Obituaries from The Republican.

Albert J. Fabbre 

Albert J. Fabbre, 84, of Ludlow, died peacefully on Sunday. Born in Ronco, Pennsylvania, he was longtime Ludlow resident where he was a faithful and active communicant of St. Elizabeth Parish and was a member of VFW Post No. 3236. He was a decorated veteran of the Koren and Vietnam wars, proudly serving in the United States Navy for 26 years earning many awards and medals. He was a graduate of German Township High School, American International College and received his masters degree from Westfield State College. He was a special needs and general educator for over 23 years in the Springfield Public School system where he was very active as a class adviser and chaperone.

Restraints vary from holding a student's hand to holding them down on the floor.

BOSTON - State education officials are revising regulations around "restraint" and "seclusion" of public school students with behavioral issues, in light of federal guidelines changes.

Mitchell D. Chester 

Education officials want to reduce the use of behavioral restrictions to avoid re-traumatizing children. Restraints vary from holding a student's hand to holding them down on the floor.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted Tuesday to seek public comment on the proposed regulation changes. Commissioner Mitchell Chester said he expects a lot of input.

"Well-meaning people will disagree on what's the appropriate path to take," he said during a board meeting in Malden.

State education officials want to prohibit the use of the most extreme type of restraint, known as "prone restraint." In "prone" restraint, a student is held with his or her face to the floor by two or three trained adults. One adult holds the student's legs and another adult holds his or her arms, keeping the student immobile until they are calm enough to return to the classroom.

Some opposed to the technique say it exposes the child to greater risk of asphyxiation because of pressure on the chest. Several states have banned prone restraint on disabled children, including New Hampshire and Maine.

The proposed regulations from the department also clarify the use of "time outs" by distinguishing them from seclusion, which is prohibited. "Time-out" is a behavioral support strategy designed to calm a student down, requires adult supervision, and is limited to 30 minutes, according to state education officials.

The regulations would also require local administrators to review their practices and require annual reporting to the state of restraint incidents. The public comment period ends Nov. 3.

Police obtained an arrest warrant charging 32-year-old Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr. with abduction with intent to defile.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.  -- A suspect has been charged in the disappearance of a University of Virginia student, but the man has not been apprehended, police said Tuesday night.

Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo said at a news conference that officers obtained an arrest warrant charging Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr., 32, with abduction with intent to defile.

Police have said they believe Matthew was the last person seen with 18-year-old Hannah Graham, who disappeared early the morning of Sept. 13.

Longo said police, who have searched Matthew's car once and his apartment twice, decided they had probable cause to charge him in Graham's disappearance. He declined to say what new information police had, and he did not take questions.

Officials said earlier that they took clothing during their second search of Matthew's apartment Monday, but they would not elaborate on the importance of the items.

Police first searched the apartment Monday, and police Capt. Gary Pleasants said information that came up during the investigation led to a second search. He would not give details about the clothing or elaborate on the search.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the state lab was still analyzing evidence it has received from the Charlottesville Police Department, which included nearly two dozen items and eight "known samples that we would use for comparison purposes," said Jeffrey Ban, director of the Department of Forensic Science's Central Laboratory in Richmond.

Ban said that the department has expedited the case and hoped to provide authorities with results in the "very near future." But he noted the lab could spend hours or even a whole day on a single piece of evidence that may have multiple stains or hairs on it. He also said it is standard procedure to test any samples against those in their database, including those from other missing persons cases in the central Virginia area.

Matthew is a patient technician in the operating room at the university's medical center. Police have not offered any details about how he and Graham, a sophomore from northern Virginia, may be connected.

Authorities on Tuesday released an updated wanted poster reflecting the new charge against Matthew. It says the 6-foot-2, 270-pound man was last reported driving his sister's 1997 light blue Nissan Sentra, and notes that he is said to have contacts in Virginia, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

Police said they have focused on Graham's movements the night of Sept. 12 and into early Sept. 13. Graham met friends at a restaurant for dinner, stopped by two parties at off-campus housing units and left the second party alone, police have said.

Surveillance videos showed her walking, and at some points running, past a pub and a service station and then onto the Downtown Mall, a seven-block pedestrian strip lined with shops and restaurants.

According to family members and police, Graham is an alpine skier and plays the alto saxophone. Organizers of a candlelight vigil last week at the university handed out her favorite candy, Starburst. Longo said he learned from visiting with Graham's parents that the graduate of West Potomac High School earned straight A's six years in a row.

Graham's disappearance has sent a ripple of fear through the quiet college town of Charlottesville. Students have said they've begun walking in pairs at night and are paying closer attention to their surroundings.

The intention of the parking forum was to collect comments and hold a follow-up forum in January or February of 2015, said senior planner Jeff Bagg.

AMHERST – More than 50 business owners, residents and town officials talked parking Tuesday night at the first in a series of meetings to address the issue.

The intention was to collect comments and hold a follow-up forum in January or February of 2015, said senior planner Jeff Bagg.

The meeting was sponsored by the Select Board and Planning Board, both of which will be involved in any changes.  

David Webber, chairman of the Planning Board, said the meeting was not for discussion of any particular project but to get comments from people in town.

"This is a very exciting time in town," said Town Manager John P. Musante.

"We're beginning to see some of the results of our Master Plan." And he said he wants to hear "how can the downtown parking system support and contribute to very vibrant town center."

Before the meeting began, Don Courtemanche, executive director of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce, praised the town for being proactive. He said the town is growing and it's better to look at solutions now than waiting for five or 10 years when the need is dire.

Margaret Roberts, who was Parking Commission chairwoman and has worked on parking issues for years, said there's not enough parking especially near the Jones Library and Amherst Media.

 "People don't realize you can't get the businesses," without parking. And she said there needs to be more business space as well.

Jason DiCaprio, who owns the High Horse downtown, said his customers and employees say they need more "and better quality parking."

He said the problems - perceived or real - are that there's not enough, it's not convenient and there's an aggressive parking enforcement policy. "I think better quality parking, location and easier access points" are needed.

He also said his employees work until 2:30 a.m. and there's no place for them to park in a snow emergency that goes into effect at 2 a.m.  

Bagg provided an overview of the town's parking history, which is available on the website. He said people can continue submitting comments about parking on that site.    

More than 500 people attended the first of two community meetings conducted North Adams.

This is an updated version of a story posted at 12:52 this afternoon.

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NORTH ADAMS- Residents of northern Berkshire County called Tuesday for the restoration of most services once provided by the old North Adams Regional Hospital, including obstetrics.

This is despite a consultant's report saying that restoring even limited inpatient services to the facility now owned by Berkshire Medical Center would cost $2 million more than it costs to provide those services at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield.

The gap can only be closed, according to consultant Stroudwater Associates, with federal critical access designation which would guarantee a North Adams hospital Medicare payments of cost plus one percent.  Medicare typically only covers about 80 to 85 percent of a hospital's cost.

The report prepared by consultant Stroudwater Associates, which came out last week, said North Adams could support 18 to 21 inpatient medical beds and an almost equal number of inpatient behavioral health and substance abuse beds if  the federal critical care designation was forthcoming.

But many here at a meeting organized by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services and consultants Stroudwater Associates called for creative solutions.

"Your problem is you are trying to make perfect sense. We don't want perfect sense, we want a hospital," said artist and property developer Eric Rudd of North Adams. "If we listened to the conventional wisdom, MassMOCA wouldn't be here."

MassMOCA is the modern art museum that has helped revitalize much of North Adams and the reason Rudd is developing the Eclipse Mill here.

Rudd was one of about 500 people who came out Tuesday night for a public meeting on the future of health care in North Adams. Another meeting is set for 9:30 a.m. at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Church Street Center here.

More health care services are coming to the former North Adams Regional Hospital building, said Dave Phelps, president of Berkshire Health Systems. But Phelps said he couldn't say what specifically is coming.

"My board has not seen this report yet," Phelps said. "We are going to take a look at it. We are part of this community. Our position remains that any services that we can provide, that we can sustain economical and that we can provide safely, we will provide those services."

Berkshire Medical Center is interested in getting critical access designation for North Adams, but Phelps said even that designation is not a magic pill.

"Medicare would pay the cost of care, but no one else does," he said. "You still have gaps to meet."

North Adams Regional Hospital closed abruptly in March following years of financial difficulty brought on by bad investments in senior-citizen communities that lost money.

The closure left 40,000 residents in northern Berkshire County without access to health care and 500 people out of work.

Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield subsequently opened a satellite emergency room at the former hospital. Berkshire Medical Center then bought the building out of bankruptcy, along with an office building once owned by North Adams Regional Hospital, for $4 million.

John W. Polanowicz, state secretary for Health and Human Services, said it is now up to North Adams, its residents and Berkshire Medical Center to find a way forward. He pledged the administration's help.

He said the same issues facing North Adams also face other communities and small community hospitals across the state.

Mike O'Brien, a retired respiratory therapist who worked at North Adams Regional Hospital points to a Massachusetts Nurses Association report that came out this summer showing it was debt, not changes in the health care economy, that did in North Adams Regional Hospital.

"The demand is there. The Stroudwater report says that patient counts were going down. But it was still profitable until the day it closed. It was the debt from the senior housing."

O'Brien added that the new North Adams Regional will not be in as a competitive environment because it is now owned by Berkshire Medical Center. Berkshire Medical Center  is the dominate health care provider in Berkshire County.

"There were doctors who sent their patients to Berkshire Medical Center rather than admit them to North Adams Regional," O'Brien said. "With both working together, that won't happen. They won't face competition.

Maternity care is also a sticking point. The Stroudwater report says

Consultant Brian Haapala said North Adams just doesn't have the volume of births to sustain an obstetrics department. Instead, he calls for enhanced prenatal care and a robust contingency plan for pregnancies that turn into emergencies for mother and child. But most babies would be born elsewhere.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association, a union representing nurses at Berkshire Medical Center that also represented nurses at the old hospital,says Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington has a maternity ward and supports it with fewer than 200 babies a year.

The difference is that Great Barring ton is a wealthy community and fewer babies there are covered by MassHealth or other government-sponsored insurance. Hospitals lose money with government-sponsored insurance.

Haapala other recommendations include expanding primary care with more primary care physicians. The federal government has programs that could help draw those doctors.

Haapala, the consultant from Stroudwater, also called for patient centered medical homes. That is a system of clinics where doctors and other providers are compensated for preventative care.

The whole health care system, he said, is turning away form hospitalizations and toward preventative measures to save money.

It'll be tough in hardscrabble north Adams. The Stroudwater report says the fastest -growing segment of the population is elderly. North Adams residents have asthma, heart disease, most  heart disease at higher rates than other communities. This area also suffers from poor health habits including smoking, alcohol and substance abuse and obesity.

Judge John Agostini sentenced Arthur W. Jones III to serve 10 to 15 years at MCI-Cedar Junction in Walpole.

Joe Deburro | jdeburro@repub.com 

PITTSFIELD - A 45-year-old Weymouth man was sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to severely beating an elderly man during a robbery of a New Ashford motel last year, according to the office of Berkshire District Attorney David F. Capeless.

Arthur W. “Bucky” Jones III pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and battery on a person age 60 or older, and single counts of kidnapping, unarmed robbery of a person age 60 or older and larceny under $250.

Another count of armed assault with intent to murder was dismissed.

Judge John Agostini sentenced Jones to serve 10 to 15 years at the Massachusetts Correctional Institute at Cedar Junction in Walpole.

The charges resulted from his attacking, restraining and repeatedly beating a 61-year-old man over a two day period on March 19-20 last year.

According to the Berkshire Eagle, Jones assaulted the owner of the Springs Econo Lodge and Resort in New Ashford, one week after he was hired to work there as maintenance worker.

According to the Eagle, Jones beat the man, tied him up with an extension cord in the basement, and robbed him of an ATM card and $187. The man was able to free himself and call police.

Holyoke has become 'heroin headquarters' of New England, federal prosecutor Todd Newhouse said.

SPRINGFIELD - A federal magistrate judge has scheduled the release of an alleged heroin dealer arrested last week in an anti-gang crackdown.

Hector Gomez, 28, of Springfield, was charged with distribution and possession with intent to distribute heroin in connection with allegedly brokering a sale of 50 bags of heroin to an undercover informant in July. A federal prosecutor said Gomez sold the drugs for $200 to the unnamed informant in a lot in South Holyoke controlled by the La Familia street gang.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Newhouse argued during a detention hearing on Tuesday that Gomez was among a cluster of dealers at that spot, which had been transformed to an aggressive outdoor drug bazaar where sellers competed for buyers.

"Kind of like when you get off a cruise ship?" U.S. Magistrate Judge Kenneth P. Neiman asked.

"It's unbelievable, judge," the prosecutor responded, adding that Holyoke has become the "heroin headquarters" of New England. "The battle is, if not lost, getting close to there."

Gomez was among 12 suspects arrested on Friday by a team of 130 local, state and federal law enforcement officials. The focus of the crackdown in Springfield, Holyoke and Chicopee was drugs and guns, officials said. The alleged deal Gomez is accused of was caught on video, according to investigators.

Newhouse recounted a long list of Gomez's arrests since he was 14 years old - a fair number of which were for assaults. The prosecutor also told Neiman that Gomez was wounded during a night of gunfire that began in April outside the Luxe nightclub on Worthington Street - spilled into the parking lot of Baystate Medical Center, where two of the victims sought treatment - and continued with a bullet-riddled car on Armory Street.

"Despite the fact that he received a few gunshot wounds, he was back out on the street a few months later selling drugs," Newhouse said.

Defense lawyer Thomas O'Connor told Neiman his client was never charged in connection with any of those shootings and was merely a victim. O'Connor conceded Gomez has a sketchy criminal past but characterized it as a youthful tear.

"(Jail sentences) interrupt a youthful existence that was off the rails ... it's very difficult to judge a 28-year-old person by his 17-year-old self," O'Connor said.

Gomez pleaded not guilty to the instant charge.

Neiman agreed to release Gomez on electronic monitoring and with a 9 p.m. curfew. The judge also barred him from the city of Holyoke and ordered that he undergo random drug testing. He noted that since Gomez is facing a relatively short prison sentence if convicted (10 to 21 months) the defendant would be "crazy" to jump bail.

Gomez and family members also were required to put up bond to secure his release. He is scheduled for a pretrial conference in U.S. District Court on Nov. 3.

Police have issued a regional lookout for Alves and Walker, suspected in forcing a woman into the trunk of their car.

BOSTON - The Massachusetts State Police have issued a regional alert Wednesday for Adynew Alves and Stephanie Walker, the two people identified as suspects who abducted a woman in Lawrence forcing her at gunpoint into the truck of a car, police said.

The 49-year old woman managed to escape from the truck as the vehicle slowed on route 24 in Taunton at about 7:15 p.m. Tuesday. Other motorists helped her at the scene and called police. The woman, whose name was not released, was transported to Morton Hospital in Taunton with minor injuries.

She had been abducted from a detached garage in Lawrence. Police are also investigating that scene, he said.

Lawrence and Tauton are about 60 miles apart.

According to David Procopio, state police spokesman, Alves, 28, of Roxbury, and Walker, 29, of Lawrence, were last seen in a leaving the scene in a Nissan Sentra. The vehicle was later found abandoned near the Tauton - Freetown town lines and is being processed for evidence, he said.

The state police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section has joined the investigation, Procopio said. The section is aiding state police detectives assigned to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office, state police in the Middleboro barracks and the Lawrence police.

Anyone who has information about where Alves and Walker are is asked to call State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section at 1-800-KAPTURE or (800) 527-8873, or or the State Police Middleboro Barracks at (508) 947-2222.

The Council created a tax abatement several years ago to help National Guard and Reserve members who are activated and sent overseas.

CHICOPEE – The City Council will explore the idea of creating a tax abatement for veterans.

The proposal was made by City Councilor Timothy S. McLellan. Members voted 13-0 to send it to the Board of Assessors, which oversees all tax assessments and abatements, for more discussion and review.

Several years ago the City Council proposed helping National Guard members and Reservists who are activated and sent overseas for a period of time by offering a $500 annual tax abatement. That proposal was accepted by the Board of Assessors but it has been used infrequently.

The Board of Assessors also provides exemptions to certain disabled veterans and their spouses, surviving spouses or surviving parents. The exemption amount varies according to the degree of disability as determined by the Veterans Administration or the branch of service from which separated.

A man whose pregnant girlfriend was killed in a hit and run accident on is facing a murder charge, according to Maine State Police.

A digest of news stories from around New England and beyond.

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Parents from the two towns are invited to serve on the task force.

WILBRAHAM – The two middle schools in the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District are undergoing a dramatic drop in enrollment, school officials said.

Projections based on students currently in the district show that Thornton Burgess Middle School in Hampden will have dropped from 302 students to 164 students by 2021 and Wilbraham Middle School will have dropped from 634 students to 438 students by 2021, School Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea told the regional School Committee.

“The trend for the near future shows enrollment dropping,” O’Shea said.

By 2021 the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District is expected to have 564 middle school students from the two towns in grades 6 through 8, O’Shea said.

O’Shea said the enrollment decline is not unique to the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District. It is partly related to the economy and the regional economy, he said.

On the suggestion of the school superintendent, the regional School Committee on Tuesday agreed to create a Middle School Task force “to map out a path for the future at the middle school level.”

“We need to look at the Middle School program in both schools,” O’Shea said.

Three School Committee members will serve on the committee, chairman Marc Ducey of Wilbraham, Lisa Morace of Hampden and Peter Salerno of Wilbraham.

The committee will be an advisory committee and will make a recommendation to the full School Committee, chairman Marc Ducey said.

Parents from both towns also will serve on the committee as well as the principals from both middle schools and three school administrators. Any parents interested in serving on the committee should send a letter of intent to the School Committee.

O’Shea said the declining enrollment in the middle schools presents challenges to the quality of the educational program.

He said middle school students currently are taught by teams of teachers in English, social studies, science and math. With declining enrollment it becomes more difficult to maintain the teams, O’Shea said.

He added that some teaching positions may become part-time instead of full-time, which makes it more difficult to retain teachers.

“It is easier to retain full-time teachers,” O’Shea said.

With declining enrollment it becomes more difficult to provide programs that are equitable in both schools, O’Shea said.

In his email newsletter, Mayor Alex B. Morse reflected on the City Council's vote to spend $1.45 million to raze the Essex House.

HOLYOKE -- In his email newsletter, Mayor Alex B. Morse reflected on the City Council's vote to spend $1.45 million to raze the Essex House.

"I join with the dozens of residents and business owners who gathered in the Council Chambers in applauding this vote," Morse wrote in the newsletter sent. "While my administration would always prefer to preserve and restore old buildings, the situation at the Essex House had become too great a threat to public safety."

In a 10-3 decision, Holyoke City Council voted to borrow $1.45 million to pay for the demolition of the Essex House.

The issue sparked a lively debate Tuesday night and city councilors spent approximately two and a half hours discussing the property.

The discussion focused on two orders on the agenda: one introduced by City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain and the other by Ward 6 Councilor Todd A. McGee on the recommendation of Mayor Alex B. Morse.

Jourdain's proposal called on the city to return the High Street property to its former owners and pursue negligence charges against them in housing court. The latter called on the city to pay $1.45 million to demolish the property while in city possession.

Holyoke took ownership of the 134-year-old Essex House 15 months ago because of nonpayment of taxes.

The city council president's order was opened for discussion before the second order on Tuesday. After much debate, the councilors voted 7-6 against the proposal.

The threat to public safety Morse has spoken of several times seemed to sway the votes of several councilors.

"If one brick falls and somebody gets hit on the head, I want to be able to live with it," Councilor at Large James M. Leahy said on Tuesday, explaining why he later voted to support funding the demolition. "I want to be able to sleep."

Ward 6 Councilor Todd A. McGee agreed, saying, "I'm definitely afraid of that building. I think it's going to fall."

Morse thanked those who supported the efforts, both in City Hall and on the streets. "I thank the all of the Holyokers who made their voices heard on this important issue, and helped make our downtown safer for people to live and work."

He calls on the Essex House to be a "case-study on how change happens" and said "change comes to Holyoke when the people demand better."

The attorney general said the board’s meeting notice for the executive session lacked sufficient details and therefore prevented the public from being able to determine whether the closed door meeting comported with the open meeting law.

SOUTH HADLEY – Following an investigation by the state attorney general’s office, the agency determined that the South Hadley Electric Light Department Board of Commissioners violated the sate's open meeting law when it met behind closed doors during a June 25 meeting.

The attorney general's office said that the SHELD board’s meeting notice for the executive session lacked sufficient details and therefore prevented the public from being able to determine whether the closed door meeting comported with the open meeting law.

The law requires all boards to convene in public – unless an exemption allowed by the open meeting law permits otherwise.

The attorney general's office also ordered the board to comply with the law’s requirements in the future.

Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Sclarsic wrote the following:

“Here, the board identified a topic for discussion only as ‘Executive Session to Discuss Personnel Issues.’ We have stated in prior determinations that identifying an executive session as a discussion of a ‘personnel issue’ is not a sufficiently specific statement of the executive session purpose,” wrote Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Sclarsic.

The document is dated Sept. 15.

Quoting a court decision involving the Wayland School Committee, Sclarsic wrote that: a “precise statement for convening in executive session is necessary under the open meeting law because that is the only notification given to the public that the school committee would conduct business in private, and the only way the public would know if the reason for doing so was proper or improper.”

Town resident Gerri Brockway, who did not attend the June 25 meeting, filed the complaint on July 5.

The SHELD board chairman, Cheryl Nickl, in coordination with the board's legal counsel, lawyer Mark A. Beauregard, wrote the attrney general on July 23 to say they did not violate the open meeting law.

"The personnel issue in question relates to a very sensitive matter relating to a department employee. . . . any further specificity stated on the meeting agenda would be a serious violation of the privacy rights of said employee and would defeat the privacy protections that the executive session format provides all of our employees.”

Contacted Wednesday, Brockway said she is relieved by the outcome and hopes the AG’s action brings transparency to future SHELD meetings.

“It validates everything that I knew was wrong. It validates everything that should be right,” she said. “They have been doing this for years. I felt exonerated. I would still like to object to the fact they were going to approve executive sessions minutes when the meeting was illegal.”

And while some boards in the state, rather than expressing in words the reason for the executive session, instead cite the Massachusetts General Laws open meeting exemptions, the assistant attorney general decision in the South Hadley case says that is not good enough.

Sclarsic’s decision quotes from the Massachusetts Code of Regulations: “The list of topics shall have sufficient specificity to reasonably advise the public of the issues to be discussed at the meeting.”

The assistant attorney general wrote: “We generally consider a topic sufficiently specific when a reasonable member of the public could read the topic and understand the anticipated nature of the public body’s discussion.”

Attorney General's Ruling on South Hadley Electric Light Department Meeting

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick on Wednesday formally endorsed a yes vote on the ballot question expanding the 5 cent deposit law to include bottled water and certain sports drinks.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick on Wednesday formally endorsed a yes vote on the ballot question expanding the 5 cent deposit law to include bottled water and certain sports drinks.

Patrick, a Democrat who has pursued alternative energy projects and championed environmental causes since taking office in 2006, said the ballot question offers a way to reduce litter in the commonwealth by assigning a value to what would otherwise be considered relatively worthless.

"When I first ran for governor, we emphasized the need for friends to talk to friends, and neighbors to talk to neighbors to spread our message and help grow our campaign. I urge supporters of YES on 2 to do the same, to tell everyone that YES on 2 will increase recycling, clean up our parks and save cities and towns money," Patrick said in a statement. "YES on 2 is good for our state and good for our environment; I urge voters to keep that in mind on Election Day."

The supporters of the bottle bill expansion are significantly underfunded compared to the opposition, thanks in large part to the American Beverage Association. The trade group recently threw $5 million into the opposition's coffers to boost efforts to defeat the ballot question, which voters will decide on Nov. 4.

The ballot question would also increase the 5 cent deposit every five years, keeping it indexed to the rate of inflation. All unclaimed deposits are slated to be used by the state for environmental and recycling-related costs.

Supporters of the bill have said it would save the commonwealth money by reducing the cost of picking up litter, because there would be less of it. Opponents have said an expansion of single-stream curb-side recycling, where sorting of materials isn't necessary, would be a better focus to increase the volume of recycled materials in Massachusetts.

A similar expansion of the bottle bill has been introduced to the state Legislature in recent years but the measure has failed to progress. The ballot question, in which popular vote decides the outcome, is the latest attempt to expand the deposit law.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Rena E. Morales 

HOLYOKE - Rena E. Morales, 10, of Holyoke passed away suddenly Sept. 17 at home. Born in Holyoke on Feb. 26, 2004 she was the daughter of Pedro and Kimberly ( Paine) Morales and was a fifth-grade student at the Lt. Elmer J. McMahon Elementary school in Holyoke.

In August 2011, weeks before he was to testify against Hall, David Glasser and his roommate, Edward Frampton, and their friend Robert Chadwell, all of Pittsfield, disappeared.

SPRINGFIELD — It was a very quiet day in the courtroom Wednesday as lawyers and others waited for a verdict in the Caius Veiovis trial.

Jurors have now deliberated 24½ hours in the Berkshire County triple murder trial and will resume their work Thursday morning.

The court day went by Wednesday with no questions from the Hampden Superior Court jury to Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder.

It was the same on Tuesday, no questions or communications from the jury.

Veiovis, who was in a cell in the courthouse lockup, was brought into the courtroom at the beginning and end of the day.

Veiovis' co-defendants, Adam Lee Hall and David Chalue were convicted earlier this year in separate trials of three counts of murder, three of kidnapping, and three of intimidation of a witness. Veiovis is charged with the same crimes.

Hall and Chalue are now serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.

In August 2011, weeks before he was to testify against Hall, David Glasser and his roommate, Edward Frampton, and their friend Robert Chadwell, all of Pittsfield, disappeared. Their dismembered bodies were found in Becket 10 days later.

Prosecutors said Hall, 36, of Peru; Chalue, 46, of North Adams, and Veiovis, 34, of Pittsfield, kidnapped the three victims from Frampton's Pittsfield home sometime in the early hours of Aug. 28, 2011, and fatally shot them.

The cases were moved to Hampden Superior Court by Kinder after defense lawyers said extensive publicity in Berkshire County would prevent a fair jury from being selected.

All four pledged to fully fund a law that would increase state salaries for human service workers.

BOSTON - Four candidates for governor - Republican Charlie Baker, Democrat Martha Coakley and independents Jeff McCormick and Evan Falchuk – agreed on most issues relating to helping human service workers and their patients at a forum Wednesday at Faneuil Hall.

The forum was sponsored by the Providers' Council, an umbrella group of human services workers.

Some of the most passionate discussion was about the need to fully fund a law, referred to as "Chapter 257" that would increase state salaries for human service workers, people who care in various ways for individuals who are children, elderly, disabled or mentally ill. The law was passed in 2008 to raise the state reimbursement rates to providers who contract with the state. But the law was never fully funded.

"I struggle to understand why the state doesn't follow it's own laws when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable populations in our midst," said Falchuk, who has held leadership positions at the health care company Best Doctors.

While the forum was not structured as a debate, the issue of reimbursements provided opportunities for the candidates to take digs at Coakley, the Massachusetts attorney general. The Providers' Council and other trade associations have sued the state for not fully implementing the law, and Coakley's office is defending the administration. Advocates point out that many human service workers earn less than $12 an hour.

Falchuk said Coakley could sue the state to force it to follow the law. "I don't see why we should elect someone (as governor) who could do it now," Falchuk said.

Baker, a former health insurance executive at Harvard Vanguard, called Chapter 257 "the train that never gets to the station" and pledged to fully fund it. Baker said he committed to fund the law when he ran for governor in 2010. "I don't understand why we sit here with the Providers' Council suing the state of Massachusetts and the attorney general defending the state of Massachusetts on this question," Baker said.

Coakley responded that as attorney general, "My job is to represent the government when they are sued."

Coakley said as governor, she will make funding the law "a top priority." She added, "Chapter 257 to me is not the ceiling. It should be where we start."

There were few overt points of disagreement during the forum.

In a series of yes or no questions, all four committed to funding public health programs to address problem gambling, if the state's casino law is not repealed. All committed to convening a summit on domestic violence.

Only Baker would ban municipalities from signing payment in lieu of taxes agreements with non-profit community-based human service organizations. The others would not.

McCormick, who founded a venture capital firm, stressed his proposal to use technology to make health care more efficient. He said technology can help to coordinate care and lower costs. "You get better outcomes for less, it has a better budget for everyone in the field," McCormick said.

Asked about improving educational opportunities for human services workers, McCormick and Baker stressed the importance of online classes. Baker proposed giving workers salary incentives to take relevant courses.

Coakley mentioned her proposal to make junior college admissions need-blind.

Falchuk was the most aggressive during the forum. At one point, he criticized Coakley's recent approval of a deal that will allow Partners' Healthcare to take over two hospitals. Falchuk said the deal will increase costs to consumers, while Coakley responded that it will lower costs in the long term.

On the question of how to lower health care costs, Baker stressed the importance of transparency. "You know more about your refrigerator and washing machine than about your health care," he said.

Coakley said the attorney general's office has shined light on the high costs of health care. She stressed the need to move away from a fee for service model and to integrate physical care with behavioral health care.

McCormick said the state needs to "rethink the model of delivery" by pushing more care to primary care doctors and working with community health centers to address the treatment of chronic diseases.

All four acknowledged the need to cut back on administrative burdens for human service workers. "There's something in the water, something in the DNA, if there's a really complicated, preposterous way of doing something that takes forever, we will find it and we will love it," Baker said.

At this point maintaining is useless, we need to reduce our numbers, now. Nature can use disease, famine and draught; we could use war, or common sense. I vote for common sense (and self-restraint).

No one wants to hear it, but there are two things we all can do that would fix the environment and reduce global warming: plant trees, not cut them down; have one child per couple.

Power lines should be placed as not to harm trees, not the other way around. I think every time there is an outage, the area should place the power lines underground. Eventually they'd all be out of the way.

It's easy to convince people there are too many deer, or rabbits, or any species. Nobody wants to see there are too many of us. But of all living things, the only creature with the power to cause the Earth a premature death is mankind.

At this point maintaining is useless, we need to reduce our numbers, now. Nature can use disease, famine and drought; we could use war or common sense. I vote for common sense (and self-restraint).

I believe in God; and I hear Him saying, "Enough." The call is loud and clear in the thunder of tornadoes and the crackle of fire.

Joan Rice, Springfield

Vice president Joe Biden is slated to head to Boston on Thursday, Oct. 2 for an event on foreign policy.

Vice president Joe Biden is slated to head to Boston on Thursday, Oct. 2 for an event on foreign policy.

This, according to the White House, which said further details regarding the visit will be forthcoming. It was also announced on Wednesday that first lady Michelle Obama is coming to Boston to boost the candidacy of Democratic candidate for governor, Martha Coakley.

The Boston Globe reports that Biden may also headline a Boston fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee while he is in the area.

Biden has been named a potential 2016 Democratic presidential nominee although he and former first lady Hillary Clinton have declined to confirm they are exploring a run for the job.

Tree removal will begin next week.

HAMPDEN – Road construction will start next week at the top of Mountain Road, Highway Superintendent Dana Pixley said.

The purpose of the construction is to create a uniform roadway that will allow for two-way traffic and create a stable shoulder for snow removal.

“Work will consist of the removal of all brush and trees required, the blasting of ledge on both sides of the road, removal of the rock, grading the road surface and shoulder areas and finally, paving this section of road,” Pixley said.

This section of the project should cost about $35,000, Pixley said.

Pixley said he expects to complete tree removals next week, so drilling and blasting can begin on Oct. 6.

The drilling and blasting could take two weeks to complete, which will be followed by paving, Pixley said.

“When completed, this will be a safer road with improved lines of sight and level shoulders,” Pixley said.
The actual construction zone is 300 feet long and is the area at the top of the hill where the road narrows to a width of only 14 feet, he said.
During construction the road will remain open to residents, delivery vehicles and emergency vehicles at all times.
There will be some minor delays, however, until the work is finished, Pixley said.
The work performed will be funded through the town’s available 2013 infrastructure improvement bond, Pixley said.

“This section is the first of a few sections of Mountain Road that I plan to have ledge removed from,” Pixley said. He added that additional sections will be slated for repair in 2015, as funding allows.