U.S. Sen. Scott Brown's re-election campaign has employed two famous speechwriters whose resumes boast big-ticket Republicans from the top of the George W. Bush administration to Bob Dole and Sarah Palin.

File photo | The RepublicanIn this Republican file photo, U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., speaks at the Bay State Jobs Fair, which he hosted at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Memorial Drive in Chicopee.

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U.S. Sen. Scott Brown's re-election campaign has employed two famous speechwriters whose resumes boast big-ticket Republicans from the George W. Bush administration to Bob Dole and Sarah Palin.

Speechwriters and communications specialists John McConnell and Matthew Scully were each paid $7,500 for consulting on June 12, according to Federal Election Commission data originally reported by the Boston Globe.

Scully's work history includes writing gigs for former President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, but his most recent acclaim came when it was revealed he was the mind behind Palin's well-received speech at the 2008 Republican National Convention after Republican Sen. John McCain choose her for his running mate in his presidential bid.

McConnell served the Bush administration with a number of duties including serving as both deputy assistant to the president and assistant to the vice president. According to his profile on Harvard University's Institute of Politics website, he penned several of Bush's speeches, including a few given after the terrorist attacks of 2001 and the eulogy for President Ronald Regan.

Brown is embattled in a heated campaign against Democratic Harvard Law University professor Elizabeth Warren to keep the Senate seat he won in a 2010 special election following the death of longtime Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Brown has raised $18.6 million in the current election cycle and spent approximately $11.8 million. Warren has raised $24.3 million since declaring her candidacy and spent $10.8 million.

The race is being billed as the most expensive Senate campaign in history and has drawn national attention and interest because of its potential to determine which political party will control the U.S. Senate.

Springfield officials believe the new excise tax crackdown will increase payments by $500,000 or more the first year.

Photo by Mark Murray / The RepublicanA Springfield parking enforcement official checks a wheel clamp commonly referred to as a Denver boot on this car at 57 Taylor St.

SPRINGFIELD - Many motorists are “getting the boot” in Springfield under a new law that allows the city to immobilize parked cars when the owners have long-delinquent excise taxes.

Under the law, the Springfield Parking Authority has the power to immobile a parked car, known as “booting,” and can then have the car towed if the owners fail to pay their delinquent excise taxes within 24 hours, kept stored until the bill is paid. The overdue bills are detected by drive-by electronic scanning of license plates of parked cars.

As of Thursday at noon, 19 cars were booted during the first week of the excise tax crackdown, triggering the collection of $6,370 in excise taxes, and $1,375 in parking tickets, according to City Hall officials. Each owner also faced a fee of $100 for the booting attachment/removal, and any towing and storage fees, officials said.

In addition, the news of the new law and “word of mouth” have likely spurred many people to pay their excise taxes rather than risk being booted, said Stephen N. Lonergan, city treasurer-collector.

Local officials say they conservatively estimate the new program will generate payment of an additional $500,000 in overdue excise taxes during its first year, but the amount could be higher, Lonergan said. The city is owed approximately $5.6 million in delinquent excise taxes, according to records.

The home rule bill to allow booting was sponsored by City Councilor Timothy J. Rooke, and was recently passed by the Legislature and Governor, affecting Springfield only. Other communities could choose to file similar bills.

“It clearly is working,” Rooke said. “I think this is a great example of how I have been stressing that the city look at more efficient ways to govern, and stress efficiencies over increased fees and taxes.”

The booting presently occurs if there are unpaid excise taxes from fiscal year 2011, or prior years.

The Parking Authority was already using a “license plate reader” mounted to one of its vehicles during the past two years to scan license plates and to have cars booted in cases where there are five or more unpaid parking tickets, said Ehsanul “Bokul” Bhuiya, the authority’s interim parking manager.

Under an agreement with the city, the authority expanded that program to include the excise tax crackdown. Installation of Denver boots is being handled by the city's towing contractor, CJ's Towing.

“It’s very effective,” Bhuiya said. “People are paying. It obviously is a tool that has worked in other cities, so we implemented it.”

The authority’s single scanning unit was purchased by the city, and cost roughly $16,000, officials said. The effectiveness of the program will be analyzed quarterly to determine if additional units are warranted, he said.

The parking authority oversees on-street and off-street parking, with parking revenues going to the city.

Rooke said New Haven is among communities that use the booting to go after excise tax delinquents.

In communities such as Holyoke and Westfield, officials did not see any immediate need for the booting system, sometimes referred to as the Denver boot, to compel payment.

People who owe excise taxes already can be “marked” with the state Registry of Motor Vehicles for unpaid excise taxes, officials said. When marked, it requires motorists to pay the taxes before they can renew their registration or driver’s license.

In Springfield, those who are booted should have received multiple notices of their overdue taxes, Lonergan said.

Rooke praised the council, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, and legislators for backing the Springfield program.

In Westfield, City Collector Michael J. McMahon said he does not see the need to incorporate the use of the Denver boot. Multiple notices include financial penalties, he said.

“We’ve got a pretty good handle on it here,” he said. “We have no intention at this time of using the boot.”

In Holyoke, Tax Collector David Guzman said the city uses warning letters and the state Registry of Motor Vehicles to try to get excise-tax money owed by procrastinating vehicle owners.

“I think it’s been as successful as anything else we’ve done,” Guzman said. “It’s been successful to the point where people come in, and they want their license or their registration, and they’ll pay everything. But, really, the boot seems like a good idea.”

Staff writer Mike Plaisance and correspondent Manon Mirabelli contributed to this report. 

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee wrote in an email to supporters that it had collected $800,000 for Warren, with an average donation of $17.

Massachusetts U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren answers questions from local media in Springfield.

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• Sen. Scott Brown votes with Democrats on bill discouraging outsourcing

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) told its supporters on Thursday that it raised $800,000 for Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts over the past year.

Warren has so far raised nearly $25 million, outraising Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown in a race that is projected to be one of the most expensive in the country. A number of liberal advocacy groups have helped her significantly, with the PCCC likely being the largest. The fundraising has allowed Warren to close the fundraising gap with Brown, who had $6 million left over from his 2010 election. Brown currently has $15.5 million cash on hand, compared to $13.5 million for Warren.

Both sides have noted the influence of groups like the PCCC in Warren’s campaign. Brown has repeatedly referred to Warren’s campaign as being funded by out-of-state groups. “Warren may have the support of the out-of-state, left-wing interest groups, but no amount of money can change the fact that she supports job-destroying tax hikes that would crush our struggling economy," Brown campaign finance director John Cook said recently.

For Warren, the assistance of these groups – which often collect small-dollar donations online – allows her to tout the high number of small, grassroots donations she has received. The PCCC wrote in its email that the average donation it collected for Warren was $17.

In a recent release, the Warren campaign noted that 81 percent of its donations were $50 or less and more than half were $25 or less. “Elizabeth Warren has fought hard to create a level playing field for middle class families. It is those men and women who are fueling this campaign,” said Warren Campaign Manager Mindy Myers.

The PCCC launched a “Draft Warren” campaign one year ago to convince Warren to run for the Senate.

In its email marking the one-year anniversary of the campaign, the PCCC referenced a controversy surrounding recent statements by Democratic President Barack Obama that anyone who starts a business does so with the help of others – and of government. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has attacked that statement as being unfriendly to business.

Warren made a similar comment nearly a year ago, and the PCCC cited those remarks. Warren, the PCCC wrote, is “inspiring a nation — holding Wall Street accountable and making the case for government by saying, ‘There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own. Nobody!’"

The Massachusetts Senate and House leaders have all but finalized a sales tax holiday for the second weekend in August.

File photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanDaniel L. Evans, salesman at Manny's TV and Appliance in Wilbraham looks over one of the many TV's that were be up available for last year's free holiday. Plans are on tap for another sales tax holiday this year.

BOSTON - A sales tax holiday in Massachusetts appears set for the second weekend of August, amid criticism that it costs state government too much in lost revenues.

The Massachusetts Senate voted 31-6 on Thursday to approve the tax-free shopping for Aug. 11 and 12 as an amendment to a larger bill to encourage economic development. During the two days, the 6.25 percent sales tax is suspended for most items worth $2,500 or less.

During the Senate debate, Sen. Michael R. Knapik, a Westfield Republican, said the sales tax holiday amounts to a $20 million tax cut. Knapik noted that state legislators recently approved $49 million bailout for the public transit system in Greater Boston.

"Let's give the citizens a bailout," Knapik said.

The state House of Representatives, which has overwhelmingly voted to approve prior holidays, appears to agree with the Senate. While the full House has yet to take a vote, Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and the House budget leader, Rep. Brian S. Dempsey, a Haverhill Democrat, issued a statement, saying they are supporting a sales tax holiday for Aug. 11 and 12 and are filing a separate bill to advance it.

The Republican photo by Don TreegerMichael Knapik

In addition to the sales tax holiday, the Senate economic-development bill provides $50 million for research and development grants for the University of Massachusetts and other universities and institutions that need a state match to go along with federal and possibly private dollars. The bill, similar to one approved in the state House of Representatives, also includes $5 million for workforce development, tax credits for corporations and a provision to create a web site to help promote small businesses.

A sales tax holiday has been held seven out of the past eight years in Massachusetts, but the state's top elected official - Gov. Deval L. Patrick - has said he has not been enthusiastic about the event.

During a ceremony on July 8 to sign the state's $32.5 billion budget for the new fiscal year, Patrick said past sales tax holidays have been financed from projected revenues in the state budget. This year, Patrick is asking legislators to pay for the tax break by approving $20 million he included in legislation.

Patrick said the loss of the $20 million puts pressure on an already tight budget. He said he is proposing to transfer $20 million from one-time settlements or judgments received by the state.

File photo by Bill Greene / Boston GlobeDeval Patrick

"Identifying funds to support an initiative that generates revenue for retailers and delivers savings to consumers at the outset of the fiscal year is responsible and prudent, ensuring the state will be able to afford forgoing sales tax collections for a weekend next month," Alexandra Zaroulis, fiscal spokeswoman for Patrick, added in an e-mail on Thursday.

It's unclear if legislators will approve the $20 million.

Michael J. Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, said it would be helpful to approve Patrick's bill for $20 million, but that would still mean the holiday would be costing revenues that would be better spent in education and human services.

"It comes down to a choice," he said. "How do you spend $20 million?"

Widmer said the holiday is more gimmick and public relations than anything else. But he expects it to be approved because it is politically popular and difficult to oppose.

Widmer said studies show that a sales tax holiday generates little increased activity, other than some small additional purchases. Most people just shift planned purchases of items to the tax-free weekend, he said.

Widmer noted that there is never any sales tax on clothing priced $175 or less, or groceries in Massachusetts.

Jon B. Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, said he disagrees "100 percent" with people who say the holiday costs the state revenues.

Hurst said the holiday creates an incentive for people to shop in Massachusetts and basically recovers money that would be spent in New Hampshire, which has no sales tax, or on Internet sites that don't charge the tax. Hurst said many shoppers are buying over the Internet with their smart phones. "We need a better understanding of what is happening in the real world," Hurst said.

Hurst said 18 states are holding sales tax holidays this year, including a limited event in Connecticut from Aug. 19-25. The 6.35 percent sales tax would be suspended only on sales or purchases of clothing or footwear costing less than $300 during the week in Connecticut.

Hurst said he appreciates the governor's support for the holiday but he sees no need to approve $20 million to pay for the event.

Founded in 1994, California-based Dream Foundation serves for than 2,500 dreams a year and expects a record number of requests in 2012. Watch video

The Republican | Dave RobackHasbro volunteers gather at the home of Janet Parent, (seated right) to award the family with a Dream Foundation trip to Disney along with various Hasbro products. Reacting to the presentation are from left daughters Beatrice Parent and Allysen Parent. Janet Parent is dealing with cancer.

EASTHAMPTON — A family living with cancer will get a chance to spend four days at three Orlando theme parks thanks to the California-based Dream Foundation and Hasbro Inc., in East Longmeadow.

“We are so blessed,” Janet K. Parent said Thursday when Hasbro employees formally dropped off the family’s airline tickets, park passes to Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and Sea World Orlando and gifts. “We have gone through so much in last two years. Always it has been filled with blessings of people loving us and lifting us up. God is good.”

Janet Parent, 49, was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer in 2010. Her disease had already spread to her liver. She was given a two- to three-year prognosis in 2010.

Three weeks ago, when Dream Foundation told her for sure she’d been awarded the trip, Parent said she spoke with her doctors at Baystate Medical Center about going in September when the Florida weather would be cooler. She said they advised her not to wait. The family leaves soon.

But, as she wrote in her application letter to Dream Foundation, the hard part for her is watching her husband, Alleyn, and children, Allysen, 18, Noah, 15, and 12-year-old Beatrice, take this journey at her side.

Founded in 1994, the foundation caters to more than 2,500 dreams a year and expects a record number of requests in 2012. It is the first and largest national organization that grants wishes for adults like Janet Parent facing a life-threatening illness, said spokeswoman Erinn Lynch. To be eligible, recipients must have a year or less of life expectancy and the foundation does verify the diagnosis with doctors.

Recipients typically ask for dreams that involve their families, Lynch said. Other recipients have asked for simple reunions with long-lost loved ones or trips like the Parent family. Some people ask to meet a celebrity.

“Sometimes a young adult will ask to spend a day doing some sort of job, especially if their career had to be put off because of their illness.”

George E. Burtch, vice president of marketing for Hasbro Inc. in East Longmeadow, said Hasbro has been a partner of the Dream Foundation for about two years. Employees in Longmeadow have assisted in fulfilling one other dream in the region: A 35-year-old mother with cancer also wanted to take her family to Disney World.

“We take a role when there are young children involved,” he said.

Being from Hasbro, Burtch dropped off a big bag of games including the game “Life,” a favorite in the Parent household.

“We love playing games as a family,” Janet Parent said.

She said she doesn’t plan on overdoing it once she gets to Florida.

“I just want to spend the time making memories as a family,” she said. “We really want to just capture those special moments. I might just find a place to sit where I can watch the kids play,” she said. “If all we do is go to a parade and see the fireworks one night, that would be great.”

Contact the Dream Foundation at www.dreamfoundation.org or call (805) 564-2131.

Selectmen have approval over gravel pit operations.

The Republican | Michael S. GordonThe Ludlow Town Office Building

LUDLOW — The Board of Selectmen has continued a hearing on a request to remove gravel from property at 1115 Center St. until Aug. 7 at 8 p.m.

Selectmen said two cease and desist orders were filed to stop Jose Fernandes from removing gravel from the site. Fernandes leases the property from the Joaquim Machado family trust.

Gina Fernandes said she and her husband were “blindsided” by the order to cease gravel removal from the site.

Last October, Fernandes withdrew his application for site plan approval from the Planning Board for a paint ball and go-cart facility on the site.

Selectmen said there is a question over whether the trustees of the property have approved removal of the gravel. James Machado, who is a trustee of the property, told selectmen that he is opposed to removing the gravel from the site.

Selectmen Chairman Jason Barroso said 225,000 tons of material is being removed from the site. “That’s a massive amount of material,” he said. He said that much gravel cannot be removed “without oversight.”

Selectman Aaron Saunders said that the board first needs to determine that the owners of the property are opposed to removal of the gravel before acting on a special permit for the gravel removal. There are also concerns about the impact of earth removal on the nearby Springfield Reservoir and surrounding walking path, Saunders said.

Town Attorney David Martel said selectmen need a letter from the trustees confirming that the trustees are opposed to removal of the gravel.

The proposal must still be approved by the House and signed by the governor before becoming law.

Photo illustration / The RepublicanThe Massachusetts Senate gave approval to an expanded bottle bill Thursday that calls for requiring deposits on such containers as plastic water bottles.

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Senate has given supporters of an expanded bottle bill a surprise win.

With no debate Thursday, the Senate approved the proposal as an amendment to a jobs and economic development bill.

The proposal would extend the state’s bottle bill to include containers that hold water, iced tea and other non-carbonated beverages. The current law assesses a refundable nickel deposit on carbonated beverage bottles, including beer and soda.

Just last month the bill appeared dead on Beacon Hill.

The bill’s critics have argued that expanding the existing law would amount to a new tax on consumers and hurt small businesses that would be required to handle increased bottle returns.

The proposal must still be approved by the Massachusetts House and signed by Gov. Deval Patrick before becoming law.

Nazzaro has served as the Springfield's dispatch director since 2010, and previously was a dispatcher in Northampton.

View full sizeSubmitted photoMelissa Nazzaro poses with the Massachusetts Jeff Grossman 9-1-1 Award, which she was given for her work as Springfield dispatch director.

SPRINGFIELD — Melissa Nazzaro, the city’s dispatch director, received the 18th annual “Jeff Grossman 9-1-1 award” on Thursday, recognized for her outstanding commitment and advocacy of public safety communications.

Representatives of the Jeff Grossman 9-1-1 Award Foundation Inc., members of the Grossman and Nazzaro families, co-workers and city officials gathered at the City Hall ceremony to honor Nazzaro.

Nazzaro said she was “humbled and honored” by the award in memory of Jeff Grossman, who was described by the foundation as a man who “without consideration for personal gain or recognition, devoted a significant part of his life to the challenge of improving public safety.”

Nazzaro has been working in emergency communications since 2000, and worked as a public safety dispatcher for Northampton prior to being hired as dispatch director in Springfield in 2010.

She is a member of the Western Regional Homeland Security Advisory Council, and represents the region on the Statewide Interoperability Executive Committee. She regularly promotes regional training for telecommunicators, officials said.

Speakers, including Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet, spoke of the outstanding efforts of Nazzaro and her department after the tornado of June 1, 2011, but said her commitment and professionalism is year-round.

The award is presented annually to a public safety official, dispatcher, supervisor, engineer, or 9-1-1 call taker or Public Safety Answering Point manager who exemplifies the traits of Grossman.

Grossman was credited with being largely responsible for the implementation of a statewide 9-1-1 system in Massachusetts. He served as an interim director for Massachusetts 9-1-1 prior to his death in September 1992 after being diagnosed with cancer in 1986 and having a liver transplant.

Nazzaro and her department face “the day-to-day grind, all the things that can go wrong, all the misery that can come in,” Fitchet said.

Interim Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant said the award was “well deserved.”

Nazzaro recalled watching the television show “Rescue 911” as a young girl and thinking how difficult that job would be to receive continuous emergency calls and dispatch help.

She said she never imagined she would be honored for her service in such a field.

The city receives roughly 105,000 calls over 911 each year.

If approved, the bill would bar parole for felons after their third conviction for a violent crime, if at least one of the past crimes had carried a prison sentence of three years or more.

File photo / Associated PressThe Massachusetts Senate Sergeant at Arms leaves the Senate Chamber to escort the governor back prior to the swearing in of new members at the Statehouse in Boston, Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2011.

By BOB SALSBERG

BOSTON – The father of a murder victim and the brother of a slain police officer joined lawmakers Thursday in urging Gov. Deval Patrick to sign a bill aimed at cracking down on repeat violent criminals.

The compromise measure, which also reduces some mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders, was approved by the Senate on a 31-7 vote, one day after a similar overwhelming vote in the House.

The so-called “three strikes” legislation would bar parole for felons after their third conviction for a violent crime, if at least one of the past crimes had carried a prison sentence of three years or more.

Les Gosule, whose daughter Melissa Gosule was kidnapped, raped and murdered in 1999 by a man with 27 prior convictions, had long advocated for the measure.

Gosule watched Thursday’s vote from the Senate gallery with Chuck Maguire, whose brother, Woburn police officer John Maguire, was gunned down on Dec. 26, 2010, after responding to a botched jewelry heist. The officer’s killer, Dominic Cinelli, was a career criminal who’d been paroled the previous year.

“My daughter would be alive today, Chuck’s brother would be alive today,” if a habitual offender law had been in place earlier, Gosule told reporters after the vote. “There are multiple people who have been raped, stabbed, murdered. This is not a bill about two people.”

Said Maguire, “I’m here because everyone knows that my brother was killed by the worst person in the world, someone who should never have been out.”

By sending the bill to Patrick’s desk on Thursday, the Legislature appeared to leave itself enough time to act before the close of the session on July 31 should the governor, who has ten days to review the bill, veto it or seek amendments.

Patrick had sought what he called a “balanced” bill that would reform the state’s sentencing laws by not only cracking down on the most violent of criminals but also eliminating many of the mandatory minimum sentences imposed on non-violent drug offenders.

Patrick, in a television interview before final passage, gave a lukewarm assessment of the bill.

“It’s not a bad bill, it’s just not as good as it could have been,” Patrick told the “Greater Boston” program on WGBH-TV. “And it’s not the last word. We really have to come back to this whole question of mandatory minimum sentencing and whether that works anymore.”

Critics said there was no reliable data to suggest the three strikes rule would make the public safer, and warned it would exacerbate prison overcrowding.

During Thursday’s debate, Sen. Sonia-Chang Diaz read a letter of opposition from the 10-member Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus. Citing statistics that showed blacks and Latinos make up a majority of the state’s prison population, the caucus criticized the bill as an “unacceptable missed opportunity” to correct the disparity.

Sen. Cynthia Creem, who was the chamber’s lead negotiator on a conference committee that produced the final version of the bill, also voted no, citing the lack of a “safety valve” mechanism that under limited circumstances would give judges latitude to grant parole to three-time violent felons.

The bill “seeks to replace human judgment with the cold machinery of automated justice,” Creem said.

The legislation was also criticized by district attorneys who had sought other provisions, including greater wiretapping power for prosecutors.

The bill would also shrink the zone around schools in which crimes carry enhanced sentences from the current 1,000 feet to 300 feet, and would shield from possible prosecution a person who calls police to report a drug overdose.

Gosule said he hoped Patrick would keep an earlier pledge to support the bill: “He promised me that if this bill was a fair bill, a balanced bill, he would sign the bill and the bill’s name would be the Melissa Gosule bill.”

WMECO hopes to have power restored by around 10 p.m.

Republican file photo

WEST SPRINGFIELD - An electrical outage originating in the area of Amostown Road Thursday night has left close to 1,000 customers without power, according to an official with Western Massachusetts Electric Co.

The outage, which was reported shortly before 9 p.m., is being blamed an an "equipment issue," said WMECO spokeswoman Ashley Duncan. She said she did not know specifically what the issue was and was waiting for additional information from crews responding to the scene.

Crews had just arrived and were beginning their assessment of the scene and scope of the outage, she said.

As of 9:15 p.m., the number of outages totaled 971.

The utility hopes to have power restored to most customers around 10 p.m., she said.

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The Boston Globe reports that an executive with the Swedish furniture giant told the city of Somerville of its decision Thursday, writing to Mayor Joseph Curtatone that the company believes its store in Stoughton is sufficient for the state and that it will now sell the property in Assembly Square.

Batman fans role play while waiting for the opening for "The Dark Knight Rises,"€ the third Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles Thursday, July 19, 2012. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

• Box office report: 'Dark Knight Rises' eyeing north of $25 million in midnight runs [The Hollywood Reporter]




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Police dispatchers say calls about the shooting started coming in about 12:30 a.m. Friday from a mall theater that was showing the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises."

An updated version of this story posted at 8:44 a.m. can be found here.

UPDATE, 8:15 a.m.: The Denver Post is reporting that police have revised the total number of people killed to 12. Initial reports indicated as many as 14 people had died. A number of people are in critical condition at area hospitals.

AURORA, Colo. — A gunman opened fire early Friday at a suburban Denver movie theater on the opening night of the latest Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," killing 14 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said.

The gunman, who is in custody, stood at the front of the theater and fired into the crowd about 12:30 a.m. MDT at a theater at a multiplex theater in a mall in Aurora.

"Witnesses tell us he released some sort of canister. They heard a hissing sound and some gas emerged and the gunman opened fire," Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said at a news conference.

Police, ambulances and emergency crews swarmed on the scene after frantic calls started flooding the 911 switchboard, officials said.

Officers found the gunman near a car behind the theater.

"A gas mask, rifle, handgun at least one additional weapon (were) found inside," he said.

The suspect was taken into custody, but no name was released. Oates said there's no evidence of any other attackers. There was also no immediate word of any motive.

The suspect spoke of "possible explosives in his residence. We are dealing with that potential threat," Oates said, without providing details on where that was.

He said police also checked for explosives in the parking lot and at the Century 16 theater and secured those areas.

Witness Hayden Miller told KUSA-TV that he was inside Theater 16 and heard several shots.

"Like little explosions going on and shortly after that we heard people screaming," he told the station.

Hayden said at first he thought it was part of a louder movie next door. But then he saw "people hunched over leaving theater."

The police chief said 10 victims died at the theater and four at area hospitals.

Two people in critical condition were rushed to nearby Swedish Medical Center, spokeswoman Nicole Williams said.

She said emergency crews told her staff to prepare for several more patients from the shooting scene.

The youngest victim reported was a 6-year-old being treated at Children's Hospital Colorado, where a total of six victims were taken. Their condition wasn't known.

Their condition wasn't known. Aurora is located on the southeast outskirts of Denver, about 10 miles from downtown.

A Springfield man and woman, both 18, are suspected of breaking into a half-dozen vehicles or more in the East Forest Park neighborhood.

Retired police officer George Stuart, who was shot during an armed standoff in Ludlow Wednesday, is seen in happier times in this undated photo supplied by WSHM-TV, CBS3, Springfield.

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) Springfield Police Commissioner William Fitchet credited with 'bravely' attempting to disarm retired police officer George Stuart during standoff in Ludlow [George Graham]

2) Retired police officer George Stuart had scheduled divorce hearing on morning of armed standoff in Ludlow Photo at right. [The Republican Newsroom]

3) Springfield police arrest city man and woman, both 18, following spate of vehicle break-ins in East Forest Park neighborhood [George Graham]

4) ALDI discount grocery store wins permit to open facility off Riverdale Street in West Springfield [Sandra Constantine]

5) Actor Fred Willard arrested on suspicion of committing lewd act [Associated Press]

Here are the average energy prices in the Pioneer Valley for the week.

Sgt. Dan Bruno says two separate incidents occurred sometime during the overnight hours and were reported by the homeowners in the morning.

EAST LONGMEADOW - Police received two reports Thursday morning of malicious activity focused on residents' mailboxes.

Sgt. Dan Bruno says two separate incidents occurred sometime during the overnight hours and were reported by the homeowners in the morning.

At about 7:55 a.m., a resident at 42 East Circle Drive reported their mailbox was struck. Bruno could not say exactly what it was struck with, but it did suffer some damage.

In another incident, a homeowner at 35 Hampden Rd. discovered around 9 a.m. that their mailbox was removed. It was found down the street undamaged.

Last week, a mailbox at 28 South Brook Road was destroyed, blown up by an M-80.

Bruno says there's nothing to indicate that the two acts of mischief are connected to last week's incident.

View Recent mischief/vandalism involving mailboxes in a larger map

Police say a 12-year-old Fitchburg boy has been charged with raping a 63-year-old neighbor.

FITCHBURG, Mass. (AP) — Police say a 12-year-old Fitchburg boy has been charged with raping a 63-year-old neighbor.

The suspect, whose name has not been made public because of his age, was charged with aggravated rape and home invasion for allegedly attacking the woman in her home earlier this month while armed with a hammer.

Police say the suspect and victim knew each other.

The boy entered the woman's home on July 8 and allegedly pushed her.

The boy was not arrested until Wednesday because police building their case.

The arrests occurred during the Monster Jam truck show at Lebanon Valley Speedway, located near the Massachusetts border 25 miles southeast of Albany.

NEW LEBANON, N.Y. — State police say a three-day "monster" truck show in a rural eastern New York town kept them busy this week, with multiple arrests and accidents reported.

Troopers say the eight people they arrested between Monday and Wednesday in the Columbia County town of New Lebanon were charged with marijuana possession, driving while intoxicated or driving while ability impaired. Those arrested included three local residents, three people from neighboring Massachusetts and one from Vermont.

The arrests occurred during the Monster Jam truck show at Lebanon Valley Speedway, located near the Massachusetts border 25 miles southeast of Albany.

Troopers say they also investigated eight accidents and incidents on and around the speedway grounds during the three-day event.

Obama says his administration will do everything they can to support the people of Aurora, Colo.

An updated version of this story posted at 8:44 a.m. can be found here.

KEN THOMAS, Associated Press

MANALAPAN, Fla. (AP) — President Barack Obama says he is "shocked and saddened" by a deadly shooting at a suburban Denver movie theater. He is urging the nation to "come together as one American family."

Obama says he and first lady Michelle Obama were shocked by the "horrific and tragic" shooting. Obama says his administration will do everything they can to support the people of Aurora, Colo.

A gunman opened fire early Friday at a theater on the opening night of the latest Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises." Authorities say 14 people were killed and at least 50 others were injured.

Obama was in Florida at the time of the shooting. The White House says Obama was informed of the shooting by his Homeland Security Advisor, John Brennan, at 5:26 a.m. EDT.

A roundup of coverage of the shootings.

AP Photo | Ed AndrieskiPolice are pictured outside of a Century 16 movie theatre where as many as 14 people were killed and many injured at a shooting during the showing of a movie at the in Aurora, Colo., Friday, July 20, 2012.

An updated version of this story posted at 8:44 a.m. can be found here.

• 12 killed, 50 wounded at Aurora movie theater [The Denver Post]
• Live updates and social media stream [The Denver Post]
• Photos: Shooting at Aurora Theater [The Denver Post]
• Theater shooting witness: 'I thought I was gonna get shot' [9News.com]
• 14 Killed in Shooting at Colorado Theater [The New York Times]
• 14 dead, 50 wounded in shooting at Colorado theater, police chief says [CNN]

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

A Colorado police spokesman has revised the death toll in a movie theater mass shooting, saying at least 12 are dead.

The Associated PressAn Aurora Police officer talks on his radio outside of the Century 16 theater at Aurora Mall where as many as 14 people were killed and many injured at a shooting at the Century 16 movie theatre in Aurora, Colo., Friday, July 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — A gunman wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into a crowded movie theater in suburban Denver at a midnight opening of the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises," killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said.

Moviegoers didn't know what was happening and some thought the attack was part of the show. Then they saw a silhouette of a person in the smoke at the front of the theater near the screen, pointing a gun at the crowd.

"I told my friend 'we've got to get out of here,' but then he shot people trying to go out the exits," Jennifer Seeger told NBC's "Today." She said the shooter made his way up the aisle, firing as he went, saying nothing.

Federal law enforcement officials identified the suspect as James Holmes, a 24-year-old American.

Holmes is in police custody, and the FBI says there is no indication that incident is tied to any terrorist groups.

The federal law enforcement officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation

Some of those injured are children, including a 3-month-old infant who was shot.

Police earlier said 14 people were dead, but later revised the number to at least 12. It was not immediately clear for the reason for the revision.

Witness Shayla Roeder said she saw a young teenage girl on the ground bleeding outside the theater.

"She just had this horrible look in her eyes .... We made eye contact and I could tell she was not all right," Roeder said.

Victims are being treated for chemical exposure apparently related to canisters thrown by the gunman. The shooter was arrested shortly after the attack at 12:30 a.m. MDT at the multiplex theater at a mall in Aurora.

It was the worst mass shooting in Colorado since the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. Students Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, opened fire at the school in the Denver suburb of Littleton, about 15 miles west of Aurora, killing 12 classmates and a teacher and wounding 26 others before killing themselves in the school's library.

Aurora police spokesman Frank Fania on ABC's "Good Morning America" said he didn't know yet if all the injuries were gunshot wounds. He said some might have been caused by other things such as shrapnel.

Police, ambulances and emergency crews swarmed on the scene after frantic calls started flooding the 911 switchboard, officials said.

Officers came running in and telling people to leave the theater, Salina Jordan told the Denver Post. She said some police were carrying and dragging bodies.

Officers later found the gunman near a car behind the theater.

"A gas mask, rifle, handgun at least one additional weapon (were) found inside," he said.

The suspect was taken into custody, but no name was released. Oates said there's no evidence of any other attackers. There was also no immediate word of any motive.

The suspect spoke of "possible explosives in his residence. We are dealing with that potential threat," Oates said.

A large truck lettered "bomb squad" arrived near an Aurora apartment complex where the suspect is believed to have lived, about four miles from the theater. Dozens of police squad cars, vans and other vehicles were already at the scene, along with black-clad officers carrying automatic weapons.

Police evacuated residents of the building. Oates did not say whether any explosives had been found.

He said police also checked for explosives in the parking lot and at the Century 16 theater and secured those areas.

President Barack Obama said he was saddened by the "horrific and tragic shooting," pledging that his administration was "committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded."

Moviegoers spoke of their terror as violence erupted and people around them fell victim.

Benjamin Fernandez, 30, told the Post that he heard a series of explosions. He said that people ran from the theater and there were gunshots as police shouted "get down!"

Fernandez said he saw people falling, including one young girl.

Jordan told the paper that one girl was struck in cheek, others in stomach including a girl who looked to be around 9-years-old.

Jordan said it sounded like firecrackers until someone ran into Theater 8 yelling "they're shooting out here!"

Hayden Miller told KUSA-TV that he heard several shots.

"Like little explosions going on and shortly after that we heard people screaming," he told the station.

Hayden said at first he thought it was part of a louder movie next door. But then he saw "people hunched over leaving theater."

The police chief said 10 victims died at the theater and four at area hospitals.

At least 24 people were being treated at Denver area hospitals.

KUSA reported that some hospitalized victims were being treated for chemical exposure, related apparently to canister thrown by gunman.

Eleven people were being treated at the Medical Center of Aurora for gunshots and ranged from minor to critical condition. Two others walked in to be treated for tear gas contamination.

Denver Health had seven victims — one in critical and the rest in fair condition.

The youngest victim reported was a 6-year-old being treated at Children's Hospital Colorado, where a total of six victims were taken. Their condition wasn't known.

Two people in critical condition were rushed to nearby Swedish Medical Center, spokeswoman Nicole Williams said.

Aurora is on Denver's east side and is Colorado's third-largest city with 327,000 residents. It is home to a large Defense Department satellite intelligence operation at Buckley Air Force Base, as well as The Children's Hospital, the University of Colorado Hospital and a future Veterans Affairs hospital.