The cargo aircraft landed on the runway at about 7:30 p.m. where the service people were greeted by 104th officials and taken by bus to another building where they were reunited with family.

WESTFIELD – The first 44 of about 100 members of the Barnes Air National Guard 104th Fighter Wing returned to Westfield Tuesday evening after a three-week, multi-national training mission in Malaysia.

The cargo aircraft landed on the runway at about 7:30 p.m. where the service people were greeted by 104th officials and taken by bus to another building where they were reunited with family.

Among the family members was nine-month-old Caleb Read who stared into the eyes of his father, Tech. Sgt. Joshua A. Read, of Westfield, after not seeing him for three weeks. In just that short time, Read said, his son felt heavier to him.

“It was a long trip,” he said, while telling his son he loves and missed him. “He definitely got heavier.”

Read’s wife, Ashley, said she learned during her husband’s absence that it takes both parents to raise a child. She also noted that Caleb missed his father and became more clingy and whiny while he was away.

“It takes two to parent, but I put my nose to the ground and did what I needed to do.”

Additional members of the 104th are expected to arrive throughout the week, as well as equipment including F-15C/D aircraft. The personnel, authorities said are returning from exercise Cope Taufan 14 at bases in Malaysia.

Lambrich, vice commander of the 104th fighter wing, said Massachusetts Air National Guard members conducted exercise operations alongside active duty F-22 Raptor aircraft and multinational Mig-29 and Su-27 aircraft.

“Cope Taufan has been an enormously successful exercise for the 104th Fighter Wing on strategic, operational and tactical levels,” he said. “Strategically, we have demonstrated the ability to deploy a force capable of sustained operations in the western Pacific theater. Operationally we have identified and overcome the numerous logistical obstacles involved with deploying and sustaining this force on the opposite side of the planet. Tactically we gained a great deal of knowledge by training against the very best Russian-designed aircraft in the world, as well as proficiency in employing our F-15 Eagles in concert with F-22 Raptors.”

Lambrich is advising local residents that the return of unit members during the week will result in increased aircraft activity.

“Numerous aircraft, such as the F-15 Eagles, C-17 Globemaster III, C-130 Hercules, and KC-135 Stratotankers, will be arriving and departing at varying times during the days,” he said.

Many local boxing celebrities were in the crowd including Marlon "Magic Man" Starling.

Outdoor boxing in the parking lot of the John Boyle O' Reilly club was featured in Springfield on Tuesday evening. The exhibition showcased some of the best talent from all over Ireland against American Olympic hopefuls.

Many local boxing celebrities were in the crowd including Marlon "Magic Man" Starling.

The Paper City fireworks will commemorate the 13 American colonies' declaration of freedom from Great Britain in 1776.

HOLYOKE -- The city's fireworks display to celebrate July 4th will be Friday (June 27) with events starting at 6 p.m. at Holyoke Community College, 303 Homestead Ave.

"I am excited to attend the Holyoke fireworks this year as mayor," Mayor Alex B. Morse said. "This is always a great family-friendly event that allows the entire community to celebrate the Fourth of July."

If it rains Friday, the fireworks will be held Saturday, he said.

The fireworks are sponsored by the Holyoke Gas and Electric Department (HGE) with help from Parks and Recreation Department staff.

The event will include music and food and activities for children on the grounds of the college. Many people watch the fireworks on blankets or lawn chairs set on the grass.

July 4th, also known as Independence Day, is celebrated to mark the signing in 1776 of the Declaration of Independence in which the 13 American colonies declared they were free from British rule. But it would be 1783 before the American Revolution concluded with victory over Great Britain. The 4th of July has been a federal holiday since 1941,history.com. said.

Jacqueline Ziemba, the only female machine operator in the water pollution control department, said she was repeatedly subject to sexually-offensive comments.

CHICOPEE – The city has settled a lawsuit filed by a female machine operator who said she was continually sexually harassed and discriminated against because she is a woman.

Jacquelyn Ziemba, who was the only woman machine operator in the water pollution control department, filed a civil suit against the city, the department and employees Ernest LeClair and Christian Romani in February 2010.

In her suit, Ziemba said one employee consistently subjected her to sexually offensive and derogatory comments about women, urinated in front of her and released sewage onto her head in retaliation for a response to a comment she felt was offensive.

The City Council voted 12-0 this week to settle the suit filed in Hampden County Superior Court for $105,000. The money is to come from the sewer surplus account in the wastewater treatment department.

Mayor Richard J. Kos said the city’s lawyers reviewed the suit and recommended it be settled instead of it being fought in court.

There was little discussion over the issue. Previously the City Council met with Kos in closed session, which is allowed by law, to discuss the pending litigation.

“It was clear there are some issues here that make it in our interest to move forward,” Councilor James K. Tillotson said.

Ziemba filed several complaints about the harassment, but little was done to stop it, according to the suit.

“In subsequent meetings with upper management and the union regarding the Defendant LeClair’s harassment of the plaintiff (Ziemba) she was made to feel something was wrong with her for being offended by the Defendant LeClair’s sexual harassment and verbal abuse,” the suit said.

Eventually Ziemba filled a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. After she filed the complaint she was transferred to the Chicopee Landfill division, the suit said.

After the transfer, she started having problems with a second co-worker, who kept touching her even after she asked him to stop. She was also subject to sexually-offensive conversations, even after she asked the employees to stop, it said.

“Despite the transfer, (Ziemba) has continued to be harassed and discriminated against based upon sexual harassment and sex/gender discrimination, despite numerous reports to management regarding the same. The harassment of the plaintiff has continued to the present,” the suit said.

Warning: Some readers may find language in the document below objectionable:

Ziemba vs City of Chicopee

All of the proposed Boston-based medical marijuana dispensaries were cut by state medical officials on Friday after the completion of more thorough background checks of the applicants.

BOSTON — All of the proposed Boston-based medical marijuana dispensaries were cut by state medical officials on Friday after the completion of more thorough background checks of the applicants.

State health officials rejected applications for Boston medical marijuana dispensaries from Good Chemistry of Massachusetts and Green Heart Holistic Health and Pharmaceuticals in the most recent stage of the approval process.

Dispensaries in neighboring Quincy and Brookline were approved to continue to the next stage of the process.

A proposed medical marijuana dispensary in Cambridge operated by the Greeneway Wellness Foundation did not make the final cut.

"Throughout this entire process, Good Chemistry has done everything possible to demonstrate to the Department of Public Health that we are a company of high standards, professionalism and integrity. To the extent that we made any mis-statements in any of our application materials, we disclosed them as soon as we were aware of them," said Good Chemistry in an emailed statement.

Good Chemistry said in the email that they are evaluating all of their options including possible legal action.

Private investigators from the firm Creative Services completed 176 background checks of people connected to the applicants, according to a DPH press release.

Boston officials were initially upset when the state approved two medical marijuana facilities for the city.

The adult day serves an average of 32 senior citizens a day and will continue to operate, officials said.

HOLYOKE -- More than 50 senior citizens will still have a place to go as the adult day care center at the Holyoke Geriatric Authority will continue operating but under new management and at a new site, officials said this week.

Meanwhile, the authority itself is essentially closed. The shut down was forced by years of financial problems with only about four employees left at the 45 Lower Westfield Road facility wrapping up bills and maintenance. The last residents went to other facilities April 24.

"Isn't that sad?" said Amy Owsiak, accounts receivable manager, who has worked there 24 years.

Owsiak and Administrator Michael Stroetzel said Thursday (June 26) the adult day care center will be taken over by Community Health Development and is expected to move to a new site here in July, but further information was unavailable.

Rick Caneschi, director of the adult day care center, said officials with the organization that will absorb the center asked him to refrain from discussing details in the media.

"It will remain in Holyoke," Caneschi said.

The adult day care center at the Holyoke Geriatric Authority, 45 Lower Westfield Road.(MIKE PLAISANCE / THE REPUBLICAN) 

The center currently takes care of 54 individuals, though most don't come every day. The average number is 32 a day as children and other care-givers drop off an adult for a day or two a week to spend time with peers, he said.

Established by the state Legislature in 1971, the authority is broke and currently involved in a tangled bankruptcy case with the city. The nursing home was a facility that was overseen by a board consisting of three people appointed by the City Council and three appointed by the mayor, with those six choosing a seventh member.

Owsiak said the authority was at the intersection of two colliding truths: The facility was necessary because it took in seniors whose families couldn't afford a privately run nursing home. But the health care industry's changes in the past two decades battered the authority with costs.

"This is where the poor people could go," said Owsiak, looking at a nearly empty parking lot. "The industry changed."

Owing millions of dollars to the city, for everything from pension payments and utility bills to health insurance costs, the authority has experienced bad news like falling dominoes.

In September, the state auditor said mismanagement that included alleged misuse of credit cards and failure to seize revenue opportunities led to a $2.2 million debt to city agencies.

Mayor Alex B. Morse and Patricia C. Devine, who was then chairwoman of the authority board, said Jan. 16 the city and authority would work together to find a buyer for the facility.

But shortly after, the authority began being late in getting paychecks to employees as payroll problems signaled the financial condition had worsened.

The reasons cited are that government reimbursements have failed to cover the complete health care costs and that years mismanagement left the facility without enough money, officials have said.

According to the audit, the authority missed out on fees for outpatient physical therapy services, renting out unused space and renting out vans to transport elderly people from other facilities.

Among inefficient and unauthorized transactions cited in the audit were management's failure to research availability of funding for projects, such as one in 2009 to seek a smaller facility; making purchases such as $27,924 for a Ford pickup truck and $47,275 for an industrial dishwasher without soliciting competitive bids that could have netted lower prices; lack of written policies in the period the audit covered of Jan. 1, 2010 to June 30, 2012 to ensure that cash accounts were reconciled monthly; and lack of enforcement of procedures for use of the authority's three credit cards, such as the requirement they be locked in a safe when not needed for a specific purchase.

Devine, a former city councilor, abruptly resigned as chairwoman Feb. 19 in a departure still unexplained. The state audit covered the period of Jan. 1, 2010, to June 30, 2012, which mostly preceded the tenure of Devine, who became board chairwoman in April 2012.

Amy Owsiak, accounts receivable manager, has worked at the Holyoke Geriatric Authority for 24 years.(MIKE PLAISANCE / THE REPUBLICAN) 

The board fired Donald E. Wilcox as executive director on Feb. 21 after a three-hour executive session. He was fired "for cause," board members said, but they wouldn't give specific reasons. Wilcox' lawyer has said a wrongful termination lawsuit was likely to be filed on his behalf against the authority in Superior Court in Springfield.

The authority board reorganized and voted 3-2 March 3 to contact the state Department of Public Health about closing. The state gave permission and the official closing date was May 13.

The City Council and Morse, along with Morse predecessor former mayor Elaine A. Pluta, grew increasingly frustrated at the city having to bail out the authority when it was unable to pay bills. There was $146,973 for health insurance costs in June 2013 and a December 2011 payment of $465,000 to cover authority pension costs dating back to 2008.

The authority board voted to file for bankruptcy and after an initial hearing before U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Henry J. Boroff on April 30, the next hearing dates in the case are July 10 and 11, said Kara Lamb Cunha, second assistant city solicitor.

Among issues in the bankruptcy case are whether the city, the authority's largest creditor, ever will be paid the more than $5 million that Steven Weiss, a bankruptcy lawyer retained by the city, says is owed, and whether the city will be able to gain control of the Lower Westfield Road property and sell it to recover money owed.

The bankruptcy case is all that is keeping the lights turned on at the authority. Owsiak said she is handling final bills.

Stroetzel said an auction of beds, furniture and other items cannot happen until the bankruptcy case is settled. The long hallways that once bustled with hundreds of residents and employees are dark.

Stroetzel has worked at the authority only since February. Like other employees, he said he loved working there because the workers and residents were nice and he will miss it.

"I mean, there's not much else to say, really. We've got some billing and we've got some final work to do. There is work to do, but it isn't the same," Stroetzel said.

"Now, it's just a matter of, let's clean up and let's not tarnish the Geriatric Authority," Owsiak said. "I just want to do this with dignity."

"No matter what you heard on the outside, this has been a great place," Stroetzel said.

New England Treatment Access hopes to open its doors by Nov. 1.

NORTHAMPTON — A medical marijuana firm planning a dispensary in Northampton is one of 11 statewide to pass a comprehensive background check, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Friday.

New England Treatment Access will now advance to the state's "Inspectional Phase," where the firm's physical operations will undergo DPH review for compliance with operational and security requirements.

Via U.S. mail and email (see letter at end of this article), New England Treatment Access was notified by the DPH on June 27 it had been granted a Registered Marijuana Dispensary (RMD) Provisional Certificate of Registration.

NETA is led by Executive Director/COO Kevin Fisher of Steamboat Springs, Colo., and CFO Arnon Vered of Swampscott. Leslie Tarr Laurie, former director of Tapestry Health in Northampton, is NETA's Director of Patient Services.

Former Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank, initially named as Director of Government and Community Relations, is "not part of the team anymore," Fisher said in a telephone interview Friday.

Fisher said Frank served an "important internal role" during NETA's initial permitting process, and won't be on staff moving forward.

Another name no longer on the list is Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, listed on NETA's initial application [pdf] as Director of Science and Research. Because Mechoulam is an Israeli citizen, conducting a background check on him would have delayed the vetting of NETA's application by two or three months, said Fisher.

"That was a risk we couldn't take," said Fisher.

Veteran Colorado marijuana grower Russel Wise is named as NETA's Director of Production, and Bryland Thomas will manage the cultivation team. Allison Kusy is listed as the firm's accountant.

Patrick Dente of Bernardston will serve as NETA's Director of Security. Andy Epstein of Brookline is the firm's medical director, and Laura Harris of Colorado is NETA's Director of Compliance.

The DPH began its verification and enhanced background check phase after granting 20 provisional medical marijuana licenses in January.

The investigative firm Creative Services, Inc. was contracted to conduct the background checks on investors, staff and related companies and to verify information submitted with the applications, according to the DPH.

Fisher said the vetting process was "the most intense I've ever seen," when asked to compare his Massachusetts experience with that in Colorado, where he runs the medical marijuana outfit Rocky Mountain Remedies.

Fisher, who in April said he hoped for a Sept. 1 opening date for NETA's dispensary at 118 Conz St., now says a more realistic date is Nov. 1.

NETA plans dispensaries in Northampton and Brookline, and a growing facility in Franklin.

NETA is receiving a $9 million loan from Howard Kessler of Boston. Of that, $3.8 million will go to capital costs at NETA's three locations, with $500,000 allocated at the Northampton site. The remaining $5.2 million will go to operating costs until NETA breaks even, according to the firm's initial DPH application. 

Nine other firms statewide, including a Holyoke operation proposed by former Hampden Superior Court clerk and former Sen. Brian P. Lees and businessman Heriberto Flores, were eliminated. Three dispensary applications from former Massachusetts Congressman William Delahunt were also rejected.

In Boston on Friday, officials said 97 percent of Massachusetts residents live within 30 miles of the dispensaries granted provisional certificates, including facilities in Salem, Milford, Ayer, Haverhill, Newton, Lowell, Quincy, Brockton, Brookline, Northampton and Dennis.

“The applicants that are moving forward are really the applicants that we believe will be able to meet the needs of the patients in the community,” said Karen Van Unen, executive director of the state's Medical Use of Marijuana Program.

Unen said state officials were “super excited about being able to move forward to the next phase.”

The inspectional phase will evaluate “grow-readiness, and processing and retail-readiness to ensure product safety and quality, security, storage and transportation and responsiveness to patient needs,” according to the DPH.

Massachusetts' medical marijuana law was established by ballot initiative in 2012.

New England Treatment Access Northampton

Michael's House will open around Aug. 1.

LUDLOW – The Michael J. Dias Foundation will realize its dream of opening a sober house for men in Springfield later this summer.

Grace Dias of Ludlow started the Michael J. Dias Foundation, a non-profit organization with the goal of raising money to build a “sober home” where drug abusing men can go to beat addiction.

Michael’s House will open around Aug. 1. It will be able to house 12 men at a time.

Grace Dias started the foundation after her high achieving son committed suicide in May 2009. Dias said her son, who was third in his class at Ludlow High School and a pianist, had a problem with abusing prescription drugs and steroids. He went to Northeastern University, but came home after one semester. He killed himself in May, 2009. He was 19.

Michael’s House, a sober living residence for men, was purchased and renovated by the non-profit Michael J. Dias Foundation through private fund-raising.

All renovations to the house were made through volunteer work and donations of materials, Grace Dias said.

Nick Marchetti, 27, of Agawam, has been hired to be the program director of the house. Marchetti is a recovered heroin addict.

“Heroin was my drug of choice,” he said. He said he also abused prescription drugs such as Oxycodone and Percocet while a student at Minnechaug Regional High School in Wilbraham and alcohol.

Many people don’t know that prescription drugs such as Oxycontin and Vicodin are as habit forming as heroin, he said.

Marchetti said Michael’s House will use a 12-step recovery program which relies on spirituality and is the program used by people who are members of Alcoholics Anonymous.

“I want to help men who have been through a detox or 30-day rehabilitation program to realize through continued sobriety a quality of life they do not know is possible,” he said.

Marchetti will be the director of the house. There also will be a live-in house manager.

Those who come to Michael’s House will be required to attend a morning and an evening meeting.

After 30 days, they will be required to look for work. They will be required to pay rent, shop for food and share housekeeping. The average length of stay of a man in the house will be six to 12 months, Marchetti said.

Marchetti said he knows that many treatment facilities are unsuccessful in helping addicts recover. He said the key to the program Michael’s House will operate is “the spiritual basis of the program.”

“I am very excited to be the director of this house,” Marchetti said. “This is my dream.”

More information about Michael’s House is available at michaeldiasfoundation.org.

Ashe said he was honored to be recognized for his work but said when he started out as sheriff 40 years ago, he was trying to enact change, not win awards.

LUDLOW – Hampden County Sheriff Michael J. Ashe will be honored Monday in a ceremony at the White House celebrating his 40-year career as sheriff and his impact to Hampden County, the White House announced on Friday.

Ashe, who announced recently he will not seek reelection when his current term expires in 2016, will be among 15 people from around the country honored under the White House’s Champions of Change program.

Champions of Change for re-entry celebrates those who work to help former inmates adjust to life on the outside as law-abiding citizens.

Ashe, reached by telephone Friday evening, said he is pleased to have been included.

“It’s a real honor,” he said.

“I really share it with all the great staff I’ve had over the years,” he said.

He also gave credit to the many inmates over that same period who took the opportunities for education and rehabilitation offered at the jail and used it to become law-abiding citizens after their release.

Ashe is being recognized for his years of service as sheriff and for his long-term approach that stresses rehabilitating inmates for a return to the community.

A statement issued by the White House reads “Sheriff Ashe has established a model continuum of supported community re-entry for offenders, including some 300 community partnerships with public, non-profit and private organizations. He believes that it "takes a village" to successfully re-enter an offender as a productive, law-abiding citizen,” according to a statement issued by the White House.

“As part of this re-entry effort, Sheriff Ashe has utilized community partnerships to help offenders find 523 jobs last year, and over 10,000 jobs in the past 20 years, having an impact on recidivism and public safety.”

 

Ashe, the Hampden County sheriff since 1975, has become national known for introducing innovative programs at the jail intended to prepare inmates for a return to society.

Under Ashe, the jail has introduced education and vocational programs for inmates, drug and alcohol treatment programs, day-reporting programs and even an after-release program that works with inmates after their sentence ends.

“We didn't do it to try to win awards; we were trying out a new paradigm for public safety,” he said. “It used to be they’d drop them off at the bus stop,” he said.

Ashe spokesman Richard McCarthy said Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, heard about the Champions of Change award and set about to nominate Ashe, only to find out that someone else had beaten him to it.

Ashe was officially nominated by John Larivee, head of Community Resources for Justice, a Boston-based agency that works to help ex-offenders transition back to society. Larivee and Ashe have worked together on common areas of interest for years.

McCarthy said the program at the White House is not just a simple award ceremony. There will also a working session with panel discussions and working groups throughout the day focusing on ways to successfully aid the transition from jail to society.

Ashe will present the panel with copies of his report titled “The Hampden County Model: Guiding Principles of the Best Correctional Practice,” which is a 20-point plan what he sees as key approaches to corrections that he and his staff have developed over the years.

Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez are scheduled to be present. However, President Obama is not scheduled to be there, McCarthy said. The president has other business and cannot attend.

“It’s a little disappointing,” McCarthy said.

Ashe said it is still an honor to be asked to go to the White House.

The only other time he has been was early on in the Jimmy Carter administration, he said.

Ashe was a supporter of Carter and arranged a few events for him in Western Massachusetts during the 1976 campaign.

He said some months after Carter was inaugurated, an invitation came out of the blue for Ashe and his wife to attend a state dinner for then-Yugoslavia president Josip Tito.

Call the reference desk to register for the program.

WILBRAHAM – Kevin Kopchynski will present Rockhounds at the Wilbraham Public Library July 23 at 7 p.m.

Learn the geological history of Western Massachusetts and view close-up images or rocks to learn identification techniques.

“We’re offering this as one of our adult summer reading theme programs related to science,” said Adult Services Librarian Mary Bell. The theme this year is Literary Elements.

“Participants will get a chance to try out their newfound skills with a hands on tour of several rock identification stations,” Bell said.

Kevin Kopchynski is a long-time Western Massachusetts resident and nature/science educator who has presented programs at the Springfield Science Museum and local libraries.

The event is free and open to the public and is funded by the Friends of the Wilbraham Library. For more information and to register call the Reference Desk at 413-596-6141.

While some buildings have been fully repaired since the gas explosion of Nov. 23, 2012, additional plans and renovation efforts remain.

SPRINGFIELD – Nineteen months after a gas explosion rocked the downtown, injuring 21 people and causing millions of dollars in damage, the long recovery reached another milestone this week.

The city Thursday issued certificates of occupancy for 15 residences at the McIntosh Condominiums at 385 Worthington St., allowing those owners or their tenants to return. The 15 units, out of 45 total units in the building, were the only ones condemned in the building since the gas explosion on Nov. 23, 2102.

“It’s been awful,” said Jean Cormier, one of the condemned condominium owners. “It’s just been a year and a half of torture. But the contractor did a gorgeous job on the inside of the unit. It looks like new.”

Her son rents the condominium from her.

“We will be glad to get back, very glad,” Jean Cormier said.

While residents praised the extensive interior and exterior renovation, a commercial building across the street at 155 Chestnut St. stood in sharp contrast, still vacant and heavily damaged since the explosion.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, meeting with some of the McIntosh Condominiums residents on Friday, said he is glad “the Mac is back.”

“This is a milestone,” Sarno said, thanking the condominium board for its continued investment in Springfield. The building also has commercial spaces on the first floor, also undergoing extensive renovations since the gas explosion.

The explosion was triggered by a Columbia Gas worker accidentally piercing a gas line on Worthington Street. The immediate area was evacuated prior to the explosion, but those injured included gas and public safety workers including 13 firefighters.

Sixty-two buildings were damaged in the blast site area, and 150 residential units were damaged.

While the Scores Gentlemen’s Club at 453 Worthington St. was leveled by the blast, and is now a vacant lot, the heavily damaged Tyre Track Automotive at 175 Chestnut St. was reopened just 11 weeks after the explosion.

Columbia Gas has thus far settled with about 90 percent of the people including property owners who filed claims for damages totaling several million dollars, said Sheila Doiron, a spokeswoman for Columbia.

Many settlements are complex as the full extent of losses is still being tabulated, she said. There were a total of 832 claimants, according to Columbia.

Columbia also gave $850,000 to the city for its losses and expenses including property damage, personnel costs, and a planning grant to help rebuild the area.

Sarno said the goal of the city is to create an “innovation district” in that area of the downtown, aimed at attracting young professionals, baby boomers and empty nesters to live and work downtown, and an “eclectic mix” such as market rate housing, start-up businesses, coffee bars, and breweries.

Kathy Rushby, a member of the McIntosh Condominium Association, estimated that the initial work to secure the building and units, coupled with the interior and exterior renovations, cost a total of $2.5 million. Most of the condominium work is done, but work continues on some ground floor commercial spaces.

It is hoped the full cost will be covered by insurance and a settlement with Columbia, still being finalized, Rushby said.

The contractor is Teagno Construction Inc., of Amherst.

Karl Rehbein, who owns three units at the McIntosh Condominiums, among the condemned units, said he chose to stop living there himself because of the long wait and uncertainty.

He purchased another home in Springfield, and will rent out his three units at McIntosh.

“I’m very excited,” Rehbein said. “The building looks beautiful I’m very happy with it.”

Registration is required to attend the workshop.

WILBRAHAM – Monson Savings Bank will hold a complimentary “lunch and learn” workshop entitled “Estate Planning for Rental Property Owners” July 15 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Monson Savings Bank’s Wilbraham branch at 100 Post Office Park in front of the Post Office.

The workshop will feature David Walczak, an attorney and expert on real estate law and estate planning for rental real estate.

The event is designed to help owners of residential and commercial rental real estate to learn how an appropriate estate plan and the use of a real estate trust can avoid the costs, risks and headaches associated with inheriting rental property.

“We are pleased to bring this important information to our communities,’ said Steve Lowell, president and CEO of Monson Savings Bank. “Many rental property owners do not realize that too often when rental property is included in a will or probate situation, the costs, risks and headaches can end up outweighing the value to the person inheriting the property.”

The event is free and includes lunch, and it is open to the public. Reservations are required, however.

Those interested may call Anna Driscoll at 413-267-1221 or send email to adriscoll@monsonsavings.com to register. Seating is limited.

The music and speeches begin at 7 at Riverfront Park.

SPRINGFIELD – Springfield will celebrate Independence Day with patriotic music and pyrotechnics in Riverfront Park July 4 at 7 p.m. with opening remarks by Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, Colonel James Keefe, Wing Commander for the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base, James Lacey, vice president of corporate communications for MassMutual and Spirit of Springfield President Judith Matt.

Three youth bands from Falcetti Music also will perform. Bands include rockers Delightful Syrup with members from Springfield, Ludlow and Enfield, Diversity with members from East Longmeadow, Wilbraham and Agawam and Ladies & Gentlemen, a trio from East Longmeadow.

Dan Kane’s Rising Stars, returning to the July 4th festivities for a fourth year, will be 100 voices strong. Festively dressed in red, white and blue, they will perform patriotic tunes with large and small groups and some solos.

At 9:30 p.m., the Memorial Bridge will be the stage for Fireworks by Grucci. From three flatbed trailers, Grucci, with a support team from the Springfield Department of Public Works, will launch more than 150 firing cues with the largest shells being six inches long.

The fireworks will light the sky to music broadcast on Mix 93.1 FM. Song selections include Pharrell Williams’ “Happy,” “Armed Service Medley,” “America’s Song” performed by Faith Hill & Company, and “God Bless America” by Springfield’s own Vanessa Ford.

Radio Disney also will be at Riverfront Park with music, games and prizes for the whole family.

“MassMutual is proud to continue our tradition of supporting the Spirit of Springfield and the city’s July 4th festivities,” said John Chandler, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for MassMutual.

Star Spangled Springfield, in addition to being sponsored by MassMutual, is supported by Tower Square/CBRE, MGM Springfield, Smith & Wesson, WWLP-22News, Mix 93.1FM, The Republican/MassLive, Springfield Parking Authority, Elegant Affairs, Michael’s Party Rentals, 90 Meat Outlet, Charlie Arment Trucking, Joseph Freedman Company, United Tractor Trailer School and the City of Springfield.

Star Spangled Springfield is produced by the Spirit of Springfield. It is one of the many free, family-friendly events the organization presents annually.
For more information about Star Spangled Springfield, visit spiritofspringfield.org or contact the Spirit of Springfield at 413-733-3800.

Two women whose remains were found stuffed in suitcases dropped along a rural Wisconsin highway may have died accidentally, perhaps during consensual sex, the defense attorney for a former police officer suspected in their deaths said Friday.

M.L. JOHNSON, Associated Press

ELKHORN, Wis. — Two women whose remains were found stuffed in suitcases dropped along a rural Wisconsin highway may have died accidentally, perhaps during consensual sex, the defense attorney for a former police officer suspected in their deaths said Friday.

Steven Zelich, a 52-year-old security officer, has been charged with two counts of hiding a corpse. A prosecutor convinced a judge to set bond at $1 million, saying he expected homicide charges to be filed in the counties where the women were killed, but Zelich's attorney said it's unclear how the women died.

"It could be anything from premeditated homicide down to accidental death that occurred through a consensual sex-related act," Walworth County public defender Travis Schwantes said after the bond hearing.

Zelich previously was involved in an incident with a prostitute, according to police records, and authorities have said he may have met one of the women in the suitcases on a bondage website.

He was arrested Wednesday, when detectives wearing hazmat suits removed a refrigerator and large brown bags of evidence from his apartment in West Allis, a Milwaukee suburb. He appeared for Friday's bond hearing through a video from jail but did not speak.

According to a criminal complaint, Zelich told investigators that he met the women online. He said he killed one in late 2012 or early 2013 in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, and the other in November in Rochester, Minnesota. Authorities have not identified the first woman, but say the second was Laura Simonson, 37, of Farmington, Minnesota.

Zelich stored the bodies in suitcases kept in his apartment and vehicle for months before dropping them in the Town of Geneva, some 50 miles southwest of Milwaukee, in early June, the complaint and prosecutors said. Highway workers cutting grass discovered the suitcases on June 5.

Walworth County District Attorney Daniel Necci justified his $1 million cash bond request in part by saying he expected homicide charges to be filed in Kenosha County and Olmsted County, Minnesota, which includes Rochester.

Rochester police have said they believe Simonson died in a hotel there because she checked in with Zelich on Nov. 2, and he left alone the next day. Hotel employees who remembered Simonson contacted police after she disappeared, but Farmington police Detective Sgt. Lee Hollatz said all he had was a missing person's case until the bodies were discovered.

West Allis police interviewed Zelich in January about Simonson and searched his apartment but did not find any signs of her, according to records released Friday by that police department.

Jim Martinson, chief deputy attorney in Olmsted County, said Friday that he needed to see the evidence before deciding what charges to file and the "lion's share" of that was in Wisconsin. He said he hadn't received reports yet from the many law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation.

Martinson also said it could be awhile before forensic evidence from the hotel was processed and Zelich was extradited to Minnesota.

Schwantes said Zelich has asked for a public defender in Kenosha County in anticipation of charges there, and would seek one in Minnesota. He wasn't sure whether Zelich had provided any help in identifying the woman killed in Kenosha County, but said Zelich has been cooperating with investigators and answering their questions.

Simonson was found naked except for a collar, with a rope around her neck and a gag in her mouth, according to the criminal complaint filed in Walworth County. The other woman's hands were bound behind her back.

Zelich worked for the West Allis Police Department from February 1989 until his resignation in August 2001, a few months after a prostitute told police the two had struggled when she tried to flee Zelich's home.

The woman told officers in May 2001 that she met Zelich in a bar and went to his home but tried to leave when she thought she heard him get out handcuffs. Zelich threw her to the ground, but the woman was able to escape by asking for a drink of water and running when Zelich went to get it, according to the records from West Allis police.

Zelich told officers the woman tried to steal from him and their struggle was his attempt to get the money back.

The records do not say whether the incident led to Zelich's resignation, and Police Chief Charles Padgett did not immediately respond to a phone message asking about the incident.

Schwantes said he had not seen the report and could not comment on it.

If the judge rules the case is to proceed, a third trial would likely happen before the end of the year.

NORTHAMPTON – Prosecutors in the murder case against Cara Lee Rintala say they intend to present new evidence at trial that will show that Rintala killed her wife in Granby four years ago, according to published reports.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette is reporting that the Northwest District Attorney’s Office filed a motion Friday in Hampshire Superior Court opposing a defense motion to dismiss the charges against Rintala.

Rintala has been tried twice, once in 2013 and once this year, for the murder of her wife Annamarie Cochrane Rintala in their home on March 29, 2010. Each trial resulted in a deadlocked jury and a mistrial.

Prosecutors charge that Rintala strangled Cochrane Rintala in the basement, covered her with paint and then went out on a series of errands to establish an alibi. Police summoned by a 911 call arrived at the couple's Granby home to find the defendant cradling Cochrane Rintala's stiff, paint-spattered body in her lap.

The Gazette reports that a 7-page motion filed with the court by First Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Steven Gagne notes that he intends to introduce new evidence and to have testimony from paint, crime-scene and strangulation experts.

The motion filed Friday is in response to a bid by Rintala’s lawyers, David Hoose and Luke Ryan, to have the charges dismissed. A motion filed by the defense on April 14 argues that prosecutorial evidence against her was insufficient for two juries, and that her right to due process would be violated by a third trial.

In each trial, the juries deadlocked with eight reportedly in favor of conviction and four opposed.

If the judge rules the case is to proceed, a third trial would likely happen before the end of the year.

Rintala had been held without right to bail since her arraignment in October 2011. A judge set bail in February at $150,000, but it took another month for Rintala’s family to come up with the money.

She is free on bail while awaiting further prosecution.

Rintala is the first woman in Massachusetts history to be charged with murdering her lawfully wedded wife.

Mexican law enforcement on Thursday crossed into Arizona by helicopter and fired two shots at U.S. border agents, a border patrol union leader says.

By ASTRID GALVAN and E. EDUARDO CASTILLO

TUCSON, Ariz. — Mexican law enforcement on Thursday crossed into Arizona by helicopter and fired two shots at U.S. border agents, a border patrol union leader says.

A Mexican law enforcement chopper crossed about 100 yards north into the Arizona desert, the U.S. Border Patrol said in a statement. The helicopter then fired two shots on the Tohono O'Odham Indian Nation, which sits on the border. Border patrol union leaders say the Mexicans fired at agents but that none of them were hurt.

However, Mexican authorities have denied shooting at agents and say they were under attack during a mission to find smugglers on the border.

Tomás Zerón, the director of the Mexican attorney general's office investigative office, said that Mexican military and federal police who were conducting an operation on a ranch in Altar, Sonora, were shot at by criminals. Mexican authorities never fired any weapons and in fact never crossed into the U.S. side of the border, he said.

Art del Cueto, president of the local border patrol union, said four agents were in a marked patrol vehicle when they were shot at.

"They could say they didn't fire at the agents intentionally. But for them to say that they were no shots fired within the United States, toward the United States Border Patrol, is a lie. They got in contact with our managers and apologized for the incident," del Cueto said.

The Mexican helicopter was 15 yards from the border agents when they were came under fire, Del Cueto said. He's also concerned that Tucson sector officials didn't notify the next shift of border agents that there had been a shooting, he said.

"... I think our managers within the area should have definitely informed the oncoming shift this had happened. We're always on high alert, but I think it would raise a fear level for our agents," del Cueto said.

Sebastián Galván, a spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in Tucson, said the office was gathering information but did not have any details yet.

The shots were fired at a time when border security has become a heated debate again as thousands of Central American immigrants, many of who are unaccompanied minors or women with young children, have crossed through Mexico into Texas, overwhelming border agents who lack the resources to process so many people.

Arizona Speaker of the House Andy Tobin, a Republican, said he's glad nobody was hurt, "but this incident clearly demonstrates a lack of clear policy and coordination with Mexico on border security."

This incident was not the first one in which the Mexican military has veered across the international boundary.

In January, U.S. border agents confronted two heavily armed Mexican soldiers who crossed 50 yards inside Arizona, the Los Angeles Times reported. A standoff ensued, but nobody was hurt.

In 2011, more than 30 uniformed Mexican soldiers in military vehicles crossed the Rio Grande without authorization in an incident that was believed to be inadvertent.

The FBI is investigating Thursday's incident.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said on Thursday that he was requesting the commission put off any action regarding a Boston area-casino license at least until November.

BOSTON – The Massachusetts Gaming Commission at its meeting Wednesday will consider a motion to put the brakes on the granting of any casino licenses for the Boston area as a result of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling that will allow a state-wide casino referendum on the November ballot.

According to the gaming commission’s agenda that was released to the press on Friday, item 1 on the agenda is to consider a request by the city of Boston “that the Commission order an immediate suspension of all proceedings regarding the issuance of a Category 1 license in Region A, pending the outcome of the November referendum.”

The meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at Bunker Hill Community College in Charlestown.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said on Thursday that he was requesting the commission put off any action regarding a Boston area-casino license at least until November. Walsh said he is not interest in spending time and money negotiating financial compensation deals with Mohegan Sun and Wynn Resorts — the two companies still vying for the Boston-area license — while the fate of the law is uncertain.

“We’re facing an unprecedented situation here in Massachusetts right now,” Walsh said. “If the voters choose to repeal the law in November, all parties involved will risk losing precious time and millions of dollars for nothing.”

The state’s highest court on Tuesday cleared the way for a referendum that would repeal the casino law to be placed on the ballot, after state Attorney General Martha Coakley, who is running for governor, initially declared the question unconstitutional.

The Boston-area license is one of three regional casino licenses the commission is authorized to award.

The five-member panel this month awarded the state’s first casino license to MGM Resorts International for an $800 million casino proposed for downtown Springfield. It has also already awarded the state’s lone slot parlor license to Penn National Gaming for its Plainridge harness racing track project in Plainville.

At the meeting Wednesday, in addition to considering the Boston motion, the commission has invited representatives from Mohegan Sun and Wynn Resorts and officials from Boston, Revere and Everett to speak on the motion.

Members of the public may also comment.

At the end of the meeting, the commission has the option of voting on its position or scheduling further deliberation.

Associated Press materials were used in this report.

Massachusetts Gaming Commission meeting notice and agenda for July 2 uploaded by Patrick Johnson

Penn National Gaming Inc. has abandoned its bid to build a $480 million casino in south Philadelphia, leaving four applicants still in the running for the city's second casino license.

PHILADELPHIA — Penn National Gaming Inc. has abandoned its bid to build a $480 million casino in south Philadelphia, leaving four applicants still in the running for the city's second casino license.

City officials' preference for a downtown casino contributed to the company's decision to withdraw its application with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, Penn National CEO Timothy Wilmott said in a news release Friday.

He also cited the region's crowded gambling market. Pennsylvania's southeastern corner already has four casinos, including the SugarHouse Casino along the Delaware River in Philadelphia, while competition from border states is intensifying.

"The market potential in Philadelphia is less today" than when the company filed its application, Wilmott said, "as a result of the ongoing gaming saturation in the mid-Atlantic region, as well as continued softness in the economy."

In Masschusetts, Penn National Gaming has begun construction on its $225 million slots parlor at the Plainridge harness race track in Plainville.

Wyomissing-based Penn National had proposed putting a Hollywood Casino near the sports stadiums in south Philadelphia. A nonprofit corporation would have owned two-thirds of the casino, distributing gambling revenue to Philadelphia schools and municipal pensions.

Two of the remaining applicants want to build in downtown Philadelphia, while two others propose building in south Philadelphia.

The city's existing casino, SugarHouse, contends the market already is saturated. Minority investors filed suit to stop Pennsylvania from awarding a second license, though a court tossed it out earlier this month.

Food, fun, music and play scapes for the kids attracted thousands to the campus for the annual holiday display.

Fireworks lit up the Holyoke sky above Holyoke Community College as the city celebrated July 4th on Friday.

Food, fun, music and a play area for kids attracted thousands to the campus for the annual holiday display.

Some MassLive commenters were moved to write in German after hearing the news that The Fort restaurant in Springfield will reopen.

SPRINGFIELD — Longtime fans of The Student Prince Cafe and The Fort Dining Room reacted Friday with joy and relief  as they learned that Springfield businessman Peter Picknelly, chairman and CEO of Peter Pan Bus Lines, is buying the 79-year-old Springfield icon with plans to reopen it in the fall.

The Student Prince will still close this weekend following a final day of regular service Saturday and an open house on Sunday.

Picknelly said Friday the restaurant will be closed until fall, leaving time for renovations  and upgrades to  equipment. Picknelly also plans to tweak the menu with a few updates while keeping the favorites and the ambiance everyone loves.

Managing partner Rudi Scherff will continue to be the "face of the Fort," as Picknelly put it.

Picknelly has invested in and preserved local businesses before, including Duval Precision Grinding in Chicopee,  Camfour, a firearm sporting goods wholesaler in Westfield and Belt Technologies in Agawam, which manufactures specialty stainless steel belts for industrial use, including making the inside of McDonald's hamburger grills work properly.

Below are some of the comments from MassLive.com readers:

boris the spider wrote :

Best news I heard this week. The Fort has a unique Downtown Springfield atmosphere, a wide variety of lunch and dinner menu choices and great food. I'm looking forward to the reopening.

scarypicture wrote:

Awesome! Such good news that 2 Springfield icons will work together to keep this piece of city history. Ich Liebe Die Reinheitsgebot!

For those of you who don't know German, Scarypicture's phrase translates to "I love the purity law," a reference to the laws that make German beer so good.

heardinwmass  wrote:

Thanks to the Picknelly's for keeping Springfield close to the heart. Menu changes sound great. We will patronize The Fort more often to support your community spirit!

kittys was succinct on to the point:

Wonderful news!