begin accepting applications for 124 low-number plates, including 73, 295, 449, 493 and 1Z.

Starting Monday June 18, 2012, the RMV will begin accepting applications for 124 low-number plates, including 73, 295, 449, 493 and 1Z. (File photo)

BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles has launched its annual low-number license plate lottery.

Starting Monday, the Registry will begin accepting applications for 124 low-number plates, including 73, 295, 449, 493 and 1Z.

Registrar Rachel Kaprielian says the agency expects thousands of applications for the plates, considered a mark of prestige by some.

Applications are available at all Registry branches and online. Entries must be mailed and postmarked by Aug. 13. Postcard entries will not be accepted. Only one entry per applicant will be accepted.

The final drawing is yet to be determined but will be conducted before Sept. 15.

The Registry started the lottery several years ago in response to criticism that low-number plates only went to the politically connected.

Fallen Springfield Police officer Kevin Ambrose's son, Kyle Ambrose, spoke at an annual Father's Day baseball game in Forest Park.

Police said as many as 8-10 guns, all of them inoperable, were found in the drain

Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD – A private contractor, cleaning out the storm drains at the John L. Sullivan housing complex off Stafford Street early Monday afternoon, discovered some 8-10 firearms that had apparenty been tossed down one of them.

Officer Richard Rodrigues, a spokesman for Commissioner William J,. Fitchet, said the weapons, all of them inoperable, were found in the drain near 185 Nursery St.

Detective Sean Sullivan is attempting to trace the firearms, Rodrigues said.

It was not immediately clear whether the find has any connection to the murder of Reality Shabazz Walker who was gunned down outside the complex on Nov. 20, 2010. Four men have been charged with his murder.

Residents, speaking shortly after the shooting, described their neighborhood as a relatively peaceful place.

Nancy Whitley is charged with three counts of larceny over $250.

The Republican | Dave Roback06.18.2012 | NORTHAMPTON -- Nancy Whitley appears in Hampshire Superior Court Monday.

NORTHAMPTON -- The second of two women charged with larceny in connection to a failed Easthampton condominium project denied charges Monday in Hampshire Superior Court.

Nancy Whitley, 54, of Northampton is charged with three counts of larceny over $250.

She and her former wife, Heather Whitley, had dreamed of developing the complex called "Paradise One" for older gay people in an Easthampton mill building. The project collapsed, however, and some potential residents complained that they were not given their money back.

Heather Whitley was convicted of larceny in 2010 involving another client in the development. She was sentenced to ten years probation in that case and ordered to repay the $120,000 she solicited from the potential residents.

Nancy Whitley was not charged in that case.

Judge Daniel Ford released Whitley on her own recognizance with the conditions that she remain employed full time. A pretrial hearing was scheduled for Sept. 6.

Students and youth, ages 22 and under, are encouraged to testify and give feedback on what still needs to be done to help LGBT youth thrive in the commonwealth.

The Massachusetts Commission on GLBT Youth is holding public forums in Holyoke and Boston this week to identify the issues affecting youth in the commonwealth. (Logo designed by Lauren Swanson Graphic Design)

The Massachusetts Commission on GLBT Youth is looking for a diverse group of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth and their allies to speak at public hearings on Wednesday in Boston or Thursday in Holyoke.

According to the commission, the hearings provide an opportunity for young people to share their stories with state legislators, professionals and community members as the group works to identify the issues that need to be addressed at the state level.

The hearings will cover a variety of experiences and topics, from dealing with school administrations and bullying to finding support or participating in LGBT-focused activism.

The hearings will also address the increasing number of LGBT youth, which MassEquality, a statewide advocacy group, estimates make up between 20 to 40 percent of the overall homeless youth population in the state.

Students and youth, ages 22 and under, are encouraged to testify and give feedback on what still needs to be done to help LGBT youth thrive in the commonwealth. Testimony can either be spoken at the hearing itself or submitted in writing. Written submissions can also be kept anonymous.

In Boston, the commission will convene at the Gardner Auditorium in the State House from 1-6 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20.

In Holyoke, the commission will hold a hearing in the performing arts center at Holyoke Community College from 2-6 p.m. on Thursday, June 21.

Written testimony, as well as written copies of spoken testimony, may be submitted to the Commission by July 1 in the following ways:

• at the hearing;
• by email to Justin.T.Burke@state.ma.us, or
• by mail to Justin Burke, Executive Secretary, MA Commission on GLBT Youth, Department of Public Health, 250 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108.

For more information, contact Commission Chair Arthur Lipkin via email at Arthur.Lipkin@state.ma.us

Brown's campaign manager sent Kennedy a letter accepting the invitation but specifying that certain conditions be in place to guarantee the senator will indeed participate.

Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren and Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown. (Associated Press File Photos)

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., today said he will join his Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren in accepting an invitation to debate, as proposed by Vicki Kennedy, the widow of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, as long as certain conditions are met.

More than a week ago, Kennedy invited the two Senate race rivals to go head-to-head in a debate sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Boston and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, which is currently being built.

Warren accepted on June 11 and Monday, Brown's Campaign Manager Jim Barnett, sent Kennedy a letter saying they would accept the invitation if certain conditions were agreed upon.

For starters, Kennedy has to pledge to remain neutral for remainder of the contentious Senate race for the seat held by her husband from 1962 until his death from brain cancer in 2009. While it is not entirely clear what this condition involves, an endorsement of a particular candidate would almost certainly be out of bounds.

Barnett said that while they accept Kennedy's proposal to have Tom Brokaw moderate, they prefer local journalists to ask the questions in such forums.

"In order to proceed, we need to know that in keeping with the spirit of neutrality expressed in Vicki Kennedy's letter that she will not endorse or otherwise get involved in this race," Barnett wrote. "Furthermore, while we accept Tom Brokaw as a moderator, we prefer debates with local media sponsors, not out-of-state cable networks with a reputation for political advocacy. We are confident that issue can be easily addressed as there are a number of Massachusetts media outlets that would be willing to sponsor a debate such as the one you are proposing for the Kennedy Institute, and I'm sure they would be pleased to have Mr. Brokaw as moderator."

While this debate is tentatively scheduled to take place on Sept. 27, the dates for the other two debates Brown and Warren have mutually agreed to participate in have not been decided.

Both candidates have agreed to take part in a televised debate in Boston to be hosted by CBS affiliate WBZ-TV and another televised debate in Springfield, hosted by a consortium of media outlets in Western Massachusetts.

June 18, 2012
Dear Ms. McBirney:

First, let me say how much we appreciate the invitation from Vicki Kennedy to participate in a debate at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate. Ever since we received Mrs. Kennedy's invitation, we have been giving it serious consideration and thought. We are hopeful that you will agree to conditions that will allow us to accept.

As the President of the Board of Trustees, Vicki Kennedy assured us in her June 8 letter that the Kennedy Institute is "non-partisan" and would therefore be an appropriate setting for a Senate debate. In order to proceed, we need to know that in keeping with the spirit of neutrality expressed in Vicki Kennedy's letter that she will not endorse or otherwise get involved in this race.

Furthermore, while we accept Tom Brokaw as a moderator, we prefer debates with local media sponsors, not out-of-state cable networks with a reputation for political advocacy. We are confident that issue can be easily addressed as there are a number of Massachusetts media outlets that would be willing to sponsor a debate such as the one you are proposing for the Kennedy Institute, and I'm sure they would be pleased to have Mr. Brokaw as moderator.

We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Jim Barnett
Campaign Manager
Scott Brown for U.S. Senate

Radio communications indicated that firefighters had quelled the flames by about 3:40 p.m.

The Republican | Patrick Johnson06.18.2012 | SPRINGFIELD -- Firefighters at the scene of the blaze Monday.

An update to this story was posted at 5:08 p.m. Monday

SPRINGFIELD -- A suspicious fire outside a vacant house on Dawes Street Monday afternoon caused an estimated $10,000 damage, a fire official said.

The fire, reported at about 3:30 p.m. was extinguished quickly and there were no injuries, said Deputy chief Glenn Guyer.

The fire appeared to have started with some trash in the rear and spread up the home's exterior, he said. It had spread to the upstairs interior before firefighters were able to knock it down.

Multiple 9-1-1 calls summoned fire department units to 44-46 Dawes St., and fire officials arriving at the scene reported heavy flames at the two-and-a-half story home.

The house is boarded up and has no utilities, Guyer said. The city arson and bomb squad is investigating.

City records list the owner of the building as MTGLQ Investors LP of Houston, Texas.

This is a developing story. Details will be posted as our reporting continues.

The Senate is debating the farm bill, a 1,000-page production that will determine farm policy well into the future. But in terms of the money involved, the legislation could just as well be referred to as the food stamp bill.

AP Photo/Nati Harnik, FileIn this Sept. 15, 2010, file photo, combines, costing several hundred thousand dollars each, harvest a field during a corn harvesting demonstration at the Husker Harvest Days fair, in Grand Island, Neb. A program that puts billions of dollars in the pockets of farmers whether or not they plant a crop may disappear with hardly a protest from farm groups and the politicians who look out for their interests. The Senate is expected to begin debate the week of June 4, 2012, on a five-year farm and food aid bill that would save $9.3 billion by ending direct payments to farmers and replacing them with subsidized insurance programs for when the weather turns bad or prices go south.

By JIM ABRAMS
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate is debating the farm bill, a 1,000-page production that will determine farm policy well into the future. But in terms of the money involved, the legislation could just as well be referred to as the food stamp bill.

While the legislation outlines fundamental changes in farm safety net programs, some 80 percent of the half-trillion dollars it would spend over the next five years would go to food stamps. That's nearly $80 billion a year.

Republicans in both the Senate and the House say that food stamp spending can be cut significantly without taking benefits from those who need them.

But Democrats say even the modest adjustments in the bill go too far and should be opposed.

Kerry's knowledge of Romney's positions, mannerisms and political history is expected to give Obama insight into how the debates might play out on national TV.

Then Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. left, waves to the crowd after being introduced and endorsed by former Democratic presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., during a rally on the College of Charleston campus in Charleston, S.C., Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008. Obama has tapped Kerry to play Mitt Romney in a series of debate rehearsals ahead of the 2012 elections. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Democratic U.S. Sen. John Kerry will be using his experience in presidential debates to help President Barack Obama prepare to go head-to-head with former Massachusetts Governor and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

The Washington Post reports that Kerry, the senior senator from Massachusetts, will be playing Romney as Obama tunes his skills for several TV debates ahead of the November election.

“There is no one that has more experience or understanding of the presidential debate process than John Kerry,” said David Axelrod, Obama’s chief strategist, to the Washington Post. “He’s an expert debater who has a fundamental mastery of a wide range of issues, including Mitt Romney’s Massachusetts. He’s the obvious choice.”

Kerry's unsuccessful 2004 presidential bid against George W. Bush involved him taking the stage in more than 25 debates across the country. Additionally, his knowledge of Romney's positions, mannerisms and political history is expected to give Obama insight into how the debates might play out.

Although Romney has not yet decided who will play Obama in his own preparations for the debates, ABC News hints that he may be getting assistance from Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who helped Sen. John McCain prepare to debate Obama in the 2008 election.

An Connecticut police officer shot and killed a pit bull that had attacked and killed a Yorkshire Terrier in Ansonia.

Photo by Gene J. Puskar / Associated PrressFormer Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky arrives at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte, Pa., Monday. Click on the link below for a report from ABC News about the status of the child sexual abuse case.

NOTE: Users of modern browsers can open each link in a new tab by holding 'control' ('command' on a Mac) and clicking each link.

Co-defedant Alex Rosado acquitted.

SPRINGFIELD – Rufino Rivera has been sentenced to seven years in state prison for an armed robbery committed outside the C-Town grocery store in Holyoke in July of last year.

Rivera, 21, of Holyoke, was sentenced June 13 by Hampden Superior Court Judge Peter A. Velis.

A jury found Rivera guilty of armed robbery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a knife.

The same jury acquitted his co-defendant, 20-year-old Alex Rosado of Holyoke, of the same charges.

Assistant District Attorney Patrick S. Sabbs said the victim, a 22-year-old man from West Springfield, had stopped at the store for a soft drink.

The victim was about to get out of the car when he got struck on the forehead and knocked back into the car.

Sabbs said Rivera went into the back passenger seat and put a knife to the victim’s throat, while the second man pulled the keys out of the ignition and took other items.

Rivera then struck the victim with the handle of the knife, Sabbs said.

The victim picked Rivera out of a Holyoke Police Department photo array and then identified him by sight.

Defense lawyer Bernard T. O’Connor Jr. had argued the victim only had a fleeting contact with the man robbing and assaulting him. He said the victim is mistaken in his identification of Rivera.

Both O’Connor and Marissa Elkins, Rosado’s lawyer, said Holyoke police made mistakes in their investigation of the incident. 

Roger Clemens has been acquitted on all charges by a jury that decided he didn't lie to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez MonsivaisFormer Major League Baseball pitcher Roger Clemens arrives at federal court Monday, June 18, 2012, in Washington for the verdict in his trial on charges of lying to Congress in 2008 when he denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs.

Roger Clemens has been acquitted on all charges by a jury that decided he didn't lie to Congress when he denied using performance-enhancing drugs.

Jurors returned their verdict Monday after close to 10 hours of deliberation. The outcome brings an end to a 10-week trial that capped an expensive, five-year investigation into one of the greatest pitchers in the history of baseball.

The 49-year-old Clemens was accused of perjury, making false statements and obstructing Congress when he testified at a deposition and at a nationally-televised hearing in February 2008. The charges centered on his repeated denials that he used steroids and human growth hormone during his 24-year career.

The verdict is the latest blow to the government's pursuit of athletes accused of drug use.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Catherine Hess

SPRINGFIELD - Catherine T. (Travers) Hess, 90, passed away in the family home Saturday. Born in Malone, N.Y., a daughter of the late Bernard and Lena (Marlow) Travers, she graduated from Franklin Academy in Malone. She was a long time Springfield resident and an avid New England sports fan. She was a communicant of Holy Cross Church , a member of the Holy Cross Women's Club and had served on the Altar Guild.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Anderson, Mary A.
  



• 
  Avenia, Julie C.
  



• 
  Bail, Pauline A. (Graffagnino)
  



• 
  Barber, Sylvia L. (George)
  



• 
  Belsky, Laura J. (DeMarco)
  



• 
  Bilodeau, Eleanor E. (Matroni)
  



• 
  Cardinal, Elaine (Nicodemus)
  



• 
  Chapman Jr., Frederick W. "Rick"
  



• 
  Eickelberg, Rolf O.
  



• 
  Forbes, Ronald A.
  



• 
  Gilday, Michael Peter
  



• 
  Hess, Catherine T. (Travers)
  



• 
  Jenkins, Elizabeth P.
  



• 
  Kennedy, Dolores (Parks)
  



• 
  Koziol Jr., Stephen J. "Snaps"
  



• 
  Lewis Jr., Arvin A.
  



• 
  Nagle, Elizabeth Rudd
  



• 
  O'Brien, Raymond J.
  



• 
  Pate, Susan M. "Sue" (Carlos)
  



• 
  Pelletier, Alice P. (Posnick)
  



• 
  Podlasck, Stanley H.
  



• 
  Racicot, Robert H.
  



• 
  Russis, N. Anita
  



• 
  Rybak, Evelyn H. (Kohanski)
  



• 
  Sanderson, Laura Arlene
  



• 
  Snow, Charles R.
  



• 
  Soldega, Annette Marie (Vallone)
  



• 
  Staiger, Stephanie Jeanette (Kulis)
  



• 
  Stallone, Cosmo
  



• 
  Torres, Andy C.
  



• 
  True Jr., William G.
  



• 
  Watroba, Chester E.
  



• 
  Wheeler, Ernestine F. (Bostley)
  

Arson officials who were investigating the fire questioned a young boy who lived nearby and he confessed to starting it, officials said.

The Republican | Patrick Johnson06.18.2012 | SPRINGFIELD -- Firefighters at the scene of the blaze Monday.

This is an update to a story that was originally posted at 4:28 p.m. Monday

SPRINGFIELD - The Fire Department has determined the Monday afternoon fire that caused $10,000 damage to a vacant house on Dawes Street was started by a child playing with matches, a fire official said.

Fire Department Deputy Chief Glenn Guyer said arson officials who were investigating the fire questioned a young boy who lived nearby and he confessed to starting it, Guyer said.

The boy said he had been playing with matches with some friends in the rear of 94-96 Dawes St. when the building caught fire, Guyer said.

His name was not released.

Because of his age, he was not arrested and charged with arson, Guyer said. Instead he will be required to enroll in the Fire Stop Program, a counseling program offered by the department and Springfield Public Schools for juveniles who have been known to set fires.

The fire started with some trash in the rear of the property and spread to the building's exterior.

The fire was reported at about 3:30 p.m. When the first firefighters arrived on scene within four minutes, the fire had climbed the exterior and had entered the building on the upper floors. Firefighters were able to extinguish it quickly before it could spread throughout the interior.

The house, a two-family 2 1/2 story woodframe constructed in 1912, has been vacant and boarded up for some time. City records show the property, valued at $119,000, is owned by MTGLQ Investors LP of Houston, Texas.