Moran is under criminal investigation by state police and has been on paid leave since June 15.

The Republican | Don TreegerThe Holyoke Fire Commission met in emergency session Friday to discuss acting Chief William Moran. Commissioners Priscilla Chesky and Juan Pedrosa announce that the meeting would go into executive session.

HOLYOKE – The Fire Commission took a unanimous vote Friday in a closed-door emergency meeting regarding acting Fire Chief William P. Moran, who is under criminal investigation, but refused to say what the vote was about.

“I can’t discuss that, it’s a personnel matter,” commission Chairwoman Priscilla F. Chesky said.

Moran, a 27-year veteran whom the commission last week put on paid administrative leave, didn’t attend the meeting at Fire Department headquarters, 600 High St.

Moran is under investigation by the office Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni and state police after sources told The Republican and MassLive.com he was suspected of sending an engine company to a false call on June 15.

During the response around noon that day, several vehicles collided at Homestead Avenue and Pynchon Road when one vehicle failed to pull over for a fire truck, police said.

A driver of one of the cars was taken to Holyoke Medical Center, where she was treated and released.

Mastroianni said Friday the probe of Moran is nearly done and results could come early next week.

Chesky said “any future action” by the commission regarding Moran would be tied to the results of the criminal investigation.

Chesky declined to say whether the commission’s closed-door vote resulted in Moran being suspended.

The Republican | John SuchockiHolyoke provisional Fire Chief William P. Moran

Moran has had disciplinary problems before. The Fire Commission under previous Mayor Michael J. Sullivan demoted Moran to captain in 2009 for what officials at the time said was conduct unbecoming a firefighter. Moran denied that, and he was reinstated to deputy chief last year after an agreement between his lawyer and the city.

Moran worked on the campaign of Mayor Elaine A. Pluta, who appoints the three-member Fire Commission.

Two lawyers representing Moran, Nathan A. Olin and Matthew L. Donohue, participated in the executive session but declined to comment later.

Municipal boards can meet behind closed doors for limited reasons, such as litigation, collective bargaining or if a public discussion could harm an individual’s public reputation.

Chesky, a lawyer, said state law allows for votes made in executive session to stay confidential if they concern a personnel matter.

But it remained unclear why the meeting was considered an emergency session, which is how it was posted on the city website and how Chesky described it.

Chesky and commission member Juan A. Pedrosa participated in the meeting. Member William N. McCoy was absent.

Chesky said the plan is still to hold an evaluation known as an assessment center of candidates to be permanent fire chief in late July or early August.

Before the June 15 incident, Moran was considered a candidate for fire chief, along with 15 other deputy chiefs and captains in the department. Chesky said she was unable to say if Moran remains eligible for that job.

The job’s yearly salary will be $95,000 to $104,500.

The ruthless Boston crime boss who spent 16 years on the lam is said to have boasted that he corrupted 6 FBI agents and more than 20 police officers.

View full sizeAssociated PressJames "Whitey" Bulger is seen in booking photos from a 1953 arrest in Boston, left, and Wednesday's arrest in Los Angeles, right.

By DENISE LAVOIE
AP Legal Affairs Writer

BOSTON — James "Whitey" Bulger's capture could cause a world of trouble inside the FBI.

The ruthless Boston crime boss who spent 16 years on the lam is said to have boasted that he corrupted six FBI agents and more than 20 police officers. If he decides to talk, some of them could rue the day he was caught.

"They are holding their breath, wondering what he could say," said Robert Fitzpatrick, the former second-in-command of the Boston FBI office.

The 81-year-old gangster was captured Wednesday in Santa Monica, Calif., where he apparently had been living for most of the time he was a fugitive. He appeared Friday afternoon inside a heavily guarded federal courthouse in Boston to answer charges he committed 19 murders.

Bulger, wearing jeans and a white shirt under a white unbuttoned shirt, was brought into court in handcuffs, which were then removed. He looked tan and fit and walked with a slight hunch.

He had back-to-back hearings for two separate indictments. Attorney Peter Krupp was appointed to represent Bulger on Friday, but Bulger asked that a public defender be appointed.

The government objected, citing the $800,000 found in his apartment and "family resources," including money from immediate family members.

"We feel he has access to cash," said prosecutor Brian Kelly.

In the second hearing, Magistrate Judge Marianne Bowler asked Bulger if he could pay for legal counsel.

"I could, if you give me my money," Bulger replied.

The government is seeking to seize Bulger's assets, which prosecutors said included the cash and 30 guns found in the apartment.

Prosecutors also asked that Bulger be held without bond. Bulger waived his right to a detention hearing on Friday, but Krupp says he may ask for a hearing later.

Bulger's girlfriend, who was arrested with him, was scheduled to appear in court on charges of harboring a fugitive.

Bulger, the former boss of the Winter Hill Gang, Boston's Irish mob, embroiled the FBI in scandal once before, after he disappeared in 1995. It turned out that Bulger had been an FBI informant for decades, feeding the bureau information on the rival New England Mafia, and that he fled after a retired Boston FBI agent tipped him off that he was about to be indicted.

The retired agent, John Connolly Jr., was sent to prison for protecting Bulger. The FBI depicted Connolly as a rogue agent, but Bulger associates described more widespread corruption in testimony at Connolly's trial and in lawsuits filed by the families of people allegedly killed by Bulger and his gang.

Kevin Weeks, Bulger's right-hand man, said the crime lord stuffed envelopes with cash for law enforcement officers at holiday time. "He used to say that Christmas was for cops and kids," Weeks testified.

After a series of hearings in the late 1990s, U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf found that more than a dozen FBI agents had broken the law or violated FBI regulations.

Among them was Connolly's former supervisor, John Morris, who admitted he took about $7,000 in bribes and a case of expensive wine from Bulger and henchman Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi. Morris testified under a grant of immunity.

In addition, Richard Schneiderhan, a former Massachusetts state police lieutenant, was convicted of obstruction of justice and conspiracy for warning a Bulger associate that the FBI had wiretapped the phones of Bulger's brothers, one of whom, William, was the powerful leader of the Massachusetts Senate for 17 years.

Edward J. MacKenzie Jr., a former drug dealer and enforcer for Bulger, predicted that Bulger will disclose new details about FBI corruption and how agents protected him for so long.

"Whitey was no fool. He knew he would get caught. I think he'll have more fun pulling all those skeletons out of the closet," MacKenzie said. "I think he'll start talking and he'll start taking people down."

A spokesman for the Boston FBI did not return calls seeking comment. In the past, the agency has said that a new generation of agents has replaced most or all of the agents who worked in the Boston office while Bulger was an informant.

Some law enforcement officials said they doubt Bulger will try to cut a deal with prosecutors by exposing corruption, in part because he will almost certainly be asked to reveal what contact he had with his brothers while he was a fugitive and whether they helped him in any way.

"If Bulger talks, he would have to talk about his brothers, and I can't see that happening, said retired state police Detective Lt. Bob Long, who investigated Bulger in the 1970s and '80s. "They are not going to take selective information from him — it's either full and complete cooperation or nothing."

Criminal defense attorney and former Drug Enforcement Administration agent Raymond Mansolillo said Bulger may not have any incentive to talk. "The FBI may say, 'You're going to jail or you're going to be killed. We're not offering you anything,'" said Mansolillo, who once represented New England crime figure Luigi "Baby Shacks" Manocchio.

But retired Massachusetts state police Maj. Tom Duffy, one of the lead investigators in the Bulger case, said Bulger may agree to talk if he thinks it could help his girlfriend, Catherine Greig.

"It's very possible he's concerned about her well-being — she was with him for 16 years and was very loyal to him," Duffy said. "That may be a bargaining chip for the government during negotiations."

Security at the South Boston courthouse was tight for Bulger's arrival. At least two Coast Guard boats, one state police vessel and a Boston patrol boat circled the harbor.

Among the onlookers was Margaret Chaberek, who grew up in Bulger's home base of South Boston. "I'm here to see him get what he deserves," she said.

Ina Corcoran of suburban Braintree came on her day off to witness a piece of history and sat on a bench outside the fifth-floor courtroom, saying it was like being there to see Al Capone.

"If you could go back in time to be in that courtroom, wouldn't you?" she said.

Associated Press writers Johanna Kaiser, Laura Crimaldi in Providence, R.I., and Curt Anderson in Miami contributed to this report.

If weak financial results from big tech companies are sign of what's to come, stock indexes are in for a tough summer.

By DANIEL WAGNER and DAVID K. RANDALL | AP Business Writers

Associated PressGregory Rowe works at the New York Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

If weak financial results from big tech companies are sign of what's to come, stock indexes are in for a tough summer.

Stocks fell Friday, giving the market another losing week, after poor earnings reports from two major technology companies suggested that companies invested less in new technology as the economic recovery slowed.

Fears of a spreading European debt crisis also weighed on markets. Italian bank stocks plunged and trading in some of them was halted after Moody's warned that it might downgrade their credit ratings.

"I think it spooked a lot of people," said Frederick Rizzo, who analyzes European banks for T. Rowe Price. "The markets are really emotional right now."

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 115.42 points, or 1 percent, to 11,934.58. The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 15.05, or 1.2 percent, to 1,268.45. The Nasdaq composite fell 33.86, or 1.3 percent, to 2,652.89.

The decline erased all of this week's gains for the Dow Jones industrial average and S&P index. The broad stock market has now fallen for seven of the eight last weeks, largely because of concerns that the U.S. economy is slowing and that Europe's debt problems may lead to another financial crisis. The S&P 500 is down 7 percent since it hit a high for the year April 29.

Technology stocks were broadly lower. Micron Technology Inc. fell 14.5 percent after the company said lower sales of computer chips hurt its earnings, which were far less than analysts had expected. Oracle Corp. fell 4 percent after its sales of computer hardware fell sharply. Cisco Systems Inc. fell 3.5 percent, and Microsoft Corp. lost 1.3 percent.

Government bond prices rose to their highest level of the year as investors favored lower-risk assets. The yield on the 10-year Treasury dipped to 2.86 percent.

The U.S. economy has cooled since late April. Recent reports on housing, employment, manufacturing and retail sales all have been weak. The debt crisis in Greece and fears that China's growth is slowing have also pushed markets lower.

"No one is expecting good news, but if it's worse than expectations, this is really a very shaky market," said Uri Landesman, president of Platinum Partners, a hedge fund.

Landesman expects that the Standard & Poor's 500 index will fall to 1,200 this summer as more companies report second-quarter earnings next month. The last time the S&P 500 crossed that threshold was in December 2010.

Stocks fell despite the fact that the government said the economy grew at a 1.9 percent annual rate in the first quarter, slightly higher than an earlier estimate of 1.8 percent. The figure still indicated very slow growth for a post-recession recovery. Economists expect little improvement in the second quarter, which ends next week.

Still, another government report showed that businesses ordered more machinery, equipment and airplanes in May than in April. Orders of such durable goods increased by 1.9 percent in May after a sharp decline in April.

Two stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was slightly above average at 4.4 billion shares.

School Committee Vice Charwoman Stephanie Pick said the committee was impressed by Salzer's skills in a wide variety of areas.

NORTHAMPTON – The new school superintendent in waiting said Friday he can hardly wait to take over a job he’s been preparing himself for all his professional life.

Brian Salzer, the interim superintendent of the Marblehead Public Schools, was unanimously selected by the School Committee Thursday to fill the post vacated by Isabelina Rodriguez. For Salzer, 43, it will be his fifth administrative post in the last two years.

Salzer was selected from a field of four finalists. The others were Irwin H. Sussman, superintendent of the Haldey-Luzerne Central School District in upstate New York; Ruth Miller, the acting superintendent of the Narragansett Regional School District in Templeton; and William Collins, the principal of the William E. Norris School in Southampton.

The committee has settled on two finalists in march by started the search all over again after it came to light that one of them, Daniel J. Hanneken, was not the principal of a Marlborough middle school as his resume indicated. Sussman was the other finalist in that round. The most recent finalists traveled to Northampton this month for interviews and to meet faculty and parents.

“He has great energy,” said School Committee Vice Charwoman Stephanie Pick. “He’ll be a great catch for Northampton.”

Pick said the committee was impressed by Salzer’s skills in a wide variety of areas he will deal with as superintendent. She was also pleased, she said, that the vote was unanimous. School Committee member Lisa Minnick said Salzer projected an air of calm during his interview.

“When he spoke of process is always involved listening to people and making sure everyone was involved,” she said. “I think that works in Northampton.”

Salzer said he had been on the phone all morning Friday, receiving congratulations, sharing the news and coordinating with Northampton to set up a time for contract negotiations. The superintendent’s job was advertised at $122,000 to $140,000 a year. Salzer said he will likely negotiate with the city on either June 30 or July 5.

Should Salzer assume the post, it will be his fifth school administrative post since 2009, when he left his job as principal of New South High School to become principal of Swampscott High School. He was at Swampscott High School for less than a year when he was hired away by Marblehead to be that school system’s business manager. That move resulted in controversy when it came to light that the Marblehead school superintendent offered Salzer a contract that paid $22,000 more than the town’s school committee had authorized. The committee subsequently rejected the contract, but Salzer was retained as business manager. In March of this year he was named interim superintendent for the Marblehead schools.

Although he effectively took a pay cut to remain in Marblehead, Salzer said he has no regrets about the move.

“I wanted the opportunity to learn,” he said. “Money doesn’t buy happiness. Job satisfaction is what makes happiness.”

A Wisconsin native who began his career in that state, Salzer said his trip to Northampton earlier this month evokes memories of Madison, the state capital, where the university affects the vibe.

“It felt like going back home,” he said.

Told that the local teachers union has been invoking Wisconsin in a negative manner, claiming the city is engaged in “union busting,” Salzer said he did not know enough about the contract situation to comment on it.

An avid runner who completed his first marathon in May, Salzer expects to be pounding the pavement on the city streets. Most of his energy, however, will be focused on increasing achievement in the schools, he said.

“I want to help make the Northampton public schools into what we believe they can be,” he said.

The Palmer Library is helping its tornado-damaged counterpart in Monson, the Monson Free Library.

File photo | The RepublicanPalmer Public Library.

PALMER - The Palmer Public Library is reducing its hours effective July 1, as a result of a $25,000 cut to its fiscal 2012 budget.

Like in past years, the North Main Street library will be closed on Saturdays during July and August, but also is changing its hours for Mondays and Fridays.

Now, the library is open noon to 8 p.m. on Mondays, and that's changing to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Fridays, the library will close at 2 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. Hours will remain 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays.

While Saturday hours are expected to resume in September, after Labor Day, the changes to Mondays and Fridays will remain in effect, according to Library Director Nancy E. Menard.

Menard said the $25,000 represents a 3.5 percent cut to the budget, leaving the library with $660,990 to operate in the fiscal year starting July 1. Last year's appropriation was $684,965. Over the last three years, she said the library has been cut $77,000.

"We have no other choice, unfortunately," Menard said. "We do not want to be reducing hours. We find our usage of the library has been increasing."

She said they have been seeing an influx of patrons from Monson, as the library in that town is closed indefinitely due to tornado damage.

Menard said her staff is helping Monson students with their summer reading lists, and also is taking donations to benefit the Monson Free Library. Money from overdue fines also will go to the Monson Free Library. Both initiatives will last until July 31.

Menard noted that the library is not the only department whose budget has been cut during these difficult fiscal times. She added that it also is losing a part-time library assistant position, representing $12,000, who works 18.5 hours a week. There are 11 full-timers, including Menard. After July 1, she will have only one part-time position, a page.

She said the library recently kicked off its summer reading program, "One World, Many Stories," and has done its best "not to impact" programs it has offered in the past.

State Sen. Stephen Brewer said a firefighters plate would promote esprit de corps and help give firefighters quick access to an emergency while driving their private vehicles.

View full sizeThe Republican | Dave RobackFormer firefighter Kevin Brailey shows off a collection of firefighter specialty plates from other states. Brailey is supporting a bill that will allow firefighter specialty plates in Massachusetts.

BOSTON – Military veterans, state legislators and National Guard members are allowed special license plates in Massachusetts, elevating their status on the roads.

Firefighters would like to be next. Supporters say a special plate is aimed at helping identify firefighters when they respond to emergencies in their private vehicles and providing a way to raise money for training of firefighters.

Kevin L. Brailey, a former volunteer firefighter from Swansea, is working to pass a bill on Beacon Hill to establish a special plate for only firefighters.

"It would be a valuable tool for emergency management," said Brailey, 47, who is attending the New England Fire, Rescue and EMS Conference this weekend in West Springfield and is a collector of firefighter license plates that have approved in all but five states. "It's very important."

Brailey said the design of the proposed plate would be decided after the bill is approved. A concept for the design shows the word "firefighter" at the bottom, the capital letters FD at the start of a number and a drawing on the side of the Maltese Cross, the symbol of the fire service.

Some key legislators are getting behind the effort.

Photo supplied by Kevin BraileyThis is a concept for a proposed license plate for Massachusetts firefighters.

Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, the chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, is teaming up with Speaker Pro Tempore Patricia A. Haddad of Somerset to sponsor legislation that would create a special firefighter plate for private motor vehicles. Brewer and Rep. Angelo J. Puppolo, D-Springfield, have a separate bill for a firefighter plate for private motorcycles.

Those two bills are awaiting the scheduling of public hearings before the Joint Committee on Transportation.

The plates would be just for firefighters, similar to plates that are issued only for National Guard members, and certain military veterans or the families of veterans killed in action while serving during a war.

In an interview, Brewer said a plate for firefighters would promote "esprit de corps" and would help give firefighters quick access to an emergency in their private vehicles. Brewer said the first three minutes of any fire are critical for responders.

Brewer said plenty of firefighters would sign up for a special plate. Brewer is noted for his efforts on behalf of firefighters, having previously sponsored a 2005 law that requires communities to purchase life insurance for volunteer firefighters.

The Republican file photoSen. Stephen Brewer is sponsoring bills to create a license plate for firefighters.

Brailey said a bill needs to be passed because the proposed plates would be available only to firefighters, retired firefighters or immediate family members of a firefighter killed in the line of duty, not the public. He said a good model is Kansas, which has offered a plate just for firefighters since 2004.

According to the bill, firefighters could obtain plates by paying regular fees plus a $10 fee that would go to a trust fund for the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Stow.

Under a state law in Massachusetts, charities do not need to pass a bill to create a special plate open to the public. According to current law, a group is required to collect 1,500 pre-paid applications for a special plate and post $100,000 bond before any plates are manufactured. Instead of a bond, 3,000 pre-paid applications can be collected, according to the web site of the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Anyone can buy a charitable plate for $40 with $28 going to the sponsoring organization. There are 18 kinds of special plates just for charities including a "Massachusetts fallen firefighter memorial plate," established to help finance a memorial on Beacon Hill.

Brailey is pushing a third bill to create a voluntary contribution option on state tax forms to raise money for a trust fund for the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy in Stow. That bill is pending after a public hearing by the Joint Committee on Revenue.

Brailey said a special plate would also be an acknowledgment of the role and history of fire fighting in Massachusetts. "With all the plates that have passed, eventually we will get one for firefighters," he said.

The Republican | Dave RobackFormer firefighter Kevin Brailey shows off a collection of firefighter specialty plates from other states. Brailey is supporting a bill that will allow firefighter specialty plates in Massachusetts.

The group that oversees the U.S. power grid is proposing an experiment that would allow more frequency variation than it does now without corrections.

Associated PressA UPS delivery man wheels packages past a store window featuring clocks at Quincy Market in Boston. Our power supply has been so precise we've set our clocks by it – but time is running out on that idea. A yearlong experiment with the electric grid may make plug-in clocks and devices like coffeemakers run up to 20 minutes fast. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

By SETH BORENSTEIN
AP Science Writer

WASHINGTON — A yearlong experiment with the nation's electric grid could mess up traffic lights, security systems and some computers — and make plug-in clocks and appliances like programmable coffeemakers run up to 20 minutes fast.

"A lot of people are going to have things break and they're not going to know why," said Demetrios Matsakis, head of the time service department at the U.S. Naval Observatory, one of two official timekeeping agencies in the federal government.

Since 1930, electric clocks have kept time based on the rate of the electrical current that powers them. If the current slips off its usual rate, clocks run a little fast or slow. Power companies now take steps to correct it and keep the frequency of the current — and the time — as precise as possible.

The group that oversees the U.S. power grid is proposing an experiment that would allow more frequency variation than it does now without corrections, according to a company presentation obtained by The Associated Press.

Officials say they want to try this to make the power supply more reliable, save money and reduce what may be needless efforts. The test is tentatively set to start in mid-July, but that could change.

Tweaking the power grid's frequency is expensive and takes a lot of effort, said Joe McClelland, head of electric reliability for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

"Is anyone using the grid to keep track of time?" McClelland said. "Let's see if anyone complains if we eliminate it."

No one is quite sure what will be affected. This won't change the clocks in cellphones, GPS or even on computers, and it won't have anything to do with official U.S. time or Internet time.

But wall clocks and those on ovens and coffeemakers — anything that flashes "12:00" when it loses power — may be just a bit off every second, and that error can grow with time.

It's not easy figuring what will run fast and what won't. For example, VCRs or DVRs that get their time from cable systems or the Internet probably won't be affected, but those with clocks tied to the electric current will be off a bit, Matsakis said.

This will be an interesting experiment to see how dependent our timekeeping is on the power grid, Matsakis said.

The North American Electric Reliability Corp. runs the nation's interlocking web of transmission lines and power plants. A June 14 company presentation spelled out the potential effects of the change: East Coast clocks may run as much as 20 minutes fast over a year, but West Coast clocks are only likely to be off by 8 minutes. In Texas, it's only an expected speedup of 2 minutes.

Some parts of the grid, like in the East, tend to run faster than others. Errors add up. If the grid averages just over 60 cycles a second, clocks that rely on the grid will gain 14 seconds per day, according to the company's presentation.

Spokeswoman Kimberly Mielcarek said the company is still discussing the test and gauging reactions to its proposal, and may delay the experiment a bit.

Mielcarek said in an email that the change is about making the grid more reliable and that correcting the frequency for time deviations can cause other unnecessary problems for the grid. She wrote that any problems from the test are only possibilities.

In the future, more use of renewable energy from the sun and wind will mean more variations in frequency on the grid, McClelland said. Solar and wind power can drop off the grid with momentary changes in weather. Correcting those deviations is expensive and requires instant backup power to be always at the ready, he said.

The test makes sense and should not cause too much of a hassle for people, said Jay Apt, a business professor and director of the Electricity Industry Center at Carnegie Mellon University.

But Tom O'Brian, who heads the time and frequency division at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, expects widespread effects.

He said there are alternatives if people have problems from the test: The federal government provides the official time by telephone and on the Internet.

Gerstein and 25 others were arrested in May as part of a 5-month investigation into an underground network in which participants shared pornographic images and videos of children.

A New York City corporate lawyer with ties to Longmeadow and Holyoke apparently committed suicide in Mexico, two days after it was announced he was arrested as part of a New York City investigation into an underground network of people who traded pornographic images of children, the Associated Press reported.

Moshe Gerstein, 35, died June 16, according to his obituary that appeared in The Republican on Friday. His funeral was conducted Friday at Ascher-Zimmerman Funeral Home in Springfield.

On June 14, the Manhattan District Attorney's office announced Gerstein was one of 26 people arrested in May as part of a five-month investigation into an extensive network of people in the United State and Canada who regularly traded photographs and videos of children being sexually assaulted over an online file-sharing system. Prosecutors said Gerstein was found to have 5,000 pornographic images of children on his home computers.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. called the images “truly sickening” and that those in the network “traded images of child sexual assault the way others trade baseball cards.”

Gernstein was charged with promoting a sexual performance by a child and possessing a sexual performance by a child, according to his indictment, but he had not yet been arraigned on the charges before his death.

Those in the ring ranged in age from 18 to 63 and included drug store workers, a security guard, a building superintendent and a high school student. The charges against them vary, but they generally face charges of promoting or possessing a child sexual performance, which can carry up to seven years in prison.

Gerstein worked for 10 years as a lawyer with the firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP in New York City.

He graduated with honors from Yale University and Harvard Law School. He was also a graduate of Heritage Academy and Longmeadow High School.

His obituary notes he was a Hebraic scholar who often conducted services and read the Torah at Congregation Rodphey Sholom in Holyoke.

Associated Press material was used in this report

City departments using the MUNIS system were not able to pay invoices for a period of five days.

SPRINGFIELD – A malfunction with the city’s MUNIS accounting computer software program more than two weeks ago has brought problems including the need to restore data lost since June 9, and a three-day delay on veterans benefits.

Thomas T. Walsh, communications director for Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, said MUNIS was back on line at 95 percent, as of Friday. The Information Technology Department expects the system will be at 100 percent operation next week, he said.

The malfunction was triggered by a “hardware failure,” Walsh said.

“There has been no impact to residents and only a minimal impact on the city collector’s office employees who have had to use paper backup documentation rather than computers to look up some information,” Walsh said.

No data was permanently lost, Walsh said.

The collector’s office was able to accept tax payments, with electronic access to some data and paper records, Walsh said.

City departments using the MUNIS system were not able to pay invoices for a period of five days, but the delay “creating only a minimal impact” as it occurred during lighter activity, Walsh said.

The city’s Payroll Department also uses the MUNIS system but was not anticipating any issues, he said.

The MUNIS system was installed in Springfield in 2006, under the Finance Control
Board, designed to streamline the handling of payroll, departmental budgets, grants, purchasing and bids, work orders, accounts payable, cash management, and goals planning. It was aimed at being far more efficient than paper-based records.

The MUNIS system is a division of Tyler Technologies of Falmouth, Maine.

The Information Technology Department worked with MUNIS “to resurrect the data and with city department heads regarding any data issues they may have experienced,” Walsh said.

“The city’s IT Department will continue to assess the situation to ensure there is stability and availability of all necessary documentation,” Walsh said.

The class chose Kim Soule to give the graduate address; she often welling up with pride for the group's achievements.

View full sizeDave Roback / The RepublicanKalina Lynn Duncan gives a thumbs up while walking down the asile at the Class of 2011 Greenfield Community College Practical Nursing Program graduation at the VA Medical Center in Leeds on Friday.

GREENFIELD – Twenty-seven students from Greenfield Community College’s practical nursing certificate program graduated Friday, taking a major step toward becoming licensed practicing nurses.

“We applaud your persistence, your patience and your hard work ... in the pursuit of a better life for you and your families,” said college president Robert L. Pura at the program’s 19th graduating ceremony at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Leeds.

Pura said the men and women sometimes cannot afford or take the time to receive four-year college degrees, some are working toward career changes after losing jobs and many are parents working and going to school. Despite all those challenges and many more, the graduates are “the nation’s collective hope for tomorrow,” he said.

The class chose Kim Soule to give the graduate address. She cried several times throughout her speech, often welling up with pride for the group’s achievements.

“Having courage isn’t about not being afraid. It’s about showing up and doing whatever it is anyway in spite of being fearful,” said Soule. “I think that sums up what I experienced this year and seen my classmates experience.”

The Republican | Dave RobackKayan Foster of Springfield takes a photo of her and her mom, Veronica A-M Wilson of Springfield, left, at the Class of 2011 Greenfield Community College Practical Nursing Program graduation at the VA Medical Center in Leeds on Friday. Wilson was one fo the graduates of the program.

She described the fear she felt when performing medical procedures on classmates and, later, patients. But “there was less and less fear as time went on,” she said.

Students were at their clinical session at Holyoke Medical Center on June 1 when tornadoes struck Western Massachusetts, she said. The hospital called a Code Yellow, she said, which alerts staff to prepare for a pending emergency.

“It was a terrifying drive home afterward, listening to the radio describe the tornado and the kind of devastation is was creating,” she said. “I think a lot of us have family and friends that were affected pretty severely, so our thoughts and prayers go out to the folks who are still recovering.”

Four of the graduates received awards. Alicia A. Clemons and Melinda D. Thayer were recognized for excellence in academic and clinical achievement, Jennifer Court earned an honor for leadership and Thavy Chien was awarded for professionalism.

The graduates are now eligible to take the NCLEX, the licensing exam for nurses.

A casino opponent said the unions are not thinking about the longterm consequences of casinos.

The Republican file photo | Michael S. GordonA sea of slot machines at the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, Conn.

The developers of two proposed casinos in Western Massachusetts have reached agreements to guarantee the use of unionized workers at their projects.

The Mohegan Sun on Friday announced it has signed agreements with the Pioneer Valley Building Trades Council of Springfield and Carpenters Local 108 of the New England Council of Carpenters in Springfield to help build its proposed casino in Palmer.

On Monday, leaders of Paper City Development have scheduled an event in Holyoke to sign similar agreements with the same two unions to help construct its proposed casino in Holyoke, said Anthony L. Cignoli, a partner with Paper City.

The Republican file photoMitchell Etess

Mitchell G. Etess , chief executive officer of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, said the agreements with the unions mark an important milestone.

Cignoli said it is good for the unions to have both proposed casinos committed to using organized labor and building the projects "the right way."

Paper City is proposing a casino for the Wyckoff County Club, which straddles Interstate 91. The Mohegan Sun's proposed casino would be built off Exit 8 of the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Republican file photoAnthony Cignoli

Thomas Larkin of Bedford, president of United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts, said he can understand how labor unions could be easily persuaded to support casinos during a difficult economy.

Larkin said the unions are not thinking about the long-term consequence of casinos. "The gambling industry comes into a state and basically courts labor," Larkin said. "They court them with money."

Gov. Deval L. Patrick, House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray are attempting to agree on a new casino bill, after Patrick rejected legislation that reached his desk last year. DeLeo has said he would like to approve a casino bill next month.

The family has put up a $50,000 reward for information about what happened to Brougham.

The Republican | John SuchockiCindy L. Brown, front, and Carla M. Chaisson, sisters of Michael R. "Mickey" Brougham, tie a ribbon around a tree on the Belchertown Town Common to commemorate the first anniversary of their brother's disappearance from town.

BELCHERTOWN – Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of Mickey Brougham, and his family is beseeching anyone with information about him to pass it on to authorities and to leave a porch light on tonight to keep awareness high.

“We have come to the place in our hearts where we believe he is no longer with us, so we are looking for any tip that would help us bring his body home, so we can give him the love and respect a family can give,” Brougham’s sister Cindy Brown said.

“The primary goal today is to bring him home,” Brown said. “That is aside from the angst that we feel and the anger we feel about how this happened. We just want to do the loving thing now.”

Michael R. “Mickey” Brougham, an excavation contractor, was 54 when he was last seen by relatives in Belchertown June 25, 2010.

His pickup truck and motorcycle were still at his house, as was medicine he needed to control his diabetes.

His wallet and cell phone were found two days later near the main gate of New Hampshire International Motor Speedway in Loudon, N.H., but police have said they do not know if he went to the NASCAR race there that weekend or left his home area.

Mickey Brougham

The family has put up a $50,000 reward for information about what happened to Brougham.

“We are looking for any piece of information that will help us find him,” Brown said.

People may provide information to the Belchertown police by calling (413) 323-6685 of the State Police Detective Unit at (413) 586-5150.

Belchertown Police Chief Francis R. Fox Jr. and Hampshire District Attorney David E. Sullivan said the investigation in the Brougham case is continuing.

“Investigators are treating the disappearance of Mickey Brougham as a criminal investigation, due to the unusual circumstances. Detectives have interviewed many people and followed multiple leads. We haven’t given up hope,” Sullivan said.

“People don’t just disappear. It just doesn’t add up that he took a vacation or left without telling anybody,” Sullivan said. “At this time, there are no suspects in the case.”

Photographs of Brougham as well as details of his life and efforts to find him are available at a Web site the family established, www.bringmickeyhome.com.

Searches have been conducted in and around Belchertown and in the area around the New Hampshire speedway.

Brown said that based on all of the information she has been presented with and her knowledge of her brother’s habits she believes it is likely that he never left the Belchertown area, and she is convinced that some people locally have some information about what happened to him last year.

She is asking for anyone with information, even if it seems like insignificant bits and pieces, to let the authorities know and to think about how they would feel if someone in their family were missing and has gone this long waiting for closure.

Brougham’s parents and his friends and family deserve some peace that could come with new information, Brown said.

An investigation is still in progress.

Brown said her family is grateful to all who have shared information related to the days around Brougham’s disappearance.

She is also thankful for the support that has been shown to her family by the community in Belchertown and nearby.

The Republican | John SuchockiCindy L. Brougham, sister of Michael R. "Mickey" Broughman, ties a ribbon around a tree on the Belchertown Town Common to commemorate the first anniversary of her brother's disappearance from town.

Police found more than a pound of marijuana in a large canvas back inside the car.

Ludlow police photoEric Figueiredo

LUDLOW - A man arrested Thursday night on River Street for failing to stop for police officer and disorderly conduct had other charges charges tacked on when police found more than pound of marijuana in his car, police said.

Eric L. Figueiredo, 24, of 30 River St. Ludlow, was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a dangerous weapon, failure to stop for a police officer and disorderly conduct, said Sgt. Daniel Valadas.

Police stopped Figueiredo on River Street for motor vehicle violations.

When the officer asked him for his license and registration, Figueiredo got out the car to yell at the officer, then climbed back inside and drove away, he said.

He stopped again in a driveway some distance down the road on River Street and was arrested for failing to stop for a police officer.

Ludlow police photoPolice photo of a 1 pound bag of marijuana recovered from a car during an arrest Thursday on River Street

When they searched his car, a police K-9 dog keyed in on a large canvas bag on the seat, and which police found to contain a large bag of marijuana and two smaller bags, Valadas said.

They also found a scale, drug paraphernalia and packing materials inside the car. They also recovered $455, he said.

They also found a folding butterfly knife, which are illegal to own in Massachusetts.

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Advocates hope the vote will give a boost to the gay rights movement.

Associated PressSupporters of same sex marriage celebrate after Senate members voted and approved same- sex marriage at the Capitol in Albany, N.Y., on Friday.

By MICHAEL GORMLEY
Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. – New York lawmakers narrowly voted to legalize same-sex marriage Friday, handing activists a breakthrough victory in the state where the gay rights movement was born.

New York will become the sixth state where gay couples can wed and the biggest by far.

“We are leaders and we join other proud states that recognize our families and the battle will now go on in other states,” said Sen. Thomas Duane, a Democrat.

Gay rights advocates are hoping the vote will galvanize the movement around the country and help it regain momentum after an almost identical bill was defeated here in 2009 and similar measures failed in 2010 in New Jersey and this year in Maryland and Rhode Island.

Though New York is a relative latecomer in allowing gay marriage, it is considered an important prize for advocates, given the state’s size and New York City’s international stature and its role as the birthplace of the gay rights movement, which is considered to have started with the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village in 1969.

The New York bill cleared the Republican-controlled state Senate on a 33-29 vote. The Democrat-led Assembly, which passed a different version last week, is expected to pass the new version with stronger religious exemptions and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who campaigned on the issue last year, has promised to sign it. Same-sex couples can begin marrying begin 30 days after that.

The passage of New York’s legislation was made possible by two Republican senators who had been undecided.

Sen. Stephen Saland voted against a similar bill in 2009, helping kill the measure and dealing a blow to the national gay rights movement.

“While I understand that my vote will disappoint many, I also know my vote is a vote of conscience,” Saland said in a statement to The Associated Press before the vote. “I am doing the right thing in voting to support marriage equality.”

Gay couples in gallery wept during Saland’s speech.

Sen. Mark Grisanti, a GOP freshman from Buffalo, also said he would vote for the bill. Grisanti said he could not deny anyone what he called basic rights.

The effects of the law could be felt well beyond New York: Unlike Massachusetts, which pioneered gay marriage in 2004, New York has no residency requirement for obtaining a marriage license, meaning the state could become a magnet for gay couples across the country who want to have a wedding in Central Park, the Hamptons, the romantic Hudson Valley or that honeymoon hot spot of yore, Niagara Falls.

New York, the nation’s third most populous state, will join Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, D.C., in allowing same-sex couples to wed.

For five months in 2008, gay marriage was legal in California, the biggest state in population, and 18,000 same-sex couples rushed to tie the knot there before voters overturned the state Supreme Court ruling that allowed the practice. The constitutionality of California’s ban is now before a federal appeals court.

While court challenges in New York are all but certain, the state – unlike California – makes it difficult for the voters to repeal laws at the ballot box. Changing the law would require a constitutional convention, a long, drawn-out process.

The sticking point over the past few days: Republican demands for stronger legal protections for religious groups that fear they will be hit with discrimination lawsuits if they refuse to allow their facilities to be used for gay weddings.

The climactic vote came after more than a week of stop-and-start negotiations, rumors, closed-door meetings and frustration on the part of advocates. Online discussions took on a nasty turn with insults and vulgarities peppering the screens of opponents and supporters alike and security was beefed up in the capitol to give senators easier passage to and from their conference room.

The night before, President Barack Obama encouraged lawmakers to support gay rights during a fundraiser with New York City’s gay community. The vote also is sure to charge up annual gay pride events this weekend, culminating with parades Sunday in New York City, San Francisco and other cities.

Despite New York City’s liberal Democratic politics and large and vocal gay community, previous efforts to legalize same-sex marriage failed over the past several years, in part because the rest of the state is more conservative than the city.

The bill’s success this time reflected the powerful support of Cuomo and perhaps a change in public attitudes. Opinion polls for the first time are showing majority support for same-sex marriage, and Congress recently repealed the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that barred gays from serving openly in the military.

In the week leading up to the vote in New York, some Republicans who opposed the bill in 2009 came forward to say they were supporting it for reasons of conscience and a duty to ensure civil rights.

Pressure to vote for gay marriage also came from celebrities, athletes and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the Republican-turned-independent who has long used his own fortune to help bankroll GOP campaigns and who personally lobbied some undecided lawmakers. Lady Gaga has been urging her 11 million Twitter followers to call New York senators in support of the bill.

While the support of the Assembly was never in doubt, it took days of furious deal-making to secure two Republican votes needed for passage in the closely divided Senate.

Representatives of the Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox rabbis and other conservative religious leaders fought the measure, and their GOP allies pressed hard for stronger legal protections for religious organizations.

Each side of the debate was funded by more than $1 million from national and state advocates who waged media blitzes and promised campaign cash for lawmakers who sided with them.

But GOP senators said it was Cuomo’s passionate appeals in the governor’s mansion on Monday night and in closed-door, individual meetings that were perhaps most persuasive.

The bill makes New York only the third state, after Vermont and New Hampshire, to legalize marriage through a legislative act and without being forced to do so by a court.

Springfield Public Works Director Allan Chwalek told residents the city will make a 2nd sweep to collect storm-related debris next week.

View full sizeThe Republican | Don TreegerState Rep. Benjamin Swan, D-Springfield, (right) introduces Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno as federal, state, and local officials updated Springfield residents on tornado relief efforts during a meeting at the Spring of Hope Church on Alden Street on Friday.

SPRINGFIELD – Congressman Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, has joined two U.S. senators in asking the White House to shoulder a larger share of costs for clearing debris from the 40-mile trail left by the June 1 tornado.

In a letter sent Friday, Neal and U.S. Sens. John F. Kerry and Scott Brown requested that the region’s debris removal costs be reimbursed at 90 percent, rather than the 75 percent called for the disaster relief designation approved by President Barack Obama.

The legislators also asked that funding for cleanup operation be expedited, allowing communities to begin rebuilding as soon as possible.

“The task of cleaning up and rebuilding after the worst natural disaster in a generation will be difficult and expensive,” Neal said after submitting the request.

“For the recovery to continue, swift federal support ... is essential,” he added.

The request comes as communities from Westfield to Sturbridge are struggling to recover from the tornado that touched down on July 1, killing three, injuring 200 and causing at least $25 million in damages and cleanup costs.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said Springfield could get millions in additional federal funding if the White House approves the debris-clearing proposal submitted by Neal, Kerry and Brown.

“We need it as soon as possible,” said Sarno, who joined local, state and federal officials at an informational meeting on tornado recovery efforts at Spring of Hope Church on Alden Street.

Sarno said the federal government had agreed to reimburse debris-clearing costs at 90 percent following recent tornado outbreaks in Joplin, Mo., and across Alabama.

Speaking to about 100 residents at the church, Sarno said while one-third of Springfield had suffered property damage from the tornado, the toll cannot be measured in damaged buildings or repair bills.

The Republican | Don TreegerFranklin Callens listens to speakers during the meeting. He lost his house at 185 Hickory St. during the tornado.

“We’re not only rebuilding the city; we’re rebuilding human lives,” Sarno said, adding that counseling is available to anyone suffering emotional problems from the storms.

To get counseling or help with any other storm-related matters, residents should contact the city’s call center at 311; cell phone users should dial (413) 736-3111.

Public Works Director Allan Chwalek told residents that city will make a second sweep to collect storm-related debris next week.

Tree limbs, stumps, demolition material and other storm-related debris should be left on the tree belt, Chwalek said.

Sarno and other speakers urged residents to register for federal disaster aid, even it they believe they suffered minimal damage.

In other developments, The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts announced Friday it is accepting requests for funding from nonprofit organizations that suffered losses from the tornado or that are assisting Hampden County tornado victims.

Thanks to contributions from individual donors and local financial institutions, the foundation’s relief fund will be giving out grants of up to $20,000 to speed the tornado recovery effort.

“This disaster has resulted in countless new challenges for our nonprofit community and has increased demand across a range of sectors,” said Ron Ancrum, president of the Community Foundation.

The disaster fund will provide funding for nonprofit organizations that provide food, clothing and shelter for tornado victims, as well as nonprofits that suffered damage from the storm, or are facing greater demand for services.

To apply, organizations can download the application on website www.communityfoundation.org and submit to either grants@communityfoundation.org or mail to: Tornado Relief Fund for Western Mass.

In Springfield, Richard A. Lee, executive director of the American Red Cross-Pioneer Valley Chapter, said the shelter the organization is running at the civic center for people left homeless from the tornado has 119 residents, down from 123 on Thursday.

Lee said the Red Cross is working closely with city officials to find housing for people. “We have been working with all the families every single day,” Lee said.

A number of families have procured housing starting July 1, but do not have places to stay in the interim, according to Lee.

In West Springfield, Conservation Officer-Assistant Planner Mark A. Noonan reported Friday that there are about 85 people still at the shelter the city has set up in the 4-H dormitory on the fairgrounds of the Eastern States Exposition. He said that number could decline by Monday as more people find housing.

In Holyoke, yoga and other soothing activities will be available as a day of healing for victims of the June 1 tornado Sunday at the South Congregational Church, an affiliate of United Church of Christ, at 45 Maple St.

The event will be noon to 6 p.m., church secretary Shalawnda Carr. The day of healing will include music, aroma therapy, singing and meditation, she said.

A Leverett-based non-profit is asking lawmakers for funding to clean up about 10,000 acres of woodlands that were destroyed in the tornado and take steps to ensure the owners can sell the damaged wood.

The Massachusetts Forest Landowners Association estimates the cost of cleanup at $3.6 million. The group is asking for legislation that will allow funding through the Emergency Forest Restoration Program.

“They provide an amount per acre and they would pay (a contractor) to cut the stuff and dispose of it,” said association Executive Director Gregory Cox. The federal program would provide 75 percent of the cost.

A major concern is that the wood may be entering a saturated market, which will drive prices down. To offset this, the association suggested the 1,200-acre Brimfield State Forest be cleared of downed trees only enough to allow emergency access and prevent wildfires. Any more would put too much product into a market that is already not friendly to local landowners, the group said in a press release.

Most of the wood is only usable for biomass, meaning it will have to enter markets out of state, or for firewood. Shipping costs and the damaged wood’s poor quality would blow the seller’s profit margin, Cox said, making them unable to pay for the cleanup themselves as they normally would.

The association plans to hold meetings for landowners to discuss aid opportunities. Details will be on their website at www.massforests.org next week, Cox said.

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.

Staff reporters Lori Stabile and Sandra Constantine contributed to this report.

Two swingsets suffered approximately $3,000 in damage and a white vinyl fence suffered approximately $2,000 in damage.

View full sizeThe Republican | Michael S. GordonThe playground that was damaged by the June 1 tornado at the Wilbraham Children's Museum.

WILBRAHAM – The Wilbraham Children’s Museum suffered damage to the playground in the June 1 tornado, Veronicalynn Stratton, president of the non-profit children’s museum at 378 Main Street, said.

Stratton said there was no damage to the building, but the playground suffered heavy damage from trees and brush. Two swingsets on the property suffered approximately $3,000 in damage, Stratton said, and a white vinyl fence suffered approximately $2,000 in damage.

Stratton said the town cleared fallen trees from the property. The site is owned by the town.

The Wilbraham Rotary Club and a group of volunteers cleared the brush and debris from the site, she said.

Insurance on the property covers fire and theft, so some fund-raising will be done to pay the cost of repairing the swingsets and fence, Stratton said.

Fund-raisers being planned include a can and bottle drive, a night out at a local restaurant where part of the profits are donated to the museum and other events. Further details will be available later, Stratton said.

Users of the Children’s Museum pay to join playgroups, which pay for the facility’s utility costs, Stratton said. She said there is no budget for tornado repairs.

The Wilbraham Children’s Museum is at the intersection of Main Street and Church Lane, which was in the path of the June 1 F-3 tornado.

Palmer Renewable Energy has filed a lawsuit against the city of Springfield following last month's decision by the City Council to revoke the energy development firm's permit to build a wood-burning biomass plant in East Springfield.

Republican Staff Photo by Don TreegerProtesters for and against a proposed biomass plant in East Springfield rally on the steps of Springfield City Hall before last month's vote to revoke the permit needed to build the plant.

SPRINGFIELD -- Palmer Renewable Energy has filed a lawsuit against Springfield after the City Council last month voted to revoke the energy development firm's permit to build a wood-burning biomass plant in East Springfield.

Although details of the civil complaint were not immediately available, 22news reported on its website Friday night that a multimillion-dollar suit has been filed. Springfield City Councilor Timothy J. Rooke confirmed that the city has received notice of the suit, 22news reported.

On May 23, the City Council voted to revoke the Palmer-based developer's special permit to build a $150 million biomass plant near the intersection of Page Boulevard and Cadwell Drive. The council's decision triggered cheers from project opponents and an expected legal challenge from the developer.

Rooke and fellow City Councilor Kateri B. Walsh were the only two council members to vote against revocation.

Rooke said he didn't know the exact amount of damages being sought by the project developer, but speculated it may cost the city tens of millions of dollars in legal damages and fees.

The 13-member council voted 10-2 -- one member was absent for the May vote -- to revoke the special permit, which required nine votes to pass, according to council rules.

The City Council initially granted a permit to Palmer Renewable Energy in 2008. After further review, however, councilors claimed the project had changed significantly since its proposal. A majority of councilors felt the project might have a deleterious affect on the health and well-being of East Springfield residents.

Lawyers for the developer made it clear that revocation likely would spur a potential multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the city.

Rooke, in a past interview with The Republican, said revocation was a “dangerous and reckless path” toward litigation and largely based on “political fear" in an election year.

Amtrak service on the Northeast Corridor is experiencing delays because of a freight train derailment in Connecticut.

A commuter checks the train schedule board in New York's Penn Station as it was announced that service had been restored, Tuesday, June 21, 2010. Workers finished repairs after a transformer fire in New Brunswick, N.J., halted Amtrak and commuter service along the busy Northeast Corridor. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) — Amtrak service on the Northeast Corridor is experiencing delays because of a freight train derailment in Connecticut.

Amtrak says a freight train derailed overnight Saturday on the Metro-North Railroad tracks near Bridgeport. Four tracks are blocked.

Service between Stamford and New Haven has been temporarily suspended. Service between New York and Boston is delayed as a result.

Amtrak expects service to be restored around 9 a.m.

A look at the alleged victims of "Whitey" Bulger; Northeast train service resumes following derailment; and more of the morning's headlines.

Dane Andrew campaigns Rascal in the 2011 World's Ugliest Dog Contest on Friday, June 24, 2011, in Petaluma, Calif. Rascal, an African Sand Dog who has won 14 ugly dog contests according to Andrew, did not take home top prize in this year's Sonoma-Marin Fair competition. To read more about this odd contest, click here. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

• The alleged victims of 'Whitey' Bulger [Boston.com]


• 3 indicted for April shootings in Worcester [Telegram.com]


• Train Service Resumed After Derailment Closed Track For Hours [Courant.com]


• Gov. Malloy says layoffs of more than 7,500 workers to begin immediately [NewHavenRegister.com]


• A look at the history of motorized transportation in Pittsfield [BerkshireEagle.com]


"Whitey" Bulger & Catherine Creig appear in court


• Twitter posts tagged #westernma in Western Mass. [MassLive.com]


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Fialkoff lured the victim to a house on 43 Federal St., where Pearson was duct-taped, Tasered, threatened with a knife and gun and told his dog would be cut up into little pieces.

Jonah Fialkoff

NORTHAMPTON – He hasn’t been on the lam as long as Whitey Bulger, but so far Jonah Fialkoff is the one who got away in a case involving $1 million in buried cash, kidnapping and all kinds of double-crosses.

Fialkoff, who would have turned 33 by now, is the only one of four players in a bizarre 2008 Belchertown crime drama who has yet to be brought to justice. He was featured recently on the television show “America’s Most Wanted.”

The case broke when Jonathan Pearson knocked on a door in Belchertown telling the resident that he had just been kidnapped. Pearson, it turned out, was an associate of Fialkoff and Finn J. O’Brien, brothers who were running a lucrative East Coast-West Coast marijuana operation. As prosecutors described the sequence of events over the course of several court proceedings, the brothers had buried a briefcase with $1 million in cash in the back yard of a Belchertown house owned by O’Brien. When they learned that some of that cash was missing, they suspected Pearson.

The brothers hired strongman and sometimes rapper Tycollo “Ty Bomb” Graham to kidnap Pearson. Fialkoff lured the victim to a house on 43 Federal St., where Pearson was duct-taped, Tasered, threatened with a knife and gun and told his dog would be cut up into little pieces. In the course of this, Graham brought in a friend, Cameron C. Andrade, for some extra muscle.

Tycollo "Ty Bomb" Graham at his guilty plea in 2010.

When the brothers left the premises, Pearson convinced Graham that he was being cut out of his fair share of the loot and the rapper turned the tables on O’Brien and Fialkoff, tying them up when they returned. Graham then traveled to a storage facility in Connecticut where the drug money was being kept. Surveillance cameras showed Graham leaving the facility with some guitar cases. Police later found $40,000 in cash and an empty guitar case at the Rhode Island house of Graham’s mother.

Graham and Andrade both pleaded guilty to their roles in the kidnapping and were sentenced to 7-10-year prison terms. Fialkoff and O’Brien both disappeared. O’Brien was eventually apprehended in Utah with $192,020 in cash and a new Silverado pickup truck. He pleaded guilty to assault and drug charges in Hampshire Superior Court in 2009, but balked at the plea agreement when a judge added three years probation to his 2½-year jail sentence. He eventually accepted the deal.

Fialkoff, O’Brien’s brother, has yet to be found. A 5’ 4” martial artist, Fialkoff funded a recording company called “Blaze the World Records” and calls himself “The Indie Renegade.” Graham was one of his artists before he became his muscle.

In a promotional video, Fialkoff touted his savvy in the music world.

“We need a movement that’s going to rock the world,” he said. “We need a movement that’s going to rock the indie music world.”

Law enforcement officials believe Fialkoff and his brother were moving as much as 4,000 pounds of marijuana a month. Police are looking for any information as to his whereabouts.