Crowds of protesters began gathering at 8 a.m. on a cold, cloudy Saturday morning. They'd come to see Nazis. But, but two hours later, there were still no Nazis.

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. - Crowds of protesters began gathering at 8 a.m. on a cold, cloudy Saturday morning. They'd come to see Nazis. But, but two hours later, there were still no Nazis.

Around 10:30 a.m., one of the organizers of the counterprotest grabbed a microphone and began taunting the handful of rallygoers who had just shown up across the street.

"Some master race," he snickered. "Can't even show up on time."

Local residents and leaders spent most of the week anxiously wondering how many would travel the rural highway that snakes south from Nashville over Christmas Creek into Shelbyville for a "White Lives Matter" rally planned by several national white supremacist groups.

Such rallies have turned violent, even deadly, in recent months, sparking fears that the Shelbyville gathering could as well. Once the white supremacists showed up - the rally started about an hour late - there was yelling, but no violence.

Rally organizers had anticipated about 175 people, while Tennessee's racial justice and liberal groups were unsure of how many of their members would attend. Ultimately it appeared that about 300 people attended - about 100 "White Lives Matter" attendees and twice as many counterprotesters.

An elaborate set of police barricades kept the white supremacists and protesters on opposite sides of the street. Police formed a line between the groups, as other officers with large weapons perched on nearby rooftops.

"This right here is what it's all about!" declared Scott Lacey, who has spoken at White Lives Matter rallies across the country." "It's all about the color of our skin!"

Organizers included the Nationalist Socialist Movement, a neo-Nazi group; the Traditionalist Worker Party, which wants a separate white ethno-state; Anti-Communist Action, a right-wing group that believes America is being threatened by "communists"' and Vanguard America, a white supremacist group that believes America is inherently a white nation that must be preserved. This rally, they said, was specifically about immigration and refugee policies.

The plan was for speakers to address the assembled white supremacists, some of whom carried shields and Confederate flags, before the group would depart to nearby Murfreesboro for another rally.

At moments, the rally speakers spouted verbose diatribes about a "genocide" they claim is being perpetrated against "the white race" and "white southern culture." At other times, the speeches seemed to be a grab-bag of talking points. One speaker complained that black Americans often say the n-word, but when he does, people are offended. The speaker after him railed against Black History Month.

"What about me, me and my children have a right to exist," screamed another speaker, his voice cracking as it wailed into a microphone. "White lives matter!"

Local residents spent two weeks preparing their opposition to the rally, holding vigils and prayer services and practicing their chants.

"We don't want these people here, trying to recruit our neighbors to this disgusting cause," said David Clark, who helped organize Shelbyville LOVES, the primary counterprotest group.

Throughout the morning, the counterprotest oscillated between mocking the rally and drowning it out with music. At various points, they played the "Ghostbusters" song, Michael Jackson's "Black or White" and the theme song to "Jeopardy." When the rally's speakers tried to address the crowd they were drown out "black lives matter" chants. In between speakers, organizers teased the white supremacists.

"Yo Nazis!" a counterprotester with a megaphone shouted. "How does it feel knowing your daughters are probably all at home listening to rap music and hanging out with their black boyfriends right now?"

"It was an effective show of force,"said Kubby Barry, 39, who traveled from nearby DeKalb County with her roommate and sheepdog, Molly, who was wearing a sign that declared "farm dogs against fascism."

"It was important to show up and show people that we don't stand for their message," Barry said.

Promptly at 1 p.m., the assembled ralliers bowed their heads in prayer and, after being told that boxed lunches were available on the bus, departed.

In Murfreesboro, about 20 minutes away, a second set of counterprotesters lined the roadway, ready to challenge attendees of the second rally. But the rally didn't happen; the bus of white supremacists never showed up.

A Louisiana teacher was indicted this week after allegedly sending lewd messages to a girl in Massachusetts.

BOSTON - A Louisiana high school teacher is facing charges after a Massachusetts mother allegedly found obscene texts from him on her 11-year-old daughter's iPad, court documents show.

Logan Procell, 23, of Noble, Louisiana, was indicted for coercion and enticement as well as transfer of obscene material to minors in U.S. District Court in Boston on Thursday. 

Procell was arrested Sept. 22 by authorities in Sabine Parish, Louisiana, following an investigation into the messages allegedly sent to the Massachusetts girl. 

Authorities have not stated from which Massachusetts community the girl and her mother are from.  

Prior to being arrested, Procell was a chemistry teacher at Logansport High School in Noble, documents show. He resigned his position in September following the arrest. 

The texts between the girl and Procell spanned a period from August 8 to September 15, 2017, investigators found. 

Authorities say Procell sent the girl lewd messages, including obscene pictures. 

Police partially identified Procell through selfies he had sent to the girl, one of which showed him wearing a lanyard for the high school he worked at. 

A suicide truck bomb exploded outside a popular hotel in Somalia's capital on Saturday, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 30, and gunfire continued as security forces pursued other attackers inside the building, police said. Two more blasts were heard, one when an attacker detonated a suicide vest.

MOGADISHU, Somalia -- A suicide truck bomb exploded outside a popular hotel in Somalia's capital on Saturday, killing at least 23 people and wounding more than 30, and gunfire continued as security forces pursued other attackers inside the building, police said. Two more blasts were heard, one when an attacker detonated a suicide vest.

Speaking to The Associated Press by telephone from the scene, Capt. Mohamed Hussein said 30 people, including a government minister, were rescued from the Nasa-Hablod hotel as heavy gunfire continued in the standoff between extremists and security forces. Three of the five attackers were killed, Hussein said. The others hurled grenades and cut off the building's electricity as night fell.

Saturday's blasts came two weeks after more than 350 people were killed in a massive truck bombing on a busy Mogadishu street in the country's worst-ever attack.

Al-Shabab, Africa's deadliest Islamic extremist group, quickly claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack and said its fighters were inside the hotel.

Among the dead were a mother and three children, including a baby, all shot in the head, Hussein said. Other victims included a senior Somali police colonel, a former lawmaker and a former government minister. Footage from the scene showed twisted vehicles and nearby buildings with only walls left standing.

Mohamed Dek Haji said he survived the bombing as he walked beside a parked car that was largely destroyed by the explosion. He said he saw at least three armed men in military uniforms running toward the hotel after the bombing at its gate.

"I think they were al-Shabab fighters who were trying to storm the hotel," he said, lying on a hospital bed. He suffered small injuries on his shoulder and skull from flying glass.

Witnesses in some previous attacks have said al-Shabab fighters disguised themselves by wearing military uniforms.

Security officials say Saturday's bomber had pretended his truck had broken down outside the gate. Police Col. Mohamed Abdullahi says the bomber stopped outside the heavily fortified hotel and pretended to repair the truck before finally turning it around and detonating.

Al-Shabab often targets high-profile areas of Mogadishu. It has not commented on the massive attack two weeks ago; experts have said the death toll was so high that the group hesitated to further anger Somali citizens as its pursues its insurgency.

Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed said the new attack was meant to instill fear in Somalis who united after the Oct. 14 attack, marching in the thousands through Mogadishu in defiance of al-Shabab.

Since the blast two weeks ago, the president has visited regional countries to seek more support for the fight against the extremist group, vowing a "state of war." He also faces the challenge of pulling together regional powers inside his long-fractured country, where the federal government is only now trying to assert itself beyond Mogadishu and other major cities.

A 22,000-strong multinational African Union force in Somalia is expected to withdraw its forces and hand over the country's security to the Somali military by the end of 2020. U.S. military officials and others in recent months have expressed concern that Somali forces are not yet ready.

The U.S. military also has stepped up military efforts against al-Shabab this year in Somalia, carrying out nearly 20 drone strikes, as the global war on extremism moves deeper into the African continent.

By Abdi Guled

A skydiver was killed Saturday after their parachute failed to open.

PEPPERELL - A skydiver was killed in Pepperell Saturday after his parachute failed to open, said Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan in a statement.

The man, who has not been identified by authorities, was a 60-year-old independent contractor working for Pepperell Skydiving Center on Nashua Road, Ryan said.  

Police characterized the man as an "experienced skydiver," and said he worked for the company filming jumps.  

Pepperell police reported to the business around 3 p.m., where they discovered the man's body.

Preliminary investigation suggests the parachute malfunctioned. No foul play is suggested.   

The incident is under investigation by the Middlesex District Attorney's Office, the Pepperell Police Department and the Federal Aviation Administration. 

A Massachusetts woman was killed in a head-on collision in Connecticut Friday.

GLASTONBURY, CT - A Massachusetts woman was killed in a car crash in Glastonbury, Connecticut on Friday, according to the Hartford Courant.

Police say 76-year-old Nancy Woodworth, of Dennis, was killed after a head-on collision involving another car driven by a woman from Springfield. 

The crash occurred on Route 17 in Glastonbury on Friday morning. 

Woodworth was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The Springfield woman, Cuong Kim Tram, was taken for treatment of minor injuries to Hartford Hospital. 

The crash remains under investigation. Anyone who saw the crash or believes they have relevant information has been encouraged to call Connecticut State Police Troop H at 860-534-1000.

View obituaries from The Republican newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture will travel to Berkshire County on Oct. 30.

LENOX -- Members of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture will travel to Berkshire County this week to hear a slate of bills related to water resources.

Bills related to drinking water, wastewater, drought, and more will be heard at Lenox Town Hall on Monday starting at noon.

Bills will consider infrastructure finance, the fiscal impact of regulation, safe drinking water in schools, stormwater management, streamflow standards, and other topics. The list of bills may be accessed on the committee's web page.

The joint committee is chaired by Sen. Anne M. Gobi (D-Spencer) and Rep. Smitty Pignatelli (D-Lenox). The event, to be held from noon to 3 p.m., is open to the public. 

If you go:

What: Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture
Where: Lenox Town Hall, 6 Walker St., Lenox
When: Mon. Oct. 30, 12-3 p.m.

Unlike the previous years, the Charles J. Morse Memorial Rag Shag Parade was under bright and sunny skies as hundreds of participants gathered in the parking lot of the Westfield / West Springfield Elks Lodge #1481.

WESTFIELD - Unlike the previous years, the Charles J. Morse Memorial Rag Shag Parade was under bright and sunny skies as hundreds of participants gathered in the parking lot of the Westfield / West Springfield Elks Lodge #1481.

This year, the parade was changed back to its original route and did not circle the Park Square Green, which was done in the darkness of previous years.

Participants exited the Elks Lodge and proceeded down Franklin Street to Elm Street then Court Street and return to the Elks Lodge via Washington Street.

Children were also treated to a multi-age costume contest with prizes, an age-appropriate bicycle raffle where four bicycles were given away to one boy and girl under 5-years-old and one bicycle to a boy and girl between the age of six and twelve.

Additional contributions were provided by Attorney Neil Phillips and Certified Public Accountant Donald J. Belisle, both of Westfield. 

Strong and potentially damaging winds will sweep across Massachusetts Sunday night and into Monday with the entire state experiencing gusts of 35-to-45-miles-per-hour.

Strong and potentially damaging winds will sweep across Massachusetts Sunday night and into Monday with the entire state experiencing gusts of 35-to-45-miles-per-hour.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency expects the strongest winds and the greatest threat of damage to be in the eastern and southeastern coastal areas where wind gusts will reach as high as 70 mph Sunday night.

Wind gusts will reach as high as 55 mph in those areas on Monday.

The National Weather Service is forecasting widespread damage to trees and several power outages. All of Massachusetts is under a high wind warning, which will expire Monday morning.

Closely watching energy out of the tropics, could potentially clip or pass over SE New England; potential for hurricane-force wind gusts pic.twitter.com/G9SN7i53BM

-- NWS Boston (@NWSBoston) October 29, 2017

Heavy rain is expected to fall Sunday with western Massachusetts possibly seeing 4-to-5-inches of rainfall. The rest of the state could see about 1-to-3-inches. A flash flood watch has been issued for all of Massachusetts.

Small stream flooding is possible Sunday.

MEMA warns people that localized severe thunderstorms with isolated lightning strikes are possible during the storms beginning Sunday afternoon.

The northbound side of the highway was closed at Exit 3.

CHICOPEE - A car fire followed by a shooting closed Interstate-391 northbound for more than two hours early Sunday morning.

A Nissan Altima burst into flames at about 2:55 a.m. near Exit 3, Massachusetts State Police Trooper Paul Sullivan said.

"There was a car fire and the person got out of the car and fired shots in the air," Sullivan said.

No one was injured and the driver fled the scene before police arrived, he said.

The highway was partially re-opened at about 4:30 a.m. and fully re-opened around 6:30 a.m., he said.

Chicopee Fire Department assisted and extinguished the fire. The car was destroyed in the fire, Sullivan said.

Massachusetts State Police continue to investigate the shooting, he said.

The city of Springfield and MGM Springfield have issued roadwork advisories for the week of Oct. 30.

SPRINGFIELD -- The city's Department of Public Works and MGM Springfield have issued roadwork advisories for the week off Oct. 30.

Department of Public Works

• Harvey Street - From Boston Road to Berkshire Avenue. Utility work and sidewalk work, paving tentative
• West Street - From the North End Bridge to Plainfield Street. Milling and Utility work 
• Sidewalk restoration work is being completed at Monarch Place at the intersection of Main Street and Boland Way.

MGM Springfield

The following is MGM Springfield off-site roadwork in and around downtown Springfield, in which change in traffic patterns and delays are expected:
Boland Way between East Columbus Avenue and the Memorial Bridge

• Dwight Street at the intersection of the 291 off ramp
• Pynchon Street at East Columbus Avenue.
• State Street between East Columbus Avenue and Hall of Fame Avenue.
• Union Street between Main Street and East Columbus Avenue.
• Plainfield Street between Avocado and West Street.

The people killed during separate crashes in New Bedford Saturday have been identified by authorities as 39-year-old Ruben Vazquez of New Bedford and 25-year-old Dylan Viera of Acushnet.

The people killed during separate crashes in New Bedford Saturday have been identified by authorities as 39-year-old Ruben Vazquez of New Bedford and 25-year-old Dylan Viera of Acushnet.

Vazquez was killed when he tried to check on another driver during a multi-vehicle crash in New Bedford Saturday. Viera died in a single-vehicle rollover crash a couple hours earlier. Both crashes took place on Route 140 in New Bedford.

The first crash was around 12:15 a.m. on Route 140 southbound near Exit 4. Viera was driving southbound in a 2005 Ford Escape when he lost control of the vehicle, struck a guardrail and rolled over.

Viera was ejected and died from his injuries. State police believe alcohol contributed to the crash.

Troopers then responded to a crash on Route 140 northbound at the Nash Street overpass in New Bedford around 2:40 a.m.

Preliminary reports show a 2004 Lexus ES 330 driven by a 21-year-old woman from Fall River and a 2010 Buick Enclave driven by a 35-year-old woman from New Bedford, had a sideswipe collision.

The Lexus went off the right side of the road and into the woods. The Buick stopped in the left lane. The lights were off on the Buick as it appeared disabled.

A third vehicle, a Nissan Altima driven by a 20-year-old New Bedford man, was driving in the left lane and struck the back of the Buick, according to authorities.

Vazquez, who was a passenger in the Buick, got out of the vehicle and tried to cross the highway to check on the driver of the Lexus. He was struck by a Toyota Avalon in the roadway.

The driver of the Avalon, a 44-year-old man from New Bedford, was in the left lane and swerved to avoid hitting the two vehicles that were involved in the crash.

The drivers of the Lexus and Toyota were transported to Saint Luke's Hospital and the operator of the Buick was transported to Rhode Island Hospital, according to state police. 

Authorities continue to investigate both crashes. 

Local women will explore 'bridging the world we live in with the one we want to create.'

EASTHAMPTON -- The organization known as TED -- which stands for technology, entertainment, and design --  is a nonprofit "devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks."

The annual TED conference in California draws thought leaders from around the world who talk about their insights, knowledge, and experiences.

A sister organization known as TEDx replicates the concept on the local level, and now Easthampton will host a TEDxWomen event.

On Nov. 2, TEDxEasthamptonWomen will take over the Boylston Room at the Keystone Mill for a full day of talks by local speakers and TEDWomen videos.

The theme of the talks will be "Bridges."

The goal is to provide "an immersive learning experience and spark community discussion and involvement on the theme of bridging the world we live in with the one we want to create," said organizer Gretchen Duhaime.

Speakers will include Julia Cole, founder of ReStyle, a service promoting clothing reuse; Brett Costello, a math teacher with a passion for financial literacy for women; Kasey Corsello, co-owner of Corsello Butcheria; Christine Eliason on navigating adulthood as a millennial; Berit Elizabeth, creator of Emotive Agility; Jacki Jacobs, photographer and video game designer; Dora Lewis, educator coach at Bay Path University; Mary Ann Marzano, founder of Organic Change for Haiti; Cathy McNally, communications coach; Sally Morgan and Trystan Corgi, a physical therapist for pets and people and her Welsh Corgi companion, Morgan; Rob Peck of Zestworks; and Amber Sayer, a blogger, podcaster and autism advocate.

If you go:

What: TEDxEasthamptonWomen
When: Thurs. Nov. 2, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Boylston Room, Keystone Mill, 122 Pleasant St., Easthampton
Tickets: The event is sold out, according to the TEDxEasthamptonWomen website. However, it's still possible to sign up for the waitlist, and the event will be streamed live on the web.

Here's a brief guide to the latest developments in the tangled allegations involving Russia, President Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

By GLENN KESSLER
The Washington Post

As a service to readers bound to be confused by an increasingly tangled story, here's a brief guide to the latest developments in the tangled allegations involving Russia, President Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

THE DOSSIER

Background: The "dossier" is a collection of 17 memos concerning Trump and Russia written by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer, between June 20 and Dec. 13, 2016. Steele produced his memos under a contract with Fusion GPS, a strategic intelligence firm run by former journalists.

The memos are written as raw intelligence, based on interviews Steele had with unidentified Russian sources (identified, for instance, as "Kremlin insider"), some of whom he paid for information. Raw intelligence is essentially high-grade gossip, without the expectation it would be made public unless it is further verified.

The memos, among other things, allege the Russian government had been seeking to split the Western alliance by cultivating and supporting Trump and also gathering compromising information - "kompromat" - on him in an effort to blackmail him. The memos, among other allegations, claim the Russian government fed the Trump campaign "valuable intelligence" on Clinton.

Why it's important: The dossier mirrors a separate conclusion by U.S. intelligence agencies that the Russian government intervened in the U.S. election in an effort to bolster Trump and harm Clinton, such as through hacking the Democratic National Committee and distributing materials to WikiLeaks to publish at key moments. As the official declassified report stated:

"We assess Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election. Russia's goals were to undermine public faith in the US democratic process, denigrate Secretary Clinton, and harm her electability and potential presidency. We further assess Putin and the Russian Government developed a clear preference for President-elect Trump. We have high confidence in these judgments."

Russian President Vladimir Putin intensely disliked Clinton because he was convinced that when she was secretary of state she had promoted anti-Putin, pro-democracy efforts in his country. The FBI considered the information gathered by Steele to be of sufficient importance that it considered paying him for his research, although it later dropped the idea.

What's new: The DNC and Clinton campaign were revealed as the "Democratic donors" who paid Fusion GPS for Steele's research. (Technically, Perkins Coie, the law firm of Marc Elias, an attorney representing the Clinton campaign and the DNC, funded the research.)

Separately, a "Republican donor" who had earlier hired Fusion GPS for information on Trump was revealed to be the Washington Free Beacon, a conservative website. But that earlier effort is unrelated to the Democratic-funded research that yielded the dossier.

We should note that, in another assignment, Fusion had been hired by a U.S. law firm in early 2014 to assist on the defense against a civil action filed by the U.S. government alleging fraud by Prevezon Holdings. Prevezon is owned by Denis Katsyv, the son of a senior Russian government official.

Why is that relevant? Natalia Veselnitskaya, who was also working for the law firm on the Prevezon case, met with Trump campaign officials at the Trump Tower in June 2016, including Donald Trump Jr., campaign manager Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner, the husband of Ivanka Trump. Donald Trump Jr. agreed to meet with Veselnitskaya after an intermediary promised dirt on Clinton. She arrived with a memo containing talking points that had been previously shared by Yuri Chaika, Russia's prosecutor general who is known as a master of kompromat.

What's controversial: The Trump White House has tried to use the connection between the dossier and Clinton to claim that this shows that rather than Trump colluding with Russia, Clinton colluded with Russia. (The theory appears to be that because Steele was getting information from Russian officials in part with funds provided by the Clinton campaign, the Russians were helping Clinton.) But that ignores the fact that DNC emails - as well as the email account of the Clinton campaign chairman - were hacked and then published by WikiLeaks as part of the pro-Trump Russian operation identified by U.S. intelligence agencies.

Steele started producing his memos in June 2016, about the same time that intelligence agencies began investigating possible ties between Russia and people close to Trump. The connection between Steele's research and official government investigations is murky, but for some Republicans it raises questions about whether the official probe begun in the Obama administration was influenced by information gathered by someone being paid by Democrats.

CNN, for instance, reported that the FBI used information in the Steele memos to obtain approval from the secret court that oversees the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to monitor the communications of Carter Page, who Trump had said was a key adviser on national security issues. Presumably, the FBI had verified the information before it could cite it in court. Steele had quoted an "ethnic Russian close associate" of Trump as saying Page was an intermediary in "a well-developed conspiracy of co-operation" between the Trump campaign and the Russian leadership. Page has adamantly denied any wrongdoing.

Steele, during the campaign, at Fusion's direction also briefed reporters from some U.S. news organizations, including The Washington Post, on his findings, according to court filings. Only one publication, Mother Jones, published information based on the briefing before the election.

* * * 

THE URANIUM DEAL

Background: In 2010, Rosatom, the Russian nuclear energy agency, acquired a controlling stake in Uranium One, a Canadian-based company that had mining licenses for about 20 percent of U.S. uranium extraction capacity. The agreement was approved by the Obama administration when Clinton was secretary of state.

Frank Giustra, a Canadian mining financier and a major contributor to the Clinton Foundation, had sold a company, UrAsia, to Uranium One in 2007. Individuals related to Uranium One and UrAsia, including Giustra, donated to the Clinton Foundation, totaling about $145 million. Meanwhile, in 2010, Bill Clinton received $500,000 from a Russian bank to give a speech at a conference in Moscow.

Trump, during the campaign, tossed all of these separate facts together to falsely claim that Clinton "gave 20 percent of our uranium - gave Russia for a big payment." But numerous fact checks have found no evidence for this claim. The original suggestion of wrongdoing was first raised in a book underwritten by an organization headed by Stephen K. Bannon, a key adviser to Trump.

Why it's important: Whenever news about the Russia investigation heats up, the Trump White House cites the uranium deal in an effort to muddy the waters and suggest that Russia had gained something from Clinton in exchange for money. Trump himself has claimed the case is "Watergate, modern age."

But there is no evidence Clinton even was informed about this deal. The Treasury Department was the key agency that headed the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States which approved the investment; Clinton did not participate in the CFIUS decision. The deal was also approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Ultimately, only the president could have blocked or suspended the arrangement.

Moreover, no uranium produced at U.S. mines may be exported, except for some uranium yellowcake which is extracted and processed in Canada before being returned to the United States for use in nuclear power plants.

What's new: The Hill newspaper on Oct. 22 reported the FBI had gathered evidence at the time of the sale that a Russian Rosatom official had conducted a massive bribery scheme, compromising an American trucking company that shipped uranium for Russia. The official eventually was convicted in 2015, but Republicans have said the case should have raised alarms about the Rosatom investment in Uranium One and possibly blocked the deal. But there is no evidence that U.S. officials weighing the transaction knew about the FBI investigation.

The reporting prompted House Republicans to announce they would launch an investigation. With the apparent urging of Trump, the Justice Department gave a former FBI informant in the case approval to testify before Congress. The informant's lawyer claimed he would discuss his work "uncovering the Russian nuclear bribery case and the efforts he witnessed by Moscow to gain influence with (former president Bill Clinton and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton) in hopes of winning favorable uranium decisions from the Obama administration."

What's controversial: Any suggestion that Russian money was directed to influence Clinton's decisions would be explosive. But the fatal flaw in this allegation is Hillary Clinton, by all accounts, did not participate in any discussions regarding the Uranium One sale which - as we noted - does not actually result in the removal of uranium from the United States.

Longmeadow and Easthampton K-9s and the Massachusetts State Police Airwing assisted Southampton Police with the search.

SOUTHAMPTON - Four different Police Departments joined together to locate a missing man who had reportedly wandered into the woods and needed medical assistance.

Police K-9 officers from Easthampton and Longmeadow and the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing together were able to track down the man who had been missing for nearly six hours on Friday, Longmeadow Police said.

Southampton Police initially reported the man was last seen in the area of Strong Road, near the Southampton Country Club and asked anyone who had seen him to contact them.

When Longmeadow Police were called and asked to assist, the Easthampton K-9 and officer had already started searching the area.

The Longmeadow officer and his dog Kia was given an article carrying the man's scent and he followed the same route that the Eashampton dog Gino did, Longmeadow Police said. 

The Longmeadow K-9 was able to track the route and found the man unharmed behind a storage container, Longmeadow Police said.

Police in Massachusetts are warning parents to check unwrapped Halloween candy this year for marijuana-laced products.

Police in Massachusetts are warning parents to check unwrapped Halloween candy this year for marijuana-infused products.

Walpole Police Chief John Carmichael Jr. posted a message on Twitter with several pictures of THC infused candy and asked parents to check closely.

The chief has been a vocal opponent of medical and commercial marijuana sales and is now a member of the state's Cannabis Advisory Board. The board studies and makes recommendations to the Cannabis Control Commission on the regulation and taxation of marijuana in Massachusetts.

Parents:This year please be bit more cautious inspecting Halloween unwrapped/unmarked candy for THC infused products pic.twitter.com/BB0vSflCs0

-- Chief Carmichael (@WalpoleChief) October 27, 2017

Parents are urged to check for odd packaging and be aware of packaging that resembles popular brand names. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration noted there have been marijuana-laced candies sold in packages titled, Munchy Way, 3 Rastateers, Tixed and Rasta Reese's.

The Massachusetts Prevention Alliance stated in a past report that the candy bars and gummy-type candies can have THC levels as high as 95 percent.

A pair of Framingham Middle School students were hospitalized earlier this year after eating marijuana-laced gummy bears.

It is a long tradition for the University of Massachusetts, Amherst to try to curb rowdy Halloween parties.

HADLEY - A dozen police officers broke up a huge Halloween party early Sunday morning and cited one resident for noise violations.

The party at 140 South Maple St. attracted between 400 and 500 people, mainly students from the neighboring University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Sgt. Mitchell Kuc said.

Police arrived at about 12:50 a.m. to respond to complaints about the bash. About six Massachusetts State Police troopers joined the three Hadley officers and several University of Massachusetts Police officers to break up the party, he said.

This is the third time Hadley Police officers have been at that home in recent months. Under the town's noise ordinance and the progressive discipline policy, police will cite residents if they repeatedly have complaints about the same home or apartment, Kuc said.

Along with citing the resident, the landlord or property manager of the home will be notified. The dean's office at UMass will also be contacted, Kuc said.

Loud parties especially become a problem when multiple police officers have to respond, taking police off the streets if there is an emergency.

As part of a long Halloween tradition, UMass officials do their best to curb rowdy parties by limiting dormitory guests and offering a variety of activities such as costume contests, karaoke and other events.

Amherst and UMass police had extra officers on duty and the Amherst Fire Department had set up a triage unit at Hampshire College for that campus's festivities Friday night.

Police arrested a 24-year old resident, Dustin Latulippe, at his Smith Ave. home Sunday morning after executing a search warrant

WARE -- Police arrested a 24-year old resident after they searched his Smith Avenue Home Sunday morning.

Dustin Latulippe was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of cocaine after police, who had received a search warrant, combed through his home, police said.

Ware officers allegedly discovered cocaine and drug paraphernalia, that included a digital weighing scale, and nearly $900 in cash, police said.

Latulippe is currently being held at the Hampshire County House of Correction on $5,000 bail, police said.

He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown.

It took firefighters two hours to recover the body of the 50-year-old man.

SPRINGFIELD - No foul play is expected in the death of a 50-year-old man whose body was found at the bottom of a steep cliff off St. James Avenue Saturday.

The Hampden Medical Examiner will determine the reason for the death of the man, but the cause of his death is not suspicious, Ryan Walsh, spokesman for Springfield Police, said.

The man, whose name has not been released yet, was found around 11 a.m. behind the Big Y and near 1090 St. James Ave., officials said.

The Springfield Fire Department assisted the police department with the rescue operation, Dennis G. Leger, department spokesman said.

The man was found at the bottom of a steep cliff, where a brook is located making the operation difficult. It took firefighters two hours to recover the man, he said.

Starting Monday teachers will not do any volunteer tutoring or planning after school.

CHICOPEE - Starting Monday teachers will walk into school exactly 15 minutes before the bell rings and will leave exactly 10 minutes after school ends. They will not buy extra crayons or tissues and after-school extra help sessions are on hold for now.

Saying negotiations have been at an impasse for some time, the Chicopee Education Association decided members would follow a work-to-rule order which means they will specifically follow the requirements of their contracts, Charles Clark, association president and a Chicopee High School teacher.

"We polled our members and asked which direction they wanted to go," Clark said. The majority agreed the work-to-rule would be the best way to protest the lack of a contract.

The contract expired on July 1 for the members of the Chicopee Education Association, which represents about 1,080 teachers, teacher assistants, clerks and department heads and vice principals. So far efforts to negotiate a new one before the pact expired failed, he said.

In February, the School Committee and administrators declared an impasse and called in mediators to solve some issues talks have stalled for a number of reasons.

"It is not something you want to see but there isn't much we can do about it," Donald J. Lamothe, a School Committee member who serves on the negotiating committee. "There is no money to move it forward. We don't have the money to give them the raise."

The School Committee has struggled to balance its budget the last two years after state assistance, which pays for about two-thirds of school expenses, did not keep steady with cost of living increases and hefty hikes in health insurance premiums. This year the department ended with a $3.2 million deficit, which administrators partly made up by emptying out any savings in accounts that take in money such as early childhood tuition and evening school.

While Clark has argued the School Committee has refused to discuss other proposed talking points in the negotiations such upgrading text books and limiting class sizes, Lamothe said those proposals also cost money and tie everyone's hands if they are written into a contract.

"I know teachers do a lot of extra work and I know the students will suffer because of that," Michael J. Pise, a School Committee member, said.

Sometimes Pise said he will stop by a school after he gets out of work at 5 or 6 p.m. and teachers will be there planning or collaborating with each other to prepare for classes. In addition he said he knows teachers often come in early or stay after school to give students extra help.

"They are going to plan and prepare and grade. They won't be volunteering their time at school anymore," Clark said.

Teachers who are paid a stipend to serve as club advisors or sports coaches will continue to do so. Teachers on the turnaround teams at the two main high schools are paid a stipend so they will also continue that work, he said.

But those who volunteer to hold after-school help sessions or tutor students who are struggling with a topic, for example, will not be doing that. They will also not buy extra supplies if the school does not have what they need, Clark said.

If there are concerns about the lack of help sessions, the association will consider setting up tutoring at the library or another location so students can gather and still get help, he said.

"The intention is to show how many things teachers do on a regular basis and everyone does all the time," he said.

Educators will also be wearing their "CEA United" buttons and on Friday most wore black to show their unity. Some may also be holding signs before or after school to call attention to the work-to-rule job action, Clark said.

While the Association knows the School Department has no money, he said any efforts to talk about other issues have fallen on deaf ears.

Teachers have talked about reduce testing, especially at the youngest grades, more art and music for all students and more recess time for elementary children along with trying to negotiate a fair wage, he said.

"We need to see willingness to compromise," he said.