Two young boys were killed by a 15-foot python as they slept.

 

Royal Mounted Police Sgt. Alain Tremblay said in an official statement that the autopsies were done on August 6, the day after the bodies of the two boys were found in their bed. Noah Barthe, 5-years-old and his brother 7-year-old Conor, were sleeping in the living room of a friend's apartment over an exotic pet store the night of August 5. The store owner's pet python apparently escaped its cage and made its way through the ventilation system of the house and dropped down on the boys from the ceiling.

The store owner discovered the boys' bodies at approximately 6:30 a.m. and called police. The friend at whose home they were staying slept in a separate room and was unharmed.

Authorities said the snake weighed more than 100 pounds and was nearly 15 feet long.
The snake was destroyed and a necropsy on its body indicated it was in good health at the time of the incident.

After various hurdles and delays, Archbishop Timothy Baymon was proudly showing off the features of a new Holiday Inn Express this week, under construction and slated to open by the end of the year at the Epiphany Tower building on State Street.

These were the most read stories on MassLive.com yesterday. If you missed any of them, click on the links below to read them now.

1) Police find Level 3 sex offender in bed with 14-year-old [Dave Canton]

2) New England Patriots training camp notes: Rookie TE Zach Sudfeld continues to work with 1st team [Nick Underhill] Photo above.

3) New Holiday Inn Express construction in full swing on State Street in Springfield after years of delay and hurdles [Peter Goonan]

4) Lee Police Chief Joseph Buffis charged with extorting money from 2 facing prostitution-related charges [Jim Russell]

5) Massachusetts DCR: Shark sightings close South Coast beaches in Westport and Dartmouth [Conor Berry]

Markey said his election shows that hard work can make dreams a reality.

BOSTON - Pledging to oppose federal budget cuts, Edward J. Markey on Thursday night was sworn in again as a U.S. senator from Massachusetts.

Markey, 67, a former U.S. representative, took the oath administered by Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino during a ceremony attended by hundreds at historic Faneuil Hall in Boston.

Markey smiled and said, "I do," when Menino asked if he would faithfully discharge the duties of his new office. Markey kissed his wife, Susan Blumenthal, and took the stage for a short speech that touched on his upbringing in Lawrence as the son of a milk truck driver and spelled out his priorities in Washington.

In a speech, Markey promised to fight very hard to change sequestration, the name for automatic federal budget cuts that were approved in a 2011 law and totalled about $85 billion this fiscal year. Similar reductions are planned for coming years.

Markey said the cuts are hurting federal block grants for cities such as Holyoke and Springfield, research at hospitals, programs such as Head Start and grants from the National Institutes of Health.

U.S. Sen. Edward Markey raises his hand during a ceremonial swearing-in at historic Faneuil Hall Thursday in Boston. At center is Markey's wife, Susan Blumenthal. At left, administering the oath of office, is Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.Charles Krupa / Associated Press 

"It's having an impact an impact on our economy," he told reporters after his speech. "As each year goes by, it will increasingly have a bigger impact."

The event was attended by top political leaders such as Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan, Treasurer Steven Grossman, Attorney General Martha Coakley, Auditor Suzanne Bump, Senate President Therese Murray, House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and former Gov. Michael S. Dukakis.

"It's a great night for Massachusetts politics," said Candy Glazer, a member of the Democratic State Committee from Longmeadow. "I'm happy I was able to make it."

A 37-year veteran of the House, Markey was sworn in as a senator on July 16 in Washington by Vice President Joseph R. Biden.

From left to right, Mary Gail Cokkinias of Longmeadow, Treasurer Steve Grossman and Candy Glazer of Longmeadow celebrate after attending a swearing in ceremony for U.S. Sen. Edward Markey.Dan Ring / The Republican 

Markey defeated Republican Gabriel E. Gomez by 55 percent to 45 percent in a special election in June to fill the seat left vacant by John F. Kerry's resignation to become secretary of state.

The Malden Democrat had been the ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee and a top advocate for programs to limit climate change.

Markey has been named to the Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Commerce, Science and Transportation and Foreign Relations committees.

Markey said he will team with the state's senior senator, Elizabeth A. Warren of Cambridge to ensure the state is well represented.

"I know almost everybody," Markey said. "I know the rules, I know the issues and I know the people. And Elizabeth Warren is super star .. in Washington."

Warren has served in the Senate since January, after defeating Republican Scott P. Brown last year.

Markey said his election shows that hard work can make dreams a reality.

"It's a great honor for me to be here in Faneuil Hall," he said. "It seemed unlikely when I was boy that such a journey could be possible."

Roper allegedly told police his name was Robert Steeples and that he lived in St. Louis.

NORTHAMPTON — A Holyoke man who told police he was a football player with the St. Louis Rams during a routine traffic stop in July, now faces a charge of using a false name.

Michael C. Roper, 25, of 95 Beech St., Holyoke, was also arraigned in District Court on Wednesday for drug charges stemming from the July 8 incident.

Roper was a passenger in a car stopped by police for having a rejected inspection sticker. Police questioning led to the discovery of a crack cocaine pipe and a pill bottle containing the prescription drug Clonazepan, according to court documents. Police said Roper told them the drugs belonged to the driver.

Roper also allegedly told police his name was Robert Steeples and that he lived in St. Louis. He was booked under that name. Police later learned, however, that Steeples is an undrafted rookie trying out for the Rams.

In a letter to police, Stephen Miller, the director of security for the Rams, said head coach Jeff Fisher came into his office on July 26 with an envelope containing a police blotter story that Steeples had been arrested. Miller called Northampton police but was unable to obtain a mug shot. He did learn that the man arraigned had a tattoo on his right arm.

Miller then met with Steeples and determined that he had no such tattoo. Steeples suggested to the Rams the defendant in question was his adopted cousin, Roper.

A warrant was issued for Roper, who was arraigned on three counts of possession of cocaine, possession of a Class E substance, giving a false name to police and intimidating a witness, a charge that is sometimes used for misleading police. Roper denied all charges. Judge W. Michael Goggins set bail at $2,000 and continued Roper’s case to Sept. 5.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Edward J. McDonough acquitted Jean Carlos Hornedo, 28, on Aug. 2.

The Republican / File photo 

SPRINGFIELD – A Holyoke man was found not guilty after a jury waived trial on a charge of conspiracy to violate the drug laws.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Edward J. McDonough acquitted Jean Carlos Hornedo, 28, on Aug. 2.

Hornedo was arrested in Holyoke in March 2011 and charged with the conspiracy count and also trafficking cocaine.

The cocaine trafficking count against Hornedo was tried before a jury in February, and during that trial Judge Bertha D. Josephson had agreed with defense lawyer Richard J. Rubin there was no evidence to send the cocaine trafficking count against Hornedo to the jury.

A co-defendant on the trafficking charge, Ignacio Diaz of Holyoke, was found guilty in the case where he was charged with having more than 2 pounds of cocaine mailed to him.

Josephson sentenced Diaz to 12 years in state prison for the cocaine trafficking.

Hannah Anderson did not appear as if she was being held against her will, police say.

CASCADE, Idaho — A car belonging to a man suspected of killing a California woman and her young son and then fleeing with the 16-year-old daughter was found in the Idaho wilderness on Friday after horseback riders reported seeing the man and girl hiking in the area two days earlier, authorities said.

The riders reported seeing the two near Morehead Lake, an extremely rugged area about 70 miles northeast of Boise, around noon Wednesday, according to Ada County Sheriff's Department spokesman Patrick Orr. They didn't report it until later, after seeing news reports and realizing the pair was being sought.

Idaho authorities started searching Thursday and the car was found Friday morning. There have been no other reported sightings of the pair since Wednesday.

San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said when the riders saw the two, the girl, Hannah Anderson, did not appear as if she was being held against her will. He did not elaborate. She and the suspect, James Lee DiMaggio, 40, seemed healthy.

Brett Anderson, Hannah's father, said he was "very happy" that Hannah was spotted alive. He said he couldn't explain why his daughter didn't ask the horseback riders for help.

"We don't know what kind of frame of mind she was in or what he told her," Anderson said. "Maybe if she acted differently, there would be more dead people."

Hannah's grandfather, Christopher Saincome, also was relieved and refused to try to explain the girl's reaction to the riders.

"He could have strapped something to her and told her it was a bomb. He could have had her tethered to him," he said. "I'm sure she's totally in shock."

The car, a blue Nissan Versa, was covered in brush off a road about 5 or 6 miles from the spot where the man and girl had been seen. The license plates had been removed, but the vehicle identification number matched that of the car being sought, Gore said.

Police previously warned that the car may be rigged with explosives. Bomb experts planned to examine it.

Morehead Lake is in the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, a vast and rugged 2.3 million-acre preserve in the heart of Idaho. Because of its wilderness designation, the preserve is not open to motorized vehicles and traffic is limited to hikers and horseback riders.

The pine-blanketed area is at an altitude of about 7,800 feet and the lake itself is seven miles into the wilderness area. Temperatures were likely to fall into the high 30s Friday night.

Gore noted that DiMaggio bought camping gear a few weeks ago.

Authorities throughout the West have been looking for the teen and DiMaggio since the bodies of the girl's mother, Christina Anderson, 44, and an unidentified child were found Sunday at DiMaggio's burned home near the Mexican border about 65 miles east of San Diego.

The unidentified body is believed to be that of Hannah's 8-year-old brother, Ethan. The body was badly burned and definitive identification hasn't been made.

DiMaggio was close to the family. Brett Anderson has described him as a best friend and said his children thought of him as an uncle.

Authorities have said DiMaggio had an "unusual infatuation" with the 16-year-old, although the father said he never saw any strange behavior. If he had, he said, "we would have quashed that relationship in an instant."

DiMaggio, a telecommunications technician at The Scripps Research Institute in San Diego, was planning to move to Texas and invited Christina Anderson and the children to his home last weekend to say goodbye, said Christopher Saincome, Anderson's father.

It's unclear how the two were killed, though police believe the crime was planned.

Brett Anderson said his friend is an outdoorsman.

"He was very interested in hiking and camping," Anderson said. "Whenever he had the chance and had the funds he would go on a hiking trip."

The Cascade area is an outdoorsman's paradise. Perched along the southeastern shoreline of the Cascade Reservoir and The West Mountains, the town is a popular summer getaway for hikers, campers and kayakers.

DiMaggio and the teen were hiking when the horseback riders encountered them, Gore said. The riders noticed the pair had light camping gear even though it was an extremely rugged area with extreme temperature swings. Summertime highs can reach the 90s and nighttime temperatures fall to the 40s.

The riders "did seem to think the two of them were out of place in that area," Gore said.

The sheriff said the riders chatted briefly with the couple but he didn't reveal details of the conversation.

Funds were provided to 78 housing authorities statewide, including five in the Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties area.

SPRINGFIELD – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced grants totaling $50 million last week to public housing authorities across the state for renovations, repairs and other capital needs, including $1.8 million allocated to the Springfield Housing Authority.

The funds were provided to 78 housing authorities statewide, including five in the Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties area.

In Springfield, the two primary uses of the new federal grant funds will be to convert more public housing units to become fully handicap-accessible, and to install new roofs at the John L. Sullivan Apartments, said William H. Abrashkin, executive director of the Housing Authority.

“You always wish that you had more funding because then you could do more for your residents and for your properties,” Abrashkin said. “But in general, the federal capital allocation has been adequate to meet our responsibilities.”

The amount received this year reflects an increase of $116,455 over the amount received last year. The use of funds evolves as needs are defined under a five-year capital plan that is updated annually, Abrashkin said.

“This is always a work in progress,” Abrashkin said.

Housing authorities are under a federal mandate to have 5 percent of its housing stock handicap accessible, and works to achieve that mandate under an agreement with HUD, Abrashkin said.

Some of the new grant funds will also be used to replace some of the public housing lost to damage by the tornado that struck Springfield in June of 2011, Abrashkin said. However, there also may be federal disaster aid to help replace some of the housing, he said.

The authority, while pleased with the capital funds, remains faced with “difficult cuts” in federal funds for the operational budget, Abrashkin said.

The HUD grants received by other communities in the three-county region ranged from $1 million by the Holyoke Housing Authority to $17,558 by the Amherst Housing Authority.

The amount of the HUD funds is based on a formula and can used to build, repair, renovate and/or modernize the public housing in those communities, said Rhonda M. Siciliano, a HUD spokeswoman. The projects could range from new roofs to energy efficiency upgrades to replace old plumbing and electrical systems, she said.

The grant plans for the communities surrounding Springfield were not immediately available Friday.

“Housing authorities in Massachusetts count on this funding to maintain and improve their public housing for many families, especially the most vulnerable – our seniors,” said Barbara Fields, HUD New England regional administrator, in a prepared release. “HUD is currently taking bold steps to preserve this affordable housing.”

"The funding is critical for housing authorities to maintain and improve public housing conditions for their residents,” said Shaun Donovan, HUD secretary, in a prepared release.

PBS noted in a news release that "this will mark the first time a network broadcast has had a female co-anchor team."

Springfield native and long-time journalist Gwen Ifill has been selected to co-anchor PBS “Newshour” along with Judy Woodruff, PBS has announced.
Ifill and Woodruff will take over the nightly newscast in September, putting an end to the rotating anchor format that has been in effect for since the retirement of Jim Lehrer in 2001.

Ifill and Woodruff will also share the managing-editor responsibilities for the program.

PBS noted in a news release that "this will mark the first time a network broadcast has had a female co-anchor team."

The co-anchor arrangement harks back to the 1970s, when Jim Lehrer and Robert MacNeil founded the nightly newscast that was later named "The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour." The two men jointly presented the program until 1995, when MacNeil retired. Lehrer continued to anchor it until 2011, when he retired. Their company, MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, remains in charge of "NewsHour," and they were involved in the discussions that culminated in Tuesday's announcement.

"If Gwen and I can be the team that Jim and Robin were, we will consider that a success,” Woodruff said in a telephone interview.

Asked what advice the two former anchors had given them, Ifill said in a separate interview, "They told us to stick close together and to stay friends."

Woodruff and Ifill already are close, having crossed paths in Washington, where they both live, countless times, and having "appeared on endless panels together discussing women in journalism," as Ifill put it.

Ifill, who is black, said that she and Woodruff were mindful of the broader significance of their appointment. "When I was a little girl watching programs like this - because that's the kind of nerdy family we were - I would look up and not see anyone who looked like me in any way. No women. No people of color," she said.

"I'm very keen about the fact that a little girl now, watching the news, when they see me and Judy sitting side by side, it will occur to them that that's perfectly normal - that it won't seem like any big breakthrough at all," she added.

Ifill, 57, a veteran of newspapers including The New York Times, was a Washington correspondent for NBC before becoming the moderator of PBS's "Washington Week" and a senior correspondent for "NewsHour" in 1999. Woodruff, 66, was the chief Washington correspondent for "NewsHour" in the 1980s. After a dozen years at CNN and some outside work, she rejoined the program as a senior correspondent in 2007.

Last year Ifill and Woodruff were chosen to anchor PBS's coverage of the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. "You never know until you're elbow to elbow how well it's going to work," Ifill said. "It worked really well for us. We sat next to each other and had a ball."

They teamed up again on election night.

Linda Winslow, the program's executive producer said "NewsHour" producers and PBS executives noticed the campaign-year anchor work, and "it just struck us that we were able to promote our product better when we had identifiable anchors."

And "it wasn't, to be frank, an unattractive feature that they would become the first female co-anchor team of a nightly newscast," Winslow said.

Gokey was last seen at his residence on Tuesday morning.

PITTSFIELD - The police are seeking the public's help in locating a 21-year-old man who has been missing since Tuesday.

Michael Gokey, 21, of 28 Highland Ave., is described as 5 feet, 10 inches tall. He has blond hair, blue eyes and a thin build. Police also say he has a large tattoo of a skull and snake on his right shoulder, and a tattoo of a red cross on his right forearm.

Gokey was last seen at his residence at about 7 a.m. on Tuesday. Since then there has been no contact from him.

He was last seen wearing brown plaid shorts, a shirt and tan hiking boots.

He has been known to hike the trails behind Lake Onota Village and the trails through St. Joseph Cemetry.

Anyone who has any information about Gokey is asked to call Pittsfield Police Department Detective Bureau at (413) 448-9705.

LEE - The Berkshire district attorney said charges will be pursued against two people who had been facing prostitution-related charges until being extorted for money by now-suspended Police Chief Joseph Buffis, as alleged by federal law enforcement officials. Buffis, 55, of Pittsfield, was charged Thursday in Springfield's federal district court by the U.S. attorney who accuses him of crimes including...

LEE - The Berkshire district attorney said charges will be pursued against two people who had been facing prostitution-related charges until being extorted for money by now-suspended Police Chief Joseph Buffis, as alleged by federal law enforcement officials.

Buffis, 55, of Pittsfield, was charged Thursday in Springfield's federal district court by the U.S. attorney who accuses him of crimes including extortion and money laundering.

According to U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz, Buffis extorted $4,000 from the pair facing charges in February 2012, placed the money in a toy fund for needy children, then withdrew most if it to use for his personal expenses. In return for the $4,000, the charges were not pursued, according to indictments released Thursday.

David Capeless, Berkshire district attorney 

In an interview Thursday Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless said the case against Buffis began when the now-suspended Lee police chief suddenly stopped the prosecution of the pair.

"We became alarmed and began to look into it," Capeless said. "I was very concerned a charge as serious as prostitution was being scuttled."

On Friday a Capeless spokesman confirmed charges would again be sought against the pair.

"Charges are going to be reissued," spokesman Fred Lantz said, despite the pair's cooperation with the investigation of Buffis.

Buffis has not returned calls seeking comment. His lawyer has proclaimed his innocence.

The charges against Buffis followed a nearly yearlong investigation by state police and the FBI.

Buffis was suspended without pay on Friday in the wake of Thursday’s federal indictment. Former Police Chief Ronald Glidden, who retired in 2011, is now in charge of the Lee Police Department.

“I have appointed former Chief Ronald Glidden to serve temporarily as the Town of Lee police chief,” Lee Town Administrator Robert Nason said in a statement Friday morning.

The multi-engine, propeller-driven plane struck the small homes a few blocks from Tweed New Haven Airport as it went in for a landing.

This story updates an earlier version posted at 3:10 p.m.

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN
Associated Press

EAST HAVEN, Conn. — A small plane crashed in a working-class neighborhood near an airport on Friday and engulfed two houses in flames, likely killing up to six people, authorities said.

The multi-engine, propeller-driven plane struck the small homes a few blocks from Tweed New Haven Airport as it went in for a landing, lodging its left wing in one house and its right wing in the other.

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Robert Gretz said Friday night there were unconfirmed casualty reports of two or three people in the plane and two or three people in one of the homes. He said local and state authorities were at the scene looking for victims.

Soon after the crash, officials had said at least three people were missing: the pilot and two children, ages 1 and 13, in one of the houses. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy later said the plane also may have been carrying two passengers but officials were still trying to verify whether that was true.

East Haven fire Chief Douglas Jackson said Friday afternoon: "We haven't recovered anybody at this point, and we presume there is going to be a very bad outcome."

Less than two hours later, Malloy said rescuers had spotted two bodies, including one of an adult, but hadn't recovered them. The plane's fuselage had entered one of the houses, and the recovery effort was focusing on the home's basement, he said.

Mayor Joseph Maturo said later that the houses were still unstable and crews had not completed a full search.

The 10-seater plane, a Rockwell International Turbo Commander 690B, flew out of Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and crashed at 11:25 a.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said.

Tweed's airport manager, Lori Hoffman-Soares, said the pilot had been in communication with air traffic control and hadn't issued any distress calls.

"All we know is that it missed the approach and continued on," she said.

A neighbor, David Esposito, said he heard a loud noise and then a thump: "No engine noise, nothing."

"A woman was screaming her kids were in there," he said.

Esposito, a retired teacher, said he ran into the upstairs of the house, where the woman believed her children were, but couldn't find them after frantically searching a crib and closets. He returned downstairs to search some more, but he dragged the woman out when the flames became too strong.

Wilson Idrovo said he was working on a house nearby when his son said: "Daddy, the airplane is falling down."

Idrovo said he went into the house but couldn't get into a room where the plane had crashed.

"I feel so bad," he said.

Angela Wordie was on her deck taking in towels when she noticed a plane making a strange sound.

"It kind of was gliding," she said. "The next thing I know it hit the house."

Another neighbor, Pablo Arenas, said he and his neighbors live in fear of the planes. He said some pilots appear to be novices in training, while others said planes often fly low and larger aircraft have begun using the airport in recent years.

Maturo, the mayor, said a priest was with the woman whose children were feared dead, and he offered sympathy to the family.

"It's total devastation in the back of the home," he said.

Neighbors said the woman moved into the neighborhood recently.

Walmart is proposing a 160,000-square-foot supercenter for Whiting Farms Road.

HOLYOKE -- Walmart officials will be available to the public to discuss the retailer's proposal to open a "supercenter" here Monday from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House, 500 Easthampton Road.

"We will be showing architectural plans and drawings for the store for the first time. We encourage all who have an interest in the new store to stop by and talk to our team," Walmart spokesman William Wertz said in a press release Friday.

The store proposed for 222 Whiting Farms Road would be 160,000 square feet and employ more than 300 people, company officials have said.

A Walmart supercenter is designed to give customers everything from electronics, clothing, toys and home furnishings to groceries with fresh produce and meat, along with specialty shops such like pharmacies, banks and health clinics, according to Walmart.

As with Walmart proposals in other communities, the one here is controversial. "Walmart Yes" signs are posted on some lawns and supporters said this poor city should welcome the store's jobs and tax revenue.

In Holyoke, the incomes of more than 28 percent of the population of 40,000 people put them below the federal poverty line. The nationwide poverty average is 15 percent.

Holyoke's unemployment rate is 11.7 percent, exceeding the state's 7.4 percent and the national average of 7.6 percent.

But others argue Walmart is proposing too large a store too close to many homes. The already congested roadways would get worse with Walmart traffic and with the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside nearby, they said.

Members of the anti-Walmart groups Holyoke First and Stop Walmart in Holyoke also said that the retail giant's low prices would doom existing businesses unable to compete and that too-low Walmart wages force many employees onto food stamps and other subsidies. Walmart officials said those points are false.

Wertz said company sales records for 2012 show Holyokers spent more than $11 million at Walmart stores in surrounding communities: more than $7 million at the Walmart in Chicopee, $1.5 million in Northampton, $1.2 million in Westfield, $842,000 in Hadley and $493,000 in Springfield.

"That's tax revenue Holyoke is losing and customer traffic that could benefit other businesses in the community. Customers often stop at nearby stores, gas stations and restaurants when they shop at Walmart," Wertz said.

Ernesto Cruz announced his is a candidate for one five at large seats on the Springfield City Council.

SPRINGFIELD— A political organizer and activist said he would fight to restore the Springfield Police Commission and reinstate Community Policing on Springfield streets if he is elected an at large Springfield City Councilor.

Ernesto Cruz announced his candidacy Friday night in front of a crowd of 200 supporters at the Cedars Banquet Hall, saying it's important to bring real solutions to public safety and other issues in the city.

"It's not about getting tougher on crime," he said. "We've done that. It's about getting smarter on crime."

Cruz said crime fighting starts with effective management and administration, something he said is needed at the Springfield Police Department.

"This is about public safety," Cruz said. "A lot of candidates talk about reducing crime but few actually propose real plans to address it. Bringing back the Police Commission breaks up some of the power in the Police Department. No one individual should have the kind of power the Police Commissioner does now. This is affecting the management of the Police Department, and the police are telling me they want improved administration. At the same time the community is calling for accountability within the Police Department. This is a solution that will improve both these situations."

Cruz advocates reintroducing and expanding after-school programs across the city and developing better marketing for the programs already in place.

As a lifelong resident of Springfield, Cruz has served on a number of community committees and groups, including being a board member of the Maple High/Six Corners Neighborhood Council, a member of the Ward 3 Democratic Committee, the Mason Square Drug Free Coalition, the Undoing Racism Organizing Collective and a mentor with Men of Color Health Awareness. He was the Western Mass. Field Organizer for the Ed Markey for U.S. Senate Campaign.

Cruz said Friday the city's environmental health needs immediate attention.

"Springfield has some of the worst air quality in the country," he said. "Our asthma rates are astronomical and our children and seniors are most at risk. We need to continue to fight against new polluters in the city, and we need to work with existing polluters to reduce their impact of our public health."

Cruz said his candidacy is also about improving public participation in governance, and building community input in the decision making process.

"I've worked hard my entire life," he said. "I started out as a janitor. I worked as a lot manager for a small car dealership. I worked 16 hours a day for the Markey campaign. I'm ready to do that for the City of Springfield. This campaign is about bringing back a substantive debate to city politics. We need to be introducing real solutions to the problems our city faces."

He plans no official public appearances while on vacation and is due back in Washington on Aug. 18.

WASHINGTON — The first summer vacation of President Barack Obama's second term is taking him back to Martha's Vineyard, resuming his White House tradition of an August break on the well-heeled Massachusetts island he avoided during last year's re-election campaign.

But his return is causing a bit of an uproar among residents because the Secret Service plans to close part of a public road near the six-bedroom home Obama is renting in Chilmark, a move that would be a first for presidential vacations on the island known as a refuge for the wealthy and the well-connected.

Obama is scheduled to arrive Saturday afternoon for a nine-day stay after a stop in Orlando, Fla., to address the Disabled American Veterans national convention. He plans no official public appearances while on vacation and is due back in Washington on Aug. 18.

Since a president is never truly on vacation — just the scenery around him changes — Obama will be briefed regularly on the full range of issues, including the al-Qaida terror threat that led the government to shutter nearly two dozen embassies and consulates in the Middle East and North Africa, said White House press secretary Jay Carney.

Beyond that, Obama will play golf, hit the beach, dine out, relax with his family and read something other than a White House briefing book. He engaged in all those activities and more during his earlier presidential vacations on the island.

"The president very much looks forward to being able to spend a few days with his family," Carney said. "It also remains the case that wherever he is, he's president of the United States and will be dedicating a portion of his day to being briefed and working on all the issues that are on the table in front of him."

Obama vacationed on Martha's Vineyard in 2009, 2010 and 2011, and before he became president. But Obama, who is a millionaire thanks to sales of his best-selling books, skipped the island during last year's presidential campaign, most likely to avoid perceptions of elitism at the same time he was casting himself as a champion of the middle class in the heated contest against Republican Mitt Romney, who is a millionaire many times over.

But public perception is less important when you don't ever have to face voters again. Obama doesn't, and it's a point he's been making lately in speeches.

After arriving Saturday at the Coast Guard station on Cape Cod, Mass., Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, who also is addressing injured veterans in Florida, will transfer to a helicopter for the short hop to the island.

The president, the first lady and daughters Malia and Sasha will again camp out in tony Chilmark, an area on the island's western tip that is dotted with expansive, multimillion-dollar homes. Its famous residents include actors Ted Danson and his wife, Mary Steenburgen, and Michael J. Fox, singer Carly Simon and Washington power broker Vernon Jordan.

The Obamas were forced into new vacation digs after the 28-acre Blue Heron Farm, where they spent previous vacations, was sold, and because the new place is closer to public roads, some residents are upset over Secret Service plans to ban vehicular traffic along a portion of a road that runs near the property.

"My response to this is we've had the president come to our town three times and it's been very cordial and there's been very little disruption and we love to have him," said Chilmark Selectman Warren Doty, according to a report on the website of the Vineyard Gazette. "This would change that approach ... and be very disruptive."

The town also emailed residents this week, saying "anyone aggrieved by this closing should email or call the White House."

Doty did not return a telephone message left at his office by The Associated Press.

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said the agency works closely with state and local law enforcement agencies to have as little impact as possible on traffic and to keep any necessary street closures as brief as possible.

Obama's new vacation place — the main house has four bedrooms and a guesthouse has two more — is owned by David Schulte, a Chicago-based corporate restructuring specialist and friend of the president. Schulte confirmed the rental in an email to the AP. A local real estate agent handled the transaction.

Schulte donated $2,000 to Obama's re-election campaign, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

His 5,000-square-foot, contemporary-style home sits on 9 1/2 acres overlooking Chilmark Pond and the Atlantic Ocean, according to the Vineyard Gazette. The private master suite has a den, porch, outdoor shower, his and her bathrooms and access to a gym. The house has an open floor plan with views of the ocean and the pond from the living and dining rooms and the kitchen. It also has a small basketball court, the newspaper reported.

Since becoming president in 2009, Obama has taken 14 vacation trips spanning all or part of 92 days, according to CBS News White House reporter Mark Knoller, who tracks presidential travel. The figures do not include visits to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.

A woman was attacked in South Boston as she entered an elevator.

Boston police released this sketch of the man suspected of attacking a woman in South Boston Thursday.BPD 

The Boston Herald is reporting that the 34-year-old woman entered a freight elevator at the rear of the building to find the assailant in the elevator. He grabbed her as she entered Building management said an entrance door to the elevator must have been left open, allowing the suspect to enter unseen.

The man grabbed the woman by the neck and wrist, but she was able to shake him off and run to call authorities. The man remains at large.

The attack comes less than a month after the attack of three women in South Boston. In one of those attacks, Amy Lord, a Wilbraham native, was beaten, robbed and then stabbed to death.

Edwin Alemany, 28, of Boston has been charged with the slaying, along with two other attacks on South Boston women. He is being evaluated at Bridgewater State Hospital in Bridgewater.

The assailant in Thursday's attack is described as a white male in his 20s, approximately five-foot, six-inches tall with light brown, short hair, and a very red face. Police speculate the the man may have had a sunburn.

Boston Police released a sketch of the suspect.

A Lynn man recorded a sexual encounter with his cell phone, and threatened to post it on Facebook.

(Photo courtesy of Lynn Police Department's Facebook page) 

Bryan C. Rauscher, 29, of Union Street in Lynn was released on $2,500 bail after he entered pleas of not guilty to charges of photographing an unsuspecting nude person, carrying a dangerous weapon, a folding knife, and on an outstanding warrant during court Tuesday.

The Lynn Daily Item reports that the woman had no idea that she was being video recorded when she had sex with Rauscher, and was angry when he told her later. She told authorities that he threatened to post the video for all her friends to see.

But Rauscher's attorney disagreed, telling the court that the woman was using the tape to get back at Rauscher because he was not willing to commit to a relationship with her.

Lynn Police confiscated two cell phones Rauscher had when he was arrested and held them as evidence. He is due back in court Sept. 5.

Police arrested a 22-year-old Shaw Street woman after she allegedly slashed her boyfriend in the arm with a knife.

These were the most read stories on MassLive.com yesterday. If you missed any of them, click on the links below to read them now. The most viewed item overall, however, was Neil Hawley's photo gallery of the Ana Popovic concert at Stearns Square, above.

1) Obituaries today: Amanda Laflamme was assistant speech pathologist for Springfield Public Schools [The Republican]

2) Former Sen. Scott Brown's brother Bruce arrested in Connecticut for allegedly impersonating a police officer, commandeering a boat [Robert Rizzuto]

3) East Longmeadow police arrest 22-year-old Megan Pezzetta after she allegedly slashed boyfriend in the arm with knife [George Graham]

4) Autopsy on snake-killed Canadian boys confirms asphyxiation [Dave Canton]

5) Fuel mix-up at F.L. Roberts Sunoco station in West Springfield fouls dozen vehicles; company picks up cost of repairs [Patrick Johnson]

ShotSpotter activations indicate gunfire in the city, but no one hurt.

 

Capt. Trent Duda confirmed that the ShotSpotter system indicated four rounds were fired at approximately 1:10 a.m. near 14 Revere St., and police found several spent shell casings for .223 Remington or 5.56mm military cartridges. The 5.56mm round is used predominently in military-styled weapons, such as the Bushmaster civilian version of the M-16 military assault rifle. The Bushmaster fires the same high velocity cartridge, but is capable of semi-automatic operation. The Bushmaster was used in the Newtown Sandy Hook School shooting.

Police said four rounds struck the home on Revere St.; two rounds hit a porch and two went through a window. There were no apparent injuries.

Police again found shell casings near 926 Worthington Street after the ShotSpotter system indicated gunfire. There were no reported injuries in that incident as well.

The ShotSpotter system uses a group of microphones set up around various parts of the city, and when gunfire is registered, a computer system triangulates the location of the shots. The system is reputed to be accurate to within a matter of several feet.

Bartley, son of the man of the same name who was formerly state House speaker and president of Holyoke Community College, sought the seat that Knapik eventually won in 1994.

HOLYOKE — City Councilor David K. Bartley, a Democrat, said Friday he is a candidate for the seat being vacated by state Sen. Michael R. Knapik, R-Westfield.

Michael Franco, a Holyoke Republican who has previously sought state seats, said he also took out nomination papers and is seriously considering a run for the seat.

Knapik resigned last Friday to become executive director of advancement at Westfield State University. He has been state senator of the 2nd Hampden-Hampshire District for 18 years.

"At this point, I have every intention of returning papers and putting my name on the ballot for the primary Oct. 8," Bartley said.

A special election will be held on Nov. 5 to elect a senator to complete Knapik's two-year term, which expires after 2014. That means another election will be held next year for the seat's regular term.

The primary election to choose party candidates for the special election is Oct. 8.

Bartley, 48, son of the man of the same name who was formerly state House speaker and president of Holyoke Community College, sought the seat that Knapik eventually won in 1994. Bartley is in his first term representing Ward 3 on the City Council.

Bartley becomes the second Democrat to confirm candidacy for the seat after Easthampton Mayor Michael Tautznik said this week he also will run.

State Rep. Aaron M. Vega, D-Holyoke, is considering a campaign to be state senator and said he will announce his decision Monday.

Another Democrat considering a run for the seat is Christopher Hopewell, Holyoke Fire Commission chairman.

Other Democratic names also have been floated as candidates, but Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse and Chicopee Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette said they won't be among them.

Bartley said he knows Democratic Party officials hope to avoid a fight and unite behind a single Democratic candidate to seize the senate seat, and he believes he is best-suited to defeat state Rep. Donald F. Humason, R-Westfield, whom he called the likely GOP nominee.

"He's got behind him the voting block, the voting power of the city of Westfield, and the surrounding hill towns. I'll say this about Don Humason, he's a nice guy, but I'm a nice guy, too," Bartley said.

Franco, 50, is an investigator of state and local claims with the city Veterans Services Department.

"We pulled papers and we're still moving the ball forward, so there's also time to not run, to not file papers. But we're running a campaign right now," Franco said.

Franco has run for Governor's Council and state representative. He took out, but decided against returning, nomination papers to run for Holyoke's Ward 5 School Committee seat this year.

As for the prospect of facing Humason in the Republican primary election, Franco said, "A primary is a good thing."

Knapik was earning a $75,000 salary including a $15,000 bonus for being ranking Republican on the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

The district consists of Easthampton, Holyoke, Westfield, Agawam, Granville, Montgomery, Russell, Southwick and Tolland, Southampton and parts of Chicopee.

People lined both sides of the two-lane road as Obama's motorcade sped him away from where the Marine One helicopter landed in Edgartown to the six-bedroom home he is renting in Chilmark. Many people waved and snapped photographs; a few held signs opposing the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline that would run from Canada to the Gulf Coast if approved by the Obama administration.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive at the Cape Cod Coast Guard Station in Bourne, Mass., Saturday, Aug. 10, 2013, en route to a family vacation on Martha's Vineyard.Associated Press 

DARLENE SUPERVILLE
Associated Press

EDGARTOWN — President Barack Obama opened the first summer vacation of his second term Saturday on Martha's Vineyard, trading Washington debates over the budget, government surveillance and his health care overhaul for a hoped-for carefree week filled with golf, beach outings and hanging-out time with family and friends.

Obama arrived on the coastal Massachusetts island after addressing the Disabled American Veterans national convention in Orlando, Fla.

As Air Force One flew north, Obama got into a vacation mindset by trading his suit and tie for more suitable attire: khakis and a blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves. First lady Michelle Obama, who introduced him at the convention, kept her yellow-and-white sundress but had switched from a pair of beige high heels into flats in the same color.

Daughters Malia and Sasha were reuniting with their parents later on, while family dog Bo caught the flight.

People lined both sides of the two-lane road as Obama's motorcade sped him away from where the Marine One helicopter landed in Edgartown to the six-bedroom home he is renting in Chilmark. Many people waved and snapped photographs; a few held signs opposing the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline that would run from Canada to the Gulf Coast if approved by the Obama administration.

Unlike his past vacations here as president, Obama has upset some residents with this particular visit. That's because the Secret Service, which guards the president, is banning vehicular traffic from part of a public road near Obama's rental home. Such a closure is a first for presidential vacations here, and it threatened to inconvenience residents of this island refuge for the wealthy and well-connected.

Although Obama planned no official public appearances during his nine days here, his motorcade will be seen whisking him from golf courses to beaches to restaurants.

Obama is due back in Washington a week from Sunday.

Since a president is never truly on vacation, Obama will receive regular briefings on national security and domestic issues, said White House press secretary Jay Carney. National security adviser Susan Rice and Rob Nabors, a deputy chief of staff, are among the small contingent of White House aides who will be with Obama during the vacation.

Beyond that, Obama will play golf, hit the beach, dine out, relax with his family, visit with friends and read more than just White House briefing books.

"I know he's looking forward very much to some down time with his family," Carney said Saturday. "I'm sure he'll see some friends."

Obama vacationed on Martha's Vineyard before he became president and after, in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

But Obama, who is a millionaire thanks to sales of his best-selling books, skipped the island during last year's presidential campaign, probably to avoid perceptions of elitism at the same time he was casting himself as a champion of the middle class in the heated campaign against Republican Mitt Romney, who is a millionaire many times over.

Public perception, however, is less important when you don't have to face voters again. Obama doesn't, and he's been making that point in speeches lately.

The president and his family will again camp out in Chilmark, an area on the island's western tip that is dotted with expansive, multimillion-dollar homes. Its famous residents include actors Ted Danson and his wife, Mary Steenburgen, and Michael J. Fox, singer Carly Simon and Washington power broker Vernon Jordan.

The Obamas were forced into new vacation digs after the 28-acre Blue Heron Farm, the secluded property they rented from 2009-2011, was sold. The new place is closer to public roads, a circumstance that led the Secret Service to decide to ban vehicular traffic nearby.

"My response to this is we've had the president come to our town three times and it's been very cordial and there's been very little disruption and we love to have him," said Chilmark Selectman Warren Doty, according to a report on the website of the Vineyard Gazette. "This would change that approach ... and be very disruptive."

The town also emailed residents this past week, saying "anyone aggrieved by this closing should email or call the White House."

Doty did not return a telephone message left at his office by The Associated Press.

Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said the agency works closely with state and local law enforcement agencies to have as little impact as possible on traffic and to keep any necessary street closures brief.

Obama's new vacation home — the main house has four bedrooms and a guesthouse has two more — is owned by David Schulte, a Chicago-based corporate restructuring specialist and friend of the president. Schulte donated $2,000 to Obama's re-election campaign, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Schulte confirmed the rental in an email to the AP. A local real estate agent handled the transaction.

The 5,000-square-foot, contemporary-style home sits on 9 1/2 acres overlooking Chilmark Pond and the Atlantic Ocean, according to the Vineyard Gazette. The private master suite has a den, porch, outdoor shower, his and her bathrooms and access to a gym. An open floor plan provides views of the ocean and pond from the living and dining rooms and the kitchen. The home also has a small basketball court, the newspaper reported.

Since becoming president in 2009, Obama has taken 14 vacation trips spanning all or part of 92 days, according to CBS News White House reporter Mark Knoller, who tracks presidential travel. At this same point in his presidency, George W. Bush had made 50 visits to his Texas ranch, covering all or part of 323 days. In addition, Bush also had taken seven trips to his family's compound in Maine, spending all or part of 26 days there.

The figures do not include visits to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.