Entergy witnesses told lawyers that if the plant is forced to shut temporarily, it will lose about $20 million a month in revenue and may shut down permanently.
Associated PressPeter VanDerDoes, Jim Romer and Laura Williams take part in a peaceful vigil outside the Brattleboro, Vt., post office and federal court house on Thursday. The vigil was organized by the Safe and Green Campaign to support the State of Vermont as it is sued by Entergy Corporation, the owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon, Vt., over the state's refusal to issue a Certificate of Public Good allowing operation of the plant past its 2012 license expiration. (AP Photo/Jason R. Henske)
By DAVE GRAM
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant's owners asked a federal judge Thursday for a preliminary order to keep the plant open while a lengthy legal fight over the state's effort to shut it down unfolds.
The hearing on the preliminary injunction, which is to continue for a second day Friday, quickly cut to the meat of the case, as Entergy Corp. lawyer Kathleen Sullivan accused the Vermont Legislature of improperly treading on nuclear safety questions that are the exclusive domain of the federal government.
Lawmakers tried to hide the fact that safety was their real concern, she added, going so far as to change the title of one piece of legislation to take out the word "safety" and replace it with "reliability." But she urged U.S. District Judge J. Garvan Murtha not to be fooled.
"It is exactly safety, safety, safety that Vermont has sought to regulate," Sullivan said in court Thursday.
Three lawyers from the Vermont attorney general's office sought to counter Entergy's legal attack by pointing to the company's many statements since it bought the plant in 2002 that it would abide by state rulings on its future. Only now, as the state has come to a decision Entergy doesn't like, has the company gone back on its word, the state's lawyers argued.
Assistant Attorney General Bridget Asay urged Murtha to reject the request for an injunction. "It's our position that Entergy will not succeed on the merits and that this court ... should not grant the injunction," Asay said.
It was not known when the judge might rule on Entergy's request.
Asay also disputed Sullivan's contention that the Legislature was focusing on safety, saying lawmakers discussed safety but understood that it was barred from passing laws related to it.
The company maintains that Vermont changed the rules with a 2006 law giving the Legislature a say over a relicensing decision that Entergy understood when it bought the plant would be left to the state's utility regulators. New Orleans-based Entergy says that change voids the promise it made to take orders from the state. The state Senate voted last year to shut the plant down in 2012; the House hasn't acted.
But Sullivan went further than Entergy has previously in trying to forestall any justification Vermont might cite in its bid to close its lone reactor when its initial 40-year license expires next March.
The state has cited environmental and economic reasons for shutting down the plant. It's old and in recent years has leaked radioactive tritium into soil and groundwater. It experienced a spectacular cooling tower collapse in 2007.
Sullivan sought to carve out new ground by arguing that not only is the state barred from regulating the plant on safety, but on economics as well. That's because Vermont Yankee doesn't sell power to in-state consumers directly, but rather sells its electricity at wholesale into a power grid serving all of New England. That means economic issues at the plant are overseen not by the state but by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Sullivan said.
Entergy witnesses and lawyers sought to make the case that the clock is ticking on a ruling. John Herron, a senior Entergy executive overseeing operations at 10 nuclear plants, said he needs to decide by late July whether to spend about $65 million to buy new uranium-based nuclear fuel, which would be specially fabricated for Vermont Yankee and installed in the plant during a refueling and maintenance outage scheduled for this fall.
Uncertainty about the plant's future is clouding that decision and is causing great anxiety among the plant's more than 600 workers — and even some departures of key senior engineers, Herron said.
"Criminally prosecuting adults for making the choice to smoke marijuana is a waste of law enforcement resources and an intrusion on personal freedom," Frank said.
Associated PressU.S. representatives Barney Frank, D-Mass., left, and Ron Paul, R-Texas, right, introduced legislation Thursday that would eliminate marijuana-specific penalties under federal law, but would maintain a ban on transporting marijuana across state lines. It would allow individuals to grow and sell marijuana in states that make it legal.
WASHINGTON — Two House members introduced a bill Thursday that would remove marijuana from the list of federal controlled substances and cede to the states enforcement of laws governing pot.
The legislation would eliminate marijuana-specific penalties under federal law, but would maintain a ban on transporting marijuana across state lines. It would allow individuals to grow and sell marijuana in states that make it legal.
The bill has no chance of passing the Republican-controlled House.
The bill was introduced by Democrat Barney Frank of Massachusetts and Ron Paul, a Texas Republican running for his party's presidential nomination.
Four Democrats are co-sponsors: John Conyers of Michigan, Barbara Lee of California, Jared Polis of Colorado and Steve Cohen of Tennessee.
"Criminally prosecuting adults for making the choice to smoke marijuana is a waste of law enforcement resources and an intrusion on personal freedom," Frank said.
"I do not advocate urging people to smoke marijuana. Neither do I urge them to drink alcoholic beverages or smoke tobacco. But in none of these cases do I think prohibition enforced by criminal sanctions is good public policy."
The bill would have to go through the House Judiciary Committee. Chairman Lamar Smith, R-Texas, said his panel would not consider it.
"Marijuana use and distribution is prohibited under federal law because it has a high potential for abuse and does not have an accepted medical use in the U.S.," Smith said. "The Food and Drug Administration has not approved smoked marijuana for any condition or disease.
"Decriminalizing marijuana will only lead to millions more Americans becoming addicted to drugs and greater profits for drug cartels who fund violence along the U.S.-Mexico border. Allowing states to determine their own marijuana policy flies in the face of Supreme Court precedent."
Longmeadow residents Jeffrey Stream, Lawrence Vincent, and Israel Schepps pleaded guilty to inflating assets and falsifying documents in order to gain approval for $9 million in credit from TD Bank
SPRINGFIELD - The three owners of the since-closed Mastex Industries pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a fraudulently obtaining a $9 million line of credit, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Longmeadow residents Jeffrey Stream, 53, Lawrence Vincent, 61, and Israel Schepps, 53, accepted a plea a single count of defrauding TD Bank, from 2006-09, by inflating assets and falsifying documents in order to extend its credit line.
The company, which manufactured the cloth that was used primarily in automobile airbags, closed down suddenly in 2009, shortly after the fraud was discovered.
Eighty people lost their jobs.
Prosecutors introduced evidence showing the owners intentionally overstated inventory by $2 million and accounts receivable by $6 million. By the end of the three-year period, the three had overstated assets by $11 million.
If convicted, Stream, Lawrence and Schepps each face up to 30 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Mayor Domenic Sarno said the council cut departments while approving a pay increase for itself.
File photos | The RepublicanSpringfield city councilors Michael Fenton, left, and Jose Tosado, right, said cuts the council made to the fiscal 2012 budget submitted by Mayor Domenic Sarno were reasonable and necessary in difficult financial times..
SPRINGFIELD – City councilors on Thursday defended a $2.7 million cut in next year’s budget, saying the mayor’s proposal was too dependent on city reserve funds and presumed fee increases that were never approved by the council.
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno and Finance Department officials said they are evaluating the impact of the budget cuts that were approved Wednesday, and how the cuts will affect city services and layoffs.
Council President Jose F. Tosado and Finance Committee Chairman Michael A. Fenton said the cuts were reasonable and necessary in difficult financial times.
“To start predicting doom and gloom is disingenuous,” Tosado said. “I don’t think that it is going to bring city services in City Hall to a screeching stop.”
The largest cut – totaling $1.7 million – was a 5 percent cut in the non-salary accounts of all city departments. It would require cuts of various expenses that could range from materials and supplies to utility costs and travel, officials said.
In addition, the council eliminated 13 vacant city employee positions that were funded but not filled, for more than $500,000 in savings. The council also cut $100,000 from Police Department overtime, $100,000 from the Finance Department, and $100,000 from Information Technology among other reductions.
Sarno said he and the Finance Department are awaiting reports from city cabinet heads and department heads to gauge the specific impact of the council budget cuts.
“Obviously, what the council has done by their cuts, is going to affect the application of city services and (have) layoff factors,” Sarno said.
Domenic Sarno
Sarno said the council’s vote, rejecting his plan to use $10.5 million in reserve funds to help balance the budget, will cause him to request a smaller amount. The city currently has a $43.7 million stabilization “rainy day” reserve fund.
The council also eliminated all funding – approximately $240,000 – for the four-person CitiStat department. The department was created four years ago by the now-disbanded Finance Control Board to find ways for overall streamlining, efficiency and accountability in government.
Tosado and Fenton said CitiStat was a “luxury” the city cannot afford at this time. When asked for savings that CitiStat generated this year, the city’s chief administrative and financial officer Lee C. Erdmann listed a $3,800 savings related to the census, but said the department also took a lead in drafting the city’s strategic action plan.
“It was not a cost-effective department,” Fenton said. “We saw it as a luxury and not a necessity.”
Sarno criticized the council for accepting an increase in its own annual pay, from $13,050 per member, to $14,500. He questioned if that was “leading by example.”
Non-bargaining employees including the mayor have a wage freeze and are taking 12 unpaid furlough days, Sarno said.
Tosado said the council had reduced its own pay by 10 percent more four years ago, and now returns to its former $14,500 salary.
The mayor rather than criticizing should be thanking the council, he said. Both Tosado and Sarno are candidates for mayor in the fall election, along with a third candidate, Antonette Pepe.
Councilors said the mayor and his finance team made assumptions of receiving $400,000 a year in new revenues from a proposed increase in the hotel tax. In addition, the budget was based on the assumption of $350,000 in new revenues from a proposed increase in the demand fee for delinquent taxes from the current fee of $5 to a proposed increase to $12.50.
Both Tosado and Fenton said the fee increases were “sneaked” into the budget process, an allegation denied by Erdmann and other finance officials. The finance officials said the fees were disclosed at a recent budget hearing and said the hotel fee was also fully revealed in May.
Finance officials denied any sneak move. While the proposed budget included the new hotel and demand fee revenue, “there was no presumption, just a recommendation,” Erdmann said
The city was planning 13.5 layoffs prior to the council vote. In addition, Sarno had eliminated 54.5 vacant positions.
Neiswanger, a 25-year veteran, impressed the mayor with his vision for police and the community.
submitted photoJames M. Neiswanger, of South Windsor, has been named Holyoke's new police chief. He is a captain with the Manchester, Conn. Police Department.
HOLYOKE – James M. Neiswanger, the city’s prospective new police chief, will meet the public and press Friday and said he expects smooth negotiations on a contract to begin leading the Police Department.
Neiswanger, 48, is a captain and 25-year veteran of the Manchester, Conn. Police Department.
“I want to go up there and meet the mayor and everyone, get to the know the officers in the department and people in the community. I’m going to have to see the lay of the land,” Neiswanger said.
Contract negotiations will go quickly, he said.
“I don’t foresee any problems,” Neiswanger said.
The job was advertised with a salary range of $120,000 to $135,000.
Neiswanger would be replacing former Chief Anthony R. Scott, who retired April 30 after having been the chief since 2001. His annual salary was $133, 164.
Mayor Elaine A. Pluta made the surprise announcement Thursday that she had chosen Neiswanger, who was one of two finalists culled from an initial field of 39 candidates.
Pluta had said she would spend the weekend deciding and announce her choice for chief Monday between Neiswanger and Pedro J. Perez, 58, of Albany, N.Y., a retired, 29-year veteran official of the New York State Police.
Instead, Pluta said, her review of information that included the finalists’ performances in a role-playing evaluation Saturday persuaded her to choose Neiswanger.
Pluta said she was unable to release specifics from the evaluation, held at Holyoke Community College, because candidates were assured it would be confidential.
“But it was just very obvious from the report and the results of the assessment center that Mr. Neiswanger was the better candidate,” Pluta said.
One step that impressed her was a 2.5-page vision of the Police Department’s future Neiswanger wrote as part of the assessment center, she said.
“It was great, his plan, his organization, his vision for the department in the community,” she said.
By late Wednesday, she said, it became clear her choice was Neiswanger. She called Perez, who told her he might have another job offer, she said.
“I had already made my decision,” she said.
Perez hasn’t returned calls this week seeking comment.
Neiswanger, of South Windsor, Conn., said he was looking forward to today and to being chief here.
He and his wife Carla, a paraprofessional in the South Windsor schools, have three daughters, two of whom are in college and one in high school, he said.
The city charter requires that the police chief be a city resident. Neiswanger said he would put his home on the market and was unsure when he would move here.
In some ways, Neiswanger will be taking on a public relation challenge. Scott was very popular in parts of the city.
Scott established a presence in the media and aimed a zero-tolerance crack-down at bad guys while ridiculing what he called judge’ light-sentence coddling of criminals and having his friend and world-famous comedian Bill Cosby join him at events.
In Manchester, Neiswanger is known as a familiar and helpful officer in the community. He’s at concerts in the park and events such as July 4th celebrations, said Cheri A Pelletier, a member of the city’s board of directors, which she likened to a city council.
“I haven’t met anyone who doesn’t like him or had an issue with him,” Pelletier said.
Neiswanger has experience managing the police budget and as a grant writer, as well as supervising the 126-officer department, Manchester Mayor Louis A. Spadaccini said.
“(Holyoke would) be getting an exemplary, high-professional invididual who has an exemplary record of service,” Spadaccini said.
An issue facing Perez was that he retired under a cloud in March 2010. The New York Times reported that Perez authorized the commander of then-Gov. David A. Paterson’s security detail several months earlier to contact a woman who had accused an aide to Paterson of domestic assault.
The aide, David W. Johnson, later pleaded guilty to harassing the woman, The New York Times reported. The scandal was one reason Paterson ended his campaign for governor in 2010.
At the time, Perez said his retirement was not a reaction to his actions in the case, which he called “honest and rightly motivated.”
When reached June 18, Perez told The Republican and MassLive.com, “It was thoroughly investigated by the Attorney General’s Office and the state police were cleared. That’s all I have to say about that.”
In a 57-page report on the case in July 2010 by Judith S. Kaye, the former chief judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, Perez said he authorized the call to the victim because he had only a brief third-hand description of what had happened.
Perez also said in the report that he wanted the security detail commander to assess whether the woman who made the assault accusation needed help. He testified he also wanted to know if the incident was a security threat to the governor.
Dale M. Volker, of Depew, N.Y., a former New York state senator, said that he has known Perez for 30 years and that he would have been an excellent chief here.
“He was a super guy, Pedro Perez, one of the finest state police officers I ever met, really top-flight guy,” said Volker, a lawyer with a practice in Lancaster.
“He went right up through the ranks, well-respected by his men, knowledgeable, he had great leadership abilities.
“He’s Hispanic, but he’s able to get along with anybody. I never heard anybody say anything uncomplimentary about him, except maybe a few guys he disciplined,” Volker said.
Watts could face up to 30 years in federal prison following his conviction.
SPRINGFIELD - Antoine Watts, 33, of Springfield, was convicted in U.S. District Court on charges of distribution of cocaine as a result of his arrest in April, 2009, and could face up to 30 years in prison.
A jury found him guilty of three charges, conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute, possession with intent to distribute of a cocaine base, and distribution of a cocaine base.
Watts was arrested on April 16, 2009 after he and another individual worked together to sell at least 5 grams of cocaine to a cooperating witness, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
That other individual was Watt's brother Kenneth L. Hawkins, who died in June, 2009, two months after the arrest.
Hawkins himself was shot in the neck during the crossfire at the restaruant, and would spend the rest of his life paralyzed from the neck down. State prosecutors declined to take him to trial for the murder, citing the extent and permanent nature of his injuries.
At the time of the arrest in 2009, Hawkins was selling drugs from his bed with Watt's assistance. Unable to move his arms and legs, Hawkins relied on Watts to collect the money and hand out drugs that were stashed under the covers to his bed.
The arrest was the result of an investigation by the FBI's Western Massachusetts Gang Task Force, which is made up of officers from the state police, Springfield police and Hampden County Sheriff's Office.
Judge Michael A. Ponsor has scheduled sentencing for Nov. 15.
The president has said his views are "evolving," but for now he supports civil unions, not same-sex marriage.
Associated PressGay rights advocates Sergio Llanos, left, of Queens, and Vito Hernovich, of Manhattan, chant slogans during a rally for same sex marriage outside the LGBT gala fundraiser where President Barack Obama spoke, Thursday, June 23, 2011 in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)
By ERICA WERNER and JULIE PACE
NEW YORK — Treading carefully, President Barack Obama praised New York state lawmakers who were debating landmark legislation Thursday to legalize gay marriage, saying that's what democracy's all about. But as expected, the president stopped short of embracing same-sex marriage himself, instead asking gay and lesbian donors for patience.
"I believe that gay couples deserve the same legal rights as every other couple in this country," the president said at a Manhattan fundraiser, his first geared specifically to the gay community. Coincidentally, the long-planned event occurred just as lawmakers in Albany were debating legislation that would make New York the sixth and by far the largest state to legalize gay marriage.
That served to spotlight the president's own views on same-sex marriage, a sore point with gay supporters who've otherwise warmed to Obama. The president has said his views are "evolving," but for now he supports civil unions, not same-sex marriage.
Obama said progress will be slower than some people want, but he added that he was confident that there will be a day "when every single American, gay or straight or lesbian or bisexual or transgender, is free to live and love as they see fit.
"Traditionally marriage has been decided by the states and right now I understand there's a little debate going on here in New York," he said to laughter. New York's lawmakers, he said, are "doing exactly what democracies are supposed to do."
Debate on the measure continued into the night at the statehouse, and the outcome was uncertain.
As Obama spoke a handful of people shouted out "marriage!" And Obama said, "I heard you guys." He never directly mentioned gay marriage.
Obama said there were those who shouted at him at events about other causes of the gay community, such as the need for anti-hate crimes legislation and for the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" ban on openly gay military service, and both of those have since been achieved.
Obama also has won favor by instructing the Justice Department to stop defending in court a law defining marriage as between a man and a woman.
Obama told of receiving a letter last year from a teenager in a small town. He said the boy was a senior in high school who was gay and was afraid to come out. The boy wondered to the president why gays shouldn't be equal like everyone else.
"So, yes, we have more work to do," Obama said. "Yes, we have more progress to make. Yes, I expect continued impatience with me on occasion."
He said teenagers such as the one who wrote to him "remind me that there should be impatience when it comes to the fight for basic equality. We've made enormous advances just in these last two and half years. But there's still young people out there looking for us to do more."
In a direct appeal for votes, Obama said: "With your help, if you keep up the fight, if you will devote your time and your energies to this campaign one more time, I promise you we will write another chapter in that story. ... I'll be standing there, right there with you."
Overall the reaction Obama got was warm from the crowd of nearly 600 who paid up to $35,800 each to hear him speak at a midtown hotel. And only a small group of protesters showed up to demonstrate outside for marriage equality. It was a measure of how much the gay community has warmed to Obama since earlier in his administration when donors threatened to boycott Democratic fundraisers to pressure Obama on "don't ask, don't tell."
If Obama were to endorse gay marriage, it would give a jolt of enthusiasm to his liberal base and perhaps unlock additional fundraising dollars from the well-heeled gay community. It's not clear it would get him too many additional votes in 2012 though, because the Republican field's general opposition to gay rights gives activists no alternative to Obama.
At the same time, supporting gay marriage could alienate some religious voters that the politically cautious White House might still hope to win over for Obama's re-election campaign.
Obama has indicated support in the past for states allowing gay people to marry. As a presidential candidate, he went so far as to congratulate gay couples in California who married during the short period when gay marriage was legal in that state before voters shut it down.
The president also signed a questionnaire in 1996 as a candidate for Illinois state Senate saying he supported gay marriage, something the White House hasn't fully explained.
Even as the president deliberates, public sentiment is marching decisively in the direction of supporting gay marriage. Depending on the poll, people are now about evenly split or narrowly in favor.
"There's been a noticeable shift the last couple of years," said Carroll Doherty, associate director of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. In March, the center found that 45 percent of those surveyed favored gay marriage and 46 percent opposed it. That was the first time that the survey found an essentially even split instead of majority opposition.
It's something the president has noted, telling liberal bloggers in October that "it's pretty clear where the trend lines are going."
The question is when, how and if the president goes there too.
Werner reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Karen Zraick contributed to this report.
The hostility started early and escalated when the Council voted to eliminate the salary for the mayor's chief of staff
File photo | The RepublicanChicopee City Hall.
CHICOPEE – The City Council’s budget meeting disintegrated Thursday night with members and the mayor shouting at each after the board cut funding for his office.
The hostility started early and escalated when the City Council voted 7-6 to eliminate the $47,299 salary for the mayor’s chief of staff and the $28,114 salary of his administrative assistant.
The council also reduced the full-time $75,000 salary for the city solicitor to a part-time $47,000 pay and made some smaller cuts.
The City Council approved the $158 million budget for fiscal year 2012, which starts July 1, in a 7-6 vote.
“This is a shameless, political act,” Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette shouted as the City Council finished making a series of small cuts, including reducing his travel budget from $7,500 to $5,000.
Bissonnette called the cuts “an attack on my office” and an act of revenge for his attempts to cut the city clerk’s staff from the existing six positions to three.
Michael Bissonnette
In his original draft budget, Bissonnette proposed reducing the city clerk’s office by half and transferring the three other clerks to the law department, the city clerk’s office and the registrar of voters office.
At the City Council’s request, Bissonnette did file a supplemental budget and restored all three positions to the clerk’s office.
The cutting of the mayor’s staff even confused some councilors, including President William M. Zaskey, who said he was surprised because the mayor did everything he asked of him.
But the seven councilors who voted to cut the two positions, denied the move was an act of revenge.
“No way it is about the clerk’s office,” Councilor Dino A. Brunetti said.
Councilor Timothy S. McLellan said during an earlier budget hearing the mayor said he did not need his entire staff, but added they are simply there to serve the public.
“We are trying to level-fund the budget,” he said, questioning the members who did not support the cuts.
Several councilors chastised other members. Councilor James K. Tillotson reminded members that the city council once cut then-Mayor Richard J. Kos’ budget and it turned into an embarrassment for the city.
“I can’t believe what is happening tonight,” Councilor Jean J. Croteau said. “This is unbelievable. This is disgusting.”
Bissonnette also questioned if the meeting violated the state’s Open Meeting Law and said he would file a complaint with the state attorney general’s office on two counts. He questioned if the seven members discussed issues outside the meeting, which would be illegal. The proposed cuts were also not listed on the agenda, which is a violation.
The FBI said agents also found more than 30 firearms, several types of knives and several pieces of false identification.
Associated PressIn this courtroom sketch, James ' Whitey' Bulger, left, and his girlfriend, Catherine Greig, are shown during their arraignment in a federal courtroom in downtown Los Angeles, Thursday, June 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Bill Robles)
By CHRISTINA HOAG
and THOMAS WATKINS
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — The FBI says agents found $800,000 in cash during a search of Boston mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger's Santa Monica apartment following his arrest.
Steven Martinez, FBI Assistant Director in Charge in Los Angeles, said at a news conference Thursday afternoon that agents also found more than 30 firearms, including pistols, rifles and shotguns, several types of knives and several pieces of false identification.
Bulger, the FBI's most-wanted man, and his live-in companion Catherine Greig, were arrested without incident Wednesday night at their Santa Monica apartment.
FEMA's Nick Russo said he was impressed by the spirit and teamwork displayed by Springfield residents and officials in grappling with tornado destruction.
The Republican | Dave RobackNick Russo of FEMA speaks to residents at the Holy Cross parish gym on assistance to residents effected by the June 1 tornado. Looking on is Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno at left.
SPRINGFIELD – Federal disaster aid officials commended the city’s residents and public officials Thursday for their response to the June 1 tornadoes, but also urged businesses and homeowners to be assertive in applying for assistance.
“Don’t disqualify yourself,” said Jose Vejarano, public affairs specialist with the U.S. Small Business Administration, speaking to about 200 residents attending an informational meeting at the Holy Cross school on Plumtree Road.
Vejarano and Nick Russo, representing the Federal Emergency Management Administration, stressed that anyone suffering storm damage should apply for federal disaster relief.
“The key is the application – the process starts there,” Vejarano said.
Russo said he was impressed by the spirit and teamwork displayed by Springfield residents and officials in grappling with the destruction caused by the tornadoes.
Noting that he has responded to 76 disasters, Russo said the recovery effort here is “light years ahead of some of the places I’ve been.”
The session, conducted by Springfield City Councilor Timothy Allen, featured a panel of local, state and federal officials offering up-to-date information on storm recovery efforts and an overview of the financial assistance available to homeowners and businesses.
Several officials, including city engineer Christopher M. Cignoli, urged residents to notify the city if they are dealing with dangerous storm debris or trees leaning at precarious angles. “We want to get in there (and handle the problem),”Cignoli said.
The city will continue picking up storm debris left at curbside, though debris left in barrels or bags might not be picked up until the regular trash day, Cignoli added.
Allen also assured homeowners that storm damage to property will be reflected on real estate tax bills sent out next month.
Schools superintendent Alan J. Ingram told residents that repairs are being made to the Mary A. Dryden and Elias A. Brookings elementary schools, though both schools will operate with mobile classrooms in the fall.
After an hour-long presentation, residents were directed to tables in the back of the school’s gymnasium to talk with representatives of various agencies.
To register with FEMA, call the toll-free number at (800) 621-FEMA, or (800) 621-3362. Those who are hearing or speech impaired can call the TTY number of (800) 462-7585.
Both numbers go to a call center that is staffed daily from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.
People with access to the Internet may also register through the FEMA website, www.DisasterAssistance.gov. Anyone looking for information can go to the FEMA center at Building 104 of the Springfield Technical Community College Technology Park at 1 Federal St. or the nearest disaster center.
After the session, several residents said they were pleased with the response by local officials in the aftermath of the storm.
Mary Street resident Cheryl A. Butler said the information is especially valuable to residents trying to navigate their way through the rebuilding process.
“Now the hard part begins,” Butler said, adding that the initial shock at the storm’s devastation has given way to complex and painstaking rebuilding effort.
In other developments, police patrolling tornado-damaged areas in the Six Corners neighborhood early Thursday arrested a 44-year-old city man after they spotted him carrying a laptop computer and LCD television as he walked down the street.
After arresting the suspect and placing him in the rear of the cruiser, the officers searched the backpack and found a long crowbar, several CDs, 16 DVDs and mail belonging to a Spruce Street resident. The officers went to that address and found that the front door, which had been boarded up, was kicked in.
The suspect, Kenneth Bolden, of 50 Clifton St., denied charges and was ordered held in lieu of $10,000 cash bail during his arraignment in district court.
In Monson, hard-hit by the tornado, the selectmen have decided the town needs a full-time building inspector and will advertise the post with a salary of $50,385. The previous building inspector, Harold P. Leaming, was part-time and he left June 12 to take a state building inspector job; he ended up being assigned to Monson. “It’s clear we’re not going to make it with a part-time building inspector,” Town Administrator Gretchen E. Neggers said.
The elementary school building for St. Michael's Academy was not damaged in the tornado.
Republican file photoThis aerial photograph taken the day after the tornado shows damage to Cathedral High School.
SPRINGFIELD – Church officials are still unsure where students from Cathedral High School and St. Michael’s Middle School will be attending class next year, but they are positive the schools will reopen in September.
“I don’t know where classes will be held next year but they will be held,” The Most Rev. Timothy A. McDonnell, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield said.
The building that housed the about 450-student Cathedral High School and 200-student St. Michael’s Academy middle school on Surrey Road was ravaged by the June 1 tornado. In the days following the storm, the diocese announced the school would not be usable in September and ended high school classes for the rest of the year.
The elementary school building nearby on 153 Eddywood St. was not damaged.
The diocesan officials previously said McDonnell’s goal was to re-open the school for the fall, but hesitated to say the school would definitely reopen because it has been difficult to find possible locations for classes.
But recently Mark E. Dupont, spokesman for the diocese, said officials are now examining several temporary locations, making it definite that the school can reopen for the fall.
“The search process is proceeding. We have various options, all with some pluses and minuses,” he said.
He did not reveal any of the possible locations or say if any are in Springfield. Dupont said previously the top choice is to find a temporary school in Springfield.
“While we understand parents are anxious to get answers, and we certainly want to announce temporary locations as soon as possible, it is important within our limited time frame to make the right decision on such a location,” he said.
McDonnell plans to make an announcement as soon as possible, but no date has been named, he said.
The diocese is working with its real estate consultants at Colebrook Realty as well as educators to determine which is the best spot for the school. Dupont did not say if all the middle and high school students would be able to be housed in the same building.
Meanwhile insurance agents, engineers and other building consultants are continuing to determine the extent of damage at the Cathedral High School building.
No decision can be made on whether the school should be razed and rebuilt or repaired until the evaluations are completed. An answer in not expected for a few months, Dupont said.
The Oscar-winning film had a heavy Boston connection among its cast and crew.
Jack Nicholson stars as Frank Costello in a scene from "The Departed." Martin Scorseseâs "The Departed" was hardly the life story of Whitey Bulger. Yet the aura and influence of the Boston mob boss permeates the Academy Award-winning gangster saga, which co-starred Jack Nicholson as a Boston gang leader whose life parallels that of Bulger.(AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Andrew Cooper)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Whitey Bulger was an FBI informant. His life also informed one of modern Hollywood's more-memorable crime stories.
Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" was hardly the life story of Bulger, yet the aura and influence of the Boston mob boss permeates the Academy Award-winning gangster saga.
Adapted from the Hong Kong crime tale "Infernal Affairs," 2006's "The Departed" co-stars Jack Nicholson as a Boston gang leader whose life parallels that of Bulger, the Irish mob chief arrested Wednesday after 16 years as a fugitive.
Scorsese and his collaborators say Bulger and the crime operation he ran around Boston helped localize the story and add credibility to the plot, which centers on an undercover cop who infiltrates the mob (Leonardo DiCaprio) and a policeman (Matt Damon) who's really a mole for the mob.
Bulger himself was an FBI informant, supplying information about rival New England crime crews.
In a behind-the-scenes segment about Bulger included in "The Departed" DVD release, Scorsese said that Nicholson's crime boss Frank Costello was not "directly patterned after Whitey Bulger."
"We tried to utilize the information we read about it as a kind of comfort zone to know that a lot of the stuff was factual, because if somebody had written that, I'd say, 'No, come on. It's too much,'" said Scorsese, who won the best-director Oscar for "The Departed." The film's four Oscars also included best picture.
"The Departed" remains Scorsese's top-grossing film, taking in $132.4 million domestically and nearly $300 million worldwide, and is probably how most folks know anything about the Bulger saga.
A 2002 hit in Hong Kong, "Infernal Affairs" spun a similar tale of intrigue as mob and police moles try to flush each other out. "The Departed" steeped the story in Boston lore inspired by Bulger and the city's crime underworld.
The film also had a heavy Boston connection among its cast and crew, which included city natives Damon and co-star Mark Wahlberg, along with screenwriter William Monahan.
"There's only one guy from Boston, an Irish gangster, that ran the whole thing, and that's Whitey Bulger," Wahlberg, who earned a supporting-actor Oscar nomination for his role as a fast-talking cop, said in "The Departed" DVD segment on Bulger.
"The existence of the Whitey Bulger story and the FBI corruption and so forth made the Chinese story sort of slide into Boston very easily and believably," Monahan, who won the adapted-screenplay Oscar for "The Departed," said in the DVD segment.
"Whitey was famous. Everybody just knew about him in Boston," Monahan said. "But 'The Departed' is by no means a Whitey Bulger story."
In Southie, Bulger long cultivated a Robin Hood-type image, doling out gifts and convincing people he was a tough guy looking out for the neighborhood's little guys.
AP/WBUR 90.9James "Whitey" Bulger booking photo
By RUSSELL CONTRERAS
BOSTON — Word of former mob boss Whitey Bulger's arrest shook his former South Boston neighborhood on Thursday, where some still see a good side to a man wanted in a slew of vicious murders.
The capture of Bulger, 81, after 16 years on the run buzzed through Southie's cafes and doughnut shops, as people bent over newspapers in disbelief and discussed developments.
"I thought he was dead," said William Foley, 72, standing outside a local pharmacy.
Bulger has been accused of 19 murders and stunning cruelty, including carrying a young woman down the stairs as he strangled her and beating one man so badly he asked Bulger to shoot him.
But in working class South Boston, he long cultivated a Robin Hood-type image, doling out gifts and convincing people he was a tough guy looking out for Southie's little guys.
Paul Sassone, 44, recalled that when he was in his 20s, Bulger once gave him $60 to replace his muddy sneakers.
Foley said most residents know of the alleged violence in Bulger's past, but many remembered him as a giving man and a sort of neighborhood protector.
"He really cleaned up the neighborhood, he really did, he kept the drugs out," Foley said.
In truth, authorities say Bulger was deep into the local drug trade, extorting "rent" from dealers, loaning them startup money and demanding they buy from wholesalers connected to him.
"There was a great legend that was associated with him in the '70s and '80s and even the early '90s that I think in some ways still exists and softens the extent of his criminal activity," said attorney William Christie, who represents the families of two alleged Bulger victims, John McIntyre and Edward "Brian" Halloran.
"I think his fugitive status fueled that celebrity in many ways," Christie said.
Retired Navy and Army veteran Arthur Stevens said he grew up with Bulger and conceded that a lot of South Boston residents "loved him." But he said that was before everyone discovered the terrible things he's said to have done.
Associated PressA passer-by departs a liquor store in Boston's South Boston neighborhood, Thursday, June 23, 2011. The liquor store, formerly called South Boston Liquor Mart, was frequented by mob boss Whitey Bulger during the 1980s. Bulger was arrested by the FBI in Santa Monica, Calif., Wednesday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
"I remember when I met him, I knew he was no good," said Stevens, 72, shaking his head.
Bulger's infamy has long disgraced the FBI, which was accused of protecting Bulger because he was considered a valuable informant. In Miami, former Boston FBI agent John Connolly was convicted of second degree murder after he allegedly tipped Bulger that a gang-connected businessman was likely to accuse them in another slaying. The man was later killed by a mob hitman.
In South Boston on Thursday, continuing distrust of the FBI was evident as some residents scoffed at the idea that investigators hadn't long known Bulger's location. Foley theorized the FBI moved to get him when they figured they would get the most publicity.
Some parts of the neighborhood, though, have long moved past Bulger. The former Old Harbor housing project where Bulger grew up, now called the Mary Ellen McCormack development, was heavily Irish when Bulger was there, but is now largely Asian and Latino. On Thursday, many residents there didn't know who Bulger was.
But McCormack resident Jennifer Lynch, 47, knew about Bulger, and as she walked her two dogs Thursday morning, she was glad the authorities didn't forget him.
"He should get what he deserves," Lynch said. "He hurt a lot of people and did a lot of bad things."
Associated Press writer Jay Lindsay contributed to this report in Boston.
A Lowell police officer has been charged with raping two prostitutes and soliciting prostitution from others while on duty.
LOWELL, Mass. (AP) — A Lowell police officer has been charged with raping two prostitutes and soliciting prostitution from others while on duty.
The Middlesex District Attorney's office says Aravanh Lakmany was indicted on Thursday by a Middlesex grand jury. No arraignment date has been set.
The indictment alleges that Lakmany worked the overnight shift for the Lowell police department and solicited several prostitutes beginning in 2009. Prosecutors said he asked the women to get into the back seat of his cruiser or personal car and drove them to a secluded area where they would have sexual contact.
Prosecutors said Lakmany told one alleged victim he would not arrest her if she had sex with him.
A woman who answered the telephone at Lakmany's residence said "no comment" and hung up.
With more than two weeks passing since anyone last saw William and Loraine Currier, police say they are still working leads to unravel the mystery.
This police sketch released Tuesday, June 14, 2011 by the Essex, Vt. Police Department shows a man who may have been spotted driving a car registered to a missing Essex couple. Forty-nine-year-old William Currier, an animal care technician at the University of Vermont, and his 55-year-old wife Lorraine, who works at Fletcher Allen Health Care, were last seen Wednesday by co-workers. Their car was found near their home, but the couple is still missing. (AP Photo/Essex Police Department)
ESSEX, Vermont - With more than two weeks passing since anyone last saw William and Loraine Currier, police say they are still working leads to unravel the mystery.
The Curriers were last seen on June 8, when they worked their normal shifts at their respective jobs in Burlington. William, 49, is an animal care technician at the University of Vermont while his wife Loraine, 55, works for Fletcher Allen Health Care, the university's hospital and health care center.
Police have labeled the disappearance as suspicious and although they have made very little information public, a sketch of a man who was seen driving the Currier's car has been publicized.
On June 10, the couple's green Saturn sedan was found in Essex Junction, in a parking lot between two apartment buildings at 241 Pearl St. Police reportedly questioned several people who lived in the area but no arrests were made.
A witness who saw someone driving the car did provide the description used by a sketch artist to provide the drawing of the man.
According to the Burlington Free Press, the police still haven't found a handgun the couple purchased recently.
Last week relatives offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the couple's whereabouts, as their concerns grow with each passing day.
In this undated photo released by the Essex police, Bill and Lorraine Currier are seen. Vermont police are carrying out search warrants at the home of the Essex couple they say have disappeared under suspicious circumstances. Essex police are looking for Bill and Lorraine Currier, who were last seen Wednesday by their respective co-workers in Burlington. Police searched their home Thursday night. (AP Photo/Essex police)
"Bill and Lorraine Currier are kind and caring people, beloved members of our families, said Diana Smith, William Currier's sister, in a statement read to the press recently. "We are heartbroken by their disappearance and at a loss to explain or understand it. We deeply appreciate the dedicated efforts of the police in trying to solve this mystery and bring them home safely."
William is described by police as a white man, 6-feet tall, weighing 220 pounds. Lorraine is described as a white woman, 5-feet-3 inches tall, and weighing approximately 160 pounds with brown hair.
Anyone with information on the case, even if it doesn't match up with previously released information is asked to share it with the Essex Police Department by calling 802-878-8331.
A West Hartford man claims God sent him to destroy a Farmington home; more Whitey Bulger reactions from victim families and more of the morning's headlines.
Pictures of North leader Kim Jong Il, left, and his son Kim Jong Un are burned by anti-North Korea protesters during a rally, one day ahead of the Korean War anniversary in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, June 24, 2011. The Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950, when Soviet tank-led North Koreans invaded South Korea. The three-year war ended in an armistice on July 27, 1953. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Police in Chicopee are looking for a man who reportedly robbed the Sunoco gas station at 1031 Chicopee Street just before 5:30 a.m. Friday.
CHICOPEE- Police in Chicopee are looking for a man who reportedly robbed Sam's Food Store located inside the Sunoco gas station at 1031 Chicopee Street just before 5:30 a.m. Friday.
He is described as a white man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and jeans who was last seen running from the store in an unknown direction.
According to early police reports, he displayed a handgun and shots were fired but it is unclear if anyone was injured or if the suspect got away with anything from the store.
Further information about the incident was not immediately available but will be posted as it becomes available.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Chicopee Police at (413) 592-6341.
Gay rights supporters have secured legal marriage status for same-sex couples in Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa and the District of Columbia, and are hoping a gain in New York will give them greater momentum.
By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — After New York's Senate ended its session for the "health of members" following the latest marathon session on Thursday, the Republican majority plans to again take up a gay marriage bill that could be pivotal moment in the national gay rights movement.
Negotiations have dragged on for two weeks over what could be a pivotal moment in the national gay rights movement.
Gay rights supporters have secured legal marriage status for same-sex couples in Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Iowa and the District of Columbia, and are hoping a gain in New York will give them greater momentum.
On Thursday, Senate leader Dean Skelos abruptly ended the session just before 11 p.m. as his members were awaiting the printing of bills not expected until after 4 a.m.
When lawmakers return Friday they still face several other major bills ranging from a public college tuition increase to a landmark tax cap before they can consider making New York the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.
Democrats weren't happy with the pace.
"This isn't stalling, it's a complete work stoppage by the Senate Republicans," said Austin Shafran, spokesman for the Democratic minority that supports gay marriage.
The bill has passed in the Assembly but several amendments have been proposed since then to better protect religious groups from discrimination lawsuits and to entice Republican senators to send the bill to the full Senate for a vote.
In the Capitol building, supporters and opponents have peacefully coexisted with occasional outbursts since last week, singing hymns like "This Little Light of Mine," or "Amazing Grace."
"The tension is always high because you have people yelling at you back and forth," Tonja Alvis, a gay marriage supporter from Albany, said Thursday. "It's like a rally at a football game."
The two opposing groups, kept segregated by state troopers, largely stayed on opposite sides of the hallways.
Sen. Kevin Parker, a Brooklyn Democrat, called the Republicans' handling of gay marriage "amateurish," but forgivable if same-sex marriage is eventually passed.
"As long as we get married, we'll be OK with the fumbling on the first date," Parker said.
There was no immediate comment from the Republican majority, which has been furiously negotiating major bills with Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Assembly's Democratic majority.
The gay marriage bill has passed in the Assembly, but several amendments have been proposed since then to better protect religious groups from discrimination lawsuits and to entice Republican senators to send the bill to the full Senate for a vote.
Of those places where gay marriage is legal, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., are the only ones that don't allow at least limited religious exemptions.
Skelos, who opposes gay marriage, has said his Republican caucus will have to meet behind closed doors to decide whether to move the bill to the floor or kill it.
Today's Poll: Will James "Whitey" Bulger attempt to cut a deal with prosecutors by naming the public servants he once had on the payroll?
People ride bicycles on the banks of river Ganges as monsoon clouds dot the sky in Allahabad, India, Wednesday, June 22, 2011. Monsoon rains that hits India usually from June to September are crucial for farmers whose crops feed hundreds of millions of people. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
The Forecast
Today comes with a 70 percent chance of rain.
The National Weather Service is forecasting:
Showers are likely after 1 p.m. with patchy fog lingering before 1 p.m. The overall high today should be around 70 degrees.
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely before midnight, then a chance of showers overnight into Saturday morning.
The big news yesterday, which is likely to remain a topic of conversation for some time, is the arrest of James "Whitey" Bulger and hid girlfriend Catherine Grieg in Santa Monica, California after 16 years on the lamb.
Bulger's story, which helped inspire Martin Scorsese's film "The Departed," has been recounted several times over the past 24 hours as the implications of the arrest are just starting to settle in.
Overnight, Denise LaVoie of the Associated Press published an article detailing how the arrest could implicate dozens of current and retired federal agents and law enforcement officers if he decides to speak.
In the early 1990s, Bulger's top Lieutenant Kevin Weeks testified that Bulger boasted that he had corrupted six FBI agents and more than 20 Boston police officers.
Bulger is currently wanted in at least three states for a range of crimes and the possibility of the death penalty is on the table.
Considering Bulger is now 81 and facing life in prison or worse, Do you believe he will attempt to cut a deal with prosecutors and in the process ignite a fresh Massachusetts scandal?
Chime in below and let us know what you think.
To read the full saga of James "Whitey" Bulger's arrest, click here.
Yesterday's results: On Thursday, we asked, "Do you believe the South Hadley School District is obligated to provide financial assistance to Debra Caldieri?" 13 people voted. 53.85% said 'No' and and 46.15% said 'Yes.'
Wednesday's Top 5
The top 5 headlines on MassLive.com on June 22 were:
"I do not advocate urging people to smoke marijuana. Neither do I urge them to drink alcoholic beverages or smoke tobacco. But in none of these cases do I think prohibition enforced by criminal sanctions is good public policy." ~Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., as he and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, introduced legislation to end the federal marijuana ban. To read the full story, click here.
How to help with tornado relief efforts in Western Massachusetts.
TORNADO RELIEF:
Here is a list of events and other relief efforts to provide help for victims of the tornadoes in Western Massachusetts.
June 25: Motorcycle run, Quaboag Riders Motorcycle Club, King Avenue, Monson, registration 9 a.m., $10 per person, free kids 12 and younger, daylong activities at club. Contact Ron Guertin, (413) 267-4414 or (413) 893-9303.
Through June 25: Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, PeoplesBank and New England Public Radio, WFCR and WNNZ, fund-raise, bank will match every pledge to the radio stations with $10 donation to the foundation's tornado relief fun up to $25,000, call (800) 639-8850, send a check to New England Public Radio (WFCR and WNNZ) Hampshire House, 131 County Circle, Amherst, MA 01003, online www.communityfoundation.org
June 27: "Good Spirits" fund-raiser, Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau and Massachusetts Restaurant Association, 6-10 p.m., Log Cabin Banquet & Meeting House, Holyoke, food, entertainment and cash bar, welcomes anyone affiliated with the hospitality industry, $20 benefits Massachusetts Statewide Disaster Relief Fund, tickets available online, www.valleyvisitor.com, non-perishable food and toiletries will be accepted for donation to the Salvation Army.
June 29: The First Congregational Church at 20 Lathrop St. in West Springfield will have a special prayer service and free supper at 6 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. respectively. There will be a free-will offering to aid those victims of the tornado. Parking for the event will be at the Senior Center next door to the church on 128 Park Street. Door of the church will open at 5:00 PM for those wanting to have solitude and peace before the service begins.
July 3: An “Inter-dependence day" community healing event will include massage therapists and other healing-arts practitioners as they tend to the public from noon to 5 p.m. in the auditorium of West Springfield Town Hall, located at 26 Central Street. According to organizers, the intention among the practitioners is to use their skills, knowledge and training to support and healing as many of them "have specific training and experience in dealing with trauma and in supporting individuals who are experiencing mild, moderate or severe symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder." For more information, email Kristen Avonti at kavonti@yahoo.com.
Ongoing: Holyoke Mall at Ingleside is partnered with the Springfield Rescue Mission to collect non-perishable items, including bottled water, iced tea mix, lemonade mix, bread, peanut butter, jelly and jam and sugar, paper good like plates, cups, napkins, paper towels, plastic flatware and plastic sandwich bags, work gloves, sunblock, heavy duty trash bags, hand sanitizer, new underwear and socks for men, women and children, basic toiletry items, gift cards for gas and food, donations accepted at customer service center in the lower level of Sears Court, weekday and Saturdays, 10 a.m.-9.:30 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-6 p.m.
Ongoing: Volunteers and those wishing to donate clean-up supplies are being encourages to work through the Federal Emergency Management Agency National Donation's Management System's website, www.aidmatrixnetwork.org/FEMA
Ongoing: Household items and furniture in new or like-new condition, canned foods and dry goods, drop-off, 47 Capital Drive, WEst Springfield, weekdays 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., weekends, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., for information contact Rose Evans, (413) 737-2679 (office), (413) 519-5468 (cell), email to revans@chd.org, or online www.chd.org
Ongoing: L.E. Belcher convenience stores and gas stations, monetary donations for American Red Cross, includes Shell outlets in Springfield, Citgo in Westfield and Irving station on Tapley Street, Springfield.
To be included on this listing, send email to news@repub.com and include "tornado relief" in subject line.
HOW TO HELP
Here are some of the agencies which are accepting financial and other contributions to assist with tornado-relief efforts across Western Massachusetts:
• American Red Cross
Send financial contributions to the American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter, 506 Cottage St., Springfield, MA 01104; online donations, www.redcross.org, text "REDCROSS" to 90999, $10 minimum, or call (800) RED- CROSS.
• Salvation Army
A monetary donation can be made online at www.salvationarmy-ma.org; text "TSAMA10" to 85944, minimum $10 donation; volunteers may call (339) 502-5900.
• United Way
Coordinating all volunteers for tornado-relief efforts; go online to www.uwpv.org and click on the "Donate" button, or mail checks payable to United Way of Pioneer Valley to: 184 Mill St., Springfield, MA 01108; also call (413) 693-0227; volunteers can also dial 2-1-1 to find out where help is needed.
• Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
To make food drive and financial donations to aid tornado victims, go online to www.foodbankwma.org
• Open Pantry:
Provides emergency food and other services; to make a donation, go online to www.openpantry.org
• Catholic Charities
Donation center established at St. Francis Chapel, 254 Bridge St., Springfield, open Tuesday and Thursday, through July 7, also by appointment, call (413) 733-9298; needs include lamps, dishes, flatware, cups, glassware, small kitchen appliances, pots and pans, linens, blankets, towels, toiletries for adults and children, spring and summer clothing, including undergarments and sleepwear, all sizes, diapers, baby food, formula, non-perishable food supplies; also accepting volunteers and funds to assist displaced victims and aid other agencies like Red Cross and Salvation Army; more information available online, www.diospringfield.org or email inquiries to tornadorelief@diospringfield.org
• ABC40/FOX6
ABC40 and FOX6 have teamed up with United Bank to provide tornado relief. Donations accepted at any United Bank location in central or Western Massachusetts. For more information, go to www.wggb.com
Obama declares disaster area
The president's declaration of a federal disaster area in Hampden and Worcester counties means the federal government will pay for the majority of the storm-related costs for Springfield and other eligible communities, state agencies and nonprofit organizations.
The register for federal aid, call (800) 621-FEMA or (800) 621-3362. The TTY line number for the hearing impaired is (800) 462-7585. Or, register online at disasterassistance.gov.
Russo said phone numbers go to a phone bank that is open from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily.
Springfield residents affected by tornado to receive tax breaks
Mayor Domenic J. Sarno announced today that property owners with significant damage to parcels with buildings located in the path of the June 1 tornado will receive reductions in their Fiscal Year 2012 preliminary tax bills. Personnel from the City’s Assessors Department are visiting each of the affected parcels in the tornado path, recording data and taking photographs. This activity will continue for several weeks and will be reflected in the new valuations. Residents with any questions about their assessment or tax bill can call the customer service call center at 3-1-1 or (413) 736-3111.
Springfield Partners for Community Action provide free tax session for affected homeowners
Springfield Partners will provide free tax information sessions for homeowners who have suffered property loss from the June 1 tornadoes. These sessions will cover the IRS casualty loss deduction rules and regulations. Sessions are from 10 to 10:30 a.m. on Friday June 24, and Wednesday June 29, at Springfield Partners for Community Action, 721 State St., 2nd Floor. Homeowners with tornado property damages may benefit from these deduction rules when filing next year’s or amending last year’s federal tax returns.
To reserve a seat or for more information, call 413-263-6500 or visit www.springfieldpartnersinc.com.
Rebuilding Together helps rebuild tornado-damaged homes in city, for free
Ongoing: Rebuilding Together, Springfield affiliate will rebuild homes in the city for low-income families impacted by the tornadoes, so they may live in an affordable and preserved home, years after the wreckage has disappeared. To make a financial donation please mail to Rebuilding Together, 1145 Main Street, Suite 111, Springfield, MA 01103, Attn: Tornado Recovery. For more information please visit www.rebuildingtogtherspringfield.org
WMass Jewish Federation and United Way team up for tornado relief
The Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts is partnering with the United Way to aid tornado victims. To make a financial donation, go online to www.jewishwesternmass.org, or mail checks payable to JFWM with “Tornado Relief” in the note section, 1160 Dickinson Street, Springfield, MA 01108.
For more information, call (413) 737-4313. In addition, Rachel’s Table, the Federation’s hunger relief program, is organizing a special food drive and deliveries to support local agencies which are helping tornado victims.
Rachel’s Table is collecting non-perishable food; specific items that are needed are canned goods with flip tops that do not need to be cooked, peanut butter, and nutrition bars. Food can be dropped off at the Federation office, 1160 Dickinson Street, Springfield. Rachel’s Table is also collecting monetary donations to be used to purchase food for the agencies directly serving tornado victims. To make a monetary donation for this effort, checks should be made payable to Rachel’s Table with “Tornado Relief” in the note section, and sent the above address.
RMV offers free ID replacement for tornado victims
According to a press release from the Department of Transportation, "Governor Deval Patrick has directed that the RMV waive the $25 fee associated with duplicate IDs and license for residents living in the communities impacted by the storms." Read more here.
Food Bank seeks volunteer help at Hatfield warehouse WWLP reports:
Food Bank Program Director Christina Maxwell says "Right now we need more people to volunteer to help distribute food and water. The community has been wonderful responding to this need and we've been getting cash donations as well as food donations. We could definitely use volunteers at our warehouse in Hatfield and people can go on our website to find out how to sign up for those opportunities."
STCC library rolls out calendar of relief events
Nice use of a Google calendar to aggregate both fundraising and distribution events happening here.
Red Cross releases video of Sen. Scott Brown's Springfield tour
Ryan Hughes, a Central Mass Chapter volunteer for the Red Cross, shot and edited video chronicling Scott Brown's June 4th tour with the Red Cross. Rick Lee, executive director of the American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter, writes:
Ryan is a professional videographer who took a high definition camera out on my ride-along with U.S. Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts into some of the most severely affected areas of Springfield.
I should note that, Senator John Kerry was with us in the shelter June 1st and returned last week to revisit our shelter to speak with clients and workers. He personally thanked almost every Red Crosser he came upon and told me he had raised $25,000 through his Facebook page to support Red Cross relief in western Massachusetts.
Governor Deval Patrick, Lt. Gov. Tim Murray and much of our local political delegation have been on scene and offering their support.
When asked what we needed most I told both Senators Brown and Kerry “we need the Individual Assistance and Presidential Declaration to fuel federal financial assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the homeowners, renters and businesses affected by these devastating storms. They pledged to do all they could to support that.
"Monson Unites" shirts available starting Today
Posted by Laura Sauriol to the Monson Tornado Watch 2011 Facebook page: OFFICIAL "MONSON UNITES" T-Shirts Will be available for $20 starting Tuesday at Monson Savings Bank and at The First Church of Monson!
Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation’s Boston Service Center accepting applications for financial aid From Springfield Partners for Community Action: The Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation’s Boston Service Center will accept applications for emergency financial aid from homeowners whose houses sustained damage from the tornado on Saturday, June 25, at 1 p.m. at Springfield Partners for Community Action, 721 State St., 2nd Floor.
Emergency financial aid will range from $200 to $500 per homeowner. Residents need to bring proof of address and their Red Cross case number to this sign-up session. Spanish translators will be available.
For more information, call 413-263-6500.
Information on the Monson Recovers Resource Center
From Monson's website:
The Monson Recovers Resource Center (MRRC) has opened at Hillside School, 29 Thompson Street to provide information to community members for services needed and resources available. The MRRC has been operational since Tuesday, June 7, 2011 and is staffed by Medical Reserve Corps and community volunteers. People who are interested in volunteering by staffing the office to provide information and resources to our neighbors are asked to contact Liz Manley at monsonrecovers@monson-ma.gov or by calling 413-579-4803.
Area police and firefighters need help with Monson cleanup effort
The "Monson Tree Crew," made up of local first responders, will take regular trips to Monson to help clear trees and debris.
More information on the effort, from Fireground360: After the recent tornadoes that affected several cities and towns across Western Massachusetts local law enforcement officers and firefighters came together with chainsaws and manpower. These individuals descended on the town of Monson, MA and are providing critical assistance with the removal of trees and debris from houses, driveways, and outside structures. Their swift action this has allowed the devastated families access to their homes and what is left of their belongings.
The crew's hope is to continue this service throughout the town of Monson with the assistance of heavy equipment. With the much needed donation of a skid steer, the machine would give volunteers the ability to be more efficient by moving larger pieces of debris from the storm ravaged neighborhoods.
The crew needs: MANPOWER to pull brush + cut trees from houses, CAT 257B skid steer + grapple bucket (rental cost $451.93), used professional chain saws, saw chains, bars, files, 2 cycle oil + bar/chain oil, monetary donations for heavy equipment rental
If you would like to give a monetary donation, donate equipment and HELP in some small or BIG way we urge you to contact: Justin Green, UMASS PD, Monson Tree Crew, (413) 387-7722. Donations can also be made at Florence Savings Banks under the name of "LE Tree Crew Monson Tornado Relief".
For other questions please contact Paula + Rick Labrecque, FIREGROUND360°, fireground360@gmail.com or (413) 250-7924
Mass.gov launches tornado recovery resource page Mass.gov's tornado recovery page includes information on storm assistance centers, rebuilding resources, consumer information, and how to help.
Catholic Charities establishes donation center
Donation center established at St. Francis Chapel, 254 Bridge St., Springfield, open Tuesday and Thursday, through July 7, also by appointment, call (413) 733-9298; needs include lamps, dishes, flatware, cups, glassware, small kitchen appliances, pots and pans, linens, blankets, towels, toiletries for adults and children, spring and summer clothing, including undergarments and sleepwear, all sizes, diapers, baby food, formula, non-perishable food supplies; also accepting volunteers and funds to assist displaced victims and aid other agencies like Red Cross and Salvation Army; more information available online, www.diospringfield.org or email inquiries to tornadorelief@diospringfield.org.
Holyoke Mall accepting donations on behalf of Springfield Rescue Mission
People may donate the following items at the customer service center, located on the lower level near Sears:
Paper / other kitchen goods: Sandwich baggies, plates, cups, napkins, paper towels, plastic flatware
Clean-up needs: Work gloves, Kitchen gloves (powderless), Heavy duty kitchen bags (40-45 gallon size), Hand sanitizer packets or wipes, Sunblock, Bug spray
Clothing: New underwear (men, women and children), New Socks (men, women and children), New t-shirts (men size large and XL). Note: The Rescue Mission is in "desperate need" of women's new underwear and new socks.
Toiletries: Toothbrushes / toothpaste, soap and body wash, deodorant, lip balm, shampoo / conditioner, brushes / combs, tissues, hand / body lotion, baby power, disposable razors, shaving cream.
Gift cards for gas and food: Gift cards will be accepted to distribute to those living in crisis and to assist the Mission.
Council of Churches of Greater Springfield lists donation / distribution sites
The Council of Churches of Greater Springfield has set up a tornado relief page listing donation and distribution sites. Basilica of the Holy Apostles at 339 State Street in Springfield is accepting large furniture items, food, clothing and other large donations, and a "show room' will be set up at the church to facilitate pick-up.
Salvation Army offers vouchers for clothing purchases
Today, the Salvation Army will be distributing vouchers that tornado victims may use to purchase clothing at Salvation Army retail stores, said Maj. Linda Perks. Victims may claim vouchers at 170 Pearl Street from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday.
Perks said the Salvation Army is accepting clothing donations at 327 Liberty Street. Donations of food, toiletries and water may be made at 170 Pearl Street.
Center for Human Development seeks donations
From Chris Yurko, communications director:
CHD’s Diversion, Shelter & Housing program is collecting household items, furniture, canned foods, dry goods, and other items that will be distributed to individuals and families displaced by the June 1 tornado in the West Springfield, Springfield, Wilbraham, and Monson areas. Items needed in new or “like new” condition:
Please deliver to CHD PACE School, 69 Capital Drive, West Springfield, MA, or contact: Rose Evans at (413) 737-2679 (office), (413) 519-5468 (cell), revans@chd.org (email) or Jane Banks at (413) 737-2679 (office), (413) 575-7402 (cell), jbanks@chd.org (email).
Monetary donations and / or gift cards to any local Springfield area business that carries listed items will also be accepted and used to assist tornado victims. Please send monetary donations and/or gift cards to: CHD Development Office, 332 Birnie Ave. Springfield, MA 01107.
FEMA, MEMA offer new ways to donate and volunteer
From MEMA public information officer Peter Judge:
Those wishing to make monetary donations to assist the most impacted individuals can contribute to the Massachusetts Statewide Disaster Relief Fund. This effort, hosted by the United Way of Tri-County can be found online at www.unitedwaytri-county.org/disaster. These funds will then be distributed in the form of grants to meet the needs of individuals and families through long-term recovery groups recognized by the Massachusetts Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (MAVOAD). Members of the public interested in volunteering their time/skills or wishing to donate products/ equipment are encouraged to do so by using the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Donation’s Management System at http://www.aidmatrixnetwork.org/FEMA/.
Springfield seeks landlords with vacant housing units
From the mayor's office:
In an effort to help the victims of the tornado, Attorney Lisa DeSousa from the City’s Law Department – Housing Division, is urgently requesting any landlords who have available rental units to contact the Office of Housing at (413) 787-6500 or email Lizzie Malave at lmalave@springfieldcityhall.com.
Relief fund established for Monson
The Monson Arts Council reports that a relief fund for Monson has been established at Monson Savings Bank. Checks can be made out to: Make check out to Monson Savings Bank, Monson Tornado Relief, 146 Main St., Monson, MA 01057.
The Arts Council also notes: "Donations and volunteers can help at First Church, 5 Main St; Glendale Methodist Church, Main St; or St Patrick church. All clothing is being taking in at St Patrick's, The First Church and Glendale are providing hot/cold food and drinks. They both have non-perishable items for the tornado victims."
And, debris pick-up information from Kathleen Conley Norbut, Emergency Management Director:
The Board of Selectmen has contracted with Ash Britt Environmental to begin debris collection and removal from the storm beginning on Tuesday, June 7, 2011.
Regular trash pick-up resumes June 6, 2011.
Residents are asked to separate disaster debris and place vegetative debris only in piles at the curb in the public right-of-way, not on private property and NOT IN THE STREET.
Stimulations Learning Center in Monson distributing toys, school supplies and more
Stimulations Learning Center has been collecting and distributing toys, books, outdoor equipment, school and art supplies, baby items, games, puzzles and other items for children and families. Pick-up times are 7 a.m.-7 p.m. daily.
The center is also seeking donations of large boxes, masking tape and storage space.
Phone: 413 267-4716 and 413 267-0558
Open Pantry offers food and clothing
From the website of the United Way, a list of resources offered by Open Pantry Community Services [main phone: (413) 737-5354]:
Emergency Food Pantry: Our emergency food pantry is open Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday and Friday from 9:00AM-3:00PM. We are waiving the intake process for all tornado survivors. Special boxes will be prepared with ready to eat foods and toiletry items. We are located at 2460 Main Street, Springfield.
People's Center: The People's Center provides free clothing to those in need. We are open Monday through Friday 10:00AM-2:00PM. On Tuesday June 7, the People's Center will be open only to those affected by the tornado. In addition we will distributing ready to eat food and hygiene products out of 287 State Street (3rd Floor) from 9:00AM-5:00PM.
Loaves and Fishes Kitchen: We provide two meals a day at 12:00PM and 5:00PM. We are at Christ Church Cathedral Monday through Friday, South Congregational on Saturday and Sunday at Shiloh Seventh Day Adventist.
Red Cross seeks translators
From the website of the Pioneer Valley Chapter: The American Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter currently has a need for specialized translators -- if you are trained in the following: Napalese, Arabic, Burmese, Russian or Spanish -- please report to the Pioneer Valley Chapter at 506 Cottage St., Springfield and ask for Paula W.
Donations to the Red Cross Pioneer Valley Chapter may be sent to 506 Cottage St., Springfield, 01104. Phone (413) 737-4306. Donations also can be made online at http://www.redcrosscwm.org/.
Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society offers temporary pet care Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society, located at 171 Union Street in Springfield, is offering temporary care for pets owned by residents displaced by the tornado. Dakin will house and provide care for pets for 5 days. Phone: (413) 781-4000.
Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control & Adoption Center offers services for stray animals, search and rescue
Residents can contact the Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control & Adoption Center for "field services" (search and rescue) involving animals, or if they find stray cats and dogs. The center is located at 627 Cottage Street. Phone: (413) 781-1484.
Friendship Baptist Church in Brimfield offers relief for tornado victims
Brimfield's Friendship Baptist Church, located at 9 East Brimfield / Holland Road, is coordinating chainsaw crews to help residents clear downed trees and limbs from their property. To schedule a crew, call (860) 961-0513. Crews are currently operating between Sturbridge and Monson, Pastor Steve Nurger said Monday morning. Nurger said the church also has showers and laundry facilities available to stricken residents. And while the church is not an official meal site, Nurger said, "We always have food."
Clothing, household items available at Hitchcock Academy in Brimfield
Sharon Palmer, assistant director of Brimfield's Hitchcock Academy reports this morning that the school's clothing drive was an overwhelming success. Items are now available for pick-up by residents affected by the tornado. The school is located at 2 Brookfield Road, and pick-up hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday.
"Even more amazing than the force of the storms is the generosity, concern, and good nature of so many people in the area who contributed their time and efforts to help others," Palmer said in a press release. The clothing / item drive is now closed to further donations. "We now have more than enough donations and literally cannot handle more," Palmer said.
Messina O'Grady tweeting tornado relief efforts
O'Grady, a South Hadley resident, has been working to coordinate donations in the aftermath of the storm. Follow Mass Tornado Relief on Twitter or find O'Grady on Facebook.
Springfield Falcons launch jersey auction for tornado relief
Our Sports Desk reports:
The Springfield Falcons announced Tuesday they have started the first phase of their online jersey auction to help benefit the Pioneer Valley Chapter of the Red Cross and aid with tornado relief throughout Western Massachusetts. The Falcons currently have 10 jerseys up for bid through Falconsahl.com/Ebay, including team-autographed Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks jerseys.
Friendly's restaurants collecting donations, starting June 15
From a press release outlining the company's efforts:
Friendly Ice Cream Corporation, which operates more than 500 company-owned and franchised family dining restaurants, announced today that the company will raise money through customer donations at over 140 restaurants throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut to benefit the Pioneer Valley Red Cross’ tornado relief effort.
Collection drop boxes will be placed at the cash register of each restaurant. Friendly’s will match all of the donations collected from customers. The fundraising effort will begin on June 15 and continue through July 10.
Scholarship fund supports Fabiola and Ibone Guerrero
From a press release:
A scholarship fund to help Fabiola and Ibone Guerrero, who lost their mother, Angelica F. Guerrero, in the June 1 tornado, is being spearheaded by a Union Street businessman.
Angelica Guerrero, 39, saved the life of 15-year-old Ibone by shielding her in a bathtub during the tornado, which caused their Merrick neighborhood apartment house to collapse around them.
Eighteen-year-old Fabiola, who just finished her first year at Holyoke Community College, was not at home when the twister hit.
Victor E. Thomas Jr., who owns Ruggers Rugby and Soccer Supply, has started The Angelica Guerrero Memorial Scholarship Fund through the Holyoke Community College Foundation. Contributions may be sent to the HCC Foundation at 303 Homestead Ave., Holyoke, MA 01040 or by going online to http://www.hcc.edu/
To learn more about Angelica, her family and different ways to help them go to Angelicasfund.com.
Republican staff photo by Michael S. Gordon Fayaz Afrailov looks at houses damaged by the June 1 tornado on Russell St. near where he lives in West Springfield, in this June 8, 2011 file photo.
kategray boutique of East Longmeadow begins clothing drive
Starting Thursday, June 9, there will be a donations drive at kategray store, 32 Center Square, East Longmeadow. Our goal is to be able to distribute a new professional wardrobe to anybody in need - right here at the store.
Business and work clothes, shoes and accessories in very good condition are badly needed. Personal items (soaps, new tooth brushes, tooth paste, body wash), food items, children's items and games, paper towels, 60 gallon trash bags, pet items and canned pet food will also be greatly appreciated.
Other items will be taken to Dakin Humane Center, Salvation Army and other local organizations directly involved with Tornado Relief services. Call (413) 318-0141 for more information.
Fancy That Antiques of Monson offers to aid tornado victims
From Christian Lund, Fancy That Antiques:
I am donating half of the antique merchandise up for Auction in Monson in my store to help the tornado victims.I would like to also get the word out that if anyone has the following items, Old wrist watches, pocket watches, any sort of gold, silver, old coins, fine estate jewelry, old post cards, and costume jewelry. Any of these items that I buy, I will pay them and extra 15% towards Local Tornado Victims. For information call 413 599 4705.
The event will be held on Sunday, July 2 from 12-5 in the auditorium at the West Springfield Town Hall (26 central st.).
Inter-Dependence Day Community Healing Event
When tragedy like this hits home, it affects ALL of us. From those who lost something, or everything, to those who lost their life. From the emergency and relief workers who give of themselves endlessly, to those who stand in shock, unable to move. From those who feel the call to action to rise up and be part of the healing, to those who think they will never feel safe again.
The effects of trauma stretch far and wide and run deeply through all of us. The trauma experienced by our community during the tornado affects both the individuals that make up our community and our community as a whole. The efforts that have poured forth to support our community and rebuild all that was lost have been tremendous and inspiring. But the piece of rebuilding that has been somewhat neglected is the rebuilding of our internal sense of safety, security and internal peace. Most often when we are affected by trauma, the impacts remain dormant for weeks, months or years. But the effects do eventually creep back up, unless that place of healing occurs. Let unattended, it can impact our ability to function in a healthy and holistic way, both as individuals and as a community.
As someone who was born and raised in West Springfield and as someone whose family has lived in West Springfield for many generations, this tragedy hit home in a particularly poignant way. It was clear to me in the aftermath of the tornado that I was called to give back to the community that has always been my home in a way that felt large and significant. Together with a group of amazing healing arts practitioners and mental health professionals, I am coordinating an event to bring some of this healing into our communities. On July 3, 2011 we are putting together a “Inter-dependence day community healing event”. Massage therapists and other healing arts practitioners have volunteered to offer their services to the community at no charge. Mental health professionals have volunteered to be available for individual support and to run support groups. The intent among all of the practitioners is to use their skills, knowledge and training to support individuals in processing and healing the trauma they experienced. Many of our practitioners have specific training and experience in dealing with trauma and in supporting individuals who are experiencing mild, moderate or severe symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. It is important to all of us that we bring this healing not only to the victims who were directly and significantly impacted by this but also to the community at large. In addition, there is a strong desire to encourage the police, fire and emergency services workers as well as the red cross and other volunteers who have given endlessly of themselves to process some of their own trauma that they no doubt experienced during both the initial event and the aftermath. Too often these individuals, who stand as a pillar of strength and light in times of disaster, are the last to acknowledge that they too were deeply and profoundly impacted by the experience. They too seek the chance to be taken care of and healed.
In the aftermath of the tornado I have seen the most amazing, breathtaking and awe-inspiring coming together of community that I perhaps have ever witnessed. The collective capacity to give selflessly to those affected by this tragedy has been beautiful to say the least. I am, time and time again, amazed by the capacity of our community to coordinate donation drives and put together work teams to clean up the mess. Out of the ashes of destruction, our collective heart and inter-dependent community has risen. Let’s help make this an opportunity to heal our community!
Peter VanDerDoes, Jim Romer and Laura Williams take part in a peaceful vigil outside the Brattleboro, Vt., post office and federal court house on Thursday. The vigil was organized by the Safe and Green Campaign to support the State of Vermont as it is sued by Entergy Corporation, the owner of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon, Vt., over the state's refusal to issue a Certificate of Public Good allowing operation of the plant past its 2012 license expiration. (AP Photo/Jason R. Henske)
