The blaze, which broke out in the second floor kitchen of 64 Euclid Avenue, caused some $30,000 in damage, Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant, said.

SPRINGFIELD - A kitchen fire, sparked by a stove, displaced eight residents early Wednesday from a Forest Park neighborhood two-family home.

The blaze, which broke out in the second floor kitchen of 64 Euclid Avenue, caused some $30,000 in damage, Dennis Leger, aide to Commissioner Joseph Conant, said.

The fire, which broke out shortly before 3 a.m.,displaced five residents on the second floor and three residents on the first floor, Leger said.

The Western Massachusetts Chapter of the American Red Cross is aiding those displaced. No injuries were reported.

Weinstein faces criminal investigations in the U.S. and London.

Two more women accused movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, and the company he co-founded is facing a potentially costly lawsuit over his conduct.

Mimi Haleyi, a production assistant on a Weinstein Co. TV show, said Tuesday she was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein in 2006 in New York, according to The Los Angeles Times.

 Dominique Huett said Weinstein sexually abused her in 2010 in Beverly Hills and she sued his company for negligence, marking the first civil suit over the former co-chairman's alleged abuses since the scandal came to light.

They are the latest among more than half a dozen women who have accused Weinstein of sexual assault or rape and among more than 50 women who have publicly detailed a range of inappropriate behavior by the mogul.

Weinstein, who was ousted from his own company amid the scandal, has repeatedly stated through a spokesman that "allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied."

Weinstein faces criminal investigations in the U.S. and London.

A Braintree man owes between $1 million and $3 million in state taxes after he allegedly illegally sold tobacco products to half a dozen stores across Massachusetts, authorities say.

A Braintree man owes between $1 million and $3 million in state taxes after he allegedly illegally sold tobacco products to half a dozen stores across Massachusetts, authorities say.

Zakhia Saliba, 57, has been selling tobacco products without a license for more than six years, The Sun Chronicle reports. Saliba's lawyer states that his client started selling tobacco after he suffered a serious back injury. 

Saliba allegedly sold tobacco products to Ar Wholesale Outlet and BK Mart in South Attleboro. One the store owners he allegedly sold to was Khalid Siddique, a former Brockton resident who was indicted in 2015 for trafficking contraband smokeless tobacco, The Sun Chronicle reports.

Investigators have been watching for Saliba over the past year and say they have witnessed him transport tobacco products from a warehouse in Cumberland to stores across Massachusetts. 

According to The Sun Chronicle, investigators arrested Saliba at Boston Logan Airport Sunday as he was returning from a trip to Lebanon. He was released on $10,000 bond and is due back in court on Dec. 11.

Hector Garcia, 49, of Springfield, was convicted of armed robbery by a Hampden Superior Court jury in connection with a July 2015 robbery of a CVS on Belmont Avenue.

SPRINGFIELD -- Hector Garcia has been sentenced to six to seven years in state prison after being found guilty of armed robbery in a July 9, 2015, robbery of the CVS on Belmont Avenue.

A Hampden Superior Court jury on Monday found Garcia, 49, of Springfield, guilty of armed robbery, assault and battery on a police officer and threat to commit a crime.

He was found not guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon.

Judge Michael K. Callan sentenced Garcia to six to seven years in state prison followed by three years probation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Nina A. Vivenzio and Garcia was represented by Joe A. Smith III.

Any potential flash flooding will end around midday, but expect more showers.

Heavy rain showers are striking eastern Massachusetts Wednesday morning after sweeping through the western part of the state late Tuesday. Heavy downpours have been reported in multiple cities across the Boston to Providence corridor, stretching from the coast to Worcester.

Along the eastern part of the state, communities will see 1.5 or more inches of rain throughout the day. The worst rainfall will take place in the morning, and lighten up throughout the day. 

The National Weather Service's flood advisory issued in and around Boston, in places like Braintree, Brockton, Quincy, Norwood and Bridgewater, will end at 9 a.m. Wednesday. The flash flood watch that extends throughout the eastern part of the state will end at noon.

While the warnings are expected to lift by midday, light and moderate "mostly nuisance" showers will continue throughout the eastern half of southern New England until after 6 p.m. Wednesday night, according to the NWS. Drivers across the state should also be aware of potential "visibility issues" later in the day due to a clash of warm, moist air from the east and colder air from the west. 

Scattered showers and isolated thunder are expected to continue into Thursday, with the highest chances in eastern Massachusetts, reports the NWS.

Luckily the forecast for the weekend leading into Halloween looks much brighter -- or rather, dryer. Cloudy skies are still possible Friday-Saturday, but conditions will be dry and temperatures in the 60's. There is a possible chance for showers on Sunday.

Torrential rains hit Southern New England Tuesday into Wednesday morning with flash flooding causing lane closures on major roadways in Massachusetts.

Police seek the public's help as they look for Aliah Luna. She is a black female with black/red hair, approximately 5 feet 1 inch tall and 130 pounds, according to a post on the department's Facebook page.

PITTSFIELD - A missing 16-year-old girl may be in Springfield, police say.

Police seek the public's help as they look for Aliah Luna. She is a black female with black/red hair, approximately 5 feet 1 inch tall and 130 pounds, according to a post on the department's Facebook page.

Aliah has brown eyes and wears glasses. She was last seen wearing green pants with blue and gray sneakers.

Those with information are asked to call Pittsfield police at 413-448-9700.

Between 30 and 40 people, some carrying bats and one armed with a gun, were gathered on Melrose Street when police arrived, Assistant District Attorney Cary Szafranski said.

SPRINGFIELD - A man who allegedly tossed a loaded .357 Magnum revolver into a neighbor's front yard while fleeing Springfield police is being held on $10,000 cash bail.

Joel Ayala, 23, of Springfield, pleaded not guilty in Springfield District Court Friday to carrying a loaded firearm, resisting arrest and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

Assistant District Attorney Cary Szafranski said the case began with a 911 call for a large disturbance on Melrose Street Thursday night; between 30 and 40 people, some carrying bats and one who reportedly had a gun, were gathered in the street when police arrived, the prosecutor said.

Two women, pointing to Ayala and several other men attempting to walk away, said one of them had just pulled out a firearm and "threatened to shoot everyone," the prosecutor said.

Moments later, Ayala began running down the street, pursued by several officers; pulling a gun from his shirt, he tossed it into the yard at 46 Melrose St., then jumped a fence and began running through backyards, Szafranski said.

One officer secured the gun while others continued the chase, eventually capturing Ayala on Marshall Street, the prosecutor said.

Both witnesses later identified Ayala as the alleged gunman, according to Szafranski, who requested $25,000 bail.

No reason for the disturbance was mentioned in the police report; the 911 call came from a woman who said "there is a crowd of people here for (her) cousin," the report said.  

Judge John Payne set bail at $10,000 and continued the case for a pretrial hearing on Nov. 21.

He also approved defense lawyer Kelly Auer's request for $500 to hire a private investigator to interview witnesses to help prepare Ayala's defense.

A Springfield native, Ayala is single and works as a cook in a restaurant in Westfield, court records show.

A pair of armed suspects in Halloween masks robbed a TD Bank location in Holliston on Tuesday afternoon, initiating lockdown procedures in several nearby schools.

A pair of armed suspects in Halloween masks robbed a TD Bank location in Holliston on Tuesday afternoon, initiating lockdown procedures in several nearby schools.

A panic alarm triggered inside the Washington Street bank at 1:41 p.m., according to a statement by the department.

The season-appropriate disguises worn by the suspects, a man and a woman, drew immediate notice. 

The man wore a hooded sweatshirt and "beige 'baby-face' mask with pink cheeks," the female -- who also carried a revolver-style pistol -- wore a "black-and-white skeleton mask."

The pair "fled on foot" with an undisclosed amount of cash after threatening staff with the gun. Holliston police and other authorities continued searching for the suspects into the night. 

No arrests have yet been made. 

Middlesex County District Attorney's Office and Massachusetts State Police are assisting in the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Holliston Police Department at 508-429-1212. 

Winchester businessman John Kingston officially launched his 2018 Republican U.S. Senate bid Wednesday, adding his name to the growing list of GOP challengers looking to unseat incumbent Democrat Elizabeth Warren.

Winchester businessman John Kingston officially launched his 2018 Republican U.S. Senate bid Wednesday, adding his name to the growing list of GOP challengers looking to unseat incumbent Democrat Elizabeth Warren. 

Kingston, who has publicly weighed the idea of running for Senate since July, announced his entrance into the 2018 U.S. Senate race in a morning email and video to supporters. 

Casting himself as "an independent leader who will fight for a stronger and more just Commonwealth," Kingston argued that he is the only Republican candidate "with the record, resources and message to defeat Sen. Warren."

The GOP hopeful added that, if elected, he will strive to end to the current divisive politics in Washington -- something which he argued Warren exacerbates.  

"We have just one shot as Republicans at derailing Sen. Warren's presidential aspirations and sending a leader to Washington who will put results before politics," he said in a statement. "We cannot risk that chance on candidates who cannot deploy the resources necessary to win, or on candidates who are unelectable or uninspiring."

Stressing that he will run "a different kind of Republican campaign than people are used to seeing," Kingston pledged to take his message to every single state voter -- including those in Western Massachusetts -- regardless of party, in hopes of building a movement focused on restoring unity in public life. 

"We care about everybody in this state and that's my commitment, number one, and number two: that's what I'm going to demonstrate in my actions," he said in an interview. 

The 52-year-old businessman, who is expected to outline his platform during a Wednesday evening speech at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate in Boston, said he plans to "lay out a new Republican vision of leadership for our state."

That vision, he said, will be one in which Republicans "stay true to (their) principles but also seek common cause across partisan lines and including all communities to improve the lives of all citizens."

Kingston, who said he hopes to emulate Republicans like Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker if sent to Washington, added that his vision aims to take the party's classic values of freedom and liberty and interpret them "to achieve the good for all" in today's world.

"I intend to recall the principles of the great leaders Massachusetts has produced who galvanized our state through their service and achieved real results for hardworking families by always seeking the greater good," he said.

Despite the growing field of Republicans who have announced 2018 U.S. Senate bids, Kingston said he's confident about his primary and general election chances.

The businessman loaned $3 million of his own money and raised $256,000 for his bid between July and the end of September, according to campaign officials.

Republican Senate challengers in Massachusetts report strong summer fundraising totals, still trail Elizabeth Warren

Fellow Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Shiva Ayyadurai, a Cambridge-based entrepreneur, by comparison, reported more than $1.21 million in net contributions, which included nearly $1.15 million from the candidate alone. 

Other 2018 Republican candidates state Rep. Geoff Diehl, R-Whitman, meanwhile, raised a reported $367,000 in the third quarter of 2017; and Beth Lindstrom raised more than $75,000 for her bid between Aug. 21 and Sept. 30, including $25,000 in candidate loans.

Warren, in turn, collected a total of $2.98 million in the third fundraising quarter of 2017, bringing her cash balance to nearly $13 million as of Sept. 30, her campaign reported. 

Despite the Democrat's fundraising advantage, Kingston contended that his strength as a candidate, coupled with Warren's vulnerability, will even things out come November 2018.

"The fundraising edge over time will be eliminated because people are going to see that I'm an electable candidate that can take out Sen. Warren," he said.

Allen Rodney Waters, of Mashpee; Darius Mitchell, of Lowell; and Heidi Wellman, of Braintree; have also filed to run as Republicans in the 2018 U.S. Senate race. 

Combined, Sen. Adam Hinds and Rep. Stephen Kulik represent nearly five dozen communities in Massachusetts' four western counties.

WORTHINGTON -- State Sen. Adam G. Hinds, D-Pittsfield, and Rep. Stephen Kulik, D-Worthington, are inviting their constituents to a community outreach event.

The "Speak Up Western Mass" coffee hour is set for Oct. 30 at Worthington Town Hall from 10-11:30 a.m. Members of the public are encouraged to attend if they have "an idea, question, or comment about state government," if they require constituent services, or merely wish to listen.

The event is designed to be "agenda-free, unscripted, and an opportunity for residents and local officials to ask questions, share concerns, and make recommendations on state issues" to their legislative delegation and district staff.

Hinds represents the sprawling Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin & Hampden Senate District, which includes all of Berkshire County; the Franklin County towns of Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont, Conway, Hawley, Heath, Monroe, Rowe, and Shelburne; the Hampshire County towns of Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Huntington, Middlefield, Plainfield, Westhampton, Williamsburg, and Worthington, and Blandford and Chester in Hampden County. 

Kulik's 1st Franklin District includes Ashfield, Buckland, Chester, Chesterfield, Conway, Cummington, Deerfield, Goshen, Huntington, Leverett, Middlefield, Montague, Plainfield, Shelburne, Shutesbury, Sunderland, Whately, Williamsburg, and Worthington.

If you go:

What: Coffee Hour with Sen. Adam Hinds and Rep. Steve Kulik
Where: Worthington Town Hall, 160 Huntington Rd.
When: Monday, Oct. 30, 10-11:30 a.m.

According to the Guardian, Brown told attendees at a party that they looked "beautiful" and could make hundreds of dollars working in the hospitality industry in the United States.

Scott Brown, the U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa and a former Massachusetts U.S. senator, is being investigated by the U.S. State Department for allegedly making inappropriate comments in Samoa, the Guardian reports.

According to the Guardian, Brown attended a party on his inaugural trip to Samoa. There, he told attendees they looked "beautiful" and could make hundreds of dollars working in the hospitality industry in the United States.

The newspaper reported that in an interview with New Zealand media, Brown, with his wife Gail Huff by his side, said he had "no idea" the comments would be seen as offensive.

The Guardian reported that two women serving in the Peace Corps complained.

Brown, a Republican, was appointed to be ambassador by President Donald Trump.

People in Westfield may notice increased aircraft activity at Barnes during the exercise.

WESTFIELD - Fighter jets from the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base on Wednesday will take part in air defense exercises over Vermont and parts of New Hampshire, according to Air Guard officials

The exercises involve two F-15C Eagles from the base conducting a low-altitude intercept-and-follow exercise involving a small propeller airplane operated by the Civil Air Patrol. The training will include responses for airspace violations, hijackings and unknown aircraft.

It is intended as a test of coordination between the Eastern Air Defense Sector, Federal Aviation Administration and 104th Fighter Wing, according to officials.

Much of the activity is planned for air space over Rutland Vermont, and over Lebanon and Concord, New Hampshire.

People in Westfield may notice increased aircraft activity at Barnes during the exercise. 

Housing, transportation and student debt were hot topics when state senators polled 20- and 30-year-olds about their priorities.

College Highway, in the area of Cumberland Farms convenience store and the Opa-Opa brewery and restaurant, is down to one lane due to milling and paving operations, police said in a post on their department's Facebook page.

SOUTHAMPTON - Police warn of traffic delays on College Highway Wednesday as a highway reconstruction project nears completion.

College Highway, in the area of the Cumberland Farms convenience store and Opa-Opa brewery and restaurant, is down to one lane due to milling and paving operations, police said in a post on their department's Facebook page.

All businesses in the area remain open.

Police said they will continue to post updates on the project.

A report on the financial state of the course, completed by Town Administrator Michael Sullivan, that said the facility was a drain on municipal resources, said the Ledges has lost about $8.5 million, and had never operated in the black since opening in 2001.

SOUTH HADLEY -- The Selectboard on Tuesday decided not to close the municipal Ledges Golf Club, despite its history of financial losses.

After hearing from dozens of residents who spoke for and against moth-balling the financially struggling operation, the board voted unanimously to keep course open at least one more year. 

About 125 people attended the meeting at the Town Hall auditorium.

A report on the financial state of the course, completed by Town Administrator Michael Sullivan, found the facility was a drain on municipal resources, losing about $8.5 million never operating in the black since opening in 2001.

Selectman Ira Brezinsky, while expressing concern about the losses -- which he also enumerated during a brief history lesson for the attendees -- said the decision was not just about money.

The selectman hopes the town can sign a five-year lease with a private entity to manage and operate the Ledges. But whether that will come to pass remains to be seen.

The five-member board passed a motion he proposed that states: "Sign renewal with IGM prior to December 1, 2017 to continue maintaining course for one year through December 1, 2018, or as the agreement allows." IGM is a private firm.

The motion also says the Selectboard would "consider seeking [a] golf industry expert to assist in designing and overseeing a request for proposals which would look to find a professional organization for full operation of the golf course."

Members of South Hadley Golf Commission attended the meeting.

In a recent letter to the Selectboard, the commission asked that the facility remain open at least one more year.

"Leasing the property" to a private entity makes sense, Brezinsky said during the Oct. 24 meeting.

Selectman John Hine said he supports giving the Ledges one more chance, for a year's time -- but after that, if financial losses continue to pile up, all bets are off.

"We have tried virtually everything to make this work," he said. "It is clear, this has to be our last shot."

He added: "If we do close the course, it is permanent."

Selectman Bruce Forcier said, "We can't go on forever if it is going to lose money."

The newest member of the board, Andrea Miles, said she had spoken with young families who had moved to town in the past few years.

"No one . . . has said to me they moved to South Hadley because of a golf course," she sai.

During the public comment period,  Golf Commission member Chris Collins said, "We ask that the Selectboard vote to keep the Ledges open . . . the Ledges is an important asset to the community."

He promised the commission would work with the administration and Selectboard "to implement a sound financial plan to erase the operational deficits at the Ledges."

South Hadley Appropriations Committee Chairman Thomas Terry asked the board and town administrator the question: "Have we done all we can to improve [the] financial" condition of the Ledges?

Resident Dan Canton said "it is a sin" that the town uses reserve funds to subsidize the golf course.

In "fifteen years years we've lost $8.5 million; it's time to stop," he said.

Retired judge Henry J. Boroff, formerly of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Massachusetts, said the municipal golf course, as a "business has always been hindered by indecision."

Among the things required to make the facility viable, he said, would be an "intense and sustained" advertising campaign.

Normand Cloutier, who was the town's administrator back when the course was built -- and who favors keeping it open -- elicited laughter during his remarks when he said: "I guess I am the guy you can blame for all of it."

Cloutier said it would be a "major mistake" to close the course. "I think we can do better," he said.

Resident Joanna Brown said "as a taxpayer" she wants the town to allocate scarce resources to where they are most needed.

"To me, a golf course falls outside of those parameters," she said.

Travelers are asked to arrive at lest 90 minutes prior to departure. Watch video

WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. -- Travelers departing Bradley International Airport now have to remove electronics larger than a cell phone from carry-on bags and place them in a bin with nothing on top or below, the Transportation Security Administration said Wednesday.

The new rule, which go into force Thursday are similar to how laptops have been screened for years, the TSA said. It's part of a national rollout of tougher security measures designed to avoid an outright ban on laptops in airline cabins, according to Reuters.

The TSA announced the changes over the past few weeks with a series of nearly identical news releases for various regional airports.

Similar changes were made at Albany International Airport in New York earlier this month.

The new rules went into force at Rhode Island's T.F. Green International Airport in September, also according to a TSA release.

Boston's Logan International Airport was one of the first airports to get the new procedures on a pilot bases, the TSA said. The changes will come to Worcester in time.

The TSA warned that passengers may experience more bag checks and advises that passengers arrive at Bradley International Airport at least 90 minutes prior to departure.

At the security checkpoint, TSA officers will be  in front of the checkpoint X-ray machines to guide passengers through the screening process and recommend how best to arrange their carry-on items for X-ray screening, the TSA said.

The changes don't apply to people in the TSA Pre Check lane.

Through July 2017, Bradley has seen more than 3.7 million passengers get on and get off planes in the calendar year. That's up from the 3.4 million enplanements and deplanements recorded in the same time period of 2016.

The lizard was taken to a facility licensed to care for reptiles, according to the Massachusetts Environmental Police

HOLYOKE -- An undercover environmental police officer recovered a three-foot long Nile monitor lizard after arranging a meeting with a man trying to sell the reptile through a Facebook group.

The officer met the would-be seller at the Holyoke Mall Sunday afternoon. The suspect was charged with possession of wildlife without a permit, according to the Massachusetts Environmental Police Facebook page. 

The Nile monitor is indigenous to Africa but can be found feral in certain parts of the United States. They can grow as large as seven feet in length.

The lizard was taken to a facility licensed to care for reptiles, according to the agency.

A 20-year-old motorcycle rider killed in a crash Tuesday night crash in Woburn has been identified by authorities as Kevin McDonald.

A 20-year-old motorcycle rider killed in a crash Tuesday night crash in Woburn has been identified by authorities as Kevin McDonald. 

Police were called to the intersection of Steven Drive and Russell Street in Woburn around 6:45 p.m. for a report of a crash involving a motorcycle and a sedan, according to the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office. 

McDonald, a Woburn resident, died at the scene. He was the riding his motorcycle at the time of the crash. Police said the driver of the sedan remained at the scene. 

The crash remains under investigation. As of Wednesday morning, no charges had been filed.

Police have not said whether anyone was injured.

HOLYOKE -- Police have closed a section of Dwight street in the city's downtown neighborhood Wednesday morning as officers investigate a shooting. 

Holyoke police Sgt. Kevin Thomas said the shooting was reported at 598 Dwight St. Additional information, including whether anyone was injured, was not immediately available.

Dwight Street was closed between Maple and Chestnut streets as of 11:45 a.m.  

The address given by police is for Veterans Park Apartments, a complex that offers affordable housing for seniors. The building is about a block from City Hall, across the street from Veterans Park. 

It was not immediately clear whether the shooting happened inside or outside the building.

This is a developing story that will be updated after further reporting.