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Date set for appeal before Supreme Judicial Court on AG's decision blocking casino referendum

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Activists seeking to repeal the casino gaming law will appear in the state’s highest court May 5 to argue against Attorney General Martha Coakley’s ruling that a proposed referendum cannot be placed on the ballot.

BOSTON — Activists seeking to repeal the casino gaming law will appear in the state’s highest court May 5 to argue against Attorney General Martha Coakley’s ruling that a proposed referendum cannot be placed on the ballot.

The AG’s office has until Wednesday to file its brief in the case. Secretary of State William Galvin needs to know by July 9 whether the referendum can appear on the ballot, according to repeal proponents.

Last September, State Solicitor Peter Sacks, who works in Coakley’s office, ruled casino developers applying for licenses “have a reasonable expectation, and indeed an implied contractual right, that the application process itself will play out,” and the referendum would not compensate developers for their losses, making it ineligible for the ballot under the constitution.

MGM Resorts International is proposing a casino in the tornado-damaged South End section of Springfield. Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Revere Mayor Dan Rizzo, and George Ducharme – who has some interest in the horse racing at slots parlor license winner Plainridge Racecourse, according to his lawyer Carl Valvo – argued in a brief to the Supreme Judicial Court that a statewide ballot question could upend votes backing local casino projects.

“The factual impact of the Petition is to allow the other 347 municipalities across the state to invalidate the local government action of, at most, four communities,” read their brief.

“For more than a century, this Court and the U.S. Supreme Court have held that state legislatures lack the authority to contract away the State’s right to exercise its police and regulatory powers,” wrote those seeking repeal, noting that repeal legislation, including a Sen. William Brownsberger bill (S 167), has been pending before the Legislature.


South Korean ship is sinking: Rescue underway for 476 on board (photos)

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A total of 18 helicopters and 34 rescue boats have been sent to the area and 110 people have been rescued so far, ministry officials said.

SEOUL, South Korea -- Dozens of rescue boats and helicopters are scrambling to save more than 470 people, including many high school students, caught on a ferry sinking off South Korea's southern coast, officials said. There are no immediate reports of causalities.

The ferry with 476 people including 325 high school students was sailing to the southern island of Jeju when it sent a distress call Wednesday morning as it began leaning to one side, according to Ministry of Security and Public Administration.

Park Hye-rang, a local coast guard officer, said by phone that 147 passengers had been rescued so far, but gave no further details.

Local media photographs showed the ship heavily tilted onto its side, partially submerged, as helicopters flew overhead and rescue vessels and a small boat covered with an orange tarp floated nearby.

The students are from a high school in Ansan city near Seoul and they were on their way to the Jeju island for a four-day trip, according to a relief team set up by Gyeonggi Province, which governs the city. The ship left Incheon port, just west of Seoul, on Tuesday evening, according to the state-run Busan Regional Maritime Affairs & Port Administration.

A total of 18 helicopters and 34 rescue boats have been sent to the area, Vice Minister Lee Gyeong-og told a televised news conference. He said President Park Geun-hye has ordered a through rescue operation to prevent any human casualties.


One day after truck drove through their East Forest Park home, Welch family tries to grasp damage, loss of pet

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After punching a hole through the front of the Springfield house, the truck kept going and punched another hole out the back before coming to a stop out on in the East Forest Park neighborhood back yard.


SPRINGFIELD - Standing in the wreckage at his home on Gillette Avenue in East Forest Park, Brian Welch said he doesn’t think his family has fully absorbed what happened a day earlier, and that is just as well.

“It’s surreal,” he said. “It being surreal is comforting as far as denial goes.”

One day earlier, just after noon on Monday, an out-of-control pickup truck driven by an 85-year-old man went off the road and smashed through the Welch home at 350 Gillette Ave.

After punching a hole through the front of the house, the truck kept going and punched another hole out the back before coming to a stop out on in the back yard.

The accident caused an unknown amount of damage to the home, displaced the Welch family for what could be four months or more, and killed the family dog.

From the outside, the house does not look too out of place, other than the two large plywood patches. Other than one metal lawn ornament that is bent, there are no tire tracks or other evidence that a speeding truck shot across the lawn.

Gerald Moreau, Brian Welch’s father in law, believes the truck, a Ford Ranger, hit the rise on the front lawn and was propelled like a rocket through the house.

“He was definitely airborne right here,” he said, pointing to a scrape on the 8-foot ceiling in the living room right in front of the hanging guts of a light fixture. “No pickup truck is that high.”

Internally, the left and right halves of the house are undamaged, but there is a channel through the middle – roughly the width of a pickup truck - where everything was pulverized and dragged out into the backyard.

Welch and his family have spent much of the last two days picking it all up and bringing it, or, to be more precise, bringing what is left of it inside.

In the living room is a pile of broken and shattered furniture, including a crushed leather chair, end tables that are now kindling, other bits of furniture smashed to bits.

Brian Welch said it was fortunate the accident happened on a Monday during the school year at a time when no one was home.

He is a teacher at Wilbraham Middle School. His wife, Kate Welch, is a nursing manager at Mercy Medical Center, and their daughter, Lauren, 12, attends school at St. Michael’s Academy.

No one was home, except Henry.

Henry was the family dog, a Springer spaniel that was adopted in November from the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center in Springfield.

henry welch family dog killed springfield accidentView full sizeHenry, the Springer Spaniel, that belonged to the Welch family in Springfield. The dog was killed Monday when a truck drove through their house on Gillette Avenue. 

Brian Welch said Henry would commonly climb into one of the leather chairs in the living room area to sleep in the sun from the front window. That is where he likely was when the truck came hurtling through the window.

Henry never had a chance.

“Henry would sit right there,” Brian Welch said, pointing to a spot by the boarded-up window. “Obviously that was a major point of impact.”

Kate Welch points to a twisted mass of metal, wires and glass. It used to be a cast iron lamp with a glass shade, a present from when they got married.

“This is what freaks us out about Henry,” she said. “This is the first thing (the truck) hit because it was in the front window.”

Brian Welch said he heard about the accident while at school. When he was finally able to break away and come home, he was just stunned for a few moments trying to process the damage.

“And then I inquired about the dog,” he said.

“The first responders had already wrapped him in a blanket and put him in a laundry basket. They were kind enough to put him in the bed of my truck.”

He said the family arraigned to have him buried Monday evening.

Although he was just part of the family for five months, Henry had already worked his way into their hearts, he said.

“He was a 50-pound love bug,” he said. “He was my boy.”

He said that morning work, Henry climbed into bed to cuddle. “He was lying on my chest with his snout under my neck, and I was like ‘no, no. It’s time to get up.’

Every morning as the family prepared to go about their day, Henry would lie on his bed in the front room. “He would poke his head around the corner and be looking at me, and
I’d say ‘Now be a good boy today,’” Brian Welch said.

That was the last time he saw him alive.

The driver of the truck, Gordon Leith of Springfield, told police the accelerator somehow got stuck and he was unable to stop, according to Springfield police.

Investigators also found skid marks in the road in front of the house, which would show he tried to stop.

Leith complained of a hurt back injury in the crash but suffered no major visible injuries. He was taken by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center.

The accident remains under investigation, but no citations have been issued.

Brian Welch said he knows the accident was an accident, but daughter Lauren is still quite shook up.

Just hearing talk of the damage to the house and of Henry Tuesday afternoon was enough to cause her to cry.

“I know my daughter is upset, I know she has some anger," he said. “I said to her ‘you have to remember, (the driver) didn’t wake up this morning and say I want to run through these people’s house and kill their dog.’ I’m trying to help her understand it wasn’t a malicious thing.”

Their home of 17 years is for now uninhabitable until repairs are made.

The family is for the time being staying at the home of Kate Welch’s sister. They are looking to see if they can rent a house down the street that is for sale.

“It could be anywhere from two to four-plus months that we might not be here,” he said.

Three years ago, the house was seriously damaged in the June, 2011 tornado. But most of that damage was external. The chimney, the roof and siding were all damaged and needed to be replaced, but the family was still able to live in the house.

“We were able to stay in the house, we had minimal internal damage.”

He said their insurance company sent out a claims adjuster Tuesday morning, but once he got a scope of the damage, he referred them to a specialist who works with major claims.

They are also supposed to meet Thursday with a contractor to get an idea of the cost of repair and the timetable for completion.

It’s the same contractor who handled a renovation 10 years ago and the tornado damage three years ago.

“We alone are keeping him in business,” Brian Welch said.

For now, they are going through their possessions and cataloging the amount of damages.

One thing they’ve learned is the accident happened five minutes earlier than the time the police report says it happened.

The police said it occurred at 12:14 p.m., but Brian and Kate Welch found two clocks, one on a living room table and one in the kitchen wall, that had their batteries knocked loose in the crash.

Each one stopped at 12:06 p.m.

“It’s that weird,” Kate Welch said.

“We discovered that today as we were sifting through the debris. I was like ‘Holy crap!” Brian Welch said.

Throughout out the house they’ve found evidence of the ferocity of the collision.

They’ve found panels from the front exterior of the house that had tire tracks on them on them. They found metal arms of the ceiling fan all twisted out in the back yard. Also the flat-screen television in the living room has bits of glass embedded in the screen.

And then there is one of the speakers from the TV’s surround sound system. Brian Welch holds it up to show the large shard of glass sticking out of the plastic.

“I think our surround sound is shot,” he said.


View Accident at 350 Gillette Ave., Springfield. in a larger map

Boston Marathon: Man in custody after 2 unattended backpacks found near finish line

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The bomb squad is checking the backpacks found Tuesday.

BOSTON -- Police say they've taken a man into custody in connection with two unattended backpacks found at the Boston Marathon finish line.

Police spokesman Dave Estrada says the backpacks were discovered Tuesday evening, a year after two bombs in backpacks exploded at the end of the marathon and killed three people.

The bomb squad is checking the backpacks found Tuesday. Police have cleared the area. Trains are bypassing the nearby Copley Square station. The police department has tweeted asking people to avoid the area.

Survivors, first responders and relatives of those killed in last year's Boston Marathon bombing marked the anniversary Tuesday with tributes. Former Mayor Thomas Menino spoke at the nearby Hynes Convention Center.


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Brimfield Board of Health to hold exploratory meeting about starting an Agricultural Commission

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The meeting will be held on May 1 at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall great meeting room.

Brimfield town seal.jpg 

BRIMFIELD - A public meeting will be held on May 1 to inform residents about a proposal to create an Agricultural Commission.

The meeting's purpose is to introduce residents, particularly farmers and foresters, to the idea of a non-regulatory commission, and the benefits it would bring to Brimfield, according to Debra Post, assistant to the Board of Health.

She said the idea for an Agricultural Commission came out of health board discussions. If residents are receptive, the proposal would be placed on the May 19 annual Town Meeting warrant so that residents can have the final say.

Often, she said the health board gets questions from residents regarding the number of chickens and horses allowed on private property. The commission would take over answering these kinds of questions, she said.

Said Board of Health Chairman Richard E. Costa, "We started looking at an Agricultural Commission as the answer to questions we get from time to time on farm" issues.

"Over the years we've had lots of inquiries about situations in town with farms and farm animals", Costa said.

Just over 100 letters about the upcoming meeting were sent to residents whose land falls under state Chapter 61 forestry or 61A agricultural or horticultural use designations. Properties in 61 or 61A receive tax breaks in exchange for a commitment to using the land for forestry or farming.

Health board member Tammi W. Wood said they noticed that other communities around Brimfield, a rural town of approximately 3,600, had agricultural commissions, and right to farm bylaws.

"We looked at our expertise on the board and recognized we had a deficiency in agricultural," Wood said.

Having an Agricultural Commission would "be a great way to get our farmers together," Wood said.

"This would help us to try and work together to come up with any solutions needed for the town," Wood said.

It also could help promote the farms in town, and promote agri-tourism, such as "farm days" in the summer, she said.

The commission would be composed of farmers and foresters or anyone else who has an interest in agriculture, Wood said.

Costa said the Agricultural Commission could help craft a "right to farm bylaw," which would state that Brimfield is a community that supports farming, and that it is a form of economy here. As a result, newcomers to Brimfield should not be surprised to see "tractors driving around town" or "smell manure in the air."

Said Wood, "We just wanted to promote agriculture in this area and help farmers have more of a presence. I hope the town sees the benefit of (a commission) . . . We want to preserve that fiber of farming that's in our area."

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall great meeting room.

Massachusetts DEP fines Balise Motors $5,000 after waste oil, gasoline spill at Springfield dealership

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Balise has met with DEP officials and agreed to retrain employees with requirements for handling hazardous waste, and to pay a $5,000 fine for the violations.


SPRINGFIELD – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection announced on Friday that Balise Motor Sales has been fined $5,000 for its role in the spill of an unknown amount of waste oil and gasoline at its location off West Columbus Avenue in the city’s South End.

The fine was levied for violating the state’s hazardous waste management regulations during a spill July 25 at the Balise Chevrolet Buick GMC lot at 440 Hall of Fame Ave.

According to the DEP, the dealership notified them of an accidental spill of four drums containing a mixture of water, waste oil and waste gasoline. Employees were removing debris from a waste storage area and the four drums were punctured. The amount spilled is not known but DEP officials said it exceeded 10 gallons.

The spill spread over an unpaved area as well as across a paved lot into a storm drain. Balise employees took steps to absorb as much of the spill as they could, and DEP officials placed absorbent materials inside the storm drain to prevent it from reaching the Connecticut River.

An investigation by DEP officials revealed several violations of state regulations including the drums were not labeled for containing hazardous waste, the area was not marked as a waste storage area and there were no signs that hazardous materials were present. There was also no containment dike to hold a spill inside the area. Additionally, one container was bulging and in poor condition.

Balise has since met with DEP officials and agreed to retrain employees with requirements for handling hazardous waste, and to pay a $5,000 fine for the violations.

Robert Meeropol, former chief of Rosenberg Fund for Children in Easthampton, to be honored

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The Massachusetts Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild plans to honor Robert Meeropol, former executive director of the Rosenberg Fund for Children in Easthampton, next month in Cambridge.

EASTHAMPTON — The Massachusetts Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild plans to honor Robert Meeropol, former executive director of the Rosenberg Fund for Children in Easthampton, next month in Cambridge.

The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented at the chapter's annual gala at 6 pm. May 16 at the Dante Alighieri Cultural Center, according to a press release from the guild.

Meeropol is the younger son of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg who were convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage and executed in 1953 when he was 6. He recently retired as executive director of the fund, a public foundation he started in 1990 that has provided more than $5 million for "children of targeted activists and targeted activist youth in the United States," the release said.

Meeropol announced last year that his daughter, Jennifer, would run the fund.

The May event will honors others also, including Jay Lamanna, a student at Western New England School of Law.

Captain of sunken South Korean ferry arrested

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The captain of a sunken South Korean ferry was arrested Saturday on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need, as investigators looked into whether his evacuation order came too late to save lives. Two crew members were also arrested, a prosecutor said.

MOKPO, South Korea -- The captain of a sunken South Korean ferry was arrested Saturday on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need, as investigators looked into whether his evacuation order came too late to save lives. Two crew members were also arrested, a prosecutor said.

The disaster three days ago left more than 270 people missing and at least 29 people dead.

As the last bit of the sunken ferry's hull slipped Friday beneath the murky water off southern South Korea, there was a new victim: a vice principal of the high school whose students were among the passengers was found hanged, an apparent suicide.

The Sewol had left the northwestern port of Incheon on Tuesday on an overnight journey to the holiday island of Jeju in the south with 476 people aboard, including 323 students from Danwon High School in Ansan. It capsized within hours of the crew making a distress call to the shore a little before 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Only its dark blue keel jutted out over the surface. But by Friday night, even that had disappeared, and rescuers set two giant beige buoys to mark the area. Navy divers attached underwater air bags to the 6,852-ton ferry to prevent it from sinking deeper, the Defense Ministry said.

The coast guard said divers began pumping air into the ship to try to sustain any survivors.

Strong currents and rain made it difficult to get inside the ferry. Divers worked in shifts to try to get into the vessel, where most of the passengers were believed to have been trapped when it sank, coast guard spokesman Kim Jae-in said.

Investigators said the accident came at a point where the ship had to make a turn, and prosecutor Park Jae-eok said investigators were looking at whether the third mate ordered a turn that was so sharp that it caused the vessel to list.

The sharp turn came between 8:48 a.m. and 8:49 a.m., but it's not known whether it was done voluntarily or because of some external factor, said Nam Jae-heon, a spokesman for the Maritime Ministry.

Another angle being probed is the role of the captain, 68-year-old Lee Joon-seok.

Senior prosecutor Yang Jung-jin said Lee was detained early Saturday, along with the two crew members. Lee faces five charges including negligence of duty and violation of maritime law, according to the Yonhap news agency.

Yang said earlier that Lee was not on the bridge when the ferry was passing through an area with many islands clustered closely together, something he said is required by law so the captain can help a mate make a turn. The captain also abandoned people in need of help and rescue, he said.

"The captain escaped before the passengers," Yang said.

Two crewmembers on the bridge of the ferry -- a 25-year-old woman and a 55-year-old helmsman -- also failed to reduce speed near the islands and conducted a sharp turn, Yang said. They also did not carry out necessary measures to save lives, he said.

Gallery preview Another focus of the investigation is that a quicker evacuation order by the captain could have saved lives.

Police said the vice principal who was found hanged from a tree on Jindo, an island near the sunken ship where survivors have been housed, had been rescued from the ferry.

Identified as Kang Min-kyu, he was the leader of the students traveling on a school excursion. In his suicide note, Kang said he felt guilty for surviving and wanted to take responsibility for what happened because he had led the trip, according to police.

He asked that his body be cremated and the ashes scattered where the ferry went down.

With only 174 survivors from the 476 aboard and the chances of survival becoming slimmer by the hour, it was shaping up to be one of South Korea's worst disasters, made all the more heartbreaking by the likely loss of so many young people, aged 16 or 17.

The toll rose to 29 after the body of a woman was recovered, authorities said early Saturday.

The country's last major ferry disaster was in 1993, when 292 people were killed.

A transcript of a ship-to-shore radio exchange and interviews by The Associated Press showed the captain delayed the evacuation for half an hour after a South Korean transportation official told the ship it might have to evacuate.

The recommendation by the unidentified official at the Jeju Vessel Traffic Services Center came at 9 a.m., just five minutes after a distress call by the Sewol. In the exchange, the Sewol crewmember says: "Currently the body of the ship has listed to the left. The containers have listed as well."

The Jeju VTS officer responds: "OK. Any loss of human life or injuries?" The ship's answer is: "It's impossible to check right now. The body of the ship has tilted, and it's impossible to move."

The VTS officer then says: "Yes, OK. Please wear life jackets and prepare as the people might have to abandon ship."

"It's hard for people to move," replies the crew member on the radio.

Oh Yong-seok, a helmsman on the ferry, told the AP that the first instructions from the captain were for passengers to put on life jackets and stay where they were as the crew tried to control the ship.

About 30 minutes later, the captain finally gave the order to evacuate, Oh said, adding that he wasn't sure if, in the confusion and chaos on the bridge, the order was relayed to the passengers. Several survivors told the AP that they never heard any evacuation order.

Lee, the captain, made a brief, videotaped appearance with his face hidden by a gray hoodie. "I am really sorry and deeply ashamed," Lee said. "I don't know what to say."

Three vessels with cranes arrived at the accident site to prepare to salvage the ferry. But they will not hoist the ship before getting approval from family members of those still believed inside because the lifting could endanger any survivors, said a coast guard officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, citing department rules.

On Jindo, angry and distraught relatives watched the rescue attempts. Some held a Buddhist prayer ritual, crying and praying for their relatives.

"I want to jump into the water with them," said Park Geum-san, 59, the great-aunt of a missing student, Park Ye-ji. "My loved one is under the water and it's raining. Anger is not enough."

Chonghaejin Marine Co. Ltd, in Incheon, the operator of the ferry, added more cabin rooms to three floors after its 2012 purchase of the ship, which was built in Japan in 1994, an official at the private Korean Register of Shipping told the AP.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter was still under investigation, said the extension work between October 2012 and February 2013 increased the Sewol's weight by 187 tons and added enough room for 117 more people. The Sewol had a capacity of 921 when it sank.

As is common in South Korea, the ship's owner paid for a safety check by the Korean Register of Shipping, which found that the Sewol passed all safety tests, including whether it could stabilize in the event of tilting, the official said.

Prosecutors raided and seized materials and documents from the ship's operator, as well as six companies that had conducted safety checks, revamped the ship, or loaded container boxes, a sign that investigators will likely examine the ship's addition of rooms and how containers were loaded.

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Foster Klug and Youkyung Lee of the Associated Press wrote this report. Klug reported from Seoul. Associated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim and Jung-yoon Choi in Seoul contributed to this report.


Earth Day tree plantings set for Springfield's Forest Park neighborhood by ReGreen Springfield and Western Massachusetts Electric Company

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SPRINGFIELD – The Wilmont Street neighborhood will be getting 30 new trees thanks to Western Massachusetts Electric Company and ReGreen Springfield. The two organizations are teaming up to replace diseased and dying trees in the Forest Park neighborhood with a mix of shade and ornamental trees, according to a press release from the utility company also known as WMECo....

SPRINGFIELD – The Wilmont Street neighborhood will be getting 30 new trees thanks to Western Massachusetts Electric Company and ReGreen Springfield.

The two organizations are teaming up to replace diseased and dying trees in the Forest Park neighborhood with a mix of shade and ornamental trees, according to a press release from the utility company also known as WMECo.

The planting will begin Tuesday at 11 a.m. during an Earth Day ceremony on Wilmont Street featuring Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno; Robert Coates, the utility’s vice president; and David Bloniarz, president of ReGreen Springfield, a nonprofit agency dedicated to replacing trees lost in 2011 to the June tornadoes and freak Halloween eve snowstorm.

WMECo, a Northeast Utilities company, serves 210,000 customers in 59 communities.


Massachusetts casino opponents file brief with Supreme Judicial Court

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"Each of these amici have witnessed the limitations, both legal and practical, that the Gaming Law imposes upon the freedom of voters," the brief states.

SPRINGFIELD — A statewide collection of business owners, community and grassroots leaders and concerned citizens are rallying to the casino repeal legal effort, according to a press release from Repeal the Casino Deal, the organization behind a referendum to repeal the law legalizing casinos.

The state attorney general has refused to allow the referendum to be put before voters. An appeal by Repeal the Casino Deal of that ruling is before the Supreme Judicial Court. Briefs by supporters and opponents of the attorney general's decision were filed this week with the court.

According to the release, three weeks before scheduled Supreme Judicial Court arguments on May 5, supporters of the effort have filed separate amicus briefs, including a 40-page brief arguing that the attorney general’s office erred in prohibiting the citizen petition to be included on the ballot.

In early September, Attorney General Martha Coakley rejected the proposed ballot question, saying it would amount to an uncompensated taking of private property. Coakley's office said the question, if approved, would "impair" implied contracts between the Massachusetts Gaming Commission and applicants for casino licenses, since the law mandates the commission to consider and act on applications for licenses.

MGM Resorts International is proposing a casino in the South End of Springfield.

The groups and individuals, from a slew of cities and towns throughout the state, including Lowell and Boston, Milford, Springfield, Leominster and Plainville, joined national organizations in siding with the repeal effort, the release states. Just one of the amicus briefs in support lists 10 groups and 59 individuals supporting the repeal.

The brief says, "Each of these amici have witnessed the limitations, both legal and
practical, that the Gaming Law imposes upon the freedom of voters, impacted by the potentially irreversible future effects of introducing casinos into the Commonwealth, to make informed choices about this important issue.

"Some impacted citizens and communities have been entirely disenfranchised. Others
have been deprived, either intentionally or by circumstances, of the full extent of the arguments pro and con.

"When robust debate was able to occur, more often than not, a majority of citizens opted to reject commercial casinos as not worth the risk.

Those joining in the brief are NoCasinoSpringfield, No Casino West Springfield, Inc., No Slots Tewksbury, Quaboag Valley Against Casinos, Casino-Free Milford, No Eastie Casino, Don't Gamble on Revere, No Slots Leominster, NoPlainvilleRacino, No Slots Millbury, Robert Boduc, CEO of Pride Stores, William Dwight, Northampton City Council chairman, and Edward Harrison of Monson.

Community Amicus Brief

Boston prepares for huge wave of marathon visitors

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With an expanded field of runners and the memory of last year's bombings elevating interest in one of the world's great races, the 2014 Boston Marathon could bring an unprecedented wave of visitors and an influx of tourism dollars to the area.

BOSTON — With an expanded field of runners and the memory of last year's bombings elevating interest in one of the world's great races, the 2014 Boston Marathon could bring an unprecedented wave of visitors and an influx of tourism dollars to the area.

Race organizers, in the aftermath of the twin bombings that killed three spectators and injured more than 260 people, expanded the field of runners by 9,000, to nearly 36,000. The majority — more than 21,000 — hail from U.S. states outside of New England. Another 5,330 or so will come from more than 70 foreign countries. The rest will come from Massachusetts and surrounding states.

More spectators are also expected to line the 26.2-mile course, which starts west of Boston in Hopkinton and ends downtown on Boylston Street. Some 500,000 spectators typically line the race route; this year, officials estimate the crowds might exceed a million on Monday.

Nothing could keep Sarah Stenn, who lives in Sagaponack, N.Y., and finished last year's marathon about 45 minutes before the bombs detonated, from returning.

"Last year, we all saw the worst of humanity, and it was met by the best of humanity," said Stenn, who is making the trip with her husband, two daughters and her 87-year-old father. "I'm going back because I want my kids and everyone else to know that this race will continue to stand for all that is good and right in life, and that no person or act will every take that away."

Patrick Moscaritolo, president of the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, expects the marathon will generate more than $175 million in economic activity over about five days. That's up from previous year projections of $130 million to $140 million.

"This is not a one-day race," Moscaritolo said. "It's never been, and I think this year it will be far from that. ... For all sorts of reasons, people are coming out, and they want to stand with the runners and make a statement of support."

Despite the likely economic boon, local businesses are not focused on the bottom line, officials say.

"It's hard to talk about it in dollars and cents, because people's lives have been lost," Moscaritolo said. "The bottom line is that people had promised this race would come back bigger and stronger than ever before, and, by the looks of it, that is going to be the case."

One clear sign of how busy the Boston area is expected to be this weekend is the pace for hotel bookings. Officials say this year's demand has been the strongest since perhaps the race's centennial in 1996.

Moscaritolo estimated earlier this week that the occupancy rate in the 23,000 or so hotel rooms in Boston and Cambridge was at nearly 90 percent. That's up from about 83 to 84 percent for previous marathons, said Moscaritolo, adding that there are still plenty of options for last minute travelers, with some 27,000 more hotel rooms elsewhere in Greater Boston.

Officials at Marathon Tours & Travel, the official travel agency for the Boston Athletic Association, which organizes the race, say they are working with hotels south and west of the city to help meet demand.

"Most of the time, we're usually looking at hotels toward the finish line because people want to finish the race and get right back to their room," said Kelly McLay, the company's sales and marketing manager. "But this year, we've seen an extension to ones along the course route."

And it's not just the marathon putting pressure on hotels, said Paul Sacco, of the Massachusetts Lodging Association. This year's race comes at a busy travel time overall, coinciding with Passover, Easter and spring breaks.

Sheila Prevou, of Leavenworth, Kan., is running her sixth Boston Marathon. She and a friend were coming in Friday and planned to stay through Tuesday.

"You want a day to celebrate, and I think this year that will be especially important to do that," she said. "Plus, you guys have such great restaurants. We'll definitely be eating our way through the city."

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: Robotic submarine search for missing plane will be done in a week

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An underwater robotic submarine is expected to finish searching a narrowed down area of the Indian Ocean seabed for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane within the next week, after completing six missions and so far coming up empty, the search coordination center said Saturday.

PERTH, Australia (AP) -- An underwater robotic submarine is expected to finish searching a narrowed down area of the Indian Ocean seabed for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane within the next week, after completing six missions and so far coming up empty, the search coordination center said Saturday.

As the hunt for Flight 370 hit week six, the Bluefin 21 unmanned sub began its seventh trip into the depths off the coast off western Australia. Its search area forms a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) circle around the location of an underwater signal that was believed to be coming from the aircraft's black boxes before the batteries died. The sonar scan of the seafloor in that area is expected to be completed in five to seven days, the center said in an email to The Associated Press.

The U.S. Navy sub has covered around 133 square kilometers (51 square miles) since it began diving into the depths March 14. The latest data are being analyzed, but nothing has yet been identified.

Meanwhile on Saturday, up to 11 aircraft and 12 ships continued to scan the ocean surface for debris from the Boeing 777 that disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing with 239 people on board.

Radar and satellite data show the plane mysteriously veered far off-course for unknown reasons and would have run out of fuel in the remote section of the southern Indian Ocean where the search has been focused. Not one piece of debris has been recovered since the massive search effort began.

The tiresome search that continues to raise more questions than answers has tormented the families whose loved ones never came home March 8. About two-thirds of the passengers were Chinese.

On Friday, around three dozen Chinese relatives in Beijing held a prayer meeting for their missing spouses. Many sobbed heavily as candles burned on a table in the shape of a heart with the letters MH370 in the middle. A banner behind them read in Chinese: "Husband, wife, come home soon."

There have been numerous leads throughout the painstaking hunt, but all have turned out to be false. The latest hope involved an oil slick found near the underwater search area, but analysis of a sample taken from the site found it was not connected to the plane.

The most promising development came when four underwater signals were detected April 5 and 8. The sounds were consistent with pings that would have been emanating from the flight data and cockpit recorders' beacons before their batteries died.

The underwater operation is being complicated by the depth of the largely unexplored silt-covered sea floor. The U.S. Navy's unmanned submarine has gone beyond its recommended limit of 4,500 meters (15,000 feet), according to the U.S. 7th Fleet. That could risk the equipment, but it is being closely monitored.

The search coordination center has said the hunt for floating debris on the surface will continue at least into next week, even though head of the search effort Angus Houston had earlier said it was expected to end sooner.

On Saturday, the visual surface search was to cover an estimated 50,200 square kilometers (19,382 square miles) of sea.

Health care website flagged in Heartbleed bug review

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People who have accounts on the enrollment website for President Barack Obama's signature health care law are being told to change their passwords following an administration-wide review of the government's vulnerability to the confounding Heartbleed Internet security flaw. Senior administration officials said there is no indication that the HealthCare.gov site has been compromised and the action is being taken out of an abundance of caution.

WASHINGTON -- People who have accounts on the enrollment website for President Barack Obama's signature health care law are being told to change their passwords following an administration-wide review of the government's vulnerability to the confounding Heartbleed Internet security flaw.

Senior administration officials said there is no indication that the HealthCare.gov site has been compromised and the action is being taken out of an abundance of caution. The government's Heartbleed review is ongoing, the officials said, and users of other websites may also be told to change their passwords in the coming days, including those with accounts on the popular WhiteHouse.gov petitions page.

The Heartbleed programming flaw has caused major security concerns across the Internet and affected a widely used encryption technology that was designed to protect online accounts. Major Internet services have been working to insulate themselves against the problem and are also recommending that users change their website passwords.

Officials said the administration was prioritizing its analysis of websites with heavy traffic and the most sensitive user information. A message that will be posted on the health care website starting Saturday reads: "While there's no indication that any personal information has ever been at risk, we have taken steps to address Heartbleed issues and reset consumers' passwords out of an abundance of caution."

The health care website became a prime target for critics of the Obamacare law last fall when the opening of the insurance enrollment period revealed widespread flaws in the online system. Critics have also raised concerns about potential security vulnerabilities on a site where users input large amounts of personal data.

The website troubles were largely fixed during the second month of enrollment and sign-ups ultimately surpassed initial expectations. Obama announced this week that about 8 million people had enrolled in the insurance plans.

The full extent of the damage caused by the Heartbleed is unknown. The security hole exists on a vast number of the Internet's Web servers and went undetected for more than two years. Although it's conceivable that the flaw was never discovered by hackers, it's difficult to tell.

The White House has said the federal government was not aware of the Heartbleed vulnerability until it was made public in a private sector cybersecurity report earlier this month. The federal government relies on the encryption technology that is impacted -- OpenSSL -- to protect the privacy of users of government websites and other online services.

The Homeland Security Department has been leading the review of the government's potential vulnerabilities. The Internal Revenue Service, a widely used website with massive amounts of personal data on Americans, has already said it was not impacted by Heartbleed.

"We will continue to focus on this issue until government agencies have mitigated the vulnerability in their systems," Phyllis Schneck, DHS deputy undersecretary for cybersecurity and communications, wrote in a blog post on the agenda website. "And we will continue to adapt our response if we learn about additional issues created by the vulnerability."

Officials wouldn't say how government websites they expect to flag as part of the Heartbleed security review, but said it's likely to be a limited number. The officials insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the security review by name.


Holyoke detectives investigate shooting

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A shooting in Holyoke has injured at least one person, the result of a shooting at Brown and Willow streets.


UPDATE 6:07a.m. April 19,2014

Holyoke police are now confirming that a single victim was treated at Holyoke Hospital for a non-life threatening gunshot wound to the leg Saturday morning.

Sgt. David S. Usher said police suspect the victim was wounded in a shooting at 1:16 a.m. at the intersection of Brown and Willow streets. Officers investigated a report of shots fired but found no physical evidence such as spent shell casings.

At approximately 1:29 a.m., Holyoke Hospital officials contacted police to report a person came to the emergency room with a gunshot wound to the leg. Detectives interviewed the victim at the hospital. Police declined to say if the victim is a male or a female,

The hospital was put on lock down after the victim arrived, but Usher said that is standard procedure for shooting incidents such as this.

The Holyoke Police Criminal Investigation Bureau is investigating the incident..


HOLYOKE— Holyoke police confirm that a shooting took place in the city early Saturday, but where and when the shooting took place is being kept under wraps, as is the extent of the victim's injuries.

Sgt. David S. Usher confirmed there had been a shooting early Saturday morning, but would not confirm initial reports that a victim was accepted into the Holyoke Hospital Emergency Room at approximately 1:30 a.m. Nor would he discuss unconfirmed reports that the hospital went into lock-down shortly afterward.

Usher said information about the shooting may be released later in the morning but at this time police officials are not discussing the incident publicly.

This report will be updated as information becomes available.

Prosecutor: Korean ship steered by a 3rd Mate for the first time

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Prosecutors say the Korean ferry that sank earlier this week with more than 400 people aboard was being steered by a 25-year-old 3rd Mate who had never operated in those waters.

MOKPO, South Korea (AP) — A prosecutor says that the third mate steering a South Korean ferry at the time of a major accident was navigating those waters for the first time.

Senior prosecutor Yang Jung-jin told reporters that the 25-year-old mate was steering the ship as it passed through an area with lots of islands clustered close together and fast currents.

The ferry sank Wednesday. More than 270 people are still missing.

Yang says that another mate usually took controls through the area. But because heavy fog caused a departure delay, the third mate was steering the ship through the waters. Yang says investigators have not confirmed whether the ship was going faster than usual.

Police have arrested the ferry captain on suspicion of negligence and abandoning people in need.


Holyoke trash, recyclable, yard waste collections pushed back a day due to Patriots Day

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Residents with questions about the one-day delay in trash pickup can call (413) 322-5645.

trash.jpgHolyoke residents have to delay putting out trash for collection for a day this week due to the Patriots Day holiday Monday, said the Department of Public Works. 

HOLYOKE -- Collection of trash, recyclables and yard waste will be delayed a day beginning Monday (April 21) because of the Patriots Day holiday, a department press release said Thursday.

The drop-off center at the Department of Public Works at 63 Canal St. will be open April 26 from 7 a.m. to noon for residents who have a permit to bring materials not accepted at curbside.

For information call (413) 322-5645.

Westfield Wildwater Race off and paddling for canoes, kayaks

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more than 120 teams registered before the races, with more walk-ups expected.

HUNTINGTON - The Westfield Wildwater Race has something this year that's been in short supply for other runnings of the historic canoe and kayak race: water.

"Last year it was OK. Two years ago it was horrid," said Donald Labbbe of West Springfield who races each year with his uncle, Robert Gore alos of West Springfield. "We ended up just running in the water, carrying our canoe instead of paddling it because it was so o shallow. There was nothing else to do."

But a snowy winter and rainy spring mean the Westfield River truly has wildwater this year, said Ed Smith, chairman of race sponsors the Westfield River Canoe Club. So much water that the Knightville Dam cut back on releasing water Saturday to keep flows as near normal as possible. In past years Knightville has increased its outflow of water to make the race possible.

"We want it to be a safe race," Smith said. "We want it to be a fair race. That means we want the river as near to normal as we can get it."

In pre-race meetings he warned paddlers that much opf the water in the river was snow and ice only recently. So despite the warm, sunny day that water is quite cold.

"If you go ijn that water you'll know it," he said. "And you will have to get out as soon as you can."

There wer about 150 entries before the novices set off at 10 a.m. with more walk-up participants in line to get bibs.

First run 61 years ago in 1953, the Westfield Wildwater Races bills itself as the oldest continuously-conducted whitewater race in the country, Novices race 8 miles, more practiced participants go 12 miles.

For Gore, the the event is as much social as athletic.

"You meet the nicest people paddling on the river," he said. "Everybody is always willing to help each other out. If someone gets hung up or needs help people are willing."

The event draws spectators as well, with people lining the banks near Rout 20, especialy at spots known for spectacular rolling water, to watch races pass by. The races continue all day Saturday, with the expert rae starting at 1:30 p.m.

Check back for more coverage and more photos through the day

Obituaries today: Susan Albert was antiques dealer

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Obituaries from The Republican.

 
041914-susan-albert.jpegSusan Albert 

Susan M. (Gagnon) Albert, 61, of Holyoke, died on Monday. She was born in Holyoke, and was educated in the former Precious Blood Schools. She was a longtime self-employed antiques dealer.

To view all obituaries from The Republican:
» Click here

Chicopee firefighteers still at 247 Langevin Street blaze

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Firefighters had few other details to share.

CHICOPEE- No one was injured in a fire Saturday morning at 247 Langevin St., the Chicopee Fire Department said.

Firefighters were still on the scene at 1 p.m. The emergency call came in shortly after noon.

The home is listed in real estate records as being a 1,182-square-foot two-bedroom and one bath single-family.

Firefighters had few other details to share.

Police: Massachusetts man drove drunk over 90 mph with unrestrained 7-year-old in vehicle

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A Massachusetts man police say was driving over 90 miles an hour with an unrestrained 7-year-old in his vehicle has been charged with driving under the influence and reckless driving.

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A Massachusetts man police say was driving over 90 miles an hour with an unrestrained 7-year-old in his vehicle has been charged with driving under the influence and reckless driving.

Rhode Island State Police said Friday troopers responded to a three-vehicle crash on Interstate-195 westbound on Thursday. They say 42-year-old Luis Manuel Medeiros of Fall River was seen driving erratically and lost control and hit a tractor-trailer in Seekonk. He kept driving and later hit another vehicle in East Providence, causing it to crash into a third vehicle.

Authorities said Medeiros appeared intoxicated and was arrested after failing field sobriety tests. The boy was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The Massachusetts Department of Social Services took custody of him.

According to the Rhode Island State Police website, Medeiros was held overnight at the Lincoln Woods Barracks and was scheduled to be arraigned in Sixth District Court in Providence on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs – blood alcohol count unknown - first offense, reckless driving, driving with a suspended/revoked license and chemical test refusal - first offense.

A phone number for Medeiros couldn't be found.


The Republican Newsroom contributed to this report
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