"There is no doubt she saved her daughter's life," West Springfield Police Chief Thomas E. Burke said of Guerrero's actions.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Officials here have released the names of two people killed in yesterday's tornado.

West Springfield resident Angelica Guerrero, 40, took refuge in a bathtub and covered her 15 year-old daughter as the three-family home on Union Street collapsed around them.

"There is no doubt she saved her daughter's life," said West Springfield Police Chief Thomas E. Burke.

Sergey Livchin, 23, died in his parked car on a hill on Main Street. His passenger called emergency responders around 4:45 p.m. and Licvhin was pronounced dead at the scene. No cause of death has been determined.

This is a developing story. Details will be added as they become available.

Follow live updates of the tornado recovery here.

Although Vitale never revealed to his colleagues a $100,000 payment he received from Cognos, he openly reported other sources of outside income, according to Richard Caturano, Vitale’s business partner for 30 years.

File photo by Greg Saulmon / The RepublicanFormer Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi arrives at federal court in Boston Friday for the continuation of his corruption trial.

By KYLE CHENEY

BOSTON - Richard Vitale, an accountant and codefendant in the corruption trial of former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, concealed a payment he received from Cognos Corp. -- a software company at the center of charges that DiMasi sold his office for financial gain – despite an agreement with his colleagues at his accounting firm to disclose outside income, a witness testified in federal court Thursday

Although Vitale never revealed to his colleagues a $100,000 payment he received from Cognos in 2006, he openly reported other sources of outside income, according to Richard Caturano, Vitale’s business partner for 30 years at the accounting firm of Vitale Caturano.

“He told me about activities that he had with respect to a minor league baseball team, a property management company and other real estate investments he was involved in over the years,” Caturano said.

According to Caturano, a shareholder agreement at Vitale Caturano required Vitale to cash in his shares in June 2007, when he turned 62. As a result of redeeming his shares, Vitale was owed $6 million over a 10-year period, and he stayed on staff to earn a $400,000-a-year salary from the firm, Caturano said, adding that his continued employment by the firm after reaching the retirement age was a source of tension among his colleagues.

The agreement also required that if employees received outside income, they either turn it over to the firm or deduct an equal amount from their salaries. Vitale, DiMasi’s friend for decades and longtime accountant, including during his tenure as speaker from 2004 to 2009, never disclosed to shareholders his income derived from Cognos or his relationship with the software company, Caturano said.

Vitale’s lawyer Martin Weinberg argued Vitale had openly relied on the accounting firm’s administrative staff to help him establish WN Advisors – the single-employee consulting firm that would go on to collect Cognos payments – indicating that he hadn’t intended to conceal its existence. He listed Vitale Caturano’s address and phone number as the contact information for WN Advisors, and he even denoted in 2006 the $100,000 payment derived from Cognos in an official Vitale Caturano record, Weinberg emphasized.

Weinberg displayed billing sheets for Vitale Caturano in which Vitale recorded hours he spent working on business for WN Advisors and he also displayed a check from WN Advisors to Vitale Caturano.

In addition to the $100,000 payment in September 2006, WN Advisors received $500,000 in 2007 from Montvale Solutions, a Cognos reseller run by Joseph Lally. Lally pled guilty in March to conspiring with DiMasi, Vitale and lobbyist Richard McDonough in an alleged kickback scheme.

Judge Mark Wolf noted to jurors that Vitale was under no obligation to disclose the $500,000 payment, received in August 2007, because he was no longer a Vitale Caturano shareholder when that payment arrived.

DiMasi, Vitale and McDonough are charged with conspiring to use DiMasi’s office to steer a pair of contracts – a $4.5 million deal in 2006 and a $13 million deal in 2007 – to Cognos in exchange for kickbacks. Prosecutors said DiMasi received $65,000 funneled through a law associate and that Vitale received two payments totaling $600,000 after the deals went through. McDonough, prosecutors say, received $300,000 for his role in the contracts as well.

Defense attorneys have argued that the payments to the three defendants were all legal arrangements – the funds to DiMasi came from a fee-sharing arrangement with his law associate Steven Topazio, McDonough was paid for his efforts to lobby on behalf of Cognos and Vitale was paid through a consulting agreement with a Cognos reseller, Montvale Solutions.

Caturano described founding Vitale Caturano in 1978, a tiny outfit with just four employees, and the way it grew into a company with hundreds of accountants on staff and thousands of clients, many of them prominent and powerful. The firm, last year, was acquired by McGladrey, one of the largest accounting companies in New England.

Under questioning from prosecutor Kirstina Barclay and Weinberg, Caturano described openly advertising Vitale’s relationship to other clients at Vitale Caturano, often introducing the speaker to them.

“We did it out of courtesy and respect for our clients,” Caturano said.

Weinberg, during his cross-examination of Caturano, emphasized that Vitale had been involved with education charities through his accounting firm and that he had a host of high-profile political and business connections.

He noted that Vitale worked closely with Paul Guzzi, the president of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, to help advance the interests of Massachusetts businesses. Weinberg also noted that Vitale worked closely with the president of Sovereign Bank and had connections with another well-known Massachusetts politico, former House Majority Leader Richard Voke, who lost a brutal campaign for House speaker to Thomas Finneran in the 1990s.

Caturano agreed with Weinberg’s characterization and suggested that Vitale was proud of his relationship to DiMasi, and the firm ensured it was not kept secret.

Baystate Medical treats largest number of seriously hurt from collapsed structures and flying debris.

SubmittedBaystate Medical Center trauma surgeon Dr. Reginald Alouidor said this was the first time he treated tornado victims outside his native Haiti.

Area hospitals and medical centers praised their staff for working longer shifts, sleeping at their facilities and putting patients first aside from concerns for their own family members during the recent tornadoes in the area.

“Phone calls were made rapidly and simultaneously. We had very little time to prepare,” said Baystate Medical Center trauma surgeon Dr. Reginald Alouidor.

The center, the only level 1 trauma hospital in the area, handled the largest number of series injuries from the storm.

At a noon press conference, Alouidor said the center treated 25 patients ranging in age from 2 to 60 years old with storm-related injuries. He said 18 of these patients were treated and released with five of them requiring assistance from the Red Cross in finding shelter because their homes had been demolished.

Alouidor said of the seven patients admitted to hospital, two required surgery and a third was in intensive care unit with a condition upgraded from critical to serious.

Alouidor said he expected four of the hospitalized “to do quite well” with the other three requiring rehabilitation.

Alouidor said this was the first time he had to treat victims of a tornado disaster outside of his native Haiti. He said the injuries where consistent with “expected blood trauma.”

“There were a fair amount of extremity injuries and fractures,” Alouidor said.

He added there were also “major liver lacerations, severe spine factures and brain injuries” consistent with the “collapse of buildings” and materials falling on patients as well as patients being “thrown against objects” or “hit by flying objects.”

He said the hospital would continue to be ready to receive any other patients yet to be found injured from the storm.

Alouidor said the hospital was able to mobilize to disaster status within 20 minutes of confirming the extent of the first tornado damage around 5:30 p.m. with 5 trauma surgeons on hand, 23 surgical residents, six or seven emergency room physicians and a “small army of nursing staff” as well as extra trauma and acute monitoring beds and added support from staff in housing keeping, transport and cafeteria services.

He said the center was in touch with other hospitals as well the city’s emergency services during the disaster and Thomas Lynch, director of security , said he felt the center’s execution of its disaster plan went well as components of it had been activated during this winter’s severe weather conditions.

Social and behavioral services were also made available to patients.

Ann Maynard, a registered nurse, is director of emergency services at Baystate Medical Center.

“We had staff showing up at the door,” said Ann Maynard, a registered nurse and Baystate’s director of emergency services, of the additional emergency room doctors and 15 nurses who arrived.

Maynard said that while the treatment of non-storm related injuries continued she noticed a definite difference in the patients arriving because of the tornadoes.

“There was fear in their faces,” said Maynard, a veteran nurse of 30 years.

“Those injured patients had the look of fear and terror in terms of what they had witnessed. They looked in the sky and saw what their brains wanted to tell them was a flock of swirling birds but in reality was bricks and debris going around.”

Maynard said these patients also had “concern for other victims.”

“They told stories of what they witnessed. They had not run for safety,” said Maynard, citing one patient who helped a victim they had seen fall in the storm.

Daniel P. Moen, the recently-hired president and chief executive officer for the Sisters of Providence Health System, praised the staff of Mercy Medical Center where nearly three dozen patients were treated for “non-life threatening” injuries for their “great team work.”

“We had 35 patients come from the start of the storm through this morning,” Moen said. “I was so impressed by the staff and the way they responded in a calm and professional and caring way.”

submittedDaniel P. Moen, the recently-hired president and chief executive officer for the Sisters of Providence Health System, praised the staff of Mercy Medical Center where nearly three dozen patients were treated.

Moen said the center had an extra 30 people staffed through a combination of people “called in early, some volunteering to stay and some people just showing up because they knew their particular skills were needed.”

“It was heartwarming to see the great team work through the event,” Moen said.

Nancy A. Coley, spokesperson for Holyoke Medical Center, said “10 to 12 patients” had been treated and released there for storm related injuries with one admitted and in stable condition.

Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware said that one person, struck by lighting, had been admitted but was “expected to go home.”

William Russo-Appel, director of marketing and public relations at Wing Memorial hospital and Medical Centers, said Wing treated 12 patients in its emergency room for minor weather-related injuries.

He said the hospital did call in extra staff because “some of our staff could not get here following the damage from the tornado.”

“We also had some staff stay late to help out,” Russo-Appel said.

Christina Trinchero, spokesperson for Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton, said the hospital had additional emergency room staff on standby but, as no patients were treated at Cooley for storm-related injuries, they were not needed to work.

Roughly 6,000 households in East Longmeadow have been without power since the storms hit.

Photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanA smashed car sits next to the South End Community Center, which lost most of its roof in a tornado that touched down in Springfield Wednesday. The biggest problem East Longmeadow experienced in the wake of the storm was massive power failures.

EAST LONGMEADOW -Residents in East Longmeadow might not get power back until Saturday in the wake of tornadoes that hit parts of Western Massachusetts Wednesday, according to reports from National Grid.

There are roughly 6,000 households in town and they have all been without power since Wednesday,”said Selectman Enrico J. Villamaino.

He said there are generators at the fire and police stations as well as Birchland Park Middle School, which is serving as a shelter for the next 48 hours.

Although the schools have generators, Superintendent of Schools Gordon C. Smith has canceled school until Monday.

Selectmen Chairman James D. Driscoll said Birchland Park Middle School will serve as a shelter for anyone in town or in surrounding communities who needs assistance. The shelter will be open from 4 p.m. Thursday until 4 p.m. Saturday. Individuals interested in volunteering to staff the shelter are asked to contact Driscoll at (413) 478-3923.

Driscoll said the senior center has been closed and staff including Executive Director Carolyn Brennan are coordinating the Meals on Wheels program as well as assistance for seniors with oxygen tanks and patients with respirators.

Driscoll, who was on State Street when the first tornado struck Wednesday, said the damage was unbelievable.

“I saw the roof of the South End Community Center come right off. People were roaming the streets and a car was flipped over in front of me. It was just awful,” he said.

Longmeadow High School had to postpone its graduation at Symphony Hall on Thursday night. Vice Principal Peter Dunkerley said the graduation has been rescheduled for Sunday at 11 a.m.

Longmeadow did not suffer any damage, but firefighters assisted West Springfield and Wilbraham from when the tornado struck until 4 a.m. Thursday morning, a fire department representative said.

For more information on how to get assistance contact the East Longmeadow Fire Department at (413) 525-5430 or the Longmeadow Fire Department at (413) 565-3357.

Mirna Colón se estaba arreglando su cabellera en un salón de belleza al centro de la ciudad de Springfield al rededor de las 4:30 p.m. del miércoles cuando lo que ella describe como una nube negra comenzó a cubrir el cielo. “Vi una nube oscura y luego lo que parecía como un tornado, una gran cantidad de viento con la basura,” dijo Colón.

Due to damage caused by the June 1 tornado most Spanish-speaking media outlets are not operational. The Republican is issuing this special section of El Pueblo Latino in order to reach relevant information to our Spanish-speaking readers.

View full sizeFoto  Jessica Hill | APResidentes toman fotos de los daños de la tormenta un día después que un tornado azotó a Springfield. Funcionarios de salud pública de Massachusetts han descifrado una cifra de alrededor de 200 personas que han buscado tratamiento  en una variedad de lesiones relacionadas con la tormenta, y un centro de trauma regional en Springfield dice que al menos tres tienen lesiones que han sido graves y necesiten rehabilitación a largo plazo.

Por Lucila J. Santana
lsantana@repub.com

Mirna Colón se estaba arreglando su cabellera en un salón de belleza al centro de la ciudad de Springfield al rededor de las 4:30 p.m. del miércoles cuando lo que ella describe como una nube negra comenzó a cubrir el cielo. “Vi una nube oscura y luego lo que parecía como un tornado, una gran cantidad de viento con la basura,” dijo Colón.

Justo antes de las 5 p.m. el Servicio Nacional de Meteorología apuntó que un tornado había azotado el centro de la ciudad de Springfield. Otros dos tornados solaparon el área, uno cerca de Palmer, y otro cerca de Sturbridge y Oxford,

El gobernador Deval Patrick declaró la región como estado de emergencia a las 7:10 p.m. en respuesta a los impactos de la actividad de tornados. La Guardia Nacional convocó a unos 1,000 soldados para ayudar en los esfuerzos de rescate y activó la Agencia Federal para el Manejo de Emergencias (FEMA por sus siglas en ingles).

El gobernador dijo que aproximadamente 26,000 personas se quedaron sin servicio eléctrico y por lo menos 19 comunidades se vieron afectadas por las tormentas.

Techos de hogares fueron derribados, árboles desarraigados, y carros destrozados.

Durante el jueves la región ha comenzado a ser inspeccionada por el sistema de emergencias el cual aún busca personas que pudiesen haber estado atrapadas entre los escombros.

En el día de ayer 250 personas habían sido refugiadas en las facilidades del centro de convenciones MassMutual Center de Springfield. Estas han sido reubicadas en Greenleaf Community Center.

La comunidad hispana ha estado poco informada sobre las ayudas disponibles a través del oeste de Massachusetts debido a que su fuente principal de información inmediata, las estaciones de radio hispanas de Davison Media Group, WSPR La Power 1270 AM, y WACM La Nueva Popular 1490 han permanecido fuera de servicio debido a un corte de energía eléctrica.

Joseph F. Rizza, gerente regional del noreste de Davison Media Group se reunió con lideres de la comunidad hispana esta tarde en una reunión convocada por la Cámara de Comercio Latina de Massachusetts (MLCC por sus siglas en ingles) para desarrollar un plan de contingencia.

“Ambas estaciones están fuera servicio porque no hay electricidad siendo suministradas a las torres de control,” dijo Rizza, abundando que la compañía eléctrica Western Mass Electric se encontraba trabajando para reanular las operaciones de la emisora.

Rizza espera que para esta tarde la emisora regrese a su función. En ese entonces abrirán las ondas radiales a líderes comunitarios, agencias de servicios y radio oyentes para asistir a la comunidad latina que ha sido devastada tras los tornados.

“Le estaremos entregando la estación radial a la comunidad para que reciban información,” dijo Rizza.

Carlos González, presidente de MLCC, dijo que líderes de la comunidad latina y los medios de comunicación se estarán reuniendo por una segunda ocasión en la tarde del viernes para continuar los planes de contingencia.

“Estamos coordinando los esfuerzos para poder conectar a la comunidad que habla español ofreciendo información sobre ayudas disponibles para las personas que han sufrido en el tornado sobre donde están refugios, donde llamar para mas información y específicamente nuestros comerciantes que necesitan ayuda en nuestros negocios. Que sepan que tienen una alianza en la Cámara de Comercio,” dijo González.

Asistencia:
Refugios:
Central High School, Roosevelt Ave., Springfield
Greenleaf Community Center, Parker Street, Springfield
Birchland Park Middle School, 50 Hanward Hill, East Longmeadow
Converse Middle School, 24 Converse St., Palmer
Powder Mill School, 94 Powder Mill Rd, Brimfield

Para información sobre ayudas disponible:
New North Citizens Council (413) 747-0090

La Cruz Roja Americana:
1 (800) 733-2767

Para ser voluntario: United Way of Pioneer Valley (413) 693-0201

Centro de de información municipal bilingüe: (413) 736-3111

Click here for updates from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

View Western Mass. shelters for tornado victims in a larger map

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin visited New Hampshire the same day.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 10:05 this morning.

Associated Press photoFormer Massachusetts Gov. W. Mitt Romney, accompanied by his wife Ann, arrives to announce his 2012 candidacy for president, Thursday.

STRATHAM, N.H. – Just as W. Mitt Romney declared Thursday that he’s in, it’s suddenly looking like he’ll have more company in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

While Romney made his candidacy official in New Hampshire, political heavyweights Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani caused a stir of their own with visits to the first-in-the-nation primary state. And rumblings from Texas Gov. Rick Perry, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota further undercut Romney’s standing as the closest thing the GOP has to a front-runner.

“I’m Mitt Romney and I believe in America. And I’m running for president of the United States,” Romney said to cheers on a sunny farm here in Southern New Hampshire.

The former business executive previewed a campaign message focused on the economic woes that top voters’ concerns: rising gas prices, stubbornly high unemployment and persistent foreclosures.

“It breaks my heart to see what is happening to this great country,” Romney said. “No, Mr. President, you had your chance.”

It’s a pitch tailored to the conservatives who hold great sway in picking the GOP’s presidential nominee in Iowa and South Carolina – and the independents who are the largest political bloc in New Hampshire. And it is as much a statement on his viability as it is an indictment of Obama’s leadership.

“Barack Obama has failed America,” Romney said as he began his second White House bid. “When Barack Obama took office, the economy was in recession, and he made it worse.”

Romney comes to a presidential contest that lacks a true front-runner.

In the last week, the still-forming field became less certain with Giuliani visiting an Italian restaurant here and meeting privately with state activists. In North Conway, Giuliani said he hasn’t decided yet if he will run again and that he expects to make up his mind by the end of the summer.

But he certainly sounded like a candidate, telling reporters that the nation is being led in the wrong direction by Obama.

“He’s been in office a very long time now and his results on the economy have been abysmal,” Giuliani said. “His only answer to it has been, ‘Oh, I inherited this.’ Well, my goodness, he’s been in office long enough now, so that whatever he inherited, he should’ve straightened out by now.”

Palin, her party’s 2008 vice presidential nominee, was set to arrive in New Hampshire later Thursday for appearances that highlighted her potential to upend the race should she run. Aides weren’t releasing her schedule, but her family’s bus tour that rumbled out of Washington last weekend was likely to overshadow the declared candidates.

Perry, too, gave hints he was considering a bid, though his aides sought to tamp down expectations he would join. Tea party darling Bachmann is inching toward a run, perhaps giving the anti-tax, libertarian-leaning grassroots movement a candidate to rally around.

“Who is it that rules this great nation?” Romney said in a nod to tea partyers. “You do.”

Embracing familiar conservative rhetoric, Romney said Obama has spent his first three years in office apologizing to the world for the United States’ greatness, undercutting Israel and borrowing European-style economic policies. He cast Obama as beholden to Democratic interest groups and indifferent to out-of-work Americans.

“It’s time for a president who cares more about America’s workers than America’s union bosses,” Romney said.

He said Obama’s policy in Afghanistan was wrong, his spending too high and said his administration sought to seize power through regulation and fiat.

“This president’s first answer to every problem is to take power from you. ... And with each of those decisions, we lose more of our freedoms,” Romney said.

Romney’s strengths are substantial: He’s well known and he’s an experienced campaigner. He has a personal fortune and an existing network of donors. He has a successful businessman’s record.

But his challenges are big, too. They include a record of changing positions on social issues including abortion and gay rights, shifts that have left conservatives questioning his sincerity. He also has struggled to allay some skeptics of his Mormon faith.

Romney oversaw a health care law enacted in Massachusetts that’s similar to Obama’s national health overhaul, which conservatives despise.

“If I ran through all my mistakes, Ann would love it and you’d be here all night,” Romney said, referencing his wife but not explicitly acknowledging the hurdle while calling for a repeal of Democrats’ national plan.

His rivals weren’t about to let it go. Asked about how big a problem Romney faces regarding the Massachusetts health care law, Giuliani was critical.

“The reality is that Obamacare and Romneycare are almost exactly the same,” Giuliani said. “It’s not very helpful trying to distinguish them. I would think the best way to handle it is to say, it was a terrible mistake and if I could do it over again, I wouldn’t do it.”

All public schools in Springfield will be closed for another day.

View full sizePhoto by John Suchocki / The RepublicanThis aerial shot of Main Street in downtown Springfield Thursday, shows damage caused by the tornado that hit the city Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD – Two public schools are not expected to reopen this month because of serious damage caused by Wednesday’s tornado, according to the School Department.

The schools that were hit especially hard, and are not expected to reopen this school year are the Mary A. Dryden Veterans Memorial School at 190 Surrey Road, and the Elias Brookings School at 367 Hancock St., said Azell M. Cavaan, communications director.

Meanwhile, all public schools will be closed on Friday, Cavaan said.

School officials are currently working out a contingency plan to find alternate locations for Dryden and Brookings schools to conduct classes until the end of the school year, Cavaan said.

“We expect that communications to Dryden and Brookings families and staff will occur via a direct phone call, the Springfield Public Schools website, www.sps.springfield.ma.us, and the media as soon as plans are confirmed,” Cavaan said.

Power outages had continued to affect more than 20 schools, as of late morning on Thursday, Cavaan said.

Structural engineers are currently inspecting all of the district’s schools for safety-related issues, Cavaan said. Assessments regarding school safety and the general ability for school buses and student walkers to safely traverse the city will continue on a daily basis.

Any possible further school closures will be contingent upon those evaluations.

A School Committee meeting scheduled Thursday night has been canceled.

If you are interested in volunteering, dial 2-1-1 within the city of Springfield.

Storm damage is seen in downtown after a reported tornado in Springfield, Mass., Wednesday, June 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Tornadoes that swept through the area and devastated multiple communities, including Springfield's south end section, have prompted many to help their neighbors and even strangers.

According to Dawn Leaks, Assistant Director at American Red Cross' Pioneer Valley Chapter, volunteers will be called upon once the damage is assessed in the city of Springfield.

Springfield residents looking to volunteer in the cleanup and recovery are asked to call 2-1-1 to be placed on the volunteer list. Once the damage is assessed, the city will assign volunteers.

The tornado that ripped through the Merrick neighborhood also claimed the life of a 23-year-old man sitting in the driver’s seat of his 2005 Kia parked along Main Street.

Photo by Barb PitfidoA tornado is seen over the former Columbia Manufacturing Company property in Westfield Wednesday.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – A mother died shielding her 15-year-old daughter in a bathtub as their three-story apartment building on Union Street collapsed into rubble during Wednesday’s tornado.

“There is no doubt she saved her daughter,” Police Chief Thomas E. Burke said during a press conference on Union Street Thursday.

He identified the 40-year-old mother as either Angelique or Angelica Guerro. The tornado that ripped through and devastated the Merrick neighborhood also claimed the life of a 23-year-old man sitting in the driver’s seat of his 2005 Kia parked along Main Street at Hill.

Burke said Sergey Livchin of 15 LaBelle St. was pronounced dead at the scene, but that a passenger in his Kia survived after a tree fell on the vehicle. The call came in to police about 4:45 p.m.

Guerro died of asphyxiation caused by compression of the torso, Burke said. Her husband and daughter were taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield for treatment, according to him. The daughter suffered lacerations to her legs, the police chief said.

The mother and daughter were in the first-floor apartment of their three-family building in the vicinity of 1687 Union St.

“The third floor is now in the cellar,” Burke said.

The police chief said the husband was able to free himself from the wreckage and call out to neighbors for help. Firefighters were able to free the mother and daughter, Burke said.

The twister also sent 13 people in West Springfield to the hospital, according to Mayor Edward J. Gibson. He said there have been no additional deaths noted Thursday.

Acting Assistant School Superintendent Kevin A. McQuillan said 51 people displaced by the tornado spent Wednesday night at the middle school, which was turned into a shelter. The school official said there is a possibility a second shelter will be established.

There was no damage to public school buildings other than a tree falling at Memorial School, according to McQuillan. However, school was canceled because of the devastation, according to him. Classes will resume Friday, Deputy Fire Chief Robert A. Manchino Jr. said.

People are welcome to bring their pets to the middle school, which has a fenced-in area outside, according to Manchino.

Burke said a 9 p.m. curfew has been set in the Merrick section, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. It is a mixture of homes, many multi-family, with businesses and industry as well.

The police chief said the curfew is needed so Department of Public Works employees can clear away trees and other relief work can take place. The situation is made difficult by that fact that many Merrick residents do not speak English and children have been freely roaming the streets, according to Burke.

“We understand the curiosity factor, but this is not a safe place,” Burke said. People outdoors in Merrick after 9 p.m. will be subject to arrest, according to the police chief.

Teams have gone house to house condemning buildings, shutting off gas and electrical services, Manchino said. He was hopeful they would finish their work by night in Merrick, the only neighborhood without power.

“Every pole on the street (Union Street) is down,” Burke said.

Merrick resounded with the buzz of chain saws as a flotilla of crews worked to clear streets that were strewn with branches and, in some cases, uprooted trees.

Union and Merrick streets were hit with considerable damage.

“There are two three-story buildings that are like three feet tall,” Building Commissioner Patrick J. Moore said of Union Street.

Those buildings are located to the west of the offices of state Sen. James T. Welch, D-West Springfield, at 772 Union St. The mayor, Manchino and Burke disseminated information about the situation during a press conference about 2:30 p.m. in front of that office.

Meanwhile, families and neighbors pulled together to help each other clean up around their houses.

At 65 Merrick St., Zinaida Taganova got help from her three daughters and their husbands. The men wielded a chain saw to cut up a huge tree that was felled across the yard, while the woman searched the lawn for shards of glass.

“We are trying to clean up the glass. There is a lot of glass and we have kids,” her daughter, 28-year-old Oksana P. Ruge of 101 River St. said.

Ruge translated for her mother, whose English is limited because she is from the Ukraine.

Taganova had just come home from work Wednesday afternoon and was standing on her porch holding the door open when the tornado barreled down Merrick Street.

“I heard the noises, stuff started flying and I saw a tree fall,” Taganova said.

Debris from buildings across the street torn apart by the wind came flying her way.

“I got scared,” Taganova said. “It was like really fast. It seemed like it was a moment. Then I started shaking. I was in shock and I started crying and I saw people running. Neighbors started running around asking if everyone was okay.”
Scores of people wandered through the Merrick Section of the city Thursday morning with dazed looks on their faces and stories of a fast-moving horror that came out of nowhere.

Much of Main and Union streets remained closed to traffic and side streets were littered with tangles of fallen trees and wires.

Fierce winds pushed a three-family home at 83-85 Bridge St.off its foundation by three or four feet.

“My father saw something in the distance and knew what it was and told us to grab the kids,” said Tiffany Mansfield, who lived on the second floor with her husband and three children. “The house shook a little bit and the windows exploded, the walls were caving in.”

Mansfield and other family members were among the Merrick residents who spent the night at an emergency shelter set up at West Springfield Middle School.

“My Mom’s floor is in the basement, the house is tilted, half the roof is off,” Mansfield said.

“It was bad, I was scared,” said Mansfield’s mother, Lillian Riggs, who also spent the night in the shelter.

David Stoddard, who also lived at 83-85 Bridge St., said he ran upstairs to alert other tenants. “We were still up there when it went through,” he said. “It was scary.”

Stoddard said he had no inkling that the house had been shifted off its foundation until afterwards when he went outside to view the devastation.

One street over, New Bridge Street resident James Gilligan said the wind from the tornado sounded like “chattering teeth,” as he and others took shelter in his basement at 69 New Bridge St.

“In Massachusetts you don’t really expect to see a tornado,” Gilligan said. “You hear the warnings and everyone just brushes it off. But this actually just happened - it’s mayhem.”

A short distance away, an overturned truck could be seen at Latino Foods, 23 New Bridge St. James Vallides, the owner of the business, said things had been slow Wednesday so employees knocked off work early, about 15 minutes before the tornado came through.

“Thank God nobody was in the building,” Vallides said, adding that his building, missing walls, “is totaled.”

The interior of another business on New Bridge Street, Felicano’s Ethnic Food Distribution, was open to the sky.

George Graham, a staff writer for The Republican, contributed to this report.

Officials are assessing the operational use of Munger Hill School.

Photo by Michael Beswick / The RepublicanFormer Mayor Michael Boulanger removes one of the trees Thursday that snapped in his yard on Glernwood Drive in Westfield Wednesday. In the back is his neighbor's house that took the brunt of the damage.

WESTFIELD – For a brief 10 seconds Wednesday afternoon, Thomas W. Humphrey watched a tornado jump over his 84 Cardinal La. home, dumping a 20-foot section of steel roof from nearby Munger Hill School into his backyard swimming pool.

“It is only by fortune, that I did not realize until today, that my house was saved,” said Humphrey Thursday. He pointed to a pile, at least eight-feet high, of broken and twisted trees and tree limbs stacked on his side property line, a mere 50- feet from the house. The only damage, outside of cleanup, was the loss of electricity.

“A flying section of tree grabbed the wires and pulled the (electric service) from the house,” he said.

A short distance away, also in the southwest section of the city, Ted Drummey and his brother were “10 minutes from finishing” a new picket fence at his mother’s home at 57 Glenwood Dr.

“We saw the clouds coming, the wind picked up and we headed for the basement,” said Drummey. Before they got there, a large oak tree was ripped from the ground, smashing into the east corner of the roof and separating the exterior wall from the rest of the single family home.

Photo by Michael Beswick / The RepublicanThis home on Glenwood Drive in Westfield sustained significant damage in Wednesday's tornado.

“The wind was so loud that new never heard the tree hit the house,” he said. His mother Catherine Drummey was away on vacation. No one was injured, Ted Drummey, a Westfield firefighter, said.

The storm that hit Westfield went onto West Springfield, Springfield and into Munson.

No fatalities or serious injuries were reported in Westfield, according to Mayor Daniel M. Knapik and Emergency Management director Jimmie D. Wiggs.

Most of the damage was confined to the Ward 5 section of the city and Ward Councilor Richard E. Onofrey Jr. said he was “astounded by the amount of damage. I was absolutely amazed at the amount of cleanup accomplished today.

“Last night and this morning there were streets that you did not know existed because of debris. Not all have been cleared by many have,” Onofrey said.

Damage did close Munger Hill School Thursday because a section or roof was torn from two kindergarten classrooms and caused other damage at the Mallard Lane school. Knapik said the school would remain closed Friday while an assessment is made to determine if it can reopen next week.

Westfield State University has offered the city use of two buildings on campus if necessary to allow Munger Hill students to complete the remainder of the school year.

“We have Juniper Park School and Bates Hall if necessary for city use,” said WSU spokesman Brent B. Bean II.

U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R. Mass., on a tour of storm damage in Western Massachusetts Thursday with Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, called the devastation “sobering”, and emphasized efforts by volunteers and emergency response personnel as well as donations being made to the Red Cross to assist victims.

Murray estimated “weeks or even months to get a full assessment of damage and costs. We must get this right,” he said, “to ensure we get the maximum financial and other assistance available.” He said state and federal aid is “already in the works.”

State Sen. Michael R. Knapik, R-Westfield, the state’s School Building Administration is prepared to assist Westfield with necessary repairs at Munger Hill School as well as other communities with school damage. “SBA will send a crew next week to assess the damage at Munger Hill,” he said.

Joining Knapik was state Rep. Donald F. Humason Jr., R-Westfield, in assuring city officials and residents assistance will be available. They also advised residents to contact their homeowner insurance agents for clean-up on private property.

The mayor saying the “situation could be much worse,” advised residents to pile debris at curbside for collection by DPW crews.

“Everyone is and must work together,” said the mayor.

The mayor and senator, who are brothers, said it was “heartwarming” seeing neighbors helping neighbors.

Numerous streets in the Southwest section of the city were either closed or partially closed Thursday while Department of Public Works crews first removed trees and debris, allowing crews from Westfield Gas and Electric Department to restore power. There was no estimate when all streets would be clear and electricity restored.

Wiggs said at least 20 volunteers were helping more than 100 contractors, police, fire and utility department workers in the effort. He said representatives of both the Massachusetts State Police, FEMA and MEMA were in Westfield to help and coordinate cleanup efforts.

A wall of trees and limbs prevented entrance to the Munger Hill School campus Thursday but three teachers Stephanie L. Martell, Kathy Wippet and Claire M. Adams were there to assess damage and help where needed.

Adams, a grade three teacher, said her classroom was unsafe because a section of ceiling had fallen. She lives within walking distance from the school on Laurel Terrace. “I have no damage at all,” she said.

“We are just here, coming together to help and move forward,” said Adams.

Bean, who lives on nearby Ridgecrest Drive, also reported no property damage. “Not even a stray leaf on my lawn,” he said.

Two houses away from the Drummy home on Glenwood Drive, former Mayor Michael R. Boulanger was using his chainsaw to remove downed trees and limbs. One crashed a fence on his property line but only limbs cluttered his property.

Boulanger was traveling on Route 57 in Agawam when the storm hit. “I watched the funnel cloud go by and into West Springfield and then cross the Connecticut River,” he said.

Off-duty Fire Capt. Eric Bishop was on Glenwood Drive, as well as other streets, Thursday assisting Drummey and others with debris removal.

“I am out helping where help is needed,” said Bishop.

Neighborhoods here hit by the Wednesday’s tornado were Shaker Heights, Glenwood Heights, Birch Bluff and Knollwood.

The members Pretty Girl Money promotions were seen flagging down cars on state street, raising money for victims of tornadoes. Watch video

As most of us wandered around Springfield in a daze this morning, and rescue and cleanup crews rushed to the scene of tornadoes that pummeled the city Wednesday, a few Springfield women began plotting how to raise money for relief.

The women, members of a promotional organization that they call, in unison, "Pretty Girl Money," were seen flagging down cars on State Street Thursday. They were raising money they planned on donating to the American Red Cross by washing cars outside the Walgreen's.

The group also organized a free pot luck for victims and their families Thursday evening at the Panache Ballroom.

Donations of time, food and money poured into various Pioneer Valley charities to help people impacted by the tornadoes.

Photo by Buffy Spencer / The RepublicanChristopher Hodges at Red Cross in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD – Too many people wanted to help.

That was the “problem” the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross faced soon after 9 a.m. Thursday as dozens of good Samaritans poured into the Cottage Street headquarters.

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society in Springfield had the same situation; good people wanting to do after-disaster volunteer work who had to be turned away because enough help was on hand.

The aftermath of Wednesday;'s tornado tornado aftermath brought out some of the best in neighbors all around the county. It’s the silver lining in the funnel cloud, as you will.

At Red Cross headquarters agency staff were giving people the “bad news.” Only medical personnel and licensed mental health workers were needed as all other volunteer needs were filled.

Brenda Brouillette, deputy director, said the chapter had been inundated with people termed “spontaneous volunteers.” Those are new people who come to help after a disaster, as opposed to the “core” volunteers who are trained and on call for such events.

Red Cross volunteers and staff were busy picking up foods donated by area restaurants, sequential steps in the chain of acts of kindness.

At Red Cross headquarters and area shelters the “been-awake-all-night” look was in many eyes.

Christopher Hodges, 22, of West Springfield, was a “spontaneous volunteer” with a just-right resume. Hodges, a deputy sheriff, wore his Red Cross vest over his Army National Guard camos.

Hodges was packing food and supplies Wednesday night, driving twice to Monson to deliver food to a shelter there and to public safety personnel. He and his crew also went to Chicopee to pick up donated food from Wendy’s, Panera Bread, Popeyes and Applebees.

Hodges had a plan to volunteer as long as he is needed. Used to going without sleep, Hodges said, “I’m going to try to go for at least 58 hours.”

Wendy Grolnick, a Longmeadow psychologist who teaches at Clark University, is a core Red Cross volunteer who on Thursday morning was in charge of intake of mental health professionals who were volunteering.

The first task had been to make sure there were mental health volunteers at the shelters overnight Wednesday with “the level of distress” felt by many people there.

Most mental health workers for the Red Cross take extensive training in disaster mental health. Those coming in Thursday were getting a crash course and then being put to work.

Noah Pascal and Sean Rider were among those turned away Thursday morning at the Red Cross. They cheerfully told the apologetic staff member that is was okay.

Both are Springfield College students, in summer classes. Each year they are used to volunteering, doing annual trips to New Orleans post-Katrina to help.

Photo by Buffy Spencer / The RepublicanDonna Toupin, coordinator of services for the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, is seen at the MassMutual Center shelter in downtown Springfield.

Donna Toupin, coordinator of chapter services for the Red Cross, stood in an empty MassMutual Center mid-morning Thursday.

Donated Pioneer Valley Transit Authority buses had taken 170 people to the new shelter at Greenleaf Community Center. Staff and volunteers had made the cots, food, water and other supplies disappear quickly and reappear at Greenleaf.

Michael Cohen and his son Bradley Johnson of Agawam were loading boxes onto the Emergency Response Vehicle, or ERV, at the MassMutual Center.

Cohen said he woke up grateful because his house in Agawam didn’t get hit while others close by did. “We figured we were spared, let’s help others who weren’t,” Cohen said.

The Springfield Salvation Army was assisting tornado victims and first responders from Westfield to Sturbridge. On Thursday the Salvation Army had four mobile feeding units out in western and central Massachusetts.

Wednesday night the Salvation Army provided over 1800 hot meals and 200 cots to victims and first responders.

The law firm Martin, Harding and Mazzotti booked 25 rooms at the Marriott Hotel for people displaced by the tornado.

The Springfield office, which is in the Marriott complex, of the Albany, N.Y., based firm opened last year.

Paul Harding, one of the partners, was not in Springfield when the tornado hit but traveled here Thursday to help set people up in the hotel rooms.

There were lots of good people wanting to help four footed residents too. Candy Lash, spokesperson for Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society, said the Union Street animal center suffered a lot of damage but the current staff and volunteer crew was all that was needed there.

Kevin Perrier, who owns Five Star Building Corp., is on Dakin’s board and “was there in a heartbeat last night with our entire team” fixing what they could and assessing damage, Lash said. It is not clear when the center will be open to the public

At mid-day Thursday there were 200 adoptable animals in the building. The Animal Rescue League in Boston offered to take adoptable animals.

Some animals were sent to Dakin’s facility in Leverett, which is open. There’s a tornado sale on kittens and cats in Leverett with a $5 adoption fee.

A busload of people who had gone to the MassMutual Center Wednesday night with their animals was taken to Dakin Thursday morning to sign their animals over to temporary care at Dakin.

Northampton officials were among those who arrived from other communities to help in the aftermath of the tornado. Fire Chief Brian P. Duggan said his department sent three of its ambulances to Springfield and West Springfield immediately after the twister blew through to respond to reports of people trapped under rubble.

Some of his firefighters also traveled to Palmer, Brimfield and Monson as part of a Hampshire County Disaster Task Force. Duggan personally was deployed to Springfield Wednesday in his role with the State Fire Mobilization Plan and was there all night and into Thursday.

Northampton Building Commissioner Louis Hasbrook spent more of the day Thursday assessing damage in Monson. Hasbrouck said he called his colleague in the devastated area to offer his services.

“They said they’d love to have the help,” he said.

Walmart stores in the region have already donated goods to displaced residents and rescue workers, said Christopher N. Buchanan, director of public affairs and government relations for Walmart in Massachusetts.

Here are some ways to help out, and some resources for people needing help.

• The Salvation Army is asking for monetary donations toward tornado relief, which can be made on-line at www.salvationarmy-ma.org or through the Salvation Army’s Text to Give number. A $10 minimum donation can be made by texting the word TSAMA10 to 85944.

Anyone interested in volunteering with the Salvation Army can call 339-502-5900.

In the coming days, there will be a request for non-perishable food and water donations. The Salvation Army will make an announcement as soon as a drop off location is determined.

• The United Way of Pioneer Valley has established a disaster relief fund with an initial grant of $25,000 in response to the tornado devastation. United Way Board Chair, Kevin C. Maynard and President & CEO, Dora D. Robinson are encouraging other fundraising efforts to partner with United Way in support of these relief efforts.

All funds will be used to support the programs administered by local Red Cross chapters throughout Hampden County.

Residents of the communities affected by yesterday’s devastating tornadoes are urged to use United Way’s MASS2-1-1 referral service which connects callers to information about critical health and human services available in their community.

According to Paul Mina, executive director of MASS2-1-1, staffing of the referral service has been increased in response to the tornadoes.

To make donations to the Tornado Relief Fund, go to www.uwpv.org and click on the donate button, or mail your check made payable to United Way of Pioneer Valley, 184 Mill Street, Springfield, MA 01108. For more information, call the United Way 413-693-0227.

• The Red Cross Safe and Well website is being used to track residents who have been displaced by yesterday’s tornadoes in the Springfield area.

It is a free, public communication tool where those affected by disasters can register on the site and post messages that they are safe. Loved ones can then conduct a search on the site to view the posted messages.

To access the website, please go to www.redcross.org/safeandwell. You can enter yourself as “Safe and Well” if you were impacted by the storm, or search for a loved one you cannot locate.

People who do not have access to a computer and the internet, can call the City’s 3-1-1 Call Center which can assist you with entering yourself into the system or searching for a loved one. The number into the 3-1-1 Center is 413-736-3111.

Registration computers will be made available at shelter locations within the City of Springfield for residents located at those sites. Please be patient as the database will take time to fill up. If you do not see a loved one listed when you search initially, please check back later.

• The Red Cross said people can help people affected by disasters as well as countless crises at home and around the world by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. The gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance in response to disasters.

Visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS. Contributions may also be sent to the American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter at 506 Cottage St., Springfield, MA 01104 or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013

• The Food Bank of Hatfield coordinated an immediate response to get food and water to people at shelters and those seeking help.

Community members wishing to help in the effort to provide food to Springfield households affected by the tornado are encouraged to contact The Food Bank or the American Red Cross. Ready-to-eat non-perishable foods are most needed at this time. Those affected by the storm should visit www.foodbankwma.org for a list of shelters, emergency food access, and other resources.

Judge Mark Wolf opted against making an immediate ruling on the defense motion.

File photo by Greg Saulmon / The RepublicanFormer Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi arrives at federal court in Boston Friday for the continuation of his corruption trial.

By KYLE CHENEY

BOSTON, JUNE 2, 2011… - Payments that went from a software company in 2006 and 2007 to associates of House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi were no different than companies hiring ex-senators or former military generals as lobbyists on public policy issues – a far cry from illegal bribes, lawyers for DiMasi and two codefendants insisted Thursday, urging Judge Mark Wolf to toss the case against their clients.

“The fact that large fees are paid to friends of insiders and lobbyists is not a criminal case,” argued Martin Weinberg, the lawyer for Richard Vitale, DiMasi’s longtime friend and accountant, a codefendant in the matter. “There’s simply not a quid pro quo.”

Wolf opted against making a ruling on the defense motion but he allowed defense attorneys and prosecutors to argue the matter for more than an hour, interjecting occasionally to add his own legal opinions and interpretations of relevant case law. He indicated that the arguments presented on both sides would help inform his instructions to the jury once the case concludes, as expected, later this month.

Prosecutors have spent the last four weeks attempting to convince a jury that DiMasi, Vitale and lobbyist Richard McDonough conspired to use DiMasi’s power to steer state contracts to Cognos Corp., a Canadian software company, in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks. The three men face charges of conspiracy, honest services wire fraud and honest services mail fraud. DiMasi faces a count of extortion as well.

Prosecutors say DiMasi’s efforts to steer two contracts – a $4.5 million contract in 2006 and a $13 million contract in 2007 – to Cognos netted him $65,000, funneled through his law partner Steven Topazio, who was hired to a lobbying contract with Cognos but never performed work for the company. Topazio paid DiMasi $4,000 a month derived from Cognos, part of a fee-sharing arrangement, a system defense attorneys have described as a legal agreement.

Prosecutors say McDonough received $300,000 for his role in the conspiracy and that Vitale received $600,000, some of which may have been set aside for DiMasi, who they argued was preparing to leave state government and join Vitale in the private sector.

After the prosecution concluded its argument Thursday, lawyers for the three defendants filed a 21-page motion asking the judge to throw out all charges against their clients, arguing that evidence presented by prosecutors was insufficient to convince “a rational factfinder” that the men are guilty “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

“The defendants are, accordingly, entitled to the entry of judgments of acquittal on all counts,” the defense lawyers argued in their motion.

Prosecutors flatly rejected the motion, arguing that the defense omitted ample evidence that would lead jurors to conclude a conspiracy took place. Anthony Fuller, one of the three assistant U.S. attorneys prosecuting the case, summarized the evidence presented over the last month and said that if jurors viewed the facts as the government presented them, they could easily conclude that a criminal conspiracy took place and that DiMasi used his official power as speaker to advance the alleged scheme.

“A lot of facts were omitted from what the defendants were arguing,” Fuller said. He added later, “There’s a whole wealth of sort of the cover-up evidence in the case that has been neglected [by the defense] to this point, which again, at this stage in the proceedings are worth mentioning.”

In their motion, Weinberg, McDonough’s attorney Thomas Drechsler and DiMasi’s attorney Thomas Kiley argued that the charges against DiMasi, Vitale and McDonough could not stand in a “post-Skilling” environment – a reference to a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2010 that sharply limited the scope of honest services allegations.

In addition, the lawyers contended that the prosecution’s star witness, Cognos salesman Joseph Lally – who pled guilty in March to being part of the alleged conspiracy – never claimed that there was “an agreed quid pro quo in exchange for DiMasi’s using his legislative power to further Cognos’ interests.” Such a quid pro quo, they said, is an essential element of proving honest services fraud and conspiracy allegations.

“Absent that, the whole case falls apart,” said Vitale’s attorney Martin Weinberg, during an hour of defense arguments on the motion.

Defense lawyers said they considered the Cognos payments to McDonough and Vitale legal “gratuities” intended to curry favor and help the company gain access to DiMasi. The payments to Topazio, they said, fall into the same category.

In addition, Thomas Kiley, DiMasi’s lawyer, said there was not “any evidence whatsoever” that “official acts” by DiMasi were performed in exchange for payments from Cognos or to further an alleged conspiracy, in part because there was no pending legislation to conceivably benefit Cognos at the time the alleged conspiracy began.

“How can one infer an intent to form an agreement to perform official acts when there are none pending and none foreseeably coming before you?” Kiley wondered.

Wolf suggested that prosecutors need to decide whether they are more interested in bringing their case to the Supreme Court to help further develop case law that emerged from the Skilling decision or whether they “want to get a conviction and make sure it’s as bullet-proof as possible.”

“There may be some gray areas,” Wolf said.

Find out which pizza shops have advanced to the round of 16.

On Wednesday, nature's fury put in perspective so much of what we take for granted in our daily lives. The fun we've been having with the 2011 Valley Food Championship Pizza Playoffs had to be set aside – all of the resources at The Republican, MassLive.com and El Pueblo Latino were devoted to covering the storms that ripped through our area.

So we're a little late with our announcement of the Round 2 winners of the Pizza Playoffs – and while we know the focus of our region remains on assessment of what we lost and where we go from here, we're taking a little time to bring you up to date on where things stand in our search for the best pizza in the Valley.

In Round 2, 32 of your favorite pizza shops went head-to-head in four regions. Our readers voted for the shops which they preferred to move on to the Sweet – Spicy? – 16. Voting closed at noon on Wednesday, and once again, the voting was very close in just about every race.

With Round 2 results in, it's on to Round 3, in which the 16 winners advanced through their respective regional brackets to again be paired off in NCAA-style, head-to-head matchups. Round 3 voting will begin Thursday night and continue through next Wednesday at 4 p.m. (we're adding four extra hours of voting to make up for some of the few that were lost today).

Round 3 is the final round in which our readers will participate to narrow our field to an Elite 8. At that point, judges from The Republican's newsroom – arts and entertainment editor Ray Kelly, sports reporter Pam McCray and photographer Don Treeger – will visit each of the surviving pizza shops in head-to-head critiques until the one true 2011 Valley Food Championship Pizza is determined.

Check back at www.masslive.com/pizza at about 11 p.m. on Thursday to vote in Round 3 (again, voting will continue through Wednesday, June 8 at 4 p.m.). For now, here are the results from Round 2 of the 2011 Valley Food Championship Pizza Playoffs:

NORTH REGION

Joe's (Northampton) defeated Big Y (Northampton)
Pizzeria Paradiso (Northampton) defeated Pinocchio's Pizzeria (Northampton)
Roberto's Restaurant (Northampton) defeated Nini's Ristorante (Easthampton)
Antonio's (Amherst / Easthampton) defeated Easthampton Village Pizza (Easthampton)

SOUTH REGION

Red Rose Pizzeria (Springfield) defeated 2 Guys Pizzeria (Springfield)
Frankie & Johnnie's Pizza (Springfield) defeated Salerno Pizzeria (Springfield)
Family Pizzeria & Restaurant (Springfield) defeated Peppa's Pizza / Peppa's Express (East Longmeadow / Springfield)
Pizza Shoppe (East Longmeadow) defeated Fazio's Ristorante & Pizzeria (East Longmeadow)

WEST OF THE RIVER REGION

Liquori's Pizza (West Springfield) defeated Roma Restaurant (Southwick)
Capri Pizza (Holyoke) defeated Bruno Pizzeria (Feeding Hills)
Pizza Guy (Agawam) defeated Bertucci's (West Springfield)
Amadeo's Restaurant & Pizzeria (Holyoke) defeated Sorrento Pizza (West Springfield)

EAST OF THE RIVER REGION

Gregory's Pizza Pub & Restaurant (Wilbraham) defeated Teresa's Restaurant (Ware)
Milano's Pizzeria & Restaurant (Chicopee) defeated Poppi's Pizza (Ludlow)
John's Pizzeria & Restaurant (Chicopee) defeated Family Pizza (South Hadley)
Dugout Cafe & Pizza Shop (Chicopee) defeated La Cucina di Hampden House / La Cucina Express (Hampden)

Tornadoes are considered standard hazards for disaster coverage on most homeowners, renters and business insurance policies.

SPRINGFIELD – Insurance adjusters converged on Western Massachusetts Thursday following the previous day's devastating tornadoes, but the hard work of sorting out insurance claims could take months.

Insurers said that they have already started cutting checks to customers who need to replace clothing or move to a hotel room. “The goal is to get the process started as quickly as possible,” said Glenn A. Greenberg, spokesperson for Liberty Mutual’s home office in Boston. “We do have people in the field inspecting homes. But we know that those calls have only now just begun to come in. Some of these people don’t have phone service or even cell-phone service.”

Hartford -based The Travelers had 75 claims adjusters in the region Thursday and hoped to have one of its RV-like mobile claims units set up at Lowe’s Home Improvement, 1600 Boston Road in Springfield Friday, said Christopher Nixon, vice president of property claims for the Travelers.

The truck, which is equipped with satellite communications equipment, had been in tornado-ravaged Missouri earlier this week. “We are triaging all the claims as they come in, assessing the immediate need,” Nixon said Thursday afternoon.

“Don’t worry about having your paperwork,” he said. “We can look up your claim with just your name.”

Tornadoes are considered standard hazards for disaster coverage on most homeowners, renters and business insurance, said Jeanne M. Salvatore, spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute in New York City.

With auto insurance, tornado damage falls under the optional comprehensive coverage most drivers carry on their cars, Salvatore said.

She said people should file their claims as quickly as they can and keep detailed records of everyone they talk to at the insurance company and all the damage they suffered. Keep receipts and take photos.

“The more organized you are, the better this process will go,” Salvatore said.

State Insurance Commissioner Joseph G. Murphy also warned people to be on the he lookout for price gouging and unlicensed contractors who often prey on storm victims.

Boston-based Safety Insurance Co. has 15 claims adjusters in the region and another 30 on call, said David M. Krupa, vice president of claims for the Boston-based insurer.

“I’ve been here 28 years and I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said.

The Hanover Insurance Group added staff to the call center at its Worcester headquarters, said Mark J. Welzenbach, senior vice president and chief claims officer. Calls started coming in within an our of the tornadoes touching down.

By Thursday, Hanover had 15 property adjusters and 30 auto appraisers in the field, Welzenbach said.

The candidate says that he currently plans to keep in place two scheduled political functions.

Springfield City Council President Jose F. Tosado said Thursday he is suspending his campaign for mayor for one month because of the tornadoes that hit Springfield on Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD – Springfield City Council President Jose F. Tosado announced Thursday night that he has suspended his campaign for mayor for one month due to the “tragic destruction” of Wednesday’s tornadoes.

Tosado said he is suspending the campaign to focus energies on rebuilding Springfield. However, he said he still plans to have two, private political functions in June as both were planned months ago.

He issued the following statement:

“In light of the tragic destruction caused by the tornado; I am officially suspending my political campaign to become Mayor of Springfield until July 1st, 2011. For the next four weeks, I will be totally focused on my role as City Council President, working hand-in-hand with the administration, community groups, local businesses and citizens to rebuild Springfield.

“And because of the damage throughout the region caused by yesterday’s tornado, I will be busier than usual at my full time job as Springfield Area Manager for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.

“Now is not the time for politics, and it is my hope that the other candidates will agree. The City Council, the Mayor, and the School Committee should all be working together during this unprecedented time of need.

“Please also note that I have two private functions in June that have been planned months in advance that, for the time being, are still on the schedule.

“Outside of that, all door to door operations, fundraising, visibilities, and politicking of any nature will cease until the July 1 date.

“I have notified my entire campaign team and volunteers and asked that they instead focus their efforts in their community by helping put our beautiful City back on her feet.”

“The Time Has Come.”

Tosado is running for mayor against incumbent Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and another challenger, Antonette Pepe.

Jose Tosado

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 42 points, to close just under 12,249.

Associated Press photoTrader Stephen V. Mara works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Thursday.

NEW YORK – Weaker than expected sales reports from retailers and another large number of claims for unemployment benefits left stocks with a mixed finish on Thursday, a day after the Dow Jones industrial average took its biggest dive in nearly a year.

First-time applications for unemployment benefits, an indication of how many people are losing their jobs, fell slightly last week to 422,000. That was more than economists were expecting and well above the 375,000 level that signals that the economy is adding jobs.

“Companies are just not hiring the same number of workers that they laid off two years ago, and that’s leading to a very stale jobs environment,” said David Loesser, the president of the Estate Planners Group, a financial advisory firm in Washington Crossing, Pa.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 41.59 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 12,248.55 Thursday.

The S&P 500 recouped much of its losses from earlier in the day and ended down 1.61 points, or 0.1 percent, to 1,312.94. The Nasdaq composite was up for most of the day and finished with a gain of 4.12, or 0.2 percent, at 2,773.31.

Worries that the economic recovery was stalling caused a stock market rout on Wednesday. Payroll processor ADP said private employers added just 38,000 jobs in May, down from 177,000 in April. That, along with a sharply lower reading on a key manufacturing index, sent the Dow Jones industrial average down 280 points, the steepest fall since June 4 of last year.

A series of strong corporate profit reports gave the S&P 500 its best first quarter since 1998, but the index has lost 3.7 percent since April 29 as worries over the economy deepened. The index is still up 4.4 percent for the year.

Several retailers reported muted sales growth for May, adding to concerns that the U.S. economy is straining under higher costs for raw materials like oil and cotton. Companies that catered to middle and lower income shoppers said that higher food and gas prices cut into sales. Gap Inc. fell 4.1 percent after sales fell across all its brands. Target Corp. fell 1.3 percent after missing expectations as sales traffic slowed during the second half of the month.

Luxury retailer Saks Inc. was among the few companies in the category that rose. The company gained 1.3 percent after surpassing analyst’s expectations.

Financial companies fell, though less than the overall stock market. Goldman Sachs dropped 1.3 percent after the bank received a subpoena from the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to discuss its role in the financial crisis. The subpoena follows the April release of a Senate report that showed Goldman had steered investors toward mortgage securities it knew would likely fail.

Many investors are turning their focus to Friday, when the government’s monthly employment report will be released. Economists expect that the unemployment rate will dip down to 8.9 percent from the current 9.0 percent.

Slightly more stocks fell than rose on the New York Stock Exchange. Trading volume was 3.9 billion shares.

Parts of Monson Road, Main Street and Tinkham Road remain closed.

WILBRAHAM - Town Administrator Robert A. Weitz said the following roads in town remain closed for storm cleanup.

The roads are Monson Road, Main Street between Springfield Street and Soule Road and Tinkham Road between Stony Hill Road and Main Street.

Rivera lost her home in 1985 in a fire that engulfed the house and took the life of her three young daughters.

Springfield - Anita Rivera stands outside her home on 17 Beech St. Rivera was one of the many residents whose homes were destroyed by the June 1 tornadoes.

SPRINGFIELD – As she looked at her crumbling house on 17 Beech St. Anita Rivera wondered how this could happen to her again.

“I feel like I have been struck by lighting twice. How could this happen?” she said.

Rivera lost her home in 1985 in a fire that engulfed the house and took the life of her three young daughters.

“Of course this doesn’t compare to the loss I experienced back then, but to have my house taken from me again is unbelievable,” she said.

Rivera, a local Puerto Rican radio personality and founder of El Pueblo Latino, The Republican’s weekly Spanish publication, was horrified when she pulled onto her street Wednesday afternoon and realized her home was falling apart.

“I took pride in my home. There were big red rose bushes along the front and I was saving up to get new windows,” she said.

Rivera purchased the home eight years ago. She spent every summer rehabilitating the outdoors. She is just one of many residents on the street who have had their house completely leveled or destroyed by the tornadoes that hit the city on June 1.

“I feel like I’m living in a nightmare,” she said.

During an interview with Rivera dozens of neighbors stopped by her home to greet her or offer their assistance. Some came to ask for food or beverages, which she had stowed away in the trunk of her car.

“We have to work together as a community and help each other,” she said.

“Everybody knows her here,” said Anselmo Ramos, a fellow resident of Beech St. who’s home was also devastated by the tornado.

“She helped me find this place to live,” he said.

Springfield - Anita Rivera points towards the damage on Beech Street caused by the June 1 tornadoes. Rivera's home on 17 Beech St. was destroyed by one of the three tornados.

Rivera tries to keep a positive outlook about the situation, but she said she is still finding it hard to believe.

“I just can’t comprehend it,” she said. Rivera is currently staying with her daughter in the Plainfield Street area until the insurance company comes to take a look at the house.

“I have to pick up the pieces. I don’t know how, but I just have to take it one step at a time,” she said.

Rivera said she is thankful that no one was severely hurt in the neighborhood and that her dogs Jeanie, Iris and Moyo and her cat Mishu are safe and sound.

The two story , one-family house is currently uninhabitable. Shards of glass are everywhere, a porch beam flew across the street and an enclosed porch on the second floor is starting to detach from the house.

“It’s barely standing. I put so much work into this house and it was really beautiful. I don’t know how, but with the help of God and my friends and loved ones I know I will be fine,” she said.

Note: The following is a list of information and shelter locations for our Spanish-speaking readers.

Asistencia:
Refugios:
Central High School, Roosevelt Ave., Springfield
Greenleaf Community Center, Parker Street, Springfield
Birchland Park Middle School, 50 Hanward Hill, East Longmeadow
Converse Middle School, 24 Converse St., Palmer
Powder Mill School, 94 Powder Mill Rd, Brimfield

Para información sobre ayudas disponible:
New North Citizens Council (413) 747-0090

La Cruz Roja Americana:
1 (800) 733-2767

Para ser voluntario: United Way of Pioneer Valley (413) 693-0201

Centro de de información municipal bilingüe: (413) 736-3111

These stunning photos and video show examples of the destructive force the tornadoes inflicted on the area. Watch video

The Republican staff photographer John Suchocki took to the air Thursday to capture images of the destruction left by tornadoes that tore across Springfield and nearby cities and towns in Western Massachusetts on Wednesday.

These stunning photos and video show examples of the destructive force the tornadoes inflicted on the area.