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Arsons continue in Forest Park; 2 new cases brings 3-day total to 9

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None of the 9 incidents since Wednesday caused significant damage, but the high number in such a short span in one neighborhood is of great concern to the fire department.


SPRINGFIELD
- The number of intentionally set fires over the past three days in a several-block area of Forest Park continued Friday with the discovery of the eighth and ninth such incidents, a Fire Department spokesman said.

Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, said that on Friday afternoon residents of Kimberly Avenue and Burton Street discovered their vehicles had been targeted.

In each case, someone stuffed a rag inside the opening to the fuel tank and then ignited it. In neither instance did the vehicle’s fuel tank catch fire; Each vehicle sustained only burn damage to the paint around the fuel tank entrance, Leger said.

None of the nine incidents since Wednesday caused significant damage, but the number in such a short span in one concentrated neighborhood is of great concern to the fire department, Leger said.

Members of the city Arson and Bomb Squad are continuing to look for those responsible. Leger said investigators are not disclosing any information about possible suspects.

It is not yet certain if the nine incidents involved the same suspect or suspects, he said.

“It appears at this time that they could be related,” he said.

The Kimberly Avenue vehicle fire was reported at about 1 p.m. and the one on Burton Street was reported at about 4:15 p.m.

Leger said fire investigators believe each vehicle was targeted hours earlier, possibly in the middle of the night when four other fires were reported in the same neighborhood between midnight and 12:45 a.m.

Just after midnight, someone threw a Molotov cocktail, the name for a bottle loaded with flammable liquid and a burning wick, at A Touch of Garlic Restaurant, 427 White St.

Roughly 20 minutes later, a vehicle at 15 Kimberly Ave. was found with a burning rag in the opening to the fuel tank.

At 12:42 a.m., some trash outside the gas station at 295 Allen St. was reported on fire, and three minutes later, some more trash was set on fire outside 223 Allen Street.

CBS 3 Springfield - WSHM

The Springfield Arson and Bomb Squad was already investigating three earlier incidents since Wednesday afternoon, when a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a house. It bounced off and burned up in the driveway.

Ten hours later at 12:30 a.m. Thursday, as many as five of the same devices were thrown at a house on Palm Avenue. One of those devices ignited and caused minor damage to a the exterior of the home and some shrubbery, Leger said. At 3:30 p.m. Thursday, firefighters were called to 33 Kimberly Ave. where some type of cloth or cardboard material soaked in fuel was wrapped around a bush and set on fire.

Residents are being asked to remain on alert for any suspicious activity, and contact the fire department if they have any information.

The Springfield Arson & Bomb Squad can be contacted at 413-787-6370. Those who wish to remain anonymous may text a tip via a cell phone by addressing a text message to “CRIMES,” or “274637,” and then beginning the body of the message with the word “SOLVE.”


View Forest Park arson fires July 18-20 in a larger map


After Colorado movie theater shooting, President Obama and Mitt Romney speak as parents

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For a day, at least, President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney stopped assailing each other and spoke as heartbroken parents.

Mitt RomneyRepublican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney hugs supporters after he spoke about the shootings in Colorado at an event in Bow, N.H., Friday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — For a day, at least, President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney stopped assailing each other and spoke as heartbroken parents.

The Colorado movie theater massacre upended the presidential campaign on Friday, obliging both candidates to cast aside the increasingly bitter tone of the race and reach for a rare moment of American harmony. Yet the moment itself was a political test, for a president charged with consoling a nation and for a challenger needing to show that he could rise to the occasion.

"There are going to be other days for politics," Obama said from one key electoral state, Florida. From another one, New Hampshire, Romney said much the same.

It was more than an unusual case of agreement between the political foes. At times, they sounded just like each other, speaking of evil and of prayer, of the unfulfilled dreams of those killed, of the need to put aside daily and petty grievances to appreciate life and show compassion to others.

The president openly wondered of his 14-year-old and 11-year-old daughters: "What if Malia and Sasha had been in the theater?"

Addressing a crowd that had gathered for what was expected to be a raucous political rally, he said somberly, "Michelle and I will be fortunate enough to hug our girls a little tighter tonight, and I'm sure you will do the same with your children."

Likewise, Romney said to his audience, "Each one of us will hold our kids a little closer." He said, "I stand before you today not as a man running for office, but as a father and grandfather, a husband, an American."

Amid their calls for unity and prayer, both men said nothing of gun control, a polarizing issue that has been all but absent from the campaign debate this year. Both Romney and Obama have shifted with the times, moving away from stances that favored tougher gun control laws.

The issue may rise anew.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a gun control advocate, said, "You know, soothing words are nice, but maybe it's time that the two people who want to be president of the United States stand up and tell us what they are going to do about it. ... Instead of the two people — President Obama and Gov. Romney — talking in broad things about they want to make the world a better place, OK, tell us how."

On Friday, Obama and Romney swiftly stripped their day of overt campaigning that surely would have seemed crass given the enormity of the tragedy. They scrambled to yank all their television spots, attack ads or otherwise, from Colorado stations — though strongly critical ads continued elsewhere. Both campaigns pulled their top surrogates off the politically driven talk shows this Sunday.

Nothing else mattered as the country absorbed the news that a man opened fire on people watching the new Batman movie in an Aurora, Colo., theater outside Denver. Twelve people were killed and dozens more were wounded by a suspect said to be using an assault rifle, a shotgun and a handgun in the attack.

"If there's anything to take away from this tragedy, it's the reminder that life is very fragile," Obama said in Fort Myers, Fla.

Barack ObamaPresident Barack Obama leaves after talking about the events in Colorado in Fort Myers, Fla., Friday. Obama said the tragic movie theater shooting in Colorado that left 12 people dead is a reminder that life is fragile. He says the event "reminds us of all the ways that we are united as one American family."

"What matters at the end of the day is not the small things, it's not the trivial things, which so often consume us and our daily lives," Obama said. "Ultimately, it's how we choose to treat one another and how we love another."

Romney spoke outside a Bow, N.H., business, at a podium stripped of campaign paraphernalia, in front of a large American flag. He set a tone by saying that he and his wife, Ann, joined Obama and first lady Michelle Obama in offering condolences to those whose lives had been shattered.

"This is a time for each of us to look into our hearts and remember how much we love one another, and how much we love and how much we care for our great country," Romney said.

In Florida, Obama was notified at dawn about the shootings. He canceled a second Florida event and came back to the White House, immediately getting an Oval Office briefing about the investigation. The U.S. flag at the White House was lowered to half-staff, and Obama ordered similar action at all federal facilities.

Obama telephoned Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates and told him to expect full support from the FBI and other federal law enforcement agencies.

It was unclear whether, after the first shock, the episode would inject the volatile issue of gun rights into the election debate.

Twenty years ago, polls showed that a substantial majority — nearly 80 percent in 1990 — supported stricter limits on guns. Now Americans appear evenly divided between those who want tougher restrictions and those who want to stick with current laws.

As a U.S. senator, Obama voted to leave gun makers and dealers open to civil lawsuits, and as an Illinois state lawmaker he supported a ban on all forms of semiautomatic weapons and tighter state restrictions generally on firearms. Romney backed some gun control measures when he was governor of Massachusetts, and when he challenged Sen. Edward Kennedy in 1994 he declared, "I don't line up with the NRA."

This spring, competing for the Republican presidential nomination, Romney told the NRA he was a guardian of the Second Amendment.

Following last year's killing of six people and the wounding of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Ariz., Obama called for a series of steps to "keep those irresponsible, law-breaking few from getting their hands on a gun in the first place."

Among those steps was a better federal background check system. The administration said Friday that it has indeed improved the amount and quality of information poured into that system, allowing background checks to be more thorough.

But the administration has offered no detailed, public explanation of how it is following up on all of Obama's previous promises, and it had no comment about any need for new legislation.

"The president believes that we need to take common-sense measures that protect Second Amendment rights of Americans, while ensuring that those who should not have guns under existing law do not get them," presidential spokesman Jay Carney said.

Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said the Republican candidate believes the "best way to prevent gun violence is to vigorously enforce our laws."

Others, particularly Mayor Bloomberg, were looking for more specificity.

The question is simple, he said in a radio interview: "What are they going to do about guns?"


Josh Beckett's early struggles sink Sox in game against Blue Jays

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Josh Beckett now has a 10.69 ERA in the first inning of games.

josh-beckett-struggles.jpegBoston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine, right, talks with starting pitcher Josh Beckett in the dugout during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Fenway Park in Boston, Friday, July 20, 2012.

BOSTON – If Josh Beckett never had to take the mound in the first inning the Boston Red Sox probably wouldn’t be heading into the trading deadline in a frantic search for a starting pitcher.

Unfortunately, the nature of Beckett’s job requires him to take the hill at the start of games, where he’s been about as effective as a newspaper umbrella in a hurricane.

And the storm struck again Friday as Beckett gave up a bunch of runs early to sink the Red Sox (48-46), as they fell to the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-1, at Fenway Park.

The Blue Jays (46-47) jumped on Beckett for two first-inning runs, continuing a troubling trend that has been the culprit behind Beckett’s disappointing season. In the first inning of games he’s posted a 10.69 ERA. In the subsequent innings, the figure drops to 3.75.

"Obviously the results are not where you want them to be," Beckett said. "You just have to keep going out there."

Those figures didn’t foreshadow the exact course of Beckett’s performance Friday night, as idled on the mound well into the second inning. It didn’t matter. A triple, a fielder’s choice and a pair of singles already had Toronto up 2-0 and on its way to victory by the time the sixth hitter stepped into the batter’s box.

Some of that was bad luck. On the first run, Colby Rasmus was awarded home when it appeared Kelly Shoppach blocked him from touching the plate, but there was no question about the two runs Beckett surrendered in the second inning on a walk and a pair of doubles.

By the end of the frame, the Boston righty stood slumping on the mound under the weight of a chorus of boos and a chant of “Let’s go Blue Jays” from the 38,093 in attendance.

"Made a couple of bad pitches in the first couple of innings and they scored four runs," manager Bobby Valentine said. "But he had pretty good stuff tonight."

Beckett briefly atoned for his misgivings by retiring eight consecutive batters before allowing an unearned run in the fifth inning, but by then there wasn’t a rug large enough to cover his mess.

He gave way to Andrew Miller after the sixth inning, down 5-0, after allowing seven hits and three walks. He struck out seven.

"I can't say that I'm looking at whole lot of positives out of that outing," Beckett said. "I got burned."

The lackluster effort came on a night when Boston’s hitters couldn’t find an answer for Toronto starter Aaron Laffey.

Boston’s only real scoring threat came in the seventh inning when two men reached base with no outs, but Laffey managed to dance out of danger.

Laffey threw seven scoreless innings, walked none, and struck out four. He threw six scoreless innings in his last meeting with the Red Sox June 26, a 5-1 Toronto loss.

"He threw a lot of strikes and we hit a lot of balls at their players," Valentine said. "It was one of those nights they couldn't find the hole."

The Red Sox are hoping that starts like Beckett’s performance Friday will soon become a thing of the past.

Entering Friday’s action the starting pitchers had a cumulative ERA of 3.19, down from the 4.81 they posted during the first half of the season.

The highlight of that run by the starters came Thursday when Clay Buchholz struck out six, walked one, and gave up one run to the Chicago White Sox over eight innings. After the game, he commented that he felt similar to how he did in 2010 when he went 17-7 with a 2.33 ERA.

While it is a small sample, the recent performance has the Red Sox optimistic about the second half of the season.

“I think we have quality guys who are starting who really haven’t gone on a continuous roll together,” Valentine said before the game. “Part of that is because of some injuries, and the things that have happened in the first part of the season.

“Now, they’re healthy, they’re feeling good about themselves, and I think that’s a good way to get on a roll.”

Getting Beckett going earlier in games would be a big step toward achieving that goal.

Reported duffel bag found inside Walmart in Northampton; area evacuated

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The package was reportedly a duffel bag found in the store's entrance.

NORTHAMPTON - Northampton police tell The Republican and MassLive.com's media partner CBS 3 Springfield that they are investigating a suspicious package near the Walmart at 180 North King Street.

Hamp Scanner reports the package was in fact a duffel bag in the entrance.

The area has been evacuated and the road blocked off to traffic.

The State Police Bomb Squad has been called to the scene.

abc 40/Fox 6 says an employee called about a package inside the store around 9:30 p.m.

Police are not releasing any details at this time, but are expected to have a report soon.

CBS 3 Springfield - WSHM

Romney plans foreign trip, audition as US leader

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Aides say it's a chance for the candidate to forge links with strong U.S. allies and show that he'll stand up for shared values.

Mitt RomneyRepublican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks at a campaign event in Bow, N.H., Friday, July 20, 2012. Romney auditions on the international stage next week as he travels to England, Israel and Poland looking to establish credibility as a potential commander in chief in his challenge to President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney auditions on the international stage next week as he travels to England, Israel and Poland looking to establish credibility as a potential commander in chief in his challenge to President Barack Obama.

For the Republican presidential hopeful — a former private equity executive and Massachusetts governor with little formal experience overseas — it's a chance to demonstrate competence in settings often occupied by presidents. He'll hold formal meetings with foreign leaders, give public speeches and visit historic sites.

Aides say it's a chance for the candidate to forge links with strong U.S. allies and show that he'll stand up for shared values.

There's also risk: Romney, sometimes prone to misstatements, faces higher stakes wading into delicate diplomatic disputes than he does on the more familiar campaign trail at home. And executing a complicated trip through three countries over a weeklong span presents the most difficult logistical challenge Romney's campaign has yet faced.

The centerpiece of the trip is a politically delicate visit to Israel, where he meets with top leaders who are closing in on a critical decision about whether to launch a military strike on Iran that is opposed by the Obama administration. The relationship with Israel and the question of what to do about Iran's suspected nuclear weapons ambitions represent one of the starkest contrasts between Obama and Romney, who mostly has defined his foreign policy largely in terms of his opponent.

"If we re-elect Barack Obama, Iran will have a nuclear weapon. And if you elect Mitt Romney, Iran will not have a nuclear weapon," Romney said last year at a GOP primary debate focused on foreign policy.

The Israel visit comes on July 28, when Romney will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S. Ambassador Daniel Shapiro and President Shimon Peres. Romney advisers won't say if he will visit the West Bank, but he does plan a meeting with Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian Authority prime minister.

The trip will be Romney's fourth visit to Israel — he visited in 2011 and gave a speech at the Herzliya Conference in 2007, an address his advisers say will guide his visit next week.

"I believe that Iran's leaders and ambitions represent the greatest threat to the world since the fall of the Soviet Union, and before that, Nazi Germany," Romney said during his 2007 speech.

The trip will also allow him to reach out to Jewish voters in the U.S. — and also to evangelical Christians, a critical portion of the Republican base traditionally zealous about protecting the Jewish state.

"I think, by and large, you can just look at the things the president has done and do the opposite," Romney told an evangelical Christian group in June when asked how he would approach the American relationship with Israel.

Israel is just one of the areas where Romney has drawn sharp contrasts with Obama without always outlining a clear alternative. He's done that with a series of international events, including a crisis over Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng and a hot-mic comment Obama made to then-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

But Romney's advisers said he plans to be careful not to be seen obviously attacking the president while overseas, following longstanding tradition that U.S. politicians don't criticize their own country's leader while abroad.

For Romney, the trip will highlight an area where polls show he lags behind his Democratic opponent. A CBS/New York Times poll this week gave Obama a 47 percent to 40 percent lead over Romney on which candidate Americans think would better handle foreign policy.

Romney plans to outline his foreign policy vision in a speech Tuesday to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Reno, Nev., before flying to London and the Olympic Games. He goes to Israel from there and finishes in Poland. While abroad, he plans major speeches in Jerusalem and Warsaw, though advisers say he'll steer clear of outlining specific policy proposals in those addresses.

Romney does not plan to stop in Afghanistan, where the U.S. is still fighting a decade-long war, or Iraq, where Obama ended U.S. military involvement as promised. Visiting Afghanistan could have drawn a war-weary public's focus to the ongoing conflict and forced Romney to outline more specifics on how he would handle the war as president. So far, Romney has sought to keep his options open on questions like when to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

Obama visited Afghanistan during the 2008 campaign, but the then-Illinois senator was part of a larger congressional delegation.

Romney visited Afghanistan in 2011. Aides said he's skipping it this time because of a tight schedule.

Throughout the trip, Romney will face inevitable comparisons with Obama, whose overseas trip to seven countries during the 2008 campaign culminated with a speech to an audience of 200,000 at the Victory Column in Berlin.

At his first stop, in London, Romney plans meetings with British Prime Minister David Cameron, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, Foreign Secretary William Hague, and Ed Miliband, who leads the opposition Labour Party. He plans fundraisers, where attendees will likely include bankers and others from London's financial sector.

Great Britain is America's most important global ally, and the special relationship between the two countries is a primary focus for any new president or secretary of state. Typically, meetings with British leaders are among the first any new American leader holds after taking office.

The Olympics, kicking off July 27 in London, could also offer Romney opportunities for additional meetings with foreign leaders, many of whom will be there for the beginning of the games. Romney advisers said efforts continue to set up additional meetings.

Romney plans to attend the Olympic opening ceremonies and some of the early competitions. The events offer Romney an opportunity to highlight his record at the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, where he was brought in to run the organizing committee following a bribery scandal. So far, he hasn't talked much about his role at the Olympics on the campaign trail, and it's been mostly absent from his TV commercials. That's likely to change in London, where Romney plans a major interview with NBC News' Brian Williams.

Romney isn't part of the official U.S. presence at the international competition. First lady Michelle Obama will lead the U.S. delegation.

In Poland, Romney will visit a deeply Roman Catholic country that for years has favored Republicans over Democrats. The visit, campaign officials said, comes at the invitation of Lech Walesa, the Polish labor leader who co-founded the Solidarity movement and served as Poland's president during the country's transition out of communism. Romney will meet with Walesa in the Solidarity birthplace, Gdansk, and also hold meetings in Warsaw.

In Poland, Romney will have an opportunity to criticize Obama's so-called political "reset" with Russia after U.S.-Russian ties deteriorated badly under President George W. Bush, as well as the Obama administration's decision not to build a missile defense base in Poland.

Romney has referred to Russia as America's "No. 1 geopolitical foe."

He'll likely receive a warm welcome. Poles have never showed the enthusiasm for Obama that Germans and other Western Europeans did, and his popularity there has declined further during his years in office. But for Romney, the critical audience for his Poland trip is likely the many U.S. citizens with Polish ancestry who live in critical swing states across the American Midwest.

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Associated Press Deputy Polling Director Jennifer Agiesta in Washington and writer Vanessa Gera in Poland contributed to this report.

Springfield man shot in the back, refusing to cooperate with police

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The man's injures are non-life threatening.

SPRINGFIELD - A Hispanic man suffered birdshot wounds to his back during an incident in the rear of 40 Washburn St. in the city's Brightwood neighborhood just after 3:30 a.m.

Police say they have recovered the weapon, a shotgun, but so far the victim, identified as 34-year-old Jose Monge, is not cooperating.

Monge lives on Washburn Street.

He was taken Baystate Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

Callers reported that one man went down and another fled the scene limping, police said.

The second man has not yet been found, and police have told area hospitals to be on the lookout, as the man, also described as Hispanic, may be wounded.


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Suspicious item found at Walmart in Northampton "not a threat"

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Sgt. Caputo could not confirm what the item was, but said the scene was cleared several hours ago.

This updates a story posted at 12:39 a.m.

NORTHAMPTON - The item reported to be a duffel bag left in the entrance to Walmart was ruled "not a threat" by the State Police Bomb Squad, according to Sgt. Victor Caputo.

Sgt. Caputo could not confirm if the item was a duffel bag, but said the scene was cleared several hours ago.

A store employee reported a suspicious package around 9:30 p.m., prompting an evacuation of the area.

Police: Colo. shooting suspect bought guns legally

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The four weapons recovered following the shootings that killed 12 and left nearly 60 people injured at a suburban Denver theater were purchased by the suspect from retail gun stores in Colorado in the last two months, authorities said Friday.

Colorado ShootingA SWAT team officer stands watch near an apartment house where the suspect in a shooting at a movie theatre lived in Aurora, Colo., Friday, July 20, 2012. As many as 14 people were killed and 50 injured at a shooting at the Century 16 movie theatre early Friday during the showing of the latest Batman movie. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)

AURORA, Colo. — James Holmes is accused of carrying out one of the worst mass shootings in recent U.S. history, but police say there was nothing illegal about the guns and ammunition he allegedly used during a Colorado movie theater attack.

"All the weapons that he possessed, he possessed legally," Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said. "And all the clips that he possessed, he possessed legally. And all the ammunition that he possessed, he possessed legally."

The four weapons recovered following the shootings that killed 12 and left nearly 60 people injured at a suburban Denver theater were purchased by the suspect from retail gun stores in Colorado in the last two months, authorities said Friday.

A federal law enforcement officer said Holmes bought one of the four guns — the first of two Glock pistols — on May 22 at Gander Mountain in Aurora, Colo. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe into the shootings is ongoing.

Larry Whiteley, a Bass Pro Shops spokesman, said records show that its Denver store followed federal rules in selling a shotgun and a Glock pistol to Holmes.

"Background checks, as required by federal law, were properly conducted, and (Holmes) was approved," Whiteley said in a statement.

Gander Mountain, which sold an AR-15 assault rifle believed to be used in the shootings at a movie theater in Aurora, said the company was in compliance with state and federal laws and that it was "fully cooperating with this ongoing investigation."

A second federal law enforcement official said Holmes had a high-capacity ammunition magazine in the assault rifle. Oates said a 100-round drum magazine was recovered at the scene.

The type of ammunition magazine Holmes is accused of using was banned for new production under the old federal assault weapon ban, said Daniel Vice, senior attorney for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

When the ban expired in 2004, gun manufacturers flooded the market with the type of high capacity magazines Holmes used Friday, Vice said.

Oates did not specify the type of rifle, but said that experts told him "with that drum magazine, he could have gotten off 50 to 60 rounds, even if it was semiautomatic, within one minute. And as far as we know, it was a pretty rapid pace of fire in that theater."

Oates said Holmes purchased ammunition over the Internet, including thousands of rounds and multiple magazines for the assault rifle.

Authorities have said that Holmes had on an all-black ensemble of protective gear at the time of the shooting. An online seller of tactical police gear told the St. Louis Dispatch (http://bit.ly/Pssg9H ) that it sold more than $300 of equipment, such as an assault vest, magazine pouches and a knife, to Holmes on July 2.

Chad Weinman, the CEO of Missouri-based TacticalGear.com, said Friday that Holmes had purchased two-day shipping for the items. He said the expedited timing for the items showed "some relevance as to what kind of mindset he was in." A message left after business hours Friday by the Associated Press was not immediately returned.

Holmes is also believed to have hurled two gas canisters into the theater before opening fire.

Holmes' gun purchases include:

— On May 28, six days after purchasing the Glock, Holmes purchased the shotgun used in the shootings from Bass Pro Shops in Denver.

— On June 7, Holmes bought the AR-15 assault rifle at a Gander Mountain store in Thornton, Colo.

— On July 6, Holmes returned to the Bass Pro Shops store in Denver and bought the other Glock pistol.

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Associated Press writers Alicia A. Caldwell, Pete Yost and Eileen Sullivan contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.


AM News Links: Colorado theater shooter due in court Monday, George Bush skipping GOP convention in Tampa, and more

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"President Bush was grateful for the invitation," his spokesman, Freddy Ford, said Friday in an email. He added that the 43rd president "is confident that Mitt Romney will be a great president. But he's still enjoying his time off the political stage and respectfully declined the invitation to go to Tampa."

forsaleAn ATF agent walks around blood stains on the sidewalk at the back of a movie theater after a shooting Friday, July 20, 2012 in Aurora, Colo. A gunman wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into the crowded movie theater killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said. (AP Photo/The Denver Post, Helen H. Richardson) TV, INTERNET AND MAGAZINES CALL FOR RATES AND TERMS


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Obituaries today: Peter J. Kendra, 63, was Chicopee firefighter

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Obituaries from The Republican

peter j. kendra.jpgPeter J. Kendra

Peter J. Kendra, 63, of Chicopee, died on Sunday, July 15, 2012 at home. Kendra was born in Holyoke on January 27, 1949. He was raised in Chicopee, graduated from Chicopee High School and was a lifelong resident of the city. He served his country in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, received the National Defense Service Medal and attained the rank of Lance Corporal. Following his military service, he returned to Chicopee and was employed for 21 years as a firefighter for the City of Chicopee, working at Station 5 in Willimansett. He was a member of the Chicopee Firefighters Local 1710 and a member of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts. He was a member of the Tigers Athletic Club and during his leisure time, he enjoyed golf and pool.

Obituaries from The Republican:

At least 21 treated for burns after walking on hot coals at Tony Robbins event

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The popular motivational speaker was hosting a 4-day gathering called "Unleash the Power Within."

Tony RobbinsMotivational speaker Tony Robbins

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Fire officials in California say at least 21 people were treated for burns after attendees of an event for motivational speaker Tony Robbins tried to walk on hot coals.

The San Jose Mercury News reports that at least three people went to a hospital and most suffered second- or third-degree burns.

Robbins was hosting a 4-day gathering called "Unleash the Power Within" at the San Jose Convention Center. Witnesses say on Thursday, a crowd went to a park where 12 lanes of hot coals were on the grass.

Robbins' website promotes "The Firewalk Experience" in which people walk on super-heated coals.

Witness Jonathan Correll says he heard "screams of agony."

Fire Capt. Reggie Williams says organizers had an open fire permit and emergency personnel were on standby.

Springfield police looking for two home invaders who beat 21-year-old with hammer

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"He was hit a couple of times," including in the head, Capt. Cheryl Clapprood said.

SPRINGFIELD - A 21-year-old was beaten by two masked men wielding a hammer after they entered a house at 173 Savoy Ave. in the city's Liberty Heights neighborhood around 2:30 a.m., according to police.

"He was hit a couple of times," including in the head, Capt. Cheryl Clapprood said.

He's being treated at the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. No one else was hurt.

There were other people in the house at the time, but they were upstairs asleep, according to Clapprood.

Police don't have descriptions of the two men, but say they're believed to be driving a blue Toyota Scion.

Clapprood said the two men asked the 21-year-old about money and drugs.


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Death Cab for Cutie thrills Mountain Park crowd

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The highlight of the night was an altogether unpredictable rendition of "We Looked Like Giants."

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HOLYOKE – Having played together for well over a decade and releasing seven studio albums in the process, it should come as no surprise that indie rock heroes Death Cab For Cutie came to Holyoke’s Mountain Park prepared to put on a show to remember.

Led by front man Ben Gibbard, the band did just that on Friday night, treating fans to an hour and a half-long set featuring songs scattered across their ever-expanding (and fairly diverse) discography.

Gibbard began the show on a quiet note, performing one of the band’s most memorable songs, the melancholy acoustic anthem “I Will Follow You Into The Dark,” before being joined by the remainder of the quartet on stage.

Performing their signature mix of catchy, melodic rock music and poetic vocals, the band would spend most of their early set jumping from one fan favorite to the next, featuring “Crooked Teeth,” “Long Division,” and the standout “I Will Possess Your Heart,” a ten-minute long bass-driven jam punctuated by sparse flourishes of guitar and keyboard melodies.

While at times the set was at risk of blurring together, the band would then launch into “Grapevine Fires,” slowing the tempo down and letting the crowd – who appeared to know the lyrics as well as Gibbard himself – catch their breath.

With Gibbard displaying his characteristic restraint on the microphone, the juxtaposition between his vocals and the music was apparent, with the band’s layered, textural sound translating surprisingly well into a surprisingly energetic live show.

In fact, Gibbard – along with guitarist Chris Walla and bassist Nick Harmer – would alternate between multiple instruments, switching between their guitars, an army of keyboard set up around the stage, and background vocals – a necessity given the dense arrangements found on their albums.

With the notes from Gibbard’s Fender Telecaster ringing clearly into the night and the booming bass drum of Jason McGerr shaking the ground, much credit should be given to the show’s unsung heroes, too – the team of sound operators at Mountain Park.

The highlight of the night, though, was an altogether unpredictable rendition of “We Looked Like Giants,” one of the band’s most energetic tunes that featured the band letting their hair down, so to speak.

Featuring prominent bass guitar and keyboards, the song remained faithful to the recorded version until about halfway through. The band would transform it into an open-ended and noisy jam session, though, which featured not only McGerr on drums, but also Gibbard himself on a drum kit constructed during the song’s interlude.

The band ended their set with “Soul Meets Body,” before appearing for a three-song encore that began in a decidedly anti-climactic fashion.

While most bands save their most popular songs for the obligatory encore performance, Death Cab for Cutie reached back to their first official recording, 2000’s “The Forbidden Love EP”, performing “Technicolor Girls.”

Going on to perform “Movie Script Ending,” off 2002’s “The Photo Album,” and “Marching Bands of Manhattan,” off 2005’s “Plans,” the band capped the night off with a trio of songs that, in chronological order, captured the evolution of one of the past decade’s most consistent acts.

Surfer Blood opened the show with a 35-minute set of catchy, up-tempo songs off their EP, “Tarot Classics,” and full-length album, “The Astro Coast.”

With one leg firmly planted in 1990s-based alternative rock and the other placed somewhere in early 1960s, the young band efficiently warmed up the crowd with their short, up-tempo songs and catchy vocal melodies.


Ware seeks grant to refurbish Grenville Park bandstand

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The town applied for a $78,400 state grant to fix the 64 year old cement structure.

Grenville Park 7112.jpgSam McQuaid, 4, of Melrose enjoys Ware's Independence Day celebration at Grenville Park on June 30.

WARE - Action to refurbish the aging bandstand in Grenville Park has begun.

The town applied for a $78,400 state grant to fix the 64 year old cement structure last week.

The total repair cost is estimated at $112,000, data provided by Town Manager Stuart Beckley shows. Jeff Harder provided the estimate at no cost to the town, Beckley said. Repairs are contingent on receipt of the state money.

Beckley said that the Ware Lions Club has pledged $8,600 for the project and town meeting would have to pony up the remaining $25,000.

At a meeting to discuss the grant application on July 9, members of the Parks and Recreation Department and Lions club representatives met with Beckley. The cement decking has deteriorated and the structure is not handicap accessible.

The ad-hoc group looked at whether to build a new structure, estimated to cost $150,000, or fix what is officially called the Ware Lions Veterans Memorial Bandstand.

“It is going to come down to money,” Lions Club member and Ware selectman John Carroll said.

The bandstand was built for less than $10,000 in 1948 by HP Cummings Construction Co., of Ware. Joseph Senecal, a Ware Lions Club member, was foreman of the project. With its main office on Prospect St., HP Cummings has been in business 133 years.

Names of victims emerge in Colorado theater rampage

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One of the dead is a sports blogger who recently wrote of surviving a shooting in Toronto.

colorado shootings.JPGEsmeralda Carbajal lights candles late Friday at a growing memorial across the street from the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colo., nearly 24 hours after a gunman killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens of others watching the latest Batman film.

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — A sports blogger who recently wrote about surviving a shooting in Canada. A man preparing to celebrate his first wedding anniversary. A young woman whose death announcement brought heartbreak, yet closure, to her family.

They were among the 12 people killed when a gunman barged into a crowded Colorado theater, set off gas canisters and opened fire as spectators dove for cover. Dozens of others were injured, including 11 in critical condition.

For Alex Sullivan, it was to be a weekend of fun: He planned to ring in his 27th birthday with friends at a special midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" and then celebrate his first wedding anniversary on Sunday.

Late Friday, Sullivan's family confirmed that police told them he was among those killed.

"He was a very, very good young man," said Sullivan's uncle, Joe Loewenguth. "He always had a smile, always made you laugh. He had a little bit of comic in him. Witty, smart. He was loving, had a big heart."

Micayla Medek, 23, was also among the dead, her father's cousin, Anita Busch, told the Associated Press.

Busch said the news, while heartbreaking, was a relief for the family after an agonizing day of waiting for news.

"I hope this evil act ... doesn't shake people's faith in God," she said.

A blogger who recently wrote of surviving a Toronto shooting was also among those killed, the woman's brother said.

The death of Jessica Ghawi, who was also known as Jessica Redfield, was a "complete and utter shock," said her brother, Jordan Ghawi.

He has been using his blog and Twitter account to update what he knew about his sister's condition throughout the day. He also appeared on the NBC "Today" show.

Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said Friday evening at a press conference that the last of the 10 deceased victims from the midnight showing of a Batman movie was removed from the theater Friday afternoon.

Oates said officers expected to get a confirmed list of the dead and meet with their families Friday night.

In addition to the 10 people killed at the theater, two others later died from their injuries.

Jordan Ghawi said on his website that a man who was with his sister at the theater described the chaos, saying he and Jessica Ghawi dropped to take cover when the gunman first started shooting. Jessica Ghawi was shot in the leg, her brother wrote, describing details relayed to him by a man identified on the blog only as a mutual friend named Brent.

Jessica Ghawi began screaming when she was shot, and the friend tried to calm her and stop the bleeding, according to Jordan Ghawi.

The man was then shot, but he continued attending to Jessica Ghawi's wound before he realized she had stopped screaming, Jordan Ghawi stated. The man said Jessica Ghawi had been shot in the head.

Jordan Ghawi said the friend escaped the theater after being shot twice, but he was expected to survive. Jordan Ghawi praised the man, saying his "actions are nothing but heroic."

Jessica Ghawi, 24, moved to Denver from Texas about a year ago and friends and colleagues described her as outgoing, smart and witty.

"She was always kind of a sponge as far as how she could be an even better journalist and sports broadcaster," said Peter Burns, a radio sports show host with Mile High Sports Radio in Denver, where Ghawi recently interned.

Ghawi blogged at length about surviving the Eaton Centre mall shooting in Toronto that killed two people and sent several others to the hospital. Burns and his girlfriend, Lauren Anuskewicz, both said the blog reflected everything she told them.

"She was like, 'You guys would never believe what happened,'" Anuskewicz said.

Jessica Ghawi wrote of the Toronto shooting: "I was shown how fragile life was on Saturday. I saw the terror on bystanders' faces. I saw the victims of a senseless crime. I saw lives change. I was reminded that we don't know when or where our time on Earth will end. When or where we will breathe our last breath."

Anuskewicz said Jessica Ghawi had been in Toronto visiting a boyfriend and "it obviously was a very scary situation."

"And to be just so close to it," she added. "It's just impossible to imagine that not even a month and a half later this would happen, and she would be involved. It's just awful."

Yet, Burns said, Jessica Ghawi seemed more enlivened than intimidated by surviving that shooting.

"After the Toronto incident, I think she even looked at that like, 'Hey, even after that, I'm able to pursue my dream,'" he said.

Burns said he was close to her family. He moved to Denver from Texas a few years ago and talked with Jessica Ghawi about establishing a sports radio career there, he said.

Former colleague Mike Taylor, a sports host at KTKR-AM in San Antonio described how she reluctantly changed her name for her career, taking the name "Redfield" as a play on her red hair because it was easier to say than her given name.

Jessica Ghawi was a prolific social media user under the new name. Her last tweet stated in all capital letters, "movie doesn't start for 20 minutes."

On Saturday morning, parents of John Larimer released a statement that Navy officials notified them about midnight that their 27-year-old son was one of the 12 killed.

The family said that Larimer's brother is working with the Navy to take his body home to Crystal Lake, Ill. He was with a unit that belongs to U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. Tenth Fleet at Buckley Air Force.


Holyoke Blue Sox pitch in to help library with raffles and reduced ticket prices

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The library is undergoing a $14.5 million reconstruction.

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HOLYOKE – The Holyoke Blue Sox will hold a night of support for the Holyoke Public Library Thursday.

Money raised from raffles held at the game will go toward the $14.5 million renovation of the library at 335 Maple St., a press release from the library said.

The Blue Sox will play the Danbury Westerners at MacKenzie Stadium on Beech Street at 6:30 p.m. in a New England Collegiate Baseball League game.

The library support includes tickets set at $3, or half the price of a regular game, with children 5 and younger getting in free.

Library board pesident Stephen H. “Terry” Plum will throw out the first pitch and City Council members and other officials are expected to attend the game.

A 2013 Red Hyundai Elantra provided by Gary Rome Hyundai will be on display at the stadium. Tickets for a raffle to win a three-year lease on the car will be available. The drawing for the lease will be Dec. 18.

A second prize raffle will be an all inclusive ski getaway for four people provided by Clear Channel Communications.

Construction began in December and the renovated library is scheduled to reopen next year. The library is in temporary quarters upstairs at City Hall.

In other library news, Director Maria G. Pagan said the library has a presence at the Thursday farmers’ market held in front of City Hall on High Street.

Library staff at a booth help people fill out forms to get library cards.

They also discuss and recommend books about gardening, city history or whatever the subject of the week is.

Staff have found being outside with strawberries, flowers and other farmers’ market fare isn’t a bad way to spend a day, Pagan said.

“Library staff members have found that their time at the farmers’ market has been a valuable opportunity to enjoy feedback and support from the Holyoke community,” Pagan said.

Also, a quilt is on display in the library’s temporary home at City Hall that features panels commemorating lives of people who donated organs and tissues. The “Living Squares” quilt is sponsored by LifeChoice Donor Services, a Windsor, Conn.-based non-profit organ procurement organization serving northern Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.

How the Patriots nickel defense comes together will be an area to monitor during training camp

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The Patriots defense has to improve against the pass.

7-28-10-McCourty.JPGDevin McCourty and company have to improve this offseason.

The image of offense after offense marching down the field unimpeded against the New England Patriots defense remains fresh in many minds.

As constructed, the Patriots' offense is good enough to drag the defense back to the Super Bowl, but Bill Belichick has other plans. He knows that if his team is to win its fourth title, the defense has to transform into a respectable unit.

So while there were additions to the offense, such as wide receiver Brandon Lloyd and running back Joseph Addai, most of his focus this winter was spent on adding depth at key positions on defense and constructing a roster with players capable of playing in today's NFL.

That meant acquiring faster, longer players who are capable of defending against the spread offense, and improving a pass defense that was routinely beat on deep balls.

Last season the Patriots were forced into their nickel defense (five defensive backs) on nearly 65 percent of their snaps, allowing a total of 4,703 passing yards, including 1,265 on balls thrown 20 or more yards down the field. Both yardage marks were the second worst in the NFL.

"It seems like every year, the game is getting a little more spread out for us," Belichick said during the draft. "We're in nickel defense more and more every year – over 50 percent last year. It's hard to be in our base defense as much as we were in the past."

That was especially problematic last season since the Patriots suffered a rash of injuries and regression throughout the secondary. Cornerback Ras-I Dowling and safety Josh Barrett, both projected to be starters, were lost for most of the season due to injury, and safety Patrick Chung was limited to eight games.

The injuries forced safety James Ihedigbo into a prominent role in the secondary that he was not suited for, and caused the team to turn to an array of spare parts that were not, at least initially, properly suited for the roles they were given, even going so far as trying out wide receivers Matthew Slater and Julian Edelman on defense.

The problems were further compounded by the fact that cornerback Devin McCourty and safety Sergio Brown failed to live up to expectations and were routinely exploited by opposing offenses.

To help fix these issues, the team signed safety Steve Gregory, who should start opposite Chung, and brought in cornerbacks Will Allen and Marquice Cole for depth. They also drafted safeties Tavon Wilson and Nate Ebner, and could have found a late-round gem in cornerback Alfonzo Dennard, who was considered a second-round talent until being arrested for assaulting a police officer a week before the draft.

His trial is set to being in December.

While some felt that Wilson was a bit of a stretch in the second round, getting his 6-foot, 203-pound frame in the sub defense may help explain why Belichick was so high on him and was willing to draft Wilson two rounds higher than most would have.

To help take some of the pressure off the embattled group, the Patriots also focused on improving the depth front seven by drafting linebacker Dont'a Hightower and defensive lineman Chanlder Jones. Both players are long and lean, a vast difference from the stout, 300-pound linemen that he previously favored for his defense -- a clear nod toward the need to evolve into a faster, more flexible unit.

Losing pass rushers Mark Anderson (Bills) and Andre Carter (still unsigned), both of whom recorded 10 sacks last season, could hurt, but the hope is that the variety of players the team signed in free agency and rookie Jack Bequette will help alleviate those blows. It also remains possible that Carter could return once he's fully recovered from quad surgery.

How the defense comes together will be a big story throughout training camp, but more importantly the focus will be on the nickel package. If they can help the defense get off the field, it means more opportunities for Brady and company to hang points on the board.

Bomb squads disarm traps at Colorado shooting suspect's apartment

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Federal authorities detonated one small explosive and disarmed another inside James Holmes' suburban Denver apartment.

Colorado Shooting ApartmentMembers of law enforcement wearing body armor and helmets prepare to what ATF sources describe as a "water shot" in the apartment of alleged gunman James Holmes Saturday, July 21, 2012 in Aurora, Colo. The "water shot" is exploded and used to disrupt the device. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — Authorities on Saturday began disarming trip wires and explosive devices "set up to kill" inside the apartment of the suspect in the deadly Colorado movie theater shooting, hoping to find clues to his motive without destroying key evidence in a blast.

Federal authorities detonated one small explosive and disarmed another inside James Holmes' suburban Denver apartment, including one that emits a shock wave and water, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the ongoing investigation into the shooting rampage that killed 12 people and wounded 58.

Holmes' apartment appears to have three types of explosives — jars filled with accelerants, chemicals that would explode when mixed together and more than 30 "improvised grenades," the official said.

Makeshift memorials sprang up for the victims, including a 6-year-old girl, an aspiring sportscaster and a man celebrating his 27th birthday, after police grimly went door to door with a list of those killed in the worst mass shooting in recent U.S. history. Holmes, 24, was arrested early Friday outside the Aurora theater after witnesses say he unleashed gunfire and gas canisters on a crowd of moviegoers watching the midnight showing of the new Batman film, "The Dark Knight Rises."

The devices in Holmes' booby-trapped apartment were "set up to kill that person and that could have been a police officer executing a search warrant," Aurora police Sgt. Cassidee Carlson said. Police planned an intricate procedure to disarm the possible weapons without destroying evidence that could be in the apartment.

"We don't want to lose evidential value," Carlson said.

Federal officials said in a bulletin obtained by The Associated Press that they still hadn't determined a motive for the suspect as families grieved and others waited at hospitals, where seven of the wounded remained in critical condition on Saturday.

In his Saturday radio address, President Barack Obama urged Americans to pray "for the victims of this terrible tragedy, for the people who knew them and loved them, for those who are still struggling to recover."

The victims included 23-year-old Micayla Medek, said Anita Busch, the cousin of Medek's father. The family took the news hard, but knowing her fate after waiting without word brought them some peace, Busch said.

"I hope this evil act, that this evil man doesn't shake people's faith in God," she said.

Besides Medek, relatives confirmed that Alex Sullivan and Jessica Ghawi were among those killed, Sullivan on his 27th birthday.

Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said Holmes used a military-style semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun and a pistol to open fire on the unsuspecting theater-goers. He had bought the weapons at local gun stores within the last two months. He also recently purchased 6,000 rounds of ammunition over the Internet, the chief said.

The suspect's stellar academic record, apparent shy demeanor and lack of a criminal background made the attack even more difficult to fathom.

It also wasn't known why the suspect chose a movie theater to stage the assault, or whether he intended some twisted, symbolic link to the film's violent scenes.

The Batman movie, the last in the trilogy starring Christian Bale, opened worldwide Friday with midnight showings in the U.S. The plot has the villain Bane facing Bale's Caped Crusader with a nuclear weapon that could destroy all of fictional Gotham.

The Dark Knight Rises" earned $30.6 million in Friday morning midnight screenings, and, according to industry estimates, roughly $75-77 million on the day. That put it on track for a weekend total of around $165 million, which would be the second highest opening weekend ever, following "The Avengers."

Warner Bros. has announced it would forgo the usual revenue reports until Monday out of respect for the victims. Sony, Disney and Universal also said they would delay reporting box office receipts until Monday, a day later than the routine Sunday releases for Hollywood.

In New York City, Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said: "It clearly looks like a deranged individual. He has his hair painted red. He said he was the Joker, obviously the enemy of Batman."

Oates would not confirm that information, but did say he spoke to Kelly. Asked whether Holmes had makeup to look like the Joker, Oates said: "That to my knowledge is not true."

Near the entrance to the theater's parking lot, a makeshift memorial of 12 candles sat in a row alongside piles of flowers. Up the hill from the theater, about 20 pastors led a vigil for 350 people, some hugging and crying. A sign read, "7/20. Gone Not Forgotten."

An emotional Gov. John Hickenlooper said earlier Friday that people would not be defined by the tragedy.

"We are clear that we are going to rise back and lift ourselves above this," he said.

A federal law enforcement official said Holmes bought a ticket to the movie, went into the theater as part of the crowd and propped open an exit door as the movie was playing. The suspect then donned protective ballistic gear and opened fire, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation.

Authorities said Holmes shot scores of people, picking off victims who tried to flee. At least one person was struck in an adjacent theater by gunfire that went through the wall. Adding to the terror and chaos were two gas canisters thrown by the suspect that filled the theater with smoke.

Tanner Coon, a 17-year-old Aurora resident who was watching the film with two friends, said he first thought the gunshots were firecrackers. When he realized what was happening, he ducked between seats and waited for the shooter to bark demands.

"When is he going to start telling us what to do? When is this going to become a hostage situation?" Coon said.

When the firing ended, Coon said he started running up the row but slipped in blood and fell on a woman who was lying on the ground. He tried shaking her, he said, but she didn't respond, so he left her behind and ran from the theater.

The shooting was the worst in the U.S. since the Nov. 5, 2009, attack at Fort Hood, Texas. An Army psychiatrist was charged with killing 13 soldiers and civilians and wounding more than two dozen others. It was the deadliest in Colorado since the 1999 attack at Columbine High School, where two students killed 12 classmates and a teacher and wounded 26 others before killing themselves.

Holmes had enrolled last year in a neuroscience Ph.D. program at the University of Colorado-Denver, though he left last month for unknown reasons. In academic achievement, "he was at the top of the top," recalled Timothy P. White, chancellor at the University of California, Riverside, where Holmes earned his undergraduate degree before attending the Denver school.

Those who knew Holmes described him as a shy, intelligent person raised in California by parents who were active in their well-to-do suburban San Diego neighborhood. Holmes played soccer at Westview High School and ran cross-country before going to college.

Police released a statement from his family Friday that said, "Our hearts go out to those who were involved in this tragedy and to the families and friends of those involved."

Mainly clear skies, comfortable, low 53

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A pleasant day continues and a refreshing night this evening.

Gallery previewMostly sunny skies and seasonal temperatures started off our weekend. We really couldn't get any better of a mid-July day in Western Massachusetts. High pressure over the Northeast will keep skies mainly clear this evening. Overnight lows drop to a comfortable low-50s.

Sunday will be nice as well, although temperatures and dewpoints will be a couple of degrees higher. An approaching system will kick in a southerly flow, which will put our high temperatures in the mid and upper-80s in the Springfield area, with a little more noticeable humidity (nothing too bad though).

An isolated shower is possible as early as Sunday evening, but most of the scattered thunderstorms will hold off until Monday. It will get muggy again with this system, but once it clears out, we'll be back to sunshine and comfortable conditions through the second-half of the week.

Tonight: Mainly clear skies, comfortable, low 53.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, a touch warmer/more humid, isolated mountain shower late, high 88.

Monday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, humid, high 86.

Tuesday: An isolated shower/thunderstorm, partly sunny, high 88.

Troops march in San Diego gay pride parade — in uniform

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Saturday's celebration marks the first time U.S. service members are participating in a gay pride event while decked out in full uniform.

Gallery previewSAN DIEGO (AP) — Some of the loudest cheers at San Diego's gay pride parade were for active-duty troops marching in military dress.

Saturday's celebration marks the first time U.S. service members are participating in a gay pride event while decked out in full uniform. Dozens of soldiers, sailors, and Marines marched alongside an old Army truck festooned with a "Freedom to Serve" banner and a rainbow flag. They were joined by dozens more military personnel marching in civilian clothes.

Spectators waved signs reading, "Thank you for your service."

Commander Kent Blade, who will retire this fall after 26 years in the Navy, said being able to march in uniform was a perfect culmination of his career.

The Defense Department said it was making the allowance for the San Diego parade because organizers had encouraged military personnel to march in their uniform and the event was getting national attention.


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