A 22-year-old male was injured during a fight at a Park Avenue bar and again in front of St. Vincent's Hospital while on his way to the emergency room with injuries from the first fight early Saturday morning, police said.

WORCESTER - A 22-year-old male was injured during a fight at a Park Avenue bar and again in front of St. Vincent's Hospital while on his way to the emergency room with injuries from the first fight early Saturday morning, police said.

According to police, the victim told police that he was injured during a fight at Nuf Ced, a bar on Park Avenue. A friend then took him to the hospital to be treated, but when he arrived at the hospital, another vehicle drove up next to his friend's vehicle. Another fight erupted between the victim and the driver of the second vehicle. Police report that a knife was involved in the second fight.

Police report that the victim received defensive wounds to his hands and that the injuries were not serious.

According to police, security footage of the incident was reviewed. Investigators are looking for the suspect vehicle, a dark-colored SUV. The victim's friend dropped him off and fled the scene before police arrived.

Police report limited suspect information. If anyone has information about this incident they can send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD + your message or send an anonymous web based message at worcesterma.gov/police. Calls can also be made to the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at (508) 799-8651.

Efforts have been under way to convert the former golf driving range at 80 Ware Road owned by Richard Greene to produce solar energy.

Belchertown Town Administrator Gary Brougham said he believes his brother, Michael, missing for two years, is still alive. Jim Russell photo  

BELCHERTOWN – With the revenue to fund the proposed fiscal 2014 budget “still hundreds of thousands of dollars” short, Belchertown selectmen approved a $20,500 per year tax on a proposed solar farm.

Efforts have been under way to convert the former golf driving range at 80 Ware Road owned by Richard Greene to produce solar energy.

But town officials conceded last year that traditional taxing mechanisms would make it impossible for a profit to be made, and formed a three-person ad-hoc committee to come up with a compromise. Town Administrator Gary Brougham, Director of Assessments John Whelihan, and School Committee member Eric Weiss were appointed.

According to selectmen and the town administrator, the arrangement entails a $5,000 “signing bonus” as an initial payment to the town, and payments totaling $20,500 paid twice a year that will increase 2 percent a year.

The planning board unanimously approved the 1.5 megawatt solar farm on the 7-acre parcel near Warner Road nearly a year ago following a presentation by the energy firm NexAmp of Boston.

“We hope to have the $20,500 included in the fiscal year 2014 budget cycle,” Brougham told selectmen at the April 8 meeting.

“We are still hundreds of thousands of dollars in the red,” he added. The taxing structure on solar farms “is a great implement – we have a great starting point for the next one.”

Selectman Ron Aponte said the concept the board approved on a 4 to 0 vote includes money “that will help with the de-commission” when the facility is no longer in use. He said plans call for an initial 20-year contract with two five-year extensions possible.

“Mr. Brougham is to be complimented,” Aponte said. Selectman Ken Elstein recused himself from the energy discussion and vote.

Town meeting approval is required for the tax idea involving the solar farm to take effect.

Lawrence Police Chief John Romero has asked Mayor William Lantigua to fire a city officer who is in a Florida jail awaiting trial on a child rape charge.

LAWRENCE, Mass. (AP) — Lawrence Police Chief John Romero has asked Mayor William Lantigua to fire a city officer who is in a Florida jail awaiting trial on a child rape charge.

Romero wrote a letter to Lantigua saying he believes there is sufficient cause to fire Carlos Gonzalez for "conduct unbecoming a police officer."

The Eagle-Tribune (http://bit.ly/1099YeA ) reports that Lantigua did not return a message seeking comment on the termination request.

Gonzalez is one of three police officers Lantigua has left on the city payroll although they are on administrative leave from the department and facing criminal charges.

The state's Inspector General, who investigates fraud, abuse and waste of taxpayer money, warned Lantigua the city should not be paying police officers who are off the job and indicted on criminal charges.

___

Information from: Eagle Tribune (North Andover, Mass.), http://www.eagletribune.com

The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is criticizing attempts by some to link the Boston Marathon bombings to legislation to overhaul the U.S. immigration system.

ERICA WERNER
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is criticizing attempts by some to link the Boston Marathon bombings to legislation to overhaul the U.S. immigration system.

Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont says no one should "be so cruel as to try to use the heinous acts of two young men last week to derail the dreams and futures of millions."

He says the immigration legislation, which was getting its second hearing Monday, would strengthen national security by focusing on border security and enforcement.

The Judiciary Committee's top Republican, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, was among those who've said the Boston bombings raise questions about the immigration bill. The attack was allegedly carried out by two immigrant brothers.

However the brothers were here legally and one was a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Start the week out informed with Business Monday from the Republican.

Jason Garand, center, business manager for Carpenters Local 108, talks with union members Joe Murphy, left, and Sean Doyle outside the Forest Park Middle School project in Springfield. Murphy and Doyle are both working on the project, which is expected to cost $43.4 million. The Republican / Mark M. Murray  

University of Massachusetts and other education projects keeping heavy construction companies, workers busy

The 1,000 members of Carpenters Local 108 in Springfield put in just more than 1 million worker-hours last year, said business manager Jason Garand. “And 2013 looks just as good,” Garand said, adding that 2012 was the first time his members had breached the magic million-hour mark since 2007. Today, the four counties of Western Massachusetts have, collectively, more than $1 billion in ongoing construction projects, Garand said. That includes public schools, colleges and universities, as well as the $134 million construction project at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute in Williamstown.

'Enormous pent-up need' propels public school construction across Western Massachusetts

The $43.4 million renovation and expansion at Springfield’s Forest Park Middle School is expected to be completed in time for classes to start at the end of August. There is still work ongoing at the $114 million Roger L. Putnam Vocational-Technical Academy, said Rita L. Coppola-Wallace, the city’s director of capital asset construction. It’s all part of a wave of school construction that includes $7 million in new science labs at Dean Technical High School in Holyoke and the $107 million high school now under construction in West Springfield that is expected to be completed in the spring of 2014.

With demand up, Western Massachusetts builders see a housing revival

Builder John Pirog is part of a team putting 10 new condominiums into the Shaker Village complex on Shaker Road in Westfield. Five are finished, two are framed and framers were just about ready to get started erecting a wooden skeleton for another. With home sales rising and a small number of homes on the market, Pirog said a builder without a finished home is like a car dealer with an empty lot. “People can finally sell homes, “ Pirog said. “The phone is ringing a little more. You can feel the difference. There is pent-up demand and people are realizing that these low interest rates won’t last forever.”

More Business Monday:

• Kloter Farms offers indoor, outdoor furniture and more in Ellington, Conn.

• New UMass Medical Campus building wins Best Green Practice Award

• Retroficiency offers companies smarter way to decide where to spend to boost energy efficiency, saving money

• Massachusetts building at Big E gets $2.7 million facelift

• John Mandyck of UTC Climate, Controls & Security named chairman of World Green Building Council Advisory Board

• Voices of the Valley: Raymond Gobielle, owner, Supreme Scratch and Chip

Commentary:

• Boston Business Journal Editorial: Make 2014 Boston Marathon an all-inclusive event

• Federal immigration legislation must address STEM skills gap

Notebooks:

• Business bits: Dellbrook Construction eyes Quincy HQ, Waterford Place topping ceremony goes on in Boston, UMass-Lowell opens new academic building, and more

Worcester police are investigating a double shooting.

Worcester police are investigating a shooting at Ernie's Car Wash on Grove Street that occurred on Thursday evening. Kevin Koczwara/MassLive.com  

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Worcester police are investigating a double shooting.

Police responding to a Hadwen Road address at about 7:45 a.m. Monday found a man and woman on the front porch of a home suffering from gunshot wounds.

The Telegram & Gazette (http://bit.ly/124eU8U ) reports that they were taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center with what police described as serious injuries.

No names were released. There was no word on arrests.

A car was towed from the scene and the street was closed off for about two hours.

One week after the Boston Marathon bombings, doctors say everyone injured in the blasts who made it alive to a hospital now seems likely to survive.

MARILYNN MARCHIONE
AP Chief Medical Writer

BOSTON (AP) — One week after the Boston Marathon bombings, doctors say everyone injured in the blasts who made it alive to a hospital now seems likely to survive.

More than 180 people were hurt in the explosions, and at least 14 of them lost all or part of a limb. As of Monday, 51 remained hospitalized. Three are listed as critical and five are in serious condition. Among the critical is a transit system police officer who nearly bled to death in a shootout with the bombing suspects. Doctors say he is expected to recover.

The three people who died in the blasts died at the scene, as did another officer who was shot.

The Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross reports that it has been stretched thin by a busy fire season.

Looking northwest toward 2964 Main St., one of three adjoining buildings destroyed in a Saturday night fire in Springfield's North End. To the rear, or left, of the awning-covered entry of the building is 8 Portland St., and to the right is 2972 Main St. About 44 tenants spread over 20 units in the three buildings were displaced by the fire, according to Dennis Leger, spokesman for Springfield Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant. (Conor Berry, The Republican)

SPRINGFIELD -- The Springfield Arson & Bomb Squad seeks the public’s help as it probes a Saturday night arson fire that injured two women and displaced dozens of tenants from a large apartment complex in the city's North End.

“They have looked at the physical evidence,” said Dennis Leger, aide to Commissioner Joseph Conant. “Now they want to talk to people in the residence, people in the neighborhood, to find out what they saw.”

Those with information are urged to call the Springfield Arson & Bomb Squad at (413) 787-6370.

Leger said the fire was reported at 10:10 p.m. and displaced residents of three connected buildings – 6 Portland St., 2964 Main St. and 2972 Main St.

Two women were treated at a hospital for injuries suffered in the blaze and released, said Leger, who did not know the nature of their injuries.

Although initial reports had 44 tenants at those addresses, Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Cross spokeswoman Caitlin O’Hara said Monday the chapter is so far helping 16 families, for a total of 70 people.

“We are still expecting a few more families to come forward,” O’Hara said.

Investigators said they believe the fire began at 6 Portland St. before spreading to 2972 and 2964 Main streets.

Leger noted that at least three separate fires have been extinguished in recent weeks within close proximity to Saturday’s blaze. Tenants left homeless from the fire were directed to a temporary shelter at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, 27 Waverly St.

O’Hara said chapter resource have been stretched thin by an “almost overwhelming fire season.” Included was an April 11 fire at a senior housing complex in Lenox that displaced 50 people and sent a critically injured woman to University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester.

The chapter has also sent personnel to help in wake of the Boston Marathon bombings, O’Hara said.

Donations can be sent to the chapter at 506 Cottage St., Springfield, MA 01104. For more information call (413) 737-4306.

MassLive.com will host an online question and answer session with Mitchell Etess, chief executive officer of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24.

As a part of MassLive.com and The Republican's live chat series with companies competing for the single Western Massachusetts gaming license, MassLive.com will host an online question and answer session with Mitchell Etess, chief executive officer of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24.

Mohegan Sun's $800 million casino proposal would be located on 152 acres off Route 32 in Palmer, just off the Massachusetts Turnpike.

MassLive.com previously hosted live chats with MGM Resorts International President Bill Hornbuckle and Penn National Gaming's Eric Schippers, and we'd love to hear our readers' questions for Mohegan Sun as the next live chat approaches.

How to submit a question

Public participation in this process is critical and we want your questions. Please send questions to feedback@masslive.com with "Casino Chat Question" in the subject line.

Please include your name and town of residence with your question in order for it to be considered for the chats.

You can also share general questions and thoughts on the various casino proposals in the comments section below.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Bertha Loftus 

Bertha M. (Wilder) Loftus, 76, of Belchertown, passed away on Friday. She was born and raised in Ware, and lived in Belchertown since 1955. She worked as an office clerk for the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services for many years. She was a communicant and very active member of St. Francis Church. She was a member of the church choir for 52 years, a member of the Catholic Women's Club and a former Lionness.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Barthelette, Raymond J.
  



• 
  Dupee, Ernest M.
  



• 
  Everling, Arthur Clark
  



• 
  Lahey, Theresa
  



• 
  Loftus, Bertha M.
  



• 
  Page, Eugene E.
  



• 
  Pashko, Thomas
  



• 
  Surowiec, Mieczyslaw
  

The White House says the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing will not be tried as an enemy combatant in a military tribunal.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing will not be tried as an enemy combatant in a military tribunal.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will be prosecuted in the federal court system.

Tsarnaev is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Carney says that under U.S. law U.S. citizens cannot be tried in military commissions. Carney says that since Sept. 11, 2001, the federal court system has been used to convict and incarcerate hundreds of terrorists.

Tsarnaev, 19, and his older brother and suspected co-conspirator, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, were born in southern Russia.

Teachers spent Monday preparing the classrooms for the 475 high school students.

EASTHAMPTON — Tuesday is the day that city officials, parents, students and others have been waiting for – the opening of the new $39.2 million high school.

Teachers spent Monday preparing the classrooms for the 475 high school students, one day ahead of their return after April vacation.

In May 2010, voters by a 3 to 1 margin supported the $43.7 million project. The costs were reduced because construction bids came in low.

The city is funding about 37 percent of that cost, Mayor Michael A. Tautznik has said.

The old school will be razed this summer.

The first funeral of a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing was attended by family and friends, and guarded over by hundreds of Teamsters and strangers.

MEDFORD — Margaret Regan carried a second grade class picture into Saint Joseph’s Church. She pointed to one of her former Swan School students standing in the back row, with long hair, a pink headband and a wide toothy smile. It was Krystle Campbell, who was killed last week at age 29, one of three fatalities in the Boston Marathon bombings.

“She was a very nice girl, sweet, always had a smile on. She had a lot of friends,” Regan recalled.

They came by the hundreds on Monday to remember the girl with the ever-present smile. On one side of High Street in Medford snaked a long line of mourners wearing black. On the other side were those who had never met Campbell but came to honor her and allow her family to grieve in peace, despite threats of a protest. The funeral service, which was attended by Gov. Deval Patrick and Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, was closed to the press.

Julia Dziamba and Sydney Gaudes came to remember their former boss at the Summer Shack, which served food on the Boston Harbor Islands. They were among those who could not get into the church because it was full. “She definitely had a bubbly personality. She always had a smile on her face, even if she’s mad at you,” Dziamba said. “I could be in the crappiest mood, and she’d be there to make me smile.”

Campbell worked for years as a general manager for Jasper White’s Summer Shack Restaurants. When a group of girls struggled to carry heavy tables, or when Gaudes accidentally dropped a table, Campbell always kept her sense of humor, Dziamba and Gaudes recalled. “We were just laughing about it,” Gaudes said.

Nancy White, the ex-wife of restaurant owner Jasper White, said Campbell was one of the “best people I’d ever met working in hospitality.”

“She was talented, smart…She was one of those people who made you feel so good when you met her. She had a big smile,” White recalled.

MEDFORD - Mourners line up to get into Saint Joseph's Church for the funeral of Krystle Campbell on April 22, 2013. Led by the Teamsters, hundreds of people line the opposite side of the street to show support and protect the family from potential protests.Shira Schoenberg for MassLive.com 

Vincent Maxson, who did business with the Summer Shack, called Campbell “one of the most sincere, genuine people I ever met.” “She was very caring, very loving, always there for everyone,” he said.

Yet hundreds of those who stood outside for hours on the cold April morning had no memories of Campbell, but a desire to help a grieving family.

The Westboro Baptist Church, a Kansas-based group known for its hate speech against gay people, has picketed the funerals of soldiers and other public events and had said it planned to protest Campbell’s funeral. It never showed. But Massachusetts residents did, led by the Teamsters.

“We want to make sure the family has a peaceful mourning process, free of any cowards that want to disrupt them,” said Sean O’Brien, president of the Teamsters Local 25. “We will take any steps necessary to make sure the families grieve without any interruptions.”

And so they came, wearing Teamsters jackets, leather bike jackets stretched across broad shoulders and “Boston Strong” T-shirts. One man climbed a tree to hang an American flag.

“We’re here to make sure that everything goes peacefully, and she gets the sendoff she deserves,” said Paul Weidenbach, a Teamsters member from Cohasset. “It’s important to stand together and do what’s right.”

MEDFORD - A man hangs an American flag from a tree outside the funeral of Boston Marathon bombing victim Krystle Campbell at Saint Joseph's church on April 22, 2013.Shira Schoenberg for MassLive.com 

“They make my religion look bad,” added Eva Stock, a Christian and a nurse from Delaware who was visiting her boyfriend. “Nobody should have to go through protests at their own family funeral.”

Kim Buonopane, of Malden, said she wanted to make sure the family had their privacy. “I’m here to be quiet, stand here and make sure no one bothers them,” she said.

Residents said they were heartened by the display of solidarity, which stretched for blocks. “At a time like this, it’s good to see people come together. I wouldn’t expect anything less,” said Dean Jackson of Medford, who came with other members of his motorcycle club.

For two hours, the crowd across the street from the church socialized and chatted with the media. Then the church bells began to toll. Helicopters hovered overhead.

A hearse drew up with lights flashing, preceded by a car carrying flowers and followed by a seemingly endless procession of family and friends. The police formed a human barrier in the middle of the street. White-gloved officers lined the entrance to the church and saluted.

The crowd of hundreds stood silent.

A dance instructor who lost her left foot in the Boston Marathon bombings vows to dance again.

BOSTON (AP) — A dance instructor who lost her left foot in the Boston Marathon bombings vows to dance again.

And what's more, even though she's never been a runner, Adrianne Haslet-Davis plans to run next year's marathon.

Haslet-Davis says she awoke from heavy sedation in the hospital last week more than 24 hours after the bombings that also injured her husband, Air Force Capt. Adam Davis, and her left foot felt numb.

Her foot had been practically detached in the explosion, but she had hoped for a medical miracle.

Her mother broke the terrible news that the foot was gone.

Haslet-Davis, a dance instructor at the Arthur Murray Studio in Park Plaza, tells the Boston Herald (http://bit.ly/XZAAVa ) she was devastated and angry.

But, the 32-year-old woman says she can't "wallow in woe."

___

Information from: Boston Herald, http://www.bostonherald.com

The fund for victims of the Boston marathon bombings has received 50,000 donations.

BOSTON — The One Fund Boston, a charity for victims of the Boston marathon bombings, has already raised $20 million.

During a press conference at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Gov. Deval L. Patrick also introduced Kenneth Feinberg, who has agreed to volunteer as administrator of The One Fund Boston. Feinberg, 67, a lawyer, also recently was special master of the federal government's compensation fund for victims of the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2011.

Menino said the fund for victims of the marathon blasts has received 50,000 donations including $1 million contributions from several corporations and $5 and $10 from individuals.

"We raised $20 million in a week," Menino said. "That's tremendous."

"It's another example of the goodness of spirit these events have inspired in our community," Patrick said. "All of the money will go to victims, none for administrative costs."

Feinberg said he will hold two public meetings during the week of May 5 to field comments on how to spend the fund. He said he wants to hear from families of victims and the public.

By May 15, forms will be available to apply for money from the fund. People will have one month to complete the forms.

Feinberg said he would meet privately with any family members or victims.

Kenneth Feinberg, an attorney who managed the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund, right, speaks to Gov. Deval Patrick after a news conference in Boston. Feinberg will design and be administrator of a new fund to help people affected by the Boston Marathon bombing. Gov. Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino say the One Fund Boston is intended as a central place to gather donations for the Boston Marathon bombing victims.AP photo by Elise Amendola 

Starting on June 30, money will be delivered to people, he said.

"The number one goal is to get this money out the door," he said.

The fund will remain open until Labor Day, he said. If people believe they are eligible, they can register at onefundboston.org.

A toll-free number – 1-855-617-FUND – will be available beginning Wednesday.

Feinberg said money from the charity will be for families of people killed or the injured. A person's health insurance, worker's compensation, social security, private money or any other such factor will have no bearing on distributions from the fund, he said.

He said it is highly unlikely the fund would pay for any property damage.

Ultimately, Feinberg, former chief of staff to the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, will make all decisions in distributing the money.

"It's my call," he said. "I'll take the heat that goes with the territory."

"It's not a lot of money," Feinberg added. "It's a wonderful outpouring, but it will not make people whole."

Public health officials are now saying that 264 people sought treatment at hospitals for injuries sustained in the Boston Marathon bombings, according to the Associated Press.

Authorities had been saying that about 180 people were injured, but that was just victims brought to hospitals in the immediate aftermath of the April 15 explosions. Three people were killed and at least 14 people lost all or part of a limb, the AP reported.

The Boston Public Health Commission says the larger number of injured includes people who delayed seeking treatment. For example, some people had ringing in their ears from the blasts and thought it might go away, but it persisted for several days. Other people sought delayed treatment for minor shrapnel wounds. Twenty-seven different hospitals treated the injured.

The commission said as of Tuesday, 51 people were still hospitalized.

The project would generate approximately $4,000 per year in tax revenue, town administrator Gary Brougham estimates.

BELCHERTOWN — Easthampton Savings Bank will be seeking the Belchertown Planning Board’s permission to construct a 2,377-square-foot branch office on close to an acre of land at 40 State St.

Belchertown selectmen referred the bank’s request to the Planning Board for action during Monday’s meeting.

Officials say the bank hopes to build the new branch office this year. The project would generate approximately $4,000 per year in tax revenue, town administrator Gary Brougham estimates.

The map below shows the approximate location of 40 State St.:

The chairwoman and top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee – Dianne Feinstein and Saxby Chambliss – say the incident showed there was a lack of sharing of some information, despite intelligence-sharing reforms implemented after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Pallbearers carry the casket of fallen Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier into St. Patrick's Church before a funeral Mass, in Stoneham, Mass., Tuesday, April 23, 2013. Collier was fatally shot on the MIT campus Thursday, April 18, 2013. Authorities allege that the Boston Marathon bombing suspects were responsible. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)Steven Senne, Associated Press 

By KIMBERLY DOZIER

WASHINGTON – Lawmakers say U.S. law enforcement and other agencies may not have shared enough intelligence about the Boston Marathon bombing suspects in the months before the deadly bombings.

But none of the lawmakers are saying – yet– that better sharing could have stopped the attacks, after FBI officials briefed them on the investigation Tuesday.

The chairwoman and top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee – Dianne Feinstein and Saxby Chambliss – say the incident showed there was a lack of sharing of some information, despite intelligence-sharing reforms implemented after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Officials say Homeland Security officials were tracking now-deceased suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s trip to Russia last year, for instance, but were not coordinating their suspicions with the FBI.

Investigators suspect he may have become radicalized during that journey.

France legalized gay marriage on Tuesday after a wrenching national debate that exposed deep conservatism in the nation’s heartland and triggered huge demonstrations that tapped into intense discontent with the Socialist government. Within hours, fiery clashes broke out between protesters and riot police.

Riot police fires tear gas toward demonstrators, Tuesday, April 23, 2013 in Paris. France legalized gay marriage on Tuesday after a wrenching national debate that exposed deep conservatism in the nation's heartland and triggered huge demonstrations that tapped into intense discontent with the Socialist government. Within hours, fiery clashes broke out between protesters and riot police. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) Christophe Ena, The Associated Press 

By LORI HINNANT and SYLVIE CORBET

PARIS – France legalized gay marriage on Tuesday after a wrenching national debate that exposed deep conservatism in the nation’s heartland and triggered huge demonstrations that tapped into intense discontent with the Socialist government. Within hours, fiery clashes broke out between protesters and riot police.

Legions of officers stayed late into the night, and a protest against the measure turned violent near the Invalides complex of museums and monuments. Protesters threw glass bottles, cans and metal bars at police, who responded with tear gas.

It was an issue that galvanized the country’s faltering right, which had been decimated by infighting and their election loss to President Francois Hollande. France is the 14th country to legalize gay marriage nationwide –and the most populous.

The measure passed easily in the Socialist-majority Assembly, 331-225, just after the president of the legislative body expelled a disruptive protester in pink, the color adopted by French opponents of gay marriage.

Justice Minister Christiane Taubira told lawmakers that the first weddings could be as soon as June.

“We believe that the first weddings will be beautiful and that they’ll bring a breeze of joy, and that those who are opposed to them today will surely be confounded when they are overcome with the happiness of the newlyweds and the families,” she said.

Earlier in the day, there appeared to be more police than protesters outside the Parliament building on Paris’ Left Bank, but that calculation soon shifted as night fell and thousands gathered to protest the bill. The protest dwindled to a few stalwarts shortly before midnight, when the violence began among a few hundred demonstrators including some who carried signs saying “Socialist dictatorship.”

Claire Baron, 41, a mother of two, said that she “will oppose the bill until the end.”

“I’ll keep going to the protests, I don’t give in. The bill is not effective yet, the president of the Republic must listen to our voices. We are here to defend family values. Children need a mom and a dad,” Baron said.

In recent weeks, violent attacks against gay couples have spiked and some legislators have received threats – including Claude Bartelone, the Assembly president, who got a gunpowder-filled envelope on Monday.

One of the biggest protests against same-sex marriage drew together hundreds of thousands of people bused in from the French provinces – conservative activists, schoolchildren with their parents, retirees, priests and others. That demonstration ended in blasts of tear gas, as right-wing rabble-rousers, some in masks and hoods, led the charge against police, damaging cars along the Champs-Elysees avenue and making a break for the presidential palace.

Following the vote members of the gay and lesbian community flocked to a square in central Paris, just behind City Hall, to celebrate the vote.

“I feel immense joy, gigantic joy,” said 39-year old Sylvain Rouzel. “At last, everyone has the same rights. This is huge! France was lagging behind. We had to wait 14 years after the civil union to finally obtain the right to get married, with equal rights for everyone. I feel great!”

Paris’ openly gay mayor, Bertrand Delanoe, was among the crowd of hundreds gathered for the street celebration in the Marais, the city’s historic gay neighborhood.

When Hollande promised to legalize gay marriage, it was seen as relatively uncontroversial. The issue has become a touchstone as his popularity has sunk to unprecedented lows, largely over France’s ailing economy.

“The opposition is in a weakened position, but they know which buttons to press in order to get a reaction in society, in a country as liberal as France, where nobody thought it was an issue,” said Hossein Alizadeh, a coordinator with the U.S.-based International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission who has followed the issue.

But the most visible face in the fight against gay marriage – a former comedienne who goes by the name of Frigide Barjot – said the movement named “A Protest for Everyone” will continue beyond the law’s passage and possibly field candidates in 2014 municipal elections. She said anyone involved in protest violence would be marginalized, but blamed the government for its failure to listen.

“The violence comes from the way in which this was imposed,” Barjot told France Info radio.

French conservatives, demoralized and divided by the election loss of standard-bearer Nicolas Sarkozy, found common cause in opposing same-sex marriage. Hoping to keep the issue alive, the conservative UMP party planned to challenge the law in the Constitutional Council.

“The controversy that we’ve seen has been a stoked and manipulated controversy that’s really kind of a last-ditch attempt to block the tide of history,” said Evan Wolfson, president of the American activist group Freedom to Marry, which he said worked with the French on the bill. “I don’t think it spoke to a deep or wide opposition among the French people.”

French civil unions, allowed since 1999, are at least as popular among heterosexuals as among gay and lesbian couples. But that law has no provisions for adoption, and the strongest opposition in France as far as same-sex couples goes comes when children are involved. According to recent polls, just over half of French are opposed to adoption by same-sex couples – about the same number who said they favored same-sex marriage.

Christophe Crepin, spokesman for the police union UNSA, says the extraordinary security Tuesday included a total of about 4,000 officers in the area near the National Assembly building and water cannon positioned nearby.

On the cover of Tuesday’s Liberation newspaper, the famed gay photographers Pierre and Gilles took over the front page and several of the inside pages, splashing them with some of their most provocative photos, including one of three soccer players – nude but for the footwear – facing the camera.

In New Zealand, where gay marriage enjoys popular support, people gathered outside Parliament and joined in singing a traditional Maori love ballad after a vote last week making it legal. Nine states and the District of Columbia in the U.S. also recognize such marriages, but the federal government does not.

According to Skip Schloming, executive director of the Small Property Owners Association, owners are concerned they could face discrimination charges if they resist tenants who cultivate marijuana in their apartments under the state’s medical marijuana law.

By MICHAEL NORTON
and ANDY METZGER

BOSTON — Representatives from a small property owners group were making the rounds at the Statehouse on Tuesday, asserting that state regulations governing medical marijuana cultivation would leave them in a bind.

According to Skip Schloming, executive director of the Small Property Owners Association, owners are concerned they could face discrimination charges if they resist tenants who cultivate marijuana in their apartments under the state’s medical marijuana law, or they could risk seeing the federal government attempt to seize their property since growing marijuana is illegal under federal laws.

Schloming visited Beacon Hill on Tuesday to talk to lawmakers and disseminate an association newsletter cautioning that marijuana growing in apartments leaves property owners vulnerable to foreclosed mortgages and invalidated insurance policies, fire risks associated with amateur wiring for lights, and potential property damage associated with watering plants. The newsletter also warns of the potential for increased crime, asserting it’s a “no brainer” that marijuana grown in apartments will be diverted for recreational uses and attract drug dealers.

Schloming said regulations under development allow growing in a person’s primary residence and suggested as an alternative that because of fire risks, medical marijuana should only be grown in properties owned by the patient or the caregiver. He said he hoped Department of Public Health officials would agree to meet with landlords before finalizing regulations.

In its draft regulations, DPH sought to minimize home-growing by improving access through other means, including requiring the medical marijuana industry to provide discounted rates for low-income residents, allowing secure home-delivery and encouraging a personal caregiver to pick up the marijuana for a patient.

Foreign policy and national security took center stage in a fiery and aggressive debate between Markey and Lynch, which also touched on issues as varied as medical marijuana and NAFTA. Watch video

04/23/13-Springfield-The Republican staff photo by Dave Roback-The United States Senate special election primary Democratic debate between Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch at the WGBY studios in Springfield on Tuesday evening. Here is Lynch at left, and Markey on right. 

SPRINGFIELD — Foreign policy and national security took center stage in a fiery and aggressive debate between U.S. Reps. Edward Markey and Stephen Lynch, which also touched on issues as varied as medical marijuana and NAFTA.

Markey and Lynch, both Democrats, resumed their U.S. Senate campaigns on Monday after a week-long hiatus after the bombings at the Boston Marathon last week. Tuesday night’s debate between Markey and Lynch in Springfield was the last chance the public will have to see the candidates onstage before the April 30 primary. The debate was moderated by WGBY-TV’s Jim Madigan before a live studio audience of 80 people. It was sponsored by the Western Massachusetts Media Consortium, which includes The Republican/MassLive.com.

The most personal exchange came during a discussion of the bailout of the auto industry.

Markey said Lynch opposed the federal bailout of the auto industry. “Steve voted no on the bill that saved the auto industry,” Markey said.

“I don’t want to call you a liar but you are,” Lynch responded.

Markey responded that Lynch “was inappropriately personally insulting.”

Lynch hit back: “I take it back. You’re not a liar, you’re just misinformed.”

In fact, as both men said after the debate, Lynch voted for the bailout of the auto industry. However, the bill did not pass the Senate so the president funded the auto bailout using money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the bailout of the financial industry, which Lynch voted against.

The testiness started from the beginning of the debate, when the candidates picked up a disagreement on national security that they started at a debate Monday in Boston.

Lynch attacked Markey for voting against four Homeland Security bills, against a port security bill and against the creation of a joint terrorism task force.

Markey said he voted against the homeland security bills because they did not require screening for bombs on passenger planes. He opposed the port security bill because it did not ensure boats were screened for nuclear weapons. And he said Lynch had voted against the final passage of the joint terrorism task force bill because it would use military resources for law enforcement purposes, “bringing the military to the streets of our country for the first time in history.”

“He’s taken a page right out of the Karl Rove's Swift Boat playbook,” Markey said, referring to Republican attacks on former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry’s military service.

Lynch responded that Markey voted against bills that more than 400 members of Congress supported. “I didn’t take a page from Karl Rove’s playbook. I took a page from your voting record,” he said.

Lynch also criticized Markey for being one of just 16 members of Congress to oppose the adoption of a 2004 resolution extending sympathy to victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. “You’re so far out on the left, it’s ridiculous,” Lynch said.

Markey said he opposed the resolution because it attempted to justify the decision to invade Iraq because of the terrorist attacks. Markey said Republicans brought the resolution to the floor to “serve as a blank check for George Bush on the basis of 9-11.”

With last week’s bombing still weighing on Massachusetts, Madigan asked the candidates if they agree with a “public safety” exception that law enforcement officials relied on to question Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev before reading him his Miranda rights. Both Markey and Lynch said they support the decision of the U.S. Justice Department.

“It’s important for them to be able to act in a way that could deal with any imminent threat to our country,” Markey said. “Their wisdom is something that will not be second guessed by me.”

Lynch said given the circumstances - that the suspects hurled explosives at police who were chasing them and weapons were found in additional locations - it was “absolutely appropriate” for law enforcement to question Tsarnaev before reading him his Miranda rights to make sure there were no other people involved and no other bombs in the city.
 
 
The congressmen also discussed foreign policy, a topic that has largely been absent from the campaign trail. On North Korea, Lynch said the U.S. should collaborate with international partners such as Japan and South Korea, and should make sure Russia and China do not feel their security is diminished by actions that the U.S. takes.

Markey said the U.S. should pressure China to pressure North Korea. He said the U.S. should ostracize any country that helps North Korea, in order to “squeeze (North Korean leader Kim Jong-un) so tight that he would not dare to use a nuclear weapon against us or any other country in the world.”

Both agreed the U.S. must build international coalitions to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon, and that the U.S. must stand by Israel.

Asked how they could help the economy in Western Massachusetts, Markey talked about the importance of completing a Boston to Springfield rail line. He said he would work with Democratic President Barack Obama to create a “manufacturing hub” in Massachusetts, would continue to invest money in broadband connectivity for rural areas and to fund community colleges.

Lynch said he wants to repeal the North American Free Trade Agreement, which he says sent U.S. manufacturing jobs to Mexico. Markey supported NAFTA, though he expressed concerns about the way labor and environmental safeguards were upheld under the Bush administration.

“If there’s any area of this state that’s been adversely impacted by NAFTA, it’s right here in Springfield,” Lynch said. “From Worcester on west to Pittsfield, we have lost more manufacturing jobs. You can thank Ed Markey for that.”

Another area of disagreement was on medical marijuana. Lynch opposes Massachusetts’ new law legalizing medical marijuana; Markey supports it. Lynch admitted that he smoked marijuana as a kid. But he said he has worked with recovering addicts and “I haven’t met an addict who didn’t start with marijuana.”

Markey said for people with cancer or other serious diseases, properly prescribed medical marijuana could help them. “As long as the standards are put in place that stringently protect against abuse of this medicinal marijuana exception, then it’s a sound policy,” he said. Markey said the federal government should not prosecute people for taking marijuana under a state-sanctioned program.