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SPRINGFIELD -- The complex, multi- defendant case involving  the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Kenneth Lopez was back in court Wednesday , with four defense lawyers arguing police should not have been granted a warrant to search an apartment where the accused shooter was arrested. While the murder warrant that led to the arrest of Lee Rios isn't in dispute, the attorneys have taken issue with the broader search warrant , which led to the arrest of three other people on gun charges. But a prosecutor in the case told Hampden Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney Wednesday the search warrant was justified because the 196 Nursery St. apartment was the first place Lee Rios went after the slaying -- making it he most likely location for investigators to find forensic evidence .  Lee Rios, 24, is charged with murder in the killing of Lopez, whose body was found around noon on March 25, 2015, in the yard of a house at Dwight and Calhoun streets in the city's North End. Wednesda...

A judge ruled Thursday that web hosting company DreamHost must turn over data from an Inauguration Day protest website to federal prosecutors looking to find evidence against people charged with rioting during the event. D.C. Superior Court Chief Judge Robert Morin said there would be safeguards in place to address First Amendment concerns raised by the company, which said it was “problematic” to turn over such sensitive information. As a result of the ruling, investigators will be able to review emails related to the website DisruptJ20 .org and identify those who sent and received communications through the domain. But the judge, who ruled from the bench, ordered the government to abide by strict rules to minimize the collection of information about individuals who communicated through the website but committed no crime. “I am going to be supervising their search,” Judge Morin told the lawyers. The Justice Department said it’s no longer looking for casual visitors to the websit...

John Altschul with his dog, Ethanol. (Photo by James Mills) EDITOR’S NOTE: The is another in a series of occasional stories titled “The Grownups” about West Hollywood residents 75 years old or older who are active in civic life. He’s been called the elder statesman of West Hollywood . He possesses the leadership, diplomacy, patience, charm and institutional memory necessary to hold that honorary title. More importantly, he has the ear of city leaders, community activists , business leaders and developers that is required of an effective statesman. Although he was not involved with the formation of the city, he became a guiding force in shaping West Hollywood . And this week, John Altschul celebrates his 81st birthday. He reluctantly accepts the idea of being the city’s elder statesman, but would prefer he wasn’t quite so much on the elder side of it (wouldn’t we all!). “ West Hollywood has always been a place where everyone has been so friendly,” says Altschul. “I’ve always felt ...