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Obituaries today: Marcy Bray was caregiver in group homes

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Obituaries from The Republican.

 
082914-marcy-bray.jpgMarcy Bray 

Marcy L. (Padykula) Bray, 42, of Palmer, died on Tuesday. She was born in Springfield. She worked as a caregiver in group homes for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for 20 years. In her leisure, she loved dancing and enjoyed fishing with her husband.

To view all obituaries from The Republican:
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Rep. Richard Neal expresses condolences to family, colleagues of fallen 104th pilot

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Neal praised the late Lt. Col. Morris Fontenot Jr. as a man who 'served his county with honor and distinction."

WESTFIELD - U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, on Friday issued a statement of condolences to the family of Air National Guard pilot Lt. Col. Morris Fontenot Jr., and all those who served with him at the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield.

Neal praised Fontenot, the pilot killed Wednesday in an F-15C crash in Deerfield Valley, Virginia, as a man who faithfully defended his country "during times of war and peace."

His statement is as follows:


“I am deeply saddened that Lt Col Morris Fontenot Jr. of the 104th Fighter Wing was killed this week when his F-15 jet crashed in Virginia on a cross country mission.

"Lt. Col Fontenot was a highly decorated pilot with considerable flight experience who served his country with honor and distinction for more than a decade. He spent his professional career faithfully defending the United States during times of war and peace.

"I join his colleagues at Barnes, the men and women of the Air National Guard, and the people of western Massachusetts in mourning the loss of this brave and courageous wman. During this time of sorrow, my thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”

F-15 crash: Did pilot Lt. Col. Morris Fontenot act to spare Va. communities from failing aircraft?

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The doomed jet's flight path is still being investigated.

WESTFIELD - The announcement Thursday that the remains of Lt. Col. Morris Fontenot were found in the wreckage of his downed F-15C fighter in a remote part of the George Washington National Forest in Virgina raises a question among those who live and work in the nearby towns.

Did the highly decorated Fontenot, an Air Force Academy graduate and former instructor on the F-15, aim his doomed aircraft away from populated areas?

Deerfield, the unincorporated community that includes the crash site, has a population of just 132.

But Staunton, Va., just about 20 miles away by air, has a population of 24,000.

The investigation, including analysis of radio communication and of the flight path will take at least three weeks, Col. James Keefe, commander of the 104th Fighter Wing, said Thursday night.

When asked specifically about avoiding population centers, 2nd Lt. Bonnie Harper, a spokeswoman for the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base, wrote:

"Information regarding the flight plan and radio traffic is still under investigation. Our pilots train regularly (at least every six months) on emergency flying procedures. Our pilots are well trained and prepared to fly in all conditions, to include combat and homeland operations in all conditions and weather."

Westfield considering property maintenance rules

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The Law Department has been asked to draft an ordinance governing property maintenance.

WESTFIELD - Ward 2 City Councilor Ralph J. Figy wants to stop urban blight from becoming a problem in the city.

Figy has proposed an ordinance that will require property maintenance on all city parcels including those abandoned or in foreclosure.

"I don't want urban blight to creep into Westfield," Figy said this week. "Property owners must take responsiblity whether they are banks or absentee landloards," the councilor said.

Figy said he has asked to Law Department to draft an ordinance that will govern property maintenance. He said his request is the result conversations with various city departments concerning the condition of some properties. Once drafted, the proposed ordinance will be referred to the City Council Legislative and Ordinance Committee for review.

He also noted that in some cases, neighbors have "stepped up" to maintain unkept property.

"There are properties in disrepair. Some are under bank control, some are abandoned. Some have swimming pools with water in them and these pose a threat to children and pets in the neighborhoods," Figy said.

Figy said his intent is to provide city officials with the tools necessary to enforce regulations to prevent neighborhoods from becoming run down.

Video: Longmeadow School Committee hears about upcoming release of MCAS results, resurfacing of track at town high school

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The next School Committee meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday, September 8 at 7pm.

LONGMEADOW — The video of the Aug. 25 meeting of the Longmeadow School Committee has been posted online by Longmeadow Community Television, and is embedded below.

Superintendent Marie Doyle discusses several topics as part of her regular report at 1:45, including the release of the MCAS results, the possibility of instituting new opportunities for online learning in the district and the new design of the public schools' website.

Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Thomas Mazza then gives an update on the ongoing resurfacing of the track at the town high school, which is expected to be completed between September 3-5, at 9:50.

Student representative Joseph Rinaldi then announces the high school play for the year - Disney's High School Musical - at 12:20, and representatives of various subcommittees follow by sharing reports on their recent activities.

The next School Committee meeting is scheduled to take place on Mon., Sept. 8 at 7 p.m.

Southwick considers change from Board of Selectmen to Selectboard

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Three women have served on the Board of Selectmen.

SOUTHWICK - The three-member Board of Selectmen has agreed to begin the process of changing its name to Selectboard.

Selectmen agreed this week to launch a review of the proposal, first introduced about a month ago by Ruth Preston, administrative assistant to the town's Planning Board.

The change, Preston has said will bring the town into modern times and be gender neutral.

The current Board of Selectmen membership includes Russell S. Fox, Joseph J. Deedy and Tracy L. Cesan.

Cesan wanted the board to adopt the name change Thursday night but Fox and Deedy opted for a legal review of the issue first. All three agreed that the name change is appropriate and should be adopted.

"We just need to ensure it is done legally and through proper channels," Fox said following Thursday's Selectmen's meeting.

"This is a very fine thing proposed by Ruth and we will look to see what other communities have done, how they incorporated the name change," the selectmen chairman said.

"We have signage, we have stationary, we have legal agreements in place and everything will need to be changed," Fox said.

Town Administrative Officer Karl J. Stinehart said "Southwick has a collection of bylaws" that dictate how the town is governed. The bylaws must be reviewed and a determination made concerning how to proceed with this name change, Stinehart said.

"The selectmen are receptive to this change. They just want to know what mechanism is necessary for the process," he said.

Cesan is the third woman to hold a seat on the Board of Selectmen. She was elected in 2012 and will be up for re-election in May.

The late Vivian V. Brown was the first woman elected to the board. She served nine years on the board from 1975 to 1984.

Also, Patty Dunn-O'Connell served several years on the board in the 1990s.

Springfield's popular JT's Sports Pub set to close

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Venue said to close Aug. 30.

SPRINGFIELD — JT's Sports Pub on 1373 Main Street, which was doing a brisk business this week, is getting ready to close its doors.

Keith P. Makarowski, who also co-owns Theodores’ Blues, Booze & BBQ on 201 Worthington Street, told patrons on Facebook that the 11-year-old business was unable to "secure a workable lease."

"If anyone in JT's nation knows of any job openings for our hardworking staff, please reach out to us. As some truly amazing friends will be out of work. It has been a great eleven years, with too many stories, memories and amazing friends to list them all.," Makarowski, wrote.

He added, "It has been my absolute pleasure serving you for the past 11 years and look forward to seeing many friendly faces at Theodore's or around the area."

Any JT's gift certificates would be honored at Theodores', he said

It's been a mixed year for downtown restaurants.

The legendary Student Prince Café and the Fort Dining Room closed in June to the dismay of long-time patrons, but will reopen in October, after being acquired by Peter Picknelly, chairman and CEO of Peter Pan Bus Lines.


Rebuilding Gaza will take 20 years after war between Hamas and Israel, group says

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With a population of 1.8 million, Gaza is a densely populated coastal strip of urban warrens and agricultural land that still bears the scars of previous rounds of fighting.

JERUSALEM (AP) -- An international organization involved in assessing post-conflict reconstruction says it will take 20 years for Gaza's battered and neglected housing stock to be rebuilt following the war between Hamas and Israel.

The assessment by Shelter Cluster, chaired by the Norwegian Refugee Council with the participation of the U.N. refugee agency and the Red Cross, underscores the complexities involved in an overall reconstruction program for the Gaza Strip, which some Palestinian officials have estimated could cost in excess of $6 billion.

Any effort to rebuild Gaza will be hindered by a blockade imposed by Egypt and Israel since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power in 2007. Israel has severely restricted the import of concrete and other building materials into Gaza, fearing that militants will use them to build rockets and reinforce cross-border attack tunnels.

Egypt and Norway have raised the possibility of convening a Gaza donors' conference at some point next month, but no firm arrangements have been made.

With a population of 1.8 million, Gaza is a densely populated coastal strip of urban warrens and agricultural land that still bears the scars of previous rounds of fighting.

In its report issued late Friday, Shelter Cluster said 17,000 Gaza housing units were destroyed or severely damaged during this summer's war and 5,000 units still need work after damage sustained in the previous military campaigns. In addition, it says, Gaza has a housing deficit of 75,000 units.

Shelter Cluster said its 20-year assessment is based on the capacity of the main Israel-Gaza cargo crossing to handle 100 trucks of construction materials daily.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli government agency responsible for operating the crossing on whether it had future plans to ease restrictions on goods going into Gaza.

Israel and Hamas agreed on Tuesday to an open-ended truce. The cease-fire brought an immediate end to the fighting but left key issues unresolved. Hamas immediately declared victory, even though it has very little to show for the war.

While Israel agreed to loosen its long-standing blockade to allow humanitarian aid and reconstruction materials into Gaza, many of the border restrictions will remain in place. Hamas, meanwhile, rejected Israel's demands that it disarm.

These deeper matters are only to be addressed in indirect talks in Egypt next month.

Mindful of Israel's concerns about Hamas, Britain, France and Germany have proposed the creation of an international mechanism to monitor goods going into Gaza. The goal of the mechanism would be insure that Hamas and other militant groups would not divert construction materials like iron and cement into weapons or weapons manufacturing facilities.

The latest war began after three Israeli teens were killed in the West Bank by Hamas operatives in June, prompting Israel to arrest hundreds of Hamas members there. Rocket fire from Gaza on Israeli cities then escalated, and Israel launched a massive air and later ground campaign. The fighting lasted almost two months.

Egyptian mediators tried early on to get the sides to agree to a cease-fire. Several temporary truces were broken by Gaza militants.

Over 2,100 Palestinians, most civilians, died in the war. Israel lost 71 people, all but six of them soldiers.


EU to slap new sanctions on Russia over Ukraine

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Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko said a strong EU response is needed because his country is subject to "military aggression and terror."

BRUSSELS (AP) -- European Union leaders on Saturday were poised to impose new sanctions against Russia as Ukraine's president warned the conflict with Moscow threatens peace and stability for Europe as a whole.

Ukraine's Petro Poroshenko said a strong EU response is needed because his country is subject to "military aggression and terror."

"Thousand(s) of the foreign troops and hundreds of the foreign tanks are now on the territory of Ukraine," Poroshenko told reporters, speaking in English. "There is a very high risk not only for peace and stability for Ukraine but for the whole peace and stability of Europe."

EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said before a summit of the 28-nation EU's leaders in Brussels that "sanctions are not and end in themselves" but a means to dissuade Russia from further destabilizing Ukraine.

"Russia should not underestimate the European Union's will and resolve to stand by its principles and values," he told reporters, adding that the escalation seen over the past week cannot go unpunished.

"The opening of new fronts and the use of Russian regular forces (on Ukrainian soil) is not acceptable and represents a grave transgression," Barroso added.

NATO estimates that at least 1,000 Russian soldiers are in Ukraine even though Russia denies any military involvement in the fighting that has so far claimed 2,600 lives, according to U.N. figures.

Conceding ground in the face of a reinvigorated rebel offensive, Ukraine said Saturday that it was abandoning a city where its forces have been surrounded by rebels for days. It was also pulling back from another it had claimed to have taken control of two weeks earlier.

The statements by Col. Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for the national security council, indicate that Ukrainian forces are facing increasingly strong resistance from Russian-backed separatist rebels just weeks after racking up significant gains and forcing rebels out of much of the territory they had held.

Poroshenko, who was meeting with EU leaders later Saturday, said Ukraine would welcome an EU decision to help with military equipment and further intelligence-sharing.

Barroso provided no specifics about which sanctions the heads of state and government might adopt to inflict more economic pain to nudge Russia toward a political solution. "No one's interest is served by new wars on our continent," Barroso said.

The EU leaders were likely make a political decision Saturday, with the exact targets of sanctions to be divulged by the EU executive in the coming days.

The United States and the EU have so far imposed sanctions against dozens of Russian officials, several companies and the country's financial industry. Moscow has retaliated by banning food imports.

New EU sanctions have to be agreed unanimously -- a requirement that has in the past blocked or softened decisions since some nations fear the economic fallout. Russia is the EU's third-largest trading partner and one of its biggest oil and gas suppliers.

Barroso said that the EU -- a bloc encompassing half a billion people and stretching from Lisbon to the border with Ukraine -- stands ready to grant Kiev further financial assistance if needed. The bloc will also organize a donors' conference to help rebuild the country's east at the end of the year, he added.

On the ground, fighting continued.

Ukrainian forces had been surrounded by rebels in the town of Ilovaysk, avout 20 kilometers (15 miles) east of the largest rebel-held city of Donetsk for days.

"We are surrendering this city," Ukraine's Lysenko told reporters. "Our task now is to evacuate our military with the least possible losses in order to regroup."

Lysenko said that regular units of the military had been ordered to retreat from Novosvitlivka and Khryashchuvate, two towns on the main road between the Russian border and Luhansk, the second-largest rebel-held city. Ukraine had claimed control of Novosvitlivka earlier in August.

Separately, Ukrainian forces said one of their Su-25 fighter jets was shot down Friday over eastern Ukraine by a missile from a Russian missile launcher. The pilot ejected and was uninjured, the military said in a brief statement.

Obama's delay on immigration creates uncertainty as midterm elections approach

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Obama in June said that by the end of the summer, he'd announce what steps he had decided to take to fix the nation's immigration system in the absence of a legislative fix from Capitol Hill. But Obama backed away from that deadline on Thursday.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama's possible delay in taking action on immigration has thrown advocates and lawmakers from both parties a curveball, barely two months before the midterm elections.

Democrats who were bracing for the impact that Obama's long-awaited announcement would have on their campaigns are now rethinking aspects of their strategy for the fall. Republicans who were considering legislative attempts to block Obama must reconsider whether that's the best use of the few remaining work weeks before Election Day.

And immigration advocates, already frustrated by how long it's taken Obama to act, must decide whether to pressure the president publicly to stop stalling or remain hopeful he'll give them a favorable outcome in the end.

Obama in June said that by the end of the summer, he'd announce what steps he had decided to take to fix the nation's immigration system in the absence of a legislative fix from Capitol Hill. But Obama backed away from that deadline on Thursday, and the White House on Friday acknowledged it was possible the decision would slip past the end of summer. It was unclear whether any delay would be a mere matter of weeks or could push the announcement past the November elections.

"The president is determined to take the kinds of steps that are available to him," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest. But he added he had no details about when that would happen.

Reluctant to be seen as putting on the brakes for political reasons, White House officials suggested that if the decision slips past summer, it would be because of the situation on the border, not the election.

For months, the Obama administration has been working to stem the surge of unaccompanied minors crossing into the U.S. Those numbers have declined, but officials have said the numbers could creep back up as cooler temperatures arrive in the fall.

The White House has been coy about what options Obama is considering, but much of the focus has centered on steps Obama could take to defer deportations for millions of people in the U.S. illegally, effectively granting them permission to remain and work in the U.S. Republicans say that's beyond Obama's authority and even a few endangered Democrats have said Obama should look to Congress to take that step.

For Democrats, who are fighting most of their toughest races this year in conservative-leaning states that are leery of Obama, presidential action has been seen as a likely liability in the election, fueling GOP arguments that Obama is exceeding his authority and that he and Democrats are refusing to enforce immigration laws. Chris Lehane, a California-based Democratic strategist, said the timing of Obama's action could affect whether voters enthusiastic about immigration show up to vote.

"All of these elections are going to be so laser-tight -- 5,000 votes one way or the other -- that at some level, what's out there at the broader, national level at election time could push things over the edge," Lehane said.

Obama's timing could affect congressional action on a must-pass spending bill to fund government operations into December. Congress is expected to make that its first order of business when lawmakers return from their summer recess after Labor Day.

A number of Republicans have raised the possibility of using that legislation to block Obama from expanding deportation deferrals or granting work permits to those here illegally. Such a move would set up a confrontation between the GOP-controlled House and the Democratic-controlled Senate that raises the specter of a government shutdown, which would likely be blamed on Republicans and could hurt their prospects in November.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has been urging Obama not to act alone on immigration, and warned the president in a letter this week that doing so would imperil prospects for overhauling immigration laws after the election. Rubio's spokesman, Alex Conant, called the apparent delay a positive sign and one he hoped Obama would make permanent.

"It appears that the White House made a short-term political calculation that this was bad for them in the midterms," Conant said.

Immigration advocates were taken aback by word of the potential delay, having been given no advance warning by the White House. Kica Matos of the Fair Immigration Reform Movement said that after spending months keeping the pressure on Obama, the group had been shifting into preparations for the announcement itself. Now, Matos said, exhausted advocates will have keep up the pressure to ensure Obama doesn't get cold feet and call off the announcement altogether.

"They say they're going to move forward, then somebody goes boo and then they hide," Matos said.

Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse eyes revival of Celebrate Holyoke weekend-long event in 2015

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Celebrate Holyoke was last held in 2005.

HOLYOKE -- It's time to bring back Celebrate Holyoke, Mayor Alex B. Morse said.

A planning committee will be established to revive the weekend-long community event in August 2015 in downtown Holyoke with musical acts, local restaurants, vendors and community organizations, he said.

Morse urged people interested in being on the committee to submit letters of interest to his office at City Hall by Sept. 15.

“When I ran for office last year, one of the things people were most excited about was my emphasis on civic pride, and especially, my pledge to bring back Celebrate Holyoke," Morse said in an email.

"I am excited to announce that we’re moving forward with that pledge. I have great memories of attending Celebrate Holyoke. Restoring this event will be a credit to us all, and will show people from around the region why Holyoke is such a special place," he said.

2000.JPGPromotional poster for Celebrate Holyoke in 2000. 

Celebrate Holyoke was last held in 2005. It ran for a number of years in Holyoke Heritage State Park between Dwight and Appleton streets, but stopped because of financial problems.

"This year’s planning committee will work on the logistics of the event, and will help plan for a sustainable approach for the coming years," Morse said.

Performers at Celebrate Holyoke have included Bo Diddley, Taj Mahal, the Saw Doctors, Arlo Guthrie and Irish, Polka and zydeco bands.

Tax forms could pose challenge for HealthCare.gov

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The federal agency that brought you the glitchy HealthCare.gov website has a massive new project.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- If you got health coverage through President Barack Obama's law this year, you'll need a new form from your insurance exchange before you can file your tax return next spring.

Some tax professionals are worried that federal and state insurance marketplaces won't be able to get those forms out in time, creating the risk of delayed tax refunds for millions of consumers.

The same federal agency that had trouble launching HealthCare.gov last fall is facing the heaviest lift.

The Health and Human Services Department must send out millions of the forms, which are like W-2s for people getting tax credits to help pay health insurance premiums.

The form is called a 1095-A, and it lists who in each household has health coverage and how much the government paid each month to subsidize their premiums. Nearly 5 million people have gotten subsidies through HealthCare.gov.

If the forms are delayed past their Jan. 31 deadline, some people may have to wait to file tax returns -- and collect their refunds.

A delay of a week or two may not sound like much, but many people depend on their tax refunds to plug holes in family finances.

The uncertainty is unnerving to some tax preparation companies, which try to run their filing season operations like a military drill. The Obama administration says it's on task, but it won't provide much detail.

States operating their own health insurance marketplaces will also have to send out the forms, but the federal exchange serving 36 states has the biggest job. HHS will have to manage that while in the midst of running the 2015 health insurance sign-up season, when millions more are expected to try to get coverage.

"It's very unrealistic to expect that they would be able to implement a process that distributed these forms in the middle of open enrollment, and on time," said George Brandes, vice president for health care programs at Jackson Hewitt Tax Service.

The average tax refund is about $2,690, and people who count on getting money back often file early.

Liberty Tax Service vice president Chuck Lovelace said his company is giving the feds the benefit of the doubt but the possibility of delays "is not something we can turn a blind eye to."

"It could have a dramatic impact on our customers," Lovelace said. "The tax refund is the largest check many consumers get."

Administration spokesman Aaron Albright said officials are "working to develop the technical processes to ensure the forms are generated accurately and timely." Part of the plan will include "robust outreach" to educate consumers about the importance of the forms, so 1095-As don't accidentally wind up in the recycling bin.

Some states running their own exchanges are providing more details about their plans.

California says it will include a cover letter with each form to help consumers understand what they need to do. The state is looking at using email blasts, public events and other educational efforts.

"We do not foresee any problems in meeting our responsibility," said James Scullary, a spokesman for the state marketplace.

The new health care law offers tax credits to help people without workplace coverage buy private health insurance. Next year is when the connections between the law's coverage expansion and the tax system will start to surface for consumers.

The nearly 7 million people who got insurance tax credits through federal and state exchanges will have to tally up accounts with the Internal Revenue Service to ensure that they got the amount they were legally entitled to.

Funneling subsidies through the income-tax system was once seen as a political plus for Obama and the law's supporters. It allowed the White House to claim that the Affordable Care Act is "the largest tax cut for health care in American history." But it also promises to make an already complicated tax system more difficult for many consumers.

Supporters of the law are also concerned about a related issue: People who got too big a subsidy for health care in 2014 will have to pay it back next year. And docking refunds will be the first way the IRS seeks repayment.

That can happen if someone's income for 2014 ends up being higher than estimated when he or she first applied for health insurance. Unless such people promptly reported the change to their health insurance marketplace, they will owe money.

"If someone wound up having more overtime than they projected, or they received a bonus for good work, these are the kind of changes that have an impact on subsidies," said Ron Pollack, executive director of the advocacy group Families USA.

Since the whole system is brand-new, experts are predicting that millions will end up having to repay money.

Novel drug for heart failure shows big promise, study reports

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A new study reports one of the biggest potential advances against heart failure in more than a decade -- a first-of-a-kind, experimental drug that lowered the chances of death or hospitalization by about 20 percent.

A new study reports one of the biggest potential advances against heart failure in more than a decade -- a first-of-a-kind, experimental drug that lowered the chances of death or hospitalization by about 20 percent.

Doctors say the Novartis drug -- which doesn't have a name yet -- seems like one of those rare, breakthrough therapies that could quickly change care for more than half of the 6 million Americans and 24 million people worldwide with heart failure.

"This is a new day" for patients, said Dr. Clyde Yancy, cardiology chief at Northwestern University in Chicago and a former American Heart Association president.

"It's been at least a decade since we've had a breakthrough of this magnitude," said Yancy, who had no role in the study.

It involved nearly 8,500 people in 47 countries and was the largest experiment ever done in heart failure. It was paid for, designed and partly run by Novartis, based in Basel, Switzerland. Independent monitors stopped the study in April, seven months earlier than planned, when it was clear the drug was better than an older one that is standard now.

During the 27-month study, the Novartis drug cut the chances of dying of heart-related causes by 20 percent and for any reason by 16 percent, compared to the older drug. It also reduced the risk of being hospitalized for heart failure by 21 percent.

"We are really excited," said one study leader, Dr. Milton Packer of UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. The benefit "exceeded our original expectations."

Results were disclosed Saturday at a European Society of Cardiology conference in Barcelona and published online by the New England Journal of Medicine.

Novartis will seek approval for the drug -- for now called LCZ696 -- by the end of this year in the United States and early next year in Europe

Heart failure is the top reason older people are hospitalized, and a leading cause of death. It develops when the heart muscle weakens over time and can no longer pump effectively, often because of damage from a heart attack. Fluid can back up into the lungs and leave people gasping for breath.

The people in this study were already taking three to five medicines to control the condition. One medicine often used is an ACE inhibitor, and the study tested one of these -- enalapril, sold as Vasotec and in generic form -- against the Novartis drug.

The new drug is a twice-a-day pill combination of two medicines that block the effects of substances that harm the heart while also preserving ones that help protect it. One of the medicines also dilates blood vessels and allows the heart to pump more effectively.

In the study, 26.5 percent on the older drug, enalapril, died of heart-related causes or were hospitalized for heart failure versus less than 22 percent of those on the Novartis drug. Quality of life also was better with the experimental drug.

"We now have a way of stabilizing and managing their disease which is better than what we could offer them before," Packer said.

The new drug also seemed safe -- reassuring because safety concerns doomed a couple of other promising-looking treatments over the last decade. There were more cases of too-low blood pressure and non-serious swelling beneath the skin with the Novartis drug, but more kidney problems, excess potassium in the blood and cough with the older drug. More people on the older treatment dropped out of the study than those on the new one.

About 32 people would need to be treated with the new drug to prevent one death from heart-related causes.

"That's a favorable number," said Dr. Joseph G. Rogers, a Duke University cardiologist with no role in the study. He said the benefits were big enough that "I would switch people over" as soon as the drug is available.

The drug "may well represent a new threshold of hope" for patients, Dr. Mariell Jessup, heart failure chief at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote in a commentary in the journal. It may help "a wide spectrum of patients, even those who are currently receiving the best possible therapy."

Obituaries today: Mary Mattina was volunteer at St. Thomas, West Springfield Middle schools

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Obituaries from The Republican.

 
083014-mary-mattina.jpgMary Mattina 

Mary Louise (Riley) Mattina, 82, died Thursday. She was born in Springfield, and lived in West Springfield all her life. She was a longtime devout communicant of St. Thomas Church. She was a dedicated volunteer at St. Thomas School, the West Springfield Middle School, Our Lady of Providence Children's Center and the Parish Cupboard.

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Ferguson rally marks 3 weeks after Michael Brown's death

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The rally started at West Florissant Avenue where it meets Canfield Drive, the street on which the unarmed black 18-year-old was shot and killed Aug. 9 by white Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson.

FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) -- Hundreds of people again gathered in Ferguson on Saturday morning to remember Michael Brown and draw attention to what they say is just the beginning of a movement.

The rally started at West Florissant Avenue where it meets Canfield Drive, the street on which the unarmed black 18-year-old was shot and killed Aug. 9 by white Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson. A grand jury is considering evidence in the case, and a federal investigation is also underway.

Rally attendees, including children, wore shirts bearing the ubiquitous slogan "Hands up, don't shoot," while others carried signs or banners.

St. Louis attorney Jerryl Christmas said the rally is meant to keep Brown's death and the resulting turmoil and racial questions "in the forefront of America."

"We're just three weeks into this, and this is only the beginning of this movement," Christmas told The Associated Press. "We want the president to come here. He remarked that he didn't have a strategy for ISIS and Syria, but we need a strategy for urban America. The tragedy is this could have happened anywhere."

Brown's mother, Lesley McSpadden, led the crowd in a march, which turned down Canfield Drive. There, she and other family members, including Brown's father, Michael Brown Sr., encircled the makeshift memorial in the middle of the street where Michael Brown died and bowed their heads during two different prayers -- one by a Muslim clergy member, the other by the Rev. Spencer Booker.

"We know that his life is not going to be in vain," Booker, with St. Paul AME Church in St. Louis, said through a megaphone. He then suggested to applause that Brown's death would produce new police policies.

"We know you're going to even the score, God. We know you're going to make the wrong right," he said.

There was a muted police presence Saturday in an area that for days after Brown's death was the epicenter of nightly protests -- some contentious and violent. Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson, whom Missouri's governor put in charge of security in Ferguson, was posing for selfies with rally attendees Saturday.

Minutes after the gathering at the memorial, a downpour drenched the marchers.


Coast Guard looking for owner of unmanned boat that washed ashore on Martha's Vineyard

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The U.S. Coast Guard says it's looking for the owner of an unmanned sailboat that washed ashore on Martha's Vineyard.

BOSTON (AP) -- The U.S. Coast Guard says it's looking for the owner of an unmanned sailboat that washed ashore on Martha's Vineyard.

Watchstanders in southern New England got a call around 10 p.m. Friday from local law enforcement about an unmarked 13-foot Hobie Cat "Wave" model that had washed ashore with its sail up and rudder down. Authorities said it had lines hanging and dirty footprints on deck.

Boat and air crews searched the area for people in the water, but found no one. Local police also went door to door in search of the owner.

An aircrew searched again Saturday morning. The search area spans waters from the Vineyard to Naushon Island.

The Coast Guard says it's important for boat owners to document their vessels and make them easily identifiable.

JT's Sports Pub in Springfield marks last day, owner says chased out by prospect of casino

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Gralia has had a consistent enough presence to warrant his own "Bubba Special," which is not even on the menu.

SPRINGFIELD - JT's Sports Pub will shortly call its last call.

The popular spot at 1373 Main St. will close at 2 a.m. Sunday. The news drew a homecoming of sorts - drawing consistent customers and those who have stopped by over the years. Owner Keith P. Makarowski said his out-of-town landlord signaled the $5,000 monthly rent would increase, chasing away prospective buyers of the business.

"We've been trying to sell the business for some time," said Makarowski, of Enfield, Conn., who also co-owns Theodore's on Worthington Street. "We had a buyer, but the landlord refused to bend on the rent in the 11th hour. I guess with the casino coming, he feels his property is worth more."

The city block where JT's is located falls within the proposed MGM resort casino for the South End - a proposal since the casino question will appear on the statewide ballot in November. While city residents and the state's Gaming Commission approved the project, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled the state's new gaming law should be approved by voters in a ballot question.

The ruling broke the hearts of casino proponents and most elected officials in and around Greater Springfield, but thrilled opponents. Makarowski considers himself the latter, and appears caught in the middle.

"It's not going to solve any of the city's problems. Gangs won't pack up and move because a casino is coming," he said, standing outside the property and watching a sports car burn rubber and speed down the street. "That guy won't go away because a casino is coming."

The closure of JT's - which Makarowski said draws city workers, stage hands, white- and blue-collar workers and more - shortly follows the widely publicized shuttering of the Student Prince/The Fort. The closures of established businesses seems emblematic of the tepid nightlife of the city. However, bus magnate Peter Picknelly, chairman of Peter Pan Bus Lines, parachuted in to rescue the Fort. That eatery is slated to re-open in October.

JT's had no such white knight, and customers flooded in to the restaurant Saturday to raise a last glass and enjoy their favorite pub food.

"It has the best chicken fingers in the city," middle school teacher Jessie Holmes said.

He was joined by his buddy and fellow regular, Michael "Bubba" Gralia, of Longmeadow.

Gralia has had a consistent enough presence to warrant his own "Bubba Special," which is not even on the menu.

"It's a grilled cheese and a hot dog," he said. "We've come here for the way we've been treated - from the ownership to the wait staff - the sports and food are just extra," Gralia said.

Hampden County district attorney candidate Shawn Allyn invokes Gandhi in ad campaign

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Allyn said he is not likening himself to a martyr, but the ad was inspired by a quote by Gandhi.

After a rough couple of weeks in the Hampden County district attorney's race, candidate Shawn P. Allyn has a new message for the voters:

Gandhi.

As in: Allyn likens his campaign challenges, and most particularly his recent public battle with retired District Court Judge Mary Hurley, to the plight of Ghandi. This is according to his most recent campaign ad - running on YouTube and Facebook and slated for broadcast news this week.

"First, they ignore you. Then, they laugh at you. Then, they fight you," floats a voice-over by a Morgan Freeman audio twin. "Why the attacks on Shawn Allyn? Because he's the outsider for district attorney.The insiders are fearful ... fearful of change ..."

The ads are queued up for the week after the sleepy political Labor Day weekend and after perhaps the most difficult weeks of the campaign for Allyn, one of four Democrats running for the office.

His opponents are Hal Etkin, a Longmeadow attorney in private practice, Anthony Gulluni, an assistant Hampden County prosecutor, of Springfield, and Brett Vottero, a veteran former prosecutor, also of Springfield.

Images of all three are featured in the ads as "insiders."

The 30-second ad also features headlines highlighting the moments when Allyn came out publicly as a gay man and jousted with Hurley in editorial pages over a ruling by Westfield District Court Judge Joseph Contant, questioning whether Allyn engaged in self-dealing in a case. Allyn denied this and his clients enthusiastically support him.

Allyn said he is not likening himself to a martyr, but the ad was inspired by a quote by Gandhi.

"The Gandhi quote captures the challenges of the campaign and outlines
my vision for the office." Allyn said. "There was never any intent to compare me to Ghandi. The quote, however fit perfectly to the campaign."

The Gandhi-inspired ad appears in a relatively ho-hum campaign season, in which Gulluni invoked the support of former Ambassador to the Vatican Ray Flynn, who appeared at a fund-raiser for Gulluni earlier this month.

Longmeadow to hold memorial gathering for Lt. Col. Morris Fontenot Jr.

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Gathering at Longmeadow War Memorial on the Green on Aug. 30 for pilot of crashed F-15C, who lived in Longmeadow.

The Town of Longmeadow is holding a gathering at the Longmeadow War Memorial on the Green at 6 p.m. on Aug. 30 for residents to honor, and share their memories, of Lt. Col. Morris Fontenot Jr., the highly decorated combat veteran and Air National Guard pilot, whose F-15C crashed Aug. 27, in a wooded area in Virginia, while en route to New Orleans.

The 41-year-old Fontenot, with the 104th Fighter Wing at Barnes Air National Guard Base in Westfield, lived in Longmeadow with his wife Kara. Fontenot had flown the F-15 for more than 17 years, worked at Barnes as an F-15 instructor pilot and was the full-time wing inspector.

A 1996 Air Force Academy Graduate, Fontenot was a Weapons School Graduate with more than 17 years of F-15 flying experience. He had most recently served as commander of the 67th Fighter Squadron based in Kadena Air Force Base in Japan.

Following active duty assignments in Washington D.C., Japan, Idaho, Florida, Alaska and numerous deployments to the Middle East, Fontenot joined the Massachusetts Air National Guard in February 2014. He was a decorated combat veteran, earning the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Aerial Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, and Combat Readiness Medal among others.

He was also the Air Force liaison officer to the 104th Fighter Wing, which is part of the Massachusetts Air National Guard.

The war memorial is located on Longmeadow Street (Route 5).

Obituaries today: Doris Beeman was registered nurse at Harrington Hospital

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Obituaries from The Republican.

 
083114-doris-beeman.jpgDoris Beeman 

Doris B. Beeman, 95, passed away on Aug. 9. She graduated from Powers Institute and Franklin County Hospital School of Nursing, where she earned a degree as a registered nurse. She worked as an RN for Harrington Hospital, retiring after 30 years. She was a longtime member of Holland Congregational Church where she was the organist.

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