A foam truck from Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee and state Department of Environmental Protection personnel have been summoned to the scene.

WHATLEY - State police closed both sides of Interstate 91 in Whately early Wednesday afternoon after a tractor trailer rollover resulted in a ruptured fuel tank and spilled fuel.

The crash was reported in the northbound lanes shortly after noon, according to tweets by Fireground 360.

A foam truck from Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee and state Department of Environmental Protection personnel have been summoned to the scene.

Firefighters from Greenfield and Turners Falls have also been summoned to the scene and tankers from fire departments from Sunderland, Ashfield, Hatfield and Montague Center are staging, according to Fireground 360.

It's not clear if any injuries have been reported.

Fireground 360 is a public safety website maintained by members of the first responder community.

This is a developing story. Additional information will be posted as soon as it is available.

The Springfield City Council has approved $3.5 million to fund repairs to the flood control system along the Connecticut River and the Mill River conduit after the system was deemed "unsatisfactory" by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

SPRINGFIELD -- The City Council approved $3.5 million this week to fund repairs to the flood control system along the Connecticut River and the Mill River conduit after the conditions were rated as "unsatisfactory" by federal inspectors.

The city bond funds were approved by unanimous vote, as recommended by the city's Department of Public Works and approved by Mayor Domenic J. Sarno.

City Engineer Matthew J. Sokop, in a report to the council, said the evaluation of flood control systems has become much more stringent since the Hurricane Katrina flood disaster of 2005. According to published reports, Katrina caused more than 1,800 deaths across five states and total damage estimated at $108 billion.

"What was once a build it and forget it system has now transformed into ongoing inspections and evaluations of floor protection systems by the United States Army Corps of Engineers," Sokup said.

As of August 2017, all three sections of the city's flood control system were deemed "unsatisfactory" by the Army Corps of Engineers, Sokup said:

• from the Memorial Bridge northerly to the Chicopee city line;
• from the Memorial Bridge southerly to the South End Bridge;
• and the Mill River Conduit in the Locust Street area.

Sokup said some of the specific deficiencies include:

• there are sinkholes forming along the floodwall of the Connecticut River north of the Memorial Bridge;
• there are sub drain failures along the river south of the Memorial Bridge;
• and there is an undermined concrete wing wall on the Mill River conduit.

The work will begin this year and continue in 2019, Sokup said.

Ward 1 City Councilor Adam Gomez said he and many other residents in the North End are familiar with the troubles along the Connecticut River, including "swampy" conditions and bulges along Riverside Road. He said it is great the city is taking action to correct the flood control issues.

Timothy J. Plante, the city's chief administrative and financial officer, said the city was unable to obtain any grants to assist with the cost of flood control repairs, requiring the project to be fully city-funded.

The council approved the funds at a meeting Monday night.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has three ratings for flood control systems: acceptable, minimally acceptable, and unsatisfactory.

The city's flood control system is inspected four times a year by the Department of Public Works, along with an annual inspection by the Army Corps of Engineers, Sokup said.

The Selectboard is expected to make a final decision on the future of the municipal golf course at its July 10 meeting.

SOUTH HADLEY -- The two women on the five-person Selectboard want to close the Ledges, the money-losing municipal golf course, but were out-voted by three selectmen at Tuesday's meeting.

However, a final decision was not made during the meeting. That is expected next month.

During the board's discussion, Selectboard Chairman Ira Brezinsky -- who would like to keep the facility open -- estimated that about 75 percent of the course's users are males. He said more should be done to attract female golfers.

A consultant has been helping the town figure out whether private management of the course might result in the facility operating at a profit or at least break even, which it has never done since it opened in 2001.

Two private companies submitted bids to operate the course, with the consultant's assistance, but neither proposal could show the Ledges turning a profit when all the expenses, including debt and capital costs, were factored in.

Brezinsky's wish to keep the course open, however, is contingent on whether a deal can be struck between now and July 9 that would reduce the town's losses, with the hope that smaller losses would be palpable.

"We are at a point of having to make a decision," Brezinsky said.

The choices, he said, boil down to accepting one of the proposals; not accepting the proposals and going back out to bid; not accepting the proposals and taking action to close the course after the season; and the status quo, which has the town running the course.

A silver lining, Brezisnky said, is that one of the proposals showed the course could break even or run at a modest profit in the coming years if the debt now carried by the Ledges, which is scheduled to be paid off in about 10 years, is not included.

Board member Sarah Etelman said: "The golf course is not going to make money, not through any fault of South Hadley. Golf is ... a declining industry."

"I take very seriously the comments from ... all of the members of the community," Etelman said. "It does not make sense for us to continue to support something ... that is never going to make money ... and could be liability.

"I want to see us start to explore what happens after it is a golf course," she said.

The Ledges is not "likely to break even ... the best case scenario is it will lose less money," selectwoman Andrea Miles said.

South Hadley Golf Commission Chairman Mark Dubois attended the meeting and was invited to speak.

"I see a future" for the Ledges, he said. "I don't want to throw away what we've worked so hard for."

The board approved a motion by selectman Bruce Forcier, seconded by Jeff Cyr, to proceed with negotiations with International Golf Maintenance until July 9 to obtain more favorable terms for the town. IGM "is a full-service golf course maintenance company, overseeing day-to-day agronomic operations within their maintenance budgets," according to town records.

No town-wide referendum is planned on whether to keep the Ledges open, or close it, and that option did not arise during Tuesday's meeting.

The Selectboard is expected to make a final decision on the future of the golf course at its July 10 meeting.

"We have a huge investment here ... if we choose to close it there is no going back," Brezinsky said.

Comedian and "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert took aim at Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Scott Lively this week over the Republican's controversial remarks on the LGBTQ community.

Comedian and "Late Show" host Stephen Colbert took aim at Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Scott Lively this week over the Republican's controversial remarks on the LGBTQ community.

Colbert, who highlighted the Springfield pastor's 2018 run to unseat incumbent GOP Gov. Charlie Baker during a Tuesday night segment called "Profiles in Discourage," questioned assertions Lively made in his 1995 book, "The Pink Swastika," that the Nazi party was controlled by militaristic, gay individuals.

"That's a new one to blame on the gays," Colbert quipped, noting that Nazis sent LGBTQ individuals to "let's say 'summer camps.'"

The "Late Show" host further noted that Lively reportedly wrote the book "because he wanted the world to know that when people compare him to a Nazi, because of his homophobia, they're getting their history wrong."

"Wait, hold on, let me see if I've got this straight: Do you take offense to being called a Nazi because you think it makes you sound gay and you're not? That's like saying, 'Don't call me Hitler, I have a great mustache,'" he said. "Or, is it that if some Nazis were gay, that means you being called a Nazi for being anti-gay is unfair to the Nazis? I just want to get this right."

Colbert jokingly added that he'd "hate to accuse Nazis of being intolerant."

The "Late Show" host, however, said at least Lively acknowledges that "some of his rabid, anti-gay positions may have crossed the line" and that he's "guilty of some hyperbole." 

"No, I'm sorry, 'I just caught the biggest fish in history' is hyperbole. 'The Holocaust was caused by gay nazis,' is a Cards Against Humanity combo," he said. 

Lively's campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the segment. 

Anti-gay candidate Scott Lively files $7 million lawsuit against Gov. Charlie Baker, MassGOP

The Republican, who recently filed suit against Baker and the Massachusetts GOP, will square off against the incumbent governor in Massachusetts' Sept. 4 primary. 

The Dudley Police Department is asking for help finding the driver of a car that struck and killed a dog on Friday.

The Dudley Police Department is asking for help finding the driver of a car that struck and killed a dog on Friday.

The vehicle, a Chevy Impala with New York license plates, fled the scene after the crash, police said.

The vehicle likely has front-end damage, according to police.

Police have released an image of the moments before the collision and are asking anyone with information to call Officer Chandler Boyd at (508) 943-4417.

Owner Kayla Sypek began baking as a child and always dreamed of opening a bakery with her twin sister Sarah. "The only problem is, she doesn't bake," said Sypek.

WESTFIELD -- It Takes 2 Bakery is opening its doors downtown at 31 Elm St. Saturday and will offer fresh baked goods from muffins and eclairs to cupcakes and bread.

Owner Kayla Sypek began baking as a child and always dreamed of opening a bakery with her twin sister Sarah.

"The only problem is, she doesn't bake," said Sypek.

Instead, Sarah will help behind the scenes while Sypek does all the baking.

It all started when Sypek's grandmother gave her some of her old baking pans and decorating equipment.

"I started out baking for my little cousins -- nothing fancy -- but it grew from there," Sypek said.

The Westhampton resident never lost sight of her vision and graduated from Johnson & Wales University. She completed the four-year pastry program in less than three years and completed an internship in France, where she learned classic baking techniques. She also had a wedding cake internship in Hawaii.

After graduating in 2014, Sypek began working in local bakeries in Connecticut and Massachusetts while continuing her education with online business classes at Westfield State University.

"I was gearing up for this," she said. "I needed the business program so I could open my bakery."

With years of experience, the 25-year-old found the perfect opportunity in downtown Westfield. The space could be called good luck since it was where Mama Cakes got its start and was most recently occupied by Chanterelle to Go, which expanded its business and outgrew the small space.

For Sypek, it's just right.

"I was able to purchase the equipment from the previous business, and I've painted and been testing the ovens," she said.

Creating custom specialty cakes and cupcakes is Sypek's first love and something she will continue at It Takes 2 Bakery.

"I will offer cakes and cupcakes, cookies, muffins, tarts, eclairs -- just about everything," she said. "And I'll continue to do specialty cakes and cupcakes. I will also create platters of cookies. Really anything I bake I can do in bulk for special occasions."

Specialty orders need a minimum of a three-day notice.

Sypek said she will have a soft opening Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and will be open Sunday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday and Tuesday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., June 28-29, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

She plans an official grand opening June 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with samples of cake, raffles and more.

"I plan to adjust my hours and offerings once I get feedback from customers," she said.

It Takes 2 Bakery also offers coffee from Greenfield-based Pierce Bros.

Authorities arrested MBTA employee Stephen Fagerberg, charging him with allegedly stealing money from the system's fare boxes that he was tasked with repairing.

Authorities arrested MBTA employee Stephen Fagerberg, charging him with allegedly stealing money from the system's fare boxes that he was tasked with repairing. 

Fagerberg, a 55-year-old Dedham man, works as an automated fare technician on the MBTA buses in South Boston.

Attorney General Maura Healey's office said Fagerberg, who stole the money "over several months," had been under investigation since April 2018. He was arrested on Tuesday night.

"Authorities conducted an undercover operation that included planting marked bills in fare collection boxes that Fagerberg serviced," Healey's office said in a release, adding that the investigation remains ongoing. "Authorities allege that the defendant deposited the marked bills into his personal bank account via a drive-up ATM."

He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday in Roxbury District Court. He was released on personal recognizance, while giving up his passport. He was ordered to stay away from MBTA property.

Fagerberg's next court date, a probable cause hearing, is set for Aug. 14. 

A man found guilty of murder in the 1995 slaying of his wife is now reportedly being charged by Connecticut authorities with the slaying of his daughter in that state.

SPRINGFIELD -- A man found guilty of murder in the 1995 slaying of his wife is now reportedly being charged by Connecticut authorities with the slaying of his daughter in that state.

WFSB reported Robert Honsch is being charged by New Britain police with murder in connection with the death of his 16-year-old daughter Elizabeth Honsch in 1995.

In June 2017, a Hampden Superior Court jury found Honsch guilty of murder in connection with the fatal shooting of his wife, Marcia Honsch. Her body was found in Tolland State Forest in October of 1995.

Honsch was sentenced to life in state prison without the possibility of parole. 

Elizabeth Honsch was found behind a shopping plaza in New Britain, Connecticut in late September 1995.

Both Marcia and Elizabeth Honsch were shot in the head.

Robert Honsch was arrested in July 2014 in Dalton, Ohio, where investigators said he was living under an assumed name with a new wife and three children.

It was in 2014 that the two women found dead in 1995 were identified as Robert Honsch's wife and daughter.

Christened the "Gannon Nero" after the slain officer and his injured police dog Nero, the model features a photo of the pair at the helm. A police badge adorns a side window. Even the boat's registration number starts with YPD (Yarmouth Police Dept.). Watch video

Al Gagliarducci had a problem. He wanted to make a donation of fishing lures he manufactures to an upcoming charity cruise on Cape Cod to raise money in the name of slain Yarmouth police Sgt. Sean Gannon.

The problem? He needed somewhere to put the lures. A box, a basket, something.

Known as Al Gag, Gagliarducci is the president of his own fishing lure company, Al Gag's Lures. Since his company is run out of a fifth floor office in the Indian Orchard Mills, he knew that there were a lot of artists with studios in the building. He contacted one, Amber Lemon, owner of Unusual Fit Home Decor, and asked her to create a container.

He couldn't believe what Lemon made. A three and a half foot long model boat complete with a "live well" to store the donated lures. 

"I was honored to have the opportunity to be part of such a great event," said Lemon. "It (the boat) represents him and his (Officer Gannon's) life."

Christened the "Gannon Nero" after the slain officer and his injured police dog Nero, the model features a photo of the pair at the helm. A police badge adorns a side window. Even the boat's registration number starts with YPD (Yarmouth Police Dept.).

Gagliarducci hopes the boat and lures will go as high as $2,500 in the auction on June 28.

"I hope this boat goes on display somewhere so people can see it constantly and remember the good people we have out there that everyday risk their lives," Lemon said.

At the time of his death, Sgt. Sean Gannon and his "little brother" Rylee, a 12-year-old from Cape Cod, had been matched for three years through the Big Brothers Big Sister organization. 

The goal of the cruise is to raise money for Rylee who wants to become a police officer one day. 

President Donald Trump backed away from his administration's controversial immigration policy Wednesday, signing an executive order to stop federal officials from separating families who entered the United States illegally.

President Donald Trump backed away from his administration's controversial immigration policy Wednesday, signing an executive order to stop federal officials from separating families who entered the United States illegally.

The president, who recently defended the "zero tolerance" approach amid growing criticism, issued the order that directs the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to detain parents and children together while they await immigration hearings.

AP Fact Check: President Trump falsely blames Democrats for his own administration's policy of removing migrant children from parents at US border

Trump told reporters that the executive order will "keep the families together" while ensuring that the United States' strong borders. The president, however, stressed that his administration will still take a "zero tolerance" approach to immigrants who enter the U.S. illegally. 

"We're keeping families together and this will solve that problem," he said. "At the same time we are keeping a very powerful border and it continues to be a 'zero tolerance' -- We have zero tolerance for people that enter our country illegally."

Vice President Mike Pence said he and Trump "believe it's a false choice between whether we are a country of law and order, a country with borders and a country that demonstrates the compassion and the heart of the American people."

"By taking this action, the president will make it possible for us to continue to engage in enforcing the law against individuals who violate our law, come into our country illegally, but now we'll be able in that prosecution in the immediate days forward to keep families together," he said, urging Congress to take action on immigration policy, as well.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen also called on federal lawmakers "to do their job."

"The laws need to be changed. This is a problem that president, after president has dealt with for decades," she said. "This one is willing to stand up and fix it, we ask Congress to do their part."

The White House did not release details on the specifics of the order. 

It was expected to get around the Flores settlement, a 1997 consent decree that bars the federal government from keeping children in immigration detention for more than 20 days, news outlets reported ahead of its signing.

Despite previously standing by his administration's policy -- which led to 2,000 children being separated from their parents at the southern border -- Trump told reporters that he would act to end the controversial practice after meeting with Nielsen on Wednesday.

Stressing that the White House and congressional Republicans want border security and to keep families together, the president said he planned to sign "something" to achieve both ends.

President Donald Trump says he'll sign 'something' to end immigrant family separations

He, however, urged congressional leaders to follow suit by passing legislation to address immigration-related issues. 

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, said his chamber will vote Thursday on a bill to keep migrant families together in the custody of Homeland Security when they enter the country illegally.

"The administration says it wants Congress to act and we are," he said. "Tomorrow the House will vote on legislation to keep families together. ... The bottom line is this: We are going to take action to keep families together while we enforce our immigration laws."

Democrats, who spoke out against the administration's "zero tolerance" policy, also called for legislative action Wednesday.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, further urged Trump "to do the right thing" by ending the practice, as she spoke at an afternoon rally outside the Capitol.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced in April that the administration would take a "zero tolerance" approach to illegal immigration, directing all U.S. attorneys who serve in districts along the United States' southern border with Mexico to criminally prosecute all cases of attempted illegal entry or illegal entry that are referred by DHS.

The policy reportedly led DHS to separate thousands of children from their parents, as children are not allowed in adult criminal detention facilities. 

DHS rejected claims that it has a blanket policy to separate families at the border, stating Monday that separates adults and minors under certain circumstances, including: when it's unable to determine the familial relationship, when it determines a child may be at risk with the parent or legal guardian or when a parent or legal guardian is referred for criminal prosecution.

The agency further noted that it only refers to the Department of Justice "those adults who violate the law by crossing the border illegally and are amenable for prosecution."

Jana Pickard-Richardson, a Boston resident who teaches English to adult immigrants, cried when asked why she came to a protest Wednesday to support immigrant families. Watch video

BOSTON -- Jana Pickard-Richardson, a Boston resident who teaches English to adult immigrants, cried when asked why she came to a protest Wednesday to support immigrant families. 

"Kids need to be with their parents. Families need to be together," Pickard-Richardson said. "People are fleeing really desperate situations. To take kids away is just unconscionable, it's cruel, it's on the level of the worst dictatorships that we've seen."

Hundreds of people rallied Wednesday at the Massachusetts Statehouse to protest President Donald Trump's policy of separating children and parents who entered the country illegally. They also called on state lawmakers to introduce additional protections for immigrants into state law.

"This issue has shaken me to my core," said Laura Rotolo, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. "Doctors call it child abuse. The United Nations call it a basic violation of human rights. We call it just plain wrong."

After heart-wrenching images of young children being separated from their parents and kept in massive shelters, and even cages, resulted in a public outcry, Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order to reverse his policy of separating families at the border. Under Trump's previous policy, all adults caught crossing the border were charged with crimes and detained, while the children were sent to shelters or foster families. 

The New York Times reported that children and their parents may now be able to be detained together, although that could run up against a court order prohibiting detaining the children. 

Christina Michaud, a Boston resident who teaches at an area university, came with her husband and 2-year-old daughter. "I can't believe that as a country we're actually taking children away from families," Michaud said.

Illona Yukhayev of Somerville, who works in information technology, said, "This kind of cruel treatment of immigrants of people attempting to come to this country is unforgivable and we can't stand by it."

Yukhayev said she wants to ensure that Massachusetts "does not condone this behavior and can protect the immigrant families." 

Although much of the anger at the rally was directed toward Washington, advocates from immigrants rights groups used the rally to call for leaders in the state House to include protections for immigrants in the final version of the state budget.

The Massachusetts Senate passed an amendment to its version of the state budget that would prohibit a police officer from asking someone about their immigration status unless required by law. 

Under the Senate provisions, state and local police would not be allowed to act as federal immigration officers. 

A law enforcement agency that has an immigrant in custody would be required to provide the immigrant or their attorney with a copy of any detainer request the agency has related to their immigration status.

Federal immigration officials could only interview someone in state custody with the person's written consent. The immigrant would have the right to request an attorney at their own expense.

The state and its employees could not participate in any government registry or database that is based on religion, national origin, citizenship, race, ethnicity or other protected categories.

The House did not include any of the immigration provisions in their version of the budget bill. 

Gov. Charlie Baker, who has line item veto power on the state budget, has said he would veto the Senate amendment.  

Baker, on Wednesday, said Trump's family separation policy "is cruel and inhumane and I think it should be changed."

"I refuse to believe there's not a way to keep our borders secure and at the same time ensure that you don't have to separate kids from their parents, period," Baker said.

But Baker reiterated his position that Massachusetts should not be a "sanctuary state" and said that "local law enforcement should be responsible for making the decisions that keep their communities safe."

Baker has introduced a bill that would let local and state police hold people on federal immigration detainers for a short time only if those people have been convicted of serious crimes.

Without a $10,000 raise, Tibbetts intends to retire July 31. If he goes, all 10 firefighters plan to follow him out the door.

SHUTESBURY -- Frustrated with what he termed an impasse with the town's Select Board over a pay increase, Fire Chief Walter Tibbetts intends to step down July 31 unless a deal is reached.

If Tibbetts leaves, all 10 members of the Shutesbury Fire Department vow to walk out the door with him.

"If I go, they go," Tibbetts said in a phone interview Wednesday.

"If (Tibbetts) is not there, we're not there," said Fire Lt. Leonard Czerwonka in a separate interview. "If he stays, we're going to stay."

The retirement of the chief and departure of all firefighters presents a nightmare scenario for this Franklin County town of 1,200.

Czerwonka said he told Select Board members at a meeting last week that they better start coming to the department's weekly Thursday night drills to learn how to drive the fire trucks and to haul hoses around.

"They're going to have to learn the hard way because someone is going to have to do it," he said.

Select Board Chairman Michael DeChiara declined to comment because he is a member of the negotiation committee working on Tibbetts' contract.

Town Administrator Rebecca Torres declined to comment until she gets clarification about what she can reveal about a Tuesday night closed-door executive session with the Select Board.

The Shutesbury Fire Department is a paid, on-call department, which is different from a volunteer department. Firefighters are paid a salary when they are called in for service. The department averages around 160 calls for service a year, including fires, accidents and other emergencies.

Shutesbury has an annual budget of $6.4 million. The fiscal 2019 town budget appropriates $108,621 for the Fire Department. Of that, $79,721 is for salaries. The 2019 town budget calls for a 2.5 percent increase in the fire chief's salary, from the current $55,409 to $56,794.

Tibbets said he has been negotiating with the Select Board since January or February, but recently talks broke down, he said.

As a result, Tibbetts turned in his letter of retirement effective July 31. As a paid chief for the past 23 years, he has been around long enough to qualify for a state pension.

He said the sticking point in his dispute with the town is about $5,000. Tibbetts is seeking a pay raise of just under $10,000, to bring his salary up to $65,000 per year. The Select Board has countered with a best offer of $60,000, he said.

With neither side yielding, Tibbetts said he felt his only option was to submit his letter of retirement. "At that point I reached my limit," he said.

A statement posted Tuesday on the Shutesbury Fire Department's Facebook page reads, in part:

"Chief Tibbetts and the town officials have been in contract negotiations over the last few months. The Town of Shutesbury officials doesn't seem to share the love and respect that the townspeople and their firefighters have for him. He has been a guiding force in the safety and prevention for this town for decades. And rather than seeing him as an asset and investment they saw him as expendable."

The statement ends with an appeal for residents to call the Select Board and urge them to change their minds.

Tibbetts said the pay increase he is seeking would reflect the increased responsibilities he has taken over the years. In addition to being fire chief, he's also the emergency management director, forest warden and 911 coordinator. He said the town reworked his job description recently for the first time in a dozen years and the document grew to twice its former length.

His present salary, he said, is $21,000 less than the $76,489 budgeted for the town police chief. Shutesbury is interviewing candidates for a new police chief.

The advertisement for the post requires the new chief to live within 35 minutes of Shutesbury. Referring to that requirement, Czerwonka said Tibbetts lives in Shutesbury, and responds to all calls at all hours every day of the week.

The contract issue, based on meeting agendas posted on the town website, has been a part of the last two Select Board meetings. It was the sole item for discussion in the meeting Tuesday.

Tibbetts said he is willing to meet with town officials to negotiate up until midnight on July 31.

"I'm here until I'm not here," he said. "If the problem is not solved by then, then I'm not here."

He said he feels for the residents of town who could find themselves without a working fire department on Aug. 1. "Whatever ramifications there are, it's not good," he said.

The Shutesbury Fire Department, like most in the state, has mutual aid agreements with neighboring communities. Under mutual aid, communities will dispatch equipment and personnel to neighboring communities for help with emergencies.

But if Shutesbury's fire department closes, the town may not be able to rely on help from out of town. "You have to have a fire department to request mutual aid," Tibbetts said. "If you do not, then no mutual aid."

"At some point the town will have to figure out how to get coverage," he said. "And it's going to be a lot more expensive than the $5,000 they are not willing to pay me."

State police, tweeting about 3:15 p.m., stated it will take five to six hours to offload the tanker's cargo and clean up.

WHATELY -- Cleanup following a fuel tanker truck rollover and spill on Interstate 91 early Wednesday afternoon -- which prompted state police to close both sides of the highway -- will likely stretch well past the evening commute, state police say.

State police, tweeting about 3:15 p.m., stated it will take five to six hours to offload the tanker's cargo and clean up.

Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes.

The crash was reported in the northbound lanes of I-91 shortly after noon, according to tweets by Fireground 360. State police closed both directions of the interstate a short time later.

A foam truck from Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee and state Department of Environmental Protection personnel were summoned to the scene. Firefighters from a number of communities are providing mutual aid.

It's not clear if there are any injuries.

This is a developing story. Additional information will be posted as soon as it is available.

Brietta Brown, the woman accused of slashing two people's throats on a PVTA bus last month in Hadley will be returning to a mental health facility in Boston after she decided not to challenge a competency ruling.

BELCHERTOWN - Brietta Brown, accused of slashing two people's throats on a bus last month in Hadley, will return to a mental health facility in Boston after deciding not to challenge a competency ruling.

Initially, Brown was challenging a ruling that she was incompetent to stand trial and would have been sent to jail. But after a brief court appearance Wednesday, she changed her mind and said she would not challenge it. 

She will return to Eastern Hampshire District Court July 2 for a dangerousness hearing.

Brown has been held at the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health facility in Boston, where she was committed at a May 4 hearing.

Brown's court-appointed attorney, Alan Rubin, said he was concerned for her well-being if she was sent to jail. He told the court that Brown would not speak to him. "She's not going to have effective representation because of her condition," he said.

Brown, 26, is facing two counts of attempted murder, one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and one count of disturbing the peace. She is accused in a May 2 attack on passengers on a Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus heading from Amherst to Northampton along Route 9 in Hadley.

Police said she pulled out a knife and slashed two people's throats before the driver and other passengers wrestled the weapon away. The victims were treated at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton and released. The driver was also cut and had chest pains, and was also taken to the hospital, police said.

Tom Picard of Amherst, who helped subdue Brown, said in a previous interview the two passengers who were slashed were lucky that "the knife wasn't very sharp."

Picard said Brown repeatedly apologized for what she did and kept asking God for forgiveness. According to a Hadley police report, Brown allegedly said, "I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me. Please apologize to them for me, will they survive? I hope Allah will forgive me."

Brown had been scheduled to appear in court last month for a dangerousness hearing, but that was postponed because Rubin told the court she was "not doing very well." That May 23 postponement was the second delay.

An investigation found they illegally hired a 14-year-old girl, had her work nights and unsupervised - and then didn't pay her.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - The state Attorney General's office on Wednesday announced it fined the father-and-daughter owners of a Subway restaurant $77,000 after finding they paid employees below minimum wage, and in one case illegally hired a 14-year-old girl who they did not pay at all.

Shruti B. Oza and her father Bharat V. Oza, and their company, Shreeji Group of Longmeadow LLC, were cited for four intentional civil violations: child labor violations, failure to pay minimum wage, non-payment of wages, and failure to provide records for inspection.

All of the violations were found at their Subway franchise in West Springfield.

Bharat Oza was also cited for failing to provide records for inspection in another business he owns, the Regency Inn on Riverdale Street.

"These employers took advantage of their workers, deprived them of the wages they were owed, and put a young employee in danger by asking her to work too long, too late, and without a proper work permit," said Attorney General Maura Healey.

"Where we see wage theft and other violations of the state labor law, we will take action to get workers the wages they are owed and to protect them from future exploitation."

The case was investigated by the Attorney General's Fair Labor Division after receiving a complaint from an employee who charged she was underpaid. The woman said that for some hours she was paid less than $11, the state's minimum wage, and for others she was not paid at all.

The woman also told investigators that her 14-year-old daughter was hired to work in the restaurant without requiring her to get a work permit, and that the daughter was also not paid.

In Massachusetts, children under age 14 are not allowed to hold jobs, while minors between the ages of 14 and 17 are required to have a work permit.

Investigators determined the employee making the complaint has routinely paid late, beginning in 2015, was paid below minimum wage for several months in 2016, and was not paid at all in 2017.  They also found her daughter was hired without a work permit, and that she was frequently required to work without supervision, at nights and for more hours per shift than allowed by law.

Massachusetts labor laws forbid 14-year-old children from working more than 3 hours a day or later than 7 p.m. during the school year.  Also all employees are to be paid within six days after the end of a pay period.

The fine includes $19378 in restitution to the woman and her daughter, and $58,200 in penalties.

Shreeji Group is appealing the decision.

President Trump's executive order ending separation of families at the border regarded as both a sign of hope, as well as sign more needs to be done on immigration.

SPRINGFIELD - Area religious leaders and those who work in the area of refugee resettlement among others reacted with both relief and concern to President Donald Trump's executive order ending the separation of families at the border.

His administration has taken a "zero tolerance" policy to those illegally crossing into the United States, which has meant the separation of more than 2,000 children from their parents in recent weeks.

Media coverage of children being kept in metal cages in detention facilities and reports of breast-feeding mothers having their children taken from them have united Democratic and Republican lawmakers in opposition and sparked nationwide protests.

In signing the order today, Trump said there will continue to be "zero tolerance for people that enter our country illegally," but the order will reportedly allow families to remain together during prosecution and deportation.

"While I affirm our country's right to enforce the laws in regard to our borders, the recent policy of separation was unconscionable and contradicted the values of our nation," said Springfield Roman Catholic Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski when asked his reaction to the change in policy.

"I pray that now this practice is stopped, innocent children will soon be reunited with their parents and families."

Pope Francis as well as the U.S. Catholic bishops had issued statements critical of the policy.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield were among the women religious who reacted with Sister Joan Ryzewicz, community president, calling family separation "not only heartbreaking but goes against everything we believe in as communities of faith, as individuals and as a nation."

Western Massachusetts Episcopal Bishop Douglas Fisher said he drew hope on two levels from both the ending of the separation practice and reaction to it.

"Certainly, any reversal of the president's stance is a sign of hope, but we must not stop the prayer, the protest, the pressure until the over 2,000 children - already separated from their parents - have been reunited with them," Fisher said,

"The backlash against this sinful edict gives me hope, also. Our shared humanity may be distorted by sin, dulled by helplessness, but we are crying out with one voice for the sake of the children. God sees. God hears. And we will not stop resisting this policy until it takes its place near the broken treaties and internment camps of the 19th and 20th centuries."

Area clinical psychologist Patricia Martin, who works with families, called putting children in cages "barbaric and abusive" and that the United States, as a "civilized nation," should "never allow such treatment of any human being, let alone children."

A similar reaction came from Kathryn Buckley-Brawner, executive director of Catholic Charities for the Springfield Diocese, an agency that has helped resettle refugees in the Northampton area.

She said she was "relieved" that the administration is planning to end "the forced separation of children from their parents."

"Yet I remain concerned over the lack of a long-term plan to respond humanely to those who are escaping horrific circumstances, a policy that I hope would better reflect the values of our nation," Buckley-Brawner said.

The Very Rev. Tom Callard, dean of Christ Church Cathedral and a former missionary in Honduras, called Trump's executive order ending family separation "fantastic" but said other "policies in place are still very difficult and punitive."

"People leave their homelands for a lot of reasons, they risk death, physical and sexual assault, betrayal at the hands of coyotes, and imprisonment in Mexico and the U.S., and they spend often upwards of $10,000 to cross the border not because they feel like it's a matter of simple choice, but because it's a matter of urgency and necessity, in some cases a matter of life and death," Callard said.

"We oppose the destruction of families who are here and the denial of basic dignity to those who have been labeled as illegals, dogs, mongrels, etc. by politicians elected to uphold our nation's laws and standards. These are not standards of treatment that reflect the values of our country, or the values of our Bible or our Christian Faith. Jesus would be horrified, and there's nothing in the New Testament that suggests that the inhuman treatment of outsiders, the marginalized, the poor is OK, according to Jesus. Just the opposite, it's not OK, it's what he worked against. His table, his kingdom, his movement, meant to bridge and unify, not separate and punish." 

When reached for her reaction, Maxine Stein, head of Jewish Family Service of Western Massachusetts, had just finished observing World Refugee Day with her staff, many of whom are former refugees who now help the agency in its resettlement of refugees in the Greater Springfield Area.

Stein said that if the "president is able to correct the current situation it will help to undo some of the cruel policies that our children are suffering."

"Those of us in the Jewish community understand very well what it looks like when a government targets innocent people," said Stein, adding more resources are need to process those arriving at the borders.

"These people who are escaping violence have gone on a horrendous journey, walking with their children and making frightening decisions. They are not doing so to pull the wool over someone's eyes (to get into this country.)"

Saying Trump's now ended policy of family separation has "plunged us into a moral crisis," she pointed to the "plight of refugee children around the world" and called addressing their suffering "a test of who we are as human beings."

Association health plans allow small businesses and self-employed workers to join together to buy health insurance as if they were one large business. This gives them more market power to get better rates.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood said Wednesday that they will sue President Donald Trump's administration over the expansion of "association health plans."

Association health plans allow small businesses and self-employed workers to join together to buy health insurance as if they were one large business. This gives them more market power to get better rates.

Critics say the plans have fewer protections than plans offered under the Affordable Care Act, and the coverage they offer is often inadequate.

"Yesterday's announcement by the Trump Administration to dramatically expand the footprint of Association Health Plans will invite fraud, mismanagement, and deception - and, as we've made clear, will do nothing to help ease the real health care challenges facing Americans," Healey and Underwood said in a joint statement. "We believe the rule, as proposed, is unlawful and would lead to fewer critical consumer health protections."

"We will sue to safeguard the protections under the Affordable Care Act and ensure that all families and small businesses have access to quality, affordable health care," Healey and Underwood said.

The Trump administration said it is trying to expand affordable health insurance options for small businesses.

Healey and 16 other attorneys general previously wrote to the U.S. Department of Labor opposing the rule, which expands eligibility for people to purchase these plans. The attorneys general cited a "history of fraud and abuse" by association health plans, which resulted in "a trail of unpaid claims."

They said many association plans have been either entirely fraudulent or offered skimpy insurance with minimal coverage.

Full year net income was $20.1 million, or 37 cents per share, compared with $127.9 million, or $2.25 per share, last year for the firearms brand headquartered in Springfield. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- Sales were down 33 percent last year for American Outdoor Brands Corp., the parent of Springfield gunmaker Smith & Wesson, according to a disappointing earnings report issued after the close of the stock market Wednesday.

American Outdoor Brands said its full-year net sales for the fiscal year completed April 30 were $606.9 million, compared with $903.2 million a year ago.

Fourth-quarter net sales were $172 million, compared with $229.2 million for the fourth quarter last year, a decrease of 24.9 percent, the company said.

Full year net income was $20.1 million, or 37 cents  per share, compared with $127.9 million, or $2.25 per share, last year.

Fourth-quarter net income was $7.7 million, or 14 cents  per share, compared with $27.7 million, or 50 cents a share, for the comparable quarter last year.

Analysts at Zacks Equity Research predicted American Outdoor Brands' fourth-quarter earnings would be 11 cents a share.

American Outdoor Brands stock, AOBC on the Nasdaq Stock Market, traded at $13.20 at the close of trading Wednesday. In after hours trading, it fell to $12.80 a share.

A year ago the stock traded at $23.70 a share.

"Fiscal 2018 was a year characterized by lower consumer demand for firearms, heightened levels of inventory in the consumer channel, and a host of aggressive, industry-wide promotions," James Debney, American Outdoor Brands Corporation president and CEO said in a news release. "Despite those challenges, we achieved a number of accomplishments in the year that marked important progress toward our long-term strategy of being the leading provider of quality products for the shooting, hunting, and rugged outdoor enthusiast."

Debney said new gun models introduced by AOBC in the last 12 months accounted for 29 percent of firearms revenue.

He also said in the release that AOBC is diversifying. The corporation's outdoor products and accessories segment generated 26 percent of total revenue in fiscal 2018 compared with 14 percent in fiscal 2017. AOBC has bought knife makers and companies that make camping and hunting gear.

American Outdoor Brands has 1,600 employees at its Springfield plant.

Gun sales have been soft across the industry. Gun buyers tend to stock up when a Democrat is in the White house fearing increased gun regulations.

AOBC has been the target of gun control advocates. A man used a Smith & Wesson rifle at a high school in Parkland, Florida, earlier this year, killing 17. 

Since then, protesters periodically rally on Roosevelt Avenue outside American Outdoor Brands headquarters calling for stricter gun control. The company won't acknowledge them.

Horace Smith and Daniel Baird Wesson formed their partnership in 1852. Through the years, Smith & Wesson became famous for its revolvers, making them for Old West figures, police, the czar's Russian Army and allies in both World Wars. 

A court should be able to intervene and review the two qualified examiners' determination that convicted child rapist Wayne Chapman can be released, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a court filing.

A court should be able to intervene and review the two qualified examiners' determination that convicted child rapist Wayne Chapman can be released, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a court filing.

The state's Supreme Judicial Court had asked Healey, the chief law enforcement officer in Massachusetts, to weigh in on the controversy that has sparked anger among the victims and legislation from Gov. Charlie Baker.

Chapman has been in prison for 41 years.

Healey's office said without the high court's intervention, the conclusion of the two medical or psychiatric professionals that Chapman is no longer sexually dangerous can't be tested by a fact-finder after cross-examination or on appeal.

Under a previous ruling, the conclusions of two qualified examiners can prevent a court proceeding and avoid "any scrutiny for sufficient basis, reliability, or methodology" of the conclusions, Eric Haskell, assistant attorney general, wrote in a brief filed on Healey's behalf.

The rule letting someone like Chapman to be released after two examiners determine he isn't sexually dangerous "allows the offender to manipulate the process by choosing what information he will give to the only experts whose opinions count at that initial stage - the qualified examiners," he added.

Chapman's victims should also have a say in the process, according to Haskell.

Read Attorney General Maura Healey's court brief on the case of convicted child rapist Wayne Chapman

Healey backs Baker's proposed bill overhauling the process involving the civil commitment of child predators, saying it would remove the qualified examiners' role as "gatekeepers" on whether someone like Chapman can be released.

But as her office and Baker have noted, the bill, if it becomes law, would affect cases going forward and not affect the Chapman case.

"This case therefore calls for judicial, not legislative, relief," Haskell wrote.

As he was set to be released, Chapman, 70, was arrested in prison and charged with lewd conduct. He has pleaded not guilty and remains in prison.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker pushes back on criticism from Wayne Chapman's attorney, psychologist

Maintenance costs and parking are among questions the Holyoke City Council has in deciding whether to buy a church.

HOLYOKE -- The good news is that because of recent City Council votes there's plenty of free cash in the budget to buy a church.

The bad news is that some of the Council votes have prompted rancor, including rejection of $142,000 for firefighter raises, and some councilors question the wisdom of taking ownership of the closed, 117-year-old Mater Dolorosa Church.

Next up for consideration of the Mater Dolorosa Church purchase is the Monday meeting of the Council Development and Government Relations Committee (DGR) at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.

It's possible that after the DGR meeting a special meeting of the City Council could be called next week to consider the church purchase, said Councilor Joseph M. McGiverin, chairman of the Finance Committee.

Once issues are discussed again and questions asked related to the proposed purchase of the church at the DGR meeting, the Finance Committee can consider whether to recommend approval of a $50,000 transfer for the church purchase, he said.

Before the City Council met Tuesday, questions existed about how the $236,000 available in free cash at that point could be stretched to pay for what was then a total of $346,000 in proposed transfers. 

Firefighters in Holyoke seek return to bargaining after Council rejects contract funding

But rejection of the $142,000 to fund retroactive pay increases for firefighters in a new contract and dismissal of other proposals leaves about $200,000 in free cash as councilors decide whether to buy the church, McGiverin said.

"It's in progress, but there's a lot of questions," he said.

Mayor Alex B. Morse and Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, announced May 31 an agreement had been reached for the city to buy the church at Maple and Lyman streets. Morse had begun talks with Rozanski in October to try to avoid Diocese plans to demolish the structure.

Springfield Catholic diocese agrees to sell Mater Dolorosa Church to Holyoke

The Diocese owns the church at 71 Maple St. It was closed in 2011 because of declining parishioner numbers and concerns about the steeple's stability, diocese officials said, but others have said the church structure is sound and will last for years.

The Diocese combined Mater Dolorosa with the former Holy Cross Church to form Our Lady of the Cross at 23 Sycamore St.

If the City Council approves the funding, the plan is for the city to hire a company to operate and maintain and do fundraising for the church. The structure would be used to hold cultural events and banquets and possibly to house a a transition program for special needs students, officials have said.

Morse reiterated his reasoning for having the city buy the church during the DGR meeting June 18, which The Republican watched on cable television.

Mater Dolorosa Church was built and paid for by Polish immigrants, who for decades attended services and embraced the building as a centerpiece, a "historic treasure in the city," Morse said.

"So, to some extent, I think it's an obligation, to some extent, even a moral obligation," he said. "If not for our intervention, this church will get demolished."

But among questions posed by McGiverin and others are:

• can the city afford to pay for long-term maintenance and upkeep if for some reason a company to handle such duties can't be found
• an estimated budget for short- and long-term maintenance of the church
• a list of maintenance needs at the church such as the roof and modernization of bathrooms to meet handicapped accessibility codes
• the uncertainty in the purchase and sale agreement between the city and Diocese on availability of parking at the site, though officials said at the DGR meeting that the agreement says that parking is "not to be unreasonably withheld."

The heating system in the church consists of three zones. One is connected to natural gas and the other two could be retrofitted to heat with gas. The system is more modern than officials had thought, Rory Casey, Morse's chief of staff, told the DRG committee.

Timing is another issue. Officials have said the city's purchase of Mater Dolorosa Church must be completed by June 29, before the beginning of the new fiscal year July 1.

But DGR Chairman David K. Bartley, a lawyer, said his reading of the purchase and sale agreement between the city and the Diocese was that it was signed Monday, June 18, and that the deal's "drop-dead date" would be a month from then, July 18.