The former congressman will receive treatment for a sex addiction at a federal medical center in Ayer.

Anthony Weiner, a former Democratic congressman and mayoral candidate for New York City, will spend his 21 months in prison at the Fort Medical Center, Devens, in Ayer, according to reports.

Earlier this year, Weiner pleaded guilty to sexting a 15-year-old on Skype and Snapchat. Now, the New York Daily News reports Weiner will undergo treatment at Devens, a former military facility that now houses inmates with medical conditions or "sex compulsivity problems," as Weiner's Psychotherapist Paul Kelly termed it.

In a letter by Kelly to Judge Denise L. Cote last month, the therapist said Weiner is undergoing weekly individual and group therapy sessions, 4-5 "12-step meetings" per week, "periodic weekend intensives every 4-6 months" and daily check-ins with his therapist. He also said Weiner is also restricted from accessing pornography and social media websites.

The letter by Kelly was designed to inform the judge on what kind of treatment Weiner must undergo at a prison facility.

Kelly defends Weiner's illegal actions with the 15-year-old girl as "an anomaly" that "fell well outside of [Weiner's] typical sexual behavior," adding that the former congressman's recidivism rate -- or chance of offending again -- is low.

"Anthony possesses above average intelligence, he is engaged in learning to self-regulate more effectively, he has a sincere motivation to be a productive member of society, he is developing a strong social recovery supports system, he shows significant fortitude and persistence, and is fully engaged in therapy," Kelly writes to the judge. 

Weiner's sexting case ruined his career as a congressman and mayoral candidate, as well as his marriage to former Hillary Clinton aide Huma Adedin.

FMC Devens offers medical treatment and sex offender treatment programs.

The federal prison in Ayer housed Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev in 2013 as he was recovering from gunshot wounds. Peter Madoff, brother of infamous Ponzi schemer Bernard Madoff, was sentenced to serve 10 years at Devens in 2012 for his involvement in his brother's fraudulent operation that robbed investors of billions of dollars.

Officials at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Weiner's sentencing.

Taking issue with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren's approach to politics, Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Beth Lindstrom pledged Wednesday to "set a new tone" and serve all Massachusetts voters if sent to Washington next fall.

Taking issue with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren's approach to politics, Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Beth Lindstrom pledged Wednesday to "set a new tone" and serve all Massachusetts voters if sent to Washington next fall. 

Lindstrom, who is running to unseat the incumbent Democrat, accused Warren of being more interested in "lecturing, raging and grandstanding" than achieving positive results.

Contending that "Senator Warren's routine is getting old," the former aide to Mitt Romney and manager of Scott Brown's 2010 Senate bid touted the "new tone" she would bring to congressional politics as she made her case to Massachusetts voters in a Wednesday campaign video. 

"Winning stardom among the left-wing ... is not the same as winning the confidence of the working people of this commonwealth. Lecturing, raging and grandstanding can work up your followers on Twitter, but that is not the same as serving your constituents - and a lot of us in Massachusetts have noticed the difference," she said, alluding to Warren's rising profile and social media presence.

Arguing that "independent-minded voters across this state are right to expect better," Lindstrom said she will offer a new approach to politics and "listen and not just talk" if elected to represent Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate. 

"It can't just be me who is tired of the Washington scene today - the nastiness of the debates and the nothingness of the results. No one contributes more to this negative dynamic than Elizabeth Warren," she said in the video. "And it's just this simple. If we want a new tone, then we are going to need a new senator." 

The campaign released the video as businessman John Kingston, who had been mulling a GOP 2018 Senate run, officially launched his bid. 

Businessman John Kingston announces 2018 Republican US Senate bid

Kingston allegedly urged Lindstrom to drop out of the GOP primary in late September, The Boston Globe reported this week. 

Lindstrom's campaign declined to comment on the report. Kingston's campaign, meanwhile, would not confirm or deny the details of the alleged conversation, the newspaper reported.

"John said he is eager to support Massachusetts Republicans who are strong candidates in races they are suited for,'' spokesman Jon Conradi reportedly told the Globe. ". . . His recollection of the private conversation was there were no specific offers made, that it was a more general discussion."

Lindstrom officially entered the 2018 U.S. Senate race in August, joining fellow Republican candidates state Rep. Geoff Diehl, R-Whitman; entrepreneur Shiva Ayyadurai, of Cambridge;  Allen Rodney Waters, of Mashpee; Darius Mitchell, of Lowell; and Heidi Wellman, of Braintree.

Warren's campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Lindstrom's campaign video.

As lawmakers discuss whether to expand high-speed rail between Springfield and Boston, officials from the Berkshires are trying to get in on the action.

As lawmakers discuss whether to study expanded high-speed rail between Springfield and Boston, officials from the Berkshires are trying to get in on the action.

A bill pending before the Transportation Committee would instruct the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to conduct a feasibility study of establishing high-speed passenger rail between Springfield and Boston.

The Berkshire legislative delegation submitted testimony to the committee on Tuesday asking that the feasibility study also look at expanding rail to Pittsfield.

"Linking our thirty-two Berkshire communities to major economic centers such as Boston, Worcester and Springfield will offer expanded employment opportunities, strengthen the creative and tourism economy and connect our constituents to wider opportunities," the legislators wrote.

The Berkshire delegation includes Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield, and Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Pittsfield, Smitty Pignatelli, D-Lenox, and Paul Mark, D-Peru. All signed on to the bill, sponsored by Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, to study the expansion of rail between Boston and Springfield.

But they are now asking the study to go further and look at expanding rail between Boston, Springfield and Pittsfield.

The lawmakers argue that although there is significant economic development in Boston, the four western counties are being left behind. Extending rail service into the Berkshires could help business development there, and could incentivize some eastern Massachusetts workers to move out to the Berkshires.

The study would look at the benefits and costs of expanded rail.

Already, a group established in the fiscal 2018 budget, the Berkshire Flyer Working Group, is looking at the possibility of establishing direct seasonal weekend passenger rail service between New York City and Pittsfield between Memorial Day and Columbus Day weekends. That group is due to produce a report by March 1, 2018.

The two study groups could take each other's recommendations into consideration.

Lesser said he is "open" to the idea. While he would not commit to including Pittsfield in the feasibility study, he said he is talking about the possibility with the Berkshire delegation.

"The goal of this is to expand economic opportunity to the western part of the state," Lesser said. "Everybody's united in that goal, and we'll work with them on making sure the Berkshires is included."

There was a lot of despair in this town of about 2,000 following the election of Donald Trump in November of 2016. About 79 percent of the town's voters cast ballots for Hilary Clinton.

LEVERETT - There was a lot of despair in this town of about 2,000 following the election of GOP President Donald Trump in November of 2016. About 79 percent of the town's voters cast ballots for Democrat Hilary Clinton.

In Letcher County, Kentucky, there was a lot of celebration in the county of about 23,000 as 79.8 percent voted for Trump.

This weekend, about a dozen from the county are coming to the town where they will stay with people in the community, talk with members of the alliance and meet people from the community at large. 

County resident and Connecticut native Ben Fink wrote "around 3 a.m. on election night, I woke up in a panic as three celebratory gunshots from next door shook my house."

But rather than wallow, residents here created the Leverett Alliance with the goal of identifying "ways in which our community could help the country move forward in a positive manner at a time of severe polarization between red and blue states," according to a press release describing its mission.

Fink had the same idea.

"For those of us who don't like how the election turned out, we're left with two choices," he wrote. "We can keep ignoring or ridiculing the resentment my neighbors feel, and calling them ignorant and otherwise illegitimate for the ways they think, talk and act. And we'll keep getting the same results. Or we can listen and try to understand where they're coming from, even when we don't like it, and see what we can build together."

"Because either way, in this election we learned that rural people have power. Whether we like it or not," he wrote. Fink is a member of Appalshop, a grass-roots multi-media arts organization. 

Alliance members talked about ways to "to create some type of partnership with a community in a different part of the country with a significantly different political and socio-economic profile than our own," according to a release.

"The purpose: to discover common visions and respectfully address differences as we move ahead in challenging times."

One person happened to read the article written Fink, a leader in Appalshop -  grass-roots multimedia arts center living in Letcher County wrote called "Democracy in Trump Country."

In the spring, members of the town will travel to Kentucky, said alliance member Sharon Dunn. In between, they'll stay in touch, she said.

"We're hoping so much we'll be able to talk to each other and respect each other," Dunn said. The county was once a center for coal mining but now only about 10 percent still work in that industry. 

She said they'll be able to talk about "common things we all dream about."

"It's going to be really fascinating," Dunn said, adding that she's been reading all kinds of books about Appalachia in preparation.

They will also be filming the events to document how the program is working "as a template for other communities" who might want to follow.

Public events begin at 11:30 a.m. Saturday with a performance from the North Leverett Community Chorus to celebrate the heritage and folkways of Appalachia and New England, followed by a potluck at noon. Admission only requires bringing something local to share. 

At 6 p.m., a feast will be held at the Montague Common Hall (formerly Montague Grange), and again people are asked to bring a dish to share

A contra dance will be held at the at Leverett Coop & Leverett Library. Tickets are $10.

Join Us.Oct 28 by ledermand on Scribd

When a Yarmouth couple's dog began barking loudly early Tuesday, they knew something was off. The dog's instinct was spot on.

When a Yarmouth couple's dog began barking loudly early Tuesday, they knew something was off. The dog's instinct was spot on.

Patricia Mulkeen, 91, told WHDH News that her 12-year-old Wheaton Terrier named Pepper, began barking around 2 a.m.

Naked and carrying a flashlight, she began to check her home. The woman then made it into living room, she told the television station.

Standing a few feet away was 28-year-old Joseph Parent, of Hyannisport, according to police.

Mulkeen told WHDH she was surprised to find Parent inside her home. The woman's husband, Jack, thought the site of a naked 91-year-old woman might have surprised Parent as well, the television station reports.

Parent, according to the news station, told Mulkeen, "Sorry, ma'am" and left.

The couple called police.

Officers responded to the Sullivan Road home in West Yarmouth and were told about the break. The couple gave police a description of the suspect.

Parent was spotted walking near the home, according to a police department news release. Parent was arrested. Police said he is well-known to police in Cape Cod.

Parent was charged with breaking and entering along with drug charges after police say they found him in possession of Suboxone strips and pills.

The child porn case of Bruce Paddock, brother of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock, reportedly predated the Oct. 1 shooting.

A brother of Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock was arrested in Los Angeles on suspicion of possessing child pornography, authorities said Wednesday.

The arrest of Bruce Paddock was confirmed by a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation but not authorized to discuss it publicly.

Bruce Paddock is not considered a suspect in the Las Vegas shooting. The child porn case predated the Oct. 1 shooting, the official said. It wasn't immediately known if he has an attorney.

Fifty-eight people were killed and hundreds more were wounded Oct. 1 at the Route 91 Harvest Festival on the Las Vegas Strip. Stephen Paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay casino-hotel tower. Stephen Paddock was found dead.

Another brother, Eric Paddock, spoke to media following the shooting but Bruce Paddock did not.

The caucus will examine issues such as affordable housing, transportation and student debt.

A group of state senators in their 30s are forming a "millennial caucus" to promote a legislative agenda that helps young people in Massachusetts.

Sen. Eric Lesser, a Longmeadow Democrat who is 32, said a task force he co-chaired with Sen. Ryan Fattman, R-Webster, 33, found millennials are disconnected from government.

"The sense of alienation and frustration with the political system is real," Lesser said. "We need to embrace and recognize that, and as leaders be responsive to it."

The Senate task force released a report Wednesday identifying the top issues for millennials. They made a potpourri of policy suggestions on topics such as affordable housing, transportation and student debt.

Asked what their legislative priorities would be for this session, the group declined to pick. Senate President Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, said he was not familiar enough with the recommendations to pick the top ones. But he said, "We will take the report seriously, and we will continue to move as much legislation through our process as possible."

Rosenberg said there is a lot of momentum for improving civics education. Lesser said numerous bills have been introduced dealing with student debt.

Sen. Joseph Boncore, D-Winthrop, 35, said a pending bond bill that would put more money into low-income housing development could help the affordable housing crunch.

In a press conference releasing the report, the state senators stressed that the problems facing young adults are different than the problems facing older adults.

"Our parents' problems are not our problems," Boncore said, adding, "Our parents' solutions aren't our solutions." For example, Boncore said millennials deal with the state's crumbling transportation infrastructure by looking toward ride-sharing services and self-driving cars.

Boncore suggested that new technology like electric vehicles means the state can no longer rely on the gas tax as a consistent source of revenue but must look to new taxes, such as taxes on services or on income over $1 million, as is being proposed by 2018 a ballot question.

Several of the senators noted that young people are having a harder time staying in Massachusetts after school, facing huge amounts of student debt, housing in eastern Massachusetts that is unaffordable and a lack of transportation further west in the state.

"Students are graduating from institutions with a mortgage of debt, then they go into a housing market that's completely unaffordable," said Sen. Patrick O'Connor, R-Weymouth. "Something is wrong there."

Although a lot of housing policy is decided on a local level, the senators noted that some state policies like zoning reform can make a difference.

The IRS office in the former federal courthouse downtown has been closed for weeks.

SPRINGFIELD -- The Internal Revenue Service has closed its taxpayer assistance center at the former federal courthouse at 1550 Main St. citing staffing shortages. 

There is no date set for it to reopen.

The downtown office, which appears from the outside to have all its furniture, equipment and even printed material in place and intact, has been closed for weeks according to people who work in the building.

A sign on the door says the office is temporarily closed.

But IRS spokesman Richard C. Sanford said Wednesday he doesn't know if there is is set date for it to reopen despite tax season being right around the corner at the start of the new year.

There are six taxpayer assistance centers in Massachusetts with the closest being 120 Front St., Worcester. There are six as well in that have regular hours Connecticut with the closest being 135 High St., Hartford, in the William R. Cotter Federal Building.

There are four offices in Vermont with regular hours including one at 1222 Putney Road., Brattleboro.

Sanford said all IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers are now operated by appointment and taxpayers can call the appointment line at 844-545-5640 to speak to an IRS representative to schedule an appointment.

He also pointed Springfield residents to IRS.gov or the free tax preparation assistance in the community.

Sanford couldn't go into details about the staff shortages. However, the IRS has lost roughly 13,000 employees -- around 14 percent of its workforce since 2010 and its budget has been cut by 18 percent from 2010 to 2016, after adjusting for inflation, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

President Trump's proposed budget would cut the IRS even further.

For the 24th year in a row, the Westfield Boys & Girls Club organized the Annual Downtown Trick or Treating, set for Oct. 27, starting at 4 p.m.

WESTFIELD - City businesses will continue a long tradition on Friday, opening their doors to Halloween revelers of all ages.

For the 24th year in a row, the Westfield Boys & Girls Club organized the Annual Downtown Trick or Treating, set for Oct. 27, starting at 4 p.m.

Dozens of businesses are participating, including several at Westgate Plaza, numerous banks, restaurants, retail shops, churches and community groups like Westfield on Weekends.

A complete list is available on the city of Westfield's website, and signs will be on display at each location. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Lerryn Godden, finance director at the Westfield Boys & Girls Club, said anyone can join in, even "the older kids who are willing to dress up."

"It's for all of Westfield," said Godden. "The businesses like it as much as the kids do."

She said it's the Boys & Girls Club's mission to give all children every opportunity to grow and have fun. This event, she said, makes memories that last forever.

"Adults still come up to me and say, 'I remember going downtown and trick or treating,'" she said. "These are things that make an impact on a child's life."

For more information, contact the Westfield Boys & Girls Club at 413-562-2301.

Candidates fin the at-large race for the Springfield City Council are slated for a debate at American International College that will include "challenge quuestions" posed by the candidates themselves to their rivals.

SPRINGFIELD -- The public is invited to a debate on Wednesday night at American International College, featuring the candidates for City Council running for the at-large seats in the November election.

The debate begins at 7 p.m., at AIC's Griswold Theatre, 1000 State St., preceded by a "meet and greet" at 6:30.

The debate is sponsored by AIC's Office of Diversity and Community Engagement and the McKnight Neighborhood Council, covering important citywide issues, according to organizers.

McKnight Council President Walter Kroll said the Nov. 7 city election is very important.

"With two of the long-time at-large Councilors retiring from the Council, we will be bringing two brand new Councilors on board to represent us," Kroll said. "Voters need to know who the contenders are and what they have to bring to the table."

The debate will be live-streamed on Facebook.

The debate is designed to have fresh questions that candidates have not yet addressed in the previous debates and forums held in the city this year, organizers said. There will also be a round of "challenge questions" that candidates pose to each other and some questions from the audience.

Parking for the general public is available at Lot I on the corner of State and Maynard Streets. There will be a gold & black event parking sign at the corner.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, slammed chamber Republicans this week for blocking a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule to limit forced arbitration -- a move which she argued would "make it easier for financial institutions to cheat people."

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, slammed chamber Republicans this week for blocking a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule to limit forced arbitration -- a move which she argued would "make it easier for financial institutions to cheat people."

The Democrat, who urged support for the CFPB rule in a late Tuesday floor speech, blasted GOP leaders for narrowly approving legislation to roll back the rule, which sought to allow consumers to bring class action lawsuits against financial institutions.

Warren argued that the 51 to 50 vote, for which Vice President Mike Pence served as tie breaker, represented "a giant wet kiss to Wall Street."

"Tonight @VP Pence and the @SenateGOP gave a giant wet kiss to Wall Street," she tweeted shortly after the Senate's vote. "No wonder Americans think the system is rigged against them. It is."

Tonight @VP Pence & the @SenateGOP gave a giant wet kiss to Wall Street. No wonder Americans think the system is rigged against them. It is.

-- Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) October 25, 2017

Contending that bank lobbyists were the only ones pushing Congress to block the CPFB rule, Warren questioned President Donald Trump's campaign trail claim that he would stand up to Wall Street. 

"Bank lobbyists are crawling all over this place, begging Congress to vote and make it easier for them to cheat consumers. President Trump, are you really going to let Mike Pence cast a tie-breaking vote to hand big banks their biggest win in Congress since they crashed the economy nine years ago?" she said in a speech from the Senate floor. 

"I follow the news stories about how tough you are, Mr. President ... do you work for Mitch McConnell now? Is that the deal?" Warren continued. "Are you going to roll over and hurt millions of people in this country because Mitch McConnell tells you to?" 

The Massachusetts Democrat, who helped form the CFPB, further warned Republicans to be "prepared for the consequences" of passing the legislation, contending that the American people, including veterans, "won't forget what happens here today."

White House Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, however, told NPR that Trump backed the rule's rollback because he believed it "would harm our community banks and credit unions by opening the door to frivolous lawsuits."

US Sen. Elizabeth Warren asks CEOs to weigh in on CFPB's forced arbitration rule

The rule, which CFPB issued earlier this year, resulted from a congressional requirement included in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. 

Specifically it sought to restore consumers' rights to file or join group lawsuits and make the individual arbitration process more transparent by requiring companies to submit certain records to the CFPB, according to the bureau.  

CFPB Director Richard Cordray recently argued that the rule was needed as mandatory arbitration makes "it nearly impossible for people to take companies to court when things go wrong."

According to the CFPB, hundreds of millions of contracts for consumer financial products and services have included such clauses, which often state that the company or consumer can require disputes between them be resolved by privately appointed arbitrators, except for individual cases brought in small claims court. 

Big Y donated $200,000 to American Red Cross Massachusetts representatives on Wednesday in support of Red Cross Hurricane Disaster Relief efforts following several significant hurricanes which hit the United States and its territories in the past two months. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD - Big Y donated $200,000 to American Red Cross Massachusetts representatives on Wednesday in support of Red Cross Hurricane Disaster Relief efforts following several significant hurricanes which hit the United States and its territories in the past two months. 

Big Y customers and employees made donations to American Red Cross Disaster Relief at all Big Y locations throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut. 

"I am absolutely blown away by the generosity of our extended family, our fellow employees and customers," said Donald D'Amour, CEO of Big Y during the check presentation at the Big Y Cooley Street Springfield location.   

In the past eight weeks, the American Red Cross has launched wide-ranging relief efforts to help people devastated by three historic, back-to-back hurricanes--Harvey, Irma, and Maria. The American Red Cross says it has provided nearly $200 million in direct financial assistance to those affected by the disastrous weather conditions in Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

"The proceeds that are raised from this drive here at Big Y or any of the other programs are going to The Red Cross coffers in Washington D.C. Where they purchase materials and supplies to assist in those areas where we have had natural disasters wither it be the fires in California, tornadoes, hurricanes whatever it is, that is how the Red Cross operates its organization," said Brad Campbell, chair of the board of directors, American Red Cross of Western Massachusetts.

"We then send people to those areas, provide meals to the first responders as well as the community. We set up shelters so these folks have a place to stay and can have some normalcy to their lives after these crazy disasters," Campbell added.  

The fundraiser for hurricane relief isn't the first for the Springfield-based Big Y grocery store chain. Past relief campaigns centered on the 2004 Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and the earthquakes in Japan, Haiti, and Nepal. The 10-plus-year partnership with the Red Cross has raised over $1.1 million to support both international and domestic disasters, according to the company.

Residents of the McKnight neighborhood soundly rejected a citizen petition that called for the removal of the neighborhood council president, Walter Kroll, and board member Elizabeth Stevens.

SPRINGFIELD -- Residents rejected a petition Tuesday night that sought to remove two McKnight Neighborhood Council members based on accusations they failed to protect historic homes and had conflicts of interest.

Nearly 100 people attended the meeting at the Rebecca Johnson School, which ended with a 39-0 vote to "invalidate" the petition.

The petition, with approximately 100 signatures, called for the removal of neighborhood council President Walter Kroll and board member Elizabeth Stevens. Both Kroll and Stevens strongly denied the allegations, and said they have worked long and hard as volunteers to promote and improve the McKnight neighborhood.

Following the vote, Kroll said he was relieved but still upset "because I still find this to be a personal attack."

"Honestly, anyone that knows me knows that I am a very transparent person," he said. "I am not very complicated. I would like to feel that everyone here came out to support that. I've been on the board over 10 years, I've volunteered my time gladly with no agenda other than bettering my neighborhood."

Stevens sharply criticized the petition organizers, saying there was no wrongdoing and no conflicts on her part.

"To put accusations against people with no evidence about their allegations is irresponsible," Stevens said.

The board itself did not take part in the vote, and those who voted were required to show evidence of neighborhood residency.

The lead petition organizer, Charles Holmes, said he is a resident and registered voter at 94 Monmouth St. in McKnight, but did not vote because he was talking to a reporter.

Some residents and board members said during the meeting they had doubts that Holmes lived in the neighborhood, and also said they had heard from some of the petition's signers that they did not understand its intent to remove the two board members.

Resident Lloyd Creswell said he knows of people who signed the petition thinking it was to support the preservation of historic houses. Houses purchased or partly purchased by Kroll have people living in them and are preserved, he said.

Copies of the petition stated it was intended to remove Kroll and Stevens. 

It read, in part: "Reasons for removal: Failure to disclose conflicts of interest dealing with City Hall, failure to recuse on matters relating to parties at City Hall with whom he had past personal business dealings, consistently supporting demolition of historic homes, and failure to act affirmatively to preserve historic homes."

Holmes and several residents spoke during the meeting, but there was no presentation of details of the allegations before the board called for a vote.

"It was heartwarming, the overall support, to abolish these shenanigans," Bryan McFarland, a member of the board of directors who co-chaired the meeting, said of the unanimous vote.

Holmes said a lot of people were concerned about the allegations raised in the petition, but were not available to attend the meeting due to work or family obligations.

"It was a real petition," Holmes said. "My next step is to continue to fight to save historic houses and to expose everything that was going down."

A group of students from Western Massachusetts traveled to the Statehouse Wednesday to ask lawmakers to raise the legal age for buying tobacco products from 18 to 21.

BOSTON -- A group of students from Western Massachusetts traveled to the Statehouse Wednesday to ask lawmakers to raise the legal age for buying tobacco products from 18 to 21.

Ayannah Cruz, 14, a Holyoke High School freshman from Springfield, said her grandfather died of a smoking-related illness, and it bothers her that she has friends and family who smoke.

"Everyone's getting hurt by smoking," Cruz said. "You're having a shorter life because of the fact of smoking."

The lobby day was part of an effort by Tobacco Free Mass, a coalition advocating for policies that encourage people to stop smoking. The organization has been pushing for legislation that would raise the legal age for buying tobacco products to 21 statewide. Bills that are pending before the Legislature, H.2864 and S.1218, would also raise the sale age for e-cigarettes.

A similar bill passed the state Senate last year, but never made it through the House.

Supporters of the bill say it is important for public health to stop people from getting addicted to cigarettes when they are 18 or 19. Opponents argue that anyone over 18 is old enough to make their own decision.

Close to 160 cities and towns have raised the age for selling tobacco to over 18, so there is now a patchwork of local regulations.

Cruz, speaking to a reporter before going to lobby politicians, said she worries that convenience stores are packaging tobacco products in ways that make them appealing to kids. "Even though some people will still find other ways to break the law, a lot of the people they get it from are 18-year-olds," Cruz said.

Shamar Harvey, 18, a senior at Putnam Vocational-Technical Academy in Springfield, said raising the smoking age will "help younger kids have a better mind and a better life in the future."

Harvey said he knows people who smoked and got physically hurt from it. A lot of his friends smoke. "They just don't care," Harvey said.

One of the lawmakers the students met with was Rep. Jose Tosado, D-Springfield, who said he already supports the effort.

"Tobacco remains the number one cause of preventable deaths in this country," Tosado said. "It's been proven that 95 percent of smokers start smoking under age 21. Whatever we can do now to address this issue, I think it's way past due."

A dangerousness hearing in Holyoke District Court was postponed to Friday, Oct. 27, 2017 for a man arrested on gun, explosive and vandalism charges after prompting a City Hall lockdown on Oct. 13, an official said Wednesday.

HOLYOKE -- A dangerousness hearing in Holyoke District Court was postponed to Friday for a man arrested on gun, explosive and vandalism charges after prompting a City Hall lockdown, an official said Wednesday.

Robert J. Barre, 25, of 21 Davis St., remains confined to the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow after the postponement, Assistant District Attorney Joan O'Brien said Wednesday.

Barre was ordered held without right to bail at his arraignment on Oct. 16  in district court before Judge Maureen E. Walsh.

Police were called after Barre was seen acting suspiciously in the mayor's and city clerk's offices at City Hall on Oct. 13. He requested names and addresses of political candidates and entered, left and re-entered offices, according to police reports.

When police arrived and learned that Barre's Facebook page included images of bullets, "skinhead" and "white boy," City Hall was closed and staff told to remain in the offices behind locked doors.

After not finding Barre in or around City Hall or City Hall Annex, police visited his home and found an unlicensed pistol, two Molotov cocktails and the floor littered with needles and hundreds of small empty plastic bags like those used to carry heroin, according to police reports obtained at Holyoke District Court.

Barre denied the following charges at his arraignment: two counts of tagging property; two counts of malicious destruction of property of over $250; being in possession of a firearm without a license; two counts of possession, transportation, use or placement of incendiary devices; and weapons stored or kept by owner -- inoperable by any person other than owner or lawfully authorized user.

U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III will speak at Amherst College Saturday as part of the college's celebration of his great-uncle President John F. Kennedy.

AMHERST - U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III will speak at Amherst College Saturday as part of the college's celebration of his great-uncle President John F. Kennedy.

The event marks the 100th anniversary of the 35th president's birth and his Oct. 26, 1963, visit to the college, something the college also celebrated in 2013. The forum is called "Poetry and Politics."  

According to the event website, the forum will trace the "thread connecting President Kennedy's concerns with the College's current interest in, to use President (Carolyn) Martin's words, setting 'an example of community characterized by openness and respect, freedom with responsibility, and politics inflected by poetry.'"

Joseph Kennedy will speak at 4:15 p.m. Events begin at 1 p.m. with an introduction by Martin followed by a film of John F. Kennedy's speech at the college.

Current students will offer reflections, followed by a faculty panel, at 3 p.m.

John F. Kennedy was awarded an honorary degree and celebrated the groundbreaking for the Robert Frost Library when he visited the college. Less than a month later, he was assassinated in Dallas.

Frost read at Kennedy's swearing in, the first poet to take part in a presidential inauguration.

In his Amherst speech, Kennedy said: "If sometimes our great artists have been the most critical of our society, it is because their sensitivity and their concern for justice, which must motivate any true artist, makes him aware that our nation falls short of its highest potential. I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist."

An elderly woman was found shot multiple times in a 3rd-floor hallway, and a 78-year-old man was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot on the 5th floor.

This is an update of a story posted at 11:56 a.m. Wednesday

HOLYOKE - An elderly man shot an elderly woman in the hallway of a Dwight Street apartment building Wednesday morning, and then turned the gun on himself, according to a statement by Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.

Gulluni said Holyoke police were alerted by 911 calls at about 10:45 a.m.  for a reported disturbance inside 598 Dwight St.  The first officers to arrive at the 5-story apartment building found an elderly woman lying in a common hallway on the third floor, he said.

She had been shot multiple times, he said. The woman was rushed to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield where she was pronounced dead at 11:22 a.m.

Witnesses told police that an elderly man had fled the scene and ran up the stairs to the fifth floor. Police began a search of a fifth-floor apartment and found a 78-year-old man dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, Gulluni said.

The names of the two deceased was not released pending notification of family. It was also not disclosed what the relationship was between them.

The investigation is being handled by the Holyoke Police Detective Bureau, along with troopers from the state police Detective Unit assigned to Gulluni's office.

The address of the shooting is 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. 

The pilot program gave municipal police officers more tools to support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and to help the police identify the risk of re-assault.

BOSTON -- The Baker administration is considering ways to expand statewide a domestic violence training program for law enforcement that it tested in Greenfield.

"In Greenfield, data they collect is showing that this response is working," said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who leads the Governor's Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence. "It's reducing the amount of violence, getting victims connected to services, providing prosecutors and the court system the information they need to hold the person accountable."

Polito said the goal of the pilot program "is to perfect this model and try to scale it across the commonwealth of Massachusetts so we could have a common response to help more victims and to hold more perpetrators accountable."

In March, the governor's office launched a pilot program to give municipal police officers more tools to support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and to help the police gather someone's history and identify the risk of someone committing another assault.

The police were given worksheets and training to guide them on what information to gather and how to respond to domestic violence cases. The goal was to standardize the responses of law enforcement when dealing with domestic violence cases; to make sure police gathered the right information, connected victims to resources and were assessed how dangerous a perpetrator was; to build a case in court; and to prevent future violence.

The pilot program was launched in Greenfield, Foxboro, Quincy and Woburn.

Officials involved in the Greenfield program met with Gov. Charlie Baker, Polito and Undersecretary of Public Safety and Security Jennifer Queally on Wednesday in the governor's office.

Mary Kociela, director of domestic violence projects for Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan, said Franklin County already has a program where a trained domestic violence advocate goes on calls with the police to assist victims -- for example, connecting them to resources or helping file for restraining orders.

Kociela said the pilot program helped a team that used evidence-based factors -- such as whether a weapon was used or whether strangulation was involved -- to figure out which domestic violence offenders were most likely to kill their partners and to put more resources into prosecuting those people.

Greenfield Police Chief Robert Haigh Jr. said the training is about providing officers throughout the region with a uniform set of standards.

"Officers need to have that guidebook, that standard operating procedure, something that really has been pressed into our minds that we do every time we go out there so we can better serve those who are in need," Haigh said.

Baker said although the conversations that law enforcement must have with domestic violence victims "are difficult conversations," victims often appreciate that their concerns are being taken seriously.

State officials plan to incorporate the program into a municipal law enforcement training program that the state oversees, Baker said. They are also considering incorporating it into a community compact program, where communities adopt best practices laid out by the state.

James Ramirez, 55, was arrested in August after a DEA investigation that targeted Ramirez with undercover drug buys, an informant wearing a recording device and wiretaps on his phone.

A Boston man accused of conspiring to sell Fentanyl pills disguised as the prescription opioid oxycodone has agreed to plead guilty to federal drug and weapons charges.

James Ramirez, 55, was arrested in August after a DEA investigation that targeted Ramirez with undercover drug buys, an informant wearing a recording device and wiretaps on his phone. Investigators discovered Ramirez was a "large-scale narcotics supplier" who distributed fentanyl, heroin and cocaine to multiple buyers, the DEA said in a court filing.

Ramirez is facing a minimum of 20 years in prison for conspiring to sell four to six kilograms of fentanyl and two kilograms of cocaine, according to a plea document filed Tuesday in federal court.

Fentanyl is often cut into heroin to cheaply increase its potency, and users frequently do not know how much fentanyl is in the heroin they buy -- an ambiguity that can lead to accidental overdoses.

Starting in June, federal authorities began conducting undercover buys from Ramirez, obtaining hundreds of fentanyl pills designed to look like oxycodone, the DEA alleged in a criminal complaint. A judge then approved a wiretap on Ramirez, which captured him arranging large scale drug deals with Cape Cod residents Kevin and Alex Fraga -- both of whom have also agreed to plea.deals.

The wiretaps captured conversations in which investigators say Ramirez discussed buying bulk quantities of fentanyl for $33,000 per kilogram and selling them to Kevin Fraga for a profit.

At one point, Fraga complained to Ramirez that the pills he had bought were weaker than usual and sought to return them, according to the complaint.

Ramirez would make his fentanyl deliveries in a Winnebago equipped with a "hide," or concealed compartment, the complaint said.

On August 16, after more than a month of monitoring Ramirez, investigators observed him complete a drug deal with Fraga. They pulled over Fraga, arrested him and obtained a search warrant for his home; days later, after Ramirez continued trying to arrange drug deals, they did the same for him.

Investigators later found a pistol in and another batch of 1,300 fentanyl pills in a safety deposit box belonging to Ramirez. He was subsequently charged with possession of a firearm by a felon.

Ramirez also had a previous conviction for cocaine trafficking in 1992.

With the Town of Hampden considering possible legal action to keep Thornton W. Burgess Middle School open, Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee Chairman Bill Bontempi says he'll fight to make sure that providing a strong education to all HWRSD students remains the paramount priority of the seven-member panel.

WILBRAHAM -- With the Town of Hampden considering possible legal action to keep Thornton W. Burgess Middle School open, Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee Chairman Bill Bontempi says he'll fight to make sure that providing a strong education to all HWRSD students remains the paramount priority of the seven-member panel.

"As a member of the School Committee, I could never, ever in good conscience put the education of our children in the backseat because of a potential legal challenge," Bontempi said at the board's Oct. 19 meeting, receiving a hearty round of applause from audience members..

"I just can't do it," he said.

Moments later, the panel voted 4-3 to implement Superintendent Albert G. Ganem Jr.'s five-year reorganization plan for the Hampden-Wilbraham district. The most immediate impact will be the closure of TWB, as the school named after children's author Thornton W. Burgess is known, at the end of the current academic year.

By July 1, 2018, the 50-year-old building will officially be returned to the Town of Hampden, leaving Green Meadows Elementary School as Hampden's only educational facility in the seven-school district. Under the districtwide school reconfiguration plan, Green Meadows will absorb the middle school students from TWB, some of whom are also likely to transfer to Wilbraham Middle School -- a process that requires permission from district officials. 

Other changes will be phased in as the rollout continues over the next five years. Among the scheduled changes are closing a school in Wilbraham and reconfiguring Minnechaug Regional High School into a 7-12 school by the 2022-23 academic year. Minnechaug currently serves grades 9-12. 

None of this is ideal, school board members and district officials acknowledge, which is why nearly all of them still support moving TWB students to Wilbraham Middle School to mitigate ongoing declining enrollment across the district, but particularly at the middle school level.

However, the so-called unification plan was shot down by voters in Hampden last fall, leading to the creation and implementation of Ganem's staggered reorganization plan, which calls for shrinking the seven-school district to five schools in the coming years. That process will begin with the closure of TWB several months from now.

Bontempi's concerns about possible legal action from Hampden are not unfounded.

Town voters will be asked to consider deregionalization articles at Hampden's fall meeting next week, including using $50,000 to cover the cost of a possible injunction to stop TWB from closing or other legal fees related to modifying the regional school agreement between Hampden and Wilbraham.

Leaving the regional school district, a costly and potentially lengthy process, would require approval from voters in both towns and authorization by the state Department of Education.

School Committee member Mary Ellen Glover, who supports maintaining two schools in Hampden, said adopting the reorganization and school-closing plan could become a legal liability for the regional school district.

"I envision that if you pass this plan, the likelihood that legal action will be taken is increased," she said shortly before the school board voted to adopt Ganem's plan.

Glover, a Hampden resident, questioned whether the district could "afford to pay the legal bills for this issue," appealing to her colleagues to be empathetic to Hampden's perspective.

"If you put yourself in the position of Hampden residents and you see the emotion that they bring to the table when they're discussing this issue, I think you have to say, 'Can't we do better? Can't we come up with something that everybody can embrace?'" she said. "I think we can." 

A lawsuit is not the right way to go about things, according to School Committee member Sean Kennedy. "A lawsuit is not logic. A lawsuit is emotion," said Kennedy, one of five Wilbraham residents on the seven-member board.

"If there is a legal challenge," Bontempi said, "I will be the first one to stand up and make sure that the voices of these children are heard and that education is the primary responsibility of this committee."

Patrick Kiernan, one of three school board members to vote against the reorganization plan -- the others were Glover and Sherrill Caruana -- pointed out that both towns, which formed the regional district in 1994, will have lost 50 percent of their schools by the time the reorganization plan is fully implemented.

"The biggest piece that I continue to hear is ... that people feel one side is losing far too much and the other is not sacrificing enough," Kiernan said.

Immediately after the vote to adopt the five-year plan, the School Committee agreed to draft two warrant articles to present to Hampden and Wilbraham voters in January.

Both articles pertain to amending the regional school agreement to allow students to cross town lines. Under the current agreement, Hampden and Wilbraham students are required to be educated in their hometowns until high school, grades 9-12, when all students attend Minnechaug in Wilbraham.

The first article would allow Hampden students in grades 7-8 to cross town lines to attend Wilbraham Middle School. The second would allow Hampden sixth-graders to also cross town lines to attend Wilbraham Middle School. If neither article passes, the school district will move forward with converting Green Meadows, presently a K-5 school, into a K-8 school. 

"If there are modifications to the regional agreement, then that plan can change," Bontempi said. 

After last week's lengthy School Committee meeting, Bontempi commended the Hampden residents who are opposed to the concept of unifying all district middle school students on a single campus in Wilbraham.

"Although I do not agree with their opinion, I admire their resolve," Bontempi said in an Oct. 20 post on his Facebook page, "Bill Bontempi HWRSD School Committee," saying the opposition inspired district officials to step up their game and devise the reorganization plan.

"Moreover, the School Committee and the residents of both towns owe these individuals a debt of gratitude," Bontempi said. "Through their stalwart resistance, they forced the School Committee and the school administration to look harder and dig deeper for alternatives. In doing so we were able to devise this five-year plan."

Now is the time to look forward, he said, not backwards.

"For those contemplating legal action against the school district, please remember every dollar that we spend in court is one dollar less then (sic) we have to spend on children's education," Bontempi said. 

"And so, if the individuals who oppose this plan are truly advocates for children and for education, their threat of legal action should end today," he said.