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The Westfield News Serving Westfield, Southwick, and the surrounding Hilltowns
www.thewestfieldnews.com VOL. 85 NO. 73
SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016
“Life’s like a play; it’s not the length but the excellence of the acting that matters.” — SENECA THE YOUNGER
75 cents
City man brutally attacks neighbors, dog with a hammer
Way of the Cross Parishioners partake in the annual Way of the Cross ceremonial procession yesterday. The one-hour Good Friday observance includes a one-mile walk around downtown Westfield which involved more than 200. See additional photos Page 8. (Photos by Lynn F. Boscher)
By CHRISTINE CHARNOSKY Staff Writer WESTFIELD – A city man was arrested in Springfield a day after allegedly assaulting two residents and their dog with a hammer. Adrian B. Hinds, 25, of 342 Southwick Road, so brutally assaulted the victims that witnesses could hear the victims screaming and hear the hammer striking the victims’ heads. Westfield Police Capt. Michael McCabe said the victims suffered severe lacerations to their skulls. The assault occurred just past 10 a.m. Wednesday morning at Southwood Acres, located at 342 Southwick Road. McCabe said during the unprovoked attack, Hinds first attacked his neighbor, a female in her 20s, by striking her head with the hammer. The victim’s roommate, a male in his 20s, heard her screams and ran out with their dog to help. Hinds then attacked the male victim, striking him on the head with the hammer, and hitting the dog with the hammer as well. Before police arrived on scene, Hinds had allegedly left in a vehicle that had four flat tires. The victims were transported to Baystate Noble Hospital in stable condition and are expected to recover. Hinds’ vehicle was found abandoned in the Savers parking lot on Memorial Avenue in West Springfield shortly past 1:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, according to police logs. Throughout the afternoon, police were continually contacting Verizon and Sprint to “ping” cell phones believed to be in Hinds’ possession in an effort to locate the suspect. Springfield police caught up with Hinds at 2:50 p.m. Thursday afternoon in an apartment at 23 Edgewood St. McCabe said Hinds is charged with two counts of assault & battery with a dangerous weapon (a hammer) with serious bodily injury, two counts of assault with intent to murder and a cruelty to animal charge. McCabe didn’t release whether Hinds has a record of previous charges. The Westfield News couldn’t find any arrest record for Hinds in an online search. Staff Writer Christine Charnosky can be reached at christinec@thewestfieldnewsgroup.com
WESTFIELD FIRE DEPT. PARAMEDICS
Drug related medical calls WESTFIELD — From Friday, March 18 to Friday, March 25, the Westfield Fire Dept paramedics responded to the following drug related medical calls: After reviewing the last week’s ambulance calls/transports, there were no calls where narcan was given or if there was a patient with a possible overdose. nor were there any drug related deaths reported.
Obama: New England Mass. finalizes comprehensive fantasy sports rules undersea mountain not By BOB SALSBERG Schneiderman has argued the sites several provisions, notably the 21-yearAssociated Press amounted to illegal gambling. old age restriction. Healey, who praised a national monument BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts Under an agreement reached earlier the companies for their cooperation Attorney General Maura Healey issued rules Friday for daily fantasy sports operators that she called the most comprehensive in the nation, including a minimum age of 21 for participating in the online contests. The final regulations are largely the same as the ones Healey, a Democrat, proposed in November. They also bar games based on college or amateur sports, and individual players could not spend more than $1,000 each month without proof they could withstand deep financial losses. Operators such as Boston-based DraftKings and New York-based FanDuel will also be required under the rules to offer “beginner” contests that highly experienced players would be prevented from entering. Healey, who said the regulations will create a “level, fair playing field” for participants, opted for a different approach to fantasy sports than counterparts in some states, notably New York, where Attorney General Eric
this week, DraftKings and FanDuel agreed to stop taking bets in New York while lawmakers consider whether to legalize the games. The Massachusetts rules do not require legislative approval and will take effect July 1, though Healey said she expected companies to begin moving toward compliance immediately. DraftKings said it would “fully comply” with the new regulations. “We will continue to work with policymakers across the country to ensure that fantasy contests are fun and fair for the tens of millions of sports fans who enjoy playing them,” CEO Tim Dent said in a statement. FanDuel thanked Healey for taking a “deliberate, comprehensive approach” to fantasy sports. The company in its statement said it had concerns that some regulations might restrict “new proconsumer innovations,” but it would also work to be in full compliance. During a hearing in January on the regulations, the operators objected to
during the rule-making process, defended the cutoff. “Young people are very susceptible to addictive gaming, addictive play, and so it is all the more important that we take this action and make sure that play doesn’t start until age 21,” she told reporters Friday. The final regulations, Healey added, were clarified to bar anyone under 21 from playing fantasy sports while physically in Massachusetts — a college student, for example, from another state where it would be legal to play at a younger age. Operators that violate the rules could face civil penalties or even risk being shut down, Healey said. The Fantasy Sports Trade Association, a Chicago-based organization that represents the fantasy sports industry in the U.S. and Canada, said the Massachusetts regulations offer important consumer protections and provide a strong framework for other states to follow.
By PATRICK WHITTLE Associated Press PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — President Barack Obama will not to pursue a proposal to create the first underwater national monument in the Atlantic Ocean, a decision that thrilled commercial fisherman but frustrated environmentalists. Environmental groups want Obama to permanently protect Cashes Ledge, an underwater mountain range and offshore ecosystem in the Gulf of Maine. They tried, over months of campaigning, to make the case that the mountain chain, with its kelp forest and peaks that reach close to the surface, deserves to be the first monument of its kind in the Atlantic. But Cashes Ledge is “not under consideration for a designation at this time,” a spokesperson for the White House Council on Environmental Quality said Friday. The proposal to protect Cashes Ledge drew heavy opposition from commercial fishing groups that saw the move as an attack on their industry and the livelihood of their members. Obama’s decision not to consider Cashes for protection was motivated by “a lack of scientific information to support such a designation,” said Associated Fisheries of Maine president Terry Alexander. “Commercial fishermen in New England face continuous See Not a Monument, Page 7
Contact: Julie Waniewski jwaniewski@armbrookvillage.com