Some officials believe raising the sewer rate is a last resort to be used only after vigorous pursuit of delinquent bills.

Holyoke Councilor Peter R. Tallman

HOLYOKE – City Councilor Kevin A. Jourdain said he is prepared to propose more than $450,000 in cuts to the public works budget Monday because of a failure to hunt down more than half a million dollars in delinquent sewer bills.

“I am going to propose $450,000 in cuts if they don’t come in and give us an explanation,” Jourdain said Friday.

City councilors will discuss the proposed budget for the Department of Public Works at 6 p.m. at City Hall.

Public Works Superintendent William D. Fuqua said his department is doing its best to try to seize overdue sewer bills.

Monthly letters are mailed to those who owe bills and his department works with the office Treasurer Jon D. Lumbra to track down others, he said.

“We’ve been working as hard as we can to address that,” Fuqua said.

He declined to say what the effects would be of a $450,000 budget cut and said he will address that Monday.

Still on the table is a proposal from public works officials from the fall to increase the sewer rate to get additional revenue.

Under that proposal, the average household’s yearly sewer bill would increase to $430 from the current $365.

That was based on the current rate of $5.40 per 1,000 metered gallons used increasing to $6.40 per 1,000 metered gallons used.

Jourdain said increasing the sewer rate should be a last resort.

Public works first must do everything possible to seize the $500,000 to $600,000 in delinquent sewer bills, cut public works spending and perhaps revisit sewer-use agreements the city has with large users like Sonoco Products Co., Hampden Papers Inc. and Marox Corp.

The $8.55 million sewer use fund is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Works. That fund is an enterprise fund, meaning that it is supposed to be self-sustaining through fees paid by customers. Most of that fund, $6.4 million, goes to United Water, the private firm that runs the wastewater treatment plant.

The problem has continued to be that the rate at which revenue is coming in from users has failed to keep pace with the rate at which the city is contractually bound to pay United Water, officials said.

Councilor at Large Peter R. Tallman said he wants to hear Fuqua’s views before saying whether he would support a budget cut.

“I think there’s still some work to do,” Tallman said.

Public works is actually a variety of accounts. It consists of administration, management of city property, highways and bridges, vehicle maintenance, trash collection and parking.

Those public works accounts total $4.5 million in the budget that Mayor Elaine A. Pluta has proposed to run the city in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

That proposal is actually less than the total for those accounts in the current budget, $5.9 million. A review of the budget shows the decrease apparently is because less money is included in the proposed budget for capital expenses.

POlice said Thomas drove at two officers and they each drew their weapons and fired.

A Republican photo by Don TreegerSpringfield police at the scene of a shooting at Main and Williams Street in the South End.

This is an update to a story that was originally posted at 5:23 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield police officers opened fire on a car that tried to run him down in the city’s South End Friday afternoon, injuring the 48-year-old driver and his 45-year-old passenger, police said.

The driver, identified as Darryl Thomas, who had a last known address of 548 Canon Circle, Springfield, suffered an injury to one of his wrists, said Sgt. John Delaney, aide to Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

A female passenger, whose name was not released, suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen, Delaney said. She underwent surgery Friday night at Baystate Medical Center and is considered in stable condition. Delaney said her wounds are not life-threatening.

The officers involved in the shooting, whose names was not being released, suffered scrapes and bruises when they dove out of the way of the car, Delaney said.

Thomas has been charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon: a motor vehicle. Other charges are possible, he said. No charges have been filed against the passenger, but they could be filed later, he said.

The shooting happened on Williams Street near Main Street in an area of the South End that was heavily damaged by the tornado that swept through Springfield on Wednesday.

The area was already cordoned off by the Massachusetts National Guard earlier in the week due to danger from possible building collapses, and guardsmen were not allowing the press or general public within two blocks of the scene.

Photo courtesy of Springfield policeDarryl Thomas

When the officers got out of their cruiser to approached the stopped car, Thomas spun the car around and accelerated at the two officers, forcing them to dive out of the way. He rammed the police cruiser once and was attempting to hit it again when both officers drew their weapons and opened fire.

Thomas was able to drive around the police cruiser and out of the parking lot but he turned into an alley near Main Street and got blocked in. Thomas attempted to flee on foot but was captured by several city and state police and national guardsmen who were in the area providing security.

Delaney said the shooting remains under investigation. Detectives remain on scene Friday night collecting evidence and piecing together what happened.

100 percent of the St. Mary Class of 2011 is headed to college.

The Republican | Dave RobackGerman Felix presses a noisemaker in line with Mariah Finnerty at the 2011 Westfield High School graduation at Bullens Field.

The Republican | Dave RobackDonald Orlando gets a group hug at the 2011 St. Mary High School graduation at St. Mary's Church.

WESTFIELD – “You need to remember to be good people” was the standard set Friday for Westfield High School’s Class of 2011 by English teacher Emily Mead.

The commencement speaker told the 355 graduates at Bullens Field “Strive for perfection but if you make a mistake admit it.”

Also Friday at St. Mary’s Church on Bartlett Street, 33 graduates from St. Mary High School received their diplomas following a Baccalaureate Mass before the Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.

St. Mary Valedictorian Audrey Guyott and salutatorian Laura Ziter led the class that will send 100 percent on to colleges or universities in September.

Westfield High graduates kept with tradition and at various times during commencement at least a dozen multi-colored beach balls were swatted back and forth.

Valedictorian Christopher Hart, headed to George Washington University, told classmates “Life is a lot like an episode of ‘Scooby Doo’. Every new experience is bound to be terrifying. The beauty of life from this point on is that you will be faced with an infinite number of challenges, so go out there, find them, succeed and show the world what your are made of.”

Salutatorian Lauren Olinski boldly proclaimed “We are not just some seniors in oversized caps and gowns. We are the superb, the fantastic, Westfield High School graduating class of 2011.”

A retiring Shirley Alvira, superintendent of schools, reminded WHS graduates that their diploma is “not a gift. You are getting a reward that you have earned.”

Of the 355 graduates from Westfield High School, about 85 percent will attend two or four-year colleges in September.

The Republican | Dave RobackLeft, German Felix presses a noisemaker in line with Mariah Finnerty at the Westfield High School graduation; right, Donald Orlando gets a group hug at the St. Mary High School graduation.

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield firefighters rescued 40-year-old Stephanie Acasio of Boston on Friday night after she was found clinging to a rock in the Mill River, Springfield fire spokesman Dennis Leger said. Acasio suffered a leg injury in the fall and was taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment. It was not clear how long she had been in the water...

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield firefighters rescued 40-year-old Stephanie Acasio of Boston on Friday night after she was found clinging to a rock in the Mill River, Springfield fire spokesman Dennis Leger said.

Acasio suffered a leg injury in the fall and was taken to Baystate Medical Center for treatment.

It was not clear how long she had been in the water or how she fell down the embankment. Leger said she was found clinging to a rock and some logs just a few feet from where the river enters an underground culvert that travels several hundred yards to where it empties into the Connecticut River.

If she went down the culvert and got stuck, it is not likely anyone would have heard her calling for help, he said.

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The school's choir sang a rendition of the classic Bill Withers song "Lean On Me," made especially poignant by the proximity of the recent destruction in the nearby South End.

View full sizeJune 3, 2011 - Springfield - Republican staff photo by Michael S. Gordon - Karmen A. DeCaro, left, and Anthony M. Bavaro pause for a self portrait before the start of Minnechaug Regional High School graduation Friday night at Springfield Symphony Hall.

SPRINGFIELD – After observing a moment of silence for those affected by Wednesday’s tornadoes, 291 Minnechaug Regional High School students graduated Friday at Symphony Hall.

School officials said the general manager of the venue received permission from Mayor Domenic Sarno’s office to hold the ceremony.

Class president Andrew Johnston gave an address during which he said the tornado should bring people closer.

“We have all been humbled, but what we must take away (is) when times become tough, we must all band together,” said Johnston. “While we have no means to erase what has happened, we must do our best to learn from this.”

Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee chairman Scott R. Chapman touched on the natural and man-made tragedies that have punctuated the educations of the graduates.

“In your elementary years, you were here with us when the nation was attacked on September 11,” said Chapman. “As students, and as a district, we came together in our own small but profound way to raise awareness and offer support to others.”

“We’ve had to look to each other and exhibit the strength of what our communities, Hampden and Wilbraham, are about, and help each other in our own time of natural disaster here at home,” he said.

The school’s choir sang a rendition of the classic Bill Withers song “Lean On Me,” made especially poignant by the recent destruction in the nearby South End.

But despite the sorrow felt around the region, much of the ceremony was jubilant.

The Graduation Band played a medley of songs from “West Side Story.” There was laughter at speakers’ jokes, congratulatory shouts and whistles, and raucous applause when the diplomas were handed out.

“You have met and exceeded our district’s expectations of you,” said Principal Stephen M. Hale to the class of 2011. “I hope one day my kids grow up to be just like you.”

Guerrero was described as a very hardworking woman devoted to her family.

The Republican | Mark M. MurrayRubble is all that is left of the house at 667 Union St. in West Springfield where Angelica Guerrero died while shielding her daughter during Wednesday's tornado.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – People who knew Angelica Guerrero, the 40-year-old mother who sacrificed her life to save her daughter, Ibone, from Wednesday’s tornado have described her as a saint devoted to her family.

Guerrero died after shielding her 15-year-old daughter, Ibone, in a bathtub in their 667 Union St. apartment in the hard-hit Merrick section of the city.

Angelica was a very quiet, hardworking woman who was “all about her family,” according to Victor Richey, who spoke to The Republican on Friday. Richey used to live in the third-floor apartment in the same triple-decker in which Angelica resided with her family. The Guerreros lived on the first floor of the building.

Richey recalled Angelica as a beautiful woman who wore her hair up and was a good dresser as well as an excellent housekeeper. The Guerreros babysat for his children, who were friends with the family’s two daughters, Richey said.

“My kids adored them,” Richey said of the Guerrero family.

His children were close to Ibone and Fabiola, the Guerros’ older daughter who graduated from West Springfield High School last year, Richey said.

The Guerreros were “a very, very tight family” who were nice, but kept to themselves, according to Richey.

The Boston HeraldWest Springfield, MA -- Juan Gurrero consoles his daughter Ibone, 15, in their hospital room a day after she lost her mother Angelica, and older sister Fabiola,18, at the home on Union Street that was destroyed after a tornado touched down yesterday on Thursday, June 2, 2011. (Boston Herald photo by Byron Smith)

The two households used to have backyard cookouts together to which Angelica contributed tasty Mexican food, their former neighbor said.

Angelica and her husband, Juan, were originally from Mexico and moved to Union Street about eight years ago after having lived in California and Missouri.

Angelica worked at the Wendy’s in the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside, and Juan stayed at home looking after the foster children the family took in.

“She had the reputation of a saint,” said Steven Wenners, an automobile detailer who works next door to the Guerreros at Shine Rite Auto Cleaning & Detailing at 685 Union St.

“She was a very good mom. She loved her family. She was always with the family or going to work,” Wenners said.

Wenners said the family was generous, and members often handed him pizza over the fence between their home and Shine Rite.

“He was frantically trying to dig her out,” Wenners said of Juan’s efforts to recover his wife from the rubble of their collapsed building immediately after the tornado hit the area. Juan braved gas leaks and sparks in his efforts to save his wife, according to Wenners.

Neighbors used a chain saw to try to free the woman, who was later taken out of the wreckage by firefighters, Wenners said.

Graduate Caroline Eaton: "It's hard to describe how it felt. The air pressure in my head dropped in a really weird way."

SPRINGFIELD – About 600 members of the graduating class at Springfield Technical Community College took part in the graduation ceremony on June 3, a day later than it was originally scheduled, at the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield.

There were 1,050 graduates this year, the third-largest class in the college’s history.

The event took place only a few blocks away from where a tornado had touched down two days earlier.

The audience was in high spirits, whooping and cheering the graduates, but fell silent when STCC vice president Stephen H. Keller asked for a moment of silence in honor of victims of the disaster.

Since the college draws from many communities in Massachusetts – as well as Connecticut, Vermont and foreign countries – some of the graduates had escaped the devastation.

Others talked about their tornado experiences as they waited in their gowns and mortarboards prior to the ceremony.

“We live on the mountain,” said Nancy Harris, 51, of Wilbraham, who was receiving an associate’s degree in early childhood education. “and we’ve had no power. We have no water, no electricity, no flushing the toilet.”

Harris has a daycare center. She said families of two of the children had been hit much harder than she had, losing their homes. “I’ll get crying if I talk about it,” she said.

Graduate Krisin Walls, 21, also said her home on Roosevelt Avenue in Springfield had been without power for two days.

Sheila Bodon, 27, also lives in Springfield. “Half our siding and the shingles on the roof are gone,” she said. “We have no electricity, no nothing. I’m in a hotel now.” Bodon was getting her degree in architecture.

Joron Stimage-Norwood, 23, was there to pick up a degree in marketing.

“I was working at a convenience store in East Forest Park in Springfield,” said Stimage Norwood of the tornado. “A tree fell on top of the store.

“We’re near some gas stations, and I didn’t know if the pumps would explode. I opened the door and took off.”

Alicia Bonavita, of Springfield, said she and her father lost their cars when trees fell on them, and their garage was also damaged.

“We were in the kitchen when we saw the clouds had gotten dark,” she said. “My dad was on the phone with his girlfriend, and she told him that a tornado was on its way.

“We both went downstairs to the basement. When we went upstairs, we saw the glass from the porch was shattered everywhere.

“I was very scared,” said Bonavita, whose dad is Robert Bonavita. “It was something I never thought I would see in my lifetime.”

She said the disaster had put a damper on her graduation. “I’m excited that I’m graduating,” she said, “but my neighborhood’s destroyed.

Caroline Eaton, 26, said she and her mom had been at the Red Rose restaurant in the South End of Springfield when the tornado hit.

They were part of a group planning to have dinner before attending the STCC’s Honors Convocation, where Eaton was to receive an award as outstanding commercial art student.

A man in the group was alerted by cell phone by his girlfriend that the tornado was on the way. He walked casually to the window and suddenly it was very dark, with the wind coming down the street. “A huge tree just came down,” said Eaton, who lives in Easthampton.

“The owner of the Red Rose said, ‘Everybody get into the bathrooms now!’

“It’s hard to describe how it felt,” said Eaton. The air pressure in my head dropped in a really weird way.”

When the group emerged, said Eaton, “my mom’s car window on the driver’s side was blown out and the mirror was wedged under the back tire.”

They walked by a store whose windows were shattered and whose roof was scattered in pieces on the sidewalk.

In spite of it all, Eaton still went to the Honors Convocation at STCC, even though that, too, was interrupted by directions to go down to the basement.

Harris said she felt the same way about Commencement. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” she said.

Meaghan Mathews-Hegarty, 29, said she and her husband were shopping at Costco in West Springfield when they heard about the tornado on the radio.

They saw the funnel cloud pass over Stop & Shop, and they left for their home in Springfield’s East Forest Park, where much of the devastation occurred.

“We had some shingles come off, the grill got smashed, the fence came down and we had trees come down in front and in back,” said Mathews-Hegarty, who got her degree in occupational therapy with high honors. “But compared to our neighbors, we had it easy.”

She said she and her husband were surprisingly calm, and the experience seemed to bring out the best in people.

Bob Bys, 49, was getting his associates degree in mechanical engineering technology. He said he and his son were on Plumtree Road in Springfield when the trees started moving in the wind.

The woman driving in front of him panicked, slamming her car into reverse and crashing into Bys’s Jeep.

Natasha Oakley, 21, of Springfield, said she was trapped on Bradley Road in Springfield when the tornado came toward her. “My windows broke and my tire went flat,” she said.

Terrified and crying, she walked home, where her mom came running out to meet her. Oakley was about to receive a degree in occupational therapy from STCC.

The tornado that struck Springfield is the 2nd strongest in state history.

SPRINGFIELD - The tornado that ripped through Springfield was the second strongest ever recorded in Massachusetts, with wind speeds estimated at 136 to 165 mph, an official with the National Weather Service said Friday.

Meteorologist Eleanor Vallier-Talbot said preliminary investigations show that in areas hardest hit, the tornado was estimated as an EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita Damage Classification Scale.

The scale classifies tornadoes on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the most intense. The tornado that flattened Joplin, Mo., last month was considered an EF-5, with winds in excess of 200 mph.

The highest rating recorded for a Massachusetts hurricane was one that struck Worcester in July 1953, which was an EF-4, Vallier-Talbot said.

But she cautioned that the numbers for the Springfield tornado are preliminary figures.

“It could possibly go higher,” she said.

The National Weather Service has determined there were actually three separate tornadoes. The most severe one was the EF-3 that carved a half-mile-wide path for 39 miles from Westfield to Charlton, killing four people and injuring 200.

An EF-1 with speeds of 90 mph touched down in Wilbraham. It was 200 yards wide and traveled 3.6 miles. Another EF-1 touched down in North Brimfield. It was 100 yards wide and traveled 1.3 miles. Those two did not cause any fatalities or injuries.

Vallier-Talbot, who has been with the National Weather Service for 26 years, never thought she would see tornado damage like this in Massachusetts.

“It was unbelievable. I never thought I would see that up here in my life,” she said.

Area communities damaged by the storm continued digging out on Friday.

In Springfield, most roads blocked by downed trees and power lines have reopened, and the rest will reopen shortly, officials said at a Friday afternoon press conference. The majority of houses without electric power have been brought back on line, and the projection is the remainder will have power within a few days.

“It’s not yet 48 hours and we’re moving out of the triage phase and into the stabilization phase,” Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said.

The phase after stabilization, he said, is rebuilding, which is still a ways off.

Sarno said the city will use all of its available resources for recovery and is seeking additional state and federal assistance.

“We’re going to spend every dime we have on this, and I’m going to go after every dime from the federal government and state,” he said. “We’re turning over every stone, and we’ll do what he have to do.”

Most of the approximately 3,500 Western Massachusetts Electric Co. customers who remain without power in the East Forest Park and Sixteen Acres neighborhoods should see it restored sometime Friday night, a spokeswoman said.

WMECO spokesman Edgar Alejandro said the utility has restored service to 15,000 in Springfield.

It was not simply a matter of downed lines, he said. “It required us to rebuild our system, not just repair it,” he said.

In areas that were heavily hit, such as East Forest Park, the storm tore out the backbone of the electrical grid. “We had to rebuild that backbone,” he said.

National Grid, meanwhile, hopes to be able to restore power by midnight to the approximately 4,500 East Longmeadow customers who have been in the dark since the tornado and intense thunderstorms ripped through the region Wednesday afternoon.

“Our crews are diligently working on the transmission system and they are looking at midnight,” said Debbie Drew, spokeswoman for National Grid. All told, some 9,000 National Grid customers remain without power in Hampden and Worcester counties, Drew said.

Springfield Building Commissioner Steven Desilets said inspection teams are continuing their assessment of damaged properties.

So far, they have found 168 buildings that sustained a “high degree of damage” including 72 that were condemned because they were beyond repair.

Ten residential properties and 5 commercial buildings that were condemned have been taken down already because they were considered an immediate threat to public safety

In the coming days, work crews will go through city neighborhoods to pick up tree and branch debris placed on the tree belts and along the edge of the street on residential properties.

Residents are also being asked to separate tree debris from building materials. Movable building materials placed on tree belts and along the edge of streets will also be transported by the city. Residents are encouraged to place their building material debris in 35-gallon barrels or trash bags.

The city is working with Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency to have members of the National Guard assist elderly and disabled residents with the cleanup in affected areas.

Springfield Health Director Helen Caulton-Harris said the city will be closing its shelter at Greenleaf Community Center on Parker Street in Sixteen Acres. The shelter had 24 people on Thursday night.

The other emergency shelter at Cathedral High School had 78 families. They can remain until Sunday, at which time a new shelter location will be needed because school is scheduled to resume on Monday.

City Housing Director Geraldine McCafferty said the long-term goal is to find permanent housing options. She asked landlords with vacancies to contact her office so they could begin matching people with vacant rooms.

Students from Cathedral High School and St. Michael’s Academy Middle School will finish the year at new locations due to serious tornado damage that occurred on Wednesday.

As communities continued their cleanup efforts, various elected officials have pledged to get state and federal aid for the region.

U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, who donned a pair of sneakers Friday to tour damaged areas in Springfield, said he has been in contact with the White House and with state and federal agencies. Neal spoke with Gov. Deval L. Patrick soon after the tornadoes hit, and has traveled with the officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

Meanwhile, state legislators including House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo pledged Friday to assist Springfield and area communities in recovering from Wednesday’s tornadoes that wreaked havoc and devastation across the region.

DeLeo and a dozen area legislators gathered at Court Square in downtown Springfield to pledge their support

“We are going to be there for the city,” DeLeo said. “My role here today is to send a message to the people of Springfield that the state is a partner.”

State Senate President Therese Murray was in West Springfield on Friday, and she called on the federal government to declare an emergency to help direct federal money to the area.

“The president needs to act immediately,” the Plymouth Democrat said during a press conference Friday morning from a command post in West Springfield’s Merrick neighborhood, which has sustained massive damage.

Murray said the state senate will do “whatever it takes” to assist when it convenes in formal session next week.

More than 20 Red Cross volunteers from around New England and elsewhere have come to the city to help deal with the effects of the tornado, said Richard A. Lee, executive director of the Pioneer Valley chapter of the American Red Cross.

“It’s thrilling. I have to tell you, it’s like the cavalry arriving,” Lee said.

Also, he said, eight local Red Cross members who had traveled to help tornado victims in Joplin, Mo., and Tennessee have returned to help in Western Massachusetts.

In Springfield, classes will resume on Monday. School officials said the two missed school days on Thursday and Friday after the tornado will not have to be made up, unlike snow days in the winter.

Two schools that were damaged, Dryden and Brookings, will remain closed and students will be sent to open spaces in other schools, officials said. The city hopes to make repairs on the two buildings in time for the new school year in September.

“We got 12 days left of school; this is what we are dealing with,” said School Department Chief Operations Officer Henry Figuerido.

Cathedral High School students will resume classes on Tuesday at Elms College in Chicopee, said Mark Dupont, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield.

St. Michael’s Academy Middle School, which is located within the Cathedral complex, will relocate on Tuesday to space being provided at Western New England College, and finish the school year there, Dupont said.

Additional details were not immediately available.

There was serious damage at Cathedral, including to the school's science wing, a gymnasium wall, and windows.

In a letter issued today to be read at all weekend Masses, Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell urged prayers and sought help in response to this past Wednesday’s devastating tornadoes and storms.

“First of all, I ask for prayers – prayers for those who died in the storm, for those injured, for those who lost homes or businesses, for those whose lives were upended by the tornadoes,” McDonnel wrote. “I ask prayers of thanksgiving as well for those who rushed to help: police, firefighters, emergency workers, medical personnel, National Guard, and all those volunteers who gave of themselves so unstintingly and continue to do so in the storm’s aftermath. God bless them.”

There will be a special collection to raise donations for local relief efforts and a collection of household and personal items to assist people whose belongings were destroyed.

Beginning next Tuesday and continuing until July 7, the diocesan Catholic Charities Agency will accept items at St. Francis Chapel, 254 Bridge St., each Tuesday and Thursday from 3-6 p.m. Those wishing to donate and those seeking to receive items are asked to call (413) 452-0605 beforehand.

The Monson High School graduation, postponed because of the tornado, has been rescheduled to Wednesday at 6 p.m. The ceremony will be held outdoors at Granite Valley Middle School. The date was announced during a community meeting Friday at Quarry Hill School.

In Westfield, officials announced that Munger Hill Elementary School, closed Thursday and Friday because of roof damage from the tornado, will reopen Monday for its 376 students.

The New England Synod, which is having an assembly this weekend at the MassMutual Center, will run a food drive for the victims of the tornado. The New England Synod is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

The assembly is at the center through Sunday. Officials of the group are asking people to drop off non-perishable goods at the entrance at the corner of Main Street and Falcons Way.

Reporters Peter Goonan, George Graham, Mike Plaisance, Sandy Constantine and Ted LaBorde contributed to this report.

View Western Massachusetts tornadoes: Resources, damage and road closures in a larger map

Residents were told that there was a storm-related death, and that there were 2 instances of storm-related looting.

06/02/11-Monson - Republican photo by Don Treeger- Tornado aftermath in Monson: The steeple of the First Church of Monson lies in ruins on the lawn of the church.

MONSON - On the night that Monson High School's class of 2011 was supposed to graduate, residents and students instead packed into Quarry Hill Community School to hear about recovery efforts after tornadoes tore through the heart of downtown and decimated neighborhoods.

School Superintendent Patrice L. Dardenne had all the seniors who were supposed to graduate Friday night stand up for the crowd. They were met with a round of applause.

The graduation ceremony will be held on Wednesday starting at 6 p.m. at the Granite Valley Middle School soccer field on Thompson Street.

Dardenne said the ceremony will incorporate class day, also canceled due to the storm.

Graduation will be held on the one-week anniversary of the devastating tornadoes.
It is being held outside "so the entire community can celebrate," Dardenne said. "I expect that the weather will be brilliant sunshine and that there will be no rain."

"We will celebrate the kids ... We will celebrate that we are all together," Dardenne said.

Residents also were told that there was a storm-related death, and that there were two instances of storm-related looting.

Monson Fire Chief George L. Robichaud said there was one fatality due to "a medical issue that was probably brought on by the disaster." He said the person was taken to Wing Memorial Hospital in Palmer, then airlifted to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. Within 24 hours, the person passed away, he said. No other details were available.

The Rev. Robert Marrone of the First Church of Monson on High Street said community meals will be held at 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday for residents, courtesy of "Chicopee" and "Belchertown."

He said the church, which lost its steeple, has plenty of supplies, from diapers, sunscreen, bug spray and toothbrushes to food, blankets and pet food. Those who want to volunteer can go to the church, he said. Marrone also encouraged people to come to the church to eat.

"We are almost overflowing with food right now," Marrone said. "We are open 24 hours a day for anything you might need."

Robichaud reassured the residents, saying, "We are going to get through this." Progress is being made, he said.

Police Chief Stephen Kozloski Jr. said that traffic is a problem, and said those who do not have business in town, need to stay out so the emergency crews can do their jobs. There is a parking ban along Main Street.

Electronic signboards are being used around town to inform residents as some still do not have Internet or telephone service. Additional police and National Guardsmen have been called in to help patrol and prevent looting, he said.

Robichaud said officials feel confident that everyone has been accounted for, noting four "sweeps" of the affected areas have been completed. Ely Road, downtown Main Street, the neighborhood behind the Town Office Building including Bethany Road and Stewart Avenue, as well as East Hill Road and Pinnacle Road were the hardest hit as the tornado cut a brutal swath.

Robichaud said 45 homes have significant damage, with some missing entirely. Home after home was demolished on Stewart Avenue and Bethany Road.

Of the 40 people treated by medical personnel, 10 were brought to the hospital, he said.

Robichaud said the drinking water is fine and was not affected.

As of 5 p.m., 96 percent of the town had power, leaving 200 to 300 customers without it. A National Grid official said more homes will have electricity Saturday.

Meanwhile, a Red Cross shelter has been set up at at Quarry Hill Community School, which also has supplies; representatives will be there to help displaced residents with long-term housing.

Said Highway Surveyor John R. Morrell, "Thank God we're all safe. We're all here."

Morrell said all roads are now open.

Brimfield sustained some of the worst damage from Wednesday's tornadoes; officials estimated that 100 homes are no longer habitable.

06.02.2011 | The Republican | Don Treeger – Tornado aftermath in Brimfield: Here, people try to salvage what is left from a horse barn and apartment on Hollow Road.

BRIMFIELD – The First Congregational Church on the town common here will hold community meals until all residents have power, organizer Gina Lynch said Friday night.

Families crowded inside the church for Friday night's community meal, which began at 6 p.m. Brimfield sustained some of the worst damage from Wednesday's tornadoes; officials estimated that 100 homes are no longer habitable, and there was one death at the Village Green Camp Ground on Route 20.

The church is accepting donations, serving as a clearinghouse for volunteers, and offering food and supplies to people who need them. A "steady stream" of people had been coming in since 8 that morning, reported Lynch.

Lynch said volunteers have been pouring in, some from as far away as Alabama to help. She said some residents have been fearful to leave their homes over concerns about looting. Food was driven to some people who could not go to the church.

"There are a lot of neighbors helping neighbors," Lynch said.

Michele Shea was eating dinner there with her five sons and husband. Their house at 56 Haynes Hill Road had most of its roof torn off. They all were home when the tornado struck.

"The noise, it was awful," Shea said.

Haynes Hill Road, along with Wales, Hollow, Holland and Paige Hill roads were heavily damaged. Shea said her neighbors saw their house spinning above them as they sought refuge in the cellar. Another neighbor's furniture was sucked out of the broken windows.

Francisco Gonzales, his wife and 3-year-old daughter were in a corner of their basement when their home at 101 Wales Road (Route 19) was lifted off the foundation and demolished, leaving an open space above them. They were not hurt.

The Boston Herald reported the tornado victim as Virginia Darlow, 52, and said her boyfriend, Richard Reim, 51, was left with a broken back, broken neck and ribs. The tornado leveled the campground; they were in a trailer there.

"The campground was just demolished," Fire Chief Stephen Denning said.

Denning said there were 10 campers left after a busy Memorial Day weekend.

The destruction in Brimfield is hard to believe, residents said. Along Route 19, tops of trees are sawed off, showing the path of the tornadoes.

William A. Bressette was home with his son David, 15, as the tornado approached. Once the sky darkened, they went inside, and just barely made it to the cellar stairs before the windows next to it blew out.

"It came behind the house and went straight across the street," Bressette, of 94 Holland Road, said.

Bressette said his house will have to be razed. It lost part of its roof and exterior. He estimated that it took a minute and a half to pass by; the sound was deafening, "like three freight trains."

There are some bright spots amid the destruction. Bressette said a father and son drove all the way out from Natick just to help people. They spent a half-day cutting fallen trees in his yard, Bressette said.

The Republican | Lori StabileFrom left to right, One Stop Towing and Classic Heaven owner David A. Bell gets a hug from friend Scott Cable of Holland. Bell's business on Holland Road in Brimfield was destroyed. All 70 vehicles wee ruined by the tornado- classic cars, tow trucks, used cars, he said. The video his employee took of the tornado's aftermath went viral.

Bressette lives next to One Stop Towing and Classic Heaven Used Cars and Parts, which was destroyed by the tornado. Mechanic Christopher Mendrek's YouTube video of the aftermath went viral.

Owner David A. Bell was at a Red Sox game in Boston when his employees called him about the tornado. Bell said he told them to be sure to move a customer's yellow Mustang.

"It's now flat," Bell said.

Bell said all 70 vehicles on the Holland Road lot are ruined - 40 cars for sale, 20 that were being worked on, and 10 tow trucks. Some were thrown against the trees across the street.

He said he got a text from his employees after the tornado that said, "all gone." He didn't believe them at first.

Bell, who is in a band, said he also lost all his band equipment that he keeps in a building on the property - drums, a Leslie organ.

Mendrek and One Stop Manager Scott Murray said they hid under a stairwell as the tornado passed over them. Bell said he has a lot of good friends helping out, helping sort through the piles of twisted metal and debris.

Denning said the town is now in "recovery mode."

At least 82 percent of the graduating class will attend college in September.

SOUTHWICK – “Do something nice for someone every single day, even it is simply to leave them alone,” Valedictorian Ellen Contois told the graduating class at Southwick-Tolland Regional High School Friday night.

“These actions aren’t great feats or difficult tasks, but they have the ability to make someone’s day,” she said to her 125 fellow classmates. “We have learned responsibility, leadership and how to be ourselves,” Contois said of the last four years.

Salutatorian Caytlin Van Etten referred to graduation as “bitter-sweet. Today our treasured time at Southwick-Tolland Regional High School comes to a close. My time here has served me well,” she said.

The 126 seniors made the traditional graduation march from the high school, down the long hill to the athletic field to receive their diplomas. Along the way, each let loose green and white balloons that filled the sun-drenched sky above parents, friends and relatives on hand to witness graduation ceremonies.

Just prior to the event, principal Pamela Hunter called the senior class “extraordinary. They are community minded kids.”

Hunter, named principal four years ago, also noted that the Class of 2011 is the first class to complete four years at Southwick-Tolland Regional High School with her administration.

At least 82 percent of graduating seniors will attend either two-year or four-year colleges or universities beginning in September.

Class president Hannah Griffin told fellow graduates to “embrace and love” each moment of the future.

Dean Tech had 76 graduates in the Class of 2011, 54 percent of which will attend college.

HOLYOKE – Valedictorian Winnarath Son said the Dean Technical High School class of 2011 should use the pride at completing four years to turn what’s in their hearts into reality.

“I’m going to tell them a message that today, it all paid off. Pursue your dreams, you know? Set goals and eventually, it will all pay off,” Son said.

Dean on Friday graduated 76 seniors, 54 percent of whom will be attending college, officials said.

Son said he will attend Springfield Technical Community College to study electrical engineering.

The Dean salutatorian is Deyanira Trujillo.

Dean Principal Linda Rex said the Class of 2011 deserves credit for being the first to deal with massive, state-ordered changes. The state determined Dean was among 35 Level 4 schools statewide. That means chronic underperformance in academics required changes in leadership, state oversight and the anxiety among teachers and other staff arising from such impending change.

submitted photoWinnarath Son

Staff and students worked hard to teach and learn despite the uneasiness, she said.

“They had to step up to the plate, and for the most part, they did that,” Rex said.

Also, Rex said she was proud of the graduating seniors for settting the tone for other students by following the new uniform policy. Students were supposed to wear black or navy blue pants and a black, gray or white polo shirt without markings.

“They led the charge on that,” Rex said.

Mahar students can attend The Pathways Innovation High School, an "Early College High School," in association with Mount Wachusett Community College.

ORANGE - Massachusetts Secretary of Education S. Paul Reville has high praise for the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School. “It’s an outstanding high school with great leadership,” he said before giving a keynote address at the school’s graduation Friday.

He lauded the school district for embracing the opportunity to create an innovative school in which there is “unusual collaboration” between the school system and public higher education.

Reville was invited to be the keynote speaker at this year’s ceremony after working with administrators at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner and the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School in the creation of The Pathways Innovation High School, an “Early College High School.”

Students who attend may receive an associate’s degree and high school diploma in the same time that it takes to earn the high school diploma.

Reville spoke about the leadership, collaboration and entrepreneurship of the program, saying he hoped the graduates will develop those skills so they can better face a challenging economy.

The 117 graduates received their degrees in a ceremony on the football field.

The secretary of education promoted higher education and said he hoped the graduates would stay in Massachusetts.

“If they do well personally, they will be a huge asset to this commonwealth,” he said.

At the graduation, the senior National Honor Society members were announced along with the top 10 seniors.

Interim Principal Scott A. Hemlin was hired as dean of students four years ago, so this is the first Mahar class he has seen through four years of high school.

“I have that connection with them,” he said. “I’ve seen them grow. They’re great citizens.”

He noted that at the recent prom, he heard many compliments about the students’ polite and respectful behavior. “Those are the values we’re trying to instill in them.”

Hemlin said members of the Class of 2011 “are genuinely nice kids” who have character and personality. “The class as a whole, they’ll succeed.”

89 percent of the graduates will be attending college in the fall.

MONTAGUE – Valedictorian Erin K. Casey and salutatorian Taylor E. Varilly were among the 59 Turners Falls High School members of the Class of 2011 who received their diplomas Friday.

Eighty-nine percent of the graduates will be attending college in the fall.

Awards and scholarships were presented at a separate event Thursday.

In an interview before the graduation, Principal Donna M. Fitzpatrick said “one of the things that defines” the graduating class is the many “bright students in the class.”

She said they are hard working and have “made Turners Falls High School a better place by their participation in different activities” like athletics, the arts and the annual Unity Day celebration.

Fitzpatrick also commented on the “amount and level” of community service members of the class performed. “They have done outstanding community service in a variety of venues,” she said, noting work with children being treated for cancer and for the Family Inn homeless shelter in Greenfield.

She also lauded the Montague Local Aquatics Program for Personal Safety (LAPPS) program to teach area children how to swim and about water safety. It was founded by a Turners Falls High School student five years ago and has involved scores of students since.

Fitzpatrick said she hopes the members of the Turners Falls High School Class of 2011 will be as successful “out in the large world” as they have been in high school. “We are a small school, and somewhat sheltered. When you get out into the world it can be overwhelming.”

Events, intended to help increase the visibility of the gay and bisexual community, will include a film screening, a flag raising ceremony and panel discussion.

The Republican | Dave RobackBanners marking gay pride in the city of Springfield line downtown Main Street on Tuesday.

SPRINGFIELD – A grassroots group led by City Councilor Amaad I. Rivera has announced plans for a Springfield Pride Week, June 8-16, aimed at increasing the visibility and voice of the gay and bisexual community and its allies.

The event will include a film screening, Springfield Pride flag raising ceremony at City Hall, a Town Hall panel discussion, a youth pride celebration, and a Pride Week party for adults.

Approximately a dozen rainbow-colored flags were hung from light poles along a section of Main Street in downtown Springfield on Tuesday in advance of Pride Week. The flags were provided by Rivera and the grassroots group known as the Springfield Pride Committee, and were hung by laborers from the private Springfield Business Improvement District.

Rivera is the Ward 6 councilor, and has stated that he is the first openly gay member of the council in Springfield.

“This week is about our community creating different avenues to raise our visibility, and to push for our community and allies to have a voice on local issues that affect us,” Rivera said.

The issues include: bullying in schools of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community; sensitivity training for police; HIV/AIDS; and how to energize the community to have a voice in discussions and solutions, Rivera said.

The gay community in Springfield has been “somewhat invisible,” he said.

It is the first such Pride Week conducted in Springfield and coincides with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month in the United States, Rivera said. The event will expand in 2012, he said.

More than a decade ago, Springfield had an annual, three-day PrideFest Celebration. In Northampton, an annual Pride March has been celebrated for 30 years, held May 7 this year and featuring more than 102 contingents.

The events during the Springfield Pride Week will include:

• June 8, from 6 to 8 p.m., screening of the film “Out of the Silence” at Springfield Technical Community College, Scibelli Hall Theater at Armory Square;

• June 9, at noon, flag raising ceremony at Springfield City Hall;

• June 9, from 6 to 8 p.m., Town Hall and panel discussion, Springfield Technical Community College, Scibelli Hall Theater;

&bull: June 16, from 7 to 9 p.m., youth pride celebration, at Out Now, 32 Hampden St.;

• June 16, at 10 p.m., Pride Week celebration party, Oz Nightclub, 397 Dwight St.

The rainbow flags along Main Street are expected to stay until June 10, when they will be replaced by Jazz Festival banners.

The Springfield Business Improvement District has an ongoing agreement with Western Massachusetts Electric Co., on occasion to place flags, banners and flower baskets, said Donald A. Courtemanche, executive director. The district provides the labor at no charge to groups that meet the guidelines, such as to promote downtown events, he said.

The mayor hopes businesses unaffected by Wednesday's tornado will step up to the plate to help businesses that were affected by the storm.

Republican file photoA tornado bears down on Springfield on Wednesday, June 1.

SPRINGFIELD -- As Springfield awaits the possibility of state and federal aid in the aftermath of a devastating tornado that carved a line of destruction through the southern third of the city, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno is seeking emergency help for businesses ravaged by the twister and is asking unaffected businesses to lend a helping hand.

Sarno issued the plea Friday night, urging city businesses affected by Wednesday's tornado to contact the Springfield Office of Planning & Economic Development as soon as possible. The mayor also urged Springfield businesses willing to donate support services or temporary space to businesses affected by the tornado to contact Springfield City Hall.

"It is important that during this period, while we work with our federal and state partners, we understand the immediate needs of our businesses so that as resources become available we are prepared to mobilize them to the areas hardest hit," the mayor said.

Those wishing to help may log onto the city's website, www.springfieldcityhall.com, or call (413) 787-6664. The Planning & Economic Development Department will link businesses in need with available services.

Staff Photo by John SuchockiThis aerial shot of Main Street in downtown Springfield taken on Thursday shows the damage caused by the tornado that hit the city late Wednesday afternoon.

"The Springfield business-to-business community has always been strong, and now is the time for our mutual assistance and support to help rebuild those that have lost in this tragic event," Sarno said, thanking those businesses that already have offered support.

The mayor said businesses impacted by the powerful tornado -- the second strongest in Massachusetts' history -- may need temporary space or architectural, engineering, landscaping or legal services.

"If you have services that can help out your fellow Springfield businesses in this tremendous time of need, please consider doing so," he said.

On the web:

Springfield City Hall: www.springfieldcityhall.com
Springfield Office of Planning & Economic Development: www.springfieldplanning.org

Emergency Business Assistance: www.springfieldcityhall.com/planning/171.0.html

Police tracked a car carrying the Springfield men from an altercation outside a Belle Street apartment to the entrance of I-291 westbound, where they were charged with gun crimes and cited for marijuana possession.

Republican file photoSpringfield police are investigating why three men allegedly had a loaded gun and a large amount of cash when officers stopped their vehicle early Saturday on the approach to I-291 westbound.

SPRINGFIELD -- City police arrested three men on weapons offenses shortly before 3 a.m. Saturday, after acting on a report of a man brandishing a gun outside a Liberty Heights residence.

The men were spotted around 2:52 a.m. at the drive-through window of the McDonald's restaurant at 660 Liberty St., according to police reports. Officers then followed the car to the Liberty Street entrance of Interstate 291 westbound, where police stopped the vehicle on suspicion that its occupants were involved in a prior gun incident on Belle Street.

That's where one of the men reportedly was seen around 2:39 a.m. "waving a gun around" as he attempted to order someone from a Belle Street apartment, Springfield Police Capt. Cheryl C. Clapprood said. Police received a description that the men left that area in a dark-colored four-door sedan via Franklin Street.

Clapprood said the officers found a loaded .45-caliber handgun, some marijuana and "thousands of dollars in cash" inside the car. Police are still investigating why the men had $8,500 in cash that was "wrapped in rubber bands," Clapprood said.

The Springfield men -- Wilson Kuilan Jr. of 75 Avon Place and Nelson Hernandez of 43 Claremont St., both 19, and Ariel Acevedo, 34, of 45 Clyde St. -- will be charged with unlicensed possession of ammunition and a firearm when they are arraigned Monday in Springfield District Court. The men also were cited for marijuana possession, Clapprood said.

"It was a good arrest," the captain said, adding that all three were charged because each pleaded ignorance about the gun, drugs and money allegedly found inside the vehicle.

The case remains under investigation.

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of where Springfield police spotted a car at the Liberty Street McDonald's restaurant before the vehicle attempted to enter I-291 westbound early Saturday morning. Police said the car was carrying three men, a loaded gun and more than $8,000 cash:

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Firefighters responded to a blaze at 56 Chesterfield Avenue, which is in a section of Springfield hit hard by Wednesday's tornado.

Republican file photoSpringfield firefighters were at the scene of an East Forest Park house fire early Saturday morning. There were no reported injuries because the homeowners were reportedly staying at a hotel at the time of the fire. The house is located in a neighborhood that was hit hard by Wednesday's hurricane.

SPRINGFIELD -- File this under the "insult to injury" category: The home of a family who evacuated from tornado-ravaged East Forest Park caught fire around 7 a.m. Saturday.

No residents were injured because they weren't home, according to personnel who responded to the 7:03 a.m. report at 56 Chesterfield Avenue. Luckily, the family was already staying at a hotel at the time of the fire, said Dennis G. Leger, a spokesman for the Springfield Fire Department.

Neighbors managed to remove a dog from the house, according to reports from the scene, but there was no immediate word on the dog's condition.

Smoke was seen coming from the roof of the home, which became a "confirmed working fire" at 7:10 a.m., firefighters reported.

"We're venting the roof," one firefighter was heard saying over his radio.

Crews from Western Massachusetts Electric Co. requested police to shut down nearby Pennsylvania Avenue at 8 a.m. Saturday. Pennsylvania is located one block west of Chesterfield, and the area lies in the path of where a tornado caused widespread destruction on Wednesday.

Other neighborhood roads may also be closed to accommodate fire personnel shuttling to and from the scene. Trees and poles are down in many sections of East Forest Park, and some neighborhood residents are still without power.

One firefighter reported that the occupants of the Chesterfield Avenue home had "vacated because of the storm."

More information will be posted as it becomes available.

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of a fire reported Saturday morning at 56 Chesterfield Avenue in East Forest Park:

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Andrew Leduc, 22, of 25 Shady Knoll Drive, Longmeadow, was charged with assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon after allegedly hitting a man with a hatchet outside a Southwick bar on Friday.

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SOUTHWICK - A 22-year-old Longmeadow man turned himself into police Friday night after being wanted for allegedly hitting a man with a hatchet outside a Southwick bar.

Andrew Leduc, 22, of 25 Shady Knoll Drive, Longmeadow, was charged with assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, according to Southwick police Sgt. Robert Landis.

Sometime shortly before 9:30 p.m. Friday when police were called, Leduc was in the parking lot of Crabby Joe's Bar & Grill on Congamond Road when there was an altercation with another person, Landis said.

At some point, Leduc allegedly hit the other man with a hatchet, causing an injury that wasn't serious enough to keep him in Noble Hospital for long.

Leduc then left the scene and following a police report, a BOLO (be on the lookout) bulletin was issued to surrounding police agencies. Leduc later turned himself in to his hometown police and was turned over to the authorities in Southwick.

Landis said the hatchet and a baseball bat which were reportedly present at the Southwick scene were recovered at Leduc's house in Longmeadow.

"The two parties seem to have a mutual connection with a female," Landis said. "This is still under investigation and we have yet to determine who the primary aggressor was. Once we do, other charges may be filed."

Leduc was released Saturday morning after posting $200 bail. He will appear in court later.

Police will know what they must document in order to make a legal search after a traffic stop.

Mark G. Mastroianni

SPRINGFIELD – A state Appeals Court ruling will help law enforcement safely make traffic stops, according to Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni.

“Law enforcement needs to know and the public needs to know that officer safety, when they are stopping cars, is really of paramount importance,” Mastroianni said.

In the ruling the court said police in Boston had the right to order two men out of their truck after they smelled unburned marijuana. The court said police correctly documented other factors which, combined with the odor, made it okay for them to get the men out and search them and the truck.

The ability to legally search suspected drug dealers and their vehicles is key to protect officers from armed assailants, Mastroianni said.

This Appeals Court decision, Commonwealth versus Kevin Bradshaw, followed a much-talked-about state Supreme Judicial Court decision in another marijuana-related case.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled in late April the odor of marijuana wafting from a car was no longer sufficient reason for police to order people from their vehicles, citing the commonwealth’s partial decriminalization of pot as the linchpin of its argument. That case was Commonwealth versus Cruz.

The Appeals Court, in the Bradshaw case, wrote the difference between that case and Cruz case was that in Cruz there were no other factors besides the smell of marijuana.

Mastroianni said though the Cruz decision caused alarm to some, he had been careful to say police could still search people and their vehicles if there were other indicators there may be drugs.

What both decisions do is spell out what officers must document to have their searches upheld, Mastroianni said.

In May, city police charged 32-year-old city resident Dion Charles with cocaine trafficking and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute after a traffic stop.

A police sergeant asked Charles to step out of the car after he smelled an odor of marijuana and saw scales and packaging materials in plain view, police said.

A police spokesman said the visible drug paraphernalia, combined with the smell of marijuana, gave sufficient grounds for the search.

Mastroianni said prosecutors and law enforcement will use the Cruz and Bradshaw decisions which “just tell us the way we have to go about it and what we have to put on the record” when justifying a search where there is the smell of marijuana.