"It's in no one's interest not to resolve the traffic issues," Palmer At-large Town Councilor Paul E. Burns said.

PALMER - Just as they said, Mohegan Sun representatives on Wednesday released the traffic proposals that detail four options for how patrons will enter and exit the proposed resort casino on Thorndike Street.

In addition to the three traffic proposals that were outlined at a Town Council meeting last week, Mohegan released a fourth proposal that which shows an alternative flyover ramp design requested by the state Department of Transportation.

At-large Town Councilor Paul E. Burns said he was pleased that Mohegan released the plans. Burns on Tuesday questioned why Mohegan had not yet made the plans public for its nearly $1 billion casino project, despite pledging to do so at the council meeting last week.

"They should have explained the reason for the delay ahead of time," Burns said, adding he thinks any of the four proposals will work. It will be up to the state Department of Transportation to make the final decision.

"It's in no one's interest not to resolve the traffic issues," Burns said.

Traffic has been one of the main concerns about the proposed casino, which would be built across from Massachusetts Turnpike Exit 8 on Thorndike Street (Route 32), already a high traffic area.

The first proposal shows a flyover ramp from the turnpike; this is Mohegan's preferred proposal. Paul I. Brody, Mohegan's development coordinator, said he believes there will be a toll booth added at the ramp for the casino patrons.

Curt E. Strom, a project manager at Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, said this proposal features one flyover lane from the pike to the casino resort, and another flyover lane leaving the resort and returning to the pike.

Access to the casino from Route 32 is at Shearer Street, which will feature a new traffic signal. The lanes on Thorndike Street would increase from two lanes to six lanes, with single turning lanes in each direction. There also would be widening of Shearer Street, and the addition of a left turning lane.

The second proposal shows access from the turnpike into the casino from the roadway. Traffic from the turnpike, after traveling through the toll booths, would cross Route 32 and head onto the casino site.

This alters the toll booth interchange in that there would be one lane dedicated to vehicles traveling south, toward downtown Palmer. It would include two new left turns for vehicles traveling north and two straight lanes for those entering the casino. Coming from the Ware area, there would be a lane specifically to get on the turnpike, one to enter the resort and two to drive straight ahead toward downtown Palmer.

Strom said Route 32 would have eight lanes under this proposal; this involves significant widening of Route 32 and the interchange area. Heading north, there will be two lanes going straight, one turning left onto the pike, and one into the casino. The pattern repeats for drivers heading south.

The third proposal takes all the traffic from the turnpike and moves it onto a flyover that, after crossing Route 32, moves in a "figure-eight" on the resort property. All traffic dumps off at a new intersection on Route 32 between the turnpike exit and Shearer Street. Cars heading to the casino are filtered into a different lane.

He said this proposal also features an additional six or seven lanes at Thorndike and Shearer streets, and road widening. Local traffic would enter the casino at this access point. Two traffic signals would be created under this proposal, at Shearer Street and at the new intersection.

The fourth proposal features no left turn directly onto Route 32 from the turnpike; instead, drivers wanting to turn left would drive onto a flyover from the turnpike. This is similar to the second proposal, as drivers coming off the turnpike would be able to turn right toward downtown Palmer or drive straight into the casino property. Local access would be the same as outlined in the second proposal.

Strom said the addition of traffic lanes and signals in each proposal will help improve existing traffic conditions.

Connecticut-based Mohegan is competing with two other casino companies for the Western Massachusetts casino license - Hard Rock International for a site at the Eastern States Exposition grounds in West Springfield and MGM Resorts International in downtown Springfield.

A host community agreement is expected to be completed this month for Palmer.

Residential food waste is not included in the proposed ban but it would apply to supermarkets restaurants schools and colleges.

AMHERST — From vegetable cuttings to disposable yet biodegradable to-go containers, the University of Massachusetts Amherst sends 1,000 tons of waste each year to a composting farm in Belchertown.

But if a statewide plan to cut the amount of food waste going to landfills and harvest green electricity takes hold, that waste might get digested by microbes and converted to burnable gas and then electricity right on campus, said Ezra Small, the campus sustainability manager.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick’s administration proposed Wednesday a commercial food waste ban to take effect a year from now on July 1, 2014. The ban, which does not need action by the state Legislature according to the state’s website, would require any entity that disposes of one ton of organic waste or more a week to donate or repurpose any usable food and ship the rest to an anaerobic digester facility, a composting operation like the one UMass uses now at the New England Small Farms Institute in Belchertown or to someone who will feed it to livestock.

Residential food waste is not included in the proposed ban but it would apply to supermarkets, restaurants, schools and colleges.

A local public hearing on the proposed regulation is scheduled for 10 a.m. Aug. 8 at the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Western Regional Office, 436 Dwight St., Springfield. To harness the waste, the state has made $3 million in low-interest loans available to private companies building anaerobic digester facilities with money provided by the state Department of Energy Resources.

Energy Resources is also making $1 million available in grants for anaerobic digestion to public entities through MassDEP’s Sustainable Materials Recovery Grant Program.

That’s the program Small said UMass has expressed an interest in utilizing to build a digester of its own.

“We want to be a resource for municipalities and other institutions,” he said, cautioning that this is very early on in the process.

Anerobic digestion is a process that puts food and yard wastes, and other organics, into an enclosed chamber with no oxygen, according to the state’s news release . Microbes inside the chamber break down the organics and produce a biogas that can produce electricity and heat. Over the past year, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center has awarded 18 grants worth $2.3 million to study, design and construct anerobic digestion and other organics-to-energy facilities across the commonwealth.

They don’t come cheap. One dairy farm in the state recently spent $3.5 million on its digester, according to the state Massachusetts Clean Energy Center’s website. But they might become necessary if the waste ban is imposed.

Claire M. D’Amour-Daley, a spokeswoman for Springfield-based Big Y Foods Inc. , said finding a competent composter willing to accept waste is one of the highest hurdles the chain faces as it grows its composting program. The Holden store near Worcester is sending its waste to a digester on an experimental basis, she said.

Big Y composts at 30 o f its 33 Massachusetts stores, D’Amour-Daley said, and is working to implement the program it its remaining locations. Besides a local facility willing to take the material, stores need space for specialized bins and storage, she said.

In 2011, Big Y composted more than 2,380 tons of organic waste including waste from salad bars and scraps from the pizza shop.

“It’s just a matter of making it a part of what our employees do every day,” she said. “First of all, it is the right thing to do.”

Composting also saves landfill costs, she said.

In Greenfield, Robert Martin of Martin’s Farm said he charges about $40 to $50 a ton to take organic waste, about half of what a landfill would charge. Customers include stores, schools and restaurants. But it has to be free of any plastic.

“I tell people if you can’t eat it and it won’t rot don’t put it in our containers,” he said. “But we need cardboard and paper.”

That’s because he needs the right mix of carbon and nitrogen. That way everything breaks down nicely into a nice soil-like compost Martin can sell to farmers and gardeners.

Hard Rock officials have said the Big E would distract voters from the election.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – As of late Wednesday afternoon, town councilors were still waiting to get a signed host community agreement with Hard Rock Hotel & Casino New England from Mayor Gregory C. Neffinger.

Officials have said that in order for the city to put a casino referendum before voters by Sept. 10, the council must vote by Friday to move forward without the state having completed its background check of Hard Rock.

On Tuesday, Neffinger said he was still negotiating with Hard Rock to get the agreement as soon as possible, perhaps this week.

Mark Rivers, president of the Bronson Companies, developer of the Hard Rock casino, has said Hard Rock wants the referendum on Sept. 10, which is three days before the 17-day run of The Big E.

Rivers has said the fair would distract voters from the election.

Meanwhile, West Springfield Town Council President Kathleen A. Bourque has set a council meeting for 6 p.m. Thursday in anticipation of having the host community agreement from the mayor by then.
The mayor could not be reached for comment late Wednesday afternoon.

Authorities are investigating a widespread sex scandal involving nearly a dozen police officers in one Florida city after a civilian crime analyst detailed trysts with the men in police and fire stations, patrol cars, motels and even in a parking lot after a memorial service for a slain officer.

The exterior of the Lakeland Police Department building is shown in downtown Lakeland, Fla. Nearly a dozen police officers in Lakeland are under investigation after state and local officials uncovered a widespread sex scandal that has unfolded over eight years. A civilian crime analyst for the department says she had consensual and sometimes coerced sex with the officers. 

By TAMARA LUSH

LAKELAND, Fla. — Authorities are investigating a widespread sex scandal involving nearly a dozen police officers in one Florida city after a civilian crime analyst detailed trysts with the men in police and fire stations, patrol cars, motels and even in a parking lot after a memorial service for a slain officer.

Sue Eberle, 37, has told officials that she had consensual and sometimes coerced sex with the officers and a firefighter, and that she once was propositioned by a city worker in Lakeland. Eberle's accounts of the liaisons were largely corroborated by her sexual partners and others within the police department, and published in a graphic, 59-page report written in an incredulous tone by the county's top prosecutor. It said the department's problems investigating crimes might be caused by some high-ranking officers being more interested in having sex with Eberle than doing their jobs.

"The investigation revealed an extraordinary amount of sexual conduct that was committed both on-duty and off-duty," wrote Jerry Hill, Polk County's state attorney, in the report dated June 25. "We find the conduct of a number of sworn officers, including some officers of rank, to be at best a waste of taxpayer dollars. At worst their actions indicate a moral bankruptcy that exists amongst some individuals within the ranks at the Lakeland Police Department."

Eberle, who has retained an attorney, recounted for Hill how she had sex in police cars, cemeteries and motels with different officers — and in the parking lot outside a reception that followed the December 2011 funeral of Officer Arnulfo Crispin, who had been fatally shot on duty. She also said officers and some supervisors pressured her for sex, groped her while working and texted her photos of their genitalia.

"She was a target. She was weak. And they knew that they could take advantage of that, so they preyed upon her. They preyed upon her, and that's what's so sick about it," Eberle's attorney, David Linesch, said during a recent news conference.

Linesch's spokeswoman said Eberle is not granting interviews at this time. The Associated Press typically does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault. However, Eberle has gone public with her story, appearing alongside her attorney and husband at a recent news conference about the allegations.

Eberle, a married mother of two, is on paid administrative leave. Three city employees have resigned, and others — such as the former assistant chief of the department — have retired. Five other officers have been placed on either administrative leave or modified duty.

The scandal has stunned folks in Lakeland, a city of almost 100,000 people halfway between Tampa and Orlando.

"It's been devastating for the community," said Ellen Simms, who owns a framing shop in the city's historic downtown. "The actions of a few are tarnishing the reputation of a good department. It's heartbreaking."

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating, while Hill's office spent three months interviewing participants and witnesses. In his report addressed to Lakeland Police Chief Lisa Womack, Hill also drew parallels between the sex scandal and other "shortcomings" within the department, including recent problems with traffic stops, searches and investigations that have been detailed in The Ledger, Lakeland's newspaper.

"Had these members of your department been more focused on the important responsibilities of law enforcement, rather than pursuing sexual encounters with a civilian analyst, LPD might not be in the condition it is today," Hill wrote.

Womack wouldn't comment on the report or the scandal — a Lakeland Police spokeswoman said all comments are being made from City Hall. Womack was an outsider who had worked in Illinois and Texas when she became the department's chief in March 2011.

"Our hearts ache for Mrs. Sue Eberle and her family, the citizens of Lakeland, and all the families and children who have been affected by this tragedy," Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields wrote in a statement.

Legislative leaders are furious and have asked Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd to help get the department on track.

"We find the State Attorney's report on the behavior of the LPD officials to be shocking, revolting and a clear cause for action," wrote Rep. Seth McKeel, R-Lakeland. "A culture which, at best lacks professionalism and at worst encourages the reckless behavior of LDP officials, is apparently pervasive and is an embarrassment to our community. This culture has unfortunately eroded the public's confidence in the Lakeland Police Department."

Eberle, through her attorney and in the state attorney's report, said she was unable to fend off the sexual advances because she has been a victim of sexual assault in the past. Initially, she didn't want to speak with investigators — she balked at turning over her phone with text messages and photos, saying that it would hurt the officers' families — but later decided to cooperate because she felt victimized and abandoned by the department.

Eberle also confided in a female officer friend, who initially doubted the stories until Eberle showed her some of the text messages and photos she had received from other officers. The friend told Hill that she thought Eberle's desire to please, inability to say no and sexual promiscuity made her a target.

While seven officers admitted to having sexual contact with Eberle, three other sergeants denied her claims and refused to take polygraph tests; Hill said he questioned the credibility of those sergeants.

The report also said that other employees knew about the encounters and didn't report it to higher-ups.

The state attorney said he couldn't prosecute the cases because of a lack of physical evidence and because so much time has passed since some of the sexual encounters. However, Fields said the officers and employees involved are under an internal investigation and will be "disciplined to the fullest extent" if found to have acted inappropriately.

Judd, the sheriff, wouldn't discuss the legislators' proposal for him to help the department. But in an email to the AP, he said he was willing to help Lakeland.

"My whole family is from Lakeland. I grew up here," Judd wrote. "I care about Lakeland, its reputation, and the quality of life we enjoy here. We cannot lose sight that there are many fine and hardworking officers at LPD who are outstanding public servants."

An 18-year-old was cleared Wednesday of charges the he was driving drunk in a Nevada crash that killed five California family members, after a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper testified that DNA evidence showed his friend was the one driving the SUV that caused the wreck.

Jean Ervin Soriano appears at the Moapa Justice Center before charges are dismissed against him in Moapa, Nev., Wednesday, July 10, 2013. Soriano had been charged with being the driver in a duo accident on March 30, 2013, that claimed the lives of five people. Evidence was presented at the preliminary hearing that showed he was not the driver. Attorney Benjamin C. Durham, of Cofer, Geller & Durham is at left. 

By KEN RITTER

MOAPA, Nev. — An 18-year-old was cleared Wednesday of charges the he was driving drunk in a Nevada crash that killed five California family members, after a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper testified that DNA evidence showed his friend was the one driving the SUV that caused the wreck.

A judge dismissed all charges against Jean Ervin Soriano, who had told troopers he was the driver of the SUV that rear-ended a van carrying seven people home to the Los Angeles area early March 30 after an Easter weekend visit to a sick relative in Denver.

Blood tests showed Soriano had a blood-alcohol percentage of 0.12 at the time of the crash.

Soriano's lawyer, Frank Cofer, said Wednesday that Soriano was intimidated by the other man, Alfred Gomez, 23, of St. George, Utah, into saying he was the driver.

Gomez, who was injured in the crash and hospitalized, wasn't tested for blood alcohol. It was not immediately clear if he will face arrest or charges.

Prosecutor Brian Rutledge said outside court that the investigation was ongoing and it was possible the driver could still face felony vehicular manslaughter or the more serious DUI causing serious bodily injury or death charge.

But Gomez wasn't in custody, and Rutledge said he didn't know if he was still living in St. George, had returned to Southern California, or had moved somewhere else.

Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson was out of town Wednesday and unavailable for comment.

Three relatives of the five people killed and two people injured in the crash stood stunned in the rural courtroom 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas after Justice of the Peace Ruth Kolhoss ordered Soriano freed.

Pablo Fernandez, 19, of Lynwood, Calif., declined immediate comment on their behalf.

Trooper Robert Lynn, the lead investigator in the case, also declined comment.

Soriano, who had been jailed on $3.5 million bail, wasn't released immediately but remained in custody for the 50-mile trip back to Las Vegas for processing and release from the Clark County jail.

He kept his head bowed and said nothing as he sat in chains at the defense table. His parents and an aunt were in the courtroom and expressed relief afterward.

"We're really happy. Finally he's not guilty," said the aunt, Nelly Ciprian, 28, of St. George, Utah. "The lawyers provided the proof and the evidence."

The crash killed Genaro Fernandez, 42, of Norwalk; Maria Belen Fernandez, 53, of Lynwood; and Raudel Fernandez-Avila, 49, Angela Sandoval, 13, and Leonardo Fernandez-Avila, 45, of East Los Angeles.

The driver of the van, Maria Rosario Cardanas, 40, and a 15-year-old passenger, Eddie Sandoval, were the only survivors.

Soriano had faced seven felony charges of driving under the influence causing death or substantial injury in the pre-dawn crash March 30 on Interstate 15 about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas. If convicted, he would have faced a mandatory two to 20 years in state prison without probation on each charge.

Under questioning by Rutledge, Lynn testified that DNA evidence, a footprint on the driver's door and blood drops on the passenger window showed that Soriano couldn't have been behind the wheel of the Dodge Durango SUV, which ended up on its roof after the 3 a.m. crash.

The NHP crash report said the Durango was traveling faster than 105 mph on the two-lane, 75 mph freeway before it veered sharply and collided with the slower-moving van just before 3 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Troopers found open and unopened beer bottles in the vehicle, which came to rest on its roof.

Soriano told troopers at the scene that he had "too many" beers before the crash. Rutledge said it was unlikely that Soriano would face an obstruction charge in the case.

After his arrest, authorities in Orange County, Calif., said that Soriano fled March 1 from a juvenile guidance center in Santa Ana that treats drug and alcohol abusers.

Cofer and Rutledge said it wasn't immediately clear if authorities there would seek his return.

Soriano's lawyer said his client will be glad to be freed from jail after more than three months, and said it wasn't likely that Soriano would seek civil damages based on the arrest.

"I think he's been punished quite enough," Cofer said.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Deborah Hersman recounted the sequence of events of the Asiana Flight 214 crash at a news conference Wednesday.

Lee Yoon-hye, cabin manager of Asiana Flight 214, which crashed on Saturday, July 6, 2013, speaks at a news conference at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Wednesday, July 10, 2013. Two passengers were killed and many others were injured in the crash.  

By JASON DEAREN

SAN FRANCISCO — As soon as Asiana Flight 214 came to a stop after a crash landing that tore off the tail and sent the Boeing 777 spinning down the runway at San Francisco International Airport, the lead flight attendant asked pilots if she should begin evacuating passengers. The answer: No.

With dust swirling in the cabin, the hundreds on board stayed in their seats. It wasn't until 90 seconds later, when a flight attendant noticed fire on the outside of the plane, that emergency slides were deployed and passengers began streaming out of the plane.

Two of the plane's eight slides malfunctioned, however, opening inside the cabin and pinning two flight attendants underneath. Meantime, the fire that started when fuel leaked onto a hot engine started spreading and flight attendants and the flight crew battled the flames as firefighters and rescuers arrived.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Deborah Hersman recounted the sequence of events at a news conference Wednesday. She said it was pieced together based on interviews with six of the 12 flight attendants.

"We don't know what the pilots were thinking, but I can tell you, in previous accidents there have been crews that don't evacuate," she said. "They wait for other vehicles to come to get the passengers out safely. Certainly if there's an awareness that there's a fire aboard the aircraft, that is a very serious issue. There was a fire, and then the evacuation began."

She said part of the crash investigation will involve deciphering if proper procedures were followed during the evacuation.

"Hindsight is 20/20," Hersman said. "We all have a perspective that's different than the people involved in this."

The plane, carrying 307 passengers and crew, crashed Saturday. When the tail was peeled off after the plane clipped the seawall at the end of the runway, three of four flight attendants seated in the rear were ejected from the plane, Hersman said. All survived and were among the six flight attendants who remain hospitalized.

Two people died in the crash and scores were injured, though most not seriously.

The flight attendants, especially lead attendant Lee Yoon Hye, have been cited for their professionalism during the evacuation. Lee and the other five attendants not hospitalized, one of whom was in a wheelchair, held a brief, emotional news conference Wednesday.

"I hope that all the families who suffered losses from this accident to recover as quickly as possible," Lee said. "They are all in my prayers."

With some of her colleagues choking back tears, Lee said they are all trying to recover.

She then quickly left the podium.

The amount and type of flying experience co-pilots must have to qualify to fly for an airline will be significantly increased under new regulations announced Wednesday by the Federal Aviation Administration.

In this Saturday, July 6, 2013 aerial photo, emergency crews respond at the scene of the wreckage of Asiana Flight 214, top right, after it crashed at the San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, earlier in the day. The pilot at the controls of airliner had just 43 hours of flight time in the Boeing 777 and was landing one for the first time at San Francisco International. The amount and type of flying experience first officers — also known as co-pilots — must have to qualify to fly for an airline will be significantly increased under new regulations announced Wednesday by the Federal Aviation Administration.  

By JOAN LOWY

WASHINGTON — The amount and type of flying experience first officers — also known as co-pilots — must have to qualify to fly for an airline will be significantly increased under new regulations announced Wednesday by the Federal Aviation Administration.

The regulations require first officers to have at least 1,500 hours of flying experience. Airline captains are already required to have at least 1,500 hours. Previously, first officers were only required to have 250 hours of flight time.

The rule also requires first officers to have an aircraft-type rating, which involves additional training and testing specific to the type of airplane they fly.

"The rule gives first officers a stronger foundation of aeronautical knowledge and experience before they fly for an air carrier," FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said.

The new regulations are required under a sweeping aviation safety law enacted in 2010 in response to the crash of a regional airliner near Buffalo, N.Y., that killed 50 people. The crash was blamed on pilot error.

The regulations are a victory for the family members of victims of that crash, who dedicated countless hours over the last four and a half years, first to lobby Congress for passage of the law and later to push the Obama administration to carry through with the regulations despite industry opposition.

The law required the FAA to implement a series of safety regulations. Changes to the first-officer qualifications, which had remained unaltered for many years, are considered among the most important. Two years ago, the FAA adopted regulations also required under the safety law that set new policies governing airline pilot work schedules aimed at preventing dangerous errors made by tired or overworked pilots.

The question of pilot experience is one of the issues raised in the investigation of the crash landing of Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in San Francisco on Saturday. The Asiana pilot flying the plane, Lee Gang-guk, had nearly 10,000 hours of flying experience, but was transitioning to a new type of plane. He had recently received his type rating and was about halfway through his post-rating, real-world training.

Two of the 307 people aboard the plane were killed and scores of others injured.

The Asiana accident shares some similarities with the Buffalo crash. Like the Asiana pilot, the pilot of Colgan Air Flight 3407 also had relatively little experience in the type of plane he was flying.

The Colgan Air pilots also weren't paying close attention to airspeed, allowing the regional airliner to slow dangerously. That triggered a warning that the plane was losing lift and about to stall. The Asiana plane also slowed dangerously, triggering the same type of warning and raising questions about whether the pilots were monitoring the airspeed.

There was nothing mechanically wrong with the Colgan plane, and there was a brief period in which the pilots possibly could have saved the plane if they had acted correctly, NTSB determined later. Instead, the captain pushed the plane into a full stall, sending it plunging into a house below.

Citing the similarities, two New York Democrats — Sen. Charles Schumer and Rep. Brian Higgins — called on the FAA to issue other long-delayed safety regulations on pilot training and flight simulator training that are also required under the safety law. The rules would require, for example, that pilots undergo more extensive training on how to prevent stalls and recover if a stall occurs.

"While the (Asiana) investigation is still ongoing, one thing is clear, this crash and the other recent crashes like Flight 3407 demonstrate a troubling pattern in which pilots are mishandling airspeed, which can lead to fatal stalls," Schumer said.

The regulations issued Wednesday are expected to have the greatest impact on safety at regional air carriers, where entry-level pilots are typically hired with only a few hundred hours. Pilots at major airlines typically start out with more experience and are often drawn from regional carriers.

"We want to get the best pilots possible into the cockpits, and then we want to set them up for success," said Scott Maurer, whose 30-year-old daughter, Lorin, was killed in the Buffalo crash.

The regulations also have important implications for pilots at major carriers. For example, first officers now must have 1,000 hours of flying experience in the type of plane they fly before they can be promoted to captain, said Jeff Skiles, a US Airways pilot who lobbied to get the regulations. The practical result is that first officers will probably have to spend a year to a year and a half flying a particular type of plane before they can qualify as a captain in that plane no matter how much previous experience they have flying other aircraft, he said.

Skiles was the co-pilot of the "Miracle on the Hudson" US Airways plane that lost thrust in both engines after colliding with a flock of geese. The skillful flying of Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger and teamwork by Skiles have been credited with a near-perfect water landing on the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey that helped save the lives of all aboard the airliner.

He predicted the new requirements will save lives.

Divided on immigration, House Republicans bluntly challenged President Barack Obama's willingness to secure the nation's borders on Wednesday, and appeared unimpressed by George W. Bush's advice to carry a "benevolent spirit" into a debate that includes a possible path to citizenship for millions.

Former President George W. Bush, right, poses for a photo with Mondell Bernadette Avril after she was sworn in as a U.S. citizen during a ceremony at the The George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Wednesday, July 10, 2013. Twenty new citizens took the oath of U.S. citizenship at the former president's library.  

By DAVID ESPO and ERICA WERNER

WASHINGTON — Divided on immigration, House Republicans bluntly challenged President Barack Obama's willingness to secure the nation's borders on Wednesday, and appeared unimpressed by George W. Bush's advice to carry a "benevolent spirit" into a debate that includes a possible path to citizenship for millions.

Emerging from a closed-door meeting, GOP leaders affirmed a step-by-step approach to immigration but offered neither specifics nor a timetable — nor any mention of possible citizenship for an estimated 11 million immigrants living in the country unlawfully.

Instead, in a written statement noting that the White House recently delayed a key part of the health care law, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and other leaders said the action raised concerns that the administration "cannot be trusted to deliver on its promises to secure the border and enforce laws as part of a single, massive bill like the one passed by the Senate."

Lawmakers streaming out of the two-hour meeting said Bush's long-distance advice had not come up in a discussion that focused instead on the importance of securing the nation's borders and a general distrust of Obama.

The former president's ability to sway a new generation of House conservatives was a matter of considerable doubt, especially because many of the tea party-backed lawmakers have risen to power since he left the White House and are strongly on record in opposition to any citizenship provision.

"We care what people back home say, not what some former president says," declared Rep. Tim Huelskamp, a second-term Kansas Republican who has clashed with the party leadership in the House.

Still, the timing and substance of Bush's remarks were reminders of the imperative that many national party leaders feel that Republicans must broaden their appeal among Hispanic voters to compete successfully in future presidential elections. President Barack Obama took more than 70 percent of their votes in winning a second term last fall.

"America can be a lawful society and a welcoming society at the same time," Bush said at a naturalization ceremony at his presidential library in Dallas.

For their part, Democrats quickly embraced the former president's message, challenging House Speaker John Boehner to proceed in the same spirit.

The meeting in the Capitol was arranged as a listening session for the House GOP, their first such meeting since the Senate approved sweeping legislation last month on a bipartisan vote of 68-32.

Lawmakers said after the session there was strong support for a bill to create a path to citizenship for immigrants who were brought to the country as children illegally by family members, an idea advanced by Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia. Rep. Robert Goodlatte, R-Va.., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said his panel would soon begin work on legislation covering that group.

Several members of the rank and file said Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., had made a particularly strong appeal for a comprehensive approach, which includes possible citizenship for the 11 million.

But others emphasized there was virtually no support for the Senate's approach of one sweeping measure that dealt with immigration in all its forms.

Nor was there a clear timetable.

"I don't sense any urgency," said Rep. John Fleming of Louisiana. Rep. Peter King of New York said that if any legislation came to the floor for a vote this month, it would deal only with border security.

Other lawmakers said there was concern even about that sort of approach, saying it could lead to negotiations with the Senate that might morph into a compromise that included citizenship for some of the immigrants in the country illegally. They sought and received assurances from Boehner that he wouldn't let that happen, according to Rep. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota.

Boehner had said he wants the House to pass legislation on the subject before lawmakers go home for a four-week break over August, beginning with a measure to toughen border security. He has also said he won't put any bill on the House floor that doesn't have the support of at least half of the GOP rank and file, a pledge that only increases the challenge for Democrats and others who want to give a chance at citizenship to millions now in the country illegally.

"I don't know that Republican leadership has a strategy that is workable," Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the second-ranking House Democrat, told reporters.

Unlike a sweeping, bipartisan bill that cleared the Senate last month, the House Judiciary Committee has cleared four smaller measures in recent weeks, none of which would include the possibility of citizenship.

One would toughen enforcement of immigration laws, and includes a provision that would permit local police officers to enforce such laws as part of an attempt to raise the number of deportations. It also encourages immigrants in the United States illegally to depart voluntarily, an echo of Mitt Romney's call for "self-deportation" in the 2012 presidential race.

Other measures would create a new mandatory system for employees to verify the legal status of their workers, create a new temporary program for farm workers and expand the number of visas for employees in technology industries.

By contrast, the Senate bill, passed 68-32, would increase border security, provide a pathway to citizenship for many of the estimated 11 million immigrants illegally in the country, expand the highly skilled worker program and set up new guest worker arrangements for lower-skilled workers and farm laborers.

Obama is to meet Thursday with two authors of the Senate measure, John McCain, R-Ariz., and Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in the Oval Office.

In more than four years since he left the White House, Bush has rarely spoken out publicly about either policy or politics — and he said he didn't particularly want to do either as he addressed the naturalization ceremony at his presidential library.

Still, his message was an unmistakable echo of the failed attempt he made as president to overhaul immigration laws, including providing a route to citizenship for many.

He said the nation has a problem: 'The laws governing the immigration system are broken. The system is broken."

Without mentioning Republicans or Democrats, he said "I do hope there is a positive resolution to the debate" now unfolding in Congress. "And I hope during the debate that we keep a benevolent spirit in mind, and we understand the contributions immigrants make to our country."

Bush's campaign to overhaul immigration legislation while in the White House included the political calculation that Republicans needed to take steps to appeal to Hispanic voters who are an increasingly large part of the population, particularly in states like Texas, Florida, Nevada and Colorado.

At the same time, relatively few House Republicans represents districts with substantial Hispanic populations, and many say they fear primary election challenges from the right if they support citizenship for immigrants in the United States illegally.

Within a few hours of Bush's remarks, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi took note of them in a letter to Boehner.

"In that same spirit, the 113th Congress has the opportunity to make our mark on American history by enacting comprehensive immigration reform," she wrote.

House Democrats insist that a path to citizenship be included in any legislation, and Obama has said he won't sign any bill that lacks it.

"We believe that the president is very firm on that," Rep. Ruben Hinojosa said after he and other members of the all-Democratic Congressional Hispanic Caucus met with Obama at the White House.

Associated Press writers Henry C. Jackson, Donna Cassata, Alan Fram, Chuck Babington and Ken Thomas in Washington and Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report.

Access to bathrooms and locker rooms based on gender identity has been a controversial area of transgender rights bills, and the public accommodation portion was removed from the legislation that passed in 2011.

By ANDY METZGER

BOSTON — As transgender rights advocates sought new statutory protections against discrimination in public accommodations, some lawmakers are questioning how a 2011 transgender rights bill has already been interpreted.

“At the very least parents should feel comfortable that when they send their children to school, anatomical males would go to the boys bathroom,” Rep. James Lyons, an Andover Republican, told the Joint Committee on the Judiciary Tuesday.

As Lyons pushed for legislation (H 1479) that would strike out the changes made in the 2011 law, many others sought to expand on the bill, with new legislation (H 1589/ S 643) specifically protecting transgender people’s rights against discrimination in public accommodations.

Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination Chairman Julian Tynes said that without the specific language, transgender individuals can be excluded from public areas, such as health care facilities, public transportation, restaurants, bathrooms and locker rooms.

“The restaurant owner under the law that’s written today could go and have the person removed,” said Tynes, who said the current law only specifically bars discrimination against transgender people in housing and employment.

Access to bathrooms and locker rooms based on gender identity has been a controversial area of transgender rights bills, and the public accommodation portion was removed from the legislation that passed in 2011.

Lyons objected to a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education advisory to schools that said, “the student may access the restroom, locker room, and changing facility that corresponds to the student's gender identity,” arguing DESE Commissioner Mitchell Chester’s interpretation was contrary to the legislative intent and that it failed to take into account the discomfort it might cause among others using the bathroom.

“The commissioner is not protecting all of the children who attend our public schools,” said Lyons. He said, “We asked him if he thought about the folks, the young children who are not transgender and he seemed very perplexed by our question.”

Jennifer Levi told the committee that because the 2011 law did not include language specifically excluding public accommodations, the commissioner’s interpretation was “consistent” with the law, and said Massachusetts is the only state among the 16 that have transgender anti-discrimination laws that does not provide access to public accommodations.

“The purpose of non-discrimination laws has always been to change attitudes including attitudes that relate to discomfort,” said Levi, who said the past practice of racially segregated water fountains was “rooted in discomfort.”

Erica Kay-Webster, 63, of Marston Mills, described discrimination and brutal abuse she suffered. She transitioned from male to female at 17 years old through surgery. At 15, she ran away from home to escape abuse from her father, living on the streets for one year. She returned home to an order from her father – join the military. She enlisted in the Marine Corps, where she was gang-raped by three men, she said.

Massachusetts Commission on Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Youth Vice Chairwoman Alexis Yioulos told the committee about a case where a young transgender man sought shelter outdoors and in abandoned buildings because of safety concerns about the accommodations at a homeless shelter.

“There shouldn’t ever be a reason why these options are safer for a trans guy,” Yioulos said. She said, “Do you think that this is the best we have to offer to our young people?”

Reps. Carl Sciortino, of Medford, and Denise Provost, of Somerville, both Democrats, spoke in favor of providing equal access to public places for transgender people. Sciortino called it the “crucial second step” in protecting transgender people.

Colleen Quinn contributed reporting

The attorney for Donnell McFarland of Pittsfield successfully argued that McFarland was not in North Adams on the night of the brawl.

 

NORTH ADAMS — One man, out of six being held, was released from jail and saw charges against him connected with a June 15 brawl at the Artery Lounge thrown out, according to a media report.

The North Adams Transcript reported that Donnell McFarland, 23, of Pittsfield was released from the Berkshire County Jail after his attorney successfully argued that McFarland was not in North Adams on the night of the brawl that saw 30 to 40 people fighting in front of the Artery Lounge on Union Street. During that brawl, police allege that one man was stabbed eight times by one assailant and kicked and punched by several others.

Using security camera videotape from nearby businesses, North Adams police arrested a total of six people and requested an arrest warrant for a seventh. Messiah Granson, 19, of Pittsfield, has been accused of stabbing Derrick Borum eight times. He is being held on $50,000 bail, charged with armed assault with the intent to murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Borum spent three days in the hospital as his wounds were treated.

Five others, including McFarland, were arrested and charged with assault and battery. A sixth man, 31-year-old Davon Fitts, of Montgomery Avenue in Pittsfield is being sought by police, the Transcript reported.

Ryan Craig agreed to a 2-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Springfield’s parent club. 



SPRINGFIELD – Ryan Craig, a forward who served the Springfield Falcons well last season as captain and a 20-goal scorer, has been signed for two more years by their parent club, the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Craig most certainly will get his opportunity to make the NHL roster in training camp. If that doesn’t happen, he again would be the anchor of a Springfield team that could have several other returnees from last season, when the Falcons went 45-22-5-4 to win the American Hockey League’s Northeast Division title. In the playoffs, they ousted Manchester in four games before being swept by Syracuse in the second round.

One of their returnees could be Cody Bass, a feisty forward who gained folk-hero status when his goals gave the Falcons back-to-back overtime victories in the first playoff round. Columbus has signed him to a one-year contract.

Craig, a 10-year pro hockey veteran, had 47 points last season in 75 games during his second tour with the Falcons. He previously served as their captain in 2005-06, when the team was affiliated with Tampa Bay.

Craig’s 29 power-play goals with the Springfield club place him in a tie for first in franchise history with Danny Briere and Jean-Guy Trudel. In all, the Blue Jackets completed nine signings in recent days, including the acquisitions of forwards Nathan Horton and Jack Skille, along with goaltenders Mike McKenna and Jeremy Smith.

The Jackets also signed veteran AHL defensemen Frederic St. Denis and Patrick McNeill, along with Thomas Larkin, who played seven games for the Falcons last March as a signee out of Colgate University.

CAMPING OUT: Falcons coach Brad Larsen heads the staff running a development camp at Nationwide Arena in Columbus this week. Springfield assistant coaches Nolan Pratt and Jared Bednar also work in the camp, along with Blue Jackets goaltending coach Ian Clark and development coach Chris Clark.

Chris Clark grew up in South Windsor, Conn., played for Gary Dineen’s Springfield Junior Coyotes and went on to play four years at Clarkson University before turning pro. He’s a former NHL player and captain, a veteran of 607 games.

The four-day camp for 31 Blue Jackets prospects features a series of on- and off-ice workouts, as well as “outside hockey” events such as team dinners, a cooking class with the Blue Jackets’ chefs, and classes on managing finances.

The development camp roster has 19 forwards, eight defensemen and four goaltenders. All eight Columbus selections in the 2013 draft are part of the camp, along with 10 players who were with Falcons last season.

The Springfield contingent consists of forwards Michael Chaput, Sean Collins, Jake Hansen, Boone Jenner, Dalton Smith, Lukas Sedlak and Trent Vogelhuber; and defensemen Thomas Larkin, Austin Madaisky and Will Weber.

Sedlak, a 20-year-old center, joined the Falcons roster late last season, but did not appear in a game. 

Massachusetts wildland firefighters will join up with 6 from Maine to form a 21-member crew.

A few small trees burn north of Highway 50 in El Dorado county near Kyburz, Calif. on Tuesday, July 9, 2013. More than 800 personnel are working a wildland blaze today near Kyburz that is 40 percent contained. Despite progress overnight, the fire burning near Kyburz in the Eldorado National Forest is still restricting travel through the Sierra on Highway 50.AP Photo/The Sacramento Bee, Randall Benton 

BOSTON — The state Department of Conservation and Recreation is sending 15 state and municipal trained wildland firefighters, along with six others from Maine, to fight forest fires raging across the Canadian province of Quebec, Commissioner John P. Murray said Wednesday.

The 21-firefighter crew will join with Canadian crews battling numerous fires that have burned over one million acres of the province. Canadian officials requested the additional firefighters under the Northeast Forest Fire Protection Commission, a 64-year-old mutual aid agreement between the six New England states, New York, and the four eastern-most Canadian provinces.

"We are extremely proud of the DCR and municipal firefighters who have been called upon to help our friends and partners in Quebec," Murray said. "These are extremely well-trained and dedicated firefighters whose skills are much needed, and whose help is much appreciated."

All of the firefighters flying to Quebec Thursday morning are federally certified and trained as wildland firefighters. They are designated as "Type 2 initial attack hand crew" and will work the fire line for 14 days building fire breaks, securing perimeters, containing fires and protecting threatened structures.

The 3 were seen at a convenience store pouring gasoline into bottles.

 

FITCHBURG — Three men, all from New Hampshire, were ordered held without right to bail after they were accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at the Hobson Street home of a young mother and her toddler child, according to a published report.

The Worcester Telegram and Gazette* reported Fitchburg police arrested Stephen M. Silva, 21, of Milford, N.H., Kyle Dewispelaere, 26, also of Milford, and 41-year-old Joseph E. Brown, of Lyndeborough, N.H., and accused them of throwing gasoline-filled bottles and jars at a Fitchburg house while the 31-year-old mother and her child were inside.

The men were arrested at approximately 11 p.m. Saturday and arraigned in Fitchburg District Court on Monday. They were charged with discharging, igniting and exploding explosives and arson of a dwelling. They were ordered held pending a dangerousness hearing.

The T&G reported that the woman was able to extinguish the flames on the front and side of the house before firefighters arrived on the scene.

Police had received telephone reports of the three men pouring gasoline into bottles in the parking lot of a nearby convenience store. They were captured on surveillance video.

Police pulled a truck over on Water Street and according to statements made to the court, smelled the strong odor of gasoline about the truck, and found rags and gas cans in the bed of the pickup. Police also said they found a GPS unit in the truck with the Hobson Street address programmed in, according to the T&G report.

*-Worcester Telegram and Gazette articles may require a subscription

The Springfield City Council, which shortened the hold on second hand jewelry at pawn shops to 10 days two years ago, considers returning to a 30-day hold as sought by police.

The Republican [file] 

SPRINGFIELD — The City Council on Monday is expected to once again consider a request from the Police Department to require pawn shops and jewelry stores to place a longer hold on secondhand gold and jewelry, intended to give police additional time to investigate and recover stolen goods.

Thomas AsheFile photo / The Republican 

Councilor Thomas M. Ashe, chairman of the Public Health and Safety Committee, said that additional testimony was taken recently from both proponents and opponents of the longer hold period.

Two years ago, the council changed the holding time for the secondhand jewelry from a 30-day hold to a 10-day hold, with the shorter period sought by numerous shop owners.

Police Department officials including Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet have urged the council to return to the 30-day hold, saying 10 days is not adequate time to investigate the many housebreaks and other thefts in Springfield involving secondhand jewelry.

Ashe, who agreed to a proposed compromise in April, for a 23-day hold, said he will instead bring forward the request for the 30-day hold and leave it up to other councilors if they want to pursue a shorter period.

“The police say they need help,” Ashe said. “Our charge is to make sure the public is well served.”

The meeting is at 7 p.m., Monday, at City Hall.

The merchants have said they can be hurt economically by holding merchandise in a volatile market while facing competition from shops in other communities.

James J. Ferrera III, center, is shown in file photo with Councilor Clodo Concepcion to the right.Dave Roback / The Republican file 

Council President James J. Ferrera III said he will continue to support the 30-day holding period. He said his position has not changed, and has no connection to campaign donations he has received from one or more of the affected business owners.

George Sarkis Sr., owner of Springfield Jewelry and Diamond Exchange, has provided campaign contributions to Ferrera and other councilors in recent years, and has been a critic of the proposed return to a 30-day holding period for jewelry.

Sarkis is listed as giving $200 to Ferrera’s campaign in 2012 and $100 to his campaign in May of this year.

Sarkis also gave $200 to Councilor Clodovaldo Concepcion in 2013, and $100 in 2012, according to campaign finance reports. In addition, Sarkis contributed $100 each to the campaigns of Councilors Bud L. Williams, Melvin Edwards and Timothy J. Rooke in 2012, and $100 each to Zaida Luna and John Lysak in 2013, according to campaign finance reports.

Ashe said he was convinced by the testimony from police, and from some of the victims of jewelry thefts and neighborhood association leaders to support the 30-day hold period.

Ferrera said many communities have holding periods shorter than 30 days, with some having requirements to hold items fewer than 10 days or not at all.

Ashe said that larger communities that he knows of have longer hold periods than 10 days, and face more jewelry crimes.

Ferrera said that Ashe’s idea of bringing out a 30-day hold, rather than the compromise Ashe supported earlier is “kind of confusing.”

“He is sending mixed messages to these business owners,” Ferrera said.

The town manager said he reached out to the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission as a courtesy to Northeast.

PALMER — Northeast Realty has asked for additional liquor licenses as part of its development along Thorndike Street (Route 32) near Mohegan Sun's proposed resort casino site.

Town Council President Philip J. Hebert acknowledged the letter from Northeast Realty's lawyer, Stephen E. Spelman, at Monday's Town Council meeting.

The letter asks for two additional liquor licenses for phase 1 of its development project at Thorndike and Shearer streets, also known as the "triangle" area, and four additional liquor licenses as part of phase 2 of the project, which includes creating a lifestyle center on property adjoining the casino site.

Northeast is leasing 152 acres to Mohegan for the casino project.

Executive Assistant Andrew Golas said there are 38 liquor licenses in town – 20 for restaurants and bars and 18 for package stores. Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard said he believes the town is at its maximum for liquor licenses; the Legislature must be petitioned before additional licenses can be awarded.

Blanchard said the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission has been contacted to find out what the process is for granting additional licenses. He said this was done out of courtesy.

"We want to find out if we ever have an option to increase the number of licenses," Blanchard said. "We're just looking into the situation. We're not saying we agree."

James L. St. Amand, Northeast's community liaison, said, "We want to be in a position to have economic development with or without a casino."

Leon Dragone 

Northeast is in partnership with Cardinal's View of Grove Street, Worcester, for this development. Cardinal's View lists its resident agent as Thomas Cunningham and managers as Leon H. Dragone and Jeffrey E. Cunningham, according to filings with the Secretary of State's office. Dragone is the manager of Northeast Realty.

The former icehouse property on Shearer Street, targeted as part of Northeast's development, is owned by Cunningham Equities, according to town of Palmer property records. The head of Cunningham Equities, also based on Grove Street in Worcester, is Jeffrey Cunningham. Dragone said he owns a 50 percent stake in the old Rondeau property. Previously, the property was owned by another Cunningham business venture, KSJ Realty.

Dragone said Cunningham refurbished the HPAC building at 306 Race St., Holyoke, which is being used by the Sisters of Providence Health System, and also developed 18 units known as Cardinal's Ridge in Worcester.

Northeast is calling the development of this area "The Gateway to Western Massachusetts" and has announced plans for a Pride gas station and convenience store there, as well as restaurants and a medical office building. That development will take place on 20 acres abutting the turnpike exit 8.

Northeast also owns an additional 110 acres next to the casino site that it plans to develop as part of phase 2 of its project - that development will include a lifestyle center with a mixture of indoor and outdoor attractions, as well as retail shops and an outdoor skating rink. Dragone has said it will resemble "Downtown Disney."

The map below shows Thorndike and Shearer streets, also known as the "triangle" area, where Northeast Realty has asked for two additional liquor licenses for phase 1 of its development project near the proposed Mohegan Sun Massachusetts casino:

View Larger Map

"What concerns me is that the lure of this 'easy' money has been a distraction from the problems which have arisen in Atlantic City, Reno, Las Vegas and Connecticut," McDonnell said

SPRINGFIELD — The Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, has urged parishioners to consider all the ramifications in voting for or against casinos in the region, while saying he does have concerns himself.

“What concerns me is that the lure of this ‘easy’ money has been a distraction from the problems which have arisen in Atlantic City, Reno, Las Vegas and Connecticut,” McDonnell said, in a column in the July/August edition of The Catholic Mirror, distributed to 60,000 households. “There have been social problems arising across the country in urban area casinos; all attract their fair share of social ills.”

Residents of Springfield will vote Tuesday in a referendum on the MGM Springfield casino proposed for the South End.

McDonnell does not specifically state how he believes people should vote on the issue, as a Springfield referendum is scheduled on Tuesday, and other communities consider casinos.

“Many good Catholics will, I know, differ on this issue,” McDonnell said. “For my part, while I can understand the difficult circumstances our cities and towns find themselves in economically, I am fearful that a casino may be one gamble too many for our communities.”

Democrats from across Massachusetts gathered Saturday for their annual convention in Lowell to set a party platform, yet the real focus was on potential candidates for next year's governor's race.

LOWELL, Mass. — Democrats from across Massachusetts gathered Saturday for their annual convention in Lowell to set a party platform, yet the real focus was on potential candidates for next year's governor's race.

The list of declared Democratic candidates for governor of Massachusetts grew by one early Saturday when State Treasurer Steven Grossman announced he would run. Grossman said a top priority would be paid family leave for those forced out of work by sickness to themselves or a relative. He called it a moral and economic responsibility.

Other declared candidates include Cape Cod state Sen. Dan Wolf, Newton pediatrician Joseph Berwick and Joseph Avellone, a former Wellesley selectman.

Meanwhile, supporters of Attorney General Martha Coakley turned out in force with signs outside the Tsongas Arena, where the convention was held. But she said she's not ready to decide whether to run for governor.

Other possible Democratic candidates for governor include U.S. Reps. Michael Capuano and Stephen Lynch, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, state Environmental Secretary Richard Sullivan and Juliette Kayyem, former Massachusetts homeland security undersecretary.

The convention was expected to draw more than 3,000 of the party faithful, whose support could provide the backbone of a winning campaign next year.

The race is wide open as Gov. Deval Patrick and former Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray have both said they are not in the running. Patrick has served two terms and won't seek a third. Murray resigned earlier this year to take a job as head of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.

On the Republican side, Charles Baker, former chief executive of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and the 2010 Republican nominee for governor, is weighing another run for the job.

Former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown has also been mentioned as a possible GOP candidate.

The jockeying takes place 14 months before the party primaries for governor will be held.

Grossman, a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, leaves the starting blocks with a clear early fundraising advantage, having reported $565,158 in his political account at the end of June. He raised more than $139,000 in June alone.

Recent polls suggest that Coakley remains popular with Massachusetts voters despite her upset loss to Brown in the 2010 special election to succeed the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Coakley has also been building up her campaign account. As of the end of June, she had a balance of nearly $256,000.

Democrats are feeling enthused following U.S. Rep. Edward Markey's victory over Republican Gabriel Gomez in last month's special U.S. Senate election to fill the seat left vacant by John Kerry's resignation.

But Democrats are also keenly aware of the 16 years that Republicans controlled the governor's office before Patrick's election in 2006.

The convention came just a few weeks after Democrat Edward J. Markey won the U.S. Senate special election, the latest in a streak of victories for the party in statewide contests.

LOWELL -- Democrats from around Massachusetts convened in Lowell on Saturday, emboldened by a streak of election wins and looking ahead to next year's wide open contest for governor.

"From what I can see, we have a good field of candidates," said E. Henry Twiggs, chairman of the Springfield Democratic City Committee and a delegate at the party's platform convention, held at the Paul Tsongas Center at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. "There are so many good candidates."

Treasurer Steven Grossman, shown at the state Democratic convention in Lowell, told reporters that he is a candidate for governor in next year's election.Dan Ring/The Republican 

The issues convention came just about a few weeks after Edward J. Markey won a U.S. Senate special election on June 25 to fill the unexpired term of Secretary of State John F. Kerry.

Three declared candidates for governor -- Donald Berwick of Newton, former administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, state Sen. Daniel Wolf of Harwich, and physician Joseph Avellone of Wellesley -- gave speeches.

Treasurer Steven Grossman used the convention to tell reporters that he definitely will be a candidate for governor next year to replace Gov. Deval L. Patrick, a two-term Democrat who is not running for re-election.

"I am running for governor of Massachusetts," Grossman said after his convention speech. "I think that was clear. If it wasn't, I will make it clear. It's a campaign that will be about leadership that leaves no one behind."

Grossman would be the third state treasurer to recently seek the governor's job. Shannon O'Brien lost in 2002 in the general election to W. Mitt Romney and Timothy Cahill finished third in 2010, far behind the GOP nominee and Patrick.

"I think I bring a fundamentally different set of skills and a fundamentally different set of lifetime experiences," said Grossman, who for 35 years was president of a fourth-generation, family-owned business now called Grossman Marketing Group in Somerville.

Gov. Deval Patrick, on the left, was introduced at Saturday's state Democratic convention by John Walsh, chairman of the state Democratic party.Dan Ring/The Republican 

Grossman emphasized that he supports a bill to require businesses to offer paid family sick leave and would push for that bill as governor.

Grossman supporters wore orange t-shirts to stand out on the convention floor.

"I like what he stands for," said Jeanne Pryor, chair of the Becket Select Board who is backing Grossman.

During her speech, Attorney General Martha Coakley made no mention of her possible candidacy for governor. Her supporters, however, showed up in force with signs outside the convention center.

“I know there’s a lot of people making announcements today. I have one, too: Tomorrow is my 60th birthday,” Coakley said during her speech.

Coakley said she was at the convention to celebrate with fellow Democrats about all the progress made so far including a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month that legally married same-sex couples should be entitled to the same federal benefits as heterosexual couples. Coakley had filed a lawsuit to challenge the federal law that denied those benefits to gay couples.

Coakley said she is considering a run for governor but might also run for a third term as attorney general.

Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. of Westfield was at the convention on Friday night and Saturday.

In an interview, Sullivan, former mayor of Westfield, said he now is only looking at a possible bid for lieutenant governor, not governor or treasurer.

“The conversations were good,” Sullivan said after speaking with delegates. “People were very kind with their time and opinion.”

Other possible Democratic candidates for governor include U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano of Somerville and Juliette Kayyem, former Massachusetts homeland security undersecretary.

Possible Republican candidates include former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, Charles Baker, the party's nominee for governor in 2010 and Gabriel Gomez, the Republican nominee in last month's Senate special election.

Delegates said they are aware that Republicans held the governor's seat for 16 years before Patrick was elected.

Brown defeated Coakley in a 2010 U.S. Senate special election before he was defeated for re-election in November by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat.

Twiggs and many other Democratic delegates from Western Massachusetts said they are still making up their minds about which candidate to support for governor.

"I definitely have some research to do," said Brenna Murphy McGee, a city councilor in Holyoke. "At this point, they are all on an equal playing field."

"I have to see who is truly behind what I believe in," added Laurie Garcia of Easthampton, who teaches Spanish at the Amherst Regional Middle School.

"A Democrat will keep the seat," said Gillian Hinkson of Springfield, who is on the support staff for the Hampden district attorney. "I'm confident of that."

In his speech, Berwick said he is "an improver," and an optimist with a track record of making government work for people.

"I want to see Massachusetts become the beacon the country needs," he said.

Berwick talked about how President Barack Obama named him administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in July 2010 as a temporary "recess appointment."

Berwick said he stepped down in the face of a possible Republican filibuster to prevent a longer tenure for him.

Avellone, a surgeon and former Wellesley selectman, told delegates that the state is at a crossroads and needs to build a new economy for the 21st century.

"We can't create new jobs with business as usual. It will take .. bold ideas," said Avellone, a senior vice president at Parexel International Corp., a biopharmaceutical services company.

Avellone said controlling health care costs is critical, saying the costs are squeezing families and businesses. He said the next governor needs to work with health care leaders to change the way health care works.

Wolf, a two-term state senator, spoke about his success in building Cape Air into one of the largest independent airlines in the nation. Wolf was a co-founder of the airline that became Cape Air.

In his speech, Wolf talked about his support for issues such as making college more accessible and affordable, clean energy, organized labor and more economic justice for the middle class.

"I'm very concerned we have an economy now that is working well for a small number of people but really isn't working well for the majority of people," Wolf said in an interview. "I am running for governor to try to work hard to get an economy that really supports ... the middle class."

As jurors deliberated for a second day in George Zimmerman's murder trial, there was little understanding between two camps assembled outside the Seminole County Courthouse to await a verdict.

View full sizeCynthia Bradford, of Casselberry, Fla., wipes away tears while showing her support for Trayvon Martin outside the Seminole County Courthouse in Sanford, Fla., Saturday, July 13, 2013. Zimmerman has been charged in the 2012 shooting death of Trayvon Martin.(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) 

SANFORD, Fla. — As jurors deliberated for a second day in George Zimmerman's murder trial, there was little understanding between two camps assembled outside the Seminole County Courthouse to await a verdict.

"He deserves some respect and appreciation," Casey David Kole Sr., 66, shouted about the former neighborhood watch leader. "It's a tragedy."

Patricia Dalton, 60, yelled back: "It's a tragedy that could have been avoided!"

Dalton, like most of the 100 or so people at the suburban Orlando courthouse, says she's there in support of the family of Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old black teen from Miami who Zimmerman fatally shot last year. In Saturday's strong Florida sun, some people wore hoodies, as Martin had when he died. One woman lay in the grass, her arms spread, in a re-creation of Martin's death. Those in the smaller pro-Zimmerman camp held small signs, saying things like "We love you George" and "George got hit you must acquit."

Joseph Uy of Longwood was among an even smaller group: the few who said they had no opinion on whether Zimmerman was guilty. He said he came because he was "just curious."

"I'm neutral," he said, while cradling his three tiny Chihuahuas in his arms.

By mid-afternoon, people rallied in the heat and chanted slogans as a looming thundercloud threatened a downpour.

"Justice for Trayvon," some shouted. Others yelled, "Convict George Zimmerman."

Last year, people protested in Sanford and across the country when authorities waited 44 days before arresting Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic.

Over three weeks, the jury has heard dueling portraits of the neighborhood watch captain: a cop wannabe who took the law into his own hands or a well-meaning volunteer who shot Martin because he feared for his life.

Zimmerman, 29, has claimed self-defense in the February 2012 confrontation in a gated community where Martin was visiting his father and father's fiancee.

Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder, but the jury also is allowed to consider manslaughter.

The judge's decision to allow that consideration was a potential blow to the defense: It could give jurors who aren't convinced the shooting amounted to murder a way to hold Zimmerman responsible for the killing.

To win a manslaughter conviction, prosecutors must show only that Zimmerman killed without lawful justification.

Zimmerman faces a maximum prison sentence of life for second-degree murder and 30 years if convicted of manslaughter, due to extra sentencing guidelines for committing a crime with a gun.

The sequestered jury of six women must sort through conflicting testimony from police, neighbors, friends and family members.

Jurors deliberated for three and a half hours when they decided to stop Friday evening. They reconvened Saturday morning, deliberated for three hours and then broke for lunch. They resumed their discussions about 1 p.m. Saturday. Jurors are being sequestered, and their identities are kept anonymous — they are identified only by number.

Police and civic leaders have pleaded for calm in Sanford and across the country if Zimmerman is convicted.

"There is no party in this case who wants to see any violence," Seminole County Sheriff Don Eslinger said. "We have an expectation upon this announcement that our community will continue to act peacefully."

In New York on Saturday, the Rev. Al Sharpton said that no matter the verdict, any demonstrations that follow it must be peaceful.

"We do not want to smear Trayvon Martin's name with violence," the civil rights leader said. "He is a victim of violence."

Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Martin's family, said the parents are emotional but doing as well as expected as they await a verdict.

"(Jurors) staying out longer and considering the evidence and testimony is a good thing for us arriving at a just verdict," Crump said.

On Saturday morning, Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, shared on Twitter what she called her favorite Bible verse: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight."

___

Associated Press writers Kyle Hightower, Mike Schneider and Tony Winton in Sanford and Colleen Long in New York contributed to this report.

___

Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush.

One of the suspects brought a garbage bag with him to collect the prescription drugs.

Here is an image captured of one of the suspects involved in the Saturday robbery at CVS in Longmeadow.Longmeadow police 

LONGMEADOW - Police are looking for two men who robbed the CVS Pharmacy at 410 Longmeadow St. early Saturday afternoon.

Police Capt. John D. Stankiewicz said the robbery was reported just before 1:30 p.m.

He said the men, who were described as dark-skinned, entered the store through a back door and one handed the pharmacist a note demanding narcotics. He then jumped over the counter and ordered the pharmacist to open up a safe filled with narcotics and prescription medication. He filled a trash bag he brought with him with the drugs, Stankiewicz said.

The men then fled through the back door, Stankiewicz said. He said there were customers in the store at the time, as well as another employee in the pharmacy department.

Here is an image captured of the suspects involved in the Saturday robbery at CVS in Longmeadow.Longmeadow police 

Stankiewicz said police do not know if they escaped on foot or if they used a vehicle, and are trying to obtain surveillance video from outside the store. Police have video of the suspects inside the store. A Massachusetts state police helicopter assisted in the search.

Stankiewicz said the suspects were described as being between 5 feet, 8 inches tall and 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and in their mid- to late-20s. The first suspect has shoulder-length dark, wavy hair and was wearing a gray T-shirt with yellow lettering saying “Shake That Laffy Taffy” on the front. He was wearing gray shorts, white socks and black sneakers.

The second suspect had on a gray hoodie, white T-shirt and a black baseball cap with an orange visor. The hat appeared to have a Michael Jordon logo on it.

Anyone with information is asked to call Longmeadow police at (413) 567-3311.