The university said Sunday that it will take down the larger-than-life monument in the face of an investigative report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh that found the late coach, along with three top Penn State administrators, concealed the abuse claims against Jerry Sandusky more than a decade ago in order to shield the university and its football program from negative publicity.

FILE - The statue of former Penn State University head football coach Joe Paterno stands outside Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., in this July 13, 2012 file photo. Police and construction workers have barricaded both sides of street and the sidewalks near the Joe Paterno statue at Penn State University Sunday July 22, 2012. A chain-link fence has been erected around the perimeter surrounding the statue.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State University will remove the famed statue of Joe Paterno outside its football stadium, eliminating a key piece of the iconography surrounding the once-sainted football coach accused of burying child sex abuse allegations against a retired assistant.

The university said Sunday that it will take down the larger-than-life monument in the face of an investigative report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh that found the late coach, along with three top Penn State administrators, concealed the abuse claims against Jerry Sandusky more than a decade ago in order to shield the university and its football program from negative publicity.

Construction vehicles and police arrived shortly after dawn Sunday, barricading the street and sidewalks near the statue, erecting a chain-link fence then concealing the statue with a blue tarp.

The bronze sculpture outside Beaver Stadium has been a rallying point for students and alumni outraged over Paterno's firing four days after Sandusky's Nov. 5 arrest — and grief-stricken over the Hall of Fame coach's Jan. 22 death at age 85.

But it turned into a target for critics after the Freeh report's stunning allegation of a cover-up by Paterno, ousted President Graham Spanier and two Penn State officials, Athletic Director Tim Curley and Vice President Gary Schultz. Their failure to report Sandusky to child-welfare authorities in 2001 allowed him to continue molesting boys, the report found.

Paterno's family, along with attorneys for Spanier, Curley and Schultz, vehemently deny any suggestion they protected a pedophile. Curley and Schultz await trial on charges of failing to report child abuse and lying to a grand jury but maintain their innocence. Spanier hasn't been charged. Sandusky was convicted last month of 45 counts of sexual abuse of 10 boys.

Some newspaper columnists and former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden have said the statue should be taken down, while a small plane pulled a banner over State College reading, "Take the statue down or we will."

But Paterno still has plenty of fans, and Penn State's decision to remove the monument won't sit well with them. One student even vowed to "chain myself to that statue" if there was an attempt to remove it.

University officials had called the issue a sensitive one in light of Paterno's enormous contributions to the school over a 61-year coaching career. The Paterno family is well-known in the community for philanthropic efforts, including the millions of dollars they've donated to the university to help build a library and fund endowments and scholarships.

The statue, nearly 7 feet tall and weighing more than 900 pounds, was built in 2001 in honor of Paterno's record-setting 324th Division 1 coaching victory and his "contributions to the university."

East Longmeadow Planning Board members listen to concerns about a six lot subdivision off Porter Road.

EAST LONGMEADOW – Residents abutting a six-lot subdivision are concerned about how the new homes will affect their current flooding issues and landscape.

More than 20 residents attended a Planning Board meeting Tuesday night to speak with Gary Weiner, an engineer for Ecotec Environmental Associates, about the new subdivision on Winterberry Lane off Porter Road. The lot is owned by Michael Lemanski.

Weiner spoke with residents about plans for the project, which could include six 2000-square-foot homes, and could begin this fall.

Donna Wheeler, who lives on Evergreen Drive, said she is concerned about the loss of trees in her backyard. Currently, the subdivision space is a wooded area.

“I want to know if there will be a buffer zone between my property and the new house,” she said.

Weiner said while there is no assurance that a property owner will not cut all the trees down, it is very unlikely.

“We find that most people will not cut all the way back to their property line,” he said.

Residents also expressed concerns about flooding that already occurs on their properties and whether the new construction will increase that.

Michael Harding, who lives on Brookhaven Drive, said his backyard is prone to flooding and his sump pump is working non-stop.

Weiner said due to very strict regulations from the Department of Environmental Protection, particularly regarding storm water drainage, the construction of the new homes will not have any negative effects on the abutters.

“Our policy is do no harm, so we will not be able to fix your problem, but we won’t be making it worse either,” he said.

Another resident expressed concerns about dust and debris from the construction. Weiner said that will not be an issue because of state regulations which require a supervisor on site to constantly check on conditions including hosing down equipment and making sure debris is not entering the storm water drains.

The public hearing will be continued on Aug. 14 during a Planning Board meeting at Town Hall. 

The comedienne visited the amusement park with her daughter and grandson.

Six Flags New EnglandComedy great Joan Rivers poses with Daffy Duck during a visit to Six Flags New England on Saturday, July 21, 2012.

No, it was not the heat or your eyes playing tricks on you. That really was Joan Rivers having a blast with her family at Six Flags New England in Agawam on Saturday,

The comedy great visited the amusement park along with her daughter, Melissa; grandson, Cooper; and a few friends, on a day-off from filming a TV show in eastern Massachusetts, according to Six Flags Communications Manager Melissa Pinkerton.

Rivers has been filming a reality show with her daughter in Plymouth, and at Boston's Fenway Park and Freedom Trail. The comedienne told Pinkerton she was taking Cooper on a tour of the original 13 colonies.

Earlier this month, Gordon Weissman, a 3ird-generation baker, found himself within weeks of closing the landmark his father, Paul, and his uncle, Gus, opened in 1958.

The Republican / Dave Roback07/17/12-Springfield-Staff Photo by Dave Roback- Gordon R. Weissman of Gus and Paul's on Sumner Ave. in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD — Mention Gus & Paul's to a longtime resident and you are likely to get some variation of “I love that place. Their food is so good. I haven’t been there in years.”

And that, in a nutshell, is what is killing Gus & Paul’s and breaking the heart of owner Gordon R. Weissman.

Earlier this month, Weissman, a third-generation baker, found himself within weeks of closing the landmark his father, Paul, and his uncle, Gus, opened in 1958. Business at the Sumner Avenue landmark has been off for several years.

“It would have been very easy to close. My wife thinks I should close the place and teach baking,” Weissman said.

But he didn’t close. Instead he wrote a letter to the public at large pointing out the tremendous competition he faces from big-box retailers. Big-box retailers, he says that make you think they have bakeries but in reality they just have a place where cakes are unthawed and decorated.

“You see a man in a white coat behind a counter,” he said. “You don’t see the giant freezer. You don’t see the buckets of chemicals. If you buy a loaf of rye from me, in a few days it is going to mold. You can buy a loaf of rye from the grocery store and it won’t mold. There is a reason for that.”

Weissman also wrote a letter to members of the local Jewish community.

“It burns me up when I see Jewish people buying bagels and other bakery products in the supermarket,” Weissman wrote in the letter.

The Jewish Community Center in Springfield responded by increasing its order, he said.

He also called his staff of about 20 into a meeting and laid out the situation. He cut pay, but promised to reverse the pay cut and grant raises in January if the business survives.

“I’m happy with the way the staff is taking it,” Weissman said. “They are going to sail with me or sink with me.”

He also emphasized the need for great customer service.

“We haven’t been doing everything we should,” he said. “Every visit for every customer should be special.”

The Republican / Dave Roback07/20/12-Springfield-S-Customers wait at the bakery counter at Gus and Paul's in Springfield.

He also markets the store with coupons in The Republican and on Groupon. He’s also started distributing coupons door-to-door in Springfield.

Harlan E. Spotts, a professor of marketing at Western New England University, said Weissman might feel like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. But he is hardly alone.

Changes in the business world before and during the Great Recession have hit small, family-run businesses very hard. “I think when you look, even prior to the current downturn, the business landscape was changing and so much of that change was being driven by technology,” Spotts said.

People look to social media like Foursquare and Twitter for buying cues. That can leave a mom and pop store out of the conversation for most families. The recession also has people making price-conscious decisions. The perception, not always the reality, is that big-box stores offer better prices.

“With high gas prices, people consolidate trips,” Spotts said. “In the old days, if you wanted fancy baked goods you made a special trip. People won’t do that anymore. They want everything in one place.”

Weissman said that to save the business, he figures he needs about 1,000 people a week to come in and spend $10 each. He said it's a realistic goal, given the crowds the store draws at holidays when people want something special for Passover or Christmas.

“If people want me here on Christmas Eve, they have to support me all year,” Weissman said.

Catering has been spotty because companies are more reluctant to host events.

Commercial accounts are down.

“A banquet house that used to buy 50 dozen dinner rolls doesn’t buy as many anymore,” Weissman said.

He sat for an interview in the middle of the afternoon, after lunch but too early for dinner, on a weekday. A few customers came in for a dozen of this or a dozen of that. A few people sat at the deli eating sandwiches.

“If anything, the deli is carrying us,” Weismann said. “That business has been steady.”

Everything sold in the bakery was baked the night before. It also came into the building as ingredients: butter, flour, cream.

Weissman, 48, illustrates his point while serving a visitor a water roll so soft and creamy its hard to tell where the butter ends and the bread begins. A selection of cookies, Greek almond cookies and Chinese cookies that have been a staple of New York Jewish bakeries for generations, popped with flavor. He said his prices are reasonable. A half-sheet cake costs $29.99 and feeds 25 to 30 people. A quarter sheet sells for $17.50.

Weissman said his parents brought him to the bakery as a newborn, stopping off on the way home from the hospital. His first job was putting empty baking trays under a dough cutter as it plopped out hunks of chocolate chip cookie dough, then stacking the cookies-to-be on racks near the ovens.

The old-world immigrant bakers his father, Paul, hired held their secrets tight. But they made an exception for the boss’s kid and they trained him well over the years.

“I learned the Greek almond cookie from a Greek, French pastries from a French baker, Italian pastries from an Italian,” he said.

Gordon Weissman's Letter to Community on behalf of Gus & Paul's of Springfield.

Gordon Weissman's letter of appeal to Springfield-area Jewish community.

Allen B. Kronick, senior business adviser at Massachusetts Small Business Development Center Inc. in Springfield, said reaching out to Jewish leaders was a good move. Kronick, who advises small businesses for a living, raves about Weismann’s Challa bread.

“He puts this egg wash over it so that it just shines,” Kronick said. “I can’t get enough of it. If I go there to get cookies or cupcakes for the office, I’m never disappointed.”

But Challa bread might not be enough. Weismann’s problem is location and the store itself.

“His target customer moved away. His is not an easy place to get to,” Kronick said. “I think his customers are older and young people are not going there. Parking is an issue.”

Kronick said dated decor also serves as a turn off. The clutch of regulars Kronick sees having coffee and snacks in the morning might not help. A younger customer, someone with a young family, might be turned off.

“If a place doesn’t seem of your generation, that might be a turnoff,” he said.

The solution may be to move or renovate, Kronick said. Alternatively, Weissman should start selling his branded baked goods through other specialty shops, places foodies congregate.

“At the very least have a kiosk location during the holidays somewhere with high foot traffic,” he said.

Julie A. Caswell, a professor in the department of resource economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, also said Weissman needs to at least think about moving.

“This is the story of these neighborhood retail strips everywhere,” she said. “A lot of neighborhoods don’t have enough people for walk-in trade. Look at shopping strips like Riverdale in West Springfield. They draw people out of neighborhoods. Places like Gus & Paul’s become things even people who live nearby drive past on their way to shop somewhere else.”

Weissman said it would be hard to move given the large and cumbersome baking equipment.

Mostly sunny skies continue this afternoon, scattered thunderstorms and high humidity is back for Monday.

It will be a great finish to this mid-July weekend for the Pioneer Valley. High pressure will keep skies mostly sunny for a majority of the day. An approaching system for the west will bring the temperatures and dewpoints up a couple of degrees as it kicks in a southerly flow (although nothing too unpleasant). Highs will be in the upper-80s for the Springfield-Westfield areas, with mid-80s for Northampton and low-80s for the hilltowns.

An isolated shower is possible this evening across the Berkshires. Skies will start to cloud up tonight, but most of the scattered thunderstorms will hold off until tomorrow. The humidity levels will continue to climb as well.

Unfortunately, Monday will not be the widespread day-long rain that the region desperately needs. Showers and thunderstorms will be scattered in nature, and while a storm may produce a brief heavy downpour, it won't do much in the long run to help the drought we're in.

An isolated shower sticks around for Tuesday, and then we will be back to comfortable, sunny weather for the second-half of the workweek. We're keeping our fingers crossed, but early looks at next weekend may provide a batch of slightly steadier rain for Saturday.

Sunday: Mostly sunny, a touch warmer/more humid, high 88.

Sunday night: Increasing clouds, an isolated mountain shower, milder and more humid, low 65.

Monday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, humid, high 86.

Tuesday: An isolated shower/thunderstorm, partly sunny, high 88.

The late singer's siblings are contesting his will, which left his fortune to his mother and three children.

APKatherine Jackson

Updated at 6:45 p.m.:

Newsday reported Katherine Jackson is in Arizona with her daughter Rebbie following a doctor's orders to rest. She had not  been in contact with her attorneys, who worked Sunday to learn more information about her whereabouts and why she had suddenly become incommunicado.

_______________

Katherine Jackson, the 82-year-old mother of the late Michael Jackson, has been reported missing to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department by her nephew, according to Fox News. The nephew told police on Sunday he had not spoken with his aunt in one week.

Michael Jackson's 14-year-old daughter, Paris, took to Twitter to seek assistance. "Yes, my grandmother is missing. I haven't spoken with her in a week. Ii want her home now."

Katherine Jackson was named the permanent guardian of her late son’s three children.

Paris Jackson tweeted a telephone number to call and questioned the motives of a physician caring for her grandmother. "The same doctor that testified on behalf of Dr. (Conrad) Murray saying my father was a drug addict (a lie) is caring for my grandmother... just saying."

However, her uncle, Jermaine Jackson, tweeted "I want to reassure everyone (incl all sudden medical experts) that Mother is fine but is resting up in AZ on the orders of a doctor, not us. He later added, "This is our mother and her health is paramount. We are not inventing or plotting anything. We are following doctor's advice. Period."

The latest development comes after a letter signed by the late pop superstar's siblings -- Jermaine, Janet, Rebbie, Randy and Tito -- was made public Wednesday. The Detroit Free Press reported said it accused Michael Jackson's estate executors John Branca and John McClain of conspiracy and abusing their mother.

In his will, the singer left his fortune to his mother and three children. Jackson's siblnings have called the will “fake, flawed and fraudulent.”

Breaking down the Patriots roster in advance of training camp.

Associated PressThis Tom Brady guy is still pretty good.

The New England Patriots already proved that it is possible to get to the Super Bowl without a quality defense last season.

They aren’t banking on that formula again. The organization spent the winter trying to get better across the board, and, if everything breaks right, they should once again be in the title mix at end of the season.

With training camp set to begin Thursday, it's a good time to audit the roster and determine where the perceived strengths and weaknesses exist so we know what to look for moving forward.

We begin with the strengths.

Quarterback: While some may argue that Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees have surpassed him, you’ll find few people who will contest that Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. And somehow he keeps getting better.

Coming off his most efficient season as a passer in 2010, where he threw just four interceptions and won the MVP award, Brady amassed 5,235 yards last season, his most as a professional, and led the Patriots to the Super Bowl. There’s no reason to think that is in for any kind of regression this season.

Behind him, the Patriots have one of the league’s best backups in Brian Hoyer, who could be in his last year with the team, and Ryan Mallett remains an intriguing understudy.

Wide receiver: The limited glimpse that was provided during organized team activities was enough to get excited over the potential of this group.

Wes Welker remains the most effective slot receiver in the league, and Brandon Lloyd routinely made catches deep down the field during OTAs that caused spectators to gasp.

While it’s easy for anyone to look good in shorts, there is little reason to doubt Lloyd will continue to impress with pads on. He’s proven to be productive in Josh McDaniels offense and has never played with an elite quarterback

Behind those two, New England will have to choose from a talented group of players that includes Deion Branch, Jabar Gaffney, Julian Edelman and Donte Stallworth. Chances are someone isn’t going to make it out of camp on the roster.

Tight end: Rob Gronkowski proved to be the best tight end in the NFL last season. Aaron Hernandez was its most explosive.

It may be unreasonable to expect Gronkowski to eclipse 1,300 yards again, but if both can stay healthy there’s little reason to expect much to change here.

Defensive tackle: Vince Wilfork still exists and Jonathan Fanene was a nice offseason addition. Kyle Love and Brandon Deaderick both impressed last season in lesser roles. Love may have reached his peak as a player, but he’s good enough as a complementary piece.

Linebacker: Listing this as one of strengths of the roster may not be the right label, but the elements are there for the group to show improvement.

Having Brandon Spikes, who missed half of last season, healthy will greatly improve the group, as will the additions of rookie Dont’a Hightower and free agent Bobby Carpenter, who could start on the outside.

Hightower may take some time to get up to speed, but his ability to play both inside and outside will give the team some flexibility and possibly allow them to keep another player at a different position.

Rob Ninkovich spent most of his time at defensive end during OTAs, but if he moves back to linebacker that will only serve to strengthen this group.

Specialists: Punter Zoltan Mesko was fifth in net yards per punt (42.6) and Stephen Gostkowski connected on better than 84 percent of his field goal attempts.

Springfield firefighters assist woman threatening to jump from a second floor window.

The Republican | Mark M. Murray

SPRINGFIELD- A woman threatening to jump from a second floor window on Chestnut Street was convinced to come down a ladder by firefighters, said Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant.

Firefighters responded to 832 Chestnut St. at 8:48 a.m.. Sunday after receiving calls about a woman trying to jump from a second story window.

"She was arguing with people inside the house who were trying to keep her from jumping. When fire fighters arrived they put a ladder up to the window and she agreed to come down," Leger said.

There were no injuries.

It's a year of two steps forward and two steps back.

Associated Press photoIt's not the ball, Josh.

Three things you should be worried about as the Red Sox try to escape the futile world and misery that comes with being a .500 baseball team ..

BECKETT BEING BECKETT: You’re a 32-year-old pitcher in the midst of one of the worst seasons of your career and the issues behind your struggles are easily diagnosable.

So what do you do? If you happen to be Josh Beckett, the answer is nothing.

You ignore the fact that you’re supposed to be the so-called ace of the pitching staff and turn a blind eye to the fact that you have a 10.69 ERA in the first inning of games, because, well, aces don’t admit to be being fallible.

It doesn’t matter that the team thinks you warm up too early before games and that by simply starting later you could probably be the pitcher you are innings two through nine, where your ERA falls to 3.38. You’re Josh Freaking Beckett, and no one gives Josh Beckett constructive criticism.

“This is a dog that is hard to teach a new trick to,” Valentine said Saturday. “He’s been very successful warming up as early as he warms up. I’ve never seen anybody have the break he has in between the time he warms up and in between the time he goes out there.”

I get that Beckett has enjoyed success. But that isn’t true this year. What worked when he was in 20s may not work now. It’s time to try something new, put yourself second, and try to help your teammates get to the playoffs.

We’re talking about an insignificant change in routine. Not a kidney donation.

MIDDLEBROOKS DOWN: Will Middlebrooks has fallen back to earth with a loud, resounding thud.

After hitting .331 with nine homers over his first 40 games, the third baseman has hit .185 with two homers in the following 17 games before being given Sunday off.

Perhaps it’s the typical ups and downs that occur over the course of a long season, but a National League scout I spoke with over the weekend doesn’t think Middlebrooks will ever be as good as he was when he lit the world on fire earlier this summer.

“I think he’s just an OK player, but they want a superstar at every position in Boston,” the scout said. “I don’t know if he’ll ever be that.”

And we all know how this region loves its OK baseball players.

LESTER: You saw him pitch Sunday, right? That was a drastic exaggeration of his struggles, but it wasn’t exactly an aberration.

He stinks right now. Just look at these numbers.

• 31, 29, 27, 29: The number of first-inning pitches he’s thrown his last four starts.
• .331: Opposing hitter’s batting average on balls in play against Lester. Sure, some of that is bad luck, especially considering that his career average is .302, but it’s also the result of him being very hittable right now.
• 16 IP, 22 ER, 25 H, 10 BB, 12 SO: That’s Lester’s line over his last three starts.

And don’t tell me he doesn’t care. No one wants to go out on a mound and be embarrassed like that.

BONUS: The Red Sox are 72-80 since Aug. 1. This isn’t a small sample anymore. This is a team in trouble.

Memorial service held for journalism professor Howard Ziff.

AMHERST – Howard Ziff was many things, a journalist, a teacher, a mentor, a story teller a father and husband, a friend.

Those who knew him and loved him gathered at Memorial Hall at the University of Amherst Sunday to recall the man who in some way touched their lives.

Ziff, the founder of the journalism program at the university, died in April at age 81.

“We initially planned to do something right after he died, but I’m glad we decided to wait a bit,” said Karen List, the director of the journalism department at UMass. “There are so many people here from the area as well as New York and even Florida who came to hear and tell stories about this man who was there greatest of storytellers.”

Many of his friends, family members, colleagues and former students attended the memorial service, which included musical performances, a reading of the Mourner’s Kaddish, a Jewish prayer, and stories about Ziff’s life.

“One thing I always said about Howard is that anytime you have an event with Howard at the center of it it’s going to be fun,” said B.J. Roche a lecturer at the university, a former student of Ziff’s and organizer of the event. “This is really a celebration of his life and an opportunity for us to honor him even thought he is no longer with us.”

Ziff was born in Holyoke and received a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Amherst College before he was drafted during the Korean War. He began his journalism career as a reporter for Pacific Stars and Stripes. He moved to Chicago in 1958, where he worked at the City News Bureau of Chicago, a cooperative news agency, alongside famed newsman Mike Royko. Both men left the cooperative to work at the Chicago Daily News, where Ziff eventually become city editor. In 1968, Ziff left the newsroom to teach journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.He moved to Amherst in 1971 to establish the journalism program at UMass and served on its faculty until his retirement in 1998. He was chairman of the journalism program for about 13 years.

Larry Carpman was a student of Ziff’s in the 1970s. He said Ziff’s greatest quality was his passion.

“He taught me to be passionate about journalism, but more importantly he taught me to be passionate about life,” Carpman said.

Jon Hite, who was also a student of Ziff’s in the late 1970s, described him as a man of virtue, contemplation and understanding.

“He was more than a teacher he was an influence, a friend and a mentor and I will miss him,” he said.

Anyone interested in viewing the memorial can see it at ustream./channel/new-england-news-forum. 

Clouding up later tonight with scattered thunderstorms returning tomorrow.

Skies remain partly cloudy heading into the early evening, but an approaching system will start to increase the cloud cover later on in the night. An isolated shower may pop up this evening across the Berkshires, but most of the scattered thunderstorms will hold off until tomorrow. The humidity levels will continue to climb as well.

Unfortunately, Monday will not be the widespread day-long rain that the region desperately needs. Showers and thunderstorms will be scattered in nature, and while a storm may produce a brief heavy downpour, it won't do much in the long run to help the drought we're in. Given the hot and humid airmass in place, a few storms could potentially be on the strong side later in the afternoon.

An isolated shower sticks around for Tuesday, and then we will be back to comfortable, sunny weather for the second-half of the workweek. We're keeping our fingers crossed, but early looks at next weekend may provide a batch of slightly steadier rain for Saturday.

Sunday night: Partly cloudy early this evening, increasing clouds, an isolated mountain shower, milder and more humid, low 65.

Monday: Partly sunny, scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms, humid, high 89.

Tuesday: An isolated shower/thunderstorm, partly sunny, high 88.

Wednesday: Sunny, cooler and less humid, high 83.

Lester was taxed for 11 earned runs.

APBoston Red Sox's Jon Lester wipes his face on his uniform as he makes his way to the dugout after giving up four runs to the Toronto Blue Jays in the second inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Sunday, July 22, 2012.

BOSTON – The image of Jon Lester's Sunday was type of thing that would cause a man to jump from his bed in a sweat and rush to mirror during the middle of the night to affirm that it was, indeed, just a nightmare.

Only there was no escaping the horror. The big bad Toronto Blue Jays were real, and Lester had no choice but to stand alone in the middle of a field while 37,737 fans peered upon him to see how he would react to the abuse.

Four innings. 11 earned runs. Nine hits. Five walks. He was crestfallen after the game.

"I think it pretty much describes itself,” Lester said. “I don’t really … have words for it.”

It was the type of outing that made baseball agnostics wince. By the time Lester was able to retreat to the safety of the Fenway Park clubhouse, the Red Sox (48-48) were well on their way to a 15-7 loss and back in possession of a .500 record.

Boston begins a three-game series in Texas against the Rangers Monday. The Sox then head to New York to play three games against the Yankees.

Lester allowed 10 earned runs over his last 8 1/3 innings entering Sunday’s game. His ERA now stands at 5.46. He admitted after the game that something is amiss and that his confidence is shaken.

“It’s obviously not at the highest its ever been, but, I mean, the thing is that no one is going to feel sorry for me,” Lester said. “I just have to go out and pitch. I have to pitch better.

"I’m not worried about my confidence. I’m not worried about my mechanics. I’m not worried about anything but executing pitches, and I’m not doing that.”

Toronto (48-48) began tormenting Lester as soon as the Red Sox took the field when Brett Lawrie drilled the first pitch of the game, a belt-high fastball, over the Monster and out of the park. Things continued to grow darker from there, and by the end of the first inning the Blue Jays built a 5-0 lead.

Even when Lester did things right, he somehow managed to be punished for it. The lefty struck out Toronto leftfielder Travis Snider in the first inning, but his curveball had too much bite and snuck by catcher Jarrod Satlalamacchia, allowing Snider to take first.

In the second inning, Lester gave up back-to-back homers to J.P. Arencibia and Rajai Davis as part of a four-run barrage. He surrendered another homer in the fifth inning, his fourth of the game, before manager Bobby Valentine put a stop to the carnage.

Lester looked so defeated that second baseman Dustin Pedroia took it upon himself to have a long conversation with him during the game to reassure the pitcher that his teammates are still behind him.

“I just told him that we have his back. Everyone goes through tough times,” Pedroia said. “I just said, However many more starts you have the rest of the way ... we’re not going to win the World Series if Jonny is not himself, if I’m not myself.

“He’s not going anywhere. He’s our horse, we love him, and I’ll play behind him any day of the week.”

The state is trying to reduce the threat of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, a potentially deadly disease for humans.

Associated PressCattail mosquitos are seen in a petri dish for inspection at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute in Scarborough, Maine. Cattail mosquitos can transmit Eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus to humans. (AP Photo/Pat Wellenbach)

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts health officials say mosquito spraying will resume in 14 communities in southeastern Massachusetts to reduce the risk of mosquito-borne illness.

The state is trying to reduce the threat of Eastern Equine Encephalitis, a potentially deadly disease for humans.

State officials say they are spraying on Sunday evening after detecting several mosquito samples that tested positive recently for EEE in southeastern Massachusetts.

Spraying could not be completed on Saturday evening due to unsuitable weather conditions, including low temperatures.

Experts say the mild winter and recent high temperatures may have caused faster breeding and early development of the virus in mosquitoes.

The Sox were rattled by Sunday's loss to Toronto.

APToronto Blue Jays' Brett Lawrie, left, celebrates with J.P. Arencibia, center, as Boston Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, right, looks past after Arencibia hit a three-run home run off a pitch by Red Sox's Jon Lester in the second inning of a baseball game at Fenway Park in Boston, Sunday, July 22, 2012. The Blue Jays won 15-7.

BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox are in search of confidence following Sunday’s disheartening loss to the Toronto Blue Jays that sent them back into last place.

And with two pivotal series on the road against the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees that could play a big role in determining the outcome of Boston’s season, the club needs to find it in a hurry.

“We got to play well,” second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. “Especially at this time in the season, we have to find a way to grind out wins. We’re trying to find the identity of our team. We want to do something special.”

The Red Sox were only one game out of the Wild Card picture as recently as Thursday, but sat 3.5 back prior to the Sunday night game after being swept by the Blue Jays.

“This (trip) is very important, we’re talking about two of the best teams in the American League,” outfielder Cody Ross said. “Neither team’s actually playing that well, but we need to come in and play a lot better than we did today.

“It could really get us going. We just have to figure out how to get it going.”

ORTIZ STAYS BACK: Designated hitter David Ortiz will not join the Red Sox on their upcoming road trip to Texas, and will instead stay behind to rest and rehab his injured right Achilles.

He is hoping to join his teammates on the second leg of the trip in New York.

Ortiz will not resume hitting until he is out of his walking boot.

MIDDLEBROOKS, CRAWFORD REST: Third baseman Will Middlebroks and left fielder were given routine days off Sunday.

Daniel Nava started in place of Crawford while Nick Punto filled in at third.

Manager Bobby Valentine said that Crawford will continue to take routine days off as he continues to work into shape.

For Middlebrooks, it was an opportune time to rest the hamstring that kept him out of action prior to the All-Star break.

“He’s been playing a lot since the hamstring situation,” Valentine said before the game. “This is a day game after a night game where it might be tested, so I don’t want to test it.”

INJURY UPDATES: Pitcher Scott Atchison, who has been on the disabled list since July 14 with forearm tightness, will begin throwing this week. The team plans to have him make a rehab start in Pawtucket once he’s ready. … Pitcher Andrew Bailey threw 25 pitches in a bullpen session. He threw all of his pitches. … Shortstop Mike Aviles, who missed Saturday’s game with turf toe, played Saturday and went 1-for-3.

The Friday shooting left 12 people dead and 58 injured.

The Associated PressGreg Zanis, from Aurora, Ill., places crosses commemorating the victims across the street from the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colo. on Sunday, July 22, 2012. Twelve people were killed and dozens injured in a shooting attack early Friday at the packed theater during a showing of the Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises." Police have identified the suspected shooter as James Holmes, 24. In 1999, Zanis placed 15 crosses near Columbine High School to commemorate the victims.

By GILLIAN FLACCUS,Associated Press
and NICHOLAS RICCARDI,Associated Press

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — The suspect in the Colorado shooting rampage displayed behavior that a gun range owner thought was "bizarre," but it is still unclear if anyone at the university where he studied had any hint of his plans.

Police said James Holmes began buying guns at Denver-area stores nearly two months before Friday's shooting. He also received at least 50 packages in four months at his home and the University of Colorado that authorities are investigating to see whether they contained materials for the potentially deadly booby traps that police found in his apartment.

At the same time, the quiet 24-year-old was in the final weeks of the first year of a rigorous Ph.D. neuroscience program, where he took a three-part final exam required for students to progress in the program and was scheduled to give a presentation on MicroRNA Biomarkers before abruptly leaving in June.

Holmes is being held without bond on suspicion of multiple counts of first-degree murder after a shooting rampage minutes into a premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora early Friday that left 12 people dead and 58 injured.

He is scheduled for an initial hearing Monday and has been assigned a public defender.

Amid the continuing investigation of Holmes and his background, Sunday was a day for healing and remembrance in Aurora, with President Barack Obama arriving to visit with families of the victims and a vigil planned later in the evening.

Congregations across Colorado prayed for the shooting victims and their relatives. Churches sent out social-media appeals for neighbors who wanted to join in remembrance. Elderly churchgoers at an aging Presbyterian church within walking distance near Holmes' apartment joined in prayer, though none had ever met him.

Holmes was being held in solitary confinement at a Denver-area county detention facility and was not cooperating to authorities, Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said.

"He lawyered up. He's not talking to us," the chief said.

Authorities are working with FBI behavioral analysts and are looking into Holmes' relationships to figure out a motive, which could take months, Oates said.

The gunman's semiautomatic assault rifle jammed during the attack at the Aurora movie theater, forcing him to switch to another gun with less firepower, a federal law enforcement official told The Associated Press. That malfunction and weapons switch during the shooting rampage might have saved some lives.

Oates said a 100-round ammunition drum was found in the theater but said he did not know whether it jammed or emptied.

The owner of a gun range told the AP that Holmes applied to join the club last month but never became a member because of his behavior and a "bizarre" message on his voice mail.

He emailed an application to join the Lead Valley Range in Byers on June 25 in which he said he was not a user of illegal drugs or a convicted felon, said owner Glenn Rotkovich. When Rotkovich called to invite him to a mandatory orientation the following week, he said he heard a message on Holmes' voice mail that was "bizarre — guttural, freakish at best."

He left two other messages but eventually told his staff to watch out for Holmes at the July 1 orientation and not to accept him into the club, Rotkovich said.

Three days after the massacre, it still remained unclear whether Holmes' professors and other students at his 35-student Ph.D. program noticed anything unusual about his behavior. His reasons for quitting the program in June, just a year into the five- to seven-year program, also remained a mystery.

The university declined to release any details of his academic record, citing privacy concerns, and at least two dozen professors and other staff declined to speak with the AP. Some said they were instructed not to talk publicly about Holmes in a blanket email sent to university employees.

Jacque Montgomery, a spokeswoman for the University of Colorado medical school, said that police have told the school to not talk about Holmes.

The university also took down the website for its graduate neuroscience program on Saturday.

Dan Keeney, president of DPK Public Relations in Dallas, said asking for silence from university employees because of a police investigation was appropriate, but taking down the website was "indefensible" for a publicly funded university unless the school believed it contained inaccurate information relating to the suspect.

"It's an indefensible action," he said. "It's disappointing to hear that they would take that action because it suggests that it's not in the public's interest to have access to that information and I think it is in the public's interest."

The school took down the neuroscience department's site at the request of faculty and staff who had privacy concerns, Montgomery said

The University of Colorado also disclosed it was cooperating with police who were looking into whether Holmes used his position as a graduate student to order materials in the potentially deadly booby traps that police said they found in his apartment.

The apartment was booby trapped with jars of liquids, explosives and chemicals that could have killed "whoever entered it," Oates said, noting it would have likely been one of his officers. Investigators spent hours removing the explosive materials Saturday.

Among the dead was a 6-year-old girl and a man who died on his 27th birthday and a day before his wedding anniversary. Families grieved and waited at hospitals, with police reporting 11 people still in critical condition as of Saturday.

While authorities continued to refuse to discuss a possible motive for one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history, details about Holmes' background as a student and would-be scientist trickled out.

He had recently withdrawn from the competitive graduate program in neuroscience at the University of Colorado Denver, where he was one of six pre-thesis Ph.D. students at its Neuroscience Program to be funded by a prestigious grant from the National Institutes of Health. The program of 35 students is dedicated to training outstanding neuroscientists and academicians who will make significant contributions to neurobiology, the university said in a statement.

In the first year of the five- to seven-year program, students take classes and complete three, three-month research rotations in the labs of different professors.

Professors who worked with him either did not return calls or declined to comment, saying police and university officials had told them not to speak to the media.

At one point in the year, Holmes was engaged in research about RNA and was to present a paper May 8 about RNA Biomarkers, according to a class schedule. It was unclear if he presented the paper.

Holmes recently took an intense, three-part oral exam that marks the end of the first year. Those who do well continue with their studies and shift to full-time research, while those who don't do well meet with advisers and discuss their options, including retaking the exam.

University officials would not say if he passed, citing privacy concerns.

The university said Holmes gave no reason for his withdrawal, a decision he made in June.

Holmes was not allowed access from the institution after his withdrawal, which was "standard operating procedure" because he was no longer affiliated with the school, Montgomery said. Holmes had no contact with university police, she said.

A resume posted on Monster.com paints a picture of a brilliant young man brimming with potential: He worked as a summer intern at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla in 2006 and mapped the neurons of Zebra finches and studied the flight muscles of hummingbirds while an undergraduate at the University of California, Riverside.

Ritchie Duong, a friend who has known Holmes for more than a decade, told the Los Angeles Times that in high school he liked to play cards and video games. They both attended undergraduate school at the University of California, Riverside, where they saw each other once a week to watch the TV show "Lost."

Duong last saw Holmes in December when they met for dinner in Los Angeles and saw a movie together. His friend seemed fine, he told the newspaper.

Academics came easily to Holmes both at high school and at the UC Riverside, Duong said.

"I had one college class with him, and he didn't even have to take notes or anything. He would just show up to class, sit there, and around test time he would always get an 'A,'" said Duong, 24.

During the attack early Friday, Holmes set off gas canisters and used the military-style semiautomatic rifle, a shotgun and a pistol to open fire on the unsuspecting theater-goers, Oates said. Holmes had bought the weapons at local gun stores in the past two months. He recently purchased 6,000 rounds of ammunition over the Internet, the chief said.

The gun that jammed had a high-capacity ammunition magazine, according to the federal law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in order to discuss the investigation. Police have said that a 100-round drum magazine was recovered at the scene and that such a device would be able to fire 50 to 60 rounds a minute.

The federal official spoke on condition of anonymity to in order to discuss the investigation, said the disabled weapon.

The Batman movie, the last in the trilogy starring Christian Bale, opened worldwide Friday with midnight showings in the U.S. "The Dark Knight Rises" earned $30.6 million in the midnight screenings, and, according to industry estimates, roughly $75 million on that day as a whole. That put it on track for a weekend total of around $160 million, which would be the second-highest opening weekend ever, following "The Avengers."

The shooting was the worst in the U.S. since the Nov. 5, 2009, attack at Fort Hood, Texas. An Army psychiatrist was charged with killing 13 soldiers and civilians and wounding more than two dozen others.

Across the street from the movie theater, a man who placed 15 crosses near Columbine High School after a 1999 massacre there has returned to Colorado with 12 crosses for the victims of Friday's shooting.

Greg Zanis, of Aurora, Ill., put up the 3 1/2-foot-tall crosses Sunday on a hill across the street from the Century 16 theater.

___

Associated Press contributors to this report include, Kristen Wyatt, and P. Solomon Banda in Aurora; Dan Elliott, Colleen Slevin in Denver; and Alicia A. Caldwell and Eileen Sullivan in Washington.

The suspect was apprehended less than a mile away.

LUDLOW – A 28-year-old man was charged with breaking into a car and malicious damage of a motor vehicle after a man witnessed the alleged crime and called police.

Angelo D. Abair, of Rapalus St., Springfield, was arrested at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday at the corner of East and Lakeview streets. He is being held on $25,000 bail and scheduled to be arraigned Monday, Police Sgt. Daniel Valadas said.

The son of the woman who owns the car called police and then confronted Abair, accusing him of breaking into the car. The two fought and then Abair ran from the East Street area and was found by police less than a mile away, Valadas said.

The causes of the fires are under investigation.

SPRINGFIELD – Firefighters battled two small brush fires off 95 Avocado Street near railroad tracks Sunday.

The first blaze started at about 5:45 p.m. and firefighters had to return about two hours later after the fire rekindled. The fires were smoky but did not burn a lot of land, said Dennis Leger, aide to Fire Commissioner Joseph Conant.

The causes are under investigation.

The Colorado theater shooting did not impact ticket sales in a major way, an industry analyst said.

Christian Bale stars as Batman in a scene from "The Dark Knight Rises." (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Ron Phillips)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — "The Dark Knight Rises" was on track to earn $160 million, which would be a record for 2-D films, over the weekend following a mass shooting at a Colorado screening of the Batman film.

Citing box office insiders, The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Times, New York Times and other media outlets reported Sunday that the latest Batman sequel earned $160 to $162 million.

That amount would best the $158.4 million debut of "The Dark Knight" in 2008 and give "Dark Knight Rises" the third-highest domestic weekend opening ever after the 3-D films "The Avengers" with $207.4 million and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2" with $169.2 million.

The Hollywood Reporter also cited box office sources who said "Dark Knight Rises" earned $70 million from nine of the 17 countries where it debuted over the weekend, including the United Kingdom, Australia, South Korea and Spain.

Tickets for 3-D films cost a few more dollars than 2-D screenings, netting extra cash at the box office. Movies released in 3-D typically earn under half of their income in 3-D screenings, sometimes as little as a third.

Sony, Fox, Disney, Paramount, Universal and Lionsgate joined "Dark Knight Rises" distributor Warner Bros in publicly withholding their usual revenue reports out of respect for the victims and their families.

Box-office tracking service Rentrak also did not report figures following the Aurora, Colo., shootings that killed 12 and injured 58 at a midnight screening of the new Batman sequel on Friday.

"This tragedy did not seem to impact the box office in a major way," said Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst for Hollywood.com who specializes in box office. "For this film to still be in the rarified air of the top-three openings of all time is phenomenal, given the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the release of this film."

Dergarabedian noted that the box-office ranking of director Christopher Nolan's final installment of his Batman trilogy would not be official until Warner Bros. and other studios release their final weekend box-office tallies Monday.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms on the way for Monday.

An approaching system will start increase the cloud cover overnight across western Massachusetts. An isolated shower may pop up across the Berkshires, but most of the scattered thunderstorms will hold off until tomorrow. The humidity levels will continue to climb as well, and temperatures stay up overnight.

Unfortunately, Monday will not be the widespread day-long rain that the region desperately needs. Showers and thunderstorms will be scattered in nature, and while a storm may produce a brief heavy downpour, it won't do much in the long run to help the drought we're in. Given the hot and humid airmass in place, a few storms could potentially be on the strong side later in the afternoon.

An isolated shower sticks around for Tuesday, and then we will be back to comfortable, sunny weather for the second-half of the workweek. We're keeping our fingers crossed, but early looks at next weekend may provide a batch of slightly steadier rain for Saturday.

Sunday night: Increasing clouds, an isolated mountain shower, milder and more humid, low 65.

Monday: Partly sunny, scattered afternoon showers and thunderstorms, humid, high 89.

Tuesday: An isolated shower/thunderstorm, partly sunny, high 88.

Wednesday: Sunny, cooler and less humid, high 83.

The lobsters taste no different when they are cooked.

Associated PressThese are some of the unusual colored lobsters caught recently.

CLARKE CANFIELD,Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — When a 100-pound shipment of lobsters arrived at Bill Sarro's seafood shop and restaurant last month, it contained a surprise — six orange crustaceans that have been said to be a 1-in-10-million oddity.

"My butcher was unloading them and said, 'Oh, my gosh, boss, they sent us cooked dead lobsters,'" said Sarro, owner of Fresh Catch Seafood in Mansfield, Mass. "He then picked one up and it crawled up his arm."

Reports of odd-colored lobsters used to be rare in the lobster fishing grounds of New England and Atlantic Canada. Normal lobsters are a mottled greenish-brown.

But in recent years, accounts of bright blue, orange, yellow, calico, white and even split lobsters — one color on one side, another on the other — have jumped. It's now common to hear several stories a month of a lobsterman bringing one of the quirky crustaceans to shore.

It's anybody's guess why more oddities are popping up in lobster traps, said Michael Tlusty, research director at the New England Aquarium in Boston.

It could be simply because advances in technology — cellphone cameras and social media — make it easier to spread the word about bizarre lobster sightings.

It's also likely more weird lobsters are being caught because the overall harvest has soared. In Maine, the catch has grown fourfold in the past 20 years, to nearly 105 million pounds last year. If the yield has quadrupled, it would make sense to have four times as many unconventional lobsters being caught as well.

Although lobster is the No. 1 commercial fishery in the Northeast, there are a lot of unanswered questions about the bottom-dwelling creatures, he said.

"Are we seeing more because the Twitter sphere is active and people get excited about colorful lobsters?" Tlusty said. "Is it because we're actually seeing an upswing in them? Is it just that we're catching more lobsters so we have the opportunity to see more?

"Right now you can make a lot of explanations, but the actual data to find them out just isn't there."

Lobsters come in a variety of colors because of genetic variations.

It's been written that the odds of catching a blue lobster are 1-in-2 million, while orange comes in at 1-in-10 million. Yellow and orange-and-black calico lobsters have been pegged at 1-in-30 million, split-colored varieties at 1-in-50 million, and white — the rarest of all — at 1-in-100 million.

But those are merely guesses, and nobody knows for sure.

What is known is that colored lobsters have shown up in greater frequency in certain areas over the years.

The waters off Cutler in eastern Maine were once a hotbed for blue ones, after 1,500 larvae-sized blue lobsters were released in 1990 to use as a tracking tool to determine their survival rates, said Bob Bayer, executive director of the University of Maine's Lobster Institute.

The waters off Montauk, N.Y., once had a lot of blue lobsters as well, he said, after researchers released large numbers of blue lobsters there. The bright-orange lobsters that were in Sarro's shipment are believed to have come from the same waters in Canada.

Aside from their color, the lobsters are apparently normal in all other ways, Bayer said. They all turn red when they're cooked, except for the white ones since they don't have any pigment, and diners wouldn't notice a difference.

"There's no difference in taste," he said.

Scientists say it's possible the lobster population as a whole has a greater percentage of misfits than it did in years past.

The off-colored lobsters are more susceptible to predators because they stick out more on the ocean bottom, rather than blending in like normal ones, said Diane Cowan, executive director of The Lobster Conservancy in Friendship, Maine.

"But with the predator population down, notably cod, there might be greater survival rates among these color morphs that are visually easier to pick out," she said.

Lobstermen have brought Cowan countless colorful lobsters over the years. The prettiest one, she said, was pink and purple.