The proposed school expenditures will now go to the Springfield City Council where it will be reviewed in combination with Mayor Domenic J. Sarno's city budget on May 19.

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield School Committee on Monday approved $446 million School Department budget that will avoid teacher layoffs in fiscal year 2015.
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The school budget will now go to the Springfield City Council where it will be reviewed in combination with Mayor Domenic J. Sarno's city budget on May 19.

During Monday's meeting at School Department headquarters, Sarno and School Superintendent Daniel J. Warwick commended the finance committee, led by Christopher Collins, for the diligence and hard work that went into the budget process.

"These are challenging times" Sarno said, noting that there is often give-and-take between the school and city side of the budget process. "This is a good budget," he said. It keeps moving things forward.

The department avoid teacher layoffs due to a hiring freeze and a 20 percent cut, mostly through attrition, in central office positions.

The budget for fiscal year 2015, beginning July 1, was particularly challenging because state funding - which provides the lion's share of the funding - is predicted to increase less than 1 percent.

The Springfield school system serves 26,000 students and has about 2,600 teachers.

The ceremony also will mark the 5th straight year the Renaissance’s senior class posted a 100 percent college acceptance rate, a top priority for students, teachers and administrators.

SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Renaissance School will celebrate its college-bound seniors Thursday with its second annual Declaration Day ceremony.

One by one, all 95 seniors at the Carew Street magnet school will stand up before the 700-member student body and declare the college or university they will be attending in the fall.

The ceremony also will mark the fifth straight year the Renaissance’s senior class posted a 100 percent college acceptance rate, a top priority for students, teachers and administrators.

For the Class of 2014, the schools run the gamut and include University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Smith College, Temple University, Berklee College of Music, Rochester Institute of Technology, Springfield Technical Community College, Westfield State University, Springfield College, American International College and University of Hartford.

For financing, the seniors pulled in $3 million in scholarships and grants, including 52 John and Abigail Adams scholarships providing full tuition to any state college or university as a result of scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System tests.

The intersection of Springfield Street, South Westfield Street, North Westfield Street and Southwick Street has heavy traffic flow and safety issues, which are some of the main problems, said Michelle Chase, town engineer.

AGAWAM- Mayor Richard A. Cohen has announced that Milone & MacBroom, Inc., an engineering consultant firm out of Springfield, has been approved by the city and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, to provide architectural designs to reconstruct an intersection at routes 187 and 57 in Feeding Hills.

“What we’re doing now is the re-design of that area,” said Cohen. “The project for the entire Route 187, and hopefully the intersection, is scheduled once the design is done. We have to do that design first.”

The project is currently listed for construction in fiscal year 2017, he said.

Gov. Deval L. Patrick and MassDOT Secretary and CEO Richard A. Davey are also in support of the intersection project.

A “complete street, approach, if and when feasible, will incorporate sustainable imitative designs to enhance the environmental stewardship of this project, he said.

The intersection of Springfield Street, South Westfield Street, North Westfield Street (Route 187), and Southwick Street (Route 57) has heavy traffic flow and safety issues, which are some of the main problems, said Michelle Chase, town engineer.

“There’s a lot of local and regional traffic that flows through that area,” she said. “The regional traffic; since the second phase of Route 57 was discontinued by the state. And there’s additional development in Westfield and Southwick, that impact is seen on this intersection.”

A road safety audit will be held between the MassDOT, the Agawam Police Dept., Fire Dept., and School Dept., in order to collectively plan goals for the intersection, she said.

“We’re really hoping to get in there and improve everything; the pedestrian crossings, the signalization, putting in, hopefully, some emergency preemption so that when emergency vehicles come in their flashing lights will trigger the green lights so they can get through quicker,” she said.

Residents of Agawam and neighboring communities will also be encouraged to voice any questions or concerns at a preliminary event after the safety audit, with an exact date to be announced soon, she said.

“I would say within a year from that (the 2017 fiscal year), it would be complete,” she said. “This is a general estimate.”

There were no initial reports of injuries.

SPRINGFIELD — A fire that broke out at a Wesson Street home Monday damaged several surrounding properties and displaced a number of residents.

The blaze began at 28 Wesson St., said fire department spokesman Dennis Leger, aide to commissioner Joseph Conant. The flames quickly spread to an attic at 912 Belmont Ave., eventually damaging a total of four homes and one garage.

There were no initial reports of injuries.

Leger said at least seven or eight residents were displaced, adding that the number could rise.

Firefighters at the White Street station saw the smoke and began their response before the first emergency calls came in, Leger said. Even with that jump on the fire, though, Leger said the home at 28 Wesson St. is a total loss.

"I spoke to the owner; she is shaken up but OK," said mayor Domenic J. Sarno. "Thank God nobody was hurt."

This is a developing story. Updates will be posted as our reporting continues.

Mary Pasteris, 63, who is a nurse leader at Agawam High School obtained wage sheets from nurse leaders around the county and found that the city’s school nurses get paid between 13 and 29 percent less than their counterparts in surrounding communities

AGAWAM — Several school nurses and others will stage a protest tonight’s School Committee to lobby for a boost in pay, which one nurse said is among “lowest” in Hampden County.

Mary Pasteris, 63, who is a nurse leader at Agawam High School, obtained wage sheets from nurse leaders around the county and found that the city’s school nurses get paid between 13 and 29 percent less than their counterparts in surrounding communities. School nurses work the 10-month school schedule. They are required to have a bachelor’s degree or must be working toward one.

Agawam nurses start at $36,000 and end at Step 7 at $43,000. In contrast, Chicopee school nurses start at $46,000 and end at Step 9, earning $66,000; and Belchertown school nurses start at $38,000 and end up earning $53,000 at Step 9, Pasteris said.

The protest is planned for 7 p.m. at the Roberta G. Doering School auditorium. School and city officials could not be reached immediately for comment.

“I’ve never done anything like this in my life,” said Pasteris, who has worked for the Agawam school system for 18 years. “But I feel very strongly about this . . . It’s disrespectful to us.”

Pasteris said the pay gap is probably even greater between Agawam and other districts because the wage sheets she has are 2 years old.

Agawam is losing nurses due to the wage disparity, Pasteris said. “In the last five years I’ve lost seven nurses” who have moved to other districts where the pay is higher and the number of steps go beyond seven – in some cases up to 12 steps, she said.

“There is no incentive (for school nurses) to stay in Agawam when the last step is 7,” she said. Nurse retention is important, she said. “When I see a kid, I know what’s wrong with him,” she added. Without that continuity, “it can be a dangerous situation.”

Pasteris is one of two nurses at Agawam High School. Last year, Agawam school nurses saw 42,000 students system-wide, dispensing 86 medications and treatments for conditions ranging from diabetes to seizure disorders, she said.

School nurses are also responsible for the medical needs of staff and visitors to the schools, she said.

Amherst Regional High School Principal Mark Jackson told the family Friday that his presence would disrupt the ceremony and Jackson offered to hold a private ceremony for him.

AMHERST – The Amherst student who's Facebook posting led to the closing of the Amherst Regional High School in January has been told he cannot participate in the June 6^th graduation at the Mullins Center.

Dylan Akalis, who was identified when a student launched an online campaign to keep him from participating, wants to go the ceremony, said his mother Paula Akalis. The petition cannot be found.

She said Amherst Regional High School Principal Mark Jackson told the family Friday that his presence would disrupt the ceremony and Jackson offered to hold a private ceremony for him.

Akalis was suspended for 10 days for the posting on the Amherst Regional High School Confessions Facebook page that read "tbh im packin modtly (sic) everyday at school. but since im calm and am able to keep my composure noone dies. i have it for protection yet ppl still think they can bully me." He was also suspended for using the "N" word on a different Facebook posting.

His mother Paula Akalis decided not to send him back to the school once his suspension was served. He had completed enough credits to graduate.  She feels her son was discriminated against because he is white.  

Akalis of Holyoke began attending the Amherst high school when he was a sophomore, his mother said because they wanted a more challenging school system. Growing up in Holyoke, her son has friends of all races.

She said that her son was bullied the week prior to the posting  by African American students who live at the Amherst Better Chance house, a residential high school program for talented young men of color from educationally underserved school districts. They bullied him after her son used the "N" word in a playful manner. He posted about packing "out of fear."

Police never charged her son.

Police Chief Scott Livingstone said at the time he was confident no weapon had been brought to school. There was a weapon in the student's house, but it was considered secured, he said. The parents voluntarily surrendered it to police.

Akalis said the investigation that followed demonstrated that what happened fit the legal definition of bullying.

The school looked at both the bullying charge and allegations of racial harassment.

"As part of the comprehensive investigation, district and site-level administrators reviewed all available data, including social media posts; staff and student written statements; interviews with staff, students and family members; and district policies and definitions of bullying and racial harassment.

"Ultimately, the investigation showed that there were separate behaviors during the series of events that are consistent with the definition of both bullying and racial harassment," according to a statement released by Superintendent Maria Geryk in February.

Neither Geryk nor Jackson could be reached for comment about the graduation.

Despite all that's happened, she said her son wants to walk across the stage and graduate with his class.

The city's housing director that Springfield has provided new housing and housing assistance to hundreds of individuals and families.

SPRINGFIELD – City Housing Director Geraldine McCafferty, in response to calls for an increase in affordable housing, said Tuesday that Springfield has done a “tremendous amount,” and there should be a regional response to unmet needs.

McCafferty’s comments occurred after Arise for Social Justice, a local nonprofit group that advocates for the poor, urged Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Springfield Roman Catholic Diocese Bishop Timothy McDonnell and Pope Francis to do more to help the homeless and those at risk of homelessness.

The plea from Arise came as about 50 members and supporters of the organization gathered at St. Michael’s Cathedral on State Street to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of a homeless tent encampment on the cathedral grounds termed Sanctuary City at the time.

“Springfield has been at the forefront of responding to homelessness in a way that is both good for the city and supportive of those in need,” McCafferty said. “And while there is an unmet need, it should be met by the communities throughout Western Massachusetts.”

Geraldine McCafferty 

During the past decade, the city has provided 274 new housing opportunities – including apartments and subsidies to chronically homeless individuals, McCafferty said. In addition, the city and organizations in Hampden County have helped hundreds of other people and families who were homeless or at risk of homelessness, she said.

“Springfield really has done a tremendous amount,” McCafferty said. “But it doesn’t support a healthy city for Springfield to be the only provider of affordable housing and services for the entire region.”

Bewsee said local shelters are filled and there are more than 4,000 families statewide in shelters or motels.

Bewsee, in the letter to Sarno, asked for the following steps:

• Work with the Western Massachusetts Legislature to secure more funding to partially subsidize rents of eligible residents;



• Work more diligently with existing property owners on payment plans, and the auction of re-habitable properties and work with housing nonprofits to make this housing available to city residents who are homeless or precariously housed;

• Revise the “lodging house” regulations to that up to five unrelated people can share a residence, rather than the current three unrelated persons limit;



• Increase housing inspections so that more properties can be saved from condemnation, and



• Convene a housing task force with significant participation from renters and homeowners at or below Springfield’s median income of $40,534.

Regarding the letter sent to Pope Francis and Bishop McDonnell, Bewsee asked the pope to contact the bishop about providing some diocese-owned properties in Springfield for use as homeless shelters, community centers and housing.

Friends of the Homeless, a nonprofit organization, provides shelter and services to men and women on Worthington Street. Its director, William Miller, said the facility has dramatically changed since Sanctuary City, and is now a 24-hour service center to help people rise from homelessness.

Mark Dupont, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, said Tuesday the diocese has allocated significant funding through its Catholic Charities agency to help the poor and homeless.

And while Arise is “well intentioned” in proposing that the diocese provide some of its vacant properties for homeless needs, the issue is “far more complicated” than suggested by the group, Dupont said.

There is not a surplus of diocesan properties that would meet such needs, and there are issues such as regulations, permitting and staffing rather than just opening the doors, Dupont said.

The diocese continues to work with partners to find solutions “and we really feel we have tried to step up despite limitations on us through our limited donor base,” he said.

The annual ceremony is part of the department's observance of National Police Week.

SPRINGFIELD – The Springfield Police Department will conduct its annual remembrance ceremony for fallen officers on Wednesday, beginning at 3:45 p.m., in front of the police station, 130 Pearl St. The ceremony is in conjunction with the observance of National Police Week.

The ceremony honors the 16 police officers and one constable who were killed in the line of duty.

It will take place by the memorial that bears their names in front of the police station. Police Commissioner William Fitchet and Mayor Domenic Sarno are scheduled to speak. A memorial roll call is also planned. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

The contract will increase from the original about $21 million to about $24 million.

Construction on the Willimansett Bridge is expected to restart next week after a nine-month delay, bringing relief to local companies near the bridge who said they have lost business in the three years since it closed.

State Reps. Joseph F. Wagner, D-Chicopee and Aaron Vega, D-Holyoke announced the state Department of Transportation has finalized an agreement to hire Northern Construction Service, LLC., of Palmer, to complete the bridge project.

Northern Construction was the second-lowest bidder, but since the contract was made with American International Group, the insurance company which held the bond for the now-bankrupt Pihl Inc., of Denmark, they did not have to follow the state procurement process, Wagner said.

Northern’s bid was about $750,000 higher than J.F. White Construction, of Framingham. The difference is Northern agreed to an accelerated construction schedule that will calls for two, 10-hour shifts working daily on the bridge, Wagner said.

The bridge, which connects Chicopee Street, in Chicopee, with Cabot Street, in Holyoke, had serious structural problems that caused a weight restriction that banned large trucks. The bridge was closed in August, 2011 so work could begin to rebuild it.

““This agreement is good news for the residents and businesses in Chicopee that have been impacted by the closure of this bridge,” Wagner said. “Northern Construction is a
good contractor, and I expect they’ll hit it hard and meet the completion date.”

The contract calls for the work to be finished on July 11, 2015. If the deadline is missed, the company will pay a $6,200 daily fine until the bridge is opened, he said.

Northern Construction is a well-known firm. It recently replaced the Davitt Bridge, which was also a state project, 13 months ahead of schedule.

The contract to finish the project is about $18 million. It will be paid for from the outstanding money in the original contract and the original contractor’s bond. Remaining money will be picked up by the Department of Transportation, according Michael Verseckes, a spokesman for the Department of Transportation.

The cost is about $3 over the original budget of about $21 million. That cost includes the $750,000 spent to accelerate the construction schedule, Verseckes said.

Vega said he is happy construction will start again and added will continue to work with businesses on Cabot Street in Holyoke to see if there is any way to help them during the next year while the bridge is still closed.

“I’m happy to have an accelerated program,” he said. “I was shocked about the money businesses have been loosing. The supermarket has been loosing $20,000 a month,” he said.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m., and will take place in the Longmeadow High School gymnasium.

LONGMEADOW &#8212 The annual Longmeadow Town Meeting will be held this evening at 7 p.m. in the Longmeadow High School gymnasium.

Local residents will come together to vote on issues that will affect their community's future.

Some of the more high-profile issues expected to be on the warrant for the evening include creating a free, full-day kindergarten program for Longmeadow students, approving the town's budget for the 2015 fiscal year and establishing zoning requirements for medical marijuana dispensaries.

The meeting's warrant is available on the town's website, as is a citizen's guide to the Longmeadow Town meeting process.

Updates on the meeting's process will be displayed here throughout the evening.

The California Highway Patrol is investigating a collision on Interstate 8 as a possible road rage incident that began with an argument between two San Diego women.

Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL

Do you have news or a news tip to submit to MassLive.com for consideration? Send an email to online@repub.com.

They eventually learned Edwards was being pursued by his child's mother, who earlier spotted him picking up another woman, who was a passenger in his car.

This is an update to a story first posted at 3:15 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD - Hampden District Attorney Mark Mastroianni cleared a state trooper who fatally shot 23-year-old motorist Wayne Edwards, who struggled and tried to drag the officer during a traffic stop on Interstate 291, according to a 15-page report.

The decision came after a 10-month investigation. According to the report Mastroianni issued on Tuesday, Massachusetts State Trooper Thiago Miranda spotted Edwards' BMW zoom by his police cruiser at 100 miles per hour just before 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 11, 2013. Giving chase to the BMW was a Nissan Maxima, the trooper told investigators.

They eventually learned Edwards was being pursued by his child's mother, who earlier spotted him picking up another woman, a passenger in the car.

"While in the car, Wayne Edwards' female passenger overheard him on his cell phone telling the woman to stop following him," the report states.

"He just floated by Troopers doing like a dollar (100 mph)," the passenger texted her friend while expressing her dismay. "I feel like we just robbed a bank." The messages were retrieved as part of the investigation.

Miranda pulled Edwards' car over after a short chase, and observed the driver making a "quick, frantic movement" before pulling into the breakdown lane, the trooper told investigators. Miranda approached the car, intending to arrest Edwards for failing to stop. The trooper arrived at the vehicle, opened the driver's side door and bent Edwards over at the waist to handcuff him, according to the report.

Edwards became combative, the report states, placing his left foot outside the car but planting his right leg in the car and refusing to move further.

"Mr. Edwards actively resisted being handcuffed and could not be controlled by the Trooper while repeated directions were being given to him to relax and comply," the report reads.

Miranda signaled his intentions to spray Edwards with Mace if he continued resisting, but dropped the can on the floor of the car. A second text by the passenger to her friend said, "the cop ... was about to f*** him up."

Miranda called for back-up, which drove the rancor up even further, the trooper told investigators.

"291 flyover I need another car," a breathless Miranda called out over the police scanner, the report states.

The struggle left them in a tangle in the front seat of the car, with Edwards in the driver's seat and Miranda on top of him. Miranda's lower body was hanging out of the car with the toes of his boots on the roadway, according to the report.

"The Trooper's written statement ... describes a complete loss of control of Mr. Edwards with Edwards pulling the Trooper in the car and fighting," it states. "(Miranda described his left arm as being pinned around the right side of Mr. Edwards' torso while struggling inside the BMW."

Miranda said Edwards turned the car on and revved the engine to put the car into drive. He said he yelled and "pleaded" with Edwards not to put the car into drive, and pulled his gun from his holster.

"He feared he would be seriously injured or killed if the car drove away with him hanging outside with feet dragging on the road," the report reads.

Edwards put the car into drive and began pulling away. Miranda fired, shooting Edwards twice in the abdomen. Edwards loosened his grip, Miranda landed on his feet in the road and watched the BMW speed away, according to Mastroianni's statement.

The unnamed female passenger provided both "corroborating and contrasting detail" from that of the trooper, the prosecutor wrote. However, her outline generally matched the trooper's, adding that Edwards was "screaming at the Officer that he was hurting him, hurting his arm," and that Miranda warned Edwards to "stay still or he was going to shoot him." She called a friend during the altercation and left the line open, but the receiver could only hearing screaming and indicated hearing four shots.

"She articulated a belief that the Trooper was unreasonably aggressive and rough," the report added.

The woman said she lept from the car after hearing the first bullet ring out. She was attacked on the side of the highway by the woman in the Maxima after she jumped out of the car. The woman also assaulted her a second time at Baystate Medical Center, the report states.

Two state troopers who arrived on the scene following the shooting found two fully loaded guns under the driver's seat once they searched the car, the report states. They both had obliterated serial numbers. The car traveled about a quarter mile after Edwards was shot, investigators found.

"I have concluded that Trooper Miranda's discharging his service weapon was in response to the assaultive and life-threatening behavior of Wayne Edwards," Mastroianni wrote. "Thus, his actions are legally excused."

Edwards was out on bail after being charged with a felony drug crime, the report notes.

A ballistics examination of Miranda's gun showed the trooper fired two rounds.

Edwards' mother and stepfather, Dee and Henry Jones, have previously been critical of the time the investigation took and the questions the lag left unanswered.

Dee Jones did not return a call for comment. A lawyer for the family declined to comment.

The following is the district attorney's report.

Hampden District Attorney ruling on state police shooting of Wayne Edwards by masslive

The rescue effort was being hampered by the fact that the mine was made up of tunnels that were miles long.

ANKARA, Turkey -- An explosion and a fire Tuesday killed at least 151 workers at a coal mine in western Turkey and hundreds more remained trapped underground, government officials said as Turkey launched a massive rescue operation.

Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said 787 people were inside the coal mine in Soma at the time of the accident and 363 of them had been rescued so far. He said 76 miners were injured, including one who was in serious condition. The mine is located some 250 kilometers (155.35 miles) from Istanbul.

Authorities say the disaster followed an explosion and fire caused by a power distribution unit.

Yildiz said most of the deaths were the result of carbon monoxide poisoning.

"Time is working against us," Yildiz said earlier. He said some 400 rescuers were involved in the operation.

Yildiz said some of the workers were 420 meters (460 yards) deep inside the mine.

Television footage showed people cheering and applauding as some trapped workers emerged out of the mine, helped by rescuers, their faces and hard-hats covered in soot. One wiped away tears on his jacket, another smiled, waved and flashed a "thumbs up" sign at onlookers.

Authorities had earlier said that the blast left between 200 to 300 miners underground and were preparing for the possibility that the death toll could jump dramatically, making arrangements to set up a cold storage facility to hold the corpses of miners recovered from the site.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan postponed a one-day visit to Albania scheduled for Wednesday and planned to visit Soma instead.

The rescue effort was being hampered by the fact that the mine was made up of tunnels that were kilometers (miles) long, said Cengiz Ergun, the leader of Manisa province, where the town is located.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the mine and the hospital in Soma seeking news of their loved ones. NTV television said people broke into applause as rescued workers arrived in ambulances. Interviewed by Dogan news agency, some complained about the lack of information from state and company officials about the situation of the trapped workers.

Police set up fences and stood guard around Soma state hospital to keep the crowds away.

SOMA Komur Isletmeleri A.S., which owns the mine, confirmed that a number of its workers were killed but would not give a specific figure. It said the accident occurred despite the "highest safety measures and constant controls" and added that an investigation was being launched.

"Our main priority is to get our workers out so that they may be reunited with their loved ones," the company said in a statement.

Mining accidents are common in Turkey, which is plagued by poor safety conditions.

Turkey's worst mining disaster was a 1992 gas explosion that killed 263 workers near the Black Sea port of Zonguldak.

SEIU represents nearly 200 of the 500 employees who lost their jobs when North Adams Regional Hospital closed abruptly March 28.

NORTH ADAMS - Members of the 1199SEIU union who used to work at the shuttered North Adams Regional Hospital plan to lobby Thursday at the statehouse in Boston for the restoration of health care services at the hospital.

It would be the second lobbying trip health-care providers from the northern Berkshires have made to Beacon Hill. The first was exactly one month earlier on April 15.

Members of 1199SEI announced the trip Tuesday in a news release that also stated that 1199 SEIU concurs with a Massachusetts Nurses Association report blaming the sudden closure of North Adams Regional Hospital on debt incurred purchasing two senior living facilities, operations that lost money and were later sold at a loss.

The Nurses Association said not only did North Adams Regional Hospital make money treating patients, but that it had a lower ratio of Medicare and Medicaid patients than average for hospitals of its size around the state. Government-funded insurers pay less than care is worth.

North Adams also received higher-than average payments from private insurers.

However, the Massachusetts Hospital Association countered saying it wasn't necessarily the debt, but falling numbers of patients that did in North Adams Regional Hospital.

But 1199 SEIU  is having none of that line of reasoning. According to the 1199SEIU release:

"1199SEIU analysts have reviewed and agree with the research contained within the recent MNA report regarding North Adams Regional Hospital. The report is accurate and underscores prior assertions that many years of poor executive management and misguided investments took a significant toll on the hospital’s fiscal health.

The disastrous management missteps that have thwarted NARH also point to the need for additional transparency and a stronger community voice within the facility’s governance structure moving forward. Moving forward, disparities in government and private insurer payments to community and Disproportionate Share Hospitals remain a significant statewide threat to quality care that must be addressed.

1199SEIU members are steadfast in our commitment to the restoration of the broadest possible range of services and jobs at the former NARH facility as quickly as possible. To that end, a delegation of 1199SEIU caregivers will return to the state house on Thursday, May 15 to press the issue with key stakeholders. That same day, 1199SEIU members will kick off a new round of advertising and public outreach to promote the restoration of healthcare services and jobs in the Northern Berkshires.”

The distinction is important because the unions say numbers point out that the hospital will be financial viable if services are restored.

SEIU represents nearly 200 of the 500 employees who lost their jobs when North Adams Regional Hospital closed abruptly March 28.

Berkshire Medical Center and its parent Berkshire Health Systems has plans to reopen the emergency room in the North Adams Regional Hospital the week of May 19. Berkshire Medical Center is also in the process of buying the hospital building and a medical building from North Adams Regional Hospital and its parent Northern Berkshire Healthcare as Northern Berkshires Healthcare goes through bankruptcy liquidation.

The closure left 38,000 residents of Northern Berkshire County without a hospital.

Sullivan succeeds Chief Judy Jackson who is retiring in June.

SPRINGFIELD - Michael D. Sullivan, director of public safety at Elms College, has been named the executive director of public safety and chief of police at Springfield College, the college announced Wednesday.

John L. Mailhot, senior vice president for finance and administration, said Sullivan was appointed at the conclusion of a nationwide search.

Sullivan had been at Elms College since 2009. Before that, he was with the Amherst Police Department for 33 years.

At Springfield College, he will oversee an integrated public safety program and all police functions on campus. He will supervise and lead a public safety team of approximately 15 sworn police officers and 35 administrative, dispatch and security staff.

He succeeds Chief Judy Jackson, who is retiring after 40 years on June 1.

“I look forward to joining the Springfield College community, and continuing to build on the foundations Chief Jackson established over her time with public safety,” said Sullivan in a prepared statement.

In the stunt, he had had a knife attached to his plane and was trying to cut a ribbon suspended between two poles held by a ground crew.

FAIRFIELD, Calif. -- The pilot of a vintage biplane who died at a Northern California air show was making his second attempt at an upside-down stunt 20 feet off the ground when he crashed, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a report released Monday.

Eddie Andreini, 77, died May 4 in the crash at Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield during the Thunder Over Solano air show before a crowd of about 85,000 people. In the stunt, he had had a knife attached to his plane and was trying to cut a ribbon suspended between two poles held by a ground crew.

The NTSB says the plane was too high during the first attempt to cut the ribbon. It crashed before reaching the ribbon during the second attempt, sliding between members of the ground crew and coming to a stop a few hundred feet beyond them.

The plane's right wing first hit the runway, the report says, followed by the tail, left wing and the propeller.

Investigators report that they reviewed photos and video, showing that the plane caught fire just before it came to a stop. Burn marks on the runway showed that the fuel spilled and burned in a pool, and within 50 seconds the flames engulfed most of the plane's right side.

Witnesses said it felt like emergency crews took a long time to reach the scene.

The report says a base fire crew reached the plane within about three or four minutes and put out the flames.

Flames burned the fuselage, and the report says that the cockpit furnishings were almost completely consumed by fire. The left wing and rudder were smashed in the crash, but the report says the cockpit was not deformed.

Two men have been arraigned after allegedly setting off firecrackers, yelling profanities, breaking into the vacant Clarke School, and trying to evade police inside the darkened building.

NORTHAMPTON — Two Northampton men have been arraigned after police said they broke into Hubbard Hall at the former Clarke School for the Deaf, set off firecrackers, yelled profanities at officers, and tried to evade law enforcement inside the darkened building.

Christian Smith-Ahearn, 26, of 139 Water St., and Daniel Clogston Jr., 27, of 44 Round Hill Road, pleaded not guilty Monday to breaking and entering in the nighttime to commit a felony, possession of burglary tools, and disturbing the peace. Clogstan faces an additional charge of larceny under $250. Both were issued citations for possessing less than an ounce of marijuana.

On May 11 around 1:40 a.m., two Northampton police officers responded to a report of fireworks being detonated in the Crescent Street neighborhood, but could not find the source, according to court documents.

Responding again 20 minutes later, patrol officers Anthony Sotolloto and Brian Letzeisen heard loud bangs and a voice yelling "expletive you, pigs!" from the area of 47 Round Hill Road. Acting on a tip from a neighbor who had stepped outside, the two entered the former Clarke School building through an unlocked side door, heard footsteps running on the third floor, and called for backup.

"As this was an extremely large building and I was unsure how many people could be inside, I immediately radioed for more units," wrote Sotolloto.

While two more officers secured the perimeter, a state police K-9 unit led Sotolloto and Letzeisen to a closed metal door on the third floor next to an old elevator shaft, according to police reports.

As the door briefly opened then swung shut again, at least one officer drew his gun.

"Having multiple unknown felony suspects, with unknown weapons, who were attempting to elude police, I unholstered my weapon and pointed it at the door," wrote Letzeisen in his narrative.

Verbal commands and the barking K-9 prompted the suspects to crack the door again, wrote the officers, allowing police to enter. Letzeisen said he holstered his weapon upon discovering the suspects were unarmed and cooperative. Sotolloto stated he pointed his service revolver at the two dust-covered men and ordered them to the floor, where they were taken into custody without incident.

Inside the small room, police say they found police scanners with headphones, a Halloween mask, and a black handkerchief tied like a bandana.

The two were also carrying small amounts of marijuana and a glass pipe, according to police.

Police said Clogstan was in possession of a multi-tool and a large set of keys, and said the two entered the building with keys he took from his father, Daniel Clogstan Sr., the building's property manager.

Both were booked and released on personal recognizance and a $40 bail fee.

Clogstan's father affirmed to police he was the property manager there, and denied giving his son permission to take the keys or enter the building.

The junior Clogstan admitted to police that he threw firecrackers from the building's roof, .

He has a previous conviction for breaking and entering in the daytime with the intent to commit a felony, and two other entries on his adult probation report, police say.

The historic building is one of 10 on the former Clarke School property purchased last year by Opal Real Estate. Clarke put the property up for sale in 2011. The 11.8-acre campus is slated for redevelopment into luxury condominiums.

The two will be back in court June 10th.

An Easthampton man has been sentenced to two years in jail and ordered to pay $6,650 after pleading guilty to OUl, 4th offense.

NORTHAMPTON 8212 An Easthampton man has been sentenced to two years in jail and ordered to pay $6,650 in fines and assessments after pleading guilty to operating under the influence of alcohol, 4th offense.

Cordis D. Bean, 46, of 5 Nashawannuck St., appeared in Northampton District Court Tuesday before Judge W. Michael Goggins, where he also admitted to failure to identify himself to police.

Bean was arrested Feb. 12 after Easthampton police responded to an accident at Cottage Street and Williston Avenue where one of the two vehicles involved was a red 1997 GMC Sierra pickup truck with a plow attached.

Police say Bean exited the truck and approached officers with his pants wet in the groin area and a strong smell of alcohol on his breath, and presented a driver's license with a Goshen address issued to "David C. Bean."

After failing a field sobriety test, Bean was arrested for OUI 6th offense, failure to identify himself to police, and neglecting to notify the Registry of Motor Vehicles of an address change. Bean was also cited for failure to use care in stopping in striking a vehicle that had stopped at a red light.

An inventory of Bean's vehicle yielded four empty Michelob beer cans and 11 full beers. Bean was taken into custody and ordered held without the right to bail pending a dangerousness hearing.

On Tuesday, Goggins accepted a motion from prosecutors to amend the complaint to OUI 4th offense because of the commonwealth's inability to produce documentation of two of Bean's alleged drunk driving convictions from the 1980s.

Police said they believe Bean went to the registry and obtained a Massachusetts driver's license through false pretenses under the name David C. Bean, because of his previous OUI convictions under the name Cordis D. Bean.

Under Massachusetts law, after a 5th OUI offense, the penalty is lifetime loss of license.

Bean told police he has lived in Easthampton for 20 years.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Jeannette M. and Joseph A.V. Boudreau 

EAST LONGMEADOW - Jeannette M. (LaFaille) Boudreau, 95, of East Longmeadow, died on March 3 at Wingate in East Longmeadow. She was born in Holyoke on January 15, 1919 to Harvey and Eva (Labonte) LaFaille. At a young age, her parents moved to Waverly Street in the North End of Springfield where she was raised. She attended local schools and graduated from the High School of Commerce. She lived in Springfield before moving to East Longmeadow in 1965. She was previously employed as a merchandise arranger at the former Steigers Department Store in Longmeadow. During her younger years, she was a communicant of the former Saint Thomas Aquinas Church in Springfield. Jeannette was a communicant of Saint Michael Church in East Longmeadow. She married Joseph Boudreau on May 30, 1942.

Joseph A. V. Boudreau, 91, also of East Longmeadow, died on May 1 at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. He was born in Springfield on August 1, 1922, to Joseph and Rose E. (Tremblay) Boudreau. He was raised in Springfield, graduated in 1939 from Cathedral High School, where he played football and hockey and lived in Springfield until 1965 when he moved to East Longmeadow. During his early years in Springfield, he was employed as a machinist at the former Springfield Armory. He served his country in the United States Army during World War II with the 11th Headquarters Detachment Special Troops 4th Army and attained the rank of Technician Fourth Grade. While serving his country, he became a driver for General Marcil Gelice of the 4th Army Infantry at Fort Hood, Texas. He received the American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. Following his military service, he returned to Springfield and was employed at the former Moore Drop Forge in Springfield. He later was employed as a machinist and then a foreman at the Stacy Machine and Tool which later became Kidder Stacy in Agawam and retired around 1984. Retirement was not for him, so he became a driver for then Springfield Bishop Joseph A. Maguire. He remained his driver after Bishop Maguire retired and drove him until 2013.

Assistant District Attorney James M. Forsyth said the indictment was sought against the company based on mechanical failure in the truck.

SPRINGFIELD — A Hampden Superior Court grand jury has indicted Moose Meadow Brook Excavation, Inc. for manslaughter in the May 2013 death of 7-year-old Michael Ryan, who was riding his training-wheel-equipped bicycle when hit by a dump truck in Westfield.

Assistant District Attorney James M. Forsyth said the indictment was sought against the Westfield-based company because the truck had a mechanical failure.

An arraignment date has not been set.

At the time of the fatal collision, Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni said: “Preliminary information shows Michael Ryan was on his bicycle at or near the intersection of Montgomery Road and Prospect Street when he was struck by the front end of a truck owned by Moose Meadow Brook Excavation.”

“Information indicates the truck attempted evasive measures before contact was made,” Mastroianni said.

No charges were sought against the driver of the truck, who was unharmed in the collision.

On Memorial Day last year Kerry Lee Ryan was surrounded by nearly 150 mourners and supporters for a candle light vigil at the site where her son was killed.

Having the support of her friends, church and community, she said, has helped her cope with the loss, and seeing such a crowd gathered in her young son’s memory was proof of a short life well-lived.