Springfield (Massachusetts)

Brazilian legend Oscar Schmidt, a three-time Olympic scoring champion and 1980s Italian league star, was among five people announced Friday as 2013 inductees to the Basketball Hall of Fame.

An explosion thought to have been triggered by a gas leak leveled a bar in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, moments after dancers were warned to flee, local media reported.

Controversial pastor Scott Lively is considering a run for governor of Massachusetts. Controversial pastor Scott Lively is considering a run for governor of Massachusetts. According to The Republican, Lively is in the early stages exploring the viability of a campaign for the 2014 election. ?I'm probably 90 percent sure that I'm going to do it, but I'm holding back that 10 percent,? Lively said. He added that he has yet to decided whether he would run as an independent, a Republican or a Democrat. ?The third option,? he said, ?is probably the least likely.? Lively, the president of the Springfield, Massachusetts-based Abiding Truth Ministries, is currently being sued by a gay rights group in Uganda. The group claims that Lively ?conspired with religious and political leaders in Uganda to whip up anti-gay hysteria with warnings that gay people would sodomize African children and corrupt their culture? and that his speech is in part responsible for the persecution of gay people in Uganda

Mitt Romney seized on poor GDP data Thursday to brand President Barack Obama a failure, but the incumbent shot back accusing his challenger of pushing a rich man's "trickle-down" economic fantasy.

Scott Lively on Friday argued against a proposed gay protections ordinance to be debated next month in Springfield, Missouri. Scott Lively on Friday argued against a proposed gay protections ordinance to be debated next month in Springfield, Missouri. The City Council committee in June approved the proposal which would make it illegal to deny someone a job, housing or public services based on sexual orientation or gender identity in Springfield. The Mayor's Commission on Human Rights and Community Relations has endorsed the changes to existing city law and the whole council is set to debate the issue next month. ?Don't let this anti-discrimination ordinance go through,? Lively told a crowd of nearly 70 people gathered at The Library Station. ?It's like chicken pox. It's in your system forever. You've got to kill this thing before it goes in.? Lively, the president of the Springfield, Massachusetts-based Abiding Truth Ministries, is currently being sued by a? gay rights group in Uganda.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Next time you get a vaginal exam, you might want to ask your doctor to use a lubricant gel.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Next time you get a vaginal exam, you might want to ask your doctor to use a lubricant gel.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass (Reuters) - A white man who admitted to helping burn down a mostly black church to protest against Barack Obama's election as the nation's first black president was sentenced on Wednesday to four-and-a-half years in prison.

(Reuters) - A white man convicted of burning down a mostly black church to condemn Barack Obama's election as the nation's first black president in November 2008 was sentenced on Thursday to nearly 14 years in prison.

``I got my call,'' he said as applause broke out. ``I am no longer in removal proceedings. My case is going to be closed.

AMHERST, Mass (Reuters) - Fifteen people were arrested at a sit-in against home foreclosures at a Bank of America branch in Massachusetts on Monday, while Tea Party supporters demonstrated across the street, organizers and police said.

BOSTON (Reuters) - A fugitive on the FBI's "Most Wanted Terrorists" list who was allegedly involved in two bombings near San Francisco may be hiding in western Massachusetts, authorities said on Wednesday.

The Massachusetts Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that bars discrimination in the workplace against transgender people. ?The Massachusetts Senate on Wednesday approved a bill that bars discrimination in the workplace against transgender people, Springfield's CBS affiliate WSHM reported. Senators approved the bill on a voice vote during a morning session. The House approved the measure during a late night session on Tuesday with a 95 to 58 vote after Democratic leaders moved to limit debate to one hour. Gay rights groups lauded the move. ?The Massachusetts Legislature today recognized that transgender residents should be treated equally and protected under the law,? said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest advocate for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights. ?The Transgender Equal Rights Bill has languished for years, but today the Legislature sent a clear message of fairness and equality.?? In a move to boost lawmaker support, pr

Alex Morse on Tuesday was elected mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, making the 22-year-old the nation's youngest gay mayor. ?Alex Morse on Tuesday was elected mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, making the 22-year-old the nation's youngest gay mayor. While attending Brown University, Morse worked three years for Rhode Island Rep. David Cicilline when he was mayor of Providence. ?Alex Morse, my mentee, elected tonight as Mayor of Holyoke, Ma.? Cicilline tweeted. ?Congrats, Alex! A visionary, committed, new young leader for his city.? Holyoke, a city of nearly 40,000 residents, is considered part of the greater Springfield metropolitan area. Morse enjoyed the endorsement of the Lesbian & Gay Victory Fund, a bipartisan group devoted to electing openly gay candidates. ?Alex is a force of nature, and proof that young LGBT Americans are determined to live authentic lives as they build their careers,? said Chuck Wolfe, president of the Victory Fund. ?We're incredibly proud of the campaign he ran.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who get several months' worth of birth control pills at once are more likely to stick with the contraceptive than those who get a shorter-term supply, a new clinical trial suggests.

CONWAY, Mass (Reuters) - Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick warned on Saturday it would be unsafe for people to venture out on Sunday when extreme rain and winds from Hurricane Irene are expected to slam southern New England.

NORTHAMPTON, Mass (Reuters) - Residents of inland areas in Massachusetts loaded up on essential provisions from water to batteries on Friday as New England states urged people to prepare for the barrage of Hurricane Irene this weekend.

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - As the season of two-a-day football workouts gets underway, young athletes need to be extra careful to drink plenty of water and to rest in between back-to-back sessions, according to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

CONWAY, Mass (Reuters) - The deadly tornadoes that plowed through western and central Massachusetts on June 1 have now prompted 9,500 insurance claims totaling $175 million worth of damage, state officials said on Wednesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A former attorney at the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher who was charged along with at least two dozen others in a child-pornography sweep died in Mexico two days after the charges were publicly announced, prosecutors and his family said.