The White House said Monday that the federal budget deficit for the current fiscal year will shrink to $759 billion.

A statue of former Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin stands outside the Treasury Building in Washington. The White House said Monday that the federal budget deficit for the current fiscal year will shrink to $759 billion. 

By ANDREW TAYLOR and JIM KUHNHENN

WASHINGTON — The White House said Monday that the federal budget deficit for the current fiscal year will shrink to $759 billion. That's more than $200 billion less than the administration predicted just three months ago.

The new figures reflect additional revenues generated by the improving economy and take into account automatic, across-the-board spending cuts that the White House had hoped to avert.

The White House projected that economic growth would be slightly slower in the coming years than it forecast in April. The report said the automatic spending cuts that kicked in during March will slow down economic growth this year from the 2.6 percent increase it forecast for the fourth quarter of this year to a 2.4 percent increase.

But the White House sees a slightly rosier jobs picture. It projects that unemployment will average 7 percent next year and reach 6.8 percent in the final quarter of 2014. That's an improvement over the 7.2 percent unemployment it forecast in April as an average for 2014.

The 2013 budget year ending Sept. 30 will be the first one of Obama's presidency in which the deficit won't exceed $1 trillion. Obama inherited a struggling economy and record deficits. A 2011 deficit-cutting deal with Republicans has pared deficits somewhat, as did a tax hike enacted earlier this year on upper-bracket earners.

But Obama has remained at odds with Republicans over cutting benefit programs and further tax increases. The improving deficit picture seems to have taken away some of the momentum for an additional deficit-cutting bargain, but the issue may be rejoined this fall when Obama and Congress need to enact an increase in the nation's borrowing $16.7 trillion borrowing limit to avoid an economy-rattling default on the government's obligations.

Last year's deficit registered about $1.1 trillion. The White House earlier this year predicted the 2013 deficit would be $973 billion. The Congressional Budget Office has an even more optimistic $670 billion deficit projection for 2013 and it wouldn't be unusual for CBO's figures to turn out to be more accurate.

As a percentage of the economy, the new deficit would be half the size of what it was when Obama entered office. At the time, he vowed to cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term, a pledge that took longer to fulfill.

While the White House predicts improvement this year, it sees somewhat higher deficits in future years than it did in April, mostly because slightly more pessimistic predictions of economic growth would produce $384 billion less in tax receipts over that period.

Over the upcoming decade, the White House predicts accumulated deficits of $5.8 trillion; in April it predicted $5.3 trillion in total deficits over 2014-2023.

White House budget director Sylvia Mathews Burwell said that this year's deficit is less than half of the record deficit posted four years ago when measured against the size of the economy. The 2013 deficit would equal 4.7 percent of gross domestic product versus the 10.1 percent of GDP in 2009.

The report reprises longstanding Obama proposals to increase taxes on upper-income earners, curb payments to Medicare providers, and close special interest tax breaks enjoyed by oil companies and other businesses. It also would impose a less generous cost-of-living adjustment for Social Security recipients, a proposal that is opposed by many Democrats. But it steers clear of controversial cuts to Medicare and the Medicaid health program for the poor and disabled, and it leaves Obama's signature health care law untouched.

"We do not need to choose between making critical investments necessary to help grow our economy and support middle class families and continuing to cut the deficit in a balanced way," Burwell said.

Sen. Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate Budget Committee, criticized the report for projecting that spending over 10 years would increase by more than 60 percent from current levels. "Ominously, the president provides no serious proposal for strengthening and preserving our unsustainable Medicare and Social Security programs," he said in a statement.

White House budget writers said the decline in the unemployment rate — which has remained at 7.6 percent for two months — has been faster than expected when they completed their initial forecast this year.

"Unemployment is now projected to decline somewhat more rapidly than in the budget projections," the report said.

The White House economic forecasts are more optimistic than those projected by the CBO and by a poll of top business economists by the Blue Chip Economic Indicators. But it is less upbeat than the projections of the Federal Reserve. For instance, while the White House believes the annual average unemployment rate in 2015 will be 6.5 percent, the Congressional Budget Office has forecast a 7.1 percent rate. The fed, on the other hand, has forecast an average 2015 jobless rate of between 5.8 percent and 6.2 percent.

The White House projects that unemployment will reach 5.4 percent in 2018, one year earlier than it projected in its budget. But joblessness is then expected to stabilize at that level for the next six years. That's still higher than the 4.6 percent unemployment the country averaged in 2006 and 2007.

The report also reflects $66.3 billion in dividend payments received by the Treasury from the government-affiliated mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The government rescued Fannie and Freddie during the 2008 financial crisis after both incurred massive losses on risky mortgages. The companies received two of the largest bailouts of the crisis.

The recent payments reflect a housing recovery that has made the two lending giants profitable again. So far, Fannie has repaid $95 billion of the roughly $116 billion it received, while Freddie has repaid roughly $37 billion of its $71.3 billion.

A test for the ACLU and its allies will be a hearing of the Legislature's Committee on the Judiciary, where 3 bills that would limit law enforcement's ability to probe individuals are among the 209 bills on the agenda.

By ANDY METZGER

BOSTON — As governmental surveillance revelations stoke worldwide debate on the balance between privacy and security, civil liberties advocates in Massachusetts are pushing their own agenda to regulate law enforcement’s investigatory abilities.

“We hope the time is right,” said American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts spokesman Chris Ott. He said, “We had been working on this for quite a long time.”

A test for the ACLU and its allies will be a Tuesday hearing of the Legislature’s Committee on the Judiciary, where three bills that would limit law enforcement’s ability to probe individuals are among the 209 bills on the agenda.

The three bills concern prosecutors’ ability to demand records from phone and Internet providers, law enforcement’s monitoring of political speech, and the ability of employers to demand access to an employee or job applicant’s social networking accounts.

“We had to sue to get information from the Boston Police Department about what they were doing to peaceful protesters in the Boston area,” Ott said. He said, “Police were actually spending resources on monitoring these peaceful groups.”

An October 2012 report by the ACLU of Massachusetts and the National Lawyers Guild Massachusetts Chapter found that the Boston Regional Intelligence Center monitored the late academic Howard Zinn, former Boston City Councilor Felix Arroyo and others, labeling as a “criminal act” a March 2007 talk at the Congregational Church in Jamaica Plain and subsequent rally. Citing a report by the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Investigations, the ACLU said “millions of dollars” went into intelligence fusion centers around the country that have “failed to uncover a single terrorist plot.”

Twin bills (S 642/H 1457) filed by Senate Assistant Majority Leader Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester) and Rep. Jason Lewis (D-Winchester) would require such fusion centers to produce annual reports and prohibit them from monitoring the “political, religious or social views, associations or activities” of individuals or groups unless that information relates directly to criminal activity.

“I just don’t see the need for this,” said Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O’Keefe, who said he was skeptical that law enforcement investigates political speech.

“That would be news to me, unless you’re talking about people who are advocating overthrow of the government or violence against the United States,” O’Keefe told the News Service. He said, “If in fact anything like that was happening, then I would agree that it shouldn’t be happening.”

According to the ACLU, Massachusetts law changed in 2008 to allow law enforcement to issue an administrative subpoena for phone records – but not the content of phone calls – without approval by a judge.

Bills (S 796 / H 1684) filed by Sen. Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) and former Rep. Martha Walz would require a warrant for police to collect information such as contacts, locations where a phone was used and email.

O’Keefe said he was open to the idea of requiring warrants in those situations, but said that would add a burden on prosecutors and the police detectives they work with to solve serious crimes.

“That would be fine if we want to increase the cost of law enforcement by probably 50 to 100 percent of what it costs now,” O’Keefe said. He said in the case of a murder, information about who a victim spoke to last on the phone is invaluable to an investigation, and said the administrative subpoenas are only used for major crimes.

“These things aren’t done willy nilly. They’re done when and if a phone number or any other piece of electronic information is in the orbit of a serious crime, such as murder,” O’Keefe said.

Two other bills filed by Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera (D-Springfield), a member of House leadership, and Sen. Cynthia Stone-Creem, the former Senate chair of the Judiciary, would bar employers from requiring, suggesting or requesting that employees or job applicants provide password access to their social networking accounts.

“We think that no one should be compelled to do that,” Ott said. Twitter and Facebook provide a window into individuals’ personal lives and associations, and occasionally postings by employees that are embarrassing to the employer have reached mass audiences.

“This has always been possible,” said Ott. He said, “It’s always been possible for someone to say something at a party for instance, to trash their employer.”

The civil liberties group has legislation in other committees that would regulate the use of aerial surveillance vehicles, or drones, and limit the storage of information obtained through automatic license plate readers.

Jason Shattuck, of Holyoke, was charged with unarmed robbery and resisting arrest.

File photo | The Republican 

HOLYOKE — A 41-year-old city man was arrested shortly after he allegedly robbed the Walgreens store of prescription medication.

Jason Shattuck, of Holyoke, was arrested around 10:30 p.m. Monday and charged with unarmed robbery and resisting arrest. He is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Holyoke District Court, Police Lt. Manuel Reyes said.

Shattuck is being accused of approaching the pharmacist of the store on Northampton Street, demanding medication and running away. Police arrived within minutes of the time the pharmacist handed over the controlled substances and, based on the description of the man, saw him getting into a nearby car, Reyes said.

Officers boxed in the car and arrested Shattuck. Reyes said he did not immediately know what type of medication was taken.

Dolan said the meetings held to date have been well attended by the public.

NORTHFIELD — Time is running out for the public to have its say on the license to run the hydroelectric facilities at the Turners Falls dam and Northfield Mountain.

Written comments on studies done by FirstLight Power Resources on various issues connected with the facilities must be submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by July 15. At stake is the license for one of the region’s most important power-generating complexes.

FirstLight runs both the Turners Falls Hydroelectric Project and the Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project, and has had the license since the 1968. That license is due to expire in 2018, however, and the company must file a final application for a new one by April 30, 2016. It is one of five hydropower licenses along the Connecticut River watershed in New England under review.

The federal government has been holding hearings since January to solicit concerns from people and groups in the various towns along the Connecticut River affected by the operation. The Turners Falls dam impounds water as far upriver as Vernon, Vt. In addition, the company pumps water at night from the Connecticut into its reservoir atop Northfield Mountain, then generates electricity when it releases it through turbines back into the river via an underground tunnel.

The pumping operation affects the level of the Connecticut River. Andrea Donlon, a river steward with the Connecticut River Watershed Council, said her group is among those concerned about the resulting erosion. The outflow from the underground tunnel at Northfield Mountain, she said, is equal to that of a major tributary.

“The types of soil on the banks are pretty erodable,” she said.

At one point, the Army Corp of Engineers tried removing trees from the river banks in a futile attempt to solve the erosion problem, Donlon said.

Dolan said the meetings held to date have been well-attended by the public. Other concerns include the efficiency of the three fish ladders operated by FirstLight for migratory fish, the number of fish killed in the turbines at Northfield and the effect that the hydropower operations have on other wildlife such as mussels. The power company also runs public facilities such as the campground at Barton Cove and a dock at Northfield where a boat gives tours of the Connecticut River. Those facets are also up for discussion, Donlon said.

At-large Town Councilor Paul Burns said Mohegan Sun Massachusetts promised the traffic details a week ago.

 

PALMER — A week after Mohegan Sun unveiled the new design for its nearly $1 billion resort casino project for Palmer, At-large Town Councilor Paul E. Burns wants to know why the three traffic proposals have not yet been released.

Contacted after Burns issued the press release, a Mohegan representative said the traffic plans will be released on Wednesday.

“We appreciate the Town Council’s interest and look forward to sharing the traffic plans discussed during last week’s meeting, which the (Massachusetts) Department of Transportation is currently reviewing. We are confident each offers an excellent solution and provides significant improvements to the intersection of Route 32 and the Mass Pike. We look forward to Mass DOT’s decision and to building the best solution," reads a statement from Mohegan.

Burns said traffic continues to be a concern, and it is important "that the people of Palmer have the opportunity to review each these possible methods of traffic mitigation soon."

"Mohegan Sun officials need to honor the commitment they made last week and release these plans today," Burns wrote in a press release.

Burns is referring to the July 1 Town Council meeting at Palmer High School at which Mohegan officials discussed the project and showed new renderings for the resort casino off Thorndike Street (Route 32). Traffic concerns were brought up by more than one resident, as the proposed casino is across the street from the busy Massachusetts Turnpike exit 8 interchange.

Paul I. Brody, Mohegan Sun's development coordinator, told the crowd that while the preferred access to the facility from the Massachusetts Turnpike would be a "flyover" ramp, the state Department of Transportation asked for two additional alternative proposals.

One alternative would be a partial flyover which would have drivers travel onto the facility grounds through a ramp from the turnpike, but exit out to Thorndike Street. The other alternative would be to use only Thorndike Street, which would mean more traffic lanes, he said. Brody said each proposal necessitates improvements to the turnpike interchange, and all three would be designed to alleviate traffic. He also said the traffic plans would be made available to the public.

In a telephone interview, Burns said he thinks Mohegan needs "to step up."

"I have a gut feeling that when all is said and done the interchange will flow much smoother with a casino than it does now," Burns said.

Connecticut-based Mohegan Sun is competing against Hard Rock International in West Springfield and MGM Resorts International in Springfield for the lone Western Massachusetts casino license.

One of the men linked to the murder case against Aaron Hernandez told police the former New England Patriots tight end admitted to killing Odin Lloyd.

One of the men linked to the murder case against Aaron Hernandez told police the former New England Patriots tight end admitted to killing Odin Lloyd.

Documents filed in court by the Miramar, Fla., police department, which were obtained by the Associated Press, state that Carlos Ortiz told Massachusetts police that another co-defendant, Ernest Wallace, said Hernandez admitted shooting Lloyd in an industrial park near Hernandez's home.

The documents were filed to justify a search of Wallace's Florida home.

Hernandez has denied all charges and is being held in prison without bail. Wallace has been charged with serving as an accessory after the fact. He has also denied the charge.

Ortiz told police that as the four men were heading back to Hernandez's North Attleborough home, Hernandez confronted Lloyd about associating with people Hernandez had problems with. Along the way, the two men shook hands and it appeared the issue was resolved.

But according to the documents obtained by AP, the car soon stopped, and everyone but Ortiz got out to urinate.

Ortiz then heard gunshots and Hernandez and Wallace got back in the car without Lloyd.

The document also says a vehicle seized in Hernandez's hometown, Bristol, Conn., is wanted in connection with a July 2012 double homicide in Boston. Police say the vehicle was rented in Hernandez's name.

A leader of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association said the federal detainment program is used only for people previously convicted of a crime who have been arrested on a new offense.

BOSTON — Immigrants from Springfield and advocates on Tuesday urged state legislators to approve a bill that would restrict the use of a disputed federal program aimed at people who are living in the country illegally.

The "Secure Communities" program authorizes federal immigration officials to receive information shared between local police and the FBI. If local police arrest someone and provide their fingerprints to the FBI, the FBI can provide that information to federal immigration offices. Immigration officials can ask local police to detain the person for possible deportation.

Under the bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Carl M. Sciortino, a Medford Democratic, and Sen. James B. Eldridge, an Acton Democrat, an individual may only be arrested or detained for federal immigration purposes if they are older than 18, have been confined to a state prison for at least five years for the conviction of a violent crime, and if the federal government has agreed to reimburse the state for all expenses associated with the continued detention of that individual.

The bill to limit Secure Communities was among 209 pieces of legislation aired by the Judiciary Committee during a hearing that stretched into the evening.

"The only thing it secures is life for all of us who are descendants of northern Europeans," said Robert A. Griffin of Holyoke, a retired Methodist pastor who was among people from Western Massachusetts to attend a hearing in Boston on the bill by the Committee on the Judiciary. "That's the situation."

In a phone interview, A. Wayne Sampson, executive director of the Grafton-based Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, said the organization supports Secure Communities. The program is mainly used in major cities of the state, he said.

Sampson said the program is used only when a person has been previously convicted of a crime and has been arrested on a new offense.

Sampson said there are enough safeguards in the program.

Sampson said police departments are not required by law to hold people in the country illegally, but they can, especially if the person is dangerous.

Sampson said the bill makes absolutely no sense.

"If a person is illegally in this country and a federal agency wants that person held, we should be able to hold him on the request for detaining," he said.

Bliss Requa-Trautz of Easthampton, an organizer for a group called Just Communities, said the bill -- known as the Trust Act -- would set a limit on state involvement in deportation. The bill would spell out when local or state police could take part in the work of Immigration and Customs enforcement.

"When local police become agents of immigration enforcement and detain someone, then it creates enormous fear in the immigrant community," she said in an interview.

Israel Billeda, 45, of Springfield, a bread maker and immigrant who came to the Statehouse to testify, said he supports the bill because he does not want to be constantly afraid.

Billeda said he came to this country about 10 years ago from Mexico.

"We want to do everything as correctly as possible," he said in Spanish translated to English by Requa-Trautz. "We want to be able to do things the right way. We are not delinquent. We're not criminals. We're not drug dealers. We want to follow the rules as best we can."

Maria Cristina Cuerda of Chicopee, a fair housing specialist at the Connecticut Fair Housing Center in Hartford, said Secure Communities can have wide-ranging negative effects on the lives of "undocumented immigrants" in Massachusetts.

"We must undo Secure Communities because it contributes to an environment of hostility toward and racial profiling of Latinos and it makes it harder for police to catch serious criminals and those who prey on vulnerable, hard-working immigrants," she said in prepared testimony.

MGM Resorts has contributed $480,012.92 to the pro-casino campaign since May 17, and $515,060.84 in in-kind contributions such as concert costs, staff time and expenses.

SPRINGFIELD — MGM Resorts International has spent or contributed approximately $1 million to the “Yes for Springfield” effort since the pro-casino group formed in mid-May, according to newly filed campaign finance reports.

That was in contrast to the anti-casino group, Citizens Against Casino Gaming, that stated it raised about $3,000 this year, but failed to file its formal report by Monday's deadline, officials said.

The reports were due eight days before the casino referendum election, July 16.

[See Yes for Springfield's Statement of Organization and Campaign Finance Report and Citizens Against Casino Gambling's Statement of Organization at the conclusion of this article]

One week from today, Springfield voters will decide if they support plans for MGM’s proposed $800 million casino project in the South End/downtown area. If approved, the casino agreement will be forwarded for consideration by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

“This has been an extremely energetic campaign in a large city with a multi-lingual population,” said Carole Brennan, an MGM spokeswoman, regarding the $1 million campaign investment since mid-May. “We will do what it takes to get as many people as possible the facts about MGM Springfield.”

MGM expenses prior to mid-May were not part of the report, as the "Yes for Springfield" ballot question committee had not formed until May 17.

Michael Kogut, chairman of the anti-casino group, said his group was under the impression that an annual report was due in January, and not aware that a report was required sooner, in advance of the election. Now aware of the missed deadline, the group planned to file the report by Wednesday, he said.

Kogut said he knows his committee as raised “a few thousand grassroots dollars.” The bank account had a balance of about $2,000 at the end of June, and the committee had spent approximately $1,000 prior to that balance, he said.

“Yes for Springfield,” which was established on May 17, reported receiving $480,012.92 in direct receipts – all from MGM itself.

“Yes for Springfield” reported spending $471,626.63 during the six-week period, the majority dedicated to television/radio/billboard advertising and production expenses.

In addition, “Yes for Springfield” reported “in kind” contributions of $515,060.84, all from MGM. That included concert expenses of $173,706 in May, political consulting services of $44,476.83, and in-kind staff services, travel, office supplies, photography, shipping and other expenses of various amounts.

The “Yes for Springfield” committee listed former City Councilor William Foley as chairman and Jill McCarthy Payne as treasurer.

MGM sponsored a concert by the rapper/pop star Pitbull at the MassMutual Center in May.

MGM declined to estimate how much it will spend on the overall campaign. Brennan said the company is focused on getting all the information it can out to the voters, and will focus on the overall cost in future weeks, along with meeting all filing requirements.

Regarding the missed deadline by Citizens Against Casino Gaming, Brennan said, “It smacks of hypocrisy that a group that is bent on ensuring the City of Springfield follows the letter of the elections laws has blatantly flaunted one of the most important compliance requirements there is to ensure transparency in campaigns – disclosure of its funding. Does this self-designated watchdog group have something to hide? Does it not want residents knowing the source of funding for a campaign to hold Springfield back?”

Kogut, who is listed as chairman of the anti-casino group, said it was an oversight, and that total amounts raised might be $3,000. Dr. Mark Mullan is listed as treasure.

Regarding the $1 million raised by “Yes for Springfield,” Kogut said it is “not surprising.”

“This is what we have seen,” Kogut said. “This is what we expected. They showered hundreds of thousands of dollars on television advertising with Mayor Sarno (appearing in advertisements).”

The expenses listed by “Yes for Springfield” included $295,168.77 for “television/radio/billboard advertising & production,” recorded June 12, and another $90,158.43 on June 19.

There were also $35,178 listed for canvassing services and $27,000 paid to Pyramid Entertainment Group for concert expenses on June 26. MGM sponsored the band “The Commodores” at the Fourth of July fireworks program, but it was not immediately verified that the expense and concert were connected.

Meanwhile, more than a dozen pastors from a variety of churches of different denominations gathered to lead a “no casino” rally outside Court Square on Tuesday.

More than 100 people held signs, wore anti-casino t-shirts and chanted “casiNO” during the rally held by the Council of Churches of Western Massachusetts. While they have seven days to spread the word that casinos can bring more crime, prostitution, traffic and other problems, pastors reminded them that God made the world in six days.

“This is one church right here. This is the church of God,” said Pastor Darwin Rivera of Centro Cristiano Nacion De Jesus. “We will not settle for the lies.”

But he told the crowd that they must get out and vote on July 16 and they have to get their friends and family to do the same.

Just prior to the rally, various Latino activists, business owners and community organizations were voicing their support for the proposed MGM casino and urging residents to cast a vote in favor on July 16.

“This makes sense for us in terms of the jobs it will develop. I’m into economic development and this can help develop not only the South End but other neighborhoods in Springfield,“ said Heriberto Flores, Chairman of Partners for Community, and president of the New England Far Workers Council. “I am urging Latinos to get out and vote on July 16 and let their voices be heard.“

Vanessa Otero, deputy director of Partners for Community, said the project could change the face of Springfield. “It is a matter of making sure the Latino community is at the table at what could be the biggest economic development project in Springfield,“ she said.

State Rep. Cheryl Coakley-Rivera said that while she welcomes an opportunity for growth in the region she has concerns about MGM’s efforts to reach Latino residents, not just Latino owned businesses and organizations.

“MGM has not discussed how they are going to better the school system, what jobs will be available to Latino residents, whether they will waive credit checks for employees,“ she said. “In order for this to work Latinos need to be a part of the conversation. It’s not good enough that we serve them at the table, we need to be sitting with them at the table.”

In other casino news on Tuesday, MGM conducted career preparation workshops in Springfield for potential employees of the casino. A two-morning workshop and a two-hour afternoon workshop was conducted at the Greenleaf Community Center in Sixteen Acres. An MGM spokeswoman estimated that 200 participants attended the sessions on Tuesday.

Clint Read of Springfield, who said is works as a job developer for people with disabilities, was among the attendees, saying he wanted to check MGM’s process for “bringing people on board” for employment if the casino is approved.

Various human resources personnel and mangers from MGM gave presentations and met with the potential employees at the Greenleaf, both in group settings and individually.

Joan Mazar, of Springfield, said she attended to learn more about jobs being offered by MGM, and said she would “definitely” be interested. She is in a government-paid training program in trying to return to the workforce, and said Springfield is in great need of jobs.

Staff writers Jeanette DeForge and Elizabeth Roman contributed to this report.

Yes for Springfield Campaign Finance Report by masslive

Citizens Against Casino Gambling Statement of Organization by masslive

Traders have grown more confident after Friday's strong jobs reports and on expectations of record corporate earnings for the 2nd quarter.

By STEVE ROTHWELL
AP Markets Writer

NEW YORK — The stock market is getting its momentum back.

All major stocks indexes rose Tuesday, and the biggest gains were in riskier small-company stocks and sectors that do best when the economy is growing.

Major indexes rose for a fourth straight day. The Standard & Poor's 500 index had its best run in two months.

Traders have grown more confident after Friday's strong jobs reports and on expectations of record corporate earnings for the second quarter, which ended June 30. So far, the stock market is up nearly 3 percent in July following a 1.5 percent dip in June, its first monthly decline since October.

The Russell 2000, an index of small-company stocks, rose nearly 1 percent Tuesday. The Dow Jones transportation average, seen as a leading indicator for the broader economy, led all indexes with a 2.3 percent rise, its best performance in a month.

The gains suggest that investors are more certain that the economy's prospects are good. In the first half of the year, stock markets were powered by companies that pay large dividends and are considered a sure way to make money even when the economic outlook is iffy.

The Russell 2000 rose eight points, or 0.9 percent, to 1,018.05. It has gained 4.2 percent in July and is moving deeper into record territory. The index has risen 20 percent, this year, more than its large-company counterparts, the Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 index.

Investors "are starting to go to the more aggressive areas that usually do better in an expansionary economy," said Ryan Detrick, a senior technical strategist at Schaeffer's Investment Research.

The Dow Jones transportation was led by strong gains for Alaska Air Group and FedEx.

The index jumped 148 points to 6,446. Alaska Air Group rose 7 percent after it forecast an additional $50 million a year in revenue from increased fees. FedEx rose 6 percent on speculation that William Ackman's hedge fund, Pershing Square, could invest in the company.

Wall Street is also turning its attention to corporate earnings. Results for the second quarter, which ended nine days ago, should give traders and investors insights into the economy. Market watchers spent most of June trying to figure out where the Federal Reserve was headed with its economic stimulus program.

Along with the quarterly results, investors want to see how confident companies are about the rest of the year, said Cam Albright, director of asset allocation for Wilmington Trust Investment Advisors.

Major U.S. stock indexes have notched a series of all-time highs this year on expectations that earnings will remain at record levels.

"A lot of what the market has justified its advances on is a strong second half for the economy and a strong second half for earnings," said Albright. "It's important that we see verification of that."

Alcoa was the first major company to announce second-quarter results. The aluminum maker late Monday reported a loss that wasn't as big as financial analysts feared. The company benefited from strong demand for aluminum used in autos and airplanes, although that was offset by weaker prices.

Traders weren't impressed by the results, though. After rising initially, the stock ended down 1 cent, or 0.1 percent, to $7.91.

Yum Brands, which owns KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, and Family Dollar Stores are among the companies reporting their earnings this week. JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo will also report.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 75 points, or 0.5 percent, to 15,300.34. The S&P 500 index gained 11 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,652.32 The Nasdaq composite rose 19 points, or 0.6 percent, to 3,504.26

The S&P 500 gains were led by industrial firms and companies that provide raw materials. Telecommunications companies, which investors turn to when the economic outlook is gloomier, fell.

The S&P 500 is now just 1 percent below its May 21 record of 1,669. It was down almost 6 percent to 1,573 on June 24.

Stocks have recovered since Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke said that the central bank planned to reduce its economic stimulus.

The central bank is buying $85 billion in bonds a month to keep interest rates low and encourage borrowing and spending. That stimulus has been a major support in the stock markets' four-year bull market.

In government bond trading, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note was unchanged from Monday at 2.64 percent.

The yield has pulled back after surging to 2.74 percent Friday, its highest level in almost two years, after the government reported strong hiring for June.

In commodities trading, the price of oil rose 17 cents, or 0.2 percent to $103.33 a barrel. Gold rose $12, or 1 percent, to $1,246.90 an ounce.

Among other stocks making big moves:

— Barnes and Noble rose 64 cents, or 3.6 percent, to $18.32 after the bookseller said Monday that its CEO is leaving after three years. The company didn't name a replacement.

The pastors said one of their biggest concerns is residents have heard little about the negative things casinos bring.

SPRINGFIELD — Sharing statistics from studies done on communities with casinos, Rev. Lauren Holm said Tuesday she is concerned they bring more crime, more traffic, more homelessness and lower property values while offering mostly low-wage jobs.

“Our biggest concern is voters have only heard one side of the issue,” said Holm, the pastor of two Springfield churches, Bethesda Lutheran and East Congregational. “Casinos don’t bring money to the city. They are a vacuum, they suck the money out.”

Holm was among more than a dozen pastors from a variety of churches gathered to lead a “no casino” rally outside Court Square and offer information supporting their view of the proposal by MGM Resorts for a resort casino complex in the South End.

More than 100 people held signs, wore anti-casino T-shirts and chanted “casiNO” during the rally held by the Council of Churches of Western Massachusetts. While they have seven days to spread the word that casinos can bring more crime, prostitution, traffic and other problems, pastors reminded them that God made the world in six days, according to the Bible.

“This is one church right here. This is the church of God,” said Pastor Darwin Rivera of Centro Cristiano Nacion De Jesus, nodding to the many people of different religious denominations. “We will not settle for the lies.”

But he told the crowd that they must get out and vote on July 16 – the day of the casino referendum – and they have to encourage their friends and family to do the same.

Rev. Juan Feliciano, pastor of Calvary’s Love Church of Springfield, talked about the mitigation agreement, which is designed to make up for negative effects of the casino. He said residents don’t need a mitigation agreement – they should just say no.

“This city has placed their faith on three letters – MGM,” he said. “They know the ills and the problems a casino brings.”

The rally was not limited to Springfield clergy. Rev. Peter Swarr of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, in East Longmeadow, said the casino will impact communities in a 50-mile range.

He said he lived in the Detroit area when a casino came to the area and it caused all types of problems and brought few benefits.

“It sucks the life out of neighborhoods and this (Springfield) is the heart of the region for us,” he said.

Millbury Town Manager Bob Spain said the project would create 400 new permanent jobs and provide needed revenue.

Casino patrons play some of the 600 slot machines at the Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin, located approximately 70 miles south of Pittsburgh, Monday, July 1, 2013 shortly after its grand opening in Farmington, Pa.. Isle of Capri Casino Inc., and Nemacolin Woodlands Resort says the project created over 350 construction jobs, and received approximately 2500 job applications for 500 jobs. The $60 million resort casino includes 600 slot machines, 28 table games, and two restaurants. Associated Press 

MILLBURY — A Chicago-based casino developer that ended talks for a slots parlor in Worcester now says it is working with officials in Millbury about finding a site there for a $200 million facility.

Mass Gaming & Entertainment CEO Greg Carlin said Tuesday the company expects to choose a site in town soon. MGE is a subsidiary of Rush Street Gaming.

Millbury Town Manager Bob Spain said the project would create 400 new permanent jobs and provide needed revenue.

Under Massachusetts gambling law, the town would negotiate a host agreement for voters to approve before the project could be considered for the state's single slots parlor license.

Three other companies also are working on slots parlor bids.

MGE and Worcester officials announced last month they weren't able to reach an agreement.

The house is inhabitable, and the American Red Cross is assisting the man.

 

SPRINGFIELD — A fire started by unattended cooking Tuesday burned a kitchen and caused smoke damage in the rest of the home, forcing the resident to seek alternative shelter, a fire department official said.

The fire that started at about 5:30 p.m. at 58 Pine Acre Road caused at least $20,000 in damage, said Dennis G. Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant.

The man was cooking potatoes in oil when he fell asleep, Leger said. Smoke detectors woke him up, and he attempted to put out the blaze before the fire department arrived.

The Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross is assisting the man, Leger said.

The map below shows the approximate location of 58 Pine Acre Road:

The intersection of Main, Myrtle and Front Streets in Indian Orchard will be paved Wednesday and Thursday.

 

SPRINGFIELD — The Department of Public Works has received notification that the intersection of Main, Myrtle and Front streets in Indian Orchard will be paved Wednesday and Thursday.

Work will begin at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. The DPW advises that temporary road closures may occur and delays are possible.

The paving is part of a $900,000 traffic improvement project in which the intersection has been realigned at Main and Front streets, a traffic island was expanded to prevent hazardous turns and a traffic light has been installed at Main and Myrtle streets.

The project has been discussed for more than a decade and is designed to ease a situation of dangerously weaving traffic and accidents, city officials and residents have said. The intersections serve as a gateway into the business area of Indian Orchard and the Indian Orchard Mills.

A presentation on the Common Core curriculum will be made to the School Committee in the fall.

 

WILBRAHAM — The Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee on Tuesday told school administrators they are interested in a presentation on the new Common Core state standards initiative which will be implemented in the fall.

School Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea said a presentation will be prepared for the regional School Committee for September.

O’Shea said the Common Core “is a set of standards, not a curriculum.” It seeks to teach reasoning and writing skills in mathematics and English Language Arts, he said.

There is no prescribed list of readings, O’Shea added, although he said there are lists of fiction and non-fiction readings which would be appropriate to teach analytical reading and writing skills. The lists draw from both modern works and the classics, O’Shea said. He said that the lists leaves plenty of room for local decision-making.

The Common Core was adopted by the state of Massachusetts in 2010 with the goal of improving college and career readiness for all students, O’Shea said.

Any resident who is seeking additional information can contact a Citizens Curriculum Advisory Committee which Curriculum Director Timothy Connor is heading up or the Curriculum Committee of the School Committee.

A new exam to measure student achievement is now being developed, O’Shea said.

School Committee member Michael Mazzuca said he feels confident that the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District will not have to worry about low test scores. He said his children have had very good teachers in Wilbraham who use their own approaches to teaching.

School Committee member D. John McCarthy said the Common Core emphasizes critical thinking and writing. He said it is very important that students be taught to communicate and write effectively.

Connor said English teachers at the high school have been working on developing skills sets for the Common Core to help students to think critically. The teachers are excited about implementing this, he said.

William Marr, a Falmouth resident, said he feels Cape Cod residents have been “cheated” by not having more communities covered by emergency plans.

By COLLEEN QUINN

BOSTON — Cape Cod and Plymouth residents pleaded with lawmakers to widen the radius for nuclear power plant emergency measures from 10 to 20 miles, saying they feel unprotected in the event of an accident at the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant.

Citing the 2011 nuclear disaster at Fukushima, Japan, local residents said they need the level of protection provided under the legislation (H 2045).

“We are just holding our breath and hoping that nothing goes wrong,” Arlene Williamson, a member of the Pilgrim Coalition, told lawmakers on the Public Health Committee Tuesday.

William Marr, a Falmouth resident, said he feels Cape Cod residents have been “cheated” by not having more communities covered by emergency plans.

“Evacuating Cape Cod is not a feasible solution,” Marr said.

Tom Joyce, legislative counsel to Entergy Corp., which owns Pilgrim, said the push to increase the emergency planning zone from 10 to 20 miles is “nothing short of an attempt to close the nuclear power station.”

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission last year granted Entergy another 20-year-license to continue operations at the 40-year-old facility located in Plymouth. Opposition sprouted up around the Cape to the fight the relicensing.

Joyce said the plant underwent a six-year relicensing process and argued the NRC would not have renewed the license if it had any concerns. He said it was an unfair to compare Pilgrim to the facility in Fukushima.

The protection zone expansion bills cosponsors include Sen. Dan Wolf (D-Harwich), Rep. Randy Hunt (R-Sandwich), Rep. Josh Cutler (D-Duxbury), Rep. Tim Madden (D-Nantucket), Rep. Thomas Calter (D-Kingston), and Rep. Brian Mannal (D-Barnstable).

Another bill (H 2046) under consideration by the committee would give the Department of Public Health funding to expand real time radiological air monitoring. Both bills were filed by Rep. Sarah Peake, a Provincetown Democrat.

Joyce said both bills run counter to federal laws.

Rep. Cleon Turner, a Democrat from Dennis, questioned why Entergy did not voluntarily make the changes residents were looking for.

“I believe very strongly that Entergy is not a good neighbor,” Turner, a member of the committee, said during the hearing. “If Entergy was a good neighbor, it would say ‘Okay, regulations are regulations. But we have our neighbors who have an issue with us. We can address that issue.’ ”

“Why wouldn’t Entergy just do it?” Turner asked Joyce.

Joyce responded that the company spends $2.5 million annually for emergency preparations within the 10-mile zone. By asking the zone to be enlarged to 20 miles, “you are suggesting that the zone ought to be four or five times as big geographically,” he said.

Christopher Sherman, director of regulatory affairs for Next Era Energy Resources, which operates Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in New Hampshire, said the proposed legislation really falls under the jurisdiction of the NRC, and added his company disagrees with the need to extend emergency preparations up to 20 miles.

“You said you never had a radiological incident, and I would guess Fukushima didn’t either until . . . it only takes on,” Turner said.

Under the legislation increasing the emergency zone, the Department of Public Health would stockpile thyroid-blocking agents for cities and towns located within a 20-mile radius of a nuclear power plant. Predetermined protective action plans, including sheltering and evacuation details, shall also be in place.

The pilots of Asiana Flight 214 relied on automated cockpit equipment to control the jetliner's speed as they landed at San Francisco airport, but realized too late they were flying too low and too slow before the aircraft crashed, investigators said Tuesday.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The pilots of Asiana Flight 214 relied on automated cockpit equipment to control the jetliner's speed as they landed at San Francisco airport, but realized too late they were flying too low and too slow before the aircraft crashed, investigators said Tuesday.

The new details were not conclusive about the cause of Saturday's crash, but they raised potential areas of focus: Was there a mistake made in setting the automatic speed control, did it malfunction or were the pilots not fully aware of what the plane was doing?

One of the most puzzling aspects of the crash has been why the wide-body Boeing 777 jet came in far too low and slow, clipping its landing gear and then its tail on a rocky seawall just short the runway. The crash killed two of the 307 people and injured scores of others, most not seriously.

Among those injured were two flight attendants in the back of the plane, who survived despite being thrown onto the runway when the plane slammed into the seawall and the tail broke off.

National Transportation Safety Board chairman Deborah Hersman said the autothrottle was set for 157 mph and the pilots assumed it was controlling the plane's airspeed. However, the autothrottle was only "armed" or ready for activation, she said.

Hersman said the pilot at the controls, identified by Korean authorities as Lee Gang-guk, was only about halfway through his training on the Boeing 777 and was landing that type of aircraft at the San Francisco airport for the first time ever. And the co-pilot, identified as Lee Jeong-Min, was on his first trip as a flight instructor.

In the 777, turning the autothrottle on is a two-step process — first it is armed, then it is engaged, Boeing pilots said. Hersman didn't say whether the Asiana's autothrottle was engaged.

Bob Coffman, an American Airlines captain who has flown 777s, said the only way he could think of for Asiana plane to slow as quickly at the NTSB has described would be if somehow the autothrottle has shifted into the idle mode.

Only moments before the crash did the training captain realize the autothrottle wasn't controlling the plane's speed, Hersman said.

"This is one of the two hallmarks of complexity and challenge in the industry right now," said Doug Moss, an Airbus A320 a pilot for a major U.S. airline and an aviation safety consultant in Torrance, Calif. "It's automation confusion because from what Deborah Hersman said, it appears very likely the pilots were confused as to what autothrottle and pitch mode the airplane was in. It's very likely they believed the autothrottles were on when in fact they were only armed."

Their last second efforts to rev the plane back up and abort the landing failed, although numerous survivors report hearing the engines roar just before impact.

"We just seemed to be flying in way too low. Last couple seconds before it happened the engines really revved into high gear. Just waaah! Like the captain was saying 'oh no, we gotta get out of here.' And then, boom! The back end just lifted up, just really jolted everybody in their seats," said crash survivor Elliot Stone, who owns a martial arts studio in Scotts Valley.

While in the U.S., drug and alcohol tests are standard procedure after air accidents, this is not required for foreign pilots and Hersman said the Asiana pilots had not undergone any testing

A final determination on the cause of the crash is months away, and Hersman cautioned against drawing any conclusions based on the information revealed so far:

Seven seconds before impact, someone in the cockpit asked for more speed after apparently noticing that the jet was flying far slower than its recommended landing speed. A few seconds later, the yoke began to vibrate violently, an automatic warning telling the pilot the plane is losing lift and in imminent danger of an aerodynamic stall. One and a half seconds before impact came a command to abort the landing.

There's been no indication, from verbal calls or mechanical issues, that an emergency was ever declared by pilots. Most airlines would require all four pilots to be present for the landing, the time when something is most likely to go wrong, experienced pilots said. In addition to the two pilots, a third was "monitoring" the landing from a jumpseat, while a fourth was in the rear of the cabin.

"If there are four pilots there, even if you are sitting on a jump seat, that's something you watch — the airspeed and the descent profile," said John Cox, a former US Airways pilot and former Air Line Pilots Association accident investigator.

By Tuesday afternoon, NTSB interviews with three pilots were complete and the fourth was underway.

In addition, authorities were reviewing the initial rescue efforts after fire officials acknowledged that one of their trucks might have run over one of the two Chinese teenagers killed in the crash. The students, Wang Linjia and Ye Mengyuan, were part of a larger group headed for a Christian summer camp with dozens of classmates.

Asiana President Yoon Young-doo arrived in San Francisco from South Korea on Tuesday morning, fighting his way through a pack of journalists outside customs.

He met with and apologized to injured passengers, family members and survivors. But Yoon said he can't meet with the Asiana pilots because no outside contact with them is allowed until the investigation is completed.

More than 180 people aboard the plane went to hospitals with injuries. But remarkably, more than a third didn't even require hospitalization.

The passengers included 141 Chinese, 77 South Koreans, 64 Americans, three Canadians, three Indians, one Japanese, one Vietnamese and one person from France.

South Korea officials said 39 people remained hospitalized in seven different hospitals in San Francisco.

The flight originated in Shanghai, China, and stopped over in Seoul, South Korea, before making the nearly 11-hour trip to San Francisco.

SANFORD, Fla. — Defense attorneys asked a Florida judge on Tuesday to introduce Trayvon Martin's text messages and a Facebook posting dealing with fighting as evidence at George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial. As defense attorneys neared the finish of their presentation, they called computer analyst Richard Connor to read to the judge text messages he found on the 17-year-old...

View full sizeGeorge Zimmerman leaves the courtroom for a lunch break his trial in Seminole Circuit Court, in Sanford, Fla., Tuesday, July 9, 2013. Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teen, in 2012. (AP Photo/Orlando Sentinel, Joe Burbank, Pool) 

SANFORD, Fla. — Defense attorneys asked a Florida judge on Tuesday to introduce Trayvon Martin's text messages and a Facebook posting dealing with fighting as evidence at George Zimmerman's second-degree murder trial.

As defense attorneys neared the finish of their presentation, they called computer analyst Richard Connor to read to the judge text messages he found on the 17-year-old Martin's phone in which he purportedly recounted a fight he had been in to a friend.

Martin was unarmed when he was fatally shot by Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, in February 2012 in a gated community in Sanford. Martin was black and Zimmerman identifies himself as Hispanic; some activists argued that the initially delay in charging Zimmerman was influenced by Martin's race.

Jurors were out of the courtroom as defense attorneys presented their arguments about the text messages. Judge Debra Nelson heard the testimony during a hearing late Thursday. She had ruled that information about Martin's interest in guns and fighting couldn't be used during opening statements, but she had left open the possibility that they could be introduced later.

As the hearing dragged past 10 p.m., defense attorney Don West complained that the defense hadn't been given Martin's cellphone data by prosecutors in a timely manner, which would have allowed them to authenticate the messages.

"It's simply unfair for Mr. Zimmerman not to be able to put on his defense because of these tactics," West said.

When a frustrated Nelson abruptly told the attorneys that she would rule Wednesday, West continued to address her after she officially had adjourned for the evening. He complained about a schedule that had lawyers working weekends and taking multiple depositions during the trial, in which jurors have been sequestered.

Prosecutor John Guy said jurors shouldn't be presented with the text messages and photos of a gun found on Martin's phone, as well as a Facebook posting from a half-brother asking Martin when he was going to teach him how to fight.

"It would mislead the jury and be prejudicial," Guy said. "It doesn't tell us about Trayvon Martin and certainly doesn't tell us what George Zimmerman knew about Trayvon Martin."

However, West said they were relevant.

"It relates to his physical capabilities, his knowledge of fighting," West said.

The effort to get the text messages and cellphone images introduced came after the judge said she would rule Wednesday on whether a defense animation depicting the fatal struggle between Martin and Zimmerman can be played for jurors.

Nelson held an evidence hearing with jurors out of the courtroom. Prosecutors object to allowing the animation, saying it isn't an accurate depiction.

An expert on gunshot wounds also testified that the trajectory of the bullet and gunpowder on Trayvon Martin's body support Zimmerman's account that the teen was on top when the defendant shot and killed Martin.

Dr. Vincent DiMaio, a forensic pathologist, also used photographs of Zimmerman to point out where he appeared to have been struck. His testimony took up a significant portion of the day's hearing. Defense attorneys, who said they may wrap up their case Wednesday, were hoping DiMaio's testimony would help convince jurors of Zimmerman's claims that he shot Martin in self-defense.

DiMaio said the muzzle of Zimmerman's gun was against Martin's clothing and it was anywhere from 2 to 4 inches from Martin's skin.

"This is consistent with Mr. Zimmerman's account that Mr. Martin was over him, leaning forward at the time he was shot," said DiMaio, the former chief medical examiner in San Antonio.

DiMaio testified that lacerations to the back of Zimmerman's head were consistent with it striking a concrete sidewalk. Later, when looking at photos of Zimmerman's injuries taken the night of the shooting, DiMaio identified six separate impacts to Zimmerman's face and head. He said he believed Zimmerman's nose had been broken.

"It's obvious he's been punched in the nose and hit in the head," he said.

Under cross-examination, DiMaio conceded that the gunshot could also be consistent with Martin pulling away from Zimmerman, and that he reached his conclusion without factoring in statements from some neighbors who say Zimmerman was on top of Martin. DiMaio, who has testified at high-profile trials such as that of record producer Phil Spector, said witness accounts are often unreliable. The pathologist said he had been paid $2,400 by the defense.

DiMaio's testimony also addressed the difference between Zimmerman's account that he had placed Martin's arms out to his sides and a photo taken after the shooting that shows Martin's arms under his body. The pathologist said Martin would have been conscious for 10 to 15 seconds after the shooting as a reserve supply of oxygen ran out of his body, and during that time he could have moved his arms.

After DiMaio testified, the 911 calls that captured sounds of the fatal encounter were discussed again. Defense attorneys called Sanford City Manager Norton Bonaparte to the witness stand to describe the circumstances of how Martin's family came to hear the 911 tapes. Bonaparte said he played the 911 tapes while members of Martin's family sat together at City Hall. He played them as a courtesy before they were released publicly.

Defense attorneys are trying to show that Martin's family members may have influenced each other in concluding the screams are those of the Miami teen. Police officers testified for the defense that it's better for someone who is trying to identify a voice to listen to it alone.

Convincing the jury of who was screaming for help on the tape has become the primary goal of prosecutors and defense attorneys because it would help jurors evaluate Zimmerman's self-defense claim. Relatives of Martin's and Zimmerman's have offered conflicting opinions about who is heard screaming.

Zimmerman, 29, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.

Prosecutors contend that Zimmerman was profiling Martin and perceived the teen as someone suspicious in the neighborhood, which had been the site of a series of break-ins. Martin was there visiting his father and his father's fiancee. The case sparked protests because police did not charge Zimmerman for 44 days and it touched off a nationwide debate about race and self-defense.

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Follow Kyle Hightower on Twitter at http://twitter.com/khightower.

Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MikeSchneiderAP .

On a day filled with speeches from dignitaries including the vice president, the words of the lone survivor of a fire crew overrun by flames resonated deepest in an arena packed with firefighters from around the nation.

PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. — On a day filled with speeches from dignitaries including the vice president, the words of the lone survivor of a fire crew overrun by flames resonated deepest in an arena packed with firefighters from around the nation.

A stone-faced Brendan McDonough walked onto the stage at the end of the service and offered what's called "The Hot Shot's Prayer," calmly reciting the words: "For if this day on the line I should answer death's call, Lord, bless my Hotshot crew, my family, one and all."

He concluded by telling the crowd: "Thank you. And I miss my brothers."

McDonough spoke at a memorial for the 19 members of the Prescott-based Granite Mountain Hotshots who died June 30 when a wind-fueled, out-of-control fire overran them as they tried to protect a former gold-mining town from the inferno.

Vice President Joe Biden called them "men of uncommon valor" while thanking God that one crew member survived.

"There's an old saying: All men are created equal, and then a few became firefighters," Biden said. "Thank God for you all."

The event was marked by an outpouring of support from several thousand firefighters from across the country, who traveled to the Prescott area to honor their fallen brethren.

They talked about how firefighters are accustomed to answering the call of duty when the alarm sounds and sends them into harm's way, whether it's a fire in a forest or a home. And they noted that the same can be said when a fellow firefighter dies.

"When you hear of a death, especially a group of firefighters, and there's 19 that we're here to mourn, there's no question that at the drop of a hat you do what you can to go and support the fire service and their families," said Capt. Steve Brown of the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District, who brought 17 others in his department of 85 uniformed firefighters from California.

The memorial in Prescott Valley began with a choir singing "On Eagle's Wings." Homeland Security Secretary and former Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano looked on, as did Sen. John McCain and his wife, Cindy, and other members of the state's congressional delegation.

Biden talked about the 1972 death of his wife and young daughter in a traffic crash, and how firefighters freed his sons from the mangled wreckage.

"I don't have the privilege of knowing any of these heroes personally, but I know them. I know them because they saved the lives of my two sons," Biden told the crowd. He also said firefighters rushed him to a hospital after he suffered an aneurysm in 1998. And he credited firefighters with saving his wife Jill after lightning once struck their home.

Gov. Jan Brewer praised people around the country for responding as she hoped they would — with candlelight vigils, financial contributions, prayers, and flowers and notes placed at makeshift memorials.

"Of course our hearts are filled with profound sadness today, but they're also filled with great pride," she said. "How wonderful is it to know that Arizona was home to 19 men like those we honor today."

Outside the minor league hockey arena, each of the 19 firefighters was represented by a U.S. flag and a purple ribbon with his name. A granite marker read: "In honor and recognition of all wildland firefighters across this great nation. Duty - Respect - Integrity."

Inside, 19 sets of firefighting gear lined the front of the stage, including commemorative Pulaski tools similar to the ones the elite crew uses to dig lines around fires.

Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo gave the tools to the firefighters' families, along with flags that had been flown in the men's honor.

Roughly 8,000 people attended the memorial, most inside, while several thousand watched it outside on jumbo screens. Alumni of the Granite Mountain Hotshots sat inside in the front rows.

Darrell Willis, a Prescott Fire Department division chief, said he traveled with the crew a couple of years ago when they fought a fire in Colorado. On the way back, the unit stopped in Glenwood Springs and then climbed Storm King Mountain, where 14 firefighters died in 1994.

"We spent the entire sunny summer afternoon evaluating, studying, talking about what happened there 19 years ago," Willis said. "They were truly committed to never letting something like this ever happen again. They were committed to returning to you after every assignment. But there was another plan."

The highly specialized crew was part of a small community of Hotshots nationwide. There are only about 110 of the 20-person teams, mostly stationed west of the Mississippi River.

McDonough was assigned to give a "heads-up on the hillside" for the unit on that fateful afternoon, Prescott Fire Department spokesman Wade Ward said. McDonough notified the crew of the rapidly changing weather that sent winds swirling erratically and caused the fire to cut off his team's escape route, then swiftly left his post for safety.

Ward has said McDonough did "did exactly what he was supposed to."

Tuesday's memorial was the last of a handful of vigils for the men before the first of 19 funerals begin later in the week.

Two tolls of a bell rang out as each firefighter's name was called, and a member of his family stood up in the audience.

An honor guard that included alumni of the Granite Mountain Hotshots carried the flags and Pulaski tools through the aisles, turning to face the family members who accepted the items on behalf of the firefighters.

Some of the family members then hugged others next to them, as the men's pictures flashed on screens overhead and the choir began singing "You Raise Me Up."

Other photos showed the men playing with their children, riding bikes, carrying crew members on their backs, hanging out at camp and in close encounters with fire.

Biden offered the families some solace as he wrapped up his remarks.

"As unbelievable as it is to even fathom ... the day will come when the memory of your husband, your son, or your dad or your brother will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye," he said. "My prayer for all of you is that that day will come sooner than later, but I promise you as unbelievable as it is, it will come."

Biden met privately with family members after the memorial.

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Associated Press writer Bob Christie in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Canadian authorities said they have opened a criminal investigation into the fiery wreck of a runaway oil train in this small town as the death toll climbed to 15, with dozens more bodies feared buried in the burned-out ruins.

LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec— Canadian authorities said they have opened a criminal investigation into the fiery wreck of a runaway oil train in this small town as the death toll climbed to 15, with dozens more bodies feared buried in the burned-out ruins.

Quebec police Inspector Michel Forget said Tuesday that investigators have "discovered elements" that have led to a criminal probe. He gave no details but ruled out terrorism and said police are more likely exploring the possibility of criminal negligence. Provincial police spokesman Sergeant Benoit Richard said no arrests have been made.

The death toll rose with the discovery of two more bodies Tuesday. About three dozen more people were missing. The bodies that have been recovered were burned so badly they have yet to be identified.

Investigators zeroed in on whether a fire on the train a few hours before the disaster set off a deadly chain of events that has raised questions about the safety of transporting oil in North America by rail instead of pipeline.

The unmanned Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway train broke loose early Saturday and sped downhill in the darkness nearly seven miles (11 kilometers) before jumping the tracks at 63 mph (101 kph) near the Maine border. All but one of the 73 cars were carrying oil. At least five exploded.

Rail dispatchers had no chance to warn anyone during the train's 18-minute journey because they didn't know it was happening themselves, Transportation Safety Board officials said Tuesday. Such warning systems are not in place on secondary rail lines, said TSB manager Ed Belkaloul.

The derailment and explosions destroyed about 30 buildings, including the Musi-Cafe, a popular bar that was filled at the time, and forced about a third of the town's 6,000 residents from their homes.

Resident Gilles Fluet saw the approaching train.

"It was moving at a hellish speed," he said. "No lights, no signals, nothing at all. There was no warning. It was a black blob that came out of nowhere."

He had just said goodbye to friends at the Musi-Cafe and left. "A half-minute later and I wouldn't be talking to you right now," he said.

"There are those who ran fast and those who made the right decision. Those who fooled around trying to start their cars to leave the area, there are probably some who burned in them," Fluet said. "And some who weren't fast enough to escape the river of fire that ran down to the lake, they were roasted."

The same train caught fire hours earlier in a nearby town, and the engine was shut down — standard operating procedure dictated by the train's owners, Nantes Fire Chief Patrick Lambert said.

Edward Burkhardt, president and CEO of the railway's U.S.-based parent company, Rail World Inc., suggested that shutting off the locomotive to put out the fire might have disabled the brakes.

"An hour or so after the locomotive was shut down, the train rolled away," he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.

Lambert defended the fire department. "The people from MMA told us, 'That's great — the train is secure, there's no more fire, there's nothing anymore, there's no more danger,'" Lambert said. "We were given our leave, and we left."

Burkhardt was expected to visit the town on Wednesday. The train's engineer, Tom Harding, has not commented publicly on the incident.

Transport Canada, the government's transportation agency, said Tuesday there are no rules against leaving an unlocked, unmanned, running locomotive and its flammable cargo on a main rail line uphill from a populated area. Officials also said there is no limit on how many oil-filled, single-hull tank cars a train can pull.

Transportation Safety Board investigator Donald Ross said the locomotive's black box has been recovered but cautioned that the investigation was still in its early stages.

The tanker cars involved in the crash were the DOT-111 type — a staple of the American freight rail fleet whose flaws have been noted as far back as a 1991 safety study. Experts say its steel shell is so thin that it is prone to puncture in an accident.

The derailment also raised questions about the safety of Canada's growing practice of transporting oil by train, and is sure to support the case for a proposed oil pipeline running from Canada across the U.S. — a project that Canadian officials badly want.

Efforts continued Tuesday to stop waves of crude oil spilled in the disaster from reaching the St. Lawrence River, the backbone of the province's water supply. Environment Minister Yves-Francois Blanchet said the chances were "very slim."

Lac-Megantic's mayor said about 1,200 residents were being allowed to return to their homes.

A sense of mourning had set in among the survivors.

"Everybody that is gone — we're a close-knit community — they are my friends' children, they're former workmates, they're elderly people that I know, I knew them all," Fluet said. "I'm on adrenaline and not doing too badly, but I know that when the names come out and the funerals take place it will be another shock."

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Associated Press writers Rob Gillies and Charmaine Noronha in Toronto, Jason Keyser in Chicago James MacPherson in Bismarck, N.D., contributed to this story.

Pomales was charged with possession of heroin with intent to distribute and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.

Jose PomalesHolyoke Police Department photo 

HOLYOKE — Police arrested a man on drug and firearms charges Tuesday and said they confiscated more than 200 bags of heroin and a handgun.

Armed with a warrant, local officers with the Holyoke Police Narcotics Unit, assisted by the FBI Gang Task Force, Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents, searched a home at about 6:30 p.m. at 309 Hampden St., Apt. 2, Police Lt. James Albert said.

After finding heroin, a 9mm Ruger semi-automatic handgun and two types of ammunition, officers arrested Jose Pomales, 32, of that address, and charged him with possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm and ammunition without a license and firearm use in a felony, Albert said.

Pomales is expected to be arraigned in Holyoke District Court on Wednesday.