Because of the extensive media coverage of the fires and Baye’s subsequent arrest, the defense maintains he cannot get a fair trial in Hampshire County

File photo by Michael S. Gordon / The RepublicanSuperior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney is expected to decide whether police used appropriate measures to extract a confession from Northampton arson suspect Anthony Baye.

NORTHAMPTON - It’s now up to a judge to decide if police overstepped their bounds when they extracted a confession from Anthony P. Baye eight days after a string of fires terrorized Northampton.

Baye, 26, faces more than 40 charges in connection with 15 fires police say were deliberately set on the night of Dec. 27, 2009. One blaze at 17 Fair Street claimed the lives of Paul Yeskie, 81, and Paul Yeskie, Jr., 39, a father and son whose bodies were found by a window through which they were apparently trying to escape. Baye is charged with two counts of first degree murder as a result of their deaths.

Judge Constance Sweeney, who has been specially appointed to hear Baye’s case, heard testimony Wednesday from Alan Hirsch, a lawyer and professor at Williams College who specializes in interrogations and coerced confessions. Last month, Sweeney watched some ten hours of video over a three-day span showing two state police investigators interviewing Baye on Jan. 4, 2010. During that interrogation, Baye admits he set some of the fires. He was arrested immediately afterwards. Defense lawyers David P. Hoose and Thomas Lesser have moved to exclude evidence from the interview at trial, maintaining that the troopers denied Baye his right to a lawyer.

Hirsch told Sweeney that the study of false confessions has “exploded” over the last 20 years as DNA testing has identified inmates falsely convicted of crimes. According to Hirsch, a quarter of those innocent defendants had confessed to crimes they didn’t commit. Hirsch’s studies focus on whether or not interrogation techniques used by police are responsible for the false confessions.

Under questioning by Lesser, Hirsch cited a text book titled “Criminal Interrogations and Confessions” that is used by police. Among the techniques spelled out in the book, Hirsch said, are “confrontation” and “minimization.” “Confrontation” entails police telling a suspect they have indisputable evidence of his or her guilt. In “minimization,” police assure suspects that their actions were accidents or mistakes and that they can expect leniency if they admit to the crimes.

Troopers Michael Mazza and Paul Zipper used both techniques in the Jan. 4 interview with Baye, Hirsch said. Although he did not render an opinion as to whether Baye’s confession was reliable, Hirsch told the judge that those techniques sometimes result in false confessions.

In his closing statement, Hoose argued that his client was effectively in custody during the interview and should have been allowed to have a lawyer when he asked for one. Mazza assured Baye he was not under arrest and told him he would be better served by continuing to talk to police. Hoose said it is disingenuous for the prosecution to maintain that Baye was free to leave at any time.

“He was told, ‘You’re responsible for the most serious crime spree in the history of Northampton,’” he said. “What person would think, ‘I can just go now’?”

Noting that the interview turned confrontational, Hoose asserted that Baye’s admissions were not voluntary.

“Every time he tried to say ‘I didn’t do it,’ he was cut off and told, ‘You did,’” Hoose said.

Vottero, however, said Baye was not formally under arrest during the interview and that his freedom of movement was not restricted as if he were. Moreover, he said, Baye still insists he didn’t set some of the fires, despite police assertions to the contrary.

“The interview in its totality was good police investigation,” Vottero said. “It was a fair interview.”

In addition to objecting to the Jan. 4 interview, the defense claims police lacked probably cause to stop Baye on the night of the fires. Officers questioned Baye twice in two different locations that rainy night, each time observing that his breath smelled of alcohol and his clothes were wet, even though he was in his car. Sweeney will decide whether to exclude evidence from those stops as well.

Because of the extensive media coverage of the fires and Baye’s subsequent arrest, the defense maintains he cannot get a fair trial in Hampshire County. On Wednesday, Sweeney granted Baye’s request to impanel a jury in Hampden County and transport its members to Northampton for the trial, which is set to begin on Sept. 26. The judge also scheduled a pretrial hearing for Aug. 29.

Police said they spotted the suspect in the doorway of 175 Maple St.

Rafael Matias

SPRINGFIELD – Police said they arrested a 20-year-old city man suspected of stealing Oxycodone from abandoned apartments in the South End.

Sgt. John M. Delaney said officers Mike Goggin and Norberto Diaz were patrolling some of the building’s hardest hit by the tornado when they spotted a suspicious person inside the doorway of a condemned building at 175 Maple St.

The officers exited their cruiser and caught up with the suspect on the third floor landing, Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet, said.

The officers searched the suspect and 48 pills of Oxycodone. Delaney said the officers believe that the pills had been stolen from one of the abandoned apartments.

Rafael Matias, of no known address, was charged with possession of Oxycodone (a Class B substance) with intent to distribute, larceny under $250 and receiving stolen property.

The assessment will be through but expedited, according to state Treasurer Steven Grossman.

Photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanKatherine Craven, executive director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, inspects damage caused by last week's tornado in Springfield. Here she is looking a sections of the roof of the Mary Dryden School on Surrey Road that landed across the street at Cathedral High School.

SPRINGFIELD – State officials, traveling through the region on Wednesday to assess the significant tornado damage at public school buildings, said the conditions that were seen were worse than they imagined.

Top officials from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, and various other state and local officials and state structural engineers stopped at various sites including the Elias Brookings School on Hancock Street and the Mary Dryden School on Surrey Road, both heavily damaged.

The authority provides state funding for school construction and renovation projects.

State Treasurer Steven Grossman, chairman of the authority, and Katherine Craven, the authority’s executive director, pledged a thorough but speedy assessment of all damages to public schools. The state will do everything in its power to help repair, renovate or replace those schools, they said.

At Dryden, a large section of a new energy-efficient roof, just funded last year by the state authority, was hurled in a heap across the street.

“No one can believe the scope of the damage,” Craven said. “It’s absolutely devastating to look at the damage the tornado has caused.”

“It is more significant than I expected,” Grossman said. “We are here for the people of Springfield. We are here for the people of the Pioneer Valley. the devastation is clear and it has to be dealt with.”

Both schools closed for the year due to the damage, and were moved to other schools.

The authority’s Board of Directors was also on the tour, driven from site to site by a Peter Pan bus. The board moved its regular meeting to Westfield State University, and then planned a tour of Munger Hill School in Westfield.

Superintendent of Schools Alan J. Ingram and some members of the School Committee, City Council, and local legislators also took part in the tour.

The state authority, since formed in 2004, has made $7.6 billion in reimbursementsa to school districts for school construction projects.

Grossman said the state officials wanted to get a first-hand look at the damage, and will be partners in ensuring those students continue to have a quality education.

NASA released the image of a medium-sized solar flare that erupted on the surface of the sun.

• MBTA buses receive real-time predicted arrival system on Google [Boston.com]


• Previously hit black bear flies through SUV windshield, kills 2 [CNN.com]


• Medium-sized solar flare erupts [Telegram.com]


AP photoThis handout image provided by NASA shows the coronal mass ejection, viewed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory on June 7, 2011. A medium-sized solar flare has erupted from the sun in an impressive display captured by NASA cameras. Scientists say that the event won't have a significant impact on Earth. NASA says the flare peaked Tuesday and created a large cloud that appeared to cover almost half the surface of the sun. Images were recorded by the orbiting satellite called the Solar Dynamics Observatory.
• Iran moving its uranium production to a mountain bunker [WashingtonPost.com]


• No bodies were found at what was thought to be a 'mass grave' in Texas [BBC.co.uk]


• New MRI usage may help diagnose autism [WGGB.com]


• Stacey Jenkins named as new principal of the Williamsburg Elementary Schools [GazetteNet.com]


• Twitter posts tagged #westernma in Western Mass. [MassLive.com]


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About 15-20 students chanted "shame, shame" during a meeting of the UMass Board of Trustees in Boston.

File photo by Michael Beswick / The RepublicanThe image of astronaut Col. Catherine Coleman is seen on a large screen at the 141st commencement of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst last month. The UMass Board of Trustees voted in Boston Wednesday to implement a 7.5 percent fee increase for the coming school year.

BOSTON - Facing bitter student protests, trustees for the University of Massachusetts on Monday approved 7.5 percent increase in mandatory student fees.

With about 15 to 20 students holding signs and chanting "shame, shame" during a meeting at the university's Boston campus, trustees voted 9-4 to approve the increase recommended by outgoing President Jack M. Wilson and first approved last week by the administration and finance committee of trustees.

S. Paul Reville, secretary of education for Gov. Deval L. Patrick and a trustee, said members made an "agonizing decision" to hike fees to help close $54 million budget gap for the five-campus system. Most of the shortfall was caused by the loss of $37.8 million in federal stimulus funds.

"We all agree that fee increases are the last resort," Reville said.

Students waved signs in the back of the room and often interrupted trustees with biting criticism and loud boos.

"I would appreciate respect," said James J. Karam, chairman of the trustees.

"I would too," Keegan B. O'Brien, a student at the Boston campus, shot back.

Under the fee increase, in-state undergraduate students at the flagship Amherst campus would pay $880 additionally each year. Such students paid $11,732 in tuition and fees during the past academic year. That does not include room and board.

The fee increase would raise $26 million to help eliminate the budget gap. Budget reductions, including 370 job cuts, will also save $28 million, Wilson said.

“Our challenge is to preserve quality for our students, while at the same time doing everything we can to maintain access and affordability," Wilson told trustees. "Addressing the budget shortfall with equal amounts of new fee revenue and budget cuts is a balanced and responsible approach."

Wilson also reaffirmed the university’s commitment to increasing student financial aid.

Wilson and the university’s chancellors have pledged to devote 29 percent of the money generated by the fee increase to additional financial aid, which would entirely offset the effects of the increase for some students and blunt its effect for many others, according to Wilson's office.

Students said it was wrong to impose a substantial fee hike for the second time in three years.

"It's coming on the heels of a massive fee increase just two years ago," said Benjamin Taylor, 27, a student at the Amherst campus. "The state is privatizing public education."

Charles T. Peterson, 30, of Chicopee, who just received his bachelor's degree at the Amherst campus, said trustees are out of touch with ordinary students.

"I've got $30,000 in debt," Peterson said. "I don't want to see the next graduating class burdened by more debt."

The students' protest was much more muted than two years ago when trustees approved $1,500 fee increase, later offset with rebates up to $1,100 on a sliding scale, depending on financial need.

City officials also warned residents to take precautions such as staying indoors and drinking plenty of water

File photo by Don Treeger / The RepublicanAntonia Acevedo is seen at Riverview Senior Center last year. On Wednesday, the city of Springfield announced the opening of a number of cooling centers as hot weather returned to the region.

SPRINGFIELD – The city has opened five cooling centers in Springfield due to the hot weather.

The centers are open Wednesday and Thursday, from 1 to 8 p.m., at the following locations:

• Mason Square Senior Center, 74 Walnut St.

• Riverview Senior Center, 120 Clyde St. at Division Street

• Greenleaf Community Center, 1188 ½ Parker St.

• Pine Point Senior Center, - 335 Berkshire Ave.

• Evangelical Covenant Church, 915 Plumtree Road, corner of Bradley.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Helen R. Caulton-Harris, the city’s director of the Department of Health and Human Services, and Jan Rodriguez-Denney, director of elder affairs announced the openings, warning residents of the dangers of heat stress, particularly for the elderly and young.

Those at risk including the ill, are advised to stay indoors as much as possible, and drink plenty of water along with other precautions. They should avoid strenuous work during the warmest part of the day, stay inside air conditioned buildings and never leave a child or pet in closed vehicles.

For additional information, they can call the city’s customer service call center at 3-1-1 or (413) 736-3111.

Obituaries from The Republican

Bernard Berenson

Bernard Berenson of Hampden passed away on Monday June 6. The second of three sons, Berenson grew up in Portland, Maine and served on in aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy. He earned his bachelor's degree from American University and received his master's and doctorate degrees in psychology from the University of Maryland. Berenson then established a teaching career. He wrote many books and helped found the Center for Human Resource Development at American International College.

Obituaries from The Republican:

Judge Mark Wolf said he intends to instruct the jury about the distinction between “lawful” lobbying and participating in an honest services scheme.

File photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanU.S. District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf is seen during a visit to Springfield in 2008.

By KYLE CHENEY

BOSTON - Judge Mark L. Wolf said Wednesday he’s does not expect to instruct the jury that former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi had to “cause” payments to be made to his codefendants – lobbyist Richard McDonough and accountant Richard Vitale – in order for a jury to convict him on charges that he violated his duty of “honest services” to the Massachusetts public.

Wolf’s remarks at the outset of the last day of witness testimony in DiMasi’s trial on corruption charges may prove a setback to defendants’ hope that jurors would be instructed that DiMasi could only be found guilty of those charges if DiMasi knowingly “caused” McDonough and Vitale to receive kickbacks. Wolf noted that his thinking on the issue could change as he debates matters with lawyers in the coming days.

Lawyers for the defendants ripped the broader analysis of the law – which has been embraced by prosecutors – and argued that the prosecution had reversed its original legal analysis, potentially putting the defendants at a disadvantage on the last day of the trial.

“They can’t do a one-eighty on the last day of testimony,” argued Martin Weinberg, Vitale’s attorney, who argued that the prosecution’s current analysis of causation “flies in the face of everything they have asked the court to instruct this jury.”

“To wait until the last defense witness to change horses … I don’t think at the end of a case based on the evidence that came in, they should be allowed to change,” added Thomas Drechsler, McDonough’s lawyer.

Thomas Kiley, DiMasi’s lawyer, added that the prosecution’s argument “sweeps so broadly” that “every passage of every bill where there is a paid lobbyist is implicated.” Technically, he said, anytime a lobbyist is paid for helping a bill get passed, it would satisfy the prosecution’s definition of “causation.”

Wolf noted he intends to instruct the jury about the distinction between “lawful” lobbying and participating in an honest services scheme.

The fight over “causation” is a technical but potentially critical element of the prosecution’s case against DiMasi. Prosecutors charge that DiMasi used his power as speaker to steer a pair of state contracts – a $4.5 million deal in 2006 and a $13 million deal in 2007 – to Cognos Corp., a Canadian software company. In exchange, prosecutors say, DiMasi received $65,000 in kickbacks funneled through a law partner, his accountant Vitale got $600,000 through a consulting agreement with Cognos and McDonough, DiMasi’s longtime friend and a Cognos lobbyist, got $300,000 on top of his $25,000-a-month lobbying fee.

The payments to McDonough and Vitale were made by Joseph Lally, a Cognos salesman who was a codefendant in the matter until he pleaded guilty in March. Lally provided crucial testimony for the prosecution last month, placing DiMasi at the center of the alleged scheme and batting back suggestions by defense lawyers that he is too dishonest and desperate to be believed.

The debate among the lawyers honed in on whether DiMasi “caused” or “directed” Lally to pay McDonough and Vitale in exchange for DiMasi’s efforts in support of Cognos, or whether Lally made the payments on his own, hoping to curry favor. Prosecutors say DiMasi didn’t need to direct Lally to make the payments but had to be aware that his actions could result in the payments in order to be found guilty of honest services fraud.

In a Tuesday filing, prosecutors argued that as long as the jury finds “that any payments to McDonough or Vitale were made in return or exchange for DiMasi taking official actions,” DiMasi’s role in “causing” the payments is not a factor. Knowledge of the payments alone, prosecutors said, is sufficient.

But Weinberg argued that the government’s case had been premised for years on the suggestion that DiMasi “directed” payments to McDonough and Vitale. He noted the prosecution’s indictment contends that DiMasi engaged in a scheme “to receive, and cause others to receive, money from Lally and Cognos in return for performing official acts as a member and Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives that would further the interests of Lally and Cognos in the commonwealth of Massachusetts.” Defense lawyers, Weinberg said, had prepared to rebut the case built on that charge.

Weinberg said that the 11th-hour switch by prosecutors “dilutes” the government’s burden of proof and raises questions about whether the defendants had been denied due process and adequate notice of the charges against them.

But Judge Wolf disagreed.

“The due process notice requirement is satisfied by the obligation of the government to prove that what was done was done knowingly, willfully and with a specific intent to both defraud the public of DiMasi’s honest services and to deceive the public,” Judge Wolf responded.

In a nod to defendants, however, Wolf wondered whether the wording of the indictment – which he suggested had been crafted, in part, to provide “great stories for the media” – obligated the government “to prove more than the statute and the Supreme Court precedents require.”

Prosecutor Theodore Merritt countered that regardless of the legal argument, the prosecution’s case against DiMasi would have been the same.

“The same evidence from the government would be presented proving that [the payment to Vitale] is a kickback. The evidence would be the same,” Merritt said. “[DiMasi] has to take official action in return for the payments to his friend. He doesn’t have to think it up but it’s the taking of the official action in exchange for the kickback is what the government has to prove.”

Wolf added that he expects to instruct jurors that the alleged conspiracy did not have to “achieve its goals” in order for the defendants to be found guilty.

Information regarding tornado debris cleanup and takeaway by the Springfield Department of Public Works

The Springfield Department of Public Works is telling any individuals with debris, rubbish, or tree branches as a result of last Wednesday's tornado to place those items curbside for pickup. The DPW wants blue bins to be used for recycling only.

Residents can also bring their tree branches and other yard waste to Bondi's Island Landfill It is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Any tree branches with a diameter of three inches or less will be taken away for free, while any branches with a diameter larger than that will cost $25 per yard.

If Springfield residents wish to dispose of large building materials, they can be taken to the McNamara transfer station on Rose Street in East Springfield. A fee is attached to this service. Smaller construction debris will still be picked up curbside.

For those who need plywood to patch up damaged buildings, it will be delivered by contacting the city's 3-1-1 call center at 736-3111.

The project will provide 100 beds in apartment-style housing.

File photo by John Suchocki / The RepublicanThe former Westfield State Normal Training School on Washington Street is seen in 2008.

WESTFIELD University Housing LLC has set an aggressive target date of January, 2012 to complete its rehabilitation and creation of market-rate housing at the former Westfield State University training school on Washington Street.

Robert J. Schwarz, vice president of Peter Pan Bus Lines and owners of University Housing, said this week the new apartment style housing will target students at Westfield State University as tenants.

Westfield State Foundation, the non-profit financial arm of WSU, announced on Monday a pending purchase and sales agreement with University Housing, created by Peter A. Picknelly and the bus company’s Opal Real Estate Group.

“Westfield State University is exploding and the city of Westfield is on the move,” said Schwarz. “This presents a perfect opportunity and we hope this project will be the first of others for our management team,” Schwarz added.

The Foundation did not reveal the sale price for 27 Washington St. brick structure built in the 1800s. And, Schwarz would not reveal the estimated cost of the housing project “until after the closing” of the transaction.

A closing date for the property transfer is listed as the fall but Schwarz said “it will be sooner.”

“This project is a first through Opal Real Estate Group but our management team has done housing for other colleges like Amherst College,” said Schwarz.

As for the rehabilitation schedule, he said “we are aggressive and progressive and we are excited about the project.”

He also noted a shortage of housing for university students.

WSU President Evan S. Dobelle has complained during the past three years that he is forced to “turn away” students because of the lack of housing. As many as 500 students did not enroll in each of the past two years at the college, he has said.

The building conversion will focus on maintaining historical aspects of the structure, which in recent history served as home to Westfield District Court until 2006.

The university currently has 216 students assigned to housing at Lansdowne Place on Thomas Street under a state-supported 10-year lease costing $1 million annually.

The Washington Street project will not be financially supported for student housing, officials said. But, it will be listed as an “alternative” for students through the university’s housing department.

The Foundation re-aquired the Washington Street parcel in 2006 and last year had hoped to sell it to Boston Realty Associates which planned creation of an Academic Village with apartments and limited commercial space.

That project was estimated at $8 millions but last July Juan M. Cofield, president of BRA, announced he was unable to secure funding.

Witnesses saw a man jump from the Gen. Edwards Bridge into the water but never saw him resurface, officials said.

View full sizeStaff photo by Steve NantonDivers search the water under the Gen. Edwards Bridge for a man who was seen jumping off the bridge just before 1 p.m. Wednesday. A Springfield fire department truck is parked on the bridge and a fire department rescue boat can be seen in the background

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield police and fire officials and members of the Massachusetts State Police dive team are searching Watershops Pond near Roosevelt Avenue for a man who was seen jumping into the water from the General Edwards Bridge but never resurfaced, a fire official said.

Police received a 911 call at 12:44 p.m. for reports of a man jumping off the bridge, which is located at Roosevelt Avenue and Alden Streets near Springfield College, said Springfield Fire Department spokesman Dennis Leger.

Several witnesses, including the wife of a police officer, saw a man in a blue shirt and checkered shorts jump off the water, he said. None of the people who were down by the water however reported seeing anyone in the water or climbing to shore, he said.

The Springfield Police dive team and then the state police dive team responded to the area and and searching the bottom for the man, Leger said.

Police and firefighters are also searching the shoreline and using a boat to investigate along the surface downstream.

Students were exposed to at least seven different career fields.

WESTFIELD – Firefighting is a career Sierra N. St. Onge might seriously consider after she graduates from Westfield High School next year.

St. Onge spent considerable time this week asking questions and gathering information from representatives of Westfield’s Fire Department during the school’s 8th annual Career Fair.

She also got a chance to try on firefighting gear and test her hand at pulling a dummy victim several feet across the gymnasium floor.

“It is real heavy,” the 17-year-old junior said of the clothing. “Very heavy and a lot of work but this is something I will consider,” said St. Onge.

WHS Career Center director Angela M. Nunes said 86 companies, agencies and organizations took part in the fair, offering information on seven different career fields.

“The purpose is to expose our students to different career fields, give them a chance to talk to those in those fields and learn what is needed, especially in the way of college courses, to qualify for these jobs,” said Nunes.

“Knowledge is power and hopefully our students walk away from this day with the knowledge of certain fields they might be interested in,” she said.

Junior Daniel D. Marco, 17, said the fair “is a great place to start before we begin seeking out college enrollment.

“Many of us have ideas about a career we might pursue but many do not. Also, some of us many change our minds after talking with people in different career fields. It is a great opportunity and it gives me the time to consider and then apply to college,” said Marco.

Hampden County Superior Court Judge Peter A. Velis, one of several representatives in law enforcement at the fair, said he was impressed by the questions “many students asked.

“The kids are not afraid to ask and I am enjoying the opportunity to talk with them. They have asked a lot of questions concerning what it is like to be judge,” Velis said.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik and state Rep. Donald F. Humason Jr., R-Westfield, represented government.

“Several kids want to go into government,” said Knapik.

Barbara A. Trant, director of Westfield’s Volunteers in Public Schools, provided information on community service and the various agencies with local offices.

“A focus in school is on community service but no one takes the time to tell students what is available in the area,” Trant said.

St. Onge said of the career fair “many of us don’t really know, right now, what we might like to do for a career. This opportunity at least gives you an idea.”

State Treasurer Steve Grossman said the state will partner with the two communities to get schools repaired as soon as possible.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 12:30 this afternoon.

Photo by Mark M. Murray / The RepublicanMassachusetts State Treasurer Steve Grossman, left, chairman of the Massachusetts School Building Authority, and Springfield Superintendent of School Alan Ingram walk down a second floor hallway of the Elias Brookings School at 367 Hancock St. To the right is a wall that was blown into the hallway during last week's tornado.

WESTFIELD – The state’s School Building Authority Wednesday gave assurance to Springfield and Westfield city and school officials that financial help is forthcoming to assist in repairs to four schools damaged during the June 1 tornados.

“We at the Massachusetts School building Authority are here to partner with Springfield and its three schools, along with Westfield and it’s Munger Hill School to assist as necessary in repairs. We are a partner in every step of the way to get kids back into their schools as soon as possible,” said state Treasurer Steve Grossman, MSBA chairman.

“We have a moral and fiduciary responsibility to assist communities,” he said.

MSBA director Katherine Craven said despite storm damage, the building authority has some $750 million in “projects underway now and the storm has caused no delay in any project.”

Craven, Grossman and MSBA staffers toured damage Thursday at Springfield’s Elias Brookings Elementary School on Hancock Street and the Mary Dryden Elementary School on Surrey Road, both closed for the year due to serious tornado damage. In Westfield, they toured Munger Hill Elementary School that lost a section of roof in the storm.

They also drove by the former Alfred G. Zanetti School on Howard Street in Springfield’s South End, also damaged by the tornado. Zanetti closed in 2009. Some city officials have talked about possible using the building for “swing space” during future renovations and construction at other schools. In Springfield, Grossman and Craven said they found conditions worse than they had imagined.

At Brookings, Principal Terry Powe was moved to tears as she looked over the damage.

“It’s a bit much,” Powe said. “It’s hard to walk back through here. It’s so badly damaged.”

After the Westfield tour, Craven instructed staff to work towards expediting estimates, bids and funding to assist in the repairs.

In response to Mayor Daniel M. Knapik’s request to consider an entire new roof replacement at the 20-year-old Munger Hill School, Craven suggested it may be possible.

The school lost some 20 feet of steel roof, over two kindergarten classrooms in last week’s storm. That steel plate was carried by the tornado an estimated 300 feet and dumped into an inground swimming pool at the home of Thomas W. Humphrey.

Knapik said “it would be feasible to consider replacement of the entire roof rather than just patching it and then replace it within the next few years because of the age of the building.”

Springfield and Westfield officials were told to file emergency ‘Statements of Interests’ with MSBA for the necessary repairs.

After viewing damage, Grossman said “to see this devastation up front I can only imagine the emotional upheaval this has caused. We see city, community and the region coming together. People helping their neighbors and we are partners also.”

MSBA provides state funding for school construction and renovation projects.

“No one can believe the scope of the damage,” Craven said. “It’s absolutely devastating to look at the damage the tornado has caused.”

“It is more significant than I expected,” Grossman said. “We are here for the people of Springfield. We are here for the people of the Pioneer Valley. the devastation is clear and it has to be dealt with.”

The authority’s Board of Directors was also on the tour, driven from site to site by a Peter Pan bus. The board moved its regular meeting to Westfield State University.

Springfield’s Superintendent of Schools Alan J. Ingram and some members of the School Committee, City Council, and local legislators also took part in the tour.

Joining Knapik were Westfield City Councilors Peter J. Miller Jr. and Brent B. Bean II along with School Operations Director Frank B. Maher Jr.

Maher said he is awaiting cost estimates for Munger Hill School repairs. He said the School Department has insurance on the building but that includes a $50,000 deductible.

Staff writer Peter Goonan contributed to this report.

Ryan Donovan from Westfield shot compelling video as the tornado passed him at the Memorial Bridge. Learn his story.

Ryan Donovan knows what everyone else with a daily commute out of Springfield knows well.

If you're just a few minutes behind schedule, you might as well not even try the South End bridge. The way traffic jams from Columbus Ave onto the bridge and moves slowly off to Route 5 or the Agawam rotary, you're much better off heading to the Memorial Ave bridge and taking your chances there.

That is, unless an F-3 tornado is barreling down that stretch of Route 5 and heading directly for the bridge.

Donovan, a 25-year-old chemist from Westfield, learned that lesson the hard way but was miraculously spared injury last Wednesday when the now infamous tornado washed over him and his 2003 Ford Escape XLT. He actually has the video to prove it.

"I was running a little late and normally take the south end bridge," he said. "I decided to take Route 5 north and came over the Memorial Bridge and saw the funnel cloud developing in West Springfield."

It was then that he received a text message from his mother, telling him that a confirmed touch down was just reported on Union Street. He decided to stay put where he was. He made it just past the north side of the Memorial Bridge and the rotary connecting Route 5 and Memorial Ave. He bunkered down at the Bridge Street pumping station and watched, with phone in hand, recording it all.

"When I stopped, I tried to see where it was and where it was going," he said. "It wasn't on the ground when I first saw it and seemed to be moving counter-clockwise and due east from north of me.

"I thought the safest spot was exactly where I was."

Then, the tornado made a turn southeast and headed directly for Donovan and the Memorial Bridge. At this point in the video, as you can see to the left, Donovan hops back into his car and all but braces for impact.

"I remember thinking to myself, 'This can't be happening'," he said.

He grabbed a pair of coats in his backseat to cover himself from the broken window glass.

The next instance, the camera angle changes completely. It begins to shake and goes to black.

"When you see me duck down in the video, that's when I saw the roof from Felciano's Ethnic Food come flying at me."

And after all that, Donovan has just a small scratch on his elbow. Literally, just a scratch.

"I was extremely lucky," he said. "I don't know but there was someone looking over me that day."

In the days following, Donovan's video has gone viral via YouTube and Facebook. He has become a sort of celebrity, interacting with fans of Western Mass. Storm Chasers on Facebook about his ordeal and handling interview after interview with various local media outlets.

What has Donovan taken from the whole experience?

"Just the raw power of the tornado is amazing," he said. "It's so unfortunate to look at the destruction. It just took everything away."

After experiencing and surviving the F-3 funnel cloud, Donovan says that he's certainly in awe of the storms and wouldn't mind continuing to study the phenomenon.

There's one caveat, though. Rather than be chased by a tornado, Donovan says he'd much prefer to chase the storm.

"I've always been fascinated by the weather," Donovan said. "So long as I'm at least a mile away, I know I'd have time to find a safe place to hide."

West Springfield has started collecting the demolition-like debris in the Merrick neighborhood that was pummeled by the tornado.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – The city has arranged for pick-up of the building debris resulting from the June 1 tornado to continue Monday through Friday through June 22.

Republic Waste, a private hauler, has been hired by the city to collect material in the section of the Merrick neighborhood bounded by Main Street, Worcester Street, Memorial Avenue, Union Street and New Bridge Street.

Material will be picked up along the following streets: Fairview Avenue, Irving Street, Church Street, Spring Street, Day Street, Hill Street, George Street, Burford Avenue, Sprague Street, Merrick Street, Russell Street, West School Street.

Also, Willard Avenue, Barnard Street, Mulberry Street, Globe Street, Bridge Street, Railroad Street, Chapin Street, East School Street, Belle Avenue, Allen Street, Colton Avenue, Moseley Avenue, Cottage Street and James Avenue.

Residents are asked to place items on the tree belt for collection and not to mix ordinary household trash, recycling or yard waste with it. Yard waste may be brought to the city’s transfer station on Agawam Avenue.

Materials will be brought to a facility where debris will be separated from it to allow for recycling. For more information, call the Department of Public Works’ operations center at (413) 263-3246.

The graduation had been postponed following the June 1 tornado.

MONSON – State Police were called to investigate a suspicious device found in a school field Wednesday evening, delaying the Monson High School graduation.

Superintendent of Schools Patrice L. Dardenne announced at 5 :30 p.m. that the School graduation would be delayed because a suspicious device had been found in the field at Granite Valley Middle School where the high school graduation was to take place.

The State Police bomb squad was called to the scene.

Dardenne said the delay was expected to last about 15 minutes.

The graduation was postponed from Friday because of widespread tornado damage in the town.

The high school awards ceremony was to begin at 6 p.m.; with commencement at 7 .

The graduation was postponed Friday because of widespread tornado damage.

MONSON – A suspicious device that delayed the Monson High school graduation Wednesday while police investigated, turned out to be a student’s backpack that had been left unattended, officials said.

State Police were called to investigate the backpack, which was in the field at Granite Valley Middle School where the outdoor graduation was to be held.

Superintendent of Schools Patrice L. Dardenne announced at 5 :30 p.m. that the graduation would be delayed. Within a half-hour attendees were allowed onto the field. Dardenne said officials were being “overly cautious” for the sake of safety.

The graduation was postponed Friday because of widespread tornado damage in the town from the June 1 tornado.

The high school awards ceremony was to begin at 6 p.m.; with commencement at 7 .

Following 5 rounds of voting, readers have chosen their 8 favorite Valley pizza shops.

Thanks to our MassLive.com community, the road to Springfield – and Agawam, Amherst, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Northampton and West Springfield – is complete.

Readers of The Republican, MassLive.com and El Pueblo Latino, through a spirited nominating process and five rounds of voting, have chosen The Elite 8 of the 2011 Valley Food Championship Pizza Playoffs.

You have done your civic duty. Thanks!

You have elected your eight favorite pizza shops in the Valley. And now we entrust the decision to determine the one and only 2011 Valley Food Championship Pizza to – can you hear their stomachs growling? – our hungry judges from The Republican newsroom.

Arts and entertainment editor Ray Kelly, sports reporter Pam McCray and photographer Don Treeger – will visit each of the Elite 8 pizza shops in head-to-head critiques. They'll head to two pizza shops per week, based on the matchups you can view in the bracket below, tasting two pizzas from each shop – a basic cheese pizza plus whatever each pie maker wishes to create for them.

Over the next four weeks, Ray, Pam and Don will judge the quarterfinal matchups and send four winners to the semifinals. After that, they'll return for semifinal and then championship matchups.

Throughout their judging, Ray, Pam and Don will critique each pizza on identical criteria, including cheese, crust and sauce.

We'll have more details at www.masslive.com/pizza on the schedule of judges' visits in the next couple of days – because we know you'll want to be there to offer support.

For now, here are the results of our Round 3 voting, plus a look at the Elite 8 bracket:

NORTH REGION

Joe's (Northampton) defeated Pizzeria Paradiso (Northampton)
Antonio's (Amherst / Easthampton) defeated Roberto's Restaurant (Northampton)

SOUTH REGION

Red Rose Pizzeria (Springfield) defeated Frankie & Johnnie's Pizza (Springfield)
Pizza Shoppe (East Longmeadow) defeated Family Pizzeria & Restaurant (Springfield)

WEST OF THE RIVER REGION

Liquori's Pizza (West Springfield) defeated Amadeo's Restaurant & Pizzeria (Holyoke)
Pizza Guy (Agawam) defeated Capri Pizza (Holyoke)

EAST OF THE RIVER REGION

John's Pizzeria & Restaurant (Chicopee) defeated Dugout Cafe & Pizza Shop (Chicopee)
Milano's Pizzeria & Restaurant (Chicopee) defeated Gregory's Pizza Pub & Restaurant (Wilbraham)

Elite 8 Bracket:

MEMA officials are currently in every community that was hit by the tornadoes.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Kurt Schwartz, Director of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, toured the city shelter set up at the Eastern States Exposition grounds on Wednesday.

Schwartz said agency officials are currently in every community that was hit by the tornadoes on June 1.

“MEMA has been in all the affected communities since Wednesday night,” Swartz said.

He credited individual communities for their efforts in getting people into shelters and cleaning up debris on the street.

“These communities have done an incredible job of first dealing with immediate life safety issues, conducting search and rescue, providing shelter, getting food and water to people and more,” he said.

Schwartz said agency officials are currently quantifying the impact of the tornadoes.

“We do that by looking at the number of people displaced in shelters. We are out counting every home that’s been damaged and labeling it minor, moderate, major, destroyed. We are counting the businesses that were damaged or destroyed and we are looking at what the cost is going to be to government to replace public infrastructure, and handle the debris,” he said.

The reports of the damage will be presented to Gov. Deval Patrick in the next few days, and he will submit it to the president, Schwartz said.

Schwartz said if the president declares counties to be in a state of emergency, then they become eligible for federal disaster programs and funds.

“Some of those programs will reimburse communities up to 75 percent of the eligible costs of removing debris off public property and other cleanup efforts,” he said. “Individuals who need help getting back into their homes or need to make emergency repairs will also be eligible for federal money. They will register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and they will start getting benefits if they are eligible,” he said.

He said there is no limit on the amount of funds available.

“If we are eligible then cities will be reimbursed 75 percent of what they spent no matter what the cost,” he said.

The city has identified 75 buildings in need of demolition, but a former official said safety and quality of life require faster action.

Staff Photo by Dave RobackFormer city councilor Terence Murphy stands outside a boarded up apartment building on South East Street in Holyoke.

HOLYOKE – The winds whipping through the area lately make it easy to imagine the loose bricks atop 620 South East St. falling on someone’s head.

The vacant, three-story apartment building has been gutted by two fires since late 2008. Along with the debris visible on the roof, a pile of bricks lines the sidewalk.

The structure in South Holyoke is among the hazards the city should get around to demolishing, former city councilor Terence Murphy said recently.

“This is just me saying, how do we not deal with these things?” Murphy said.

“I know it’s not easy. I’ve been there. But this has got to be talked about. Some money has to be provided,” he said.

Murphy gave a tour May 25 of properties he believes need to come down.

Tax Collector David Guzman said Friday city records show 620 South East St. is owned by Maria Bemben of that address, but he said it was unclear where she lives. Efforts to each Bemben were unsuccessful.

“We don’t know. The address we have is the one at the property,” Guzman said.

More than $26,000 in taxes is owed at 620 South East St. and the city has liens on the property, he said.

Mayor Elaine A. Pluta said that the city is aware of the problem posed by 620 South East St. and that her administration has a citywide demolition plan.

The city uses $500,000 in federal Community Block Grants to raze two or three buildings a year, she said.

“It’s on our radar,” Pluta said.

Murphy was on the City Council most recently in the early 1990’s when it was called the Board of Aldermen. He has made the plea over the years for the city to mount a larger-scale plan to demolish blight, which he said would increase public safety and rejuvenate neighborhoods.

Murphy pointed out two other problem buildings: one at Pine and Hampshire streets, another at Chestnut and Essex streets.

The three areas he chose were not by accident. Each is in the shadow of a multimillion-dollar project, which Murphy said should spur officials to want to continue the renewal by taking down eyesores to help all parts of a neighborhood.

“Once you start doing one thing, there’s going to be a mushroom effect and people are going to say, ‘Hey, I want to live there,’” Murphy said.

The building at 620 South East St. is near the $168 million high performance computing center going up on Bigelow Street.

The one at Pine and Hampshire streets overlooks an $8.1 million senior center being built at Beech and Sargeant streets.

The building at Chestnut and Essex streets is diagonally across from where a $14.5 million renovation is underway at the Holyoke Public Library, 335 Maple St.

The city has about 75 abandoned buildings, Senior Planner Karen Mendrala said.

Taking down an abandoned building can be complicated for a city or town. Courts require that efforts be exhausted to find the property owner before a building is razed.

Municipalities also try to get the property owner to refund the city if a building must be demolished, but that’s difficult if an owner can’t be found or refuses to pay.