South Hadley man charged in death of Westfield pizza delivery driver

By MICHAEL MAJCHROWICZ

NORTHAMPTON — A grand jury handed up a vehicular homicide charge for a South Hadley man police said caused a fatal, two-vehicle crash in May that claimed the life of Thomas Flanagan, a 29-year-old Westfield man and father of two who was delivering...

Patrick Bemben, accused in October Amherst home invasion, indicted on 11 charges

By MICHAEL MAJCHROWICZ

NORTHAMPTON — The college student accused in a drug-related home invasion two months ago now faces nearly a dozen charges in Superior Court, after being indicted by a grand jury last week.Patrick Bemben, 25, is slated to be arraigned early next year....

With Tillerson, Trump keeps betting big on business leaders

By JULIE PACE

WASHINGTON — In selecting Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as his secretary of state, President-elect Donald Trump is making the same bet he asked voters to make on him: that a track record of business accomplishment will translate into success in...

First offshore wind farm opens off the coast of Rhode Island

IN THE NEWS First offshore wind farm opensPROVIDENCE, R.I. — The nation’s first offshore wind farm has opened off the coast of Rhode Island, ushering in a new era in the U.S. for the industry.Deepwater Wind built five turbines 3 miles off Block Island...

Dow nears 20,000 as energy companies and tech stocks climb

By MARLEY JAY

NEW YORK — Major U.S. stock indexes set records again Tuesday as energy companies continued to climb following international deals that will cut oil production. Big-name technology companies like Apple and IBM also traded higher as the Dow Jones...

Trump picks Exxon executive Rex Tillerson for Secretary of State

By JULIE PACE and CATHERINE LUCEY

NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday he has settled on ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be secretary of state, saying that he’s “among the most accomplished business leaders and international deal makers in the world.”“Rex...

Governor Baker and Israeli chief scientist announce R&D agreement

TEL AVIV – Today, Governor Charlie Baker joined Israeli Chief Scientist Avi Hasson and Economic Minister to North America Inon Elroy to announce an agreement between the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the State of Israel on partnerships in research...

Hotshot firefighter from Leverett returns home after battling wildfires over the summer

By AVIVA LUTTRELL

LEVERETT — After fighting wildland fires in Oregon last summer on a Massachusetts wildfire crew, a local man has advanced to a more intense line of firefighting.This year, Ezra Ward of Leverett joined the North Star Fire Crew in Alaska and was quickly...

Trump’s criticism of Russia hacking claim could haunt him

By ERIC TUCKER

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump held firm Monday to his skepticism of the huge intelligence apparatus he’s about to inherit, doubting anew the CIA conclusion that Russia tried to hack its way into tipping the U.S. election his way.Trump emphasized that he...

Recount efforts end: Trump wins in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania

By MARC LEVY and SCOTT BAUER

Presidential election recount efforts came to an end Monday in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with both states certifying Republican Donald Trump as the winner in contests that helped put him over the top in the Electoral College stakes.Trump’s victory...

2 Georgia police officers shot, wounded serving warrant

By REBECCA SANTANA

A man shot and wounded two Georgia police officers executing a search warrant early Monday, prompting officers to return fire, killing him, authorities said.The man’s girlfriend and an infant about 1 month old were also in the house in the central...

Egypt’s president says church attack was a suicide bombing

By MAGGIE MICHAEL and HAMZA HENDAWI

CAIRO — Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said Monday that a suicide bomber caused the blast that killed 24 Christians during Sunday Mass at a Cairo chapel adjacent to St. Mark’s Cathedral, the seat of Egypt’s ancient Coptic Orthodox Church.It...

Syria rebels retreat in Aleppo in ‘terrifying’ collapse

By SARAH EL DEEB and ZEINA KARAM

BEIRUT — Syrian rebels retreated from former strongholds in eastern Aleppo in a “terrifying” collapse Monday, holding onto a small sliver of territory packed with fighters and thousands of civilians as government troops pressed on with their rapid...

Pot becoming legal in Massachusetts, but not to sell _ yet

By BOB SALSBERG

BOSTON — Recreational marijuana is becoming legal in Massachusetts. Legal, but not readily available.The ballot question approved by voters Nov. 8 is scheduled to go into effect Thursday, allowing adults to have limited quantities of marijuana for...

Brockton churches vow to offer sanctuary to undocumented

By DENISE LAVOIE

BROCKTON — Hundreds of houses of worship are offering sanctuary to people who could face deportation if President-elect Donald Trump follows through on his campaign pledge to remove millions of immigrants living in the country illegally.To some...

Amherst moving ahead with spray park at Groff

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Amherst’s first spray park is still moving forward, even with the town losing out on a $450,000 state grant that would have paid for a portion of the improvements planned at Groff Park.Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek said Wednesday that...

Hadley school reacts, police investigate racist video

By EMILY CUTTS

HADLEY — Police are investigating a video posted to social media featuring a Hopkins Academy student uttering racial slurs and advocating violence and white supremacy.Hadley Police Sgt. Mitchell Kuc said police have determined that the speech on the...

Greg Lake, ELP singer, guitarist dies

By JILL LAWLESS

LONDON — Musician Greg Lake co-founded both King Crimson and Emerson, Lake and Palmer — bands that helped define the sprawling, influential but often-maligned genre known as progressive rock.Lake, who died of cancer at 69, was instrumental in bringing...

US life expectancy falls, as heart disease rises

By MIKE STOBBE

NEW YORK — A decades-long trend of rising life expectancy in the U.S. could be ending: It declined last year and it is no better than it was four years ago.In most of the years since World War II, life expectancy in the U.S. has inched up, thanks to...

Survey of transgender Americans finds pervasive bias

By DAVID CRARY

NEW YORK — The largest-ever survey of transgender Americans paints a grim picture of pervasive discrimination and harassment, to the point that many of them attempt suicide at some point.Released on Thursday by the National Center for Transgender...