Communities closer to Springfield have argued that there are entitled to money that will help mitigate the impact of the proposed MGM casino.

NORTHAMPTON — Mayor David J. Narkewicz plans to ask the City Council for $22,000 at Thursday’s council meeting to hire a consultant to assess the economic impact a casino in Springfield will have on Northampton.

In doing so, Northampton is getting in line with other communities that are looking to MGM-Springfield soften the blow that an $800 million gaming and entertainment complex could have on the region. To date, Northampton is the furthest-removed community from Springfield to get involved.

Communities closer to Springfield have argued that they are entitled to money that will help mitigate the impact of the complex. Ludlow recently entered into an agreement with MGM-Springfield for funds to mitigate the effects of the proposed casino in Springfield's South End, the last of several Western Massachusetts casino applicants still standing. The casino has proposed agreements with surrounding communities in which MGM would give them $100,000 a year – $75,000 to mitigate impacts and $25,000 for consultants – for the first 15 years of its license to operate in Springfield. Wilbraham and Longmeadow are among the towns that have expressed interest in working with MGM-Springfield in this vein.

Now Narkweicz wants Northampton to get into the act, citing the potential impact on the city’s thriving retail and entertainment scene.

“My biggest concern is the economic impact of dropping in there a state-sanctioned facility with a monopoly on gaming in Western Massachusetts,” he said.

To that end, the city has already hired an attorney with expertise in casino issues to negotiate an agreement with MGM. The company has until Dec. 31 to execute mitigating agreements. If Northampton does not find satisfaction there, Narkewicz said it might turn to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission for help. In the meantime, it is looking for professional advice.

“We need an independent economic analysis of the impact on Northampton of a casino that’s 16-18 miles away,” the mayor said.

Narkewicz said that the business community is on board and has offered to help defray the potential expense of hiring a consultant. He also made a point of saying the process is in no way a negative comment on Springfield.

“This isn’t Northampton versus Springfield,” Narkewciz said. “I called (Springfield Mayor Domenic) Sarno and he understands.”

Elaine Dirscoll, a spokeswoman for the Gaming Commission, said MGM-Springfield has until Dec. 31 to submit its final application. That application should include all mitigating agreements with surrounding communities. If a community such as Northampton believes it has been left out of this process, it had 10 days to petition the Gaming Commission, Driscoll said.

Mary Carey, communications director for District Attorney David E. Sullivan, said that her office was awaiting positive identification of a man found in the Fall River between Gill and Greenfield, but didn't expect that information to come before the end of the day Thursday.

GREENFIELD — Authorities in Franklin County are without new information as they await the state Medical Examiner's report on the body found floating in the Fall River on Monday.

Mary Carey, communications director for Northwestern District Attorney David E. Sullivan, said that her office was awaiting positive identification of the man, but didn't expect that information to come before the end of the day Thursday.

Police from Gill and Greenfield responded to the river around noon on Monday after a construction worker repairing the Factory Hollow bridge on Route 2 saw the man's body floating in the water. The river straddles both communities, and the area where the body was found is said to be a popular spot for fishing and homeless encampments.

Greenfield Police Det. Lt. Dan McCarthy described the deceased Monday as a heavy-set white male who was found wearing a green hooded coat, what appeared to be thermal underwear and a single boot. No indication was given as to whether police suspect foul play.

 

Through 1 a.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said a thick fog will limit visibility to one-quarter mile or less, potentially causing hazardous conditions as people hit the highways for the afternoon commute.

The National Weather Service in Taunton issued a dense fog advisory for parts of New England Thursday afternoon as a dreary sky lingered over the region.

Through 1 a.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said a thick fog will limit visibility to one-quarter mile or less, potentially causing hazardous conditions as people hit the highways for the afternoon commute. The advisory affects Western and Central Massachusetts, all of Connecticut and southwest New Hampshire.

According to Mike Skurko, a meteorologist with CBS-3 Springfield, the rain will become steadier into the evening tonight with another round of showers expected Friday evening as a cold front moves through the region. And moving into the weekend, accumulation of snow is possible late Friday night into Saturday morning.

When he was confronted by an officer, Delaney allegedly pushed her in the chest, knocking her into the street.

SPRINGFIELD -- A city man landed behind bars Wednesday following an incident in which he allegedly teased a police department K-9 before pushing the dog's handler and partner.

View full sizeThomas Delaney, 23, of 837 State St., Springfield

According to the Springfield Police Department, Thomas Delaney, 23, of 837 State St. walked up to a police cruiser around 7:45 p.m. while officer Gail Gethins was on Dickinson Street looking for a suspect. Delaney allegedly began teasing K-9 "Fix," who was in the back seat of her cruiser.

Police say Delaney began screaming obscenities at the dog and grabbing the cage window, which riled the dog up. When he was confronted by officer Gethins, Delaney allegedly pushed her in the chest, knocking her into the street.

When she regained her balance she arrested Delaney, who was charged with assault and battery on a police officer and interfering with a K-9 officer. Delaney was held pending his arraignment in Springfield District Court.

Attorney General Martha Coakley says she doesn't know how she'd vote on a proposed ballot question that would repeal the state's casino law.

BOSTON (AP) — Attorney General Martha Coakley says she doesn't know how she'd vote on a proposed ballot question that would repeal the state's casino law.

Coakley, who is running for governor next year, says casino gambling isn't the first place she would have looked for economic development.

The Democrat said she'd want to take a look at the state of the economy and what the returns would be and whether, at this stage, casinos are a good deal for Massachusetts.

The 2011 law allows for up to three casinos and one slots parlor.

Coakley's office initially ruled the casino question unconstitutional, but supporters are appealing to the state's highest court.

Coakley said she's also undecided about a question that would repeal a new law linking future hikes in the gas tax to the rate of inflation.

The driver was cited for speeding, but police declined to release the man's name because he was not arrested. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- Michael D. Worrell has seen his share of crashes at the curve on Saint James Avenue near Campechi Street, but a Thursday morning wreck was the first time his home was the point of impact.

The crash, which sent one man to an area hospital, was reported at 7:47 a.m., said fire department spokesman Dennis G. Leger, aide to commissioner Joseph Conant. The vehicle -- a Ford 150 pickup -- left the roadway, took down a utility pole and crossed a yard before crashing through a chain-link fence and into the house at 889 Saint James Ave.

One of the truck's three occupants was taken away in an ambulance; the other two declined treatment. The trio of men was on their way to work at Westover Air Force Base, according to a relative who came to the scene.

The driver was cited for speeding, but police declined to release the man's name because he was not arrested.

12.05.2013 | SPRINGFIELD -- The truck involved in Thursday morning's crash took down a utility pole, bottom left, before crossing a yard and hitting the home. Springfield Fire Department | Dennis G. Leger

Worrell said that at the time of the crash he was half asleep on the home's first floor.

"I heard screeching, and then I heard something pop -- like he hit something. I thought it was a two-car accident," Worrell said as he stood on the sidewalk this morning. "And all of a sudden it just smashed right into the house; woke me up. Came running out here and saw the car jammed into the dining room."

The truck did not penetrate the walls of the home. But, Leger said, the crash caved in a small section of the building's foundation and damaged its siding.

"It shook everything downstairs," Worrell said of the impact.

Worrell said his grandmother lived at the home for decades, and said he was a regular visitor to the address for his entire life prior to moving in about three years ago. "Thirty four years I've been in and out of this house. Seen a lot of accidents on this street," he said.

12.05.2013 | SPRINGFIELD -- The impact of the crash damaged the home's foundation. Springfield Fire Department | Dennis G. Leger

He pointed to a scarred utility pole across Saint James where firefighters extricated a woman from a vehicle in a crash earlier this week.

In addition to accidents caused by stop-sign scofflaws entering traffic on Saint James Avenue from Campechi Street and Saint James Circle, Worrell said many drivers are going too fast when they reach the curve outside his home.

The posted speed limit of 30 miles per hour on the approach to Saint James Circle and Campechi Street drops to 25 miles per hour at the curve.

"Speed is always a factor. Always," Worrell said as an employee of CJ's Towing Unlimited prepared to load the pickup onto a waiting flatbed. "If it wasn't for that telephone pole he probably would have went through the dining room. I think that and the fence slowed it down."

Below, a map of the crash scene. The red marker with no dot shows the position of the utility pole; the red line shows the vehicle's path; the red marker with a dot shows where the truck crashed into the home.

Three Armory Street residents are facing serious charges following a five-week investigation that culminated with a raid on Wednesday evening.

SPRINGFIELD — Three Armory Street residents are facing serious charges following a five-week investigation that culminated with a raid on Wednesday evening.

Joevany M. Santiago, 22, Devin Martinez, 19, and Abigail Latorre, 23, were arrested on drug-related charges after a search warrant was executed at 39-41 Armory St. just before 9 p.m. Springfield police say that a search of the residence led by Det. Edward Kalish of the Strategic Impact Unit revealed .22-caliber handguns, shotgun shells, crack cocaine packaged for sale, 33 bags of heroin and marijuana packaged for sale.

Additionally, police said ammunition and money was found scattered all over the apartments.

The three Armory Street residents were charged with possession of heroin with intent to sell, possession of cocaine with intent to sell, possession of marijuana with intent to sell, illegal possession of a firearm, defacing a firearm and illegal possession of ammunition.

Santiago, Martinez and Latorre were held at the city jail awaiting arraignment in Springfield District Court.

Daniel O'Neil was promoted to fire captain at City Hall Wednesday in front of his family and friends.

Daniel O'Neil was promoted to fire captain at City Hall Wednesday in front of his family and friends.

"Whether a chief fails or succeeds, he doesn't do it alone. He does it with the help of his officers," said Worcester fire chief Gerardo Dio. "I have been very fortunate in the last 13 years as chief of the department to have people like Danny that do an excellent job. They love their job and they do their job. That's all we can ask of anyone."

O'Neil has been serving with Ladder 7 on Park Avenue and will take over an interim position at Ladder 4 in Webster Square. The chief encouraged O'Neil to continue working and climbing the ranks.

"Dan don't stop here. Keep trying and maybe some day you will be in my position," said Gio. "Congratulations from all of us at the city of Worcester."

Daniel O'Neil following his promotion Wednesday.Sam Bonacci, MassLive.com 

"Each and every one of these promotion ceremonies has been special to me," he said. "Congratulations to you and congratulations to your family."

It is that family that is important working up to this opportunity, said O'Brien, as a great deal of work goes into achieving a promotion. The city is also there to support firefighters, he said, by ensuring they have the proper resources.

"That's important because the service you provide is about safety and it's about security for our community," said O'Brien. "We have a great respect for the department that we have."

The death of a 20-year-old woman found off of Suffolk Street Wednesday is being investigated as a homicide as police continue to attempt to identify the woman.

The death of a 20-year-old woman found off of Suffolk Street Wednesday is being investigated as a homicide as police continue to attempt to identify the woman.

Detectives say the murder is not a random act of violence, according to a release from the Worcester Police Department.

The body was discovered Wednesday morning in the area of 60 Suffolk Street. A large portion of the road was closed for the majority of the day as police could be seen entering a wooded area behind the house.

This is the city's ninth homicide of 2013.

The investigation is ongoing. If anyone has information about this incident they can send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD plus a message or send an anonymous web based message at worcesterma.gov/police. Calls can also be made to the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at (508) 799-8651.

After a frantic search across a wide section of central Mexico, authorities said that they had found a stolen truck that was transporting a large amount of dangerous radioactive material, a substance that can be used in making dirty bombs.

Do you have news or a news tip to submit to MassLive.com for consideration? Send an email to online@repub.com.

The tax rate for Springfield homeowners matched last year's rate, but the average bill for a single-family home will rise.

SPRINGFIELD — The City Council voted Wednesday to keep the tax rate for homeowners at $19.71 for fiscal year 2014, the same as last year, but the average annual tax bill for a single-family home will rise by $91 due to an overall increase in property values.

The council vote was 11-1 in favor of setting the residential tax rate at $19.71 per $1,000 property valuation. In addition, the council set the commercial-industrial-personal property tax rate at $39.04, an increase of six cents per $1,000 valuation compared to last year’s rate.

“I think it was fair to everybody — to the residents and to the businesses,” said Councilor Clodovaldo Concepcion, chairman of the Finance Committee and its special tax rate subcommittee. “There is no way you can please everybody.”

There were three hearings on the tax rate, and the committee worked hard in considering the rates, Concepcion said. The hearings were attended by just a few people, he said.

Councilor John Lysak cast the sole vote against the new rates and Councilor Kateri Walsh was absent. Lysak said he cast the vote against the new rates because he is concerned about increasing taxes when times are difficult and unemployment is high.

The average single-family tax bill will rise from $2,507 in fiscal 2013, to $2,598 this fiscal year. Seventy-one percent of the homeowners will have some increase, and more than half of those receiving an increase will be $150 or less, Board of Assessors Chairman Richard Allen said.

The new tax rates are for the current fiscal year that began July 1, 2013 and ends June 30, 2014. The city sent out estimated bills for the first two quarters of the year, and will send actual, adjusted bills for the final two quarters, officials said.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno recommended the residential rate remain at $19.71.

Jeffrey S. Ciuffreda, executive director of the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, had recommended on behalf of the chamber that the residential rate be four cents higher, at $19.75, and the business rate be reduced to $38.93. While the chamber knows that the economy is difficult for businesses and homeowners, it had hoped its proposed rates to slightly ease the business tax rate burden would be one incentive for creation of jobs, he said.

Allen said that after repeated declines in the city’s total property valuation in recent years, the values rose from about $6.7 billion in fiscal year 2013 to $6.9 billion in fiscal 2014.

The average single-family home rose in value from $127,200 in fiscal 2013 to $131,800 in fiscal 2014, according to assessors' records.

Last December, when new tax rates were set for fiscal 2013, the average annual bill for a single-family home decreased by about $146.

Allen said that out of 2,200 commercial properties in Springfield, 1,955 will have some increase. Of those, 1,649 would face an increase in their bills of $50 or less.

Worcester police arrested a man Thursday after he entered a business and began stealing tools before threatening an employee with a knife.

Worcester police arrested a man Thursday afternoon after he entered a business and began stealing tools and threatening an employee with a knife.

At approximately 3:22 p.m., police were called to Redi-Signs at 18 Grafton St. When they arrived, an employee told them that a man, later identified as Griffin Tyler, 19, of 16 Eustis Street, had entered the building and began stealing tools from the third floor, according to a press release from the Worcester Police Department. When confronted, Tyler allegedly pulled out a knife and threatened the employee with it.

Officers located Tyler and arrested him on the charges of larceny over $250 and assault with a dangerous weapon. The stolen tools were returned to the business.

The Boston City Council unanimously approved a controversial pay raise for the rank-and-file policemen in the city on Wednesday.

Boston City Council President Stephen Murphy. (City of Boston)City of Boston 

The Boston City Council unanimously approved a controversial pay raise for rank-and-file policemen in the city on Wednesday.

After city officials and union leaders failed to reach an agreement on police officers' pay, arbitrator Timothy J. Buckalew awarded police a six-year, $87 million pay raise in September. On Wednesday night, the City Council voted 12-0 to fund the package.

Samuel Tyler, the president of Boston Municipal Research Bureau, whose organization advised against approving the pay hike, said he was surprised the vote was unanimous.

"I wasn'™t surprised they would approve it, but I was surprised it was unanimous," he said. "No city councilor stood up and said 'This is not right.'"

The organization's testimony to the Council noted that the salary increase for rank-and-file police officers is "twice as large as the standard salary negotiated with 31 other unions for the same period."

Perhaps the most notable critic of the deal is former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, who spoke out on Wednesday with concerns about the financial impact the deal may have.

"The taxpayers are sick of paying more taxes. They want government reducing costs, not expanding them. The city of Boston is a corporation and that corporation lives and dies on the budget," Davis told the Boston Herald Radio on Wednesday.

After the vote, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino also criticized the decision, reports the Boston Globe.

"œThere is no incentive for public safety unions to settle when negotiating with the city, Menino said. "Arbitrators always give them more. Most people understand that."

"œThe council really had a chance to break the cycle, but they chose not to," Menino said. "They could have set a precedent, but they refused to do so."

The 25.4 percent increase is quite a step up from the final offer the city made during talks with the union earlier this year, which was 19.8 percent over a six-year period, reports CBS Boston.

Tyler, the president of the organization that advised the Council against the deal, said the reason for the drastic increase stemmed from a difference in the definition of "compensational parity."

"In 2012 the average compensation for a patrolman was $109,847 and the average compensation for a firefighter was $109,090 so equilibrium was established," Tyler stated. But because of the Quinn Bill, which caused police officers not to receive a pay raise for two years, and a longevity provision provided for firefighters that gave them a salary boost, the gap widened, according to Tyler.

Tyler believes the pay hike could have a negative "ripple effect" in the city, resulting in a reduced workforce in departments outside of schools and public safety.

"Other departments will pay the price for this contract," he said, adding that this could encourage more unions to push for bigger contracts and possibly lead to fewer on-the-ground police officers in the future.

A call and email to Thomas Nee, president of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association, were not returned.

Peaceful elections and relatively harmonious race relations define today's South Africa; so do crime, corruption and economic inequality.

CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA
Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — What next for South Africa?

This racially charged country that, on Nelson Mandela's watch, inspired the world by embracing reconciliation in all-race elections in 1994 is again in the global spotlight after the loss of such a towering historical figure. It is a time not just for grief and gratitude, but also a clear-eyed assessment of national strengths and shortcomings in a future without a man who was a guide and comfort to so many.

"It's a new beginning," said Kyle Redford, one of many outside the home of the anti-apartheid leader who became the nation's first black president. "The loss of a legend is going to force us to come together once again."

He acknowledged that there is a "sense of what next: Where do we go? What do we do? And how do we do it?"

Mandela's resolve rubbed off on many of his compatriots, though such conviction is tempered by the reality that his vision of a "rainbow nation" failed, almost inevitably, to meet the heady expectations propelling the country two decades ago. Peaceful elections and relatively harmonious race relations define today's South Africa; so do crime, corruption and economic inequality.

Mandela remained a powerful symbol in the hopeful, uncharted period after apartheid, even when he left the presidency, retired from public life and shuttled in and out of hospitals as a protracted illness eroded his once-robust frame. He became a moral anchor, so entwined with the national identity that some jittery South Africans wondered whether the country would slide into chaos after his death.

"Does it spell doomsday and disaster for us?" retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu asked rhetorically Friday before declaring that no, the country will not disintegrate.

"The sun will rise tomorrow and the next day and the next," said Tutu, who like Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting apartheid and promoting reconciliation. "It may not appear as bright as yesterday, but life will carry on."

A series of violent events since last year intensified worries over the state of the nation. The August 2012 shooting deaths of 34 striking miners by police at the Marikana platinum mine recalled, for some South Africans, state killings under apartheid. In February, a Mozambican taxi driver was dragged from a South African police vehicle and later died in a jail cell.

At the same time, tourism surged. Despite labor strife and credit-rating downgrades, resource-rich South Africa hosted Brazil, Russia, India and China at the "BRICS" summit in March. It has the biggest economy in Africa and aspires to continental leadership.

Mandela's death will not destabilize race relations in the country, contrary to some fears, according to the South African Institute of Race Relations.

"For many years now, South Africans have got along with one another largely peacefully without Mr. Mandela having been active in the political sphere," Lerato Moloi, the institute's head of research, said. "In fact, Mr. Mandela's passing may be cause for many to reflect on the remarkably peaceful and swift racial integration of many parts of society, including schools, suburbs, universities, and workplaces."

Moloi said in a statement: "Although some of this had started to occur before 1994, as a symbol of racial reconciliation and forgiveness Mr. Mandela will be viewed by many as having played a pivotal role in creating such a society."

Mandela's life epitomized the fight for freedom and equality, said Human Rights Watch. It pointed out that South Africa's education and health sectors are inadequate and the country remains divided by racial separation and deep economic inequality.

"Almost two decades into its democracy, South Africa is not the country that Mandela had said he hoped it would become," the group said.

President Jacob Zuma evoked the idea of the 95-year-old Mandela as a beacon for the ages when he announced his death on Thursday night.

South Africans, Zuma said, must be determined "to live as Madiba has lived, to strive as Madiba has strived and to not rest until we have realized his vision of a truly united South Africa, a peaceful and prosperous Africa, and a better world."

Mandela, also known by his clan name Madiba, admitted to weakness and failings, yet rose to greatness in a way that no contemporary or successor could match.

Zuma, for example, has credentials as an anti-apartheid activist who was imprisoned with Mandela. But he and the ruling African National Congress, once led by Mandela, have been dogged by corruption allegations that have eroded support for the government. In the days before Mandela's death, South African media were filled with reports on the alleged lavish use of state funds for construction at Zuma's family compound.

The scene outside Mandela's house embodied the mixed picture in South Africa, where political sparring between the ruling party and the opposition has sharpened ahead of national elections next year, the 20th anniversary of the pivotal vote in which Mandela became president.

Mourners outside the home mingled in an inclusive, celebratory atmosphere that prompted the Rev. Inigo Alvarez, a Catholic priest, to declare: "Now we experience what is South Africa, all kinds of people, all kinds of regions."

Yet ANC activists in yellow jumpsuits pasted posters on the perimeter walls of the Mandela compound and handed out leaflets presenting the party as the heir to his tradition. In death, Mandela was still drawn into politics.

As snow and freezing rain blanketed normally sun-swept North Texas, residents accustomed to warmer temperatures appeared to heed warnings on what one hardware store manager called "Ice Friday," staying off nearly impassable roadways and out of the skin-stinging cold.

NOMAAN MERCHANT
Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) — As snow and freezing rain blanketed normally sun-swept North Texas, residents accustomed to warmer temperatures appeared to heed warnings on what one hardware store manager called "Ice Friday," staying off nearly impassable roadways and out of the skin-stinging cold.

Earlier this week, many in Texas were basking in spring-like temperatures that hit the 80s. But by Thursday, Texas was facing the same wintry blast that has slammed much of the U.S., bringing frigid temperatures, ice and snow.

Freezing rain started to pelt highways and power lines Thursday evening, leaving a quarter-million customers without electricity Friday morning. Schools canceled classes a day before, many businesses gave workers the day off, and frigid roads and sidewalks were mostly empty. Organizers of Sunday's Dallas Marathon canceled the event early Friday afternoon.

Bundled up against the elements, Matthew Johnson was one of the few people braving the cold Friday.

"We're going to walk the dog and have fun outside, I guess," said Johnson, standing near his home in the Dallas suburb of Richardson.

Agencies and residents here are still haunted by the fiasco of a frozen Super Bowl week two years ago, when an inadequate response to a winter storm crippled the region and left visitors stranded on impassable highways.

This time, all of North Texas mobilized before an expected half-inch of freezing rain began to come down. Temperatures are forecast to stay below freezing after the rain passes, meaning residents will have to contend with icy roads through the weekend.

One Home Depot in Dallas was running out of firewood and ice melt a day early.

"It's almost like a Black Friday," said store manager James McGilberry, "but I guess we'll call it an Ice Friday."

Road crews were continuously dumping sand on largely empty highways, and utility company Oncor reported 250,000 customers were without power in the Dallas area, where temperatures had fallen into the 20s and some places saw light snow.

The weather forced more than 1,000 cancelations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, one of the nation's busiest airports and a key hub for Fort Worth-based American Airlines. Many travelers were stuck waiting and hoping for another flight to take them to their destination. Those arriving in North Texas were having trouble finding cabs as many drivers stayed home. Dallas-area light rail trains were not running.

"I don't let things like this stop me," said Dayo Bankale, a taxi driver at the airport Friday. "I'm not scared."

Rosibel Gutierrez Artavia, shivering in a light sweater as she waited for a taxi, had traveled from Alajuela, Costa Rica, to suburban Fort Worth to see family. Relatives called her before she left Costa Rica to warn her to pack warm. But she got the call when she was already at the airport.

"I did not come prepared with snow clothes," Artavia said in Spanish.

But she was still thankful that the weather didn't prevent her from boarding a flight that got her from Houston to North Texas and close to her family.

"I prayed to God and He listened to me," she said.

The National Weather Service issued winter storm and ice warnings through much of Friday for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee. Some parts of the Midwest expected to see several inches of snow. The storm stretched from South Texas, where anxious residents bagged outdoor plants to protect them from the cold, up into northern New England and the Canadian Maritimes.

Cold weather has already dumped 1 to 2 feet of snow in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin and draped many communities in skin-stinging cold. The temperature in parts of North Dakota on Thursday was a few degrees below zero, but wind chill pushed it to nearly 40 below.

In West Texas, many truckers had already pulled off Interstate 27 on Thursday, said Leilani Pierce, a manager at a Flying J Travel Plaza in Lubbock.

Students at Oklahoma State University were evicted by school officials from a makeshift tent community they set up ahead of Saturday's rivalry football game against the University of Oklahoma. Debbie McCarthy, the university's athletics coordinator of special events, told the Tulsa World that officials were worried about propane heaters starting a fire.

The city of St. Louis opened its first cold-weather shelter of the season and warned residents to dress in layers inside and outside if need be.

A winter storm system swept through the Plains Thursday and dumped 1 to 2 feet of snow in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin. It forced cancellations in places far more accustomed to snow: Officials in Rapid City, S.D., said the weather was too cold for ice skating, and temperatures in Montana and Idaho fell below minus 25 degrees.

___

Associated Press writers Diana Heidgerd, Terry Wallace and David Warren in Dallas; Betsy Blaney in Lubbock, Texas; John L. Mone in Richardson, Texas; Kristi Eaton in Oklahoma City' James MacPherson in Bismarck, N.D.; Scott Mayerowitz in New York; Michelle Rindels in Grapevine, Texas; Ramit Plushnick-Masti in Houston; and Jim Salter in St. Louis, Mo., contributed to this report.

A Connecticut man is facing charges after he allegedly used his position as volunteer bell-ringer with the Salvation Army to steal donations from the red kettle.

VERNON, Conn. — A Connecticut man is facing charges after he allegedly used his position as volunteer bell-ringer with the Salvation Army to try and steal donations from the red kettle.

View full sizeBrandon Martin (Vernon police booking photo) 

Police say 28-year-old Brandon Martin was manning the kettle at the Windsorville Road Stop & Shop in Vernon Thursday morning when the store manager allegedly saw him grab a sandwich and drink without paying. As Martin was allegedly eating his stolen lunch next to the kettle, the store manager confronted him and took the kettle away before going to his office to call the Salvation Army.

Martin reportedly convinced another employee who didn't know what had transpired to get him the kettle back, at which point he is said to have run from the store. But police caught up to Martin a short distance later and recovered the kettle along with the folded cash donations inside which totaled less than $30.

The money was recovered for the Salvation Army, which immediately fired Martin.

Det. James Grady of the Vernon Police Department told NBC Connecticut that Martin's actions shouldn't reflect negatively on the work that volunteers do on behalf of the charity this time of year.

"I really do think this was an individual incident and by in large, the people that are out working for the Salvation Army collecting money for the needy are doing a great job," he said.

He was charged with larceny by police and held in lieu of $500 bond. Martin will answer the charge in Rockville Superior Court.

The man police say helped burn the body of a woman on Suffolk Street after previously doing crack cocaine with her and her alleged killer was arraigned at UMass Memorial Hospital Friday and held without bail.

WORCESTER — The man police say helped burn the body of a woman on Suffolk Street after previously doing crack cocaine with her and her alleged killer was arraigned at UMass Memorial Hospital Friday and held without bail.

"It appears ... there had been a number of people doing cocaine for a period of time," said Attorney Debra DeWitt who was representing Dominic Jackson, 34, of 10 King St. who has been hospitalized since Wednesday night with chest pains.

Jackson told police that he had been smoking crack cocaine with a white female and two black males for an extended period of time on Tuesday into Wednesday when one of the men struck the woman in the head with a rock, said Assistant District Attorney Kassia Smith at the arraignment. Jackson's attorney Debra DeWitt said that her client has a drug habit and did not contest the recorded statement that he gave to police.

Jackson was reportedly offered drugs in exchange for helping to dispose of the woman's body. He told police that he left and returned with gasoline to burn the body, according to court records.

The body of that woman was found behind 60 Suffolk Street on Wednesday morning and was pronounced dead by Worcester EMS, said Smith. The woman has not been identified, but is believed to have been in her 20's, according to police records.

The alleged murderer, who Jackson said he met that day, was described as a tall, well over six-feet, black man in his 40s.

Jackson has been charged with accessory to murder after the fact and possession of a class B substance.

He was held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing on Dec. 12.

A talk radio host who's made derogatory remarks in the past that have landed him in hot water apologized on Friday for calling protesters at a political event hags and whores, following a campaign that targeted an advertiser.

MICHELLE R. SMITH, Associated Press

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A talk radio host who's made derogatory remarks in the past that have landed him in hot water apologized on Friday for calling protesters at a political event hags and whores, following a campaign that targeted an advertiser.

WPRO-AM host John DePetro called in to his show and told a fill-in host he regretted not choosing his words more carefully in September.

"The language I used was not in keeping with the family friendly atmosphere that I try to maintain for the thousands of people who listen to me," DePetro said, adding, "Going forward I intend to approach debates on the current topics that we talk about in a more sensitive style."

During a show in September, DePetro called protesters outside a fundraiser for a potential gubernatorial candidate parasites, cockroaches and "union hags," then spelled out the word whores.

A group backed by labor unions last month launched a campaign to get jewelry maker Alex and Ani to drop its sponsorship of the station.

DePetro has not been on air all week, but it's unclear whether he has been disciplined. The program director declined comment.

DePetro was fired from a Boston station in 2006 after he called a gubernatorial candidate a "fat lesbian."

According to WMECO spokeswoman Priscilla Ress, the outage affected customers along Route 5 from Morgan Road to Brush Hill Road, including the business located in the Table & Vine plaza.

WEST SPRINGFIELD — Crews with Western Massachusetts Electric Company took less than an hour to bring power back to more than 700 customers who lost electricity around 2:17 p.m. Friday.

According to WMECO spokeswoman Priscilla Ress, a car backed into a utility pole on Myron Street, snapping the wires and causing the outage which affected customers along Route 5 from Morgan Road to Brush Hill Road, including the business located in the Table & Vine plaza.

At 3 p.m. the company's outage map showed that of the 12,666 customers served in West Springfield, 716, or six percent were without power.

But ten minutes later, Ress said that the crews had completed their work and got the busy thoroughfare up and running.

The building at Main and Arch streets was vacated by court order in February when inspectors found conditions ranging from electrical hazards to water leaks throughout the building.

SPRINGFIELD — The city is seeking bids for demolition of an apartment block at Main and Arch streets in the North End that has been vacant and boarded since February when tenants were evicted by court order for unsafe conditions.

The city has obtained Western District Housing Court approval to demolish the two attached buildings at 2612-2616 Main St., and 3 Arch St., totaling 16 apartments, and will attach a lien on the property to try to recover its costs, officials said this week.

“In its current state, we had no choice but to demolish it because it has become a blight on the neighborhood,” Associate City Solicitor Lisa C. DeSousa said Thursday.

Bids are due by Dec. 18, at 2 p.m., at the Chief Procurement Office at City Hall. The demolition project has an estimated cost of $200,000, and the city is slated to select the lowest responsible bid.

In February, approximately 30 remaining tenants were forced out of the building after city inspectors found conditions that included: electrical problems that created a safety hazard; inadequate smoke and carbon monoxide detectors; water leaks throughout the building; the likelihood of mold; insufficient lighting outside; trash and litter; and illegal activity including drug sales outside.

The building at the time was ruled unfit for human habitation by court order.

“This has been a difficult property for the neighborhood and a challenge for the city as well,” said Tina Quagliato, the city’s deputy director of neighborhood stabilization.”

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and the City Council granted funds for demolition.

Ward 1 Councilor Zaida Luna praised the plans.

“It is my hope this demolition will continue to improve the quality of life for residents and the small business community in the North End,” Luna said. “I look forward to working with the community to continue to improve our neighborhood.”

The city has done additional boarding and other security measures in recent months, but the property remains a public safety hazard and fire hazard and an attraction for illegal activity and other trouble, Quagliato and DeSousa said.

The building was the scene of a fire in August.

The property owner is listed as Cre Base Three LLC, of West Hills, Calif., but it has been under the control of court-appointed receiver, according to city records.

The site will be open for inspection by potential contractors on Dec. 9, between 10 a.m. and noon. Those interested are advised to call Quagliato at (413) 750-2114 for additional information.