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Police: Phoenix, Ariz., priest killed with colleague's gun; homeless man charged

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A homeless ex-convict with a history of violence and drug abuse was arrested Monday on suspicion of killing a clergyman with a handgun that had been retrieved by another priest after he was hit with an iron rod at a Phoenix church, police said.



061614_gary_moran_phoenix_priest.JPGGary Moran is seen in this June 16, 2014 booking photo provided by the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office. Moran is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder, burglary and armed robbery, among others charges in the killing of a Roman Catholic priest and the beating of a second priest at a downtown Phoenix church.  

By BRIAN SKOLOFF

PHOENIX — A homeless ex-convict with a history of violence and drug abuse was arrested Monday on suspicion of killing a clergyman with a handgun that had been retrieved by another priest after he was hit with an iron rod at a Phoenix church, police said.

Police say the Rev. Joseph Terra went to investigate noises in a church courtyard and was attacked by 54-year-old Gary Michael Moran with the piece of metal before the priest fled and got a .357-caliber gun from his bedroom.

Moran wrestled the weapon away from the injured priest and killed Terra's assistant, the Rev. Kenneth Walker, after he rushed to the aid of his colleague, court records show.

Moran stole a camera and fled in Walker's car, police said.

Police Chief Daniel Garcia called the attack "a violent, tragic, horrifying offense" committed by a career criminal who had been out of prison only six weeks. Moran had served about eight years on charges that included aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

In the 2005 case, police said, Moran entered a Phoenix apartment, found a steak knife, went into the bedroom and stabbed a man in the abdomen without provocation before being subdued.

Moran didn't know the victims or recall the crime, and he cited a history of drug abuse including recent methamphetamine use, police said. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Moran was also sentenced to more than four years in prison after pleading guilty in 2001 to misconduct involving weapons. He was convicted in two 1989 burglaries as well.

During his recent stint in prison, Moran was found guilty of more than a dozen infractions, including four for drug manufacturing and possession, the Department of Corrections records show.

"He is a career criminal, a violent felony offender," Garcia said.

The priests were attacked Wednesday in the rectory of the Mother of Mercy Mission. Walker, 28, died of a gunshot wound and Terra was badly beaten. Terra was able to give Walker last rites after the assault.

The news of the arrest came just as a Mass was to be held for Walker at another church in Phoenix.

"We're relieved that he's not out there doing it again and we hope some good comes out of it for him," Walker's stepsister, Sasha Keys, said of the arrest. She said nearly $42,000 in donations had poured in from around the country.

"It was incredible," she said. "I'm still getting letters in the mail with checks."

Police previously said Terra gave them a limited description of the suspect. Detectives said they were running forensic tests on evidence collected at the scene of the assault and from Walker's vehicle, which was found abandoned several blocks from the church near the state Capitol.

Terra was moved out of a hospital intensive care unit Saturday and is expected to make a full recovery. The Rev. Carl Gismondi, a pastor visiting from San Diego, conducted Mass at the priests' church Sunday and said he had visited his fellow clergyman at the hospital.

"He was in good spirits," Gismondi said after the service.

Walker was born in upstate New York, had 10 siblings and was drawn to the priesthood after attending traditional Latin Mass with his family in high school. He later joined the seminary, made good grades and enjoyed playing soccer, said the Rev. Joseph Lee, academic dean at the Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Nebraska.

Walker eventually joined a Catholic order that specializes in Latin Mass and became a priest in downtown Phoenix. He recently officiated a younger sibling's wedding in Kansas — the last time he saw many relatives.

Associated Press writers Jacques Billeaud and Emaun Kashfi contributed to this report.


Live coverage: Holyoke councilors question Mayor Alex Morse about $45,000 exit agreement given to ex-solicitor Heather Egan

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Veteran councilors said they have never heard of a departing city employee getting an exit agreement.

HOLYOKE -- The three letter question -- why? -- remains the focus Monday as the City Council resumes asking why a former city official was paid $45,000 when she quit April 29.

Follow our live coverage in the comments section under this story.

The setting is the 6:30 p.m. meeting of the council Finance Committee at City Hall.

Former city solicitor Heather G. Egan, who hasn't returned calls seeking comment, resigned for personal reasons, Mayor Alex B. Morse has said.

Egan was solicitor for just over a year. The solicitor's yearly salary is $70,000.

Morse and Meghan Sullivan of the Springfield law firm Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn, which handled the exit agreement with Egan for the city, have refused to disclose why such an agreement was executed. They said Egan's privacy rights must be maintained.

Morse described the decision in the Egan case as among the difficult decisions he makes as mayor in the best interest of the city.

But councilors and others -- including The Republican and MassLive.com -- have argued the public has a right to know why taxpayer dollars such as this are being spent.

The Republican and MassLive.com have appealed to the supervisor of public records of the office of state Secretary of State William F. Galvin the city's refusal to release all documents pertaining to the Egan exit agreement. The city responded to a public records request from the news organizations Thursday by providing only 24 pages of mostly redacted paragraphs and previously reported information.

Council President Kevin A. Jourdain said he has provided documents about the issue to the state inspector general's office and requested an examination.

Councilor at Large Daniel B. Bresnahan has openly questioned the motive behind the city paying Egan $45,000. He said Friday: "It is also clear by reading the exit agreement that Ms. Egan must have been put in a situation by the mayor that was either illegal or unethical, and Ms. Egan called him on it and she made the right call. Why else would she get a severance package as well as a signed agreement not to sue?"

Councilor at Large James M. Leahy asked whether the city should seek insurance reimbursement for improper legal advice given to the mayor that resulted in an "unprecedented $45,000 buyout."

Iraq veterans: 'Disgrace to see Iraq where it is right now'

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Criticize Iraqi soldiers, Maliki government and U.S. withdrawal.

Many men and women, from Massachusetts, served in Iraq, either during Desert Storm, in the 1990s, or Iraqi Freedom that began in 2002. Some are now registering disappointment and frustration as the country they helped build "block-by-block" seems to be collapsing into sectarian war.

Former Springfield school principal Jose H. Irizarry served in Iraq, during some of the most intense fighting in that country. He was part of a military transition team attached to the 3rd Brigade of the 5th Iraqi Infantry Army, in Diyala Province, from May 2006 to July 2007. His duty was to help train Iraqi soldiers to defend their country, in anticipation of the departure of U.S. and coalition forces.

irizarry.jpgJose H. Irizarry 

Now, retired from the U.S. Army Reserve after decades of service, the West Springfield School Committee member watches in disbelief, as a Sunni-lead insurgency threatens to destroy Iraq, and collapse the government of Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki. The rebels are seen as successors to the al-Qaeda forces that once battled U.S. and coalition forces, and who now feel excluded by the government, regarded as increasingly pro-Shiite.

"It is a disgrace to see Iraq where it is right now. So many lives, U.S. lives and other lives, too, were given to put the country on its feet and move it forward. By the time I left, I saw accomplishments. We were building that country bock-by-block," Irizarry said of news reports of insurgency bombings and massacre of Iraqi soldiers. "The prime minister needs to get his act together, and start building a county, not only for the Shia by for all the sectors-- Kurds, Sunni and Shia."

It is estimated that nearly 4,800 U.S. and coalition military personnel were killed, and more than 32,000 wounded, in Iraq, since 2002.

blanco.jpgHarold Blanco 

Irizarry served with the Army 108th training division in an area, about 60 miles northeast of the capital of Baghdad, and about 50 miles from Iran, that was part of a region referred to as the "triangle of the dead" for its high rate of casualties.

"It really bothers me seeing Iraqi soldiers surrendering to rebel forces. What happened to all that training, all the equipment given to Iraq?" Irizarry said. "I was embedded with the Iraqi Army and I know, from first-hand experience, that we worked 24/7, providing them with all kinds of experience."

He added that the Iraqi soldiers he trained were "a mix -- Sunni, Shia, and some Kurds."

"Some were eager, some needed prodding to do things, and some were sick and tired and had given up hope that things were going to change. I thought they were prepared to do their job, but now I see the news and look at all those reports, and they are not prepared," said Irizarry, noting there has been fighting among the different branches of Islam, as well as sectarian fighting in the region for "thousands of years."

Irizarry said he supports the Obama administration's possible use of airstrikes against insurgents, rather than sending U.S. ground forces into the country, and also its call for the Maliki government to engage in talks with Sunni and Kurds.

"I agree with the way President Obama is moving, and using technology and aircraft before putting boots on the ground. I also think this is a situation Middle East countries, like Iran, Lebanon and even Turkey, acting together, need to fix and not one for Western countries," Irizarry said. "The prime minister also needs to take a decisive role in taking care of his country and bringing all stakeholders to table.

"But," added Irizarray, who sees his active duty in Iraq as fulfilling his "time to serve and that is what I did," those involved in stopping the insurgents "better move quickly. The rebels are moving fast -- and you will see them in Bagdad in a wink of an eye "

Irizarry's comments were echoed, in part, by Springfield resident Harold Blanco, who was deployed with the 248th Engineers in Iraq, including at Al Asad Airbase and in Baghdad, from 2003 to 2004, and who also helped train Iraqi soldiers.

Blanco said he feels the Iraqi soldiers he helped train with were not sufficiently committed, and that the U.S. compounded that deficiency with too early of a departure.

"The bulk of my time was spent in Ramadi, where for a small period of time, and in addition to our engineering missions, we helped train members of the Iraqi Army to take over some of the combat operations and it seemed to me, at that time, that they were not committed to do the job for themselves. Understandably so, these are their own people, their neighbors," Blanco said.

"After all the sacrifices we made with loss of life, time and money, it was premature to pull out of the conflict without leaving a small force that could counter any re-insurgence with the proper response."

As a result, Blanco said that "it now seems like a waste of time to have gone there in the first place, and that doesn’t sit well with all of us who were there and lost some of our brothers and sisters in arms."

He added he would not favor U.S. troops being deployed to Iraq under a "political" timetable that discloses and dictates when troops will depart, as happened, in 2010, with the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"In my opinion, it’s not that we can’t or are not willing to get involved again in the conflict; the problem is that you cannot fight a war politically. You either do or you don’t. There are no half measures in combat," Blanco said. " In combat, you never give a time frame to the other side as to when you plan to pull out of the conflict. As a result, it is no surprise that this is happening in Iraq today."

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-11733715

Works of young artists on display at Chicopee Public Library

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The show will run through June 29 at the Chicopee Public Library's community room.

CHICOPEE – As a college intern, Lindsay Chapin started working with art galleries and enjoyed the job so much she decided she wanted to do more.

Just weeks after graduating from Lesley University’s College of Art and Design, Chapin opened her first art show. The twist was she used work from nine local artists who are all college students or new graduates.

“Convergence” brought together work of young artists who grew up in Western Massachusetts, many of them in Chapin’s home town of Chicopee. It includes a variety of media including photography, graphic art and painting.

“This is a gallery to give opportunities to young artists,” she said, adding for some this is their first show outside school while others have shown professionally before.

The show, held in the community room at the Chicopee Public Library, will run through June 29 and will be open the same hours as the library. The artists gathered on June 12 for a reception.

Chapin, who was showing some of her photography, said she knew some of the artists from high school. Those friends helped her find other artists.

It took her about six months to organize the show, including finding the artists, selecting the art work and getting approval to use the space.

“This is a really great idea. What I like about it too is I went to high school with some of the artists and I haven’t seen them since so it is nice to see what they are doing,” said Annie O’Reilly, of Chicopee.

O’Reilly, a graphic artist, graduated from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island and is now working for DIF Design in Springfield. She showed her work in two art shows while in college but this is her first since graduating.

Her work was mainly collages, some with pun-based themes such as “Cut the Scraps” for one on scrapbooking. In each, she did all the work, including taking the photographs and creating artwork used in the collages.

“I think this is a great showcase of young artists,” said Sumiah Salloum, of Chicopee, who is entering her senior year at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. “We have textiles and painting and design.”

Salloum, a close friend of Chapin’s, is also a photographer. Currently she is working on portraits of her family and showed one of her father with a prayer rug and a self-portrait.

She said she would like to expand the idea of the show to increase the amount of opportunities for arts in the community.

Marijo Bineault, of Chicopee, focuses on two different types of art work and decided to display her illustrations for the show.
The colorful works are dedicated to young families, which she started focusing on when friends started having children.

“It is based on young families and grandparents who are serving in the role of parents,” she said.

A graduate of Green Mountain College in Vermont, Bineault is now working as a freelance artist and is waitressing part-time.

“I think it is a great idea. The young artists of Western Massachusetts don’t get enough recognition.”

The other artists are: Joseph Aponte, Liticia Avery, Ki Choquette, Cathy Laskowski, and
Nicole Veilleux.

Holyoke accepting donations of clothing, other items to aid families displaced by apartment fire

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Holyoke residents are being asked to donate clothing, bedding materials and other items to aid the more than 80 people displaced by Monday's fire.

HOLYOKE – The United Congregational Church will be accepting clothing, bedding materials and other household items to aid the families displaced Monday by the fire that destroyed an apartment building at Elm and Dwight streets.

The church and Rebeckah’s Closet, located at 300 Appleton St., will be collecting materials weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. through June 27.

According to Dawn Leaks of the American Red Cross of Massachusetts, 27 families comprising 65 adults and 16 children were displaced.

Many are staying in the War Memorial Building, 310 Appleton St., where the Red Cross volunteers are providing them with food and trying to assess their needs.

Rebeckah’s Closet is ordinarily open Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but is extending its hours to accommodate both the families in need and anyone who wishes to donate to them. They hope to receive clothing for infants, children, and adults as well as household items such as soap and toiletries.

The drive is being coordinated with the office of Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse.
"Holyoke has a wonderful ability to unite to help those in our community when tragedy strikes and this has been no exception," Morse said in a prepared statement.

The Red Cross is also encouraging people who wish to help to donate money to the Red Cross for disaster assistance funds.

Leaks said the fire, toward the end of the fiscal year, has put has put a strain on the Red Cross budget for disaster assistance. The web address for donations is redcross.org/ma

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley supports $15-an-hour minimum wage for fast food workers

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Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley said Monday that she supports a $15 an hour minimum wage for fast food workers.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley said Monday that she supports a $15 an hour minimum wage for fast food workers.

Coakley was asked the question on Twitter by reporter Jim Lokay of WCVB. "Lots of national conversation about a $15/hr wage for fast food workers. Do you support that?" he wrote.

Coakley responded on Twitter: "Yes. I support the movement of fast-food workers to organize and push for a living wage."

The fast food workers' campaign in Massachusetts is organized by the union umbrella group MassUniting and is part of an international movement. The workers are asking for a $15 an hour minimum wage and the right to form unions.

Coakley's campaign confirmed that Coakley supports MassUniting's efforts. The $15 minimum wage would not apply to any other group of workers.

"Martha believes that multinational corporations that reap enormous profits should not be paying workers so little that many have to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet, and often still are forced to rely on taxpayer-funded public benefits," said Coakley spokeswoman Bonnie McGilpin. "She supports the movement of fast-food workers to organize and push for a living wage." 

Fast food workers say they have been particularly targeted for wage theft by employers. They have also faced difficulty unionizing in some places because of questions regarding who is considered their employer – a national chain or a local franchise – and what their bargaining unit would be.

While raising the minimum wage overall has been a major issue in Massachusetts, most of the discussion has centered on a minimum wage of $10.50 or $11. A compromise bill between the Massachusetts House and Senate, which is still pending in the Legislature, would raise the minimum wage to $11 over three years, from the current $8 an hour.

Coakley has said she supports raising the minimum wage for all workers, as have Democratic gubernatorial candidates Steve Grossman and Don Berwick and Republican candidate Charlie Baker. Coakley supports the Legislature's compromise bill.

Other low wage workers, such as workers at WalMart, have also been pushing for a $15 minimum wage. But the campaign has not gone anywhere legislatively.

Massachusetts is already on track to be the state with the highest minimum wage in the country, if lawmakers raise it to $11 an hour. Businesses generally oppose the increase and say they will hire fewer workers if their labor costs increase significantly.

Field house proposed by Wilbraham Recreation Department too large for senior center, officials say

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Recreation Department officials proposed a 20,000 to 30,000-square-foot field house.

WILBRAHAM – The Senior Center Feasibility Committee has consulted Recreation Department and school district officials about whether those departments would consider sharing a gymnasium if a new senior center is built and has learned that the Recreation Department is interested in building a 20,000- to 30,000-square-foot field house.

The field house proposed by Athletic Director Brian Litz would have enough space for two basketball courts and an indoor track around the perimeter. Litz and the athletic director for the regional school district have said such a facility could bring in revenue for the town.

The cost of a shared field house is estimated at $2 to $4 million, Dennis Lopata, chairman of the Senior Center Feasibility Committee, said.

“There’s a certain wow factor in the size,” Lopata said. “We have to decide whether this is still something we want to pursue.”

Paula Dubord, director of elder affairs for the town, said that based on the size of the facility the Recreation Department and regional school district have expressed interest in, she is “less inclined to go in that direction” for a senior center.

“This is a much larger scale than we were interested in,” Lopata said.

Dubord said she would get back to the regional school district and the Recreation Department to see if a much smaller gymnasium, approximately 5,000 square feet, would have any revenue generating capacity for the town.

The Senior Center Feasibility Committee is studying the feasibility of building a new 15,000-square-foot senior center. The senior center currently is located in a 3,840-square-foot space leased from the Scantic Valley YMCA at Post Office Park off Boston Road.

Seniors say the current facility does not have adequate meeting space.

The estimated cost of a 15,000-square-foot senior center without any gymnasium space would be $4.5 to $4.7 million. Voters at the May annual town meeting approved $35,000 for an architect to do a feasibility study for a new, larger senior center.

The committee will seek bids from architects to evaluate a list of sites in town under consideration as a senior center.

The sites being considered include a town owned site near Mile Tree School and one on the old Bennett Turkey farm property near the old Minnechaug Regional High School.

The Senior Center Feasibility Committee also is considering the re-use of Memorial School and leasing a new addition being planned by Evangel Assembly of God Church on Stony Hill Road as a senior center.



Westover flies humanitarian mission to Nicaragua

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Westover participates in a number of humanitarian missions every year.

CHICOPEE – A crew of 13 members of the 439th Airlift Wing from Westover Air Reserve Base flew two donated fire trucks, an ambulance and other cargo to Augusto Cesar Sandino International Airport in Nicaragua on June 10.

The humanitarian mission, which was combined with training, was done to assist the Wisconsin/Nicaragua partners of the Americas, Inc., who helps provide firefighting equipment to be used throughout the country of Nicaragua, according to Master Sgt. Andrew Biscoe, acting chief of public affairs for Westover.

Westover participates in a number of humanitarian missions every year through the Denton Amendment Program, that allows humanitarian relief to be moved on military aircraft if there is available space, he said.

In March another crew from the 439th Airlift Wing brought a donated school bus, ambulance, pallets of corn and other supplies to Guatemala.


450-pound Florida man arrested for hiding pot under 'stomach fat,' police say

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In addition to the drugs on Christopher Mitchell, deputies said, they also found a handgun and $7,000 in cash in the vehicle.

DELTONA, Fla. -- A central Florida man who weighs about 450 pounds faces multiple charges after sheriff's deputies say he hid 23 grams of marijuana under his "stomach fat."

A Volusia County sheriff's deputy stopped a vehicle Friday after noticing that the passenger wasn't wearing a seatbelt, according to a police news release.

Christopher Mitchell, 42, told the deputy that he's too big to wear a seatbelt, police said. They said the deputy requested a drug-detecting dog because Mitchell and the driver appeared nervous. The dog detected the presence of drugs in the vehicle.

In addition to the drugs on Mitchell, deputies said, they also found a gram of cocaine, a handgun and $7,000 in cash in the vehicle.

Mitchell and the driver were arrested. It was not clear whether Mitchell has an attorney.

Earlier this month, a one-month long heroin trafficking investigation in North Carolina led police to arrest a 315-pound man who had hidden heroin, crack cocaine and Percocet pills in his belly button.

Greenfield firefighters rescue man pinned under boulder in Green River

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The boulder pinned the man's lower body under the water for close to 90 minutes.

GREENFIELD – Greenfield firefighters rescued an unidentified man who fell into a section of the Green River and was pinned down by a 450-pound rock that rolled onto him, a fire official said.

The man, whose name was not disclosed, was removed from the water after an hour-long rescue, said Capt. Jesse Phelps.He said the man appeared to be approximately 30 years old.

The man was transported by a Life Flight helicopter ambulance to Baystate Medical Center. Information about his condition was not immediately available.

Phelps said the large rock pinned the man down at his hips in a couple of feet of water near the shoreline. His lower torso was submerged, but his upper torso remained above water.

Phelps said the water was cold and the man began showing signs of hypothermia toward the end of the rescue. He estimated he had been in the water for about 90 minutes.

Firefighters were called to a stretch of the river near the waterfall off Meridian Street shortly after 5 p.m.

Phelps said the man had been fishing from a platform, but then slipped somehow and fell about 10 feet. When he landed in the river, there were several large boulders that were unsteadily balanced upon each other in the current.

The man apparently disrupted one of them and it rolled onto him and pinned him down, Phelps said.

Firefighters used airbags and hydraulic rescue equipment to lift the boulder off him, he said.


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Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District teachers voting Monday on new contract

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The School Committee was expected to approve the contract on Tuesday.

WILBRAHAM — Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District teachers were voting Monday on a new contract which was expected to be ratified at the Tuesday night Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee meeting.

Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea said information about a new teachers’ contract would be released at Tuesday night’s Regional School Committee meeting (see agenda below).

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday night at 7 in the Minnechaug Regional High School district office conference room.

Hwrsd Sch Comm Posting 06-17-14


Springfield City Council approves $581.9 million city budget without cuts, for new fiscal year

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The City Council praised the budget for avoiding layoffs and preserving essential services.

SPRINGFIELD – The City Council voted unanimously on Monday to approve the mayor’s proposed $581.9 million city budget for the new fiscal year, with members saying they are pleased it avoided layoffs and preserved essential services.

The budget was approved in less than an hour in contrast to some past budget adoption meetings that lasted several hours.

The vote followed recent budget hearings with department heads. The budget will take effect July 1, the start of fiscal 2015, and reflects a 1.8 percent increase over the current budget.

“I am very appreciative of the City Council’s due diligence,” Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said. “We put together a good sound budget. It helps move us forward on the public safety front, economic development, education, (and) no layoffs.”

Council President Michael Fenton said the budget was a “drastic improvement” over past budgets because it took just $2.8 million from the city’s stabilization “rainy day” reserve fund to help balance the budget as compared to much higher amounts in past years.

Council Finance Committee Chairman Timothy Rooke said that while he did not agree with the budget 100 percent, he was convinced that “the city is moving in the right direction on efficiency.”

The city budget will allow the city to conduct academies to fill police and firefighter vacancies and add firefighters, Sarno and councilors said. The academies are particularly important when knowing that the Police and Fire departments face an influx in retirements, Councilor Thomas Ashe said.

Some councilors raised concerns that more funds will be needed to increase staff in the Veterans Office, but said they are convinced by Sarno's pledge that he would support increased funding once the case is made from that department.

The use of $2.8 million from the reserve fund will still leave approximately $30 million in the account, officials said.

There are plans for a 26-recruit police academy and a smaller academy of six to 12 recruits, under the budget. In addition, there are plans for two fire academies totaling 20 new firefighters, officials said, adding that seven recruits just graduated from a “mini” fire academy.

The budget continues programs for construction of roads and sidewalks, maintenance of parks and terraces, and trash collection under a $90 annual trash fee, along with pools and parks being open.

“Overall, it’s an efficient, effective budget,” Sarno said. “We maximize everything and also try to be compassionate.”

Fenton and Rooke voted against the transfer of funds from the stabilization account, with Fenton saying that even $1 being used this year for re-occurring costs, rather than one-time emergency needs, is $1 too many.

Sarno said the $2.8 million reflects one-half of 1 percent of the budget.

Councilors E. Henry Twiggs and Melvin Edwards were absent from the meeting, citing illness.

Kathryn McDonough, former girlfriend of Seth Mazzaglia, completes 10 days of testimony in Elizabeth Marriott murder case in New Hamsphire

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McDonough insisted that t she initially lied when she said 19-year-old Elizabeth "Lizzi" Marriott of Westborough, Mass., died while the two of them were engaged in rough sex.

DOVER, N.H. — The ex-girlfriend of a man charged with raping and killing a University of New Hampshire college student left the witness stand Monday after 10 days of questioning.

Kathryn McDonough ended her testimony the way she began it: Insisting that she initially lied when she said 19-year-old Elizabeth "Lizzi" Marriott of Westborough, Mass., died while the two of them were engaged in rough sex that involved restraints. She testified that her then-boyfriend, 31-year-old Seth Mazzaglia, choked Marriott after she twice rejected his sexual advances.

Mazzaglia is charged with first-degree murder. McDonough has pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution and is serving 1 ½ to three years in prison.

McDonough said she and Mazzaglia threw Marriott's body in a river that feeds into the ocean. Her body has never been found.

Lawyers for Mazzaglia spent a lot of their cross-examination pointing out inconsistencies between what McDonough told them at their first meeting and what she was telling the jury. Defense attorney Joachim Barth questioned McDonough extensively about whether she concocted the story blaming Mazzaglia to get years off her own sentence.

Mazzaglia was arrested Oct. 13, 2012. Two days later, McDonough told his defense team that she and Mazzaglia were both having sex with Marriott using rope restraints and breath-stopping techniques when Marriott had a seizure and died. McDonough testified at trial she concocted that story to protect Mazzaglia because she was still in love with him.

The prosecution plans to continue its case on Tuesday.

Massachusetts Secretary of State's Office cites Westfield State University for violating public records laws

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Flynn objected to the request, saying he was a volunteer board member, not a paid employee. Garber then appealed to the Secretary of State’s public records division, which ruled in his favor in February.

WESTFIELD – The Secretary of State’s office found that Westfield State University had “grave records management issues” after reviewing a public records appeal filed by ex-president Evan Dobelle’s lawyer last fall.

In a ruling dated Feb. 10, state public records supervisor Shawn A. Williams criticized the school for allowing members of the Westfield State’s governing board to take official records home or store them on personal computers, instead of keeping them in administration buildings on campus.

Citing the school’s willingness to change its practices, Williams decided against imposing a fine for the violations. Under state law, anyone mishandling public records or refusing to respond to public requests can be fined up to $500 for each violation.

Reached for comment Monday, trustees chairman John F. Flynn III said board members had always used their computers and phones to conduct business.

“Everybody was acting in good faith; we though it was better than creating more expense for the university,” he said.

“Now the school will have to pay for everything,” he added.

Hartford lawyer Ross Garber brought up the school’s handling of public records requests in U.S. District Court last week during a hearing on a lawsuit field by Dobelle against state Higher Education Commissioner Richard M. Freeland and three Westfield State trustees.

Quoting from the ruling, Garber told Judge Kenneth P. Neiman that state officials had found “grave" record management problems at the school while reviewing his request for all communications between Flynn and 11 individuals, including Freeland, Secretary of Education Matthew Malone and reporters for The Republican, the Boston Globe and WCVB-TV Channel 5 in Boston.

Dobelle resigned on Nov. 8, amid two state investigations into his spending on travel, hotels, restaurants, limousines and other items. In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court, Dobelle accused Freeland, Flynn and two other Westfield State trustees of conspiring to force him from his $240,000-a-year post.

Neither state investigation has been completed, and Dobelle continues to maintain he did nothing wrong. All business-related travel benefited the school, and any personal expenses charged to school credit cards were later reimbursed, he said.

In the federal lawsuit, the ex-president contends that Flynn sought to damage his reputation by encouraging media outlets to publish stories about his spending – a charge that Flynn, the top civilian administrator for the Massachusetts State Police, has denied.

In a Sept. 27 records request, Garber asked Westfield State to provide all emails, text messages and voicemails between Flynn and 11 state officials and journalists, plus records of all phone calls between Flynn and reporters.

Flynn objected to the request, saying he was a volunteer board member, not a paid employee. Garber then appealed to the Secretary of State’s public records division, which ruled in his favor in February.

“Please be advised that as chair of the Board of Trustees of the university, Mr. Flynn is an agent of the university and any records concerning board or university business and activities are records of the board and university, not Mr. Flynn’s personal records,” Williams wrote in his memo to the school.

He also faulted the the school for failing to respond to Garber's records request within the 10 days required by state law.

Interim President Elizabeth Preston said the violations applied to electronic communication between trustees, not other school officials, and the school responded quickly to correct the problem.

All board members have been issued university email accounts and now conduct official business through those accounts, according to Preston, who said records of all electronic communications are permanently archived by the university.

As of July 1, all board business will be done electronically, making it easier to preserve, Preston said.

“We are confident that the issues raised by Mr. Williams have been resolved,” she said.

For his part, Garber said school officials should have known the law.

No trial date has been set for the lawsuit, one of two Dobelle has filed over his departure from the school. Another suit, filed in December, is pending in Hampden Superior Court.

Longmeadow seeks applicants for 3 Finance Committee openings

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Two of the open positions carry terms that run from July 1 to June 30, 2017, while the other calls for service from July 1 to June 30, 2016.

LONGMEADOW — Town officials are seeking volunteers to fill three openings on the town's Finance Committee.

Two of the positions are for terms that run from July 1 to June 30, 2017, while the other calls for service from July 1 to June 30, 2016.

Two of the seats are currently held by Dan Healy and Richard Liasse. The third, shorter position, is to fill the unexpired term of Edward Steiger who has taken a leave of absence, according to Healy.

According to the Longmeadow town website, the Finance Committee is an "an advisory committee to Town Meeting" and is expected to "have jurisdiction over the reserve fund... conduct long range fiscal planning and advise on fiscal policy, (and) make recommendations on the town's budget."

Members of the finance committee are appointed by a committee of three officials including the chairman of the Finance Committee, the town moderator and the town's finance director.

Last week, the committee discussed the financial repercussions of the 2011 October snowstorm that caused damage in the region, the possible purchase of a Quint fire truck, and long-term strategies for planning town finances.

Information on how to apply is available on the Longmeadow town website. Applications will be accepted until noon on June 27.

 

Investigators seeking to determine if unattended charcoal grill was cause of blaze that displaced more than 80 people from Holyoke apartment complex

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All of the residents safely escaped the early morning Holyoke apartment fire. One firefighter suffered heat exhaustion, another a sprained ankle.

Updates stories posted at 5:33 and 9:33 a.m.


HOLYOKE — Investigators are seeking to determine if a charcoal grill, apparently left burning on a fourth floor porch, was the cause of a massive fire that displaced more than 80 people from an apartment complex at Dwight and Elm streets early Monday.

All of the residents, including 16 children, safely escaped the blaze. One firefighter suffered a sprained ankle, another suffered heat exhaustion, Fire Capt. Anthony Cerruti said.

Many of those displaced, standing outside the still-smoking building as firefighters continued to pour water on it hours later – some clad in little more than the bathrobes they escaped with -- said they heard the grill was the source of the blaze.

“We are definitely looking into that,” said Cerruti, speaking late Monday morning.

Cerruti said the fire apparently burned undetected for some time and had a good head start before the first 911 calls came in about 4 a.m.

Cerruti credited firefighters and police officers with acting quickly to knock on doors and get tenants out of the burning building. “It could have been worse,” he said.

Cerrutti said two pets -- a cat and a bird -- perished in the fire.

Mary Nathan, director of disaster services for the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, said mid-morning that 81 people were displaced.

“It’s very traumatic,” Nathan said as she and others scrambled to connect with all of those who were displaced. “Some people look like they are in shock and they don’t know what to do. That’s what we are here for.”

Plans were underway to take some 50 to 60 of the displaced to an emergency shelter being set up at the War Memorial and the rest will stay with friends and family for now, Nathan said.

Mayor Alex Morse said the city is working to find short-term housing for the victims and that the city has the ability to quickly locate vacant apartments within the city for longer-term solutions.

Cerruti said the L-shaped building, which spans 115 to 119 Dwight St. and 690 to 702 Dwight Street, should be salvageable.

“It looks like the guys were able to do a pretty good job of containing the fire to the Dwight Street side,” Cerutti said, adding that firewalls between the attached structures allowed firefighters to ultimately stop the fire.

It's not clear, however, when those with undamaged apartments will be able to return. Power to all 49 units is served by just one meter, he said,

Cerruti said investigators have initially interviewed the man who had reportedly been grilling on one of the fourth floor porches. He said information gained from the interview was inconclusive and that both the department and the state Fire Marshal’s office continue to investigate the fire.

“Just because they were grilling that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what started the fire,” he said.

The building is assessed at $1,201,900, according to city records. Cerruti said the building is owned by Irshad Sadika and is managed by Atlas Property Management which will secure the building.

Firefighters left the scene late morning and Department of Public Works personnel are now on the scene, Cerruti said.

Firefighters from South Hadley, Easthampton, Chicopee and West Springfield provided mutual aid. Also, off-duty Holyoke firefighters were summoned as well, Cerruti said.

Dawn Leaks, spokeswoman for the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, said the fire, as well as other recent fires in Western Massachusetts, has drained the chapter financially as its fiscal year draws to a close “Obviously, we need all the help we can get,” she said.

Financial contributions, made out the American Red Cross, can be sent to the chapter at 506 Cottage St., Springfield, MA 01104. Check should be earmarked for general disaster relief.

Leaks said that tangible items; such as bedding, clothing and the like, should not be brought to the War Memorial. “We are not really set up to take those types of items,” she said.

Westfield State University offering SAT-preparation classes in August

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The sessions, called the SAT Summer Institute, will be led by experienced instructors and involve 20 hours of classroom time with a focus on math and verbal skills.

WESTFIELDWestfield State University will offer on-campus SAT preparation classes for high school students during the first week of August.

The classes, scheduled for Aug. 4 to 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will be co-sponsored by North Carolina-based Educational Testing Consultants Inc.

The sessions, called the SAT Summer Institute, will be led by experienced instructors and involve 20 hours of classroom time with a focus on math and verbal skills.

Additionally, the classes will include general test preparations topics such mastering time management skills, minimizing test anxiety, using the process of elimination and identifying common distracters.

The cost will be $499, including all books and materials required.

For more information, visit http://www.westfield.ma.edu/neighbors/community-education/test-preparation/.

To register for the SAT Summer Institute, contact Brandon Fredette at (413) 572-8033 or bfredette@westfield.ma.edu.

Westfield School Department looking for options to deal with nearly empty school buses

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One option under consideration is asking high school students who drive themselves to school to opt out of the free school transportation system.

WESTFIELD — The annual issue of nearly empty school buses, especially those that carry high school students, is prompting the School Department to look for options.

One option under consideration is asking high school students who drive themselves to and from Westfield High and Westfield Vocational-Technical High schools to opt out of the free school transportation system.

"The option is purely voluntary," Superintendent of Schools Suzanne Scallion told the School Committee Monday night. "If they do opt out and their transportation needs changes later in the school year they will be able to opt back in," she said.

The School Department is planning to send a letter to high school parents this summer offering the volunteer option, officials said.

If the School Department proceeds with the busing option, any real or substantial savings will not be realized until 2016 when the department seeks out new bids for continued school bus contracts. Currently Lecrenski Brothers of Westfield School Bus Contract for regular education transportation at about $1.9 million annually. Lecrenski has held the contract since the early 1990s.

But, some savings could be realized during the 2014-2015 school year through the reallocation of resources and a possible reduction in fuel costs which the School Department shares.

Currently 30 school buses, with 47-students capacities, serve the high schools on a daily bases. Many of those buses travel with less that the 47 student capacity. Many have fewer that a dozed riders.

"This is something we are considering," said Scallion. "We are asking parents to decline (school bus) transportation. But, they can opt back in if necessary," she said.

"This is aimed at improving efficiency," she said, adding "some buses run with very low numbers" of riders, said Scallion.

The School Departments provides bus transportation on a three-tier program, with the bus routes for high school students, middle school youngsters and elementary pupils. There are also several late buses that run daily for youngsters who participate in after-school programs.

 

Live coverage: Holyoke City Council readies knife to cut spending in proposed budget of $125.5 million

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The size of the budget approved now will determine the size of the tax increase home and business property owners are hit with later this year.

HOLYOKE -- What to leave in and what to leave out -- and whether jobs will be cut -- will be decided Tuesday (June 17) as the City Council votes on the $125.5 million budget.

Follow our live coverage in the comments section under this story.

The council meeting is at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

The size of the increase in the tax bill that home and business property owners get in six months will be decided by the size of the budget the City Council approves Tuesday. The City Council sets the new tax rate in December to raise revenue to fund the budget.

Looming as trouble this year is a deficit of $4.5 million projected in the budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, with the expected amount of revenue falling that much lower than the known level of spending.

Mayor Alex B. Morse has submitted a budget of $125,515,749 that is 1.5 percent, or $1,901,034, higher than the bottom line Morse submitted a year ago for the current year, $123,614,715.

The City Council is in a 45-day period in which it is authorized to review and cut, but not add to, the proposed budget.

The challenge facing councilors is whether to try to cover the $4.5 million shortfall solely through cuts, which officials have said will require slashing jobs, or also by raising new revenue by increasing the sewer rate.

One target of councilors willing to make cuts is expected to be the line item that funds extra pay to police officers who have college degrees known as the Quinn Bill. That costs the city just over $1 million.


Fiscal year 2015 budget proposal for Holyoke, Ma uploaded by Patrick Johnson

CBS 3 Springfield: Jose Morales arraigned in connection with Holyoke stabbing

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22-year-old Jose Morales of Holyoke was arraigned in Holyoke District Court in connection with the stabbing of a 26-year-old man near the intersection of Center and Mosher streets in Holyoke on Monday.

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