SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB) — Springfield police confirm with ABC40 that a man has died after he was shot more than once Tuesday night in the Forest Park section of the city.

Emergency personnel received the call at 8:00 p.m. for a shooting incident at 273 Orange Street.

Springfield Police Captain Cheryl Clapprood says that their Shot Spotter technology did alert them as well.

When officers arrived they found a man with multiple gunshot wounds.  He was quickly taken by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center and later pronounced dead according to Sgt. John Delaney.

Captain Clapprood notes that he is a 30 year-old man, but no further information about his identity was available.

While police have no suspects at this time they are on the lookout for a small, older, silver car.

The Springfield Police Detective Bureau is investigating this incident.

No word yet on the circumstances surrounding this shooting.

If you have any information that can help police solve this case, please contact the Springfield Police Department at 413-787-6325.

(WGGB) — ABC40 and the American Medical Response have teamed up at our studios for the AMR World CPR Challenge, to teach as many people as possible how to save a life.

Today’s hands on experience will help you to identify the signs of an individual in cardiac arrest, while learning how to respond to the situation by using chest compression-only CPR.

Come on down to our studios here at 1300 Liberty St. in Springfield for a free CPR training lesson from 6:30am to 6:30pm.

COURTESY MGN ONLINE

WHATELY, Mass. (WGGB) — Multiple fire departments worked to put out fire in Whately early Wednesday morning.

Whately Fire Chief John S. Hannum told ABC40 that lightning struck the roof of the house shortly after 3:00 a.m.

A mother, father and daughter were all inside the two-story house at the time and were alerted by the smoke detectors. All three were able to make it out of the home safely and call 9-1-1.

Crews from Northampton, Hatfield, and Deerfield were called in to assist with water tankers.

The house is “uninhabitable” according to Hannum.

(WGGB) — ABC40′s Tom Lewis and Emily Volz bring you the very latest on today’s top stories with your News on the Go.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB) – The showers and thunderstorms we had overnight have moved out so conditions will continue to improve as things dry off. However, this is not the end of the story because more showers and storms will be moving in later today.

 It’s cool and less humid now too however a warm front will lift through bringing back the heat and humidity this afternoon. Along with the warm temperatures and humidity more showers and storms will fire up, like yesterday it looks as though the best chance of seeing some of theses storms will be between 2-8 pm.  A couple of storms could be strong to perhaps severe with damaging winds, and large hail. Any storm could be accompanied with torrential rains as well.

Here is a reminder as to what makes a thunderstorm severe:

- Winds great than 58 mph.

- Hail larger than 1″ in diameter

- If a thnderstorm drops a tornado

Dan Brown

A man carries a drawer and a bag filled with clothes from Rachel Hernandez’ home as residents of the Heatherwood Addition, on the south side of SE 4 and Bryant in Moore, Okla., returned to their homes Tuesday, May 21, 2013, to salvage any items after Monday’s destructive tornado. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Jim Beckel)

MOORE, Okla. (AP) – With her son holding her elbow, Colleen Arvin walked up her driveway to what was left of her house for 40 years.

It was the 83-year-old grandmother’s first time back at her home since a monstrous and deadly tornado ravaged her neighborhood in suburban Oklahoma City. Part of the roof was sitting in the front yard, and the siding from the front of the house was gone. As her son, Jeff, and her grandsons picked through what was left of her belongings, Arvin found some dark humor in the situation.

“Oh thank God,” she said, laughing, when a grandson brought over her keys. “We can get in the house.”

Monday’s tornado killed at least 24 people, destroyed countless homes and reduced one elementary school almost entirely to rubble, killing seven children inside.

As state and federal officials work to set up disaster recovery centers to provide aid and assistance, Arvin and other residents of Moore are beginning the deliberate process of assessing what’s left of their homes and possessions and what comes next.

Officials are still trying to make sense of what will be needed in the coming days, weeks and months: Will homes be rebuilt or torn down? Where will the children go to school? How much will it all cost?

Helmeted rescue workers have been searching tirelessly for survivors and victims, and officials said Tuesday they planned to keep going – sometimes double- and triple-checking home sites. Officials were not certain of how many homes were destroyed or how many families had been displaced. Emergency crews had trouble navigating devastated neighborhoods because there were no street signs left. Some rescuers used smartphones or GPS devices to guide them through areas with no recognizable landmarks.

Moore Fire Chief Gary Bird said Tuesday he was confident there are no more bodies or survivors in the rubble. Every damaged home had been searched at least once, Bird said, but his goal was to conduct three searches of each building just to be certain there were no more bodies or survivors.

“I’m 98 percent sure we’re good,” Bird said.

The Arvins and others looked for bright spots throughout an otherwise dark day. Arvin’s son Jeff noticed a set of five dishes without a single crack. He and his nephews pulled out golf clubs, pictures and a decorative key and note holder.

It was an ordeal they’ve faced before.

Monday’s tornado, which traveled 17 miles and was 1.3 miles wide at points, loosely followed the path of a twister that brought 300 mph winds in May 1999. This week’s tornado was the fourth since 1998 to hit Moore, a middle-class community that has been one of the fastest-growing suburbs of Oklahoma City.

“’99 taught us a lot, especially in Moore – such as, you’ve got to have a plan,” Jeff Arvin said.

Billy McElrath’s entire home was reduced to rubble, and even its concrete foundation was split. His wife and a friend McElrath hired to do some painting managed to make it into an underground shelter moments before the tornado shredded the home.

His 1968 red convertible Corvette was smashed under heaps of bricks and wooden frames inside what was left of his garage.

“My wife got it for my 50th birthday last August,” McElrath said. “I haven’t driven it since my son and I took it to a car show in Springfield last September.”

His plan was simple: “We’ll just start over.”

Survivors emerged with harrowing accounts of the storm’s wrath, which many endured as they shielded loved ones in hallways, closets and bathrooms.

Larry Harjo, his twin brother and their wives headed for the hospital at the end of the street only minutes ahead of the tornado that ripped the roof off their home and blew out its walls.

“We could see the tornado coming. We could see one side of it, but we couldn’t see the other so we knew it was big,” Harjo, 45, said while standing in his driveway. “There was no surviving that. It was either underground or out of the way kind of thing and we got the hell out of Dodge.”

The hospital was their plan. They had sheltered there before, but this time, it took a direct hit.

“We were directly center of the hospital and we could hear the cars hitting the building, so we knew it wasn’t going to be nice,” he said. “Thump, thump, thump. Loud thumps.”

“Ceiling tiles falling everywhere. I thought it was going to cave on us there for a minute,” he said.

From the air, large stretches Moore could be seen where every home had been cut to pieces. Some homes were sucked off their concrete slabs. A pond was filled with piles of wood and an overturned trailer. Also visible were large patches of red earth where the tornado scoured the land down to the soil. Some tree trunks were still standing, but the winds ripped away their leaves.

Officials had revised the death toll downward from 51 to 24 on Tuesday after the state medical examiner said some victims may have been double-counted in the confusion immediately after the storm. More than 200 people were treated at area hospitals.

The National Weather Service said the tornado, which was on the ground for 40 minutes, was a top-of-the-scale EF5 twister with winds of at least 200 mph – the first EF5 tornado of 2013.

___

Associated Press writers Nomaan Merchant, Sean Murphy and Tim Talley contributed to this report.

Senators will begin making their way through 725 proposed changes to the spending plan outlined by the Senate Ways and Means Committee last week.

The Senate budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 calls for an increase of $1.4 billion, or about 4.4 percent, over the current year.

That includes new spending on housing, education, mental health and veteran services.

The Senate plan and a budget passed by the House last month both include $500 million in new revenue, including hikes in gasoline and cigarette taxes.

University of Massachusetts officials say the Senate budget does not include enough funding to allow the school to freeze tuition and fees as it hopes to do.

Coalition for Life of Iowa president Sue Martinek holds a sign in her home, Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. When the Coalition applied for tax-exempt status in 2008, the tiny group thought getting IRS approval would be easy. But the group faced months of delay, was ordered to provide details about its prayer events outside the local Planned Parenthood clinic, and even directed to sign a sworn statement pledging it would not organize protests there. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Coalition for Life of Iowa president Sue Martinek holds a sign in her home, Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. When the Coalition applied for tax-exempt status in 2008, the tiny group thought getting IRS approval would be easy. But the group faced months of delay, was ordered to provide details about its prayer events outside the local Planned Parenthood clinic, and even directed to sign a sworn statement pledging it would not organize protests there. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Coalition for Life of Iowa member Ron Digmann walks in front of the Planned Parenthood clinic, Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. When the Coalition applied for tax-exempt status in 2008, the tiny group thought getting IRS approval would be easy. But the group faced months of delay, was ordered to provide details about its prayer events outside the clinic, and even directed to sign a sworn statement pledging it would not organize protests there. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Coalition for Life of Iowa members Marty Lammers, left, and Ron Digmann, right, pray the Rosary outside the Planned Parenthood clinic, Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. When the Coalition applied for tax-exempt status in 2008, the tiny group thought getting IRS approval would be easy. But the group faced months of delay, was ordered to provide details about its prayer events outside the clinic, and even directed to sign a sworn statement pledging it would not organize protests there. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Coalition for Life of Iowa member Ron Digmann holds his Rosary while praying outside the Planned Parenthood clinic, Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. When the Coalition applied for tax-exempt status in 2008, the tiny group thought getting IRS approval would be easy. But the group faced months of delay, was ordered to provide details about its prayer events outside the clinic, and even directed to sign a sworn statement pledging it would not organize protests there. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — When a small anti-abortion group in Iowa sought nonprofit status, the IRS asked its board to promise not to organize protests outside Planned Parenthood and demanded to know how its prayer meetings and protest signs were educational.

Although the Coalition for Life of Iowa’s application was ultimately approved in 2009, the tax collection agency’s treatment of that and other anti-abortion groups has gotten new attention in the wake of an ongoing scandal over the alleged targeting of conservative groups.

The IRS apologized for singling out tea party groups for scrutiny in 2010 and 2011, but Republicans now are seizing on the coalition’s case to question whether the effort may have been broader and started earlier.

Groups with tax-exempt status, known as 501(c)(3) nonprofits, must have educational, charitable, religious or other charitable purposes and cannot be involved in elections or engage in substantial lobbying activity. But they can conduct educational campaigns about their causes that do not have to be balanced, and their members retain their constitutional rights to assemble and protest.

U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said Tuesday the IRS was out of bounds in seeking information on the Iowa group’s prayer activities and a guarantee that it wouldn’t protest at Planned Parenthood.

“That’s outrageous that that statement would be made by anybody in government, that somehow you’ve got to compromise your First Amendment rights,” he said. “It appears the IRS offered this group a quid pro quo: you can become a charity if you don’t protest in front of a Planned Parenthood.”

Outgoing Acting IRS Commissioner Steven Miller told Grassley he was unaware of the case, but apologized generally for poor service.

The Iowa group isn’t the only anti-abortion organization that appears to have been singled out for scrutiny. In 2011, another IRS employee asked Christian Voices for Life of Fort Bend County in Texas whether it provided “education on both sides of the issues” in its programs and whether its members try to speak with anyone entering medical clinics, correspondence shows.

Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., said last week the Iowa and Texas groups faced unfair IRS intrusion into their activities because of “political and religious bias” that chilled their constitutional rights. He turned over their IRS correspondence to the inspector general for tax administration and demanded an explanation.

Both groups received tax-exempt status after seeking help from the Thomas More Society, a conservative legal group. But counsel Sally Wagenmaker said the cases were troubling because the IRS asked inappropriate questions about their activities even though their applications should’ve raised no red flags, and they were forced to retain lawyers to win approval.

“Is it something bigger? I can’t say. But is it of concern? Absolutely. Now the IRS is getting into content,” she said. “The common thread here is scrutiny on a content basis and seeming to really bend over backwards on the conservative side.”

Tax experts said the IRS inquiries appeared to be misguided attempts to ensure groups were educational in nature and did not interfere with the rights of patients and employees.

“I can see what they are raising, but it seems to be there are very strong First Amendment issues here,” said Richard Koontz, director of the Iowa Nonprofit Resource Center. “You don’t want to let one nonprofit stop the activities of another. But you certainly want them to be able to criticize from dawn to dusk what another nonprofit is doing.”

The Iowa group considers its mission to educate citizens about “the sanctity of life” and it has held forums on issues such as stem-cell research and euthanasia. Members also routinely walk and pray outside Planned Parenthood in Cedar Rapids. Sue Martinek, the group’s president, submitted its application for tax-exempt status in October 2008.

An IRS employee identifying herself as “Ms. Richards” from the Cincinnati office responded in April 2009 that she needed more information about its events, including all “advertisements, schedules, syllabuses, handouts, a summary of each person’s speech” and more, records show.

The coalition turned over those records, including Catholic writings opposing embryonic stem cell research and cloning and brochures handed out at events, including one that accused Planned Parenthood of promoting promiscuous behavior. In follow-up calls, “Ms. Richards” asked Martinek whether the group protested outside Planned Parenthood, Martinek said.

“Ms. Richards” informed her that its prayer gatherings there would be permissible — as long as “what we were doing would not be construed as protesting or picketing” and didn’t involve harassment, according to a June 2009 email that Martinek sent to Wagenmaker. “Ms. Richards” said its application would be approved if board members promised in writing that the group would not protest outside Planned Parenthood, Martinek wrote.

Martinek said she and others were ready to sign such a statement, but that one board member saw it as a free speech violation and contacted Thomas More Society to protest.

Martinek sent a letter to IRS saying that members had debated its request not to organize Planned Parenthood protests, but wanted definitions of “organize, picketing, protesting” to ensure compliance. Rather than answer those questions, “Ms. Richards” responded with a letter seeking an explanation of how “prayer meetings held outside of Planned Parenthood are considered educational.”

Wagenmaker responded with a letter saying the inquiries were legally improper and calling for the IRS to grant the application promptly. She said the coalition had organized one event to pray the rosary at Planned Parenthood and that members otherwise assembled there peacefully on their own, carrying signs such as “Women deserve better than abortion” that do not contain graphic images.

Days later, the IRS sent its approval notification.

“It was a little weird and it seemed like they wanted lots of information, but we wanted our status,” Martinek said. “The IRS is so powerful, we were just hesitant to get on their bad list.”

Associated Press

An aerial view of an entire neighborhood destroyed by Monday’s tornado is shown Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Okla. A huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

An aerial view of an entire neighborhood destroyed by Monday’s tornado is shown Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Okla. A huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Workers continue going through the debris at the Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., on Tuesday, May 21, 2013. A tornado hit the area on Monday, May 20, 2013. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Bryan Terry)

A member of Nebraska Task Force-1 walks through the rubble of a home along SW 6th Street in Moore, Okla., on Tuesday, May 21, 2013. A massive tornado swept through the south Oklahoma City suburb Monday afternoon. (AP Photo/The Dallas Morning News, Brad Loper)

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MOORE, Okla. (AP) — With an ominous storm approaching, the Moore Public School District flashed a text alert to parents: “We are currently holding all students until the current storm danger is over. Students are being released to parents only at this time.”

Parents had a gut-wrenching choice, and only a few minutes to make it. Trust the safety of the seemingly solid school buildings and the protection of trained teachers and staff. Or drive frantically ahead of a massive tornado and attempt to take their children safely home.

“Something clicked in my head and said that my children would be afraid and they would be safer with me,” said Amy Sharp, who jumped in her pickup, peeled off through pounding rain and hail, and pulled her 10- and 12-year-old daughters out Plaza Towers Elementary School.

Sharp survived with her children. But seven of the many remaining students died when the twister ripped down the school’s roof and walls.

Exactly how do desperate parents like those in the path of the powerful Oklahoma tornado know when it’s best to leave their children in a presumably safe place or race into the face of danger for their sake?

“You have that parent-child draw. That protective factor, where they want to go at any cost, no matter what. The options aren’t very good in a tornado if you’re thinking about going to rescue your children,” said Ronald Stephens, executive director of the National School Safety Center that provides training to schools around the country.

“Which way is the wind going to twist? What’s it going to pick up? What won’t it pick up? Until someone becomes all-powerful, all-knowing and all-perceiving, it is tough to expect 100 percent perfection from schools and parents,” he said.

The Oklahoma tornado provides a good example of the unpredictable death toll that disasters can inflict. Before it flattened Plaza Towers Elementary, the tornado also tore through Briarwood Elementary and — though the roof collapsed — everyone at Briarwood appears to have survived. Both schools lacked tornado safe rooms, and at both, students initially were sent to the halls before some teachers squeezed them into seemingly safer places such as closets and bathrooms.

David Wheeler would have liked to race to rescue his 8-year-old son, Gabriel, before the tornado reached Briarwood. But Wheeler had to remain at a separate school where he worked. So he waited until the tornado cleared, then speed down the highway as far as he could and fibbed about being a first-responder to hitch a ride with a sheriff’s deputy headed into the disaster zone. Once he got there, he slogged through broken glass and raw sewage to try to get to the school.

Wheeler ended up more injured than his son, who climbed from the rubble with scrapes and bruises after being sheltered by a teacher. Wheeler, meanwhile, had a large red rash on his legs — he thinks from the sewage — and multiple cuts and scrapes that required him to get a tetanus shot Tuesday.

“It was just kind of a surreal moment. I didn’t know if my son was alive— it was the worst moment of my life,” Wheeler said.

Stephens, a former school administrator who lives in Westlake Village, Calif., said the biggest challenge for parents when racing the clock in a disaster is holding emotions in check.

“You’re not going to be any good to your child if you take such great risk that you lose your life in the pursuit of attempting to save them when there are others who are onsite who hopefully will also use good judgment,” Stephens said.

Simply showing up isn’t enough.

“You want to have an entrance plan but also a completion plan. Can you make it out? Can you make it to safety?” he asked rhetorically.

Officials at the Moore School District choose not to dismiss students early. But that, too, is a tough call.

Troy Albert, a principal at Henryville Junior-Senior High in southeastern Indiana, let students out for the day on March 2, 2012, just moments before tornado sirens went off. No injuries were reported among the few staff, students and parents who remained at the school when a tornado packing 175 mph winds destroyed the building. School officials halted people from leaving only when they figured the tornado was within 10 minutes from hitting, fearing that wouldn’t allow enough time for people to make it to safety.

“We trusted our protocols and it worked,” Albert said. “I was questioned about whether we should dismiss school or whether we should bunker down here. Our decision to do that was based on the fact of the size of the tornado and what was coming. And we figured if you got them a mile away from our school you had a chance for survival.”

With about 30-45 minutes of lead time on a potential tornado last year, Julie Hubbard jumped in her car and signed her son out of a Tennessee middle school ahead of the storm.

“There were just dozens of parents who went to pick up their kids that day. I don’t know if they just tended to freak out more or what,” said Hubbard, who now lives in Fort Gibson, Okla . “Growing up in Oklahoma, we have so many tornadoes. I just wanted to be home with my children.”

A couple of hours before ultimately deciding to pick up her children before the tornado barreled through Moore on Monday, Sharp said she called the school office at Plaza Towers Elementary and asked if it was safe for them there. She said the receptionist replied: “They’re pretty safe here.”

___

Associated Press writers Tom Coyne in South Bend, Ind.; Leanne Italie in New York; and Justin Juozapavicius in Tulsa, Okla., contributed to this report.

Associated Press

A man carries a drawer and a bag filled with clothes from Rachel Hernandez’ home as residents of the Heatherwood Addition, on the south side of SE 4 and Bryant in Moore, Okla., returned to their homes Tuesday, May 21, 2013, to salvage any items after Monday’s destructive tornado. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Jim Beckel)

A man carries a drawer and a bag filled with clothes from Rachel Hernandez’ home as residents of the Heatherwood Addition, on the south side of SE 4 and Bryant in Moore, Okla., returned to their homes Tuesday, May 21, 2013, to salvage any items after Monday’s destructive tornado. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Jim Beckel)

Penny Phillips throws out a bag of salvaged clothing as she goes through the remains of her home on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 in Moore, Okla. that was destroyed by Monday’s tornado in the area near 4th and Bryant. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Chris Landsberger)

Brian Mullins and his Father Terry survey tornado damage to the home of Brian’s girlfriend Sara Robinson, right, on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 in Moore, Okla. (AP Photo/The Oklahoman, Steve Sisney)

Jeff Thayer, right, and his son Heath look at a tornado-ravaged pickup truck belonging to another son Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Okla. A huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb Monday, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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MOORE, Okla. (AP) — With her son holding her elbow, Colleen Arvin walked up her driveway to what was left of her house for 40 years.

It was the 83-year-old grandmother’s first time back at her home since a monstrous and deadly tornado ravaged her neighborhood in suburban Oklahoma City. Part of the roof was sitting in the front yard, and the siding from the front of the house was gone. As her son, Jeff, and her grandsons picked through what was left of her belongings, Arvin found some dark humor in the situation.

“Oh thank God,” she said, laughing, when a grandson brought over her keys. “We can get in the house.”

Monday’s tornado killed at least 24 people, destroyed countless homes and reduced one elementary school almost entirely to rubble, killing seven children inside.

As state and federal officials work to set up disaster recovery centers to provide aid and assistance, Arvin and other residents of Moore are beginning the deliberate process of assessing what’s left of their homes and possessions and what comes next.

Officials are still trying to make sense of what will be needed in the coming days, weeks and months: Will homes be rebuilt or torn down? Where will the children go to school? How much will it all cost?

Helmeted rescue workers have been searching tirelessly for survivors and victims, and officials said Tuesday they planned to keep going — sometimes double- and triple-checking home sites. Officials were not certain of how many homes were destroyed or how many families had been displaced. Emergency crews had trouble navigating devastated neighborhoods because there were no street signs left. Some rescuers used smartphones or GPS devices to guide them through areas with no recognizable landmarks.

Moore Fire Chief Gary Bird said Tuesday he was confident there are no more bodies or survivors in the rubble. Every damaged home had been searched at least once, Bird said, but his goal was to conduct three searches of each building just to be certain there were no more bodies or survivors.

“I’m 98 percent sure we’re good,” Bird said.

The Arvins and others looked for bright spots throughout an otherwise dark day. Arvin’s son Jeff noticed a set of five dishes without a single crack. He and his nephews pulled out golf clubs, pictures and a decorative key and note holder.

It was an ordeal they’ve faced before.

Monday’s tornado, which traveled 17 miles and was 1.3 miles wide at points, loosely followed the path of a twister that brought 300 mph winds in May 1999. This week’s tornado was the fourth since 1998 to hit Moore, a middle-class community that has been one of the fastest-growing suburbs of Oklahoma City.

“’99 taught us a lot, especially in Moore — such as, you’ve got to have a plan,” Jeff Arvin said.

Billy McElrath’s entire home was reduced to rubble, and even its concrete foundation was split. His wife and a friend McElrath hired to do some painting managed to make it into an underground shelter moments before the tornado shredded the home.

His 1968 red convertible Corvette was smashed under heaps of bricks and wooden frames inside what was left of his garage.

“My wife got it for my 50th birthday last August,” McElrath said. “I haven’t driven it since my son and I took it to a car show in Springfield last September.”

His plan was simple: “We’ll just start over.”

Survivors emerged with harrowing accounts of the storm’s wrath, which many endured as they shielded loved ones in hallways, closets and bathrooms.

Larry Harjo, his twin brother and their wives headed for the hospital at the end of the street only minutes ahead of the tornado that ripped the roof off their home and blew out its walls.

“We could see the tornado coming. We could see one side of it, but we couldn’t see the other so we knew it was big,” Harjo, 45, said while standing in his driveway. “There was no surviving that. It was either underground or out of the way kind of thing and we got the hell out of Dodge.”

The hospital was their plan. They had sheltered there before, but this time, it took a direct hit.

“We were directly center of the hospital and we could hear the cars hitting the building, so we knew it wasn’t going to be nice,” he said. “Thump, thump, thump. Loud thumps.”

“Ceiling tiles falling everywhere. I thought it was going to cave on us there for a minute,” he said.

From the air, large stretches Moore could be seen where every home had been cut to pieces. Some homes were sucked off their concrete slabs. A pond was filled with piles of wood and an overturned trailer. Also visible were large patches of red earth where the tornado scoured the land down to the soil. Some tree trunks were still standing, but the winds ripped away their leaves.

Officials had revised the death toll downward from 51 to 24 on Tuesday after the state medical examiner said some victims may have been double-counted in the confusion immediately after the storm. More than 200 people were treated at area hospitals.

The National Weather Service said the tornado, which was on the ground for 40 minutes, was a top-of-the-scale EF5 twister with winds of at least 200 mph — the first EF5 tornado of 2013.

___

Associated Press writers Nomaan Merchant, Sean Murphy and Tim Talley contributed to this report.

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The American Cancer Society — one of the nation’s best known and influential health advocacy groups — is 100 years old this week.

Back in 1913 when it was formed, cancer was a lesser threat for most Americans. The biggest killers then were flu, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and stomach bugs. At a time when average life expectancy was 47, few lived long enough to get cancer.

But 15 doctors and businessmen in New York City thought cancer deserved serious attention, so they founded the American Society for the Control of Cancer. The modern name would come 31 years later.

The cancer society’s rise coincided with the taming of infectious diseases and lengthening life spans. “Cancer is a disease of aging, so as people live longer there will be more cancer,” explained Dr. Michael Kastan, executive director of Duke University’s Cancer Institute.

Cancer became the nation’s No. 2 killer in 1938, a ranking it has held ever since. It also became perhaps the most feared disease — the patient’s own cells growing out of control, responding only to brutal treatments: surgery, radiation and poisonous chemicals.

The cancer society is credited with being the largest and most visible proponent of research funding, prevention and programs to help house and educate cancer patients.

Last year, the organization had revenues of about $925 million. It employs 6,000 and has 3 million volunteers, calling itself the largest voluntary health organization in the nation.

“The American Cancer Society really is in a league of its own,” Kastan said. The rate of new cancer cases has been trending downward ever so slightly.

Some historical highlights:

1913 — The American Society for the Control of Cancer is founded in New York City.

1944 — The organization is renamed the American Cancer Society. The change is spurred by Mary Lasker, the wife of advertising mogul Albert Lasker.

1946 — A research program is launched, built on $1 million raised by Mary Lasker. A year later, Dr. Sidney Farber of Boston announces the first successful chemotherapy treatment.

1948 — The cancer society pushes the Pap test, which has been credited with driving a 70 percent decline in uterine and cervical cancer.

1964 — Prodded by the cancer society and other groups, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issues a report irrefutably linking smoking to cancer.

1971 — The cancer society helps lead passage of the National Cancer Act to ramp up research money. President Nixon declares a national “war on cancer,” which becomes an extended effort derided by some as a “medical Vietnam.”

1976 — The cancer society suggests women 40 and older consider a mammogram if their mother or sisters had breast cancer.

1976 — The cancer society hosts a California event to encourage smokers to quit for the day. A year later, the annual Great American Smokeout is launched nationally.

1988 — Atlanta becomes headquarters for the society.

1997 — The cancer society recommends yearly mammograms for women over 40.

2000 — Dr. Brian Druker of Oregon reports the first success with “targeted” cancer therapy.

2003 — The cancer society stops recommending monthly breast self-exams. But it continues to urge annual mammograms for most women over 40, even after a government task force says most don’t need screening until 50.

2012 — The cancer society reports the rate of new cancer cases has been inching down by about half a percent each year since 1999.

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Residents are voting to keep Portland, Ore., as the largest U.S. city without fluoride in the water or any plans to add it.

With more than half the expected ballots counted, the Multnomah County election website shows the fluoride proposal failing, 60 percent to 40 percent.

Voters in Portland twice rejected fluoridation before approving it in 1978. That plan was overturned two years later, before any fluoride was ever added to the water.

The City Council voted last year to add fluoride to the water supply that serves about 900,000 people. But opponents quickly gathered enough signatures to force a vote on the subject.

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Residents are voting to keep Portland, Ore., as the largest U.S. city without fluoride in the water or any plans to add it.

With more than half the expected ballots counted, the Multnomah County election website shows the fluoride proposal failing, 60 percent to 40 percent.

Voters in Portland twice rejected fluoridation before approving it in 1978. That plan was overturned two years later, before any fluoride was ever added to the water.

The City Council voted last year to add fluoride to the water supply that serves about 900,000 people. But opponents quickly gathered enough signatures to force a vote on the subject.

Associated Press

City Council Vice President, Bud Williams attended the meeting.

“We have an overabundance of low income housing, an overabundance of group homes, an overabundance of drug programs. This is all in the city, and we serve the valley, Springfield’s done its fair share,” says Williams.

He adds that the city of Springfield can start solving the problem by drawing in people of different economic backgrounds.

Springfield was just named the number one most segregated city in the nation.

It was part of the Tip-a-Cop event to raise money for the “Ride-to-Remember” which is a bike ride from Springfield to Boston that is designed to honor fallen officers.

This year’s ride is in honor of Springfield officer Kevin Ambrose and Westfield officer Jose Torres.

“We’re doing a bike ride from Springfield to Boston.  We have 200 police officers from across New England, that are going to ride from Springfield to Boston, over 100 miles, in honor of the two fallen officers. When we arrive in Boston, their names are going to be added to the monument,” explains Springfield Police Sgt. John Delaney.

All tip money officers earned tonight, plus 15% of each bill will go to the fundraiser.

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Jeff Keppinger hit a two-run homer off Felix Doubront (3-2) in the fifth. Alex Rios extended his career-high hitting streak to 16 with a single and RBI double, and the White Sox won for the sixth time in eight games. They’ll try to complete the sweep against Clay Buchholz on Wednesday.

Quintana (3-1) was simply terrific.

The left-hander struck out five and walked two, and he had the fans thinking they just might be witnessing something special. The roars from the stands grew louder with each out as the game wore on, right until Ortiz’s bat shattered on a bloop single to center with one out in the seventh.

Boston leads the best-of-seven series 3-0 and can advance to the conference finals as early as Thursday at Madison Square Garden. Only three teams in NHL history have rallied from an 0-3 hole to advance.

The Bruins trailed 1-0 heading into the third, but defenseman Johnny Boychuk tied it at 3:10 of the period with his fourth of the playoffs. The Rangers hadn’t lost in regulation when leading after two periods since Feb. 4, 2010.

Boston thought it had grabbed the lead seconds before Paille actually scored when a shot deflected off the mask of Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, popped up in the air and landed on the goal line. Lundqvist couldn’t find it before Paille swooped in from behind the net and poked in the puck.

Taylor Pyatt had made it 1-0 in the second period for the Rangers, who were outscored 8-4 in two losses at Boston to begin the series. New York had won nine straight games at home, including three in the playoffs against Washington in the first round.

Lundqvist was sharp until the third period and finished with 32 saves. Tuukka Rask stopped 23 shots in the win.

The Rangers again failed to get their power play on track, failing in both of their chances and dropping to 0-for-10 in the series. New York has only two power-play goals in 38 opportunities during these playoffs.

Despite being outshot 14-5 in the second period, the Rangers carried a 1-0 lead into the third.

Boychuk was credited with the tying goal after the puck appeared to deflect into the net off Rangers defenseman John Moore.

The game turned rougher moments later when New York forward Chris Kreider was struck under his visor by the stick of Boston’s Tyler Seguin, who was following through on a shot just inside the blue line. Seguin was then clipped in the exchange by the stick of Rangers defenseman Steve Eminger.

Shortly after, Bruins forward Patrice Bergeron had a cut over his eye that left his white jersey bloodstained. No penalties were called on any of the plays.

New York took just its second lead of the series 3:53 into the second period when Pyatt deflected in a shot by defenseman Ryan McDonagh that was fired from the blue line shortly after the Rangers’ second failed power play of the night expired.

New York hasn’t lost in regulation when leading after two periods since Feb. 4, 2010, (86-0-6). The Rangers were 16-0 in those situations during this regular season.

Lundqvist was again the reason why.

He was especially sharp in the second, making a pad stop on Seguin 6 1-2 minutes in, stretching across to knock away a drive by rookie defenseman Torey Krug — who scored in each of the first two games of the series — and then bringing the crowd to its feet with a lunging glove snare of Gregory Campbell‘s slap shot from the left circle with 8:24 remaining.

That got the Bruins even in shots (15-15) before they outshot New York 8-1 the rest of the second.

The Rangers got off to a sluggish start after losing the opening faceoff, and didn’t mount any kind of early surge fueled by the excited home crowd. New York didn’t get possession of the puck in the first minute and didn’t carry it into the Boston end until 1:35 had elapsed.

But the Rangers picked up their play soon after and built a 6-1 edge in shots, including scoring opportunities on Rask. New York earned the first power play of the night, however it was as ineffective as it has been throughout the postseason.

Rangers captain Ryan Callahan took what appeared to be an elbow from hulking Bruins captain Zdeno Chara when they came together along the boards deep in the Boston end. Callahan clipped Chara in the face with his stick, causing a cut on the bridge of the defenseman’s nose.

The tide turned back to the Bruins’ favor just before the midway point in the period, starting with a partial breakaway after New York turned over the puck at the Boston blue line. Chris Kelly raced ahead with the puck and was stopped in tight by Lundqvist when he tried a backhanded shot.

Shawn Thornton was also denied when he came in alone on Lundqvist with 8:46 left in the period, and Jaromir Jagr couldn’t score, either, when he got a pair of whacks at the puck that the New York goalie turned aside.

The Bruins’ surge gave them an 8-7 edge in shots, but Boston finished the period trailing 11-9.

Game notes
A moment of silence was held before the national anthem in honor of the victims of Monday’s tornado in Oklahoma. … Wayne Gretzky and Sting were among the celebrities in the crowd. … The Rangers didn’t yield a power-play chance for the second straight home game.

[Warning: The following contains spoilers from Grimm's Season 2 finale. Read at your own risk!]

Happy endings will have to wait until another season on Grimm.

On Tuesday’s finale…

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kellie Pickler came into the final “Dancing With the Stars” episode in second place but finished in first.

The 26-year-old country singer won the show’s mirrorball trophy Tuesday.

Pickler and her professional partner, Derek Hough, earned two sets of perfect scores Monday night and another on Tuesday. Judges’ scores combined with viewer votes determine the winner.

Because there were problems Monday with voting on the ABC website during the show’s East Coast broadcast, host Tom Bergeron said Tuesday those votes weren’t counted. Only votes cast by phone, text and Facebook factored into the final count.

Teen Disney Channel star Zendaya came in second place. Football pro Jacoby Jones finished third. Fellow finalist Alexandra Raisman was axed at the beginning of Tuesday’s episode.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

Four finalists are vying for the “Dancing With the Stars” title, and just one point separates the top two contestants.

A new champion will be crowned Tuesday.

Football pro Jacoby Jones, Olympian Alexandra Raisman, singer Kellie Pickler and 16-year-old Disney Channel star Zendaya each did three dances on Monday’s episode of the ABC competition.

Zendaya was perfect in the judges’ eyes, earning the maximum score for each routine.

“You’ve only just scratched the surface of your talent,” head judge Len Goodman said.

Pickler was a close second, collecting perfect 10s for her quickstep and freestyle dances, but finishing behind Zendaya in the cha-cha relay, which saw all four finalists perform to the same song.

Pickler’s freestyle brought judge Carrie Ann Inaba to tears.

“You just bared your soul on the dance floor and it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen,” Inaba said.

Raisman finished third after wowing the judges with a freestyle routine that incorporated gymnastics and stunts on vertical bars. Jones landed in last place, falling short on his action-packed freestyle that Inaba said distracted from his dancing.

Viewers were given until 11 a.m. EDT Tuesday to cast votes on Facebook. The show’s hosts, Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet, said ABC’s online voting system was down Monday night.

Each contestant will perform one last dance during Tuesday’s season finale to add points to their totals. Judges’ scores combined with viewer votes will determine the new champion.

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Online:

http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars

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AP Entertainment Writer Sandy Cohen is on Twitter: www.twitter.com/APSandy.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.