Free Republic

A five-year police officer was killed Tuesday afternoon while off-duty and riding her motorcycle with her twin sister in Connecticut. Angela Santiago, who most recently served as the Chicopee High School police resource officer, died in the crash at about 1 p.m. on Interstate 91 in East Windsor. State Police are investigating the crash, Police Chief William Jebb said. During a press conference he announced her death and said he was devastated at the loss. He asked for a moment of silence. “She was young and very energetic and very involved in her community,” he said. “She was everything you...

Lottery officials say one winning ticket was sold, in Massachusetts, for the staggering $758.7 million Powerball jackpot.

Police will seek a criminal complaint in district court against a 27-year-old resident for threatening to commit a crime after police said he wrote the term "put wings on pigs" on his Facebook page. The phrase is the same one that Ismaaiyl Brinsley used on Instagram just before ambushing New York police officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos on Saturday. The two officers were shot to death in their car, and Brinsley later committed suicide. "In the eyes of every police officer in America today, 'Putting wings on pigs' is a threat," said Michael Wilk, Chicopee Police Department spokesman. Members...

Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee is one of two sites in Massachusetts being considered by Gov. Deval Patrick to house children who cross the border into the United States illegally. The other site is Camp Edwards, part of a military reservation in Cape Cod. State Sen. Don Humason, a Westfield Republican who opposes the idea, confirmed that Patrick's office called him Thursday to give him a heads up about the proposal. Patrick, a Democrat, discussed the proposal during a press conference at 9:45 a.m. providing more details about his intent to accept a request by the U.S. government to...

Chick-fil-A fans lined up Wednesday hoping to be among the first 100 people through the doors of the first Western Massachusetts location. In keeping with Chick-fil-A tradition, those "First 100" will receive 52 free Chick-fil-A meal certificates for a year – a total of more than $30,000 in free food, owner / operator Robert Hewes said in a news release. The restaurant is at 501 Memorial Drive in Chicopee. Participants, 18 years and older with identification, can line up no earlier than 24 hours prior to the store's grand opening set for 6 a.m. Thursday. Participants do need to camp...

NECN is doing a stellar job of tracking two or three "historic" tornado storms.

CHICOPEE (MA) -- He's still got it. The Senate election may be long over, but Scott Brown's popularity among the people of Massachusetts shows no sign of ebbing from its campaign levels. More than 700 supporters braved the bitter cold today to see Brown hold court at the Hu Ke Lau restaurant here, the first in a series of "Citizens Open Houses" he is holding around the state over the next few days. They thrusted napkins, Keno cards, and political cartoons at him to sign, tried to shake his hand amid the crush, and snapped cellphone photos from as close...

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - A city mayor was arrested Tuesday by federal agents and charged with extorting $10,000 in campaign contributions a week before election day, an FBI official said. Mayor Richard Goyette, 36, accepted two illegal campaign contributions of $5,000 each, said Michael O'Reilly, the FBI's top agent in western Massachusetts. By law, candidates are allowed to accept a maximum of $500 from each donor. Goyette, who was in federal custody and expected to appear in court Tuesday afternoon, is running for a second term in next week's election. The FBI said the violations occurred during this election cycle. Assistant...

Chicopee News Chicopee votes for School ChoiceThe expected loss of some $350,000 helped to inspire the reversal of a long-standing tradition. 10/04/2002By JEANETTE DeFORGEStaff writer CHICOPEE - To raise revenue and turn some students into honest citizens, the School Committee has reversed a long-standing decision to reject School Choice. In the past, the School Committee annually voted against allowing students from other communities to attend city schools, which is allowed under the School Choice law. On the advice of administrators, committee members said their schools are just too crowded to accept more children. But the law allows any local child...