The state’s highest court heard oral arguments last Nov. 9, and their ruling on admissibility of the 9-hour police interrogation could make or break the high-profile arson and murder case against suspect Anthony Baye. The defense says the cops went too far, lied about the law and made false promises of leniency to force a [...]

The ambulance “receipts reserved” account finished the last fiscal year with more than $860,000 in the bank, but on the 7th of July the City Council transferred $745,000 of that to various Emergency Medical Services accounts, including $450,000 for employee stipends. The EMS division is now self-sufficient and has outgrown its need for a dedicated [...]

A police search of the alleged killer’s apartment yielded bottles of prescription drugs for anxiety and depression, one of which – Gabapentin – the FDA warned would increase the risk of suicide or violent deaths. Suboxone, used to treat narcotics addiction, was also found. By DAVID REID EASTHAMPTON – Five returned search warrants in the murder case [...]

The new mayor, working hand-in-glove with his finance chief, held the parking director’s feet to the fire over the course of two months — until the heat became a bit too much to bear, newly-revealed records show. By MARY SERREZE NORTHAMPTON — In a series of three recent formal memos to now-deposed “Parking Czar” William [...]

The Jan. 10 audit and management letter by Scanlon & Associates LLC singled out the Parking Division for poor record-keeping and lax internal controls; a little more than a month later “Parking Czar” Bill Letendre was out the door. What happened?   By MARY SERREZE NORTHAMPTON — The city’s annual outside audit, normally a dry [...]

The evidence — gathered from a bloody Easthampton apartment, a witness statement and a chilling E-911 telephone call — led the police and the DA’s office to charge Jessica Ann Pripstein’s boyfriend with her murder. Ryan Welch, who police allege slashed his own throat after the homicide, was arraigned today at Baystate Medical Center. Welch says he didn’t do [...]

Weeks after police and health officials targeted two downtown stores for selling products such as “K2,” “Head Trip,” and “Cloud 9,” the products — which exist in a legal gray area in Massachusetts — are no longer available at Shop Therapy and Amazing.net. By AMANDA DRANE NORTHAMPTON — In what city officials called an “education [...]

The former owner of TJ’s Sports Bar agrees to pay $42,000 in cash as part of a guilty plea that brings probation, avoids jail time and lets him keep his Bridge Street home. By DAVID REID   NORTHAMPTON – John Smith, arrested last October for having 30 pounds of marijuana in his home here, has [...]

By MARY SERREZE NORTHAMPTON — It’s official. Mayor David Narkewicz now has his city solicitor of choice on tap, following a brief swearing-in ceremony at City Hall Friday morning. “I feel great,” said lawyer Alan Seewald immediately after City Clerk Wendy Mazza administered the oath of office to him. “I’m honored to be able to [...]

A Hampshire Superior Court judge declined a request from BID plaintiff Alan Scheinman to keep Seewald on as counsel of record, a move that would have blocked his accepting a job as the city’s top lawyer. By MARY SERREZE NORTHAMPTON — Superior Court Judge Mary-Lou Rup has granted Attorney Alan Seewald’s motion to withdraw as [...]

Financial woes at some area golf courses result from a weak economy, last year’s late-summer rains and a late-October blizzard. By DAVID REID HOLYOKE – Music mogul and businessman Eric Suher, of Holyoke, bought the Holyoke Country Club on Thursday, paying $850,000 for the 112-acre parcel at 2 Country Club Road, according to records of [...]

With help from touring Occupy Wall Street activists, local protestors disrupted a City Council meeting with chants and demands for “conversation” — then seemed confused when Council President Bill Dwight asked them to set a date to meet. By MARY SERREZE NORTHAMPTON — The Occupy Wall Street Northeast Road Trip rolled into town Wednesday on [...]

Police allege that Northampton High School graduate Thadius Romanowski held up the Florence Savings Bank here on Friday. His name has appeared in police reports since 2003 for receiving stolen property, forging a check and possession of a hypodermic needle. By DAVID REID NORTHAMPTON – Acting on tips about an unmasked bank robber who held up [...]

By AMANDA DRANE NORTHAMPTON—The License Commission hopes to clarify city regulations around the late-night sale of food at bars and restaurants, and has sent a formal notice inviting all liquor licensees to attend tonight’s public hearing on the matter. The meeting will begin at 4:00 in City Council Chambers. The issue came to the city’s [...]

State Police detectives assigned to the DA’s office are investigating the bomb threat, which could being the perpetrator up to 20 years in state prison and a $50,000 fine. By DAVID REID NORTHAMPTON – A letter delivered to the Northampton District Court claimed a bomb was in the building, and it forced an evacuation of the [...]