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Michigan rocket club sends porta-potty soaring -- and into a near-miss landing

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A group of Michiana Rocketry club members planned the project for more than two years.

THREE OAKS, Mich. -- Mission accomplished! A group of rocket enthusiasts launched a porta-potty into the sky Saturday in southwestern Michigan. It made an arc and almost landed on a spectator's pickup truck, 2,000 feet away.

A group of Michiana Rocketry club members planned the project for more than two years. The club is trying to increase awareness of rocketry as a hobby and prove it's possible to turn a porta-potty into a rocket and launch it successfully.

The Herald Palladium newspaper says liftoff occurred in a soybean field near Three Oaks in Berrien County. About 30 people worked on the rocket, from engineers to sales people who lined up sponsors.

Rocket enthusiast Bob Bycraft said it was carefully planned. He said it wasn't "barnyard engineering."

A company donated a decommissioned porta-potty to the group for the experiment. Those behind The Throne Thrusters project equipped the porta-potty with cameras, parachutes, seven motors and measuring equipment.

The group reportedly got a permit from the Federal Aviation Administration for the launch.


Massachusetts officials hoping private-sector funding will help state's chronically homeless

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State officials hope to leverage private-sector funding to help reduce the number of chronically homeless people in Massachusetts.

BOSTON (AP) — State officials hope to leverage private-sector funding to help reduce the number of chronically homeless people in Massachusetts.

Gov. Deval Patrick plans to unveil the initiative on Monday. Known as Social Impact Bonds or Pay for Success contracts, they rely on upfront funding from private capital investments and charitable donations. Investors are repaid only if an outside evaluator determines the program has achieved a goal that benefits society and saves taxpayer dollars.

Patrick says the program aims to help up to 800 of the estimated 1,500 chronically homeless individuals in the state.

The announcement is scheduled to be made at the South Middlesex Opportunity Council in Framingham.


Typhoon Hagupit slams into eastern Philippines, knocking out power to thousands

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Typhoon Hagupit slammed into the central Philippines' east coast late Saturday, knocking out power and toppling trees in a region where 650,000 people have fled to safety, still haunted by the massive death and destruction wrought by a monster storm last year.

By TERESA CEROJANO & OLIVER TEVES, Associated Press

LEGAZPI, Philippines (AP) -- Typhoon Hagupit slammed into the central Philippines' east coast late Saturday, knocking out power and toppling trees in a region where 650,000 people have fled to safety, still haunted by the massive death and destruction wrought by a monster storm last year.

Packing maximum sustained winds of 175 kilometers (109 miles) per hour and gusts of 210 kph (130 mph), Hagupit made landfall in Dolores, a coastal town facing the Pacific in Eastern Samar province, according to the Philippines' weather agency. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Although it was unlikely to reach the unprecedented strength of Typhoon Haiyan, Hagupit's strong winds and heavy rain were enough to possibly cause major damage to an impoverished region still reeling from the devastating November 2013 storm, which left more than 7,300 people dead or missing.

"There are many trees that have toppled, some of them on the highway," police Senior Inspector Alex Robin said by phone late Saturday from Dolores, hours before Hagupit made landfall. "We are totally in the dark here. The only light comes from flashlights."

From Eastern Samar, Hagupit -- Filipino for "smash" or "lash" -- was expected to hammer parts of a string of island provinces that were devastated by Haiyan's tsunami-like storm surges and ferocious winds. Hagupit weakened slightly on Saturday, but remained dangerously powerful and erratic.

Robin said about 600 families had hunkered down in Dolores' three-story municipal hall, one of many emergency shelters in the town.

"Everyone here is just looking for a place to sleep," he said. "All the windows are closed, but it is still cool because of the wind and the rain."

Philippines TyphoonThis image made available by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows Typhoon Hagupit on Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, as it approaches the Philippines. The ferocious and dangerously erratic typhoon is blowing closer to the Philippines as differing forecasts about its path prompt a wide swath of the country to prepare for a weekend of destructive winds and rain. (AP Photo/NOAA)

Eastern Samar province Rep. Ben Evardone said electricity also was knocked out early Saturday in Borongan city, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Dolores, where the government has set up a command center for rescue and relief operations headed by Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

Evardone said the strong winds also felled trees and ripped off roofing sheets. "You can hear the whistling of the wind," he said.

"Everybody is in fear because of what happened during (Haiyan)," Evardone said. "We can already feel the wrath of the typhoon. Everybody is praying."

Big waves have pushed seawater over concrete walls along a boulevard, flooding it, Evardone said.

Army troops deployed to supermarkets and major roads in provinces in the typhoon's path to prevent looting and chaos and clear debris, all of which slowed the government's response last year, said Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang, head of the Philippines' 120,000-strong military.

"We're on red alert, so the entire armed forces is being mobilized for this typhoon," Catapang said at a news conference.

While unlikely to reach Haiyan's strength, forecasters said Hagupit's maximum sustained winds and gusts were strong enough to set off deadly storm surges and landslides and cause heavy damage to communities and agriculture.

With a whirling band of rain clouds spanning 600 kilometers (373 miles), Hagupit has gained speed and was moving westward at 16 kph (10 mph), according to forecasters.

In the central city of Tacloban, where Haiyan's storm surges killed thousands of people and leveled villages, news of the approaching typhoon rekindled painful memories. Many residents fled to storm shelters, a sports stadium and churches even before authorities urged them to evacuate.

"I'm scared," said Haiyan survivor Jojo Moro. "I'm praying to God not to let another disaster strike us again. We haven't recovered from the first."

The 42-year-old businessman, who lost his wife, daughter and mother last year in Tacloban, said he stocked up on sardines, instant noodles, eggs and water.

Around 650,000 people have been moved to safety, including in Tacloban. A U.N. humanitarian agency spokesman, Denis McClean, said in Geneva that it was one of the largest peacetime evacuations in Philippine history. It also was reminiscent of the evacuation of 1 million people along India's coastline before Cyclone Phailin hit in October 2013.

Nearly 100 domestic flights have been canceled and inter-island ferry services suspended, stranding thousands of people.

"We've not heard of villagers resisting to be evacuated," regional disaster-response director Blanche Gobenciong said. "Their trauma is still so fresh."

In Tacloban, residents stacked sandbags to block floodwaters. One McDonald's restaurant was closed and boarded up to prevent a repetition of Haiyan's deluge, which shattered glass panes and doors of business establishments, allowing looting to take place.

Disaster preparations widened after two agencies tracking the typhoon closely -- the U.S. military's Joint Typhoon Warning Center in Hawaii and the Philippine weather agency -- predicted different directions for Hagupit.

The U.S. agency said Hagupit (pronounced HA'-goo-pit) may veer northwest after coming inland and sweep past the southern edge of the capital, Manila, a city of more than 12 million people. The Philippine agency, known by its acronym PAGASA, projected a more southern path.

Gobenciong said the unpredictable path made it harder to ascertain which areas would be hit, but added that everybody "should prepare for the worst."

"We have a zero-casualty target," she said. "Just one loss of life will really sadden us all and make us wonder what went wrong."

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Teves reported from Manila. Associated Press writer Jim Gomez in Manila contributed to this report.

WMECo crews work to restore electricity to more than 200 in Springfield, 500 in Ludlow

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Crews with the Western Massachusetts Electric Company are currently working to restore power to more than 200 Springfield residents.

SPRINGFIELD — Crews with the Western Massachusetts Electric Company are currently working to restore power to more than 200 Springfield residents.

WMECO Logo

Just before 9 p.m., approximately 205 customers lost service, prompting WMECo to dispatch crews to investigate and make whatever repairs are needed. According to the WMECo outage map, the issue which was initially confined to the city of Springfield had also crossed over to Ludlow where 582 customers were without power as of 9:30 p.m.

A glance at the National Grid outage map showed no active issues within that utility's system.

A WMECo spokesperson contacted Saturday evening said there was an unspecified equipment issue but the company expects the power to be restored within an hour or so. She didn't have information regarding which parts of Springfield were affected, however.

A call to the Springfield police department for additional information wasn't immediately returned.

This is a developing story and additional information will be published as it becomes available.


Obituaries today: Mary O'Brien taught at H.B. Lawrence and William R. Peck schools in Holyoke

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Obituaries from The Republican.

 
120614-mary-obrien.jpgMary O'Brien 

Mary Louise (Flynn) OBrien, 89, passed away on Tuesday. She was a graduate of Holyoke High School, the MacDuffie School for Girls and the College of New Rochelle. Until her retirement in 1986, she taught at the H.B. Lawrence and William R. Peck schools in the Holyoke school system. She spent her summers at Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport, Maine. She loved literature and the arts and was an active member of the Goose Rocks Beach Book Club and a 40-year member of the Ogunquit (Maine) Playhouse. She was the mother of 11 children, and had 20 grandchildren.

To view all obituaries from The Republican:
» Click here

Family displaced after fire causes around $20K in damages at Chicopee duplex

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A fire at a duplex owned by the Chicopee Housing Authority Saturday afternoon displaced a family living there.

CHICOPEE — A fire at a duplex owned by the Chicopee Housing Authority Saturday afternoon displaced a family living there.

Around 12:30 p.m., 911 calls reported a fire in the basement of 658 Meadow St. Crews ran water lines to the basement and had the fire completely out in under 20 minutes.

Although the fire was contained to the basement, the duplex sustained about $20,000 in smoke and water damages.

No one was injured in the incident and the cause of the fire is under investigation by the Chicopee Fire Department and the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal's office.


Fire heavily damages Mountain Road home in Suffield; no injuries reported

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The blaze broke out about 1:30 a.m. and firefighters remained on the scene more than six hours later.


Updated at 9:15 a.m. to include information from the scene.
SUFFIELD - No injuries were reported early Monday after a fire heavily damaged a home on Mountain Road.

The fire at 2803 Mountain Road was out by 9 am. Monday but the remains of the building was still smoking.

Firefighters were still on scene.

Fire Chief Chuck Flynn said when firefighters arrived on scene, 75 percent of the 1,200-foot dwelling was on fire.

He said it is unclear how the fire started. It started around 1:30 a.m.

"It looks like it started outside and spread to the home," he said.

Owner Nick Grano, said he and his son, Nick Jr., were home at the time the fire started. They both escaped safely.

The elder Grano said he had awoken to fine his shed near the house fully engulfed. His immediate thought was for his two dogs that were out there, he said.

Both dogs escaped safely.

He said one of the dogs, a shepherd named Squito, got out after fire burned through the long leash that tethered her in shed.

Grano said he believes a drop light in the shed, which he bought Sunday night to keep his dogs warm started the fire, although that has not been officially determined.

He said he lost everything in the fire, listing family photographs, his old Army uniform and an baseball card of Babe Ruth.

"Everything in a matter of minutes was gone. Everything I have ever had was gone, just disappeared before your eyes," he said.

WWLP reported that firefighters from Southwick and East Granby provided mutual aid.

U.S. says it was unaware of 'imminent' release of South African hostage killed in rescue attempt

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The U.S. decided to carry out the raid because the militants had threatened to kill American Luke Somers, who also died.

CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA, Associated Press

JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- The United States did not know about talks on the reportedly imminent release of a South African hostage who died in a U.S. raid on al-Qaida militants in Yemen, the U.S. ambassador in South Africa said Monday.

Ambassador Patrick Gaspard said American officials were "unaware of ongoing negotiations that had any resolution" between the militants and Gift of the Givers, a South African humanitarian relief group that had been acting on behalf of the family of South African hostage Pierre Korkie. Gaspard also said it was "not altogether clear" to him that the South African government was even aware of the talks.

Korkie and American hostage Luke Somers were killed Saturday during a U.S.-led rescue attempt. Imtiaz Sooliman, founder of Gift of the Givers, has said that Korkie was supposed to be released Sunday under a deal struck with al-Qaida.

Gaspard said the U.S. hadn't been informed about that. The U.S. decided to carry out the raid because the militants had threatened to kill Somers, Gaspard said.

"We were just completely unaware of those developments and had to act hastily," the ambassador said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.

He also said the United States had believed before the raid that there may have been "other hostages in the vicinity" of Somers' location, but did not have details on the nationalities of any captives.

"At no time was it apparent that Pierre Korkie was being held in the same space as the American photojournalist Luke Somers," the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria said in a statement.

U.S. President Barack Obama has said he ordered the raid because Somers was believed to be in "imminent danger" after al-Qaida released a video showing Somers and threatening to kill him in three days if the U.S. did not meet the group's unspecified demands.

Gaspard cited comments by Sooliman, the aid group director, that there were no guarantees that the negotiated release of Korkie would have proceeded smoothly. However, the ambassador said the talks appeared to have made progress.

"It does appear that they were pretty far down the track," Gaspard said.


Amherst police called to break up large gathering at Amherst College, arrest 2

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Amherst Police arrested two on charges of disorderly conduct and assault and battery during an alleged fight including a University of Massachusetts football player.

AMHERST - Police were called to Amherst College Saturday night to assist college police with dispersing a crowd for about 400 to 500 gathered on the Quadrangle who were attending the annual Christmas party at Crossett Hall, police said.

Police arrested two on charges of disorderly conduct and assault and battery during an alleged fight including a University of Massachusetts football player. 

Police arrested Sha-ki R. Holines of Springfield and Mitchell Arthur of Tappan New Jersey, who are slated to be arraigned Monday in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown.

Holines, 20, is a Red Shirt freshman for the University of Massachusetts Minutemen football team.  Arthur,18, is an Amherst College student.       

Eric Devine chosen as Springfield marshal in 2015 Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade

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The city St. Patrick’s committee announced this weekend who will lead their contingent in the Holyoke St. Patrick's parade.

SPRINGFIELD -- The city St. Patrick’s committee announced this weekend who will lead their contingent in the Holyoke St. Patrick's parade.

Eric Devine, the outgoing John Boyle O’Reilly Club president, was announced as the contingent's parade marshal in the Holyoke parade, which will be held on March 22. The event has been held in Holyoke for 64 years and draws hundreds of thousands every year.

"This is unbelievable, I'm extremely excited," Devine told 22News. "It's the culmination of everything everyone here at the John Boyle made this possible today”

Flood Watch in effect for all day Tuesday, 2+ inches of rain expected in the Boston area

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This storm will bring moderate to heavy rainfall and will impact most of southern New England sometime late tonight into Tuesday.

The National Weather Service in Taunton has issued a Flood Watch from Tuesday morning through late Tuesday night.

The Flood watch is for portions of Northern Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island including the following counties.

In Northern Connecticut: Hartford, Tolland and Windham.

In Massachusetts: Bristol, Central and Southeast Middlesex, Eastern Hampden, Essex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Southern Worcester and Suffolk.

In Rhode Island: Bristol, Kent, Newport, Providence and Washington.


This storm will bring moderate to heavy rainfall and will impact most of southern New England sometime late tonight into Tuesday. Rainfall totals of 2.0 to 2.5 inches are possible within the watch area by Wednesday morning. This rainfall could lead to localized flooding, mainly of urban and poor drainage areas.

U.S. Supreme Court won't hear BP's appeal of Gulf oil spill settlement

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BP wanted the court to consider whether people and businesses seeking payments under the settlement included individuals who haven't actually suffered any injury related to the spill.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court is leaving in place BP's multibillion-dollar settlement with lawyers for businesses and residents over the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The justices did not comment Monday in rejecting the London-based oil giant's arguments that lower courts misinterpreted settlement terms and put BP on the hook to pay inflated and bogus claims by businesses.

BP wanted the court to consider whether people and businesses seeking payments under the settlement included individuals who haven't actually suffered any injury related to the spill.

The settlement doesn't have a cap, but BP initially estimated that it would pay roughly $7.8 billion to resolve the claims. But now the company says it can no longer give a reliable estimate for how much the deal will cost.

'Gingerbread Weekend' set for Easthampton's Cottage Street Cultural District

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Gingerbread Weekend will be celebrated Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 12 and 13.

EASTHAMPTON -- Easthampton's Cottage Street Cultural District has announced a new holiday-season tradition.

Gingerbread Weekend, set for Dec. 13th and 14th, will feature ginger-themed refreshments at a dozen participating stores and restaurants, along with special promotions.

Platterpus Records, for instance, will serve gingerbread and ginger beer and offer 20 percent off all purchases. The Platinum Pony is mixing a gingerbread-bourbon cocktail. The Nash Gallery plans to offer ginger hermits and tea. White Square Books will serve gingerbread with whipped cream. And, for those with special diets, gluten-free ginger treats will be available at Awentree.

Participants will also have the chance to win a gift basket valued at $375.

The full lineup of participating shops and promotions can be found at the event's website. Cottage Street, with its many small shops and growing arts and entertainment scene, was designated as a special cultural district in 2013 by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

David Casey pleads guilty to accessory after the fact of murder, other charges, in Berkshire triple murder

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David Casey also pleaded guilty to three counts each of accessory after the fact of kidnapping and accessory after the fact of intimidation of a witness.

SPRINGFIELD — The man who helped bury the dismembered remains of three Pittsfield men pleaded guilty Monday in Hampden Superior Court to three counts of accessory after the fact of murder.

Casey, 55, formerly of Canaan, N.Y., also pleaded guilty to three counts each of accessory after the fact of kidnapping and accessory after the fact of intimidation of a witness.

Casey testified at the trials of three co-defendants for the triple murder that Adam Lee Hall threatened his family with harm if he didn't help Hall bury the bodies. He was released on his own recognizance after testifying in David Chalue's trial, and was being protected by authorities.

Casey was sentenced to state prison for two to 2½ years but already served that amount of time before his release on his own recognizance, so in essence he was sentenced to time served.

The plea was before Hampden Superior Court Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder. Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless said his office had not given out information that there would be a plea this morning so no one would know.

Capeless did not answer a question about whether Casey is still being protected by authorities.

Hall, Chalue and Caius Veiovis were all convicted in separate trials on three counts of first degree murder and are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.

They were found guilty in the Aug. 28, 2011, murder and dismemberment of David Glasser, Edward Frampton and Robert Chadwell.

The men were killed shortly before Glasser was to testify against Hall.

Kinder, at the request of Capeless, ruled in the final trial - of Caius Veiovis - no photos be taken of Casey for his safety. Capeless also requested then the media not use previous photos taken of Casey.

Casey, who had known Hall for six years after meeting him at the Hells Angels Lee clubhouse, said Hall showed up at his Canaan home in the afternoon of Aug. 28, 2011.

With the two of them sitting in Casey's pick up truck Hall told Casey he killed Glasser.

Casey said Hall said the following:

When he went to shoot Glasser he was holding Glasser's head with a gun pointed to it. He pulled the trigger but the gun didn't fire. Glasser took off into the woods.

He told one of the other guys to go after Glasser. One guy was "on Glasser real quick" and shot Glasser but didn't kill him. The man brought him back to Hall. (Casey thinks Hall said "Davey" was on Glasser real quick.)

He yelled at the man who caught and shot Glasser, saying "Hey, he was for me."

When Glasser was brought back to him, he was holding him and Glasser was begging for his life and saying he wouldn't testify. He shot him, saying he told Glasser what would happen if he testified.

After he killed Glasser they were cutting up the bodies. After they cut Glasser's head off he was holding up the head in his hands and saying how ugly he was with no teeth.

One of the guys really enjoyed torturing, cutting them up.

Casey went on to say Hall told him if he helped bury the men's remains his (Casey's) sister Teresa Cunigan and her boyfriend Scott Langdon would be alright.

Langdon participated with Hall in the 2010 failed scheme to frame Glasser and was a witness against Hall in that case, Casey said.

On Monday Aug. 29 Casey met Hall and Chalue at the home of a Alan Pavoni, Casey's friend, in Becket.

Hall drove his car, with the bags containing the men's remains, to Daniel Cole's Becket property where Casey was doing work that month and had his excavator. Cole was not there.

Casey dug a hole, about four feet deep, three feet wide and eight feet long.

There was a ledge on the bottom prevented him from going down any further.

Hall loaded the bags into the excavator and Casey dumped them in the hole. Casey covered them up with the dirt and rocks he had taken out to make the hole.

When he was told Hall was under arrest he told police where the bodies were buried but didn't say he was involved.

Funeral planned for Destiny Gonzalez, 7, killed in Springfield car accident; donations to aid family top $15K

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A fund set up to aid the Gonzalez family with funeral costs and living expenses has so far raised $15,000.


SPRINGFIELD - The funeral of Destiny A. Gonzalez, the 7-year-old Springfield girl who died after being hit by a car as she crossed State Street with her mother and 8-year-old cousin, is planned for noon Tuesday at Holy Name Church, 323 Dickinson St.

Gonzalez, according to her obituary published Monday in The Republican, was the daughter of Luis and Sagrario Caceres Gonzalez.

Calling hours will be Tuesday from 10 - 11:15 AM at Sampson's Chapel of the Acres, 21 Tinkham Road. The burial will be at the Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 421 Tinkham Road following the funeral service.

Destiny died Wednesday at Baystate Medical Center, two days after she was gravely injured in the accident, which occurred at about 5:30 p.m. on State Street near the Springfield Library.

Sagrario Gonzalez was also seriously injured in the accident, as was the 8-year-old cousin, whose name has not been disclosed to the press.

The driver of the car that struck them, Sandra S. Zemtsova of West Springfield, was arrested at the scene and charged with drunken driving. Following Destiny's death, Zemtsova's charges have been amended to include vehicular homicide.

According to her obituary, Destiny leaves her parents, a brother and sister, her grandparents, and many other relatives.

She was second grade student at Elias Brookings Elementary Magnet School

The obituary notes she loved "hugs & kisses, reading, stuffed animals, music, dancing, her mom and dad, brother and sister, her little dog Parker, and her "My Little Pony".

Luis and Sagrario Gonzalez are each long-time employees in the kitchen at The Student Prince restaurant in downtown Springfield.

Employees there last week started an on-line campaign to raise money to pay for the cost of Destiny's funeral and to aid the family with any living expenses in the next few months.

The Gonzalez Family Tragedy Fund, through Monday morning has raised $15,805.

People can also mail checks directly to the account at Nuvo Bank care of Shaun K. Allen - Gonzalez Family Tragedy Fund, Nuvo Bank, 1500 Main St.,P.O. Box 15209, Springfield, Ma. 01115.


Springfield road construction projects, detours for week of Dec. 8: Construction season winds down

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Motorists are being advised that various road construction projects are expected to cause traffic delays and some detours in Springfield this week.

SPRINGFIELD — Travelers along the following roads could experience delays or detours as the Springfield Department of Public Works, the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission and hired contractors work on road construction and water and sewer improvements during the week of Dec. 8, 2014:

Springfield Department of Public Works Weekly Roadway construction updates

Short Term Projects

No projects anticipated until Spring 2015.

Long Term Projects

  • Boston Road - Utility work and installation of traffic signal equipment at intersections along the corridor will continue between Parker Street and the Wilbraham municipal line. Travel delays are expected along this section of Boston Road.

  • Sumner Avenue, Allen Street, Harkness Avenue and Abbott Street Intersection Improvements - Utility work and the installation of new curbing and construction of traffic islands will happen over the course of the week. Travel Delays are expected.
  • Springfield Water and Sewer Commission Construction Update

    Springfield

    Water and sewer pipe replacement projects

  • Cross Street from Willow Street to Main Street

  • Central Street from Maple Street to Madison Avenue

  • Friends of Mater Dolorosa of Holyoke to hold Christmas party

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    The group continues to wait for the Vatican's highest church to rule on an appeal of the decision to close Mater Dolorosa.

    CHICOPEE - The Friends of Mater Dolorosa will hold it fourth Christmas party on Dec. 14 in its continuing effort to keep the church alive.

    The event will be held starting at 4:30 p.m., Dec. 14 at the Pulaski Club on 13 Norman St. Tickets are $18 a person and the party will feature a Polish buffet and a celebration of Polish American customs.

    The group is leading the effort to re-open the Mater Dolorosa Church in Holyoke, which was closed June 30, 2011. In a number of church closings across the region, the parish was merged with Holy Cross to become Our Lady of the Cross. Members worship at the former Holy Cross church and continue to operate the Mater Dolorosa School.

    Protesters occupied the church on Lyman Street around-the-clock for nearly a year until the Vatican's highest court, the Apostolic Signatura, agreed to hear an appeal on the church closing. It set two conditions, asking the protesters to leave the church and calling for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield to refrain from making any physical changes to the church.

    The Apolistic Signatura still has not made a decision on the appeal.

    The Friends of Mater Dolorosa is also working to create a Polish Heritage District in downtown Holyoke. If accepted, the church would be part of that district.

    Tickets are available by calling (413)536-4181.

    Photos: Crews battle 2 large fires in Los Angeles

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    Crews battled two large fires in Los Angeles early Monday, including a massive one downtown that closed portions of two major freeways

    LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Crews battled two large fires in Los Angeles early Monday, including a massive one downtown that closed portions of two major freeways and blanketed the area in ash and heavy smoke.

    More than 250 firefighters fought the downtown blaze that was sparked at a construction site around 1:20 a.m., Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said. Flames consumed the 7-story wood-framed structure and damaged three floors of an adjacent high-rise before being brought under control within 90 minutes. Portions of U.S. Route 101 and Interstate 110 were shut down for a time over fears that debris might fall into lanes.

    No injuries were reported. The burned structure was planned to be a tall residential building.

    Shortly after 4 a.m. another fire was reported at a mixed-use building about 2 miles to the west. More than 100 firefighters from multiple agencies responded and had the flames under control in less than two hours, according to Chief Deputy Mario D. Rueda.

    One person in a nearby apartment building was treated for minor smoke inhalation, he said.

    Around 10 businesses were housed in the two-story building in the Westlake district and portions of it were being renovated for residential use.

    There were no indications the two incidents were connected, Terrazas said.

    Attorney General's office determines Amherst Regional School Committee violated Open Meeting Law in July

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    The Attorney General's office has ordered Amherst to comply with Open Meeting Law in the future.

    AMHERST - The state Attorney General's office has determined that the Amherst Regional School Committee violated the Open Meeting Law when five of nine members met in July to discuss a memo sent by committee leaders reprimanding Amilcar Shabazz for remarks made at a June 18 meeting.

    Current chairman Trevor Baptiste, who was vice chairman, then convened the meeting to address the July 3 memo sent by Amherst chairwoman Kathrine Appy, acting regional chairman Lawrence O'Brien and Pelham School Committee chairwomen Darius Modestow to committee member Shabazz for comments made at an equity task force meeting June 18.

    At that meeting, the five who attended voted to disavow the process by which the memo was sent because the committee was not involved in the drafting nor did it express their views.

    Only a chairman can call a meeting and it must be posted in the four communities that comprise the district.

    "While it appears that the meeting notice remained posted in Pelham, Shutesbury, and Leverett, the citizens of Amherst did not receive sufficient notice of the meeting," according to the Attorney General ruling.

    The meeting had been posted in Amherst but then cancelled. Dozens attended the meeting from all four communities. 

    According to the state "because a quorum of the Committee met without posting notice of the meeting in all four towns that compose the district, the requirements of the Open Meeting Law were not met.

     "We recognize that a dispute existed as to who had authority to convene a meeting. 

    "The Open Meeting Law is silent on who has the authority to call meetings. We therefore take no position on whether Mr. Baptiste was authorized to convene the special meeting of July 14.

    "However, regardless of who has the authority to convene a meeting, a quorum of a public body may not meet unless the meeting is properly noticed.

    "We order immediate and future compliance with the Open Meeting Law and we caution that

    similar future violations may be considered evidence of intent to violate the Open Meeting Law."

    Former committee member Thomas Flittie filed the notice of complain stating Baptiste "convened the meeting with full knowledge that it had not been posted, which seems to indicate the violation was intentional and premeditated."

    Baptiste could not be reached for comment.

    Ruling on Amherst-Pelham Regional School Committee Open Meeting Law violation

    Lawsuit over contaminated soil at former Honda dealership on King Street in Northampton reportedly settled

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    NORTHAMPTON -- Parties in a long-simmering civil lawsuit over contaminated soil at the former Don Lia Honda site on King Street -- the city's primary highway business corridor -- have reportedly agreed to settle instead of going to trial this month. The case was "reported settled to the court by counsel" on Nov. 6, according to Hampshire Superior Court documents,...

    NORTHAMPTON -- Parties in a long-simmering civil lawsuit over contaminated soil at the former Don Lia Honda site on King Street -- the city's primary highway business corridor -- have reportedly agreed to settle instead of going to trial this month.

    The case was "reported settled to the court by counsel" on Nov. 6, according to Hampshire Superior Court documents, which further state that any agreement for judgment must be filed with the court by January 6. No details on the specific terms of any settlement were contained in the court docket.  Attempts to reach parties to the lawsuit over the weekend were not successful.

    The case had been set for trial this month.

    The civil suit, filed in July 2009, pit plaintiff Don T. Lia of Huntington, N.Y. against Environmental Compliance Services, Inc. (ECS) and the Massachusetts Electric Company. It alleged that ECS, hired by Lia to conduct an environmental site assessment on a 1.65 acre parcel owned by the electric company, failed to identify contaminants on the empty lot, which Lia purchased in 2001 for $710,000. The land acquisition expanded Lia's holdings at 171-187 King Street to three parcels totaling 5.36 acres.

    The suit also alleged that Mass. Electric was the source of the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) discovered on the property in 2005, when an unnamed "potential purchaser or lessee" hired a second environmental consulting firm to conduct an independent assessment.

    In his legal filings, Lia claimed that negligence and breach of contract on the part of ECS left him with a piece of property he couldn't sell. The inches-thick court docket contains numerous motions, answers, filings, and amendments.

    The complaint sought damages, to be determined at trial, for the costs of remediation, investigation, and environmental consultant services, as well as for loss of income and dimunition in the value of the property. Lia also sought a determination that the electric company contaminated the soil through its operation of an electrical substation adjacent to the parcel.

    The site has been vacant since 2004, when Lia sold his business and inventory while holding on to the commercial real estate. For years, a sign in front of the lot advertised its availability.

    Don Lia and his former Northampton Honda dealership have no business connection with Lia Honda at 293 King St., according to previously published reports.

    In 2007, an 87,000 square-foot mixed-used development proposed for the site in 2006 by Berkshire-Noho LLC was declared dead by city officials, The Republican reported. The reasons for the project's failure were never made public. City planning director Wayne Feiden suggested that restrictive zoning and a traffic-related lawsuit filed against Berkshire-Noho by the Florence Savings Bank were factors.

    In 2013, the Department of Environmental Protection fined Lia $15,000 for failing to maintain the integrity of pavement at the former car lot to protect workers and the public from exposure. The asphalt was patched in November of 2013, bringing the property back into compliance, according to DEP records.

    The former showroom and repair facility, vacant since 2004, was demolished this past summer after being condemned June 4 by the city.

    Documents show the three parcels have seen heavy uses over the past century, and that a range of environmental problems remain ranging from hydrocarbons to heavy metals. 

    A "permanent solution" will be implemented at the time of property redevelopment, says a March 9 status report filed with the DEP by EnviroTrac Environmental Services.

    City officials have said they would like to see the sprawling site, which is only a short walk from the city's downtown, developed.

    Northampton's economic development director Terry Masterson said Friday he expected there would be a "lot of interest" in the five-acre site, assessed at around $1.3 million, with news that a settlement is pending. Masterson said his office has fielded numerous inquiries about the site over the years. 

    The property is a short walk from the city's downtown and is the last large, undeveloped plot on King Street, which has seen a wave of revitalization under an improving economy and business-friendly zoning rules adopted by the city council in 2011.

    Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com

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