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Athol man indicted for murder in connection to 2013 death of 10-year-old boy

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An Athol man has been indicted in connection to the 2013 murder of a 10-year-old boy.

GREENFIELD - An Athol man has been indicted for murder in connection to the 2013 death of a 10-year-old boy.

30-year-old Christopher Vinsant was indicted by a Franklin County Grand Jury on Friday for the death of Isaiah Buckner, also of Athol, said Northwestern District Attorney's Office spokesman Mary Carey.  

Buckner was in Vinsant's care at the time that he had to be rushed to the hospital after suffering abdominal trauma, Carey said.

Buckner later died from his wounds.

It is unclear what the relationship between Vinsant and Buckner was, or how Buckner came to suffer the injuries that he did. 

No further information has been given out by authorities regarding the case. 

It was previously known that Buckner's death was the result of neglect and domestic abuse, and the Department of Children and Families spent time investigating his death but the case went "unsolved" for years. 

Vinsant is scheduled to be arraigned in Franklin Superior Court in Greenfield early next week. 

 

WNEU student group teams up with MassMutual to offer 'path to citizenship' program to help permanent residents become naturalized

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A WNEU student group has teamed up with MassMutual to help Hampden County permanent citizens fill out their naturalization forms.

SPRINGFIELD - The Latino Law Student Association (LLSA) at Western New England University has teamed up with MassMutual and the Ascentria Care Alliance to repeat the program they sponsored last year to assist members of the Hampden County community to seek a path to citizenship.

The program assists permanent residents with being screened for and in completing the N-400, the final application needed to become a U.S. citizen. 

Claudia Quintero, a WNEU law school senior and the president and founder of the LLSA, helped to spearhead the program and describes it as a "citizenship clinic to help people fill out their naturalization forms." 

Though many people live in the U.S. legally, they are still often vulnerable to deportation until they have completed the legal processes necessary to make them U.S. citizens, said Quintero in an interview with The Republican.

Being a permanent resident but not a citizen means that a person can be deported for a whole host of reasons--including such minor legal infractions as failing to advise immigration authorities within ten days of a change of address.

Quintero said that there are many permanent residents living in Hampden County that have not filed for citizenship--either because they are afraid they don't qualify, or because it can be confusing, especially if there is a language barrier involved. "The form is twenty pages long, it can be tedious and cumbersome and if someone doesn't speak English it makes it so much more difficult for them to figure out," Quintero said.

That's where the clinic comes in. It's free, and offers permanent residents an opportunity to get professional help with filling out the form. For income eligible individuals, the program may also provide assistance in getting an application fee waiver. 

To qualify for the clinic, residents must: 

    • Be at least 18-years-old 
    • Be a legal permanent resident for 5 years, or 3 years if married to a U.S. citizen
    • Be able to read, write, and speak basic English 

Residents must bring a number of items to the workshop: 

    • Green card
    • All passports
    • Social security number 
    • A list of the places the resident has worked over the past five years
    • A list of the places the resident has lived over the past five years
    • $725 payable to the Department of Homeland Security, or proof of receiving means-tested benefits or of low income

The clinic is being held April 17 at MassMutual. For more information and to register by April 10, residents are encouraged to call 744-326-4730. 

 

State Police identify woman who died after crashing car into Lenscrafter store in Medford

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State Police have released the identity of the woman who died Friday after crashing into a LensCrafter store in Medford.

MEDFORD - Massachusetts State Police have released the identity of the woman who died after crashing her car into a LensCrafter store in Medford on Friday. 

Police identified 62-year-old Cleuza Dasilva, of Everett, as the victim. 

Investigation led police to believe that, at the time of the accident, Dasilva had been headed west on Route 16 in Medford when, for reason not known yet known, she lost control of her vehicle--driving over the curb and crashing into a closed, unoccupied LensCrafters store located at 4110 Mystic Valley Parkway. 

Police were called to the scene shortly after 6:15 a.m. 

The crash is still under investigation by State Police. 

No further information has been provided at this time. 

 

Seen@ The Friends of the Holyoke Library's Swing into Spring Cocktail Party

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Friends of the Holyoke Public Library held their Swing into Spring Cocktail Party on Friday night. The mini-golf themed fundraiser drew a supportive crowd, many of which, knocked the winter cobwebs off their putting skills.

HOLYOKE - Friends of the Holyoke Public Library held their Swing into Spring Cocktail Party on Friday night. The mini-golf themed fundraiser drew a supportive crowd, many of whom knocked the winter cobwebs off their putting skills.

Event and hole sponsors decorated, and put obstacles on the putting greens spread throughout each floor of the main city library. Players worked their way through nonfiction and fiction sections alike on their way to the 19th hole, staffed by Brennan's Place on High Street.

Those in attendance enjoyed the catering, also from Brennan's, as they socialized and placed bids on the many silent auction items being offered. Many auction items donated were unique and special to Holyoke including a special tour of City Hall Tower and an "Urban Wildlife Safari and 1-on-1 Photography Tutorial" with The Republican's own Greg Saulmon.

Funds raised through ticket and auction sales as well as bar profits, and sponsorships will be used by the Friends of the Holyoke Public Library to support programming and services at the Library, especially for teens and children.

On Saturday, the mini-golf course will be open to all ages from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for a small fee. For more information, visit http://holyokelibrary.org/aboutfriendsgolf.asp.

Chicopee will purchase new ambulance for Fire Department

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The City Council voted 13-0 to withdraw $250,000 from the free cash account to purchase the ambulance.

CHICOPEE - The City Council agreed to purchase a new ambulance after Mayor Richard J. Kos explained the life of an ambulance is short and at least two owned by the Fire Department are well beyond their prime.

The Fire Department has four ambulances, with two manned every shift and two in reserve. The department has one relatively new ambulance, purchased in 2016, with 1,885 miles on it and a 2014 which has nearly 87,000 miles on it. The two reserve ambulances have nearly 150,000 and more than 164,000 miles on them.

Because it takes about six months between the time an ambulance is ordered and it is actually driven to the station for the first time, Kos said ordering a new one now means one of the older ones will be ready to be retired by the time it arrives. The average lifespan of a Chicopee Fire Department ambulance is five years because they are used so often.

Also now is a good time to order a new one because manufacturers are still making ambulances similar to those the Fire Department uses now.

"They change ambulances over time and the existing type we have had great success with is still available," he said.

The City Council voted 13-0 to withdraw about $250,000 from the city's free cash account, or money left over from the previous year's tax levy that was unspent, to replace the ambulance.

After a new ambulance is purchased, the Fire Department will trade in the oldest or most problematic of the two reserve ambulances, Kos said.

When City Councilor James K. Tilloston asked if the city would be better served with smaller ambulances that many private companies use, Deputy Fire Chief David Beauregard said the larger box-type ambulances work better for the Fire Department.

"With the bigger ambulances we can have more people back there," he said.

Chicopee firefighters are mostly basic EMTs so paramedics are called from a private service to back them up if there is a patient in critical condition. Paramedics, for example, can administer cardiac drugs and other medications EMTs cannot, he said.

Typically the Fire Department uses two ambulances but it will put all four in service in times of need. For example it used all four during the Westover Air Reserve Base Great American Airshow, and during the recent snowstorm it had three staffed. The fourth was down for repairs and couldn't be used, he said.

Chicopee School Committee gives preliminary OK to change eligibility date for kindergartners

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The School Committee will take a final vote on April 19.

CHICOPEE - If a final vote passes in two weeks, children born between Sept. 1 and Sept. 30 will have to wait one more year before entering kindergarten.

The School Committee voted 11-0 to pass the first reading of a policy that will change the entrance age for kindergarten. Currently children must turn 5 before Oct. 1 to enter kindergarten. The change will require them to turn 5 before Sept. 1 to be eligible for school.

There is no discussion during a first reading or first vote according to School Committee policy. The committee is scheduled to meet on April 19 to discuss the proposal more and take a final vote, committee member Michael J. Pise said.

During a Policy and Human Resources Subcommittee meeting, members talked to school officials and learned kindergarten teachers and preschool teachers from the Szetela Early Childhood School agreed children would generally do better academically if they started school a little later, he said.

"They think the maturity level would be better," Pise said.

Changing the entrance age would also make the city match up with nearly all school districts in the area, which require children to turn 5 before Sept. 1 to enter kindergarten. No one is certain why Chicopee's entrance requirement is a month later than most but Pise said the cutoff date was Oct. 1 when he was a child.

The proposal originally came from Donald J. Lamothe, a School Committee member. He said he talked to a number of teachers who said they sometimes see the youngest children who are born in September enter school less ready for kindergarten.

The rigor of kindergarten has also changed a lot since the entrance date was set. Kindergarten has also changed from a half-day to a full day, he said.

"That one month can make a major difference. Several kindergarten teachers told me they can tell the difference," Lamothe said.

Photos: Belchertown High School students create mosaic for Clapp library

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Judging from the response of people at the reception, the things that make Belchertown special to the students are pretty much the same things that make the town special to the adults

BELCHERTOWN - When the trustees of the Clapp Memorial Library heard that 34 students at Belchertown High School had made a mosaic about the town and what makes it special to them, it didn't take them long for them to decide it belonged in the library.

After high school art teacher Lori St. Pierre told the trustees what the students had done, they said, "We'd love to have it."

The mosaic was unveiled to the public for the first time during a reception at the library Thursday night to congratulate the young artists, who worked under the guidance of St. Pierre and mosaic artist Christine Kenneally of Easthampton.

Kenneally creates custom mosaic installations and teaches adults at workshops in her studios. One student on her website describes her passion for mosaics as "contagious." It seemed to work for the Belchertown students as well.

"It was a lot of fun," she said. "Everybody worked really hard and put their artistic talents into it. I think it shows."

The project was funded with a $3,000 "Stars" grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Judging from the response of people at the reception, the things that make Belchertown special to the students are pretty much the same things that make the town special to the adults. Wildlife and water are dominant in the mosaic.

The students who worked on the project: Evan Dunigan, Kelly Halstead, Jenna Kruse, Aimee Lachapelle, Grace Murphy, Trinity Pirrone, Curtis Walther, Emily Wegrzyn, Nova Albrecht, Matthew Blaine, Emilee Boivin, Mitchell Bolton, Schuyler Bright, Kirsten Burkey, Liam Calnan, Aurelia Delaney, Abigail Gelinas, Madison  Mosakewicz, Nicole Oberg, Anecia Solorzano, Courtney Thornton, Kate Assimus, Mi Choi, Tess Gadoury, Richard Halstead, Christopher Hibbard, Grant Irving, Taylor Jones, Abbigail Pandolfi, Chloe Roux, Marion Sanchez, Natalya Siniscalchi and Adam Wordsworth. 

Springfield Police investigate Friday night stabbing

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City police are investigating a Friday evening stabbing that reportedly occurred after a man attempted to intervene in a fight.

SPRINGFIELD -- City police are investigating a Friday evening stabbing that reportedly occurred after a man attempted to intervene in a fight. 

Springfield Police responded to reports of a man who showed up at Mercy Medical Center with a stab wound around 11:15 p.m. 

The victim, who was not identified, reportedly told police he was stabbed as he tried to stop a fight already in progress. 

The man said he did not realize he had been injured until he got home and drove himself to the hospital, according to Springfield Police. His injuries appear to be non-life-threatening. 

Police said the victim was uncooperative with officers.


1 dead in new Syria airstrike as Turkey pushes US to remove Assad

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Warplanes struck a northern Syrian town Saturday where a chemical attack killed scores of people earlier this week, killing one person and wounding another as Turkey described the U.S. missile attack on an air base as a "cosmetic intervention" unless it removes President Bashar Assad from power.

BEIRUT -- Warplanes struck a northern Syrian town Saturday where a chemical attack killed scores of people earlier this week, killing one person and wounding another as Turkey described the U.S. missile attack on an air base as a "cosmetic intervention" unless it removes President Bashar Assad from power.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrike on the eastern side of Khan Sheikhoun killed a woman, marking the first death in the town since Tuesday's chemical attack that killed 87.

The Local Coordination Committees, another monitoring group, said the airstrike was carried out by Russian warplane. It said the woman killed had fled to the town from her hometown of Latameh in central Syria.

The chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun on Tuesday triggered a U.S. missile attack two days later that struck a Syrian air base in central Syria killing nine people.

Syria's government denied it carried out any chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun, and Russia's Defense Ministry said the toxic agents were released when a Syrian airstrike hit a rebel chemical weapons arsenal and munitions factory on the town's eastern outskirts.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara sees the U.S. intervention in Syria as appropriate but not enough.

"If this intervention is limited only to an air base, if it does not continue and if we don't remove the regime from heading Syria, then this would remain a cosmetic intervention," said Cavusoglu in the southern city of Antalya.

Cavusoglu, whose country is a strong backer of the Syrian opposition, said the most ideal process will be a political solution that leads to a transitional government accepted by all Syrians as soon as possible. He said that for that "this oppressive Assad needs to go."

Cavusoglu said after the transitional government takes over, it will be followed with elections in which Syrians in the country and abroad can vote.

In Saudi Arabia, the official Saudi Press Agency reported that U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken by telephone with King Salman about the U.S. missile strike on Syria.

The news agency reported that during the Friday phone call, the Saudi monarch congratulated Trump for his "courageous decision."

Saudi Arabia said the missile launch by Trump was the right response to "the crimes of this regime to its people in light of the failure of the international community to stop it."

The kingdom is among the most vehement opponents of Assad and supports Sunni rebel groups fighting to oust him. The Sunni rulers of Saudi Arabia are in a power struggle for regional dominance with Iran's Shiite government and view Tehran's support of Assad as a threat to the region.

Suspect arrested in deadly truck attack in Sweden

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Swedish police said Saturday that they believe they have captured the man accused of turning a beer truck into a weapon a day earlier by driving it into a crowd of pedestrians in a rampage that left four people dead.

STOCKHOLM - Swedish police said Saturday that they believe they have captured the man accused of turning a beer truck into a weapon a day earlier by driving it into a crowd of pedestrians in a rampage that left four people dead.

Authorities did not divulge the man's name but said he is a 39-year-old from Uzbekistan who had been known to security services as "a marginal character" for the past year. Police said that when they first investigated him, they had found no connections to extremism. Authorities did not say when the man had come to Sweden.

The arrest came Friday night when officers apprehended a suspect in the northern Stockholm suburbs who matched the description of a man seen in surveillance footage earlier in the day. Police initially said they were unsure whether the man they had arrested was involved in the attack.

But their confidence grew overnight, and in an early afternoon news conference Saturday, authorities said they were all but certain that they had caught the assailant.

Sweden's prime minister said Friday that the attack was "an act of terrorism," though officials have not commented on an exact motive.

Swedish media outlets reported Saturday that there was a homemade explosive device discovered in the mangled wreckage of the truck, which was towed overnight from the upscale shopping district that on Friday afternoon became a scene of carnage.

National Police Chief Dan Eliasson said that "a device that did not belong there was found in the truck." But officials said it was unclear whether it was a bomb.

Flags across Stockholm flew at half-staff Saturday, and mourners paid respects by leaving flowers at the scene of the attack.

Among them were Crown Princess Victoria and her husband, Prince Daniel. With tears in her eyes, Victoria said she was filled with "sadness and emptiness." Politicians across the spectrum also visited the scene, and many expressed backing for the prime minister's handling of the incident.

With the attack, which also injured 15 others, Stockholm joined a growing list of major European cities where vehicles have been turned into weapons over the past year, including Nice, France, Berlin and London.

In the minutes after the rampage, the driver escaped the smoky and blood-streaked scene. Throughout the afternoon and evening, the driver was the subject of an intensive manhunt as helicopters searched from the skies, heavily armed officers were deployed through normally tranquil neighborhoods and security at borders was tightened. For hours, the city's transit system was shut down and streets in the central district were sealed off.

Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said at a Friday evening news conference that the country would not be intimidated, and that the government would do "whatever it takes" for the public to feel safe.

"Terrorists want us to be afraid, to not live our lives normally," he said. "Terrorists can never defeat Sweden, never."

Behind the tough words, however, was an acknowledgment from security officials that attacks like Friday's are nearly impossible to stop.

"There is no way to really prevent this kind of thing," said Stefan Hector, an official with Sweden's national police.

Until Friday, Sweden had been spared the sort of mass-casualty attacks that have afflicted other countries across Europe in recent years. The attack was the first major apparent terrorist strike in Stockholm, a peaceful city set among peninsulas and islands near the Baltic Sea.

It underscores a growing vulnerability that Sweden had long ignored, said Magnus Ranstorp, a terrorism researcher at the Swedish Defense University. "Sweden had been somewhat like an ostrich," Ranstorp said. "People were reluctant to talk about it and admit there was a problem."

That has changed recently as the country has become more aware of the threat, he said. Just in the past week, police had conducted training on a scenario much like the one that unfolded in reality Friday.

Previous attacks in Europe have been claimed by the Islamic State terrorist group. Although the group's involvement in such attacks has often been tenuous at best, authorities in several cases have said they think the attackers were inspired by Islamist extremist propaganda.

The assailant's rampage in Stockholm apparently began with an idling truck.

Rose-Marie Hertzman, a spokeswoman for the Swedish brewery company Spendrups, said the truck used in the attack was stolen from one of the firm's drivers about 2:30 p.m. - about a half-hour before the rampage.

"The driver was unloading, and a man came running and took the truck and drove away," she said.

Minutes later, the force of the truck crashing into the upscale Ahlens City retail hub sparked a fire and sent smoke billowing above one of the city's premier shopping districts. One witness described seeing a woman with a severed foot and people either running in panic or staying to help amid pools of blood.

Gahangir Sarvari, 56, an Iranian refugee, was about 50 yards from the attack and said he initially thought it was a traffic accident. Then he saw the trail of carnage, which included a young woman whose legs were severed.

"I can never forget when we made eye contact," he said. "I was screaming at people why they didn't call the police and screaming at people who were taking photos with their phones. I didn't know what to do."

The attack occurred on a mild spring afternoon, when the city's central district is customarily buzzing with shoppers, office workers and bicyclists. Its effect quickly rippled across the city. Shoppers were locked inside stores after businesses triggered their automatic security systems. Police evacuated Stockholm's central train station and shut down the subway.

In a sign of the expanding dragnet, Swedish authorities requested limits on traffic flow to better scan vehicles crossing the Oresund Bridge connecting Sweden and Denmark - and the route into the continent with its many open borders under the European Union's free-movement treaty.

The attack comes just a little over two weeks after a man plowed an SUV into a crowd of pedestrians on a London bridge, then stabbed a police officer at the gates of Parliament. That assailant killed five, including a woman who died Thursday of injuries she received when she was knocked off the bridge and into the River Thames.

Last year, trucks were also used in deadly rampages through crowds at a Berlin Christmas market and along Nice's waterfront during France's Bastille Day in July.

As news of the Stockholm attack spread, there were expressions of resolve from across Europe but few concrete ideas for how to stop the wave of deadly assaults.

"We stand in solidarity with the people of #Sweden," European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Twitter. "An attack on any of our Member States is an attack on us all."

(c) 2017, The Washington Post. Heba Habib wrote this story.

Fitting for the Future helps teens in foster care find clothes for prom, graduation, interviews

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Fitting for the Future helps children in the foster care system find formal wear, which can be difficult and expensive.

Music is blaring as volunteers line the runway, clapping and cheering. All eyes are on Cheila Vega as she shows off a pink prom dress. 

Just days before, the room across the food court in Springfield's Tower Square was nothing more than an empty room. On Saturday, April 8, it was a prom wonderland. 

Fitting for the Future helps children in the foster care system find formal wear, which can be difficult and expensive. 

"Fitting for the Future provides a unique opportunity for teens in foster care to shop for special event clothing, perhaps for the first time in their lives," said Noryn A. Resnick, Executive Director of Help our Kids Inc.

89-year-old 'Nana' has made more than 100 dolls for children in foster care

Many services for children in foster care, Resnick said, are in Boston, making it hard for those in Western Massachusetts. She said there was also no program like this for boys until she started it three years ago.

"I wanted to bring this kind of help within range," Resnick said. "I also wanted to include guys in this. They also need clothing for prom, sports banquets, graduation and job interviews, just like the girls do."

The program provides free clothing, accessories, jewelry, on-site alterations and more to the children that attend the yearly event.

Each attendee gets two volunteers to help find and hold their clothes, make suggestions and know where to go next. 

After choosing their favorite outfit, the attendees get their hair and makeup done, pictures taken and then it's time for the runway. 

"I feel like a princess," one attendee said. 

But it's not just about looking good. 

"Perhaps the most important aspect of Fitting for the Future is that it allows teens in foster care to feel on par with their non-foster friends and classmates," Resnick said.

These kids need parents: Adoption Parties help older children and potential parents connect

Girl found in India forest being raised by wild monkeys: 'She behaves like an ape'

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In the Indian press, the girl has drawn comparisons to Rudyard Kipling's Mowgli, a feral child from Seoni, India, featured as the prominent character in his novel "The Jungle Book."

UPDATE: Story of India girl raised by monkeys may be untrue, new reports suggest

Amid a troop of monkeys in the Katraniaghat forest range in northern India roamed a naked human girl, playing with the primates as if she were one of them. She looked emaciated, her hair disheveled. But she appeared to be in a comfortable state, until the police arrived.

A group of woodcutters had alerted authorities after spotting the girl, believed to be 10 to 12 years old. When police approached her, the monkeys surrounded the girl, protecting her as one of their own, and attacking an officer as the girl screeched at him, the New Indian Express reported this week. After rescuing the girl, the officer sped away in his patrol car, the monkeys chasing him.

She was soon admitted to a state-run hospital in Bahraich, a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, where she has remained for the past two months. Doctors believe the girl had been raised by monkeys for quite some time, and her story has so far mystified authorities, sending them searching through reports of missing children in an attempt to identify her, according to the Associated Press.

In the Indian press, the girl has also drawn comparisons to Rudyard Kipling's Mowgli, a feral child from Seoni, India, featured as the prominent character in his novel "The Jungle Book."

Based on her behavior, it appears she could have lived among the primates since she was an infant, Bahraich police officer Dinesh Tripathi told the New Indian Express. When the girl arrived at the hospital, she had wounds all over her body. "Her nails and hair were unkempt like monkeys," Tripathi said.

The thin, weak girl looked like she had not eaten for many days. Though she was capable of walking on her feet, she would sometimes suddenly drop down on all fours.

"The way she moved, even her eating habits were like that of an animal," D.K. Singh, chief medical superintendent at Bahraich District Hospital told the Associated Press in an interview recorded on video. "She would throw food on the ground and eat it directly with her mouth, without lifting it with her hands. She used to move around using only her elbows and her knees."

Now, doctors are tasked with teaching her how to transition to life as a human, a task that initially proved difficult because of her aversion to human interaction.

"She behaves like an ape and screams loudly if doctors try to reach out to her," Singh told the New Indian Express. Another doctor treating her said the girl struggles to understand anything, and makes apelike noises and facial expressions.

But over the past two months, the girl's health and behavior have improved significantly, doctors say. She has begun to walk normally by herself and eat food with her own hands. She is still unable to speak, and has begun to use gestures to communicate. Occasionally, she also smiles, according a hospital spokesman, Sky News reported.

Numerous stories of feral children like the young girl exist both in legend and in documented cases in history. Some recent cases include children who, like this girl, were raised by primates. A British woman named Marina Chapman claimed to have lived with monkeys from the ages of four to nine in the Colombian jungle and later wrote a book about it, though some questioned the veracity of the tale. A disabled Nigerian boy named Bello was found living with chimpanzees for 18 months in 1996 after he had been abandoned by his family.

Six-year-old John Ssebunya was found living with green vervet monkeys in the Ugandan jungle in 1991. He is believed to have run away from home when he was three years old after seeing his father murder his mother. He was placed in an orphanage and was later adopted. He learned to speak, became a member of the Pearl of Africa children's choir and participated in the Special Olympics, later moving into a home of his own.

Ssebunya's story was featured in a number of documentaries, including a three-part Animal Planet series, "Raised Wild," in which anthropologist and broadcaster Mary-Ann Ochota investigated three cases of feral children, in Uganda, the Ukraine and Fiji.

On her website, Ochota wrote about her experiences meeting these former feral children and learning their stories. Cases of feral children can provide insight into human child development, cultural attitudes to disability, and how different societies categorize and explain relationships between humans and animals. But these "strange, feral children are also often a source of shame and secrecy within a family or community," she wrote.

-- Samantha Schmidt, The Washington Post

James Anziano announces Springfield School Committee at-large bid

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Contending that he wants to "help all the students of Springfield," former teacher James Anziano officially kicked off his run for the city's School Committee Saturday.

SPRINGFIELD -- Contending that he "will always work to make a better future for Springfield," educator James Anziano kicked off his run for School Committee Saturday.

Surrounded by friends and supporters, Anziano officially announced his at-large candidacy during an afternoon event outside his Mattoon Street apartment.

The longtime city resident, who taught at the High School of Science and Technology for five years, said he wants to bring change to the Springfield School Committee.

"I want to talk about change, but I don't want to just talk about change," he said. "We're not here to talk about change, we're here to implement change -- change in the way we do things, ever-so-slightly in some respects and ever-so-greatly in others."

Anziano, for example, said he'd like to see schools move away from the idea that all students must attend college and place more emphasis on learning trades and employment skills.

He called for the construction of a new vocational school in Springfield, arguing that helping connect more students to work will reduce poverty, crime and unemployment.

Anziano further said he believes teachers "deserve a fair and just contract that ensures honest evaluations and demands stability and consistency in our schools" and that the city needs to stop outsourcing teacher trainings.

He stressed that his campaign will revolve around the idea of empowering students, educators and families.

To achieve that goal, Anziano said he will sit down with teachers in the coming months to gather feedback on challenges they face, as well as reach out to families through a series of school visits.

Anziano became a history teacher after running for Springfield City Council in 2005 -- a campaign in which he said he focused heavily on education-related issues.

He mulled another city council run in 2011, but decided against it.

In addition to his work at the High School of Science and Technology, Anziano said he has also taught at the lockup facility on Tinkham Road.

Residents who have lived in Springfield for at least a year as of August can take out nomination papers to run for any of the eight, two-year city council ward seats; five, two-year city council at-large positions; two, four-year school committee at-large or four, four-year school committee by district slots.

Candidates must have resided in the ward or district in which they are seeking office for one year prior to Aug. 1, the last day to submit nomination papers, election officials said.

The Springfield preliminary election, if required, will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 19. The municipal election, meanwhile, is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Springfield's Forest Park C-3 unit continues Easter party tradition

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The free "Brunch With the Bunny" event drew dozens of families to the Holy Name Social Center on Alderman Street. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - The Springfield Police Department's Forest Park community policing unit, partnering with neighborhood parents and other volunteers, held its second annual Easter party and egg hunt on Saturday.

The free "Brunch With the Bunny" event drew dozens of families to the Holy Name Social Center on Alderman Street.

Children of all ages played games and danced, then ate a hearty breakfast. All the food and entertainment were donated by local vendors.

Sgt. Reggie Miller of the Forest Park C-3 unit said the new tradition is a way to meet people in the neighborhood, build strong bonds and show unity against crime.

"It's a partnership. It takes the police and the community to make the community a better place," said Miller. "We push that message out there so that ... everybody understands we have the same common interests."

The C-3 unit comprises Springfield police officers, a Massachusetts State Police trooper and a team of citizens who meet twice a week to discuss issues of concern to Forest Park. The meetings are held each Thursday at 10 a.m. at the Holy Name Social Center and then at 6 p.m at Italian Bread Shop on Orange Street.

All Forest Park residents are welcome and encouraged to attend. 

"We're trying to have residents as well as business owners come together," said C-3 volunteer Jenny Fusco, who runs the evening meetings. "We can come up with answers to make things better for the kids."

A core philosophy of C-3 is that when quality of life improves in an area, crime is pushed out. Another goal is to show that police officers are not just law enforcers.

"There's so much bad press regarding the police, and we want to show the other side," said volunteer Kim Rivera. "The police are human. They have families. They live in our community."

More special events are planned for the last day of school and holidays like Halloween.

Seen@ 2017 UMass Amherst Dash & Dine 5K

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UMass Dining hosted their eighth annual 5K Dash & Dine on the Amherst campus Saturday morning.

AMHERST - UMass Dining hosted their eighth annual 5K Dash & Dine on the Amherst campus Saturday morning. The weather was brisk but dry as the 1,500 pre-registered and walk-ups participated in the event that raised funds for the Amherst Survival Center.

Runners and walkers started in the SouthWest residential section of the campus and made their way as far north as Eastman Lane then returned back to the finish outside of the Berkshire Dining Hall where lunch was served. Trophies were awarded in many typical race divisions such as age, gender, and team.

The Amherst Survival Center, who benefited from the day's proceeds, has promoted the health and well-being of residents of Franklin and Hampshire counties since 1976. They offer a variety of programs to help families and individuals who are struggling meet their basic needs including food, clothing, health care and for companionship and relief from isolation.

The Center serves close to 6,000 people each year. For more information visit http://amherstsurvival.org/.

Springfield doctor, activists receive inaugural MLK Social Justice awards

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A ceremony at Chez Josef in Agawam honored the five recipients for their efforts to fight inequality in health care, education, business opportunities and other areas of daily life. Watch video

AGAWAM - A prominent doctor in Springfield's Mason Square neighborhood and an activist who works to support minorities and women were among the inaugural recipients of the Social Justice Award, given by Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services.

A ceremony at Chez Josef honored the five recipients for their efforts to fight inequality in health care, education, business opportunities and other areas of daily life.

Dr. Andrew Balder of Baystate Mason Square Neighborhood Health Center was recognized for decades of providing care to the disadvantaged and homeless. He is chairman of Project Baby Springfield, a wealth of resources and expertise available to every family in the city.

He said he did not expect to receive such an award, and he is "gratified."

"You toil in the trenches, you do your work day to day, you do the best job that you can for the individuals in your community," said Balder. "It's really quite amazing for them to recognize what we do."

Describing the reason for the awards, Ronn D. Johnson, president & CEO of Martin Luther King Jr. Family Services, said, "Historically and still today there are disparities in how various groups are treated, educated and given access to resources as compared to those who hold power and/or have privilege."

He said the honorees were chosen for their "unselfish" work.

Also receiving Social Justice Awards were Waleska Lugo-DeJesus, director of the Healing Racism Institute of the Pioneer Valley; Marc Sparks, owner of Chez Josef; Patricia Spradley, chief of parent and community engagement for Springfield Public Schools; and Rev. Dr. Atu White of Mount Zion Baptist Church.

Television personality Sy Becker of 22News and Rev. Dr. Barbara Headley of Zion Community Baptist Church served as the masters of ceremony.

The awards ceremony and luncheon also raised money for the organization's work,  which includes education and family support services used by hundreds of people in the greater Springfield area each week. 

US Sen. Elizabeth Warren: President Donald Trump's 'erratic approach to Syria is not a strategy'

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U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, continued to take aim at President Donald Trump's foreign policy Saturday, contending that his "erratic approach to Syria is not a strategy."

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, continued to take aim at President Donald Trump's foreign policy Saturday, contending that his "erratic approach to Syria is not a strategy."

The Massachusetts Democrat, who criticized the president earlier this week for launching a targeted airstrike in Syria without Capitol Hill approval, slammed the Republican again in a series of afternoon tweets.

Massachusetts lawmakers question President Donald Trump's authority to launch airstrike, plans for Syria

Although she agreed that the United States needs a plan to hold Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accountable for his reported use of chemical weapons on his own citizens, the senator argued that she's "seen no compelling strategic justification for Trump's missile strike."

Warren further accused the president of having an "erratic" approach when it comes to U.S. involvement in Syria, contending that within a week his administration "went from asserting they wouldn't intervene to launching Tomahawk missiles against Assad."

"The president's erratic approach to Syria is not a strategy. It underscores why our Constitution doesn't let presidents wage war alone," she tweeted.

The senator further called on Congress to demand that Trump present a strategy with clear goals before approving additional military action, and urged the president to drop his so-called travel ban, which would temporarily bar refugees and Syrian travelers from entering the country.

"If @realDonaldTrump truly wants to help Syrians fleeing murderers, he should drop his effort to ban their children from America immediately," she wrote.

The Trump administration announced late Thursday that the U.S. had launched 59 missiles from the USS Ross and USS Porter targeting the Shayrat air base in central Syria -- the location from which officials believe Syrian military planes that dropped chemical weapons had taken off, according to the Associated Press

The missiles, which hit at 8:45 p.m. in Washington, 3:45 Friday morning in Syria, targeted airstrips, hangars, control tower and ammunition areas, officials told the AP.

Story of India girl raised by monkeys may be untrue, new reports suggest

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A police constable who participated in the rescue told the Hindustan times that "there were no monkeys around."

The "Jungle Book"-like tale of a young girl said to have been found living with monkeys in an India forest was shocking, disturbing and fascinating. It might also have been untrue.

The story of the girl circulated among news outlets around the world in recent days, including The Washington Post, after reports by the Associated Press and the New Indian Express. The girl, according to those reports, was rescued earlier this year by police who found her surrounded by a pack of protective monkeys in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. One police officer speculated that she might have been raised by primates from infancy.

She has since been living at a hospital in the city of Bahraich, where the chief medical officer told the AP in a recorded interview that she arrived crawling, eating and screeching like an animal.

But other officials cast doubt on some of those details Saturday. JP Singh, the district chief forestry officer in the Katarniya Ghat area, told The Guardian that the girl was located on a roadside, not in the forest. Sarbajeet Yadav, a police constable who participated in the rescue, told the Hindustan times that "there were no monkeys around." What's more, many cameras in the area -- used for both security and animal-tracking purposes -- would have detected the girl had she been there, forest department officials said.

Officials involved in helping the girl stressed from the start that they were not certain how long she had been living outdoors and on her own, and they said they were scouring missing children reports in an attempt to identify her.

But Singh, the forestry officer, told the Guardian that he suspected the girl's inability to communicate was the result of a disability, not a childhood among apes, and that she had been recently abandoned by relatives who did not want to care for her. Her age is still unknown.

"I think the family members of this girl had been aware that she is not able to speak, and they may have abandoned her near the forest road," he said."It is clear from first time view, if you see the girl, that she is only eight or nine years old, but her facial expressions show that she is disabled, not only mentally but also physically."

The hospital's chief medical officer, DK Singh, echoed that, and said the girl might also have been cast off due to another perceived handicap: being a girl in a society that prizes boys.

"Some families value girls less than boys," Ranjana Kumari, an advocate for young girls, told the Guardian. "They would rather get rid of the girl than spend money on her. It is a lot more responsibility because of the social environment we live in."

As the Post reported Friday, stories of feral children have long been told in both legend and well-documented reportage. It seems this one might exist somewhere in between -- less like "The Jungle Book" and more like a tragedy of neglect and desertion.

-- Karin Brulliard, The Washington Post

What should Palmer do with Converse Middle School? Public forum planned for Tuesday

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"The Palmer Town Council will hold a special community meeting with the residents of Palmer to discuss issues, suggestions, questions or comments that residents would like to bring forward regarding the future of the Converse Middle School Building for the consideration of the Town Council"

PALMER -- Public input on the future use of Converse Middle School is important, officials have said, and so the Town Council has scheduled a public forum on Tuesday for citizens to share their ideas.

The School Committee recently voted to close the century-old building in June. Sixth and seventh grades will relocate to the high school.

"The Palmer Town Council will hold a special community meeting with the residents of Palmer to discuss issues, suggestions, questions or comments that residents would like to bring forward regarding the future of the Converse Middle School Building for the consideration of the Town Council," the council said in a statement announcing the upcoming meeting.

The public forum at Palmer High School Auditorium begins at 6:30 p.m.

Egypt church bombings: At least 44 dead, dozens wounded in Palm Sunday attacks

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Bombs exploded at two Coptic churches in different cities in northern Egypt as worshippers were celebrating Palm Sunday, killing at least 43 people and wounding about 100 in an assault claimed by the Islamic State group.

TANTA, Egypt -- Suicide bombers struck hours apart at two Coptic churches in northern Egypt, killing 44 people and turning Palm Sunday services into scenes of horror and outrage at the government that led the president to call for a three-month state of emergency.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the violence, adding to fears that extremists are shifting their focus to civilians, especially Egypt's Christian minority.

The attacks in the northern cities of Tanta and Alexandria that also left 126 people wounded came at the start of Holy Week leading up to Easter, and just weeks before Pope Francis is due to visit.

Pope Tawadros II, the leader of the Coptic church who will meet with Francis on April 28-29, was in the Alexandra cathedral at the time of the bombing but was unhurt, the Interior Ministry said.

It was the single deadliest day for Christians in decades and the worst since a bombing at a Cairo church in December killed 30 people.

Late Sunday night, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi called for a three-month state of emergency. According to Egypt's constitution, parliament must vote in favor of such a declaration -- a virtual certainty since it is packed with supporters of the president. It cannot exceed six months without a referendum to extend it.

The army chief-turned-president also dispatched elite troops across the country to protect key installations and accused unidentified countries of fueling instability, saying that "Egyptians have foiled plots and efforts by countries and fascist, terrorist organizations that tried to control Egypt."

The attacks highlighted the difficulties facing el-Sissi's government in protecting Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's population.

"Where is the government?" screamed an angry Maged Saleh, who rushed to the church in the Nile Delta city of Tanta where his mother escaped the carnage. "There is no government!"

The first bomb exploded inside St. George's Church in Tanta, killing at least 27 people and wounding 78, officials said, overturning pews, shattering windows and staining the whitewashed walls with blood.

Video from inside the church broadcast by CBC TV showed people gathered around what appeared to be lifeless, bloody bodies covered with papers. Several doors had been blown off. Women wailed outside.

"After the explosion, everything became dark from the smoke," said Edmond Edward, attending Mass with his brother, Emil, who suffered head wounds and leaned on him for support at a nearby hospital.

"There was a clear lapse in security, which must be tightened from now on to save lives," he told The Associated Press. The blast appeared to be centered near the altar, he said.

Susan Mikhail, whose apartment balcony across the street has a clear view of the church and its front yard, said the explosion violently shook her building.

"Deacons were the first to run out of the church. Many of them had blood on their white robes," she told the AP. The more seriously wounded then were carried out by other survivors and taken to hospitals in private cars, she said.

Hundreds of residents gathered in the area, and church members blocked people from entering the church as police cordoned off the area.

A few hours later, a suicide bomber rushed toward St. Mark's Cathedral in the coastal city of Alexandria, the historic seat of Christendom in Egypt, killing at least 17 people and wounding 48.

CCTV images showed a man with a blue sweater tied over his shoulders approaching the main gate to St. Mark's and then being turned away by security and directed toward a metal detector. He passed a female police officer talking to another woman, and entered a metal detector before an explosion engulfed the area.

The Health Ministry said six Muslims were among the dead in Alexandria.

Pope Tawadros II had held Palm Sunday services at the cathedral and the timing of the attack indicated the bomber had sought to assassinate him.

Pope Francis marked Palm Sunday in St. Peter's Square by expressing "deep condolences to my brother, Pope Tawadros II, the Coptic church and all of the dear Egyptian nation."

Magdy George Youssef, a deacon at St. George's, said the church was almost full when the blast occurred and threw him under a pew.

"All I could think of was to find my wife, and all I could see was smoke, blood and completely charred bodies," the distraught 58-year-old said. Youssef, who suffered only an injured ear, later found his wife at home, with burns to her face.

IS said in a statement that two Egyptian suicide bombers named Abu Ishaq al Masri and Abu al Baraa al Masri carried out the church attacks and vowed to continue attacks against Christians.

"What happened is a dangerous indicator that shows how easy it is to attack a large gathering of people in different places," said researcher Ishaq Ibrahim with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. "There is a complete government failure in taking the IS threat seriously."

El-Sissi said in a statement that Sunday's attacks would only strengthen the resolve of Egyptians against "evil forces." He held an emergency meeting of the National Defense Council, which includes the prime minister, the defense and interior ministers, the speaker of parliament and top army commanders and security chiefs.

Regional police chief Brig. Gen. Hossam Elddin Khalifa was fired over the Tanta bombing, with Maj. Gen. Tarek Hassouna replacing him, state-run newspaper al-Ahram reported.

President Donald Trump tweeted that he is "so sad to hear of the terrorist attack" against the U.S. ally but added that he has "great confidence" that el-Sissi "will handle the situation properly." The two leaders met at the White House on April 3.

Grand Sheikh Ahmed el-Tayeb, head of Egypt's Al-Azhar -- the leading center of learning in Sunni Islam -- also condemned the attacks, calling them a "despicable terrorist bombing that targeted the lives of innocents."

Both Israel and the Islamic Hamas movement ruling neighboring Gaza condemned the bombings as well.

An Islamic State affiliate claimed the December bombing as well as a string of killings in the northern Sinai that forced hundreds of Christians to flee to safer areas. The militants recently vowed to step up attacks against Christians, whom they regard as infidels.

Egypt has struggled to combat a wave of Islamic militancy since the 2013 military overthrow of an elected Islamist president.

The Sinai-based IS affiliate has mainly attacked police and soldiers, but has also claimed bombings including the downing of a Russian passenger jetliner in the Sinai in 2015, which killed all 224 people aboard and devastated Egypt's tourism industry.

Egypt's Copts are one of the oldest Christian communities in the Middle East and have long complained of discrimination and that the government does not do enough to protect them. Security at churches is routinely increased around religious holidays.

The Copts largely supported the military overthrow of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, and incurred the wrath of many of his followers, who attacked churches and other Christian institutions.

While the Copts have stood steadfast alongside the government, an increase in attacks on Christians has tested that support.

Egyptian media had previously reported that the church in Tanta had been targeted before, with a bomb defused there in late March.

As night fell, hundreds of Christians, mostly clad in black, streamed to the church to offer their condolences. Scuffles broke out between the mourners and church volunteers guarding the church's doors as many pushed and shoved to get in.

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