A million-dollar robot named da Vinci is hot in operating rooms these days. But problems are giving the high-tech helper new scrutiny.

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer

CHICAGO (AP) — A million-dollar robot named da Vinci is hot in operating rooms these days. But problems are giving the high-tech helper new scrutiny.

The Food and Drug Administration is looking into an increase in reported problems including deaths during robotic surgeries. Its medical device database lists dozens of problems and at least five deaths since early last year.

The FDA is trying to figure out if there's a real connection with the robot.

Surgeons who use the robotic system say it leads to shorter hospital stays for some patients and is safer than surgery using big incisions. Critics argue that robotic surgeries cost more, and that newer doesn't always mean better.

A Worcester man was arrested on drug charges on Massasoit Road Monday morning after a newspaper delivery person alerted police to a man dressed in black with a bag of items peering into vehicles and dodging behind houses in cars.

WORCESTER - A Worcester man was arrested on drug charges on Massasoit Road Monday morning after a newspaper delivery person alerted police to a man dressed in black with a bag of items peering into vehicles and dodging behind houses in cars, police said.

According to police, Eugene Washington, 52, of 58 Suffolk St., Worcester, allegedly ran up to the police cruiser called to the scene and pressed his body against the driver's door, forcing the police officer to stay in his vehicle. Other officers arrived in the area and apprehended Washington.

Washington was sweating and breathing heavily and his pockets were bulging with items when officers approached him, police said. He also had a backpack. According to police, officers searched the man and found a glassine baggie with crack cocaine in it. Officers also found six knotted baggies of prescription medication not signed off on by a physician.

Washington was charged with possession of class B substance with the intent to distribute (second or subsequent offense), two counts of possession of class E substance with the intent to distribute, a school zone violation, disorderly person, disturbing the peace and trespassing.

Daniel Winslow, Michael Sullivan and Gabriel Gomez all reported earning more than $600,000 in a little over a year from their private employment in law or finance.

Republican Senate candidates Gabriel Gomez, Michael Sullivan and Daniel Winslow. File photos by the Associated Press and The Republican  

All three of the Republican U.S. Senate candidates will be taking significant pay cuts, should they win the coveted Senate seat. A U.S. Senator earns $174,000 a year, and newly released financial disclosure forms from each of the Republican candidates show that all of the GOP candidates have been earning significantly more than that in their private employment.

Republican Senate candidate Daniel Winslow earned $658,100 from his work as a lawyer between Jan. 1, 2012 and Feb. 29, 2013.

Republican Senate candidate Michael Sullivan, also an attorney, earned $730,000 from his legal work between Jan. 1, 2012 and the end of March 2013.

Private equity investor Gabriel Gomez reported earning $993,470 in salary and bonus from the investment firm Advent International, from January 2012 through March 2013.

Winslow reported the salary of $658,103 from Proskauer Rose, where he was a senior counsel in the litigation and dispute resolution department at the firm’s Boston office. Winslow left that job several weeks ago to focus on his Senate run. He also reported earning $77,656 from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for his work as a state representative.

Winslow reported having between $117,000 and $330,000 invested in various investment and retirement funds. He also listed a number of liabilities: a 2013 personal loan from Guardian Insurance valued at between $50,000 to $100,000, which was paid in full; and six student loans totaled between $125,000 and $350,000.

Sullivan earned $730,000 from the Ashcroft Law Firm, a firm run by former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, where Sullivan is a partner. Sullivan’s legal clients are varied and include: Springfield-based gun manufacturer Smith and Wesson; Cape Cod Health Care; Boston Scientific Corporation; Fidelity National; Sullivan Tire; a branch of the Societe Generale bank in Beirut, Lebanon; California financier Jason Galanis and Volga-Dnepr Airlines of Ireland, among others. Sullivan continues to work at the firm today.

Sullivan also earned a combined $42,845 in pensions from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Gillette Company. Before going into private law practice, Sullivan was U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, Plymouth County District Attorney and a Massachusetts state representative. He previously worked as president of a division of Gillette Company.

Sullivan reported bank accounts and various funds worth between $185,000 and $525,000. He has a condominium in Myrtle Beach, S.C. and has a part interest in properties in West Tisbury, Mass. and Bretton Woods, N.H.

Gomez is the wealthiest of the candidates. He reported owning stock in dozens of companies, through several investment accounts worth somewhere between $2.25 million and $10.5 million. Those companies include Caterpillar, Visa, Target, Philip Morris, Qualcomm, McDonalds, Johnson & Johnson, Exxon Mobil and others. He reported numerous other bank accounts, retirement savings and investment accounts from Advent International totaling more than $7 million. (The actual value could be significantly higher than that, since candidates are only required to report a range of values for their investments.) Like Winslow, Gomez left his job to pursue his Senate run.

Democrats Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch are both current U.S. representatives earning $174,000 a year. As MassLive.com previously reported, Lynch has assets valued at between $12,000 and $169,000, mostly in retirement savings accounts, according to a 2011 financial disclosure. Markey has assets valued at between $855,000 and $2.15 million.

The Massachusetts Senate is set to vote Thursday on the planned $500 million tax increase.

The state House of Representatives on Monday voted overwhelmingly to increase gas, cigarette and other taxes in order to generate $500 million a year for transportation improvements.

Ending a marathon session shortly before midnight, the House failed to approve the bill by enough of a margin to assure an override of a promised veto by Gov. Deval L. Patrick.

Rep. Brian Dempsey, at the microphone, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo, right, face reporters at a recent press conference at the Statehouse. AP file photo/Josh Reynolds  

The House voted 97-55 to approve the bill. That was short of the two thirds needed for an override. The bill now moves to the Senate, which is scheduled to vote on Thursday.

Patrick, the state's two-term Democratic governor, said the bill pays for little more than closing an operating deficit at the MBTA and fails to raise enough money to complete important regional projects such as the planned $400 million replacement of the Interstate 91 viaduct in Springfield.

Three Democrats from Western Massachusetts voted against the bill pushed by Democratic leadership, including Reps. Brian M. Ashe of Longmeadow, Thomas M. Petrolati of Ludlow and Tricia Farley-Bouvier of Pittsfield.

All House Republicans in attendance voted to oppose the bill.

If the Senate votes for the bill and Patrick does veto it, House leaders could still attempt to turn around some votes to achieve an override.

The bill increases the gas tax by three cents to 26.5 cents a gallon, increases the cigarette tax by $1 to $3.51 a pack and increases taxes on certain software, multistate corporations and utilities.

If would take a two thirds vote in each branch of the Legislature to override a veto by Patrick.

It would be the first increase in the cigarette tax since 2008 and the first hike in the gas tax since 1991. Overall, it would be the first major tax increase since 2009 when legislators and Patrick raised the sales tax by 25 percent to 6.25 percent.

House leaders said the bill goes as far as possible in raising taxes, given the slow growth in the economy and stubborn levels of high unemployment.

“We believe the package before you today is a balanced approach understanding the economic realities we continue to live in," said Rep. Brian S. Dempsey, a Haverhill Democrat and chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

Stephen Kulik The Republican file photo by Michael S. Gordon  

Patrick has filed legislation to eventually raise $1.9 billion in new revenues, including $1 billion for transportation and $900 million for education.

The vote occurred just six days after House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray unveiled the bill on Beacon Hill.

Rep. Stephen Kulik, a Worthington Democrat, urged support of the House bill. Kulik said the bill would allow the state to pay in advance for the budgets of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority in Springfield and other regional transit authorities, sparing them from the longtime practice of having to borrow and pay interest before receiving state subsidies.

Donald Humason  

Members voted 120-32 to easily defeat an alternative plan by Republicans that called for using growth in state revenues to fund transportation improvements, not tax increases.

Republicans said it is the wrong time to be raising taxes.

"If you don't want to raise taxes, you absolutely should be voting for this Republican plan," said House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. of North Reading.

Rep. Donald F. Humason, a Westfield Republican, said that the vote took place on the same day as opening day at Fenway Park. Humason said the Red Sox victory would dominate the news, assuring a lack of coverage on the increase in the gas tax.

"The gas tax is probably one of the most hated taxes in the commonwealth and that’s saying something in a state like ours with a lot of taxes and lot of hated ones," Humason added.

The bill raises the state's 23.5-cent-a-gallon gas tax by 3 cents a gallon, starting July 1, pumping out $110 million a year, including a new index to inflation, beginning in January 2015.

At the gas tank, people currently pay 21.5 cents a gallon for gas and 2.5 cents a gallon to pay for removal of contaminated underground fuel storage tanks, according to the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

The House voted 103-46 to defeat a separate Republican-backed amendment to strike the increase in the gas tax.

House and Senate leaders said the average driver will pay $12 to $30 more a year. Even with the increase, the state gas tax will remain less than Connecticut, New York, Maine and Rhode Island, legislative leaders said.

The cigarette tax hike would take effect on July 1, generating an additional $165 million a year. The tax on smokeless tobacco and cigars would also be increased.

The bill also Increases taxes on multi-state corporations and increases the excise tax on utilities, including electric companies, from 6.5 percent to 8 percent.

Jones, the Republican leader, said the tax increase on utilities will primarily affect National Grid and NSTAR. The tax increase, set to raise $50 million, could be passed along to consumers, he said. "You're doing it to your constituents, the ratepayers," Jones told supporters.

Kulik said the current lower tax for utilities is outdated and probably was created to encourage utilities to extend power to rural areas such as Western Massachusetts. Kulik said other corporations are taxed at 8 percent.

Under the bill, the state's 6.25 percent sales tax would also be expanded to include custom software, which is software that is made specifically for an organization or another user. The new tax would raise $161 million a year.

The Federal Aviation Administration in January proposed regulations prohibiting airline flight crews from using cellphones and other wireless devices.

WASHINGTON – Texting by the pilot of a medical helicopter contributed to a crash that killed four people, federal accident investigators declared Tuesday, and they approved a safety alert cautioning all pilots against using cellphones or other distracting devices during critical operations.

It was the first fatal commercial aircraft accident investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board in which texting has been implicated. And it underscored the board’s worries that distractions from electronic devices are a growing factor in incidents across all modes of transportation – planes, trains, cars, trucks and even ships.

While no U.S. airline crashes have been tied to electronic device use, the Federal Aviation Administration in January proposed regulations prohibiting airline flight crews from using cellphones and other wireless devices while a plane is in operation. The regulations are required under a law passed last year by Congress in response to an October 2010 incident in which two Northwest Airlines pilots overflew their destination of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport by 100 miles while they were engrossed in working on their laptops.

Regulations already in place prohibit airline pilots from engaging in potentially distracting activities during critical phases of flight such as takeoffs, landings and taxiing. In some cases, however, pilots are allowed to use tablet computers containing safety and navigation procedures known as “electronic flight bags,” replacing paper documents.

The five-member board unanimously agreed that the helicopter crash was caused by a distracted and tired pilot who skipped preflight safety checks, which would have revealed his helicopter was low on fuel, and then, after he discovered his situation, decided to proceed with the fatal last leg of the flight.

The case “juxtaposes old issues of pilot decision making with a 21st century twist: distractions from portable electronic devices,” said board Chairman Deborah Hersman.

The helicopter ran out of fuel, crashing into a farm field in clear weather early on the evening of Aug. 26, 2011, near Mosby, Mo., a little over a mile short of an airport. The pilot was killed, along with a patient being taken from one hospital to another, a flight nurse and a flight paramedic.

One board member, Earl Weener, dissented on the safety alert decision, saying the cases cited as the basis for it – including the medical helicopter accident – were the result of bad decisions by pilots without a direct connection to the use of distracting devices.

Other board members disagreed. “We see this as a problem that is emerging, and on that basis, let’s try to get ahead of it,” said board member Chris Hart.

The pilot, James Freudenberg, 34, of Rapid City, S.D., sent 25 text messages and received 60 more during the course of his 12-hour shift, including 20 messages exchanged during the hour and 41 minutes before the crash, according to investigators and a timeline prepared for the board.

Most of the messaging was with an off-duty female co-worker with whom Freudenberg had a long history of “frequent, intensive communications,” and with whom he was planning to have dinner that night, said Bill Bramble, an NTSB expert on pilot psychology.

Three of the messages were sent, and five were received while the helicopter was in flight, although none in the final 11 minutes before it crashed, according to the NTSB timeline.

The helicopter was operated by a subsidiary of Air Methods Corp. of Englewood, Colo., the largest provider of air medical emergency transport services in the U.S. The company’s policies prohibit the use of electronic devices by pilots during flight. Most airlines and other commercial aircraft operators have similar policies.

The board concluded Freudenberg was fatigued as well as distracted. He had slept only five hours the night before, and the accident occurred at the end of his 12-hour shift.

He was told when he came on duty that the helicopter was low on fuel. But later in the day he missed several opportunities to correct the fuel situation before he took off for a hospital in Bethany, Mo., the first leg of the trip. Among those missed opportunities were failing to conduct a pre-flight check and to look at the craft’s fuel gauge. Shortly after takeoff, he radioed that he had two hours of fuel. He apparently realized his mistake later during the flight.

While waiting on the ground in Bethany for the patient and the medical crew, Freudenberg exchanged text messages as he was reporting by radio to a company communications center that the helicopter was lower on fuel than he had originally thought. He told the communications center he had about 45 minutes worth of fuel, which investigators said they believe was a lie intended to cover up his earlier omissions and that he was in jeopardy of violating federal safety regulations.

In fact, the helicopter had 30 minutes of fuel left, investigators said. Federal Aviation Administration regulations require 20 minutes of reserve fuel at all times.

With no other place nearby to refuel, Freudenberg opted to continue the patient transfer to a hospital in Liberty, Mo., changing his flight plan enough for a stop at an airfield 32 minutes away for fuel. The helicopter stalled and crashed 30 minutes later.

A low fuel warning light might have alerted him to his true situation, but the light was set on “dim” for nighttime use and may not have been visible. A pre-flight check by the pilot, if it had been conducted, should have revealed the light was set in the wrong position, investigators said.

The board also said Freudenberg failed after losing engine power to set the helicopter up for a maneuver called autorotation, which employs updrafts to keep the rotor turning and permit the craft to glide to the ground. However, investigators said the pilot had only 2 seconds to complete three steps necessary for autorotation.

Although the Freudenberg wasn’t texting at the time of the crash, it’s possible the messaging took his mind off his duties and caused him to skip safety steps he might have otherwise performed, said experts on human performance and cognitive distraction. People can’t concentrate on two things at once; they can only shift their attention rapidly back and forth, the experts said. But as they do that, the sharpness of their focus begins to erode.

“People just have a limited ability to pay attention,” said David Strayer, a professor of cognitive and neural science at the University of Utah. “It’s one of the characteristics of how we are wired.”

“If we have two things demanding attention, one will take attention away from other,” he said. “If it happens while sitting behind a desk, it’s not that big of a problem. But if you are sitting behind the wheel of a car or in the cockpit of an airplane, you start to get serious compromises in safety.”

A text message – especially one accompanied by an audible alert like a buzz or bell – interrupts a person’s thoughts and can be hard to ignore, said Christopher Wickens, a University of Illinois professor emeritus of engineering and aviation psychology. If the subject of the email is especially engaging, or especially emotional, that also makes it hard to ignore, he said.

The helicopter pilot didn’t have a history of safety problems and was regarded as a good, safe pilot by his co-workers. He was a former Army pilot, and NTSB investigators said his actions on the day of the accident were apparently “out of character.”

Protestors react to UMass visit by Republican Strategist Karl Rove

Police charged a 17-year-old Worcester resident with armed robbery and receiving stolen property after they say he robbed a man at gunpoint when the victim responded to a Craiglist ad for an iPhone.

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. The most viewed item overall was Laura Merwin's photo gallery of the haunted Houghton mansion in North Adams, at right.

1) Massachusetts House of Representatives votes for $500 million tax increase, including hike in gas, cigarette taxes [Dan Ring]

2) Safe Driver Act would grant licenses to immigrants living in U.S. illegally [Elizabeth Roman]

3) Police: 17-year-old Worcester resident charged in Craigslist scam [Kevin Koczwara]

4) North Carolina Father sobs on 911 after children buried in pit collapse [Associated Press]

5) Obituaries today: Christopher Bonavita was general contractor, softball pitcher and umpire [The Republican]

The driver was taken to Baystate Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries

03.09.11 | Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen – An Agawam Police cruiser.

AGAWAM -- A section of River Road, closed early Wednesday due to a single vehicle crash, is now open to a single lane of traffic.

Police said the crash, near 919 River Rd., was reported about 2:20 a.m.

Sgt. Anthony Grasso said the car hit a utility pole, vaulted about 70 feet and landed on its roof. The driver was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield with non-life threatening injuries.

Grasso said the road should be fully reopened by late morning or early afternoon. Police continue to investigate the crash. No charges have been filed.

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The three Republican candidates for U.S. Senate are preparing to square off in a televised debate.

Editor's Note: Check MassLive.com this evening for continued Massachusetts Senate race debate coverage.

BOSTON (AP) — The three Republican candidates for U.S. Senate are preparing to square off in a televised debate.

Michael Sullivan, Gabriel Gomez and Daniel Winslow are expected to participate in the debate sponsored by WBZ-TV and the Boston Globe. The debate is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

The three are competing in the April 30 primary.

Whoever attracts the most votes will face the winner of the Democratic primary pitting Congressmen Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch against each other

Wednesday is also the last day to register to vote for those who haven't registered or who want to change their party affiliation.

Residents will be able to register in most cities and towns from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. In towns with fewer than 1,500 voters, registration must be open at least from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 8 p.m.

Vermont State Police have arrested a driver from Massachusetts on drug charges and a passenger on a charge of giving a false name after a routine traffic stop on Interstate 91 in Brattleboro.

 

Police said 34-year-old Charles Edward Greene, of Springfield, was accused of having cocaine and marijuana. They said 29-year-old Melissa Talbot, of Chicopee, was accused of giving false information to police.

Their car was stopped about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday on I-91 northbound.

The Hampden County's Sheriff's Department is providing the female inmate work crews to maintain more than 100 city terraces under its community restitution program.

SPRINGFIELD – The city has reached an agreement with the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department to provide two female inmate crews for maintenance and mowing at approximately 120 terraces and to help reopen 10 small parks.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and the City Council approved budget transfers this week totaling $195,453 for costs that will include supervision of the new work crews, transportation, two new dump trucks and trailers, mowers, trimmers, barrels, rakes and other supplies.

“The residents will see these areas being maintained on a regular basis, approximately every other week,” said Patrick J. Sullivan, the city’s director of parks, buildings and recreation management.

Hampden Country Sheriff Michael J. Ashe said the two new work crews are the first female work crews in the department’s community restitution program.

“It’s a win for the community, and a win for the offenders,” Ashe said.

“The key is to have inmates give back and contribute," he said. "This is an incredible opportunity to provide the opportunity for gainful employment down the road.”

Sullivan said the funds were swept from the existing parks and buildings budget from cost savings realized during the year. The program will be continued in next year’s proposed budget, providing overall cost savings from the use of private landscapers for the work, he said.

The city will continue to use a private landscaping company for approximately 90 irrigated terraces, while using the female inmate crews for the non-irrigated terraces, Sullivan said.

The sheriff’s department will provide two crews consisting of five or six women in each crew, plus Sheriff’s Department supervision. The women come from the Western Massachusetts Regional Women’s Correctional Center in Chicopee.

The city had to close 10 small woodland parks last year due to budget cuts, but will be able to keep them open with the inmate maintenance work, Sullivan said.

Ashe said the inmates will gain horticultural experience and training including a certification program from classroom instruction.

Sarno praised Ashe as "the ultimate team player," and praised Sullivan's efforts and dedication, saying they have teamed up "to provide opportunity for those in the process of rehabilitation while allowing the city to find creative ways to maintain services in the face of continued budget cuts"

The city is also teaming up with the U.S. Forest Service and University of Massachusetts in the horticultural training efforts, Sullivan said.

A small number of terraces are adopted by neighbors or businesses.

The community restitution program has involved dozens of inmates from the correctional center in Ludlow and from the Western Massachusetts Correctional Alcohol Center in Springfield working in the region on a daily basis, officials said. There is a wide array of work, including cleaning litter and weeds, maintaining public housing complexes and cemeteries, and boarding abandoned buildings as well as special projects.

In June of 2012, the city discontinued mowing and maintenance at various small parks, including Walsh, Armory Commons, Gunn Square and Angelina to help offset budget cuts by the City Council. Funds were restored in the fall, but the department reviewed options for finding new ways to provide city services in the face of tight funds, Sullivan said.

One of the options was to confer with the Sheriff's Department regarding whether it was possible to expand assistance from the community restitution program, with discussions beginning in January, Sullivan said.

The Senate's top Democrat has set Congress' first showdown vote for Thursday on President Barack Obama's gun control drive as a small but mounting number of Republicans appear willing to buck a conservative effort to prevent debate from even beginning.

By ALAN FRAM, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate's top Democrat has set Congress' first showdown vote for Thursday on President Barack Obama's gun control drive as a small but mounting number of Republicans appear willing to buck a conservative effort to prevent debate from even beginning.

Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada announced his decision Tuesday as the White House, congressional Democrats and relatives of the victims of December's mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., amped up pressure on GOP lawmakers to allow debate and votes on gun control proposals. Twenty first-graders and six educators were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School, turning gun control into a top-tier national issue.

Meanwhile, participants from both parties said a bipartisan deal was imminent on expanding required federal background checks to gun purchases conducted at gun shows and online. The two chief negotiators, Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Patrick Toomey, R-Pa., were expected to announce the compromise on Wednesday.

Manchin and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters late Tuesday that a deal was close. A Toomey aide said the same, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door bargaining.

An agreement on background checks — the cornerstone of Obama's plan to restrict firearms — could boost bipartisan support for the overall effort, at least initially, because Manchin and Toomey are among their parties' most conservative members. But the ultimate fate of gun legislation remains unclear, clouded by opposition from many Republicans and moderate Democrats in the Democratic-led Senate and the GOP-run House.

The emerging deal would expand required federal background checks to sales at gun shows and online, but exempt transactions like face-to-face, non-commercial purchases, said several Senate aides and lobbyists who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the private talks.

Currently, the checks are required only for sales through licensed gun dealers.

On the Senate floor, Reid pointed to a poster-sized photo of a white picket fence that had slats bearing the names of the Newtown victims.

"We have a responsibility to safeguard these little kids," said Reid, D-Nev. "And unless we do something more than what's the law today, we have failed."

"We don't have the guts to stand up and vote yes or no? We want to vote maybe? Tell that to the families in Newtown" and other communities where there have been mass shootings, said Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

But Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, one of 13 conservative senators who signed a letter promising to try blocking debate, said the Senate bill puts "burdens on law abiding citizens exercising a constitutional right." He said none of its provisions "would have done anything to prevent the horrible tragedy of Sandy Hook."

Obama was calling senators from both parties Tuesday to push for the gun bill, according to a White House official.

A Senate vote to begin debating the guns package would mark a temporary victory for Obama and his allies.

Some Republicans, though eager to avoid blocking debate, could vote against the measure on final passage. Coupled with resistance by leaders of the GOP-run House to main parts of Obama's effort — including bans on assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines — the ultimate outcome seems shaky for Democrats.

Reid said he did not know if he had the 60 votes he will need to defeat the conservatives' roadblock. But at least eight Republicans have said they want to begin debate or have indicated a willingness to consider it: Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Susan Collins of Maine, Roy Blunt of Missouri and Mark Kirk of Illinois.

But some moderate Democrats are remaining noncommittal and might oppose opening the gun debate, including Sens. Mark Begich of Alaska and Mark Pryor of Arkansas, who are seeking re-election next year.

Begich declined to directly state his position and said of Alaskans, "We like our guns."

There are 53 Senate Democrats and two independents who lean Democratic.

In a written statement, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said conservatives want to prevent Obama from rushing the legislation through Congress "because he knows that as Americans begin to find out what is in the bill, they will oppose it."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said he will join the conservatives' attempt to block debate.

The bill would expand required federal background checks to nearly all gun transactions — a provision Reid would try to replace with the completed agreement between Manchin and Toomey. It would also stiffen penalties for illegal firearms trafficking and provide a small boost in school safety aid.

Eleven Sandy Hook family members representing eight of the shooting victims were on Capitol Hill to lobby senators from both parties for gun legislation, including Isakson.

"We bring a very personal perspective," said Mark Barden, who lost his 7-year-old son, Daniel. "People should listen to what we have to say and move the debate forward. It's not just about our tragedy. Lots of kids are killed every day in this nation. We have to help lead the change."

Some relatives had breakfast with Vice President Joe Biden at his residence in the Naval Observatory. Later, Biden spoke to law enforcement officials at the White House and told reporters that conservatives would not succeed in blocking debate.

"This is not one of these votes that they block a vote and somehow we're going to go away," Biden said. "The American public will not stand for it."

The president's gun-control proposals have hit opposition from the National Rifle Association, which was using the Internet and emails to urge its members — it claims nearly 5 million — to tell members of Congress of their opposition.

In GOP-heavy Louisiana, where Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu is seeking re-election next year, the NRA wrote to its members, "Please contact Senator Landrieu and encourage her to oppose this anti-freedom legislation."

Counteracting that has been an effort by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, one of whose leaders is billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The group was running a television ad in Pennsylvania asking voters to contact Toomey and tell him to back expanded background checks. It also said it will keep track of key gun-related congressional roll calls and make the information available to voters and contributors — a tactic long used by the NRA and other groups.

___

Associated Press writers Nedra Pickler, Jim Abrams, Andrew Miga and Henry C. Jackson contributed to this report.

Walk into the Glazed Doughnut Shop and you'll encounter bright blue and orange walls, hanging robot and doughnut art and some of Amherst High School sweethearts and owners Keren and Nick Rhodes' unique creations.

AMHERST -- Walk into the Glazed Doughnut Shop and you'll encounter bright blue and orange walls, hanging robot and doughnut art and some of Amherst High School sweethearts and owners Keren and Nick Rhodes' unique creations.

In the glass display case you might find cinnamon chili doughnuts, maple bacon bars and the "Elvis," a doughnut covered in banana glaze and decorated with chocolate and peanut butter drizzle. They also bake more traditional fan favorites like vanilla and chocolate frosted with sprinkles.

"We grew up and we were like, 'Why does Amherst not have a little doughnut shop?' Every thriving college town should have a doughnut shop," Keren Rhodes said.

The shop, located at 233 N. Pleasant Street, opened in mid-October and has been serving up doughnuts of all shapes, sizes and flavors from 7 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Sunday.

They aim have about 20 to 25 different doughnuts on a given weekday and about 30 or 40 on a Saturday, Keren Rhodes said. The more traditional chocolate and vanilla frosted flavors are available on a daily basis, but the couple regularly swaps in and out filled doughnut flavors, which are actually cut in half so the filling is more evenly distributed.

Gluten-free, vegan and soy-free doughnuts are also sold at the shop.

04.05.13 -- Amherst -- MassLive.com photo by Mandy Hofmockel -- Glazed Doughnut Shop co-owner Keren Rhodes poses for a photo behind the counter.





 

Dozens start at $10, but specialty pastries like filled doughnuts and fritters cost $0.50 to $1 extra. After 9:30 p.m. all doughnut dozens are discounted to $5.

"We have now a quite loyal following of college students," Keren Rhodes said. "We're right between two of the major bars. So they come through and they get their discounted doughnuts, and they don't care that they're 24 hours old."

Though the Glazed Doughnut Shop does see college students come in late, Keren Rhodes said the shop's customer base is largely made up of townspeople.

Business is steady throughout the day with morning customers stopping by for a dozen and some coffee from Esselon Coffee in Hadley and grade-school students coming by midday for treats after the nearby middle school dismisses.

And though Rhodes said she loves to bake, the path to opening a specialty doughnut shop in was "a little like a series of accidents." The couple opened and ran cell phone accessory kiosks in local malls before they started a few doughnut shops, also in local malls.

"Between wanting to sort of express our own foodie creative juices and wanting to find something that in the long run was going to be a more secure future for us" the Rhodes landed on their little shop in downtown Amherst, she said.

The IBEW union members said the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which Markey co-authored, let to higher prices and more jobs being sent overseas.

Union chapters representing more than 5,000 telecommunications workers have endorsed U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch over U.S. Rep. Edward Markey, citing Markey’s work on a landmark telecommunications bill.

The endorsement is particularly significant because Markey spent two decades as a top member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Telecommunications, and was a key player in many of the bills that continue to impact the telecommunications industry.

In particular, Markey was the co-author of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which deregulated the telecommunications industry, lifting barriers to entry in order to allow more competition. The goal was to break up monopolies of local phone service providers, and it affected phone, cable and broadcast services. The act allowed phone companies to provide cable service and cable companies to provide phone service.

Markey has listed the law, which was signed by President Bill Clinton, as among his proudest accomplishments. One part of the 1996 act that he referenced in a recent interview with MassLive.com was a provision giving money to schools and libraries for new technology. Speaking to the Boston Globe, Markey said by encouraging cable companies to build broadband networks, the act led to the development of a host of new business models, from Google to YouTube.

However, the law has faced criticism for allowing large media conglomerates to grow even larger. The IBEW workers, in a statement, criticized the law. “This deregulation was purported to pave the way for jobs growth and competition in the industry. Unfortunately, neither has come to fruition. In fact the opposite has happened,” they wrote. “Jobs have moved overseas and competition is sparse at best. Just ask anyone who has only one option for cable TV or telephone.” John Rowley, business manager for IBEW Local 2324, said the law allowed for, but did not require, competition so many regions still only have one cable or phone provider – and those providers now face less regulation.

Myles Calvey, business manager of IBEW Local 2222 in Boston said as a result of Markey’s work in telecommunications, “Our membership has dwindled as jobs disappear and work is shipped overseas. Consumers have suffered as the cost for cable, Internet and phone services have risen out of control.”

The group pointed out that many of Markey’s major donors have been from the telecommunications industry. As MassLive.com previously reported, Markey has gotten large sums of money from major telecommunications companies – though there is no indication that those donations have swayed his votes. It is routine for industry players to contribute to key members of the committees that regulate them.

Markey spokeswoman Giselle Barry said, "Ed Markey is proud of the endorsements he has received from labor unions, including the Massachusetts Teachers Association, AFSCME and SEIU, among others. Ed Markey continues to meet with labor leaders and rank and file members to share his record of standing up for the working men and women of Massachusetts."

Organized labor has emerged as a major constituency for Lynch, a former ironworker, who has gotten support from more than 40 unions.

.Some in town say it's far too soon to tear down a critical renewable energy project they estimate could produce $450,000 in annual revenue.

BOSTON (AP) — A Cape Cod town that celebrated the installation of its first wind turbine just three years ago nearly became the first community in the country to vote on spending millions of dollars to tear its turbines down.

Falmouth's Town Meeting assembly rejected a measure Tuesday night that would have authorized a town-wide vote on whether to borrow $14 million to dismantle two turbines.

The Town Meeting measure failed 125-72, just a few votes short of the two-thirds majority Town Clerk Michael Palmer said it needed to pass. If it had been approved, the borrowing question would have been put before voters in a May referendum.

The Falmouth selectmen's board chair, Kevin Murphy, flatly calls the turbine project a failure. The board is backing efforts to dismantle the original turbine, which began spinning in 2010, and a newer one.

From the start, neighbors have complained about noise from the turbines. They also attribute a range of physical and mental health problems to them.

But other residents report no problems. Some in town say it's far too soon to tear down a critical renewable energy project they estimate could produce $450,000 in annual revenue through energy production and renewable energy certificates.

"It's pit neighbor against neighbor," Murphy said.

The American Wind Energy Association, which says it promotes wind energy as a clean source of electricity, said it's the first time any town has considered taking down its turbines. That's because such projects have such clear financial and environmental rewards, spokeswoman Ellen Carey said.

"People across the country are supportive of wind energy and are benefiting economically," she said.

Both turbines are built at the town's waste water treatment plant and provide power for it. The original turbine was the first municipal utility-scale turbine in Massachusetts.

Falmouth resident Mark Cool, who lives near the turbine site, said persistent headaches started as soon as it began running. He described some so penetrating he felt he needed "to drill a hole in my head to get some sort of relief."

The 54-year-old air traffic controller didn't link the turbines to his headaches until his neighbors began talking about similar symptoms.

Cool began a journal, recording variables such as wind direction and headache duration, eventually concluding the headaches occurred only when the wind put him in a turbine's wake.

In May 2012, 47 people told a board of health hearing about various problems they blamed on the turbines, including sleep deprivation, vertigo and memory loss. But 15 others said there were no problems.

Cool said he doesn't think there's science to substantiate negative effects from turbines.

In pushing for their removal, he points to what he said is indisputable, such as noise problems that led the town in May 2012 to shut the turbines down for 12 hours each night. A state study later concluded the turbines' decibel level was too high at one of its testing sites.

Murphy said the reduced hours mean the turbines now lose $100,000 a year.

Worse, Murphy said, is the corrosive town-wide division caused by the turbines, which he said taints any renewable energy plans. It's worth it, he said, to borrow the $14 million to get rid of what he calls symbols of failure.

"Any time (residents) ride by those wind turbines they're reminded of how divided this community is," he said. "We need to get rid of the division and move forward."

But Falmouth resident Megan Amsler said the debate has not split the town.

Amsler, who served on a town committee that devised ways to mitigate the turbines' impact, said a silent majority in Falmouth wants to keep the turbines. But a vocal minority has made it something Falmouth can't even agree to disagree about, she said.

There are far cheaper ways to deal with concerns about the turbines and keep them running, Amsler said. Options include scheduling their operation more precisely to minimize any effects on neighborhoods and buying out adjacent properties.

Amsler added that tearing down the turbines would set a horrible national precedent. Banks will get skittish about financing renewables if a project with the broad local support, like Falmouth's, can be quickly dismantled by a small group, she said.

"This will reverberate throughout the United States," Amsler said.

The Babson Faculty Senate wrote that "college morale ... is deeply affected, with the high potential for long-term damage."

WELLESLEY (AP) — Babson College officials are defending the selection of former Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey as president, after some students, faculty and alumni questioned whether she has the proper qualifications and background to lead the business school.

The chairman of the Wellesley school's trustees held meetings with students and faculty last week to discuss the choice, and delivered a five-page rebuttal to concerns about the former Republican politician.

Some have complained that the selection process was hasty and incomplete.

The Faculty Senate wrote that "college morale ... is deeply affected, with the high potential for long-term damage."

The 52-year-old Healey tells The Boston Globe she has met with hundreds of members of the Babson community and plans more meetings to respond to concerns and gain trust. She takes over July 1.

The student's mother testified that she bought the punk-style belt for $20 online

FITCHBURG — A defense lawyer has asked a judge to dismiss charges against a former Fitchburg State University student arrested for wearing a military-style ammunition belt on campus.

A lawyer for 20-year-old Andrew Despres said Tuesday in Fitchburg District Court that the 57 shell casings in the belt were inert and it was a simply a fashion statement.

Despres' mother testified that she bought the belt for $20 online. She said her son dressed in punk style and wore the belt regularly, including on campus.

Despres was arrested on school grounds Dec. 18 the day after he was expelled for alleged marijuana possession and other infractions.

Prosecutors say laws governing ammunition apply to spent casings and no one was sure of Despres' intent when he returned to campus.

The judge did not rule.

Police Capt. Scott Savino said no citations were issued.

03.09.11 | Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen – A Northampton Police Department cruiser.  

NORTHAMPTON -- A floor mat that was pushed up and over the accelerator of an 88-year-old Connecticut woman’s car was the cause of a six-vehicle crash on King Street Monday afternoon.

Police Capt. Scott Savino said several of the victim’s suffered minor injuries. No citations were issued.

The crash occurred shortly after 2:45 p.m. as Josephine Noto, 88, of Somers, Conn., drove south on King Street. As Noto approached a line of vehicles stopped at the Finn Street traffic light, she sideswiped a vehicle and veered onto the curb.

Noto's car missed the next vehicle, one of six in the line, but then swerved back into the roadway, hitting the rear-quarter panel of the next vehicle in line.

She continued to travel south, sideswiping two more vehicles before crashing into the rear of a fifth vehicle and coming to a stop.

Noto told police the floor mat became stuck over the accelerator and forced her car to accelerate.

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Bill Morgan says one half of the tree fell on one side of the statue, the other half on the opposite side.

RAYNHAM (AP) — A Raynham man says divine intervention spared the small statue of St. Anthony in his yard when a recent storm caused a rotted tree to come crashing down.

Bill Morgan says he returned home after a long trip to upstate New York and found that the rotted tree had split in two as it fell, with one half landing on one side of the statue, the other half on the opposite side.

The foot-high statue, set into a small wooden shrine and elevated on a post, was untouched.

The 73-year-old Morgan tells the Taunton Daily Gazette it's a "blessing" the statue was undamaged.

Morgan is a lifetime admirer of St. Anthony, a 13th century Franciscan priest who's celebrated these days as the patron saint of the lost and missing.

President Barack Obama is sending Congress a $3.77 trillion spending blueprint that seeks to achieve an elusive "grand bargain" to tame runaway deficits by raising taxes further on the wealthy and trimming popular benefit programs such as Social Security.

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is sending Congress a $3.77 trillion spending blueprint that seeks to achieve an elusive "grand bargain" to tame runaway deficits by raising taxes further on the wealthy and trimming popular benefit programs such as Social Security.

The president's proposal being unveiled Wednesday includes an additional $1.8 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade, bringing total deficit savings to $4.3 trillion, based on the administration's calculations.

It projects that the deficit for the 2014 budget year, which begins Oct. 1, would fall to $744 billion. That would be the lowest gap between spending and revenue since 2008.

But instead of moving Congress nearer a grand bargain, Obama's proposals so far have managed to anger both Republicans, who are upset by higher taxes, and Democrats upset with cuts to Social Security benefits.

The president's spending and tax plan is two months late. The administration blames the delay on the lengthy "fiscal cliff" negotiations at the end of December and then fights over the March 1 automatic spending cuts.

The president's plan tracks an offer he made to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, during December's budget negotiations, which Boehner ended up walking away from because of his opposition to higher taxes on the wealthy.

The Obama budget proposal will join competing budget outlines already approved by the Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-run Senate.

Obama's plan is not all about budget cuts. It also includes an additional $50 billion to fund infrastructure investments, including $40 billion in a "Fix It First" effort to provide immediate investments to repair highways, bridges, transit systems and airports nationwide.

Obama's budget would also provide $1 billion to launch a network of 15 manufacturing innovation institutes across the country, and it earmarks funding to support high-speed rail projects.

The president also is proposing establishment of program to offer preschool to all 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families, with the money to support the effort coming from increased taxes on tobacco products.

The administration said its proposals to increase spending would not increase the deficit but rather are paid for either by increasing taxes or making deeper cuts to other programs.

Among the proposed cuts, the administration wants to trim defense spending by an additional $100 billion and domestic programs by an extra $100 billion over the next decade.

The budget proposes cutting $400 billion from Medicare and other health care programs over a decade. The cuts would come in a variety of ways, including negotiating better prescription drug prices and asking wealthy seniors to pay more.

It would obtain an additional $200 billion in savings by scaling back farm subsidies and trimming federal retiree programs.

The most sweeping proposal in Obama's budget is a switch in the way the government calculates the annual cost-of-living adjustments for the millions of recipients of Social Security and other government benefit programs. The current method of measuring increases in the consumer price index would be modified to track a process known as chained CPI.

The new method takes into account changes that occur when people substitute goods rising in price with less expensive products. It results in slightly lower annual reading for inflation.

The switch in the inflation formula would cut spending on government benefit programs by $130 billion over 10 years, although the administration said it planned to protect the most vulnerable, including the very elderly. The change would also raise about $100 billion in higher taxes because the current CPI formula is used to adjust tax brackets each year. A lower inflation measure would mean more money taxed at higher rates.

In the tax area, Obama would raise an additional $580 billion by restricting deductions for the top 2 percent of family incomes. The budget would also implement the "Buffett Rule" requiring that households with incomes of more than $1 million pay at least 30 percent of their income in taxes. Charitable giving would be excluded.

Congress and the administration have already secured $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction over the next 10 years through budget reductions and with the end-of-year tax increase on the rich. Obama's plan would bring that total to $4.3 trillion over 10 years.

It is unlikely that Congress will get down to serious budget negotiations until this summer, when the government once again will be confronted with the need to raise the government's borrowing limit or face the prospect of a first-ever default on U.S. debt.

As part of the administration's effort to win over Republicans, Obama will have a private dinner at the White House with about a dozen GOP senators Wednesday night. The budget is expected to be a primary topic, along with proposed legislation dealing with gun control and immigration.

Early indications are that the budget negotiations will be intense. Republicans have been adamant in their rejection of higher taxes, arguing that the $600 billion increase on top earners that was part of the late December agreement to prevent the government from going over the "fiscal cliff" were all the new revenue they will tolerate.

The administration maintains that Obama's proposal is balanced with the proper mix of spending cuts and tax increases.

Obama has presided over four straight years of annual deficits totaling more than $1 trillion, reflecting in part the lost revenue during a deep recession and the government's efforts to get the economy going again and stabilize the financial system.

The Obama budget's $1.8 trillion in new deficit cuts would take the place of the automatic $1.2 trillion in reductions required by a 2011 budget deal. That provision triggered $85 billion in automatic cuts for the current budget year, and those reductions, known as a "sequester," would not be affected by Obama's new budget.

The budget plan already passed by the GOP-controlled House would cut deficits by a total $4.6 trillion over 10 years on top of the $1.2 trillion called for in the 2011 deal. The budget outline approved by the Democratic-controlled Senate tracks more closely to the Obama proposal, although it does not include changes to the cost-of-living formula for Social Security.

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Associated Press writers Andrew Taylor, Jim Kuhnhenn and Donna Cassata contributed to this report.