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Salvatore DiMasi lawyer in closing argument: 'Not a morsel' of evidence that ex-Massachusetts House Speaker took bribes

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Closing arguments were made in the trial of DiMasi, accountant Richard Vitale and lobbyist Richard McDonough.

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By KYLE CHENEY

BOSTON – The following is a chronological summary of closing arguments made by each of the parties in the trial of former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, accountant Richard Vitale and lobbyist Richard McDonough.

Prosecutors had the first opportunity to appeal to jurors, followed by Vitale’s lawyer Martin Weinberg, McDonough’s lawyer Thomas Drechsler, and DiMasi’s lawyer William Cintolo. Each party had 90 minutes to argue its case and prosecutors offered a 20-minute rebuttal after the defense sought to cast doubt on the evidence against their clients.

DiMasi prosecution asks jurors to remember "common sense"

Anthony Fuller, an assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and two co-defendants on corruption charges, pleaded with jurors Friday to use common sense in their impending deliberation. “The defendants want you to abandon your common sense and believe that those payments … were made in good faith, that they were made for some legitimate purposes. You know from the evidence that these gentlemen knew their conduct was illegal because of their acts of concealment,” Fuller said. “I want you to remember one thing. I want you to remember your common sense. It’s what’s gotten you through life. The way people speak up here is in a very controlled manner, and for a reason … But don’t forget how people act in the real world. Don’t abandon your common sense.” DiMasi is charged with rigging a pair of state contracts – a $4.5 million deal in 2006 and a $13 million deal in 2007 – for Cognos Corp., a Canadian software company. In exchange, prosecutors say, DiMasi received $65,000 funneled through his law partner Steven Topazio, who was signed with Cognos to what prosecutors call a “sham” lobbying deal. “Topazio’s only function was to write checks to Sal DiMasi,” Fuller said. “If the money paid to DiMasi from Topazio, then why all the lies? Why the cover-up?” DiMasi’s longtime friends, lobbyist Richard McDonough and accountant Richard Vitale, are also charged in the scheme, and prosecutors say they received, respectively, $300,000 and $600,000 for their roles in the alleged scheme. The three men are facing charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud. DiMasi also faces a count of extortion. Joseph Lally, a Cognos salesman, was also charged in the scheme but pleaded guilty in March and cooperated with the government, testifying against his former co-defendants and vilified by defense lawyers as a liar and a cheat. The following is a series of highlights from the narrative presented by the prosecution in its closing argument:

• Prosecutors painted DiMasi as the state’s most powerful official facing a declining income when he become speaker in 2004. When DiMasi called members of the Legislature or the executive branch with a request, Fuller said, “They’d jump.” When Rep. Robert Coughlin agreed to file a budget amendment in 2006 on DiMasi’s behalf – an act prosecutors say provided funding for the first Cognos deal – it was an “official act” taken by DiMasi to further the scheme, Fuller said. “That, ladies and gentlemen, shows you the power that DiMasi had in 2006,” he said.

• Fuller reviewed exhibits showing that Cognos officials drafted the legislative language for the $13 million deal that eventually ended up in a bond bill approved by the Patrick administration. As that contract was pending within the administration, Lally organized a meeting between DiMasi and the Patrick administration’s IT chief, Bethann Pepoli. “Ask yourselves, does that make sense, that a software salesman would be able to do that?” Fuller said.

• Embracing the defense’s criticism of Lally as a tax cheat and a gambler, Fuller said, "Just the kind of guy you would expect to be mixed up in this kind of scheme.” “Would an honest businessman set up sham contracts to pay bribes to a powerful politician? Of course not,” Fuller said. “He did agree to cooperate and he agreed to tell the truth about his role. He also testified that he expects to go to jail.” Fuller also noted, “He has the speaker’s cell phone number.”

• As the software contracts were pending, Fuller reviewed what he described as DiMasi’s efforts to conceal payments he was receiving through Topazio, including a demand that Topazio break up a $25,000 Cognos payment into four separate checks with four different dates. “That’s called concealment. That’s called consciousness of guilt,” Fuller said.

• Fuller honed in on what he described as efforts to conceal his role in the alleged scheme, including telling his press secretary David Guarino he had no knowledge about the relationship between Cognos and Lally. “If this man acted in good faith … why did he lie to David Guarino, who was left to answer the press inquiries?” Fuller said. “He lied because he knew if he told the truth, his goose would be cooked.”

Weinberg: Government's case "built on a foundation of quicksand"

Martin Weinberg, an attorney for a co-defendant of former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, argued that the government’s case against DiMasi is predicated solely on the testimony of Joseph Lally, a “self-admitted perjurer” who had a financial interest in – and a promise of reduced jail time for – testifying against DiMasi. “Without Joseph Lally, this case is built on a foundation of quicksand,” Weinberg said. “Joseph Lally does not have the moral character to respect the truth.” Lally, a former salesman for Cognos Corp., the Canadian software company at the center of corruption allegations against DiMasi and two co-defendants, was accused in the scheme as well but pleaded guilty in March and testified last month. Weinberg, a lawyer for DiMasi’s longtime friend and financial adviser Richard Vitale, said that Lally’s history of lying makes his testimony unreliable and insufficient to convict Vitale. “Mr. Lally lied to a staggering number of people,” Weinberg said, noting that Lally acknowledged lying to friends, family members, business partners, bosses and the IRS and Massachusetts Department of Revenue. Weinberg told jurors to consider the fact that prosecutors offered Lally a sharply reduced jail sentence – between two and three years as opposed to an original potential for nine years – in exchange for his cooperation. They also offered to remove a lien on his house, enabling him to sell it and pay off hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Weinberg also told jurors, “Lally lied to you,” suggesting that he perjured himself in violation of his plea agreement. He added, “The case against Richard Vitale is not proven, and not proven is not guilty.” Vitale, DiMasi and lobbyist Richard McDonough are charged with conspiring to rig a pair of state contracts – a $4.5 million deal in 2006 and a $13 million deal in 2007 – for Cognos Corp., a Canadian software company. In exchange, prosecutors say, DiMasi received $65,000 funneled through his law partner Steven Topazio, who was signed with Cognos to what prosecutors call a “sham” lobbying deal. Vitale allegedly received $600,000 from Lally for his role in the two deals, money prosecutors said was being put aside for DiMasi, who they argued was contemplating leaving state government to join Vitale’s consulting firm. Lally testified that the alleged co-conspirators made clear to him that he had to pay Vitale to ensure Cognos got its deals. Prosecutors also argue that Vitale extended a $250,000 line of credit to DiMasi to help cover up a secret $100,000 payment from Cognos in 2006.

• Weinberg suggested that Lally misled jurors about the reason he once withdrew funds from three separate Bank of America accounts in the same day, suggesting that Lally was hoping to avoid reporting requirements for withdrawals above $10,000 but needed nearly $30,000 to pay off gambling debts.

• Weinberg recalled testimony from FBI agent Marc Toulouse in which Toulouse said Lally told him in the courthouse hallway after he testified, “Game. Set. Match.” Weinberg said the comment provided “a window” into his mindset despite testifying that he only wanted to tell the truth and “let the chips fall where they may.”

• Weinberg pointed out that Vitale and Topazio, DiMasi’s law partner, didn’t know each other. “Richard Vitale had nothing at all to do with Cognos’s decision to pay Steven Topazio,” Weinberg said. Weinberg said phone records showing that Vitale and Lally contacted each other during a time when Topazio was seeking renewal of his lobbying contract with Cognos were incomplete, providing no evidence about the substance of the phone calls.

• Weinberg acknowledged the line of credit Vitale extended to DiMasi. But he emphasized that Vitale and DiMasi meticulously recorded the line of credit, never sought to hide it. “There was nothing concealed, nothing hidden and it was fully paid back. What kind of bribe is this?” Weinberg said. Weinberg noted that DiMasi, in part relying on the proceeds from the sale of his wife’s home in Needham, repaid large portions of Vitale’s credit line months before the Boston Globe began probing DiMasi’s relationship with Cognos. “This was a loan without risk that was recorded for the world to see. It’s not a crime,” he said.

• Weinberg emphasized that the contract Vitale signed to consult for Lally – who had formed a Cognos reseller called Montvale Solutions in 2006 – who later paid him the $600,000 in question, was a legitimate contract for business consulting. “This was no sham contract. You have 12 months of exhibits,” Weinberg said. Weinberg suggested that Vitale was hoping to help Lally establish Montvale Education, an offshoot of Montvale Solutions, and make it a nationwide success. “Dick Vitale was going to teach [Lally] to be a CEO,” Weinberg said, citing Lally’s testimony.

• Weinberg said that Vitale had absolutely nothing to do with any “official acts” taken by DiMasi in 2006, when the first Cognos deal went through the Legislature.

• “It’s essential to a bribery kickback that there be some intentional passing of money,” Weinberg said. “Here [prosecutor Anthony] Fuller and I disagree. Joe Lally was never told by Richard Vitale he has to pay $500,000 … Joe Lally never told Richard Vitale, I don’t want to pay the money. Joe Lally never told Richard Vitale that Sal DiMasi would do anything in exchange for money … Mr. Vitale did nothing to corrupt Sal DiMasi.”

• Weinberg said there’s no corroboration for Lally’s contention that DiMasi was planning to leave state government and join Vitale’s firm, WN Advisors, and share in the alleged kickbacks from Cognos. “It’s a sheer invention, and you can only rely on Lally for that invention,” he said. He said the lack of evidence that Vitale set aside funds for DiMasi indicates that the government failed to prove DiMasi benefits from the purported kickbacks. “It’s a fatal flaw, a gaping hole. Sal DiMasi didn’t get one dollar of that $500,000.”

• In his conclusion ,Weinberg painted a picture for the jury about what the prosecution’s case would look like without Joseph Lally. He said it would largely consist of records of meetings between the alleged co-conspirators, meetings he said were documented for all to see. He said the evidence would show a fierce lobbying competition for the 2007 deal that Cognos eventually won. “There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s done every day,” he said.

• The ubiquity of lobbying in state government figured into Weinberg’s closing argument. He argued that lobbyists frequently draft the legislative language that makes it into budgets or separate bills. In the 2006 budget that included the $4.5 million deal that later went to Cognos, Weinberg said, “There’s 1,600 amendments … The legislators don’t draft every word.” He added, “It’s language that somebody wants put into legislation. It’s done every day in every capitol.”

Lawyer: McDonough lobbied legally, Lally motivated by greed

Thomas Drechsler, the lawyer for lobbyist Richard McDonough, one of former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi’s co-defendants, argue that lobbyists enjoyed widespread access to DiMasi and that McDonough’s meetings with the speaker on behalf of his client, Cognos Corp., were a small subset of the meetings between DiMasi and lobbyists and not indicative of a crime. “It isn’t as unusual as the government would like you to think that it is,” Drechsler said. DiMasi and McDonough are charged, along with accountant Richard Vitale, with conspiring to rig two state contracts – a $4.5 million deal in 2006 and a $13 million deal in 2007 – for Cognos, a Canadian software company, in exchange for hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks. DiMasi is accused of selling his office in exchange for $65,000 funneled through his law partner, Steven Topazio, who had signed what prosecutors say was a “sham” lobbying contract with Cognos and shared his fees with DiMasi. McDonough, prosecutors say, received $300,000 as a result of his role in the two deals. A fourth co-defendant, Joseph Lally, a Cognos salesman at the time of the two deals, pleaded guilty in March and testified against his former co-defendants. Drechsler contended that McDonough engaged exclusively in legitimate lobbying work, and payments he received, Drechsler said, were for performing that work. Drechsler continued the defense team’s assault on Lally, arguing that the only evidence of his client’s guilt came from Lally, who he said should be viewed by the jury as a liar and a cheat who is motivated solely by money. “Greed pervades Mr. Lally’s soul and everything that he does,” Drechsler said. Prosecutors have contended that McDonough helped arrange covert payments from Cognos to DiMasi, using Topazio as the “unwitting conduit,” but Drechsler rejected the claim, questioning Lally’s honesty. “The only person who suggested that Richard McDonough needed to funnel money to Mr. DiMasi was Mr. Lally,” he said.

• Drechsler pointed out that McDonough, who received money from Cognos through Lally, a Cognos reseller at the time of the deals, paid Lally back more than three times the amount as a result of a fee arrangement they agreed upon for clients Lally helped steer to McDonough.

• Drechsler contended that Lally lied to jurors about a conversation he had with McDonough on a golf course in which Lally testified McDonough sought to renew Topazio’s contract.

• Drechsler contended that Lally was motivated to assist the prosecution because they offered him a deal that enabled him to sell his house and pay off hundreds of thousands of dollars in gambling debts. He added that Lally, before his plea, was a defendant and had been reviewing the government’s evidence, determining what he could offer them to build their case. As part of his plea deal, he was guaranteed a reduced sentence of two to three years in exchange for providing “substantial assistance” in their case against DiMasi, McDonough and Vitale. Drechsler said that Lally, while on the stand, was likely thinking, “How do I please the U.S. attorney? How do I please the U.S. attorney? How do I get substantial assistance? How do I get substantial assistance?” He called Lally the government’s “partner” in the prosecution effort and said the government glossed over inconsistencies in Lally’s statements. “They own him,” Drechsler said.

• McDonough wasn’t uniformly successful in his attempts to lobby DiMasi, Drechsler pointed out, suggesting that his relationship with DiMasi didn’t guarantee outcomes for McDonough’s clients. For example, Drechsler said, McDonough lobbied on behalf of Suffolk Downs for the introduction of slot machines at state racetracks. “If my client had corrupted Mr. DiMasi, where are those slot machines?” Drechsler said.

• Drechsler argued that evidence shows that McDonough never saw Topazio’s contract with Cognos – in part because Lally shielded him from it – until March 2007, shortly before the contract was canceled. Lally’s suggestions to the contrary, Drechsler said, are a lie.

• Drechsler said Lally’s version of events surrounding the Topazio contract – that he and McDonough approached Topazio about signing the contract in December 2004 – raised questions about timing. Topazio never received a contract until March 2005, he noted. “If this was a bribe, it was sort of in slow motion,” Drechsler said. Drechsler also noted that if McDonough was really participating in a bribe scheme, he would never have let the Topazio contract lapse, as it did twice in the two years Topazio was on the Cognos payroll.

• Drechsler railed against Lally’s testimony that McDonough may have used more than one phone, which may have explained the absence of any records that McDonough and Lally spoke in mid-December 2006. Drechsler ripped the suggestion that McDonough kept a “secret phone” that even the FBI couldn’t find. He called Lally a “scoundrel” and described him as a compulsive liar. “That guy cheated and lied and perjured himself to avoid paying $7,500 [in taxes] … when he made $1.5 million.”

• Drechsler reread a profanity-laced email that Lally sent to Vitale in which he ripped McDonough for refusing to share certain lobbying fees with him even when Lally described himself as “down and out and desperate.” Drechsler described Lally as a “degenerate gambler” and said the jury should remember that in their deliberations. “Someone who is a degenerate gambler is not someone who’s credible.” Drechsler mocked the government for failing to present evidence of Lally’s credibility. “Let’s look at the list of people that the government came up with who testified that Joe Lally is an honest person and has a reputation for truthfulness and honest,” Drechsler said. “It’s a blank piece of paper.” He called Lally a “bum” and said “the next time he tells the truth, I would suggest to you, would be the first time.”

• “The government is serving up to you a case against my client based on Joseph Lally … They’re serving what I would suggest to you is the spoiled meal of Joseph Lally,” Drechsler said. “They give it to you and ask you to serve it … You may rest assured that if anyone else in this courtroom was ever accused by Joseph Lally in this courtroom of doing something, they would be outraged.”

DiMasi lawyer: "Not a morsel" of evidence that DiMasi took bribes

Prosecutors offered no evidence – “not a morsel, not a grain” – that former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi took payments from Cognos in exchange for pushing a pair of state contracts on behalf of Cognos Corp., a Canadian software company. As a result, DiMasi lawyer William Cintolo said, the prosecution failed to meet its burden of proving “beyond a reasonable doubt” and jurors must judge the case by that standard. “In this courtroom, it’s not proof beyond a reasonable doubt-ish. It’s not, not guilty-ish.” Prosecutors say DiMasi rigged a pair of state contracts – a $4.5 million deal in 2006 and a $13 million deal in 2007 – for Cognos in exchange for $65,000 in kickbacks funneled through DiMasi’s law partner Steven Topazio, who had signed what prosecutors called a “sham” lobbying deal with Cognos. Prosecutors also allege that DiMasi’s financial adviser Richard Vitale received $600,000 and Cognos lobbyist Richard McDonough received $300,000 for their roles in the deals. McDonough and Vitale are also charged in the alleged scheme. The three men are accused of conspiracy and honest services fraud. DiMasi also faces a coujnt o extortion. A fourth defendant, Joseph Lally, a Cognos salesman at the time of the deals, pled guilty in February and testified against DiMasi, Vitale and McDonough. Cintolo argued that prosecutors were asking jurors to “pile inference upon inference upon inference” to conclude that DiMasi worked on Cognos’s behalf “because of” the payments he received. But Cintolo insisted that the evidence failed to indicate a causal relationship between DiMasi’s actions in support of software of the type sold by Cognos and the payments he received as a result of his fee sharing arrangement with Topazio. “You cannot decide that maybe it happened, it could’ve happened, it might’ve happened,” he said. “Proof beyond a reasonable doubt … The burden rests upon the government to make that causal connection.”

• Cintolo pointed out that evidence repeatedly shows DiMasi’s interest in “performance management software” an application offered by Cognos but also several other vendors. Performance management, he said, is a concept intended to help state government gather data about major programs more effectively to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being stretched to their maximum value. He also pointed out that there were several legislative opportunities for DiMasi to take actions on behalf of Cognos that he opted against.

• Cintolo said no evidence, “not one scintilla of evidence, not one document, not one memo” indicates that DiMasi ever saw the legislative language that ultimately was inserted in a 2007 bond bill that later authorized funding for the $13 million Cognos deal. “In this massive administration, is there one document – one, one document – indicating what would be in [the bond bill]?” he said. “I don’t think so.” Cintolo said prosecutors gave the impression that DiMasi “demanded” performance management be in that bond bill, but he suggested that DiMasi was simply responding to the Patrick administration question about whether there were any programs he would like to include in the bond bill.

• Cintolo repeatedly suggested that prosecutors spun the evidence to make DiMasi’s actions seem more sinister than they really were, whether it was his phone calls to Patrick administration officials to inquire about the status of performance management software or his run-ins with senior administration officials at public events.

• Cintolo said the government failed to prove why DiMasi’s decision to break up a $25,000 check from Topazio into four smaller amounts was evidence of a cover-up.

• The $13 million contract awarded to Cognos in 2007 was voided in 2008, Cintolo said, not because investigators faulted DiMasi but because the Patrick administration failed to follow competitive bidding rules. When the Boston Globe called in 2008 to ask about DiMasi’s relationship to Cognos, Cintolo said, DiMasi insisted rightfully that the House has no role in procurement.

• Cintolo pointed that Gov. Deval Patrick acknowledged that DiMasi’s request for performance management software was akin to similar interactions between legislative leaders and the governor on other policy matters, not a “horse trade” but a reminder to remember each other’s priorities.

• Cintolo cast doubt on the accuracy of Lally’s claim that DiMasi once told him and McDonough, “"I'm only going to be speaker so long so it's important that we make as much hay as possible.” “Can you imagine a North End kid, a North End lifer, saying ‘let’s make hay?’” Cintolo said, disbelief in his voice.

• “In Judge Wolf’s courtroom two and two always adds up to four,” Cintolo told jurors as he concluded his closing argument, adding, “You will see that the evidence adds up to not guilty.”

Merritt: Jury has evidence to see "an ugly picture of corruption"

Theodore Merritt, an assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and two co-defendants on corruption charges, rejected the defense’s closing arguments as an effort to distract from incriminating evidence and suggested that the defense lawyers provided more entertainment than substance. “I’m not going to be as entertaining as some of the attorneys that came before you,” he said. “This isn’t a comedy show. This is about corruption by one of the highest public elected officials and his two cronies.” Merritt rejected the defense’s contention that the lack of an explicit conspiracy agreement means that there is insufficient evidence to convict DiMasi, lobbyist Richard McDonough and accountant Richard Vitale. “He knows that a smart criminal tries to avoid leaving his fingerprint at the crime scene,” Merritt said. “Sal DiMasi would and did use intermediaries.” “The truth is singular and the truth in this case is that these three men and Lally were in a bribery kickback scheme to exploit the power of the speaker of the House,” Merritt continued, adding, “You have enough evidence to see what is an ugly picture of corruption.” Merritt also sought to defend the prosecution’s reliance on Joseph Lally, a former Cognos salesman, as a key witness in the case. “He owned up to just about every lie, every vice the defense could drudge up,” he said. “If you think the government is in some conspiracy with Joseph Lally to convict these men, well, then we’ve got other problems … It wasn’t the government that selected Joseph Lally to be in this conspiracy, it was his co-conspirators.”


6th gray seal found shot to death on Cape Cod

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The news comes of five slain seals found on beaches from Dennis to Chatham over the last six weeks.

Gray seal 2011.jpgA gray seal is on a ledge off the coast of Camden, Maine, in April. Federal fisheries police say a sixth gray seal has been found shot to death on Cape Cod.

CHATHAM — Federal fisheries police say a sixth gray seal has been found shot to death on Cape Cod.

The Yarmouth-based International Fund for Animal Welfare says the seal was identified Friday as shot after a CT scan.

The news comes of five slain seals found on beaches from Dennis to Chatham over the last six weeks.

The fund said ballistic evidence is being analyzed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Law Enforcement. A special agent with the office, Todd Nickerson, said the animals had painful deaths and the office is taking the crimes very seriously.

Gray seals are protected under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. Their population has boomed in recent years, which has drawn great white sharks to the area to feed on them.

Initial estimate of tornado damage should qualify Hampden County for federal disaster assistance, MEMA official says

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Damage to infrastructure plus the costs for overtime and materials should reach $25 million, nearly 3 times the minimum required for federal assistance.

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SPRINGFIELD – An official with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said Friday that tornado damage to infrastructure plus the costs for overtime and materials associated with the cleanup totals $25 million, or nearly three times the amount necessary for Massachusetts to qualify for federal disaster assistance.

Peter Judge, agency spokesman, said that after receiving reports from damage assessment teams in the field, Gov. Deval L. Patrick could send a letter to President Obama to request the communities hit by the June 1 tornado be declared disaster areas.

Judge said damage assessment teams were able to document that costs to repair uninsured buildings, roads and bridges, and the costs of overtime for emergency responders and materials was an estimated $25 million.

The minimum needed to qualify for federal disaster assistance according to federal formulas is $8.5 million.

“We have reached our number,” Judge said.

Damage assessment teams, which spread out across central and Western Massachusetts communities this week, have filed their reports, Judge said. Those reports will be used to write a letter to the president seeking federal disaster aid, he said.

Patrick was in West Springfield Friday at the Coburn Elementary School to meet with parents and children displaced by the tornado. He urged people to cooperate with damage assessment teams going door-to-door to gauge the amount of damage.

That assessment will help Massachusetts make its case to the federal government for disaster relief. The federal reimbursement could be at least 75 percent of the costs, he said.

Judge said once the state receives a disaster declaration – and Patrick has said he expects that will happen – state and local governments would apply for aid.

Under the program, the federal government would pay at least 75 percent of the eligible costs for repairing or replacing public properties such as damaged roads, bridges and buildings and for removing debris, according to the website of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Under another type of federal disaster aid, homeowners and renters could apply for grants to help pay for temporary housing needs, essential home repairs and other disaster-related expenses. U.S. Small Business Administration low interest, federal disaster loans would also be available to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations. They cover costs of repair or replacement of damaged real estate, personal property and business assets not fully covered by insurance or other aid.
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For small businesses, such loans cover working capital needs caused by the disaster, according to the agency’s website. The teams also estimated that some 1,400 homes in the region were either damaged or destroyed, Judge said.

Also Friday, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno announced the formation of a public-private partnership to lead the rebuilding of the parts of the city that were devastated by the tornado

The partnership brings together two organizations, the Springfield Redevelopment Authority and DevelopSpringfield, for a task that is expected to last several years. The two bodies combined will be able to apply for federal, state, and private grants, and accept private donations.

Sarno, in a prepared released, said the partnership “will take full advantage of the distinct capabilities and track record of each organization.”

The Springfield Redevelopment Authority has managed more than 35 urban redevelopment projects in the city including the Court Square Urban Renewal Project. More recently, it was designated the lead agency of the proposed redevelopment of the long-vacant Union Station into a regional intermodal transportation center.

DevelopSpringfield, formed in 2008, is a private, nonprofit corporation that focuses on development and revitalization. In 2009, the group established a $1 million storefront improvement program for State and Main streets, and was involved in the State Street corridor project.

Redevelopment authority chairman Armando Feliciano said, “The city needs a coordinated and flexible response to these unprecedented circumstances and the partnership will help to provide that response.”

Nicholas A. Fyntrilakis, chairman of DevelopSpringfield, said a coordinated rebuilding strategy “will affect the long-term growth and prosperity of the city.”

Sarno said that all key stakeholders including neighborhood groups and the business community, will be consulted throughout the planning and implementation process.

Those who wish to contribute toward the economic redevelopment effort can send donations to DevelopSpringfield, P.O. Box 15288, Springfield, MA, 01115-5288.

At Coburn Elementary School, Patrick urged students and their families who are tornado victims to make use of state recovery centers.

“There are fabulous people there and they would run through a brick wall if that is what it takes,” Patrick said during a 50-minute stint of listening to the victims of the June 1 tornado, many of them immigrants from counties like Iraq and the former Soviet Union.

The governor told the gathering of about 150 that the centers can help with emergency housing, cash assistance, insurance claims and damaged businesses.

Many children in the Merrick neighborhood, where most of the tornado damage occurred, attend Coburn. The gymnasium in which the governor conducted his visit was one of the two shelters the city first set up for victims. Both have been moved to the Eastern States Exposition.

Aides from the Springfield center will be at the homeless shelter set up at the Big E shelter Monday until 6 p.m., the governor said.

The governor spent most of his time at the school listening to tales of loss.

“I didn’t come to make a speech today. I came to listen to your stories,” the governor said.

Most of the victims had limited English and spoke through translators. Forty-two-year-old Lutfi Azizov, who is of Turkish extraction and immigrated here five years ago from the former Soviet Union, asked for help for all tornado victims, as his wife, Mayra, cried beside him.
Patrick rubbed the woman’s shoulder to comfort her.

“Thank you for telling the story of your neighborhood,” the governor said.

Azizov’s interpreter, Natalya Belaya, said, “They lost everything, but they are very happy everyone is alive. ... He wants to see smiles on the faces of all kids.” The family has three children.

“When you consider the extent of the damages the extent of the loss of life was incredibly limited,” Patrick said.

Patrick’s office also announced Friday that the state Registry of Motor Vehicles will waive the $25 fee for getting a duplicate driver’s license or identification card for anyone living in a community that was hit by the tornado.

People who lost their license or ID in the storm may apply at any registry office for a free replacement.

Eligible communities include: Southbridge, West Springfield, Springfield, Brimfield, Monson, Wilbraham, Sturbridge, Westfield, Agawam, Auburn, Chester, Blandford, Montgomery, Russell, Holyoke, Chicopee, Ludlow, East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Wales, Oxford, Brookfield, East Brookfield, Webster, Holden, Southampton, Easthampton, Hampden, Charlton, Douglas, Millbury, Uxbridge, Belchertown, Northampton and Palmer.

The decision was made after the administration learned many people who are displaced were having difficulty finding new places to live or obtaining services without a government-issued picture identification, said Transportation Secretary Jeff Mullan.

Information on branch locations and hours can be found on the RMV’s website at www.mass.gov/rmv.

Also aiding those affected, the American Red Cross relief operation will be distributing supplies to tornado-affected areas in Springfield along mobile routes today and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

There will also be a fixed distribution site in Sturbridge at 246 Worcester St. today and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Red Cross volunteers will be providing comfort kits, coolers, work gloves, tools for yard work, household cleaners, trash bags and tarps. They will also provide snacks and beverages.

“Getting help into the hands of people as quickly as possible is the priority of the Red Cross in times of disaster,” said Suzy Davidson, director of the American Red Cross relief operation for the tornadoes in central & Western Massachusetts.

For information on Red Cross services, caseworkers are available 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., seven days a week, people can call Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross at (413) 737-4306, extension 1946, or American Red Cross of Central Massachusetts at (508) 595-3730.

Republican reporters Peter Goonan and Sandra Constantine contributed to this report.


Amherst High School Principal Mark Jackson praises Class of 2011 for patience, maturity

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Senior class president Darius "DJ" Peyton said the next Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey or Steve Jobs could be among the graduates.

061011 darius peyton amherst graduation.jpgAmherst Regional High School Senior Class President Darius "DJ" Peyton addresses those attending the school's 2011 commencement at the Mullins Center.

AMHERSTAmherst Regional High School Principal Mark Jackson told the 269 graduating seniors Friday night that he felt it has been a privilege to know them.

Speaking at the Mullins Center at the University of Massachusetts, he said the class has demonstrated a maturity and patience and he believes they will be able to bring that into the future “to participate in a democracy and work cooperatively.”

He offered an addendum to the Golden Rule: If graduates notice that their neighbor has picture of President Ronald Reagan hanging over their fireplace or a Mitt Romney for president lawn sign, remember that “none of us corner the market on wisdom.”

And he believes the class will be “able to manage disagreements with others” respectfully.

Students clad in maroon caps and gowns not only applauded his remarks but began the first beach ball volley of the night, an exclamation point to their joy and approval as they batted balls of all sizes back and forth.

Valedictorian Victoria Elena Oliva Rapoport talked said some of her classmates had “a relatively easy time of it. We faced minor obstacles, such as trying to stay off Facebook in order to actually get homework done. Others overcame more serious adversity – from family illness to difficult economic situations to personal struggles.

“We’ve watched one another deal with these challenges with courage and perseverance. And through the years we’ve been together, we’ve learned just as much from each other as we have from our textbooks,” she said.

Darius “DJ” Peyton, the senior class president, spoke without a written text before him and told the class they have witnessed history – everything from the election of the first black president in Barack Obama to the Red Sox ending the 86-year-old curse and winning a World Series.

“We need to continue to make history” and he admonished the class to keep in touch and to network. He said with Facebook and Twitter, “we’re leaders of the new school.” And he said the next Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey or Steve Jobs could be sitting out amongst them.

“Don’t forget who you are, don’t forget who you can become,” he said.

Massachusetts House Speaker investigating late-night behavior of freshman rep Mark Cusack

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Multiple sources said Cusack and a young woman were discovered by a court officer in the well of the rostrum in the pre-dawn hours following the conclusion of the House budget debate.

By MATT MURPHY

BOSTON – House Speaker Robert DeLeo has opened an investigation into allegations that freshman Democratic Rep. Mark Cusack engaged in inappropriate behavior with another lawmaker’s aide in the House chamber in the hours after a House budget session in April.

Multiple sources within the Legislature and outside of the State House said that Cusack and the young woman were discovered by a court officer in the well of the rostrum in the pre-dawn hours following the conclusion of the House budget debate.

“The House will conduct an internal review of this matter,” DeLeo spokesman Seth Gitell said in a statement in response to an inquiry from the News Service.

Cusack, a 26-year-old freshman from Braintree who previously served as an assistant to Braintree Mayor Joe Sullivan, was first elected to the House in November 2010. He represents the 5th Norfolk District, a seat previously held by Joseph Driscoll.

2011_mark cusack.jpgMark Cusack

The State House buzzed Friday with lawmakers and staffers claiming the alleged incident was reminiscent of the infamous, late-night boozy budget session in 2000 when debate carried into the early morning hours and one dozing lawmaker reportedly had his leg shaved.

A source indicated that both Cusack and the woman were clothed, and multiple sources indicated that Cusack initially gave the court officer the name of another freshman Democrat in House.

Cusack did not respond to emailed requests for comment on Friday, and someone that answered the phone at his home said he was not available. The freshman Republican House lawmaker whose aide was reportedly involved also could not be reached for comment.

Cusack graduated from Braintree High School in 2000, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2007. He was an intern for U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, and became the assistant to the Mayor Sullivan in 2007.

Asked about the reports of Cusack’s behavior, one Democratic House member said it paints all lawmakers in a bad light.

“This just makes everybody look bad. It’s Animal House all over again and makes us look like we’re a joke,” said the legislator, who asked not to be named.

Chicopee Comprehensive High School graduates 257

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The valedictorian was Donald Hedge and the salutatorian was Stephen Faivre.

comp.high.building.jpgComprehensive High School

CHICOPEE – Standing on the Comprehensive High School football field, graduation speakers recalled that they started high school in a completely different building.

At the Comprehensive High School graduation Friday, students talked about how they began their freshman year in the old, crumbling school and moved in the middle of that year to a new building.

The old school was eventually razed and the football field was built in its place.

“This is the building we have come to love at Chicopee Comp,” Valedictorian Donald C. Hedge told his classmates.

With a 100 grade point average, Hedge led the class of 257 as its graduation speaker. He plans to study chemical engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the fall.

He told students to never stop questioning and to thank their parents and teachers.

Salutatorian Stephen R. Faivre talked about how to be successful, explaining that people often asked him how to earn high grades.

“You have to set a goal and if you are determined to get there, you eventually will be successful,” he said.

Faivre, who will study chemical engineering at Western New England College, told students about his spectacularly bad performance when he first ran track.

But over the season, he trained hard and ran over the weekends when it was not required. Over time, he did improve and made it to the Western Massachusetts finals.

Principal Derek J. Morrison, with Superintendent Richard W. Rege Jr. and Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette, the chairman of the School Committee, gave students a variety of advice.

Morrison told the class they showed him they have learned perseverance, tolerance, citizenship and pride.

“Now you, too, will venture out in the world and stake your claim on life. Use your education,” he said.

5 students graduate from Willie Ross School for the Deaf in Longmeadow

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The Willie Ross School for the Deaf provides a comprehensive educational program stressing academic excellence.

061011 willie ross graduation calvin trueheart jenkins-holly.JPGCalvin Trueheart Jenkins-Holley (at right with white shirt) stands with his family at his graduation from the Willie Ross School for the Deaf in Longmeadow on Friday.

LONGMEADOW-Five students graduated Friday night when the Willie Ross School for the Deaf held its 24th commencement at the Foster & Constance Gleason Furcolo Student Center on the school’s campus.

"We are pleased with the accomplishments of our graduating senior class who come from all over Western Massachusetts," said Louis Abbate, president and CEO of the school. “Willie Ross School for the Deaf strives to provide an environment of academic excellence, and these five graduates are well-prepared to be contributing members of our community.”

The graduates include Raisa Alvarado of Springfield, who completed the school-to-career program; Trevor Bynum of Springfield, who has been accepted to both the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and Gallaudet University; Jose Gonzalez, of Springfield, who plans to continue employment at Evelyn’s Learning Center in Springfield; Amanda Donovan of Springfield, who has been accepted to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in the fall and is also considering other colleges, and Calvin Jenkins-Holley, of Springfield, who plans to attend the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in the fall.

“It’s been a great experience going to school here. I’ve been here since I was 3 years old,” said Jenkins-Holly. “I’m looking forward to new challenges and going to college. I plan on studying engineering.”

The Willie Ross School for the Deaf provides a comprehensive educational program stressing academic excellence that focuses on the development of students’ intellectual, social and emotional growth from the early childhood level through high school.

"It was a great group of kids and they will go on to live productive lives," Abbate said.

Springfield Diocese searching for temporary home for Cathedral High School, St. Michael's middle school

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The schools on Surrey Road in Springfield were badly damaged in the June 1 tornado.

060211 cathedral high school tornado aerial.jpgView full sizeDamage done to Cathedral High School in Springfield by the June 1 tornado is seen the day after the twister hit.

SPRINGFIELD – Officials for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield are scouring the city for any possible spot that can serve as a temporary home for Cathedral High School and the middle school at St. Michael’s Academy so the schools can reopen in three months.

“We are making every effort. It is our goal to have the school open in September,” said Mark E. Dupont, spokesman for the diocese.

Cathedral High, on Surrey Road, was badly damaged in the June 1 tornado that devastated the East Forest Park neighborhood where it is located. It housed about 650 students in grades six through 12.

The building that houses the elementary grades of St. Michael’s Academy was not damaged.

A damage estimate on the building is not expected for at least 60 days, but the day after the storm, educators knew the building was in such poor condition they would not be able to open in September.

Students have not returned to class since the storm. They gathered at Elms College on Tuesday for a final wrap-up of the year.

Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell said he is committed to reopening the school, Dupont said.

“The bishop said our primary focus is to find a location in Springfield,” Dupont said, but added that if there was a possible location in a nearby community, the diocese would consider it.

It is a challenge to find a temporary location, especially in a city that has seen millions of dollars in damage and saw two public schools severely damaged.
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In 2009, the diocese closed four of its elementary schools in the city and joined all the children together under one roof, creating St. Michael’s Academy. The plan also put middle school students in a renovated wing of Cathedral.

The city purchased two of the Catholic elementary schools as soon as they were closed, so they are unavailable.

The MacDuffie School off Maple Street will also be vacant in September because the school is moving to Granby, but the academic buildings cannot handle more than about 230 students and much of the campus was also badly damaged by the storm, Thomas P. Addicks, the interim school head, said.

Dupont said school officials understand the difficult situation parents are facing.

“We know people need an answer and they need it soon,” he said. “I think they should hang on ... Cathedral High School is more than a building, it is a type of education.”

Daryl deVillier, of Springfield, the father of three Cathedral graduates who has children entering the 11th and 7th grades, said he is waiting.

“We are a little bit alarmed but we are holding on with full faith,” he said.

Most parents and students he has been talking to believe the diocese will find a school.

“There seems to be an unbridled optimism that we will come out of this,” he said.

Kathleen Flanagan, whose youngest child will be a senior in September, said she believes her daughter will graduate from Cathedral.

“I think it is only fair to give them a reasonable amount of time to look around and see what properties are available,” she said. “This is an unprecedented event.”

Flanagan, of Springfield, said she and her father graduated from the school and she does not believe church officials will give up on having Catholic education in the city.

“You need to be flexible and creative. If you approach it from that view, you have to expect they will be able to do something,” Flanagan said.


Cathedral High School Class of 2011 graduates, stays strong after tornado

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Students and parents expressed hope for the future, both for the graduates and for the tornado-damaged school.

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SPRINGFIELD – Their graduation was delayed a week and their school was badly damaged by a tornado on June 1, but members of the Cathedral High School Class of 2011 and their parents on Friday spoke mostly of their joy and their hopes for a bright future.

“It’s a great feeling,” new graduate Joseph D. Gentile said, immediately after the ceremony at St. Michael’s Cathedral. “I feel bad for what happened to the school. But no one will ever forget the Class of 2011.”

Students and parents interviewed by The Republican expressed hope for the future, both for the graduates and for the school.

The school building is too damaged to reopen in the fall, but Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell said he is committed to reopening the school for September in some location.

“Of course we hope it will be rebuilt, better than it is, if possible,” Gentile said.

“It feels great to graduate,” said Peyton T. Fish. “I can’t wait to go to college.”

The delay and relocation of the graduation from Cathedral High School to St. Michael’s did not dim the ceremony, Fish said.

“We are such a strong class and great friends,” she said.

Her own town, Monson, was hit hard, Fish said, and the damage she saw at Cathedral after the tornado was “scary.”

The 127th annual commencement included remarks from graduates Dylan P. Griswold and Ryan R. Migeed.

Griswold urged students to “go out in the world and be leaders.”

Migeed said the students can succeed and will succeed. Their task is to make the world a better place for the future, he said.

“We dream to live and live for our dreams,” Migeed said. “The future is ours. We will come out of calamity bigger, brighter and more beautiful than anyone would have imagined.”

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, speaking before the 111 graduates and their families and friends, said the community has shown strength and resiliency in the aftermath of the tornado.

“We will come back even stronger,” Sarno said. “The same thing for Cathedral High School.”

He described Cathedral as a school with a strong, rich tradition.

“I ask each of you to go out in the world and be leaders,” Sarno said.

Principal John Miller and Bishop McDonnell distributed the diplomas and congratulated the graduates.

Ann Marie Duffy, whose daughter Elizabeth was among the graduates, said the “Cathedral family has really pulled together” in the aftermath of the tornado, and hopes the school will be rebuilt.

She said she does not believe the tornado destruction took away from the graduation festivities.

Duffy, who is a 1976 graduate of Cathedral, has one child still attending the school and another who was a 2009 graduate.

Barbara Eufemia, whose son David graduated Friday, said she is just thankful that no one was injured at Cathedral during the late afternoon tornado.

“I am grateful we were able to continue with the graduation ceremony and festivities and the awards because of the generosity of St. Michael’s Cathedral and Elms College.” Elms provided space for students after Cathedral was struck by the tornado and closed for the year.

Parent James Asselin said the graduates are a “very special class at a special time.”

“The character they have shown over the last week has been extraordinary, Asselin said.

His son James was class valedictorian. The salutatorian was Czar Oliver Melaya Awat. Ninety-six percent of the class will attend college.

Springfield Central High School Class of 2011 praised for transforming school to national renown

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Since 2007, the school has expanded from seven advanced placement courses to 21 courses.

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SPRINGFIELD – Central High School Principal Thaddeus Tokarz praised the graduates of the Class of 2011 for leading a transformation that he said brought Central from near obscurity to national renown.

Tokarz, in graduation remarks before a packed audience at Symphony Hall on Thursday, said the class had a “monumental impact” since beginning as freshmen in 2007.

“Today, because of the Class of 2011’s hard work, dedication, and belief in an institution that is geared for success, Central High School is recognized by The Washington Post as one of the best high schools in the country, expertly preparing its students for success in college and beyond,” Tokarz said. “The transformation that you have led has been inspirational to the youth and citizens of the city and influential in the rebirth of the city that we all call home.”

Since 2007, the school has expanded from seven advanced placement courses to 21 courses, and the class has grown in size and in scholarship funds, he said.

In introducing student speakers, Tokarz described Valedictorian Jerome Skelly as a student who excelled as an athlete, musician and scholar. He mastered eight Advanced Placement courses in two years, and is well on has way to being an AP National Scholar, Tokarz said.

Skelly will be attending California Institute of Technology.

Salutatorian Thanh Nguyen came to the United States five years ago from Vietnam, and had to work hard to learn a new language and culture, Tokarz said. She told students that you can accomplish anything if you work hard, he said.

She will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute where she will major in Biomedical Engineering.

Other speakers included Class President Chauncie Rennis, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, School Committee member Antonette Pepe and Superintendent of Schools Alan J. Ingram.

Massachusetts tornado victim Virginia 'Ginger' Darlow remembered as 'unique, cheerful' artist

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Darlow, who lived in the Three Rivers section of Palmer when she was not in Brimfield, was killed when her camper was flipped by the tornado.

undated virginia darlow.JPGVirginia "Ginger" Darlow

BRIMFIELD – Virginia “Ginger” Darlow loved nature, so it wasn’t surprising that she planned to camp all summer at the Village Green Campground.

Darlow, 52, who lived in the Three Rivers section of Palmer when she was not in Brimfield, was killed in the June 1 tornado that raced through the wooded campground, flipping 95 of the 97 trailers that were parked there, including her own.

Darlow was with her boyfriend, Richard Reim, 51, inside their Winnebago camper when the twister touched down. He was in good condition at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester, where he was treated for several broken bones.

Darlow’s aunt, Bernice M. Anderson, of Rutland, said she was close to her niece, whom she described as “always cheerful.” This was Darlow’s second year staying at the campground, Anderson said.

“She loved it. She was very happy there,” Anderson said.

She said the couple was advised to take shelter before the storm, but they declined because they thought they would be fine. The tornado flipped the camper up in the air, and dropped it upside down. Darlow’s truck, parked next to it, sustained only broken windows.

“The truck didn’t move,” Anderson said.

Anderson said her niece met Reim when she lived in Leicester; he was visiting her downstairs neighbor. They were together 10 or 11 years. She said the reality of what happened has begun to affect Reim, as he recovers from his injuries.

He reportedly had Darlow in his arms when the twister hit. When he woke up, he was half in and half out of the trailer, according to media reports.

The couple’s dog was not injured and was found under the truck.

061011_virginia_darlow_truck.JPGVirginia Darlow's truck sustained little damage in the June 1 tornado. The camper she was in when the tornado struck can be seen in the background.

“Ginger was a very unique kind of person. She was always cheerful. She liked the outdoors. She was an accomplished artist,” said Anderson, adding her niece enjoyed painting and nature photography.

She also was into astrology, and would do someone’s “chart” if they asked, Anderson said.

Anderson said they also have relatives in Holyoke and Chicopee. She said Darlow leaves three adult sons and her father. She had worked at Worcester Envelope, but was no longer employed because she was considered disabled, her aunt said.

Calling hours will be held June 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Miles Funeral Home on Main Street in Holden, with burial at 10 a.m. at the Rutland Rural Cemetery on Friday, June 16.

The neighboring town of Monson also had a storm-related death. Joan Bacon, 75, of Bethany Road, was stricken after the tornado and passed away the next day.

Gateway Regional High School grads are told to follow individual paths to success, happiness

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Commencement speaker J. Brandt Kronholm told graduating seniors at the Huntington high school that he took a circuitous path, including dropping out of college and touring with a rock band, before eventually earning his doctorate and becoming a professor at Tufts University.

gateway1.JPGGateway Regional High School in Huntington held its 48th commencement ceremony on Friday evening.

HUNTINGTON -- Humble beginnings are no indication of the great things that can be achieved, commencement speaker J. Brandt Kronholm told Gateway Regional High School's graduating class Friday.

After completing the search for the inspiring niche that breeds confidence and success, there is a moment when the mist lifts and reveals the path to professional fulfillment, he said.

“Though there might be mist all around you for a time, the clouds will part to reveal a happy landing spot,” Kronholm said.

Kronholm, a 1990 graduate of Gateway, told the 66 graduates seated before him on Booster Field for the high school’s 48th commencement Friday evening that, although his high school achievements were few, he now holds a Ph.D. in mathematics and two bachelor’s degrees in English and math and is a professor at Tufts University.

gateway regional high school stock.jpgGateway graduates were told Friday to take their own path to success and fulfillment.

“I graduated 42nd out of a class of 89,” he said. “It was a very long balloon flight that leads me to where I am today.”

Kronholm’s circuitous route to success and prestige began with playing baseball in college; dropping out of college to join and tour with a rock band; going back to school for his bachelor’s degree in English; going back out on the road with another band; teaching in a prison; returning to college for a master’s degree in English, while simultaneously working toward his bachelor’s degree in math; and then finding his place among the academics at Tufts.

gateway2.JPGGraduates, from left, Alexander Ziter, Jenna Powers and Samuel Cummings gather for a photo before Friday's commencement exercise.

“Every person has his or her own path,” he said. “Throughout my journey, I have looked back at my time at Gateway and realized how influential it was in helping to shape the scholar I was to become, and perhaps more importantly, the values I have sought to live by.”

A Gateway education, Kronholm added, provides the solid foundation upon which each graduate can build a successful future, no matter which straight or winding path they take to get there.

“It’s not the time we have spent completing our educations, or how we ended up with our degrees,” he said. “It is that we spent some time being lost in the clouds. It is the fact that after many years of wandering -- which, for myself, included several rock and roll bands, two literature degrees and a lousy teaching job -- we each found something we love to do and get to do every day for the rest of our lives.”

In addition to Kronholm’s inspiring message, addresses were also delivered by class Valedictorian Anatoliy A. Tereshchuk, Salutatorian Benjamin O. Senecal and Class President Matthew S. Baker.

School superintendent: Quabbin Regional High School Class of 2011 gives hope

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The 223 graduates from the Barre school are heading to colleges, jobs and the military.

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BARRE – Student essayist Haley Crockett told her fellow graduates at Quabbin Regional High School Friday night that as much as it is important to look ahead they also have to pay attention to the here and now.

“Who knows what is to come,’’ she said. “It is best to focus on what is happening now.’’

Crockett also told some vignettes about a few fellow graduates who struggled with illness or other difficulties during their school years but refused to give up or even let conditions slow them down.

Crockett did not name names in these stories but talked of the qualities she saw in her classmates and how they inspired through will power and motivation. She quoted one as saying, “It is not as bad as it seems. It will always work out somehow.' "

Crockett was one of 223 seniors who received high school diplomas under a sunny evening sky at Quabbin Regional High School.

The other two student essayists, Kelsey Carpenter and Jackilyn Chisholm, spoke as a duo, the way they had been doing all year reading the morning announcements at the high school.

With a mixture of humor and inspiration, they talked about the importance of being classy, and also about being proud, courageous and strong and taking on all the challenges of life with class.

They also talked of the importance of having respect for fellow students, teachers and advisors.

Maureen Marshall, the district superintendent of schools, spoke briefly before certifying the seniors as high school graduates and said has has seen hope and class in them over their years at Quabbin Regional High School.

Noting “the quality of your life and your work,’’ Marshall told the Class of 2011, “You give us hope.’’

Of the 223 graduates, 52 percent are heading off to four-year colleges and 27 percent will be attending two-year colleges.

Another 4 percent will continue their education in certificate programs.

Nine of the graduates, or 4 percent, are heading into the military and 28, or 13 percent, will be joining the work force.

The Excellence in Education Award was presented to physics teacher Robert Kolesnik by student Evan White.

Springfield police investigating shooting incident in Upper Hill

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Authorities received multiple reports of gunshots fired in the vicinity of 221 Wilbraham Road around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, but they had yet to make any arrests by daybreak.

springfield police cruiser back end.jpg

SPRINGFIELD -- Police received multiple reports of gunshots fired in the vicinity of 221 Wilbraham Road at 2:35 a.m. Saturday, but by daybreak had yet to make any arrests in connection with the incident, according to Springfield Police Lt. Jeffrey Rosso.

Authorities identified a possible male suspect who was involved in a previous gun assault near that address Friday. That man, police said, had threatened to come back and "shoot the place up."

Initial police reports indicated multiple shots were fired near the Wilbraham Road address, which is located between Albemarle Street and Villa Parkway. But additional 911 calls reported hearing shots near the corner of Wilbraham Road and Norfolk Street, several blocks east of the original location, suggesting that the gunfire had come from a "moving vehicle," police said.

Law enforcement officials at American International College, which borders the suspected shooting area, also reported hearing the shots, police said.

Rosso had no more information about the incident, which remains under investigation.


THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of where police received reports of multiple gunshots fired early Saturday morning:


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Another power outage reported in East Forest Park

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Springfield police reported a power outage at 5:04 a.m. Saturday in the city's East Forest Park neighborhood. An officer reported seeing a transformer blow, leading to outages between Allen Street, Plumtree Road and Sumner Avenue.

WMECOworker2010.jpgUtility workers were at the scene of a power outage reported shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday in Springfield's East Forest Park neighborhood.

SPRINGFIELD -- Authorities were at the scene of a power outage reported around 5 a.m. Saturday in Springfield's East Forest Park neighborhood, where police said several city streets and traffic lights went dark after an apparent transformer malfunctioned.

Officials from Western Massachusetts Electric Co. were en route to the scene just minutes after a transformer reportedly blew, according to Springfield police, who reported the incident at 5:04 a.m.

"It put on a pretty good light show," an officer said, commenting on the flash and sparks seen coming from a transformer box.

Police reported that the outage appeared to affect an area between Allen Street, Sumner Avenue and Plumtree Road, as well as traffic lights at some key intersections, including Sumner and Allen and Plumtree and Roosevelt Avenue.

Roughly 855 of WMECO's Springfield customers remained without power around 6 a.m., though it was not immediately clear how many of those customers live in East Forest Park.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.


Power restored to East Forest Park neighborhood

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A tree limb that made contact with a power line is believed to the culprit responsible for knocking out power to a section of East Forest Park early Saturday morning.

WMECO CROP.JPG

Updates a story published Saturday at 6:25 a.m.

SPRINGFIELD -- Police reported that power has been restored to a section of East Forest Park without electricity since shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday.

A Springfield police officer said a tree limb that made contact with a power line is believed to be the culprit that "knocked the power out," causing outages between Allen Street, Plumtree Road and Sumner Avenue around 5:04 a.m.

As of 6:53 a.m., however, the power was back on and the tree limb had been trimmed, police said.

Earlier police reports indicated sparks were seen coming from a blown transformer in the East Forest neighborhood. That information could not immediately be verified with officials at Western Massachusetts Electric Co., which responded to the outage and indicated on its website that some 855 Springfield customers were without power at the time of the report.

Traffic lights at at least two key intersections -- Sumner Avenue and Allen Street and Roosevelet Avenue and Plumtree Road -- lost power, prompting authorities to place portable stop signs in those areas.

Springfield police investigating drive-by shooting in Forest Park neighborhood

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Police are looking out for a large, burgundy-colored SUV, an occupant of which reportedly opened fire on a man outside 141 Dorset St. around 4:41 a.m. Saturday in an attempted drive-by shooting.

police lights.jpg

SPRINGFIELD -- Police are looking for a large burgundy- or dark-colored SUV, an occupant of which reportedly opened fire on a man outside 141 Dorset St. around 4:41 a.m. Saturday in Springfield's Forest Park neighborhood.

The targeted man, who was uninjured, told police he fell to the ground and that the sport utility vehicle fled the scene, according to initial police reports.

Cruisers scoured the area, which borders East Forest Park and East Longmeadow, but were unable to immediately locate the SUV, according to Springfield Police Lt. James Rosso.

"There were some shots fired, but no shell casings were recovered," Rosso said.

The shooting occurred near the intersection of Dorset and Blodgett streets, but police did not publicly speculate about a motive.

The intended target was identified by a police dispatcher, but police did not release additional information about him.

An initial police report suggested the Dorset Street shooting may have been retaliation for an incident on Avon Place Friday night, but details of that alleged altercation were not immediately available.

The man who was shot at told police that the vehicle that rolled up on him may have been a larger Lexus or a Toyota Sequoia SUV.

THE MAP BELOW shows the approximate location of an attempted drive-by shooting early Saturday morning in Springfield:


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Palin emails show her eyeing VP slot in summer '08

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Much of the country was taken by surprise when Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin became the Republican vice presidential candidate in August 2008, but newly released emails make it clear that the little-known politician was angling for the slot months before Sen. John McCain asked her to join him on the GOP ticket.

palemail1.jpgReporters in Juneau, Alaska, on Friday push a cart of boxes containing thousands of pages of Sarah Palin's emails from her time as Alaska's governor. The emails, released Friday, were first requested during the 2008 White House race by citizens and news organizations, including The Associated Press.

BECKY BOHRER, Associated Press

JUNEAU, Alaska — Much of the country was taken by surprise when Sarah Palin became the Republican vice presidential candidate in August 2008, but newly released emails make it clear that the little-known Alaska governor was angling for the slot months before Sen. John McCain asked her to join him on the GOP ticket.

Earlier that summer, Palin and her staff began pushing to find a larger audience for the governor, wedging her into national conversations and nudging the McCain campaign to notice her.

Palin and her staff talked excitedly on June 19 about plans to repeal Alaska's fuel tax. Ivy Frye, a longtime Palin aide and friend, said she would send details to McCain staffers when they became available.

"They're going to love it!" Frye wrote. "More vp talk is never a bad thing, whether you're considering vp or not. I still say President Palin sounds better tho..."

The glimpse into Palin came in more than 24,000 pages of emails released Friday from her first 21 months as governor. They showed a Palin involved closely in the day-to-day business of the state while trying to cope with the increasing pressures that came with her rise from small-town mayor to governor to national prominence.

They also revealed that Palin, as the newly minted Republican vice presidential nominee, was dismayed by the sudden onslaught of questions from reporters, especially one about whether she believed dinosaurs and humans existed at the same time. She also dealt with death threats, and at least once, she prayed for strength.

The emails cover the period from the time she took office in December 2006 to her ascension to GOP vice presidential candidate in August and September 2008. They were first requested during the 2008 White House race by citizens and news organizations, including The Associated Press, as they vetted a nominee whose political experience included less than one term as governor and a term as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.

The emails provided details about how Palin was involved in various gubernatorial duties, including priorities like a natural gas pipeline from far northern Alaska to ship natural gas to the Lower 48. They also show that she was incredibly sensitive about her portrayal in the local media, with Palin often taking issue with blog posts or articles that she found unfavorable.

Some of the more intriguing details centered on her rise to the national stage.

Random supporters around the country began suggesting Palin as a potential vice presidential candidate as early as April. Then, after she appeared on Glenn Beck's program in early June, she received a string of flattering emails from conservatives looking for a fresh face to run alongside McCain.

"You would make an excellent president (forget being VP!!!)," a Virginia woman wrote that same day. "It is so refreshing to hear someone speak in a common sense manner."

Letters congratulating her on the birth of her son Trig poured in at that time from across the nation, bolstering her image and getting her name out in the Lower 48. One writer even foreshadowed what would come.

"We have heard your name, along with our own Governor, mentioned as a possible vice-presidential candidate," wrote a person who identified himself as Ron Peters of Shreveport, La. "I think you could do a lot for the Republican Party and would be an outstanding choice. Is this within the realm of possibility?"

In June, Palin and her team were making final preparations on a letter about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She told one aide to make sure the letter was sent to newspapers across the country. Then she added in a follow-up email: "Pls also send to McCain and Obama's camps. Thanks."

Also in June, spokeswoman Meghan Stapleton sent Palin a draft of an op-ed piece carrying the governor's name that would be pitched to national publications "beginning with the New York Times." Palin responded the following day, writing: "Pls print."

But many reporters were already paying attention. A deputy press secretary told Palin in early June that she was fielding interview requests "on everything from polar bears to the VP buzz" from national media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal.

Three years later, Palin is among the top tier of potential 2012 presidential candidates in polls of Republican voters. Her recent bus tour of the Northeast fueled speculation about her national ambitions. She has said she has not yet decided whether she will run.

Within minutes of the emails' release on Friday, Palin tweeted a link to the website for "The Undefeated," a documentary about her time as governor and her arrival on the national political stage.

Her supporters, meanwhile, encouraged everyone to read the messages. "The emails detail a Governor hard at work," said Tim Crawford, the treasurer of her political action committee, Sarah PAC, in a prepared statement.

The nearly three-year delay in releasing the material has been attributed largely to the sheer volume. The emails were packed into six boxes, weighing 250 pounds in all, stacked in a small office in a complex of buildings near the state capitol in Juneau.

Lawyers went through every page to redact sensitive government information. Emails that remained portrayed her as most fierce when the subject was defending her record or her family.

"Will ktuu (an Anchorage TV station) and adn (Anchorage Daily News) be corrected re: the "internal investigation"? I did not request it, as they are both reporting," she wrote to an aide in Aug. 13, 2008.

As news organizations began vetting her record, Palin was accused of essentially turning over questions about her gubernatorial record to McCain's campaign managers, part of an ambitious GOP strategy to limit any embarrassing disclosures and carefully shape her image for voters in the rest of the country.

On Sept. 13, 2008, her then-spokesman, Bill McAllister, wrote to Palin at her government account: "Governor, Got your message just now; didn't quite understand. Mike said yesterday to refer most things to the campaign. That pretty much has been the practice lately."

On Sept. 15, 2008, Palin responded to a host of news media questions presented to her by McAllister. Among them was one about a tanning bed at the governor's mansion and whether it was her "belief that dinosaurs and humans co-existed at one time?"

"I am so sorry that the office is swamped like this! Dinosaurs even?! I'll try to run through some of these in my head before responding," Palin wrote. "And the old, used tanning bed that my girls have used handful of times in Juneau? Yes, we paid for it ourselves. I, too, will continue to be dismayed at the media."

On Sept. 17, 2008, Palin forwarded a profanity-laced, threatening email from a man claiming to be a Juneau resident from her government account to two aides.

The emails also showed the support that national political figures gave Palin on a variety of issues.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich offered advice to a McCain-Palin campaign manager on how to blunt the impact of a September 2008 Washington Post report that she accepted $17,000 in per diem payments for time she spent at her Wasilla home.

Gingrich said the campaign should elaborate on its initial defense that Palin didn't charge the state for money she could have collected to spend on her kids.

The voluminous nature of Friday's release, the isolation of Juneau and the limited bandwidth in the city of 30,000 people has forced media outlets to come up with creative ways to transmit the information. The AP plans to scan the paper copies to make searchable files available to its members and clients.

Mike Oreskes, the AP's senior managing editor for national news, said the news cooperative requested the emails when Palin rose out of relative obscurity.

Oreskes said public records requests are a common tool that the news organization uses to research candidates, with more than 1,500 requests filed across the country in 2009 and an additional 1,000 in 2010.

"Palin is one of many officeholders whose public record and leadership the AP has sought to illuminate by obtaining emails, memos and other documents," he said. "She's maintained a sizable profile in the current political scene and may run for president. We are pressing to obtain the records of other presidential contenders in the months ahead."

The emails were sent and received by Palin's personal and state email accounts, and the ones being released were deemed state business-related. Palin and top aides were known to communicate using private email accounts.

Once the state reviewed the records, it gave Palin's attorneys an opportunity to see if they had any privacy concerns with what was being released. No emails were withheld or redacted as a result of that, said Linda Perez, Parnell's administrative director in charge of coordinating the release.

Another 2,275 pages are being withheld for reasons including attorney-client, work product or executive privilege; an additional 140 pages were deemed to be "non-records," or unrelated to state business.

The release of the emails generated widespread interest online.

Many news organizations, including The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and msnbc.com, began scanning and posting the emails on their websites throughout the day. The New York Times asked readers to join reporters in reviewing the documents. Tidbits of the emails were featured on blogs and Twitter.

Ferry Street residents in South Hadley wary of condo proposal in rural part of town

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Some say the project contradicts town's Master Plan, which put an emphasis on preserving the character of South Hadley.

SOUTH HADLEY – A group called Friends of Ferry Street is gearing up for a public hearing at the South Hadley Planning Board meeting on Monday, where it plans to raise objections to a proposed 31-unit condominium complex in a rural part of town.

“We’re united by a common cause,” said resident Joanne White, “and that is to preserve and stand up for the Ferry Street neighborhood, a rural area of single-family homes.”

In fact, 16 people made their opposition clear in advance in the “public forum” segment of a Selectboard meeting earlier this week.

They charged that the project was contrary to the recently completed and approved Master Plan for the town, which put an emphasis on preserving the character of South Hadley.

There was a sense of betrayal as speakers reminded the board, over and over again, that $100,000 and years of thought and hard work had gone into the Master Plan. It was approved in August.

“Our opposition is not simply a NIMBY response,” said Robert Lak, referring to a “not-in-my-backyard” attitude.

If the Rivercrest proposal is approved, said White, “it sets a precedent that haphazard building can proceed according to the wishes of developers.”

Developer Craig Authier of Rivercrest Condo LLC is seeking a special permit from the Planning Board to proceed with the multi-family dwellings. He said opponents may change their minds when they learn more about the project.

“A lot of people haven’t seen the plans,” said Authier, adding that his company has been working on the project for “over a year,” with engineers looking out for wetlands and other problems.

“We want to hear people’s concerns,” said Authier. “We’re willing to work with the neighborhood.”

But White described the feeling on her street as “outrage.” She held up a photo to show where she said a horse pasture would be hemmed in by condos.

Norma Monat, a Ferry Street resident who traces her ancestry to the founders of South Hadley, objected to having a condo complex “wrapped” around her quiet neighborhood.

Ferry Street resident Marty Holmes said he had “major concerns” that the proposed entrance and exit of the complex, and the traffic that would come with it, would create safety problems for “walkers, joggers and the kids who use the ballfield.”

Robert Judge, chair of the Selectboard, reminded the group that as a rule, the board does not respond during the open forum part of the agenda, though all were welcome to express their thoughts.

The public hearing on the topic is on the agenda of the Planning Board at 6:30 on Monday at Town Hall, room 204.

Rep. John Scibak, who had come to the meeting for another reason – namely, to point out the ineffectiveness of the town’s emergency alert system to warn residents that a tornado was coming – acknowledged the concerns of the Ferry Street advocates.

“We need to look very carefully at the impact on this neighborhood,” said Scibak.

AM News Links: Rep. Anthony Weiner defends online contact with teen girl; plane crashes in Connecticut killing 1; and more

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Rep. Anthony Weiner defends online contact with teen girl, a plane crashes in Connecticut killing one person and more headlines.

Quadriplegics Video GamesRuben Rios who is a quadriplegic plays a video game using a special mouth controller in his home in Norwalk, Calif., Thursday, June 2, 2011. When Ruben Rios plays videos games he uses top and bottom lip controls, a cross bar mouth joystick and a number of holes and tubes he can puff or sip into to articulate actions in game. To read about a man who has been modifying video games for quadriplegics for the past 30 years, click here. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

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