The committee will recommend finalists to the mayor, who is authorized to appoint the police chief.

Joseph McGiverin, chairman of the police chief search committee | Republican file photo

HOLYOKE – A search committee will hold a public meeting Monday to find what residents want in the next police chief.

The police chief search committee will begin taking public comments at 6:30 p.m. at the War Memorial, 310 Appleton St.

The committee will consider the comments in reviewing police chief applications, officials said.

“We’re geared up to take as much public input as we can from everyone. We’re hoping that there’s a good turnout,” committee Chairman Joseph M. McGiverin said Wednesday.

With Police Chief Anthony R. Scott set to retire April 30, Mayor Elaine A. Pluta appointed the screening committee in November. Scott has been chief since 2001 and must retire in the month in which he turns 65, under state law. Scott’s yearly salary is $133,164.

The chief search has been limited to New England and New York. Consultant BadgeQuest, of West Yarmouth, is reviewing applications, the deadline for which was March 21.

The committee will recommend finalists to Pluta, who is authorized to hire the chief.

Pluta will have to appoint an interim chief because a new chief won’t be hired in time to step in when Scott retires.

Besides McGiverin, who also is City Council president, the committee consists of Councilor at Large Patricia C. Devine; Holyoke Police Capt. Arthur R. Monfette; Lt. Randy Mead of the Hampden County Sheriff’s Department; Debra Vega, co-owner of Vega Yoga & Movement Arts here; Andrew L. Melendez, director of the Homework House Inc. tutoring program here and member of the charter study commission; and retired lawyer Paul Lietz.

On ABC's "This Week," Gates said some NATO officials suggested it would take three months "but people in the Pentagon think it could be far longer than that."

View full sizeAssociated Press photoDefense Secretary Robert Gates, left, seen with Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen earlier this year.

By BRADLEY KLAPPER

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ahead of President Barack Obama's national address on Libya, top officials of his administration claimed major strides were being made in bolstering rebels fighting Moammar Gadhafi's forces but acknowledged the international operation could drag on for months.

Lawmakers of both parties voiced skepticism over the length, scope and costs of the mission.

"We have to a very large extent completed the military mission in terms of getting it set up. Now, the no-fly zone and even the humanitarian side will have to be sustained for some period of time," said Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

Asked for how long on NBC's "Meet the Press," Gates said, "Nobody knows the answer to that question." But he said sustaining the no-fly zone would take "a lot less effort" than establishing it. He said the Pentagon was planning to shift some of its resources to European and other countries pledging to take on a larger role

On ABC's "This Week," Gates said some NATO officials suggested it would take three months "but people in the Pentagon think it could be far longer than that."

Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton made the rounds of network talk shows — in interviews taped Saturday and aired Sunday — to promote the administration's case before Obama's speech on Monday night.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which took over enforcing the no-fly zone from the U.S. late last week, seemed likely to expand its air mission on Sunday to assume command of American-led air strikes against Gadhafi's ground forces. The U.S. is eager to hand off responsibility for air strikes to the alliance.

Clinton told CBS' "Face the Nation" that no decision had yet been made on the whether to arm rebels seeking Gadhafi's ouster. So far, "results on the ground are pretty significant," she said.

The secretary of state said she recognizes that many Americans are concerned about the role of the U.S. — already burdened by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — and that "the president will speak to the country Monday night to answer a lot of those concerns."

Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sounded some of those concerns in advance of Monday's 7:30 p.m. EDT speech.

Lugar said the president still has not developed a plan spelling out the extent of future U.S. involvement in Libya and how objectives are to be achieved. Nor, Lugar said, has there been a debate over how to pay the tab and how much it could total.

"There has to be objectives and a plan and an agreement that we're prepared to devote the military forces but also the money," Lugar said on "Meet the Press."

"Who knows how long this goes on and, furthermore, who has budgeted for Libya at all?" asked Lugar, who in the past has been supportive of Obama on most military issues.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the Armed Services Committee chairman, was broadly supportive of the president's steps so far. "It is a flyover which is succeeding. It has set Gadhafi back. He's on his heels now," Levin said on CNN's "State of the Union."

Still, Levin said it remains unclear how long the air campaign will have to last if Gadhafi clings to power.

"The people of Libya can remove their dictator. But we are not the ones to remove him," Levin said, echoing the administration's insistence that the Western military mission is not to target Gadhafi, even though Obama has said the autocratic ruler of more than four decades must go.

Meanwhile, Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., told "Fox News Sunday" that the United States, in the actions it and other Western nations have taken in Libya, has sided with "the mass of people yearning to be free within the Arab world."

"I think the world has made a clear statement in Libya heard by both the Arab people and the Arab dictators elsewhere in the region," Lieberman said.

In particular, he mentioned revolts in Syria against President Bashar Assad's government. Assad, Lieberman said, "is getting a clear message. If he turns his weapons on his people and begins to slaughter them, as Gadhafi did, he's going to run the risk of having the world community come in and impose a no-fly zone and protect civilian population, just as we're doing in Libya."

However, the administration wasn't willing to go as far. Clinton declined to say if the U.S. might be willing to enter other conflicts where governments attack their own people and told CBS that it was too early to talk of intervention in Syria, where security forces have opened fire on protesters amid nationwide unrest. Unlike Gadhafi, Assad is a "different leader" and many members of Congress who have visited the country "believe he's a reformer," Clinton said.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, eyeing a run for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, defended his current skepticism over the no-fly zone in light of his comments several weeks ago that the United States should immediately impose one — unilaterally if necessary.

He said his earlier comments came before Obama acted. Now, Obama has confused the situation, he suggested. Gingrich said he's against a no-fly zone if it just allows Gadhafi to hang on for months.

"The goal should be to get rid of Gadhafi. That should be communicated publicly so Gadhafi's forces lose their morale," Gingrich said on "Fox News Sunday."

"I hope the president tomorrow night will be dramatically clearer than he has been up until now. I hope the president will say, first of all he is consulting the U.S. Congress, not just the Arab League and United Nations," he said.

In their taped interviews, Gates and Clinton defended the narrowly defined U.N. mandate to prevent atrocities against Libyan civilians and said the U.S. had largely accomplished its goals.

"We have taken out his armor," Gates said, adding that the U.S. soon would relinquish its leading role in enforcing a no-fly zone and striking pro-Gadhafi ground targets intent on violence.

Clinton said "we're beginning to see, because of the good work of the coalition, his troops begin to turn back toward the west — and to see the opposition begin to reclaim the ground they had lost."

Libyan rebels seized back two key oil complexes and pushed west toward Tripoli on Sunday, gaining momentum after international airstrikes that tipped the balance away from Gadhafi's military.

The coastal complexes at Ras Lanouf and Brega were responsible for much of Libya's 1.5 million barrels of daily exports, which have all but stopped since the uprising began Feb. 15.

U.S.-led airstrikes earlier allowed anti-government forces to recapture the key eastern city of Ajdabiya.

NATO's top decision-making body was to meet Sunday to expand its enforcement of the no-fly zone to include air strikes against Libyan ground targets.

Obama has come under deep bipartisan criticism from lawmakers upset that he hadn't sought greater congressional input on Libya.

The lack of clarity on that question reflects a worry for lawmakers clamoring to hear fuller explanations from the administration on why the U.S. was embroiling itself in another Muslim conflict and what the ultimate goals of the intervention are.

Clinton and Gates insisted that the objective was limited to protecting civilians, even as they hoped the pressure of concerted international penalties and isolation might strip away Gadhafi's remaining loyalists and cause his government to crumble.

"One should not underestimate the possibility of the regime itself cracking," Gates said on "Meet The Press."

Even after a week of air strikes, Pentagon officials say forces loyal to Gadhafi are a potent threat to civilians. Defense officials are looking at plans to expand the firepower and airborne surveillance systems in the military campaign, including using the Air Force's AC-130 gunship armed with cannons that shoot from the side doors, as well as helicopters and drones. Gates said the U.S. could supply rebels with arms if the administration makes such a decision.

With the United States already trying to exit long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the administration has gone to great efforts to define the Libya operations as limited in scope and duration — and necessary to prevent Gadhafi from possibly massacring civilians while his forces were reaching the rebel stronghold of Benghazi.

Asked if the Libyan conflict posed a threat to the United States, Gates said it was "not a vital national interest" but he insisted that the situation nevertheless demanded U.S. involvement. With tenuous democratic transitions under way in the neighboring countries of Tunisia and — more important to the U.S. — Egypt, allowing the entire region to be destabilized was a dangerous option.

Despite Sunday's troubles, officials continued to insist the situation had at least partially stabilized.

View full sizeAssociated PressWhite smoke billows from the badly damaged No. 4 unit of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Okumamachi, Fukushima Prefecture earlier this month. (AP Photo/Tokyo Electric Power Co.)

By MARI YAMAGUCHI and YURI KAGEYAMA

TOKYO (AP) — Mounting problems, including badly miscalculated radiation figures and inadequate storage tanks for huge amounts of contaminated water, stymied emergency workers Sunday as they struggled to nudge Japan's stricken nuclear complex back from the edge of disaster.

Workers are attempting to remove the radioactive water from the tsunami-ravaged nuclear compound and restart the regular cooling systems for the dangerously hot fuel.

The day began with company officials reporting that radiation in leaking water in the Unit 2 reactor was 10 million times above normal, a spike that forced employees to flee the unit. The day ended with officials saying the huge figure had been miscalculated and offering apologies.

"The number is not credible," said Tokyo Electric Power Co. spokesman Takashi Kurita. "We are very sorry."

A few hours later, TEPCO Vice President Sakae Muto said a new test had found radiation levels 100,000 times above normal — far better than the first results, though still very high.

But he ruled out having an independent monitor oversee the various checks despite the errors.

Officials acknowledged there was radioactive water in all four of the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex's most troubled reactors, and that airborne radiation in Unit 2 measured 1,000 millisieverts per hour, four times the limit deemed safe by the government.

Those high airborne readings — if accurate — would make it very difficult for emergency workers to get inside to pump out the water.

Officials say they still don't know where the radioactive water is coming from, though government spokesman Yukio Edano earlier said some is "almost certainly" seeping from a damaged reactor core in one of the units.

The discovery late last week of pools of radioactive water has been a major setback in the mission to get the crucial cooling systems operating more than two weeks after a massive earthquake and tsunami.

The magnitude-9 quake off Japan's northeast coast on March 11 triggered a tsunami that barreled onshore and disabled the Fukushima plant, complicating a humanitarian disaster that is thought to have killed about 18,000 people.

A top TEPCO official acknowledged it could take a long time to clean up the complex.

"We cannot say at this time how many months or years it will take," Muto said, insisting the main goal now is to keep the reactors cool.

Workers have been scrambling to remove the radioactive water from the four units and find a place to safely store it. Each unit may hold tens of thousands of gallons of radioactive water, said Minoru Ogoda of Japan's nuclear safety agency.

Safety agency officials had been hoping to pump the water into huge, partly empty tanks inside the reactor that are designed to hold condensed water.

Those tanks, though, turned out to be completely full, said Hidehiko Nishiyama of Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency.

Meanwhile, plans to use regular power to restart the cooling system hit a roadblock when it turned out that cables had to be laid through turbine buildings flooded with the contaminated water.

"The problem is that right now nobody can reach the turbine houses where key electrical work must be done," Nishiyama said. "There is a possibility that we may have to give up on that plan."

Despite Sunday's troubles, officials continued to insist the situation had at least partially stabilized.

"We have somewhat prevented the situation from turning worse," Edano told reporters Sunday evening. "But the prospects are not improving in a straight line and we've expected twists and turns. The contaminated water is one of them and we'll continue to repair the damage."

The protracted nuclear crisis has spurred concerns about the safety of food and water in Japan, which is a prime source of seafood for some countries. Radiation has been found in food, seawater and even tap water supplies in Tokyo.

Just outside the coastal Fukushima nuclear plant, radioactivity in seawater tested about 1,250 times higher than normal last week — but that number had climbed to 1,850 times normal by the weekend.

Nishiyama said the increase was a concern, but also said the area is not a source of seafood and that the contamination posed no immediate threat to human health.

Up to 600 people are working inside the plant in shifts. Nuclear safety officials say workers' time inside the crippled units is closely monitored to minimize their exposure to radioactivity, but two workers were hospitalized Thursday when they suffered burns after stepping into contaminated water. They were to be released from the hospital Monday.

A poll, meanwhile, showed that support for Japan's prime minister had risen amid the disasters.

The poll conducted over the weekend by Kyodo News agency found that approval of Prime Minister Naoto Kan and his Cabinet rose to 28.3 percent after sinking below 20 percent in February, before the earthquake.

Last month's low approval led to speculation that Kan's days were numbered. While the latest figure is still low, it suggests he is making some gains with voters.

About 58 percent of respondents in the nationwide telephone survey of 1,011 people said they approved of the government's handling of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, but a similar number criticized its handling of the nuclear crisis.

The death toll from the disasters stood at 10,668 Sunday with 16,574 people missing, police said. Hundreds of thousands of people are homeless.

Thirty-two Senate Democrats joined 32 Republicans in urging Obama to negotiate a broad-based spending plan that includes changes to Social Security and Medicare.

View full sizeAssociated PressIn this photo taken Feb. 12, 2011, first-term GOP Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington. In southeast Florida, West, a tea party favorite, advocates changes that some might consider radical: abolish the IRS and federal income tax; retain tax cuts for billionaires so they won't shut down their charities, and stop extending unemployment benefits that "reward bad behavior." (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)

By CHARLES BABINGTON

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — If there's any place where tea partiers in Congress might hesitate to call for cuts in Social Security and Medicare to shrink the federal debt, Florida's retirement havens should top the list.

Even here, however, Republican lawmakers are racing toward a spending showdown with Democrats exhibiting little nervousness about deep cuts, including those that eventually would hit benefit programs long left alone by politicians.

In fact, many GOP freshmen seem bolder than ever. It's Democrats, especially in the Senate, who are trying to figure out how to handle the popular but costly retirement programs. Congress, meanwhile, is rapidly nearing critical decisions on the budget and the nation's debt ceiling.

In southeast Florida last week, first-term GOP Rep. Allen West, a tea party favorite, called for changes that some might consider radical: abolish the Internal Revenue Service and federal income tax; retain tax cuts for billionaires so they won't shut down their charities; stop extending unemployment benefits that "reward bad behavior" by discouraging people from seeking new jobs.

As for entitlements, West told a friendly town hall gathering in Coral Springs, if Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid "are left on autopilot, if we don't institute some type of reform, they'll subsume our entire GDP" by 2040 or 2050. GDP, or gross domestic product, measures the value of all goods and services produced in the United States.

Social Security, the largest federal program, mainly benefits retirees. Medicare provides health coverage for older people. Medicaid helps those with low incomes. Combined, the three consume about 40 percent of the budget. Their costs are growing rapidly. Social Security and Medicare benefits now exceed the payroll taxes that fund them.

West, who's likely to draw serious Democratic opposition next year, showed scant interest in edging toward the center on anything. He didn't take issue with the man who said congressional Democrats "have joined with the radical Islamists," or with the woman who said President Barack Obama "certainly doesn't support Israel."

In Greenville, S.C., a different Republican freshman with tea party ties, Rep. Trey Gowdy, also suggested during last week's congressional break a paring back of social programs.

According to a Greenville News account posted on his website, Gowdy "described a recent school classroom where most children indicated they think it's the government's job to provide health care, Social Security and education. 'We've got to do something about the sense of entitlement,' Gowdy said."

Gowdy's office later said he thinks Social Security "is a key aspect of a broad effort to fundamentally reform our entitlement system, but any solution must honor our commitment to current retirees."

Indeed, West and many other Republicans say current and soon-to-be retirees should see no benefit cuts. Their calls for changing Medicare and Social Security often lack specifics, and it's unclear whether the divided Congress will tackle the programs' long-term problems or postpone action, as has happened many times before on Capitol Hill.

West's desire to slash spending seems to stop at his district's doorstep. The Coral Springs audience cheered loudly when he said he helped secure a $21 million grant for a new runway at the nearby Fort Lauderdale airport.

"Grant money is not pork," West said. He issued a press release saying the runway project "will generate at least 11,000 jobs" by 2014 and cost $791 million.

While West spoke in Coral Springs, several dozen Republicans had wine and hors d'oeuvres in Palm Beach as they awaited a speech by former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. There was ample sympathy in the room for raising the eligibility age for Social Security benefits.

Obama's debt commission recommended gradually increasing the full retirement age, from 67 to 69, over the next 65 years.

"No one is going to be hurt by it," said Steve Stevens, 80, a retired real estate developer. If people, rich or poor, count on Social Security to fund their retirement, he said, "it's very poor planning."

Obama's debt commission has recommended gradually increasing the full retirement age, from 67 to 69, over the next 65 years.

Cynthia Steele, 51, said anyone making more than $100,000 a year should not receive Social Security benefits, even if it affected her and her friends.

In Washington, Democrats are conflicted. Thirty-two Senate Democrats joined 32 Republicans in urging Obama to negotiate a broad-based spending plan that includes changes to Social Security and Medicare.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., says he opposes cuts in Social Security benefits.

The centrist Democratic group Third Way says the public is ready to embrace gradual changes to entitlement programs and that Republicans are winning the issue so far.

"We don't believe Republicans 'going too far' will be their Waterloo," the group said in a memo. "The party seen as most serious on the issue will win the day."

If Republicans and Democrats cannot agree soon on spending plans for this year and next, the government could face its first partial shutdown since 1996. That prospect worries leaders of both parties, and they are watching to see if last week's recess hardened of softened lawmakers' positions.

West suggested there is room for compromise, but not much.

"I'm not for shutting down the government," he told the Coral Springs crowd. But he said Obama must lead the budget negotiations, or else.

If there is a shutdown, West said, "it's going to be because the president is not engaged."

The largest job discrimination lawsuit in U.S. history will be heard by the high court on Tuesday.

View full sizeAssociated PressChristine Kwapnoski at home in Bay Point, Calif., Thursday, March 17, 2011. Kwapnoski, an assistant manager with Sam's Club in Concord, Calif., is one of the named plaintiffs in a class action sex discrimination suit against Wal-Mart over pay and promotions. If the court approves, it would be the largest class action in U.S. history, affecting some 1.5 million. Arguments are Tuesday, March 29, 2011. (AP Photo)

By MARK SHERMAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — Christine Kwapnoski hasn't done too badly in nearly 25 years in the Wal-Mart family, making more than $60,000 a year in a job she enjoys most days.

But Kwapnoski says she faced obstacles at Wal-Mart-owned Sam's Club stores in both Missouri and California: Men making more than women and getting promoted faster.

She never heard a supervisor tell a man, as she says one told her, to "doll up" or "blow the cobwebs off" her make-up.

Once she got over the fear that she might be fired, she joined what has turned into the largest job discrimination lawsuit ever.

The 46-year-old single mother of two is one of the named plaintiffs in a suit that will be argued at the Supreme Court on Tuesday. At stake is whether the suit can go forward as a class action that could involve 500,000 to 1.6 million women, according to varying estimates, and potentially could cost the world's largest retailer billions of dollars.

But the case's potential importance issue goes well beyond the Wal-Mart dispute, as evidenced by more than two dozen briefs filed by business interests on Wal-Mart's side, and civil rights, consumer and union groups on the other.

The question is crucial to the viability of discrimination claims, which become powerful vehicles to force change when they are presented together, instead of individually. Class actions increase pressure on businesses to settle suits because of the cost of defending them and the potential for very large judgments.

Columbia University law professor John Coffee said that the high court could bring a virtual end to employment discrimination class actions filed under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, depending on how it decides the Wal-Mart case.

"Litigation brought by individuals under Title VII is just too costly," Coffee said. "It's either class action or nothing."

Illustrating the value of class actions, Brad Seligman, the California-based lawyer who conceived of and filed the suit 10 years ago, said the average salary for a woman at Wal-Mart was $13,000, about $1,100 more than the average for a man, when the case began. "That's hugely significant if you're making $13,000 a year, but not enough to hire a lawyer and bring a case."

The company has fought the suit every step of the way, Seligman said, because it is the "biggest litigation threat Wal-Mart has ever faced."

A trial judge and the federal appeals court in San Francisco, over a fierce dissent, said the suit could go forward.

But Wal-Mart wants the high court to stop the suit in its tracks. The company argues it includes too many women with too many different positions in its 3,400 stores across the country. Wal-Mart says its policies prohibit discrimination and that most management decisions are made at the store and regional levels, not at its Bentonville, Ark., headquarters.

Theodore J. Boutrous, Wal-Mart's California-based lawyer, said there is no evidence that women are poorly treated at Wal-Mart. "The evidence is the contrary of that," Boutrous said.

The company is not conceding that any woman has faced discrimination, but says that if any allegations are proven, they are isolated. "People will make errors," said Gisel Ruiz, Wal-Mart's executive vice president for people, as the company calls its human resources unit. "People are people."

Ruiz paints a very different picture of the opportunities offered women at Wal-Mart. She joined the company straight from college in 1992. "In less than four years, I went from an assistant manager trainee to running my own store," she said. "I'm one of thousands of women who have had a positive experience at Wal-Mart."

Kwapnoski, who works at the Sam's Club in Concord, Calif., is one of two women who continue to work at Wal-Mart while playing a prominent role in the suit. The other is Betty Dukes, a greeter at the Walmart in Pittsburg, Calif.

"It's very hard for anyone to understand how difficult that is and what courage that is," Seligman said of Kwapnoski and Dukes. "They're Public Enemy No. 1 at Wal-Mart and they are known for their involvement in this lawsuit. Nevertheless, they get and up and go to work every day."

Kwapnoski didn't want to discuss any issues she faces at work as a result of the suit.

She said she has seen some changes at Wal-Mart since the suit was filed in 2001. The company now posts all its openings electronically. "It does give people a better idea of what's out there, but they still can be very easily passed over." she said. "But before you didn't even know the position was open."

The suit, citing what are now dated figures from 2001, contends that women are grossly underrepresented among managers, holding just 14 percent of store manager positions compared with more than 80 percent of lower-ranking supervisory jobs that are paid by the hour. Wal-Mart responds that women in its retail stores made up two-thirds of all employees and two-thirds of all managers in 2001.

Kwapnoski said she and a lot of women were promoted into management just after the suit was filed, although she has had only a couple of pay increases in the nine years since. She is the assistant manager in her store's groceries and produce sections.

Now, she said, promotions are back to the way they were before, favoring men over women.

She said she's hoping the long-running court fight will force Wal-Mart to recognize that, stories like Ruiz's aside, women are not valued as much as men are and that her bosses will begin to "make sure that good men and good women are being promoted, not just men."

This is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week.

Republican file photo

Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week:

Amherst

Mon.- Amherst Housing Authority, 4:30 p.m., 9 Chestnut Court

Tues.- Amherst Redevelopment Authority, 5 p.m., Town Hall

Local Historical District Committee, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall

Agricultural Commission, 7 p.m., Bangs Community Center

Historical Commission, 7:15 p.m., Town Hall

Wed.- Community Development Committee, noon, Town Hall

Planning Zoning Subcommittee, 5 p.m., Town Hall

Planning Board, 7 p.m., Town Hall

Thu.- Districting Advisory Board, 5:30 p.m., Town Hall

Chicopee

Mon.- Commission for the Disabled, 6:30 p.m., 449 Front St.

Tues.- Zoning Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall

Wed.- Golf Commission, 6 p.m., Municipal Golf Course, Burnett Road

Easthampton

Mon.- Conservation Commission, 6 p.m., Municipal Office Building

Manhan Rail Trail Committee, 7 p.m., 50 Payson Ave.

Nonotuck Park Ballfield Renaming Committee, 7 p.m., 32 Payson Ave.

Tues.- Ordinance Subcommittee, 5:30 p.m., 50 Payson Ave.

Planning Board, 6 p.m., 50 Payson Ave.

Retirement Board, 1:30 p.m., 32 Payson Ave.

Wed.- Board of Public Works, 4:30 p.m., 50 Payson Ave.

Greenfield

Tues.- Board of License Commissioners, 6 p.m., 14 Court Square

Hadley

Tues.- Board of Health, 7 p.m., Town Hall

Hatfield

Mon.- Open Space Committee, 6 p.m., Memorial Town Hall

Tues.- Rescue/Pumper Committee, 7 p.m., Hatfield Fire Station

Wed.- Emergency Management Planning Committee, 3 p.m., Hatfield Elementary School

Community Preservation Committee, 6 p.m., Memorial Town Hall

Holyoke

Mon.- Police chief search committee, public meeting, 6:30 p.m., War Memorial, 310 Appleton St.

Water Commission, 6:30 p.m., 20 Commercial St.

Tues.- Geriatric Authority, board of directors, 6 p.m., 45 Lower Westfield Road

Fire Commission, 6:30 p.m., Fire Department headquarters, 600 High St.

City Council Ordinance Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers

Wed.- Gas and Electric Commission, 5 p.m., Gas and Electric Department, 99 Suffolk St.

City Council Finance Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers

Charter study commission, public hearing, 7 p.m., Holyoke High School, 500 Beech St., auditorium

Thu.- Fair Housing Commission, 4 p.m., City Hall Annex, fourth-floor conference room

Handicap Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers

Monson

Mon.- Finance Committee, 6:45 p.m., Town Office Building

Agricultural Commission, 7 p.m., Town Office Building

Tues.- Board of Selectmen, 7 p.m., Town Office Building

Finance Committee, 6:45 p.m., Town Office Building

Insurance Advisory Committee, 3:30 p.m., Town Office Building

Wed.- Parks and Recreation Commission, 6:30 p.m., Town Office Building

Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Town Office Building

Northampton

Mon.- Historical Commission, 5:30 p.m., City Hall

Tues.- Tree Committee, 6:30 p.m., 125 Locust St.

Wed.- Youth Commission, 7 p.m., City Hall

Capital Improvements Committee, 5 p.m., City Hall

Thu.- Budget Gap Public Forum, 7 p.m., John F. Kennedy Middle School

Palmer

Mon.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Town Building

Tues.- Assessors, 2:15 p.m., Town Building

Insurance Advisory Council, 3 p.m., Palmer High School library

Springfield

Mon.- City Council, 6 p.m., special meeting, council chambers, City Hall

City Council, 7 p.m., hearings, council chambers, City Hall

Tues.- City Council Finance, Public Health and Safety, Race/Civil Rights committees, 4:30 p.m., Room 200, City Hall

City Council Public Health and Safety, Race/Civil Rights committees, 5 p.m., Room 200, City Hall

Thu.- Council Planning and Economic Development Committee, 3:30 p.m., Room 200, City Hall

School Committee’s Parent/Student Concerns Subcommittee, 5:30 p.m., Kiley Middle School, 180 Cooley St.

Warren

Mon.- Parks Dept., 6:30 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building

Tues.- Board of Selectmen, 7 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building

Warren Water District, 1 p.m., 20 Old West Brookfield Road

Wed.- Conservation Commission, 6 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building

Thu.- Finance Committee, 7 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building

The fire was first reported at about 6:45 p.m. It is burning through the roof of the metal framed building and thick black smoke is pouring from the building.

CHICOPEE - Firefighters are trying to extinguish a fire at the Bandag Industrial building on 920 Sheridan St.

The fire was first reported at about 6:45 p.m. It is burning through the roof of the metal framed building and thick black smoke is pouring from the building. The company, which specializes in retreading tires, has many locations across the country.

Chicopee Fire officials have requested assistance from Holyoke and Springfield firefighters.

Sheridan Street near the 900 block has been closed while firefighters try to extinguish the blaze.

Masslive will post updates as more information becomes available.

Felix Tranghese, of East Longmeadow, is expected to tell jurors further details about how the plot to murder Bruno developed, and of meetings he had with bosses of the Genovese crime family in New York to sanction the killing.

NEW YORK – A third defendant turned prosecution witness is expected to testify today as the federal trial stemming from the 2003 murder of mob boss Adolfo Bruno in Springfield, Mass., enters its third week in a Manhattan courtroom.

Felix Tranghese, of East Longmeadow, is expected to tell jurors further details about how the plot to murder Bruno developed, and of meetings he had with bosses of the Genovese crime family in New York to sanction the killing.

Tranghese, like two others before him, has pleaded guilty in the murder and is testifying against three men remaining on trial for the crime – Fotios “Freddy” Geas, of West Springfield, Mass., his brother Ty Geas, of Westfield, Mass., plus reputed onetime acting Genovese boss Arthur “Artie” Nigro, of Bronx, N.Y.

Testifying earlier in U.S. District Court were Frankie A. Roche, formerly of Westfield, Mass., who admitted shooting Bruno repeatedly as the man exited an Italian social club on Nov. 23, 2003, and Anthony J. Arillotta, of Springfield, who discussed his role in the crime.

According to his testimony, Arillotta sought and received permission from Nigro to remove Bruno in a power play and over suspicion that Bruno had given information to law enforcement officials.

Arillotta, 42, who entered the Witness Protection Program after his arrest in a sweeping murder and racketeering indictment out of Manhattan in February 2010, in testimony laid the foundation of his violent rise to power after the slaying of Bruno and Arillotta’s brother-in-law, Gary D. Westerman.

Arillotta told jurors of the two murders and an attempted murder he pulled off with the Geases’ help, plus myriad shake-downs of business owners from Springfield to New York, and a secret induction ceremony in the Bronx in 2003 in which Arillotta stripped off his clothes and swore an oath to the Mafia.

“I swore that if I ever talked to law enforcement I would burn like the piece of paper,” Arillotta said, of a piece of paper dotted with his own blood that Nigro set on fire during the ceremony.

On cross-examination last week, defense lawyers attempted to discredit Arillotta before jurors by forcing him to admit on the stand that he hid $80,000 from his wife and children, who had to apply for welfare benefits after his arrest, and that he agreed to testify for the prosecution to win a lighter sentence.

Following Arillotta on the stand was Roche, who testified that he stalked Bruno in Springfield’s South End and hid behind a vending machine while waiting for the crime boss to leave the social club.

“I said, ‘Hey Al!’ He said, ‘What’s up, buddy?’ I said, ‘I heard you were looking for me,’” Roche recounted, referring to a beef over a bar brawl between the two which had been percolating for days. “Then I shot him once in the chest. Then as he was falling against the car, I shot him three or four more times. Then I stood over him and shot him once more.”

The Geases and Arillotta helped plot Bruno’s murder with the “green-light” from Nigro, according to Roche and Arillotta.

Also slated to testify this week is Frank Dadabo, a 69-year-old former union official from New York whom Arillotta testified he and Ty Geas shot several times in 2003 in a failed attempt to kill the man at Nigro’s behest.

Foam trucks from Westover Air Reserve Base were called to help extinguish the blaze.

Republican staff photo by Michael BeswickMultiple fire engine companies respond to a fire in the Bandag building at 920 Sheridan St. in Chicopee Sunday night.

CHICOPEE – A raging fire at a company that specializes in tire treading and repairing destroyed the business and sent black smoke billowing east across the Pioneer Valley Sunday night.

The fire at the Bandag company at 920 Sheridan St. was first reported at about 6:30 p.m., Sunday according to police records. Four hours later it was still burning.

By 7 p.m., it started burning through the roof of the metal-sided building. Despite non-stop efforts to pour water on the building, the blaze continued to spread and the building started collapsing before 9 p.m.

Holyoke and Springfield firefighters were called to assist either at the blaze or to help man stations emptied by city firefighters. The Pioneer Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross was also called in to provide food to firefighters.

When the fire proved too stubborn to extinguish with water, a foam truck from Westover Air Reserve Base that is designed to extinguish fires from jet fuel, was called to douse the flames. While the foam managed to put out some, fires reignited quickly.

Bandag is a multi-national company that specializes in replacing treads on truck tires. According to its website, it has about a dozen employees at the Chicopee site.

Police said no employees were working Sunday evening when the blaze began.

Firefighters were originally able to enter the building, but left when the fire started spreading. There were reports of hazardous materials inside, including vats of fuel, as well as rubber used for the tires.

They also had to battle brush fires that were sparked by the blaze in the building, extinguishing them as quickly as possible to prevent them from spreading to other nearby businesses.

The fire belched thick, black smoke for hours that could be seen from miles away. People who saw the smoke gathered near the building to watch the fire.

Walter J. Pietras, who lives a few blocks away from the industrial park where Bandag is located and also works part-time at nearby Westover, said he saw the smoke when he was driving home around 7 p.m.

“I was on (Interstate) 291, and I could see that black smoke,” he said. “It was all blowing east, it is pure black,” he said.

Pietras said he remembered when the building was constructed about four to five years ago.

The Fire Department closed off a large portion of Sheridan Street so firefighters could fight the blaze. Fire deputies were busy at the blaze and were not available to speak about it immediately.

The cause will be investigated by the state Fire Marshal’s office and the Chicopee Fire Department.

This is the second business to be destroyed in a fire in Chicopee in four weeks. Wickles FinePrinting on 17 Center St. burned down in a fire Feb. 26.

Leary had a blood alcohol level of .19 -- twice the legal limit, Assistant District Attorney James R. Goodhines said.

Don Treeger / The Republican03.28.2011 | SPRINGFIELD - Daniel Leary of Southwick stands in Hampden District Court during his arraignment on vehicular homicide charges.

This is an update to a story posted at 11:37 a.m.

SPRINGFIELD – Springfield District Court Judge William J. Boyle set bail at $10,000 cash Monday for Daniel Leary, a 35-year-old Southwick man who pleaded innocent to motor vehicle homicide while driving when intoxicated.

Leary is charged in the West Springfield death of 29-year-old David Laduzenski of Somerville. Laduzenski grew up in West Springfield and was home visiting his family over the weekend, a prosecutor said.

Laduzenski was in the driveway area of a friend’s house on Dewey Street at about 10:20 p.m. Friday when he was struck by Leary, who had a blood alcohol level of .19 -- twice the legal limit, Assistant District Attorney James R. Goodhines said.

Members of Laduzenski’s family sat quietly, some holding tight to each other, as they waited for the arraignment. In addition to Laduzenski’s family from Western Massachusetts, family members of Laduzenski’s girlfriend from Eastern Massachusetts were in the courtroom.

Family members of Leary, 35, of 21 John Mason Road, Southwick, sat across the aisle.

Goodhines said that, according to police responding to the accident, the vehicle’s owner, Peter Desrosiers, said Leary was driving because he (Desrosiers) was “more intoxicated” than Leary.

Don Treeger / The Republican03.28.2011 | SPRINGFIELD - Family of David Laduzenski attend Daniel Leary's arraignment in Hampden District Court Monday.

Defense lawyer Daniel Shea argued Leary should remain free on the $1,000 bail set Friday night. Goodhines said at that time Laduzenski had not died, and now that the crash has become a fatal, bail should be increased.

Laduzenski sustained severe head injuries. He was taken off life support Sunday and died in the evening, Goodhines said.

Leary also pleaded innocent to possession of cocaine and a traffic violation, crossing marked lanes.

The crash happened near 461 Dewey St. as Leary drove west, police said.

Goodhines said the accident reconstruction work is ongoing but it appears Leary veered into the wrong lane and clipped some mailboxes in addition to hitting Laduzenski.

West Springfield police said police believe that Laduzenski had been on the side of the road, or perhaps even off it a bit in the driveway at that address, when he was struck.

Police, still probing the accident, are seeking witnesses. Those who may have seen something are asked to call (413) 263-3210.

Boyle, at the request of the prosecution, told Leary if he is released on bail, he cannot drive a vehicle and must remain drug and alcohol free.

Shea, in arguing for the $1,000 bail to remain, said Leary had been told Laduzenski died Sunday, but nevertheless reported for court as told Monday.

Shea said Leary is a lifelong resident of this area and lives with his wife and two children.

He said Leary has a long work history.

A pre-trial conference will be held April 29.

Although Davis was eventually ruled out as a suspect in an assault case, police could not ignore the amount of marijuana they found in his car, police said.

SPRINGFIELD - A 30-year-old Springfield man who was mistakenly stopped by police for resembling a suspect in a domestic-assault investigation was arrested anyway after police found drugs in his car, police said.

Darryl Davis of 65 Westford Ave. was charged late Sunday with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and violation of a drug-free school zone, said Sgt. John M. Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

Officers Thomas Labonte and Gail Gethins pulled Davis over at Genessee and Warwick streets because he matched the description given out for a suspect in a domestic-related assault that occurred earlier in the Forest Park neighborhood.

While searching the car for a handgun reportedly used in the assault, officers found bags of marijuana packaged for sale and $218 in cash, Delaney said.

Moments later, the victim of the assault was brought to the scene and she told police that Davis was not the man who had assaulted her, Delaney said.

“We had the wrong guy, but unfortunately for Mr. Davis, the weed would not go away (and) he was still under arrest,” Delaney said.

At his arraignment in Springfield District Court, Davis denied the charges. He was ordered held in lieu of a $1,000 cash surety and is due back in court on May 9.

An unknown man was seen trying to pull copper downspouts off the side of the Longmeadow Street church.

Photo from St. Andrew's Episcopal ChurchExterior of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Longmeadow.

LONGMEADOW - Police are investigating a report that someone on Monday morning attempted to pull copper downspouts off the side of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 335 Longmeadow St.

Police were called to the church at about 11:15 a.m. for a report of a man being seen pulling at a 15- to 20-foot section of downspout on the side of the church.

The suspect was last seen getting into a small, silver two-door vehicle and driving off.

He was described by police only as a heavy-set male with long hair.

Police are trying to determine if the incident is connected with March 25 robbery. A homeowner on Farmingham Road reported to police that someone had stolen gutters from the rear of his house. The gutters were aluminum and painted to resemble copper, and police suspect they were taken by someone assuming the gutters were real copper.

The two incidents are the latest in a series of metal thefts in the area in recent months, driven by the high cost of recycled metal. Springfield police reported last week that as many as 10 manhole and water drain covers, weighing up to 200 pounds each, were taken by metal thieves.

Longmeadow police ask that anyone with information about the thefts call them at (413) 567-3311.

Kennedy, a Democrat, decided last year not to run for a ninth term representing Rhode Island in Congress.

Associated Press photoThis March 2011 photograph released by Patrick Kennedy, show Kennedy, right, with fiance Amy Petitgout. Kennedy, former U.S. Rep. from Rhode Island and son of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, is engaged to be married to Petitgout, a sixth-grade public school teacher from New Jersey. No date for the wedding has been set.

By MICHELLE R. SMITH

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Patrick Kennedy, the 43-year-old former Rhode Island congressman and son of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, is engaged to be married to a New Jersey middle school teacher.

Kennedy, a lifelong bachelor, got engaged Saturday in Rhode Island to Amy Petitgout, former aide Sean Richardson said Monday. No wedding date has been set.

Richardson said they met about a year and a half ago at an event in New Jersey.

Kennedy told The Associated Press last month that he was living in New Jersey with his girlfriend. In a written statement, he recalled the title of his father's book "True Compass" in speaking about his relationship with Petitgout.

"My father spoke about his true compass, guiding him through his journey of life. I have found mine with Amy," Kennedy said then. "She has helped me navigate the uncharted waters of life beyond politics and given me the reason to look forward to a personal life with family and friends."

Petitgout, who teaches sixth grade in a public school, has a 3-year-old daughter, Harper, from a previous marriage.

"We feel so fortunate to have found each other," she said in a written statement. "Patrick is caring and values me, giving me friendship and love. He has become part of my family and loves my daughter as his own."

Kennedy, a Democrat, decided last year not to run for a ninth term representing Rhode Island in Congress. His father died in 2009 after representing Massachusetts in the Senate for nearly 47 years.

Patrick Kennedy has struggled with substance abuse and depression over the years and has sought treatment several times, including after a late-night 2006 car crash outside the Capitol. Friends have said that Kennedy's personal life often took a backseat to his career; he has never married.

In addition to his home in New Jersey, Kennedy maintains a house in Portsmouth, R.I. Since leaving Congress, he has been focusing on mental health advocacy and recently accepted a two-year visiting fellowship at Brown University's Institute for Brain Science.

He is also working on a memoir, "Coming Clean," with political reporter Mary Ann Akers, which is scheduled to be published Nov. 8 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

___

Since the earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese have suffered problems with water, electricity and transportation, and have closed factories as a result.

The Republican | Dave RobackMike Balise of Baslie Toyota checks out one of the remaining Toyota Prius automobiles on the lot in West Springfield.

Howard I. Sackaroff, general manager of Curry Honda and Curry Nissan in Chicopee doesn’t want to run out of cars no matter what the Japanese earthquake and its ongoing impact do to automakers’ complex global supply chains.

So he bought 26 Hondas from another dealer and had them delivered to his Memorial Avenue lot.

“I’m trying to find some Nissans but I haven’t been as lucky so far,” Sackaroff said.

Since the earthquake and tsunami, the Japanese have suffered problems with water, electricity and transportation, and have closed factories as a result.

“In general, for most manufacturers, we expect there to be small pinches in certain areas of inventory,” said Michael D. Balise, vice president of Balise Motor Sales in West Springfield. “We don’t expect to see any major disruptions.”

Balise Motor Sales is one of the largest car dealers in New England with locations in West Springfield, Springfield, Wilbraham, Connecticut and Rhode Island. It operates 20 new vehicle dealerships, representing Buick, Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Lexus, Mazda, Nissan, Scion, Subaru, Toyota and Volkswagen.

He pointed out that most Hondas and Toyotas are made in North America, but the parts come from Japan. It takes three weeks for parts to come from Japan, so any part shortages might not even be felt for another week or so.

In Chicopee, U.S. Tsubaki has increased production of timing chains for automakers in an effort to pick up the slack left by a shut-down plant in Japan.

Balise said parts shortages should hit hybrid cars hardest because the batteries and electronics come from Japan.

Prices of used Toyota Prius models jumped last week at used-car auctions. But those prices later fell when shortages failed to materialize quickly.

It’s not just the Japanese makes. Ford last week started restricting the availability of some red and black paint colors because the pigments come from Japan.

“Right now we have vehicles on the lot in those colors,” said Jeffrey J. Sarat, general sales manager for Sarat Ford Lincoln in Agawam. “But we will run out.”

Ford allowed Sarat to order an Explorer for a customer in “Tuxedo Black,” but only because it was for a specific customer. Sarat said he would not have been able to order the SUV in “Tuxedo Black” if he were planning to keep the car on inventory.

Curry’s Sackaroff predicted high gas prices combined with parts shortages might make high-efficiency Honda models hard to get by the time summer rolls around.

“At the risk of sounding like a car salesman, anyone looking for an import should buy now,” he said.

Arrested were Amherst residents Justin Satterfield, Jack M. Ryan-Ackerman, Daniel J. Dickinson, and Tobias K. Luz.

Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen03.09.11 | Photo by Julian Feller-Cohen – An Amherst Police Department cruiser.

Photo courtesy of Amherst policeFrom left, top row: Daniel J. Dickinson, Tobias K. Luz. Bottom row: Jack M. Ryan-Ackerman, Justin Satterfield.

AMHERST - Four town residents were arrested early Saturday and charged with breaking into some units at Puffton Village Apartments off North Pleasant Street, police said.

Lt. Ronald A. Young said police were called to the apartment complex by 911 just before 3:30 a.m. for a report of a break-in in progress.

Police stopped a Toyota Camry leaving the area, he said. The four occupants were arrested after witnesses identified them as the people they had seen trying to break into an apartment, he said.

A subsequent investigation showed at least one apartment had been broken into, and attempts had been made to get into several others, Young said.

Arrested were Justin Satterfield, 19, Jack M. Ryan-Ackerman, 18, Daniel J. Dickinson, 22, and Tobias K. Luz, 20, all of Amherst.

Satterfield and Ryan-Ackerman were charged with night-time breaking and entering, two counts of attempted burglary, and possession of burglary tools. Dickinson and Luz were each charged with a single count of nighttime breaking and entering.

Luz was also charged with driving while intoxicated, Young said.

The four were being held at the Hampshire County House of Correction in lieu of $2,500 bail pending their court arraignments.

Young noted that none of the four are students at any of the area colleges.

The idea for the museum was sparked by the traveling exhibition called "A Reason to Remember: Roth Germany, 1933-1942," which was in need of a permanent location.

James E. Young, director of the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies and Lara R. Curtis, assistant director, look at the exhibit "A Reason to Remember: Roth Germany, 1933-1942" now permanently on display at the institute, which officially opened Monday at the University of Massachusetts.

AMHERST – Space that was created for the melding of the arts with the spiritual by the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts six years ago has now been transformed into the new home of the Institute for Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies.

The institute at the University of Massachusetts officially opened Monday, although programs had already been held there earlier this month.

The idea for the museum at 758 North Pleasant St. was sparked by the traveling exhibition called "A Reason to Remember: Roth, Germany, 1933-1942," which was on display at the university three years ago. The permanent Holocaust teaching exhibition at that time was housed in the Hatikvah Holocaust Education Center in Springfield.

But the education center was in financial trouble, said Distinguished Professor James E. Young, an internationally renowned scholar of Holocaust and memory studies and director of the institute.

Those at that center approached him about providing a home to the permanent exhibition, which tells in pictures, film and text the stories of five families from Roth, Germany during the Nazi regime.

Young said he and other Holocaust scholars welcomed the opportunity; they just had to find a space.

Lara R. Curtis, a specialist in literature and film related to the Holocaust and the institute’s assistant director, found that the property called The Ark was for sale. An anonymous donor offered to buy the house and lease it to the center for $1.

Young said they had been thinking about creating a space for Holocaust research and study for several years.

The Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts gave the institute the exhibit in November 2010. The Hatikvah Center, housed in a building attached to the Springfield Jewish Community Center, closed two months before.

Young said there are a many areas at the university in which students study the Holocaust and genocide. The institute will provide a central place for programs and for people to gather, study and research. Besides the exhibition space, there will be study spaces and a library upstairs.

So far, Elsa and Herbert Roth, Schoen Booksellers and the estate of Caston Schmir have donated about 700 books, Young said. He will be moving his collection of more than 1,000 to the center as well.

He said the museum includes the study of memory because “We want to look at how the Holocaust and the genocide are remembered,” he said. They want to look at the “construction of memory.”

Keeping the memory alive is vital because it affects decisions about intervention today.

The institute will also be a place that students from area schools will be able to visit. Curtis sees the institute “establishing partnerships and having events” for the entire community, not just scholars.

With 35,000 to 45,000 visitors to campus a year, she believes the institute and exhibit will receive more visitors than Hatikvah had.

Young said they will be establishing regular hours soon, and there’s a docent training April 8 for anyone interested.

No one was injured in the fire, and no employees were working when it started.

The Republican | John SuchockiFirefighters Monday pour water on the smoldering remains of a fire at Westover Bandag that started Sunday night.

CHICOPEE – Firefighters continued to pour water Monday on the smoldering remains of a tire company building which was destroyed in a major fire.

There were no employees in the Westover Bandag building at 920 Sheridan St. when the fire was reported at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday. No one was injured in the blaze, Fire Chief Stephen S. Burkott said.

City firefighters working with the state Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating the cause of the blaze, he said.

“It was a very difficult fire due to the nature of the materials that are burning,” he said. “Tire fires are extremely difficult to extinguish because once the fire gets inside the tire it is difficult to get water onto the fire.”

Bandag attaches new treads mostly to tractor trailer truck tires. It has been located on Sheridan Street for about 15 years, owner Peter Kearing said.

There were thousands of pounds of rubber in the building, but the company uses no solvents or other materials in the production so reports of other substances in the building were incorrect, Kearing said.

It took firefighters nearly five hours to bring the blaze, which spewed clouds of black smoke into the air that could be seen for miles, under control. Westover Air Reserve Fire Department, which has a foam truck designed to extinguish flaming jet fuel, eventually was called to assist, Burkott said.

“It wasn’t until Westover Fire Department arrived and we put foam on the fire we made significant progress,” Burkott said.

Later the building collapsed, creating protected pockets of debris that were still burning, said Fire Capt. David A. Beauregard.

Between seven and 10 people work at Bandag, depending on how busy the company is at the time. It is one of eight subsidiaries of Holyoke Auto and Tire Service Inc. of West Springfield.

Kearing said employees will work at his other businesses, and he has already contacted the parent Bandag company, which is sending equipment so the operation can re-open.

For now, that equipment will be set up in the West Springfield business. Kearing said he was unsure if he would rebuild in Chicopee, where between 88 and 110 tires were reconditioned daily.

Bandag was one of Kearing’s businesses cited in February by the state Department of Environmental Protection for violations mostly related to the handling of waste oil used to heat the facilities. Some of the violations at Bandag included failing to mark a boundary where the waste oil was stored and not providing sufficient training for employees handling oil.

“The violations were fixed. They were very cooperative following the inspections,” Catherine V. Skiba, regional spokeswoman for DEP, said.

The companies were fined a total of $30,000 for what Kearing called mostly record-keeping failures. Each held permits from local fire departments to heat with the waste oil.

None of violations could have caused the fire, he and Skiba agreed.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell about 23 points, to 12,198.

File photo / Associated PressA full moon is bisected by the peak of the Kodak headquarters building in Rochester, New York, earlier this month, The Eastman Kodak Co. gained 5 percent on the stock market Monday after the U.S. Trade Commission said it will review a judge’s finding in a patent dispute with Apple Inc. and Research in Motion Ltd. A favorable ruling could pave the way for Kodak to reap higher fees.

NEW YORK – Stocks closed with slight losses Monday after falling in the last half-hour of trading. Major indexes had been up for most of the day after several economic reports suggested that the recovery is continuing.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 22.71 points, or 0.2 percent, to 12,197.88. The broader S&P 500 index lost 3.61, or 0.3 percent, to 1,310.19. The Nasdaq composite fell 12.38, or 0.5 percent, to 2,730.68. Each index had been up more than 0.4 percent earlier in the day.

The Commerce Department said consumer spending rose at its fastest pace in four months in February, though some of the increase was driven by higher gas prices. The National Association of Realtors said more Americans signed contracts to buy homes in February than economists were expecting. Sales rose in every region but the Northeast, but remained below what is considered a healthy level.

In Libya, rebels gained ground against longtime leader Moammar Gadhafi after international airstrikes against Gadhafi’s forces. Oil prices fell below $104 per barrel after rebels retook control of key port towns Ras Lanouf and Brega and said they would resume exporting crude within weeks.

In the U.S., Eastman Kodak Co. gained 5 percent after the U.S. Trade Commission said it will review a judge’s finding in a patent dispute with Apple Inc. and Research in Motion Ltd. A favorable ruling could pave the way for Kodak to reap higher fees.

EBay Inc. fell 4.3 percent after the company agreed to pay $2.4 billion to acquire GSI Commerce, which operates websites for retailers like Toys R Us and Bath & Body Works.

Oil-services companies Halliburton Co. and Schlumberger Ltd. each rose more than 4 percent. Netflix Inc. rose 3 percent after announcing a deal with Paramount to stream more movies to subscribers in Canada.

This is a data-heavy week on Wall Street. A crucial jobs report and manufacturing surveys will be released over the next five days.

Three stocks fell for every two that gained on the New York Stock Exchange. Consolidated volume came to 3.3 billion shares.

Leaders will meet in private at UMass during a retreat organized by House Speaker Robert DeLeo.

File photo | The RepublicanMassachusetts Speaker of the House Robert A. DeLeo, shown at a recent event in Holyoke, is set to discuss casinos and other top issues during a retreat with House leaders at the University of Massachusetts.

As Gov. Deval L. Patrick reiterated that he is "hopeful" on a deal to legalize casinos, key state legislators are preparing for a retreat in Amherst on Thursday and Friday in an attempt to kick-start expanded gambling and other top issues.

Leaders of the state House of Representatives will meet in private at the University of Massachusetts to set strategy on issues such as casinos, lowering the costs of municipal health insurance and overhauling the probation department and parole laws.

Emmaladd Shepherd of Monson, co-president of Quaboag Valley Against Casinos, criticized House members for plotting casinos behind closed doors.

"I'm afraid there's going to be some agreement done in the backroom," Shepherd said on Monday. "It will be a fait accompli. They will just announce it."

She said House members should air the issue in the open.

Patrick said on Monday that he is talking about casinos with House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo.

Associated Press file photoMassachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, shown speaking to reporters in Washington last month, said he is talking about a casino agreement with the House speaker.

"I think the best thing is for us, as much as possible, to see if we can find some agreement before a bill is filed ... for the reasons we've all experienced, how it sucks all the oxygen out of the building," Patrick said. "I'm hoping we can find some general parameters and principles on which to agree before the speaker goes for it. That conversation has started ... I'm hopeful."

The retreat in Amherst is only for top House leaders such as chairs and vice chairs of committees.

Seth Gitell, spokesman for DeLeo, said no lobbyists would attend the retreat. Gitell also said that no money from the state or the University of Massachusetts would be used for room and board.

In a statement, Gitell said the event will give House leaders a chance to focus on "unprecedented policy challenges" that loom in the months ahead.

Rep. John W. Scibak, a South Hadley Democrat who is House chairman of the Committee on Public Service, defended the retreat.

"I think it's a good idea for people to get out of the building and discuss the issues as well as process," Scibak said.

So far this year, the House is off to a slow start, typical for the beginning of a two-year legislative session, said Michael J. Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. Widmer said the retreat could be good if it helps House members get organized for some important decisions. "The proof will be in the pudding in terms of what happens over the next year," Widmer said.

The House has met in formal sessions only four times this year, with one accomplishment being a 151-0 vote to freeze the tax on unemployment insurance for businesses.

Timothy Buckley, spokesman for the Republican Party of Massachusetts, questioned the need for the retreat: "Do they really need to go to Amherst to find out unemployment is too high or that we have $1 billion budget gap?"

The marathon confession to setting fire to a predominantly black church the night Barack Obama was elected president is a crucial part of prosecution and defense cases. Watch video

Republican file photoMichael Jacques

SPRINGFIELD – The police interrogation of Michael F. Jacques took so long, it has been reproduced in a four-DVD box set.

With jurors taking notes, prosecutors played more highlights of the 6½-hour grilling Monday, showing the former auto body shop employee denying – then admitting – to helping burn down the Macedonia Church of God in Christ hours after Barack Obama’s election.

“So what’s the worst that can happen to me?,” Jacques asked several hours into the interrogation, near the end of the third DVD.

All three defendants confessed to torching the $2.5 million chapel under construction on Tinkham Road, but Jacques later recanted, claiming he was pressured into making false claims. The others – Benjamin F. Haskell and Thomas A. Gleason – pleaded guilty, leaving Jacques as the last defendant.

The trio emerged as suspects within 72 hours of the fire, and were arrested in January 2009 after giving incriminating statements to an undercover state trooper.

The interrogation – a key part of both prosecution and defense cases – was conducted on Jan. 15, 2009 after Jacques agreed to burn down a building at the request of an undercover trooper posing as a Holyoke landlord. Within 20 minutes, he was brought to a state police office and confronted with evidence from the church fire.

Initially nonchalant, Jacques tenses up and appears to shrink into his chair as trooper Michael S. Mazza and FBI agent Ian D. Smythe pepper him with questions. Several hours later, the suspect has nearly slid off his seat after hearing a tape recorded confession from defendant Benjamin Haskell that also places Jacques at the fire scene.

“I don’t blame you for calling me a liar because I look like a liar,” said Jacques, who maintains that he bragged about burning the church, without actually doing it.

When the investigators leave the room, Jacques appears distraught.

“Why (expletive) would he (Haskell) say that; it makes no sense,” Jacques says to himself.

Under questioning from Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin O’Regan, Mazza explained that key elements of Jacques story changed during the interview; initially, he professed ignorance of the church burning; claimed he spent Nov. 5 at home with his parents; and denied any racist sentiments.

Each assertion, Mazza said, was undermined by taped statements from Haskell or Jacques himself; at one point, Jacques denies making racists statements, prompting Smythe to respond, “my audio (recordings) would beg to differ.”

On the tape, Jacques eventually admits to setting the fire with Haskell, Gleason and a fourth man he could not identify.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin O’Regan is expected to finish questioning Mazza by mid-week, clearing the way for defense lawyer Lori H. Levinson to begin her cross-examination.