Scuffles have broken out as journalists interrupt rival reports, government officials have received extraordinary public grillings, and a distraught mother confronted the Syrian government delegation at their hotel.

ZEINA KARAM
Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — The bitterness and rancor stirred by Syria's civil war were on full display this week at peace talks in Switzerland — and not just in the closed room where rival delegations are seeking a way to end the three-year conflict.

For the first time since the country devolved into its bloody civil war, supporters and opponents of President Bashar Assad — many of them journalists — are meeting face to face. The mix is producing more than just awkward moments between people with vastly different views.

In the hallways of the U.N.'s European headquarters and on the manicured lawns outside, tempers have flared. Scuffles have broken out as journalists interrupt rival reports, government officials have received extraordinary public grillings, and a distraught mother confronted the Syrian government delegation at their hotel.

More than 130,000 people have died since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011, and millions of people have been uprooted from their homes. The conflict has pitted neighbor against neighbor. People who were once friends have stopped talking to each other. Journalists who once worked together have been separated. Sectarian tensions, once tamped down under Assad's grip, have exploded into the open.

Many journalists have been forced to leave the country, either thrown out by the regime or going into self-imposed exiled in order to continue their work freely. Many have switched jobs to work with opposition or government outlets.

"It has been a rare opportunity to meet and get to know each other again," said Ibrahim Hamidi, a Syrian journalist working for the London-based Arabic regional newspaper, Al-Hayat. "It's unnerving for both sides."

In Geneva, anti-government activists accuse journalists supporting the regime of coming with a specific mandate to ask disruptive questions. And for government officials used to controlling the narrative back home, the experience has been frazzling.

"The regime's delegation feel besieged here, they are on the defensive — clearly the weaker party," claimed Rima Fleihan, a member of the Syrian National Coalition opposition group.

During an impromptu briefing at last week's opening session in Montreux, Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi was hounded by a widely known anti-government activist who pressed him on the government's indiscriminate use of barrel bombs against civilians in the hard-hit northern city of Aleppo.

"Who is using barrel bombs in Aleppo?," Rami Jarrah asked. "I will give you the Google coordinates of ISIL headquarters in Raqqa. Why don't you bomb them?," he demanded, referring to the al-Qaida-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which hopes to turn the war into a regional conflagration that would allow it to take deeper root.

Jarrah had the tables turned on him a day later, when an Assad supporter at a small but boisterous pro-government rally shouted at him: "You have destroyed Iraq, Libya. You will never do that to Syria!" This was in reference to what many government supporters see as an opposition allied with the West.

The Syrian government delegation couldn't escape such encounters even in the comfort of their hotel — ironically named the Hotel de la Paix or Hotel of Peace. On Wednesday, the government's chief negotiator and his team were confronted by the mother of a British doctor, Abbas Khan, who died last month while in Syrian government custody.

"For God's sake, why did you kill my son?," Fatima Khan screamed as the team walked out of their hotel. "He was a humanitarian worker, he wasn't a fighter. Don't you have a heart?"

Pro-government journalists have capitalized on the fact that most members of the opposition's main Western-backed Syrian National Coalition are longtime exiles who have lived abroad for years, casting them as stooges of foreign powers. Murhaf Jouejati, a member of the group's negotiating team who lives in the United States and speaks Arabic with an American accent, was interrupted during a briefing by a journalist who demanded that he speak in Arabic.

"We are Syrians and I need the answer in Arabic. Do you even know how to speak Arabic?" she chided.

At one of his daily press conferences, U.N.-Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi was peppered with so many questions from pro-government Syrian journalists that he quipped: "Is there anyone in this room who is not Syrian?"

On the live television position in the U.N. garden, with a peaceful vista of Europe's highest mountain Mont Blanc in the background, both sides make outrageous accusations, clearly playing to an international audience less familiar with the war.

Opposition spokesman Louay Safi claimed people in the besieged city of Homs were eating "cats and dogs" because the governments restrict aid convoys. Presidential adviser Bouthaina Shaaba accused extremists allied with the opposition of "burning people alive in ovens."

In comparison, delegation members say the negotiations inside the meeting room with Brahimi have been more civilized, though sometimes tense.

Outside, the delegations try not to cross paths, often milling about away from the podium, speaking to journalists or strolling around outside to avoid contact. On one occasion, al-Zoubi, the information minister, found himself standing back to back with an opposition delegate, as each talked to different reporters. Al-Zoubi was hastily led away by an aide.

As bitter as things may be, some are hopeful the small encounters can eventually help begin a healing process for a ravaged country.

"It's a learning process for both parties," Hamidi said. "And it sends signals to the Syrians back home."

A spokesman for the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities said that, in general, any company with a presence in Connecticut, where gay marriage is legal, cannot discriminate in providing benefits based on sexual orientation.

HARTFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut physical therapist has filed a sex discrimination complaint against the West Hartford senior living center where she works, saying she is being illegally denied health benefits for her wife.

Kerry Considine, 36, of Griswold filed the complaint against Brookdale Senior Living on Jan. 17 with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Her lawyer said they expect the EEOC will bring the complaint to the attention of the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.

Considine said she sought the benefits for her wife, Renee, after they were married in November. She said Brookdale, which owns more than 550 senior living and retirement communities across the United States, told her that the corporation does not offer benefits to same-sex couples. The company is based in Tennessee, where the state constitution defines marriage as between a man and a woman.

“That’s where the shock lies for me,” she said. “I thought we, as a society, were moving forward, and to be with a company that I feel isn’t is hurtful and just not what I expected.”

Julie Davis, a Brookdale spokeswoman, replied to a request for the company’s policy with a written statement saying it would not comment on the case.

“Brookdale believes strongly that we succeed through partnership with our employees; we recognize that good people make the difference and are the key to our success,” she said in the statement.

A spokesman for the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities also would not comment on the specific complaint. But he said that, in general, any company with a presence in Connecticut, where gay marriage is legal, cannot discriminate in providing benefits based on sexual orientation.

The EEOC does not comment on specific cases unless it brings a lawsuit. But Jeanne Goldberg, senior attorney adviser for the commission, said little case law exists on the specific issue.

“We are not aware of any court decisions yet on whether it violates Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination in benefits for an employer to engage in disparate treatment of married employees based on the sex of their spouse (i.e., providing a benefit only to those employees in opposite-sex legal marriages but not those in same-sex legal marriages), and the Commission has not issued policy guidance on this question,” she said in a written statement.

Janson Wu, a staff attorney with Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders, which assisted Considine in filing her complaint, said many employers believe that if they are a national company or based in a state that does not recognize same-sex marriage, they have the right to deny benefits to same-sex couples.

He said many of these companies have used the federal Defense of Marriage Act to deny benefits.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that in states where gay marriage is legal, same-sex married couples must be treated the same as other spouses under federal laws governing tax, health care, pensions and other federal benefits. But the court left intact another provision of the federal anti-gay marriage law that allows one state not to recognize a same-sex marriage performed elsewhere.

“If we’re successful, this case would provide clear guidance to all employers that they can’t discriminate against their gay employees, by refusing to provide them with health benefits,” Wu said.

For the Considines, the issue is much more personal. Kerry Considine said they would like to start a family, with Renee carrying the baby. But as a student, Renee has just basic health care insurance, and they would incur thousands of dollars in health care costs without the joint coverage, Kerry Considine said.

“I work for a company that promotes health, wellness and caring for people,” she said. “To deny me equality and health care for my family has been very challenging for me.”

In the next day or two, Holder will make the most high-profile death penalty decision of his career in law enforcement: whether to seek capital punishment in the case of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the defendant in the Boston Marathon bombings last April that killed three people and injured 260.

PETE YOST, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -” As attorney general, Eric Holder has approved pursuing the death penalty in at least 34 criminal cases, upholding a long-ago pledge to Congress that he would vigorously enforce federal law even though he's not a proponent of capital punishment.

In the next day or two, Holder will make the most high-profile death penalty decision of his career in law enforcement: whether to seek capital punishment in the case of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the defendant in the Boston Marathon bombings last April that killed three people and injured 260.

As the U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. in 1993, Holder recommended to Attorney General Janet Reno that she not seek the death penalty in the case of a slain police officer because of legal obstacles that made conviction unlikely. Reno overruled him but in the end, the government cut a deal that put the killer away for life imprisonment, a frequent outcome in capital punishment prosecutions.

"The case had problems ... and when we had the ability to get a plea from the defendant that put him in jail without any chance of parole for the rest of his life, we decided to accept the plea," Holder explained later to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

At the same hearing, Holder assured the Senate panel that "I will enforce the law that has been passed, and any statute that contains a death penalty provision will be looked at as any other statute. I will enforce the law as this Congress gives it to us."

In recent death penalty cases brought by Holder's Justice Department, one defendant was sentenced to death and six received life sentences, either through a plea or a trial.

Even when there's a conviction, the odds against death sentences being imposed are such that "from the Justice Department's point of view the question about the death penalty often comes down to 'If we seek it, how likely are we to get it?'" said David Schertler, who was chief of the homicide section when Holder ran the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington, D.C.

Holder has had "a lot of experience with the death penalty and he has always been extremely thoughtful, deliberate and concerned about being consistent on the subject," Schertler said.

As recently as last week, Holder emphasized that his opposition to the death penalty is due in part to practical concerns -- what he sees as failures in the legal system.

"The problem is that in too many places, lawyers who are defending poor people don't have adequate resources to do a good job," Holder said in an appearance at the University of Virginia last Thursday. "You end up with these miscarriages of justice."

"It's really one of the reasons why I am personally opposed to the death penalty," Holder added. "As good as our system is, it's ultimately a system that is filled with men and women who are well intentioned but who make mistakes. And as horrible as it is for somebody to be put in jail for crimes that they did not commit, it is obviously not as bad as a situation where somebody is executed for a crime that he or she did not commit."

But Holder's description of a flawed legal system with inadequate resources doesn't apply to the Boston case.

One of the finest death penalty attorneys in the country, Judy Clarke, is leading the legal team defending Tsarnaev. That legal team may be able to mount a strong defense by arguing that the defendant, just 19 at the time of the bombings, was under the influence of his older brother, Tamerlan, who was killed in a shootout with police four days after the blasts.

Another factor could complicate the government's case if it seeks the death penalty. Massachusetts hasn't had a state death penalty law since 1984. History suggests that it can be extremely difficult for federal prosecutors to win capital punishment cases in states that don't have a capital punishment law of their own.

On the other hand, a jury of Massachusetts residents handed up a death sentence in the only federal capital case now pending in the state. A judge tossed out the jury's death sentence against Gary Lee Sampson, a drifter who pleaded guilty in the July 2001 slayings of two men who had picked Sampson up hitchhiking. The U.S. Attorney in Boston, Carmen Ortiz, says prosecutors will again seek the death penalty instead of allowing Sampson to serve a life sentence.

The numbers seem to suggest an uphill battle for a death penalty prosecution.

From 1993 to 2012, the Justice Department brought 88 capital punishment cases in states that didn't have a death penalty. Just seven of the defendants wound up on death row, according to data compiled by the Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project.

Larry Mackey, a former Justice Department prosecutor, said that if Tsarnaev goes to trial, jury selection will delve into whether the jurors really hold the same view as Massachusetts law. In the end, he said, any risk that the prosecution can seat 12 jurors prepared to vote for death --” even in Massachusetts --” will propel negotiations for a guilty plea with life imprisonment. In this case, both parties have a reason to be at the negotiating table, he said.

There have been just three federal executions since the death penalty was reinstituted in 1976, and Mackey prosecuted one of them --” Timothy McVeigh, in the Oklahoma City bombing case. The other defendant in the Oklahoma City bombing case, Terry Nichols, is serving a term of life imprisonment without possibility of parole.

For Neil Rogers, head chef at Volturno and winner of the 2014 Best Chef competition, the formula for winning was simple ingredients put together by hand with a dash of fun to taste.

WORCESTER — For Neil Rogers, head chef at Volturno and winner of the 2014 Best Chef competition, the winning formula came through simplicity in ingredients leading to a great flavor.

“Hard work really does pay off in the end. We always work hard and we always try to go above and beyond to make our food better," said Rogers who won the final cook-off round with a coconut curry chicken with mint pomelo yogurt and soy-marinated pomelo.

Rogers has been at Volturno on Shrewsbury Street since the restaurant opened nearly a year ago. He got his start in Worcester at the Struck Cafe, and moved up through the restaurant world, working for celebrity chef Tim Love and for Max Restaurant Group locations in West Hartford, Conn. Most recently, he cooked at Tomasso Trattoria in Southborough.

When the decision came to what food to use in the competition, Rogers wanted to serve the same kind of clean Italian fare the restaurant has been serving since it opened.

“We were able to give the public the type of food we produce at the restaurant," said Rogers who explained many people know the restaurant for its Neapolitan pizza.

 

Just like the items on Volturno's menu, the competition focus was on quality, using straightforward ingredients and hard work. The agnolotti, all 1,100 of them, were made by hand - all the way up from mixing the dough to sealing in the filling.

"We actually care and we are trying to take everything to the next level," said Rogers of the step. "That's how I feel about my food. That's what I feel people really want to eat."

If the competition does anything, said Rogers, it can hopefully open people's minds to the food of Worcester, while spurring on even higher-level creations from local restaurants. While the city has some great Italian-American food on offer, there is more than just that available as many restaurants start moving towards a locally-sourced mentality.

“You’re using everything that is in season. It is fresher. It is better," he said, explaining that hopefully he can help lead the way. “I’m proud that I won so that I can take that step forward.”

The Hadley group was due to return home late Wednesday night; of the nine travelers, five were reported to have had bouts with the virus.

BAYONNE, N.J. – Before the Explorer of the Seas had even docked on Wednesday afternoon, Jane and Diane Nevinsmith, of Hadley, Mass., said they are ready to take another cruise.

And, they’ll book it with Royal Caribbean International cruise lines, the couple adds.

The two were among a group of nine passengers from Hadley who found themselves aboard the cruise ship where 700 passengers and crew became sick, forcing a 10-day cruise to be cut short at the urging of federal health officials.

“ I think this company and this staff has done an incredible job in doing the right thing,” said Jane Nevinsmith in a telephone interview as the Explorer of the Seas was docking in New Jersey.

Nevinsmith, who did come down with an episode of the flu-like virus, had high praise for Royal Caribbean’s handling of the outbreak.

“Everyone on board was kept informed about what was happening, and everyone has been out there cleaning. Even people with stripes on their shoulders are at work making sure things are clean,” she said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said its latest count puts the number of those sickened at 630 passengers and 54 crew members. The ship was carrying 3,050 passengers.

Health investigators suspect norovirus, but lab results are not expected until later this week. If norovirus is to blame, it would be one of the largest norovirus outbreaks in last 20 years, the CDC said. A 2006 norovirus outbreak on a Carnival Cruise Lines ship also sickened close to 700.

Norovirus – once known as Norwalk virus – is highly contagious. It can be picked up from an infected person, contaminated food or water or by touching contaminated surfaces. Sometimes mistaken for the stomach flu, the virus causes bouts of vomiting and diarrhea for a few days.

The cruise line said most guests who fell ill were up and about as the ship headed to port.

The cruise to the Caribbean departed New Jersey on Jan. 21; it’s a trip that the Nevinsmiths have taken on a previous occasion through the Hadley Council on Aging, and they were looking forward to the sun and tropical weather to break up their winter.

On that account, they weren’t disappointed, despite Jane Nevinsmith’s one-day encounter with the virus.

She said they heard the first outbreak occurred soon after departure last week “but it escalated very quickly.”

“On Day 2, they had 100 reported cases, on Day 3, almost 500 cases. A lot of people, including people in our group, went to sick bay but found the lines too long, so they went back to their rooms and stayed there,” Jane Nevinsmith said.

The ship skipped two stops on its route, including Royal Caribbean's private island in Haiti and St. Maarten.

Jane Nevinsmith said her encounter with the virus lasted less than 24 hours; “It was as nasty as described, but once it was over, I was tired and in 12 hours, I was OK,” she said.

“Jane is being upbeat about this,” said Diane Nevinsmith. “There has been a lot of inconvenience, things getting canceled or changed.”

She said, for instance, a dance show didn’t make the stage one night when four members of the dance troupe came down with the virus.

And, the buffet lines became abbreviated when the cruise line determined that the food would be served to the passengers rather than allowing them to serve themselves, Diane Nevinsmith said.

At the same time, over the course of the past five days, the crew was thorough and attentive in addressing sanitizing all public areas of the ship. “Every place you go, it reeks in a good way of sanitizing fluids,” Diane Nevinsmith said.

As they were preparing for debarkation, the Nevinsmiths said word was spreading that crews with steam and ultraviolet cleaners were prepared to board the ship as soon as passengers were gone.

“We had lovely food, the casino was still taking wagers, and all the entertainment was still happening,” said Jane Nevinsmith. “A lot of people are dwelling on negative, but (for us) it’s turned out to be a free vacation.”

Of the nine people from Hadley aboard, five of the party became sick, according to the Nevinsmiths.

“I will certainly sail with Royal Caribbean again,” said Jane Nevinsmith. “They went of out their way to make up for the inconvenience.”

CDC investigators boarded the ship during its U.S. Virgin Islands Port call on Sunday. They said no single food or water source or other origin has been identified.

Royal Caribbean is providing all guests a 50 percent refund of their cruise fares and an additional 50 percent future cruise credit. It’s also reimbursing airline change fees and accommodations for guests who had to change plans for traveling home.

Stricken guests who were confined to their staterooms are being provided a credit of one future cruise day for each day of confinement. 

Material from the Associated Press was used in this story.

Stop & Shops in Springfield, West Springfield, Enfield and East Windsor were also hit.

EAST LONGMEADOW — Police are seeking the public’s help as they search for a woman suspected of passing bogus traveler’s checks at 10 area Super Stop & Shop supermarkets all on the same day last November.

Sgt. Patrick Manley said police believe the perpetrators may be part of an out-of-state ring that quickly moved through Western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut on Nov. 17.

“They hit 10 stores at 100 bucks a shot,” Manley said.

Along with East Longmeadow, Super Stop & Shops in Springfield, West Springfield, Enfield and East Windsor were hit, Manley said.

In the East Longmeadow case, the woman entered the North Main Street store at about 5 p.m., bought two inexpensive item, presented the traveler’s check to pay for them and received $91.72 in change, Manley said.

The check was then deposited by Stop & Shop and later returned by the bank as an "altered/fictitious" item, Manley said.

Those with information are asked to call East Longmeadow police at (413) 525-5440.

As Evan Falchuk has spent his days and nights crisscrossing Massachusetts talking to voters and listening to their concerns, he says his campaign for governor has grown by leaps and bounds, swelling to hundreds of volunteers in addition to his full-time staff.

SPRINGFIELD — As Evan Falchuk has spent his days and nights crisscrossing Massachusetts talking to voters and listening to their concerns, he says his campaign for governor has grown by leaps and bounds, swelling to hundreds of volunteers in addition to his full-time staff.

"People are starting to pay attention to the fact that this is an election year, and I'm hearing a lot of folks say they are tired of party politics," Falchuk said in between stops in Western Massachusetts on Thursday. "People are excited to hear about our independent platform and the prospect of getting other new candidates involved in the future."

Falchuk is running under his newly created United Independent Party, a third-party option he hopes will appeal to the 51 percent of registered voters in the state who are not enrolled in either the Democratic or Republican parties. Falchuk has perpetuated a socially liberal and fiscally moderate approach to politics.

He says that as the voters become more disenchanted with "politics as usual" between the two parties, they are joining his campaign and working to promote not just his candidacy but also the United Independent Party.

View full sizeEvan Falchuk, independent candidate for governor of Massachusetts in the 2014 race. (Republican staff photo by Michael S. Gordon) 

"Right now we have hundreds of volunteers out there introducing our platform to the voters in person or making several thousand calls from the phone banks in any given week," Falchuk said. "There are no shortcuts to winning an election like this and that is why I'm working to cover so much ground."

Falchuk was in the Springfield area Thursday as part of his "County Caravan" listening tour. In the morning, he appeared on a political radio show and was scheduled to speak this afternoon about his campaign with a political science class at Western New England University.

When asked what he thought about the way the race has been shaping up with the other candidates, he said the competition was acting as expected.

"The Democrats and the Republicans in the race are pretty much putting forth their traditional ideas, and that works with their bases, but the voters aren't really into it," Falchuk said. "At the Democratic candidate forum in Northampton last night, they were talking about things that can get you nominated as the party's candidate. But the same issues that energize the activists don't resonate with the average voter. Voters are concerned that their schools are underfunded and the lack of state resources to maintain the local roads. There is a total disconnect there."

Falchuk, a married father of three, has held various managerial positions with Best Doctors, Inc., a Boston-based global health company that offers a benefit through employers and health insurers in which members can get their medical diagnosis reviewed by top doctors. Previously, he was an attorney in Washington doing SEC enforcement work.

Another potential independent candidate in the race is Jeffrey McCormick, a founder of the Boston venture capital firm Saturn Partners who quietly took out nomination papers in October.

Anti-gay minister Scott Lively, who is the race's evangelical conservative independent candidate, also recently announced his candidacy.

Democratic candidates running include Don Berwick, a former administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid under President Barack Obama, state Attorney General Martha Coakley, state Treasurer Steven Grossman, former homeland security administrator Juliette Kayyem and Joe Avellone III, a surgeon and former Wellesley selectman.

Charlie Baker, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2010, is facing a challenge for the Republican Party's nomination from tea party member Mark Fisher of Shrewsbury. Baker also is running as a team with lieutenant governor candidate Karyn Polito, a former state representative who ran unsuccessfully for state treasurer in 2010.

The primary election in the gubernatorial race will take place on Sept. 16, 2014 with the general election slated for Nov. 4.

Here are seven fun things, ranging from a beard competition to a belly dancing ballet show, going on in Beantown this weekend.

Here are seven fun things, ranging from a beard competition to a belly dancing ballet show, going on in Beantown this weekend:

1. Mavis Staples performs at Cary Memorial Hall

On Saturday night, award-winning R&B and blues singer Mavis Staples will be performing at Cary Memorial Hall in Lexington. Staples most recently collaborated with Jeff Tweedy of the alternative rock band Wilco on the gospel album "One True Vine," which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album.

The show will run from 8 to 10 p.m. with doors opening at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $49 to $59.

2. Oscar-nominated films showing at Kendall Square Cinema

Kendall Square Cinema will be playing the Academy Award-nominated films in the categories of Best Live Action Short and Animation. Prepare for the 86th annual Academy Awards by catching some of these flicks.

The program for the Animation category includes: "Feral," "Mr. Hublot," "Possessions," "Room on the Broom," and Walt Disney's "Get a Horse!" View the trailers for the Animation films here.

Best Live Action Short films showing are: "Helium," "Just Before Losing Everything," "That Wasn't Me," "The Voorman Problem," and "Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?" View the trailers here.

3. Some Like it Hot: 6th annual Harvard Square Chili Cook-Off

A chili festival in Harvard Square on Saturday will be sure to warm you right up. You can sample different kinds of chili ranging from traditional to vegan and then vote for your favorite. Participating restaurants are: Hyatt Regency Cambridge, Food Should Taste Good, Grendel's Den, Russell House Tavern, FiRE + iCE, and Cambridge Energy Alliance, among others.

The restaurant that receives the most votes will receive a "really ugly, but highly-coveted Harvard Square Chili Pot," according to the event website.

4. The 30th Meridian Belly Dance Ballet

Belly dancer Bevin Victoria is teaming up with Klezwoods, a Boston-based klezmer ensemble, for a performance designed to evoke the dance styles of the 30th Meridian, or the line of longitude that spans across Turkey and Africa. Klezwoods will play the Eastern European music while Victoria and her belly dancing troupe dance alongside.

The event will take place at 8 p.m. at The Armory in Somerville. Tickets are $20 online and $25 at the door.

5. BeardFest 2014

On Sunday afternoon, bearded contestants will compete to take home the prizes in the following categories: natural full beard, free-style full beard, free-style mustache, free-style partial beard, and best fake beard.

DJ Pace will provide the background tunes to the contest and food and drinks will be available.

Tickets are $5 for general entry and registrants.

6. Comedian Charlie Murphy at The Wilbur Theatre

Comedian, actor, writer and producer Charlie Murphy will perform his stand-up comedy show on Saturday night at The Wilbur Theatre in Boston. The show begins at 7:30 p.m. and tickets range from $25 to $35 a pop.

7. SoWa Winter Market opens

The SoWa Winter Market opens on Saturday at 11 a.m. in Boston's South End. Crafters, artists and designers will be selling their items in the indoor space. You can also shop for gourmet foods and vintage clothing.

The market will run every Saturday from Feb. 1 through April 19.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Philip McCarthy 

Philip "Phil" Francis McCarthy, 72, of Richmond Hill, Ga., formerly of Springfield, passed away on Jan. 23. He was born in Springfield and was a graduate of Cathedral High School and the University of New Hampshire. Upon joining the U.S. Air Force, he had various assignments in the U.S., Okinawa and Thailand. He was later stationed in Germany, Vietnam and back to Germany, where he retired in 1989, completing a 28-year career. During his career, his duties included working on the Conventional Forces Europe Drawdown, the Intermediate Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty and the inspection of National and North Atlantic Treaty Organizations (NATO).

Vote for Julia B.'s Peanutty French Toast Roll-Up at www.jif.com.

EAST LONGMEADOW — Julia Boucher, 8, loves to bake, she also loves French toast and Fruit Roll-Ups.

The young chef combined the two to create the Peanutty French Toast Roll-up, which she entered into Jif's Most Creative Sandwich Contest.

Her sandwich made it to the top 10 in the national competition and now the East Longmeadow resident is hoping to get enough online votes to make it to the top five.

"I want to be a chef when I grow up," Julia said. "My sister did the contest so I thought I would want to do it, too."

Julia's older sister Maria Boucher entered the contest in 2010 when she was 11-years-old and made it to the top five for her Peanutty Cristo breakfast sandwich.

After the online judging is complete, the top five finalists go to the Grand Prize Winner Announcement Event in New York City, where one lucky kid chef will receive a $25,000 college fund schkolarship and four runners-up will each receive a $2,500 college fund scholarship.

"It was a great experience for her and I'm hoping Julia will get the same opportunity," said the girls' mother Beth Marsian Boucher.

Julia's sandwich consists of a slice of white or wheat bread slathered with Jif Creamy Peanut Butter and Smucker's Apricot Preserves and topped with sliced apples.

"You roll it all up and you put it in the egg mixture," Julia said. The mixture consists of egg, vanilla and milk. The whole thing is fried in a pan and then rolled in cinnamon sugar.

Julia also created a dipping sauce made of Jif peanut butter and maple syrup.

Voting ends on Feb. 7 and is open to anyone over 13 years of age. To vote for Julia's creation visit www.jif.com/Promotions/Most-Creative-Peanut-Butter.

According to a MassINC poll, Massachusetts residents are starting to feel better about their own economic prospects, and are 16 points more likely to say they expect a positive financial situation (28 percent) than a negative one (12 percent).

 

BOSTON — Massachusetts residents gained confidence in the economy, according to a poll released Thursday by MassINC.

The MassINC Polling Group's MassPulse Quarterly Poll [pdf] showed confidence gaining to 75.8 points, up from 67.3 in October.

Massachusetts residents are starting to feel better about their own economic prospects, and are 16 points more likely to say they expect a positive financial situation (28 percent) than a negative one (12 percent), according to a news release.

On the other hand, just more than half of Massachusetts consumers say bad economic times are ahead for the nation as a whole, while 32 percent expect good times. Unlike the other four measures, all of which have improved since last quarter, consumers’ views of national economic prospects are unchanged.

Also according to the poll:

• 55 percent of resident think the Commonwealth is headed in the right direction, compared to 31 percent who think it is off on the wrong track. This represents the largest positive margin since MassINC began asking the question in 2010.
• Western Massachusetts residents were less optimistic, however. Forty-eight percent of respondents said the state is on the right track, 43 percent said it's on the wrong track and 9 percent didn't answer the question.
• Western Massachusetts residents also were more likely, 43 percent, to say that now is a bad time to make a major purchase like an appliance or automobile. Only 41 percent said it is a good time to buy compared with 48 percent statewide who said it was a good time to buy.

Statewide, the poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, a margin that's higher by region because of the smaller sample size.

The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority said its expenses climbed in the quarter that ended Dec. 31 as it unsuccessfully sought a casino license in Massachusetts and saw a drop in slot revenue due to the continuing weakness in the economy.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — The parent company of the Mohegan Sun casinos in Connecticut and Pennsylvania reported a 36 percent fall in first-quarter profit Thursday, blaming a drop in table game holds, the money brought to the table by players and held by the casino.

The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority also said its expenses climbed in the quarter that ended Dec. 31 as it unsuccessfully sought a casino license in Massachusetts and saw a drop in slot revenue due to the continuing weakness in the economy.

However, the tribal authority was cheered by a slight rise in slot wagering at its Connecticut casino, to $1.79 billion from $1.785 billion.

"Our results for the quarter were mixed," Chief Executive Mitchell Etess told investor analysts on a conference call.

In an interview, he discounted the reduced hold and said revenue is "flattening out" after sinking month after month due to the recession, the weak economic recovery and growing casino competition in the Northeast.

"We're feeling like this is a pretty good quarter," Etess said.

Net income for the quarter was $33.3 million, down from $52.2 million in the same quarter last year. Revenue of $312.8 million was down about 4 percent from the first quarter of 2013.

Table game hold at Mohegan Sun decreased 3 percentage points, to 13.3 percent. The decline primarily reflected an "abnormally low hold within the high-end table game segment," the tribal authority said. It was among the lowest holds since the Connecticut casino opened in 1996, executives said.

Non-gambling revenue increased, with food and beverage sales posting a 7 percent gain, hotel revenue up 3. 1 percent and retail and entertainment rising by nearly 11 percent.

At the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in Pennsylvania, total slot gambling fell by nearly 8 percent.

In addition, the tribal authority reported $1.2 million in pre-opening costs and expenses related to the opening of its 238-room hotel at Pocono Downs in November and a decline in adjusted earnings before taxes and depreciation.

Mohegan Sun also blamed a "sluggish regional economic environment" in Pennsylvania for disappointing business.

The casino, which narrowly lost a vote in Palmer, Mass., to build a resort casino, announced Tuesday that it struck deals with seven surrounding communities as it pursues a $1.3 billion resort casino on land owned by Suffolk Downs in Revere, Mass.

Egyptian security forces arrested 11 Muslim Brotherhood members accused of running Facebook pages inciting violence against the police

MAGGIE MICHAEL
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian security forces arrested 11 Muslim Brotherhood members accused of running Facebook pages inciting violence against the police, the Interior Ministry said Thursday, moving the crackdown on the group into social media.

The arrests were in connection to dozens of Facebook pages set up by Brotherhood supporters, urging protests against the military-backed government and denouncing the police, some of them set up the past two weeks.

Social media and Facebook in particular were main platform for organizing the country's 2011 uprising that led to the ouster of longtime president Hosni Mubarak. Since then, fiercely anti-police pages have arisen during years of turmoil by youth of various stripes, including riotous soccer fans who often clash with police.

Of the Facebook pages investigated, at least one had pictures of an individual military officer whom the page said is "under the microscope." Another had a posting calling for the burning of police stations.

Egyptian authorities have arrested thousands of members of the Brotherhood and killed hundreds of its members in clashes with protesters since army chief Abdul-Fattah el-Sissi toppled President Mohammed Morsi, who hailed from the group, on July 3 following giant rallies against Morsi.

The Brotherhood has held non-stop protests demanding Morsi's reinstatement and denouncing the interim government installed by the military after his ouster.

At the same time, Islamic militants based in the Sinai have claimed responsibility for a wave of bombings and shootings targeting police. The government says the Brotherhood orchestrated the attacks, branding it officially as a terrorist organization, but the group denies that claim.

The new arrests, which took place Wednesday and Thursday, were the first to target a group said to be administering Facebook pages.

In a statement, the Interior Ministry accused the detainees of using the networking site to "incite violence, target citizens, make bombs and carry threatening messages." It said one called for the formation of an Islamic army and two others circulated names and pictures of police officers.

Among those detained was a teacher from the Nile Delta city of Damanhour, who allegedly posted on his Facebook page a "statement inciting the burning of police vehicles," the ministry said.

Two others, a government employee and his son, were arrested for running a page called "Revolutionaries of Beni Suef," a southern province. The page, set up on Jan. 21, has around 500 followers.

One of its postings shows three pictures of an army officer with his children. A caption with the post identifies him as part of the "el-Sissi militia."

"I say to all el-Sissi dogs, everywhere, you are under the microscope," it read.

Six others detained in the city of Damanhour for running Facebook page called "Damanhour Ghosts." The page mostly carries criticisms of the military and government and calls for the freeing of detainees — though one picture shows the country's top leaders, including el-Sissi, in red prison uniforms with nooses dangling above them.

Others were arrested in connection to a page called "Anti-Coup Hooligans Brigade," launched in October, which includes pictures of policemen the page accuses of killing protesters, pictures of youth throwing firebombs and instructions on how to make paint-filled eggs to throw at the windshields of police vehicles.

The ministry said several among the 11 were arrested for sharing postings from other pages called the Free Islamic Army.

Security officials say that since the crushing of two pro-Morsi protest camps in August last year, Brotherhood pages posted names, pictures and personal details about police officers they accuse of involvement in the assault. The day witnessed one of Egypt's worst bloodbaths, with hundreds killed.

The postings led Interior Ministry to issue a warning to its officers to change mobile phones, addresses and wear civilian clothes.

Over the past months, several drive-by shootings by militants targeted senior police officers including Lt. Col. Mohammed Mabrouk, whom authorities say was involved in investigating Muslim Brotherhood leaders.

Authorities also expanded the crackdown to go after the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera TV news network, which they have long accused of bias in favor of the Brotherhood. The network denies any bias.

On Wednesday, 20 Al-Jazeera journalists were ordered put on trial on charges of aiding or joining a terrorist group and endangering national security.

The charges now effectively depict the station's reporting as support for terrorism after the government declared the Brotherhood a terror organization in December.

After Wednesday's indictment of the 20, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington was "deeply concerned" about the lack of freedoms in Egypt and the country's "egregious disregard for the protection of basic rights and freedoms."

Egypt's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Badr Abdelattie, rejected the U.S. criticism on Thursday, insisting that the judicial system ensures fair trials and the government does not interfere in its work.

No date has been set for the trial and the full lists of charges and defendants have not been released.

The 20 defendants are known to include three men working for Al-Jazeera English: Acting bureau chief Mohammed Fahmy, a Canadian-Egyptian, award-winning correspondent Peter Greste of Australia and producer Baher Mohamed, an Egyptian. The three were arrested on Dec. 29 in a raid on the hotel suites where they were working.

Greste's parents, Lois and Juris, called the arrests of the three an abuse of human rights, free speech and journalists' freedom to report.

"Someone didn't like their report. For that, they are now put into a maximum security prison for what is clearly punishment — not mere detention," Juris Greste told reporters in Brisbane. "This is most undeserved, outrageous and shameful."

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Associated Press writer Kristen Gelineau contributed to this report from Sydney, Australia.

Two men who forced their way into an apartment Wednesday, armed with a knife and a BB gun, fled after fighting with a man in the Greenwood Street apartment.

WORCESTER — Two men who forced their way into an apartment Wednesday, armed with a knife and a BB gun, fled after fighting with a man in the Greenwood Street apartment.

"Hearing the noise, the male victim encountered the suspects and a brief physical struggle ensued," the Worcester Police Department stated in a press release. "The suspects fled the apartment. There were no injuries reported. The male victim had left the scene prior to the arrival of police."

A female victim who remained at the scene told police the two men had forced their way in into the apartment. She described the two intruders as medium height, black men dressed in dark clothing, with a medium to stocky build and approximately 30 to 35 years old, according to police.

The man with the BB gun reportedly pushed her down on the floor and ordered her to be quiet. That is when the other man in the apartment came out and confronted the two men, according to police.

The police are investigating the incident. If anyone has information about this incident they can send an anonymous text to 274637 TIPWPD + your message or send an anonymous message on the Worcester Police Department website. Calls can also be made to the Worcester Police Detective Bureau at (508) 799-8651.

School officials have suspended five Grafton Public School students after police charged them with felony witness intimidation and harassment last week.

"The incident was entirely a police matter in that the events contributing to the charges took place outside of school. Five of the seven students are Grafton Public School students, not all five attend the high school," said Grafton Superintedent Dr. James Cummings in an email Thursday. "Given that they are charged with a felony, they are currently suspended from school."

The five Grafton students were among seven people arrested for witness intimidation in relation to alleged indecent assault and battery of a 15 year-old victim in the Grafton school system by an 18-year-old man. According to Grafton Police Chief Normand A. Crepeau, Jr., the seven people allegedly used social media to bully and harass the victim.

"The victim and others brought evidence and their concerns to school personnel from the incidents taking place outside of school and the school personnel passed the information onto police and they then took action," said Cummings.

The district's attorney gives ongoing workshops to address cyber bullying, said the superintendent, while numerous resources are available online as well.

"Parents and students need to be aware of the many dangers associated with social media, what is and isn't appropriate, and what to do if they feel unsafe," said Cummings. "Students need to go to a trusted adult at the first sign of feeling unsafe or unsure about what to do in a situation."

Grafton police arrested and charged the following in connection with the case:

Joseph Todisco, 18, of 31 Orchard Street, South Grafton, charged with witness intimidation. Todisco was arrested at his home and transported to Westborough District Court for arraignment.

Anthony Masterson, 19, of 16 Grist Mill Road, Grafton, charged with witness intimidation. Masterson was arrested at his home and transported to Westborough District Court for arraignment.

Daniel Guzetti, 19, of 74 Williams Street, North Grafton, charged with witness intimidation. Guzetti will be summoned to appear at Westborough District Court.

A South Grafton juvenile, 17, was taken into custody at Grafton High School and charged with criminal harassment and two counts of witness intimidation. He was later transported to Worcester Juvenile Court for arraignment.

A North Grafton juvenile, 17, was taken into custody at his home and charged with witness intimidation, criminal harassment, and threatening to commit a crime. He was later transported to Worcester Juvenile Court for arraignment.

Two North Grafton juveniles, ages 15 and 14, will be summoned to Worcester Juvenile Court charged with one count each of witness intimidation.

Philip Chism, the 15-year-old accused of killing Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer, pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of aggravated rape in connection with the murder on Thursday in Salem Superior Court.

Philip Chism, the 15-year-old accused of killing Danvers High School teacher Colleen Ritzer, pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of aggravated rape in connection with the murder on Thursday in Salem Superior Court.

Chism, who was wearing a navy blue cardigan and brown khakis with shackles at his hands and feet, did not speak at the arraignment.

The prosecution and defense discussed at length whether the defendant should be tried as a youthful offender on all charges levied against him: murder, robbery and two counts of aggravated rape. The judge and counsel did not come to a resolution on whether Chism will be tried as a youthful offender.

Chism reportedly raped and murdered Ritzer in a school bathroom before dumping her body in the woods. Police found a note found on her body that said "I hate you all."

While Chism pleaded not guilty on all four charges, state police say Chism admitted killing Ritzer in court documents.

Police want to conduct a forensic examination of Chism's cellphone to see if he memorialized the killing, according to the Associated Press.

The next court date is scheduled for April 7, though Chism's appearance has been waived.

Reporter Garrett Quinn contributed to this report.

Former Worcester Mayor John Anderson has been named to temporarily fill interim City Manager Ed August's position at Holy Cross.

WORCESTER — Former Worcester Mayor John Anderson has been named to temporarily fill interim City Manager Ed Augustus' position at the College of the Holy Cross.

Anderson will take on the roll of interim director of the office of government and community relations while Augustus serves as the city's manager, announced the college in a recent press release. Augustus is set to return to his position after a permanent city manager is selected.

“John Anderson has been a member of the Holy Cross and Worcester communities for more than 50 years,” says Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J., president. “His strong relationships with City residents and organizations, and rich history as a public servant, will help Holy Cross maintain and build long-lasting partnerships.”

Anderson served 11 terms on the Worcester City Council after being first elected in 1975. He was the city’s mayor in 1986 — the year he was also chairman of the board of the United Way of Central Massachusetts.

Anderson will serve as the college’s point of contact with Worcester and the state's elected and appointed officials. He will also represent Holy Cross in work with government agencies, key legislators, and other colleges and universities on issues concerning higher education policy development and legislation.

Anderson began teaching at Holy Cross in 1961 and retired in 2001. He has taught one course a year since that time; usually “Worcester and Its People.”

he city will mark the start of Black History Month on Saturday with a flag raising of the Black American Heritage Flag at City Hall.

SPRINGFIELD - The city will mark the start of Black History Month on Saturday with a flag raising of the Black American Heritage Flag at City Hall.

The ceremony is planned for 10 a.m. with a brief ceremony in room 200 of City Hall to be followed by the raising on the Esplanade in front of City Hall. The flag will be flown for the entire month of February.

The raising of the flag has marked the start of Black History Month in the city for the last 28 years, and is sponsored by Suez Temple 114 of Springfield, a black Shriners' group.

Mark Stone was sentenced to 4 years in jail after pleading guilty to negligent operation of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident, suborning perjury and conspiracy to mislead a prosecutor.

File Photo 

NORTHAMPTON — The Republican reporter Fred Contrada, who is covering the Cara Rintala retrial in Hampshire Superior Court, sat in on a plea hearing in another case on Thursday at the courthouse.

Contrada, who is liveblogging the Rintala proceedings as jurors deliberate for a second full day in the murder case, wrote, “there were some interesting legal aspects to” the other matter, in which a man initially accused of hitting another car while backing down a South Hadley street ended up being sentenced to four years in jail on that charge – and perjury.

First Assistant District Attorney Steven Gagne called it a classic case of "the cover-up is worse than the crime."

Here is Contrada’s summary of the plea hearing from his liveblog of the Rintala jury deliberations:

A gentleman named Mark Stone is accused of hitting another car while backing down a street in South Hadley in October of 2011. He didn't stop, but the woman driving the other car got the license plate. Stone's female companion, who was in the car with him, told police he was driving, but at his urging recanted her testimony.

Steve Gagne, who is prosecuting the Rintala case, smelled a rat and convened a grand jury. Under questioning by Gagne at the grand jury, the woman admitted she lied and that Stone had also urged her to lie to the grand jury. Instead of negligent operation and leaving the scene of an accident, Stone was now facing perjury and conspiracy charges as well.

Today he pleaded guilty to negligent operation of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident, suborning perjury and conspiracy to mislead a prosecutor. His sentence was four years in jail followed by two years probation, a lot more than he would have got if he had just stopped that night after he hit the other car.

Gagne called it a classic case of "the cover-up is worse than the crime." The conspiracy charge was a district attorney's complaint. This means it did not go through a grand jury, which is the normal process. Judge Mary-Lou Rup, who was on the bench, had to explain to Stone that he has a right to have a grand jury decide whether or not to indict him for this, and that he is waiving that right by pleading guilty.

District attorney complaints are rare around here, but you do see them sometimes. If there is something unfair about one, the defense lawyer usually picks this up. Stone's lawyer is Alan Rubin, who heads the local Committee for Public Counsel Services, which provides lawyers for those who can't afford to hire one. Rubin is an excellent lawyer who is well respected by the legal community here. An indigent defendant who gets him as a representative is lucky.

When a judge accepts a plea, they advise the defendant that, if they are not an American citizen, they can be deported as a result. Stone is a citizen, so this didn't apply, but I have seen several people deported after pleading guilty or being convicted of a felony.

Stone also got two years probation. Rup told him if he violates his probation during that time (and he has several conditions he must comply with) he could trigger the maximum sentence and go back to jail. The maximum sentence for suborning perjury is 20 years in prison, although he did not get this much time. I can't recall seeing some get the book thrown at them for violating probation, though they are sometimes sent back to jail. Usually they get off with a warning. Most judges will give a defendant a second or even a third chance.

Mr. Stone got two years on the motor vehicle charges and two years on the conspiracy charge. The two years probation was for suborning perjury. Prosecutors for sure don't like being lied to, but I don't think it's a case of Gagne being vindictive. The system doesn't work if people lie and get away with it.

A note on the Stone case. The sentence was agreed upon by both sides. It did not come from the judge. The judge has the option of rejecting an agreed-upon sentence. If the judge imposes a harsher one, the defendant may withdraw the plea.

This is a summary of the case, filed by Gagne in July, 2013: Commonwealth v. Mark Stone [pdf]

You can follow and catch up with Fred Contrada's coverage of the Cara Rintala retrial here »

The grant is part of $40 million in funding from the state to help cities and towns fight chronic illnesses in people.

HOLYOKE - Holyoke Health Center and a group of organizations that includes the city has received a $250,000 state grant to help people with hypertension, smoking, obesity and asthma.

The grant is part of more than $40 million in funding that nine such partnerships in the state will share to fight chronic illness, officials said.

The funding was announced by the administration of Gov. Deval L. Patrick as part of the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund. The fund was established by the Legislature to try to reduce health care costs by preventing chronic illnesses. It is administered by the Department of Public Health, officials said.

Partners in the effort include the Greater Holyoke YMCA, Holyoke Medical Center Inc., River Valley Counseling Center Inc. and Western Mass Physician Associates Inc., along with the city and Holyoke Health Center, 230 Maple St., which is coordinating the effort.

The idea is that groups members with different expertise can focus on specific parts of delivering health care - such as the YMCA with helping people with exercise - while the members work together to show the state measurable progress, said Suzanne Smith, Holyoke Health Center director of development.officials said.

"It's really a multi-modal approach to addressing these health disparities," Smith said in a phone interview.

The groups will work to reduce rates of the most prevalent and preventable health conditions such as by encouraging healthy behavior and workplace tips and trying to address disparities in the health care different groups of people get, officials said.

"It's very complex, it's not just one bullet to affect these health issues," Smith said.

For example, different organizations that deliver health care to someone will have access to electronic sharing of the person's medical records, so all the providers know the illness history and medications someone is taking. Also, if someone forgets to pick up a prescription, a health worker will be dispatched to find out why, she said.

Mayor Alex B. Morse said he has tried to emphasize health and exercise. That includes the city joining First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" plan to solve obesity within a generation, he said.

The city also received a five-year, state Mass in Motion grant to hire a coordinator, Matt Lustig, who is working on projects like increasing access to healthy food in local stores and schools. Morse said Lustig helped in getting the Wellness grant.

"I'm excited about this grant and I'm confident it will help us reach those residents who need attention the most," Morse said.