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Developing: gunshot victim shows up at Baystate Medical Center; Springfield police investigating

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Police are investigating a shooting Friday night that sent a local man to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the thigh.

CRIME SCENE TAPE.JPG

SPRINGFIELD -- A gunshot victim arrived at Baystate Medical Center around 10:30 p.m. Friday, according to police, who are investigating what precipitated the shooting.

Authorities did not identify the victim, a city man who showed up at the Springfield hospital for treatment of a bullet wound to the thigh.

Springfield Police Lt. Kevin Woods confirmed that a shooting had occurred, but he was unable to provide more details. Another ranking law enforcement official deferred comment to the detective bureau, but on-duty investigators reached early Saturday were unable to provide immediate details, including the location of the shooting.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.


Springfield's Union Station project 1 of 3 locally to win federal 'brownfields' grant

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The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and Franklin Regional Council of Governments will also get Environmental Protection Agency grants

Union Station proposal 2011.jpgView full sizeThis is an artist's rendering and blueprint of the Union Station Regional Intermodal Transportation Center planned for Springfield's old Union Station on Frank B. Murray St. The design is by HDR, an architectural and engineering firm.

SPRINGFIELD – The city and two regional organizations will receive federal funding to help revitalize abandoned properties.

The Environmental Protection Agency awarded $400,000 to Springfield to help with the cleanup of Union Station. The former railroad station on Frank B. Murray Street was built in 1926 and has been abandoned since 1973.

A $70 million reconstruction project is set to begin in the summer of 2012.

Called brownfields grants, the funds help “communities to assess, cleanup and redevelop abandoned or contaminated properties ... to protect health and the environment, create jobs and promote economic re-development,” the EPA said in a press release.

“It’s absolute great news for us,” said Christopher Moskell, the city’s interim chief development officer. “It will advance the project, which is in the permitting phase.”

Cleanup will have to be done and two underground tanks which were part of the former Hotel Charles have to be removed. He said he was unclear on what the tanks held. Surrounding soils will have to be removed, as well, he said.

Removal will also be done inside the former baggage and terminal buildings.

“This ... is most welcome and we’re just so fortunate to have it,” he said.

The Franklin Regional Council of Governments will receive $200,000. Their plan is to hire an engineering firm to identify and assess problem sites in the region to help owners better understand the costs of redevelopment, said director of planning and development Peggy Sloan.

The council has received four such grants in the past. They have funded assessments and cleanup for 40 projects in 15 towns, she said.

“One of the biggest issues with brownfields sites is the unknown,” said Sloan. By covering the costs of the assessments, the council frees up funding for potential developers, identifies possible hazards and sometimes determines that a site can be developed without further cleanup, she said.

Soil and groundwater testing costs between $25,000 and $50,000, she said, and many developers are unwilling or unable to pay for it.

The Pioneer Valley Planning Commission will receive $500,000 in supplemental funding for its community-wide revolving loan fund.

“We have a regional loan pool of funds for projects around the Valley that are seeking to do cleanup,” said PVPC executive director Timothy W. Brennan. “Projects start to move forward and, over time, the monies are paid back at a very attractive interest rate.”

The grant “allows us to continue to make progress on the environmental front (and) economic development and redevelopment projects that would otherwise get stuck,” he said. “It’s a big win for the region.”

Boston Pride Parade marches through the HUB on Saturday; Pride Week festivities conclude Sunday

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The annual Boston Pride Parade kicks off at the corner of Tremont and East Berkeley streets at 12 p.m. Saturday, marking the city's 41st march to celebrate and entertain while simultaneously promoting equal rights for the region's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities.

gay protest.jpgMembers of the True Light Pentecost Church stage a protest against the third annual Upstate Pride march in Spartanburg, S.C., on Sat., June 4. The march was held in support of gay and lesbian rights.

BOSTON -- The annual Boston Pride Parade kicks off at the corner of Tremont and East Berkeley streets at 12 p.m. Saturday, marking the city's 41st march to celebrate and entertain while simultaneously promoting equal rights for the region's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities.

The parade will make its way from the South End, longtime home of the city's vibrant gay community, and continues through Boston Common until reaching City Hall Plaza, where the a festival continues until 6 p.m.

The activities are among the many citywide events planned to coincide with Boston Pride Week, which began with a ceremonial raising of a rainbow pride flag at City Hall on June 3.

Afternoon block parties will take place Sunday, the last day of festivities, in Jamaica Plain and on Stuart Street, according to event organizers.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts, the first state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage, appears poised to become the first state in the country to allow payments to married same-sex public workers to help defray the cost of federal taxes on health benefits.

Beginning in July, Cambridge will become the first commonwealth city to begin making quarterly payments to city employees in same-sex marriages who must pay federal taxes on the value of the health benefits their spouse receives from the city.

Under federal law, health benefits received by a spouse in a married heterosexual relationship are not taxable income to the employee, yet married same-sex couples must report those benefits as taxable income.

Some private U.S. companies already offer help to defray that cost for married same-sex employees, but Cambridge is believed to be the first municipality in the nation to grant the payments, according to the Human Rights Campaign, a national lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender civil-rights organization.

Pride week features a number of activities throughout Boston, including Saturday's parade. More information is available at www.bostonpride.org.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Granby voters to act on a variety of topics in Town Meeting, Part 2

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The town is being asked to replace the roof at East Meadow Elementary School,, which leaks and will otherwise have to be repaired periodically.

GRANBY – Town Meeting, part 2, will begin at 7 p.m. on Monday at Granby Junior-Senior High School.

There were so many articles on the Granby warrant this spring that an extra date had to be scheduled to vote on articles 17-44. Six additional articles will also be voted on.

The additional articles will include a couple of hot topics, namely the deteriorating municipal buildings and the abuse of landfill privileges.

Voters will be asked to approve $30,000 to hire a consultant for a “needs assessment” of such public buildings as the historic Town Hall, whose future is in such peril that a grass-roots group of advocates has rallied to save it.

“This will help us decide if the building is worth saving,” said Town Administrator Chris Martin. “A lot of people wanted to see a plan of action being developed.”

The town has also been discussing whether to hire a part-time monitor to ensure that out-of-towners do not dump their trash at the expense of Granby residents. Some had objected earlier that the $17-an-hour proposed pay was too steep. This time the request is for a “grade 3” position that pays $13.49 an hour.

No one will be surprised that snow and ice removal ran over-budget this winter. Voters will be asked to approve the $19,104.27 needed to cover it.

Voters will also decide whether East Meadow School will get a new roof. The town is being asked to spend $500,000 to replace the current roof, which leaks and will otherwise have to be repaired periodically.

There’s also a request for $10,000 to replace the boiler room floor drains at the West Street School, which the state Department of Environmental Protection has identified as a problem.

Funding is also requested for an elevator for the Senior Center, to make the second floor handicapped-accessible. Purchase and installation is estimated at $50,000

The Fire and Police Departments have several safety-related requests, including $7,000 for a back-up repeater for the police. “We currently have a unit on Route 202 by Mark’s Garage,” said Martin, “but if that were hit by lightning or otherwise disabled, this way we would have a back-up.”

The funding of the town’s share to support Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School District is one of those standard articles that comes up every year. What’s notable this year: The amount is slightly down from last year, to $227,626.

Granby voters will also decide whether they want to set aside $5,000 to pay for a sound system for Town Meeting, so people at back of the high school gym, where Town Meeting is held, can hear as well as people who are in the front.

Northampton schools schedule interview for 4 superintendent candidates

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The committee, which had decided on two finalists earlier this year, had to start the process over again when it found a problem with one of the candidate's resumes.

NORTHAMPTON – The four finalists for the school superintendent job are ready for their close-ups as they prepare to visit Northampton for interviews with the School Committee.

William E. Collins, Ruth Miller, Irwin H. Sussman and Brian Salzer were chosen from a pool of 23 applicants as candidates to replace Isabelina Rodriguez, who left the superintendent’s job in January to head the Granby school system. William Erickson has been filling in for Rodriguez on an interim basis. The advertised salary range for the job is $122,000-$140,000 a year.

The School Committee had settled on two finalists in March but had to start the process over when it learned that one of them, Daniel J. Hanneken, was not the principal of a Marlborough middle school, as his resume indicated. Hanneken had been removed from the post a few months before. Sussman, the other finalist, was chosen again this time around. The committee will interview two candidates on June 17 and two on June 20 at the John F. Kennedy Middle School. Those sessions will be open to the public.

Sussman, 63, has been the superintendent of the Hadley-Luzerne School District in upstate New York for nine years and served as principal of the high school there for 12 years before that. In addition to the Northampton position, he is currently a candidate for a superintendent job in New Hampshire and a teaching position at Cornell University. Sussman, who goes by his basketball name “Earl,” hopes to move to Massachusetts so his wife can be closer to her family in Boston.

“I continue to be very enthusiastic about serving as the superintendent of the Northampton schools,” he said, adding that he would commit to the job for at least ten years.

Sussman, who describes himself as a team-builder, said his passion for education is founded in having grown up with a stutter.

“I try to assist all students in trying to achieve,” he said.

Collins, 46, is in his seventh year as principal of the William E. Norris School in Southampton. About to earn his doctorate in education leadership from Boston College, Collins said he looks at the Northampton job as a natural progression in his career.

“This is the job I want,” he said. “We want to stay in the Valley and we love the quality of life.”

Collins said he plans to listen and learn about Northampton’s goals and needs before he maps out a plan for leading the system, but feels one of his strengths is unifying administration and staff.

“I want to put a great public face on the schools,” he said.

Miller, 54,, taught business, economics and Web design before starting out on an administrative career that has taken her to New Hampshire, Gloucester and, currently, the Narragansett Regional School District in Templeton, where she is assistant superintendent. She has two daughters who are special education teachers and a third who is about to graduate from college.

“Now I’m on my own and can choose where I want to live and work,” she said, adding that she has a special love for Western Massachusetts and Northampton. In fact, Miller had already planned at camping trip at the DAR State Forest before she got the call that she is a finalist.

Salzer, 43, was the principal of Swampscott High School before Marblehead hired him away as its school district business manager last year, a move that created some tension between the two North Shore towns.

“It wasn’t the smoothest transition,” he acknowledged,

In March, Salzer became acting superintendent in Marblehead and has been doing both jobs ever since. He is penciled in for one of the June 20 sessions.

“I’m really excited,” he said. “The community’s a great fit, we love that area and there are a lot of very talented teachers there.”

Salzer would be leaving a high-achieving school district in Marblehead, where the community, he said, has been very supportive of education. A long-distance runner who completed his first marathon last month, Salzer hopes to be pounding the streets of Northampton in sneakers should he win the superintendent job.

US defense sales to Bahrain rose before crackdown on protesters

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A government report says the U.S. approved $200 million in military sales from American companies to Bahrain in 2010, months before the pivotal Persian Gulf ally began a harsh crackdown on protesters.

BahrainAP6.jpgA Bahraini anti-government demonstrator lies injured on a stretcher as Bahraini anti-government demonstrators take him to hospital in Manama.

By STEPHEN BRAUN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A government report says the U.S. approved $200 million in military sales from American companies to Bahrain in 2010, months before the pivotal Persian Gulf ally began a harsh crackdown on protesters.

The yearly State Department report provides totals of U.S.-authorized arms sale agreements between U.S. defense companies and foreign governments. The latest tally showed a $112 million rise in licensed defense sales to Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, between the 2009 and 2010 budget years.

The U.S. had green-lighted $88 million in military exports to Bahrain in 2009.

Much involved aircraft and military electronics, but the U.S. also licensed $760,000 in exports of rifles, shotguns and assault weapons in 2010. Since mid-February, the kingdom has confronted demonstrators with cordons of armed military and police firing live ammunition. At least 31 people have died and hundreds more injured in the clashes.

The possibility that American-built weapons might have been used against protesters has raised questions in Congress and led the department to review its defense trade relationships with several Middle East nations.

Some transactions are on hold and the review has broadened into a policy reassessment that could alter U.S. defense trade oversight.

"While the impact on our defense relations and the defense trade is uncertain, changes in the region may lead to changes in policy and therefore changes in how we do business," Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary of state for political and military affairs, said last month.

The State Department's Directorate of Defense Trade Controls approved more than $34 billion in total exports from American defense companies to foreign governments in 2010. That compares with $40 billion in 2009.

The total details only proposed sales, not actual shipments. It's a reliable gauge of private sales of everything from bullets to missile systems, but doesn't include direct defense shipments from the U.S. to its allies.

Bahrain has been a reliable ally in the Persian Gulf for decades, hosting the 5th Fleet and in recent years providing facilities and some forces for U.S. actions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Obama administration has criticized the use of violence against dissenters by police and military units but has not exacted specific repercussions against Bahrain's government.

A military attache at the Bahrain Embassy in Washington would not detail the country's contracts with U.S. defense companies and referred a reporter to the State Department.

Department officials would not discuss specifics of the military exports to Bahrain.

Among Bahrain's recent military moves, the Congressional Research Service reported last March, were upgrading its small fleet of F-16 fighter jets and adding to its inventory of American-made helicopters.

A department official said that following recent clashes between Bahrain government forces and pro-democracy crowds, the U.S. would review Bahrain's use of security and military units against peaceful demonstrators and "will take into account any evidence of gross violations of human rights."

Assistant Secretary of State Miguel Rodriguez told Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., in a letter that the administration would re-evaluate its procedures for reviewing American security assistance and "has specifically included Bahrain in this reassessment."

Anthony Cordesman, national security analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a centrist think tank in Washington, said the $760,000 in small arms licensed to Bahrain by the U.S. in 2010 was a pittance compared with what was sold in recent years to Mideast countries by European defense companies.

Britain has suspended private contracts from British defense companies that previously exported armored cars, tear gas and other crowd-control equipment to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has sent in forces to quell the disturbances in Bahrain.

"Most of the equipment that Bahrain and other Mideast nations buy to deal with internal dissent is bought overseas because of U.S. restraints on its own exports," Cordesman said. "It's a fruitless exercise to concentrate on American exports with all the amount of available small arms floating around the world."

Jeff Abramson, deputy director of the Arms Control Association, countered that the "U.S. needs to be responsible for its own actions first." He added that the political upheaval across the Mideast "has brought to light the problems of providing arms to repressive regimes. The hope is we'll now begin to see a rethinking of the willingness to do that."

The new report showed that licensed U.S. defense sales to other Mideast and North African nations caught up in democracy protests remained mostly unchanged.

Approved exports to Egypt dipped slightly, from $101 million in 2009 to $91 million in 2010. The latest amount included agreements to sell $1 million worth of rifles, shotguns and assault weapons to the Egyptian government headed by Hosni Mubarak in the months before he was unseated after street battles between police and demonstrators.

The U.S. also approved $17 million worth of military exports to Moammar Gadhafi's government in Libya in 2010 before turning on him following his crackdown on opposition forces this February.

The proposed sale would have provided at least $6 million for upgrading Libyan armored troop transports. But a full $77 million deal to upgrade the vehicles was killed when the Obama administration suspended all military aid to Gadhafi's government in March.

Unity First honors Springfield's, history, resiliency and community leaders at 2011 Common Ground Inclusion Awards

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Unity First, a Springfield-based online network devoted to diversity, honored Springfield itself at its annual Common Ground Inclusion Awards held at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History.

SPRINGFIELD - Just as the tornadoes of June 1 haven't stopped the citizens of Western Massachusetts from moving forward, the rain didn't stop the community from turning out to support the dozens of local notables honored by Unity First on Saturday.

Unity First, a Springfield-based online network devoted to diversity, honored Springfield itself at its annual Common Ground Inclusion Awards held at the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History.

"One thing we have learned from everything that has happened recently is that we are strong and resilient, and we will together move past this terrible time," said Denise R. Jordan, chief of staff for Mayor Domenic Sarno. "As the first African American chief of staff to the mayor's office, the biggest message I can share with the youth is to never allow anyone to define you. Decide who you want to be, set goals and become that person."

Jordan's message of hope was just one of many delivered to an audience as diverse as the city itself. Dozens of people from all walks of life and ethnic backgrounds were honored for their achievements and efforts to uplift the community while leading by example.

LuJuana D. Hood, director of the Pan-African Historical Museum USA housed in Springfield’s Tower Square, received a Legacy of Leadership award on Saturday. She said that through engaging the youth at an early age, the future is insured.

"This is a city with an African American community of strength and hope," Hood said. "And the hope is that our youth will pick up where we leave off and build this city a better tomorrow. When you understand where you come from, your history, you can break down any barrier."

Bobbie Lee Hollins, a city resident who didn't learn how to read until she was 30 years old, was honored with the Achievement Award for her determination to better herself and her children.

She raised two young men who were able to rise above all obstacles in their path and earn degrees from reputable institutions of higher learning.

Amy S. Hughes taught French for 27 years at the MacDuffie School in Springfield and served on its Board of Trustees for six years. She and her late husband Robert H. Hughes were also honored with the Legacy of Leadership award.

"I am thankful to my grandparents, parents and a few professors along the way for opening me up to diversity at a young age," Hughes said. "Diversity is extremely important. When we all work together, we can accomplish amazing things."

Springfield City Council President Jose F. Tosado's words echoed Hughes' sentiments, as he reflected on the community that helped raise him.

"My family came to Springfield 55 years ago and my father worked 18-hour days to support us nine kids, who all ended up going to college," Tosado said. "We had a lot of neighbors that would watch over us and if we did something wrong, they would discipline us, and it made a real difference. I'm truly thankful for that."

Tosado, who is the first Puerto Rican to be elected to the city council at large, credits the people who fought for equality in America and his family and community for allowing him to serve them in the capacity he does.

Janine Fondon, the president and CEO of UnityFirst.com, said the award ceremony marks the group's appreciation for and salute to a wide range of contributors to Springfield's past, present and future.

"The list only allows highlights of the rich history of the region so over the years, we hope to recognize and feature more history makers," Fondon said. "We also acknowledge those who are making a way for the city to bounce back from the devastating tornado. Above all, this event documents our collective commitment to shaping the future of Springfield and the region."

For more information about the Common Ground Inclusion Awards or Unity first, visit www.unityfirst.com.


Southwick redistricting plan will reshuffle some voting precincts

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Southwick will continue to have three voting districts, but some voters are now in a different district from the one in which they cast ballots during the past decade, according to the town's new redistricting plan.

southwick sign.JPGSome Southwick voters may find themselves voting in a new district, compliments of the town's redistricting plan after the 2010 census.

SOUTHWICK -- The town will continue to have three voting districts, but some residents are now in a different district from the one in which they had voted during the past decade, according to Southwick's new redistricting plan.

Town Clerk Michelle L. Hill and Assistant Town Clerk Pauline Cebula appeared before the Board of Selectmen Monday night with the redistricting plan, which accounts for the population rise reflected in the 2010 census.

The plan was accepted as presented and will be submitted to Secretary of State William F. Galvin's office for final approval.

Statewide, all communities must submit redistricting plans to the secretary of state's office by June 15, said Brian McNiff, a spokesman for Galvin.

The new plans will be implemented on Dec. 31, 2011, and will remain in effect until the 2020 census, according to McNiff.

“Every 10 years, every community has to look at its precincts, which may have little or no change,” he said. “Even in a community with little change, there could be a shift caused by a new housing development” that has attracted more people.

McNiff said all communities must conform with state statutes.

Southwick’s population rose from 8,835 to 9,502, according to the latest census.

The census numbers “are the building blocks for the redistricting of the Legislature, Governor’s Council and United States House of Representatives,” McNiff said.

For Southwick residents, this means that some may be voting in new precincts for the presidential primary election and next year's town and special meetings, McNiff said.

Selectman Russel S. Fox said it is important “to get the word out” to town voters well in advance of town and special meetings so that all residents are aware of precinct changes.

“It would be great to get together with both (political) parties and the public so that there is no confusion,” he said.

A description of each new precinct, as well as a map of the town by precinct, will be posted on the Southwick web site at www.southwickma.org.


Top Democrats on Rep. Anthony Weiner to resign

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House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called on U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner to resign on Saturday as authorities in Delaware probe an online exchange he reportedly had with a 17-year-old girl.

Anthony WeinerRep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., closes the front door of his building on reporters as he arrives at his house in the Queens borough of New York, Thursday, June 9, 2011. Weiner admitted four days ago that he had Tweeted sexually charged messages and photos to at least six women and lied about it. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

By RANDALL CHASE, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic leaders are now calling on Rep. Anthony Weiner to resign after the New York lawmaker embroiled in a Twitter scandal admitted he had online contact with a Delaware teenager.

National party chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz says Weiner's behavior is "indefensible" and his role in Congress is "untenable."

The Florida congresswoman says "this sordid affair has become an unacceptable distraction" for everyone.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California says Weiner "needs help" and he should get some "without the pressures of being a member of Congress."

A teenage girl from Delaware has been interviewed by police about online contact she had with Weiner, communications he has said were "neither explicit nor indecent." Authorities said the teen didn't say anything about illegal conduct.

It's the latest turn in a scandal that has some members of Congress calling for the New York Democrat to step down, after he admitted sending graphic photos to women online.

The 46-year-old congressman acknowledged Friday that he had online contact with the 17-year-old girl but said there was nothing inappropriate. The New York Democrat issued his statement after FoxNews.com reported Friday that officers had interviewed the high school junior at her family's home north of Wilmington.

"They were made aware of an alleged contact between Congressman Anthony Weiner and an area teen," said Officer Tracey Duffy, a New Castle County police spokeswoman. "The teen has been interviewed and disclosed no information regarding any criminal activity."

Duffy said she doesn't know what led to the girl being questioned or whether the family had called police.

"I don't know what information they received that would prompt them to respond to this residence," she said. Duffy said the investigation was continuing.

Weiner spokeswoman Risa Heller said in a one-sentence statement Friday night, "According to Congressman Weiner, his communications with this person were neither explicit nor indecent."

The congressman said he exchanged at least five private messages on Twitter this spring with the girl after she heard him speak in Washington and became an admirer, The New York Times reported.

Late Friday night, no one answered when an Associated Press reporter called and knocked at the door of the teen's house even though lights were on and people were inside. The modest two-story house, in a neighborhood near the Pennsylvania border, had red, white and blue bows on the porch and two small American flags planted in the ground.

Neighbor Ben Melvin said the media was paying way too much attention to the Weiner episode.

"I don't think it's good for her and I don't think it's good for the nation," Melvin said. "It's a sideshow. It has nothing to do with his abilities as a representative. On the other hand it obviously shows some lack of judgment or something."

A shirtless man approached reporters standing outside the family's house and began threatening them with an ax. New Castle County police took the man into custody.

FoxNews.com reported that two officers visited the girl's home around 4:30 p.m. and that they were joined by another officer. The website reported that police left after about 30 minutes, and that the girl and her mother then departed in a separate car. FoxNews.com reported that the girl, whom it declined to identify because she is a minor, said, "I'm doing OK."

The news website had a reporter outside the house when the police visit occurred.

Weiner, a seven-term Democrat, has acknowledged sending sexually explicit messages over the Internet to a half-dozen women over the past three years and then lying about it. Weiner is married to Huma Abedin, a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton; Abedin is pregnant with the couple's first child.

Amid increasing calls for Weiner to resign, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said earlier Friday that the decision should be up to him and his constituents, a stark contrast to her statement on Saturday where she implied he should resign.

In a recent poll of registered voters in Weiner's district, 56 percent said he should stay in office while 33 percent said he should leave.

Pelosi has asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate whether Weiner used any government resources. He has said he does not believe he did.

At least nine House members and three senators said Weiner should resign. He has repeatedly said he would not.

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, said Thursday he wished Weiner would resign "to get that story off the front page." He said the controversy distracts from pressing economic issues. Two former Democratic Party chairmen also said he should resign.

Weiner did pick up support from U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, a New York Democrat who was censured by the House last year for ethics violations. Rangel suggested that other members of Congress had done things more immoral than Weiner.

Rangel said Weiner "wasn't going with prostitutes. He wasn't going out with little boys."

___

Associated Press writer Sarah Brumfield in Baltimore contributed to this report.

Businesses hit by natural disasters eligible for tax breaks

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Small businesses that were hit by severe weather this spring can get some tax breaks from the government.

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By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Small businesses that were hit by severe weather this spring can get some tax breaks from the government.

The IRS gives taxpayers, including businesses, more time to file returns or make payments following a federal disaster declaration. The government also enables them to get a faster refund when they've suffered casualty losses.

A GIFT OF TIME

After a disaster, filing a tax return or making a payment isn't going to be the top priority for a business owner. And it also might be impossible to do either task. When the president makes a disaster declaration in a stricken area, the IRS sets new deadlines for area taxpayers.

For example, on April 16, two days before this year's deadline for filing income tax returns, tornadoes and floods hit parts of North Carolina. Stricken counties were declared a federal disaster area. The IRS then gave taxpayers until June 30 to make their filings and payments. And that included 2010 tax returns.

And after a disaster declaration in parts of Illinois after April storms and flooding, business owners were given until June 30 to make payments. That includes their estimated tax payments due June 15.

The government also waived late payment penalties for taxes including employment and excise taxes.

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The extensions are automatically available if you live in a place that has been declared a disaster area. If you're outside a disaster area, you can still ask the IRS for a reprieve. You need to call the IRS disaster hotline at 1 866 526-5227 to make your request.

A business owner can also get an extension if the records needed to make a filing or payment are located in a disaster area -- even if the owner isn't. That could happen if you had a warehouse with records miles away from your home or business.

GETTING YOUR REFUND MONEY NOW, NOT NEXT YEAR

If you suffer losses in a federally declared disaster, the IRS gives you the option of amending your previous year's return to claim a casualty loss, even though it happened this year. For example, the people in the South and Midwest who had losses from storms, tornadoes and flooding can amend their 2010 returns to include this year's losses.

That will get your refund money to you faster. And many taxpayers need that money now, not next April.

The IRS website, www.irs.gov , has a lot of information about casualty losses and taxes. You can download Publication 547, Casualties, Disasters and Thefts. There is a second on disaster area losses. The publication is included in the IRS' Disaster Losses Kit for Businesses, which can be downloaded at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p2194b.pdf .

But before you rush to amend your return, you should consider whether you'd be better off deducting your losses this year. If your business is still operating, and you're expecting this to be a very profitable year, you might be better off taking the deduction for 2011 and offsetting your income with losses from the disaster. As with any other tax decision, this one should be made by considering all aspects of your business.

It's always a good idea to sit down with an accountant or tax attorney and discuss your options, especially when your emotions may be running high.

If you do decide to amend your return, you'll need to file a special form. Corporations will need Form 1120-X, Amended U.S. Corporation Tax Return. Sole proprietors who file a Schedule C with their 1040s will need Form 1040-X.

CHECK WITH YOUR STATE

Your state very likely has similar tax relief following a disaster. North Carolina announced after the April tornadoes that it was following the IRS policy. And the Utah State Tax Commission says on its website that it follows the IRS guidelines for disaster tax relief.

Rep. Anthony Weiner seeking professional treatment, leave of absence from Congress

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Earlier, several Democratic Party leaders called on him to resign because of 'sordid' sexting scandal.

weiner.JPGRep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., carries his laundry to a laundromat near his home in the Queens borough of New York on Saturday.

By DAVID ESPO
Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Under pressure to resign in a sexting scandal, Rep. Anthony Weiner announced Saturday he was entering professional treatment at an undisclosed location and requested a leave of absence from Congress.

An aide for the embattled New York lawmaker made the disclosure in a statement shortly after several Democratic party leaders demanded he quit for exchanging messages and photos ranging from sexually suggestive to explicit with several women online.

“This sordid affair has become an unacceptable distraction for Representative Weiner, his family, his constituents and the House,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the party chairwoman, said in a written statement calling for the 46-year-old married lawmaker lawmaker to step down.

The House Democratic leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California, said Weiner “has the love of his family, the confidence of his constituents and the recognition that he needs help. I urge Congressman Weiner to seek that help without the pressures of being a member of Congress.”

Weiner’s spokeswoman, Risa Heller, said in the statement that the congressman departed during the morning “to seek professional treatment to focus on becoming a better husband and healthier person. In light of that, he will request a short leave of absence from the House of Representatives so that he can get evaluated and map out a course of treatment to make himself well.”

The statement did not say where he would receive treatment, or what type was involved. Others familiar with his plans said he had left New York by air.

Also joining in calls for Weiner to quit was Rep. Steve Israel, D-N.Y, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and a member of the party’s leadership.

In an interview, Israel said he had told Weiner in a phone call during the day “that I was going to call on him to resign and he absorbed that. Obviously he had much more personal and pressing issues that he was addressing.

“He didn’t give me any indication of whether he was going to resign or not,” Israel said.

Pelosi also spoke with Weiner during the day to let him know that she, too, would be joining the calls for resignation.

The developments occurred one day after Weiner acknowledged he had exchanged online messages with a 17-year-old girl in Delaware. He said nothing improper had passed between the two of them.

Democrats said the concerted call for a resignation had been brewing for days, as senior party officials concluded the scandal was interfering with their attempts to gain political momentum in advance of the 2012 elections.

“We had decided we were not going to have one more week of Anthony Weinergate,” said one official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

This official added that Pelosi and Israel had spoken numerous times in the past several days with Weiner, hoping to persuade him to step down for the good of the party, telling him that because of the media focus on his predicament, their attacks on a Republican Medicare proposal were largely unnoticed.

Publicly, Pelosi, Wasserman Schultz and others had been notably reticent in the days since Weiner held a news conference on Monday to announce he had exchanged lewd photos, and more, with a handful of women.

On Thursday, an X-rated photo surfaced on a website, and in response, Weiner’s office issued a statement that did not deny it had been taken of him.

The Democratic National Committee was so eager to downplay the controversy that earlier in the week, spokesman Brad Woodhouse referred calls to Wasserman Schultz’ House office, saying Weiner’s predicament was a congressional matter.

Her statement demanding a resignation, five days later, was issued by the DNC.

The White House declined comment on the matter, and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y, his state’s dominant Democrat, maintained a public silence after an initial statement issued on Monday.

Until disclosing he was seeking treatment, Weiner had been adamant that he would not quit Congress and was planning to return to work with the new week.

Earlier Saturday, he said his conduct involved “personal failings” and that he would try not to let them get in the way of his “professional work.”

Weiner is married to Huma Abedin, a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Abedin is pregnant with the couple’s first child. She is traveling with Clinton in Africa until the middle of next week.

Before Saturday’s developments, at least nine Democratic House members and three senators said Weiner should resign.

Massachusetts conservation officials consider what to do with acres of trees felled by tornadoes

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At Brimfield State Forest, one-third of the trees on its 3,500 acres were blown down.

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BRIMFIELD – State Department of Conservation and Recreation properties were hit hard by the June 1 tornadoes, most notably at Brimfield State Forest, where one-third of the trees on its 3,500 acres there were blown down, but the department’s first response included sending crews from throughout the state to clear city and town roads.

“We deployed saw teams to open up roads and help the residents get their electricity back by clearing areas by the telephone poles,” said John Dwinell, district manager for the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

“Then, on Sunday, we moved from being a saw crew team to going to assisting with some of our heavier equipment, which included chippers and bucket trucks, log trucks with a loader. We deployed at least five 5-ton dump trucks,” Dwinell said.

As this work was going on, foresters in the department, working with state Forest Fire Warden Dave Celino and local fire chiefs, started assessing how to deal with 1,200 acres of downed trees at Brimfield State Forest and lesser amounts at other Department of Conservation and Recreation properties in the path of the tornadoes.

One option under consideration is milling the downed trees for lumber, but first there will have to be a detailed assessment on whether there are enough downed trees in good enough shape for that and whether it would be cost-effective to do that.

Dwinell said a complicating factor is that many of the trees were twisted when they were blown over by the tornado.

“DCR’s objective is to use that resource to the best of everyone’s advantage. That will come from what the foresters tell us,” Dwinell said.

Brimfield State Forest has no camping areas but it has offered day-trip recreation in the form of hiking, fishing, hunting, horseback riding, mountain biking, cross-country skiing and other activities.

Because there are hanging limbs and other unsafe conditions on some trails, Brimfield State Forest is now closed to the public.

Dwinell said crews will be examining the trails and assessing safety conditions before reopening them to the public.

Three of seven buildings at the Brimfield State Forest headquarters on Dearth Hill were destroyed in the June 1 storm, so functions that were being performed have been removed to those buildings left standing.

The wooden buildings were constructed in the 1930s by Civilian Conservation Corps crews, and, based on directives from the state historical experts, workers have been sifting through the debris for items of historical significance.
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“We want to make sure we do it correctly and document correctly and salvage what we can. There are remnants that show how they actually built those,” Dwinell said. “Because we have historic resources there, we cannot just demolish and remove. We want to make sure we do it correctly.”

Robinson State Park in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam has also been closed because of safety concerns related to the storm.

Dwinell said 19 acres were lost at Robinson and two electrical transmission lines there were damaged.

Some tree trunk removal work has started at Robinson and the crews are working with Natural Heritage representatives there in order to protect endangered species.

There were campers staying at Wells State Park in Sturbridge when the tornadoes passed nearby, but there were no injuries and no damage at that park, Supervisor Brian Jurkowski said.

“Some rode it out and some went into town. We were in constant contact with them,” Jurkowski said.

Speaking of the initial road clearing effort, Dwinell said at least 87 workers in crews from all over the state worked 12-hour shifts to clear fallen tree trunks and limbs so electric power, telephone and cable television crews could put up new poles and resume service in Westfield, Springfield, Wilbraham, Monson, Brimfield, Sturbridge and Southbridge.

“They did yeomen’s work,” Dwinell said. “For some it was more than an hour’s drive to get to the command post we set up in Chicopee.”

Maintaining state parks and forests is the primary focus of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, but Dwinell said part of the mission is also to deploy its people to work with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency in situations like floods, blizzards or storms like June 1.

“We are out there for everybody,” he said. “Then, they were right back to preparing their parks for a busy week with 90-degrees days and trying to get the pools open on time.

"At Streeter Point Reservation in Sturbridge, we will have a couple of dive teams going through the beach area to make sure there is no debris,” he said.

Editorial: Weathering the Massachusetts tornado disaster with the community's help

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In Springfield, Wilbraham, Monson, Brimfield and elsewhere, elected officials, emergency responders and ordinary people reached out to help others.

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It took only a hour and 10 minutes for the June 1 tornado to weave its 39-mile path of destruction across Western Massachusetts, but it will take days, weeks, months, years – and even decades – for devastated neighborhoods to return to some sense of normalcy.

As residents of the region begin the long road to recovery from the shock and trauma the twister left in its wake, there is strength to draw on – and reason to hope.

Official response to the disaster was swift, orderly and compassionate.

Just hours after the tornado ran its furious west-to-east course, Gov. Deval L. Patrick, flanked by Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry and other state leaders, joined Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno at a late-night press conference at the city’s Emergency Preparedness Center on Carew Street to assure residents of Western Massachusetts that help was on the way – and that the aid would continue until the job of rebuilding was done.

Patrick immediately activated 1,000 members of the National Guard to help local safety workers reach victims of the storm.

The MassMutual Center – just blocks north of where the tornado devastated parts of the South End – opened its doors as a shelter and is continuing to provide care for the newly homeless.
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Springfield Police Commissioner William Fitchet assured residents that his officers were working with state police to keep the streets safe. “The city has its arms around this crisis,” Fitchet said. “Police have orders to do house-by-house searches to make sure people are safe.”

Fitchet was good as his word. His officers, assisted by state police, went well beyond the call of duty as they helped their fellow citizens cope power outages and the new and frightening surroundings that greeted them the morning after the storm.

Where there were homes, there were only foundations and where there were tree-lined streets, there were barren landscapes.

A week after the storm, there were insurance claims for 5,000 homes and a tally of about $90 million which is sure to grow.

Help came from many quarters.

Police and firefighters from units across the state – and from across state borders (one fire truck from Buffalo, N.Y. was spotted) – deployed personnel to the disaster sites, helping people secure damaged homes and clear downed tree trunks and branches. Utility officials from Western Mass. Electric Co. and Columbia Gas and other companies were also quick to respond.
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The Red Cross, the Massachusetts Emergency Management System and the Federal Emergency Management System activated volunteers and emergency preparedness plans to help bring order out of chaos.

And ordinary people from Springfield to Wilbraham to Monson and Brimfield reached out to care for their neighbors providing comfort in the form of food, clothes, shelter and sympathy. For the helpers, there was a sense of “there but for the grace of God.” And for those who barely survived the storm’s wrath, there was a deep sense of gratitude to be alive.

It only took an instant to irrevocably change the lives – and sense of security – of thousands of people in Western Massachusetts. It’s going to take a long time to recover from a blow like this. But we will recover if we continue to work together for the good of all.

Clarke School for Hearing and Speech Class of 2011 graduates share aspirations

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Jessica Cavanaugh, Asiamarie Diaz, Andrew Jesus Reyes and Richard Vargas will move on to mainstream schools.

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NORTHAMPTON – Small class, big fan base.

The Clarke School for Hearing and Speech yielded four graduates on Saturday, teens who are unconventional in more than one way. The small group ranged from profoundly deaf to hearing impaired and are poised to "mainstream" into public schools and beyond.

Four graduates, two male, two female, shared with a large crowd at the Helen Hills chapel on Elm Street aspirations of being a veterinarian, doctor, race car driver and as strong as Superman.

The 2011 Clarke School graduates are Jessica I. Cavanaugh; 13, if Holyoke, who will move on to Holyoke Catholic High School; Asiamarie Diaz, 14, of Hatfield, will go on to Smith Academy; Andrew Jesus Reyes, 15, of Ludlow, who will attend Ludlow High School; and Richard A. Vargas, of Cranston, R.I., who will go to East Cranston High.

The keynote speaker was Stephen J. Hopson, a profoundly deaf man who earned his pilot's license and was a Wall Street stock broker.

"People will try to stop you. And they will try. But if you're like me, you won't let them," Hopson said.

Ludlow High School graduates receive diplomas at Mullins Center in Amherst

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The Ludlow school system's outgoing superintendent addressed its outgoing high school graduates.

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AMHERST - Another batch of high school graduates set out to conquer the world Saturday.
This time, it was the Class of 2011 from Ludlow High School during its commencement at the Mullins Center along with schools Superintendent Theresa M. Kane, who is setting sail to take over the same post in East Windsor, Conn.
“Make a promise to see each other at least once a year. Set a date; if you don’t set a date at least once a year it won’t happen – trust me,” Kane, the outgoing schools head, told the outgoing 154 graduates.
Kane noted that the tight-knit community gives graduates a sense of family and community as well as a high school diploma.
“If you didn’t enjoy a happy home, take note of what you wanted in your home life and create it yourself,” Kane said.
Class President Michael Ziencina told fellow graduates to set lofty goals and see their glasses half full, preempting a cheer before the Class of 2011 accepted their diplomas in the large auditorium on the UMass campus


Congressman Neal reflects on Springfield's tornado-spawned setback

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Neal took an early flight in from Washington, D.C., on June 3, and, from his vantage point in a car en route from Bradley International Airport that morning, saw the first hints of destruction from the northbound lanes of Interstate 91 as he approached his hometown.

06_07_11_neal_massmutual_shelter.JPGCongressman Richard E. Neal (L) talks with Tim Fitch who runs the shelter at the MassMutual Center for the American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter during a tour fo the shelter.

SPRINGFIELD – After sending four sons to Cathedral High School, he felt he knew the curve of Island Pond Road like the back of his hand: the tree line, the bends in the streets and the homes where each resident had raised children and planned for retirement.

“I know every obscure street. I knew every alleyway in the city. And, I couldn’t orient myself in the neighborhood. There were no trees left,” said U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal as he reflected this week on the first hours he spent after the June 1 tornado in the devastated city where he was raised, and where he persistently has pushed for a resurgence since his service as mayor in the 1980s.

“I knew people who lived in those houses. I knew who lived in those homes. I’ve always prided myself on that.”

Neal took an early flight in from Washington, D.C., on June 3, and, from his vantage point in a car en route from Bradley International Airport that morning, saw the first hints of destruction from the northbound lanes of Interstate 91 as he approached his hometown.

“I was looking at the unimaginable,” he said, sitting in his new district office in the federal courthouse on State Street that overlooks several painful pockets of the city struggling toward a renaissance.

And undeniably, in the wake of the tornado, now there are more such places.

The city’s South End neighborhood has been largely decimated, displacing many of the city’s poor and threatening to topple several valuable, stable businesses which cater to Greater Springfield’s fiercely loyal Italian-immigrant population.

The pretty, tree-lined streets that were among Springfield’s last bastions of proud single-homeownership are all but ruined.
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The will to rebuild is still uncertain. But, Neal points out that he’s known the strength of the neighborhood for the life of his public service tenure as the ward with the highest voter turnout in the city and a place where people believe you’re supposed to show up on Election Day.

The Democratic congressman, who began his career in public service as a high-school teacher, rightly notes that the word “twister” in anyone’s lexicon strikes fear and disbelief – particularly in New England. Particularly in Western Massachusetts.

“Tornado is a scientific word. It’s a meteorological term. Twister is just frightening,” he said.

The last serious tornado warning that Neal recalls occurred when he was mayor. It put everyone in municipal and state government on high alert. The result was a few downed trees and some power glitches.

But, in the wake of the June 1 cluster of twisters that barreled through a sizable swath of his congressional district, he’s spent the past 10 days appealing to the highest reaches of the federal government to secure aid for not only Springfield but for the entire region.

President Barack Obama must declare a federal state of emergency for the tornado-damaged area before much-needed funds flood in. (Joplin, Mo., devastated by deadly tornadoes on May 22 that killed more than 130 people, is still awaiting its federal emergency designation.)
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Neal is painfully aware of this, noting the federal government is between assessment and cutting the check for recovery efforts in his district. He is eager to return to the neighborhoods once he has answers.

So far, every stop is a vignette featuring his time as a kid, as a history teacher at Cathedral High School, which saw its current home on Surrey Road devastated.

As he left the headquarters of the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross on Cottage Street on Tuesday, Neal was stopped by a medical resident there to volunteer.

“Hi, congressman, I went to Cathedral with your sons. I was a year ahead of Rory. I can’t believe it,” Dr. Joseph Strebel, 33, an internal medicine resident at UMass Memorial Medical Center, said to Neal late in the day.

The two talked about the blown-out windows, the once-stringent dress code and how Cathedral High had shaped them as men, and about Room 229.

“I taught in that room,” Neal told Strebel, of Longmeadow.

“That was my homeroom,” Strebel responded, before they segued into old sports rivalries, certain notorious nuns who kept the kids in line and the declining enrollment at the Roman Catholic school which also served as an anchor to East Forest Park residents.

The following day, Neal trudged through the near-wasteland of the South End, which still has many of its landmark businesses standing and back in operation, including the Red Rose pizzeria and restaurant, La Fiorentina bakery and Mom & Rico’s, all on Main Street.

With an entourage of media and officials with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in tow, Neal took time to talk with old friends and business owners. Many credited him as having been a financial savior during Neal’s mayoralty.

“I thought of you after this happened,” said Madeline Zorzi, a resident and business owner in the South End. “You worked so hard to get us the money to build this up.”

It was really a lifetime of work, her son Gregory Zorzi told Neal. Gone in 17 seconds.

The Zorzis had an architectural firm, condominiums and retail space in a stretch on Main Street, which remained a mountain of debris as the cleanup effort persisted.

Neal pointed out the nearby Furcolo Building, named after a doctor who served the city’s Italian and Italian-American population, and whose father held Neal’s seat for two terms and was the state’s governor from 1957 to 1961. Neal eulogized the governor and congressman, Foster Furcolo, on the House floor in the 1990s.

As the group trekked farther down Main Street, the loyal clientele of La Fiorentina sat on the front patio sipping cappuccino. Rico Daniele, owner of Mom & Rico’s, an Italian specialty store, told Neal of the annual stickball tournament he still plans to hold on Sunday, despite the destruction.

Earlier at his office, Neal raised noted sociologist James Q. Wilson’s work he often admired and has read about over the years in Atlantic Monthly and elsewhere.

The theory centers around urban centers with “broken windows” in the form of a flagging housing market, middle-class exodus or burgeoning subsidized school lunch numbers.

“If a window is broken, you’d better fix it fast or the next one will break quickly,” Neal said.

Was the cluster of twisters to hit the city yet another break in the future of Springfield?

“I think it may have been,” the congressman says reluctantly.

Gov. Patrick requests disaster status; residents briefed on recovery efforts at community meetings in Springfield, Brimfield and Westfield

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The Hampden County Bar Association will provide those who require assistance with free legal information.

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Gov. Deval L. Patrick has asked President Barack Obama to declare a major disaster in areas of Western and central Massachusetts wrecked by tornadoes that resulted in four deaths and injuries to hundreds on June 1.

Patrick formally filed the disaster request on Saturday for all of Hampden County and portions of Worcester County, according to the Associated Press.

If approved, the major disaster declaration would provide local communities and state agencies with federal reimbursement for costs associated with infrastructure damage, debris removal and emergency response. It would also provide aid to homeowners and private business owners seeking to rebuild after the storms.

State officials said Springfield and at least 17 other communities were impacted by the tornadoes and violent thunderstorms.

Federal aid has been on the mind of many officials and residents, especially those in hard-hit communities including Springfield, Brimfield and Westfield, where community meetings were held Saturday.

In Springfield, city officials gathered in the Holy Cross gymnasium in East Forest Park, a hard-hit neighborhood, to provide information.

“We will do everything we can from a city standpoint . ... This is not a two-week effort. It will be longer than that,” Mayor Domenic J. Sarno told the approximately 200 residents.

“Together we will rebuild and be stronger,” he added.

Councilor Timothy Allen led the meeting, introducing Donna F. Carney, the director of the 311 Call Center, and officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration; a representative from the latter agency told residents not to be fooled by the name and advised them to apply for loans through the agency, even if they think insurance will cover their losses. In times of disasters, the Small Business Administration can help homeowners and renters, said Jose Vejarano, public affairs specialist.

Carney said those with land lines can call 311, or if they have a cell phone, (413) 736-3111, and discuss their needs. She said they have donated tarps and plywood for residents to use. Those concerned about hazardous trees also can call the hotline.

“If we don’t have the answer, we’ll find it for you,” Carney said.
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Susan Mills, a program specialist from FEMA, said once the president declares the area to be a federal disaster area, people need to register with FEMA by calling 1-800-621-FEMA. From there, they will be given a nine-digit number, which proves they are registered. Disaster assistance centers will be set up, and help residents make their house safe and habitable, or help them relocate through a rental assistance program.

“We understand you can stay only so long with family and friends,” Mills said.

City Building Commissioner Steven Desilets advised residents to make sure everyone they hire is licensed and insured, and that they obtain permits so the city can track the work.

Jay McLaughlin, who lived at the Abbott and Ithaca streets with his family, angrily confronted officials because he said they razed his tornado-damaged house with what he said was no notice on June 4.

McLaughlin later said he had hired workers, and was in the process of taking care of his damaged home himself, when the city took over. Now, he said, most of his possessions are gone, and if he had some advance notice, he would have been able to salvage more belongings – “22 years of life.”

McLaughlin said he called the Building Department numerous times leading up to June 4, and was never called back. He estimates he invested $12,000 into cleanup, only to have the city reduce his home to a rubble pile. McLaughlin said he is seeking legal representation.

Sarno said later, “My heart goes out to the people affected, but we have to think of public safety.” He and Desilets said the house was not safe to enter, and Sarno said he did not know who McLaughlin had been calling prior to the demolition.

“We said we’d answer his questions after and he left,” Sarno said.

State and city police urge residents to keep an eye out for suspicious activity in their neighborhoods. State Police Sgt. Michael Sullivan told them to be aware of a Maine company called “Way Up Tree Service” that was charging a lot of money for tree removal, then dumping in a neighbor’s lot.

In Brimfield, residents packed inside the sanctuary of First Congregational Church, as the volunteer effort was in full swing downstairs. The church is serving as a clearinghouse for all volunteers, and providing breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. All roads south of Route 20 were impacted.

IMG_1193.jpgPhoto by Lori Stabile. State Rep. Todd M. Smola, R-Palmer, speaks at a community meeting held Saturday morning at the First Congregational Church in Brimfield, a community that was ravaged by the June 1 tornadoes.

State Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, cautioned residents about chainsaws, and told those who do not know how to use them to leave tree cutting to the professionals.

“Brimfield, you will get back to where you need to be,” Brewer said.

State Rep. Todd M. Smola, R-Palmer, called the community “resilient” and commended the residents for helping their neighbors. Officials told them about resources, including a storm assistance center set up in the Brookside building at Monson Developmental Center at 171 State Ave. in Palmer where various state agencies are represented to help residents navigate moving their lives forward after losing everything. There are also shower and laundry facilities there.

Gina Lynch, who has been overseeing the volunteer effort at the church, said it will remain open as long as necessary. She urged the residents to do their grocery shopping at the church, so they can save their money to rebuild their homes. Donations fill the church.

“Those who have not been directly affected would like to help you,” Lynch said. “Anything that you need, we will find it for you.”

Lynch also told would-be volunteers to register with them first, to help them coordinate, and said the only items needed now are rain ponchos. Every few hours, she said they send out water, Gatorade and ice to homes where people are working. Those who want to donate specifically to Brimfield tornado victims can send checks to the Brimfield selectmen’s office, 23 Main St., Brimfield, MA, 01010, made payable to the “Town of Brimfield” and note on the check “Harding Fund.”

In Westfield, city officials welcomed about 50 residents affected by the tornadoes to Munger Hill Elementary School where they were given tips on how to navigate insurance waters and encouraged them to inquire about state and federal relief assistance.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik and James Wiggs, emergency management director for the city of Westfield, gave residents a brief run-down of the insurance claims procedures they will face as they move forward to the recovery phase of the devastating tornado that ravaged the region.

“Record-keeping in critical,” Wiggs said, “and take as many pictures as possible.”
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As the rebuilding begins, Wiggs said it is especially important for citizens whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the E-3 level-rated winds to diligently investigate any building contractors with whom they are not familiar.

Attorney Robert C. Sacco said the Hampden County Bar Association will provide those who require assistance with free legal information. That also was stated during the Springfield presentation.

“We will have lawyers available who will provide free information for individuals displaced from housing, assist with insurance claims or other tornado related issues,” Sacco said.

On June 22 from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. the local bar association will work in cooperation with the Western New England University School of Law to take calls at (413) 732-4660 during a Dial-a-Lawyer event dedicated to tornado issues.

Munger Hill Elementary School was impacted by the tornadoes when a section of roof over two kindergarten classes was ripped off the building leaving the two classes in destruction. In addition, nearly all the trees that separated the school from Falley Road homes were ripped from the ground or toppled by the high winds.

Knapik vowed to replant, saying, “When the school was put in 20 years ago, woodland was retained (for privacy). This summer we will re-sod and loam, and we will replant in the fall.”

Manon Mirabelli contributed to this report.

Outer Belt Civic Association threatens court appeal in response to Springfield City Council's approval of Five Town Plaza cyber cafe

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Both the Law Department and City Clerk Wayman Lee have challenged the legality of the council vote granting 777 Cyber Center a permit.

061111 777 cyber cafe.jpgThe Springfield City Council has granted a special permit for the 777 Cyber Center at the Five Town Plaza on Cooley Street. The vote was a reconsideration of a vote in May when the permit for the business failed by one vote. The Outer Belt Civic Association has threatened to file a court appeal.

SPRINGFIELD – A neighborhood association has threatened to file a court appeal in response to the City Council’s approval of a cyber cafe on Cooley Street, saying the council process was a “political fiasco.”

The Outer Belt Civic Association filed a letter with city councilors this week, objecting to the council vote on Monday, which granted the special permit for the 777 Cyber Center. The vote was a reconsideration of an earlier vote in May when the permit for the business at Five Town Plaza failed by one vote.

Both the Law Department and City Clerk Wayman Lee have challenged the legality of the council vote. The Law Department and Lee said reconsideration of a special permit is not permitted for a two-year period, under state law.

“This has become a political mess,” said Outer Belt letter stated. “When we have a City Council not listening to our law department and city solicitor then there is a serious breach to the laws that govern and the people who are supposed to be following the law. The integrity of the City of Springfield is in question.”

The Outer Belt association had objected to the permit for the business, also known as an Internet cafe, saying it had concerns about gambling, parking, and its impact on a residential area.

The business plans to have 30 computer terminals where patrons can connect to the Internet and Internet games and “sweepstakes” by purchasing Internet time.

101409 timothy rooke mug small.jpgTimothy Rooke

Councilor Timothy J. Rooke, who called for reconsideration, said such a move is permitted by council rules for any matter if reconsideration is called for immediately after the vote. That reconsideration occurs at the next council meeting, he said.

In addition, he said the concerns about the cyber cafe raised by the association were unfounded because the business is not a gambling facility, would not create parking problems, and posed no nuisance to residents.

The neighborhood council letter accuses Rooke of having a conflict of interest because the business was initially represented by his brother, Thomas Rooke.

Timothy Rooke said he disclosed that his brother was the lawyer. In addition, the business changed lawyers after the first hearing in April, he said.

The council approved the permit by a 10-3 vote Monday, opposed by Councilors Clodovaldo Concepcion, Michael A. Fenton and Melvin Edwards.

The prior vote, May 20, was 8-4 in favor of the permit, one vote shy of the two-thirds vote needed to approve a permit. Concepcion, Fenton, Edwards and E. Henry Twiggs were opposed, and Councilor Amaad I. Rivera was absent.

Walter Gould, president of the Outer Belt association, and Mary Dionne, vice president, filed the letter with city councilors warning that it could appeal the decision unless the permit approval is deemed invalid.

Lee said he will not issue the special permit until he confers next week with the city solicitor. A 20-day appeal period does not begin until the permit is issued.

The appeal can be filed with the local Housing Court or Superior Court, or Land Court in Boston, he said.

Gould said the association will not act until the solicitor and city clerk decide on any course of action.

Gould said the reconsideration of this permit sets a precedent for future permits.

The association stated that it’s also concerned that more than 20 proposed conditions were not voted on.

Timothy Rooke said he believes the council vote included adoption of the conditions, which are aimed at meeting neighborhood concerns and supported by the petitioner, Jennifer Burritt.

“The whole process from the beginning has been flawed,” the Outer Belt letter stated. “This process should have set the precedent for how the city will handle the request for Special Permits. Instead it has turned into a political fiasco.”

IMF targeted in cyberattack, but extent not disclosed

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The International Monetary Fund, already reeling from last month's arrest of its former leader, is investigating an attack on its computer system that has been characterized as "sophisticated and serious."

IMF1.jpgThe International Monetary Fund, already reeling from last month's arrest of its former leader, is investigating an attack on its computer system. One official cited by the New York Times said the attack occurred over the last several months.

CHRISTINA REXRODE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK — The International Monetary Fund, already reeling from last month's arrest of its former leader, is investigating an attack on its computer system.

IMF spokesman David Hawley said the organization is fully functional. He declined to provide further details on what he termed an "IT incident," including its scope or nature and whether any sensitive data were taken. The IMF has confidential information on countries in financial trouble.

The New York Times cited unnamed IMF officials as saying the attack was sophisticated and serious.

The IMF told staffers about it on Wednesday but hasn't made a public announcement.

The IMF is already facing a public-relations headache after the arrest of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who resigned as IMF chief last month after being accused of sexually assaulting a maid in a New York hotel.

dominique strauss kahnDominique Strauss-Kahn, former head of the IMF, was arraigned last month in Manhattan Criminal Court.

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, Mexican central bank chief Agustin Carstens and others are vying for the top job. Stanley Fischer, Israel's central bank chief, emerged as a candidate Saturday.

It's not clear if hackers were targeting the IMF. Hackers sometimes try to distribute malicious software code widely and see which organizations it can infect.

But they can also choose targets. Using a technique called "spear phishing," for instance, they can trick employees of a specific organization into clicking a link that then gives hackers access to its computer systems.

Dave Jevans, chairman of computer security firm IronKey Inc., said he's concerned by an uptick in "hacktivism," where groups target organizations for political purposes.

It's possible the IMF was the victim of such hacktivism. However, one official cited by the Times said the attack occurred over the last several months, before the troubles involving Strauss-Kahn.

dominique.jpgLocal, foreign and international media outlets wait outside a building in lower Manhattan where the former head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, is staying under house arrest on charges he tried to rape a hotel maid.

Concerns about the IMF attack were great enough that the World Bank cut a computer link that allows the two organizations to share non-sensitive information, according to a bank official. The move was taken out of "an abundance of caution," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the security issues around the incident.

The IMF attack follows a string of major data breaches.

In recent months, hackers have penetrated 100 million Sony PlayStation accounts, the networks of Lockheed Martin and the customer email databases of a company that does marketing for Best Buy and Target stores.

Google has accused Chinese hackers of targeting the Gmail accounts of U.S. government officials.

About 200,000 Citibank credit card customers in North America had their names, account numbers and email addresses stolen.

The Sarah Palin emails: much ado about nothing?

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The more than 24,000 pages of electronic communications of the former Alaska govenor show an engaged, ambitious leader who sought the VP nod, but the emails do not contain any bombshells or "gotcha" moments.

Sarah Palin, APSarah Palin signs copies of her new book, "America By Heart," in Little Rock, Ark., in this Nov. 30, 2010, file photo by the Associated Press. The much-anticipated release of thousands of emails written by Palin as governor of Alaska did not reveal anything earth-shattering about Palin, other than the fact that she is an ambitious, engaged politician.

BECKY BOHRER, Associated Press

JUNEAU, Alaska — There are no bombshells, no "gotcha" moments.

The emails of Sarah Palin — more than 24,000 pages of them released Friday by the state of Alaska from her first two years as governor — paint a picture of an image-conscious, driven leader, closely involved with the day-to-day duties of running the state and riding herd on the signature issues of her administration.

She angled for a vice presidential nomination months before John McCain picked her, but hesitated to endorse him until she got an explanation about "pro-environmental stands he's taking that could hurt Alaska."

The messages give a behind-the-scenes look at a politician who burst onto the national stage after serving as Wasilla mayor and less than two years as Alaska governor. They show a woman striving to balance work and home, fiercely protective of her family and highly sensitive to media coverage. She expressed a sometimes mothering side with aides but was quick to demand answers or accountability.

They seem to depict a more moderate Palin who worked to find a state response to global warming — she has since dismissed studies supporting climate change — and gave props to then-Sen. Barack Obama for his support of a natural gas pipeline in Alaska.

The records, comprising more than 13,400 emails, shed new light on Palin's rise from little-known governor to national political sensation. The emails end in September 2008, shortly after her selection to be McCain's running mate. It was then that citizens and news organizations first requested the records.

Three years later, Palin is a best-selling author, reality TV star, sought-after speaker and kingmaker, successfully supporting dozens of candidates in last year's elections.

Her recent bus tour of the Northeast as well as an authorized documentary about her time as governor, have fueled speculation that Palin will run for president, but the Republican says she hasn't yet decided.

In Anchorage, people watched the release of the emails with interest, some blaming the media for paying too much attention to the outdated records.

"I personally think they're afraid of her," said Richard Giese, who sold flowers at the Anchorage Farmer's Market on Saturday. "They're digging up a lot of stuff, some of it true. I won't deny that. But I think they are afraid of her for the election."

palin emails.jpgReporters load boxes containing thousands of pages of Sarah Palin's emails from her time as Alaska's governor on Friday, June 10, 2011, in Juneau, Alaska. The emails released Friday were first requested during the 2008 White House race by citizens and news organizations, including The Associated Press.

Gail Sieberts, who was shopping at the market, called it a distraction.

"We're glad she's not here anymore," she said. "Our state is running better and we don't need all the drama."

While much of the country was taken by surprise when Palin became the Republican vice presidential candidate, her emails suggest she was angling for the slot for months, and that she may have been courted even earlier.

Palin's scheduler sent her a note June 21, 2007, saying Gov. Mitt Romney — who was running for president — wanted to schedule a call to "catch up on things." The aide said Mike Tibbles, her former chief of staff, said she probably wouldn't be interested, and wondered how she should proceed.

"What is his number? Since it may be partisan, I should do this without state assistance. Thanks!" Palin replied.

On Jan. 30, former Arkansas Mike Huckabee called, and Palin seemed to be leaning toward endorsing him in the Republican primary.

"He called. Very cool. Unless McCain calls, Huck's a good pick for me, just fyi."

On Feb. 4, 2008, Palin asked Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell to set up a conversation with Romney to "compare his social positions with Hucks ... I'd like to take 10 sec of his valuable time."

After the conversation later that day, she wrote: "Talked to Romney today! Thank you for hooking that up! Can't believe he took the time. Talked to him about women in leadership. He said all the right things."

On Feb. 20, Palin asked if she could speak to McCain at the National Governor's Association meeting about why he opposed oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

"If anyone can help me hear from him on that, our state would appreciate it," she said in an email to a representative of the Republican Governors Association. "I'll have a tough time explaining my support for him until I can say I spoke with him about my concerns re: any pro-environmental stands he's taking that could hurt Alaska."

As it became clear McCain would be the nominee, Palin's staff turned their attention to him.

palin email copy.jpgOne of the thousands of pages of Sarah Palin's emails from her time as Alaska's governor is seen in this photo in Juneau, Alaska, taken on Friday, June 10, 2011, the day the emails were released to media outlets that had been requesting copies since the 2008 White House race.

In June, Palin and her staff talked about plans to repeal Alaska's fuel tax. Ivy Frye, an aide and friend, said she would send details to McCain staffers when they became available. "They're going to love it!" she wrote. 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."

Despite all the effort, Palin seemed genuinely surprised when she got the nod: "Can you believe it!" she wrote to a staff member.

As the national attention intensified, Palin seemed frustrated and overwhelmed by the constant media spotlight. After the nomination and before, she became most angry when the attention was on her family.

"Man, that gossip crap bugs me," she wrote on Oct.1, 2007, referring to a column in the Anchorage Daily News. "Any time it has anything to do with home or family, it's irritating."

On Sunday, April 6, 2008, Palin's father passed along reports that rumors swirling of daughter Bristol's pregnancy were coming from the office of Palin critic and fellow Wasilla Republican Sen. Lyda Green. Palin asked aides to find out whether a newspaper reporter and television reporter had heard the rumor from the Green staffer or former Palin aide.

Palin called the circulating rumors "flippin' unbelievable."

"Bristol does want it squashed — we just don't know how to do so without making it a bigger issue," Palin wrote of her eldest daughter.

Palin already had denied speculation that Bristol was the mother of Palin's fifth child, Trig, who was born with Down Syndrome.

"Even at Trig's doc apt this morning his doc said that's out there (hopefully NOT in their medical community-world, but it's out there)," Palin wrote on April 22. "Bristol called again this afternoon asking if there's anything we can do to stop this, as she received two girlfriend-type calls today asking if it were true."

palin aide.jpgSharon Leighhow, spokeswoman for the Alaska governor's office, holds the elevator moments before releasing thousands of printed pages of Sarah Palin's emails on Friday in Juneau, Alaska. The emails from Palin's time as Alaska's governor were released to various media outlets on Friday, more than two years after they were first requested.

The delay in releasing Palin's emails, which had been requested by media organizations and citizens, has been attributed largely to the sheer volume. 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. The documents revealed at least three different private accounts for Palin.

The state withheld 2,275 pages 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.

Her supporters 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.

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