The power deal will save an average Western Massachusetts Electric up to $1 a month of a bill of about $89 a month. WMECO has 200,000 customers.

SPRINGFIELD - Taking advantage of their combined bargaining power, Massachusetts utilities have signed long-term deals to buy wind power at a slightly lower price than conventionally generated power.

Also helping to bring down costs is the economies of larger wind projects, steadier winds in northern New England and better technology in the turbines. The lower costs will be passed on to customers.

"I think the good news, it was below market rates," said state Secretary Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. "It's good for the consumer because it is diversifying the portfolio of where our power comes from."

More than half the region's power comes from natural gas, and a lack of capacity in the pipelines makes utilities worried that power prices will spike.

The contracts call for six projects to be built in Maine and New Hampshire by wind project developers First Wind, Iberdrola Renewables and Exergy Development Group.

The deals, announced Monday by the state of Massachusetts, involve the purchase of 565 megawatts of wind energy by four utilities including Western Massachusetts Electric Co. and National Grid, enough to power about 170,000 homes, at an average weighted price of just less than 8 cents a kilowatt hour.

The going price right now for Western Massachusetts Electric Co. customers is 8.317 cents a kilowatt hour, said Priscilla Ress, a spokeswoman for the utility. The power deal will save an average Western Massachusetts Electric customer up to $1 a month of a bill of about $89 a month. WMECO has 200,000 customers.

National Grid, which has 1.3 million Massachusetts customers, estimates that the deal will save an average customer on its system 85 cents a month, said Ron Gerwatowski, senior vice president for regulation and pricing at National Grid.

Eighty-five cents a month may sound a little underwhelming. But Robert Rio, senior vice president of energy and environmental affairs at Associated Industries of Massachusetts, a statewide organization that lobbies for lower utility costs for residents and industry, said the deals lock in the prices for 15 to 20 years.

"I don't think any of us believe fossil fuel prices will stay where they are now," Rio said.

Previous green energy produced power at higher cost than traditional methods.

The power companies, which also include NSTAR and Unitil, got this good a deal by combining their purchasing power and going out for a competitive bid. By contrast, the controversial Cape Wind project is expected to cost 20 cents per kilowatt hour at first and go up from there.

"This recent agreement is the kind of power the state should be encouraging," Rio said. "To save people money or at least not to cost them money should be the goal."

State legislators changed the law last year to allow this type of cooperative competitive bidding, Rio said. Previous state laws calling for increased use of green energy didn't allow for the practice.

First Wind spokesman John Lamontagne said his company is moving forward with two projects in Maine, a 148 megawatt project in Oakfield that starts construction later this year with 48 turbines and 186 megawatts and 62 turbines in Bingham. That project is still being permitted.

Sullivan said if the projects get under construction this year or in 2014 they can qualify for federal tax credits.

Lamontagne said this wind deal is also economical because of advances in turbine technology making them cheaper and more efficient.

Gerwatowski said the Maine and New Hampshire projects are also more economical because the wind is steadier and stronger there.

But that still doesn't make wind power an on-demand source like gas or atomic energy. It's availability still has to be managed on the grid.

"But we are getting better about predicting availability of the wind resource," Gerwatowski said.

The state's news release said it is now up to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to review the deals to ensure the procurement is cost-effective for ratepayers. This process includes a public comment period and public hearings for each of the utilities, according to the release.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Barbara D. Hatch 

HAMPDEN - Barbara (Dusenberry) Hatch, 83, died Friday. Born in Longmeadow, to the late George A. and Harriet S. (Swindle-hurst) Dusenberry, she was a graduate of High School of Commerce and a resident of Hampden for many years. Barbara was a member of the Hampden Federated Church for over 63 years. She was also a former member of the YOLA Guild Society at the church. She was a Brownie and Girl Scout Leader as well as a Cub Scout den mother. She was also a water safety instructor and was a member of the Springfield Ski Club at Blanford. She was a resident of Port Charlotte, Fla., during the winter months and a resident of Alton Bay, N.H., on Lake Winnipesaukee during the summer months. She enjoyed boating, sailing and swimming at the lake and was an avid reader and bird watcher.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Alves, Avelino A.
  



• 
  Amlaw, Francis N.
  



• 
  Bertera, Aldo M.
  



• 
  Bowler, Madeline R.
  



• 
  Cousineau Jr., Leslie R.
  



• 
  DelNegro, Carol M.
  



• 
  Desharnais, Arthur G.
  



• 
  Fortuna, Joseph
  



• 
  Girard, Claude
  



• 
  Godbout, Norman
  



• 
  Hallen, Mark E.
  



• 
  Harrington, Kevin J.
  



• 
  Hatch, Barbara D.
  



• 
  Horyschuk Jr., William
  



• 
  Koziol, Frances C.
  



• 
  Lizak Sr., John W.
  



• 
  Longley, Alice E.
  



• 
  Manley, Raymond C.
  



• 
  McCarthy, John C.
  



• 
  Poirier, Wayne E.
  



• 
  Sanders, Opal
  



• 
  Senecal, Valerie A.
  



• 
  Wanat, Joseph W.
  

City Councilor John Connolly spoke to a packed crowd on Beacon Hill at the home of Chris Gabrieli.

BEACON HILL — The meet-and-greet event for City Councilor John Connolly at the home of one-time Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Gabrieli was so packed on Sunday that the crowd overflowed onto the streets of the exclusive Louisburg Square section of Beacon Hill.

Connolly, a former teacher, has made education the centerpiece of his campaign. As a result he has been embraced by education reform advocates like Gabrieli because of his positions on things like charter schools. Connolly spoke to a standing-room only crowd in Gabrieli's first-floor living room about more than just schools.

Connolly tailored a chunk of his speech to jobs, the economy and the issue of housing, specifically for middle class Boston residents.

"I think our future starts with job creation and we need to make sure we are thinking in a regional manner -- not that we're in competition with just Cambridge, because we're in competition globally," said Connolly.

"We've done well on affordable and we've done well on luxury but we have no middle market housing plan in this city and that means we're hemorrhaging all that talent that our institutions our producing because they can't afford to find a place to live here," said Connolly.

Connolly tied all of this back to education, saying that the school system is at the heart of all the problems the city faces. "If we want safer neighborhoods, we need better schools; if we want a stronger economy, we need better schools," said Connolly.

Gabrieli said he was supporting Connolly because he's "the strongest candidate" running.

"I think John Connolly will be a transformative mayor when it comes to public education," said Gabrieli.

Gabrieli ran for unsuccessfully for governor in 2006.

Read John Connolly's answers to our questionnaire here.

Humason said his number one goal as a senator will be jobs for the district and state.

HOLYOKE - Supporters of state Rep. Donald R. Humason, R-Westfield, turned out Monday night to kick off his campaign to succeed his former boss, Michael R. Knapik in the state Senate.

Donald Humason 

The campaign gathering was held at the Wherehouse? on Lyman Street here; the Hampshire-Hampden Senate district includes the cities of Easthampton, Holyoke and Westfield as well as part of Chicopee.

Humason, a legislator for 11 years, is running for the state Senate seat Knapik vacated last month to accept a job as head of university advancement at Westfield State University. Humason holds the seat once held by Knapik; Humason was an aide to Knapik before he sought elective office himself.

Humason told his supporters that his number one goal as a senator will be jobs for the district and the state.

Humason, 46, will face an Oct. 8 preliminary election, facing Michael Franco, a claims investigator in the Holyoke Veterans Services Department.

A Democratic battle is shaping up with candidates Michael Tautznik, mayor of Easthampton and David K. Bartley, a Holyoke city councilor.

The special election to fill the Senate seat is Nov. 5.

“If you live in Agawam, Southwick, Granville, Tolland, Russell, Montgomery, Easthampton, Southampton, Holyoke, Westfield or Chicopee wards 7, 8A, 9A I am asking for your vote,” Humason said Monday. “It is a pleasure to be here in Holyoke, the heart of this Senate district, at the Wherehouse. I've been coming to the Paper City since I was a child - to Mountain Park with my family. I learned to ski at Mt. Tom.”

Humason added, “I worked as Mike Knapik’s chief of staff. Public service is in my blood. I am the son of a Westfield firefighter and a nurse.”

Humason cited his experience to supporters, saying he is in his sixth, two-year term in the state House. "What this district needs is someone who can hit the ground running. I am that person,” he said. “I don’t need to ask directions to the Statehouse."

Daniels and Adriana Bonet were shot to death in separate homicides Saturday in Springfield.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 7:35 this morning.

SPRINGFIELD — The victim of a homicide in the Old Hill neighborhood was identified as the father of three and an employee of a coffee shop.

Police Monday identified the man who was shot to death at about 10 p.m. Saturday as Brandon Daniels, 29. He lived on James Street, which is about a block from where he was gunned down.

Daniels was shot multiple times after he had a brief confrontation with a group of men in front of La Favorita Mini Mart at 179 Walnut St.

Police are continuing to investigate that shooting as well as the homicide of Adriana Bonet, 25, of Leyfred Terrace, who was shot to death at about 2:30 a.m. on the same day in the parking lot next to MJ’s Pizza Restaurant at 955 Worthington St., said Capt. Thomas Trites, who is the head of the detective bureau.

No arrests had been made as of Monday evening in either weekend crime.

Bonet was in a group of people who had argued with another group outside the restaurant. Witnesses said three men all dressed in red showed up shortly after the argument and opened fire, killing Bonet and injuring Jaton Pearson, 19, and Jonathan Rosario, 24, both of Springfield.

Family members of Daniels lit at least 20 candles while friends stopped by to write tributes on a large piece of paper next to his picture.

The described him as a man who was close to his family, a good father to his three children and someone who always wanted to help others.

“He is a good person. A funny person. He loved his kids,” said Andre Jones, a cousin of Daniels.

Daniels worked at Dunkin’ Donuts and was the father of two daughters and a son ranging in age from 10 to 3. He was also a talented singer and artist.

“His main purpose in life was to be happy. He loves to make people laugh and he loved to help people,” said Antasia Rogers, a niece of Daniels. “You could never tell if he was unhappy.”

Police would not say if they have a motive for the killing.

Chicopee and Holyoke officials are working with the state Department of Transportation to keep the reconstruction project from stopping for long.

Chicopee and Holyoke officials said they are working with the state to ensure the reconstruction of the Willimansett Bridge does not stall for long.

Work on the project stopped last Monday after the contractors, Pihl Inc., of Denmark, filed for bankruptcy.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation, which is funding and overseeing the $19.2 million project, received formal notice on Sept. 13 from the performance bonds holder that the company is no longer staffing any bonded projects, said Sara Lavoie, press secretary for the department.

“The Mass DOT is stopping all payments to Pihl and will be working through the legal and financial processes that are in place to ensure the outstanding work is completed,” she said.

The bridge, which connects Chicopee Street in Chicopee to Cabot Street in Holyoke, has been closed since August 2011. A pedestrian bridge allows people to walk from one side of the Connecticut River to the other.

The project is now about 50 percent complete and was expected to be finished in May of 2014, Lavoie said.

Pihl Inc. was hired after submitting the low bid two years ago, she said.

The closing of the bridge raised concerns almost immediately from businesses located near it in Chicopee and Holyoke, who lost business traffic.

“My main concern is the damage any delays will cause to small businesses in Willimansett. I plan to ask the new contractor to work a 60-hour week ... in order to maintain the May completion,” said Chicopee Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette.

The extended work week was instituted when the Davitt Bridge in Chicopee Center was closed and replaced. That and other factors allowed Northern Construction Service Inc. to complete the $8.7 million project a full year earlier than scheduled.

Bissonnette said he is working with the state Department of Transportation to get the project back on track as quickly as possible.

“I am hopeful that the insurer will work quickly to hire the current subcontractors who are familiar with the project and can work towards completion with a minimum of delay,” he said.

State Rep. Aaron M. Vega, D-Holyoke, said he has been working with the state to ensure the project resumes quickly, especially since there are only a few months left before the weather turns bad.

Department of Transportation officials are meeting with the bonding company Tuesday and will try to figure out how much work has been done and how much money has been spent, Vega said.

Vega said he has also filed a bill that would allow communities to give tax breaks for businesses suffering a negative financial impact from construction projects. Chicopee and Holyoke businesses are not the only ones suffering, downtown merchants in Westfield were hurt financially from several years of bridge construction.

The bill was filed after Vega started talking to merchants about a beautification project to improve the entrance of the bridge and learned about the impact the closing has had on the companies.

A South Carolina couple who vowed last month to not leave Oklahoma unless they went home with a 4-year-old Cherokee girl they have been trying to adopt since her birth were given custody of the girl Monday night after the Oklahoma Supreme Court said it didn't have jurisdiction over the child.

Veronica, the 4-year-old Cherokee girl at the center of an adoption dispute, smiles in a bathroom of the Cherokee Nation Jack Brown Center in Tahlequah, Okla. The adoptive parents and biological father of Veronica failed to reach an agreement after a week of negotiations in Oklahoma, the judge overseeing the negotiations said Monday, Sept. 23, 2013.  

By KRISTI EATON

OKLAHOMA CITY — A South Carolina couple who vowed last month to not leave Oklahoma unless they went home with a 4-year-old Cherokee girl they have been trying to adopt since her birth were given custody of the girl Monday night after the Oklahoma Supreme Court said it didn't have jurisdiction over the child.

"She's safely in her parents' arms," said Jessica Munday, a spokeswoman for Matt and Melanie Capobianco of Charleston, S.C.

Cherokee Nation spokeswoman Amanda Clinton confirmed that Veronica was handed over to the Capobiancos hours after the Oklahoma Supreme Court dissolved a temporary court order leaving the child with her father and his family. Until the Monday night transfer, the Cherokee Nation had insisted the girl would remain with the tribe.

The Capobiancos and the girl's father, Dusten Brown, had fought over custody of the girl for years. The dispute has raised questions about jurisdictions, tribal sovereignty and a federal law meant to help keep Native American tribes together.

Veronica, whose father is a member of the Cherokee Nation and whose mother in not a Native American, had lived with the Capobiancos from birth until she was 27 months old, when Brown was awarded custody under the Indiana Child Welfare Act. But a U.S. Supreme Court decision later went against Brown, and a South Carolina court finalized the Capobiancos' adoption of her earlier this year. Brown had then turned to Oklahoma's courts.

It wasn't known if there were any conditions attached to the Capobiancos gaining custody, including whether Brown would be allowed to visit the girl.

Munday was not sure when the couple planned to return to South Carolina with Veronica, but said she felt they were now free to do that at any time. She said Veronica has spent some time with the couple recently and did remember them.

"It was smooth. There wasn't any danger. ... Hopefully everyone can focus on healing now," said Munday, a friend of the family.

When the Oklahoma justices bowed out, it left in place a South Carolina court order validating the Capobiancos' adoption and a Cherokee Nation tribal court directive that said the girl could remain with family members of Brown while he was undergoing National Guard training.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court had halted the girl's transfer to the Capobiancos while it considered the case. The court did not explain its decision to lift its stay Monday.

After the court's decision, Cherokee Nation Attorney General Todd Hembree had released a statement saying the tribe is sovereign and that the tribal court's system must be "honored and respected."

"I took an oath when assuming this office to uphold the laws and constitution of the Cherokee Nation and the United States," he said. "Nowhere in that oath is it required that I defend the laws of South Carolina."

Veronica's birth mother was pregnant when she put the girl up for adoption, and the Capobiancos took custody of Veronica shortly after birth.

Brown and his family claim the Indian Child Welfare Act mandates that the child be raised within the Cherokee Nation. The law was passed in 1978 with the intent of reducing the high rates of Native American children being adopted by non-Native American families.

A South Carolina court cited the law when awarding Veronica to Brown in 2011, but the U.S. Supreme Court this year said the law did not apply because he had been absent from the child's life.

Brown also is facing extradition to South Carolina to face a charge of custodial interference for refusing to hand over the girl.

Kenyan security forces battled al-Qaida-linked terrorists in an upscale mall for a third day Monday in what they said was a final push to rescue the last few hostages in a siege that has left at least 62 people dead.

A Kenyan policeman keeps crowds of onlookers back from the Westgate Mall, in Nairobi, Kenya Monday, Sept. 23, 2013. Four large blasts rocked Kenya's Westgate Mall on Monday, sending large plumes of smoke over an upscale suburb as Kenyan military forces sought to rescue an unknown number of hostages held by al-Qaida-linked militants.  

By JASON STRAZIUSO and TOM ODULA

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan security forces battled al-Qaida-linked terrorists in an upscale mall for a third day Monday in what they said was a final push to rescue the last few hostages in a siege that has left at least 62 people dead.

While the government announced Sunday that "most" hostages had been released, a security expert with contacts inside the mall said at least 10 were still being held by a band of attackers described as "a multinational collection from all over the world."

Kenyan Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said "two or three Americans" and "one Brit" were among those who attacked the mall. She said in an interview with the PBS "NewsHour" program that the Americans were 18 to 19 years old, of Somali or Arab origin and lived "in Minnesota and one other place" in the U.S.

U.S. officials said they were looking into whether any Americans were involved. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday that the department had "no definitive evidence of the nationalities or the identities" of the attackers.

The security expert, who insisted on anonymity to talk freely about the situation, said many hostages had been freed or escaped in the previous 24-36 hours, including some who were in hiding.

However, there were at least 30 hostages when the assault by al-Shabab militants began Saturday, he said, and "it's clear" that Kenyan security officials "haven't cleared the building fully."

Flames and dark plumes of smoke rose Monday above the Westgate shopping complex for more than an hour after four large explosions rocked the surrounding neighborhood. The smoke was pouring through a large skylight inside the mall's main department and grocery store, where mattresses and other flammable goods appeared to have been set on fire, a person with knowledge of the rescue operation told The Associated Press.

The explosions were followed by volleys of gunfire as police helicopters and a military jet circled overhead, giving the neighborhood the feel of a war zone.

By evening, Kenyan security officials claimed the upper hand.

"Taken control of all the floors. We're not here to feed the attackers with pastries but to finish and punish them," Police Inspector General David Kimaiyo said on Twitter.

Kenya's Interior Minister Joseph Ole Lenku said the evacuation of hostages had gone "very, very well" and that Kenyan officials were "very certain" that few if any hostages were left in the building.

But with the mall cordoned off and under heavy security it was not possible to independently verify the assertions. Similar claims of a quick resolution were made by Kenyan officials on Sunday and the siege continued. Authorities have also not provided any details on how many hostages were freed or how many still remain captive.

Three attackers were killed in the fighting Monday, Kenyan authorities said, and more than 10 suspects arrested. Eleven Kenyan soldiers were wounded in the running gun battles.

Somalia's al-Qaida-linked rebel group, al-Shabab, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said the hostage-takers were well-armed and ready to take on the Kenyan forces.

An al-Shabab spokesman, Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, said in an audio file posted on a militant website that the attackers had been ordered to "take punitive action against the hostages" if force was used to try to rescue them.

The attackers have lots of ammunition, the militant group said in a Twitter feed, adding that Kenya's government would be responsible for any loss of hostages' lives.

A Western security official in Nairobi who insisted on not being named to share information about the rescue operation said the only reason the siege hadn't yet ended would be because hostages were still inside.

Westgate mall, a vast complex with multiple banks that have secure vaults and bulletproof glass partitions, as well as a casino, is difficult to take, the official said. "They are not made for storming," he said of the labyrinth of shops, restaurants and offices. "They're made to be unstormable."

At least 62 people were killed in the assault Saturday by some 12 to 15 al-Shabab militants wielding grenades and firing on civilians inside the mall, which includes shops for such retail giants as Nike, Adidas and Bose and is popular with foreigners and wealthy Kenyans.

The militants specifically targeted non-Muslims, and at least 18 foreigners were among the dead, including six Britons, as well as citizens from France, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, Peru, India, Ghana, South Africa and China. Nearly 200 people were wounded, including five Americans.

Fighters from an array of nations participated in the assault, according to Kenya Chief of Defense forces Gen. Julius Karangi. "We have an idea who these people are and they are clearly a multinational collection from all over the world," he said.

Al-Shabab, whose name means "The Youth" in Arabic, said the mall attack was in retribution for Kenyan forces' 2011 push into neighboring Somalia. It was the deadliest terrorist attack in Kenya since the 1998 al-Qaida truck bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, which killed more than 200 people.

An extremist Islamic terrorist force that grew out of the anarchy that crippled Somalia after warlords ousted a longtime dictator in 1991, al-Shabab is estimated to have several thousand fighters, including a few hundred foreigners, among them militants from the Middle East with experience in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Others are young, raw recruits from Somali communities in the United States and Europe.

For years Minnesota has been the center of a federal investigation into the recruiting of fighters for al-Shabab. Authorities say about two dozen young men have left Minnesota since 2007 to join the group. Minnesota's Somali community is the largest in the U.S.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said the attack showed that al-Shabab was a threat not just to Somalia but to the international community.

Reports that some of the attackers may have been Somalis who lived in the United States illustrate the global nature of the militant group, the Somali leader said in a speech at Ohio State University. "Today, there are clear evidences that Shabab is not a threat to Somalia and Somali people only," he said. "They are a threat to the continent of Africa, and the world at large."

As the crisis passed the 48-hour mark, a video emerged that was taken by someone inside the mall's main department store when the assault began. It video showed frightened and unsure shoppers crouching as long, loud volleys of gunfire could be heard.

Kenyans in many parts of the country stood in long lines Monday to donate blood to aid the nearly 200 people injured in the attack. Fundraisers raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, though government officials warned of scam artists taking advantage of the tragedy.

Associated Press reporters Rodney Muhumuza, Ben Curtis and Jacob Kushner in Nairobi, Kenya and Abdi Guled in Mogadishu, Somalia contributed to this report.

A 79-year-old woman whose house was swept away by the Big Thompson River was found dead on the river bank, authorities said Monday, bringing to eight the death toll from the massive flooding in Colorado.

This aerial photo shows flood damage in Greeley Colo. during a helicopter tour of flood-ravaged areas by Vice President Joe Biden, Gov. John Hickenlooper, and FEMA officials Monday, Sept. 23, 2013.  

By IVAN MORENO

DENVER — A 79-year-old woman whose house was swept away by the Big Thompson River was found dead on the river bank, authorities said Monday, bringing to eight the death toll from the massive flooding in Colorado.

As the number of people unaccounted-for dwindled to six, Vice President Joe Biden viewed the devastation from a helicopter before meeting with disaster workers.

"I promise you, I promise you, there will be help," Biden said, trying to mute concerns that a possible federal government shutdown could derail relief efforts.

The latest victim was identified as Evelyn M. Starner. Larimer County authorities said she drowned and suffered blunt force trauma. Starner was previously listed as missing and presumed dead. Authorities initially said she was 80.

Starner was found Saturday. One other person was still missing and presumed dead — a 60-year-old woman from Larimer County. A man was taken off the list after walking into the sheriff's office.

The number of unaccounted for people shrank as improving communications and road access allowed authorities to contact 54 people over the weekend who had not been heard from.

The floods caused damage across nearly 2,000 square miles. Nearly 2,000 homes were damaged or destroyed along with more than 200 miles of state highways and 50 state bridges.

The floods are also blamed for spills of about 27,000 gallons of oil in northern Colorado oilfields, including two mishaps found over the weekend, the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission said.

The commission said it's tracking eight notable leaks, 10 other locations with some evidence of leaks, and 33 places where oilfield equipment appears damaged but no evidence of spills has been spotted. About 1,300 oil and gas wells remain shut down.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it had approved $19.6 million in individual assistance, most of it to help people make house repairs or find temporarily rentals. More than 15,600 people have applied for FEMA relief.

With talk of a government shutdown emanating from Washington, FEMA insisted its aid will continue uninterrupted whether there is a budget impasse or not. The Disaster Relief Fund and FEMA operations on the ground in Colorado won't be affected, officials said.

"The response in Colorado will not be impacted," said FEMA spokesman Dan Watson.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has pledged an initial $35 million for roads, and Colorado has allocated $100 million.

Colorado's congressional delegation is lobbying to raise the Federal Highway Administration's $100 million funding cap for emergency relief to $500 million — an amount approved after Hurricane Sandy struck Atlantic states last year.

Colorado officials have awarded four contracts for emergency bridge and highway repairs. Officials hope to complete temporary fixes to at least some of the heavily damaged roads by Dec. 1.

Associated Press writers Dan Elliott and Steven K. Paulson contributed to this report.

PALMER – Yes for Palmer announced Monday that Elaine J. Boone and David E. Whitney have been appointed to committee chair and treasurer of the casino referendum campaign, respectively. The campaign, in support of Mohegan Sun Massachusetts building a nearly $1 billion resort casino in Palmer near the Massachusetts Turnpike exit, will focus its grassroots efforts to ensure the casino...

PALMER – Yes for Palmer announced Monday that Elaine J. Boone and David E. Whitney have been appointed to committee chair and treasurer of the casino referendum campaign, respectively.

The campaign, in support of Mohegan Sun Massachusetts building a nearly $1 billion resort casino in Palmer near the Massachusetts Turnpike exit, will focus its grassroots efforts to ensure the casino referendum passes in the community on Nov. 5, according to a press release from Yes for Palmer.

“The Yes for Palmer Campaign will work to inform the residents of Palmer about the many details involved in the Mohegan Sun Massachusetts project and the economic benefits the resort casino will bring to Palmer,” said Elaine J. Boone, chairwoman of the Yes for Palmer Campaign.

“Passing the referendum vote will bring us one step closer to having opportunities in Palmer that will revitalize our local economy. We encourage all residents to Vote Yes for Palmer on November 5.”

Elaine J. Boone is a lifelong, third-generation resident of Palmer who resides in the village of Bondsville. In August 2011 she was named president and CEO of Palmer Trailer Sales Co. Inc. Boone served on many town committees as well as three consecutive terms on the Palmer Board of Selectmen up to 2004.

“This is the most important referendum vote in Palmer’s history,” said David E. Whitney. “We have an opportunity to create thousands of new jobs and add millions of dollars to town coffers every year.”

David E. Whitney has lived in Palmer for more than 35 years. He taught in the Palmer public schools from 1970 until retiring in 2006. He is a former member of Palmer’s Town Council.

The Yes for Palmer campaign will be hosting community information sessions, phone banking, stand outs and other visibility events around Palmer leading up to Election Day.

Palmer residents have to vote in favor of the referendum for the state to consider the proposal for licensing.

President Bashar Assad pledged in an interview broadcast Monday to honor an agreement to surrender Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons, but he said that rebels might try to block international arms inspectors from doing their work.

Syrian President Bashar Assad, right, speaks during an interview with Chinese state CCTV, in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Sept. 23, 2013. Assad said his government will allow international experts access to its chemical weapons sites but cautioned in an interview broadcast Monday that rebels might block them from reaching some of the locations. 

By ALBERT AJI and ZEINA KARAM

DAMASCUS, Syria — President Bashar Assad pledged in an interview broadcast Monday to honor an agreement to surrender Syria's stockpile of chemical weapons, but he said that rebels might try to block international arms inspectors from doing their work.

As battles continued across Syria, new Associated Press video of an attack Sunday night showed the regime's helicopters dropping barrel bombs on opposition-held areas, creating chaotic scenes of destruction.

In a sign of worsening infighting among the rebels, a top al-Qaida commander in Syria was killed in an ambush by rival, Western-backed group — an assassination sure to raise tensions among factions seeking to topple the regime.

Assad's comments came as world leaders gathered in New York for the annual U.N. General Assembly, where the use of chemical weapons in Syria's civil war was high on the agenda.

The Syrian leader told Chinese state TV that Damascus is dedicated to implementing the agreement reached between Russia and the U.S. to surrender its chemical weapons to international control. Syria's stockpile, he said, is "in safe areas and locations and under the full control of the Syrian Arab Army."

Assad cautioned, however, that the rebels might block inspectors from reaching some of the locations, in order to frame the government.

"I'm referring to places where gunmen exist. Those gunmen might want to stop the experts' arrival," Assad told CCTV in the interview, which was shot Sunday in Damascus and broadcast Monday.

Under the agreement brokered Sept. 14 in Geneva, inspectors are to be in Syria by November and all components of the chemical weapons program are to be removed from the country or destroyed by the middle of next year.

The revelations of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal became public after an Aug. 21 attack near Damascus that a U.N. report found included the use of the nerve agent sarin. Hundreds of people died in the attack that brought Washington to the brink of military intervention before the accord was struck between the U.S. and Russia.

The U.N. inspectors face enormous challenges, including maneuvering between rebel- and government-controlled territory. Last month, snipers opened fire on a U.N. convoy carrying a team on its way to investigate the Aug. 21 incident.

Opposition fighters have insisted they will also cooperate with any inspectors or experts who come to Syria.

Ralf Trapp, a former chemical arms inspector who is now a disarmament consultant, said Assad was legally obligated to let in inspectors under the chemical weapons treaty. But, he cautioned, "they can use the security situation as an excuse. They can delay things."

Damascus met a first deadline under the Geneva agreement, submitting last week what was supposedly the full list of its chemical weapons and production facilities to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons so they can be secured and destroyed.

Also Monday, Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah categorically denied rebel claims that his group had received chemical weapons from Syria.

The U.S.-Russian deal has dealt a blow to the rebels, who had hoped a U.S.-led military strike would turn the war in their favor. Opposition leaders have warned the regime will continue to wield conventional weapons in the civil war, which has killed more than 100,000 people since the uprising began in March 2011.

Fierce fighting between regime forces and rebels Monday included an airstrike that killed at least six people from the same family in central Hama province.

Exclusive AP video showed a helicopter dropping explosives Sunday evening on the village of Habit, followed by pandemonium as civilians and fighters with flashlights searched frantically for survivors in the rubble.

Villagers used a pickax and car jacks to try to rescue a man and his son buried under slabs of concrete. The father's face and hands could be seen protruding from the rubble. He did not survive, but his son was saved.

Another AP video showed billowing smoke and destruction after helicopters and warplanes bombed rebel positions in the mostly abandoned village of Kafer Zita, also in the Hama region. Several men appeared to be groggy from the blasts and covered in dust. Hospital officials said they struggled to treat the injured, with scarce medication.

Regime forces are fighting Sunni rebels in the Hama area to keep them from advancing on villages inhabited by Alawites, members of Assad's minority sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.

In the latest inter-rebel fighting, the group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an al-Qaida offshoot, said its commander in Idlib province, Abu Abdullah al-Libi, was killed in an ambush by members of the Free Syrian Army who opened fire on his car near a border crossing with Turkey on Sunday. The statement was posted on a militant website.

Al-Libi, a Libyan national, is a high-profile militant who fought in Iraq, Libya and most recently in Syria.

Charles Lister, an analyst with IHS Jane's, said the killing underlines the increasingly hostile environment for the ISIL. The group has sought to expand its influence across opposition-held territory in the north and has increasingly clashed with long-existing rebel units affiliated with the FSA.

The killing "will undoubtedly raise the level of tension amid insurgent forces in northern Syria yet further," Lister said, adding that the perception within ISIL militant circles that the FSA is a hostile force will likely increase.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group monitoring the conflict, confirmed the death of al-Libi, which is a nom de guerre. It said he was killed with 12 other al-Qaida fighters near the village of Hazanu, 10 kilometers (six miles) from the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey.

Nadim Shehadi, an associate fellow at London's Chatham House, said the story surrounding rebel infighting was being used by the Assad regime to portray the opposition as unstable and dangerous.

"The story is being overblown, not because of the importance of the guy, but because it's seen that he was killed by the FSA," Shehadi said.

Karam reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Maamoun Youssef in Cairo, Raphael Satter in London and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed to this report.

This year’s goal is a modest increase over last year’s $1,250,000 campaign. Watch video

HADLEY – United Way of Hampshire County kicked off its $1,275,00 2014 campaign Tuesday at its annual meeting with a call for help from the campaign’s co-chairs.

Peter Jessop, president of Integrity Builders, and William Grinnell, president of Webber and Grinnell Insurance, told both the regular contributors and representatives from beneficiary agencies that the campaign must be a cooperative effort.

“A stronger community benefits us all,” said Jessop. “United Way is a critical way we can do this together.”

This year’s goal is a modest increase over last year’s $1,250,000 campaign. Thanks to some 3,700 donors, United Way reached the mark in 2012 for the first time in several years, Jessop said. He attributed its success to broad community outreach, wise use of social media and the workplace segment of the campaign, in which workers from various companies contribute.

“That’s the cornerstone we continue to build on,” he said.

Grinnell admitted that he was a last minute choice for co-chairman. Board secretary Julie Cowan ultimately persuaded him over lunch by telling Grinnell he was “perfectly seasoned for the job,” he said.

“I accepted the next day and have been smelling myself ever since.”

Noting that his family has been in the area for four generations, Grinnell added that he felt it was time for him to step up.

“I’m honored to do this,” he said, “but I can’t do it alone.”

The theme of the 2014 Campaign, “The Power of a Community,” was dramatized in a short video featuring interviews with executives from United Way agencies such as Highland Valley Elder Services and the Amherst Survival Center. It will focus on three major areas: economic security, children and youth, and health and safety.

Executive Director James Ayres reinforced the theme of partnership in his remarks to the gathering.
 
“Partnership is the power of young parents and of volunteers,” he said. “It’s the power of one generation caring for subsequent generations, the power of deliberately blurring the lines between those who give help and those who receive help.”

Ayres told the members that United Way would survey them online to solicit their input about the best way to use the resources from this year’s campaign.

Supporters and volunteers who attended Connolly’s election night party illustrated the support Connolly is getting among those concerned about education.

As the polls closed in Boston's preliminary election Tuesday evening, supporters of Boston City Councilor and mayoral hopeful John Connolly were hopeful that his message of improving the education system had resonated with voters.

Connolly is among those competing in the 12-person field to become the next mayor of Boston. The preliminary election will narrow the field to the top two candidates, who will face off Nov. 5. Several polls show Connolly in the lead, but the poll numbers are close and the race is likely to hinge on voter turnout. Connolly has focused heavily on improving the Boston school system.

Val Hyman, a co-chair of Connolly’s campaign, said he believes Connolly ran a strong grassroots campaign, with five offices around the city, as well as a strong fundraising operation. “I think John’s run a good campaign. I’m confident he’ll make it into the general,” Hyman said.

Supporters and volunteers who attended Connolly’s election night party illustrated the support Connolly is getting among those concerned about education. Anthony Solimine, a substitute teacher from Hyde Park, said he has supported Connolly since he first ran for the city council in 2007. Solimine likes Connolly’s experience as a former school teacher in New York and Boston. “He wants to dramatically improve the Boston school system,” Solimine said. “He believes and I believe schools are the cornerstone of a strong city. They will ultimately lower the crime rate, improve lives at a basic level.”

Margo Harney, a consultant from West Roxbury, met Connolly when he taught her daughter a decade ago. Harney called Connolly a man of integrity and good ideas, particularly when it comes to education. Harney said her children are out of school, but it is important to her that the schools remain high quality so that young families continue to move into West Roxbury and stay there. “The only way the community will stay vibrant is if the schools are good,” Harney said.

Charlotte Powell, a retired Verizon worker from the South End, said she thinks Connolly is the best candidate for the job, also because of his commitment to improving schools. She said her grandchildren have to wake up early to get to school. If Connolly is able to improve the assignment system, she said, “Young children won’t have to travel so far out of the neighborhood.”

As the polls closed, Powell said she felt “a little nervous but excited.”

Mary O’Connell was the overwhelming choice with 326 votes, while Michael Burns came in second with 200 nods in his bid to unseat O’Connell from the post she has held through four consecutive, two-year terms.

WESTFIELD – Ward 4 residents voted Tuesday to narrow the choices for city councilor to incumbent Mary L. O’Connell and Michael J. Burns in a preliminary election that brought only 565 of the ward’s 3,802 voters to the polls.

O’Connell was the overwhelming choice with 326 votes, while Burns came in second with 200 nods in his bid to unseat O’Connell from the post she has held through four consecutive, two-year terms.

Challenger John J. Michaliszyn received 37 votes in the city’s only preliminary election. O’Connell said past preliminary elections drew 1,000 to 1,200 residents to the polls.

“I’m surprised the turnout was so low,” she said just after the results were announced. “But I’m very, very happy and especially happy with the margin I won by. I couldn’t be more pleased.”

O’Connell attributed the victory to the work she has done in representing the people of Ward 4.

“I’m so heartened that people support me and understand I’m working hard for the ward,” she said. “They came out today and showed me that.”

O’Connell, co-owner of Wolcott Realty, is a charter member of the Westfield State University Neighborhood Advisory Board and the Business Improvement District and is past chair of the Westfield Redevelopment Authority.

Burns is a wholesale parts consultant for Balise Motors. He has 25 years of active military service with the Navy and Air Force. He serves on the Westfield Water Resources Commission and is a 25-year coach in Little League and Westfield Youth Hockey.

Polls were open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., with Precinct A voting at Juniper Park School and Precinct B voting at Highland School.

All three candidates cited the Western Avenue reconstruction project among their major concerns, as well as the construction of the new senior center and the need to continue improving the city’s public school system.

When city voters head to the polls for the general election on Nov. 5, they will choose between Mayor Daniel M. Knapik and opponent Michael L. Roeder for the city’s top spot as well as other ward and at-large council seats, School Committee, Westfield Gas & Electric Commission and Athenaeum trustee.

The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 5 general election is Oct. 16.

Voters in Leominster Tuesday convincingly approved an agreement with a casino company to build a slots parlor in the city. The host community agreement passed with more than 61 percent of the vote.The final tally was 5,235 to 3,306, according to the Leominster City Clerk's office. Turnout was 33 percent of registered voters, City Clerk Lynn Bouchard said. The vote...

Voters in Leominster Tuesday convincingly approved an agreement with a casino company to build a slots parlor in the city.

The host community agreement passed with more than 61 percent of the vote.The final tally was 5,235 to 3,306, according to the Leominster City Clerk's office.

Turnout was 33 percent of registered voters, City Clerk Lynn Bouchard said.

The vote clears the way for Leominster to be one of three possible destinations for the state's only slots casino permit. Raynham and Plainville have both already passed similar agreements.

The slots casino's final destination will be in the hands of the state Gaming Commission. The commission is expected to make a final decision as early as December.

PPE Casino Resorts, MA is seeking to build a 1,250-machine facility on 16 acres on Jungle Road. The property would also include retail space and restaurants. PPE is an affiliate of the Baltimore-based development company Cordish Companies.

The state's Gaming Act, passed in 2011, allows for three "destination resort casinos" to be placed across the state. It also allows for a single slots casino, which can have up to 1,250 slot machines.

Supporters of the casino agreement said the facility would bring jobs to the northern Worcester County city, which has struggled with unemployment. PPE estimated the project would create 600 construction jobs and between 500-700 full-time jobs once open.

A study commissioned by the city, by B&S Consultant, found that the casino would be a net monetary gain for Leominster.

Opponents said feared increased traffic, crime and rates of alcohol and gambling addiction.

The YMCA will donate the books to schools, child-care centers and the city Early Literacy Office.

HOLYOKE -- The Greater Holyoke YMCA will cut its new member fee to $5 from the current $50 to anyone who brings in five new or gently used children's books until Monday.

The campaign is an effort by the YMCA, at Beech and Appleton streets, to help with the public schools' drive to improve children's reading abilities, said Maggie Bergin, YMCA marketing and development director. Current members and the public also can bring in books.

The YMCA will donate the children's books to area schools, child care providers and the Early Literacy Office in City Hall, Bergin said. For information, call (413) 534-5631.

The top two candidates, selected from a field of 12, will move on to the Nov. 5 general election.

BOSTON- State Rep. Martin Walsh and City Councilor John Connolly won Tuesday’s preliminary election and will compete to become the next mayor of Boston.

The two candidates, selected from a field of 12, will now move on to the Nov. 5 general election.

With 96 percent of precincts reporting, Walsh had 18 percent of the vote followed by Connolly at 17 percent.

Walsh, the son of Irish immigrants, is a favorite of organized labor. He himself was a union laborer, as was his father. He briefly worked in construction before taking a job with a local union. He ultimately became head of the Boston Building Trades, a position he left to run for mayor.

Walsh was shaped by challenges he faced early in life, including a bout with childhood cancer and struggles with alcoholism. He was first elected to the State House in 1997. He currently chairs the House Ethics Committee. He has focused on zoning and infrastructure issues, and helped reform the state’s public construction laws.
One of Walsh’s more controversial proposals as a mayoral candidate is to raze and redevelop the current City Hall. He is a supporter of a casino in East Boston.

Walsh raised $1.4 million, the highest fundraising total of all the candidates.

"Marty being our next mayor is very important to us. Marty has always supported taking care of everyone," said Donna Kelly-Williams, president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association and a staff nurse at Cambridge Hospital.

Kelly-Williams' union, the Massachusetts Nurses Association, was one of the first unions to back Walsh in the race for mayor. Walsh's campaign party in Dorchester had a very strong labor presence that included Steve Tolman, the president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, Rich Rogers of the Greater Boston Labor Council, Brian Doherty of the General Agent of the Boston Building Trades, and John Doherty of Painters Local 391.

Connolly, who grew up in Roslindale and lives in West Roxbury, ran a campaign based heavily on the issue of improving the Boston public school system. He is a supporter of charter schools, and wants to lift Boston’s cap on charter schools. He has advocated for extending the school day, reforming the school assignment process and partnering high schools with businesses, unions and colleges. He wants to implement a city-wide facilities plan and focus on recruiting and training principals. Connolly got support from a number of education reform advocates.

Connolly taught for three years in schools in New York and Boston, before becoming an attorney. He was elected to the Boston City Council in 2007 as an at-large councilor representing the entire city.

Connolly’s campaign raised $1.16 million since the beginning of the year.

Val Hyman, a co-chair of Connolly’s campaign, said he believes Connolly had a strong grassroots operation, with five offices around the city, as well as a strong fundraising operation. Hyman said he anticipates that as a general election candidate, Connolly will stick with his education agenda. But he thinks Connolly will have broad appeal. “Each leg of his platform touches the entire city,” Hyman said. “Crime touches Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan. Schools touch the entire city. Jobs touch the entire city.”

State Representative Marty Walsh greeting voters outside the Cape Verdean Adult Day Center in Dorchester. Garrett Quinn / MassLive 

Connolly, speaking soon after 9:30 p.m., thanked his supporters and his family. “I have never been so glad to be in second place in my life,” Connolly said.

Connolly congratulated Walsh on his victory. “I look forward to engaging in a final election that will continue to put the focus on Boston’s future and the people of Boston,” Connolly said.

Though Connolly continued to stress his commitment to education, he indicated that he will broaden his focus in the coming weeks. “We’ve never been about a single neighborhood or a single movement or a single special interest, and believe it or not this campaign has never been about a single issue,” Connolly said. In addition to improving education, Connolly said he would work to build safe neighborhoods, ensure everyone has access to good jobs and make Boston City Hall more inclusive and consumer friendly.

The preliminary election was a generally civil affair, with little negativity. The candidates participated in a huge number of forums and debates, giving Bostonians time to hear their views. On many issues, the candidates were in agreement, and no single issue dominated the campaign.

In addition to Walsh and Connolly, the candidates included Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley, City Councilor Felix Arroyo; former school committee member John Barros; radio station owner Charles Clemons; City Councilor Robert Consalvo; former state Rep. Charlotte Golar Richie; City Councilor Michael Ross; community organizer Bill Walczak; former schoolteacher David Wyatt; and City Councilor Charles Yancey.

Golar Richie and Conley came in third and fourth.

“A lot of these candidates have struggled to differentiate themselves,” said Steve Poftak, executive director of the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

In the general election, Poftak said the candidates will have to do a better job articulating a clear vision of what differentiates them from their opponent.

Maurice Cunningham, associate professor of political science at University of Massachusetts Boston, said the biggest challenge for the remaining candidates will be to broaden their support. Because of the large number of candidates, candidates in the preliminary election were able to focus on targeting their base and turning out a relatively small number of committed voters. “They’re going to have to move pretty quickly from going from a defined, targeted voter base to talking to everyone in the city,” Cunningham said.

Education is likely to be a major issue for the next mayor, with the city facing a new school superintendent and a new school assignment system. The new mayor will also have to deal with issues such as curbing youth violence and addressing crime, improving the city’s public transportation, increasing the availability of affordable housing and possibly overseeing the building a casino in East Boston.

The candidates will have a difficult task ahead of them, convincing voters that they are the best candidate to replace long-time mayor Thomas Menino.

Menino was first elected in 1993 and became the city’s longest-serving mayor. His popularity remains high. “It’s going to be a tremendous task to succeed Menino given how long he’s been in office, his fairly outrageous favorability ratings and also the fact so many people have met him,” Poftak said. “My young children grew pretty blasé about seeing the mayor, which was a testament to the fact they saw him all the time.”

A recent poll by Suffolk University and the Boston Herald found that Boston residents are generally satisfied with the direction that the city has gone in the last four years on crime and schools. “On a range of things that would roil an urban campaign, people are satisfied,” Cunningham said.

Ethnicity has played a role in the campaign. Boston has never elected a black or Hispanic mayor. The preliminary election field included five black candidates, plus Arroyo, who is Hispanic. However, the winners, Walsh and Connolly, are both white. Some controversy erupted when the Boston Herald reported that some ministers backing Golar Richie, who is black, called on other candidates of color to drop out. Golar Richie, also the only women running, said she never asked anyone to withdraw from the race.

This is a breaking news story that will be updated. MassLive.com reporter Garrett Quinn contributed.

Route 202 remains closed following a collision between a speeding motorcycle and a car.

03.09.11 | Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen – The South Hadley Police Department's patch. 

SOUTH HADLEY — A speeding motorcycle operator who was attempting to evade police crashed into a car on Route 202 at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to media reports.

The crash closed a section of Route 202 for hours as police cleared the scene, according to CBS 3 Springfield, media partner of The Republican and MassLive.

There was no information about the condition of the motorcycle rider, who was injured in the crash and taken to a local hospital for treatment. It was unclear if the driver of the car or anyone else was hurt in the collision.

South Hadley police so far have released little information about the incident, which remains investigation. An accident reconstruction team was dispatched to the scene.

The motorcycle had been traveling at a high rate of speed when it was spotted by a Granby police officer, who pursued the vehicle along West State Street but ultimately called of the chase for safety reasons at the South Hadley town line, according to reports. South Hadley police apparently picked up the pursuit until the crash occurred, roughly a mile from the town line.

A South Hadley Police Department dispatcher said a statement would likely be issued at a later point in the investigation.

Connolly ran a campaign based heavily on the issue of improving the Boston public school system.

Boston City Councilor and mayoral candidate John Connolly indicated Tuesday that he will broaden his candidacy beyond the issue of education, which has been his trademark.

“We’re going to talk about schools, safe neighborhoods, better jobs, and how we create a City Hall that’s transparent, inclusive and delivers first-class city services,” Connolly told reporters after coming in second in Boston’s preliminary election, earning a place on the general election ballot on Nov. 5.

Tuesday’s preliminary election narrowed the mayoral field from 12 candidates to the top two – State Rep. Martin Walsh, who came in first, and Connolly.

“I have never been so glad to be in second place in my life,” Connolly said, speaking to supporters at Hibernian Hall in Roxbury.

Connolly said he planned to call all the other candidates. In his victory speech, he congratulated Walsh on his “hard fought victory.” “I look forward to engaging in a final election that will continue to put the focus on Boston’s future and the people of Boston,” Connolly said.

Connolly, who grew up in Roslindale and lives in West Roxbury, ran a campaign based heavily on the issue of improving the Boston public school system. He is a supporter of charter schools and wants to lift Boston’s cap on charter schools. He has advocated for extending the school day to give all students access to art, music and physical education, while reforming the school assignment process. He proposed partnering high schools with businesses, unions and colleges. He wants to implement a city-wide facilities plan and focus on recruiting and training principals.

Connolly argues that many issues facing Boston come back to education. For example, he notes on the campaign trail that a 16-year-old who drops out of school is more likely to end up incarcerated.

Connolly got support from a number of education reform advocates.

Paul Scapicchio, a former North End city councilor, said he supports Connolly because he has shown courage and “chutzpah” in his focus on schools. “He’s taken an issue that’s not an easy one, and said this is what I’ll stake my campaign on,” Scapicchio said.

But despite his heavy focus on education, Connolly said he is not a one-issue candidate. “We’ve never been about a single neighborhood or a single movement or a single special interest, and believe it or not this campaign has never been about a single issue,” Connolly said.

In his victory speech, Connolly talked about the importance of diversity and the need to address the gap between the rich and poor in the city. “Boston is more and more a city of the very rich and the very poor, the haves and have nots,” he said. “The bottom can fall out on the poorest Bostonians at any time.”

He also talked about the need to address violence and framed the issue along racial lines. “Sadly we live in a society that’s devalued the lives of black and Latino young men,” Connolly said.

Val Hyman, a co-chair of Connolly’s campaign, said he believes Connolly had a strong grassroots operation, with five offices around the city, as well as a strong fundraising operation. Hyman said he anticipates that as a general election candidate, Connolly will stick with his education agenda. But he thinks Connolly will also have broad appeal. “Each leg of his platform touches the entire city,” Hyman said. “Crime touches Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan. Schools touch the entire city. Jobs touch the entire city.”

Connolly taught for three years in schools in New York and Boston, then became an attorney. He was elected to the Boston City Council in 2007 as an at-large councilor representing the entire city.

Connolly raised $1.16 million since the beginning of the year. Several polls placed him at the head of the pack.

Other candidates included Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley, City Councilor Felix Arroyo; former school committee member John Barros; radio station owner Charles Clemons; City Councilor Robert Consalvo; former state Rep. Charlotte Golar Richie; City Councilor Michael Ross; community organizer Bill Walczak; former schoolteacher David Wyatt; and City Councilor Charles Yancey.

 

Kenyan authorities prepared for the gruesome task of recovering dozens more victims than initially feared after the country's president declared an end Tuesday to the four-day siege of a Nairobi mall by al-Qaida-linked terrorists.

Relatives of Johnny Mutinda Musango, 48, weep after identifying his body at the city morgue in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday Sept. 24 2013. Musango was one of the victims of the Westgate Mall hostage siege. Kenyan security forces were still combing the Mall on the fourth day of the siege by al-Qaida-linked terrorists.  

By DAVID RISING, JASON STRAZIUSO and TOM ODULA

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan authorities prepared for the gruesome task of recovering dozens more victims than initially feared after the country's president declared an end Tuesday to the four-day siege of a Nairobi mall by al-Qaida-linked terrorists. Officials said the death count could jump by another 60 or more.

"We have ashamed and defeated our attackers," President Uhuru Kenyatta said in a televised address to the nation that was delayed for hours as gunbattles persisted at the upscale Westgate mall. "Kenya has stared down evil and triumphed."

Despite Kenyatta's declaration, troops remained deployed at the vast complex, and security officials told The Associated Press attackers with weapons or booby traps might still be inside. A plan to remove bodies was aborted because of continued skirmishes inside the mall, where three floors had collapsed.

Describing the victims as "innocent, harmless civilians" of "various nationalities, races, ethnic, cultural, religious and other walks of life," a solemn-looking Kenyatta reported the known death toll: at least 61 civilians, along with six security forces and five al-Shabab militants.

About 175 people were injured, including 62 who remain hospitalized, he said, acknowledging that "several" bodies remained trapped in the rubble, including those of terrorists.

However, another government official said a far higher toll was feared and morgue workers were preparing to receive up to 60 more bodies. A Western embassy official said the number of additional dead could go as high as 100. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss information not publicly disclosed.

"They're just seeing dead bodies. They've found no survivors, no live hostages," said a Nairobi resident whose brother was taking part in the military sweep inside the mall. He spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because his brother was not authorized to publicly release the information.

Kenyatta said 11 suspects had been arrested; authorities previously announced that seven had been taken into custody at the airport and three elsewhere.

"These cowards will meet justice as will their accomplices and patrons, wherever they are," an emotional Kenyatta declared.

"We confronted this evil without flinching, contained our deep grief and pain, and conquered it," he said. "As a nation, our head is bloodied, but unbowed."

Kenyatta declared three days of national mourning starting Wednesday.

Kenyatta said forensic experts would examine the corpses of the assailants to determine their identities, softening earlier assertions by Kenya's foreign minister that Americans and a Briton were involved in the siege.

"Intelligence reports had suggested that a British woman and two or three American citizens may have been involved in the attack," the president said. "We cannot confirm the details at present but forensic experts are working to ascertain the nationalities of the terrorists."

Kenyan officials as early as Sunday evening began declaring near-victory over what they said were 10 to 15 attackers, some who wore black turbans and many with grenades strapped to their vests. But battles inside the shopping complex continued, straining the credibility of victory declarations.

Booming explosions on Monday collapsed a second-story parking garage down into a department store — blasts that lit cars on fire and sent dark plumes of smoke skyward for nearly two hours. Explosions continued throughout Tuesday, and the chatter of gunfire from inside the building could be heard. Fresh smoke rose from the building in the afternoon.

Fears persisted that some of the attackers could still be alive and loose inside the rubble of the mall, a vast complex that had shops for retailers like Bose, Nike and Adidas, as well as banks, restaurants and a casino.

Two Kenyan soldiers who had been inside the mall shortly before the president spoke said the operation was mostly over, but security forces were still combing the facility and had not definitively cleared all the rooms. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were under orders not to speak to the media.

Another higher-ranking security official involved in the investigations said it would take time to search the whole mall before declaring that the terrorist threat had been crushed. That official also insisted on anonymity.

Al-Shabab, whose name means "The Youth" in Arabic, first began threatening Kenya with a major terror attack in late 2011, after Kenya sent troops into Somalia following a spate of kidnappings of Westerners inside Kenya.

The group used Twitter throughout the four-day siege to say that Somalis have been suffering at the hands of Kenyan military operations in Kenya, and the mall attack was revenge.

"You could have avoided all this and lived your lives with relative safety," the group Tweeted Tuesday. "Remove your forces from our country and peace will come."

Al-Shabab, responding to a request from AP, denied that any women had attacked the mall."

"We have an adequate number of young men who fully committed and ready to sacrifice their lives for the sake of Allah and for the sake of their religion," said the al-Shabab press office in what is thought to be an authentic email address.

The militants specifically targeted non-Muslims, and at least 18 foreigners were among the dead, including six Britons, as well as citizens from France, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, Peru, India, Ghana, South Africa and China. Five Americans were among the wounded.

The mall attack was the deadliest terrorist attack in Kenya since the 1998 al-Qaida truck bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, which killed more than 200 people.

Security officials in Nairobi always knew that Westgate, which was popular with foreign residents of the capital as well as tourists and wealthy Kenyans, was a likely target for terror attacks.

Matt Bryden, a former coordinator of the U.N.'s Somalia monitoring group, said it would have been impossible to adequately protect the complex without transforming its character from a pleasant shopping experience into a U.S. Embassy-like fortress.

"The issue now," he said, "is how this operation escaped detection. Was it so well-planned and operational security so tight that they managed to beat the system, or was it because there was a serious lapse of intelligence, or was it both?"

"To prevent future attacks the emphasis needs to be figuring it out and fix it, and not turning all shopping malls and restaurants and hotels into embassy-like fortresses."

A U.S. Embassy vehicle, identifiable by its numbered diplomatic license plate, arrived at the morgue on Tuesday. American officials have not confirmed the deaths of any U.S. citizens, but it appeared possible the morgue visit was by security officials with an agency like the FBI who were seeking information about one of the bodies inside.

Kenyatta said friendly nations offered various forms of assistance. American, British, French and perhaps most importantly Israeli advisers assisted the hostage-rescue mission, though security officials said all military actions were carried out by Kenyans.

Kenyatta singled out President Barack Obama, as well as the leaders of Israel and Britain, for their support.

Associated Press reporters Rodney Muhumuza, Ben Curtis, Adam Schreck and Jacob Kushner in Nairobi, Kenya, Cassandra Vinograd in London, and Abdi Guled in Mogadishu, Somalia, contributed to this report.