By a relatively close margin, voters in North Andover on Tuesday night said "No" to a town doctor's proposal to turn a former telecom manufacturing facility into an enormous pot farm and research center.

The final vote, cast by thousands of residents gathered in the North Andover High School fieldhouse, came to 1,430 in favor of banning the plan, 1,155 against, according to The Boston Globe. 

North Andover oncologist Jeff Goldstein, who owns the building -- the former Lucent Technologies plant located on 169 acres off Route 125 near the Haverhill town line, a 1.1 million square-foot space -- promised the town 1,500 new jobs and $5 million per year would be the results of approving his plans.

The facility, according to Goldstein's plan, would have grown marijuana for sale at regional dispensaries, and also been a testing site for various marijuana technologies, including but not limited to lighting rigs and a potential hand-held marijuana intoxication test that could be used by law enforcement, like a breathalyzer.  

Tuesday's vote followed two hours of "heated debate," in which residents raised concerns about a potential dip in property values and talk of a potential negative bent on the character and reputation of the town. 

DA David Capeless said officer Christopher Colello acted appropriately in shooting Daniel Gillis, who was armed with a knife.

PITTSFIELD - The Berkshire District Attorney on Tuesday announced an investigation has cleared a Pittsfield police officer in the Sept. 1 shooting death of a man during a police response to a 911 call for a domestic disturbance.

District Attorney David Capeless said that following an investigation, his department could find no basis to for criminal charges against officer Christopher Colello in the shooting death of Daniel Gillis. 

"I have concluded there was no criminal behavior on the part of any of the officers of the Pittsfield Police Department," Capeless said."Specifically, I have determined that officer Christopher Colello acted lawfully in defense of his fellow officers when Gillis suddenly charged at the officers while brandishing a knife."

Gillis was shot to death in his home at 42 Taylor St. just after 1 p.m. Police were called to the scene by his live-in girlfriend who was reporting domestic violence.

An autopsy determined he was shot seven times. 

When officers arrived at the home, Gillis is said to have emerged from a back room holding knife to his throat and advancing toward officers. Despite repeated calls from officers to drop the knife, he continued advancing, and then charged at officers, Capeless said.

"Clearly this was an unfortunate situation which ended tragically," Capeless said. Once Gillis charged at officers and yelling at them "the situation changed from dangerous to life-threatening."

Capeless said the shooting was investigated by state police detectives assigned to his office and the state police Fire Arms Identification and Crime Scene Services sections, the Berkshire Sheriff's Department and Pittsfield police.

The investigation was aided by cell phone footage shot by a neighbor, he said. Footage showed Gillis emerging from the house and the moment of the shooting.

"A few seconds of the real-time capture of the event provided the most informative piece of the investigation," he said.

Gillis, according to his obituary, was a Salt Lake City native who later moved to Pittsfield with his family. At the time of his death, he was employed in construction. 

"There are a number of projects that are moving forward regardless of the fact that we don't have an ordinance that deals with this topic," Agawam City Council President Christopher C. Johnson said.

AGAWAM -- As Agawam continues to mull a possible ordinance to regulate where solar facilities can and cannot be built, a number of projects continue to move forward, City Council President Christopher C. Johnson recently told his colleagues on the legislative panel.

At the request of the City Council, the assessor's office has provided the board with a list of properties that are 5 acres or larger. But now the council is seeking help from the mayor's office to see if town engineers can place these properties onto an easy reference map.

"So they're looking at seeing if they can do that so we can move forward on this or consider potentially an alternative," Johnson said. "But there are a number of projects that are moving forward regardless of the fact that we don't have an ordinance that deals with this topic."

The issue of creating an ordinance to amend Agawam zoning regulations to include solar energy systems has been referred to the City Council's Legislative Committee, which is expected to consider a list of potential overlay district areas.

A Massachusetts man with plans to kill former Attorney General Martha Coakley and federal Judge Dennis Saylor was found guilty Tuesday in a New Hampshire federal court of receiving firearms with intent to commit murder.

A Massachusetts man with plans to kill former Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and federal judge Dennis Saylor was found guilty Tuesday in a New Hampshire federal court of receiving firearms with intent to commit murder.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in New Hampshire said Edward McLarnon, 69, of Malden, was found guilty after a six-day jury trial. He was found guilty on the receiving firearms with intent to commit murder charge and three related weapons and explosives charges.

At the beginning of the trial, a federal prosecutor said McLarnon told an undercover FBI agent he wanted to kill Coakley, according to WCVB News.

McLarnon planned to use hand grenades to kill Saylor inside the garage at the federal courthouse in Boston, WCVB News reported. 

In October 2015, McLarnon made contact with a person he believed to be an arms dealer, who was actually an undercover FBI agent. The two met at a store in Chichester, New Hampshire for the purpose of buying illegal weapons, authorities said. 

McLarnon paid $700 to get the weapons.

"On November 6, 2015, the defendant took possession of a .22 caliber pistol with a silencer, an AK-47-style semi-automatic rifle, ammunition, and two hand grenades containing high explosives at a rest stop in Seabrook," authorities said. "He was taken into custody shortly after taking possession of these items."

McLarnon also planned to kill his ex-wife's husband, authorities said.

"I am grateful to the jury for rendering this swift and just verdict," said Acting U.S. Attorney Farley.  "The evidence at trial demonstrated that the defendant devised a frightening plan to use weapons to kill several individuals to express his frustration with the legal system. Thanks to the hard work of the brave law enforcement officers who participated in this investigation, the defendant's violent plan was stopped before anyone was hurt."

McLarnon was found guilty of receiving an unregistered silencer; receiving firearms with the intent to commit murder; receiving explosive materials; and receiving an explosive with the intent to harm persons or property. 

He will be sentenced on May 10, 2018.   

A 20-year-old Norwood woman and 22-year-old Norwood man died Wednesday morning in a crash.

A 20-year-old Norwood woman and 22-year-old Norwood man died Wednesday morning in a crash. 

The woman has been identified by police as Victoria Cody. She was driving the  vehicle involved in a two vehicle crash around 1:20 a.m. on Walpole Street in Norwood. 

Her front seat passenger, Alex Pandolfo, also died in the crash. 

Norwood police were called to Walpole Street along with firefighters for a report of a two-vehicle crash. 

Police found a 2011 Toyota Camry with extensive front-end damage on the side of the road in front of 341 Walpole Street. Three people inside the Camry were all found injured, police said. 

Two people were trapped inside the Camry. Firefighters worked quickly to free the two people. 

Cody, who was driving the Camry, died at the scene. Pandolfo was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

The third person inside the Camry was flown to a Boston hospital with serious injuries. 

Police said the second vehicle involved in the crash was a 2011 Dodge Ram. The driver was outside of the truck on the ground with a leg injury. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment. 

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

On Tuesday, Politico reported that Fitzgerald had purchased shares in a tobacco company shortly after becoming CDC director.

By LENA H. SUN
The Washington Post

The director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention resigned her position on Wednesday after just half a year because of "complex financial interests" that repeatedly forced her to recuse herself from the agency's activities and kept her from testifying before lawmakers on public health issues.

On Tuesday, Politico reported that Fitzgerald had purchased shares in a tobacco company shortly after becoming CDC director.

According to a statement from the Health and Human Services Department, Secretary Alex Azar, who was sworn in just two days ago, accepted Brenda Fitzgerald's resignation because she could not divest from those interests "in a definitive time period."

Fitzgerald, 71, a physician who served as the Georgia public health commissioner until her appointment to the CDC post in July, said in an interview late last year that she already had divested from many stock holdings. But she and her husband were legally obligated to maintain other investments in cancer detection and health information technology, according to her ethics agreement, requiring Fitzgerald to pledge to avoid government business that might affect those interests.

In Congress, some lawmakers had become increasingly concerned over Fitzgerald's ability to do her job effectively.

"I am concerned that you cannot perform the role of CDC director while being largely recused from matters pertaining to cancer and opioids, two of the most pervasive and urgent health challenges we face as a country," Sen. Patty Murray, Wash., the senior Democrat on the Senate committee that oversees the CDC, wrote in a letter in December.

Fitzgerald had dismissed those concerns, saying she was following ethics rules laid out by HHS and that her recusals were "very limited."

The ethics issues were raised in a broader context of her general leadership at the agency, which President Donald Trump has targeted for deep budget cuts. Since her appointment, Fitzgerald has made few public statements. She waited 133 days before holding her first agency-wide staff meeting, on Nov. 17. And she canceled at least one scheduled appearance before Congress and sent deputies on other occasions to testify about the nation's opioid crisis.

An obstetrician-gynecologist for 30 years, Fitzgerald served as a major in the Air Force and ran unsuccessfully for Congress twice in the 1990s. Named Georgia's public health chief in 2011, Fitzgerald championed early child development, tobacco control and obesity prevention. She has been criticized for accepting funds from the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Foundation for a childhood obesity program.

The manhunt began around 9 p.m. Tuesday night.

HOLYOKE -- Police resumed a search Wednesday morning for a man who ran from a traffic stop on Interstate 91 north Tuesday night. 

State police spokesman David Procopio said the man, a suspect in a drug investigation, was still at large as of noon. Police have not released the man's name, and did not confirm a description of him posted to a Holyoke Facebook group.

Officers arrested two other people in the vehicle -- both teenage girls from Vermont -- on drug charges, Procopio said. 

The manhunt began around 9 p.m. Tuesday after troopers stopped the vehicle about a mile north of exit 17B. The man fled, prompting city and state police to flood the neighborhoods around Bemis Road.

As a state police helicopter circled overhead, officers with a K9 swept through yards on Claren and Robert drives. A wooded area in the neighborhood runs from the highway to Route 5.

Speaking around 11:15 p.m. Tuesday, a trooper at the Northampton state police barracks said the air wing had been called off.

On Facebook Wednesday morning, residents said the helicopter was back in the neighborhood.

"The Air Wing and ground units resumed their search this morning," Procopio said.

The 10,000-square-foot restaurant went on the market in July 2017.

EAST LONGMEADOW -- The sale of the now-closed Pasquale's Ristorante on 642 North Main St. is pending.

The sign advertising the property  for sale has been removed. But Daniel Hannoush, the real estate associate at MacMillan Group in Springfield handling the sale, said he cannot discuss the deal until it moves further along in the process.

Pasquale's, a neighborhood favorite that had been in business for 30 years, went on the market in July for $749,000.

The restaurant seats 230 inside with potential to add outdoor seating. The liquor license grandfathered in to remain open until 2 a.m. It is included in the sale, according to the real estate listing.

It is a 10,000-square foot building with 5,000-square feet on the first floor and a 5,000-square-foot usable dry basement, according to the listing . 

The building dates from 1938 according to East Longmeadow tax records. It sits on just less than an acre of land and has about 75 parking spaces. North Main Street is also known as Route 83.

Route 83 is East Longmeadow's busy commercial corridor with a Pride Gas Station, the Heritage Park Plaza with Stop and Shop, Panera, 99 Restaurant. There is also a nearby  Big Y and a Home Goods.

Torcia Santaniello King LLC in East Longmeadow is the current owner, according to town records.

January may have been a particularly cold month, but Wilbraham police stayed warm by keeping busy -- including making arrests involving assault suspects who allegedly used bats and beer bottles as weapons.

WILBRAHAM -- January may have been a particularly cold month, but Wilbraham police stayed warm by keeping busy -- including making arrests involving suspects who allegedly used bats and beer bottles as weapons in separate assaults.

Shortly after 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 18, officers Sean Casella and Daniel Ryan responded to a home on Glendale Road for a report of a "disturbance in progress," police said. The suspect, later identified as 38-year-old Evan Paul Spooner of 36 State St., Palmer, threatened harm to the victim,  then fled the scene, police said.

At about 6:51 p.m., Spooner returned to the residence and "struck the victim on the leg with the swing of a baseball bat, causing noticeable redness and swelling," police said, adding that Spooner knows the person he allegedly assaulted.

Spooner then "strangled the victim for a short time" before once again fleeing the area, police said.

He was later apprehended by Palmer police and handed over to Wilbraham police to face charges of strangulation and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. The outcome of his arraignment was not immediately known.

Just before 3 a.m. on Jan. 20, Sgt. Shawn Baldwin and Officer James Gagner responded to the area of Wilbraham & Monson Academy on Main Street for a report of "two men fighting," police said.

The officers eventually located and arrested 26-year-old Yuly Flores of 5 Volpe Drive, Apt. #25, Chicopee, who was charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after allegedly using a beer bottle as a weapon.

Flores, who has also been arrested by Chicopee police in the past, was additionally charged with assault and battery "causing serious bodily injury," Wilbraham police said. 

Arraignment information in the case wasn't immediately available. 

Shortly after 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 20, Officer James Gagner responded to the parking lot of The Gaudreau Group, an insurance company at 2377 Boston Road, for a report of a two-car crash.

After conducting an investigation, Gagner charged 54-year-old Sandra L. Nichols of 17 Alden St., Palmer, with negligent operation of a vehicle and driving under the influence of liquor. 

The crash caused property damage, according to police, who did not specify the extent of the damage.

Just after 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 18, a Wilbraham officer stopped motorist Peter E. Sares, a 77-year-old resident from town, near the intersection of Soule Road and Ward Drive.  

Sares, who lives at 849 Main St., has a suspended license and should not have been driving, according to police, who also issued him citations for speeding in an unregistered and uninsured vehicle. 

A West Virginia-bound Amtrak train carrying a bevy of Congressional Republicans and their staffs crashed into a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Virginia, Wednesday morning, according to the White House, killing the driver.

A West Virginia-bound Amtrak train carrying a bevy of Congressional Republicans and staff members crashed into a garbage truck near Charlottesville, Va., Wednesday morning, according to the White House, killing the driver.

Another person suffered serious injury in the crash, but none of the injured parties included any of the Washington, D.C., politicos. The crash occurred around 11:20 a.m. within the borders of Crozet, Va., according to various media reports.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders issued a statement on the crash around noon saying President Trump was aware of the accident. 

"The President has been fully briefed on the situation in Virginia and is receiving regular updates," Sanders said. "There is one confirmed fatality and one serious injury."

She added, "There are no serious injuries among members of Congress or their staff. Senior Administration officials are in regular contact with Amtrak and state and local authorities. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that has been affected by this incident."

The lawmakers were planning to attend a policy retreat at White Sulphur Springs, W.V. Vice President Mike Pence and President Trump -- Pence too was not on the train -- were supposed to address the gathering Thursday and Friday, respectively.  

Several Congressman took to Twitter to address the crash in its aftermath, while others spoke to the media. 

"Well, it certainly shocked everybody on the train," New York House Republican Lee Zeldin told CNN. "It was a pretty hard collision. Really thankful that the train was able to stay on the tracks, came to a halt within, it looks like, maybe about a quarter mile or so."

He added, "I'm happy that I don't have whiplash. Once the adrenaline goes down, there might be some people who are feeling an ache or a pain they didn't feel as soon as the accident happened."

Receiving their badges were firefighters Joshua Kenniston, Peter Cubilette, Jonathan Shea, and Ryan Wilkie. Watch video

The Springfield Fire Department welcomed four new firefighters to its ranks Wednesday with a swearing-in ceremony at department headquarters.

Taking their oath of office and being pinned with their badges were firefighters Joshua Kenniston, Peter Cubilette, Jonathan Shea, and Ryan Wilkie.

Newly appointed Fire Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi, attending his first swearing-in ceremony as commissioner, cited a line from Edward Croker who was chief of the New York City Fire Department at the dawn of the 20^th century.

"The greatest feat of bravery any firefighter takes is when raises his hand and takes his oath. Everything after that is just in the line do duty," he said.

Mayor Domenic Sarno, as is his custom at such events involving new police or firefighters, thanked the family members present.

It is extremely important that firefighters have a strong support system at home, he said.

Sarno said he has been around enough firefighters over the years to understand that they tend to be a modest group, and never make much of the fact that they run into burning buildings when everyone else is running out.

"You guys are the first to say 'It's no big deal. It's just my job," he said. "Being a firefighter is more than a job; it's your identity and your career."

He pledged to support the department at budget time, to make sure firefighters have the best equipment, trucks and training to do their job safely.

"All we ask of you is that you wear that badge proudly."

Peter firefighting academy in Stow. They graduated July 22.

Kenniston was among 16 firefighters graduating from the state firefighting academy in Springfield in December.

Kenniston's badge was pinned on him by his father, Ron Kenniston, a longtime Springfield firefighter.

"It's something I wanted since I was a boy. I wanted to follow in my father's footsteps. There's no one else I'd rather have pin me than my father," he said.

Maura Healey said decisions related to licensing of the Wynn casino in Everett are up to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.

Attorney General Maura Healey said Wednesday that the allegations of sexual misconduct by casino magnate Steve Wynn are "sickening and disturbing."

Healey said any decisions on how the allegations will affect the licensing process for the Wynn casino in Everett are "properly before the Gaming Commission."

The Wall Street Journal reported that Wynn has a long history of sexual misconduct, including pressuring his employees to perform sex acts. Wynn denies the allegations.

Wynn Resorts has been given a license by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission to build a resort casino in Everett, which is under construction. But the state's gaming law has a clause requiring an operator to be "suitable," which includes a measure of character. The Gaming Commission is holding a meeting Wednesday to consider the implications of the allegations.

Healey said she would not get ahead of the situation, but she will be watching the commission's actions.

"I think it's important that the Gaming Commission take the time to investigate, to review what was produced in the course of the prior investigation, any representations made and the like, and I'm sure that's what they're intending to do," Healey said.

"We'll just take it step by step here and evaluate it as we go, but it's obviously a very serious and concerning turn of events and one that the public and the taxpayers of Massachusetts deserve full and complete answers to," Healey said.

The 28-year-old city man was not in a crosswalk when he was hit.

 SPRINGFIELD - The man killed when struck by a car Friday night on Parker Street has been identified as Mark Lozada Davis, according to the office of Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.

Lozada Davis, 28, was hit by a vehicle at Parker and Vincent Streets just after 8 p.m.

According to police, he was crossing the street and was hit by a car. Lozada Davis was not in the crosswalk when hit.

The accident remains under investigation by the Springfield police, and the DA's motor vehicle homicide unit.

The driver of the car was not released to the press. Police said at the time of the accident that the driver remained at the scene and was cooperating with police.

Bills pending before the Legislature would let the Registry of Motor Vehicles and MassHealth automatically register citizens to vote.

BOSTON -- Attorney General Maura Healey is throwing her support behind bills to allow same-day voter registration in Massachusetts and to automatically register people to vote.

"Our residents should be able to register and vote on the same day, and registration should be easy and automatic," Healey said Wednesday during a lobby day run by voting rights groups.

Bills pending before the Legislature would let the Registry of Motor Vehicles and MassHealth automatically register citizens to vote. A person could opt out if they choose to.

The bills, H.2091/S.373, are sponsored by Sen. Cynthia Creem, D-Newton, and Rep. Peter Kocot, D-Northampton.

Advocates for the legislation point to the 680,000 Massachusetts residents who are eligible to vote but not registered. They say automatic registration would increase the likelihood that these people will vote. It would also eliminate errors that come with paper forms and duplicate registrations when people move.

Ten other states have passed automatic voter registration.

A group of progressive and voting rights groups are supporting the effort, including the ACLU, several teachers unions, the NAACP, Berkshire Democratic Brigades, Berkshire Women's Action Group and others.

Healey said making it easier to vote is important to preserve democracy in an era when some state legislators elsewhere in the country are trying to make it harder to vote.

The 21-year-old University of Massachusetts student accused of rape in his dorm room last month was released from jail Wednesday on $7,500 surety.

AMHERST -- A University of Massachusetts student accused of rape in his dorm room last month was released from jail Wednesday on $7,500 surety.

Ryder Chilcoff, 21, of Villa Park, California, is charged in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown with three counts of rape because three sex acts were allegedly performed. The alleged incident happened Dec. 9.

According to court documents, police were investigating vandalism to the door Chilcoff's room at John Quincy Adams Hall. During that investigation, UMass Officer Derek Napoli spoke to a 19-year-old UMass student who, when asked if she knew Chilcoff, started to cry.

She told police that she woke up in his residence, "specifically in his bed," without pants or underwear on. She told police "she had been taken advantage of," according to the report. She said she didn't know how she got into the room or what happened there.

The victim told police she drank at least four nips of 99 proof vodka within 30 minutes and "shotgunned" a beer. She told police she had been playing drinking games "and described herself as drunk."

According to the police report, Chilcoff initially told investigators he met a woman at a party but then said, "So I guess I just kinda made that part up. So just cross all that out. Sorry."

Chilcoff then told police he was watching a movie with two friends when "an unknown female walked into his room." She left and came back and went to Chilcoff's bed and fell asleep, he said.

Later that night, Chilcoff told police, the woman made sexual advances. He said he eventually "gave in" and had intercourse with her, describing the woman "as an active participant."

Napoli in his report stated he believes Chilcoff did have intercourse "without her consent as the female was unable to consent based on her level of intoxication."

The federal law known as Title IX defines consent as "informed, freely, and actively given, mutually understandable words or actions which indicate a willingness to participate in mutually agreed upon sexual activity. Consent may be withdrawn."

Chilcoff, who denied charges at his arraignment Tuesday, is due back in court March 1. He was ordered to surrender his passport and have no contact with the alleged victim, who does not live in his dorm.

"The university is taking immediate and appropriate steps in the student conduct process to address the matter," said Mary Dettloff, deputy director of the UMass Office of News and Media Relations. "Based on federal privacy law, the university cannot share further details about the case."

The university's annual Clery report, which looks at multiple crime categories, counted 16 on-campus rapes in 2016.

A judge has dismissed former Pittsfield City Council candidate Craig Gaetani's $50 million defamation lawsuit against the Berkshire Eagle.

A judge has dismissed former Pittsfield City Council candidate Craig Gaetani's $50 million defamation lawsuit against the Berkshire Eagle, ruling that the newspaper's coverage of an encounter between Gaetani and a bystander outside an October candidate forum was accurate.

In his ruling, Berkshire Superior Court Judge John Agostini wrote that Gaetani's suit had failed to meet the legal standard for defamation, which is that the reporting was false, and that it was published with "actual malice."

"The only real issue is whether it was false or in the street vernacular 'fake news,' " Agostini wrote. "Given that the plaintiff admitted that the newspaper account was accurate, no claim of defamation will lie and the complaint must be dismissed."

The suit, in which Gaetani accused the newspaper of "character assassination," named the Eagle, its publisher Fredric Rutberg and reporter Amanda Drane as defendants.

The dispute stemmed from the Eagle's coverage of an Oct. 23 forum, in which Drane described an encounter between Gaetani and a man who suggested he could smell alcohol on Gaetani's breath.

"Out in the parking lot, a man tried to convince Gaetani not to drive home, saying that he smelled alcohol on his breath. Gaetani said the man didn't know what he was talking about and drove away, prompting the man to report the incident to police," the Eagle reported. "A desk officer confirmed receiving the call, but said they'd been unable to locate Gaetani and likely would not have another chance to follow up."

In an interview, Rutberg, a former judge who bought the Eagle in 2016 along with a group of local investors, described the suit as a "burden" that cost the paper thousands of dollars in legal fees.

That burden has now been lifted, he said.

"I was relieved that the case was over," Rutberg said. "We knew from the get-go that the case had no merit. It was reassuring to have that confirmed by the court."

Reached by phone, Gaetani continued to dispute the Eagle's reporting, despite the judge's ruling that the story was true. He said he intends to file another lawsuit -- this time for $100 million -- based in part on the Eagle's account of "a man" who confronted him outside the forum.

It was actually two men, he said.

"All I can say to you is I will be filing a lawsuit again very shortly," Gaetani said. "I don't want this to happen to anyone else."

Gaetani said he intends on attending a Pittsfield City Council hearing tonight to advocate for ways to save the city money on wastewater and sewage treatment.

Any additional suit may face an uphill battle, given Agostini's firm ruling in the case.

"Simply stated, the Berkshire Eagle accurately reported the events in the parking lot," Agostini ruled.

Gaetani, an engineer who campaigned on his experience building efficient and cost-saving wastewater treatment plants, said in his lawsuit that the story was a "vicious attack" that would likely cost him the election. He finished last of six candidates in Pittsfield's at-large city council race.

He also has a history of recent criminal convictions involving threats and erratic behavior, though he has said the cases against him were political motivated.

In May, Gaetani was convicted of threatening to shoot a city employee during a phone call during his unsuccessful run for mayor in 2015, the Eagle reported. Gaetani had called the fire department to ask about removing junk vehicles from his property; unsatisfied with the employee's response, he allegedly threatened to fire her once he was elected mayor, burn her house down and come to her office with a gun.

Gaetani received a six month suspended sentence in the case.

In June, he was sentenced to another two and a half year suspended sentence after he was convicted of breaking into a car he had sold to another person and stealing the title. In both cases, Gaetani dismissed the prosecutions as politically motivated and said he would continue to seek office.

Anyone who recognizes the men shown in these photos, suspects in a recent crime committed at the Shell station, is asked to call Hampden Police Detective Scott Trombly at 413-566-8011.

HAMPDEN -- The Hampden Police Department is asking for the public's help in identifying two men who recently allegedly swiped cartons of cigarettes from the Shell gas station and convenience store at 42 Somers Road.

Police did not indicate when the crime occurred or any other details about the suspects, both of whom appear to be middle-aged black men who were wearing hats and winter clothing. One man was wearing a blue Adidas sweatshirt with white lettering.

Anyone who recognizes the suspects or has information about their whereabouts is asked to call Detective Scott Trombly at 413-566-8011.

The gas station closed last summer while new underground tanks were installed, but the convenience store remained open for business while the work was being performed. The business resumed selling gas at the site in the fall.

In 2009, a former employee of the Shell station tried to rob the business with a folding knife while wearing a wig, sunglasses and bandanna. An employee pulled off the woman's wig and quickly recognized her as a onetime colleague, holding the would-be robber at bay until police arrived. 

An executive editor for a group of publications in Western Massachusetts that include the Daily Hampshire Gazette was fired this week as discussions are ongoing about gender pay disparity in their newsrooms.

An executive editor for a group of Western Massachusetts publications that includes the Daily Hampshire Gazette was fired this week as discussions are ongoing about gender pay disparity in their newsrooms.  

In a letter sent to staff on Wednesday, Jeffrey Good addressed the matter. "Publisher Mike Rifanburg informed me this week that I am being fired," the letter began. "The reason: I advocated for transparency and fair pay for our female colleagues at the Daily Hampshire Gazette and its sister publications." 

Rifanburg, in a statement shared with MassLive, disagreed with Good's statements, calling them "negative characterizations." 

In conversations, Good said Rifanburg referred to the female staff members -  reporters Lisa Spear and Emily Cutts and photojournalist Sarah Crosby -  as "girls" and "selfish young ladies." 

Read the letter

Good joined Newspapers of New England - the parent company of the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Greenfield Recorder, Amherst Bulletin and the Valley Advocate - in 2000. He was promoted to executive editor of the company's Pioneer Valley newspaper group in 2014. 

In an interview with MassLive on Wednesday, Good said pay disparity has been an ongoing issue in the newsrooms after pay raises were requested by several female reporters during their annual reviews during the fall of 2017. He named the three reporters who brought the issue to his attention in the all-staff letter. 

The reporters, Good said, had joined the company at lower starting salaries than some of the company's more recent hires and sought raises to match the salaries of newer, male reporters. 

While the company offers annual 2 percent raises, Good said, "Two percent doesn't amount to much when you're starting at $30,000 or in the low 30s." 

Both in his letter to staff and while speaking to MassLive, Good held himself accountable, saying it was overlooked while he was managing several dozen employees. 

Good said he brought the requests to Rifanburg, who initially was open to the raises, but became "resistant" as more staffers came forward to request raises. 

Rifanburg disputed Good's timeline, saying Newspapers of New England has been "actively engaged at the Gazette and Recorder in reviewing pay" since 2016, prior to Good's involvement. 

He stated, "We started this review, not Mr. Good."

Rifanburg was named publisher in May of 2016, replacing Dennis Skoglund, who worked for the family-owned company for more than 25 years.

The letter, which states the disparaging names the female members of the newsroom were allegedly called, was sent to staff Wednesday morning. 

Rifanburg said Wednesday that the three reporters mentioned by name in Good's letter have been "very helpful" in addressing pay concerns, adding that the company appreciates them. 

The three female employees released a joint statement on the matter. "Our job as journalists is to ask tough questions and to tell the truth. That charge does not stop when we walk through the doors of our own newsroom. Pay parity is a complicated and important issue and we look forward to continuing the conversation." 

Good said his firing was a shock, adding that "there was absolutely no warning." He also said he will look back on his time with Newspapers of New England with pride despite the abrupt exit. 

"I walk out of here with my head held high, proud of the work that we've done together over the years," Good ends the letter. "I won't yield to bullying, and I know you will not, either. Every day, you make me proud." 

Publisher Mike Rifanburg statement about letter by mnwillia on Scribd

Ahead of Super Bowl LII at the University of Massachusetts dining halls this week, it's all about the New England Patriots, with all things Philadelphia excised in good fun. Watch video

AMHERST - Philadelphia Cream Cheese: Gone. Philly cheesesteak: No way. Philadelphia roll: Forget about it.

At the University of Massachusetts dining halls this week, it's all about the New England Patriots, with all things Philadelphia excised from the menu in good fun.

The Patriots play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII on Sunday, so all this week University of Massachusetts dining halls are serving Nature's Best cream cheese, "New England cheesesteak" and the "Down with Philadelphia roll" instead.

Christopher Howland, director of purchasing, marketing and logistics of UMass Auxiliary Enterprises, said students are having fun with that with it on social media.

As in the past, Ken Toong, executive director of Auxiliary Enterprises, challenged his educational counterpart to a friendly bet, and Penn State director of residential dining Lisa Wandel officially accepted it.

Blue Wall has some great #SuperBowl specials this week! #umassdining #GoPatriots! pic.twitter.com/o31y38avzg

-- UMass Dining (@UMassDining) January 30, 2018

A Patriots win means Penn State will send three containers of the school's most treasured flavors from its Berkey Creamery ice cream: Death by Chocolate, WPSU Coffee Break and Vanilla Bean.

If the Eagles win, something Toong doubts, UMass Dining will send five gallons of its New England seafood chowder to Penn State.

"We're having a little bit of fun this week with the Patriots making the Super Bowl for the 10th time," Howland said. "One of the things we do here on campus is build community through food. When we incorporate other universities as well, it just adds to the fun factor to the 10th degree."

Last year, Robert Holden, associate vice president for Auxiliary Services at the University of Georgia's Athens campus, wagered a Southern feast for six of shrimp and grits, Georgia pecan pie and boiled peanuts. Toong countered with a New England Clambake for six.

The Patriots' epic comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI meant that Southern feast was enjoyed here.

Toong doesn't expect to send his chowder to Penn state either - he's predicting a 24-17 Patriots win.

Three out of every 1,000 babies born in 15 U.S. states and territories, in 2016, had a birth defect possibly associated with Zika virus infection in the mother.

Three out of every 1,000 babies born in 15 states, including Massachusetts, in 2016 had a birth defect possibly linked to the Zika virus infection in the mother, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The virus is spread by infected mosquitoes as well as through unprotected sex.

The report, "Population-Based Surveillance of Birth Defects Potentially Related to Zika Virus Infection -- 15 States and U.S. Territories, 2016," also said that areas with local transmission of Zika - southern Florida, a portion of south Texas, and Puerto Rico - saw a 21 percent increase in births with outcomes most strongly linked to Zika virus in the last half of 2016 compared with births in the first half of that year.

According to a CDC statement released Jan. 25, the report reviewed nearly one million births in the 15 states and territories in 2016, including Florida (select southern counties), Georgia (select metro-Atlanta counties), Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York (excluding New York City), North Carolina (select regions), Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas (select regions), Utah, and Vermont.

Zika virus can be transmitted through the placenta leading to complications of pregnancy and birth defects.

A total of of 2,962 infants and fetuses met the criteria for having birth defects potentially related to Zika virus infection. They were summarized as follows:

• About half (49 percent) were born with brain abnormalities and/or microcephaly (small head size)

• 2 in 10 (20 percent) had neural tube defects and other early brain abnormalities

• 1 in 10 (9 percent) had eye abnormalities without brain abnormalities

• More than 2 in 10 (22 percent) had nervous system damage, including joint problems and deafness, without brain or eye abnormalities

CDC researchers are said to anticipate that there could be another increase in possible Zika-related birth defects when 2017 data are analyzed because many pregnant women exposed to Zika virus in late 2016 gave birth in 2017.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has issued clinical guidance and testing recommendations for infants born to mothers with possible Zika virus exposure and infants with congenital Zika virus syndrome.

According to the department, data from the U.S. and its territories indicates that five to six percent of pregnancies associated with maternal Zika virus infection result in a possible Zika related birth defect.

Massachusetts had about 100 confirmed cases of travel exposure to Zika between January 2016 and June 2017, with the highest number of cases - about 28 - in the month of June 2016, according to state health department.

The CDC release said the current report underscores the "importance of surveillance for birth defects potentially related to Zika virus infection and the need for continued monitoring in areas at risk for Zika."

According to the CDC, the number of pregnant women with any laboratory evidence of possible Zika virus infection, between 2015 and 2018, in the United States and District of Columbia is 2,395, though many pregnant women with possible exposure were likely never tested.

According to the World Health Organization, the rise in the spread of Zika virus has been accompanied by a rise in cases of microcephaly - a condition where a baby is born with an unusually small head - and Guillain-Barre syndrome. In this syndrome, a person's immune system attacks the peripheral nerves.

An outbreak of the virus in Brazil in 2014 quickly spread.