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Obama family returning to Martha's Vineyard for summer vacation

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The White House says the president and the first lady will return to Martha's Vineyard next month for a nine-day stay.

WASHINGTON (AP) — It's back to the beach for President Barack Obama this summer.

The White House says the president and the first lady will return to Martha's Vineyard next month for a nine-day stay.

In keeping with White House policy, the vacation plans of their daughters were not disclosed Friday. In the past, daughters Sasha and Malia have joined their parents for trips to the Massachusetts island.

Officials say that the Obamas expect to arrive on Martha's Vineyard on Aug. 10 and leave on Aug. 18.

It will be Obamas' fourth summer vacation on Martha's Vineyard since he became president in 2009, though he has been visiting the area since the 1990s. Obama skipped a trip last year during his re-election campaign against former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

The Boston Globe first reported the Obamas' vacation plans.



Boston Mayor Tom Menino inks book deal to dish on two decades in office

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Mayor Tom Menino, 70, has signed a deal to author a book chronicling his life, career and two decades in office, he said.

BOSTON (AP) — Boston's longest-serving mayor is planning to write a book.

Mayor Tom Menino, 70, has signed a deal to author a book chronicling his life, career and two decades in office, he said.

"It's a story of my 20 years as mayor, the things we've dealt with, and the changes we've seen," Menino told The Boston Globe.

The book will be co-written by Jack Beatty, a political analyst for public radio and author of "The Rascal King," the 2000 book about former Boston mayor and Massachusetts governor James Michael Curley.

Menino, who has been mayor since 1993, announced in March that he would not seek a sixth four-year term.

Menino said he has long thought about writing about his time as mayor but wanted to wait until the end of his time in office to avoid being accused of working on the book on city time. "Now that I'm in my waning days, it's time to put some history down on paper," he said.

Rather than a traditional memoir, the book will be as much about the city itself as it is about him, he said.

The book will examine Menino's attempts to overhaul the city's maligned public school system, the transformation of its once-tense racial climate, and efforts to improve public safety, Beatty said.

Beatty has already started meeting with some of Menino's former staffers, current aides, journalists who have covered his time in office and family members. He is also combing through thousands of newspaper and journal articles as well as television appearances.

The book, which is expected to be released next spring, is being published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Menino did not disclose how much he is being paid.


Massachusetts Medical Society: Wait times for doctors in too long

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In Hampden County, where only 46 percent of family doctors and 23 percent of internists reported accepting new patients, people can expect to wait 48 days for an internist, 20 for a pediatrician.

SPRINGFIELD — Take two aspirin and call me in two months.

That's what prospective new patients looking for a first appointment with a family physician are hearing in Hampden and Hampshire counties, according to an annual survey from the Massachusetts Medical Society. The average wait time for a new patient appointment with a family physician in Hampden County is 58 days, up from 48 in the 2012 survey, according to a study released Monday.

In a news release, Massachsuetts Medical Society President Ronald Dunlap said people who can't see a doctor either delay care, and get sicker, or go to emergency rooms, clogging them and costing more money. The survey of 1,137 physicians is the ninth annual study of physician access completed by the society.

In neighboring Hampshire County, the wait for a first appointment with a family physician is 56 days, down from 96 days a year ago. In Franklin County, the wait time fell by nearly half from 205 days to 106, but is still longer than three months and the longest wait time in the state.

By comparison, the statewide average is 39 days. Suffolk County, which includes Boston and its suburbs, has the shortest wait time at 16 days.

The numbers aren't much better for other medical specialties considered primary care. In Hampden County, expect to wait 48 days for an internist, 20 for a pediatrician. Only 46 percent of family doctors and 23 percent of internists reported accepting new patients.

In Hampshire County, expect to wait 23 days for a pediatrician and 56 days for an internist. Only half the family docs and 30 percent of internists are accepting new patients.

In Franklin, the wait is 34 days for an internist and 29 days for a pediatrician. Only half the family doctors and just 17 percent of the internal medicine specialists are accepting new patients.

Statewide, more than half of primary care doctors remain closed to new patients.

This story will be updated as our reporting continues

Springfield Arson & Bomb Squad seeks public's help in probing 2 set vehicle fires in Forest Park neighborhood

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In both instances, the interiors of the vehicles were set on fire.

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Arson & Bomb Squad seeks the public’s help as it probes two fires that were set in vehicles overnight in the Forest Park neighborhood.

In both instances the vehicles were heavily damaged if not destroyed.

It’s not clear when the fires were set. However, it’s likely they were set early Monday morning, Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, said. In both instances, the interiors were set ablaze, the doors were shut and the fires went out on their own.

The first fire, which involved a 2002 Ford Windstar parked in a driveway at 110 Washington Road, was discovered by the vehicle owner shortly after 6:30 a.m.

The second fire, set a short distance away at 204 Forest Park Ave., involved a 2004 Dodge Dakota. That fire was discovered by the vehicle owner shortly before 8:30 a.m.

The addresses are not far from Chase Avenue, which was the scene of a suspicious fire that destroyed two homes on Chase Avenue on July 3. That fire remains under investigation as well.

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

Those who wish to remain anonymous may text a tip via a cell phone by addressing a text message to “CRIMES,” or “274637,” and then beginning the body of the message with the word “SOLVE.”


UConn professor Robert Miller facing sexual misconduct probe amid allegations he molested students at camp for ill children

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A University of Connecticut music professor is under investigation by police amid decades-old allegations of sexual misconduct and child molestation.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A University of Connecticut music professor is under investigation by police amid decades-old allegations of sexual misconduct and child molestation.

UConn officials announced the investigations of 66-year-old Robert Miller on Monday. He hasn't been charged with any crime.

Miller didn't return several phone messages from The Associated Press. He was placed on administrative leave on June 21 and barred from campus.

Officials say a student told a faculty member that Miller had sex with UConn students, visited freshman dorms and provided drugs to students.

And a state police search warrant says five men allege Miller molested them when they were 10 to 13 years old and attending a camp for ill children, where Miller was a counselor.

One accuser says he was molested in Fairfax County, Va., in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The other four allege Miller molested them at his home in 1992.

According to Miller's profile on the UConn website, he was the director of volunteer programs for the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a summer camp program in Ashford, Connecticut, founded by Paul Newman for children with cancer and serious blood disorders from 1989-1992.

University President Susan Herbst said the college is taking the allegations seriously but reserving judgement.

"It is important to note that no one has been charged with a crime in relation to these allegations and the university has not made any final determination regarding the status of an employee. Yet any accusation of sexual misconduct by faculty, staff, or students is among the gravest issues that any institution must face," Herbst said in a statement. "It is clear that serious accusations have been made, questions that demand answers have been raised and we will do all we can to find the truth and protect the vulnerable. This includes our students, our neighbors and our community."


Chicopee police arrest 58-year-old city resident Joseph Deady and Felix Malave, 22, of Holyoke, in unrelated break-ins

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In both instances, arrests were made after police received reports of break-ins in progress.

CHICOPEE — Police arrested two men in unreleated break-ins Saturday night.

In both instances, arrests were made after police received reports of break-ins in progress.

Police, summoned to 56 Cortland St at about 8 p.m., arrested Joseph R. Deady, 58, of 55 Montgomery St. He was charged with breaking and entering in the daytime with intent to commit a felony, police documents state.

Shortly before 11 p.m., police were summoned to 145 Muzzy St., where they arrested Felix Malave, 22, of 429 Appleton St., Apt. 2R, Holyoke. Malave, according to police documents, was charged with breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony, malicious destruction of property over $250, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

Both men were slated to be arraigned Monday in District Court. Additional information was not immediately available.


George Zimmerman trial protesters aim to keep up momentum

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Advocates want federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman, who was acquitted Saturday in Trayvon Martin's 2012 shooting death.

By VERENA DOBNIK
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of demonstrators from across the country — chanting, praying and fighting tears — protested a jury's decision to clear neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager, and organizers say they'll try to maintain the momentum with vigils next weekend.

Rallies on Sunday were largely peaceful as demonstrators voiced their support for 17-year-old Trayvon Martin's family and decried the verdict. Police in Los Angeles said they arrested six people, mostly for failure to disperse, after about 80 protesters gathered in Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard and an unlawful assembly was declared. New York police said at least a dozen people were arrested on disorderly conduct charges during a rally in Times Square.

Advocates want federal civil rights charges against Zimmerman, who was acquitted Saturday in Martin's 2012 shooting death. The Rev. Al Sharpton said Monday that his organization will hold vigils and rallies in 100 cities Saturday in front of federal buildings.

The Justice Department has said it's considering whether federal prosecutors should file criminal civil rights charges now that Zimmerman has been acquitted in the state case. The department opened an investigation into Martin's death last year but stepped aside to allow the state prosecution to proceed.

Sunday's demonstrations, held in cities from Florida to Wisconsin, attracted anywhere from a few dozen people to a more than a thousand.

At a march and rally in downtown Chicago attended by about 200 people, 73-year-old Maya Miller said the case reminded her of the 1955 slaying of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old from Chicago who was murdered by a group of white men while visiting Mississippi. Till's killing galvanized the civil rights movement.

"Fifty-eight years and nothing's changed," Miller said, pausing to join a chant for "Justice for Trayvon, not one more."

In New York City, more than 1,000 people marched into Times Square on Sunday night, zigzagging through Manhattan's streets to avoid police lines. Sign-carrying marchers thronged the busy intersection, chanting "Justice for! Trayvon Martin!" as they made their way from downtown Union Square, blocking traffic for more than an hour.

In San Francisco and in Los Angeles, where police dispersed an earlier protest with beanbag rounds, police closed streets Sunday.

President Barack Obama, Sharpton and the Rev. Jesse Jackson have urged calm. In Oakland, Calif., during protests that began late Saturday night, some angry demonstrators broke windows, burned U.S. flags, vandalized a police squad car and spray-painted anti-police graffiti.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti urged protesters to "practice peace" after rock- and bottle-throwing. Later, more than 100 officers in riot gear converged and ordered people to disperse. A handful of people were given citations, mostly for blocking a street or jaywalking

Rand Powdrill, 41, of San Leandro, Calif., said he marched in San Francisco with about 400 others to "protest the execution of an innocent black teenager."

"If our voices can't be heard, then this is just going to keep going on," he said.

Earlier, at Manhattan's Middle Collegiate Church, many congregants wore hooded sweatshirts similar to the one Martin was wearing the night he was shot. Hoodie-clad Jessica Nacinovich said she could only feel disappointment and sadness over the verdict.

"I'm sure jurors did what they felt was right in accordance with the law but maybe the law is wrong, maybe society is wrong; there's a lot that needs fixing," she said.

At a service in Sanford, Fla., where Zimmerman was tried, teens wearing shirts with Martin's picture wiped away tears during a church sermon.

Protesters also gathered in Atlanta, Miami, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., along with a host of other cities.

In Miami, more than 200 people gathered. "You can't justify murder," read one poster. Another read "Don't worry about more riots. Worry about more Zimmermans."

Carol Reitner, 76, of Miami, said she heard about the vigil through an announcement at her church Sunday morning. "I was really devastated. It's really hard to believe that someone can take the life of someone else and walk out of court free," she said.

In Philadelphia, about 700 protesters marched through downtown to the Liberty Bell, alternating between chanting Trayvon Martin's name and "No justice, no peace!"

"We hope this will begin a movement to end discrimination against young black men," said Johnathan Cooper, one of the protest's organizers. "And also to empower black people and get them involved in the system."

In Atlanta, about 75 protesters chanted and carried signs near Centennial Olympic Park.

"I came out today because a great deal of injustice has been done and I'm very disappointed at our justice system," said Tabatha Holley, 19, of Atlanta.

"I'm just disappointed in America."

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Associated Press writers Suzette Laboy in Miami, Terence Chea in San Francisco, Keith Collins in Philadelphia, Pete Yost and Eric Tucker in Washington and Luisa Leme contributed to this report.

Holyoke police: City residents Angel Lopez and Pedro Perez charged with drug trafficking after search of Beaudoin Village apartment

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A search of an apartment at Beaudoin Village, a public housing project on Leary Drive, found drugs and led to felony charges against two men, according to authorities.

HOLYOKE — Police charged two city men with heroin trafficking after searching a public housing project on Leary Drive last week.

Officers executed a search warrant at 98 Leary Drive, an apartment in Beaudoin Village, at 1:43 p.m. Wednesday, arresting 24-year-old Pedro L. Perez and 58-year-old Angel Lopez on drug drug charges, according to Holyoke police records.

Perez, of 31 Clinton Ave., was charged with multiple counts of heroin distribution and a single count of trafficking, while Lopez, of 98 Leary Drive, was charged with a single count of trafficking.

This wasn't Perez's first brush with the law. In October 2009, he was charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle after Holyoke police stopped him and a woman in a stolen car.

Also arrested in the Leary Drive case were 44-year-old Thomas C. Pease, 745 West Road, Westfield, and 23-year-old Geovanni Sanchez, 22 Leary Drive, Holyoke. Both were charged with drug possession with intent to distribute, police said.

Arraignment details were not immediately available.


MAP showing location of 98 Leary Drive, where authorities executed a search warrant last week and arrested four men on drug charges:


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Massachusetts bill would ban sexual orientation therapy

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Gay rights activists are planning to gather at the Statehouse in support of a bill that would ban therapy on minors that seeks to change their sexual orientation.


BOSTON (AP) — Gay rights activists are planning to gather at the Statehouse in support of a bill that would ban therapy on minors that seeks to change their sexual orientation.

The bill would prohibit any licensed professional in Massachusetts from engaging in any practice that seeks impose a change in the "sexual orientation or gender identity" of anyone under 18.

Any licensed professional violating the ban would be subject to discipline that could include the suspension or revocation of their license to practice.

The ban, sponsored by Medford Democratic state Rep. Carl Sciortino, would apply to psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, psychiatric nurses and other mental health and human services professionals

A public hearing on the bill is set for Tuesday afternoon at the Statehouse before the Legislature's Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities.

Brighton woman dies after golf cart fall in Indiana

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Police say a Massachusetts woman was fatally injured when she fell from a golf cart after attending a wedding reception in northwestern Indiana.


DUNE ACRES, Ind. (AP) — Police say a Massachusetts woman was fatally injured when she fell from a golf cart after attending a wedding reception in northwestern Indiana.

Porter County police arrested a 27-year-old California man on drunken driving charges. Police say he had a blood-alcohol content of 0.13 percent while driving the golf cart about 4 a.m. Sunday from the reception site in the town of Dune Acres along Lake Michigan.

Police say 25-year-old Jennie Welch of Brighton, Mass., fell from the cart as it went down a steep hill. The Times of Munster reports (http://bit.ly/13mWSMA ) that Welch was found bleeding and unconscious, then died Sunday afternoon at an Indianapolis hospital.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.thetimesonline.com

Man shot by police in Middleborough heads to court

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A man shot by police who were responding to the fatal shooting of a Middleborough woman is scheduled to appear in court on assault and gun charges.


WAREHAM, Mass. (AP) — A man shot by police who were responding to the fatal shooting of a Middleborough woman is scheduled to appear in court on assault and gun charges.

Prosecutors say 52-year-old Thomas Buttimer is expected to be arraigned Tuesday in Wareham District Court on charges of assault with intent to kill a police officer and illegal possession of a firearm.

Buttimer was shot by officers on Friday after refusing to drop a long-barreled gun he pointed at police. He was taken to a hospital and has recovered enough to face arraignment.

Police were at a Middleborough home to investigate the fatal shooting of 65-year-old Norma DesRoche.

DesRoche's death has been ruled a homicide but Buttimer is not charged in her shooting.

Authorities say Buttimer was staying at DesRoche's home.

Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev wants additional lawyer

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The defense team for the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect has made another attempt to add a national death penalty expert to its roster.


BOSTON (AP) — The defense team for the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect has made another attempt to add a national death penalty expert to its roster.

In papers filed Monday in federal court, lawyers for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sought to add David Bruck to the defense team.

Tsarnaev's court-appointed lawyers asked in April that Bruck be added to the team, but the motion was denied.

His lawyer said in the new motion that the 19-year-old Tsarnaev now faces 17 charges that carry the death penalty, while in April he faced just two.

Prosecutors have not said whether they will seek the death penalty.

Tsarnaev has pleaded not guilty to 30 charges in connection with the April 15 bombings at the marathon finish line that killed three and injured more than 260.

American diplomat: US not backing a side in Egypt

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Burns insisted that the United States is not taking sides in deeply polarized Egypt, saying it is not Washington's policy, "as outsiders, to support particular political personalities and particular parties."

AYA BATRAWY,Associated Press
SARAH EL DEEB,Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — The most senior U.S. official to visit Egypt since its elected president was ousted said Monday that Washington is committed to helping the Arab country succeed in its "second chance" at democracy, adding this can only happen with the participation of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Deputy Secretary of State William Burns' meetings with Egypt's interim leaders came as thousands of supporters of deposed President Mohammed Morsi held another mass rally to demand his return to office. The protest turned violent as police fired tear gas at pro-Morsi protesters who burned tires, threw rocks and blocked traffic flow on a main roadway running through the heart of the capital.

The remarks by Burns, the No. 2 American diplomat, signaled that Washington, while calling for an inclusive transition, is moving on from Morsi and his Brotherhood group.

Burns insisted that the United States is not taking sides in deeply polarized Egypt, saying it is not Washington's policy, "as outsiders, to support particular political personalities and particular parties."

"What we're going to continue to try to do is to support an open inclusive, tolerant democratic process," Burns said. "We hope it will be a chance to learn some of the lessons and correct some of the mistakes of the last two years."

Burns' comments were being carefully watched in Cairo, where a cross-spectrum of groups have accused Washington of meddling in the country's affairs.

Morsi's opponents have long accused the United States of backing the Islamist president during his year in office, particularly after he helped broker a cease-fire between neighboring Israel and the Hamas rulers in the Palestinian Gaza Strip. Tamarod, the main activist group that organized the protests against Morsi, said it refused an invitation to meet with Burns because of the perceived U.S. stance.

On the other side, Morsi's supporters, including the Brotherhood, now accuse Washington of backing the July 3 coup against Egypt's first freely elected president. A Brotherhood spokesman said he was not aware of any invitation for the group to meet with the U.S. diplomat during his visit.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki would not comment on whether Tamarod or the Brotherhood had been invited to meet Burns.

Burns held talks Monday with Egypt's interim President Adly Mansour, Prime Minister-designate Hazem el-Beblawi and the head of the military, Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, concerning the transition plan put forward by the new leadership. The road map calls for the amending of the Islamist-drafted constitution approved in a referendum under Morsi and then parliamentary and presidential elections early next year.

In carefully-worded remarks after the meetings, Burns said Washington is "firmly committed to helping Egypt succeed in this second chance" to realize the promises of creating a democratic state, but added that he did not come to Cairo "with American solutions" or "to lecture anyone."

"We know that Egyptians must forge their own path to democracy. We know that this will not mirror our own, and we will not try to impose our model on Egypt," he said.

Burns told reporters that the process, particularly the constitutional changes, should be "transparent and inclusive" and that no party should be excluded — a clear call for the Brotherhood to be involved.

"If representatives of some of the largest parties in Egypt are detained or excluded, how are dialogue and participation possible?" Burns asked, referring to the Brotherhood.

So far, the Brotherhood has staunchly rejected participating in the new political process, saying it will not validate what it calls the illegal ouster of Morsi. The group has questioned the new leadership's calls for dialogue even as authorities launch a crackdown against the Brotherhood's leadership, putting Morsi and five others in detention and issuing arrest warrants against others. Morsi has been kept at an undisclosed location, but no formal charges have been filed.

In a main Cairo intersection, thousands have been holding a sit-in to protest Morsi's ouster by the military following days of mass protests by millions opposed to his handling of the country during his year in office.

The interim leadership says it wants to offer the Brotherhood's political party posts in the Cabinet it is putting together, but the group has refused.

Former Brotherhood lawmaker, Saad Emara, said senior military officials reached out to Mohammed Ali Bishr, a senior Brotherhood official and former minister in the last Morsi government who declined talks with the armed forces.

"They tried to contact him. He said clearly he will not talk about anything except restoring matters to how they were, not post-coup arrangements," Emara said.

The military spokesman Col. Ahmed Mohammed Ali denied that military officers had been in touch with the Brotherhood's leadership, saying the allegations were part of a smear campaign against the armed forces "to realize cheap political gains."

"The doctrine of the military doesn't work in the dark as a methodology. If we have any such contacts we will announce it before," he wrote in a post on his official Facebook page.

The Brotherhood posted a statement in the form of a letter addressing the head of Egypt's military on Monday, suggesting he had committed treason for leading a coup against the president. The letter was made public after el-Sissi sought to justify his decision to remove Morsi, saying the deposed president had violated his popular mandate and antagonized state institutions while in office.

Marches by Morsi's supporters to denounce the military have disrupted Cairo's traffic, but have largely been peaceful since violence peaked a week ago when more than 50 Brotherhood supporters were killed in clashes with the military.

Meanwhile, Burns said he had called on the military to "avoid any politically-motivated arrests."

The military did not comment on talks with Burns beyond saying in a statement that the U.S. official and el-Sissi discussed "the recent political developments in Egypt ... and ways to reinforce cooperation."

Burns, the No. 2 American diplomat, is also expected to meet with civil society groups and business leaders during his two-day trip.

The activist group Tamarod explained on its Facebook page sarcastically that it turned down an invitation to meet Burns because of perceived U.S. support for the Brotherhood over the past year.

"What is your business with Egypt? Stick with the Brotherhood and show me what good they are (to you)," one of Tamarod's founders, Mahmoud Badr, said in a posting.

Emara, of the Brotherhood, said any talks with U.S. officials would have to recognize the group's demand for Morsi's reinstatement — not about a post-Morsi political process.

In a sign of how anti-U.S. tone has sharpened, the editor in chief of the main state newspaper Al-Ahram called the United States "the Great Satan" and denounced American "meddling" in Egypt. The paper has hewed closely to the military since Morsi's ouster.

"I will not feel liberated so long as the American flag flaps in Egypt skies, and as long as US meddling in Egypt's most intimate affairs continues," Abdel-Nasser Salama wrote in the editorial Friday.

At a rally of Morsi supporters in Cairo, the deputy leader of the Brotherhood's political party, Essam el-Erian told the crowd that Obama pressured Morsi to offer concessions to the protesters or a military coup will be inevitable.

Burns told reporters he was aware of the negative perception many Egyptians had toward Washington's policies.

"I am not naïve. I know that many Egyptians have doubts about the United States, and I know there will be nothing neat or easy about the road ahead," he said.

Holden motorcyclist critically injured in Lake Avenue crash

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A 20-year-old Holden man is in critical condition after his motorcycle collided with an SUV Monday afternoon on Lake Avenue, police said.

A 20-year-old Holden man is in critical condition after his motorcycle collided with an SUV Monday afternoon on Lake Avenue, police said.

Police responded to the scene at 28 Lake Avenue at 12:46 p.m. and found a 1987 Kawasaki motorcycle on the ground with extensive damage. A 2005 Cadillac Escalade also found at the scene had extensive front-end damage, police said.

The operator of the motorcycle was transported to nearby University of Massachusetts Medical Center, police said. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette* identified him as Joshua Kobel

The 17-year-old operator of the Escalade and two passengers in the vehicle were not injured, police said. Police did not identify the driver.

According to a preliminary investigation, the motorcycle was traveling south on Lake Avenue when it came to a near-stop by the Regatta Deli at 28 Lake Avenue. Two other vehicles in front of the motorcycle were in the same lane. The lead car had signaled the driver of the Escalade to exit onto Lake Avenue. The Escalade was exiting a parking lot next to the deli.

When the lead car waved the Escalade on, the SUV began to turn left onto the northbound lane of Lake Avenue. The operator of the motorcycle switched lanes, continuing to travel south on Lake Avenue. As the Escalade turned towards the northbound lane, the head-on collision occurred, police said.

The Worcester Police Accident reconstruction team was called to the scene to take charge of the investigation. No citations have been issued, and the case remains active, police said.

* Worcester Telegram & Gazette articles may require a subscription.

Massachusetts Democratic Party Chairman John Walsh will leave party post to head Deval Patrick's PAC

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Walsh previously led Patrick's gubernatorial campaign. The move will likely reignite speculations about Patrick's political future.

Democratic Party Chairman John Walsh will step down as the head of the Massachusetts Democratic Party this fall to take over a political action committee supporting Gov. Deval Patrick.

Walsh served as Patrick’s campaign manager during his first gubernatorial run in 2006, and took over the helm of the state Democratic Party once Patrick won the seat.

The move will likely reignite speculation about the political future of Patrick, who has said he will not run for a third term as governor. Patrick’s federal political action committee, the Together PAC, had just under $400,000 left in the bank as of the end of the March, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

The Boston Globe first reported the move, which was confirmed to MassLive.com by a party spokeswoman.

Raymond Jordan, a vice chairman of the Democratic State Committee from Springfield, who worked directly under Walsh, called Walsh a “party stabilizer.”

The Democratic Party was roundly criticized when Republican Scott Brown won the 2010 special election for U.S. Senate, beating Democrat Martha Coakley in an upset victory after Democrats ran a weak a campaign. Jordan said after that, Walsh was “extremely dedicated” to making sure that did not happen again. Walsh oversaw the Democratic Party’s grassroots campaign effort that was helped secure victories for Democratic Senate candidates Elizabeth Warren in 2012 and Edward Markey in 2013.

“He’s leaving on a high because now Massachusetts is a blue state,” Jordan said.

Jordan said the move indicates that the popular governor – who is friends and political allies with Democratic President Barack Obama - remains a political question mark. “He has a number of different options,” Jordan said. “People are handicapped on whether he’ll take an appointment with the administration, which I doubt, run for office, or go into the private sector.”

Walsh will hold a press conference at 11 a.m.

This story will be updated throughout the day. Follow MassLive.com for additional coverage.


State police divers prepare to search for body of Jamie Lusher

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State police divers from Massachusetts and New York were being briefed at about 9:15 a.m. Tuesday to prepare for the search in Greenwater Pond for the body of James "Jamie" Lusher.

BECKET – State police divers from Massachusetts and New York were being briefed at about 9:15 a.m. Tuesday to prepare for the search in Greenwater Pond for the body of James "Jamie" Lusher.

Lusher was 16 when he disappeared in Westfield on Nov. 6, 1992. He was last seen riding his bicycle to his grandmother's house in Blandford.

Law enforcement officials on Monday announced that convicted murderer Lewis S. Lent Jr. admitted to killing Lusher, telling investigators he left the boy's body in the Becket pond.

Massachusetts State Police spokesman David Procopio said 18 divers were prepared to use 5 boats to search the pond along the west side of Route 20. The initial search would focus on the midpoint of the pond, where Lusher is believed to have been put into the water.

Procopio said plans are to search the pond for at least three days and, if need be, on the divers' free days after that. He said the task of finding Lusher's remains is complicated by the fact that the pond is 88 acres and 58 feet at its deepest.

"There's a lot of sediment on the bottom, which complicates things," Procopio said.

Plans Tuesday were to continue the search until 2 p.m.

The Massachusetts Environmental Police gave their assistance and began putting boats in the water at about 8:30 a.m.

Procopio said two of the boats were equipped with sonar to search the bottom of the pond . Divers would do a line search of that lake floor in rotating teams.

After so many years divers are looking for “bones, clothes shoes , anything that looks out of the ordinary”, he said . They are looking to provide closure to the family.

A helicopter monitored the search from overhead.

Ed Markey is sworn in as Massachusetts' newest U.S. Senator

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Vice President Joseph Biden administered the oath of office to Markey just after 10 a.m. on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Markey brings with him 36 years of experience in the U.S. House.

Democrat Edward Markey was sworn in as the junior U.S. Senator from Massachusetts on Tuesday morning.

Vice President Joseph Biden administered the oath of office to Markey just after 10 a.m. on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Massachusetts' senior senator, Democrat Elizabeth Warren, and interim Massachusetts Sen. William "Mo" Cowan, also a Democrat, were by his side.

The official swearing-in was scheduled to be followed by a ceremonial swearing-in in the Old Senate Chamber.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, a Democrat, planned to attend.

Markey enters the Senate at a time of transition for Massachusetts’ senatorial delegation. Democrat Edward Kennedy spent nearly 47 years in the Senate before his death in 2009, and Democrat John Kerry was a senator for 28 years. Now, the state has two rookie senators, with Warren becoming the senior senator just weeks after she took office in January.

Markey took his place in the nation’s most elite political body after spending 36 years, eight months and 14 days in the U.S. House.

Louis Bevilacqua, a New England-based Democratic political strategist, said Massachusetts is lucky to have someone with Markey’s experience entering the Senate. Markey has served in the House since 1976. He talks frequently about his modest family background, as the son of a milkman and the first in his family to attend college. “He’s a junior senator in that he hasn’t been on the longest, but he is the senior senator in the sense of worldview and experience, and that’s something you need, especially for the Senate and especially to advance Massachusetts,” Bevilacqua said.

Markey won the Senate seat on June 25, defeating Republican Gabriel Gomez to win the seat formerly held by Kerry, who resigned in January when he was appointed U.S. Secretary of State.

Politico reported last week that Markey was seeking a spot on the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, told Politico he thinks Markey will be appointed to that committee. A committee spokesman would not confirm that, saying committee appointments are up to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Among other areas, the Commerce Committee covers communications policy, which was Markey’s expertise in the U.S. House. Kerry held a seat on the Commerce Committee, and Cowan has remained on the committee, so there is a spot available for Markey.

In the U.S. House, Markey has been a reliable progressive vote for the Democratic Party. He has focused particularly on energy and telecommunications issues.

A special election to replace Markey in the U.S. House will be held Dec. 10, with the primary on Oct. 15.

So far, five Democrats have announced their intentions to seek Markey’s seat: State Senators William Brownsberger of Belmont, Katherine Clark of Melrose and Karen Spilka of Ashland; State Rep. Carl Sciortino of Medford; and Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian. Republican attorney Frank Addivinola is also running.

This story will be updated.

Death of 10-year-old Athol boy under investigation

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Police are investigating the unexplained death of a 10-year-old boy in Athol earlier this month.


ATHOL, Mass. (AP) — Police are investigating the unexplained death of a 10-year-old boy in Athol earlier this month.

Lt. Kevin Heath confirmed Monday that the boy was taken from a home in town to a Worcester hospital on July 8.

A spokeswoman for the Northwestern district attorney's office tells The Recorder of Greenfield (http://bit.ly/13pZiKj ) that the boy was suffering from an abdominal injury and died last Wednesday, two days after he was brought to the hospital.

His name was not made public.

Spokeswoman Mary Carey says state police assigned to the office and Athol police continue to investigate.

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Information from: The (Greenfield, Mass.) Recorder, http://www.recorder.com

Developer unveils plans for Millbury slots parlor

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A developer that wants to build a $200 million slots parlor in Millbury has unveiled its plans.


MILLBURY, Mass. (AP) — A developer that wants to build a $200 million slots parlor in Millbury has unveiled its plans.

Mass Gaming & Entertainment, a subsidiary of Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming, on Monday presented plans to the town's planning board for a 110,000- to 115,000-square-feet complex with the state-maximum 1,250 slot machines, at least one full-service restaurant and other food venues, a live music area and day spa.

The slots parlor would be just north of The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley, an open-air shopping center that opened in 2004.

The Telegram & Gazette (http://bit.ly/13gmvmu ) reports that the developer also announced plans to improve traffic in the area.

Under state gambling law, just one slots parlor can be built in the state. Rival proposals have been made in Raynham, Plainville, Tewksbury and Leominster.

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Information from: Telegram & Gazette (Worcester, Mass.), http://www.telegram.com

Live Coverage: Federal retrial of acting Chief Probation Officer Christopher Hoffman on witness tampering charges

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The first trial in May was declared a mistrial after a jury reported that it was deadlocked on the case in U.S. District Court in Worcester.

Worcester, Mass. - Christopher J. Hoffman, of Hatfield, faces two counts of witness tampering in the federal investigation of alleged fraudulent hiring practices in the state Probation Department.

The first trial in May was declared a mistrial after a jury reported that it was deadlocked on the case in U.S. District Court in Worcester.

Hoffman’s lawyer, Vincent A. Bongiorni, told jurors in his opening statement his client did nothing illegal and the charges rested entirely on the word of probation officer Maureen Adams, who had grown to intensely dislike Hoffman.

Hoffman is charged with telling Adams, of Goshen, that he would tell everyone she was “a rat“ for being interviewed by the FBI during the investigation into probation in 2011, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Fisher said.

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