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Republican National Committee arriving in Boston

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The Republican National Committee is arriving in Boston for its summer meeting.


BOSTON (AP) — The Republican National Committee is arriving in Boston for its summer meeting.

Among the headliners for the three-day event starting Wednesday is New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who will host a Thursday lunch for meeting-goers.

Republicans are trying to regroup after losing a second presidential election last year.

Organizers say the theme of the meeting is "Making It Happen." They say a portion of the gathering will be devoted to updating members on new political and technology initiatives.

The choice of Boston is interesting for the party.

There are no Republican statewide officeholders. The state's entire congressional delegation is Democratic. And in the state Legislature, Republicans hold small minorities in both the Massachusetts House and Senate.

The meeting runs through Friday at the Westin Boston Waterfront hotel.


Waltham man, owner of massage parlors in Wichita, seeks release from jail

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The owner of Asian massage parlors in Wichita has asked a federal judge to release him from prison while awaiting trial on charges of recruiting women and coercing them into prostitution.


WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The owner of Asian massage parlors in Wichita has asked a federal judge to release him from prison while awaiting trial on charges of recruiting women and coercing them into prostitution.

A magistrate judge earlier this month ordered the continued detention of 44-year-old Gary H. Kidgell, of Waltham, Mass., ruling he was a flight risk and a danger to the community.

U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren scheduled a hearing Wednesday in Wichita to review that order.

A six-count indictment charges Kidgell; 49-year-old Yan Zhang, of Wichita; and 42-year-old employee Xiuqing Tian, of Framingham, Mass., with taking part in a conspiracy from 2009 to 2011.

Court documents accuse them of sharing resources to operate nine massage parlors in Wichita.

Cooley Dickinson Hospital spokeswoman: Nurse arrested for alleged ER assault 'is not currently providing patient care' at Northampton hospital

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Christina Trinchero, a spokeswoman for the Northampton hospital, said hospital officials are cooperating with police and "actively investigating this incident."

NORTHAMPTON — A spokeswoman for Cooley Dickinson Hospital said a nurse charged with assaulting a patient last week is barred from caring for patients while an investigation is underway to determine if further action should be taken against Steven Coughlin.

"The employee involved in this incident is not currently providing patient care at Cooley Dickinson Hospital," spokeswoman Christina Trinchero said of Coughlin, who was arrested by Northampton police on Aug. 8 for allegedly assaulting a patient in the emergency room.

"We are cooperating with the police and providing information about this incident to all appropriate agencies and will work with such agencies in determining the next appropriate actions on our part relative to this incident," Trinchero said.

Coughlin was taken into custody by police at the Locust Street hospital, though Cooley Dickinson officials so far have released few details about the alleged assault. "An incident occurred in Cooley Dickinson Hospital's Emergency Department Thursday night, which due to patient privacy concerns we are unable to discuss in detail," Trinchero said.

The spokeswoman said hospital officials have reached out to the patient to ensure that his health care needs are being met. "We are actively investigating this incident and will provide more information as we learn more about what occurred," Trinchero said.

When officers arrived at the hospital, they found an injured Easthampton man who claimed he was assaulted by Coughlin. The 28-year-old nurse from Florence was released without bail after denying an assault-and-battery charge at his arraignment Friday in Northampton District Court. He is due back in court for a Sept. 11 pretrial hearing.

Although the injured man was a patient at the hospital, the initial call was logged in police records a "trespassing/unwanted guest" report.

Ludlow School Committee to take up issue of international travel for middle school students

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The issue will be taken up at the Sept. 10 School Committee meeting.

LUDLOW — At its first meeting in September, the School Committee will take up the issue of whether to authorize an international travel trip proposed for middle school students.

Last spring, Baird Middle School social studies teacher Anna Baboval, adviser of the travel club for Baird Middle School, had asked the School Committee for approval of a proposed nine-day educational tour of Costa Rica.

After some members voiced concerns about the location and the concept of international travel for middle school students, the travel club abandoned plans for the Costa Rica trip.

The travel club now is proposing to replace the trip with a four-day excursion to Quebec, Canada.

The cost of the four-day Quebec trip is $955 per person, compared to $2,400 for the Costa Rica trip.

The Baird Middle School Travel Club members have taken one trip so far - to Washington, D.C.

School Committee member Jacob Oliveira said he is ready to approve the Quebec trip.

He said he supports the concept of expanded educational travel opportunities for middle school students, including international travel so long as the trips can be made affordable with fund-raising opportunities.

Some educators say middle school students are easier to keep safe on a trip than high school students since middle school students are kept under very close supervision by chaperones, Oliveira said.

Oliveira said there are some School Committee members who still have concerns about approving international trips.

Oliveira said he has agreed to serve on a subcommittee with School Committee member Michael Kelliher to review the rules of international travel trips.

Oliveira said he hopes to alleviate the concerns of the School Committee regarding safety “to move this forward” and expand educational opportunity for Ludlow students.

He said he believes the issue will be discussed at the Sept. 10 School Committee meeting.


Westover Air Reserve Base receives 'excellent' score in inspection of 439th Airlift Wing operations

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The inspection report was not released for security purposes, but the executive summary revealed it is rare for a base to receive an overall excellent report and so many accolades for individual operations.

CHICOPEE — Westover Air Reserve Base received an overall score of "excellent" in an intensive review of all of the 439th Airlift Wing’s operations.

The full-base inspection was done by a team of 55 examiners from Air Force Reserve Command at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia from Aug. 8 through Aug. 12. When inspectors left on Monday they told Westover officials they passed with flying colors.

“The inspection team went through the base with a fine-tooth comb inspecting every unit and they determined that the wing’s processes and operations are excellent,” said Col. Steven Vautrain, base commander.

The inspection report was not released for security purposes, but the executive summary revealed it is rare for a base to receive an overall excellent report and so many accolades for individual operations.

Eleven units, which collectively have 76 members, were highlighted as “superior,” said Lt. Col. James Bishop, chief of public affairs for the base.

“This is the longest list of superior performers we’ve ever seen,” Gen. John Mooney, who led the inspection team, said in the summary.

The team found some deficiencies as well, most of which have already been corrected, Bishop said.

Specifics on what the base was doing well and what corrections were needed were not released to protect the security of the base, he said.

The Air Force inspects bases every four to five years. Before the team comes to do the physical inspection, every unit on base, ranging from medical and aircraft maintenance to finance and civil engineering, went through a long preparation period, Bishop said.

The communications department alone had a 70-item list of questions to address, and a document had to be attached for each answer. The units also ran through a variety of self-inspections, he said.

The inspection team then audited everything on base by overseeing day-to-day processes, interviewing wing members and reviewing paperwork. On the final day the base conducted an emergency drill so the inspection team could see how base personnel performed, Bishop said.

The inspection was done at a time when nearly all employees are being furloughed one day a week for 11 weeks because of federal budget cuts. Department of Defense cuts are also calling for eight of the 16 C-5B Galaxy planes to be sent to Texas in 2016, a plan area politicians are trying to fight.


Randolph woman dies after crashing car through fence into condo swimming pool

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Neighbors said the woman was a longtime resident who recently sold her condo and planned to move to Florida.

RANDOLPH — Police say a Randolph woman has died after crashing her car through a fence into a condo swimming pool.

The accident at Castle Village Estates on Highland Glen Road happened about 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Police Chief William Pace tells The Boston Globe a bystander and a police officer removed the 58-year-old woman from the water. She was given CPR and taken to a hospital.

Vito Martello of West Newbury, a visitor, tells The Patriot Ledger he was sitting poolside when the car "came barreling in." Martello said he tried to rescue her through an open driver's side window, but was blocked by the deployed air bag. He said he pulled her out on the passenger side as help arrived.

Neighbors said the woman was a longtime resident who recently sold her condo and planned to move to Florida.


Sturbridge police charge 2 Worcester residents with house break

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The suspects were stopped by police 3 miles away in a car that matched the description of one seen leaving the scene of the break-in.

STURBRIDGE – Two Worcester residents were arrested and charged in connection with a house break on Leadmine Road Tuesday after they were seen speeding away from the house where an alarm was sounding.

Arrested were driver Aimee Mathews, 31, of 179 Gates Lane, Worcester, and Heriberto Muniz, 35, of 31 Oread St., Worcester.

Muniz was charged with breaking and entering in the daytime, larceny of more than $250, conspiracy, defacement of property and receiving stolen property of more than $250.

Mathews was charged with breaking and entering in the daytime for a felony, conspiracy, receiving stolen property over $250, and obstruction of justice.

According to police, the department was notified of an activated burglar alarm to a residence on Leadmine Road just before 1:30 p.m. A caller also reported witnessing a man wearing dark clothing and a baseball hat running from the house and jump into a car that sped away.

A short time later, officers Jeffrey Forcier and Joseph Lombardi and Sgt. Earl Dessert stopped a car about 3 miles away on Stallion Hill near Route 20 that matched the description of the car seen on Leadmine Road.

Mathews and Muniz were scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Dudley District Court, but information on the arraignment was not available.

Egypt: Hundreds reported killed as riot police smash protests in nation's bloodiest day since Arab Spring began

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The crackdown drew widespread condemnation from the Muslim world and the West, including the U.S., and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei resigned as the interim vice president in protest.

By HAMZA HENDAWI
and MAGGIE MICHAEL

CAIRO — In Egypt's bloodiest day since the Arab Spring began, riot police Wednesday smashed two protest camps of supporters of the deposed Islamist president, touching off street violence that officials said killed nearly 300 people and forced the military-backed interim leaders to impose a state of emergency and curfew.

The crackdown drew widespread condemnation from the Muslim world and the West, including the U.S., and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei resigned as the interim vice president in protest — a blow to the new leadership's credibility with the pro-reform movement.

"Today was a difficult day," interim Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi said in a televised address to the nation. While he regretted the bloodshed, he offered no apologies for moving against the supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, saying they were given ample warnings to leave and he had tried foreign mediation efforts.

The leaders of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood called it a "massacre." Several of them were detained as police swept through the two sit-in sites, scores of other Islamists were taken into custody, and the future of the once-banned movement was uncertain.

Backed by helicopters, police fired tear gas and used armored bulldozers to plow into the barricades at the two protest camps in different sections of Cairo where the Morsi supporters had been camped since before he was ousted by the military July 3.

Army troops did not take part in the two operations, which began shortly after 7 a.m. (0500 GMT — 1 a.m. EDT), although they provided security at the locations.

The smaller camp — near Cairo University in Giza — was cleared of protesters relatively quickly, most taking refuge in the nearby Orman botanical gardens, on the campus of Cairo University and the zoo.

But it took about 12 hours for police to take control of the main sit-in site near the Rabaah al-Adawiya Mosque in Nasr City that has served as the epicenter of the pro-Morsi campaign and had drawn chanting throngs of men, women and children only days earlier.

After the police moved on the camps, street battles broke out in Cairo and other cities across Egypt. Government buildings and police stations were attacked, roads were blocked, and Christian churches were torched, Interior Minister Mohammed Ibrahim said.

At one point, protesters trapped a police Humvee on an overpass near the Nasr City camp and pushed it off, according to images posted on social networking sites that showed an injured policeman on the ground below, near a pool of blood and the overturned vehicle.

The Health Ministry said 235 civilians were killed and more than 2,000 injured, while Ibrahim said 43 policemen died in the violence. The death toll was expected to rise.

Three journalists were among the dead: Mick Deane, 61, a cameraman for British broadcaster Sky News; Habiba Ahmed Abd Elaziz, 26, a reporter for the Gulf News, a state-backed newspaper in the United Arab Emirates; and Ahmed Abdel Gawad, who wrote for Egypt's state-run newspaper Al Akhbar. Deane and Elaziz were shot to death, their employers said, while the Egyptian Press Syndicate, a journalists' union, said it had no information on how Gawad was killed.

081413 egypt clash.JPG08.14.2013 | CAIRO -- An Egyptian security force kicks a supporter of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi as they clear a sit-in camp set up near Cairo University in Cairo's Giza district. Egyptian police in riot gear swept in with armored vehicles and bulldozers Wednesday to clear the sit-in camp and the other encampment set up by supporters of the country's ousted Islamist president in Cairo, showering protesters with tear gas as the sound of gunfire rang out.  

For much of the afternoon, thousands of Morsi supporters chanting "God is great!" tried to join those besieged by the security forces inside the Nasr City camp. They were driven away when police fired tear gas.

Smoke clogged the sky above Cairo and fires smoldered on the streets, which were lined with charred poles and tarps after several tents were burned.

The Great Pyramids just west of Cairo were closed to visitors for the day together with the Egyptian museum in the heart of the city. The Central Bank instructed commercial banks to close branches in areas affected by the chaos.

"Egypt has never witnessed such genocide," Brotherhood spokesman Ahmed Aref told The Associated Press from the larger of the two protest camps before it was cleared.

The pro-Morsi Anti-Coup alliance alleged security forces used live ammunition, but the Interior Ministry, which is in charge of the police, said its forces only used tear gas and that they came under fire from the camp.

Police dismantled the main stage near the mosque in the eastern Cairo district of Nasr City, the official MENA news agency said. An AP reporter saw hundreds of protesters leaving the sit-in site carrying their personal belongings.

"I already wrote my will and gave my wife the number of my bank account and told her who owes us money and who we owe money to," said 28-year-old chemist Ahmed Shaker during a brief break in fighting with security forces at the Nasr City camp.

"If I have to die, I will die," said the father of one child carrying several bottles of beer he said he intended to use as firebombs.

Security officials said train services between northern and southern Egypt were suspended to prevent Morsi supporters from traveling to Cairo. Clashes erupted on two roads in the capital's upscale Mohandiseen district when Morsi supporters opened fire on passing cars and pedestrians. Police used tear gas to chase them away.

The security officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to media.

The government declared a monthlong nationwide state of emergency and imposed a nighttime curfew on Cairo, Alexandria on the Mediterranean and 12 other provinces where violence broke out following the simultaneous raids.

It also ordered the armed forces to support the police in restoring law and order and protect state facilities. Egypt was under emergency law for most of Mubarak's 29 years in power.

Despite the curfew, sporadic clashes continued in Cairo through the evening.

In the city of Assiut, south of Cairo, a police station was hit by two mortar shells Wednesday night fired by suspected Morsi supporters, according to officers there who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

Anger over Morsi's ouster already has led to an increase in Islamic militant violence in the northern half of the Sinai Peninsula that borders Israel and Gaza, and many fear growing anger over the crackdown and deaths of civilians could be exploited by extremists.

The turmoil was the latest chapter in a bitter standoff between Morsi's supporters and the interim leadership that took over the Arab world's most populous country. The military ousted Morsi after millions of Egyptians massed in the streets at the end of June to call for him to step down, accusing him of giving the Brotherhood undue influence and failing to implement vital reforms or bolster the ailing economy.

081413-egypt.JPG08.14.2013 | CAIRO -- Supporters of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi capture an Egyptian security forces vehicle at the Ministry of Finance. Egyptian police in riot gear swept in with armored vehicles and bulldozers Wednesday to clear the sit-in camp and the other encampment set up by supporters of the country's ousted Islamist president in Cairo, showering protesters with tear gas as the sound of gunfire rang out. 

Several senior leaders of the Brotherhood who were wanted by police were detained after the camps were stormed, according to security officials and state television. Among those seized were Brotherhood leaders Mohammed el-Beltagy and Essam el-Erian, and hard-line cleric Safwat Hegazy — all wanted by prosecutors to answer allegations of inciting violence and conspiring to kill anti-Morsi protesters.

Morsi himself has been held at an undisclosed location. Other Brotherhood leaders have been charged with inciting violence or conspiring in the killing of protesters.

A security official said 200 protesters were arrested at both camps. Several men could be seen walking with their hands up as they were led away by black-clad police.

Islam Tawfiq, a Brotherhood member at the Nasr City sit-in, said the camp's medical center was filled with dead and that the injured included children.

"No one can leave and those who do are either arrested or beaten up," he told AP.

The Muslim Brotherhood's political arm claimed that more than 500 protesters were killed and some 9,000 wounded in the two camps, but those figures could not be confirmed and nothing in the video from AP or local TV networks suggested such a high death toll.

The Brotherhood has spent most of the 85 years since its creation as an outlawed group or enduring crackdowns by successive governments. The latest developments could provide authorities with the grounds to once again declare it an illegal group and consign it to the political wilderness.

In his televised address, el-Beblawi said the government could not indefinitely tolerate a challenge to authority that the 6-week-old protests represented.

"We want to see a civilian state in Egypt, not a military state and not a religious state," he said.

But the resignation of ElBaradei, the former head of the U.N. nuclear agency and a figure widely respected by Western governments, was the first crack to emerge in the government as a result of the violence.

ElBaradei had made it clear in recent weeks that he was against the use of force to end the protests. At least 250 people have died in previous clashes since the coup that ousted Morsi, Egypt's first freely elected president.

On Wednesday, his letter of resignation to interim President Adly Mansour carried an ominous message to a nation already torn by more than two years of turmoil.

"It has become difficult for me to continue to take responsibility for decisions I disapprove of, and I fear their consequences," he said in the letter that was emailed to the AP. "I cannot take responsibility before God, my conscience and country for a single drop of blood, especially because I know it was possible to spare it.

"I regret that those who benefited today are the proponents of violence, terror and the more extreme groups, and you will remember my words to you," ElBaradei added.

The National Salvation front, the main opposition grouping that he headed during Morsi's year in office, said it regretted his departure and complained that it was not consulted beforehand.

Tamarod, the youth group behind the mass anti-Morsi protests that preceded the coup, said ElBaradei was dodging his responsibility at a time when his services were needed.

Sheik Ahmed el-Tayeb, the powerful head of Al-Azhar mosque, Sunni Islam's main seat of learning, also sought to distance himself from the violence. He said in a statement he had no prior knowledge of the action.

The violence drew condemnation from other predominantly Muslim countries, but also from the West, with Secretary of State John Kerry saying it had dealt a "serious blow" to Egypt's political reconciliation efforts.

Kerry gave a stern warning to Egypt's leaders.

"This is a pivotal moment for all Egyptians," said Kerry, who spoke by phone with the foreign minister. "The path toward violence leads only to greater instability, economic disaster and suffering."

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office called it "a serious blow to the hopes of a return to democracy," while Iran warned that the violence "strengthens the possibility of civil war." Erdogan, an Islamist, was one of Morsi's main foreign backers.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, who also condemned the violence, called for "a genuine transition to a genuine democracy. That means compromise from all sides — the President Morsi supporters but also the military."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged all Egyptians to focus on reconciliation, while European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said dialogue should be encouraged through "peaceful protest, protecting all citizens and enabling full political participation."

Associated Press reporters Tony G. Gabriel in Cairo, Mamdouh Thabet in Assiut, Egypt, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.



Rachel Little of Monson participates in FEMA's Youth Preparedness Council

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This was Rachel Little's 2nd year participating in the council.

MONSON — For the second year in a row, Rachel A. Little visited Washington, D.C., this summer to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Youth Preparedness Council, an initiative that started last year.

The Monson High School junior said it was "a rewarding and exciting experience." She is one of 14 members on the council, representing nine regions of the country.

She had to apply and become a part of the council. In addition to learning more about what the federal agency does and how to deal with disasters, the teens make a commitment to complete a youth preparedness project and to stay in touch throughout the year about their initiatives.

rachel little.JPGRachel A. Little of Monson 

Rachel also helped update an outdated curriculum on emergency planning for fourth- and fifth-graders - Student Tools for Emergency Planning (STEP).

Her next challenge will be a new project that focuses on being prepared for emergencies. Last year, she collected donations for victims of Hurricane Sandy, and attempted to get a teen CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) off the ground in Monson, but it proved too difficult.

Now that she is 16, she can do the training for the CERT team herself, something that was an obstacle last year. She is not sure if she will continue with the effort to get the CERT team established, and is looking at possibly forming a junior Medical Reserve Corps instead.

She already is part of the local Medical Reserve Corps. Last year she also got a piece published on the FEMA website about the importance of preparing for severe weather.

Though Rachel and her family were not directly affected by the tornado that struck Monson on June 1, 2011, she said a close family friend was, and that motivated her to join volunteer efforts. She became the youngest member of the street angel team, going door-to-door to help residents in need.

"I enjoyed working with them very much," Rachel said.

Karen C. King, founder of the street angels, had this to say about Rachel: "Rachel is a great role model for her peers and youth from all over. She epitomizes what volunteerism is all about and she will have a bright future. Thanks to young people like Rachel we can be proud of what youth volunteers provide to communities including Monson and those towns in need across the country."

Rachel hopes that she can make a career out of helping people, and being a first responder to disasters.

"I love doing this stuff, the preparedness aspect of everything," Rachel said.

The honor student said she enjoyed meeting the head of FEMA, W. Craig Fugate, whom she described as a "motivational guy."

The Youth Preparedness Council was formed last year to bring together youth leaders from across the country that are interested in making a difference in their communities, according to FEMA's website.


Holyoke sets record with $1.2 million seized from delinquent property owners

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Fees for outside lawyers who worked on the tax cases were paid from money collected in back taxes.

HOYOKE -- More than $1.2 million was collected in delinquent taxes from property owners in the previous fiscal year to set a city record, Treasurer Jon D. Lumbra said.

"We got more aggressive. We got outside counsel to assist us," Lumbra said Wednesday.

Between June 30, 2012 and July 1 of this year, the city seized $1,208,499 in delinquent taxes, fees and charges from 30 owners who by paying avoided losing their properties, he said.

The previous record seized was $745,464 in fiscal year 2004, he said.

The city hired the law firm of Siddall & Siddall of Springfield, which specializes in state Land Court cases. A benefit is that while the city paid the lawyers $75,000, the money is recouped by adding it to the fees that must be paid by the delinquent property owners, he said.

The $1.2 million will be included in the state Department of Revenue calculations that will determine how much of a free cash fund will be available to the city in the current fiscal year. That determination usually is announced in September, he said.

"At a time with such financial restraints within the city budget, it’s important that we do everything we can to collect these funds before asking those taxpayers that pay on time to increase their burden," Lumbra said

The collection of back taxes is an effort by the city to be aggressive, said Mayor Alex B. Morse, who noted the city also held the first public auction of properties seized for nonpayment of taxes in April in nearly 40 years.

“Folks, taxpayers, should understand our ability to collect that money mitigates any tax increase, goes back into the general fund and into free cash, which we can reinvest in the community, which benefits everybody,” Morse said.

The amount of delinquent taxes collected in fiscal year 2011 was $381,377; fiscal year 2010, $231,413; fiscal year 2009, $317,233; fiscal year 2008, $290,134; fiscal year 2007, $492,351; fiscal year 2006, $223,587; fiscal year 2005, $210,793, and fiscal year 2004, $745,464.

New England Patriots dodge bullet with Tom Brady knee injury

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Brady went down and clutched his left leg after throwing a pass to wide receiver Aaron Dobson.

FOXBOROUGH – After an offseason that often seemed as if New England Patriots fans were trapped inside a nightmare, things got scarier as Tom Brady appeared to injure his left knee Wednesday afternoon.

Immediately visions of Bernard Pollard and the lost season of 2008 came rushing back to memory as The Franchise laid on the ground clutching his knee, the hopes of the 2013 being pushed further beneath him with each rocking motion.

But it appears the Patriots have avoided a new nightmare, as multiple reports state that Brady only suffered a sprain and could be back in action as early as Thursday.

Still, even though all the evidence suggested that Brady had only suffered a minor injury, that did little to deter a momentary period of hysteria from sweeping over New England and spreading so far as Las Vegas, which temporarily took all bets involving the Patriots off its books.

But after everything this team has endured this offseason, who could blame someone for expecting the worse?

Midway through a joint practice conducted with the Buccaneers, Tampa Bay defensive end Adrian Clayborn blocked Patriots left tackle Nate Solder into Brady's left side, causing the quarterback to fall to the turf after throwing a pass to Aaron Dobson. He immediately grasped his left knee and began rocking back and forth.

Brady left the field for a play, came back to complete three passes and then exited after consulting with coach Bill Belichick, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and head athletic trainer Jim Whalen. Brady appeared to be moving with a limp.

Clayborn fielded questions after practice, which came in at a fast and furious pace. After being pressed for an explanation, he finally exclaimed, "Is this an interview or an investigation?" He later explained that he bull-rushed Solder, pushing him back into Brady, which caused the quarterback to trip over his left tackle.

"You always got to stay away from the quarterback," Clayborn said. "But if you got a guy on his heels, my instinct is to keep going. That's what I did."

As for his part, Solder was at a loss for words.

"I'll have to see what exactly happened," he said. "That's a tough question to answer right now."

It did not appear that Brady was wearing the brace on his left knee that he's worn since tearing his ACL during the opening game of the 2008 season when then Kansas City Chiefs Pollard knocked him out of action, and instead appeared to have a thin sleeve pulled over his knee.

Brady completed 63 percent of his passes last season for 4,827 yards with 34 touchdowns and eight interceptions, leading the Patriots the AFC title game. He's started every game the last four seasons.

New England's top backup, Ryan Mallett, has only thrown four regular-season passes since being drafted in the third round of the 2011 draft. He completed 9 of 18 passes for 97 yards during Friday's preseason opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

In four preseason games last season, Mallett went 33 of 67 (49.2 percent) for 300 hundred yards with three touchdowns and one interception. After Tuesday's practice, Mallett said he would be ready if the team were forced to call on him for Friday night's game against the Bucs.

"You never know what's going to happen," he said. "People get rolled up on all the time."

Behind him, the Patriots also have Tim Tebow, signed as a free agent this offseason, at quarterback.

Tebow has experience as a starter and led the Denver Broncos to a playoff win over the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2011 season, but has served as the third-string quarterback during training camp. During Friday's game against the Eagles, he competed 4 of 12 passes and ran a number of read-option plays.

Over three seasons, Tebow has completed 47.9 percent of his passes for 2,422 yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He has also run 197 times for 989 yards (5 yards per carry).

Seeing either of those two guys for one night in August will likely be a welcome sight for any fans in attendance Friday night. But anything more would likely be treated as a haunting.

It appears, for now, that crisis has been averted.

Holyoke police get help from Allentown, Pennsylvania colleagues as home invasion suspect Timothy Oliver Barr II arrested

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Two men were accused of holding people in an apartment at gunoint and taking $160.

timothy barr.jpgTimothy Oliver Barr II, wanted by Holyoke police in connection with a home invasion in June, was arrested by police in Allentown, Pa., on Monday. 

HOLYOKE — A second man who police said was involved in a home invasion on Dwight Street in June has been caught in Allentown, Pa.

Timothy Oliver Barr II, 21, of Allentown, was arrested by police there Monday and was carrying a .40-caliber handgun, police said. Police had issued a bulletin about Barr, Holyoke Lt. James Albert said Wednesday.

"We had great cooperation with the Allentown police," Albert said.

Barr was being held by the Lehigh County Department of Corrections. The office of Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni was working to bring Barr here to face a charge of committing a home invasion while armed with a handgun, Albert said.

Norwood Thomas, 31, of Bethlehem, Pa., was arrested on June 18 at a rental car agency in Allentown on charges related to the home invasion.

Two men fled 1037 Dwight St. on the afternoon of June 16 after holding occupants of the apartment at gunpoint and taking $160. They knocked on the apartment door and forced their way in. No injuries were reported, police said.


Springfield police respond to Maple Street shooting incident; 1 person reportedly in custody

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Details of the incident were still emerging, but authorities said at least one suspect was in custody in connection with a gunfire report in the vicinity of the 200 block of Maple Street.

maple street shooting.jpgSpringfield police officers swarmed the 200 block of Maple Street in the vicinity of Ames Hill Drive, where a shooting suspect was reportedly taken into custody. 

SPRINGFIELD — City police swarmed the 200 block of Maple Street shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday for a shooting report that apparently resulted in the arrest of at least one suspect, according to initial reports from the scene.

Springfield Police Sgt. William Andrews, a ranking shift commander, could not immediately confirm details of the gunfire report. He said more information would likely be available later today.

Multiple police cruisers responded to the vicinity of Maple Street and Ames Hill Drive for a 1:57 a.m. ShotSpotter activation indicating a single gunshot had been fired in that area. "We got one under here," an officer at the scene reported, referring to a possible suspect in custody.

More details will be posted on MassLive.com as they become available.


MAP showing area of Springfield where police responded to a shooting report early Thursday:


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Springfield firefighters respond to structure fire at corner of Allendale and Chestnut streets in city's North End

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Initial reports indicated the fire may have broken out in an abandoned home near the corner of Allendale and Chestnut streets.

SPRINGFIELD — Firefighters responded to a structure fire at the corner of Allendale and Chestnut streets at about 2:40 a.m. Thursday in the city's North End.

The structure was "fully engulfed" when firefighters arrived, according to an official at the scene. "It's going pretty good," he said.

Police were blocking off sections of Chestnut Street in the vicinity of 52 Allendale St. Initial reports from the scene indicated the fire may have broken out in an abandoned house, but that could not immediately be verified with officials.

The North End has suffered a rash of fires this year, some of which have been deemed suspicious by officials. No immediate information was available about what may have caused the neighborhood's latest blaze.


This is s a developing story. More details will be posted on MassLive.com as they become available.
MAP showing area of fire in Springfield's North End:


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Yesterday's top stories: New Boston Celtics coach writes letter to all former players; Springfield resident dies in Sixteen Acres fire; and more

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'The Bachelor' contestant Gia Allemand died at the age of 29.

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) Head coach Brad Stevens writes letter to all former Boston Celtics, according to Kenny Anderson [By Jay King]

2) Massachusetts State Police: Please report things like these kids hitching a highway ride on a tractor trailer [By The Republican Newsroom]

3) Springfield resident Dorothy Lee killed in Sixteen Acres house fire on Tumbleweed Road [By Conor Berry]

4) 'Bachelor' contestant Gia Allemand dead at 29 [By Ray Kelly]

5) Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno urges State Department to stop influx of refugees into city [By Peter Goonan]

Photos: A slideshow of photos from a youth music camp sponsored by Hard Rock Hotel & Casino New England at West Springfield High School.



Springfield Fire Department: Abandonded Chestnut Street building destroyed in suspicious fire in city's North End

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The building at 532-534 Chestnut St. was a "total loss," Springfield Fire Department Public Information Officer Dennis Leger said. There were no reported injuries.

Updates breaking post published at 2:55 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 15.


SPRINGFIELD A large abandoned building at the corner of Chestnut and Allendale streets was destroyed in a suspicious fire reported around 2:40 a.m. Thursday in the city's North End.

Springfield Fire Department Public Information Officer Dennis G. Leger said the blaze was "definitely" suspicious, noting that the 3-story wood-frame structure at 532-534 Chestnut St. had been unoccupied for some time.

"It's a total loss," he said, adding that there were no reported injuries.

fire north end 2.jpgThe fire totaled 532-534 Chestnut St., a large abandoned building at the corner of Chestnut and Allendale streets, and caused an estimated $40,000 in heat-related damage to four nearby buildings, Springfield Fire Department Public Information Officer Dennis Leger said. 

Leger said four other nearby buildings – three on Allendale Street and one on Chestnut Street – sustained a combined $40,000 in heat-related damage, mostly to siding and windows.

The cause of the fire at 532-534 Chestnut St. is under investigation. The building, located directly across from Chestnut Market and only yards from the abandoned Chestnut Junior High School, has been "vacant for awhile," Leger said.

Crews attacked the fire from at least three vantage points, training hoses on the burning structure from the south, north and west. Thick, billowing smoke rose high into the sky as firefighters blasted water at the white building, which gradually blackened as it became charred by flames.

City police blocked off a several-block radius around the fire site.

The North End has had a rash of fires over roughly the past year , some of which have been deemed suspicious by officials.


MAP showing fire location in city's North End:


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Sinkhole due to collapsing culvert prompts Granby Highway Department to close section of Pleasant Street

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The Highway Department will be working at the site today.

GRANBY -- A sinkhole in the area of 39 Pleasant St. has prompted the Highway Department to close the roadway from Route 202 to High Street while repairs are made.

Residents in the area are allowed to travel from Route 202 to Hilltop Acres and from High Street to The Children’s First School. Detours have been posted.

The sinkhole has been created by a collapsing culvert, which is being replaced by the Highway Department. Police said the Highway Department will be working at the site today.

Information on when the roadway might be reopened was not immediately available.


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Springfield firefighters battle blaze at condemned apartment building in city's North End

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The building, at 2612-2616 Main St., was condemned in February of 2013 and tenants were given a two-week window to move out.

SPRINGFIELD -- Firefighters are at the scene of a Thursday morning fire in a North End apartment building that was condemned earlier this year.

The fire was reported at the corner of Arch and Main streets around 8:15 p.m., and a large column of black smoke was visible from the offices of The Republican.

The building, at 2612-2616 Main St., was condemned in February of 2013 and tenants were given a two-week window to move out.

“This building needs to be shut down for all your safety and the safety of the neighborhood,” Western District Housing Court Judge Robert G. Fields told the tenants at the time.

The building's problems included electrical problems that created a safety hazard, inadequate smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, water leaks throughout the building and likely mold, insufficient lighting outside, trash and litter, and illegal activity, city officials said.

The blaze marks the second fire in a vacant North End building in just under 6 hours. Firefighters responded around 2:40 a.m. Thursday to a fire in a vacant house at the corner of Allendale and Chestnut streets.

Fire officials have called that blaze suspicious.


This is a developing story. Details will be added as our reporting continues.

Springfield police arrest suspect on gun charges in connection with Maple Street shooting incident

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Carlos Martinez, 27, of 72 Patton St., Springfield, was charged with multiple offenses, including gun and drug charges, after a ShotSpotter activation on Maple Street, Springfield Police Lt. Henry Gagnon said.

maple street shooting 2.jpgSpringfield police officers converged on Maple Street across from Ames Hill Drive early Thursday for a shooting incident that resulted in gun and other charges for 27-yer-old Carlos Martinez, a resident of the city's North End. 

Updates story posted at 2:50 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 15.

SPRINGFIELD — City police arrested a North End resident following a crosstown shooting near a Maple Street school early Thursday morning.

Officers responded to a 1:57 a.m. ShotSpotter activation near the corner of Maple Street and Ames Hill Drive, where they found 27-year-old Carlos Martinez of 72 Patton St. and charged him with a slew of gun crimes including illegal firearm possession and shooting a weapon within 500 feet of a building.

Springfield Police Lt. Henry Gagnon said officers spotted Martinez toss a .22-caliber handgun onto the lawn of 270 Maple St., just across from Commonwealth Academy, an independent day and boarding school at the site of the former MacDuffie School.

Investigators said they found a .22-caliber shell casing on Maple Street that matched the weapon Martinez allegedly tossed onto the lawn.

Gagnon said officers discovered the suspect hiding behind 270 Maple St., where he was taken into custody after a fight and charged in connection with the shooting. The lieutenant said it was unclear if Martinez had a target in mind when he fired the weapon. There were no reports of anyone showing up at city hospitals with a gunshot wound, he said.

Officers who responded to the incident swarmed Maple Street near Ames Hill Drive, partially blocking the road with their cruisers. An officer was heard on a police radio saying "we got one under (arrest)" just moments after gunfire was reported in the area.

Martinez has a criminal record, according to police. He was expected to be arraigned later today in Springfield District Court on seven charges, including the weapons offenses and possession of a Class B drug with intent to distribute, among others.


MAP showing area of Springfield where police responded to a shooting report early Thursday:


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Yesterday's top stories: Jerry Remy's son Jared charged with fatally stabbing girlfriend; Ludlow police face drug-related arrest of colleague; and more

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Springfield police said a cab driver was robbed at gunpoint in the Forest Park neighborhood.

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) Jerry Remy's son Jared charged with fatally stabbing girlfriend in Waltham [By The Associated Press]

2) Ludlow Acting Police Chief Pablo Madera on Lt. Thomas Foye's drug-related arrest: 'This is a traumatic event for our department' [By Suzanne McLaughlin]

3) U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren renews promise to voters on anniversary of first statewide campaign tour [By Robert Rizzuto]

4) Police investigate early morning armed robbery [By Dave Canton]

5) CVS pharmacy in Chicopee robbed at gunpoint; robber made off with pain killers [By Patrick Johnson]

Photos: A slideshow of the "Chocolate Baconana," Deep-fried strawberry shortcakes and other foods sampled Friday during a preview of the 2013 Big E featured fair foods.


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