Quantcast
Channel: News
Viewing all 62489 articles
Browse latest View live

1 injured in Holyoke shooting; police block off Chestnut Street

0
0

Chestnut Street was blocked off as police processed the scene.

HOLYOKE - One man was injured in an Easter Sunday shooting on Chestnut Street.

Little information on the shooting was available. Police have Chestnut Street blocked off and are processing the scene for evidence.

Police spokesman Lt. Jim Albert said one man was taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds. His condition was not available.

This is a developing story and more information will be posted as it is known.


NJ church roof collapses, injuring 12, as congregation sings during Easter service

0
0

Authorities say several people were injured when the roof of a northern New Jersey church collapsed during an Easter Sunday service.

People at a New Jersey church service heard a cracking sound above them just before debris began falling as the roof collapsed, critically injuring one person on Easter Sunday.

Worshippers were singing at the time, news reports say.

Several were initially trapped in the rubble inside the church in Rahway, New Jersey, and at least 12 people were taken to hospitals, NJ.com reported.

The collapse occurred at about 2 p.m. at Korean Union United Methodist Church on West Grand Avenue, Union County spokesman Sebastian Delia said.

The injured were members of the Manatial de Vida Pentecostal congregation, which rents out the church. The critically injured person was not immediately identified.

People began screaming and running for cover as the debris began falling, NJ.com says, some later seen outside the church covered in dust.

"We saw the ceiling going down. Well, not going down, but collapsing," a churchgoer told WCBS-TV in New York City. "But we didn't think it would actually fall."

It's not yet known what caused the collapse, authorities said. Fire officials remained at the scene in late afternoon assessing the structure, NJ.com said.

1 dead in Chestnut Street shooting; Holyoke police seek suspects

0
0

The man was taken to Holyoke Medical Center by a private vehicle where he was pronounced dead.

HOLYOKE - One man is dead following an Easter Sunday shooting on Chestnut Street, police said.

Police Chief James Neiswanger said the man was shot just before 6 p.m. following some sort of altercation with another person.

He had been shot at least once, he said.

The man was rushed by private vehicle to Holyoke Medical Center where he was pronounced dead, he said.

Police were not releasing his name pending notification of family. Neiswanger would only say he was a Holyoke resident.

The shooting occurred on by some rowhouses on Chestnut Street near the corner of Sergeant.

The shooting is the second of the year in the city.

Police are not clear what the altercation was about.

There have been no arrests. Neiswanger said it is very early in the investigation and detectives are still interviewing witnesses and looking for evidence.

The investigation is being handled by the Holyoke Police Detective Bureau and state police detectives assigned to the office of Hampden County District Attorney James Gulluni.

Springfield teacher allegedly sent nude photo to middle schooler, said it was an accident

0
0

A Springfield elementary school teacher is facing obscenity charges after allegedly sending a nude photograph of himself to a middle school student.

A Springfield elementary school teacher is facing obscenity charges after allegedly sending a nude photograph of himself to a middle school student.

Michael Cieboter, a long-time teacher at the Mary O. Pottenger Elementary School, allegedly sent a former student, now in sixth grade, a photograph of his buttocks. The student told police he immediately texted her asking her to delete the photo and saying she was not the intended recipient, according to a police report.

Cieboter, 49, is pleading not guilty and rejects the allegations, said his attorney David Hodge, describing him as a well-liked teacher with an impeccable professional record.

"He adamantly denies the charges and we feel that in the conclusion of this case he will be exonerated," Hodge said.

Springfield Public Schools spokesperson Azell Cavaan said Cieboter is no longer employed by the district and that she could not provide additional details. Pottenger Elementary School Principal Valerie Williams declined to comment.

Cieboter was arraigned in Westfield District Court Monday on a charge of distribution of obscene matter. According to court filings, the student received a Facebook message from Cieboter on Feb. 7, telling her that her brother was receiving poor grades at school. The student told police she ignored the message because she did not want to speak with a former teacher on Facebook.

"About two minutes later she received a naked picture of Mr. Cieboter," a responding police officer wrote in a report. "Seconds later, Mr. Cieboter texted [the student] telling her to please delete several times and that it was not meant for her."

The student, who was at a friend's house at the time, told her friend's father about the incident, who quickly contacted the girl's mother, according to police.

A staff directory on Pottenger Elementary's web site still lists Cieboter as a fourth grade teacher, though he no longer works for the school district.

Cieboter's case was originally scheduled to be heard in Springfield District Court, but was transferred to Westfield because his sister works for the Springfield court system and declared a conflict of interest. He was released on his personal recognizance.

Westfield police respond to rollover crash involving truck towing wood chipper on Springdale Road

0
0

The incident on Springdale Road didn't cause any injuries or significant delays, police said.

WESTFIELD — A rollover crash involving a pickup truck towing a wood chipper was reported shortly before 3:30 p.m. Monday on Springdale Road, according to Westfield police, who said the incident didn't cause any injuries.

"That's not a main road," Sgt. Robert Saunders said, adding that the incident didn't result in traffic delays.

Officers closed one lane and directed motorists around the crash site until the scene was cleared, according to CBS 3 Springfield, media partner of MassLive / The Republican.

Springdale Road runs between the Massachusetts Turnpike and Union Street.



PM News Links: Video said to show suspect with body parts, couple planning to wed killed in wrong-way crash, and more

0
0

A New York City man is suing the Enfield Police Department after being mistaken for a sexual assault fugitive with a similar name and birth date last February.

A digest of news stories from around New England.



Carlos Colina 4615Carlos D. Colina 
  • Video allegedly shows Cambridge suspect held on $1 million bail, with bag containing body parts [Boston Globe] Video above, photo at left

  • Rhode Island couple planning to wed this summer killed by suspected wrong-way drunken driver from Webster in Providence [Providence Journal] Related video below


  • New York City man, mistaken for sexual assault fugitive, sues Enfield police for wrongful arrest [Hartford Courant]

  • Worcester man gets 15- to 17-years in plea agreement for beating death of girlfriend [Telegram & Gazette]


    WJAR-TV, NBC10, Providence


  • Physical education teacher charged with posing as girl online to get New Hampshire girl to send him photos of herself [WMUR-TV, abc9, Manchester, N.H.]

  • 2 remain in critical condition following crash that killed University of Vermont student [Burlington Free Press]


  • Officials seek stiffer penalties for false reports after Hopkinton hoax prompts big police response over weekend [Boston Herald] Video below


  • Woman high on bath salts stabs dog, claiming it was possessed, police in Maine say [Bangor Daily News]

  • New law says Massachusetts drivers must turn on headlights when using windshield wipers, starting today [Boston.com]




    Interactive Live Weather Map
  • State's Catholic bishops on Tsarnaev trial: 'Society can do better than the death penalty'

    0
    0

    Springfield Bishop Mitchell Rozanski among signers.

    The Roman Catholic bishops of Massachusetts, citing the possibility of the death penalty for Boston Marathon Bombing defendant Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, have issued a statement saying that they believe "society can do better than the death penalty." Tsarnaev is accused of killing three people and wounding 260 in the 2013 bombing.

    "The defendant in this case has been neutralized and will never again have the ability to cause harm," the statement reads. "Because of this, we, the Catholic Bishops of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, believe that society can do better than the death penalty. As the Bishops of the United States said in their 2005 statement, 'A Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death,' 'no matter how heinous the crime, if society can protect itself without ending a human life, it should do so.' We believe these words remain true today in the face of this most terrible crime."

    The statement is signed by Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley, Archdiocese of Boston; the Most Rev. Edgar M. da Cunha, Diocese of Fall River; the Most Rev. Mitchell T. Rozanski, Diocese of Springfield; and the Most Rev. Robert J. McManus, Diocese of Worcester.

    There is no death penalty in Massachusetts, but Tsarnaev's trial in federal court makes it a possible sentence. Lawyers for the 21 year old admitted his role in the bombings when the trial started. He is expected to be found guilty of most or all of the 30 counts he faces in conjunction with the bombings. Seventeen of these could carry a possible death penalty:


    Statement on the Death Penalty by masslive


    Massachusetts Senate considers more 'targeted' approaches to state employee retirement incentive

    0
    0

    Senate President Stan Rosenberg said some senators are worried about the impact on state services if too many employees leave from a particular agency.

    BOSTON — Massachusetts senators are considering ways to make a retirement incentive for state employees more targeted, to avoid a mass exodus from a handful of agencies.

    "We're trying to figure out how to not have so many people going out from some of the larger agencies," Senate President Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, told reporters at the State House on Monday.

    Officials from Gov. Charlie Baker's administration will meet on Wednesday with senators in a private caucus to discuss a range of options proposed by senators to make a workforce reduction more targeted, Rosenberg said.

    Baker, a Republican, proposed saving $178 million annually for the next three years by offering a voluntary retirement incentive for state employees who have hit retirement age but have not yet reached their maximum pension benefit. Baker estimated that 4,500 executive branch workers would take the incentive. The administration would be limited to spending just 20 percent of the savings on rehiring.

    As The Republican / MassLive.com reported, there are some agencies where around half of all employees could potentially leave. At the Department of Revenue, which is tasked with collecting the state's incoming tax revenue, 979 out of the department's 1,831 employees are eligible for the incentive. The Executive Office of Administration and Finance as well as agencies overseeing environmental protection, welfare assistance, mental health services, developmental disability services and transportation all have large numbers of employees who are eligible to retire.

    The Massachusetts House passed Baker's plan with few changes, other than requiring the administration to report back to the Legislature by December on the estimated salary savings, how many positions have been refilled and how the work associated with the empty positions is being done.

    But senators have been more vocal about questioning the impact the incentive will have on state services as well as on the state pension system. The incentive is estimated to increase the state's pension liability by an additional $48 million annually for the next 15 years. The administration has said it plans to pay for the extra pension costs each year, though it cannot bind future administrations.

    Rosenberg said several senators are worried that with a senior workforce, if too many people from a given agency retire, "We may end up with agencies that don't have enough employees to be able to do their job effectively."

    Rosenberg declined to provide specifics of the proposals, saying there are multiple proposals from different senators, and they still need to be discussed with the administration to determine whether they are even workable.

    State Sen. Will Brownsberger, D-Belmont, has said he believes an extended hiring freeze could have the same impact on cutting the state workforce without adding pension costs, since around 3,500 people a year leave the state workforce voluntarily.

    Baker officials have said that they will use the 20 percent rehiring provision to ensure that no agency is gutted.

    Baker reiterated on Monday that his proposal would fund the future pension obligation. He said his view remains that the plan gives long-time state employees the opportunity to retire in order to help solve a $1.8 billion estimated budget deficit. "It seemed to us to be a way to create a win-win opportunity," Baker said.

    House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, said the House added the reporting provision "so that we could make sure that there was no particular department that was targeted to the point of not being able to perform their duties." He said the House would look at whatever the Senate proposes once it passes the Senate and reaches a House-Senate negotiating committee.

    The Senate meets this Wednesday, but Wednesday's caucus with administration officials makes it unlikely that senators will vote on the bill the same day.



    Committee for Cathedral Action to host 'town hall' style meeting on new Catholic high school

    0
    0

    Al DiLascia, chairman of the Committee for Cathedral Action – the group that has actively been promoting the Surrey Road site in Springfield &#8211 said the meeting isn't designed to air the group's well-established views.

    SPRINGFIELD — In what is being billed as a town meeting on a new regional Catholic High School, the Committee for Cathedral Action is seeking input this week from a broad cross-section of constituencies including anyone who would be affected by the proposed merger of Holyoke Catholic and Cathedral high schools.

    The forum is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday at The Cedars at St. Anthony's at 375 Island Pond Road in Springfield. Scott Coen, former television sports broadcaster, will serve as moderator for the event.

    Al DiLascia, chairman of the Committee for Cathedral Action – the group that has actively been promoting the Surrey Road site in Springfield – said the purpose of the meeting isn't to air the group's well-established views.

    "Our views are well-known," he said. "We want to hear from anyone who cares about the future of new high school."

    DiLascia hopes parents, students alumni and faculty of both Holyoke Catholic High School as well as community and elected leaders will attend the meeting to make comments and ask questions, calling their voices "critical" to the process.

    "There will be no speeches," DiLasica said "This is about the people attending."

    The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield announced last week that it will hold two separate parent meetings on the plans for a new high school.

    The first meeting – geared for parents of Cathedral High School, Holyoke Catholic High School and St. Michael's Academy – will be held at 7 p.m. on April 13 at St. Thomas the Apostle Middle School in West Springfield. The Most Rev. Bishop Rozanski is expected to attend.

    The second meeting on April 28, which is also set for 7 p.m. at St. Thomas school, will focus on questions from parents of students attending other Catholic elementary schools in the diocese. Those schools also would serve as feeders to the new high school.

    Rozanski announced in February that a merger of Cathedral and Holyoke Catholic was the best choice for the future of Catholic education in the diocese.

    The bishop is expected to announce a decision about the new school including location and other details before the end of the school year.

    In a letter to the editor, DiLascia said the diocese is "at a critical juncture in making final decisions on such things as school location, school size and facilities; amount of available insurance and FEMA monies being applied to the new school; a school name that alumni form both schools can identify with; and the ever important management that will be used in running the new school."

    Cathedral students have been attending classes in a former Memorial elementary school in Wilbraham since its building was severely damaged by the June 2011 tornado. The tornado also damaged the St. Michael's Academy property.

    In 2002, students at Holyoke Catholic were forced to relocated from its antiquated and unsafe building in downtown Holyoke to the former St. Hyacinth College and Seminary in Granby - and four years later to its current location in the former Assumption School in Chicopee.

    Proponents of rebuilding the new school on Surrey Road - including U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and the Springfield Chamber of Commerce - have been vocal in their support of the East Forest Park neighborhood location for the merged school.

    Neal helped secure $29 million in federal disaster aid to rebuild Cathedral, A spokesman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said the funding is not tied to a specific site.

    8th civil suit filed against Ryder Funeral Home by South Hadley man who lost new wife to cancer

    0
    0

    According to Weiss, he married the former Debra Kelly on Feb. 27, 2014. Debra Weise died of cancer in an Amherst hospice on May 22 of that year.

    NORTHAMPTON — A South Hadley man who lost his new wife to cancer is suing Ryder Funeral Home for losing her body and botching her memorial service.

    The civil suit filed Monday in Hampshire Superior Court by David Weise is the eighth against the South Hadley funeral home, which was closed by the state after an inspection found decaying corpses scattered about the business. According to Weiss, he married the former Debra Kelly on Feb. 27, 2014. Debra Weise died of cancer in an Amherst hospice on May 22 of that year.

    The plaintiff arranged for Ryder to cremate the body and place an obituary in local newspapers, but Ryder did neither. By the time the May 30 memorial service took place, the funeral home could not account for her remains, and the urn that David Weise had selected for her ashes was empty. An inspector later found Debra Weise's body in a bag in the funeral home's garage. It had not been embalmed.

    Weise is suing the funeral home and its former director, William Ryder, for 13 counts of interference with a dead body, negligence and emotional distress.

    The Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation suspended Ryder's license last year following the inspection. The state Attorney General's office has identified more than 63 families who say they are owed money for services not performed.

    Last year a judge lifted the injunction on selling the business so that proceeds from the sale could be paid to some of the claimants.

    New owners. meanwhile, took over the business with a new name in February.

    Joe Curran and T.J. O'Brien are now operating the facility as the Curran O'Brien Funeral Home.

    New Hampshire man charged with driving under influence with 2 kids in car

    0
    0

    Vermont State Police charged Matthew Rudy, 32, of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, with DUI and child endangerment for allegedly drinking and driving with two kids in his car.

    SHARON, Vt. — A Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, man was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol and reckless endangerment following a highway traffic stop Monday by police in Sharon, Vermont.

    Troopers from the Traffic Operations Unit pulled over 32-year-old Matthew Rudy for a minor motor vehicle violation in the northbound lane of Interstate 89 just after 3:30 p.m., according to Vermont State Police officials.

    Further investigation revealed that Rudy was driving under the influence of alcohol with two kids in his vehicle, police said. As a result, he was additionally charged him with two counts of reckless endangerment, police said.

    Rudy is scheduled to appear in Windsor County criminal court on April 28.


    Bhutanese man gets year in prison after admitting drunken driving death of friend in Springfield

    0
    0

    Rudra P. Kafley on Monday pleaded guilty to motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of alcohol in the May 2014 death of his passenger Moti K. Kuikel.

    SPRINGFIELD - Rudra P. Kafley on Monday pleaded guilty to motor vehicle homicide while under the influence of alcohol in the May 2014 death of his passenger Moti K. Kuikel.

    Assistant District Attorney James M. Forsyth asked Hampden Superior Court Judge Richard J. Carey to sentence Kafley, 23, of West Springfield, to 2½ to fours year in state prison.

    But Carey adopted the recommendation of defense lawyer Brandon Freeman and sentenced Kafley to 2½ years in the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow with one year to be served and the rest suspended with two years probation.

    The plea was done using the services of a Nepalese interpreter for Kafley.

    Kuikel, 25, of West Springfield, died immediately from injuries in the crash, Forsyth said.

    The charge was from the May 25 crash when Kafley's 2011 Nissan Altima struck a tractor-trailer parked in an Interstate 291 breakdown lane. The 1:04 a.m. crash happened in the eastbound lane of I-291 near Exit 4.

    The large truck had reportedly pulled off the highway after experiencing mechanical problems.

    Forsyth said when police arrived they saw the Altima with severe damage to its roof and front end passenger side. Kafley was sitting on a guard rail and acknowledged being the driver.

    Kafley failed a field sobriety test, Forsyth said. When he was taken to the hospital for precautionary measures his blood alcohol was .22, nearly three times the legal limit of .08.

    Forsyth said the breakdown lane was wide and clearly marked, the road was in good condition and the lights on the truck were on.

    When Carey asked Kafley if he was pleading guilty because he was guilty, Kafley said through the interpreter: "It's my responsibility, yes."

    Forsyth said Kafley, who came to the United States in 2011, had no prior criminal record. He said he had two past crashes, one of which was his fault and one of which was not.

    Members of both the victim's and defendant's families were on different sides of the courtroom.

    Forsyth said Kuikel's wife wanted him to tell Carey it is hard to raise a child alone, that they did not have much time together and that she deeply misses her husband.

    He said the accident reconstruction ream could not come up with a speed estimate for Kafley's car.

    Forsyth said the state set guidelines called for a 3½ year to five year sentence.

    "We understand they were friends," Forsyth said. "We understand Mr. Kafley didn't set out to do this."

    Freeman outlined the relationship of Kafley and Kuikel, saying they both were of Bhutanese descent.

    He said due to the political strife many people were forced into refugee camps in Nepal which is where Kafley and Kuikel met at about age 11 and became very close.

    He said Kafley came to the U.S. as a refugee in April 2011 and Kuikel and his family came over in 2012 as refugees.

    Freeman said Kafley was attending Springfield Technical Community College and working before the crash.

    Kafley had been given the standard warning by Carey that the guilty conviction could mean he would face deportation.

    "His main fear is getting sent back to a country in which none of his people are there," Freeman said of Kafley,

    Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia at the eastern end of the Himalayas.

    Holyoke historical board's Olivia Mausel urges yes vote on Polish district

    0
    0

    The board chairwoman said the Polish historic district would help Ward 1 and the city as a whole.

    HOLYOKE -- Historical Commission Chairwoman Olivia Mausel urged the City Council to show "courage" and vote on Tuesday (April 7) to adopt an ordinance to establish a Polish Heritage Historic District on Lyman Street featuring the closed Mater Dolorosa Church.

    "When it's all said and done, this proposed project, with its many positive aspects, is good for Holyoke -- for our businesses, our tax base and our integrity as a caring diverse community," Mausel said in an April 3 letter (full text below) to councilors.

    Mausel's entreaty is among a flurry of lobbying aimed at the 15 councilors as a decision at 7 p.m. at City Hall would cap a more than four-year study of the proposed historic district that has beenriddled with arguments and criticism.

    Mausel led the study as a member of the Fairfield Avenue Local Historic District Commission. Establishing a Polish Heritage Historic District would help in revitalizing Ward 1 by so designating 21 residential and commercial properties on the south side of Lyman Street, she said.

    "All the residences and businesses and the church will qualify for federal and state grants for exterior improvements. Commission guidelines for all renovations are and will be liberal for property owners," Mausel said.

    Because it is a zoning issue, approval is needed from a two-thirds majority of the 15-member City Council, or 10 votes.

    Support of the full City Council for the Polish historic district is uncertain even though the council Ordinance Committee has voted 4-1 to recommend the ordinance be adopted.

    After the Diocese closed Mater Dolorosa Church in 2011, then-Mayor Elaine A. Pluta asked the the Fairfield Avenue Local Historic District Commission in December of that year to explore the formation of a Polish historic district.

    That commission's report is the proposed ordinance facing the City Council.

    Supporters want the historic designation largely because of Mater Dolorosa Church (It's Latin for "sorrowful mother," a reference to the mother of Christ.) The 114-year-old church at Lyman and Maple streets was built and paid for by Polish immigrants, who came here in heavy numbers between the 1890s and the outbreak of World War I in 1914 to work in the paper and other mills.

    Supporters of the proposal want Mater Dolorosa safeguarded by such a historic designation, bitter that the Diocese closed the church in 2011 and refusing to believe Diocese officials' assurances that there are no plans to demolish Mater Dolorosa Church.

    Foes of the proposal said such arguments ignore the reality of declining numbers of parishioners and the need to merge, which is what happened in 2011. The Diocese combined Mater Dolorosa with the former Holy Cross Church to form Our Lady of the Cross. That parish has Masses and other services at the former Holy Cross Church at 23 Sycamore St.

    Slap a "historic" marker on Mater Dolorosa Church, opponents of the proposal said, and that relegates the structure unsellable because no one wants a property bearing such historic-upkeep restrictions.

    Maintenance of Mater Dolorosa Church would fall to Our Lady of the Cross parish, opponents of the proposal said, which can't afford such costs.

    The Diocese closed Mater Dolorosa Church because of declining numbers of parishioners here and concerns about the stability of the steeple -- itself a matter of contention.

    An engineer hired by the Diocese determined the steeple atop the church was structurally unsound and should be removed.

    "It is only a matter of time before there is either a partial or compete failure of the wood framed steeple structure," said the May 2, 2011 report done for the Diocese by Engineering Design Associates Inc. of West Springfield.

    Those findings were disputed by Neal B. Mitchell, president of Neal Mitchell Associates of Northbridge, which did a report for free for Friends of Mater Dolorosa.

    Because of the steeple's "tension cage" structure of timber, bricks and steel rods, Mitchell said in a July 25, 2011 report, "There is no way that this tower will ever fail with this structural combination."

    To read the report about the proposal and see a map of the proposed district, go to the city website at holyoke.org. In the drop-down menu on the right side, click on "Historical and Fairfield Avenue Commissions," and on the left side of the page that comes up, click on "Proposed Polish Heritage Local Historic District."

    Mausel's letter to the City Council:

    "Fairfield Avenue Local Historic Commission was commissioned to study the Lyman Street area for its historical significance representing all citizens of the City of Holyoke. Surprisingly, Holyoke has only one local historical district. This Study Committee has been on a 4 year adventure requiring a ton of paperwork, assessor's maps, property owner lists, multiple public hearings and committee hearings, demands for minutes, and criticism from some who have no interests in the Holyoke, including lawyers looking for loopholes contrary to the good of Holyoke.

    "One word about the disguised lawsuit threats from the Diocese. On Jan. 4, 2011, the U. S. District Court decision by Judge Michael A. Ponsor upheld the right of Our Lady of Hope Church to be in its Historic District in Springfield. The Diocese complaint was denied 'in its entirety."

    "I want to acknowledge the other hard-working members of the Commission. Matt Chenier, Beth Strycharz, Sandy Parent, Wendy Weiss, and Peter Papineau deserve a vote of thanks. This Commission, appointed and confirmed, are a group volunteer workers for Holyoke. We have spent many long-hours researching, writing and complying with all the state and local standards of operation. We live here, we work here, we shop here and pay our taxes here. We all have a vested interest in the health of our city.

    "What we found were many run down buildings, struggling businesses and a declining neighborhood due to reduced traffic flow, and lack of interest in the area. At first we were just looking at our surveys, and didn't think of any recommendations until we uncovered all the history of the area starting with Irish, French Canadian, and then Polish Immigrants, and saw the potential good for Holyoke in having a authentic downtown Historical District, an improved tax base with potential jobs. The Polish people of then Ward 4 settled heavily around the Mater Dolorosa Church using it as a hub in their living and working places. Some 62 businesses thrived until urban renewal came, and all the tenements were razed, and the surrounding commercial businesses withered. From the area grew Pulaski, Prospect Heights and condominiums. The Mater Dolorosa Church continues as a visual anchor even today.

    "A number of historically non-significant properties were removed from the district, including a Shaker Building destined to be in the National Register by owners agreement. We met with the owner of the Mater Dolorosa Church, the new Bishop of Springfield, who did not want any church properties in an historical district or in the National Register. At one public hearing some participants requested removal of the School, rectory and social center. Since those structures were not now historically significant, the Commission removed them for now.

    "We see the proposed Polish Heritage District as the beginning of a renovated Ward 1 with the unifying building being the Mater Dolorosa Church. All the residences and businesses and the church will qualify for federal and state grants for exterior improvements. Commission guidelines for all renovations are and will be liberal for property owners."

    "We work for all the citizens of Holyoke regardless of race, ethnicity, or social standing. I look forward to all councilors voting approval of this 4 year marathon for the good of Holyoke.

    "I am hopeful that those councilors who have been influenced by their membership in a Holyoke Church, and whom the Bishop has lobbied, will either have the COURAGE to vote for the district or recuse themselves with a clear conscience that they do so for the good of the City of Holyoke, not any special interest groups.

    "There is a favorable Ordinance Committee report. Mayor Morse and three previous mayors supports the Polish Heritage District. With the help of other Holyoke government departments together we can solidify and rebuild our historic image into fact.

    "When it's all said and done, this proposed project, with its many positive aspects, is good for Holyoke--for our businesses, our tax base and our integrity as a caring diverse community.

    "Therefore, I call upon the council to adopt the Proposed Polish Heritage Local Historic District.

    "Thank you."

    Bishop Mitchell Rozanski urges Holyoke Councilors reject Polish district plan

    0
    0

    The bishop said the cost of the closed church being in a historic district would be an unfair burden on Our Lady of the Cross Parish.

    HOLYOKE -- The Most Rev. Mitchell T. Rozanski, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield, urged the City Council Tuesday (April 7) to reject a plan to establish a Polish Heritage Historic District that would include the closed Mater Dolorosa Church.

    "To be blunt, placing the property in an historic district makes redevelopment nearly impossible, given our current economic environment," Rozanski said in a letter (full text below) last week to the 15 councilors.

    The desire to dismiss a plan that includes the closed church apparently dashes hopes of Polish district supporters that Rozanski, the Diocese's first Polish bishop, would be in their corner.

    Rozanski's letter, provided by Diocese spokesman Mark E. Dupont, is among a flurry of lobbying aimed at the 15 councilors as a decision at 7 p.m. at City Hall would cap a more than four-year study of the proposed historic district that has been riddled with arguments and criticism.

    The Fairfield Avenue Local Historic District Commission filed the proposal to establish a Polish Heritage Historic District of 21 residential and commercial properties on the south side of Lyman Street.

    Rozanski repeated criticisms from other Diocese officials and from members of Our Lady of the Cross Parish here that the process has been unfair to the Diocese and the parish, charges disputed by historical commission officials and city councilors.

    "Such a designation, should it pass, will not result in the re-opening of the church and will most likely hinder the parish in any future redevelopment plans for the former church," Rosanski said.

    Because it is a zoning issue, approval is needed from a two-thirds majority of the 15-member City Council, or 10 votes.

    Support of the full City Council for the Polish historic district is uncertain even though the council Ordinance Committee has voted 4-1 to recommend the ordinance be adopted.

    After the Diocese closed Mater Dolorosa Church in 2011, then-Mayor Elaine A. Pluta asked the the Fairfield Avenue Local Historic District Commission in December of that year to explore the formation of a Polish historic district.

    That commission's report is the proposed ordinance facing the City Council.

    Supporters want the historic designation largely because of Mater Dolorosa Church (It's Latin for "sorrowful mother," a reference to the mother of Christ.) The 114-year-old church at Lyman and Maple streets was built and paid for by Polish immigrants, who came here in heavy numbers between the 1890s and the outbreak of World War I in 1914 to work in the paper and other mills.

    Supporters of the proposal want Mater Dolorosa safeguarded by such a historic designation, bitter that the Diocese closed the church in 2011 and refusing to believe Diocese officials' assurances that there are no plans to demolish Mater Dolorosa Church.

    Designating such an area to honor the city's Polish heritage would help in revitalizing Ward 1, along with making the city eligible for otherwise unavailable grants, supporters said.

    Foes of the proposal said such arguments ignore the reality of declining numbers of parishioners and the need to merge, which is what happened in 2011. The Diocese combined Mater Dolorosa with the former Holy Cross Church to form Our Lady of the Cross. That parish has Masses and other services at the former Holy Cross Church at 23 Sycamore St.

    Slap a "historic" marker on Mater Dolorosa Church, opponents of the proposal said, and that relegates the structure unsellable because no one wants a property bearing such historic-upkeep restrictions.

    Maintenance of Mater Dolorosa Church would fall to Our Lady of the Cross parish, opponents of the proposal said, which can't afford such costs.

    The Diocese closed Mater Dolorosa Church because of declining numbers of parishioners here and concerns about the stability of the steeple -- itself a matter of contention.

    An engineer hired by the Diocese determined the steeple atop the church was structurally unsound and should be removed.

    "It is only a matter of time before there is either a partial or compete failure of the wood framed steeple structure," said the May 2, 2011 report done for the Diocese by Engineering Design Associates Inc. of West Springfield.

    Those findings were disputed by Neal B. Mitchell, president of Neal Mitchell Associates of Northbridge, which did a report for free for Friends of Mater Dolorosa.

    Because of the steeple's "tension cage" structure of timber, bricks and steel rods, Mitchell said in a July 25, 2011 report, "There is no way that this tower will ever fail with this structural combination."

    To read the report about the proposal and see a map of the proposed district, go to the city website at holyoke.org. In the drop-down menu on the right side, click on "Historical and Fairfield Avenue Commissions," and on the left side of the page that comes up, click on "Proposed Polish Heritage Local Historic District."

    Bishop Rozanski's letter to the City Council:

    "Easter greetings to you and your loved ones!

    "I'd like to start by thanking and congratulating the City of Holyoke on the recent and very successful St. Patrick's Parade. I had a wonderful time and want to thank everyone for the hospitality shown me. I look forward to many more parade weekends in Holyoke!

    "My purpose for writing to you today is to lend my personal and full support to Franciscan Father Albert Scherer and the parishioners of Our Lady of the Cross Parish, regarding their genuine concerns and objection to having the former Mater Dolorosa Church and property placed in an historic district.

    "I believe their concerns are legitimate and are based on the following facts:

    "1. The parish did not seek to have the former Mater Dolorosa Church and property included in the proposed district, nor was the parish even given the courtesy of consultation before this process was undertaken. For example, near the start of the process, the Fairfield Avenue Local Historic District Commission sent a survey to 63 property owners in the area of what is now the 21-property proposed district. Neither the diocese nor the parish have any record of ever having received the survey, and the Fairfield Commission has no record of ever having sent the survey to either the diocese or the parish.

    "2. As the Fairfield Commission has acknowledged, the results of the survey demonstrate that there was never any real support for the district among the 63 surveyed neighborhood land owners. Only 13 property owners out of the 63 even responded to the survey, and of those, only 5 thought that the area was historically significant. Moreover, it is uncertain whether any of those 5 actually own property in the proposed district, as the Fairfield Commission has refused our repeated requests to be provided with copies of the returned surveys.

    "3. No one on the Fairfield Avenue Local Historic District Commission either lives in or owns property in the newly proposed district. Thus, no one on the Fairfield Commission would bear the burdens imposed by the district.

    "4. As the district's boundaries were repeatedly drawn and redrawn, the parish was not afforded a documented process to request removal from the district, something that the Fairfield Commission readily and repeatedly made available to other property owners.

    "5. Such a designation, should it pass, will not result in the re-opening of the church and will most likely hinder the parish in any future redevelopment plans for the former church.

    "6. The Our Lady of the Cross Parish, just a mile away, has worked hard, successfully, to carry on much of the cultural identity of the former Mater Dolorosa community.

    "7. The financial consequences for the Our Lady of the Cross Parish are very real and could impact the Mater Dolorosa School, even though it lies outside the district boundaries.

    "For these reasons I ask you to consider voting against the district. In turn I would pledge to you on behalf of the diocese and parish to work hand-in-hand with the city, once all Vatican appeals are complete, to find a meaningful re-use for the former church. To be blunt, placing the property in an historic district makes redevelopment nearly impossible, given our current economic environment.

    "Thank you for taking the time to hear my concerns. I look forward to hearing the results from the upcoming vote.

    "Again wishing you a Happy Easter,

    "Most Rev. Mitchell T. Rozanski

    "Bishop of Springfield"

    Report shows high rates of MBTA absenteeism hurt service

    0
    0

    A new report found that the average rate of absenteeism across the MBTA was 11 to 12 percent in fiscal year 2014, compared to 5-6 percent at comparable public transit agencies.

    During the 2015 winter storms that crippled the MBTA, 15 percent of MBTA employees took at least one day of paid leave.

    Tens of thousands of trips are cancelled each year due to unplanned absences at the Boston area public transit system. Absenteeism causes the MBTA substantial overtime costs. At the same time, a policy making overtime voluntary, not mandatory, has resulted in a shortage of workers, dropped trips and poor customer service.

    The data about absenteeism will be included in a report scheduled to be released later this week by a task force examining the MBTA. Administration officials have been releasing a small number of pages in advance of the official release.

    The task force will recommend that the MBTA develop a plan to reduce absenteeism and fight abuses of the family medical leave act and worker's compensation.

    The report found that the average rate of absenteeism across the MBTA was 11 to 12 percent in fiscal year 2014, compared to 5 to 6 percent at comparable public transit agencies. Including vacation time, MBTA employees miss an average of 57 days of work – close to three months – per year.

    In January and February 2015, more than 6,400 bus trips were cancelled due to unplanned absenteeism.

    Gov. Charlie Baker convened the task force to examine the reasons for the problems with the MBTA this winter. Two members of the task force declined to comment on Monday until the entire report had been released.

    Baker said the report "dealt very comprehensively" with issues relating to governance, operations and finance. He called it "a very strong document."



    Dow climbs 118 points as oil prices rise, investors anticipate slow interest rate increases

    0
    0

    The stock market was closed Friday when the Labor Department reported that employers added just 126,000 workers to their payrolls in March, the smallest increase since December 2013.

    By MATTHEW CRAFT

    NEW YORK -- Expectations that the Federal Reserve will be slow to raise interest rates following a weak jobs report last week helped send the stock market up on Monday. A jump in the price of crude oil set off a rally in energy stocks.

    The stock market was closed Friday when the Labor Department reported that employers added just 126,000 workers to their payrolls in March, the smallest increase since December 2013. It was another sign of weaker economic growth in the winter months and added more pressure on the Federal Reserve to put off raising rates from near zero. Historically low rates have helped stocks soar over the past six years.

    David Lefkowitz, senior equity strategist at UBS, said calming words from William Dudley, president of the Fed's New York branch, gave investors encouragement. In a speech Monday morning, Dudley pointed to the recent shaky economic news and said he expects the Fed's rate increases would be "shallow."

    "If Fed officials think the economy is not strong enough, they're not going to do anything to jeopardize the economic recovery," Lefkowitz said. "With inflation low and well-contained the Fed can be patient. There's nothing forcing their hand."

    The Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 13.66 points, or 0.7 percent, to close at 2,080.62. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 117.61 points, or 0.7 percent, to 17,880.85, and the Nasdaq composite rose 30.38 points, or 0.6 percent, to 4,917.32.

    "Had the market been open on Friday, we would have probably had a triple-digit decline in the Dow," said Hank Smith, chief investment officer at Haverford Trust. "The fact that we had a weekend to digest put it in perspective."

    Smith said he thought the economy was tracing a route laid out in previous years when rough winters gave way to stronger springs. "This is deja vu," he said. "There was no polar vortex, like last year, but you clearly had weather in New England that was much more severe than last year."

    The Institute for Supply Management reported Monday that companies in the service industry expanded at a slightly slower pace in March. The ISM services index slipped to 56.5 last month, from 56.9 in February. Any reading above 50 reflects growth.

    Benchmark U.S. crude jumped an even $3, or 6 percent, to close at $52.14 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. That set off a rally in energy-sector stocks. Transocean, an operator of drilling rigs, soared $1.52, or 10 percent, to $16.51.

    Major markets in Europe were closed for Easter Monday. In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 closed with a loss of 0.2 percent, while Seoul's Kospi gained 0.1 percent. India's SENSEX surged 0.9 percent. Stock exchanges in Australia and China were also closed.

    Back in the U.S., Ventas announced plans to buy Ardent Medical Services, a privately owned hospital chain, for $1.75 billion and spin off most of its skilled nursing facilities. Ventas, an investment trust focused on health care, surged $3.67, or 5 percent, to $76.90.

    Government bond prices fell, driving the yield on the 10-year Treasury note up to 1.90 percent.

    In commodity trading, prices for most precious and industrial metals continued their recent climb. Gold gained $17.70 to settle at $1,218.60 an ounce, while silver rose 41 cents to $17.11 an ounce. Copper slipped 2 cents to $2.72.

    Brent crude oil, the international benchmark used by many U.S. refineries, rose $3.17, or 6 percent, to $58.12 a barrel on the ICE exchange in London.

    In other futures trading on the NYMEX:

    1. Wholesale gasoline rose 8.1 cents to close at $1.843 a gallon.
    2. Heating oil rose 8.2 cents to close at $1.764 a gallon.
    3. Natural gas fell 6.3 cents to close at $2.650 per 1,000 cubic feet.

    Governor, legislators to meet with 3 largest bond rating agencies

    0
    0

    Officials from Moody's, Fitch and Standard and Poor's will hear morning presentations from the Executive Office of Administration and Finance, the Treasurer's Office, the Comptroller's Office, the Department of Revenue, the State Retirement Board and the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission.

    By MATT MURPHY

    BOSTON - Representatives from the three largest bond rating agencies will be on Beacon Hill Tuesday to meet with Gov. Charlie Baker, Treasurer Deborah Goldberg and leaders of the House and Senate for an update on state policy and finance, according to someone familiar with the meeting.

    Officials from Moody's, Fitch and Standard and Poor's will hear morning presentations from the Executive Office of Administration and Finance, the Treasurer's Office, the Comptroller's Office, the Department of Revenue, the State Retirement Board and the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission.

    Ratings assigned to state bonds influence the interest rates that taxpayers pay on state debt, so state officials pay close attention to issues raised by the agencies that might have a positive or negative impact on the state's bond rating.

    Baker has spent the early portion of his tenure of governor working with legislative leaders to address a $1 billion deficit in this year's state budget and close an even larger, projected gap in the budget or the fiscal year that begins July 1.

    The House has approved an early retirement program proposed by Baker to trim the state payroll by 4,500 employees, adding about $50 million a year to the state's unfunded pension liability for the next 15 years. The Senate could vote on that proposal on Wednesday.

    Baker, speaking about concerns raised by senators over his early retirement package, said he planned for the added pension costs in his budget.

    "The proposal that we made fully funds the pension contribution for the next 15 years and our view was that the approach to this - which was to give those who have served the commonwealth for a very long time the ability to retire at a time when we're facing a $1.8 billion budget deficit and use that as sort of a way to deal with a piece of the financial problem that we face - seemed to us to be a way to create a win-win opportunity for all involved," Baker said Monday.

    The presentation to the rating agencies will be followed by a luncheon at 12:30 p.m. in the State Library. Baker and Goldberg are expected to attend along with Administration and Finance Secretary Kristen Lepore, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Brian Dempsey and Senate Ways and Means Chairwoman Karen Spilka.

     

    Days after becoming world's oldest person, Gertrude Weaver dies at 116

    0
    0

    Weaver wanted President Obama to attend her 117th birthday party.

    LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Just days after becoming the world's oldest documented person, 116-year-old Gertrude Weaver has died Monday in Arkansas.

    Weaver became the oldest person in the world after the death of a 117-year-old Japanese woman last week, according to records kept by the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group. Weaver was born in 1898.

    The Williams Funeral Home confirmed Weaver died just after 10 a.m. Monday at the Silver Oaks Health and Rehabilitation Center in Camden, about 100 miles southwest of Little Rock.

    Camden Mayor Marie Trisollini chatted with Weaver last week when the supercentenarian's roommate celebrated her 100th birthday.

    "She was a really sweet lady. She was relatively perky and coherent when I talked with her before the party," Trisollini said. "When you asked for advice on how to live a long life she would say, 'Use a lot of skin moisturizer, treat everyone nice, love your neighbor and eat your own cooking. Don't eat at fast food places.'"

    The Research Group was able to verify Weaver's age using census records and a marriage certificate from 1915 that listed her age as 17. Other records pointed to a possible April birthday, but since those could not be confirmed, the group used the day Weaver had always celebrated her birthday -- July 4.

    Trisollini said the nursing home and several members of the community had been making plans for Weaver's 117th birthday party.

    Weaver, who was born in southwest Arkansas to sharecropper parents, told nursing home staff last week that she wanted to invite President Barack Obama because she had voted for him twice.

    West Springfield police arrest fugitive, 'habitual traffic offender' with revoked license

    0
    0

    Officers pulled over a vehicle on Riverdale Street just before 2 a.m. after running the license plate and finding it did not match the car.

    WEST SPRINGFIELD -- During a traffic stop early Sunday morning, police arrested a fugitive from justice along with a "habitual traffic offender" who was allegedly driving with a revoked license.

    Officers pulled over a vehicle on Riverdale Street just before 2 a.m. after running the license plate number and finding it did not match the car. Police said the plates were not stolen, but possibly borrowed.

    The passenger, Angel Delgado, 30, of Dwight Road in Springfield, was found to have an outstanding fugitive from justice warrant and was taken into custody.

    A spokesperson for Hampden County District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said the warrant came from authorities in Florida, where Delgado is accused of aggravated battery on a pregnant woman. There's a pretrial conference scheduled for April 16.

    The driver was Rashaun Houston of Bonneville Avenue in Chicopee. He was arrested for two outstanding warrants, refusing to identify himself to police and several motor vehicle charges: Driving as a habitual traffic offender with a revoked license, driving with a suspended registration and driving without insurance.

     

    Judge upset Holyoke man arrested while out on bail in gun case

    0
    0

    Ricardo Vargas, of 211 Walnut St., Holyoke, pleaded guilty to three charges in one case and five charges in another case, both in Holyoke. Those included carrying a loaded firearm and possessing large capacity feeding devices - including one with 22 live rounds of ammunition.

    SPRINGFIELD - Hampden Superior Court Judge John S. Ferrara said Tuesday he found it troubling Ricardo Vargas would commit a serious firearms offense while out on bail on an earlier serious firearms offense.

    Ricardo Vargas mug.jpgRicardo Vargas 
    Ferrara said in the more recent crime Vargas, 26, of Holyoke, engaged in the dangerous behavior - while trying to elude police - of throwing a loaded firearm in an alley where it could be found by children.

    Vargas, of 211 Walnut St., Holyoke, pleaded guilty to three charges in one case and five charges in another case, both in Holyoke. Those included carrying a loaded firearm and possessing large capacity feeding devices - including one with 22 live rounds of ammunition.

    Ferrara accepted the guilty pleas but put off sentencing until April 10 at 2 p.m. saying, "I need to think about this."

    He told prosecution and defense he would have liked to see a recommendation for a probationary term on some of the serious charges to follow state prison time. He said he would have liked to see probationary conditions such as remaining drug free, getting psychological counseling as determined by the Probation Department and looking for work.

    Assistant District Attorney Jennifer N. Fitzgerald and defense lawyer Thomas E. Robinson had presented a joint recommendation to Ferrara that called for a state prison sentence of 2½ to three years.

    Ferrara said he would not even be considering that low a number if it weren't for the fact Vargas has no criminal record and other information passed on to him about Vargas by Robinson.

    Fitzgerald outlined the facts of the earliest case, in which Vargas pleaded guilty to possession of heroin with intent to distribute, violation of a drug free school zone, two counts of possession of a large capacity feeding device and one count of possession of a firearm without a firearms identification card.

    Fitzgerald said on May 17, 2013, Holyoke police were doing surveillance on 173 Elm St.

    When they were checking the common laundry room for the building they found a plastic bag containing 30 smaller bags of heroin in a dryer.

    They saw Vargas through a window look at them and then walk away.

    An apartment door near the laundry room opened and a female emerged. Fitzgerald said police could see heroin on top of the refrigerator.

    Police got a seach warrant and ended up finding 525 bags of heroin, two large capacity feeding devices and a Ruger P89 9 mm semi automatic pistol.

    Vargas told police the drugs in the apartment were his, and his girlfriend was innocent of everything. Bail in that case was set at $7,500 cash which Vargas posted.

    The other case - in which Vargas pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a firearm, ammunition and a loaded firearm - happened on Dec. 20, 2013.

    Fitzgerald said Holyoke police saw a car drive off without headlights and followed it. As the car continued to drive without headlights police activated their lights and tried to stop it.

    The vehicle increased its speed and went into an alley near 291 Elm St., Fitzgerald said. The front passenger - Vargas - threw a gun out the window in front of that vehicle.

    The driver tried to reverse but hit a car. Officers approached with their weapons drawn. Vargas was arrested and the 9 mm semi automatic loaded with seven rounds was found.

    Viewing all 62489 articles
    Browse latest View live




    Latest Images