Planning Director Wayne Feiden will host a "walking workshop" Oct. 6 at 4:30 p.m.

NORTHAMPTON — Residents with questions, concerns or ideas about a planned extension of the Norwottuck Rail Trail along the Mill River in Leeds are invited to an upcoming "walking workshop."

The workshop, scheduled for Monday, Oct. 6 at 4:30 p.m., will be hosted by Director of Planning and Sustainability Wayne Feiden. Those who wish to attend are asked to gather at the northern end of Grove Avenue in Leeds.

Participants will join Feiden for a walk along the Northampton section of the trail to take a look at existing conditions and discuss options for the project.

The city has received a grant to extend the rail trail by three-tenths of a mile to reach the Williamsburg line. Funds are available to repair drainage problems, address non-native invasive plants, and add interpretive and informational signage, said Feiden.

The short extension is part of a longer-term project to extend the rail trail to South Main Street in the Haydenville section of Williamsburg.

At next Monday's workshop, members of the public will be asked for input on valuable trees, trail surface, appropriate locations for guard rails, and any other relevant issues.

The pair made the hard landing Sunday afternoon at Cape Cod Airfield in Marston Mills, Barnstable police said.

MARSTON MILLS, Mass. — A skydiving instructor and his student were killed Sunday crashing into a building during a tandem jump on Cape Cod, authorities in Massachusetts said.

Barnstable Police 

The pair made the hard landing Sunday afternoon at Cape Cod Airfield in Marston Mills, Barnstable police said. The skydivers crashed into a building outside their designated landing area, Centerville Fire Capt. Sean Greene told WBZ-TV.

Police told WHDH-TV that the instructor and student died soon after the tandem jump.

The skydivers were taken to Cape Cod Hospital. Police did not immediately reveal their identities.

Barnstable police Sgt. David Myett said it was unclear whether the skydivers' equipment malfunctioned. He said the district attorney's office will investigate their deaths.

The city has already been notified that $2 million in state funds are expected to help finance Phase III of the rail-trail.

WESTFIELD - Friends of the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail will join city officials to officially open Phase II of the rail trail Oct. 11.

"People are currently using the trail to East Silver Street but there is still some clean up and finishing work being completed," Jeffrey J. LaValley, director of programs and events said Sunday. "Officially this second section of the trail will open at 11 a.m. on Oct. 11," he said.

City officials received notice earlier this month that it is in line for another $2 million Gateway Communities grant from the state Department of Environmental Affairs to continue the rail trail project next construction season. That grant, officials have said will allow continuation of the project to a point at Main Street near Stop and Shop.

Phase II extends from just south of Little River to East Silver Street near Big Y Supermarket. That phase cost an estimated $2.2 million while about the same amount was spent on Phase I that extends from the Southwick-Westfield line to north of Shaker Farms Country Club.

Overall, when Westfield's rail trail project is complete the cost will be in the area of $8 million.

"Right now Westfield users of the rail trail have just under 2 miles here," LaValley said.

Speed appears to be a factor in the accident.

WILLIAMSBURG – A 25-year-old Northampton man was killed in a one-car accident early Saturday morning.

The driver of a Toyota Camry lost control of his car on Route 9 and struck a utility pole. Tomas Q. Clark, the sole passenger in the car, was killed in the accident, according to Mary Carey, spokeswoman for the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.

The accident happened at about 3 a.m., she said.

“It (the car) appears to have been traveling at a high rate of speed entering a curve, resulting in the car striking a pole on the passenger’s side,” she said.

The force of the crash caused the car to wrap around the utility pole, trapping both men, Massachusetts State Police officials said.

The driver, a 26-year-old man from Hatfield whose name was not release, and Clark were transported by ambulance to Baystate Medical Center with serious injuries. Clark was later pronounced dead, police said.

The Williamsburg Fire Department responded and extricated the victims from the vehicle. Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office, State Police Crime Scene Services and State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section all responded.

The collision remains under investigation by State Police Trooper Daniel Moran and the Northwest District Attorney’s Office. No charges have been filed.

Amherst and South Hadley fire departments are assisting in the rescue.

HADLEY – Fire rescue squads from at least three communities are working Sunday to rescue a person on J.A. Skinner State Park.

Hadley Fire Department officials did not immediately release any information about what happened to the victim, but said they would be issuing a written statement soon.

The incident started at about 7 p.m. and is ongoing.

Officials from South Hadley Fire District 2 and Amherst Fire departments confirmed firefighters are assisting the Hadley Fire Department in the operation. Officials for the Massachusetts State Police said the Air Wing also helped to locate the hiker.

Skinner State Park has multiple hiking trails, some of which lead to a recently refurbished Summit House. There is also a paved road motorists can take to the house.

This is a breaking story. Masslive will update when more information becomes available.

The robber made off with an undisclosed amount of cash after showing a gun to store employees, according to police.

Conor Berry | cberry@repub.com 

CHICOPEE — Police are investigating after a city convenience store was robbed at gunpoint early Sunday morning.

Chicopee Police Detective Sgt. Mark Higgins said a masked man wearing a gray hoodie made off with an undisclosed amount of cash after showing a handgun to employees of the Shell station food mart at 95 West St., according to news reports.

The suspect was described as a 6-foot-tall Hispanic man with a light complexion. Additional information wasn't immediately available.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about the crime to call the Chicopee Police Detective Bureau at (413) 594-1730.

The convenience store is at the corner of West and Center streets, a busy intersection about three-quarters of a mile north of the Springfield city line.

Southwick's Community Preservation efforts focus on preserving farmland, historical records and support for affordable housing.

SOUTHWICK - The town's Community Preservation Committee will continue to promote on-going efforts to preserve the small community character while balancing developmental and environmental needs for Southwick.

That will be the focus Oct. 9 when the committee outlines its work during a public forum scheduled by the Board of Selectmen to review the 12-year-old Community Preservation Act program here.

Conservation Officer Dennis Clark, a CPC member, said Monday the committee is currently working to save additional farmland, which will also save scenic vistas, preserve town historical documennts and provide affordable housing.

Some of the projects completed over the last 12 years includes saving farmland, restoring habitats on conservation land, preserving historical records, sites and structures and making community housing affordable by installing energy efficient windows and affordable heating systems.

Details of those projects completed since 2002 will be available for public discussion and review at the forum.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Town Hall in the auditorium.

Patrick spoke following the release of the Clean Energy Jobs Report.

This story follows: Western Massachusetts clean energy jobs grow 8 percent, many of the new jobs are in research, manufacturing

 SPRINGFIELD - Green and clean energy from wind and hydropower as well as conservation efforts could be the solution to high electricity prices utility customers are facing this winter, said Gov. Deval Patrick Monday.

Patrick talked energy  in a phone interview following the release of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Jobs Report from the  Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.

The report said  that the  clean energy economy in Western Massachusetts has grown to 11,990 in 2014 employed clean energy workers, an 8 percent increase from 2013.

"Eighty-eight  thousand people a work in this industry now in Massachusetts.," Patrick said referring to statewide numbers contained in the report. "This is no niche industry. This is an important economic engine.

Power prices are going up because much of New England's power is generated by natural gas. The price of natural gas is going up because there is not enough capacity to get it to this region. National Grid is expecting a $37-percent price hike this winter, or about $33 per month ofr an average user.

"This is the long-term answer to that problem," Patrick said. "We are at the mercy of energy that is produced at other places. the more we can control our own future. the more we can drive down costs."

Patrick, who leaves office in January, also called for the state legislature to pass two bills that stalled on Beacon Hill this summer: the Clean Energy Resources Bill and the Net Metering and Solar Power bill.

The legislation would make it easier to import clean electricity into the state.

"I would like to see those pass before the end of the year," Patrick said .

Patrick said Massachusetts' first three-year energy efficiency plans invested $1.6 billion in energy efficiency from 2010 to 2012, resulting in more than $6 billion in benefits for consumers. The 2013-2015 plans, underway now, project $9 billion in benefits from an investment of $2.2 billion.

  "What is really fun to see so many of these solar fields go up on brownfield," Patrick said referring to solar projects at unused industrial sites or capped landfills."It's a great non-invasive use of that kind of land."

He spoke of visiting an offshore wind power project in Swedish waters just off Copenhagen, Denmark, during a recent trade mission to Europe. All he heard was a subtle  swish, swish, swish sound of the blades turning.

"While you are listening to that sound you think about energy independence. You think about being off power that is sourced through some of the most volatile place in the world," Patrick said.

Before the end of the year, the federal government will auction off offshore wind territory to the south of the Cape Wind project. That offshore territory could produce  enough power for half the homes in the Commonwealth, Patrick said.

"Imagien the jobs that go with that," he said.

Locally, he pointed to Black Island Wind Turbines in Hadley as a company that has grown with the clean jobs movement.

A social history of the repression and perseverance of ordinary people in love -- who identified as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer in America nearly a century -- will be explored on stage with Sean Dorsey and his dance troupe on Tuesday evening at Smith College

NORTHAMPTON – A social history of the repression and perseverance of ordinary people in love -- who identified as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer -- will be explored on stage with Sean Dorsey and his dance troupe on Tuesday evening at Smith College. The free performance at John M. Greene Hall Tuesday begins at 8 p.m.

The work, using oral histories of LGBTQ elders gathered by Dorsey, examines the psychological complexity of being in love – while labeled a social deviant. And how the LGBTQ community maneuvered, took root despite intolerance, repression and violence against them while implicitly asking the question: will the coming acceptance of alternative lifestyles eventually win broad public approval?

“Secrets were our greatest industry -- secrets demanded all our resources, our time, our energy, our imaginations, often-times, our money,” are among sentiments The Secret History brings forth. “I can't say for sure if I can see you again. It would take a miracle even in secret not to be afraid of the touch, or a hug . . . .”

In an interview, Dorsey said: “These elders’ voices and real-life stories are heard in the sound-score of the show. We dance with and to these real-life voices and stories. It’s very powerful.”

Dorsey, 42, said the project has transformed his life.

He said that a common sentiment people express after seeing the show is “Thank you.

“Elders say it because their history and lives are finally being spoken and honored and remembered. Young people say it because even though times are better, young people still face so many of the exact same struggles. Trans and queer people say it because they see their bodies and truths embodied onstage – and straight people and non-LGBT people say it for the same reason. This show is about the universal need to be seen and loved.”

Dorsey was born as a female.

Chris Aiken, assistant professor of dance at Smith is also director of the master of fine arts in dance at the college and organized the Secret History dance troupe coming to Northampton.

He said that while intolerance in some circles against the LGBTQ community continues, “transgender people are at the highest risk of suicide and subjected to the violence against them, too in our society. . . .There are people who are anti gay and pro freedom of gender. But when someone is a transgender person, it frightens people, because it challenges their entire notion of what it means to be a man or a woman.”

Dorsey worked for two years to create "The Secret History Of Love."

“I created the work by doing a lot of archival research, but especially by spending a year recording oral history interviews with LGBT elders across the US. I met the most extraordinary people and got to record beautiful and remarkable stories.”

Dorsey also discussed how the musical dimension of the show came together.

“I worked with my longtime team of composer-collaborators: Alex Kelly (cello), Ben Kessler (trumpet, keyboards), Jesse Olsen Bay (multi-instrumentalist) and Storm Miguel Florez (acoustic guitar). I’m really proud of the score – it’s absolutely gorgeous. We are also really blessed to have a big rock star musical guest perform live in the show: Shawna Virago is a trans-woman singer-songer -- also from San Francisco -- who sings a torch number in the show. She’s incredible.”

Voters attending the Monday night gubernatorial debate cited a range of issues in deciding who to vote for.

SPRINGFIELD — Raising the minimum wage. Repealing casino gambling. Restoring party balance to the Statehouse.

As the five candidates for governor of Massachusetts – Democrat Martha Coakley, Republican Charlie Baker and independents Evan Falchuk, Jeff McCormick and Scott Lively – prepared to meet onstage in Springfield for the first televised debate since the primary, there was no single issue dominating the minds of those watching the debate.

Around 300 people are expected to attend the debate at CityStage, which will be hosted by Jim Madigan, the public affairs director for WGBY-TV. As voters began to take their seats, several spoke to The Republican / MassLive.com about the issues that are most important to them.

For Matt Villamaino, a Wilbraham Republican, his decision on whom to vote for may come down to casinos. Villamaino plans to vote to repeal the state's casino gambling law. "If the citizens of Massachusetts vote to repeal the law, I'm concerned some candidates want to circumvent it by going back to the Legislature," Villamaino said. He is deciding between Baker and Falchuk. (Coakley has said she would consider asking the Legislature to go forward with a Springfield casino, if the law is repealed.)

For Paul Martin, a Springfield Democrat, his support for Coakley is tied to her support for raising the state's minimum wage. "The economy desperately needs it," Martin said. "People need more money."

Al Kendall, Ward 3 chairman of the Chicopee Democratic Committee and a Coakley supporter, said he has three top issues: economic growth, education and using government for the good. He likes where Coakley stands on those issues. "Everyone can benefit from our government," Kendall said. "Everyone should be treated with respect, given opportunities."

Robert O'Neill, a Chicopee Democrat, works in higher education and likes Coakley's focus on making higher education more affordable.

Bill Cain, a Holyoke Republican, favors Baker because he believes there are "too many Democrats in Boston." "Democrats can push through everything they want – welfare, giveaway programs," Cain said.

Cain's sister, Connie Decelles of Holyoke, shares his support for Baker. Decelles, a conservative, said she thinks Baker will do a better job of cutting back on government waste. "There's a lot of waste," Decelles said.

Massachusetts Independent gubernatorial candidates Evan Falchuk, Scott Lively and Jeff McCormick at the Western Mass. Media Consortium debate at CityStage in Springfield. (DAVE ROBACK / THE REPUBLICAN)Dave Roback, The Republican 

"The only way Scott Lively is going to become governor of Massachusetts is by a miracle of God," said Lively before a gubernatorial debate Monday night in downtown Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD — Scott Lively is a controversial figure in western Massachusetts, often advocating against the advancement of gay rights and pushing a worldview that even fellow Christians sometimes find hard to support.

But he doesn't believe that would be a problem if voters pick him to be the next governor of Massachusetts on Nov. 4. In fact, he believes he can only win if God intervenes and guides voters in his direction.

"The only way Scott Lively is going to become governor of Massachusetts is by a miracle of God," said Lively, sitting outside 1550 Main St. and preparing to debate his four opponents at CityStage at 7 p.m. in a forum that is being streamed live on MassLive.com. "And if God can put me in that office, he can pave the way, he can open the doors that need to be opened for policies to change."

A small gathering of Lively supporters nearby held up signs calling for the end of abortion and the return of the Christian God to the public square. They were outnumbered by people supporting the other candidates: fellow independents Evan Falchuk and Jeff McCormick, Republican nominee Charlie Baker and Democratic Attorney General Martha Coakley.

Lively is well-known internationally for fighting LGBT rights, and he's been accused of convincing the government in Uganda to adopt a draconian law punishing homosexuals with decades in prison. He has consistently denied that he pushed for the death penalty, despite advocates' claims otherwise.

"I love this kind of thing. I love the energy, I love the exchange of ideas," he said. He was wearing a lapel pin symbolizing the Ten Commandments. "This is what America really is about."

Besides a free and open exchange of policy ideas, Lively believes America is about Judeo-Christian values, and the erosion of those principles has created many of the problems faced by people throughout Massachusetts.

"From the founding of this nation and from the founding of this commonwealth, there's always been an acknowledgment of the sovereignty of God and his participation in the affairs of men," said Lively. "None of the candidates are going to be able to solve the economic problems ... It's only God that can sort this out and bring things back."

He said he advocates a Christian approach to secular matters like education, without actually putting Bibles into classrooms. The pastor and self-described Christian social activist outlined a homeschooling plan that families could use as an alternative to public education, benefiting from teachers who would train parents how to educate their children.

Families would grow closer, government would grow smaller, and children would have access to brighter futures, he said, especially in the inner city.

"I practiced Constitutional law at the federal and state level, so I don't want to hear any nonsense from people about the separation of church and state," he said. "You just simply have to have tolerance for people of different views."

When asked about his strategy for the debate, Lively said, "I'm going to preach the gospel."

He's polling in the low single digits along with the other independent candidates. Lively said he would never vote for any of his opponents because each of them is pro-choice on the issue of abortion, and he believes that makes them unfit to hold public office.

"The Bible says, 'Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,'" he said, quoting the Book of Psalms 32:12, "and I'm going to bring that blessing back."

 

SOUTHWICK - Town officials plan to go into the street, literally, to seek support for its upcoming Community Development Block Grant funding application. The street in question is Veteran Street, a short road located off Point Grove Road at North Pond. Southwick's ad-hoc Community Development Committee, headed by Selectman Joseph J. Deedy is planning to solicit public support for the...

SOUTHWICK - Town officials plan to go into the street, literally, to seek support for its upcoming Community Development Block Grant funding application.

The street in question is Veteran Street, a short road located off Point Grove Road at North Pond.

Southwick's ad-hoc Community Development Committee, headed by Selectman Joseph J. Deedy is planning to solicit public support for the upcoming grant application from the public, especially Veteran Street residents on a Saturday in October.

The town did not receive Community Development funding in 2013 so its 2015 application will be similar in scope, including a request for funding to upgrade Veteran Street, continue funding for the mobile food pantry, which also serves Granville, and for housing rehabilitation.

Joining the outreach effort will be James M. Mazik, deputy director for operations at the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Mazik assists Southwick and Granville in filing application for the federal and state funded Community Development program.

Mazik said the town's application is expected to be filed in February and the fall months is the best time to seek out the public participation necessary for a successful application filing.

Deedy said the on-site meeting will probably be held the third or fourth Saturday of October.

Mazik noted that last year the ad hoc committee sent letters to residents of Veteran Street and one person attended the public hearing. "By going out to Veteran Street for the hearing we should get a good attendance," he said.

"Public participation in the (application) process is important for the application process and review," Deedy said.

Southwick received block grant funding in 2011 for a project that included upgrades at the town's Senior Center among other projects.

Block grant funding for the town, when provided, usually ranges in the $800,000 to $900,000 range.

The special Town Meeting is scheduled to be held on Oct. 27 in the East Longmeadow High School auditorium.

EAST LONGMEADOW — Residents will have until Oct. 17 to register to vote in the upcoming special Town Meeting, according to a notice that has been posted online by Town Clerk Thomas Florence.

Thomas P. Florence 

"East Longmeadow residents may register at the Town Clerk's office in the Town Hall any time during normal working hours of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and also until 8 pm. on Friday, Oct. 17," writes Florence. "Voter registration laws also allow residents to register by mail. Mail-in Voter Registration forms are available at the Town Clerk's office or the Council on Aging Center."

The special Town Meeting is scheduled to be held on Oct. 27 in the East Longmeadow High School auditorium.

The state Department of Public Utilities is required to review all incidents that involved death, injury or substantial damage to property.

SPRINGFIELD – A state agency’s review of events leading up to the Nov.23 2012 gas explosion that leveled Score’s Gentlemen’s Club and damaged scores of nearby has reached the same conclusions of other reviews of the same incident: the explosion was the result of human error.

The Sept. 19 report of the state Department of Public Utilities’ Pipeline Engineering and Safety Division concludes a technician with Columbia Gas unknowingly punctured an underground gas line with a metal probe while searching for the source of a reported leak.

The explosion flattened Scores, and damaged several buildings over a several block radius. In all, seventeen people were injured and property damages exceeded $1.3 million.

The same conclusion was reached by investigators with the state Fire Marshal’s Office the morning after the explosion when the damaged piece of pipe was found.

The report, issued two months short of two-year anniversary of the explosion, was mandated as part of the annual certification process between the Department of Public Utilities and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

As part of that process, Public Utilities must present a detailed report to the federal agency for all incidents involving deaths, serious injury or extensive damage to property.

The puncture caused a sudden release of gas that settled into the basement where it accumulated and eventually ignited.

According to the report, gas readings in the basement went from negligible before the line was ruptured to as high as 57 percent afterward. The final reading before the explosion was 51 percent, and that was after Columbia Gas workers shut off the gas main to the building.

The gas also settled in a nearby electrical manhole, which prevented Western Massachusetts Electrical workers from climbing in the manhole to shut off electricity to Score’s. The report notes that with the electric power on there were many potential sources of ignition.

The report notes that all of the gas workers on scene were required to undergo drug and alcohol screening immediately after the explosion and all of them passed.

Signs of the explosion remain visible in the immediate area nearly two years later.
The city last month unveiled its own study for ultimately rehabbing the area to include expanded dining and retail opportunities, market rate housing, and improvements to open space and traffic flow.

Springfield gas explosion incident report uploaded by Patrick Johnson

The Academy of Music will also seek several "one-day" malt and wine licenses.

NORTHAMPTON — The owner of a Subway sandwich shop poised to open this month at 193 Main St. will be before the city's License Commission Tuesday seeking a common victualer's license. Matthew Baca, manager for six years of the Subway shop in Florence, plans to operate his new franchise at the site of the former Main Street Cleaners.

The Subway food license is one of nine items the commission will consider before deliberating and selecting an applicant for a rare, available seasonal all-alcohol restaurant license. Chairman William Rosen announced at the commission's September 22 meeting that one of seven downtown restaurateurs will be selected at random for the valuable license, after any ineligible applicant is eliminated.

The seven hopefuls made presentations to the commission on Sept. 22 and 23.

Other agenda items include applications for short-term wine and malt licenses ("one-day" licenses) from the Academy of Music Theatre for a series of events including the Signature Sounds record company 20th anniversary concerts (Nov. 28-30) and the Sweetback Sisters Country Christmas Sing-a-Long Spectacular (Dec. 23).

The 375 King St. Pride gas station and convenience store, which sells beer and wine, will request a change in hours, as will Liquors 44 at 238 King St.

One Bar and Grill at 1 Pearl St. will seek an amendment of their license to use disc jockies for private functions. The current license, procured by Matthew Gibbs and Lauren Pomponio as part of their purchase this year of the former Tully O'Reilly's, contains a no-DJ clause.

The three-member appointed License Commission, comprised of chairman Rosen and commissioners Brian Campadelli and Elaine Reall, will meet Oct. 1 at 4 p.m. at City Council Chambers, 212 Main St.

The committee will begin meeting by the middle of October.

WILBRAHAM – The Board of Selectmen on Monday agreed to appoint a designee to serve on a Middle School Task force which will serve as an advisory committee to the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School Committee.

The committee will examine the effect of declining enrollment on the middle school programs in both Hampden and Wilbraham.

“It has been four years since we closed Memorial School,” School Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea told the Board of Selectmen Monday. He said the decision was made to close Memorial School after a committee took a hard look at elementary enrollment in Wilbraham.

Now the middle school program needs attention,” O’Shea said.

Declining enrollment can have a detrimental effect on the quality of the four-member faculty teams which are assigned to groups of middle school students. Declining enrollment also can impact the cost effectiveness of having two middle schools and trying to have optimal class size and staffing, he said.

“This is an issue for both towns,” School Committee Chairman Marc Ducey said.

Ducey said selectmen representatives from both Wilbraham and Hampden will serve on the task force, as well as School Committee members Ducey, Lisa Morace of Hampden and Peter Salerno of Wilbraham.

School administrators also will serve on the task force as well as four parents or residents from each community.

“This is a significant issue,” Ducey said. He said the task force will make a full report to the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District.

Ducey said the committee will be evaluating “which building would suit a middle school better.”

School officials asked the selectmen to appoint a representative to serve on the task force by Oct. 6.

“We don’t want to drag our feet on this,” Ducey said.

O’Shea told the School Committee that the two middle schools in the district are undergoing a dramatic drop in enrollment.

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.

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, O’Shea said.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz said that whistleblowers told his committee that the intruder ran through the White House, into the East Room and near the doors to the Green Room before being apprehended.

By ALICIA A. CALDWELL
JOSH LEDERMAN

WASHINGTON — The intruder who climbed a fence made it farther inside the White House than the Secret Service has publicly acknowledged, a Republican congressman said Monday. The disclosures came on the eve of a congressional oversight hearing with the director of the embattled agency assigned to protect the president's life.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said Monday night that whistleblowers told his committee that the intruder ran through the White House, into the East Room and near the doors to the Green Room before being apprehended. They also told the committee that the intruder made it past a female guard stationed inside the White House, Chaffetz said.

In the hours after the Sept. 19 fence-jumper incident, Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan told The Associated Press that the suspect had been apprehended just inside the north portico doors of the White House. The Secret Service also said that night that the suspect had been unarmed — an assertion that was revealed to be false the next day when officials acknowledged Gonzalez had a knife with him when he was apprehended.

"I'm worried that over the last several years, security has gotten worse — not better," Chaffetz said.

He said his committee's request for a briefing from the Secret Service on the incident was denied.

It was not clear late Monday what Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson was told about the extent of the incident.

Senate Judiciary Committee staffers who were briefed about the investigation by the administration a week after the incident were never told that Gonzalez had made it deep into the building, said a congressional official who wasn't authorized to discuss the investigation and requested anonymity. The official said the committee later was told that the suspect had, indeed, made it far beyond the front door.

Citing multiple unnamed sources, The Washington Post reported that Gonzalez ran past the guard at the front door, past a staircase leading up to the Obamas' living quarters and into the East Room, which is about halfway across the first floor of the building. Gonzalez was eventually "tackled" by a counter-assault agent, the Post said.

Getting so far would have required Gonzalez to dash through the main entrance hall, turn a corner, then run through the center hallway half-way across the first floor of the building, which spans 168 feet in total, according to the White House Historical Association.

The latest details to emerge about the troubling breach were expected to dominate questioning by lawmakers on Tuesday Secret Service Director Julia Pierson was scheduled to is scheduled to testify before a House committee — her first testimony since the incident. A Secret Service spokesman declined to comment Monday because of the ongoing investigation.

Chaffetz said he planned to question Pierson about concerns raised by whistleblowers that audible alarms intended to alert officers to an intrusion had been muted. He also said the committee learned Monday night that, in a departure from normal practice, Pierson did not submit any testimony in advance.

Since the incident, the White House has treaded carefully. Although White House spokesman Josh Earnest acknowledged the president was "obviously concerned" about the intrusion, he also expressed confidence in the Secret Service as recently as Monday.

It would be untenable for any president, not just Obama, to pointedly criticize the men and women who put themselves at risk to protect his life and family. That inherent conflict of interest means that Congress, not the executive branch, is the most effective oversight authority for the Secret Service, its agents and officers.

"The president and the first lady, like all parents, are concerned about the safety of their children, but the president and first lady also have confidence in the men and women of the Secret Service to do a very important job," Earnest said.

Had the intruder had been heavily armed and the president and his family at home, the security lapse could have had serious consequences. No one was hurt in the incident, but it's not the first involving the White House itself, raising the question whether the latest breach is part of a pattern of delayed reactions to threats to the executive mansion. The Secret Service says that is not the case.

Yet in another White House incident in 2011, described by the Post reported over the weekend, the Secret Service did not immediately respond to shots fired at the White House, amid what the agency describes as uncertainty about where the shots originated. Four days later, it was discovered that at least one of the shots broke the glass of a window on the third level of the mansion, the Secret Service said.

At the time of that incident, the president and first lady Michelle Obama were away, but their daughters were in Washington — one home and the other due to return that night.

Oscar R. Ortega-Hernandez of Idaho has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for the 2011 incident.

Gonzalez, 42, was arrested Sept. 19 after agents stopped him inside the White House.

After the Sept. 19 breach, Pierson ordered a review of the incident and possible changes to security measures at and around the White House. She briefed the president on Thursday.

Gonzalez was on the Secret Service radar as early as July when state troopers arrested him during a traffic stop in southwest Virginia. State troopers there said Gonzalez had an illegal sawed-off shotgun and a map of Washington tucked inside a Bible with a circle around the White House, other monuments and campgrounds. The troopers seized a stash of other weapons and ammunition found during a search of Gonzalez's car.

The Secret Service interviewed Gonzalez in July, but were unable to hold him and he was released on bail. Gonzalez was stopped and questioned again on Aug. 25 while walking along the White House's south fence. He had a hatchet, but no firearms. His car was searched, but he was not arrested.

"There's a misperception out there that we have some broad detention powers," said Donovan, the Secret Service spokesman. He pointed out that Secret Service, like other law enforcement agencies, must have evidence of criminal behavior before filing charges against an individual.

The attorney for the property owner argued that the use of the site for a Registry of Motor Vehicles is a rightful use of the land without need of a special permit.

SPRINGFIELD – Some city councilors raised questions and concerns on Monday night about a proposal to relocate the Registry of Motor Vehicles office in Springfield to a new site off St. James Avenue.

The registry site issues arose as the representatives of the property owner, HDC Four LLC, appeared before the council seeking to amend two special permits granted in 2005, related to the registry site at the corner of St. James Avenue and Martone Place, a private way.

The state Department of Transportation confirmed Friday that it plans to move the registry office on lower Liberty Street to the new site, under a 10-year lease with HDC Four.

Some councilors, including Clodovaldo Concepcion and Melvin Edwards, said they and residents are very concerned about traffic. During the hearing, Walter Kroll, president of the McKnight Neighborhood, said he is concerned about the safety of children with three schools being within one mile of that area.

Bart Heemskerk, a lawyer for HDC Four, said the registry use of the site is permitted “as of right,” not requiring a special permit, and that there is a 10-year lease agreement with the state. The council was only being asked to decide if the access road should remain a private road, or be required to change it to a public way as was agreed upon the owner in 2005, he said.

Several councilors said the issue appeared to be very complicated, and voted 9-1 after the hearing to refer the special permit matter to subcommittee for further review.

Councilor Kateri Walsh said she questions if the state extended the courtesy of public input in the selection process. The current location is “a nightmare,” and she questioned if the new location would be better,.

Heemskerk said the registry will make the neighborhood safer and would be “a lot better.”

Deputy City Planner Philip Dromey and Department of Public Works Director Christopher Cignoli said the site, while not needing a special permit, is under an administrative review as stipulated in the zoning ordinances, and has issues to be resolved and questions raised about the private road and traffic.

Jay Caron, owner of Bee Line Corp., spoke in favor of the permit change request, saying he knows the owner and is confident they will be extremely responsible.

Heemskerk said the registry construction is already delayed, with potential ‘dire consequences.”

The company had sued the city to grant a building permit for the registry project. Superior Court Judge Bertha Josephson recently denied its request to have her order the city to issue the building permit.

The suspect was wearing a purple fleece coat and blue jeans.

Republican file photo 

CHICOPEE - Police are looking for a suspect in connection with the Monday night armed robbery of a Front Street convenience store, police said.

Lt. Donald Strange said the man robbed the Citgo station at 817 Front St. just before 7:30 p.m. The clerk told police the robber displayed a handgun and then demanded cash from the register.

Chicopee police, K-9 teams and the Massachusetts State Police helicopter were searching the area late Monday but so far had not found the suspect, Strange said.

Police were asking residents of the Front Street area notify the police immediately if they see anything unusual on their property.

The suspect was described as a man in his mid-20s. He was wearing a purple fleece coat and blue jeans.

Anyone who sees a man matching that description is asked to call the Chicopee police at (413) 592-6341.

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas said in a statement Monday night that the patient's symptoms and travel history suggest the patient may have Ebola

DALLAS -- A patient in a Dallas hospital is showing signs of the Ebola virus and is being kept in strict isolation with test results pending, hospital officials said Monday.

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas said in a statement Monday that the patient's symptoms and recent travel indicated a case of Ebola, the virus that has killed more than 3,000 people across West Africa and infected a handful of Americans who have traveled to that region.

Preliminary test results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected to come back Tuesday.

Hospital spokeswoman Candace White would not answer any questions about the patient or where the patient had visited.

The National Institutes of Health recently admitted an American doctor exposed to the virus while volunteering in Sierra Leone. Four other patients have been treated at hospitals in Georgia and Nebraska.

Presbyterian Hospital's statement said officials there were following CDC recommendations to keep doctors, staff and patients safe.

According to the CDC, Ebola symptoms can include fever, muscle pain, vomiting and bleeding, and can appear as long as 21 days after exposure to the virus