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Democrat Warren Tolman releases LGBT rights agenda to mark 10th anniversary of legalized gay marriage in Massachusetts

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Marking ten years since Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to allow same-sex couples to marry, Democrat Warren Tolman, a candidate for attorney general, rolled out his LGBT action plan Thursday highlighting his pledge to protect the rights of all Bay State citizens, regardless of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Marking ten years since Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to allow same-sex couples to marry, Democrat Warren Tolman, a candidate for attorney general, rolled out his LGBT action plan Thursday highlighting his pledge to protect the rights of all Bay State citizens, regardless of sex, sexual orientation or gender identity.

"Ensuring equality for all Massachusetts residents, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation, is the defining civil rights issue of our time," Tolman said in a statement. "We should be very proud that under the Goodridge decision, Massachusetts was the first state to legalize same-sex marriage. But we must remain vigilant in protecting equal rights. As Attorney General, I will be an advocate for every citizen of the Commonwealth, regardless of their race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability."

Tolman said his plan to protect the LGBT community includes advocating for equality in other states and on the federal level. He also said that working to add sexual orientation and gender identity to the Massachusetts Equal Pay statute would help in preventing institutional discrimination, as would extending rights to transgender citizens by supporting legislation doing just that.

"We must do more to protect equal rights for all of our residents, from expanding our anti-discrimination laws to providing enforcement that ensures Massachusetts remains a leader in civil rights," Tolman said. "From the playground, to the hospital, to senior living facilities, I will be an advocate and a fighter for the LGBTQ community to protect our partners, relatives, friends, neighbors and our children from discrimination and hate."

As a candidate running for governor in 2002, Tolman told Edge magazine in Boston that although he didn't support gay marriage, he supported civil unions. Two years later the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in the Goodridge v. Department of Public Health case hat same sex couples had the legal right to marry.

On Friday, Tolman will attend the 10th anniversary celebration of the Goodridge decision in Cambridge. He is competing with fellow Democrat Maura Healey and Republican John Miller to become the next attorney general of Massachusetts.



Holyoke must wait for prosecution before learning why it took medical examiner nearly 3 years to disclose child's cause of death

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A man was arrested Tuesday for the 2011 death of a 19-month-old baby girl by "shaking injuries of the head and neck."

HOLYOKE -- The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner won't discuss why it took nearly three years to disclose the cause of death of a 19-month-old baby here until prosecution of the man arrested for the child's murder is complete, a spokesman said Thursday.

"Because the case hasn't been prosecuted, we don't comment on it until it's been resolved," said Terrel Harris, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety, which oversees the medical examiner's office.

Plus, said Harris, speaking generally and not specifically about the death of 19-month-old Jaliyah Silva, autopsies require numerous tests of body tissues and other elements that can take a while to yield results. Medical backgrounds of a child's parents also must be examined along with other factors, he said.

On Tuesday, Luis J. Prosper, 27, was charged with murder, assault and battery with intent to do serious bodily harm, and abuse and neglect of a child between the ages of 0 and 18 in the Aug. 7, 2011 death of Jaliyah. She was the daughter of the woman who was Prosper's girlfriend at the time, police said.

Court documents list only the charge of murder for Prosper. He denied a single charge of murder Wednesday in Holyoke District Court where Judge Phillip A. Beattie ordered him held in lieu of $500,000 cash bail. A pre-trial hearing is June 17. Prosper's lawyer is Alan Black.

Within the past two weeks, the state medical examiner's office contacted the office of Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni. Holyoke police then were advised by Assistant District Attorney Jane Mulqueen that the medical examiner's final diagnosis was that Jaliyah Silva's death was caused by "shaking injuries of the head and neck," according to documents obtained at Holyoke District Court.

Mastroianni said he didn't know why it took as long as it did for the medical examiner's office to release Jaliyah's cause of death.

"It's a good question, it's a legitimate question," Mastroianni said in a phone interview.

Complaints about the slowness of cause-of-death results from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and the ensuing stress to people involved aren't new. A lawyer representing the family waiting more than a year for an autopsy report on the death of a 47-year-old Springfield woman last year called such waits "inexcusable.”

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner is responsible for investigating the cause and manner of death in violent, suspicious or unexplained deaths, according to the office's website.

The state established the office in 1983 under Chapter 38 of Massachusetts General Laws.

"Prior to 1983, the death investigations were handled regionally by the individual counties of the commonwealth under the direction of each district attorney," the website said.

3-way race for Granby selectman to highlight annual town election

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There is a question on whether the town treasurer should remain an elected position or become an appointed office.

GRANBY – A three way race for Select Board and a request to raise taxes $363,041 to pay for townwide rubbish removal are featured on Monday’s annual election ballot.

Polls in Granby are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., at East Meadow School cafeteria, 393 East State St., for the May 19 election.

Incumbent selectman Louis B. Barry faces a challenge from Pamela M. Desjardins and Kyle A. Nobes for a three year term.

For Planning Board, there is a contest between Robert F. Sheehan, Jr., and Glen N. Sexton.

There are no other races for town offices.

No one took out nomination papers for tree warden, recreation commissioner, and commissioner of trust funds.

Voters will decide whether to support or reject a Proposition 2 1/2 override of $363,041 “for the purpose of funding a townwide curbside solid waste and recycling collection contract for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014."

There is a question on whether the town treasurer should remain an elected position or become an appointed office.

 

Democrat Steve Kerrigan turns in signatures in bid to become next lieutenant governor of Massachusetts

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Steve Kerrigan, one of the Democrats hoping to be the next lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, moved one step closer to the ballot on Thursday as he submitted more than the 10,000 signatures needed to officially be a contender for the office.

Steve Kerrigan, one of the Democrats hoping to be the next lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, moved one step closer to the ballot on Thursday as he submitted more than the 10,000 signatures needed to officially be a contender for the office.

Kerrigan's campaign reported Thursday that volunteers turned in more than 14,000 signatures for certification to clerks in more than 230 cities and towns across the Commonwealth and will continue to submit additional ones to the Secretary of State’s Office as they are certified.

"Today marks another important milestone for our campaign, as we submitted over 10,000 certified signatures to the Secretary of State's Office --the first step towards getting on the ballot in September. We couldn’t have accomplished this without the amazing work of our dedicated campaign team and tireless volunteers," said Kerrigan, a former staffer to both the late Sen. Ted Kennedy and former Attorney General Tom Reilly. "I’m truly inspired by the grassroots organization and momentum we are building, and the hours upon hours my friends and supporters spent in cities and towns across the Commonwealth working to get to this day."

Candidates running as a Democrat or Republican must submit their signatures locally by May 6. Non-party candidates have until July 29, according to the secretary of state's 2014 election schedule.

Three other Democrats are in the running for lieutenant governor, including former USDA administrator James Arena DeRosa, Cambridge City Councilor Lelund Cheung, and Mike Lake, the CEO of the Boston-based Leading Cities.

Former state Rep. Karyn Polito, who is running with gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker as a ticket, is currently the only Republican in the race.

United Independent Party candidate Angus Jennings is running as a ticket with gubernatorial hopeful Evan Falchuk while Yarmouth Selectwoman Tracy Post is running with independent Jeff McCormick.

The primary election for lieutenant governor will take place Sept. 9, and the general election is slated for Nov. 4, 2014.


Children's book about Springfield's American Legion Post 21's stand against racism now an adult book too

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Anderson will be on hand for an unveiling and book signing of the refashioned story “We Called Him Bunny” on Friday, May 16 at 9 a.m. in the library at Central High School, 1640 Roosevelt Avenue.

SPRINGFIELD — Richard Anderson, author of the newly released children’s book "A Homerun for Bunny," chronicling Springfield' s 1934 American Legion Post 21 baseball team's courageous stand against racism, has penned a new version of the story for adult readers.

Anderson will be on hand for an unveiling and book signing of the refashioned story “We Called Him Bunny” on Friday 9 a.m. in the library at Central High School, 1640 Roosevelt Ave.

Anderson will be joined by Anthony King, who at 95 years old is the only surviving member of the team.

Both books retell the story of how 15 city boys agreed to withdraw from a baseball tournament in Gastonia, N.C., when they learned that their sole African-American teammate, Ernest “Bunny” Taliaferro, would not be allowed to play. The decision jeopardized the team’s chance at a national title.

The children's book was recently published by Illumination Arts Publishing, of Bellevue, Wash., and was illustrated by artist Gerald Purnell.

The team, represented by King, will receive a Springfield College Humanics Awards, on Saturday during undergraduate commencement ceremonies on Naismith Green.

Springfield Renaissance School holds second Declaration Day, dedicated to 100 percent of seniors accepted to college

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The grade six-to-12 public magnet school held its second “Declaration Day” Thursday afternoon – a day dedicated to celebrating the achievements of its students who are put on the college track from their first day at the school and encouraged to succeed.

SPRINGFIELD – One by one the 98 graduating seniors from the Renaissance School walked to the microphone Thursday and announced to which colleges they were accepted and will attend in the fall.

The grade six-to-12 public magnet school held its second “Declaration Day” Thursday afternoon – a day dedicated to celebrating the achievements of its students who are put on the college track from their first day at the school and encouraged to succeed.

“I’ve always gotten good grades,” said Deanna N. Womack, who was accepted to six colleges and will attend Westfield State University as a biology/premed student.

“But what’s different at this school is that everyone wants to go to college, and it’s a big deal,” she said.

School Principal Stephen R. Mahoney said the class of 2014 is the fifth to have a 100 percent college acceptance rate, an accomplishment to which he credits the family community between students, faculty and staff.

“There’s a lot of love here,” he said. “The kids are on a very clear path and have lots of support. When you hold kids to high expectations they have high expectations for themselves.”

The love was apparent when the last group of teens on the stage turned cards that spelled “Happy Birthday” and presented Mahoney with a gift after the principal said “this class has earned its place in this school’s history.”

The key factor in inspiring success among the teens, Mahoney added, is a mutual trust between students and teachers that leads to the confidence to realize dreams.

Physical education teacher Lorie Letellier echoed that sentiment and added that another factor in student success is their resilience to bounce back from difficult situations and focus on their future.

“These kids are resilient because of what they go through at home that we don’t know about,” she said.

When students enter the school in the sixth grade, Letellier explained, they are divided into small groups and matched with a teacher as their mentor. Each group stays with that same teacher throughout their education.

Thursday afternoon’s ceremony was attended by family, friends and the junior class for whom the seniors had advice that included comments such as, “Don’t wait until third term to apply to out-of-state colleges,” “Work hard,” “Believe in yourself,” and “Wear a condom.”

That last piece of advice came from Felix A. Colon, accepted to Springfield Community Technical College, whose plans have been temporarily derailed by the impending birth of his child.

“I have a family to raise now, but in two or three years I’ll get back on track,” he said. “If I don’t end up in college I plan on joining the United States Marines.”

Like other students, teachers and the principal, Colon said the family community at the school has helped him during stressful situations.

“The school helped me a lot,” he said. “When I was freaking out they helped me stay relaxed. I will look back at this time as a blessing.”

Jury in Berkshire triple murder trial of David Chalue will try again Friday to reach a verdict

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The jury deliberated for two hours Monday and all day Tuesday, Wednesday, and now a long day on Thursday.

SPRINGFIELD - After a roller coaster-type day Thursday in the Berkshire triple murder trial of David Chalue, jurors will continue deliberations Friday.

Jurors reported to Hampden Superior Court Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder shortly before 3 p.m. by note they had reached unanimous verdicts.

The verdicts were read to the court: guilty on three counts each of first-degree murder, kidnapping and intimidation of a witness.

But then defense lawyer Donald W. Frank asked that jurors be polled individually. And when First Assistant Superior Court Clerk Kevin J. Claffey asked the first juror, "Are these your verdicts," she said, "No."

Two other jurors had cried as the verdicts were read.

Kinder immediately sent jurors out of the room and told them since it was clear their verdicts were not unanimous they must continue deliberating and the verdicts would not be accepted.

Kinder then talked to the attorneys at sidebar and had the juror who said they weren't her verdicts come in to join the discussion. After she was brought back out, the sidebar continued.

The judge had jurors deliberate until 6 p.m., and sent a note in to see if they wanted to continue. They said they wanted to end for the day.

Kinder told them to come back at 9 a.m. Friday. Kinder had said since the beginning of the trial there would be no court May 16 because of his own schedule. The first it was said in the courtroom there would be a session Friday was at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Chalue is charged in the August, 2011 slayings of David Glasser, Edward Frampton and Robert Chadwell.

The jury deliberated for two hours Monday and all day Tuesday, Wednesday, and now a long day on Thursday. The foreman has not sent a note to Kinder at any time saying they were deadlocked.

In August 2011, weeks before he was to testify against Adam Lee Hall, Glasser and his roommate, Frampton, and their friend Chadwell, all of Pittsfield, disappeared. Their dismembered bodies were found in Becket 10 days later.

Hall, 36, of Peru; Chalue, 46, of North Adams, and Caius Veiovis, 32, of Pittsfield, kidnapped the three victims from Frampton's Pittsfield home sometime in the early hours of Aug. 28, 2011, and fatally shot them, according to prosecutors.

A Hampden Superior Court jury in February found Hall guilty of multiple charges, including the first-degree murders of the three victims. He is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The cases, which are being heard separately, were moved to Hampden Superior Court by Kinder after defense lawyers said extensive publicity in Berkshire County would prevent a fair jury from being selected. A Hampden Superior Court jury in February found Adam Lee Hall guilty of multiple charges, including the first-degree murders of the three victims. He is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Photos, video: Moose captured after roaming Amherst College campus

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With the moose at large, local police, Massachusetts Environmental Police and Amherst College Police joined in the pursuit. Watch video

AMHERST — A moose that spent much of Thursday roaming the downtown area &mdash with an apparent affinity for the Amherst College campus and the home of president Carolyn 'Biddy' Martin — was eventually tranquilized by wildlife officials, secured in a large net and placed in a truck with a one-way ticket out of town.

Martin posted a photo of the moose to her Twitter account Thursday morning, writing: "Never a dull moment at Amherst College. This morning, an unusual presence in my yard." The moose returned later in the day, and Martin was able to snap additional photos, which she also shared.

With the moose at large, local police, Massachusetts Environmental Police and Amherst College Police joined in the pursuit.

Ralph Taylor, district supervisor for the Connecticut Valley Wildlife District of the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, said officials were forced to close some roads in the area of Woodside Avenue for public safety.

"After we put a dart into a moose like this, it may take 20 or 30 minutes before it goes down, and it could end up on Route 116 or Route 9," Taylor said, adding: "So, we have to have control of the roads."

The moose, captured around 2:30 p.m., will be relocated to a more rural area, officials said.

Taylor said that over the past 30 years he has had to move about four or five moose from the area around Amherst center.



Northampton City Council gets it first look at $103.9 million fiscal 2015 budget

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"Massachusetts cities and towns are no more reliant on regressive property taxes to fund services than at anytime in the last 30 years," Narkewicz said in his budget message.

NORTHAMPTON - Mayor David J. Narkewicz presented the City Council his $103.9 million fiscal 2015 budget Thursday, the first nine-figure Northampton budget and the first in recent memory that entails no significant staff cuts.

The budget combines the $85.797 million general fund portion, which is raised by tax revenues, with the water, sewer and solid waste enterprise funds, which are billed separately. In addition, the 2015 budget includes $1.98 million in revenue from the new storm water enterprise fund. In all, the $103.9 million budget represents a 2.2 percent increase over the fiscal 2014 budget.

The only cuts under Narkewicz's budget are four firefighter positions that were added several years back under a federal grant. The grant required that the city fund the positions last year. The four posts will be accounted for through attrition and retirements, and no one will be laid off, Narkewicz said.

Twenty-two layoffs were avoided last year when voters approved a $2.5 million Proposition 2 1/2 override in June. The mayor set aside $1.4 million of the override to balance the 2015 budget, which will provide the same level of city services. Narkewicz also created a stabilization funds enabling Northampton to avoid another override until 2018. The budget he presented Thursday sets aside additional funds to extend that to fiscal 2020.

State aid, once a reliable source of revenue for the city, has for years lagged behind increases in expenditures like salaries and health care. This year is no different, Narkewicz said, noting that the anticipated increase in state aid is only .23 percent, or $22,258.

"Massachusetts cities and towns are no more reliant on regressive property taxes to fund services than at anytime in the last 30 years," Narkewicz said in his budget message.

The council is expected to refer the budget out to committees for discussion before voting on it next month.

Updates will be posted this evening after the meeting.

Greater Springfield NAACP President Talbert Swan receives award at 96th annual NAACP dinner held at Chez Josef

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The 96th anniversary membership banquet was held at Chez Josef.

011112 talbert swan.JPG01.11.2012 | SPRINGFIELD -- Rev. Talbert W. Swan, President of the Springfield NAACP, talks with the editorial board of The Republican. 

AGAWAM – Four people received awards at the 96th annual membership banquet of the Greater Springfield branch of the NAACP and one of them was its three-year president, the Rev. Talbert Swan.

“He has been a very active president,” said Sophia Jeffrey, a member of the awards committee.

She said Swan did not know prior to the banquet that he had been chosen for the award.

The others receiving awards were the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club of Springfield which was receiving an award for community service, Thomas Hodge, past president of the Vietnam Veterans of Greater Springfield, who was receiving an award for veterans services and William Bayman III, a student at Western New England University who was receiving an award for being a youth minister in his church.

The 96th anniversary membership banquet was held at Chez Josef.

Notable guests included a representative for Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, State Sen. James Welch, D-West Springfield, State Rep. Benjamin Swan, D-Springfield, Governor’s Councilor Michael Albano and Springfield City Councilor Bud Williams.

Rev. Swan said the Greater Springfield NAACP is continuing to work against voter rights suppression, for President Obama’s Affordable Health Care Act and the expansion of Medicaid in southern states which have not expanded Medicaid, for limiting high powered magazines in the state and for strict background checks for gun ownership to keep people in all communities safer and against Stand Your Ground laws.

“We are fortunate with health care in Massachusetts,” Swan said. “The Affordable Health Care act was based upon the Massachusetts model.”

Swan said that between 300 and 500 people were expected to attend the dinner at Chez Josef.

The guest speaker was Kemba Smith Pradia, an author and voting rights advocate.



Chicopee homeless hotels agree on compromise: Will hire fire safety expert instead of installing sprinklers

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The hotels were given 30 days to comply with the order to install sprinklers, file and appeal or find new housing for homeless families.

CHICOPEE – Owners of three city hotels which are housing about 170 homeless families have agreed to hire a trained fire watch expert or service in lieu of having to install sprinklers in the three buildings.

Last month, owners of Days Inn, 450 Memorial Drive; Quality Inn., 436 Memorial Drive, and Econo Lodge, 357 Burnett Road, were ordered to install a sprinkler system in their buildings or stop accepting homeless families who remain in the hotels for months at a time.

The three were given 30 days to comply or file appeals with different state boards. At the same time, city officials scheduled a meeting for Thursday morning with the three owners to try to find a compromise solution.

“There is a resolution of the entire issue. There is an agreement by the three hotel owners that they will retain a fire watch person … who will be onsite during sleeping hours,” said Thomas D. Murphy, the lawyer who represents all three owners.

Details of exactly when the person will be on site will be worked out in the coming days, he said.

The three owners and Murphy met with representatives from the city solicitor’s office, the building department, the fire department and Mayor Richard J. Kos’ office.

“We appreciate that the mayor’s office and the building commissioner came up with a solution we could literally live with,” Murphy said.

In lieu of putting in sprinkler systems, which are expensive, often difficult to retrofit in older buildings and take time to install, all three will hire a person or agency which is trained in fire safety. That person will have knowledge of fire detection, fire extinguisher use and controlled evacuation procedures if there is a fire, he said.

One of the advantages of the agreement is a fire watch expert can be hired within a few weeks while it will take months to install a sprinkler system, he said.

Hotel owners do take measures to ensure the safety of the families living there. Rooms are inspected daily and anything that can be considered a hazard, such as a hot plate, is removed, Murphy said.

The agreement, which will reviewed in six months, will also allow the health department to conduct regular inspections of the hotels, Murphy said.

Officials for the state Department of Housing and Community Development said they continue to work to move families from hotels to better living situation.

“Our number one priority continues to be the health and safety of all the families in our emergency shelter system. As we continue to work with families on transitioning out of emergency shelter and into permanent affordable housing, we are glad that this local issue has been resolved,” said Matthew Sheaff, director of communications for the department.

The state statue does allow using a fire watch expert as an appropriate way to deal with a situation like the hotels, Kos said, adding he is satisfied with the resolution.

“Our whole purpose for doing this is for safety,” he said.

The city began scrutinizing the hotels after finding an apartment building, that was being used as a homeless shelter, was missing basic fire safety equipment, including working smoke detectors. In further review, the building and fire departments determined the hotels and shelter should have a lodging house license and have a sprinkler system.

Hotels currently do not need sprinklers because people stay there for a short time. When families are staying there for longer than 30 days, they store more things and cook meals, increasing the fire hazard.

Smith College faculty backlash grows following Christine Lagarde's withdrawal as commencement speaker

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Faculty backlash grows after the withdrawal of IMF chief Christine Lagarde as Smith College commencement speaker

NORTHAMPTON - A new batch of Smith College professors are expressing dismay that International Monetary Fund managing director Christine Lagarde has chosen to withdraw as Sunday's commencement speaker.

In an open letter posted Thursday, 120 faculty members said they were disappointed with Lagarde's choice, and endorsed the viewpoint of Smith College President Kathleen McCartney, who has stood behind the college's decision to invite Lagarde despite protests by some students and faculty who take issue with the IMF's global development policies.

Tuesday, 13 economics professors also issued a statement, saying Lagarde's withdrawal represents a "lost opportunity" to inform multi-faceted and nuanced discourse on campus.

Last weekend Lagarde withdrew her participation after an anonymous online petition asking trustees to "reconsider" Lagarde garnered nearly 500 signatures. The petition claims the IMF strengthens "imperialist and patriarchal systems," and says having Lagarde speak would amount to a statement of support for the organization.

Some members of the college community also contacted Lagarde directly, McCartney said.

McCartney wrote to students and faculty Monday disagreeing with the protesters' analysis of what Lagarde's presence would mean, saying she remains "committed to leading a college where differing views can be heard and debated with respect."

“An invitation to speak at a commencement is not an endorsement of all views or policies of an individual or the institution she or he leads," wrote McCartney. "Such a test would preclude virtually anyone in public office or position of influence. Moreover, such a test would seem anathema to our core values of free thought and diversity of opinion."

Expressing alliance with student protesters, Smith College associate professor Elisabeth Adams published an opinion piece in the Daily Hampshire Gazette Tuesday where she disagrees with McCartney, praises the spirit of dissent, and chastises Lagarde.

"I do not agree with a base assumption that the Smith community’s dissent stifled Lagarde’s speech. It did not. She didn’t want to see or hear our disagreement, so she decided not to join the party. Her choice. She has access to muffled rooms that silence our analysis on a daily basis and has chosen not to leave them," wrote Armstrong.

Armstrong presented the example of Gloria Steinem, who spoke at Smith's commencement in 1971, as the type of speaker trustees should invite.

"She pushed the largely white audience of women to fight racism as their own feminist fight, and to challenge elitism as a legacy of their own elite advantages," wrote Armstrong of Steinem.

Lagarde is a French anti-trust and labor lawyer who, in 2011, became the first woman to direct the IMF, replacing Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Lagarde is former Finance Minister for France, where she also served as Minister of Foreign Trade for two years.

Smith College's 136th commencement will take place Sunday, May 18 at 10 a.m. in the campus quadrangle. Former Smith College President Ruth J. Simmons has agreed to deliver the keynote address. Simmons will join four other guests in receiving honorary degrees.

Voting in Wilbraham is Saturday at Minnechaug Regional High School

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Voting hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

WILBRAHAM – Town Clerk Beverly J. Litchfield said she is hoping for a 25 to 30 percent turnout in Saturday’s town election. The total number of registered voters is 10,098.

Voting Saturday is from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Minnechaug Regional High School. Voters should enter at the rear of the building near the superintendent’s office.

Races on the ballot are for selectman, two seats on the School Committee, Housing Authority and two library trustee seats.

For selectman, four candidates are running for a three-year term. They are Susan Bunnell, a 20-year member of the Finance Committee who has been chair for the past seven years, Will Caruana, chairman of the town’s Broadband Committee, Mary McCarthy, endorsed by the Republican Town Committee and Stephen Bacon, a systems technical consultant for MassMutual.

For two seats on the School Committee there are three candidates, incumbents D. John McCarthy and Peter Salerno and challenger Patricia Gordon, a retired science teacher at Minnechaug Regional High School who said that if elected she will work against implementation of federal Common Core standards.

For Housing Authority, Jason Burkins, a Democratic Caucus nominee, is seeking a three-year term. He is being challenged by Republican Caucus nominee Michael Dane.
For two library trustee seats there are three candidates – Republican Caucus nominees Linda F. Moriarty, a candidate for reelection, and William R. Dane and Democratic Caucus nominee Gloria C. Russell.

North Adams satellite emergency room a relief, more work to be done

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North Adams Regional Hospital closed March 28 with three days notice.

This story continues: North Adams emergency room will open Monday

NORTH ADAMS - Confirmation that a satellite emergency room will reopen in the former North Adams Regional Hospital as expected Monday came as a relief to this community left without a hospital since March 28. 

Even if the question of when, or if,  North Adams will regain additional lost hospital services remains open and in doubt, some severely injured and very ill patients will still need to go elsewhere for treatment.

"If people are feeling half as good as I am right now they are all doing a happy dance," said North Adams Mayor Richard J. Alcombright. "Kudos to the Berkshire Medical Center staff who worked so hard, to all the government officials. It just takes away the angst, the not knowing. People should feel better now."

Alcombright said he looks forward to working with state-hired consultants on a plan to add more services.

About 40,000 residents of Northern Berkshire County have been without a hospital since North Adams Regional Hospital closed March 28 with just three days notice. The move threw 500 people out of work.

On Friday, the Pittsfield-based Berkshire Medical Center announced that it will, as expected, open a satellite  emergency room at noon Monday at the former North Adams Regional Hospital building.

Berkshire Medical Center has offered to buy the hospital, and a nearby  office building as the parent of North Adams Regional Hospital liquidates through a federal bankruptcy process.

The satellite emergency room should be able to provide critical and non-critical emergency care,  Berkshire Medical Center said Friday in a statement. It will be staffed by many former North Adams Regional  employees. The satellite emergency room will have emergency diagnostic services, including CT scanning, X-ray and laboratory testing.

The North Adams satellite facility won't admit patients for observation however, said John Meaney, general manager of the North Adams Ambulance Service. But transporting patients who have been stabilized to a nearby hospital, either Berkshire Medical Center or Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, Vt., for further care is much safer than transporting them from the field.

And since March 28, when North Adams Regional shut down, Meaney hand his crews have been taking people  from the field to emergency rooms at least 35 minutes away.

"Starting Monday, they will have already received the treatment they need. They are stable.  It will be a  transfer for observation," Meaney said. "Instead of being rolled down the hallway and upstairs for admission, they will be rolled  down the street in an ambulance."

Most "tier three" trauma patients will go directly to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield or Southwestern Vermont, Meaney said. Those cases are all people with multiple injures, like  car crash survivors with multiple broken bones or a head injury.

All patients suspected of having suffers a stroke will go to either Berkshire Medical Center or to Southwest Vermont Medical Center in Bennington even after the satellite emergency room opens, Meaney said. That is because North Adams won't have  24-hour MRI capability.

It's also a change from when the hospital was open. North Adams Regional Hospital was a stroke center.

The way ambulance crews handle obstetrics emergencies will also change. With the satellite center, if birth is imminent the ambulance crew will try and get the mother to the satellite emergency facility. But if birth is not imminent, the ambulance crew will take the woman to Berkshire Medical Center for admission,Meaney said.

The handling of cardiac cases will be similar to what it was when North Adams had a hospital, Meaney said.

The North Adams' satellite emergency facility will have all the clot-busting drugs and other emergency treatments. Cardiac patients will most likely need transfer to the catheterisation lab at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, same as before the closure. Those cases went to Baystate even when North Adams Regional was open.

Amherst Town Meeting resumes Monday night and considers creating housing trust

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Amherst Town Meeting to take up creation of Housing Trust Monday.

AMHERST – The Annual Town Meeting resumes for its seventh session Monday night and will consider whether to adopt the Amherst Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

The fund would provide for the creation and preservation of affordable housing in town.

The Finance Committee in its report supports the fund's establishment because "it would allow for greater flexibility in creating and preserving affordable housing in Amherst."

A Board of Trustees would be able to raise funds and appropriate money and be able to buy property if something became available rather than wait for Town Meeting appropriations.

Community Preservation Act money, voted by Town Meeting, could go into the trust, as could private donations and payments from developers in lieu of providing affordable housing units, according to the committee report.

The meeting is also slated to consider a resolution proposed by the Human Rights Commission that supports the rights of workers to organize and bargain collectively. The Finance Committee is not offering a recommendation because officials do not expect any financial consequences.

 Voters also are expected to take up a drone resolution that has been modified since the warrant was first issued. The article is divided into two with the resolution looking at air space and privacy and another involving the use of drones when it comes to targeted killing.

Town meeting, meanwhile, Wednesday night at session six failed to acquire, by gift, purchase, and/or eminent domain, two easements in connection with the Triangle and East Pleasant streets intersection project.

Board of Public Works Superintendent Guilford B. Mooring said the project can proceed anyway and the town will be applying for a state Massworks grant for the project. The meeting approved it by a 70-62 vote but not the required two-thirds needed by law.

The meeting approved a supplemental dwelling unit bylaw that will help address a housing shortage in town. The bylaw expands the range of supplemental dwelling units possible in existing singe-family homes and allows for the possibility of some stand alone homes on the existing property of a single family home.

Those homes could be no larger than 800 square feet or 900 if completely accessible.

The meeting begins Monday at 7 p.m. in the Amherst Regional Middle School.


Residents threatened with wine bottles during Worcester home invasion

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Worcester police arrested a man Friday who allegedly broke into a home along with another man and threatened the residents with wine bottles.

WORCESTER — Worcester police arrested a man Friday who allegedly broke into a home along with another man and threatened the residents with wine bottles.

"Police learned that two men entered the apartment threatening the tenants with wine bottles," said the Worcester Police Department in a press release Friday. "The two men took some items from the apartment and fled the scene. Officers were given a detailed description of the suspects."

It's unclear at this time if the wine bottles were broken or intact.

Worcester police were called to the Millbury Street apartment for the reported home invasion at 11:58 a.m. on Friday. There were no reported injuries.

Shortly after that, an officer on patrol in the Seymour Street saw one of the men walking towards Ward Street, according to police. They stopped the man and arrested him. They were unable to locate the second man who is described as a black man in his early 20's wearing dark jeans and a dark shirt with stripes.

Police arrested Devon Denis, 21, of 60 Forsberg St., and charged him with home invasion.

Democratic Attorney General candidates Warren Tolman, Maura Healey to hold first debate on Monday

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Healey and Tolman will meet for one hour at 1 p.m. on Monday at Middlesex Community College's Lowell campus.

Democratic candidates for attorney general Maura Healey and Warren Tolman will hold their first debate on Monday.

Healey and Tolman will meet for one hour at 1 p.m. on Monday at Middlesex Community College's Lowell campus. The debate is co-sponsored by the college and the Lowell Sun.

While the two have appeared at forums together, this will be their first media-sponsored debate.

The candidates will take questions from Middlesex Community College student Karoline Menezes, Middlesex Community College political science professor Sheri Denk and Lowell Sun editor Christopher Scott.

Tolman is an attorney and former state senator. Healey is a former chief of the Public Protection and Advocacy and Business and Labor bureaus in the attorney general's office.

Attorney John Miller is the lone Republican in the race.

Independent gubernatorial candidate Jeff McCormick tours Indian Orchard Mills, talks job creation

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The venture capital executive said Indian Orchard Mills is a prime example of how entrepreneurship can spur not just job growth, but a successful transformation of what would otherwise be another vacant mill into a bustling, and revenue-generating plot of land.

SPRINGFIELD — At the Indian Orchard Mills industrial complex on Friday, independent gubernatorial hopeful Jeff McCormick says he found a business model that could breathe new life into old factories across the state while offering entrepreneurs a place to grow their businesses.

Inside the 300,000 square foot factory which houses more than 100 tenants ranging from artists and woodworkers to manufacturers and fulfillment centers, McCormick spent part of the afternoon meeting the various tenants and learning about the products and services they provide. The venture capital executive said the complex is a prime example of how entrepreneurship can spur not just job growth, but a successful transformation of what would otherwise be another vacant mill into a bustling, and revenue-generating plot of land.

"I get extremely energized when I see entrepreneurs like this. The 'Jeff for Jobs' plan is all about empowering small businesses because that is where we will get our growth," McCormick said. "This is the kind of thing that could work not just in Gateway Cities, but towns and cities of all sizes across the Commonwealth."

McCormick's job plan focuses on providing tax incentives in areas of high unemployment, reducing unnecessary regulation and fees on small businesses, and investing in educational programs which prepare students for jobs in the ever-changing market. McCormick said that the response he's seen on the campaign trail so far has been positive regarding his ideas, and he is learning more every day.

"People I talk to want a more responsive government and want us to use technology to streamline bureaucracy," McCormick said. "People are ready for a change."

McCormick is one of three independents, five Democrats and two Republicans aiming to be the next governor of Massachusetts.


10th anniversary of gay marriage in Massachusetts: Coverage roundup

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Saturday marks the anniversary, and media and Massachusetts residents are reflecting on the landmark decision.

SPRINGFIELD - “Foes of allowing same-sex marriage might note that there’s been no noticeable breakdown in the fabric of society that can be attributed to extending the right to marry to people who share the same gender.”

That’s the sentiment expressed in Thursday’s editorial in The Republican in response to the 10th anniversary of legal gay marriage in Massachusetts. Saturday marks the anniversary, and media and Massachusetts residents are reflecting on the landmark decision:

• In a recent opinion piece for The Republican, Kenneth Mayer and Steven Safren say that the 2004 decision had far-reaching positive effects — even improving public health.

Local couples remember the day marriage became legal and the crowd at Northampton City Hall.

• As the anniversary arrives, the discussion surrounding gay marriage has made its way into the Massachusetts gubernatorial race, as well as the race for attorney general.

• In other states, gay marriage supporters continue to chip away at state bans. The most recent to fall include Arkansas and Idaho.

• The anniversary has also inspired media outlets to look back at the 2004 decision and the people involved.

On Twitter:


In the comments below, share your thoughts on the 10-year anniversary of gay marriage in Massachusetts.

Red Barn at Fountain Park gets large grant at Wilbraham town meeting

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Gaudreau said the park needs more rest room facilities.

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WILBRAHAM – The largest appropriation in Community Preservation Act funds made at the Wilbraham annual town meeting was for renovations and improvements to the Red Barn at Fountain Park.

Residents at the May 12 annual town meeting appropriated a total of $209,000 in Community Preservation Act funds for renovations and improvements to the Red Barn at Fountain Park.

Jules Gaudreau, spokesman for the Wilbraham Nature & Cultural Preserve which oversees the park, said the grant will be used to put running water and rest rooms in the Red Barn.

Gaudreau said the rest rooms and running water are needed so the barn can be leased out for events such as dance instruction to generate a continuous source of revenue to operate the park.

The barn has a permanent floor and is structurally sound, Goodreau said.

The 144-acre Fountain Park, home to nature trails for walking, jogging and dog-walking, is known for its summer concert series and was the longtime venue for the Wilbraham Peach Festival.

Gaudreau said the park needs more rest room facilities.

He said seniors like to attend the summer concert series, but are concerned that the only rest room facilities at the park are portable rest rooms.

“We are continuing to fund-raise to improve the park,” Gaudreau said.

He added that the Wilbraham Nature & Cultural Preserve is interested in someday bringing back the Peach Festival, formerly held at the park.

“We believe the best days for Fountain Park are yet to come,” Gaudreau said.

The Wilbraham Nature & Cultural Center, the nonprofit group that owns and operates Fountain Park on Tinkham Road, recently received a $50,000 grant from the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism.

More information about the park is available online at www.explorefountainpark.com.



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