SPRINGFIELD (WGGB) — A dramatic turn of events Monday as Anthony Baye pleads guilty to arson and manslaughter charges.

Baye was arrested shortly after more than a dozen fires terrorized the Ward 3 section of Northampton on the night of December 27, 2009.

The trial was set to enter its third day of testimony Monday in Hampden County Superior Court when the plea agreement, which had been reached between the prosecution and Baye’s defense team, was announced.

Baye pleaded guilty to all 48 counts against him, including two charges of manslaughter. The manslaughter charges were for the deaths of Paul Yeskie Sr. and his son, Paul Jr. after fire tore through their Fair Street home that December night.

All total, Baye pleaded guilty to setting 27 separate fires from 2007 to 2009.

“Within a period of an hour in court today we have all the fires we have alleged Anthony Baye set that have been resolved for a guilty plea,” says Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan.

D.A. Sullivan says justice was achieved in the plea agreement.

Sullivan also had a message for the people of Northampton.

“The citizens of Northampton can sleep well tonight knowing that the person who not only set fires on Dec. 27, 2009, but throughout 2009 and 2007 will now be confined and no longer be a public safety risk,” says Sullivan.

The prosecution is recommending that Baye serve 19 to 20 years on each of the manslaughter charges. On the armed burglary charges, the sentence being recommended is probation and random drug testing.

Judge Constance Sweeney also read the sentencing recommendations on the arson charges, which is probation once Baye completes his sentence on the manslaughter charges.

Baye also pleaded guilty to fires that happened in Northampton back in 2007.

Sentencing is set for Wednesday in Hampshire Superior Court in Northampton.

SPRINGFIELD (WGGB) — Just in time for summer, gas prices are starting to inch their way up.

According to GasBuddy.com, the average price in the Springfield area rose almost five cents in the past week to $3.46 a gallon. Nationally, prices jumped about six cents, which is still 15 cents lower than a year ago.

GasBuddy analysts say a number of factors including tightening supply, caused in part by the EPA mandated summer switch-over to a cleaner blend.

You can check out or report gas prices in your area by clicking on the ABC40 Gas Tracker.

(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

By THOMAS J. SHEERAN, Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) — An Ohio prosecutor said Thursday he may seek the death penalty against Ariel Castro, saying the man accused of raping and imprisoning three women in his home forced them to suffer miscarriages.

Cuyahoga County prosecutor Timothy McGinty said aggravated murder charges could be filed related to pregnancies terminated by force. And Ohio law calls for the death penalty for the “most depraved criminals who commit aggravated murder during the course of a kidnapping,” McGinty said.

Castro, a 52-year-old former school bus driver, is being held on $8 million bail under a suicide watch in jail, where he is charged with rape and kidnapping for allegedly abducting three women and holding them captive in his home for a decade.

McGinty said that Castro would be charged for every single act of sexual violence, assault and other crimes committed against the women, suggesting the charges could number in the hundreds, if not thousands.

In court Thursday, authorities laid out more of their case against Castro, saying he lured the women into his car, beat them repeatedly over a decade and used them “in whatever self-gratifying, self-serving way he saw fit,” as prosecutor Brian Murphy put it.

During his brief arraignment, Castro tried to hide his face, tucking his chin inside his collar. He appeared to close his eyes during the hearing and awkwardly signed documents while handcuffed. He did not speak or enter a plea.

Kathleen DeMetz, a public defender assigned to represent him at the hearing, didn’t comment on his guilt or innocence or object when prosecutors recommended bail be set at $5 million. The judge, instead, ordered Castro held on $8 million.

Castro has been in custody since Monday, when Amanda Berry, who was 16 when she disappeared, broke out of his run-down house and called 911. Police found the two other women inside. The women, now in their 20s and 30s, vanished separately between 2002 and 2004. At the time, they were 14, 16 and 20 years old.

Castro had lured each of them into his vehicle, according to court documents filed Thursday.

Investigators said that the women could recall being outside only twice in the past decade and that they were apparently bound with ropes and chains. Berry gave birth to a daughter, now 6, while in captivity.

The Plain Dealer in Cleveland reported Thursday that Berry gave birth in an inflatable swimming pool. A police report obtained by the newspaper said Castro forced another of his alleged captives, Michelle Knight, to deliver the baby and threatened to kill her if the infant did not survive. The baby stopped breathing, and Knight resuscitated the child by mouth-to-mouth, the report said.

Berry, 27, and the third captive, Gina DeJesus, 22, went home with relatives on Wednesday. Knight, 32, was reported in good condition at a Cleveland hospital.

Castro’s two brothers, who were arrested but later cleared of involvement in the kidnapping case, appeared in court on unrelated charges and were released. They left the courthouse without speaking to reporters.

Pedro Castro, 54, pleaded no contest to an open container charge, while two charges against Onil Castro, 50, were dismissed.

On Thursday, a musician who often practiced at Ariel Castro’s house said he was there last week and heard noises, “like banging on the wall.” Ricky Sanchez said he asked Castro about it, and he blamed it on the dogs. He also said Castro — a bass guitarist in merengue and salsa bands — liked to play his music loud inside.

On his most recent visit, Sanchez said, a little girl came out from the kitchen and stared at him but didn’t say anything. He said he also noticed there were four or five locks on the outside door.

“When I was about to leave, I tried to open the door. I couldn’t even, because there were so many locks in there,” he said.

Ariel Castro’s adult daughter, Arlene Castro, appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Thursday. She tearfully said she was embarrassed and devastated upon learning of her father’s suspected role in the kidnappings. Arlene Castro was walking home from school with DeJesus in 2004 just before she disappeared.

“I would like to say I’m absolutely so, so sorry,” she said. “I really want to see you, Gina, and I want you to meet my kids. I’m so sorry about everything.”

___

Associated Press writers Mike Householder and freelance reporter John Coyne in Cleveland; and Dan Sewell in Cincinnati contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (WGGB) — We’ll find out tonight if Beverly, Mass. native Angie Miller makes her way to next week’s finale.

This season is reaching its peak amid a wave of reports surfacing today that all four judges will be replaced next year.

Wednesday night, Miller, along with contestants Candice Glover and Kree Harrison, each sang three songs.

If you missed any performance from this season, you can watch all the performances on American Idol’s YouTube page.

We apologize for a technical error Wednesday night that blew out Kree Harrison’s final performance. You can watch that performance below.

Tonight’s results show at 8:00 p.m. on FOX 6 will feature performances by Alicia Keys and former Idol contestant Lauren Alaina.

(Photos Courtesy: The Westfield News)

WESTFIELD, Mass. (WGGB) — A Westfield couple denies charges of raping a 14-year-old girl and taking pornographic pictures of her.

The alleged sex acts took place last month while the young girl was on school vacation.

Melissa Gorneault lives across the street from where the alleged abuse took place.

“Over the past 24 hours I saw a lot of commotion going on across the street, and we really were wondering what was going on,” says Gorneault.

Authorities were apparently confiscating evidence from the apartment.

What police say was going on was the sexual abuse of a 14-year old girl in the basement of apartment 14C at Colonial Pine Acres.

31-year old Nathaniel Lami and 22-year old Leonne Vieu face several charges including rape of a child, lascivious posing or exhibiting a child in the nude, and indecent assault and battery.

Lami allegedly took videos of his victim on his iPhone while engaging in a sexual act.

The disturbing allegations shocked neighbors.

“I was besides myself when I heard the news and having two five-year old kids myself, I couldn’t believe such an act was happening so close,” Gorneault adds.

Another neighbor who didn’t want us to show her face says she felt something was wrong when she saw the 14-year old.

“A couple of days when I saw her around I had this feeling something wasn’t right, because she was so young and he’s like 30 or more,’ says the neighbor.

Neighbors say an alleged incident like this will have everyone keeping a closer eye on their own children.

“I’ll be right outside with them every minute of the day, I can’t trust to even keep the doors and windows open now,” says Melissa Gorneault.

Prosecutors say evidence from Lami’s basement included a so-called sex slave contract signed by the victim saying she agreed not to tell what the couple had done to her.

The two suspects are being held on bail for another court appearance next month.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose in February compared with a year ago by the most in nearly seven years, as a growing number of buyers bid on a limited supply of homes.

The Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller 20-city home price index climbed 9.3 percent in the 12 months ending in February. That’s up from an 8.1 percent gain in January.

Annual prices rose in all 20 cities for the second month in a row, the first time that has happened since early 2005. Phoenix recorded the biggest annual gain, with prices rising 23 percent. Prices jumped nearly 19 percent in San Francisco.

Eleven of the 20 cities reported price gains in February compared with January. Those monthly numbers are not seasonally adjusted and reflect the slower winter buying period.

DETROIT (AP) — Subaru is recalling just over 10,000 of its 2014 Forester wagons because the floor mats can interfere with the clutch, brake or gas pedals.

The recall affects Foresters made from January 2013 through March. The company says the floor mats can curl when exposed to heat.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the mats could distract the driver or interfere with operation of the car.

Subaru traced the problem to improperly manufactured backing on the mats.

Dealers will replace all four mats free of charge. It will begin notifying owners in April.

Nissan Motor Co. is recalling 123,308 Altima sedans because their spare tires may be over- or under-inflated.

Altimas from the 2013 model year that were made between March 21 and March 26 are affected.

Tires that are significantly over- or underinflated can increase the risk of a crash. Nissan says it has no reports of accidents or injuries related to the defect, which was discovered by a dealer.

Nissan blamed the issue on a malfunctioning pressure regulator at its Canton, Miss., plant. That equipment has since been repaired.

The company will notify owners starting May 3. Dealers will inspect spare tires and adjust the tire pressure for free.

Honda is recalling nearly 46,000 Fit Sport small cars in the U.S. and Canada to fix a problem with the electronic stability control system.

The recall affects cars from the 2012 and 2013 model years. Honda says the stability control system can let the car tilt too far before it applies the brakes to prevent a crash.

The defect was discovered in government testing of models with a particular type of tires. Honda says it doesn’t know of any crashes or injuries from the problem.

Honda dealers will update the system’s software free of charge. Owners will be notified starting in mid-May.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB) — Monday is Earth Day, and what better time to talk about spring yard work!

Monday, starting on ABC40 at 5:00 p.m., we had lawn and garden experts showing off some best practices to keep your yard looking great, without breaking the bank.

We talked about flowers and shrubs, fruits and vegetables, and of course, how to keep your lawn healthy and green.

Thank you to our panel of experts for joining us:
Karen Randall – Randall’s Farm and Greenhouse
Chris Graziano – Graziano Gardens
Rocky’s Ace Hardware

CLICK ON ANY OF THE LINKS BELOW TO VIEW THE SEGMENTS:
Segment 1 – 5:00 p.m.
Segment 2 – 5:00 p.m.
Segment 1 – 5:30 p.m.
Segment 2 – 5:30 p.m.
Segment 1 – 6:00 p.m
Segment 2 – 6:00 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB) — People in the area of Spring Street are being let back into their buildings following a Monday morning gas leak.

Aide to the Fire Commissioner, Dennis Leger says a construction company hit and ruptured a high pressure pipe on Spring and Frost Streets around 9 a.m.

“The gas is clearly marked, you can see the markings,” says Leger. “The company was digging, they were installing some piping.”

He adds, “It was an accident, they struck the pipe by mistake.”

Several buildings were evacuated on Spring Street between State and Pearl Streets, including St. Luke’s Home.

Around 9:30 a.m., the gas had been shut off and people were being allowed back into the area.

Leger says the building where the leak occurred — 55 Spring Street — is vacant and well ventilated.

St. Luke’s residents were also evacuated on January 28 after a construction crew accidentally punctured a gas line at 104 Spring Street.

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. (AP) — Police say five people are dead in a shooting at an apartment complex south of Seattle, including a suspect who was shot by officers responding to the chaotic scene.

Federal Way police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock says officers responded to a 9:30 p.m. emergency call at an apartment complex in Federal Way of shots being fired.

The dead also included three other men and one woman.

There was no immediate word what set off the gunfire, but police do not think another shooter is on the loose.

(Photo Provided by the FBI)

WATERTOWN, Mass. (AP) — SWAT teams in armored vehicles swarmed the tense and locked-down streets of Boston and its suburbs Friday in an all-out hunt for the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect after his older brother died in a desperate getaway attempt. But as evening fell, police had come up empty-handed.

State Police Col. Timothy Alben said at a news conference that he believed 19-year-old college student Dzhokar Tsarnaev was still in Massachusetts because of his ties to the area. But authorities lifted the stay-indoors warning for people in the Boston area, and the transit system started running again by evening.

“We can’t continue to lockdown an entire city or an entire state,” Alben said. At the same time, he and other authorities warned that Tsarnaev is a killer and that people should be vigilant.

Tsarnaev fled on foot after a furious overnight gun battle that left 200 spent rounds behind and after a wild car chase in which he and his brother hurled explosives at police, authorities said. His brother, 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, died in the shootout, run over by his younger brother in a car as he lay wounded, according to investigators.

During the overnight spasm of violence, the brothers also shot and killed an MIT policeman and severely wounded another officer, authorities said.

Law enforcement officials and family members identified the brothers as ethnic Chechens who came to the U.S. from Russia. They lived near Boston and had been in the U.S. for about a decade, an uncle said.

Around midday, as the manhunt dragged on, the suspects’ uncle Ruslan Tsarni of Montgomery Village, Md., pleaded on television: “Dzhokhar, if you are alive, turn yourself in and ask for forgiveness.”

The search by thousands of law enforcement officers all but paralyzed the Boston area for much of the day. Officials shut down all mass transit, including Amtrak trains to New York, advised businesses not to open, and warned close to 1 million people in the entire city and some of its suburbs to stay inside and unlock their doors only for uniformed police.

“We believe this man to be a terrorist,” Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said. “We believe this to be a man who’s come here to kill people.”

Some neighborhoods resembled a military encampment, with officers patrolling with guns drawn and aimed, residents peering nervously from windows and people near surrounded buildings spirited away.

The bloody turn in the case came just hours after the FBI released photos and video of two suspects in the bombing and asked for the public’s help in identifying and catching them.

Authorities said the man dubbed Suspect No. 1 — the one in sunglasses and a dark baseball cap in the surveillance-camera pictures — was Tamerlan Tsarnaev, while Suspect No. 2, the one in a white baseball cap worn backwards, was his brother.

The bombings on Monday near the Boston Marathon finish line killed three people and wounded more than 180, tearing off limbs in a spray of shrapnel and sparking fears across the nation that another terrorist attack had come to U.S. soil.

Chechnya has been the scene of two wars between Russian forces and separatists since 1994, in which tens of thousands were killed in heavy Russian bombing. That spawned an Islamic insurgency that has carried out deadly bombings in Russia and the region, although not in the West.

But investigators have shed no light on the motive for the Boston Marathon bombing and said it was unclear whether any terrorist organizations had a hand in it.

The FBI was swamped with tips after the release of the photos — 3,000 every second by one estimate — but what role those played in the overnight clash was unclear. State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said police realized they were dealing with the bombing suspects based on what the two men told a carjacking victim during their getaway attempt.

Exactly how the long night of crime began was marked by conflicting reports. But police said the brothers carjacked a man in a Mercedes-Benz in Cambridge, just across the Charles River from Boston, then released him unharmed at a gas station.

They also shot to death a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer, 26-year-old Sean Collier, while he was responding to a report of a disturbance, investigators said.

The search for the Mercedes led to a chase that ended in Watertown, where authorities said the suspects threw explosive devices from the car and exchanged gunfire with police. A transit police officer, 33-year-old Richard Donohue, was shot and critically wounded, authorities said.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev somehow slipped away. He ran over his already wounded brother as he fled by car, according to two law enforcement officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev died at a Boston hospital after suffering what doctors said were multiple gunshot wounds and a possible blast injury.

The brothers had built an arsenal of pipe bombs, grenades and improvised explosive devices and used some of the weapons in trying to make their getaway, said Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, D-Md., a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

Another uncle, Alvi Tsarnaev, who also lives in Montgomery Village, Md., told news organizations that Tamerlan Tsarnaev had called him Thursday night — hours before his firefight with police — and the two spoke for the first time in two or three years. He said the young man asked for forgiveness for the rift in the family.

“He said, ‘I love you and forgive me,’” the uncle said.

Watertown resident Kayla Dipaolo said she was woken up overnight by gunfire and a large explosion that sounded “like it was right next to my head … and shook the whole house.” She said she was looking at the front door when a bullet came through the side paneling. SWAT team officers were running all over her yard, she said.

“It was very scary,” she said. “There are two bullet holes in the side of my house, and by the front door there is another.”

Christine Yajko said she heard two loud explosions and gunfire. She said a police officer later knocked on her door and told her there was an undetonated improvised explosive device in the street and warned her to stay away from the windows.

“It was on the street, right near our kitchen window,” she said.

Tsarni, the men’s uncle, said the brothers traveled here together from Russia. He called his nephews “losers” and said they had struggled to settle in the U.S. and ended up “thereby just hating everyone.”

U.S. government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to talk about an investigation in progress, said Tamerlan Tsarnaev traveled to Russia last year and returned to the U.S. six months later.

His last known address was in Cambridge, Mass. He had studied accounting as a part-time student at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston for three semesters from 2006 to 2008, the school said.

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was registered as a student at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Students said he lived in a dorm there and was on campus this week after the Boston Marathon bombing. The campus closed down Friday along with colleges around the Boston area.

The city of Cambridge announced two years ago that it had awarded a $2,500 scholarship to him. At the time, he was a senior at Cambridge Rindge & Latin School, a highly regarded public school whose alumni include Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing.

The men’s father, Anzor Tsarnaev, said in a telephone interview with AP from the Russian city of Makhachkala that his younger son, Dzhokhar, is “a true angel.” He said his son was studying medicine.

“He is such an intelligent boy,” the father said. “We expected him to come on holidays here.”

According to the FBI, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was seen setting down a bag at the site of the second of two explosions at the marathon finish line.

Insurgents from Chechnya and neighboring restive provinces in the Caucasus have long been involved in terrorist attacks in Moscow and other places in Russia.

In 2002, Chechen militants took 800 people hostage in Moscow and held them for two days before special forces stormed the building, killing all 41 captors. Also killed were 129 hostages, mostly from the effects of the gas Russian forces used to subdue the attackers.

Chechen insurgents also launched a 2004 raid in the southern Russian town of Beslan and took hundreds of hostages. The siege ended in a bloodbath two days later, with more than 330 people, about half of them children, killed.

___

Sullivan and Associated Press writer Stephen Braun reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Pat Eaton-Robb in Boston and Jeff Donn in Cambridge, Mass., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

NEW YORK (WGGB/AP) — Because of the ongoing police activity around, mass transit services have been effected, including Peter Pan Bus Lines.

Chris Crean, VP of Safety and Security for Peter Pan, says that there is currently no bus service in or out of Boston.

The only exception is that bus service is continuing to Boston’s Logan Airport, which remains open but has tightened security measures.

Amtrak announced early Friday afternoon that service has been suspended indefinitely between Boston and New York City.

JetBlue, the largest airline in Boston, is allowing anybody scheduled to fly to or from Boston to change their ticket for free.

Megabus has canceled at least 18 buses between Boston and New York, New Haven, Conn., Hartford, Conn., Burlington, Vt. and Philadelphia.

Residents in Watertown, Newton, Waltham, Belmont, Cambridge and the Allston /Brighton neighborhood of Boston are advised to stay indoors. Business in those areas should also not open.

M.I.T., Harvard, Boston College, Boston University, and Emerson College are closed today, as well as a number of local city schools.

For those looking for more information on the status of Peter Pan service, you can visit Peter Pan’s website or call them at 1-800-343-9999 (Mon-Thu. 8a-5p, Fri 8a-7p, Sat 9a-1p, Sun 9a-7p)

Information from Scott Mayerowitz of the Associated Press was used in this report.

BOSTON, Mass. (The Associated Press) — The twin bombs at the Boston Marathon killed Lu Lingzi, a 23-year-old Boston University student from China; 8-year-old spectator Martin Richard; and 29-year-old spectator Krystle Campbell. But it also injured more than 180 people: runners, couples, spectators, children. Some are in grave condition; some lost limbs or senses; all their lives will be forever touched by the bombings. Here are some of their stories.

CELESTE AND SYDNEY CORCORAN: HOLDING HANDS

Celeste Corcoran is a hairstylist on upscale Newbury Street, not far from the site of the bombing. Her daughter, Sydney, 17, is a senior at Lowell High School.

Celeste lost both legs below the knee and Sydney has severe injuries as well, cousin Alyssa Carter said in a fundraising page set up at GoFundMe.com. The page had raised more than $320,000 by Thursday evening.

Family members said Celeste was being incredibly positive. Her sister, Carmen Acabbo, told WJAR-TV that Celeste joked she “would be a hairstylist on wheels now.”

Sydney has been through tough times before. She was hit by a car while crossing a street less than two years ago and fought to recover from a fractured skull, the Lowell Sun reported.

Nurses at Boston Medical Center were ultimately able to get the mother and daughter into the same hospital room.

“Their beds are pushed together,” Carter wrote, “so they can hold hands.”

ERIKA BRANNOCK AND NICOLE GROSS: A MOTHER’S GUILT

Carol Downing asks herself if she could have done something differently that would have spared her daughters from Monday’s bombing.

Downing was about to cross the finish line in her first Boston Marathon when the bombs went off.

Daughter Nicole Gross, 31, is a personal trainer and triathlete in North Carolina at the Charlotte Athletic Club, where her husband, Michael, is general manager. She helped her mother prepare for the race.

Downing’s younger daughter, Erika Brannock, 29, teaches 2-year-olds at a preschool at Trinity Episcopal Church in Towson, Md.

Erika’s leg had to be amputated. Nicole’s left leg was broken and right ankle was fractured, according to WCNC-TV. Michael had injuries including third-degree burns.

Downing told WCNC that it was supposed to be a fun weekend and that her daughters were so proud of her. Then the “what ifs?” came pouring out.

“What if I hadn’t qualified? What if I hadn’t come? What if I had gotten sick and couldn’t come?” she asked. “What if I had run faster? What if they had stood someplace different?”

AARON HERN: SPECIAL VISITOR

Eleven-year-old Aaron Hern of Martinez, Calif., got a special visitor on Thursday.

The Kiwanis Club in his hometown posted a photo online showing Aaron and his family in his room at Boston Children’s Hospital with first lady Michelle Obama. She and President Barack Obama came to Boston for an interfaith service and to visit people injured in the Boston Marathon bombings.

Aaron suffered leg wounds when the bomb went off. He was there with his father, Alan, and younger sister, Abby, to cheer his mother, Katherine, in her first Boston Marathon.

Aaron remained in critical condition Thursday, but The San Francisco Chronicle reported Aaron’s mother said in a Facebook message to family and friends that he may be able to leave intensive care as soon as Friday. She said he had successful surgery Wednesday to close his wounds without the need for skin grafts.

MICHELLE L’HEUREUX: LOVES LIFE

Michelle L’Heureux was standing near the finish line to watch her longtime boyfriend finish his 11th Boston Marathon when the bombs exploded, according to her uncle Zoo Cain.

Shrapnel tore into L’Heureux’s left shoulder and one of her legs. Falling glass from an adjacent building cut her face. She underwent a second surgery in Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital on Wednesday. Cain, who visited his niece in the hospital this week, said metal remains in her leg, but she’s expected to recover physically.

The emotional damage could be long-term.

“Her life is altered forever,” Cain said, noting his niece described seeing people with missing limbs, blood soaked streets and people running and screaming from what felt like a war zone.

L’Heureux, who Cain said was in her 30s, lives in suburban Boston and works in the finance industry. She is a native of Auburn, Maine.

“Michelle is a very beloved aunt” to her younger sister’s daughters and loves her dogs, Cain said.

L’Heureux’s passion is horses; Cain said she used to have her own horse and participated in horse shows before moving to the Boston area. He described her as a cheerful person.

“She loves life,” he said.

JARROD CLOWERY: `GET INTO THE STREET’

Jarrod Clowery and his friends were cheering on spectators when he heard the first explosion.

“I got this feeling that we need to get into the street,” Clowery said.

Clowery, 35, a carpenter, hopped over one of the metal barricades that separates spectators on the sidewalk from runners on the course when the second blast went off behind him.

“Because I was elevated on the railing, I think I avoided major, major injury,” Clowery said, adding that his friends were injured much more severely.

Clowery said his hearing was diminished by about 85 percent. He has shrapnel embedded in the back of his leg and suffered flash burns.

“The Lord was watching over me, somebody was watching over me,” Clowery said. “And I feel very blessed.”

THE WHITES: FRIENDS BAND TOGETHER

Kevin White says the toughest part of being injured in the Boston Marathon bombing was not being able to find his parents.

White, 35, who lives in Boston and Chicago, suffered shrapnel injuries. His mother, Mary Jo, broke several bones, and his father, Bill, had his right foot amputated. They had just left a restaurant when the bomb exploded about 10 feet away.

White, who was released from Boston Medical Center on Wednesday, says he’s looking forward to reuniting with his father, who is in the intensive care unit at another hospital.

Some close family friends have an online fundraising drive to help the White family pay some of the hefty medical bills they are expected to confront during the months.

The initiative had generated more than $18,400 by late Wednesday, reaching in two days nearly its original goal of raising $20,000 in a month.

White said his family is very grateful but urged well-wishers to also donate to The One Fund Boston, the charity established to help all families affected by the bombings.

WATERTOWN, Massachusetts (AP) — Doctors at a Boston hospital where a suspect in the marathon bombings was taken and later died are saying they treated a man with a possible blast injury and multiple gunshot wounds.

Doctors and officials at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center wouldn’t say if the patient they treated, who came in with police, was the suspect in the black hat from marathon surveillance footage.

Authorities say one bombing suspect was still on the loose following a shootout during which explosives were thrown at police. Residents of Watertown, just outside Boston, were told to stay in their homes.

An emergency room doctor says he heard gunshots near his home in Watertown and knew he needed to get back to the hospital.

Doctors and hospital officials say they don’t have any information on the identity of deceased patient.

WATERTOWN, Mass. (wggb) — Police conduct a 4:15am briefing on the manhunt for suspect #2 in the Boston Marathon Bombings.

Boston Bombing Suspects

BOSTON, Mass. (WGGB)– In the midst of a massive manhunt in Cambridge and Watertown, the F.B.I. released a series of new photos of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. If you have any information, CALL-FBI or 911 immediately.

Suspect 1 Close-up

Suspect 2 Close-up

WATERTOWN, Mass. (WGGB/AP/ABC) — One suspect is in custody after a chaotic scene in Watertown, and The Boston Globe is reporting it may be related to the Boston Marathon Bombings.

Law enforcement is swarming Watertown, and there are reports of shots fired and explosions heard. State Police are advising residents to stay inside and only answer the door for uniformed officers. Several tv stations have video of a suspect on the ground. All this is taking place hours after an M.I.T. Police officer was killed late Thursday night.

WCVB in Boston is actually reporting that F.B.I. suspect #1 is dead and suspect #2 is on the loose.

The F.B.I. Boston Division just issued a statement saying it is “aware of the law enforcement activity in the greater Boston area. The situation is on-going. We are working with local authorities to determine what happened”.

A State Police news conference is expected shortly. A spokesman has only confirmed one person suspected in the gunfire and explosions has been accounted for, and one is at large.

Stay with ABC40 and WGGB.com for the latest. ABC 40′s Mike Lacrosse will have live reports starting at 4:30am.

AGAWAM, Mass. (WGGB) — Investigators have determined that a substance found leaking from a package at the Agawam post office was not dangerous.

Around 8:15 a.m. Thursday, HAZMAT crews were called to the building after an employee came into contact with a package that was leaking.

That substance was found to be a concentrated, slightly corrosive cleaning solution that had been shipped in the mail.

Once two workers came into contact with the solution, their skin began to itch. Both those workers were treated on the scene.

HAZMAT crews are currently clearing the scene and the post office is expected to reopen early Thursday afternoon, once employees can get back inside.

BOSTON, Mass. (WGGB) — It’s been a confusing day as the investigation escalates into the Boston Marathon Bombings.

After postponing earlier news briefings on their investigation on Wednesday, the FBI scheduled an 8 p.m. briefing for Wednesday night, only to cancel that news conference 15 minutes after making the announcement.

Earlier Wednesday, there was a frenzy with activity sparked by media reports of a possible arrest in the case.

Federal and local authorities later said there is no arrest, and did not provide any new information on their search for a suspect.

We’ll keep you updated if anything changes.

By DAVID ESPO and ALAN FRAM, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans backed by a small band of rural-state Democrats scuttled the most far-reaching gun control legislation in two decades on Wednesday, refusing to tighten background checks on firearms buyers or ban assault weapons as they spurned the personal pleas of families of the victims of last winter’s elementary school shootings in Newtown, Conn.

“This effort isn’t over,” President Barack Obama vowed at the White House moments after the defeat on one of his top domestic priorities. Obama, surrounded by Newtown relatives, said opponents of the legislation “caved to the pressure” of special interests in casting their votes.

An attempt to ban assault-style rifles went down, too, and a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines faced the same fate in a series of showdown votes four months after a gunman killed 20 elementary school children and six staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary.

A bid to loosen restrictions on concealed weapons carried across state lines also fell.

That last vote marked a rare defeat for the National Rifle Association on a day it generally emerged triumphant over President Barack Obama, gun control advocates and individuals whose lives have been affected by mass shootings in Connecticut and elsewhere, some of whom watched from the spectator galleries above the Senate floor.

“Shame on you,” shouted one of them, Patricia Maisch, who was present two years ago when a gunman in Tucson, Ariz., killed six and wounded 13 others, including former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

Vice President Joe Biden gaveled the Senate back into order after the breach of decorum.

The background check measure commanded a majority of senators, 54-46, but that was well short of the 60 votes needed to advance. Forty-one Republicans and five Democrats sided to scuttle the plan.

In the hours before the key vote, Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., bluntly accused the National Rifle Association of making false claims about the expansion of background checks that he and Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., were backing.

“Where I come from in West Virginia, I don’t know how to put the words any plainer than this: That is a lie. That is simply a lie,” he said, accusing the organization of telling its supporters that friends, neighbors and some family members would need federal permission to transfer ownership of firearms to one another.

The NRA did not respond immediately to the charge, but issued a statement after the vote that restated the claim. The proposal “would have criminalized certain private transfers of firearms between honest citizens, requiring lifelong friends, neighbors and some family members to get federal government permission to exercise a fundamental right or face prosecution,” said a statement from Chris Cox, a top lobbyist for the group.

Said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, “Expanded background checks would not have prevented Newtown. Criminals do not submit to background checks.”

The events were unlikely to be the last word on an issue that Democratic leaders shied away from for nearly two decades until Obama picked up on it after the Newtown shootings.

Vice President Joe Biden presided over the Senate, a symbolic move since each proposal required a 60-vote majority to pass and he would not be called upon to break any ties. Democratic aides said in advance the issue would be brought back to the Senate in the future, giving gun control supporters more time to win over converts to change the outcome.

The day’s key test concerned the background checks, designed to prevent criminals and the seriously mentally ill from purchasing firearms. Under current law, checks are required only when guns are purchased from federally licensed firearms dealers. The proposal by Manchin and Toomey called for extending the requirement to other sales at gun shows and on the Internet.

Their bipartisan approach was widely seen as advocates’ best chance for winning enough GOP votes to change current law in a way that Obama and gun control groups support. But foes had proposals of their own, including one that would require states that issue concealed weapons permits to honor the permits from other states.

In the hours leading to a vote on the background check measure, Democrats Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and Mark Pryor of Arkansas and Republican Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire became the latest senators to announce their opposition.

On the vote, Democratic Sens. Mark Begich of Alaska and Max Baucus of Montana joined Pryor and Heitkamp in voting against the proposal. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a supporter of the plan, switched his vote to the prevailing “no” side to permit him to call for a revote in the future.

Begich, Pryor and Baucus are all seeking re-election next year. In an indication of the intensity of the feelings on the issue, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a liberal group, swiftly announced it would seek to defeat them in 2014.

Among Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mark Kirk of Illinois, John McCain of Arizona and Toomey sided with Democrats.

Numerous polls in recent months have shown support for enhanced gun control measures, including background checks, though it may be weakening.

An Associated Press-GfK poll this month showed that 49 percent of Americans support stricter gun laws, down from 58 percent in January. In that recent survey, 38 percent said they want the laws to remain the same and 10 percent want them eased.

Obama has made enactment of greater curbs a priority on his domestic agenda in the months since the massacre at Newtown, making several trips outside Washington to try and build support. Last week, he traveled to Connecticut, and he invited several parents to fly back to Washington with him aboard Air Force One so they could personally lobby lawmakers.

To an unusual degree for professional politicians, some senators said afterward that they had not wanted to meet with the mothers and fathers of the dead, or said it was difficult to look at photographs that the parents carried of their young children, now dead.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said before Wednesday’s vote, “I think that in some cases, the president has used them as props, and that disappoints me.”

Some of the parents of the Sandy Hook victims watched the votes from the spectators’ gallery that rings the Senate floor. They were joined by relatives of victims of other mass shootings in Arizona, Virginia and Colorado.

At the White House, press secretary Jay Carney said some of them had met earlier in the day with lawmakers, who he said should “consider who they’re representing.

“Ninety percent of the American people support expanded background checks,” he said.

Democratic aides said in advance that the day’s events would end debate on the issue for the time being. But they added they expect Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to bring it back to the floor in the coming months, after supporters of greater controls have had more time to rally public support.

The NRA told lawmakers it intended to keep track of how the votes were cast, and consider them in making decisions about its efforts in the mid-term elections for Congress next year.

An opposing group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, funded by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, said it would do likewise.

The NRA has a long track record in electoral politics, and is viewed by lawmakers in both political parties as unusually effective. Bloomberg’s organization has yet to be tested.

The day began with an unexpected announcement from Reid, who has long been a political ally of the NRA. In remarks on the Senate floor, he said he intended to vote for a ban on assault weapons “because maintaining law and order is more important than satisfying conspiracy theorists who believe in black helicopters.”

In the AP-GfK poll, among independents, support for stricter gun laws dipped from 60 percent in January to 40 percent now. About three-fourths of Democrats supported them then and now, while backing among Republicans for looser laws about doubled to 19 percent.

The survey was conducted from April 11-15 by GfK Roper Public Affairs and Corporate Communications. It involved landline and cellphone interviews with 1,004 randomly chosen adults and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

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Associated Press writer Laurie Kellman, AP Director of Polling Jennifer Agiesta and news survey specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this story.

Associated Press

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