Baseball trade rumors started courtesy of Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, discussing a possible deal that would send Carl Crawford to the Miami Marlins for either Jose Reyes or Hanley Ramirez.

These were the most read stories on MassLive.com yesterday. If you missed any of them, click on the links below to read them now.

1) DA: Ludlow standoff ends when retired Springfield police officer George Stuart fires weapon Photo gallery at right. [The Republican Newsroom]

2) Rush Limbaugh slams 'Dark Knight Rises' as an attack on Mitt Romney [Ray Kelly]

3) Carl Crawford trade rumors: Are the Red Sox and Miami Marlins eyeing a blockbuster trade? [Ben Shapiro]

4) Three Rivers man arrested by Palmer police on drug charges [Lori Stabile]

5) Leominster police officer punished for slur of Sox's Crawford [Associated Press]

A much more comfortable (but still dry) stretch of weather ahead.

This morning starts out a little more comfortably than the past few mornings. The cold front that sparked those storms across southern New England last night is bringing in a cooler, drier airmass behind it. High pressure continues moving towards us today, meaning skies will be mostly sunny, and temperatures will only reach a seasonal mid-80s. More importantly, the dewpoints will be about 10-15 degrees less than yesterday, so it will feel a lot more refreshing out there in the afternoon.

Heading towards the weekend, we stay mostly sunny and dry. The humidity levels will also stay down as well, certainly in comparison to what we've had the last few days. Our next chance of showers and thunderstorms looks to hold off until Monday.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, less humid, high 88.

Thursday night: Mainly clear skies, refreshing, low 58.

Friday: Partly cloudy, more clouds south, cooler, high 77.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, seasonal, high 82.

Residents can view and pay bills via computer.

Staff Photo by John SuchockiHolyoke Tax Collector David Guzman in his City Hall office Wednesday.

HOLYOKE – A new system lets residents view, print and pay property taxes online.

To access the system, go to holyoke.org and click on pay property taxes under the online services drop-down menu, Tax Collector David Guzman said Monday.

The system in which the city is working with Invoice Cloud Inc., an electronic bill-processing company, will help residents and the city, he said.

“Now, they’re able to check whether they want to go paperless, whether they want to view their bills online and they can pay them online,” Guzman said.

The site has no sign up fees. Bills can be viewed or paid round the clock, seven days a week, he said.

Residents can pay bills immediately, schedule payments, sign up for automatic payments and go “paperless” to reduce clutter and help the environment, he said.

Governments, companies and others involved in billing like online payments because it can save time and saving time often leads to saving money, according to online business sites.

Bloomberg.com reported last year that in 2010, people said their households paid more bills electronically than by mail.

“Businesses spend about $30 billion each year printing, collating and mailing documents, and a typical bill costs a company anywhere from 70 cents to a dollar to deliver,” according to a Bloomberg.com report by Tom McNichol on Sept. 8, 2011.

For information about the city’s new online property tax system, call (413) 322-5530.

City Councilor Gerry Roy said a resident complained his driveway was frequently blocked.

This is the approximate location of 498 to 502 Britton St., Chicopee.

CHICOPEE – The striping of a no-parking zone to prevent motorists from parking and blocking a driveway has angered two business owners and a former city councilor.

City councilors promised to look into how and why the stripes were painted to show no parking zones after Ernest LaRocque attended the City Council meeting to complain about the stripes painted in front of his business at 498-502 Britton St.

Paul Phaneuf, owner of Phaneuf-Blais Fairview Funeral home, also on Britton Street said he too was concerned about the zone.

“I am appalled that someone would request this to be done without first consulting with me, the property owner that it affects the most,” LaRocque said.

The lines are painted across a curb cut to his driveway which is fenced off and hasn’t been used for years so regular customers do park there. It also extends about five feet onto the curb.

LaRocque said one of his two store fronts is already vacant and reducing the parking makes it more difficult to rent out the space.

Ronald Belair, who also lives on Britton Street and is a former City Councilor, questioned who authorized the lines being painted.

Several city councilors also questioned why the lines were painted there. City Council President George R. Moreau said he would request more information from the Department of Public Works and the Mayor’s office.

But Councilor Gerry Roy, who was on vacation during the meeting, said he a resident complained to him that people were parking and blocking his driveway on Britton Street. He talked to Department of Public Works Superintendent Stanley Kulig about the problem, who agreed to paint the stripes.

That driveway is next to LaRocque’s property.

“I don’t want to ticket, I asked, ‘can’t we do something visual’ and that is what we did,” Roy said.

He argued it is still illegal for people to park in front of a curb cut, even if the driveway is not being used.

“It is a minor thing. Someone couldn’t get out of his driveway so I talked to DPW and they put some lines there to make people award of it,” Roy said.

He did agree the lines are over about 5 feet too long and will ask those to be blacked out.

The state fire marshal’s office suspended the company’s perm,it when authorities determined that agents of the company had left behind unexploded casings containing nearly 1 pound each of gunpowder at several locations, including at Grenville Park.

Photo by Jim RussellCathy Buelow-Cascio and her husband, Jack Cascio, stand in the back yard of their home at 95 Church St., Ware. Two unexploded fireworks casings – each containing between 12 oz. and 14 oz. of gunpowder – were discovered in their yard by the Ware Fire Department nine days after the town’s Fourth of July celebration at Grenville Park. Their property abuts the park.

WARE – A hearing this week on whether a fireworks company should get its license back to hold shows and shoot off explosives has been postponed at the firm’s request.

The state fire marshal’s office suspended Pyrotecnico’s fireworks user’s certificate on July 10 when authorities determined that agents of the company had left behind unexploded casings containing nearly 1 pound each of gunpowder at several locations, including Grenville Park in Ware.

The hearing had been set for Wednesday. A new hearing date has not been scheduled. A hearing for the man who shot the fireworks was delayed also.

Pyrotecnico is owned by Steve Vitale, of New Castle, Pa. He told a TV newscaster in Pittsburgh last week that Massachusetts public safety officials overreacted in their ongoing investigation.

State regulations require the fireworks shooter to complete a “first light search” for unexploded shells the morning following a show, which was done June 30 at Grenville Park, site of Ware’s fourth of July celebration. The first light search turned up one unexploded shell on July 1.

But seven more gunpowder-packed casings were unexpectedly discovered on July 6 and July 9 when a park worker mowing the grass ran over a casing on each of those days. In both incidents the casings exploded, according to Ware Fire Chief Thomas Coulombe. The worker said he was shaken up and his back was sore.

The state bomb squad combed the nearly 100-acre park with trained dogs. Coulombe said the explosive fireworks, called “Salute,” can cause injury and death. Although the park reopened July 10, officials say more unexploded fireworks may still be left behind.

In addition to the eight Salute shells discovered in Ware after the fact, the ongoing state investigation found more unexploded shells following recent Pyrotecnico shows, including two unexploded shells in Worcester, two in Waltham, and four in Wilmington.

Jack Cascio and his wife, Cathy Buelow-Cascio, own a home on a half-acre lot at 95 Church St. that abuts Grenville Park. Two unexploded, 2.5-inch fireworks shells with 12 to 14 ounces of gunpowder apiece were found in their backyard on July 9, more than a week after the Pyrotecnico show, Coulombe said.

In interviews Monday the couple said they are afraid to use their yard and blasted Pyrotecnico.

“This is my home, something could explode, and these guys from Pyrotecnico are pooh-poohing it. If this was their back yard, what would they think?” Buelow-Cascio said. The family said their homeowner’s insurance carrier advised them to file an action against Pyrotecnico with the state housing court.

Several calls placed to Vitale have not been returned.

State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan said it is not uncommon to find unexploded shells following an event. What is unheard of, he said, is the failure to recover them during the “first light” search the following day.

The shooter for the Grenville Park fireworks show was former Ware resident David Bilodeau. His certificate of competency from the state fire marshal, which enabled him to shoot off fireworks, was suspended on July 10. Bilodeau’s hearing has also been postponed at the request of his lawyer. He has possessed the fireworks certificate of competency license since 1993. Calls placed to his cell phone and to his Springfield house number were not returned.

Stuart suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was taken to Baystate Medical Center. His condition was not available Thursday.

LUDLOW -- Springfield Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet, negotiating with a suicidal retired Springfield police officer in the woods behind his home Wednesday night, “bravely attempted to disarm” the man after he shot himself, police said.

Retired sergeant George Stuart, 71, was taken to Baystate Medical Center after the shooting. His condition was not immediately available Thursday morning

“If the subject survives his injuries, it is because of the commissioner’s brave actions,” a press release issued by the Ludlow Police Department reads.

The daylong standoff, which began with a mid-morning fire at Stuart’s 795 Center Street home, prompted a large-scale police response and the closing of roads on both sides of the large wooded area.

Guided by Lt. James Penniman, a state police negotiator, Fitchet and Ludlow Police Chief James J. McGowan negotiated with Stuart for approximately seven hours in an effort to diffuse the standoff.

Hampden District Attorney Mark Mastroianni said Wednesday night that the situation ended when Stuart, an expert marksman, fired at least two shots.

An official in a western Massachusetts town says a representative of Gov. Deval Patrick asked that potholes on the road leading to the governor's holiday home be filled prior to a fundraising visit by first lady Michelle Obama.

The Associated PressMassachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick speaks, as Health and Human Services Secretary JudyAnn Bigby listens at right, during a news conference at the Statehouse in Boston Thursday, June 28, 2012 where he spoke about the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The individual insurance requirement at the heart of the law is being hailed by officials and advocates as a vindication for Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

RICHMOND, Mass. (AP) — An official in a western Massachusetts town says a representative of Gov. Deval Patrick asked that potholes on the road leading to the governor's holiday home be filled prior to a fundraising visit by first lady Michelle Obama.

Richmond Town Administrator Matthew Kerwood says a staffer from the Democratic governor's office called this week and asked for the fix on the road near Patrick's home, where he's hosting a $20,000-a-seat dinner on Aug. 3 for the president's re-election fund.

Kerwood tells the Boston Herald the road is actually in neighboring West Stockbridge, so he passed the request on to his counterpart there.

Both men said the request was no big deal, but it drew criticism from Republicans who said Patrick is burdening taxpayers.

Neither the governor's office nor his campaign commented.

A two-year college in Boston that specializes in educating working women from low-income and immigrant backgrounds is on the verge of closing due to financial troubles and a scuttled alliance with another school.

BOSTON (AP) — A two-year college in Boston that specializes in educating working women from low-income and immigrant backgrounds is on the verge of closing due to financial troubles and a scuttled alliance with another school.

Urban College will notify its 600 students this week that fall classes could be canceled, although leaders say they remain hopeful that another college or nonprofit, and private donors, step forward to close a $250,000 deficit.

Most of Urban College's students have been out of high school for a decade or more, and 40 percent have been on welfare. Many are single mothers.

College officials learned Tuesday that a proposed merger with Endicott College in Beverly had collapsed.

Trustees chairman Peter Ebb tells The Boston Globe the school will do whatever it takes to stay open.

The house sauce is of the slow-cooked, deeply seasoned variety. Plenty of garlic and hints of onion define its flavor profile, and the texture is more about smooth than chunky.

Salvatore's at 1331 Boston Road in Springfield.

While food trends of all sorts dominate many of today's restaurant experiences, there remain those operations content to serve up the tried and true.

Salvatore's Italian-style Ristorante is an example. Located on Boston Road just east of Pasco Road, the restaurant, from decor to bill of fare, has been little affected by the passing years.

The decor still reflects the decorative overstatement that underscores the Italian-American restaurant tradition, and Salvatore's remains a red-sauce eatery with a resolutely 1950s vision of what Italian cookery should be about.

The menu offers pasta choices like Spaghetti & Meatballs ($11.99), Cheese Ravioli with Marinara ($12.99), Lasagna ($13.99), and Ziti Zamboni ($13.99), the last a casserole style preparation that features mushrooms, peppers, sausage, and mozzarella.

Seafood choices include a traditional Baked Scrod ($16.99), Shrimp Florentine ($17.99), and Linguine with Clam Sauce ($15.99)

Among the eight veal dishes the menu lists are Veal Marsala ($17.99) and Veal Scallopini ($17.99); chicken can be enjoyed in familiar forms like Chicken Francese ($15.99) and Chicken Broccoli Ziti ($14.99).

Beef Marsala ($21.99) and several steak cuts are also available.

The appetizer list reflects a similarly staid culinary philosophy. Clams Casino ($8.99) and Fried Calamari ($8.99) are available, as is Antipasto ($7.99 for one) and stuffed Mushroom Caps ($6.99).

We started out by sharing an order of Fried Mozzarella ($5.99). No surprises in what we got; the eight chunky sticks had been battered, deep-fried, and plated alongside a dish of the house marinara.

To its credit, the cheese itself didn't confront us with the resolutely rubbery texture fried mozzarella too often has. However, the cheese's crisp breading had been seasoned more with an eye for cocktail lounge consumption than appetizer duty; it was quite salty.

The house sauce, a building block of many of the restaurant's dishes, is of the slow-cooked, deeply seasoned variety. Plenty of garlic and hints of onion define its flavor profile, and the texture is more about smooth than chunky.

Veal and Eggplant Parmigiana ($16.99) is an entree that exemplifies the restaurant's penchant for large portions. A plate-sized cutlet of breaded veal is shingled with fried, thinly sliced eggplant, than finished in the parmigiana style -- a topping of sauce, a generous layering of mozzarella and parmesan, and a trip under the broiler to melt the cheese.

We liked the hearty combination of flavors the dish presented, but the allotment served far exceeded our capacity to enjoy.

Baked Sea Scallops ($17.99) is the type of simple seafood presentation Italian restaurant typically offer to complement their pasta selections.

Prepared in a casserole and topped with a stuffing of buttered cracker crumbs, the scallops were simple but likable. Our only grumble was that those few scallops that hadn't been completely adequately insulated with the crumb mixture ended up slightly overcooked -- and thus dry and chewy.

Accompaniments for entrees include ziti with marinara or French fries. Salad or soup and a loaf of Italian bread are also included.

The salads were simple compositions of greens and garnishes, while the minestrone we sampled had the requisite tomato-and-bean character. However, the presence of summer squash, carrot, and zucchini transformed the soup into something more akin to a summer vegetarian stew.

Salvatore's, which is fully licensed, maintains a relatively short wine list that favors familiar labels.

A rather lengthy dessert agenda describes choices like cannoli, cheesecake, carrot cake, and chocolate raspberry mousse cake.

A wedge of Spumoni ($2.29) featured the traditional pistachio, cherry, and chocolate ice cream flavors as well as a vanilla dessert sauce squiggle.

The Tiramisu ($6.99), we'd guess, was made off site. Though impeccably fresh, the dessert had the distinctive taste of commercial bakeshop sponge cake.

Lunch at Salvatore's features many of the restaurant's dinner specialties -- Baked Stuffed Manicotti ($6.99), Veal Francese ($7.99) -- resized for midday enjoyment.

Supplementing such options is a selection of sandwiches and grinders.

On weekend evenings Salvatore's features live entertainment in the restaurant's lounge.

Name: Salvatore's
Address: 1331 Boston Road, Springfield
Phone: (413) 782-9968
Hours: Dinner served Sunday through Thursday 4 P.M. to 9 P.M.; Friday and Saturday 4 P.M. to 10 P.M.; Lunch served 11 A.M. to 3 P.M. Monday through Friday
Entree Prices: $9.99 - $24.99
Credit Cards: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Handicapped Access: Accessible, with rest rooms equipped for wheelchairs
Reservations: Accepted

Mitt Romney's wife is reinforcing her husband's refusal to make public several years of tax returns, saying "we've given all you need to know" about the family's finances.

The Associated PressIn this April 23, 2012 file photo, Ann Romney, wife of Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks at the Connecticut GOP Prescott Bush Awards dinner in Stamford, Conn., on the eve of Connecticut's primary. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitt Romney's wife is reinforcing her husband's refusal to make public several years of tax returns, saying "we've given all you need to know" about the family's finances.

Ann Romney tells ABC News she thinks the Obama campaign's attacks on her husband have been "beneath the dignity of the presidency." And she says people will decide whom to vote for based on whether their lives would be better under Mitt Romney than President Barack Obama..

She says that ultimately she believes voters are "going to fire the coach."

Mrs. Romney says the family gives 10 percent of its income to the church and he took no salary during his four years as governor of Massachusetts. She says that should be enough to put aside people's concerns about her husband's finances.

"Mad Men," a piercingly bleak portrait of a 1960s American anti-hero, earned a leading 17 Emmy nominations Thursday and the chance to set a new record as the most-honored drama in television history.

The Associated PressIn this publicity photo released by AMC, Jon Hamm as Don Draper is shown in Season 5, Episode 1, of "Mad Men." The nominations for the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards are announced on Thursday, July 19, 2012. "Mad Men" is making a bid at Emmy Awards history to win its fifth best drama series trophy. (AP Photo/AMC, Ron Jaffe)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "Mad Men," a piercingly bleak portrait of a 1960s American anti-hero, earned a leading 17 Emmy nominations Thursday and the chance to set a new record as the most-honored drama in television history.

"Mad Men," which has won four best drama series trophies and is tied with "Hill Street Blues," ''L.A. Law" and "The West Wing," received a fifth bid in the category.

The miniseries "American Horror Story," a nightmarish saga about a haunted house, received a matching 17 awards, including an acting nod for star Connie Britton.

Other leading nominees include the elegant British-born soap opera "Downton Abbey," which earned 16 bids, and two miniseries, "Hatfields & McCoys," with 16, and "Hemingway & Gellhorn" with 15.

"Modern Family," honored as best comedy series for the past two years, was the sitcom leader with 14 bids, but the category also saw an infusion of girl power.

Breakout comedies with women at their center — in fashion after the box-office success of "Bridesmaids" — proved alluring to Emmy voters.

"Girls," creator-star Lena Dunham's darkly comedic coming-of-age New York story, received a best comedy nod and an acting nomination for its star, Lena Dunham. Zooey Deschanel's offbeat charm in "New Girl" earned her an acting bid.

"Girls" is HBO's "current spin on 'Sex and the City,' which was a strong past Emmy favorite," said Tom O'Neil, editor of the Gold Derby awards website.

Emmy darling Julia Louis-Dreyfus, with past wins for "Seinfeld" and "New Adventures of Old Christine," earned an acting nod for "Veep."

Betty White, 90, brought her brand of female empowerment to the nominations, earning a best reality series host nod for "Betty White's Off Their Rockers." A no-show in the category was perennial winner Jeff Probst of "Survivor."

Top nominations were announced by Kerry Washington of "Scandal" and by Jimmy Kimmel, who will host the awards and who filled in Thursday for Nick Offerman of "Parks and Recreation," who was held up by weather-related travel delays on the East Coast.

"This is a sex dream, isn't it," joked Kimmel, ABC's late-night host, who arrived on stage at the TV academy dressed in pajamas.

The Emmy ceremony is scheduled to air on ABC on Sept. 23.

The two-bedroom railroad apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side is listed for $2,400 a month -- up from $360 when Obama lived there.

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York City apartment where Barack Obama lived in the 1980s is available for rent. But there's no guarantee it'll inspire presidential aspirations in the next occupant.

The website listing states: "Live Like the President!!!." But a Citi Habitats broker listing the apartment this week told the Wall Street Journal that the flat was "a typical New York City walk-up."

The two-bedroom railroad apartment on Manhattan's Upper West Side is listed for $2,400 a month.

When Obama shared the 109th Street apartment with a roommate while attending Columbia University, the monthly rent was $360.

Broker Zak Kneider says he had received nine emails inquiring about the apartment by Wednesday evening.

The Massachusetts unemployment rate remained steady at 6 percent in June, but preliminary estimates show the state lost 2,600 jobs during the month.

The Associated PressIn this Monday, June 18, 2012 photo Trey Fortes, right, speaks with Jason Monteiro, of Hudson, Mass., left, during a job fair in Boston. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts unemployment rate remained steady at 6 percent in June, but preliminary estimates show the state lost 2,600 jobs during the month.

The June job figures were released on Thursday by the state Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

The state's 6 percent unemployment rate compares to the national jobless rate of 8.2 percent in June.

The estimated loss of 2,600 jobs in Massachusetts last month comes on the heels of revised estimates from the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics that showed a gain of 5,000 jobs in May.

The state picked up a total of 32,700 jobs during the first half of 2012.

Pittsfield police are looking for a 3-year-old girl apparently caught in a custody battle between her biological parents.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) — Pittsfield police are looking for a 3-year-old girl apparently caught in a custody battle between her biological parents.

Police think Alexis Hodges is with her mother, Amanda Babcock, and the woman's boyfriend, Jeffrey Kucka.

Police said Wednesday they think all three are still in the Berkshires because Babcock and Kucka have ties to the area. The couple is thought to be in in a green, 1994 Jeep Cherokee Sport with Massachusetts license plate 588 EE3.

Police say the case involves a custody battle, but gave no other information.

A relative of the child's father tells The Berkshire Eagle that Michael Hodges was awarded full custody of Alexis and the girl was supposed to be turned over to him a week ago.

Not only is outdoor burning illegal, Lt. Thomas Paquin said, but it is particularly dangerous in times like these where there has been a lack of rain recently.

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File photo by Dave Roback / The RepublicanHolyoke Fire Department personnel head up the Mount Tom access road in July to help with the rescue of stranded hikers.

HOLYOKE – Firefighters were back fighting a brush fire in the woods between Community Field and Scott’s Tower Wednesday.

Lt. Thomas G. Paquin said Thursday the fire presented a chance for another warning that outdoor burning, including fire pits, is illegal and especially dangerous in periods where lack of rain has left the landscape so dry.

“Besides being illegal, it’s also because of the dry conditions we’re having that it makes it extremely important not to do any outdoor burning,” Paquin said.

The five-hour effort to extinguish flames embedded in brush debris came after a similar fire in the same area Tuesday required hours and dragging of hoses 700 feet into the woods in 95-degree heat, he said.

The fires in both cases were believed to have started as a result of someone living in the woods and using a fire pit, he said.

Officials searched the woods and were unable to find anyone despite seeing a few areas that had tents, a couch, other belongings and charred areas where camp fires had burned, he said.

Firefighters began dealing with the fire Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. and it burned three acres, he said.

On Tuesday, firefighters had to use chainsaws to deal with the fire in the woods between Community Field, which is off Cherry Street, and Scott’s Tower.

Community Field reopened last month after a year-long renovation that cost $3.1 million.

The renovations included improvements to water drainage for the neighborhood, a refrigerated ice skating path (opening in December), warming shelter, a pavilion, picnic areas, a water spray pad, a dog park, walking and hiking paths, open space, parking lot and access road improvements, plantings and landscaping, new playground equipment, improved lighting, and a video security system.

Brown was one of 3 Senate Republicans who voted in favor of ending debate on the Democratic-sponsored Bring Jobs Home Act, saying he "wanted the Senate to turn its attention toward jobs legislation."

Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., crossed party lines on Thursday to vote in favor of ending debate and voting on a Democratic-sponsored bill aimed at preventing companies from outsourcing. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

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Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown crossed party lines on Thursday to vote in favor of ending debate and voting on a Democratic-sponsored bill aimed at preventing companies from outsourcing.

In a statement, Brown did not say outright that he supports the underlying legislation, but said he wants to have that discussion. "I voted to move forward with debate because I wanted the Senate to turn its attention toward jobs legislation,” Brown said. “With the struggling economy and continuing jobs crisis, this is the conversation we need to have."

The Bring Jobs Home Act, which was sponsored by Michigan Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow, aims to help companies that bring jobs back to the U.S. from overseas. It would give businesses a tax credit for 20 percent of their expenses associated with bringing business activities back to the United States. It would also change a provision of the tax code that allows businesses to deduct from their taxes the cost of moving part of a company to a new location. The bill would keep that deduction in place for businesses that move within the U.S., but eliminate the deduction for businesses that relocate overseas.

The Hill reported that Senate Republicans, even without Brown’s vote, still blocked the bill from getting the 60 votes needed to advance debate, in a 56-42 vote. In addition to Brown, Maine Republican Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe joined Democrats in voting to proceed with the bill.

Unions have been major supporters of the bill, because it could help bring jobs back to local workers. President Barack Obama supports the bill. A statement from Obama’s Office of Management and Budget said, “Senate passage of this bill is consistent with the Administration's commitment to support economic growth, job creation, and business investment in the United States, and serves to discourage outsourcing in all sectors of the economy, but particularly in our manufacturing sector.”

Republicans have opposed the bill. The Republican Policy Committee, a group that represents Republican senators, said by giving preferential treatment to companies that do their work domestically, the bill “would corrupt the tax neutrality that allows the free market to work and would make the tax code more complex.” According to the Joint Committee on Taxation, cited by Senate Republicans, the bill would increase the deficit by $1 million this year and $87 million over 10 years.

The Hill reported that Finance Committee member Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican, said the bill is “devoid of serious content because it is product of political rather than economic priorities.”

Brown also crossed party lines recently to support the Democratic-sponsored Small Business Jobs and Tax Relief Act. That bill, also supported by the Obama administration, would give a tax credit to companies that hire additional workers this year. It would also extend a tax deduction allowing businesses to write off the full cost of a major purchase in the year it is made. Brown was one of two Republicans – the other being Nevada Sen. Dean Heller – to vote in support of ending debate and voting on that bill. Republicans still had enough votes to block the bill from going forward.

Brown has made his bipartisanship a hallmark of his campaign against Democrat Elizabeth Warren.

Warren spokeswoman Alethea Harney dismissed the votes as political cover for Brown. “Scott Brown has a long record of marching in lockstep with the Republican leadership to block legislation to create jobs, keep tax subsidies for oil and gas companies and protect tax loopholes for billionaires,” Harney said. “His record is clear. Just as it's clear that today Republican leaders called the shots and gave up the votes of vulnerable Republicans like Brown and Dean Heller when it was obvious the bill would fail without their votes. [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell knows when he needs Brown's vote, he'll get it, but he also knows that a vote today is not as important as control of the Senate in January.”

The Massachusetts Democratic Party has said Brown’s record on offshoring is inconsistent. In a statement, party officials pointed to a 2010 bill, the Creating American Jobs and Ending Offshoring Act, which Brown voted against. That bill would have given U.S. employers a two-year break from paying payroll taxes on new hires within the U.S. who replaced workers doing the same job overseas. The bill also changed specific tax laws relating to offshoring. CNN reported that the Democratic-sponsored bill “came out of nowhere” and was not discussed by any Senate committee. Republicans dismissed it as an election year ploy.

“Instead of trying to bring jobs back to Massachusetts and keep them here, Scott Brown voted to keep the incentives that encourage businesses to ship them overseas," said Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair John Walsh.

George Stuart, a 71-year-old retired Springfield police sergeant, is in fair condition at Baystate Medical Center after suffering from a gunshot wound, apparently self-inflicted, in the woods behind his home at 795 Center St. Wednesday night following an hours-long standoff with police.

The Red Sox received cash considerations.

BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox traded right-handed pitcher Justin Germano to the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations.

Signed as a free agent in January, Germano appeared threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings in his one appearance with the Red Sox. In 16 starts for Triple-A Pawtucket, he posted a 2.40 ERA with 72 strikeouts and 13 walks.

The new prices for lunch are will be $2.50 for elementary school students and $2.75 for middle and high school students.

File photo | The Republican

MONSON - School lunch prices will increase 25 cents for the 2012-2013 school year, according to Superintendent Patrice L. Dardenne.

The increase was approved at the School Committee meeting on Wednesday. The new prices for lunch are as follows: $2.50 for elementary school students, up from $2.30, and $2.75 for middle and high school students, up from $2.50, Dardenne said.

He said this was the first increase since the 2008-2009 school year. Dardenne added that the revolving account for this program has been "exhausted" and food prices have become more expensive.

Twenty-eight percent of students buy school lunch.

The actress will star in Theresa Rebeck's "Dead Accounts," a five-character comedy that will be directed by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien.

AP file photoKatie Holmes

NEW YORK (AP) — Katie Holmes has decided what her first major acting project will be since announcing her divorce from Tom Cruise: Broadway.

The actress will star in Theresa Rebeck's "Dead Accounts," a five-character comedy that will be directed by three-time Tony Award winner Jack O'Brien, producers said Thursday.

All eyes were on Holmes' next step as a single woman. Was it to be a big film or a small one? Or more TV? Her decision to return to the physically strenuous eight-show-a-week life of a Broadway stage actress indicates a willingness to jump into the deep end.

Her last appearance on Broadway, which also marked her debut, was in the 2008 production of "All My Sons." The news that she will return to a Times Square stage is also a signal that she may intend to stay in New York City.

Holmes first came to stardom in the teen soap opera "Dawson's Creek," and had roles in such well-regarded films as "The Ice Storm," `'Go" and "Wonder Boys."

After Holmes began dating Cruise, she took a three-year break from acting that concluded with the poorly received heist film "Mad Money." She followed that up with the wedding drama "The Romantics" and small roles in the comedies "The Extra Man" and Adam Sandler's "Jack and Jill," and the thrillers "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" and "The Son of No One." Though she starred in "Batman Begins" in 2005, she pulled out of "The Dark Knight."

Reviews for her work in Arthur Miller's classic 1947 "All My Sons" were mixed, with The Associated Press saying Holmes "has a striking physical presence, although not much vocal variety" and USA Today saying "At best, she exhibits a girlish exuberance that could serve her well in certain stage roles."

The new Rebeck play, which had its world premiere at the Cincinnati Playhouse this winter, will open on Broadway this fall at the Music Box Theatre. Dates and other casting news will be announced later.

"Dead Accounts" centers on a son who returns to his family's home in Cincinnati flush with money, which raises red flags for his sister, who is living with their elderly parents. Holmes will play the sister role, a not-very-glamorous part for a woman who has lately landed on the cover of every tabloid.

Producers in a statement said the comedy "tackles the timely issues of corporate greed, small town values and whether or not your family will always welcome you back."

Holmes' announcement comes on the heels of word earlier this month that she and her soon-to-be-former husband had reached a divorce agreement. She and Cruise were married in Italy in 2006 and they have a 6-year-old daughter, Suri.

Rebeck, who was a driving force in the first season of NBC's "Smash," has written several plays, including the recent Broadway hits "Seminar" and "Mauritius."