Michael Santiago was sentenced to 10 to 20 years in state prison after pleading guilty to shooting teen in the head.

SPRINGFIELD - Hampden Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney on Tuesday told Michael Santiago she didn't think a state prison term of 10 to 12 years is enough for him.

Michael Santiago 

Sweeney noted Santiago, whose address was listed in court records as 527 South Bridge St. in Holyoke, had shot a teenager in the head during a home invasion in that city. The victim was treated for several days at a local hospital then released.

"This without question is an extreme," she said.

Sweeney told Santiago and his lawyer Erin Boylan she planned to sentence Santiago to 10 to 20 years in state prison followed by five years probation.

She said she kept the minimum number low recognizing "the real concerns" of the home invasion victims if they had to testify at trial.

Santiago was given the opportunity to withdraw his guilty plea since Sweeney went over the recommendation of the prosecution. But he decided to accept the 10- to 20-year sentence.

She told Santiago, 24, his future would be in his own hands and that of the state Parole Board. She noted Santiago's behavior in prison would most likely affect what happens when he asks for parole.

Santiago pleaded guilty to home invasion, armed assault with intent to murder, armed assault in a dwelling, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and two illegal firearms charges with prior violent or drug crimes.

In the days after the home invasion Holyoke police asked for the public's help in locating Santiago, calling him a "violent suspect" in the shooting the 16-year-old male who suffered a head wound.

Assistant District Attorney Eduardo Velazquez said that the home invasion took place March 23, 2014, at 569 South Canal St.

Police were called to a disturbance and found the 16 year old bleeding from the left side of his head.

He said the door to the apartment in which he was with his mother was kicked open and three men with guns entered.

Santiago, who the woman in the apartment knew, shot the young man, Velazquez said.

He said Santiago is a member of the gang La Familia and there was a long feud between the victims and that gang. In a previous hearing for Santiago Velazquez said the woman held the gang responsible for the death of a loved one.

Boylan asked Sweeney to sentence Santiago to the agreed upon recommendation of 10 to 12 years. She said there was a history of bad relations between Santiago and the family of the home invasion victims.

As part of its mission Amherst Together is asking people to submit poems for the poetry windows at the Boltwood Walk Parking Garage.

AMHERST - Since July, Carol Ross has been doing a lot of listening and a lot of information collecting.

But she said she is happy with the progress that Amherst Together is making.

She was hired by the town and the schools as the media and climate communications specialist to foster collaboration to help create a community in which people feel like they belong.

She met with the Select Board recently for a brief update and then Tuesday answered questions.

She expects that they will have finished collecting data on the community survey in April. The survey was developed with a public participation class in the Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning Department at the University of Massachusetts. She will get help from Amherst College in interpreting the data as well.

They need about 75 more to answer it from targeted neighborhoods. The survey is intended to find out what the community's values are to get a sense of the kind of community people want to see. That will help lead to a larger conversation later.

And on April 15, they are bringing Fanshen Cox DiGiovanni to the Amherst Regional Middle School at 7 p.m. for a free one-woman performance called "One Drop of Love."

Produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, the show incorporates "filmed images, photographs and animation to tell the story of how the notion of race came to be in the United Sates and how it affected her relationship with her father," according to a press release

As Ross said in a press release describing the show as well as in her interview, her work is not just about race.

It's "community, collaboration, equity and inclusion." Ross wants people of all races and ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities or different sexual identities, from all socio economic backgrounds feel like they belong in this community.

"There are many different kinds of conversations occurring in our community regarding identity. Not everything is black or white, literally and figuratively."

 As part of its mission Amherst Together is asking people to submit poems for the poetry windows at the Boltwood Walk Parking Garage.

Called the "2015 Eyes are the Window Digital Poetry Exhibition," it is a collaboration with the Amherst Public Art Commission.

The theme is identity and Ross said they are using the Shakespeare quote "The eyes are the window to the soul" to ask the question "when I look into your eyes, what will I see?"

People are asked to visit the Amherst together website for information on how to submit. Poem boxes are also available at the Jones Library from now until April 30.

Ross said so much about building Amherst Together is looking at "are we having the right conversations, are we asking the right questions."

Town Manager John P. Musante also said he's pleased with the project and with what Ross has been doing. "It's about equity and inclusion, about outreach for people to feel comfortable about engaging."  

And both said that takes time. 

Vendor and sponsor fees were to go to a scholarship named for an environmental science teacher who died in 2013.

HOLYOKE -- An "eco-fair" that was to focus on environmental science topics at Holyoke Community College has been cancelled because of a lack of interest, an organizer said.

"It would have been a worthwhile event - with participants - but that is the important factor that was not coming together," said Jeffery Anderson-Burgos, student senate president at Holyoke Community College (HCC).

"Eco-Fair @ HCC" had been scheduled for April 22.

The event was to consist of students giving demonstrations based on projects or research on the topics of sustainability and environmental sciences completed in one of their classes, he said.

Sustainable energy is energy that is produced using the sun, wind, etc., or from crops, rather than using fuels such as oil or coal which cannot be replaced, according to Cambridge Dictionaries Online.

Vendor and sponsor fees were to go to the Gary Beluzo Memorial Scholarship, a fund administered through the HCC Foundation and named for an environmental science teacher who died in 2013.

This event was to be an expansion of student-run efforts related to recycling of electronics to help fund the scholarship, Anderson-Burgos said.

Greater Springfield gained 3,800 jobs on the month, for a gain of 1.2 percent. The region is up 5,200 jobs on the year, up 1.6 percent.

This story follows: Springfield unemployment falls to 9.6 percent, region gains jobs

SPRINGFIELD - Greater Springfield saw its unemployment rate fall to 6.4 percent from 6.7 percent in January and from 7.8 percent a year ago in February 2014, according to statistics released Tuesday by the state Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Greater Springfield gained 3,800 jobs on the month, for a gain of 1.2 percent. The region is up 5,200 jobs on the year, up 1.6 percent.

The following are the regional job gains and losses by sector of the economy.

Over the month:
Four sectors which gained jobs over the month were:

• Government 2,900 or +4.6% (+2,800 last year)
• Education and Health Services 1,600 or +2.1% (+1,400 last year)
• Professional, Scientific, and Business Services 500 or +2.0% (+300 last year)
• Leisure and Hospitality 500 or +1.9% (+500 last year)

The two sectors in which jobs remain unchanged were:

• Information (0 last year)
• Financial Activities (0 last year)

The four sectors which lost jobs were:

• Trade, Transportation, and Utilities -1,100 or -1.9% (-800 last year)
• Mining, Logging and Construction -300 or -3.2% (-400 last year)
• Manufacturing -200 or -0.7% (-300 last year)
• Other Services -100 or -0.8% (+100 last year)

Over the year:

The six sectors which gained jobs over the year were:

• Education and Health Services 4,100 or +5.7% (+1,600 last year)
• Government 1,800 or +2.8% (+1,700 last year)
• Professional, Scientific, and Business Services 900 or +3.7% (-100 last year)
• Mining, Logging and Construction 700 or +8.2% (-200 last year)
• Other Services 300 or +2.5% (+700 last year)
• Financial Activities 100 or +0.6% (+900 last year)

The one sector in which jobs remain unchanged was:
Information (-200 last year)

The three sectors which lost jobs were:

• Manufacturing -1,000 or -3.4% (-1,000 last year)
• Leisure and Hospitality -900 or -3.2% (+1,000 last year)
• Trade, Transportation, and Utilities -800 or -1.4% (-200 last year)

The detour in the Sumner Avenue-Allen Street intersection area is expected to last approximately two months.

SPRINGFIELD -- The city is advising motorists to plan for a detour and expected traffic delays, beginning Monday, for the resumption of a major intersection reconstruction project at Sumner Avenue, Allen Street, Abbott Street and Harkness Avenue.

Beginning Monday, March 30, the section of Allen Street between Clement Street and Gillette Avenue will be closed to aid the reconstruction of the intersection, said James J. Czach, city engineer.

Car traffic will be directed to the signalized intersection of Sumner Avenue and Allen Street where motorists can make a right turn onto Allen Street.

Truck traffic will be detoured westbound along Sumner Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue and then back to Allen Street.

Left turns from Sumner Avenue onto Allen Street at this intersection will be restricted, Czach said.

It is estimated that this detour will be in place for approximately two months.

Access will be maintained for residences and businesses, Czach said.

Emmanuel Bile, 21, faces three counts of aggravated rape in connection with the October 13, 2012 incident in Pierpont dormitory at UMass.

NORTHAMPTON — A state police crime lab chemist told jurors Tuesday that a rape kit collected from a University of Massachusetts student who says she was raped in her dorm room by four Pittsfield teenagers included a vaginal swab that tested positive for the presence of semen.

The witness, retired state police chemist Lynne Sarty, said she examined swabs taken from that rape kit in December 2012. Sarty did not name the defendant — 21-year-old Emmanuel Toffee Bile — as the source of the semen. Prosecutor Jennifer Suhl told Judge C. Jeffrey Kinder that a DNA expert she plans to call to the stand Wednesday will make that identification.

Suhl also said the first witness she will call Wednesday will be the woman in the case.

Bile, 21, faces three counts of aggravated rape in connection with the October 13, 2012, incident in Pierpont dormitory at UMass. He is the first of four alleged assailants to stand trial.

Justin A. King, 21, Adam T. Liccardi, 20, and Caleb Womack, 20, are scheduled to follow. All are charged with three counts of aggravated rape except for Liccardi, who is also charged with an additional count of rape.

Bile admitted in a police interview that he had sex with the woman at the same time as the others, but believed it was consensual. He said he stopped when she said no. The defendants are accused to penetrating her in three parts of her body while she phased in and out of consciousness during a night of heavy drinking.

Also on Tuesday, Baystate Medical Center nurse Lou Rios, who is qualified as a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE), said she examined the student two days after the incident. The student complained about pain in her vaginal and anal areas, Rios testified. Rios said she found redness in the woman's vaginal area but could not compare it to other instances of vaginal redness when asked by defense lawyer David Pixley.

The maximum sentence for conviction of aggravated rape is life in prison.

Ask supports to contact state legislators.

Advocates for adult mental health resource centers, funded by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health through an umbrella program, are asking supporters to contact legislators to prevent the program's budget from being slashed in half in Gov. Charlie Baker's proposed budget for the next fiscal year. The budget is currently before the House Ways & Means Committee, and supporters say its proposals might force the closure of resource centers created through Recovery Learning Communities.

Currently six Recovery Learning Communities share a budget of $3.4 million. The program's funding dates to 2007, and the communities' centers are described as offering peer-to-peer support for individuals who have had a psychiatric diagnosis or have experienced addiction or a trauma and need to access resources. The communities' centers are designed to give immediate assistance to anyone with such needs, supporters say, as no medical referrals are required to access them. The network of support is said to save money by reducing hospital re-admissions, and for reaching individuals who might not otherwise access services. The Western Massachusetts Recovery Learning Community has used its funds, primarily from the DMH, to operate centers in Springfield, Holyoke, Greenfield and Pittsfield. There is also peer respite, that is, a 24-hour alternative to hospitalization, in Northampton.

A release from the communities calls the proposed budget's level of reduction "unprecedented and would serve as an incapacitating blow, including shutting down centers and other much needed and well utilized supports throughout Massachusetts."

Baker's draft budget has drawn criticisms for its proposed cuts in other areas of mental health care.

Boston's Olympic bid is likely to go to a public vote in 2016, with both supporters and opponents saying they will collect signatures for a referendum.

BOSTON - Boston's Olympic bid is likely to go to a public vote in 2016, with both supporters and opponents saying they will collect signatures for a referendum.

"Boston 2024 believes that the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be good for Boston, and will create thousands of jobs, drive economic development, and serve as a catalyst for the long-term plans of Boston," said Boston 2024 Chairman John Fish in a statement on Tuesday. "As we pursue this goal, we are committed to the highest level of transparency and accountability. For those reasons, Boston 2024 is announcing today that we will gather signatures to put Boston's Olympic and Paralympic bid to a statewide vote in November of 2016."

Until now, it has been primarily opponents of bringing the 2024 Summer Olympics to Boston who supported a referendum. United Independent Party Chairman Evan Falchuk spearheaded an initiative to bring the bid to a statewide vote.

Boston 2024's statement comes as polling finds public support dropping for the bid. Boston 2024 has been criticized for a lack of public openness and transparency.

Gov. Charlie Baker, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stan Rosenberg on Monday took steps toward hiring an outside consultant to look out for the state's interests in the bid process.

Boston 2024 backers said they will make their case to voters through the referendum process. "The bid will be stronger with a majority of citizens of Massachusetts and Boston in support," said Boston 2024 CEO Rich Davey in a statement. The group pledged not to go forward with the bid if a majority of voters vote against it.

No Boston Olympics, a group formed to oppose the Olympic bid, said in a statement, "No Boston Olympics has always supported providing voters with a voice on the bid, and we are glad to see Boston2024 embrace that idea after months of rejecting it."

Chris Dempsey, co-chair of No Boston Olympics, said his group plans to work with Boston 2024 to see if there is language for the question that both sides can agree on.

"We think it's important the language that's crafted shows the pros and the cons of an Olympic bid," Dempsey said.

Dempsey said his group wants any ballot question to include language saying that a bid requires a financial guarantee from taxpayers. Boosters of the bid say they will buy insurance so taxpayers do not end up on the hook if there are cost overruns.

Whether or not the question will be binding depends on the language.

Brian McNiff, a spokesman for Secretary of State William Galvin, said voters can create a new law. But a question like "Should Boston host the Olympics?" would only be advisory. An advisory question must go through the Legislature, while any citizens' group that collects around 75,000 signatures can put a new law on the books.

Boston Mayor Martin Walsh originally opposed a referendum, but then said he would not block one. Walsh said Monday that if there is a referendum, he will support the will of voters. "Whatever the voters decide is how I feel we should proceed," Walsh said.

Gov. Charlie Baker has said he supports the referendum process.

The combination of snow from February still on the ground, temperatures rising about freezing and rain on the way means the region is likely to have some very wet days.

Max Coleman, 13, and his sister Hannah Coleman, 12, both of Easthampton, came to see rising waters at Fort Hill Road on Wednesday, April 16, 2014. For a gallery of images of flooding along the Connecticut River, visit masslive.com/photos(John Suchocki / The Republican) 

SPRINGFIELD - The combination of a rain in the forecast and snow on the ground means the Connecticut River valley is likely to rising water levels in rivers and streams and maybe some flooding over the next few days, according to the Northeast River Forecast Center.

The forecast center, a unit of the National Weather Service, on Tuesday issued a warning about the possibility of "significant river rises" over the next few days.

The combination of snow from February still on the ground, temperatures rising about freezing and rain on the way means the region is likely to have some very wet days.

The center is predicting the region could see 1 to 1.25 inches of rain in the next few days and temperatures in the 50s "could greatly enhance snow melt, especially across southern New England and southeastern New York."

River levels are almost certain to rise, but according to Ronald Horwood, senior hydrometeorologist for the river forecast center, the possibility of flooding is minimal.

"I don't think it will be that bad," he said. "We're not expecting major flooding."

He said any significant rising of water levels is most likely to remain within the river banks, although there is a chance of minor flooding in some flood-prone areas.

He said it is hard to say what the flood season will look like.

There was obviously a lot of snow in February and much of it is still on the ground.
As temperatures rise above freezing, any snow on the ground gets ready to melt. Any significant rainfall will only speed up the process, he said.

The amount of snow still on the ground in places would convert to 3 to 5 inches of water if it melted immediately, he said.

The Northeast River Forecast site shows real-time data of river levels throughout the region based on information from monitoring stations. As of Tuesday, not of the monitors were showing rivers near flood stage.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for rain beginning Wednesday and continuing through Friday. The heaviest rainfall is expected on Thursday. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-40s on Wednesday and Friday, and reach the mid-50s by Thursday.

Three months after ordering the date of Holyoke Public Schools review be moved up, the top education official in the state has asked the board of education to vote on receivership.

FITCHBURG -- Three months after ordering the date of Holyoke Public Schools review be moved up, the top education official in the state has asked the board of education to consider receivership for the district.

"I'm going to ask this board to take a vote on receivership," Education Commissioner Mitchell Chester said at the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education monthly meeting on Tuesday. 

He held off on sharing a recommendation on whether he'd like the district to be placed in receivership or stay under local control. Chester said he will share his opinion after he has a chance to hear more public comment on the issue.

"I take local control very seriously. This is a cherished idea in Massachusetts," he said. "I do this only having considered very thoroughly the likelihood of benefits." 

While Chester can ask the board to vote on receivership and share his preferred outcome, the board ultimately decides who will control Holyoke Public Schools by the state of the 2015-16 school year.

At Tuesday's meeting, board members discussed the recent review of Holyoke schools and shared concerns about both outcomes.

Board Member David Roach brought up the relationship between school administrators and union leadership, which the review team said is hindering progress.

"The changes initiated in Holyoke are intended to be substantive and sweeping," the report reads. "However, progress in advancing district initiatives is being slowed by an absence of meaningful teacher involvement and constructive participation by the Holyoke Teachers' Association. Further, to date little data demonstrates the initiatives' impact on student achievement."

"If we don't see any effort to collaborate it really doesn't leave us any options," Roach said. "Improvement doesn't come out of a non-collaborative effort."

He added, "I would identify that as the most troubling issue."

Other board members asked about the Holyoke school community's thoughts on receivership and how that compared to Lawrence before the district was placed in receivership.

Like in Holyoke, Chester said the Lawrence School Committee and teachers union opposed receivership. Then-Mayor William Lantigua was in support of a state takeover when the board approved the action. Unlike Lawrence leadership, Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse spoke of the importance of local control in his state of the city last month. 

Board Member James O'S. Morton, of Springfield, brought up the walkout at Holyoke High School that occurred during their meeting.

"We're hearing now that some Holyoke students are opposed to it," Morton said at approximately 9:45 a.m., a half-hour after some Holyoke High students walked out of school. "Were students in Lawrence opposed to it as well?"

Chester said he didn't know.

Former chairwoman of the board Margaret McKenna shifted the conversation to district employee retention. "If we takeover receivership, will everyone have to reapply for their jobs?" she asked.

Not exactly, Chester said. The law allows for them to do so, but this wasn't the action taken for the entire district, only in a few schools.

McKenna said regardless of the board's decision she hopes many Holyoke teachers stay on. "When I looked at them, I was extremely encouraged," she said. Citing data from the HPS review she said, "99 percent of teachers knew their content. That's extremely high."

Even in very underperforming districts, Chester said he has never visited a school where he hasn't met fantastic teachers and that individual teachers are not representative of the district at a larger level. 

He added that approximately two-thirds of Lawrence teachers are still with the district, despite longer work days and new employment contracts. 

At a recent Reclaim Our Schools meeting, several Holyoke teachers said they - and their colleagues - are looking for new jobs, fearing they will lose their current positions.

Several board members asked the commissioner and Rob Curtin, whose department conducted the review, where they saw "pockets of excellence." 

Curtin said the review team considers Superintendent of Schools Sergio Paez's office as an "area of strength." He said such improvements come with Paez filling the position in the summer of 2013 and also from the district following the state's excellerated improvement plan. 

Crediting district success to the state and other comments by state officials, angered a Holyoke School Committee member in attendance. 

When Curtin said the state hasn't heard from the Holyoke business community on this issue, Ward 7 School Committee member Erin Brunelle interjected. She told the board that the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce did send a letter in support of local control, detailing concerns of how receivership would affect the local economy. 

This comment, and several others led the newly appointed chairman Paul Sagan to bang his gavel multiple times and ask her to "be respectful." 

Brunelle said she was correcting errors being presented to the board. "Information being relayed is false."

Sagan said, "You will not be recognized. You will be asked to leave if you keep speaking." He asked Brunelle to sit down, which she refused to do. She continued to stand in the back of the room for the rest of the discussion. 

Brunelle was one of several Holyoke schools representatives in attendance. Paez, Assistant Superintendent Paul Hyry-Dermith and Director of Student Services Gina Roy attended the meeting. Holyoke Teachers Association President Gus Morales was also in attendance, as were a few other teachers. 

Morales said other teachers had planned to take personal days to attend the meeting but felt deterred by comments made by Paez encouraging the school community to stay silent during the meeting. 

With the commissioner's recommendation for the board to consider receivership, the board will take several weeks to weigh their options. Before the vote, there will also be a public forum held to discuss the issue. A date for the public forum has not yet been set. 

As her final comment before leaving, Brunelle asked the board to "please hold it in Western Massachusetts." 

Regarding the vote they need to consider, Sagan said to his fellow board members, "Do we believe that the current path has a chance of getting to the result we want for the children fast enough? We're going to examine that and debate that." 

He added, "On average, the results are simply not acceptable and the rate is simply not acceptable." 

Hampden Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ford sentenced Giselle Albelo to two years in jail, but suspended the jail term with two months probation.

SPRINGFIELD - Hampden Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ford said Tuesday he did not believe incarceration was necessary for perjurer Giselle Albelo, 30.

Albelo pleaded guilty to one count of perjury in connection with the Charles Wilhite murder case.

Ford sentenced Albelo to two years in jail, but suspended the jail term with two months probation.

Alberto Rodriguez was fatally shot in 2008 outside a Pine Street market.

In December 2010, Wilhite was convicted of first-degree murder, along with co-defendant Angel Herndandez.

In 2012, Wilhite was granted a new trial, and at that trial, in January 2013, he was acquitted of murder.

Assistant District Attorney Eileen M. Sears said at a grand jury proceeding Albelo said she saw Wilhite shoot Rodrguez. At Wilhite's 2010 trial she said she was at home and never saw the shooting.

Sears said that kind of perjury "strikes at the core" of the justice system.

She said Albelo either contributed to the incarceration of an innocent man or caused a guilty man to be released.

Sears said when people come to testify they take an oath. "When you lie it's a problem," she said.

Sears asked for a two year jail sentence with one year to be served and the rest suspended with three years probation.

Defense lawyer Susan Hamilton asked that the case be continued without a finding for a year.

She said Albelo has no criminal record, works at Dunkin' Donuts, and lives with her husband and three children ages 11, 8 and 3.

Hamilton said at the time of the grand jury Albelo and her family were being threatened by a woman in the neighborhood - who was a friend or relative of the victim - to identify Wilhite as the shooter.

"She did the right thing at trial," Hamilton said of Albelo's testimony she didn't see the shooting.

As for the perjury indictment against Albelo, Hamilton said, "I can't tell you what a travesty this case is."

She said Albelo was only indicted after the prosecution lost the second Wilhite murder trial in 2013. She said if the state wanted to charge Albelo with perjury it could have done so in 2010 after the first trial.

"It's a difficult case for the court," Ford said. "I agree with Ms. Sears perjury in a capital case is a very serious thing."

He said on the other hand Albelo has no record, is working and has three young children. He said Hamilton did a good job of presenting her client's situation.

Ford said the charge was too serious for him to continue the case without a finding.

On Monday Ford sentenced Nathan Perez, 23, to two to three years in state prison after Perez pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury.

Those charges were in connection with his testimony at the 2010 murder trial and 2013 retrial of Wilhite for Rodriguez's fatal shooting. At the first trial Perez said he saw Wilhite shoot Rodriguez. Afterwards he recanted that scenario and said he did not see Wilhite shoot the victim.

Ford said Albelo's situation is different than Perez, since she had no criminal record.

The consolidation proposal received initial approval several weeks ago but need a second vote for formal adoption.

WESTFIELD - Water Resources Superintendent David S. Billips will stay on as interim superintendent of the Department of Public Works while city officials decide the fate of a proposal to consolidate several departments.

Billips resigned the interim position last Friday after the City Council delayed, on Thursday night, final approval for consolidation of municipal departments involved in public works operations. Billips, interim DPW director since August following the retirement of former DPW Superintendent James Mulvenna, said the resignation was based on what he believed is a "lack of support" for the consolidation or creating greater efficiency in DPW operations.

But, Billips said today he will remain as interim superintendent and continue work towards City Council approval of the consolidation effort.

Mayor Daniel M. Knapik said he met with Billips Monday and agreed "It is in the best interest of the department and the city if he continues to serve as acting superintendent in the coming weeks. Particularly the construction season.

"I am very pleased that Dave has agreed to continue in this capacity," Knapik said.

City Council president Brian P. Sullivan said "I believe we are working through some misunderstandings and miscommunications. I am happy to hear Dave will stay and will work hard to make sure all of the City Council questions get answered in hopes of moving forward with the reorganization of departments."

Billips said this afternoon "I appreciate the support we have received in the past but there are issues." He said he has decided to stay in his capacity as interim DPW superintendent after meeting with the mayor.

"I am staying on for now and will see how support will be from the City Council," Billips said.

He said if the consolidation succeeds and the city advertises for a permanent DPW superintendent that he may be a candidate for the job.

Billips and other city officials have been working on a consolidation effort since Mulvenna retired. The proposal, which received initial approval from the City Council several weeks ago, will merge the departments of water, waste water, highway and part of the Health Department. The recommendation came from a recent management study of the municipal departments.

The program lets students with disabilities interact with students outside their usual circle.

HOLYOKE -- The 12th annual Holyoke High School Special Education Skating Program will begin Thursday (March 26) at 9:30 a.m.at Fitzpatrick's Skating Arena, 575 Maple St.

"Students from Holyoke High School, including over 30 students with disabilities, will return to the rink this year to learn and enjoy the magic of ice skating," Mark Fournier, a retired adaptive physical education teacher, said in an email Monday.

Besides teachers and others helping students skate, the process includes the use of eight handicapped-equipped skate sleds and walkers to facilitate students' skating, he said.

The program lets students with cognitive and physical impairments exercise and socialize with students from outside their usual circle, he said.

"The coordination of mainstream students and special education students within the high school has enriched the program for all participants. This program has developed into a perfect inclusion experience for all the high school students involved," he said.

Mayor Alex B. Morse said he was eager to participate in the event again this year.

"All students, no matter their ability, should be exposed to programming and activity of all sorts. I commend the staff of the (public schools) for their work and commitment. Nothing beats seeing the joy and happiness on the students' faces while they participate in the skating," Morse said.

Also scheduled to participate are School Superintendent Sergio Paez, Assistant Superintendent Paul Hyry-Dermith, Special Education Director Carol Hepworth and Stephen Sullivan, acting Holyoke High principal, Fournier said.

Court records state Paterson and others tampered with the monitors at least a dozen times to either avoid detection by environmental watchdogs conducting emissions audits or to maintain the plant's profitability.

SPRINGFIELD - A former technician for Berkshire Power in Agawam pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to conspiracy and several counts of violation the Clean Air Act, in connection with tinkering with the emissions systems to avoid running afoul of environmental regulations.

Scott Paterson, 44, of Manchester, Conn., pleaded guilty after signing an agreement with prosecutors that suggested he will likely testify against others in the case. However, the only other onetime employee of the natural gas-fired power plant who has been charged is Fred Baker, 51, of Southampton, its former operations and maintenance manager. But, Paterson also has signed a plea deal.

The case is being prosecuted jointly by the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Massachusetts Attorney General's office. The charging documents state that between 2008 and 2011 Paterson tweaked hourly emissions monitors so that readings registered .5 percent above and below its high and low values. The monitor served to insure the levels were within acceptable, government-mandated levels. Included in the pollutants it measured were nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and ammonia.

Paterson made the changes at the behest of higher-ups at the company, according to court records.

Longtime Berkshire Power General Manager Frank Basile died in an accidental drowning in Pennsylvania in 2012.

Berkshire Power is run by Power Plant Management Services LLC, a conglomerate that manages 17 power plants across the country, according to its website.

Court records state Paterson and others tampered with the monitors at least a dozen times to either avoid detection by environmental watchdogs conducting emissions audits or to maintain the plant's profitability. The staff did this rather than make the necessary repairs and to keep the plant running at full throttle, prosecutors said. However, the emissions were becoming so persnickety that even the periodic tweaks weren't fixing the problem.

"By later in 2010, even the tampering ... and the repeated adjustments of the (emissions) monitors were not sufficient to allow the plant to run at full power and have emissions data that was within the hourly permissible limits," court records read.

John Pucci, an attorney for Baker, was present in the courtroom for Paterson's plea. Baker has signed a plea deal but his hearing has yet to be scheduled. Pucci has been critical of the government's handling of the case.

Officials with Power Plant Management Services were not immediately available for comment. While Paterson faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, it is unclear whether the company will face fines or sanctions on a corporate level.

On the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's website, there are no compliance violations listed for Berkshire Power. A spokeswoman for the EPA did not immediately respond to a call for comment.

Berkshire Power's former president, Michael Armitage, was in 2011 convicted of fraud in an unrelated case in U.S. District Court. Armitage was sentenced to 66 months in prison for defrauding local banks and failing to file tax returns for 13 years as he made millions off local business deals. He is serving his sentence at a low-security prison camp in Sumterville, Fla., according to the Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

Vision 2017: The Right Direction will be at 4 p.m. at CityStage One Columbus Center downtown.

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield officials and civic boosters plan to detail the growth and change they expect to see here in the next two years at Tuesday's "Springfield Vision 2017: The Right Direction" presentation at CityStage.

The event is a a follow-up to last year's "A City on the Rise" presentation, which detailed $2.766 billion worth of construction and redevelopment projects across the city either recently completed, under construction or about to get underway.

"Vision 2017: The Right Direction" will be at 4 p.m. at CityStage, One Columbus Center. It's going to be presented largely by city chief development Officer Keven Kennedy, with remarks by Mayor Domenic Sarno.

Kennedy will focus on the expected impact of projects including MGM Springfield, expected to open in late 2017, and the CNR Changchun Railway Vehicles factory, expected to be built in 2017 and ready to start producing new cars for the MBTA in early 2018.

"At the end of 2017, it is going to be a completely renovated city," Kennedy said.

He'll talk a lot about the need for and the opportunity to build market-rate housing.

There will be video detailing what Union Station will look like post renovation.

He won't just focus on downtown, and will also talk about potential projects at The X and in Indian Orchard.

Paul Silva and Delcie Bean will talk about their visions for the The Springfield Innovation Cafe to be built at 270 Bridge St. along with co-working space. They'll also discuss the larger-scale idea for an innovation district in the nearby neighborhood devastated by the 2012 gas explosion.

Vision 2017 is hosted also hosted by the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield.

As a new feature for this presentation, Kennedy and the chamber will distribute surveys asking a series of open-ended questions concerning Springfield's development priorities and opportunities.

"The economics of Springfield are changing," Kennedy said.

Jesus Pena pleaded guilty to five counts of rape of a child, three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, and one count of distributing obscene matter to a minor.

Buffy Spencer | bspencer@repub.com 

SPRINGFIELD - Jesus Pena, 41, of Springfield, on Wednesday admitted to raping and indecently assaulting two young girls.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ford adopted the agreed upon sentence recommendation of prosecution and defense and sentenced Pena to seven to nine years in state prison followed by five years probation.

Pena pleaded guilty to five counts of rape of a child, three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, and one count of distributing obscene matter to a minor.

The latter count was for showing pornographic videos to one of the girls.

Assistant District Attorney Matthew W. Green told Ford in December 2013 one of the girls told her mother Pena had sexually abused her.

Then the first girl's sister also told her mother about abuse by Pena.

Green said one of the girls who reported a recent rape by Pena was taken to the hospital for a sexual assault kit.

He said DNA recovered as part of the kit matched Pena.

With both victims the indecent assault and batteries began when they were between six and eight years old. For one victim the first rape was when she was 12 years old. For another it was at age 11.

The girls were ages 12 and 15 at the time they disclosed the rapes and indecent assaults, first to their mother and then to investigators.

Green said in crafting the punishment for Pena he took into account the desire of the girls and their mother not to be "retraumatized" by recounting the details at a trial, although he said they were willing to testify.

"To tell the court they were reluctant is an understatement," he said.

He said the family had relocated and the mother is looking forward to an end to this case.

Defense lawyer Jared Olanoff said in 2006 Pena was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder.

He said the severe mental illness, when not being controlled by medication, changes how people think.

Olanoff said Pena suffered paranoid delusions and hallucinations.

"His reality was quite different than what was going on around him," Olanoff said.

He said Pena "certainly feels a great deal of shame and guilt."

Robert Arieti worked at Springfield City Hall for 33 years including 28 years as a council aide.

SPRINGFIELD - Robert Arieti, who served as a City Council administrative aide for three decades, was remembered Wednesday as the epitome of a public servant - hard working, humble and respectful.

Arieti, 64, a lifelong resident of Springfield, died Tuesday after a battle with cancer and after a City Hall career that spanned 33 years including 28 years as an administrative aide to the council. He retired from City Hall in November of 2013.

Former Councilor William T. Foley, who served 28 years on the council, said he developed a good friendship with Arieti over the years and saw him a number of times recently.

"He was always a good friend, a very efficient workers and someone who was very loyal to the City Council and always watched out for our interests," Foley said.

Arieti was skillful at having the answers or getting the answers needed by the councilors and by the public, Foley said.

"Anything to do with politics and City Hall, he usually knew the answer," Foley said. "He knew his baseball, any subject; he was a very well-read person and very intelligent."

Councilor Timothy Rooke, who worked with Arieti as a council aide before becoming a councilor, said Arieti was "just a very humble individual in every sense of the word."

"Bob Arieti was a tremendous human being and made friends very easily," Rooke said. "He was a sports fanatic and had an eye for picking winners. His only flaw was that he was a Yankees fan."

Rooke also described Arieti as someone who would do whatever he could to help a friend or family member.

William Metzger, who retired after a long career as city clerk in Springfield, hired Arieti as a council aide.

"He was a person I never had one complaint about in all the years I worked with him," Metzger said. "He spent many, many hours at City Hall, second to none. He knew how to handle the public, and did it very well in a respectful manner."

Both Rooke and Metzger said that Arieti worked as professional baseball scout in the Northeast.

Metzger said that Arieti knew how to deal with the public "and did it in a respectful manner," even after some votes led to angry phone calls to the council office.

"He was the guy at the end of the phone," Metzger said. "I highly respected him and so did his co-workers."

The funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m., from the Tazzini Funeral Home, with a Funeral Mass at Holy Name Church at noon.

Calling hours will be held on the morning of the funeral from 9:30 to 11 a.m.

Memorial contributions in Arieti's name can be made to Make-A-Wish, 181 Park Ave., Suite 12, West Springfield, MA 01089.

Buchanon, wanted for the March 11 stabbing death of Salina Merritt of Springfield, is believed to be still in Western Massachusetts.

SPRINGFIELD - Police announced on Wednesday they have obtained a district court arrest warrant for a 46-year-old man considered a suspect in the March 11 stabbing death of Salina Merritt and the assault on two other people in a house in lower Forest Park.

Salina MerrittSubmitted photo 

Police spokesman Sgt. John Delaney said police have obtained warrants for Erick L. Buchanon, no known address, on charges of murder, and two counts each of armed assault and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

He is accused of stabbing Merritt and two other people, an unnamed man and woman, during a disturbance at 356 Belmont Ave. just before 1 a.m. on March 11.

Police were called to the area by separate 911 calls moments apart. The first involved a 27-year-old woman with serious stab injuries on Fairfield Street., and the second involved a 29-year-old man with stab injuries on lower Belmont Ave. The two people each told police they had just been stabbed at 356 Belmont Ave., and when police went there to investigate, they found Merritt's body.

Merritt's death was the sixth homicide of the year. There have been two since, including one on Wednesday in the city's North End, which brings the total to eight for the year. In 2014, there were 14 homicides.

Delaney said the homicide is considered to be domestic related but did not elaborate.
Buchanon is believed to be still somewhere in Western Massachusetts, Delaney said. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone knowing his whereabouts should call the Springfield police Major Crime Unit at (413) 787-6355, or call 911.

People can also text a tip via a cell phone by addressing a text message to "CRIMES," or "274637," and then beginning the body of the message with the word "SOLVE."

Merritt, according to her obituary that appeared Monday in The Republican, is survived by three children.

Her funeral services were held Wednesday morning.

The contract will run through fiscal year 2017.

CHICOPEE - The School Committee approved a new contract for the city's about 700 teachers last week in an 8-0 vote.

The contract will give teachers a 1 percent raise this year, retroactive to September; a 2 percent raise for the 2015-1016 school year and another 2 percent raise for the following year.

The agreement also reduces some of the paperwork that teachers said reduce the time they can spend with students. It also allows the School Department to begin classes before Labor Day starting in the 2016-2017 school year.

Under the contract, the least experienced teachers who only have a bachelor's degree will earn $42,466 this year. The top salary, for those with more than 10 years of experience and who have two master's degrees or a certificated of advanced graduates studies will earn $71,497. In between that, a teachers with a master's degree and 15 additional credits and is in fifth step in experience will earn $56,912 a year.

In the second year of the contract, the most junior teacher with a bachelor's degree will earn $42,450 and teachers with more than 10 years experience and two master's degrees will earn $72,927. A teacher on the fourth step of the salary scale who holds a master's degree will earn $53,921.

In the last year of the contract, the lowest salary for the most junior teachers will be $42,433 and the highest salary for a teacher with two master's degrees and more than 10 years of experience is $74,385. A new step is also added to the salary scale.

A full list of the salaries is on page 43 and 44 of the teachers' contract listed below.

Chicopee Teachers Education Association Unit A Contract

It could have been days, it could have been weeks ago but recently a pipe under Sargeant Street collapsed and caused a sinkhole to form Wednesday afternoon.

HOLYOKE -- It could have been days, it could have been weeks ago but recently a pipe under Sargeant Street collapsed and caused a sinkhole to form Wednesday afternoon.

Holyoke Public Works Chief William Fuqua said the cause of the sinkhole can be attributed to old age. A 24-inch brick sewer line, that he estimates is between 80 and 100 years old, collapsed beneath the downtown street. "The bricks start to fall in over time causing the sand and eventually the pavement to do so as well," Fuqua said.

The sinkhole opened between High and Commercial Streets. The hole is estimated to be 20-feet wide and 15-feet deep.

The city already has hired a contractor for the repairs and Fuqua said they hope to have Sargeant Street reopened by the end of the week.