The commission is responsible for maintaining the "atmosphere, flavor and ambience" of the Broadway and White Church historic districts.

WEST SPRINGFIELD -- The commission that oversees the town's two historic districts, Broadway and White Church, is looking for more members and hoping to accomplish some big things.

There are three people serving on the Historic District Commission, a fourth is going through the confirmation process, and chairwoman Roberta Page said they want to add the final fifth member.

The commission is responsible for maintaining the "atmosphere, flavor and ambience" of Broadway and White Church, said Page, but the future may hold "exciting projects" like an expansion of those districts, or the creation of others, to include more buildings and spaces.

One possibility is the designation of Front Street as historic, considering the old mill properties, the former train station and the Agawam Canal.

But Page said it's important that the commission remains friendly to existing businesses and current residents, and doesn't throw up any roadblocks for those who want to come to town. Their job is to make sure the exteriors of buildings are appropriate for the surroundings and to give their blessing to any permanent structures or demolitions.

View full sizeRoberta Page, chair of the West Springfield Historic District Commission, stands in front of White Church at 732 Elm St., a building on the National Register of Historic Places. Nov. 10, 2014.Brian Steele | bsteele@masslive.com 

Broadway and White Church are both on the National Register of Historic Places. Broadway includes the Town Common, which saw a great deal of activity during the 1700s, especially as troops marched west from Boston during the Revolutionary War. It was also a critical site of organization for the uprising known as Shays' Rebellion.

White Church has only one building: The former Congregational church and town meetinghouse at 732 Elm St., first built in 1802. It's now owned by a private citizen who converted part of the interior into living space and a recording studio.

There are nearby buildings and roads that have historical significance, said Page, and a possible expansion of the district would incorporate those.

Prospective commission members will go through a review and interview process with Mayor Edward C. Sullivan and, if that's successful, face confirmation by the Town Council.

Sullivan said that when he's filling up board and commissions, he looks for candidates who are "passionate" about the town, and most have "significant" educational or professional experience in the field.

"Volunteer groups ... are really the backbone of our community, any community," said Sullivan. "These groups do so much work that otherwise would never get done."

Connecticut state Rep. Peggy Sayers said last week that an off-track betting facility near Bradley International Airport could be a good location for an expansion of gaming in that state

The $800 million MGM Resorts International casino in Springfield is expected to open by 2017, drawing a third of its customers from Connecticut.

And since Mohegan Sun, the operator of one of that state's two casino facilities, lost bids to get a hand in the Massachusetts gaming market, the company is looking at developing another casino to compete with the new facilities to the north.

This, according to a report by The Connecticut Mirror, which revealed that the plan for a Connecticut casino expansion isn't exactly a new idea, but rather one which is being revived in the wake of a 60-40 percent vote last week upholding the Massachusetts casino law.

"We need to do something in the face of the development of Massachusetts gaming," Kevin Brown, chairman of the Mohegan tribe, told The Mirror. "To do otherwise would be short-sighted on our part."

Connecticut state Rep. Peggy Sayers, a Democrat from Windsor Locks, said last week that an off-track betting facility near Bradley International Airport could be a good location for an expansion of gaming in that state, the Mirror reports.

The 2011 Expanded Gaming Act allows for the licensing of up to three resort-style casinos and one slots parlor in Massachusetts to spur economic development around the gaming facilities, and to reclaim money currently lost to gambling operations in Connecticut and Rhode Island. Local voters and the Mass. Gaming Commission have already approved MGM's downtown Springfield project, Wynn Resorts' $1.6 billion Everett casino and Penn National Gaming's $225 million slots parlor in Plainville.

Mohegan Sun was the first casino company to lay serious roots in Massachusetts four years ahead of the state legislature signing the aforementioned law. But despite campaigning for nearly a decade in the Bay State, the company lost bids to develop a casino in Palmer and then lost a competition for the Boston area casino license to Wynn Resorts.

Mohegan Sun, which opened in 1996, is one of two state-sanctioned casinos operating in Connecticut's southeast. Along with Foxwoods, which opened in 1992, they draw a significant amount of tourist dollars from nearby states, including Massachusetts.

Upon losing the competition for the Eastern Massachusetts casino license, a Moody's Investor Service analysis warned that the company financial status, which has struggled in recent years amid the Great Recession, stood to suffer further. Both Mohegan and Foxwoods are currently expanding their non-gaming offerings in Connecticut in an attempt to round out their entertainment draw and retain customers which they may otherwise lose to new Massachusetts casinos.

Additionally, Mohegan Sun is among the companies competing to open an upstate New York casino, as it has proposed a $550 million resort in the state's Catskills/Hudson Valley region.

MGM previously said that the company believes the diversity of non-gaming amenities to be offered at its Springfield location will sustain the facility amid increasing competition in the region, including a potential casino in the the Albany, N.Y. area just 85 miles to the west.

The Mirror reports that the process to expand casino gaming in Connecticut is a complex one, which would potentially require approval of both Native American tribes already operating casinos there, along with the governor, attorney general and the state legislature.

Two co-defendants in the murder case had been arraigned previously but Julio Brian Leiva was not arrested until late October in Tijuana, Mexico.

SPRINGFIELD - A 26-year-old Framingham man on Thursday denied murder and other charges stemming from the November 2013 fatal shooting of William Serrano on a Grenada Terrace porch.

Two co-defendants in the murder case had been arraigned previously but Julio Brian Leiva was not arrested until late October in Tijuana, Mexico.

Julio Leiva 

Hampden Superior Court Judge Tina S. Page ordered Leiva, who is represented by Alan J. Black, be held without right to bail.

Serrano, 34, was shot several times on the porch.

Leiva was the ex-boyfriend of Serrano's girlfriend at the time of the shooting, police said.

Prior to the shooting police believe Serrano, Leiva, the girlfriend and others had been together on the porch for an apparently amicable gathering.

Leiva left the property and returned a short time later with the two other suspects and a sawed-off .22-caliber rifle, according to police. Leiva ordered the girlfriend inside, demanded Serrano's cell phone and then shot him at least seven times – three times in the chest and four times in the extremities, police said.

Leiva, Amadi Sosa, 19, and Alexander Santana, 20, were indicted in February on charges of murder, armed robbery, armed assault with intent to murder, armed assault with intent to rob, and illegal possession of a firearm.

Sosa and Santana are from Springfield. They have denied the charges against them.

The project is being funded by $600,000 in state funds and $250,000 in matching local funds.

SPRINGFIELD - City officials on Wednesday announced the start of an $850,250 project to create a refurbished park at Seymour Street and Breckwood Boulevard serving students and residents in the Pine Point area.

The project will begin with construction of a splash pad, starting Monday, that will be ready for the summer, officials said.

That will be followed by planned improvements including rennovations of a baseball diamond and tennis courts, installation of a playground and swing set, establishment of a picnic area and improved access to park entrances and walkways, according to a summary. Other improvements include enhanced lighting and fencing and parking.

The "Balliet Park" project is being afforded by $600,000 in state funds, and $250,250 in matching funds by the city.

During a press conference at the field, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said such parks are "extremely important" not only to residents in the neighborhood but also to two schools in that immediate area.

The park is walking distance from Balliet Elementary School and adjacent to Balliet Middle Springfield Public Day School.

Ward 5 City Councilor Clodovaldo Concepcion praised Sarno and Parks Director Patrick Sullivan for their prolonged efforts to bring the park project to reality.

The story will be updated as reporting continues.

The county got the poorest ranking for such health behaviors as adult smoking, physical inactivity and excessive drinking.

HOLYOKE - Community health care centers, in their outreach to under-served populations, as well as coordinated efforts to educate the public about the importance of annual physicals and active lifestyles, can help Hampden County address some of the factors that have ranked it as the least healthy county in the state (pdf), for five years, on an annual survey.

Rosa Rodriguez-Monguio, associate professor and director of the health policy and management program at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst School of Public Health, stated that message, and also urged attendees at the Hampden County Public Health Improvement Forum to work together to identify "one, two or three targets" and address them "one step at a time."

The county got the poorest ranking for such health behaviors as adult smoking, physical inactivity and excessive drinking.

"A public health approach to problems can improve outcomes, and contain costs," said Rodriquez-Monguio, who reviewed some of the most recent health statistics for the county and state. The survey, in which the county ranked last in the state, was a national one done by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Those attending the day-long forum Thursday at Holyoke Community College's Kittredge Center, co-sponsored by the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, included legislators, health professionals and business executives, as well as insurance representatives.

Rodriguez-Monquio called the county's five year lowest ranking due to a number of factors. She said it is linked to the fact that the cost of health care continues to climb, with most people insured through their employers. She said many people cannot meet the cost of premiums, or the average $1,500 deductible, to access care. While 32 percent of the county's population earn more than $75,000, 18 percent earn between $50,000 and $75,000, with 50 percent under $50,000.

"It is a complex mix of things. It would be easier if you could identify one fact. There are multiple driving factors," Rodriguez-Monquio said. "Two key ones are access to health care, and to a primary team of caregivers."

Rodriguez-Monquio noted that 15 percent of county residents are Hispanic, 30 percent of its residents earn less than $25,000 a year, and that 5 percent of residents, ages 18 to 64, have no health insurance. Some 12 percent have no primary health care provider.

"This shows you the disparities in Hampden County," Rodriguez-Monguio said. She noted that county residents have a higher diagnosis for chronic diseases, such as diabetes. She said preventative care, and education about lifestyle, delivered in ways that are sensitive to cultural differences, can reduce health care costs involved in the treatment of such diseases.

Rodriguez-Monquio said community health care centers are key to helping individuals, who cannot afford the average $5,000 premium for health insurance, to access preventative care and education. She added provisions of the Affordable Care Act, which provides for some free health screenings, will increase demand for primary care.

"As a health economist, I can say it is always important to look at cost, but it is also important to look at outcomes," Rodriguez-Monquio said.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Margaret Daly 

Margaret Therese Daly, 86, passed away on Saturday. She was born in New York, New York, and graduated from Fort Hamilton High School in Brooklyn. She attended City College of New York and Fordham University. She taught herself to dance by watching classes of children who could afford lessons. After lots of practice at home, she joined the Rockettes in New York City and performed regularly at Radio City Music Hall. After moving to Massachusetts, she took courses at Harvard University. At 22, she married, left the Rockettes and had seven children over the course of 10 years. She loved tap dancing and performed with with The West Side Tappers.

State officials believe this year's launch will be far better than last year's fiasco.

BOSTON - Open enrollment begins Saturday for health plans purchased through the state's independent marketplace, and state officials believe this year's launch will be far better than last year's fiasco.

The new Massachusetts Health Connector website, MAhealthconnector.org, is scheduled to go live at 8 a.m. on Saturday.

According to state officials, the connector website will allow consumers to browse health plans, apply online, determine what program they qualify for (for example, MassHealth or subsidized coverage), enroll in a plan and pay their premium.

"Today, we pledge to the Commonwealth's residents who are in need of health insurance that they will be able to access it," said Maydad Cohen, special assistant to the governor in charge of overseeing the Health Connector project. Cohen said the new website was the product of "ten months of around-the-clock work to build a working, stable website."

The state was required to roll out a new health insurance exchange in October 2013 to conform to the Affordable Care Act. However, the exchange was a technological disaster. It could not determine which programs or subsidies a person was eligible for, and customers were unable to use the site to enroll in new health insurance.

The state extended people's current subsidized plans and enrolled people in temporary Medicaid coverage. Gov. Deval Patrick hired a special assistant to oversee the project, and the administration replaced the company that built the website. Labor-intensive workarounds drove up costs and left consumers in limbo.

The state this year purchased off-the-shelf software called hCentive and customized it for Massachusetts.

At a board meeting of the Health Connector on Thursday, officials in charge of the program said this time – unlike last year – the system underwent comprehensive testing. Testing of various functions had passage rates of 97 to 98 percent. End to end testing, which measures the process from shopping for a plan to paying the insurer, passed the tests 94 percent of the time.

John Santelli, chief information officer for Optum, the technology company overseeing the site, said tests modeled the performance of the site anticipating four times more users at peak times than officials actually expect. "The platform is performing very well," Santelli said.

Santelli said Optum focused on core priorities – allowing people to shop for plans and enroll in them. Some things will be added later. For example, someone wanting to change their application after submitting it will have to call a customer service representative, and some changes will have to wait until Dec. 15.

Cohen said the state "ruthlessly prioritized" which features had to get done when. He said the state learned last year that "trying to build a perfect mousetrap, something that does everything for everyone on day one, is a very difficult task."

Last year, customers complained of long wait times to get ahold of customer service representatives. This year, the state will have a "command center" open 24 hours a day to monitor and resolve problems. Cohen called the center a "central nervous system" that will include representatives of MassHealth, the Health Connector, Optum and all the technology companies involved in the site in one room. The representatives will actively monitor the site and receive reports of problems.

There are also organizations available to provide free, in-person assistance to people filling out applications. Sites in western Massachusetts include: Caring Health Center in Springfield, Ecu-Health Care in North Adams; Casa Latina in Florence and the Hilltown Community Health Care Centers in Worthington.

Heather Goodhind, navigator coordinator for Caring Health Center, said the center takes in-person appointments, walk-ins and phone calls. She has undergone training with the system and said it seemed more easily laid out than last year's site. "With the training we've done and the confidence of board members, we're confident in the system," Goodhind said.

Anyone who currently has MassHealth or Health Connector coverage will have to re-enroll by Dec. 23 for coverage beginning Jan. 1. The state is launching a comprehensive public outreach project to get people to re-enroll. The Health Connector and MassHealth already sent out 265,000 informational mailings to members and 110,000 open enrollment packets and made 72,800 robo-calls. Call centers have trained more than 300 agents, and 130 people have been trained as navigators, to help people in person.

The Health Connector will hold enrollment events around the state, including one Dec. 3 at the Springfield Marriott. There will be a door-knocking campaign, ethnic media ads focusing on Spanish, Chinese and Portuguese media, and a general television campaign. A new TV ad, which features Goodhind, advertises the website and urges people to re-sign up for coverage. The Springfield Falcons and the Boston Bruins will provide visibility for ads in their stadiums and messaging on social media. Health Connector fliers will be available at CVS and in some Market Basket stores.

The most recent price estimate for the project is $250 million, compared to $175 million that was originally budgeted, with much of the cost borne by the federal government.

Health Connector board members acknowledged the lack of public confidence after last year's problems. But Cohen told reporters after the meeting, "We have a new vendor, we have a new product, we have a new governance structure, and we have a product that's very different."

Board member and MIT Professor Jonathan Gruber said the way to move on is the way the board has, with a "massive outreach" effort. "You explain to people it's a complicated process, we didn't do a great job last year, give us another chance," Gruber said.

Complicating matters politically is the fact that Patrick leaves office in January and will be replaced by Republican Charlie Baker, who has criticized the state's handling of the Health Connector website. Secretary of Administration and Finance Glen Shor, who chairs the Health Connector board, said there are no members appointed by the governor or Attorney General Martha Coakley whose terms are up at the end of the year. But people like Shor, who hold seats by virtue of their office, will likely to be replaced. Shor said there was a "smooth transition" for the Connector board when Patrick took office, and he is confident in a similarly smooth transition to a Baker administration.

Cohen plans to brief Baker transition officials on Monday. Cohen said he is willing to stay on for a period, if Baker wants him to. "I've indicated repeatedly that if asked, I'm happy to stay on and see the open enrollment period through," Cohen said.

The Health Connector will have customer service open this weekend from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 1-877-623-6765. Its regular business hours are Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 9 am to 3 p.m. MassHealth customer service will be open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1-800-841-2900.

When Gov. Deval Patrick leaves the State House in January, the Massachusetts Democratic Party will be left without a default leader for the first time in eight years. So here are five Democrats to watch for.

When Gov. Deval Patrick leaves the State House in January, the Massachusetts Democratic Party will be left without a default leader for the first time in eight years.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is probably the biggest name in state Democratic circles but she does not have anywhere near the power locally that House Speaker Robert DeLeo, soon-to-be Senate President Stan Rosenberg, and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh do.

So here are six Democrats to watch for during the next four years:

Attorney General-elect Maura Healey
Healey was the breakout Democratic start of this year's campaign. Democratic operatives quietly mused how the race would have turned out differently if the charismatic Healey ran for governor and not attorney general. She is definitely on the short list of possible challengers to Baker in 2018.

Congresswoman Katherine Clark
Clark has moved quickly since successfully navigating her way through a seven-person field to win a special election in the Fifth Congressional District. The congresswoman was one of the most frequently seen high-profile Democratic surrogates around the state this campaign cycle. She's has a safe perch in her district so there's no need for her to make a quick jump to a statewide position though she is in a strong position do so.

Congressman Joe Kennedy III
"So when does he run for Senate?" asked one Democratic operative during the research for this piece. Kennedy, or JK3 as he is frequently identified by some, is everyone's favorite US Senator in waiting it seems. Kennedy was on the short list as the new chair of the DCCC but turned it down. Kennedy's focus seems entirely on Capitol Hill not Beacon Hill so he is hovering position until Warren or Ed Markey move on from their current posts.

State Senator Ben Downing
The director of the party's coordinated campaign did not deliver the governor's office but the party's expected loses in the legislature were nowhere near as bad as expected. Downing briefly considered a run for US Senate when John Kerry left office and is considered by many to be next in line for the First Congressional District seat when Neal steps down.

State Senator-elect Eric Lesser
When you run a national-style campaign at the local level it's hard to not turn heads. The former White House aide and Obama staffer was able to tap into a national network of support that propelled him into a state senate seat. The 29 year-old will be one to watch in the short term, especially with Rosenberg moving into the senate president's office and giving the western part of the state more clout on Beacon Hill.

Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley
Pressley's name is thrown around frequently as a candidate for some sort of higher office but she has not made the jump. She is the most popular politician in Boston not named Walsh and during the 2014 campaign was seen on the stump for Democratic candidates as frequently as him. As one Democratic observer noted to me during a speech she gave on behalf of Attorney General Martha Coakley during a rally in Dorchester, "Man, it sounds like Pressley is gearing up for a a statewide run herself."

Edward Chang embraced his wife, Thanaphat Ratanasirivillai, after the couple was acquitted of child rape charges after a Hampden Superior Court jury deliberated for less than an hour.

This is an update to a story posted at 12:15 p.m.

SPRINGFIELD - Edward Chang embraced his wife, Thanaphat Ratanasirivillai, Thursday when the couple was acquitted of child rape charges after a Hampden Superior Court jury deliberated for less than an hour.

The verdict was swift after three days of occasionally lurid testimony. The 15-year-old in the case, now 17, testified over two days that she "met" the couple on OkCupid.com in late December 2012. The girl told jurors she billed herself as 18 and bisexual on the dating site because she was interested in meeting new friends.

She testified the three of them engaged in a menage a trois in a West Springfield hotel room on New Year's Day 2013 - one day after Chang and Ratanasirivillai were married in a civil service at Springfield City Hall.

Chang, now 35, a Longmeadow native, was working as a lawyer for Nike in Taiwan at the time of his arrest in 2013. He was charged with two counts of aggravated child rape (given the age difference) and faced a mandatory 10-year prison sentence if convicted on those charges. Ratanasirivillai, a graduate student at Cornell University, faced statutory rape charges; both faced enticement and indecent assault charges as well.

The couple took the witness stand in their own defense, both conceding they were looking for a sexual third and designed a profile page with the handle "Three Way Cupid." Ratanasirivillai said she expressed an interest in experimenting sexually with women and her then-boyfriend suggested they search online after a clumsy attempt at local bars.

"We were looking for no drama; no strings attached," she told jurors.

While the jurors returned a verdict in their favor, the couple did not escape having to discuss the most intimate details of their lives in a courtroom that was at times filled with spectators.

Chang and Ratanasirivillai testified they met the girl at Starbucks in Longmeadow before proceeding to a motel that afternoon, but that they were under the impression she was an adult. They also told jurors the encounter went awry and there was no physical contact.

Lawyers for Chang and Ratanasirivillai hammered away at inconsistencies in the teen's account of the motel meeting. She was not in the courtroom when jurors delivered their verdicts.

Alfredo DiLascia, chairman of the Committee for Cathedral Action, said the central theme of the meeting is to show Bishop Mitchell Rozanski that there is a very strong consensus to rebuild the tornado-ravaged school at the Surrey Road site in the city's East Forest Park neighborhood.

SPRINGFIELD — The Committee for Cathedral Action will kick off a campaign dedicated to the rebuilding of Cathedral High School during a meeting set for 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Nov. 20 at St. Anthony's Hall at 375 Island Pond Road, a spokesman for the group said Thursday.

In a email invitation, Alfredo DiLascia, chairman of the Committee for Cathedral Action, said the central theme of the meeting is to show Bishop Mitchell Rozanski that there is a very strong consensus to rebuild the tornado-ravaged school at the Surrey Road site in the city's East Forest Park neighborhood. The building is being demolished.

The Committee for Cathedral Action, which was formed about a year ago, has stepped up its efforts to rebuild the school following a Nov. 9 statement by the bishop indicating no decisions would be made on the future of Cathedral until there are further discussions and meeting with stakeholders to discuss various options and opinions regarding the high school.

The bishop's statement sparked a strong response from members of the community who expected the school to be rebuilt following assurances from his predecessor, the Most Rev. Timothy McDonnell, in March. A spokesman for the diocese said recently that the drive to create a tuition fund for future students is lagging.

DiLascia said in the email: "Campaign Cathedral is an attempt to unify all interested parties in order to show and convince Bishop Rozanski, in a positive way, that there is a very strong consensus and a strong determination to go forward and build a new Cathedral High School."

In the two days since it launched a Facebook page, the group has received 2,109 hits demonstrating support of for a new Cathedral, DiLascia said.

In addition to the Facebook page, the group has also set up a Twitter hashtag: #SaveCatHigh

A Living Building is the highest environmental standard surpassing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

AMHERST - Hampshire College is holding a groundbreaking ceremony Friday afternoon at 3:30 for the new multifunctional R. W. Kern Center, a building they hope will receive Living Building status.

A Living Building is the highest environmental standard surpassing the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and there are just a handful of buildings that are so certified in the United States.

The building will create its own energy and treat its own waste to meet those standards.

Speakers at the groundbreaking, include Hampshire College President Jonathan Lash; Wesley Evans, a student who served on the planning committee; Meredith Twombly, dean of admissions and financial aid and a representative from the Kern family, who has donated to the $9 million project.  

In the press release, Lash described the center as "a physical embodiment of the Hampshire College community's values, and a teaching tool in and of itself." It will serve as an educational laboratory showcasing Hampshire's deep commitment to addressing sustainability issues.

The center is scheduled to open in 2016.

According to the website, the project has raised nearly $7 million. 

Under cross examination, Frost said he was friends with Crncic before the Nov. 29 dispute, and hoped to pursue a romantic relationship with her. After she quit in early December, Crncic never contacted him, Frost said.

SPRINGFIELD - The final witness in the Club Castaway sexual harassment trial Friday recalled bartender Cara Lyn Crncic parting words at the end of her last shift.

"As she walked out the door, she said 'I'm going to own this (expletive) club,'" former employee James Frost told jurors on the eighth day of testimony in Crncic's lawsuit against Club Castaway owner Demetrious Konstantopoulos.

Testifying for the defense, Frost described an angry encounter on Nov. 29, 2011, between the club owner and Crncic, who worked as a bartender at the Whately strip club between July 2011 and December 2011.

When the pair began arguing over money from private dances, Frost suggested they continue the dispute in the kitchen.

When Crncic emerged about five minutes later, she was crying, Frost said. "She said he (the owner) hit me. I told her there was a (security) camera in the back room, and she should take the tape and bring it to the police," Frost recalled.

The bartender then changed her story, claiming the owner just grabbed her by the shirt, Frost said. "I said even if he just grabbed your shirt, he shouldn't have his paws on you - take the tape," he said.

Under cross examination, Frost said he was friends with Crncic before the Nov. 29 dispute, and hoped to pursue a romantic relationship with her. After she quit in early December, Crncic never contacted him, Frost said.

In the lawsuit filed in August 2012, Crncic accused her former boss of verbally and physically abusing her and other female employees at the strip club. Konstantopoulos, on the stand earlier, denied assaulting the bartender or touching the other female employees.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Friday afternoon, with jury deliberations expected to begin late Friday or Monday.

Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, the No. 1 ranked eater in the world, will compete.

Looking for tips on how to put away your share of turkey and more?

Joey "Jaws" Chestnut, the No. 1 ranked eater in the world, will compete against other top "Major League Eaters" on Nov. 22 at the Foxwoods World Turkey Eating Championship.

Contestants will compete with 20-pound whole turkeys, endeavoring to consume as much as possible within a ten-minute time frame.

The contest will take place at 2 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom of the Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn.

For more information on the competition, visit Major League Eating's web site, IFOCE.com.

The Republican 

Independent Canadian-born writer Reese Erlich is the author of a new book titled, "Inside Syria: The Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect" that includes a forward by Noam Chomsky.

NORTHAMPTON — The United States bombing of Islamic State in Syria that costs $10 million each day means the U.S. is already at war in that country – and the public here should be more engaged in that issue, and oppose more military involvement, according to journalist Reese Erlich.

Erlich says an estimated 1,500 rebel groups are now fighting in Syria. The independent Canadian-born writer is the author of a new book titled "Inside Syria: The Backstory of Their Civil War and What the World Can Expect" that includes a forward by Noam Chomsky. It was published this year by Prometheus Books and distributed by Random House. He has spent decades covering the Middle East.

Erlich will be speaking Thursday night at the University of Massachusetts and Friday night in Northampton in an event sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee. The talks are part of his nationwide tour promoting the book.

The UMass Journalism Department is hosting Erlich's Nov. 13 appearance, "Assad, ISIS, Obama & U.S. Middle East Policy" that begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Communication Department Hub on the third floor of the Integrative Learning Center, 650 North Pleasant St.

The Northampton event, "Isis, Assad, Obama and the new Mid East Wars" begins Friday at 7 p.m. at the American Friends Service Meeting House at 43 Center Street.

Both are free and open to the public.

The survey is a collaboration with UMass professor Flavia Montenegro of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning and a group of graduate students.

AMHERST - Amherst Together, a joint initiative launched by the school department and town this summer, wants to know what the community's values and priorities are.

Beginning Friday, a survey is being launched to assess those priorities, said Carol Ross, the Media & Climate Communications Specialist, who was hired to lead the initiative.

The survey is a collaboration with professor Flavia Montenegro of the University of Massachusetts, Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning and a group of graduate students in her Public Participation Class, according to a press release.

Students met with Ross, the school, town, members of the community and the town's Business Improvement District "to gather preliminary data that would help direct the nature of the questions and methodology. The survey is being translated into Spanish," Ross said in an email.   

  The idea is to engage people in the Amherst community "in a dialogue about values, identity and wellbeing. The anonymous study will provide an opportunity to understand how residents perceive the community and their overall quality of life, based on reliable and validated data collection," according to the press release.

 A survey will be posted on-line at both the Amherst Together and UMassEngaged   websites. Interviews will be conducted at neighborhood and business locations as well.

The goal is to have at least 400 complete the survey and 200 to respond to interviews.

Montenegro said the survey is divided into four areas - the first is to assess values - what's important to respondents, the second looks at satisfaction measuring how happy people are with their lives personally as well as in the community, the third looks at cultural identity and the fourth assess demographics.

She said they want an equal number of responses from the town's 10 precincts and the survey is set in such a way that can be measured. If they don't have enough, they'll knock on doors.

She said they are going to ensure that college students as well as middle school students participate.

Some of the questions are open ended and some are multiple choice.

In the release, Ross said an assessment was completed similar to this in 2010, but this is the first time emphasis will be placed on ensuring that marginalized populations are reached.

The assessment will be completed in January 2015 and the results will be compiled and made available.

Once the results are in, they will create an action plan, Montenegro said.  

 "The success of bringing our very diverse community together can only occur when the entire community is engaged," Town Manager John Musante said in a statement.

Baker's team is divided into seven different committees and will include a former congressman, a former director of what's now known as the Department of Children and Families, and the current chief executive officer at Mass Mutual.

BOSTON — Governor-elet Charlie Baker's recently released transition team includes a bipartisan mix of professionals from different fields from across the state.

Baker's team is divided into seven different committees and will include a former congressman, a former director of what's now known as the Department of Children and Families, and the current chief executive officer at MassMutual in Springfield.

The committee will be overseen by Lieutenant Governor-elect Karyn Politio.

"The transition leaders will be vital to our efforts in assembling the best possible team to carry out the administration's goal: making Massachusetts great everywhere," said Lieutenant Governor-elect Karyn Polito in a statement.

The breakdown of the committees in Baker's transition team is as follows:

State of the State: former DSS director Linda Carlisle, Taylor-Smith Companies chairman Richard Taylor, and Michael O'Brien, an executive vice-president at Winn Companies.

Human Resources: Deb Hicks of Dana-Farber, Dan T. Henry, Sr., of Bright Horizons.

Better Government: Harvard professor Stephen Goldsmith, Rappaport Institute executive director Steve Poftak.

Community: Robert Lewis Jr., of BASE, Chrystal Kornegy, CEO of Urban Edge.

Schools: Former Congressman and current UMass Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan and Beth Anderson of the Phoenix Charter Academy Network.

Healthcare: Health care policy veteran Deb Enos, South Coast Health System CEO Keith Hovan.

Jobs And The Economy: Chelsea City Manager Jay Ash, Hill Holiday executive Karen Kaplan, and MassMutual CEO Roger Crandall.

Hott and Garey were inspired to film the story of the Sci-Tech band when the couple heard the band play at a fundraising concert at the Academy of Music in Northampton where they were impressed with the charisma of bandleader Bernice and the big sound of the band.

SPRINGFIELD – With less than a month to go to in a 60-day online $35,000 fundraising drive to help pay for production of a documentary film on the Sci-Tech Band – and the transformative effect bandleader Gary Bernice has had on student musicians – the campaign is still $16,000 short of its goal.

Lawrence Hott, of Florence-based Films and Hott Productions, has been filming the band's progress under Bernice's baton since August with the aim of completing the 20-to 25-minute documentary film by the end of the school year.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $85,000, and the fund drive is being done in stages, with the first one being $35,000.

"It's crunch time," said Hott who with his crew has been virtually embedded with the Sci-Tech band since the beginning of the school year.

Hott and and his wife and business partner, Diane Garey, were inspired to film the story of the Sci-Tech band when the couple heard the band play at a fundraising concert at the Academy of Music in Northampton. They were star-struck by the charisma of bandleader Bernice and the band's show-stopping sound.

They were even more interested when they learned that many of the students in the band had never picked up an instrument before they walked into Bernice's class.

The experience of students who join Bernice's band, drawn from 1,500 students at one of Springfield's underperforming schools, has been transformative – with band members averaging a 95 percent graduation rate," Hott said.

If the online Kickstarter campaign reaches its goal by its 3:45 p.m. Dec. 9 deadline, the drive may be extended to help raise the $85,000 to complete the filming.

If the $35,000 isn't reached within the 60 days of the start of the campaign, the credit-card pledges of potential donors won't be charged.

To support the Kickstarter campaign for "SciTech Band: Pride of Springfield," visit kickstarter.com/projects/667877725/scitech-band-pride-of-springfield

In addition to the Kickstarter drive, supporters of the band and the film can make donations through the private, nonprofit Springfield School Volunteers by sending a check made out to the organization.

The address is Springfield School Volunteers, 1550 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103.

The film project got its start with $15,000 from anonymous contributors, who donated the seed money to the Springfield School Volunteers.

The film project got its start with $15,000 from anonymous contributors, who donated the seed money to the Springfield School Volunteers.

Bernice and his 500-member band are gearing up for its annual Winterfest concert, which will be held at 7 p.m. on Dec. 11 at the Chestnut Middle School at 355 Plainfield St.

According to Hott, production costs include paying copyright fees to any pieces of music that might be heard in the completed film.

Costs, which are all cast outlays, include:

Cost of buying the rights to music that the band is playing.

Paying the members of the crew and paying for their travel, some are local, some come Boston.

Paying assistants to work on the editing as well as help with the crew.

Paying for the color correction, sound design, graphics, insurance.

Warwick had high praise for UP academy, which he said would be an outstanding resource to schools in the city of Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD — The Boston-based UP Education Network is seeking the go-ahead from the Springfield School Committee on Thursday to file an application with the state to open a district-run Horace Mann charter school in one of the city's underperforming middle schools beginning in the 2016 school year.

Superintendent of Schools Daniel Warwick said School Committee approval of the UP application will allow the academy to begin the planning process to open a school in Springfield while it awaits the state's OK and a final nod from Springfield.

Warwick had high praise for UP academy, which he said would be an "outstanding resource to schools" in the city of Springfield.

"They're well-regarded and the do an outstanding job" recruiting teachers for the reconstituted schools, he said.

Springfield is under the gun from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to take action to boost academic improvement at its middle schools.

Under its proposal, UP proposes to "restart" a struggling 6-8 Springfield Public School in collaboration with the city's school system.

The vote on the UP Academy's application comes after the School Department and the teachers union reached tentative agreement Friday that would pave the way for the creation of a Springfield Empowerment Zone, another option to help turn around eight of the city's Level 4 middle schools.

The eight schools targeted for inclusion in the Empowerment Zone are: Chestnut (which the district divided into Chestnut South, Chestnut North and Chestnut Talented and Gifted this school year), Kiley, Kennedy, Forest Park, Duggan and Van Sickle middle schools.

The zone would be a collaboration of the School Department, the SEA and the state board of education with private the advice of Empower Schools, Inc., the Boston-based organization founded by education reformer and former chairman of the Springfield Finance Control Board.

Warwick said that one plan does not negate the other, noting that schools in the city of Lawrence have both an empowerment zone and a Horace Mann charter school.

Springfield Education Association President Timothy Collins was less enthusiastic about UP's plan to come into the city of Springfield.

Like Teacher for America, a non-profit graduate-teacher program eyeing Springfield, UP recruits nationally for teachers and other school, Collins said.

Collins said EDLabs, which worked with the city on a turnaround plan for the High School of Commerce, did not have much luck in recruiting teachers from other parts of the country.

Collins said Springfield can't compete with larger metropolitan cities like Houston and Denver, which are more enticing places to live for young recent graduates.

"We need people who want to stay here," Collins said.

According to its website, UP Academy Charter School of Springfield's strategies include:

Relentlessly high and consistent academic and behvaioral expectations.

Seamless and detailed operating procedures.

Rigorous standards-based curriculum, instruction and assessments.

A wide-ranging network of supports designed such that no child is left behind.

An obsession with regularly and effectively using data.

An atmosphere of enthusiasm and joy.

Horace Mann schools like the UP Academy school proposed for Springfield are developed and operated in close cooperation with the host school district and require approval of the local school committee while commonwealth charter schools are fully autonomous and operate independently of the local school district.

Unlike commonwealth charter schools – where students are selected through a lottery – UP Academy will work with students attending an existing and yet-to-be-determined middle school in Springfield.

Officials determined there are no grounds to file a murder charge in the death of Antrone Jahmall Hill.

SPRINGFIELD - Police will not charge a Girard Avenue man with murder following the stabbing death of another man Tuesday afternoon after determining the fatal stabbing was an act of self defense, police said.

Springfield police consulted with the Hampden District Attorney's Office about the case, and after reviewing the evidence, determined there were no grounds to file a murder charge in the death of 23-year-old Antrone Jahmall Hill, said police spokesman Sgt. John Delaney.

"It has been determined that this was a case of 'self defense' and the death is not being labeled as a murder," Delaney said.

Hill, of Bay Street, died of injuries suffered in a fight with another man just after noon on Tuesday in an apartment on the 7th floor of 15 Girard Ave.

Police arrived and found Hill and another man each suffering for stab wounds. Hill would later die at Baystate Medical Center.

The other man, whose name has not been disclosed by police, told investigators that Hill showed up at his apartment, armed with a knife, and the pair got into an argument about drug transactions. The two started fighting in the apartment and it spilled out into the hallway. After being stabbed, the victim managed to stab Hill, police said.

Although the dispute was about said to be about drug sales, Delaney said no drugs were found at the apartment and the unnamed victim has not be charged with any drug offenses.

Open enrollment begins Saturday through MAhealthconnector.org. Anyone who buys health insurance through MassHealth or the Health Connector must re-enroll.

Open enrollment begins on Saturday for health insurance plans sold through the Massachusetts Health Connector. State officials said this week they are hopeful  that this year's launch will be better than last year's, when the state's new health exchange website was a technological disaster. Here are a few things to know about open enrollment.

Who must sign up for new plans?

Anyone who buys health insurance through MassHealth or the Health Connector must re-enroll. This includes anyone who has subsidized plans and anyone who is buying a plan on the individual commercial market through the state's health insurance exchange. It also includes anyone who the state put in temporary MassHealth plans last year.

Why do I have to re-enroll?

Massachusetts is required by federal law to offer plans that meet the requirements of the Affordable Care Act, through an exchange that is ACA-compatible. Because of problems with the state's health connector website last year, only about 35,000 people so far have been able to sign up for health plans that qualify under the ACA.

When can I sign up?

The state's new website MAhealthconnector.org goes live at 8 a.m. on Saturday. You have until Dec. 23 to sign up for coverage effective Jan. 1. Open enrollment runs through Feb. 15.

What can I use the state website for?

Assuming the website functions as advertised, consumers will be able to browse health plans, complete an application online, find out what program or subsidy they qualify for, select a plan to purchase and pay a premium.

What if I run into trouble?

Navigator organizations are available to provide in-person and over-the-phone assistance. Visit https://bettermahealthconnector.org/get-help/ for more information. Sites in Western Massachusetts include: Caring Health Center in Springfield; Ecu-Health Care in North Adams; Casa Latina in Florence and the Hilltown Community Health Care Centers in Worthington.

Additionally, the Health Connector will have its customer service open this weekend from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at 1-877-623-6765. Its regular business hours are Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 9 am to 3 p.m. MassHealth customer service will be open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1-800-841-2900.

What browser can I use to access the state website?

The site works best with Chrome version 30 or better, Firefox version 30 or better, and Internet Explorer version 10 or better. If you have an old Internet browser, you may be instructed to update your browser.

How long will it take to fill out an application?

State officials estimate that the average user will take 10 minutes to browse and an hour to fill out an application. You can save your work at any point and come back to it later.

Will the website actually work this time around?

That remains to be seen. But according to Health Connector officials, it has been extensively tested, with success rates of at least 94 percent.