The Hispanic Family Festival featured four days of Latin food, music and entertainment.

HOLYOKE — The Hispanic Family Festival celebrated its 28th year with hundreds of marchers and spectators lined along Resnic Boulevard and Sargeant and High streets for the Western Mass Puerto Rican Parade.

Parade organizer Freddie Vazquez said the four day festival was a success, topped off by great weather for the annual parade.

"We had 26 units marching in the parade and a lot of spectators this year," he said.

The parade and festival are organized by La Familia Hispana Inc., an organization made up of Holyoke residents.

Parade organizer and founder Diosdado Lopez said this will be his last year organizing the event.

"It's time. I will be 50 in November and I have been doing this for 28 years," he said.

Lopez said many of the organizers are getting older and are hoping to pass the festival along to a younger group of volunteers.

"It will require a lot of patience and dedication and someone who understands that there will be tons of issues and problems, but you can still put on a great festival for the community," he said.

The parade and festival featured local and regional bands and marchers including Roberto Clemente Dancers which came from Boston and local motorcycle club the Latin American Motorcycle Association.

Many politicians attended the event including Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse who once again marched in a typical guayabera tropical shirt and State Rep. Aaron Vega.

"It was a great parade and a wonderful celebration of Latin culture," Vega said.

This year's parade Grand Marshal was Irma Lopez, a life-long Holyoke resident who has worked in the City Cler'ks Office in Holyoke for 21 years. Lopez currently serves as the Assistant City Clerk. She is a member of Holyoke's Los Jibaritos Dominos Club.

The parade godfather (similar to a marshal) was Francisco Vasquez, a former medical specialist in the U.S. Army Vasquez is currently the offsite supervisor of Patient Outreach at Holyoke Medical Center.

"I was so honored when they asked me to serve as padrino," he said. " The festival has been great and it's wonderful for the community."

The parade godmother is Norma Iris Tañon de Rodriguez, the director of the Folkloric group El Coqui, well-known in the area for helping to maintain Puerto Rican culture for children and teenagers.

"I was thrilled when they asked," she said. "It's great to show the kids I work with the importance of their cultural traditions."

The parade culminated in front of City Hall on Dwight Street.

The festival continues until 8 p.m. tonight with a performance by Tito Rojas y su Orquesta starting at 6:15 p.m. at Springdale Park on Main Street.

 ...

The program is expected to collect an estimated $35 million in back taxes.

BOSTON — A tax amnesty sponsored by House Republicans could help Massachusetts collect millions in overdue tax revenues.

The program, signed into law by Gov. Deval Patrick, is available to taxpayers who failed to file a timely tax return or underreported their income.

Taxpayers who failed to pay any outstanding tax liability or failed to pay the proper amount on a required estimated tax payment are also eligible.

Those who pay their taxes and interest within the designated two-month amnesty period will not be assessed penalties. The waiver won't apply to any individual who is the subject of a tax-related criminal investigation.

The program is expected to collect an estimated $35 million in back taxes.

House Republican Leader Brad Jones said $5 million of the taxes collected will go toward the state's Substance Abuse Services Fund.

Massachusetts Citizens for Life, which opposes abortion, said lawmakers should proceed cautiously to avoid future lawsuits.

BOSTON — A bill intended to address the recent Supreme Court ruling striking down Massachusetts' abortion clinic buffer zone law is expected to be filed this week.

The high court last month tossed out the law that established 35-foot protest-free "buffer zones" around the entrances of abortion clinics, deeming it a restraint on the free-speech rights of anti-abortion protesters.

Gov. Deval Patrick, Attorney General Martha Coakley and other lawmakers and women's rights groups are pushing for a bill that would toughen protections for patients entering the clinics while preserving free speech rights.

Massachusetts Citizens for Life, which opposes abortion, said lawmakers should proceed cautiously to avoid future lawsuits.

Specifics of the bill have yet to be announced, although Coakley has said one option would be to give police more power to disperse crowds.

The state House and Senate will now negotiate a compromise bill before seeking endorsement by Gov. Deval Patrick.

WESTFIELD - Pending state legislation aimed at preserving open space, parks and clean energy includes about $14 million for projects here and in Holyoke and Southwick.

State Sen. Donald F. Humason Jr., R-Westfield, has announced that the bond, approved by the state Senate last week includes $10 million for clean up of the Connecticut River and about $4 million for Westfield, Holyoke and Southwick.

The Senate and House of Representatives will now develop a compromise bill for final passage and consideration by Gov. Deval Patrick.

Westfield's Columbia Greenway bicycle trail project is targeted for $1 million while $600,000 is proposed for stormwater drainage management at Barnes Regional Airport, Humason said. Westfield could also receive $350,000 towards stormwater improvements in the East Main Street - Mainline Drive corridor.

The proposed state-wide bill includes $1 million for Holyoke's Dwight-Heritage-Front street combined sewer improvement project.

Southwick could receive $1.2 million for flood control,Congamond Lake, the senator noted.

"These are very worthwhile and necessary projects," Humason said.

WESTFIELD - Stanley Park's Friday Mornings for Children will focus on social skills Aug.1. Braver To Be Kind hosted by Terry A. LaBerry, aka Terrence Hall, will use song and mild humor to promote the importance of getting along with others. Friday Mornings for Children are held regardless of weather in the Beveridge Pavilion Annex from 10 - 10:45 a.m.....

WESTFIELD - Stanley Park's Friday Mornings for Children will focus on social skills Aug.1.

Braver To Be Kind hosted by Terry A. LaBerry, aka Terrence Hall, will use song and mild humor to promote the importance of getting along with others.

Friday Mornings for Children are held regardless of weather in the Beveridge Pavilion Annex from 10 - 10:45 a.m.. The series, which runs through August, are free of charge and seating is provided.

The 11:15 a.m. stabbing left the father of two dead.

HOLYOKE – City Police are making progress on solving the first homicide of the year that happened Sunday morning but no arrests have been made yet.

“We are getting some cooperation from people who were in the area at the time,” said Lt. James Albert, of the Criminal Investigations Bureau.

In addition the city’s Criminal Investigations Bureau is getting “a ton of help” from the Massachusetts State Police investigators assigned to the office of Hampden District Attorney James C. Orenstein. Troopers from the Crime Scene Services Section were also called to the murder.

The 11:15 a.m. stabbing, which happened at the corner of Appleton and Elm Streets and outside La Chicas Market, left the father of two dead. The killer fled after stabbing the man in the neck.

The investigation has lead police to believe the killing was not gang-related and members of the public should not be concerned about more violence stemming from the fatal stabbing.

“It was a focused argument between two guys that ended violently,” Albert said.

It was also unrelated to the Hispanic Family Festival parade which was scheduled to start shortly after the stabbing happened.

Police have not released the name of the victim until all family members are notified. Neighbors described him as a dedicated family man.

Police have not released the name of the victim until all of his family can be notified. Watch video

This updates a story posted at 5:45 p.m. about the homicide

HOLYOKE – The victim of Sunday morning’s stabbing homicide was a husband, the father of two and a dedicated stepfather to his wife’s children.

“He was a family man. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his family,” said Jamie Garcia, a neighbor and friend to the victim.

The man was mostly a stay-at-home father who took care of his youngest daughter and the house.

“He was a great guy. You would never see him mad,” Garcia said.

Neighbors and friends gathered outside the parking lot of Las Chicas Market to light candles in memory of the man, they referred to by the nickname Chino, who lived in an apartment building across the street from where he was killed.

He was killed at the corner of 180 Elm and 345 Appleton streets at about 11:15 a.m. Sunday after a confrontation with another man. Police have not released the name of the victim until all his family members could be notified, Police Capt. Denise Duguay, head of the Holyoke Police Criminal Investigation Bureau, said.

"We're now interviewing witnesses and taking statements and collecting evidence," she said Sunday afternoon.

Massachusetts State Police investigators assigned to the office of Hampden District Attorney James C. Orenstein and troopers from the Crime Scene Services Section were also called to the murder scene.

 Holyoke Police Chief James Neiswanger told CBS3 Springfield, media partner of MassLive / The Republican, the stabbing stemmed from a fight between the victim and another man. Neiswanger said it was too early in the investigation to discuss a motive, but the incident wasn't random and had nothing to do with the nearby Hispanic Family Festival parade.

Neidie Nazario said the victim had backed down from the argument, saying he wasn’t going to fight with children around.

“He was a family person. All he cared about was his family,” she said.
Neighbors said he had been with his wife for 10 to 12 years and was the father of two daughters who are about 2 and 8.

“He was the greatest guy…I’m going to miss him,” Nazario said. “It is sad the good people die.”

Just a few days ago Nazario said she ran into him after shopping and he helped her carry the bags into her apartment.

State Rep. Aaron Vega, D-Holyoke, said he was disheartened to learn of the killing. "It's just sad that, on a day when we are celebrating Puerto Rican culture, we have to hear this news," he said.

Vega said he saw some commotion when he drove by Appleton Street on his way to the parade, but he didn't think much of it. "Unfortunately, the street is notorious for police activity, so we just continued on to the parade," he said.

Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse said he plans to call a meeting of city officials to "address the rampant criminal activity at this particular corner," which he characterized as "a notorious hotspot."

Nazario agreed that the neighborhood has problems.

“Pretty much everything happens here,” she said.

Staff writer Conor Berry contributed to this report.

Prosecutors said Monday that House Speaker Robert DeLeo and his aide, Leonard Mirasolo, were part of a "racketeering conspiracy" related to hiring at the Massachusetts Probation Department.

BOSTON - House Speaker Robert DeLeo Monday called unconscionable allegations that he was part of a Probation Department racketeering conspiracy.

Prosecutors said Monday in U.S. District Court DeLeo and his aide, Leonard Mirasolo, were part of a "racketeering conspiracy" related to hiring at the Massachusetts Probation Department.

"It's your argument that chairman and then speaker DeLeo is part of that conspiracy?" Judge William Young asked Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak.

"Yes," Wyshak said.

DeLeo responded by issuing a two-page statement denying the allegations and criticizing the U.S. Attorney's office. "The United States Attorney has chosen to try me in the press because they lack the evidence to do so in a court of law.  That is simply unconscionable and unfair," DeLeo said.

Former probation commissioner John O'Brien and his deputies, Elizabeth Tavares and William Burke, are on trial in U.S. District Court on charges of mail fraud and conspiracy to commit racketeering. O'Brien and Tavares also face racketeering charges. Prosecutors say the three former officials ran a rigged system in which they hired politically connected candidates over more qualified candidates in exchange for benefits from the state legislature, then lied on forms certifying the hires were done correctly.

It is in the government's interest to define someone as a "co-conspirator" because that allows prosecutors to have a witness report second-hand information, or hearsay, about what that person allegedly said.

The question came up during a hearing over whether the jury should be allowed to hear statements made by Mirasolo. Young permitted Mirasolo's statements in court, but defense attorneys challenged that and argued that Mirasolo's statements should be struck from the record.

Prosecutors allege that O'Brien bribed DeLeo – that O'Brien filled jobs with DeLeo's favored candidates and, in exchange, asked for DeLeo's support for the Probation Department's budget and for legislative initiatives that would help O'Brien and the department.

When a new electronic monitoring facility opened up, prosecutors say O'Brien let DeLeo ask lawmakers for job recommendations, then hired those candidates without an interview. Mirasolo made the calls to the legislators, according to testimony.

Edward Ryan, the Probation Department's legislative liaison, testified that O'Brien made the offer in order to help DeLeo get support to become House speaker. DeLeo has said there was never any jobs-for-votes arrangement.

DeLeo has not been charged with any wrongdoing. Defense attorneys say there was no bribe and point to the fact that no lawmakers have been charged with accepting a bribe.

DeLeo, in his statement, made the same argument. "Today the United States Attorney alleged that I engaged in a criminal conspiracy," DeLeo said. "Since a conspiracy is an agreement to do an illegal act, the question must be asked: With whom did I conspire?  When did I so conspire? And what evidence is there linking me to such a conspiracy?  The government cannot answer these most basic questions."

DeLeo called the allegation a "desperate legal strategy" to allow the government to admit hearsay evidence.

"The United States Attorney has never asked me to testify and thereby has not provided me with a forum to defend myself," DeLeo said. 

DeLeo said he testified under oath to independent investigator Paul Ware, and was never accused of any wrongdoing.

O'Brien attorney William Fick said the alleged conspiracy regarding the speaker's race was a "fiction created probably by the losing candidate for speaker to tar DeLeo." Fick said it "is not plausible."

Fick argued that the only witness who said there was a conspiracy regarding the speaker's race involving DeLeo, Mirasolo and O'Brien was Ryan "who seemed inclined to say whatever the last person to ask him a question asked." On cross-examination, Ryan offered confusing testimony on several points, including how many legislative calls for job recommendations he referred to Mirasolo, how much hiring was going on at the department, and whether specific lawmakers knew the jobs existed before he called them.

Several state representatives have denied that DeLeo tried to "buy" their vote in the speaker's race.

Young, in court, accepted Wyshak's argument that Mirasolo should be classified as a co-conspirator for the sake of allowing his statements as evidence. Young said he was swayed by the fact that several state representatives testified that none of them had ever received a call like the one from Mirasolo either before or since.

Young did not have to rule on DeLeo since prosecutors have not brought his statements as evidence.

DeLeo also criticized a Boston Globe editorial, which argued that lawmakers should not be making recommendations for state jobs. DeLeo pointed out that political donors are frequently named as U.S. ambassadors and that politicians at all levels of government make recommendation for state government jobs. "Does that make the candidates unqualified or lacking in professional skill?" DeLeo said.

On Monday night, the Governor's Council held its first meeting outside of Boston, thanks to an effort by Councilor Michael Albano to move hearings on Western Massachusetts judicial appointments closer to the nominees' homes.

SPRINGFIELD — Nancy O'Grady, 88, no doubt, would have made the trip to Boston to attend the Governor's Council hearing on her son William's judicial nomination.

But she — and a host of Western Massachusetts supporters of Westhampton's William O'Grady's nomination to become a judge in Chicopee District Court — only had to travel as far as Springfield City Hall to make the case for appointing him to the bench.

That's because on Monday night, the Governor's Council held its first meeting outside of Boston, thanks to an effort by Councilor Michael Albano, of Longmeadow, to move hearings on Western Massachusetts judicial appointments closer to the nominees' homes.

It was like old home week as more than 50 people, including colleagues, family and friends who had known O'Grady since grammar school, crowded City Hall Chambers to speak in favor of his nomination.

O'Grady, who was an associate city solicitor in Chicopee since 1986 and in Westfield since 2009, has practiced civil and criminal law at Parker & O'Grady in Southampton and Springfield since 1985. Before that, he worked as a litigation associate at the Springfield firm of Cohen, Rosenthal, Price, Mirkin, Jennings & Berg.

O'Grady is a graduate of Boston College and Westfield New England University School of Law.

Springfield City Solicitor Edward Pikula said O'Grady's municipal experience will be a plus in the "soup-to-nuts" type of cases tried in District Court. "It's a people's court," he said.

Cheryl Stanley, dean of education at Westfield State University, recalled O'Grady as young man when they were fellow athletes playing hoops at Springfield's Blunt Park. Stanley said O'Grady's experience in a diverse community honed his "cultural competencies," making him the "kind of judge I'd like to have."

Thomas Rooke, a local attorney, said O'Grady's humble beginnings will make him an exceptional judge. O'Grady's father was a bellhop at the former Sheraton hotel on Chestnut Street in Springfield and his mother worked in the rectory at St. Thomas Church in West Springfield.

Albano said he was pleased with the large turnout for Monday's hearing. Typically hearings in Boston on Western Massachusetts appointees are sparsely attended, he said. "Maybe we get five or six," he said.

A hearing on Gov. Deval L. Patrick's nomination of William Rota, of Lee, as an associate justice of the Southern Berkshire District Court will be held in Pittsfield on Monday, Albano said.

Albano said the local hearings provide residents an important opportunity for input in the appointment of judges who will serve the region.

If confirmed, O'Grady would fill a vacancy on the court expected due to the upcoming retirement of Judge Mary Hurley. The formal hearing for O'Grady is scheduled for Wednesday at the State House.

A new city run magnet school focusing on the performing and visual arts will make its debut this fall in the former Immaculate Conception School in the Indian Orchard neighborhood with 120 students making up its original cast.

SPRINGFIELD – A new city run magnet school focusing on the performing and visual arts will make its debut this fall in the former Immaculate Conception School in the Indian Orchard neighborhood with 120 students making up its original cast.

The first students of the new Springfield Conservatory for the Arts, who were chosen through a blind lottery earlier this year, will fill Grades 6 and 9 when school opens on Aug. 24 . The 6-12 magnet school – modeled after music conservatories in Boston, Puerto Rico and elsewhere – will add a new grades over the next four years, school officials said.

Superintendent Daniel J. Warwick, said the addition of an arts-based school to the Springfield system is another effort to engage students and keep them in school.

In addition to the Common Core curriculum, and its focus on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test, Principal David Brewster, 52, formerly of Brocton, said the conservatory will give students an opportunity to concentrate on the visual arts, music, dance or drama after an initial exposure to each discipline.

The first students will take traditional courses along with a course in each discipline – visual arts like painting and sculpture, music, drama and dance. As they progress through the grades they will get a chance to focus on one discipline, Brewster said.

The Springfield Conservatory for the Arts has been a dream of Assistant School Superintendent Lydia Martinez for several years. Martinez said students from urban districts thrive in such an atmosphere.

Magnet funding helps pay such extras as musical instruments, visiting artists and field trips. The school has hired 11 full-time teachers with backgrounds in the arts.

The plans are on file in the planning office.

WILBRAHAM – The Planning Board will hold a public hearing July 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall on an application from Evangel Assembly of God, for site plan approval to allow the construction of a 4,010-square-foot addition to the rear of the church and associated site work on its property at 348 Stony Hill Road.

The plans are on file at the Planning Office in the Town Hall.

Chicopee Academy and school offices at the former Chicopee High School have mostly moved out of the building.

CHICOPEE – The renovation project at the former Chicopee High School has started, now that school has dismissed for the summer.

As soon as school ended on June 26, employees for the general contractor Fontaine Brothers, of Springfield, were beginning preliminary work for the job, said William Zaskey, chairman of the Chicopee High School Renovation Committee and a City Councilor.

“They are beginning construction on the fourth floor and moving down,” Zaskey said.

The city this summer is starting the about $39 million project to renovate the century-old high school and convert it into a middle school. The state is reimbursing 80 percent of the costs up to a $38 million cap. There are concerns that there is an about $710,000 amount over budget that the city may have to pay in total.

The contractor faces a completion date deadline of August 2015, so work has begun almost immediately, Zaskey said.

Currently the city’s two middle schools are located within a mile of each other on Pendleton Ave. and off Britton Street. When construction is complete, students will be redistricted and assigned to the school closest to their home. Fairview Veterans Middle will then be used as an elementary and preschool. Because of the redistricting and the shifting of schools, it is vital to meet the deadline, Superintendent Richard W. Rege Jr. said.

Already utility work has been completed on Academy Street next to the old Chicopee High. The next step will be to remove asbestos from the building, Zaskey said.

The old school had been used by Chicopee Academy, which occupied parts of the first floor and the entire third floor. The maintenance department, food service program, school psychologists and nurses also have offices there, Rege said.

“The Academy is completely moved out and the maintenance department is at the telecom building,” Rege said.

Chicopee Academy will temporarily be housed at the former Belcher School, now called Southwick Street School, and the maintenance department has moved into the school’s empty Sophie Chmura Telecommunications Building off James Street.

The remaining offices are slated to be moved into part of the Chicopee Falls Library Branch, which is across the street from the school administration building on Broadway. But, legislators first have to approve the use, since the building was donated for the express purpose of being used as a library.

City officials are still waiting for approval, but Rege said he does have a “plan B” if legislators do not act soon.

There is some space for food services at the telecom building and psychologists and nurses will move in with Chicopee Academy students at Southwick Street School, he said.

The deadline for submitting a complete application packet is Aug. 15, 2014.

Republican file 

PALMER – The Palmer public school district is accepting applications for the following School Choice seats for the 2014-2015 school year:

Grade 8 – five openings,

Grade 9 – five openings
\
Grade 10 – five openings

Grade 11 – five openings

Grade 12 – five openings.

Openings are not available in substantially separate or alternative education programs.

Letters of application must include student and parent names, address, current school, grade level and date of birth.

The deadline for submitting a complete application packet is Aug. 15, 2014.

Reply to Mary Lou Callahan
Principal
Palmer High School
4105 Main Street
Palmer, MA 01069

The telephone is 413-283-6511 or by fax at 413-283-3476.

Sisters of St. Joseph worked in countries from which children now flee.

According to the New York Times, the number of underage children illegally crossing the United States border by themselves has jumped dramatically during the last three years, with some 40,000 children – about three-quarters of the total – entering from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala.

The countries, along with Nicaragua, are well known to three area women religious who worked, traveled or visited in these Central America countries, getting to know their people and traditions, along with the violence woven into daily life that has also increased and prompted the desperate exodus of their young.

"I worked with a Maryknoll Sister in a community at night, and men with machetes would walk us across the field, as it was not safe to be out. There was gang activity, and a man had been gunned down at the end of the street," said Sister of St. Joseph of Springfield Maureen Broughan, whose years in Guatemala, from 1991 to 1996, corresponded with a coup there and the end of the three-decade civil war. "When we went to the wake, there were only women. We were told all the men were in hiding; it was all part of war."

Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield Jane Morrissey, left, and Maureen Broughan have both worked in Guatemala. 

Broughan, who worked with children and women as part of a pastoral team, lived among the cinder block homes and tin shacks built by both indigenous and Ladinos on land on the outskirts of Guatemala City. She knew of families who "would take a chance and leave" for the United States illegally, "be deported back, but still start saving to go right back again." However, she said watching media reports of the thousands of unaccompanied minors now entering the country "floors me, knowing the community and how much they love their kids."

"It doesn't make sense to me. Families would never let a young child go, as they know the dangers they will experience. Things have to be pretty horrible for families to do that," Broughan said. She hopes that how ever the United States addresses their future, "the kids' safety will come first."

Sister Kathleen Keating, former president of both the Sisters of St. Joseph and Elms College, in Chicopee, taught at the University of Central America in Managua, Nicaguara, from 1989 to 1993. The Sandinista National Liberation Front was still in power when she arrived, but years of civil war, a U.S. trade embargo and other factors translated into little economic advancement, even for the well-educated. Keating traveled to Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Honduras, where she saw many of the same conditions of unemployment and low wages. She cited such issues as government corruption and "collaboration over centuries" with outside economic powers as some of the reasons for the widespread poverty.

"I worked with a sister in Managua who had a youth group. She did an exercise with them, asking what were their dreams for the future. Only one boy of the 15 could do the exercise. They said: 'How can we do this, we have nothing to dream about,' " Keating said.

"Everyone in Central America wants the same things we want – to raise a family in security. As we have gotten involved in other parts of the world, we forget about Latin America. These young people coming are reminding us, and the fact that families are letting their children go shows that it is just as bad as it was 20 years ago when I was there. This is much deeper than a problem of immigration. Nothing changes for these people. They have been waiting and waiting. Promises have been made, and there has been hope on occasion, but very little changes for them."

Sister Jane Morrissey, who also served as president of the Sisters of St. Joseph, traveled to El Salvador, in 2005, with Keating for the 25th anniversary of the murder there of four North American church women, two of whom were Maryknoll Sisters, by members of that nation's armed forces on Dec. 2, 1980. It was also the anniversary year of the murder in El Salvador of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero. Morrissey, who lives at Gray House in the North End of Springfield, also spent time doing research, in 1996, for a book on Hermano Pedro de San Jose Betancur, Central American's first saint, among the indigenous population in Antigua, Guatemala.

Sister of St. Joseph of Springfield Kathleen Keating spent a number of years teaching in Nicaragua.REPUBLICAN FILE 

'I've gotten to know many immigrant families from Guatemala. They might have left what they knew as home, but it is still their home and sending back a good portion of their income to their families is a central reason to why they are here," Morrissey said.

"Latin America goes from our southern border to Tierra del Fuego, and all Latin America is suffering. People who come here, may have moved from one place to another in Latin America, where they find a different kind of suffering, in a different dialect, but the poverty remains the same. We have to humanly face this problem. We have to be honest in our complicity in the roots of the problem and we have to change the systems that cause the oppression that brings the poverty that is systemic throughout Latin American."

Here are four ways you can feed your newfound soccer addiction in the aftermath of the Copa Das Copas.

When Germany's captain Philipp Lahm lifted the World Cup up inside Brazil's famed Estadio Maracana one of the most exciting sporting events in recent memory came to an end. The Germans, with their machine-like precision, were going home as the newly crowned champions of the world; the Argentines, with their second place medals, were leaving weighted down with shame and dejection.

Now you, the newly minted American soccer fan and one of a record 26.5 million that watched the final, are sitting at home wondering what's next.

"I can't believe it's over. That was so much fun, but I want more soccer now. What do I do?"

Don't worry, I've got you covered.

Here are four ways you can feed your newfound soccer addiction in the aftermath of the Copa Das Copas.

1. Follow a club team in Europe

It's no secret that the best of the best play in Europe. The best teams in the world belong to England's Premier League, Spain's La Liga, and Germany's Bundesliga. In those leagues you will find a level of soccer above the level you saw in the World Cup. This presents you, the sports fan, with a rare and unique opportunity: you can choose the team you want to follow from scratch. In the States, we usually end up supporting the team of our geographic region or the team our parents cheered for, so, there's baggage.

My only advice is do not cheer for Manchester United. Full disclosure: I cheer for Arsenal in the EPL. If you really liked Tim Howard's performance in the World Cup I'd suggest you cheer for Everton, as he plays for them in the EPL.

You can find helpful guides on whom to cheer for here, here, and here.

If following a European league isn't your thing...

2. Follow a club team in MLS (hint: the New England Revolution)

Your New England Revolution is one of the more exciting teams in MLS and a bargain at that when compared to the cost of going to the other local major league teams' games. The Revs are in the second year of what can generously be described as a rebuilding year so its one of the younger teams in the league. If cheering for a Boston team is not your thing, there are 19 other teams in MLS for you to choose from with two more on the way next season.

If following an MLS team isn't really your thing and you just want to cheer for the USA...

3. There's a major tournament featuring the USA every year until the 2018 World Cup

In 2015 the United States hosts and participates in its conference championship known as the Gold Cup. The USA plays in the CONCACAF league, which stands for the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football. This tournament will feature the best of the best from our conference, including World Cup participants Mexico, Costa Rica, and Honduras. If the United States does not win the tournament the team will face the champions in a one-game playoff to go to the 2017 Confederations Cup, more on that in a minute.

In 2016 the United States are hosts and participants in the special 100th edition of Copa America, the quadrennial South American tournament. This tournament will feature all 10 teams from South America, as well as six from CONCACAF including the USA and Mexico. This tournament will be a great way to determine how the United States players are doing on their way to the next World Cup.

In 2017 the United States hosts another incarnation of the Gold Cup, begins the final round of World Cup qualifying and, fingers crossed, participates in the Confederations Cup in Russia. The Confederations Cup is a pre-World Cup tune-up for the host nation as well as a tournament that features the conference tournament winners from all the confederations around the world. The United States played in the 2009 tournament and went all the way to the final where they lost to Brazil 3-2.

You should probably think about joining The American Outlaws, too. Full disclosure: I am a member of the Boston chapter.

If you're only interested in the World Cup and winning...

4. The United States play in the Women's World Cup next summer

The United States Women's National Team will play in the 2015 Women's World Cup next year in Canada after the team inevitably qualifies for the tournament this fall. This is a fun tournament and it's easily accessible if you're interested in going to the games in person or watching on TV.

The geriatric authority's Board of Directors is supposed to meet Wednesday night with their lawyer to discuss the ramifications of Monday's ruling

HOLYOKE – A federal Bankruptcy Court ruled Monday that the Holyoke Geriatric Authority is a public agency and not entitled to Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protections, according to those who were present for the ruling.

Judge Henry J. Boroff issued his ruling Monday afternoon, putting a cap on a bid by the authority to seek bankruptcy protections as its Board of Directors continues the process of dissolving its remaining assets.

Copies of Boroff’s ruling was not available, but accounts of his decision were provided by two people from opposite sides of the issue who were present in the courtroom when the ruling was handed down: Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse and Geriatric Authority Board of Directors chairman Henry Glidden.

Morse pronounced the ruling was “good news” for Holyoke, while Glidden said he is disappointed and waiting to hear from the board’s legal counsel about what happens next.

The authority’s board, citing years of financial problems, voted in March to shut down its nursing facility and filed for bankruptcy in April. In response, the city filed a motion to dismiss the case, claiming it is owed $5.9 million by the authority – a figure the authority contends is closer to $1.5 million.

The authority filed for bankruptcy protection, claiming that it is governed by a five-member board and functions as a corporation, without direct oversight by city or state officials. The City of Holyoke argued that the authority is a public agency and not qualified to receive Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Glidden, contacted Monday night at his home, said he was present for the ruling. He understood that the bankruptcy claim was rejected by the courts, but he is waiting the authority’s bankruptcy lawyer, Louis Robin, to explain the ramifications of the ruling and what happens next.

Glidden, not a lawyer, said “I don’t know what it means.”

Robin is scheduled to brief the board during a meeting at the authority on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.

Glidden said there should be discussion about the impact of the ruling and what it means in the board’s efforts to disband the authority.

He said the authority board was advised the filing for bankruptcy was the best way to go for properly disbanding the authority and seeing that “everyone gets a fair piece of what’s left.”

In the wake of the ruling, he said, “It turns out that’s not right.”

Morse, also reached Monday night said he and several city officials were also present in court for the ruling Monday afternoon.

He said over the course of about 30 minutes, the judge read his decision, citing the various legal precedents that were used to make his decision.

Morse, who is also not a lawyer, said he was looking forward to reading a printed document of the ruling to learn about it in more detail. A printed copy was not yet available through the clerk’s office.

He said he didn't necessarily understand all the finer points about existing case law in the decision, but was able to grasp the bottom line: that the Holyoke Geriatric Authority is not an independent agency and not eligible to file for bankruptcy protections. The phrase he remembered from the ruling is that the authority “is a government entity of the body politic.”

The bottom line, he said, is “this is good news for Holyoke.”

The ruling means that because the Geriatric Authority is a part of city government, its Board of Directors should be willing to work with the city to resolve the remaining issues.
Morse also said the city intends now to resume its land court case arguing the property owned by the authority is owned by the city.

The city filed a complaint to foreclose on a lien filed two years ago on authority property. Because of the bankruptcy proceedings, the action in land court had been put on hold, Morse said.

John Ratzenberger, better known in Boston as his character Cliff Clavin from "Cheers," returned to the spot where everyone is supposed to know his name to try and build awareness around a new non-profit he has formed called the Foundation for America.

By MATT MURPHY

BOSTON — John Ratzenberger, better known in Boston as his character Cliff Clavin from Cheers, returned to the spot where everyone is supposed to know his name to try and build awareness around a new non-profit he has formed called the Foundation for America.

Ratzenberger, who appeared upstairs at the Hampshire House above the Cheers bar on Beacon Street, hopes to build support for training young people in skilled jobs like carpentry and manufacturing, a movement he described as "nothing less than the second American revolution."

Senate Majority Leader Stanley Rosenberg, Rep. Dan Ryan, of Charlestown, and officials from Associated Industries of Massachusetts, including AIM President Rich Lord, attended the small meet-and-greet on Beacon Hill.

Ratzenberger said that in additional to his acting career and degree in English, he was also a carpenter.

"Kids come out of high school without the ability to read a ruler, let alone know what a crescent wrench is or a ball-peen hammer because in their entire lives they've never had to do any of that," Ratzenberger said.

The former TV sitcom star said he's hoping his non-partisan foundation will be able to raise money to support school districts and non-profit organizations around the country to teach kids trade skills that are disappearing from the workforce, and hopes to gain enough publicity to catapult the issue into the national spotlight during the 2016 presidential election.

"America will run out of people who know how to do things in six to eight years," Ratzenberger said, estimating that there are 600,000 manufacturing jobs available across the country that can't be filled because of a lack of skilled labor.

He continued, "Before you take public office in this country, whether it's mayor, governor, president, you should be required to assemble a coffee table from IKEA. If you can't do that, what are you doing passing laws that affect me and my family."

Rosenberg said he supported Ratzenberger's efforts, and also said, "Absolutely," when asked if he could build an IKEA coffee table.

"I think he's spot on. We've been trying to deal with that here in Massachusetts. There are about 180,000 jobs that are going unfilled and many of them are the kinds of people he's talking about," Rosenberg said. "They need education and training and to know that they can actually earn a living wage and get there and help build these companies."

PITTSFIELD - A 32-year-old Pittsfield man accused of raping an 11-year-old girl was ordered held in lieu of $25,000 bail at his arraignment in Berkshire District Court. William Soper is charged with four counts of rape of a child with four, and one count each of indecent assault and battery on a child under age 14 and intimidation of...

PITTSFIELD - A 32-year-old Pittsfield man accused of raping an 11-year-old girl was ordered held in lieu of $25,000 bail at his arraignment in Berkshire District Court.

William Soper is charged with four counts of rape of a child with four, and one count each of indecent assault and battery on a child under age 14 and intimidation of a witness.

He denied the charges at his arraignment Monday.

According to the office of Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless, the charges stem from allegations alleged to have happened between Dec. 1, 2011 and Jan. 31, 2012 somewhere in Pittsfield.

No information was disclosed about the girl or her connection to Soper.

An investigation was conducted jointly by the Pittsfield police and state police detectives assigned to Capeless’s office.

Former Plymouth officer Shawn Coughlin also was sentenced Monday in federal court in Boston to a year of supervised release and a $7,500 fine.

BOSTON -- A former Massachusetts police officer has been sentenced to a year and a day in prison for assaulting a handcuffed man in jail and trying to cover it up.

Plymouth Police 

The 47-year-old Coughlin was convicted in February of deprivation of constitutional rights under color of law and falsifying a record to impede a federal investigation.

Prosecutors said he assaulted an arrestee in a Plymouth police holding cell in 2011, hitting the man in the head, and kneeing him in the body. They said Coughlin falsified official police reports on the matter.

WBZ-TV reports Coughlin's attorney said his client had an "unblemished" career before committing "an unfortunate act" and paying the price.