Northampton removes some downtown benches

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- The city of Northampton has removed six of the 16 benches in its busy downtown shopping district -- because it seems people were actually sitting on them.Mayor David Narkewicz says the city received numerous complaints, particularly from businesses, about people loitering for hours on benches he says were meant for short-term use.Daniel Yacuzzo, director of the Business ...

Experts weigh role of political correctness in terror

The Boston Marathon bombings and the butchering of a British soldier, attributed to terrorism suspects who had already faced official scrutiny, are further proof of how hard it is for free societies to stop small-scale jihadist offensives, security experts say, but critics say law enforcement is handicapping itself with excessive political correctness.Critics point to the blackballing of ...

Predator tab grows Expert witnesses cost taxpayers $100000

Public defenders seeking to keep convicted sex offenders’ identities secret spent nearly $100,000 in taxpayer money last year on expert testimony - a strategy pushed in a widely circulated handbook advising attorneys on how to beat the state’s registry, a Herald review found.The review comes as the Senate yesterday approved a measure to add the names of Level 2 predators to the Sex ...

Malloy Larson announce manufacturing initiative

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and Congressman John Larson are announcing a new manufacturing jobs initiative that will bring together state government, businesses and ...

Chilly weather pressures Destination XL in 1Q

CANTON, Mass. (AP) - Destination XL Group Inc.’s fiscal first-quarter net income dropped 57 percent as the men’s clothing and accessories company contended with a chilly spring and higher ...