Ted Ondrick was a member of the first Board of Directors of the CDRA’s predecessor, the Construction Materials Recycling Association.

Ted Ondrick 

CHICOPEE – Ted “Tadj” Ondrick, president and CEO of Ted Ondrick Co. in Chicopee, Mass. was inducted into the Construction & Demolition Recycling Association (CDRA) Hall of Fame during the Annual Meeting of the CDRA on March 5, 2014, in Las Vegas, Nev.

Son Adam Ondrick, founder of Ondrick Natural Earth in Chicopee, says his father was honored for his longtime work, innovation and support of both the Construction & Demolition Recycling Industry (C&D) and the CDRA.

“My dad is a pioneer in the recycling of concrete and asphalt in New England,” said Adam Ondrick in a prepared release. “Back in the 1980’s, long before recycling concrete and asphalt became commonplace, he used his engineering ingenuity to design and modify equipment that enabled him to recycle materials generated by the rehabilitation of the Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee.” Today, Adam and his brother Todd continue to operate Ondrick Materials and Recycling, which recycles concrete, asphalt and contaminated soil, locally and throughout New England.

Ted Ondrick was a member of the first Board of Directors of the CDRA’s predecessor, the Construction Materials Recycling Association. He was instrumental in building that organization as the go-to place for information about the recycling of materials generated during construction and demolition, such as concrete, asphalt, wood, metals, asphalt shingles, ceiling tile, carpet, and drywall. He was chosen for induction into the CDRA Hall of Fame based on his leadership in promoting and defending the environmentally sound recycling of C&D material through innovative processes and for his extraordinary contributions, both professional and personal, to the community.

SOUTHWICK - The town clerk's office will be open for voter registration until 8 p.m. on April 23. This is the final day to register to vote in the local annual election on May 13 and Town Meeting on May 20. The last day to obtain an application for absentee ballot is noon on May 12. Daily hours to register...

SOUTHWICK - The town clerk's office will be open for voter registration until 8 p.m. on April 23.

This is the final day to register to vote in the local annual election on May 13 and Town Meeting on May 20.

The last day to obtain an application for absentee ballot is noon on May 12.

Daily hours to register are 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, at the clerk's office.

The chief said he was confident that retirements would free up funding to pay for newly hired firefighters when a grant expires.

HOLYOKE -- The City Council voted to accept a $1 million federal grant to pay salaries and benefits for eight new firefighters for two years, but the acceptance wasn't without debate.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) awarded the $1,069,048 grant through the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response, or SAFER, program.

Any funding to the municipality must be accepted by the City Council.

The council voted 14-1 Tuesday to accept the grant, with several councilors praising Fire Chief John A. Pond.

"Way to go looking for this money to help us out. Good job," Councilor at Large Daniel B. Bresnahan said.

"Chief, you have my complete support," said Ward 6 Councilor Todd A. McGee, who is chairman of the council Finance Committee.

Ward 2 Councilor Anthony Soto voted against accepting the grant. At a time of shrinking revenue, he said, he doubted Pond's assertion that the the funding for the eight firefighters would resolve itself when the grant expires in the form of other positions and the money to fund them opening when firefighters retire.

"Smoke and mirrors," Soto said.

The Fire Department has 110 uniformed personnel, consisting of 73 firefighters, 22 lieutenants, nine captains, five deputy chiefs and the chief, Pond has said.

The Fire Department budget at the beginning of the fiscal year on July 1 was $8.2 million within the city budget of $123.6 million.

The SAFER program was established to direct funding to departments to help them hire and retain frontline personnel according to standards of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the federal website said.

Federal lawmakers who represent Holyoke announced the grant last week.

The 5-year contract for recently appointed Police Commissioner John Barbieri is the standard term for top public safety officials, a city labor relations official said.

Updates a story posted Wednesday at 4:27 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD — The five-year contract for recently appointed Police Commissioner John Barbieri is the standard term for top public safety officials, a city labor relations official said.

William E. Mahoney, director of human resources and labor relations, said Barbieri’s contract calls for one-five year term with an option for an additional five years.

Fire Commissioner Joseph A. Conant also received a five-year contract when he was appointed commissioner in January 2013, Mahoney said.

In 2008, departing Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet signed a five-year contract, which included a $160,000 annual salary.

The contract expired in April 2013, but Mayor Domenic J. Sarno extended it until June 30, 2014 – taking Fitchet to the mandatory state retirement age for police and fire officials of 65.

Under the contract Barbieri signed Tuesday, he will be paid $167,000 when he takes the job June 1.

Barbieri was chosen March 19 for the position by Sarno from among three candidates, all deputy police chiefs.

Barbieri Employment Contract

Boston Fire Lt. Edward J. Walsh, Jr, one of two firefighters killed in a roaring 9-alarm blaze one week ago, was remembered Wednesday with a procession attended by thousands and an emotional funeral Mass at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church.

WATERTOWN — Boston Fire Lt. Edward J. Walsh, Jr, one of two firefighters killed in a roaring 9-alarm blaze one week ago, was remembered Wednesday with a procession attended by thousands and an emotional funeral Mass at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church.

Walsh cut an imposing figure with a commanding voice and 6-foot-4 frame, but was recalled by his loved ones as a straight-talking firefighter and proud family man who loved to coach his children in sports.

The nine-year veteran of the department was remembered by officials as a hero who feared nothing when running into burning buildings to rescue others.

Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh called the fallen firefighter a "true hero" that we can all learn from.

"He lived his life protecting and supporting his community. Lt. Walsh was a rock at the center of many lives," said Walsh.

Walsh was active in the athletics of his three children, Dylan, Morgan, and Griffin, as well as other activities for young people in the city.

"Let each of us try to bring his spirit of service to our own communities. That's the way you will remember him always," said Walsh.

Local 718 President Richard Paris noted that Walsh had two families: his immediate family and his brothers in the fire department.

"He was proud to follow in his father's footsteps and become a firefighter, but he was prouder to be a husband and father in law," said Paris.

Earlier today the Boston Globe reported that Walsh's wedding ring was recovered from the rubble of 298 Beacon Street after his wife Kristen asked fire officials if they knew where it was. She told the firefighters at the Boylston Street firehouse that it was the only thing she wanted.

Walsh's sister, Kathy Malone, said she will remember him fondly for holding their family together when their father died.

"My brother Ed was an amazing person in so many ways. He wasn't just a firefighter. He was a son, a brother, a cousin, an uncle, a friend but most importantly he was a husband, father, and an extremely dedicated family man, " said Malone.

Rev. John Unni of St. Cecilia's in Boston delivered the homily not from the pulpit but right in front of Walsh's family. He said God is not interested in causing us plight but in comforting us and being with us during times like this.

"I believe in a God that is with us when bad stuff happens," said Unni.

Unni relayed a story of losing his own father, a barber, when he was even younger than Walsh's children. He assured them that their father is in heaven with his father.

"I know your dad was a firefighter. My dad was a barber. Your father had short hair — maybe he’s going to keep him in business, huh?" said Unni.

A replica of Walsh's helmet was on display throughout the funeral next to his casket and a ceremonial bell on which the last alarm well rung 8 times. Walsh's casket was blessed one last time by Cardinal Sean O'Malley before it was escorted out of the chapel.

A funeral for Firefighter Michael Kennedy will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at Holy Name Parish in West Roxbury.

The 1st Calvary Division, which is based at Fort Hood, sent a Twitter alert telling people on base to close doors and stay away from windows.

FORT HOOD, Texas — Fort Hood said Wednesday that a shooting happened at the Texas Army base and that injuries have been reported.

The base confirmed the shooting in a brief statement posted online Wednesday. The statement also said emergency crews were on the scene and that further details were not yet known.

The Bell's County Sheriff's Office dispatched deputies and troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety to the nearby post after receiving reports of an "active shooter," sheriff's Lt. Donnie Adams said. FBI spokeswoman Michelle Lee said its agents were also headed to the scene.

The base was the scene of a mass shooting in 2009. Thirteen people were killed and more than 30 wounded in what was the deadliest attack on a domestic military installation in history.

On its Twitter feed and Facebook page, Fort Hood on Wednesday ordered everyone on base to "shelter in place." The 1st Calvary Division, which is based at Fort Hood, sent a Twitter alert telling people on base to close doors and stay away from windows.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the president has been informed of the reports of a shooting at Fort Hood and will continue to receive updates as he attends a pair of Democratic Party fundraisers in Chicago.

Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan was convicted and sentenced to death last year in the Nov. 5, 2009, attack on his fellow soldiers as they waited inside a crowded building at Fort Hood. Soldiers there were waiting to get vaccines and routine paperwork after recently returning from deployments or while preparing to go to Afghanistan and Iraq.

According to testimony during Hasan's trial last August, Hasan walked inside carrying two weapons and several loaded magazines, shouted "Allahu Akbar!" — Arabic for "God is great!" — and opened fire with a handgun.

Witnesses said he targeted soldiers as he walked through the building, leaving pools of blood, spent casings and dying soldiers on the floor. Photos of the scene were shown to the 13 officers on the military jury.

The rampage ended when Hasan was shot in the back by Fort Hood police officers outside the building, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Hasan is now on death row at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.

After that shooting, the military tightened security at bases nationwide. Those measures included issuing security personnel long-barreled weapons, adding an insider-attack scenario to their training, and strengthening ties to local law enforcement, according to Peter Daly, a vice admiral who retired from the Navy in 2011. The military also joined an FBI intelligence-sharing program aimed at identifying terror threats.

William Enser Jr. pleaded guilty of 29 separate counts of knowingly and willfully filing false reports with the state Department of Environmental Protection.

PITTSFIELD – The director of a private water-testing laboratory in Lee pleaded guilty Wednesday in Berkshire Superior Court to multiple counts of filing false reports that minimized levels of bacteria contamination in Western Massachusetts drinking water, according to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

William Enser Jr., 64, of Lee, was sentenced to two years of probation by Superior Court Judge John Agostini. In addition, he was ordered to donate $100,000 to the Massachusetts Natural Resources Trust, which funds drinking-water preservation programs in Massachusetts. He was also barred from sampling, testing or analyzing any public drinking water on his own or under the employment of any other company.

Enser pleaded guilty of 29 separate counts of knowingly and willfully filing false reports with the state Department of Environmental Protection, according to the Attorney General's Office.

Enser had been a certified public water system operator and was director of Berkshire Enviro-Labs, Inc. in Lee. The privately owned company had been hired to regularly analyze the drinking water of several private and public drinking-water suppliers in Massachusetts.

In September 2012 the Massachusetts Environmental Strike Force began investigating the company after an audit showed suspicious data. The company would be de-certified and no longer allowed to test drinking water. Enser also lost his license to operate drinking water supplies.

He was indicted in January 2013 and charged with submitting false reports to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. It was also found that between October 2012 and February 2013, Enser had detected evidence of bacteria in some samples but hid the findings and submitted different results to the DEP.

"Labs that are certified to test drinking water samples are held to a very strict standard in order to ensure that the health and safety of the public is never compromised," said DEP Commissioner David W. Cash. "This lab director purposely skewed the data and undermined the strict testing protocols. “

Authorities said one of Pongi's friends was old enough to buy the cookie from a pot shop. It was unclear whether the friend might face charges.

DENVER -- A Wyoming college student visiting Denver on spring break jumped to his death after eating a marijuana cookie that his friend legally purchased in one of Colorado's recreational pot shops, authorities said Wednesday.

An autopsy report lists marijuana intoxication as a "significant contributing factor" in the death of 19-year-old Levy Thamba Pongi, a native of the Republic of Congo who fell from a motel balcony on March 11.

It marked the first time the Denver medical examiner's office has listed a marijuana edible as a contributor to a death, said Michelle Weiss-Samaras, a spokeswoman for the office.

"We have not had that," she said.

Investigators believe Pongi and his friends came to Colorado to try marijuana, Weiss-Samaras said.

The friends told investigators that Pongi ate the cookie and "exhibited hostile behavior" that included pulling things off walls and speaking erratically, the autopsy report said.

Attempts by the three friends to calm Pongi seemed to work until he went outside and jumped over the balcony railing, according to the report.

Denver police ruled the death an accident but said their investigation remains open.

Colorado law bans the sale of recreational marijuana products to people under 21. It is also illegal for those under 21 to possess marijuana, and adults can be charged with a felony for giving it to someone under the legal age.

Authorities said one of Pongi's friends was old enough to buy the cookie from a pot shop. It was unclear whether the friend might face charges.

The medical examiner's office had Pongi's body tested for at least 250 different substances, including bath salts and synthetic marijuana, which are known to cause strange behavior. His blood tested positive only for THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, according to the report.

One of Pongi's friends also tried the cookie but stopped after feeling sick, Weiss-Samaras said.

The marijuana concentration in Pongi's blood was 7.2 nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood. Colorado law says juries can assume someone is driving while impaired by marijuana if their blood contains more than 5 nanograms per milliliter of the chemical.

Officials at Northwest College in Powell, Wyo., say Pongi started taking classes as an exchange student in January. He was studying engineering.

"The Northwest College campus community continues to grieve after Levy's death," the college said in a statement. "All of us were deeply saddened by this tragic incident and feel for his family."

The hospital is the cornerstone of the development of the Ludlow Mills, Kenneth Delude said.

LUDLOW - HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Western Massachusetts celebrated its grand opening Wednesday with members of the community and patients and employees of the 53-bed acute rehabilitation hospital.

“This is the cornerstone of the redevelopment of the Ludlow Mills site,” said Kenneth Delude, president of Westmass Area Development Corp., which is overseeing redevelopment of the Ludlow Mills.

Dulce Conde, of Ludlow, 37, was a patient at the $26 million hospital for four weeks in December. Staff and patients moved from the previous Chestnut Place location into the new site in December, although the official grand opening was held Wednesday.

Conde said she developed a neurological disorder which came on suddenly and left her unable to walk.

The mother of four said that with the assistance of an occupational therapist and physical therapist at HealthSouth she is now able to walk for short periods of time.

“I am able to walk today because of this hospital,” she said.

Kenneth DeludeRepublican file  

The report is the latest sign that the economy is strengthening after an unusually harsh winter.

By STEVE ROTHWELL

AP Markets Writer

NEW YORK — Major U.S. stock indexes are edging up to record-high levels after a private survey showed that U.S. companies increased hiring at a rapid pace last month. The report is the latest sign that the economy is strengthening after an unusually harsh winter.

KEEPING SCORE: The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose four points, or 0.2 percent, to 1,890 as of 3:33 p.m. Eastern time. The index is at an all-time high. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 47 points, or 0.2 percent, to 16,580, also just above its own record closing high reached Dec. 31. The Nasdaq composite rose seven points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,275.

NOW HIRING: A private survey showed that U.S. companies stepped up their hiring in March. Payroll processer ADP said private employers added 191,000 jobs. ADP also revised February's job creation up to 153,000 from the 139,000 figure reported earlier. The report comes ahead of the government's monthly jobs report, scheduled to be released on Friday.

MANUFACTURING STRENGTH: There was more encouraging news on manufacturing Wednesday as the Commerce Department reported that orders to U.S. factories rose 1.6 percent in February, the most in five months. On Tuesday the S&P 500 closed at a record high after the Institute for Supply Management said its manufacturing index rose in March.

SLUMPING ENROLLMENT: Apollo education slumped $3.08, or 8.8 percent, to $32.08 after the company reported revenue that fell short of investor's expectations. The company said new student enrollment at its University of Phoenix fell drank 16.5 percent.

HEALING POWER: MannKind soared $3.03, or 76 percent, to $7.05 after FDA advisers voted unanimously to recommend approval of the drug Afrezza, a fast-acting insulin, for patients with the most common form of diabetes. MannKind has no products on the market and lost more than $191 million last year.

TITANS OF INDUSTRY: Industrial companies were among the gainers in the S&P 500 index on Tuesday. The sector has gained 2.7 percent over the last week, as signs have emerged that manufacturing is strengthening. That makes it the second-best performer of the 10 industry groups that make up the S&P 500.

"The market is confirming what we're starting to see in the numbers, which is that we're going to get a bit of a lift," said Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab.

BONDS AND COMMODITIES: Government bonds fell after the ADP report. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note climbed to 2.81 percent from 2.75 percent. The price of oil fell 12 cents, or 0.1 percent, to $99.62 a barrel. Gold rose $10.90, or 0.9 percent, to settle at $1,290.50 an ounce.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the information publicly.

FORT HOOD, Texas -- A senior U.S. defense official says one person is dead and 14 wounded in a shooting at Fort Hood.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the information publicly.

The Texas Army base was the scene of a mass shooting in 2009. Thirteen people were killed and more than 30 wounded in what was the deadliest attack on a domestic military installation in history.

The Massachusetts House began debating a bill Wednesday that would increase the state's hourly minimum wage from $8 to $10.50 over the next two years.

By STEVE LeBLANC

BOSTON — The Massachusetts House began debating a bill Wednesday that would increase the state's hourly minimum wage from $8 to $10.50 over the next two years.

The legislation would also overhaul the state's unemployment insurance system and provide basic work standards and protections for nannies and other domestic workers in the state.

The Massachusetts Senate has already approved separate minimum wage and unemployment insurance bills.

The Senate bill would increase the wage to $11 per hour over three years and link automatic future increases to the rate of inflation. The House bill doesn't link the minimum wage to changes in inflation.

House Labor Committee Chairman Rep. Tom Conroy said raising the minimum wage in Massachusetts is long overdue. He also conceded the higher wage won't be making anyone wealthy.

"At its core, a minimum wage bill is about fairness. It is about giving voice to those who for too long have not been heard," the Wayland Democrat said, adding "this is a minimum wage, not a living wage."

Both bills would also raise the minimum wage for workers who earn tips.

The House bill would increase the minimum tipped wage from $2.63 per hour to $3.75 over three years. The Senate bill is more aggressive, increasing the minimum wage for tipped workers to half of the minimum wage for other workers — or up to $5.50 per hour over three years.

There's also a ballot question that would increase the minimum wage to $10.50 over two years and index future increases to inflation. The question is backed by labor groups and could appear on the November ballot.

Massachusetts last increased the minimum wage in 2008.

The House bill also includes the requirement that the Massachusetts minimum wage must always be at least 40 cents higher that the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 per hour. Current law requires the state minimum wage always be at least 10 cents higher than the federal wage.

The Senate bill would require the state wage always be at least 50 cents higher than the federal minimum.

The House bill would also increase the minimum wage for farm workers to $8 an hour from the current rate of $1.60 an hour.

The push to raise the minimum wage in Massachusetts comes are President Barack Obama has called for an increase in the federal minimum wage to $10.10 per hour.

Conroy said another key element of the bill was the increased protections for domestic workers.

Those changes include defining what constitutes working time for domestic workers, requiring that any deductions taken for meals or lodging provided to a domestic worker be in compliance with state law, and allowing domestic workers to file complaints with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination if they are harassed or abused.

The bill would give the attorney general the authority to investigate those claims.

"Too often we have heard that employers are taking advantage of these caregivers," Conroy said.

The House and Senate bills would also continue to freeze unemployment insurance rates at their current levels.

The House bill also specifies that individuals can't lay themselves off to receive unemployment benefits.

The House bill now heads to the Senate. Both chambers will need to agree on a compromise version of the legislation before sending it to Gov. Deval Patrick's desk.

Patrick has said he supports increasing the minimum wage.

A senior U.S. defense official says 1 person is dead and 14 wounded in a shooting on Wednesday at Fort Hood in Texas.

By WILL WEISSERT

FORT HOOD, Texas -- One person was killed and 14 injured in a shooting Wednesday at Fort Hood, and officials at the base said the shooter is believed to be dead.

The details about the number of people hurt came from a senior U.S. defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the information publicly.

Fort Hood said in a statement posted online that its Directorate of Emergency Services had an initial report that the shooter was dead, but that the report was unconfirmed. Additional details were not immediately available.

The Army said on its official Twitter feed that the base is still on lockdown, and that injured personnel were being treated at the post's Carl R. Darnall Medical Center and other local hospitals.

The Texas Army base was the scene of a mass shooting in 2009. Thirteen people were killed and more than 30 wounded in what was the deadliest attack on a domestic military installation in history.

Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan was convicted and sentenced to death last year in the Nov. 5, 2009, attack on his fellow soldiers as they waited inside a crowded building at Fort Hood. Soldiers there were waiting to get vaccines and routine paperwork after recently returning from deployments or while preparing to go to Afghanistan and Iraq.

According to testimony during Hasan's trial last August, Hasan walked inside carrying two weapons and several loaded magazines, shouted "Allahu Akbar!" -- Arabic for "God is great!" -- and opened fire with a handgun.

Witnesses said he targeted soldiers as he walked through the building, leaving pools of blood, spent casings and dying soldiers on the floor. Photos of the scene were shown to the 13 officers on the military jury.

The rampage ended when Hasan was shot in the back by Fort Hood police officers outside the building, which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Hasan is now on death row at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas.

After that shooting, the military tightened security at bases nationwide. Those measures included issuing security personnel long-barreled weapons, adding an insider-attack scenario to their training, and strengthening ties to local law enforcement, according to Peter Daly, a vice admiral who retired from the Navy in 2011. The military also joined an FBI intelligence-sharing program aimed at identifying terror threats.

In September, a former Navy man opened fire at the Washington Navy Yard, leaving at least 13 people dead, including the gunman. After that shooting, Hagel ordered the Pentagon to review security at all U.S. defense installations worldwide and examine the granting of security clearances that allow access to them.

Corbin, a Chihuahua-Dachshund mix, escaped its fenced-in yard in Texas and was found outside a southwest Ohio animal shelter, and its owners have no idea how he traveled more than 1,000 miles in a few days.

HAMILTON, Ohio — A small dog that escaped its fenced-in yard in Texas was found outside a southwest Ohio animal shelter, and its owners have no idea how he traveled more than 1,000 miles in a few days.

The 3-year-old Chihuahua-Dachshund mix named Corbin dug a hole under a fence in his backyard in Killeen, Texas, on March 25. He was found Saturday tied to a bench outside the animal shelter in Hamilton, about 30 miles north of Cincinnati.

"It sounds like one of those too-good-to-be-true stories," Corbin's owner, Mike Saiz, told The Cincinnati Enquirer. "This isn't the first time he dug a hole under the fence. One time he was waiting for us on our front porch and the other two times we had to pick him up from the local pound."

A surveillance camera at the Animal Friends Humane Society in Hamilton recorded a woman leaving Corbin at the shelter late Friday night. Staff found him the next day.

Corbin was in good shape, just soaking wet from rain and a little scared, said Kurt Merbs, supervisor of Butler County's dog warden's division. Authorities are hoping to identify the woman and see if they can get answers about how Corbin ended up in Ohio and at the shelter, Merbs said Wednesday.

The staff located Saiz after finding a microchip on him that contained his owners' information.

"They called my wife and she told me that they found our dog, but she didn't sound happy about it," Saiz said. "I asked if he was OK and she told me he was fine. I then asked where the shelter was and she said, 'Hamilton — not Hamilton, Texas, but Hamilton, Ohio.'"

Bacon pledged to bring a new and strong voice to the Board of Selectmen.

Stephen Bacon, candidate for Wilbraham selectmansubmitted photo 

On March 31 police announced the 29-year-old Moore's death was a homicide and Pinney was being charged.

SPRINGFIELD — Police had Frederick Pinney in handcuffs "for his safety" on the day murder victim TayClair Moore's body was found, court records show.

On March 23 police said they were examining the death of a person found at 48 Agnes St. shortly before 1 p.m.

It was being called an “unattended death,” and police said they were awaiting results of an autopsy to see if it was suspicious.

On March 31 police announced the 29-year-old Moore's death was a homicide and Pinney was being charged. Pinney, 45, denied a murder charge Tuesday in Springfield District Court.

According to the request for a murder warrant written March 27 by city Police Officer Timothy J. Kenney, an autopsy done by the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Boston concluded Moore died of asphyxiation, but not by hands and not due to any medical condition.

Kenney wrote, "There were ligature marks on Moore's neck ... There was also evidence of a blunt force injury to her head."

The report said on the day Moore was found dead, Pinney was taken to the Detective Bureau to be interviewed, but was not under arrest. After the interview, Pinney voluntarily was transported to a crisis center for evaluation.

Kenney's report gives details of what police found when they got to the Agnes Street single-family home after Christopher Podgurski, Moore's boyfriend, requested assistance.

Podgurski, who was outside, told police a man inside may have stabbed his girlfriend.

Sgt. Richard Labelle went inside and saw blood on the floor and Pinney in the kitchen, and he "handcuffed him for his safety."

Pinney said there was no one else in the house. Officers looked through the home and found one bedroom door locked. After forcing the door open, they saw Moore on the floor with no signs of life and unclothed.

Police found blood on one side of Moore, but there were no visible signs of trauma.

Pinney had "slicing type injuries to both wrists and his neck."

Podgurski, interviewed at the Detective Bureau, said he had been Moore's boyfriend for 10 years. He said he had known Pinney for three or four years from working together.

Pinney began renting the home in January, Podgurski said. Podgurski and Moore began to move in, renting a room from Pinney, three or four days before Moore's death.

Podgurski said he was in Holyoke with Moore and Pinney for a St. Patrick's Day Road Race party on March 22. Moore and Pinney left to go back to 48 Agnes St., and Podgurski spent the night at his mother's house.

The report said, "Podgurski was aware that both Pinney and Moore were in the possession of cocaine and had done cocaine during the day. He expected that they would continue its use during the evening."

When Podgurski went home March 23 he saw a small amount of blood on the kitchen floor. His room was empty, but Moore's glasses and cell phone were in it.

He knocked on Pinney's door, but first got no answer. In the kitchen he saw three knives, with two having dried blood on them, according to the Kenney's narrative. Podgurski knocked on Pinney's door again, and Pinney told him Moore got mad the night before and left.

When Pinney finally opened the door enough to get out and then closed it again, Podgurski saw Pinney had cuts on his wrists and neck.

Podgurski said Pinney said he had to get the key to open his bedroom door again. When he came back upstairs he had a key in one hand and a knife in the other, according to Podgurski.

When Pinney opened the door, Podgurski saw Moore's legs on the floor. He was afraid of what Pinney would do and went outside and called 911, the report said.

When police got a search warrant for the house they found in Pinney's bedroom: drug paraphernalia, beer bottles, a compressor with a nail gun, a knife, a prescription bottle, a notice for a hearing in Probate Court and a green electrical extension cord with one end secured to the headboard and the other end cut off.

During the police interview with Pinney on March 23, when he was not under arrest, Pinney said when he and Moore got to Agnes Street "he partied with Moore which consisted of alcohol and cocaine."

Pinney said they then went to their own bedrooms, according to the report. He said he has been stressed and had thoughts of hurting himself. He said to that end he took 10 Lorazepam pills and took a knife and tried to cut his wrists and neck. When that didn't work, he got his compressor and nail gun, intending to shoot himself in the head.

He continued to drink and do cocaine and passed out, he told police. He said he and Moore did not party in his room and they didn't have sex.

The report said Pinney was awoken by Podgurski's knocking.

He said he didn't see Moore's body next to his bed and could not explain how it was there. He denied harming her.

Richard Merchant served as human resource director in Chicopee from 2000 to 2008.

CHICOPEE - What is old is new again in the city.

Mayor Richard J. Kos, who returned as the head of the city after a 10-year hiatus, has announced he is hiring the former human resource director as a consultant to oversee that department.

Richard Merchant, who served as director of the Chicopee’s human resource department from 2000 to 2008, will serve as the interim director until a permanent one can be hired.

Merchant is replacing Scott Szczebak who resigned last week to take another job. Szczebak, who holds a law degree, had served as head of the department for about five years.

He is one of a number of employees who have either resigned or were laid-off since January.

Initially Kos said he would take over operations of the department, but in a recent City Council meeting, he told members he was searching for someone to take the position at least temporarily until a permanent director could be hired.

“Among his efforts, he will assess the current operations of the city of Chicopee human resources department and provide advice, counsel, and assistance to the current human resources staff and mayor,” Kos said in a written statement.

Details of Merchant’s contract was not immediately available.

Merchant, of Southwick, currently works at the Mental Health Association of Springfield. He previously worked in Westfield and Easthampton as a human resource director.

In endorsing Arena-DeRosa, both legislators cited his experience at the local, state and federal levels, considering his role as a regional administrator with the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

James Arena-DeRosa, one of the Democratic candidates aiming to be the next lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, has landed endorsements from state Rep. Carolyn Dykema, D-Holliston, and state Rep. Cory Atkins, D-Concord.

James Arena-DeRosaSubmitted Photo 

In endorsing Arena-DeRosa, both legislators cited his experience at the local, state and federal levels, considering his role as a regional administrator with the USDA Food and Nutrition Service.

"James is passionate, and has an impressive track record working on issues that matter to families," Dykema said in a statement. "I'm proud to endorse his candidacy."

Atkins said her and the candidate's families have been friends for years, adding that Arena-DeRosa's family's "leadership and community values run deep and I think James will make an exemplary Lieutenant Governor."

Arena-DeRosa's campaign also announced that former state Sen. David Magnani of Framingham, who served in the state legislature from 1985 to 2004, is supporting him.

Graves sued Punderson in small claims court; when Punderson did not show up for a hearing, she sought the arrest warrant.

EAST LONGMEADOW — Between hitting the polls during the town's Election Day on Tuesday, Board of Selectmen candidate Peter Punderson will have to take a timeout for a creditors' meeting in connection with his Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing earlier this year. [see documents at conclusion of this article]

While Punderson has been defiant about the petition – filed within days of his taking out nomination papers for the seat – opponent William Gorman has attacked Punderson for seeking a seat that includes financial stewardship for the town in the midst of his own fiscal crisis.

Punderson, an heir to the former Punderson Oil, opened several oil companies and cooperatives including Scantic Oil, which was forced to close in 2011. Punderson, 64, of Pease Road, is being sued by his former business partner, Charles Richard, who stated in court filings that Punderson convinced him to take out a loan for $178,000 to purchase Scantic Oil in 2006. Richard was promised his investment would be returned within three years, but it was never repaid, he said.

The petition for bankruptcy states Punderson owes more than 30 creditors $190,000. The matter has done more than cramp Punderson's campaign acumen. Records filed in Palmer District Court show there was briefly a civil arrest warrant for Punderson sought by a separate creditor: Michele Graves, of Springfield. Graves said that in 2008, she loaned Punderson $11,000 to try to keep the business afloat while she was his secretary.

"He stopped paying me back when the doors closed in 2011," said Graves, who was forced to go back to cosmetology school when she found herself unemployed after 11 years as a full-time employee of the business. "I was dumb enough to loan him money, so that's on me. I thought we were friends."

When confronted with the bankruptcy issue, Punderson publicly blamed the demise of the company, in part, on an unnamed employee "who admitted to performing job responsibilities in a fraudulent and dishonest manner." During a recent debate, Punderson repeated that the employee "stole" from him. He later denied using the word "stole."

"I'm not talking about this anymore. I'm worn out," Punderson told a reporter recently, referring all questions to his bankruptcy lawyer, David J. Brunelle.

Graves sued Punderson in small claims court; when Punderson did not show up for a hearing, she sought the arrest warrant.

"I wouldn't have pushed it to that extent until he started telling people I stole from him," said Graves, noting that although Punderson did not call her out by name, she was his sole employee aside from a family member. "Who else could he have been talking about?"

Once Punderson filed for bankruptcy, the warrant and all other court actions against him were stayed, according to Brunelle.

When pressed about which employee he was referring to regarding the theft, Punderson refused to talk about it.

"I'm not going there. I had more than one employee," Punderson snapped, while refusing to discuss the matter further.

Graves said she never stole a dime from the company. Criminal charges were never filed in connection with Punderson's allegations.

Punderson and Gorman are vying for an open seat vacated by Debra Boronski, a relatively new Board of Selectmen member who announced she will run for state Sen. Gale Candaras' 1st Hampden-Hampshire District Seat.

The three-member board, which serves as the town's executive committee and approves all budget matters, has undergone considerable shuffling over the past two years. In 2012, there were back-to-back resignations when Enrico "Jack" Villamaino III got caught up in a voter fraud scandal that ultimately tripped a criminal case against him and his wife, Courtney Llewellyn, a town employee.

Former Selectman James Driscoll had signaled his resignation earlier, citing work pressures. Villamaino ultimately pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced to four months in jail in August.

Meanwhile in East Longmeadow, Punderson beat former School Committee member Angela Thorpe by 12 votes in a special election. He remained on the Board of Selectmen for a mere five months when Thorpe beat him by 84 votes in the town's subsequent regular elections last April.

Brunelle confirmed the creditor's meeting in Punderson bankruptcy is set for Election Day, but said he has no idea who to expect will show up.

Peter Punderson Bankruptcy Filing

Notice of Rescheduled Meeting of Creditors

Peter Punderson Counseling Certificate

The patches illustrate the local, regional, national and international outpouring of support for the firefighter.

The patches from over 70 fire departments that attended Boston Firefighter Michael Kennedy's funeral on April 3, 2014 illustrate the local, regional, national and international outpouring of support for a fallen member of the brotherhood.

Captain Charles Garcia of the Los Angeles Fire Department said, "Doesn't matter whether you're East Coast or West Coast, we're all one big family and we try to take care of each other as much as we can."

"It is our duty and honor to be here to support our brother firefighters," said Ryan Mudie of the Tacoma Fire Department.

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