A 23-year-old man was shot on Monday just after midnight on Millbury Street, report police.

WORCESTER - A 23-year-old man was shot on Monday just after midnight on Millbury Street, report police.

According to police, the victim was walking on Millbury Street with a group when two suspects began to yell at him from across the street. The groups began a verbal altercation when, minutes later, one of the males pulled out a gun and shot at the victim. The suspects fled the scene.

According to police, the victim left the scene and walked to a nearby Honey Farms convenience store where officers located him. The victim was transported to a local hospital and police list him as in stable condition.

Police report that officer collected evidence and interviewed several witnesses.

The investigation is ongoing.

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

Senate President Therese Murray said the welfare system is stagnant and needs to be shaken up.

BOSTON — Senate President Therese Murray and other Senate leaders today unveiled a bill to overhaul welfare in Massachusetts, including requiring photo identifications on electronic benefit transfer cards and creation of a new program to connect able-bodied applicants with jobs before they receive benefits.

Murray said the welfare system is stagnant and the Senate wants to shake it up, while helping recipients.

"If you are able-bodied, we have a full employment program for you," Murray said.

Under one change, the state Department of Transitional Assistance would help develop a "job diversion" program to link able-bodied welfare applicants with jobs before they apply for benefits or receive any benefits.

In order to restrict fraud, the bill would require photos of recipients older than 18 on all EBT cards and require the welfare fraud hotline number to be printed on all newly-issued EBT cards. All EBT cards must have photos by Aug. 1 of next year.

The state House of Representatives has also approved a bill requiring photos on EBT cards.

The Senate is set to take up the welfare bill on Thursday.

Under current law, a recipient is limited to receiving welfare for two years in any five-year period.

Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, a Barre Democrat and chairman of the Senate Ways & Means Committee, said the bill would carry a price including $8 million for vouchers for child care to expand employment of recipients and $5 million for putting photos on EBT cards.

"Meaningful reforms require meaningful investments," Brewer said.

Other key changes in the bill:

-- Requires applicants to search for jobs prior to receiving cash assistance and to provide the state with specific information on a job search, or risk losing benefits;

-- Requires the state to develop "economic independence goals" for recipients of cash assistance; and

-- Provisions to make it easier for recipients to work including increasing the monthly work-related expense deduction from a recipient's gross income from $90 to $150.

This story will be updated later today with more details

State police spokesman Todd Nolan said the incident was reported about 11:30 a.m. and the bomb squad remains on scene.

SPRINGFIELD — A report of a suspicious package at the Smith & Wesson facility on Roosevelt Avenue prompted a response from the State Police Bomb Squad late Monday morning.

State police spokesman Todd Nolan said the incident was reported about 11:30 a.m. and the bomb squad remains on scene.

Springfield police could not provide any immediate information. Smith & Wesson personnel could not be reached for comment.

Between April 11 and June 5, Markey raised $2.9 million in contributions. Gomez raised $1.7 million during the same time period. Gomez also loaned his campaign $300,000.

Democratic Massachusetts U.S. Senate candidate Edward Markey raised over $1 million more than his Republican opponent Gabriel Gomez during the past two months.

Markey, a U.S. representative, and Gomez, a private equity investor, are competing in a June 25 special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Secretary of State John Kerry. Their final fundraising reports before the election indicate that Markey is entering the final stretch of the race with a significant financial advantage.

Between April 11 and June 5, Markey raised $2.9 million in contributions. Gomez raised $1.7 million during the same time period. Gomez also loaned his campaign $300,000.

The disparity in recent fundraising only builds on Markey’s already significant financial advantage. While both candidates faced competitive primaries, Markey has built up his campaign money over the years. He has held leadership positions in Congress and has not faced competitive challenges in his reelection campaigns. Markey was the only one of the five candidates from either party to enter the primary race with a significant war chest – $3.1 million left over in his U.S. House campaign committee.

Markey was endorsed early on by leading Democrats in Massachusetts and nationally. Drawn by his reputation as a progressive congressman and a leader on energy and telecommunications policy, top names in business, sports and entertainment contributed to his primary campaign. During the primary election campaign, Markey raised $4.7 million – far more money than any other candidate from either party. As of April 10, he had $4.6 million in the bank.

Gomez, however, was unknown in the political world and relied heavily on his personal contacts in the financial world to raise money for the primary. Gomez raised $582,000 during the primary campaign and loaned himself another $600,000. Coming into the most recent fundraising period, on April 11, he had just $500,000 in the bank.

Markey’s national appeal is evident in his current fundraising numbers as well. According to the Markey campaign, slightly less than half (48 percent) of Markey’s total donations this fundraising period came from within Massachusetts. The average donation was $86, according to the campaign. The Gomez campaign did not provide comparable figures, and detailed data is not yet available on the Federal Election Commission website.

Markey’s fundraising advantage has allowed him to spend significantly more money on election expenses like advertising and building a campaign organization. Markey spent $5.4 million on his campaign between April 11 and June 5, while Gomez spent just $1.6 million.

Markey had more than $2.2 million left to spend in the final two weeks of the campaign, including on Election Day. Gomez had just shy of $1 million.

Jeffrey Berry, professor of American Politics at Tufts University, said the fundraising differential is more consequential for Gomez than for Markey. “He began the race as a relative unknown in the state, and money is critical to creating a favorable image of himself, as well as name recognition,” Berry said.

With every poll showing Markey in the lead, Berry said Gomez needs money in the final weeks to generate publicity. While he may have enough money to fund an Election Day organization, he might be able to pay for only a moderate media buy, rather than a large one, Berry said.

While Gomez is getting some help from an outside political action committee called Americans for Progressive Action, which recently spent $700,000 on pro-Gomez advertising, outside groups are spending far more money helping Markey. Democratic organizations, environmental groups and unions had spent more than $2.2 million helping Markey, as of last week.

Markey spokesman Andrew Zucker said, “Ed Markey is proud to have such widespread report from people across the Commonwealth, and we are confident we have the resources to continue highlighting the clear differences between Markey and Gabriel Gomez on issues like Gomez's opposition to banning assault weapons, refusal to ask millionaires like himself to pay their fair share and willingness to support pro-life Supreme Court nominees who would overturn Roe v. Wade.”

Gomez spokesman Lenny Alcivar, asked about the fundraising disparity, pointed to the money Markey has taken over the years from special interests. (In the current fundraising period, Markey received around $350,000 from political action committees and Gomez got $170,000 – though those numbers do not count money received from lobbyists who contribute as individuals.) "Congressman Markey has spent 37 years taking millions of dollars from outside special interests and lobbyists, including those he regulates in Washington,” Alcivar said. “No matter how much dirty money Ed Markey and his allies dump into his failing campaign, voters in Massachusetts will stand behind Gabriel Gomez on Election Day because they know it’s time we put people before politics."

As the battle for U.S. Senate between Democrat Edward Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez enters its final week, the race is tightening and Democrats are bringing in the big guns.

By SHIRA SCHOENBERG and ROBERT RIZZUTO

As the battle for U.S. Senate between Democrat Edward Markey and Republican Gabriel Gomez enters its final week, the race is tightening and Democrats are bringing in the big guns.

Democratic President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, former President Bill Clinton and former vice president Al Gore have all campaigned or fundraised for Markey. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has spent nearly $700,000 on anti-Gomez ads, complementing spending from other Democratic-leaning groups. Some national Republicans are helping Gomez, but not to the same extent.

While Markey has held a solid lead throughout the campaign, political strategists say the hubbub of activity, particularly on the Democratic side, reflects the changing dynamic of the race, in which national scandals surrounding the Obama administration threaten to trickle down to Massachusetts. It also indicates Democrats’ refusal to take any race for granted, after Republican Scott Brown’s upset victory in the 2010 U.S. Senate special election.

“Because we are in an off-year, off-cycle, off-month election that we’ve never had before, you can’t leave anything to chance,” said Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh, who works for the Dewey Square Group and is not involved in the Senate race. “This is Markey’s race to lose, and no one’s going to let that happen.”

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., right, campaigns with Massachusetts Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Gabriel Gomez, center, at the Boston Police VFW Post on May 20, 2013. Aside from McCain, national Republicans have been largely absent from the race as Gomez aims to win over independents, which make up more than half of the registered voters in Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) 

Two polls released last week - by WBUR and Suffolk University - pegged Markey’s lead at 7 points, with around 10 percent of voters undecided. While Markey has led consistently throughout the race, his lead has narrowed. Three independent polls from late May or early June had Markey 11 to 12 points ahead of Gomez.

“Seven points in any race is a good lead, but as was demonstrated in 2010, there’s no single digit lead that’s insurmountable,” said Steve Koczela, president of The MassINC Polling Group, which conducted the WBUR poll.

One of the biggest dangers Markey faces ironically comes from one of his allies: Obama. While the president remains popular in Massachusetts, he has seen his popularity decline because of several recent scandals. These include the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative groups; questions over the government’s handling of the attack at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya; the Justice Department’s subpoenaing of journalists’ phone records; and the leak of information about the government’s secret surveillance programs of phone and Internet records.

Paul Santaniello 

Paul Santaniello, a Republican strategist and Longmeadow selectman, said the problems plaguing Obama's administration are trickling down to affect other Democrats like Markey.

"I was shocked when they had President Obama campaign for Markey, considering all of the simultaneous scandals surrounding his team in Washington," Santaniello said. "Although I imagine that visit may have shored up some of Markey's liberal base, it did nothing to bring independents into the fold and in actuality, may have done the opposite."

Santaniello said seeing Markey appear alongside Obama may have convinced a few lukewarm Democrats to support the longtime congressman, but to independents, it may have had a negative effect.

"You have people in the middle seeing Markey as an establishment politician who will go back to Washington to toe the line. To them, Gomez is a solution to the problem of establishment corruption in the capitol," Santaniello said.

David Paleologos 

David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, said the scandals might particularly energize independent voters, who were previously unconnected with the Senate race, to vote against an incumbent Democrat who has been in Washington for decades. “It’s possible that the scandals will adversely affect Ed Markey through no fault of his own,” Paleologos said.

In Massachusetts, Democrats outnumber Republicans three to one. Independents are therefore a key constituency since a Republican candidate must win independents by a large margin to take the state.

Recent polls have put Markey’s support at just under 50 percent, which Paleologos said “is a dangerous place to be” for the more well-known candidate. The pollster said Markey is likely bringing in Obama and Clinton to bolster enthusiasm among Democrats, even as he must also improve his standing among independents. “(There is) the need to generate some action in Democratic circles which to date hasn’t happened,” Paleologos said. “People haven’t been as excited about Ed Markey as about (Democratic Sen.) Elizabeth Warren.”

Political observers are also keenly aware of the 2010 special election, when Brown came from behind to beat Democrat Martha Coakley. Brown’s victory was spurred in part by the national mood, with Republicans and some independents angry over Obama’s health care reform and the continued economic downturn. In addition, state Democrats took the seat for granted and ran a lackluster campaign. Coakley held a consistent lead throughout the race, but, according to polling data aggregated by the website Real Clear Politics, Brown began outperforming Coakley around two weeks before the election.

Anthony Cignoli 

"If we look at the trending from back then, it's similar to what's happening with Gomez right now,” said Anthony Cignoli, a Springfield-based political consultant with clients from both parties.

Cignoli agreed that the tightening of the race can be attributed in part to the president's problems rubbing off on the longtime congressman. "The difficulties the president is facing have no doubt led to some fatigue on the typically excited base. And to independents, an incumbent like Markey is more likely to draw that anger," Cignoli said.

Democrats dispute the notion that their get out the vote effort is anything out of the ordinary. “That’s what Democrats here do every two years,” Marsh said. “I think one of the big differences between Democrats in Massachusetts and Republicans is Democrats build grassroots organizations and have a true get out the vote program to make sure that people turn out.”

Marsh said Obama’s visit to Roxbury was meant to target Democrats, particularly black and Latino voters who were instrumental to Obama’s victories but may be less motivated in a special election. That same appearance was used to promote Markey in a 30-second TV ad released on Friday.

Clinton targeted middle class, blue collar voters, including independent voters, in central Massachusetts.

Koczela said while he is not predicting anything will change in the race, it makes sense for Democrats to take steps to prevent another last minute upset. “The Democratic Party doesn’t want to take anything for granted, I would imagine,” Koczela said. “After seeing what happened in 2010, they want to be absolutely sure they do everything they can to keep things where they are rather than taking unnecessary risks in the last couple of weeks.”

Ray LaRaja 

And most analysts say it will be difficult for Gomez to make up his deficit in the final weeks, particularly with few voters remaining undecided. Ray La Raja, associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, said Gomez has some factors in his favor – young voters, who tend to vote Democratic, are out of school for the year. The Obama scandals could hurt Markey. But La Raja said Gomez needs a perfect storm of somewhat unlikely factors to pull out a win.

"There would have to be a huge drop in Democratic voters for Gomez to end up with a win," La Raja said. "And when Brown won, there was a lot of anger from independents. Now, not so much.”

With two debates behind them, Markey and Gomez will square off at their final debate on June 18 at WGBH's studios in Brighton.

The election to determine which candidate will serve out the remainder of John Kerry's term in the Senate takes place on June 25.

Authorities say three people were involved in the June 9 attack in which the male victim was slapped and robbed of cash and a credit card, before bleach was thrown in his face.

BOSTON (AP) — Police have arrested two people, including a 15-year-old girl, in connection with a bleach attack and robbery on a Boston bus.

Authorities say three people were involved in the June 9 attack in which the male victim was slapped and robbed of cash and a credit card, before bleach was thrown in his face.

Authorities say the victim is getting continued treatment for impaired vision in his right eye.

Twenty-two-year-old Lai Lawnnie Douglas was ordered held on $20,000 bail after pleading not guilty Monday in Roxbury District Court to charges including unarmed robbery and indecent assault and battery.

Her lawyer said his client is the victim of mistaken identity.

The teen, whose name was not made public, was held on $100,000 bail.

Police are searching for the third female suspect.

Authorities are investigating the discovery of a dead body in a North Attleborough industrial park as a possible homicide.

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the discovery of a dead body in a North Attleborough industrial park as a possible homicide.

The Bristol district attorney's office says the body was found at about 5:30 p.m. Monday.

Authorities did not say if the body was a man or a woman, and did not say whether it had been dumped in the area or the person had died at the site.

Details of the death were not immediately released, but the DA's office says based on the "nature and circumstances" of the discovery, the death is under investigation.

Police were also looking for a black Chevrolet Suburban with Rhode Island plates possibly connected to the death.

A New Bedford mom says she and her 5-year-old developmentally disabled daughter were thrown out of a Providence, R.I., theater during a performance of "Beauty and the Beast" because the little girl was making giggling and humming noises she makes when she's happy.

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) — A New Bedford mom says she and her 5-year-old developmentally disabled daughter were thrown out of a Providence, R.I., theater during a performance of "Beauty and the Beast" because the little girl was making giggling and humming noises she makes when she's happy.

Samantha Torres says her daughter, Nadia, suffers from a chromosome abnormality and can't speak.

Torres tells The Standard-Times (http://bit.ly/1aowedp ) that Nadia was squealing, giggling and humming along with the musical at the Providence Performing Arts Center they went to on June 2.

Theater marketing director P.J. Prokop said the family was never told to leave. He says the little girl was distracting other people and per theater policy, was offered different seats.

Torres denies being offered different seats and says the only people bothered were the ushers.

___

Information from: The (New Bedford, Mass.) Standard-Times, http://www.southcoasttoday.com

Lantzakis has been arrested and a warrant has been issued for Booke.

Matthew Lantzakis 

LONGMEADOW — A surveillance photo, taken from the Sunoco gasoline station on East Columbus Avenue in Springfield, led to the identification of two Longmeadow men suspected of breaking into a vehicle parked in the driveway of a Farmington Road home earlier this month.

Police said cash and a credit card were taken from the vehicle on June 4. That card was then used to purchase gasoline from the Springfield Sunoco station later that night.

Police, after releasing the image to the media, received two tips identifying the man in the store as Dylan Booke, 19, of 43 Barbara Lane. Booke confessed to the crime, according to a release issued by police, and a warrant was later issued for his arrest.

A second suspect, Matthew Lantzakis, 23, of 45 Whitman Road, was later arrested by detective Carl Mazzarferro after he was implicated in the vehicle break-in.

Capt. John Stankiewicz said Tuesday morning that Booke has not yet been arrested.

Both Booke and Lantzakis face charges of breaking and entering into a motor vehicle, larceny under $250, larceny of a credit card and improper use of a credit card.

FBI officials are not disclosing the details of what they were seeking.

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — Federal agents revived the hunt for the remains of Jimmy Hoffa on Monday, digging around in a suburban Detroit field where a reputed Mafia captain says the Teamsters boss' body was buried.

Authorities used excavation equipment to root around in the Oakland Township property, about 25 miles north of Detroit. The FBI halted the search for the day at about 7 p.m., and planned to resume their efforts on Tuesday.

Robert Foley, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Detroit division, made a few brief comments during a news conference about the latest search for union leader who went missing in 1975. He said the warrant to search the property was sealed, and that authorities wouldn't be disclosing the details of what they were seeking.

Foley didn't mention the name of Tony Zerilli, the reputed Mafia captain who told Detroit TV station WDIV in February that he knew where Hoffa was buried. Zerilli, who promoting a book, "Hoffa Found," said the FBI had enough information for a search warrant to dig at the site, and that he had answered every question from agents and prosecutors.

Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, who joined Foley at a news conference, said it was his "fondest hope" to bring closure for Hoffa's family and the community.

Hoffa, Teamsters president from 1957-71, was an acquaintance of mobsters and an adversary of federal officials. The day in 1975 when he disappeared from a Detroit-area restaurant, he was supposed to be meeting with a New Jersey Teamsters boss and a Detroit Mafia captain.

Since then, multiple leads to his remains have turned out to be red herrings.

In September, police took soil from a suburban backyard after a tip Hoffa had been buried there. It was just one of many fruitless searches. Previous tips led police to a horse farm northwest of Detroit in 2006, a Detroit home in 2004 and a backyard pool two hours north of the city in 2003.

Zerilli's lawyer, David Chasnick, said his client was "thrilled" that investigators were acting on the information.

"Hoffa's body is somewhere in that field, no doubt about it," Chasnick said. He said his client wasn't making any public comments.

Chesnick said Zerilli told him there used to be a barn in the field, and that Hoffa's body was buried beneath a concrete slab inside the barn.

Zerilli was convicted of organized crime and was in prison when Hoffa disappeared. But he told New York TV station WNBC in January that he was informed about Hoffa's whereabouts after his release.

Andrew Arena, who was head of the FBI in Detroit until he retired in 2012, said Zerilli "would have been in a position to have been told" where Hoffa was buried.

"I still don't know if this was a guess on his part. I don't know if he was actually brought here by the Detroit (mob) family," Arena said. "It's his position as the reputed underboss. That's the significance."

Keith Corbett, a former federal prosecutor in Detroit who was active in Mafia prosecutions touching on the Hoffa case, said it was appropriate for the FBI to act on Zerilli's assertions.

"You have a witness who is in a position to know, who says he has specific information," Corbett said. "The bureau has left no stone unturned."

Corbett also defended authorities for repeatedly spending time on what turned out to be dead ends.

"Anytime you look for somebody and don't find the body it is embarrassing," Corbett said. "The thing the public isn't aware of, but police know, is there are a lot of dead ends in an investigation"

Police and DEA agents seized numerous marijuana plants, processed marijuana for sale, cash, grow lamps and sophisticated venting and filtration systems.

WILBRAHAM — Police, raiding a Highmoor Drive home Tuesday morning, said they uncovered a marijuana growing operation and arrested a man and a woman.

Wilbraham Police and members of the federal Drug Enforcement Agency executed the warrant at 6 Highmoor Drive shortly after 6 a.m., according to a release issued by Capt. Timothy Kane.

Police seized 42 marijuana plants, processed marijuana for sale, cash, grow lamps and sophisticated venting and filtration systems, Kane said. He said the growing operation was in the basement.

A two-week investigation led to the raid, Kane said.

Dominic L. Arillotta, 43, of Wilbraham was arrested and charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of marijuana over an ounce and possession of metallic knuckles.

Allison L. Santos, 42, of Wilbraham was arrested for possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of marijuana over an ounce.

Both Arillotta and Santos are residents of 6 Highmoor Drive, Kane said.

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In other news, Facebook prepares to announce a new mystery product.

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• Big vote expected today in bid to reopen Atlantic Union College [Sentinel & Enterprise]
• Clinton, Conn., police: Drunk man sought alcohol-free breath to start vehicle [Hartford Courant]
• McLean: Government wants to get legal skeletons out of closet [NECN.com]
• Facebook to make mystery product announcement [Berkshire Eagle]
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In Hampden County sales fell 4.8 percent from 289 to 275. But the median price rose 7.8 percent from $166,000 to $179,000.

Republican File Photo 

SPRINGFIELD - The median price paid for a home in the Pioneer Valley rose 11.6 percent in May, a sign that the region's real estate market is recovering and continuing a trend that has developed over the past few months.

The median price rose from $178,250 a year ago in May 2012 to $199,000 in May 2013, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Realtor Association of Pioneer Valley. The number of homes sold rose 1.2 percent from 420 to 425. Over the past five years, the median price is up 6.4 percent from $187,000 in May 2009.

In Hampden County, sales fell 4.8 percent from 289 to 275, but the median price rose 7.8 percent from $166,000 to $179,000.

 

In Franklin County, sales rose 30 percent from 30 to 39, while the median price rose 6 percent from $176,375 to $187,000.

Inventory, or the number of homes available for purchase, fell 16.2 percent from 3,092 at the end of May 2012 to 2,592 at the end of May 2013.

Mortgage interest rates, a significant driver of the real estate market, rose to 3.81 percent in May, up from 3.75 percent a year ago, according to FreddieMac.com

The credit union previously gave $25,000 for the senior center effort.

The Polish National Credit Union completed its $50,000 pledge for construction of a new senior center in Chicopee on Tuesday; shown here, left to right, are Richard J. Kos, Marie Laflamme, James P. Kelly, president of the credit union, and Ernest N. Laflamme, Jr. Kos, a former mayor, and Ernest Laflamme are co-chairs of the senior center building committee, while Marie Laflamme of the capital campaign.

Submitted Photo 

CHICOPEE – Polish National Credit Union has pledged $50,000 for the construction of a new Senior Center.

In a check presentation ceremony on June 18 at the Polish National Credit Union’s Main Street headquarters, the credit union pledged the second of two $25,000 donations to support the construction of the new center on Main Street.

The credit union previously donated $25,000 in 2012 for the Senior Center.

President and CEO James P. Kelly made the presentation to Richard J. Kos and Ernest N. Laflamme Jr., co-chairmen of the Senior Center fundraising committee, and Marie Laflamme, a member of the capital campaign.

Said Kelly, “This is an effort that goes right to the heart of what the Polish National Credit Union is all about. These are our members, and this is our community, and we’re proud to be a part of it.”

Founded in 1921, the Polish National Credit Union is one of the largest credit unions in the Pioneer Valley. The credit union operates full-service branches in Chicopee Center, Granby, Westfield, Southampton, Hampden, Wilbraham, and a stand-alone mortgage center on Main Street in Chicopee.

Nominations must be filed by July 12; the awards will be presented in November.

Alta Stark, trustee of the Order of the William Pynchon Award for the Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts, is shown here as she pins a flower on 2012 recipient Robert J. PerryDave Roback, The Republican 

SPRINGFIELD - The Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts is seeking nominations for the 98th Annual William Pynchon Award, the area’s oldest and most prestigious community service recognition program.

Established in 1915, the award honors individuals from all walks of life who go beyond the call of duty to enhance the quality of life in communities in Western Massachusetts. Social activists, philanthropists, educators, clergy, physicians, journalists, and business leaders have received the award in years past.

To nominate an individual submit a one-page letter explaining why the nominee should be considered. Included should be brief biographical information, outstanding accomplishments, examples of service to the community, organizations he or she is or has been active in, and the names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of at least three people who can further attest to the nominee’s eligibility for induction into the Order of William Pynchon.

All nominees will be considered and researched by the Pynchon Trustees, comprised of past and present presidents of the Advertising Club.

Nominations must be postmarked, e-mail or submitted by end of business on July 12 to: William Pynchon Trustees, Advertising Club of Western Massachusetts, P.O. Box 1022, West Springfield, MA 01090-1022 or by e-mail to info@adclubwm.org.

2013 Pynchon recipients will be announced in September. The Pynchon awards dinner and ceremony will be held on Nov. 21 at Chez Josef in Agawam.

Motorists are advised that Tiffany Street in Springfield will be repaved, and may result in temporary road closures and traffic delay.

 

SPRINGFIELD — The city’s Department of Public Works is advising motorists that Tiffany Street, located in the Forest Park neighborhood, will be paved on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Department of Public Works received notice that the work will begin at 5 a.m. on Wednesday. Motorists are asked for their patience, as temporary road closures may occur and delays are possible, according to the DPW.

View Tiffany Street repaving in a larger map

BOSTON (AP) — Former hitman John Martorano has described more killings as he testifies for a second day in the racketeering trial of James "Whitey" Bulger in Boston. On Tuesday, Martorano gave chilling details about murders he committed after they were ordered by Bulger and his partner, Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi. He also described a 1975 killing he said Bulger...

BOSTON (AP) — Former hitman John Martorano has described more killings as he testifies for a second day in the racketeering trial of James "Whitey" Bulger in Boston.

On Tuesday, Martorano gave chilling details about murders he committed after they were ordered by Bulger and his partner, Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi. He also described a 1975 killing he said Bulger and Flemmi did themselves.

Martorano said Bulger and Flemmi shot Edward Connors in a phone booth because they were afraid he would tie them to the 1973 killing of a Bulger rival.

Martorano served 12 years in prison after admitted killing 20 people. Twelve of those people were killed while Martorano was working with Bulger and Flemmi.

The 83-year-old Bulger is charged in a racketeering indictment with participating in 19 killings.

THIS IS BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Former hitman John Martorano who admitted killing 20 people was set to testify for a second day in the racketeering trial of James "Whitey" Bulger, as Bulger's attorneys prepared to attack his credibility.

Martarano took the stand Monday to testify against Bulger, a man to whom he was once so close he named his youngest son after him.

He said he was heartbroken when he learned in the late 1990s that Bulger and partner Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi had been working as FBI informants. That's when he decided to cooperate with prosecutors and testify against Bulger and others in exchange for a reduced sentence, he said.

Bulger's lawyers did not get a chance to question Martorano on Monday, but they are expected to challenge his credibility and the deal he got from prosecutors when they cross-examine him, possibly as early as Tuesday. Martorano served just 12 years in prison after admitting to the 20 murders. He was released in 2007.

In opening statements last week, Bulger's lead attorney, J.W. Carney Jr., told the jury that prosecutors were so desperate to get Martorano to testify that "they basically threw their hands up in the air and said, 'Take anything you want.'"

Bulger, now 83, is charged in a broad racketeering indictment that accuses him of participating in 19 murders in the 1970s and '80s.

Martorano spoke nonchalantly Monday when describing a string of murders he committed while he was a member of the notorious Winter Hill Gang in the '70s.

But he said he felt betrayed when he learned his former partners — Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi — were FBI informants.

"After I heard that they were informants, it sort of broke my heart, said Martorano.

Martorano is the first of three former Bulger cohorts who have cooperated with prosecutors and agreed to testify against Bulger.

"They were my partners in crime, they were my best friends, they were my children's godfathers," Martorano said, of Bulger and Flemmi. He said he named his youngest son James Stephen after them.

During his testimony, Martorano described what he said was Bulger's involvement in several killings, saying that while he shot someone from a car, Bulger and others would ride in a second car to intervene if anyone tried to stop the shooting.

He described the death of one victim, Alfred Notarangeli, in 1974.

Martorano said Bulger's gang decided to kill Notarangeli to help the Italian Mafia in Boston, a sometime rival, whose leadership said Notarangeli had killed one of their agents and was a "loose cannon."

On March 8, 1973, Martorano said, he drove in the lead car while Bulger followed, both tailing a Mercedes they believed was driven by Notarangeli.

"We pulled guns and we were shooting at it," Martorano said, referring to himself and another member of the gang.

They later learned that it was not Notarangeli in the car, but instead a man named Michael Milano, who was shot to death. Martarano said they continued to chase Notarangeli and ended up killing him and his brother, Joseph Notarangeli.

Bulger is charged in the killings of both brothers, as well as Milano's killing.

Obituaries from The Republican.

W. Paul Partyka 

Walter "Paul" Partyka, 51, of South Hadley, passed away on Thursday. He was born and raised in Chicopee. He graduated from Chicopee Comprehensive High School in 1980, and served in the U.S. Navy as an electronic technician. He received an associate of science degree in electronics from Holyoke Community College and a bachelor of science degree in wildlife fisheries biology from the University of Massachusetts. An avid outdoorsman, environmentalist and gardener, he loved to fish, hunt and spend time at his camp on the Connecticut River. He was a self-employed licensed electrician.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Abrams, Mildred
  



• 
  Badger, Evelyn J.
  



• 
  Chrabaszcz Sr., John J.
  



• 
  Closson, Theodore S.
  



• 
  Cuzzone, Sophie E.
  



• 
  D'Elia, Secondo
  



• 
  Ferrero, Louis J.
  



• 
  Frechette, Stephen L.
  



• 
  Lankarge, Walter J.
  



• 
  LeMay Jr., Albert H.
  



• 
  McKinnon, June P.
  



• 
  Mulvaney, Mary C.
  



• 
  Murphy Jr., George Briggs
  



• 
  O'Connor, Jeanne C.
  



• 
  Olszewski, Frederick J.
  



• 
  Partyka, W. Paul
  



• 
  Pylypow, Gladys
  



• 
  Rorke, Glenna Faye
  



• 
  Samel, T. Joyce
  



• 
  Socha, Anna M.
  



• 
  Watkins Jr., Edward
  

Brown, a Republican, will serve alongside former Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman, an independent and former Democrat, as co-chairs of the newly formed Bipartisan Coalition for American Security. The group focuses on having a strong national defense policy.

In this Dec. 9, 2009 file photo, then-Republican senatorial candidate Scott Brown responds to a reporter's question during a morning news conference at his campaign headquarters in Needham, Mass. Brown said Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013 that the former U.S. senator from Massachusetts is "leaning strongly” toward seeking a return to Washington and will likely enter the race to replace Sen. John Kerry early next week. (AP Photo/Gretchen Ertl, File)The Associated Press 

BOSTON - Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown has taken on a new public policy role, as honorary co-chair of a newly formed non-profit that advocates for a strong U.S. defense policy.

Brown, a Republican, will serve alongside former U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent from Connecticut and former Democratic vice presidential nominee, as co-chair of the Bipartisan Coalition for American Security.

“I have always felt that we need to put our country’s interests first and challenge our leaders to be ‘Americans First’ and not focus on the partisanship and personal political interests over the problems of our country,” Brown said in a statement released by the coalition. “I look forward to working with Sen. Lieberman to continue our efforts to bring awareness to the issues of national security, terrorism, bi-partisanship, American values and freedom.”

The move was first reported by Politico.

Brown won a special election for U.S. Senate in 2010, but lost his seat to Democrat Elizabeth Warren in 2012. Since then, he has taken on a series of new roles as a Fox News commentator, a board member of the Kadant paper company and an advisor to CoachUP, a company that connects private coaches with kids. He works as an attorney for Nixon Peabody.

Brown remains popular in the Bay State and has not ruled out running for office again. Political pundits have speculated that Brown could run for either governor or U.S. senator in 2014. His work with the national security group could boost his credentials on national security and defense policy, should he mount another run.

The group’s website sets out the group’s core principles: preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon; defeating terrorist groups; distinguishing between friends and enemies and building effective alliances; and keeping the military strong by ensuring “robust funding” of the national security budget. The group lists as one of its guiding principles, “protecting America’s security and freedom at home, standing up for democracy and human rights abroad, and promoting economic growth and prosperity for all.”

Brown has served for more than three decades in the Army National Guard, much of that time in the Judge Advocate General Corps, the Army’s legal branch. In the Senate, he served on the Armed Services Committee and was also active on veterans’ issues.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the new group. The group’s spokesman, public relations professional Glenn Selig, said in an email that the coalition “rose out of dozens of discussions among several individuals who all believed that America must show strength in the face of increasing international adversity and uncertainty.”

Selig said the individuals had different political leanings that covered the full ideological spectrum. The individuals, he said, “had disparate and often conflicting points of view on the a lot of issues... except for one: that America must have the most robust and effective military. Period.” He said the group grew up out of concern over proposed cuts to military spending even as America faces growing security threats.

The chairman of the group’s board is listed as Elliott Broidy, a Los Angeles-based investor and philanthropist. Broidy has supported various military and veterans organizations and was appointed by President George W. Bush’s Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to serve on the U.S. Homeland Security Advisory Council and a Future of Terrorism task force. Broidy pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for involvement in a “pay to play” corruption scandal involving former New York state comptroller Alan Hevesi, who Broidy provided evidence against.

The shooting marks the city's 10th homicide of the year.

 

SPRINGFIELD – Preliminary information gathered by detectives, probing the Sunday night shooting death of 38-year-old John K. White near his Indian Orchard home, indicates, as some of his neighbors did on the night of the shooting, that he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Based on information that we have received so far it appears that he was an innocent bystander,” said Capt. Thomas Trites.

The shooting occurred about 5:20 p.m. near Montcalm and Healey streets.

Sgt. John M. Delaney said White was shot after he left his home to investigate a disturbance involving some 15 to 20 people at the corner.

“There was going to be a fight,” Delaney, aide to Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said. “The victim left his house to see what was going on.”

Shots rang out in the area of 12-14 Montcalm St. and White, fatally injured, collapsed to the ground. Bystanders attempted to revive White, Delaney said.

White, hit at least once, was taken to Baystate Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

A small group of people who were talking outside that address late Tuesday morning declined to comment, as did several others in the neighborhood.

Trites said detectives continue to investigate White’s death. “We are working on it and we have some leads we are following,”” he said. “We are doing interviews and canvasses and all those types of things.”

Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to call the Springfield Police Detective Bureau at (413) 787-6355.


The killing, the city’s 10th this year, follows the June 6 homicide of 19-year-old Christian Graves, who was shot dead outside 110 Woodside Terrace in the city’s Forest Park section.

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