The woman told police she and Fetherston have been involved in a sexual relationship for about two years and were in Springfield on a business trip.

SPRINGFIELD - A New York financial consultant arrested in Springfield after a woman was allegedly seen running naked and bleeding from his hotel room has been freed after posting $1,000 bail.

Peter Fetherston, 52, of Garden City, was released Tuesday, eight days after he was arraigned on two charges for allegedly assaulting a woman during a business trip to Springfield. 

The release came after prosecutors withdrew a motion to deny bail on the grounds that Fetherston posed too great a danger to the victim or the public.

Fetherston was released around noon following a hearing before Judge Patricia Poehler. The bail was set by agreement of Assistant District Attorney Clarissa Wright and Boston-based defense lawyer Syrie Fried.

During his arraignment Oct. 16, Fetherston pleaded not guilty to domestic assault and battery and intimidation of a witness.

The charges were filed earlier that day after police were called to the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel on Boland Way around 1:30 a.m., according to the arrest report.

A security guard, responding to noise complaints for a room on the 12th floor, knocked on the door and heard a woman calling for help, the report said. A man inside assured the guard nothing was wrong, but a woman bolted from the room moments later "naked and covered with blood," the guard told police.

The victim was crying, her nose and eyes were swollen and she was wrapped in a bloody towel when police arrived, the report said. The woman, a New York City resident, told police she and Fetherston have been involved in a sexual relationship for about two years and were in Springfield on a business trip.

After several hours of drinking Sunday night, they returned to their hotel room, where he became enraged as they discussed "her successes at work," the report said. He allegedly slammed her face into the floor, and then began kicking or punching her each time she attempted to call 911.

"Are you scared?" he kept asking her, according to the report.

Three different employee organizations took a total of four votes against the leadership of Springfield Technical Community College this month.

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield Technical Community College President John Cook met with representatives of employee associations Wednesday after staff took votes of no confidence against him.

Cook met with the leadership of the Professional Association union and the All Unit Congress, which represents all college employees below the position of director and includes union and nonunion staff. The organizations, and a statewide union, took four votes this month involving concerns about leadership at the college.

"I hope it will lead to better communications to lead this college forward," Cook, who took over as president Aug. 1, 2016, said of Wednesday's meeting.

He said he was encouraged by the meeting but did not describe what was discussed.

Nicholas Camerota, co-chairman of the All Unit Congress and an adjunct professor at STCC, confirmed the organizations met with Cook, but he also declined to give details about the dialogue.

Cook said the shared governance organizations are very important at STCC and he thanked the representatives for taking the time to speak with him. The groups agreed to meet again in November.

He said the first time he was approached about concerns about his leadership was in September after he placed Arlene Rodriguez, vice president of academic affairs, on leave. Cook declined to talk about his decision, saying it is a confidential personnel decision.

But Camerota said the decision to suspend Rodriguez is just one of nine complaints employees listed in a "Bill of Particulars" that lead to the vote of no confidence. The no confidence action said Cook has failed to communicate with staff, work with the union and employees and put students' successes first.

Employee concerns include Cook using limited money to add administration positions rather than hire needed teachers. The employee groups also said Cook dismissed the 50th anniversary committee, which had been working for nearly a year to develop events to celebrate the golden anniversary of the college, and instead organized an event of his own.

The All Unit Congress and Professional Association together took a vote of no confidence on Oct. 4. Two weeks later the Massachusetts Community College Council, an umbrella union that represents employees from the 15 community colleges across the state, voted to back the organizations in their no confidence decision.

In addition, the All Unit Congress and the Professional Association took separate votes calling for the resignation of Christopher C. Johnson, chairman of the STCC board of trustees. The wording of the resolutions was different but both groups aired concerns that Johnson failed to consider both sides of the issue before showing his support for Cook.

Johnson said he will not step down and said he would have been happy to discuss the issues with staff but the organizations did not reach out to air their complaints before the vote of no confidence was taken.

Professor Zahi Haddad sent an email to STCC staff this week complaining about the process used to take the votes, especially the one taken Monday by the All Unit Congress calling for Johnson's resignation. He said the process excluded some members who could not attend the organizations' meetings and said other staff felt intimidated into voting against Cook.

Camarota disagreed, saying members pushed for the votes and absentee ballots were made available for the no confidence vote. While Haddad said he had at least 30 emails from people who agreed with him, Camarota said he received four complaints or fewer.

The vote of no confidence was taken by paper ballot and was 202-26, with two abstaining. The All Unit Congress represents about 700 staff members but typically fewer than 100 attend any meeting, he said.

For just $25, folks got a taste of more than a dozen Pioneer Valley restaurants as locals gathered at Springfield Country Club on Wednesday for the annual Food Fest West.

WEST SPRINGFIELD- For just $25, folks got a taste of more than a dozen Pioneer Valley restaurants as locals gathered at Springfield Country Club on Wednesday for the annual Food Fest West. 

Organized by the Agawam/West Springfield West of the River Chamber of Commerce, the event not only highlighted some of the best culinary options in the area, but also raised money to benefit local business grants and scholarships.

Participating businesses included The Hofbrauhaus, Springfield Country Club, Partners Restaurant, Westfield State Culinary, Souper Sweet Sandwich Shop, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Storrowton Tavern, LPVEC Culinary, Nadim's Restaurant, Crestview Country Club, Sorrento's Restaurant, Tekoa Country Club, Main Steet Deli, Six Flags New England, Cigar Room II and Nina's Cookies.

For more about the West of the River chamber, visit the official website here. 

There will be trick-or-treating, a costume contest and a DJ for dancing.

CHICOPEE - Calling all ghosts, princesses and superheroes: City officials are looking for you to come downtown for some trick-or-treating.

The city is holding its fifth Halloween party, called the Halloween Spooktacular, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. on Monday.

The event is being organized by the city and the Chamber of Commerce and is designed mainly for children in the fifth grade and younger and their families, said Benjamin Strempka, communications and special projects manager for Mayor Richard J. Kos.

"It is a great community event and it gives the children a safe opportunity to trick-or-treat and people a chance to come down and see what the downtown has to offer," Strempka said.

The Halloween event began in 2015 as a way to expand on the success of the annual Christmas Tree lighting. Since then the city has also added a summer downtown block party to showcase downtown and to support local businesses.

The event is held on Exchange Street, Center Street and an area in front of City Hall and the former library. Parts of those streets will be closed from about 3:45 to 8 or 9 p.m. and cars will be detoured up South Street, onto School Street or over West Street during that time, Strempka said.

Families attending can park on side streets or a number of public lots scattered downtown and on Front Street. Past downtown events have shown parking has not been a problem.

The highlight of the event will be the trick or treating. Tables will be set up along Exchange Street and businesses from all over the city are handing out candy, glow sticks, small toys or other treats to the costumed children.

"It is not specific to downtown businesses and we put a call out to our members and non-members. Anyone can contact the Chamber if they can come out and get involved," Chamber President Jessica Roncarati-Howe said.

The tables are free and businesses are welcome to decorate them any way they want to market their company. An estimated 1,500 to 2,000 children are expected to attend so Roncarati-Howe said she has asked all participants to bring enough treats for that many trick-or-treaters.

"We ask that they dress up, it certainly makes it more fun," she said. "It is a fun holiday and we encourage people to be creative."

Since everyone is encouraged to dress up, Polish National Credit Union will be holding a costume contest for children. Prizes will be awarded for first and second place in three age categories, she said.

The Spooktacular will also feature music and dancing to a DJ, Comprehensive High culinary students will return with their cookie decorating, there will be train rides around the downtown for children, the Bookmobile will visit and the City Council will be grilling free hot dogs, donated by PeoplesBank, for the crowd, Stempka said.

The Police and Fire departments will be there and downtown businesses are expected to be open and may be offering special deals or treats, for example the Herbarium will will be serving spiced, hot cider, Roncarati-Howe said.

Anyone interested in setting up a table for the trick-or-treat street should contact Bobbi Mabb, the program director at the Chamber by email at bobbi@chicopeechamber.org

The event is free and open to all families.

A PF Chang's worker who plead guilty to fatally stabbing his co-worker in the back with a kitchen knife was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday.

A PF Chang's worker who plead guilty to fatally stabbing his co-worker in the back with a kitchen knife was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday.

According to the Essex District Attorney's Office, in August 2015, Jaquan Huston, 25, of Salem, plunged a sushi blade into the back of Elivelton Dias while they were cooking at a PF Chang's in Peabody. Huston's blade pierced Dias' lung.

Huston immediately fled the restaurant on his bicycle and was later arrested at his home in Salem, authorities said.

Huston told prosecutors that Dias was threatening him in Spanish and he stabbed him in self-defense.

According to the district attorney's office, had the case gone to trial, prosecutors would have introduced evidence proving Huston stabbed Dias "without provocation."

"This was a senseless killing of an innocent man," Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said. "Elivelton Dias was a hard-working man who had come to this country seeking opportunity and freedom from the violence of his native Brazil. That his life was taken by such a pointless act of violence weeks after he became a new father is beyond tragic."

Dias' wife, Fabiana Batista, told prosecutors that it was Dias' dream to have a family. Dias was also highly respected among his PF Chang's co-workers, many of whom appeared at court hearings throughout the case.

"He was beloved by his co-workers and the devastation of his loss is still felt by many of them to this day," Assistant District Attorney Ashlee Logan said.

Huston will be eligible to apply for parole after serving 20 years in state prison. Additionally, 787 days will be deducted from his sentence for time served since his arrest. 

The PF Chang's where the fatal stabbing took place has since closed. 

Boston University Police Department used classic gumshoe tactics to recover a stolen silver flute worth $14,000.

A $14,000 stolen silver flute has been recovered in Massachusetts. 

The flute was reported stolen from a student in August, according to BUToday. The student had left the flute and an iPad unattended in a classroom for a few minutes, and when she returned, the items were gone. 

Kelly Nee, chief of university police, told BUToday that officers put in "dogged gumshoe police work" to solve the case of the silver flute.

Police kicked off their investigation by analyzing the security footage of the classroom, which showed a man leaving the building through a rear exit around the time of the theft. Officers then collected additional footage from nearby street and business cameras, according to BUToday. 

One officer flagged the keyword Arista, the maker of the silver flute, while reviewing pawnshop databases in New England, but the broad search term turned up superfluous results. 

Eventually, police came into contact with someone who encountered the suspect and knew their first name. With this information, police were able to narrow down the Arista keyword search to about 500 hits, BUToday reported.

Police also discovered a photo of the suspect conducting a transaction at a pawnshop from 2014. 

They tracked down the suspect to his home and interviewed him, but they were not able to recover the flute.

However, as police were putting together a search warrant, the suspect actually called the department and agreed to return the flute and iPad. He was been summonsed to court and is scheduled to reappear at a later date, BUToday reports.

Police returned the flute and iPad to the victim.

President Donald Trump is expected to make a major announcement on the opioid crisis during the event.

Leaders from the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative, a program inspired by Gloucester's ANGEL police program, will attend a White House event on the opioid epidemic on Thursday. 

The non-profit program -- otherwise known as P.A.A.R.I. -- was made in response to the revolutionary ANGEL program created by Gloucester resident John Rosenthal and then-Police Chief Leonard Campanello in 2015. The ANGEL program allowed addicts to turn themselves into police without facing fear of arrest. 

P.A.A.R.I., led by Board President Rosenthal and Executive Director Allie Hunter McDade, works to implement programs like ANGEL across the country.

The non-profit has launched more than 320 law enforcement programs in 31 states, helping more than 12,000 people receive treatment, according to a statement.

On Wednesday, P.A.A.R.I. announced it received a three-year grant to place 25 AmeriCorps members with police stations across Massachusetts. The grant from the Massachusetts Service Alliance and the Corporation for National and Community Service will provide additional resources to assist with police-led addiction and recovery programs. The group also announced it would add two recovery coaches to Lynn's police force.

On Thursday, the White House will host Hunter McDade and Arlington Police Chief Frederick Ryan, and an Ohio police chief who works with the non-profit. The advocates will join congress members, head of agencies and President Donald Trump and his wife for the event, in which Trump is expected to possibly declare the opioid crisis a national emergency.

While Trump did say the opioid crisis was a national emergency in August, the administration has yet to file the paperwork to declare a formal national emergency, which would remove some existing barriers for local authorities.

President Donald Trump declares opioid crisis is a national emergency, pledges more money and attention

Typically, the designation is reserved for imposing sanctions on a country or other foreign relations matters. The New York Times has a list of the 28 open national emergencies, including the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. 

"We look forward to attending this afternoon's event and learning more about how the President will honor his pledge to fight this epidemic and give people struggling with addiction access to the help they need," P.A.A.R.I.'s Hunter McDade said in a statement.

Massachusetts saw the second-highest number of seizures and arrests connected to fentanyl, the dangerously powerful synthetic opioid increasingly mixed with street heroin.

Massachusetts saw the second-highest number of seizures and arrests connected to fentanyl, the dangerously powerful synthetic opioid increasingly mixed with street heroin.

The fact appears in the Drug Enforcement Agency's 2017 National Drug Threat Assessment, released this week. 

DEA reports 3,911 law enforcement reports concerning fentanyl in Massachusetts in 2016. The state ranked second only to Ohio - which had 7,971 - and ahead of Pennsylvania's 2,355.

No doubt related in part to the prevalence of fentanyl, Massachusetts also had the fourth-highest overdose death rate of any state in the nation, behind Ohio, Connecticut and West Virginia. 

And the deaths will continue, according writers of the federal drug report.

"Heroin-related deaths will continue at high levels in the near term," it says. "The heroin available in white powder markets in the United States is very high-purity. Increasing poppy cultivation in Mexico, the primary supplier of U.S. heroin markets, ensures it will remain high-purity."

The heroin and fentanyl markets have become increasingly intertwined, "with heroin supplies in white powder markets increasingly laced with highly-potent fentanyl."

"This combination will most likely lead to an increase in opioid deaths in the near term," the report states.

Mexico and China both manufacture illicit fentanyl, according to the report. Illegally produced fentanyl accounts for most of the quantities of the drug found in Massachusetts and the rest of the country.

"The relatively small-scale quantities of licit fentanyl being diverted compared to kilogram seizures of illicitly produced fentanyl, indicates illicitly-produced fentanyl is responsible for the current fentanyl epidemic in the United States," says the report.

The report makes specific mention of a Lawrence milling operation broken up by federal, state and local authorities in April. 

"At the mill, heroin and fentanyl were being mixed together and pressed into cylinders for midlevel sale, a common heroin packaging technique," says the report. "The milling equipment was small and portable, able to be carried in a suitcase. The individuals working at the milling operation used personal protective equipment, such as latex gloves and masks."

The report says most heroin and fentanyl dealing along the Interstate 95 corridor area of the Northeast is handled by Dominican transnational crime organizations.

"Illegal drugs destined for Dominican (transnational crime organizations) in the Northeast primarily arrive first in New York City, where the drugs are distributed throughout the greater metropolitan area, or routed to secondary hubs and retail markets across the Northeast and parts of the mid-Atlantic region," it says. "Dominican TCOs work in collaboration with numerous foreign suppliers to have heroin and cocaine shipped directly to the Northeast from Mexico, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic."

The New England grocery chain decided it was time to get in on this whole internet fad.

Marketing has changed since the advent of the World Wide Web. The thriving New England grocery chain Market Basket? Not so much.

Aside from that 2014 blip -- a rather large, nearly company-crippling family feud that lasted for six weeks and forced boycotts and worker walkouts -- the chain is an example of a multi-generational immigrant success story.

Family feud sparks revolt at Market Basket supermarket chain

Now Market Basket has joined the internet for the first time, bringing with it professional accounts on popular social media websites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

Today is a big day if you like to get #MoreForYourDollar... Market Basket is officially online: https://t.co/bxLHpvg9tC pic.twitter.com/iWiIsmPJPS

-- Market Basket (@MarketBasket) October 24, 2017

Loyal customers, or self-ascribed "fans" of the grocery store, have created pages long before the chain decided to make its own digital footprint.

Facebook page "People of Market Basket" rallied a community of nearly 40,000 users to share quirky moments and weather-related news (as snow often means long lines at any MB). A more informative "DeMoulas aka Market Basket Fan Site" has nearly 55,000 likes and shares sales and news about the chain.

The website itself is clean and user-friendly. It includes a searchable weekly flyer and shares a timeline of the company's history, dating back to the immigration of Athanasios and Efrosini Demoulas from Kalambaka, Greece. The couple settled in Lowell where they opened their first store, "The Acre" in 1917, a small meat grocerette that would evolve throughout the century into the massive Market Basket chain shoppers know today.

The 200 guests in attendance enjoyed tasty cold beers from local breweries and a German-themed feast from area restaurants

LUDLOW - There was plenty of beer to wash down the Jagerschnitzel and other German-style delicacies at the Europa Black Rock Bar & Grill on Wednesday night.

The event was the ERC5 2017 Oktoberfest, hosted by the East of the River Five Town Chamber of Commerce as a celebration of fall.

Around 200 guests in attendance enjoyed tasty cold beers from local breweries and a German-themed feast from area restaurants. Also featured was a raffle.

The night served as a networking event for chamber members, with Ed Zemba, president of ERC5, urging guests to mingle with people from other businesses.

"I want everyone here tonight to connect with somebody you've never met before," he said. Earlier, Zemba thanked the board members and the sponsors for putting together the event.

The breweries represented included Amherst Brewing, Vanished Valley Brewing Co., Berkshire Brewing Co., Jute Town Brewing and Iron Duke Brewing.

Food and desserts were on hand from Center Square Grill, Maureen's Sweet Shoppe, Souper Sweet Sandwich Shop, Pop's Biscotti & Chocolates, Bluebird Estates Independent Retirement Living, JGS Lifecare and Europa Black Rock Bar & Grille.

The crowd was entertained by music from Berkshire Mountain Wanderers, a German and Bavarian-style Oktoberfest band.

Hints of a light, sporadic drizzle didn't prevent hundreds of families from gathering at the Maple School playground Wednesday evening for Easthampton's 2017 Rag Shag Parade. Police closed Cottage Street at 6:30 p.m. and the stream of costumed denizens headed out, led by a fire engine and accompanied by officers on bicycles.  Star Wars heroes and villains, video game...

Hints of a light, sporadic drizzle didn't prevent hundreds of families from gathering at the Maple School playground Wednesday evening for Easthampton's 2017 Rag Shag Parade.

Police closed Cottage Street at 6:30 p.m. and the stream of costumed denizens headed out, led by a fire engine and accompanied by officers on bicycles. 

Star Wars heroes and villains, video game characters, zombies, pirates, spiders, and more made their way down Cottage, Union, and High streets. Downtown business owners and employees handed out candy. The crowd made its way to the Easthampton Savings Bank parking lot, where treats were distributed to all.

A long-standing tradition in Easthampton, the event has grown every year, and offers safe, family-friendly Halloween fun. It is organized by the city's parks and recreation department, and sponsored by many local businesses.

President Donald Trump is expected to declare the opioid crisis -- which is killing an estimated 91 Americans each day -- a national public health emergency during a Thursday White House event, administration officials told various news outlets.

President Donald Trump is expected to declare the opioid crisis -- which is killing an estimated 91 Americans each day -- a national public health emergency during a Thursday White House event, administration officials told various news outlets. 

The move, which comes just months after the president pledged to "spend a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money on the opioid crisis," does not include new funding and is reportedly narrower than action recommended by the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, Politico reported.

President Donald Trump declares opioid crisis is a national emergency, pledges more money and attention

Under the declaration, which acting U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Eric Hargan is expected to sign Thursday, public health agencies will be allowed to re-direct existing resources to help fight opioid abuse, cut hiring delays and expand telemedicine services, the news outlet noted.

Although the declaration will not include new funding, officials told reporters the president can ask Congress to appropriate more money for the opioid crisis in an upcoming spending bill, according to reports.

U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, joined nearly a dozen other senators this week in introducing legislation that would invest $45 billion toward prevention, detection, surveillance and opioid treatment -- an amount which the Democrats said is equal to what Senate Republicans proposed earlier this year.

The public health emergency will last 90 days, but can be renewed, according to officials.

Trump is expected to announce the public health emergency as he discusses the nationwide opioid crisis during a Thursday afternoon event in the East Room of the White House. 

Leaders from the Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative, including Arlington, Massachusetts Police Chief Frederick Ryan, will join the president, cabinet members, congressional lawmakers and others for the event. 

President Donald Trump declares opioid crisis is a national emergency, pledges more money and attention

Trump, in August, called the country's opioid crisis "a national emergency" and pledged to dedicate time and resources to combat it. 

Then-HHS Secretary Tom Price, however, told reporters that the decision to declare a national emergency is typically reserved for "time-limited" problems and that the administration could do the same things without the declaration. 

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

For decades, the existence of secret government files linked to President John F. Kennedy's assassination has helped fuel conspiracy theories that others besides Lee Harvey Oswald were involved in his murder. Now the public is going to get a deeper look at the collection.

The event, free and open to the public, begins in the parking lot of the Holy Name Social Center, 53 Alderman St., Springfield, with "trunk or treat" from 5 to 5:30 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD -- The state police C-3 Forest Park unit, along with community members and Springfield College students, will host the third annual Halloween Trunk or Treat party Friday night.

The event, free and open to the public, begins in the parking lot of the Holy Name Social Center, 53 Alderman St., with "trunk or treat" from 5 to 5:30 p.m.

Donations and volunteers who would like to provide and distribute candy out of their vehicle trunks are invited to attend. Those interested should contact Kim Rivera at 413-504-8618.

Trunk or treat will be followed by party in the gym. There will be music, pizza, magicians, face-painting, prizes, games and dance or costume contests.

If Lynn Sen. Tom McGee gets his way, there could soon be electronic tolls on the network of highways surrounding Greater Boston.

This story is part of ongoing MassLive coverage into the state's all-electronic tolling system on the Mass. Pike.

___________________________

If Lynn Sen. Tom McGee gets his way, there could soon be electronic tolls on  the network of highways surrounding Greater Boston.

He is under no illusions this will be an easy sell.

"People can be adamantly opposed, but I hope they don't say 'Hey, you're crazy,' " McGee said in an interview. "We need to come up with some outside the box thinking and be willing to take this issue on in a way that's going to cause a lot of consternation and pushback, but that leads to a broader conversation on what we should do"

McGee, a chairman in the legislature's Joint Committee on Transportation, has filed a bill that seeks to expand tolling in Massachusetts beyond the Massachusetts Turnpike and Boston's bridges and tunnels. 

It is a hot-button proposal, driven by concerns about fairness and an underfunded transportation system, McGee said. Massachusetts is spending between $1 billion and $1.5 billion less than it should to keep up with transit needs, McGee said -- and a disproportionate burden is falling on people like his constituents, who pay daily tolls to enter the city while other suburban drivers ride free.

"It's unfair that we're the only areas that are tolled, and just more important the dollars needed to make investments in this region are not coming back," McGee said. "If we don't continue to address the transportation needs of the region for today and tomorrow, we're going to see a real challenge to our current economic growth."

The proposal would add a wide swath of highway around Boston to the Metropolitan Highway System -- a semicircle from Route 1 and I-95 in Peabody through I-93 and I-95 in Woburn, Stoneham and Reading and south toward Canton and Braintree, including part of Route 2.

That change would allow the state to be tolled along with the existing elements of the system, including the Boston sections of the Mass. Pike, the Ted Williams, Callahan and Sumner Tunnels and the Tobin Bridge.

Massachusetts launched all-electronic tolling in October 2016 and did away with toll booths. Now vehicles are charged electronically as they pass under scanners mounted to gantries along the Mass. Pike. The subject of expanded tolls has come up before, but has been a hot-button topic that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation Board of Directors has been hesitant to explore. 

McGee's bill would require the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to study, develop and begin implementing tolling on those sections of I-93, I-95 and Routes 1 and 2 by the end of 2018. The system would be designed to fund highway improvements and MBTA public transit, use all electronic tolling and treat drivers fairly regardless of where they come from, according to the bill.

While other legislators have filed legislation to study expanding tolls beyond the Mass. Pike, McGee's is the first he knows of to make it to a hearing, he said. 

In that hearing, held Tuesday, McGee listened as representatives from Citizens of Limited Taxation blasted the bill as a money grab that would expose more residents to all-electronic tolling's surveillance capabilities.

McGee said he understands the instinct to oppose raising tolls, but said the state should have a serious conversation about how to fix its transit problems, reduce congestion and fund infrastructure.

"People are going to think, who would think that tolling is a good idea?" he said.  "You can come out and be in position to it and make the points they made, or we can look at the broader picture and say how do we address a system that I think most agree doesn't work for us."

And he said those conversations should include "out of the box" ideas on how to solve the regions traffic problems, including looking at congestion pricing that would raise tolls during rush hour to encourage people to use other forms of transit.

"The traffic is becoming almost constant," McGee said.

Revenue from the new tolls could fund rapid transit to the North Shore, an expansion of the Blue Line and improvements to reduce traffic bottlenecks, McGee said. There is no suggestions on toll costs in the bill; if passed, those would be developed following study by MassDOT.

A three-month-old yellow lab overdosed after picking up a discarded cigarette box during a walk with its owner in Andover, according to Bulger Veterinary Hospital.

A three-month-old yellow lab suffered an opiate overdose during a walk with its owner in Andover. 

The owner rushed the dog, named Zoey, to the Bulger Veterinary Hospital on Friday after it suddenly dropped after picking up a discarded cigarette box during a walk near Phillips Academy on Main Street.

Hospital Medical Director Dr. Krista M. Vernaleken told MassLive that staff were able to revive the puppy via several intravenous doses of the anti-overdose drug naloxone.

"It's a very gratifying situation when you correctly figure out the cause (of an ailment) and treat it quickly," Vernaleken said. "Opioid cases (in animals) we don't see very often but there's been a few more lately than we have ever had."

Zoey was "profoundly lethargic," breathing -- nearly comatose -- when the upset owner carried her into the hospital Friday, said Vernaleken.

The effectiveness of the treatment indicates the dog likely orally ingested residue or some amount of an opioid when it picked up the box, she added. 

Vernaleken mentioned the synthetic opioid fentanyl, known for its extreme potency, as potentially the culprit drug due to how quickly the overdose symptoms came on.

Police urge motorists to seek alternate routes Friday as paving operations begin on Route 10 in the area of the Cumberland Farms convenience store and the Opa-Opa restaurant and brewery.

SOUTHAMPTON -- Police urge motorists to seek alternate routes Friday as paving operations begin on Route 10 in the area of the Cumberland Farms convenience store and the Opa-Opa restaurant and brewery.

"We expect heavy traffic and long delays," police wrote in a post on the department's Facebook page.

The House on Thursday gave a significant boost to President Donald Trump's promise to cut taxes, narrowly passing a GOP budget that shelves longstanding concerns over federal deficits in favor of a rewrite of the tax code that Republicans promise will jump-start the economy.

The House on Thursday gave a significant boost to President Donald Trump's promise to cut taxes, narrowly passing a GOP budget that shelves longstanding concerns over federal deficits in favor of a rewrite of the tax code that Republicans promise will jump-start the economy.

The 216-212 vote permits Republicans to begin work on a follow-up $1.5 trillion tax cut and move it through Congress without fear of blocking tactics by Democrats. The tax bill is the top item on the GOP agenda, would be Trump's first major win in Congress -- and, Republicans hope, a much-needed boost for the party's political fortunes on the eve of next year's midterm elections.

GOP leaders scrambled in recent days to overcame opposition from House conservatives unhappy about deficits and debt, and lawmakers from high-tax states such as New York and New Jersey, who are upset about plans to curb the state and local tax deduction.

The Senate passed the measure last week and the House endorsed it without changes, a step designed to allow Republicans to move quickly to the tax measure in hopes of passing it into law this year.

Republicans view passage of the tax measure as a career-defining dream, and its importance has only grown in the wake of the party's debacle on health care. But the tax plan's popularity is not a given with voters, and fissures among Republicans already threaten to slow the measure.

Battles over the state and local tax deduction and tax-free contributions to retirement accounts have already broken open, and Republican tax writers have yet to lock down dozens of crucial details on tax rates and preferences.

The underlying budget measure abandons the Republican Party's longstanding promise to rein in deficits in favor of Trump's boast of "massive tax cuts." The measure drops proposed cuts to mandatory programs such as food stamps, though conservatives promise to take on spending cuts later.

"I still feel strongly about addressing unsustainable mandatory spending," said Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., who chairs the House Budget Committee. "I think we will tackle this important issue in the future. We don't have a choice."

Democrats united against the plan, arguing its tax cuts will pad the bank accounts of the wealthy and the balance sheets of corporations, while delivering modest relief -- or none at all -- to middle-income taxpayers.

"These tax cuts will not create an economic boom, but will instead lead to a higher concentration of wealth among the rich, while dramatically increasing deficits and debt," said Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky.

The budget plan calls for $5 trillion in spending cuts over the decade, including cuts to Medicare, Medicaid and the Obama-era health care law, though Republicans have no plans to actually impose those cuts with follow-up legislation. Some Democrats criticized the measure for ruthless spending cuts; others took the opposite approach, failing it for tackling the deficit.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, says he'll schedule a panel debate and vote once the budget plan is safely passed, and much of the buzz in the Capitol concerned a flurry of horse trading as Republicans struggled to find ways to raise revenues to help finance cuts to individual and corporate tax rates. The goal is a full rewrite of the inefficient, loophole-laden tax code in hopes of lower rates for corporations and other businesses and a spurt of economic growth.

Brady, for instance, told reporters on Wednesday morning that he's still looking at curtailing tax-free deposits in 401(k) retirement accounts, a move that could raise revenue in the near term as retirement savings shift to Roth-style accounts that are funded with after-tax earnings.

Trump says he opposes curbing 401(k) donations, however, which tossed a monkey wrench into the process. And Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., came out squarely against reducing the cap on 401(k) contributions in an interview on CNN Thursday morning.

"To do tax reform, you need money. And right now, even as we speak, they appear to be going wobbly on some of the issues they've raised with great certainty in previous weeks," said top Ways and Means panel Democrat Richard Neal of Massachusetts. "They've got a revenue problem, a real revenue problem. And you have to make some dramatic changes to benefits that people across America have come to expect and enjoy."

An Associated Press-NORC poll released Wednesday found most Americans saying Trump's tax plan would benefit the wealthy and corporations, and less than half believing his message that "massive tax cuts" would help middle-class workers.

Jordan Tarrats, 18, entered an innocent plea at his arraignment to two counts of armed robbery and other charges.

SPRINGFIELD - An 18-year-old city man who was arrested Sunday in connection with two separate armed robberies in the Upper Hill neighborhood was ordered held on $10,000 bail following his arraignment in Springfield District Court.

Jordan Tarrats, 18, entered an innocent plea at his arraignment to two counts of armed robbery and single counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, a handgun, carrying a firearm with a license and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.

Judge John Payne set bail at $10,000, denying a request from the district attorney to set it at $25,000.

Tarrats is suspected of being one of three people involved in two robberies Sunday afternoon. In each, the victim reported being pistol-whipped by one of the suspects. 

In one of the robberies, a gunshot was fired in the air but no one was struck, according to police spokesman Ryan Walsh.

Police converged on the area and found Tarrats. He was identified by each victim in the two robberies. The other suspects remain at large, and police are continuing to investigate. 

The gun was recovered, Walsh said. 

Jurors sleeping during the second-degree murder trial of a Revere man who was convicted by a jury of involuntary manslaughter in a 2009 Boston killing prompted the state's highest court to order a new trial.

Jurors sleeping during the second-degree murder trial of a Revere man who was convicted by a jury of involuntary manslaughter in a 2009 Boston killing prompted the state's highest court to order a new trial. 

The state's Supreme Judicial Court ordered Anthony Villalobos, now 29, will go back before a jury in connection with the 2009 beating death of 22-year-old Jose "Danny" Alicea outside a Boston nightclub. 

Villalobos was one of 13 men convicted in the killing. He was on trial in 2011 for second-degree murder, but a jury convicted him on an involuntary manslaughter charge. The conviction was upheld in Appeals Court but then brought to the Supreme Judicial Court. 

According to the Supreme Judicial Court's decision, the trial judge failed to address reports that some jurors fell asleep during the trial. Villalobos was on trial with two other men, who were also convicted of involuntary manslaughter. 

A prosecutor reported some of the Suffolk County Superior Court jurors fell asleep during the trial. One juror also reported another juror was "sound asleep" and snoring during the trial, but the SJC found the trial judge declined to take action. 

"As the Appeals Court explained, during Villalobos's trial, the prosecutor reported one day that one juror 'had fallen asleep 'several times' during the testimony,' and the next day, that a different juror 'was sound asleep during the cross-examinations'," the SJC wrote. 

If a judge receives a complaint suggesting a juror was asleep or inattentive, the judge must determine if the information is reliable, but does not have to intervene if the information was not reliable, the SJC wrote. 

But the judge needs to determine the appropriate action to take if the information is found reliable, the decision said. Usually, the next step is conducting a "voir dire" to speak with the juror and determine if the person can fulfill their duties as a juror. 

The trial judge did not question the jurors to determine if they feel asleep or give any indication he doubted the reliability of the prosecutor's statement that some jurors had fallen asleep, the SJC wrote. 

The judge appears to have been mistaken that he could not intervene unless he saw a juror sleeping. 

The prosecutor said at one time, "I think both sides deserve to have jurors that are able to stay awake." The judge responded, "Obviously I have to notice it." The judge could have intervened, the SJC wrote. 

Prosecutors argued the sleeping jurors missed "minimal and relatively inconsequential portions of the testimony." The SJC could not determine if that was true. The SJC determined there was serious doubt Villalobos received a fair trial.

Villalobos will be retried for the offense of which he was convicted, the SJC ruled. He was sentenced to serve 4-to-5-years for the death and six months on an assault conviction. Records show he was released in 2014. 

The Boston Globe reports Alicea asked a man for a cigarette on Aug. 21, 2009, while outside a now-closed nightclub in Boston. A group of men surrounded Alicea and beat him and his friends, the newspaper reported. 

Alicea died of head trauma days later. 

During sentencing, Alicea's older brother addressed the court, according to a district attorney's news release. 

"He was trying to be a better man," Angel Ortiz said of Alicea the night he was attacked by a mob after exchanging words outside the Club 33 bar. "He was trying to walk away and be the better man, but he was chased down like an animal ... If you all had given him two more minutes, you'd have thought he was the best person in the world - because he was."