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Chicopee Water Department to flush hydrants in Aldenville area

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The flushing will happen between 8 p.m. and midnight.

CHICOPEE - The Water Department will be flushing hydrants in Aldenville and east of Memorial Drive starting Monday night.

The following main streets and adjoining side roads will be affected: Grattan, Montgomery, Columba, Granby, Dale, Irene, Prospect and James streets and McKinstry and Pendleton avenues and Buckley Boulevard.

The department started flushing hydrants west of Memorial Drive last month.

The flushing will happen between 8 p.m. and midnight, Sunday through Thursday, depending on the cold weather, Water Superintendent Alan Starzyk said.

Residents are advised to only draw water from their cold water tap first and if it is discolored they should run it until it is clear. If water discoloration continues into the morning hours, residents should notify the Water Department at 594-3420. The Chicopee Police Department will serve as an emergency contact at 592-6341 if there are problems outside the regular business hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.


Ware town manager: 'Permanent deficit' prevents funding municipal needs; Town Meeting tonight

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The annual town meeting on May 9 starts at 7 p.m. at the Ware High School auditorium. A special town meeting precedes it, at 6:30 p.m.

WARE — In a memorandum to Town Meeting, scheduled tonight at Ware High School, the town manager says revenues fail to meet spending needs.

The annual Town Meeting starts at 7 p.m. at the high school auditorium. A special Town Meeting precedes it at 6:30.

"There is a permanent deficit between the revenues available and the expenditures required to meet the service requirements of citizens," Town Manager Stuart Beckley wrote in a May 1 memorandum to Town Meeting that is posted on the town's website as part of an informational packet (see below).

He said the problem impacts municipal departments and the school system.

Beckley said the town can neither afford a school budget that meets the needs of the district nor a budget that would fund it at current levels. Even when the school department budget is "lowered to a level service budget," Beckley wrote, the proposed fiscal 2017 omnibus spending plan "for the Schools is beyond what the 2017 budget can fund."

The memo states: "The School again prepared a needs based budget for FY 2017, as well as a level services budget. Town resources are not available to fully fund either request."

In the letter, Beckley addressed money owed for snow removal.

"Even with a mild winter, the Town still surpassed budgeted spending levels for snow and ice removal. Additionally, $50,000 is still owed from last year's storms."

Beckley is recommending a $27.66 million budget for the fiscal year that begins on July 1, a 2.8 percent increase.

Ware Town Meeting Packet 050916 by MassLive2

Dog found tied in bag along Connecticut River in South Hadley

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While taking her dog on a walk along the Connecticut River last week, a woman discovered another pup along the way.

While taking her dog on a walk along the Connecticut River last week, a woman discovered another pup along the way.

She called the South Hadley Police Department, reporting that she found a small dog tied up in a reusable shopping bag. Police believe the dog was placed in the bag before being thrown over the guardrail.

After the dog was freed from the bag, South Hadley Animal Control Officer Shawn O'Brien said she was a bit shaken but quickly warmed to her rescuers.

"She crawled into my arms and started giving me kisses," O'Brien told Western Mass News.

Days after the dog was abandoned, she has found a new home with a member of the South Hadley Police Department.

Anyone with information regarding who is responsible for abandoning the animal is asked to contact South Hadley police at 413-538-8231.

Western Mass News - WGGB/WSHM

 

Past controversies aired at Holyoke council meeting to select replacement for Jennifer Chateauneuf

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Holyoke disputes were referenced in City Council Chambers about Facebook comments, participating in a "Black lives matter" march and comments heard on an open mic in 2013.

HOLYOKE -- Controversies old and recent were revisited before the City Council voted to fill a vacancy on its board last week.

The council voted May 3 at City Hall to appoint Diosdado Lopez, who served on the council for 20 years before deciding not to run for reelection in 2011, to complete the term of Jennifer E. Chateauneuf, who resigned from the council on April 5. Chateauneuf was three months into her second term as a councilor-at-large at the time of her resignation.

The vote to select Chateauneuf's successor followed sharp words from councilors about how the board arrived at the task of selecting a replacement for one of their colleagues.

Council President Kevin A. Jourdain said it was a "sad commentary" that Chateauneuf felt it was necessary to resign. Ward 5 Councilor Linda L. Vacon described having to replace Chateauneuf as, "The most sad occasion of my tenure on the City Council."

Chateauneuf was "harassed, bullied and disparaged" for expressing an opinion, Vacon said, despite talk of need to value diversity in the community.

"This behavior violates the boundaries of civility, previously unseen here in Holyoke, and it's just simply dismaying," Vacon said.

Chateauneuf's resignation came a day after The Republican reported on the councilor's claims that nude photos of her, in a shower at her home, were mailed to her father in December.

The article noted inconsistencies between a March 16 Facebook post she wrote describing the incident and a Dec. 22 police report in which a city detective wrote that, after an investigation involving a visit to her home, "it was believed that the images were not taken from their home." Chateauneuf, in response to questions about the police department's findings, maintained she was the woman in the photographs and that they were taken at her home.

In her Facebook post, Chateauneuf wrote that she was going public with the incident because of a remark made by Mayor Alex B. Morse at a chamber of commerce breakfast roast that morning. At the roast, Morse had made a comment about a controversy involving images posted by Holyoke resident James F. Bickford to the Facebook page of Nick's Nest, the 1597 Northampton St. hot dog restaurant Chateauneuf owns with her husband.

Chateauneuf has described the images as "sexually aggressive," while Bickford has said the images were not sexual in nature. Instead, he has said, some of the images were meant to make fun of hot dogs and others were intended as political criticism of a public official. Bickford has said he did not send or have anything to do with the nude photos Chateauneuf said her father received in December, a point he reiterated after hearing about Vacon's remarks at the May 3 meeting.

Vacon, speaking at the May 3 meeting, also said she stood by silently waiting for "leadership in the community" to emerge and defend Chateauneuf, and was so upset herself about what was happening to Chateauneuf that "I couldn't even put the words together." She referred to Bickford by name in her comments.

Vacon criticized Morse for mentioning Chateauneuf at the breakfast roast, and said all Chateauneuf wanted to do was serve her community.

"Let us raise the bar on our political discourse. We can do better," said Vacon, whose comments were applauded.

Councilor at Large Daniel B. Bresnahan praised Vacon's remarks as "beautiful" and said he thinks highly of Chateauneuf, whom he has known since middle school.

"The first vote (in the balloting) should go to her," Bresnahan said.

Chateauneuf declined to comment about what transpired at the May 3 council meeting. In an email responding to a request for comment, Chateauneuf called a reporter for The Republican a "piece of [expletive]" and wrote, "No comment now or ever. Do not contact me again."

Past controversies revisited

At the May 3 meeting, Vacon also said it was "hypocritical" that, in her view, outrage is registered only over certain incidents.

She referred to an Oct. 1, 2013 incident in City Council chambers in which Bresnahan and Councilor Todd A. McGee made comments caught on a live microphone. In that case, Bresnahan and McGee were overheard briefly discussing the attractiveness of Councilor-at-Large Rebecca Lisi, who was pregnant at the time, and Todd McGee's wife, former Councilor-at-Large and current City Clerk Brenna Murphy McGee, who was pregnant the year before.

Bresnahan and McGee apologized for their remarks after public outcry, which included calls for councilors to undergo sensitivity training. Councilors completed that training last June.

Vacon referred to the October 2013 comments as "in poor taste, (but) not a pattern of harassment."

Lisi, speaking after Vacon on May 3, said some perspective was in order regarding the incidents involving Chateauneuf and the 2013 comments in City Council chambers.

Lisi said Vacon's account was "one particular framing of what happened."

"I think there's a huge difference between the misogynist comments that were made in this chamber and in the past election versus opinions about hot dogs," Lisi said.

Regarding the images Chateauneuf said were mailed to her father, Lisi said: "I think that the jury's still out on where some of these images are coming from." To pin blame on a specific person at this point, Lisi said, "... borders on libel and slander."

Lisi noted, without identifying Bickford by name, that the charge of a harassment complaint against him in court was rejected.

"I just think it's important that if we're going to say that we're going to raise the bar, that we're very aware of the words that we're saying and the accusations that we're making," Lisi said.

Just as Chateauneuf didn't deserve to feel like she had to resign, Lisi said, "I don't think we have the right to point to individual people and accuse them of making Jennifer feel any particular way."

In response to Vacon's assertion that no one stepped forward to defend Chateauneuf, Ward 4 Councilor Jossie M. Valentin asked where the defenders were for her and Lisi in December 2014.

She and Lisi were verbally attacked, Valentin said, for participating in a "black and brown lives matter" demonstration on Dec. 12, 2014 after the deaths of black men at the hands of police officers in Missouri and New York City.

Critics said the Dec. 12, 2014 demonstration was anti-police featured chants directing profanity at police officers. Valentin and Lisi said they did not participate in such chants, and that the demonstration was intended to spark public discourse about important issues.

But, Valentin said on May 3, she and Lisi were criticized in the wake demonstration, with some questioning their fitness as councilors to make fair funding and other decisions about the police department.

"Again, no one in this chamber spoke up and defended us," Valentin said.

Time to 'move on'

During the May 3 meeting, McGee praised Chateauneuf and called for the council to come together. Chateauneuf served the city by running a business and becoming a councilor, he said.

"The job (of being a councilor) is tough. As some people would say in the field, it's a thankless job. Jenn stepped up," McGee said.

The city doesn't need additional "negative press," said McGee, who said sometimes people just need to agree to disagree.

"Let's stop beating each other up....For this council, it's time for us to move on," McGee said.

MBTA board to consider scaled back $2.29 billion Green Line extension project

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The proposal will be considered at a meeting of the MBTA's fiscal and management control board on Monday.

BOSTON - The board of the MBTA is considering a scaled back version of the Green Line extension project, which will cost an estimated $2.29 billion.

The proposal will be discussed at a meeting of the MBTA's fiscal and management control board on Monday.

The state was already approved to receive federal funding based on an estimated project cost of $1.99 billion. But the MBTA was told last year that the project was estimated to cost $2.73 billion and could cost as much as $3 billion.

The new, scaled-down proposal would cost an estimated $2.29 billion, which includes sunk costs that the state has already paid of $700 million.

The project includes 4.5 miles of new Green Line track in East Cambridge, Somerville and Medford, with six new train stations and one relocated station.

The stations, maintenance facility and bridges would be simplified compared to the original plan, and a community pedestrian/bike path would be scaled back. For example, rather than having enclosed buildings, most of the stations would now be open air stations that include platforms with weather shelters. That means the stations would have fewer elevators and no escalators. Three stations that were going to include stairs will now be built on one level.

The platform sizes would be the same, and the MBTA still plans to buy an additional 24 new Green Line cars.

A maintenance facility that was supposed to be 94,000 square feet would instead be 55,000 square feet. A transportation building, employee parking lot and storage facility that are part of that facility would all be made smaller. A planned power substation and maintenance of way facility were both scrapped.

Several bridges that were supposed to be replaced would be kept. A community path, for pedestrians and bikers, would be shrunk from 10,000 feet to 7,000, and there would be fewer access points.

There would be an 18-month period for procurement. Construction, which would begin in October 2017, is expected to take 43 months.

The project is expected to have daily ridership of 49,000 by 2030.

The federal government must still approve the new plan.

If it gets federal approval, the state will have access to $996 million in federal money and $996 million in state money - leaving a $300 million funding gap. So far, the Department of Transportation has been able to close most of that gap by using $152 million in federal highway funds that were going to be used for Boston area highway projects and by getting a commitment of $75 million total from the cities of Cambridge and Somerville.

Section of Union Street to close for weeks due to MGM Springfield construction

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The stretch of Union Street between Main Street and East Columbus Avenue will be closed for two to three weeks for work related to the MGM Springfield casino project.

SPRINGFIELD -- The stretch of Union Street between Main Street and East Columbus Avenue will be closed for two to three weeks for work related to the MGM Springfield casino project.

"Union Street between Main Street and East Columbus Avenue will be closed effective Monday, May 9, 2016 for approximately 2-3 weeks to complete storm and sanitary tie in as well as valve installation work," the mayor's office said in a press release.

The work is expected to cause travel delays and change traffic patterns in the area, according to the mayor's office. Eastbound traffic will be detoured to East Columbus Avenue and State Street, and westbound traffic will be detoured to Main Street and Fremont Street.

Police details will be on site to direct traffic and signage will be posted, the mayor's office said.

Correction: Because of an error in the city's press release, this story initially said the closure was due to last week's water main break, which led to flooding and the ongoing closure of a section of Main Street. The mayor's office has issued an updated release that corrected the mistake.

Water Main Break Detour Map A map showing the site of a road closure on Union Street in Springfield linked to last week's water main break. 

McKnight homicide victim identified as State Street resident; Springfield police say shooting 'not random'

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Police released few details about the shooting, but said the homicide is not considered to be random.


This updates a story published at 9:24 a.m. Monday.


SPRINGFIELD - The 26-year-old Springfield man shot Sunday night in the city's McKnight neighborhood has been identified as Jhamal Cruz of State Street, according to police.

Cruz was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at at Baystate Medical Center where he had been brought by ambulance following the shooting, which was reported at 9:41 p.m. according to police spokesman Sgt. John Delaney.

Cruz died of a single gunshot wound, he said.

The shooting is the city's third homicide of the year, and the first since March 26 when Jeffrey Freitas of Ludlow was shot in a botched drug deal in the city's North End. On January 25, 71-year-old Juan Zayas was shot and killed in front of his home on Brookline Avenue in Springfield's North End.

According to Delaney, police were dispatched to the area of Bay and Marion streets in the McKnight neighborhood after receiving several 911 calls.

Officers responding to the scene found Cruz suffering from a gunshot would and attempted first aid until an ambulance arrived on scene.

The city's Shotspotter gunshot detection network recorded a single gun shot for that area, Delaney said.

Police cordoned off the area around the shooting scene, and members of the police Major Crimes Unit worked through the night processing the scene for evidence, he said. Detectives have also been canvassing the neighborhood, interviewing potential witnesses and chasing leads.

Delaney did not disclose any motives for the shooting, but did say the shooting is not considered "random in nature." He declined to elaborate.

Commissioner John Barbieri in a prepared statement expressed condolences to Cruz's family and said his officers will investigate the homicide with professionalism until there is closure through an arrest and conviction.

Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said urged anyone with information about the shooting to contact police.

"The public's cooperation in an investigation such as this is critical to a successful outcome," he said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Springfield Police Detective Bureau at (413) 787-6355. Those who wish to remain anonymous may text a tip via a cell phone by addressing a text message to "CRIMES," or "274637," and then beginning the body of the message with the word "SOLVE."

Mass. Congressman Seth Moulton criticizes calling Worcester non-stop service 'bullet train'

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Congressman Seth Moulton, D-Salem, on Tuesday took aim at the term for a nonstop MBTA commuter rail train that Massachusetts officials are touting as a way to shuttle workers, primarily millennials, between Worcester and Boston in under an hour.

Congressman Seth Moulton, D-Salem, on Tuesday took aim at the term for a nonstop commuter rail train that Massachusetts officials are touting as a way to shuttle workers, primarily millennials, between Worcester and Boston in under an hour.

The nonstop train service is set to start on Monday, May 23, according to the MBTA.

Moulton, elected in 2014 after serving in Iraq, posted on Twitter about the new service.


Asked for comment, a spokesman for the MBTA said the public transit agency had never used the term "bullet train."

When MassLive.com pointed to a MBTA presentation where the term "bullet train" was used, the agency's spokesman, Joe Pesaturo, said in an email, "A staff person mistakenly used that term in early January."

"It hasn't been used since that time," he added. "We apologize for any confusion it may have created."

Called the "HeartToHub" line, the nonstop train will go from Worcester to Boston in the morning and then from Boston to Worcester in the evening.

While Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito called it a "game changer," a Massachusetts Department of Transportation spokeswoman has referred to the new service as part of several schedule changes being implemented.

The morning train will leave at 8:05 a.m., and keeps going until pulling into Boston's Yawkey Station near Fenway Park. The train will also stop at Back Bay Station and South Station.

The evening train will leave South Station at 7:35 p.m., stopping at Back Bay and Yawkey before heading to Worcester's Union Station.

State transportation officials plan to evaluate how popular the new service is after a year, though no specific ridership targets have been set.

Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, when speaking to members of Western Massachusetts chambers of commerce in April, said the state was "piloting" the service, but a spokeswoman later said the service is not a pilot program.

The same MBTA presentation that referred to the service as a "bullet train" also called it a "pilot program." Pesaturo said that was also a mistake by a staff person.

Massachusetts officials plan to re-evaluate popularity of non-stop service between Worcester and Boston after a year


Northampton High School lockdown lifted following bomb threat investigation

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The lockdown was was put in place around 11 a.m., Northampton Deputy Fire Chief Tim McQueston said. Northampton Police confirmed at around 12:30 p.m. that students and faculty were returning to the building.

UPDATE: The bomb threat detailed below was determined by authorities to be non-credible. No suspicious materials were found in the school, police said.

NORTHAMPTON -- A lockdown at Northampton High School that followed reports of a bomb threat has been lifted, according to authorities.

The lockdown was institute shortly after 11 a.m., Northampton Deputy Fire Chief Tim McQueston said. The Northampton Police Department confirmed that students and faculty were able to return to classrooms at around 12:30 p.m.

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Northampton police and fire departments were still at the school around noon-time. The Massachusetts State Police bomb squad also responded to the scene.

The circumstances of the threat were not immediately clear.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Obituaries today: Harold Darnel Holmes was social worker for state of Connecticut

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Obituaries from The Republican.

 
051016-harold-holmes.jpgHarold Holmes 

Harold Darnel Holmes, 59, of the Sixteen acres section of Springfield, passed away on Friday. He was born in Springfield, and was a graduate of Classical High School, Class of 1974. He also graduated from Western New England University. He was a social worker for the Connecticut Department of Children and Families Services for many years.

Full obituary and funeral arrangements for Harold Darnel Holmes »


To view all obituaries from The Republican:

» Click here

Springfield councilors, police, set to meet with Indian Orchard residents on pawn shops, public safety issues

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The City Council Public Safety Committee is meeting with Indian Orchard residents to talk about a proposal to extend a moratorium on new pawn shops, and to disucss public safety issues in the neighborhood. There have been a series of meetings in the eight city wards.

SPRINGFIELD - A City Council committee is meeting at the Indian Orchard Citizens Council on Wednesday night, for a continued discussion of the city's moratorium on new pawn shops, and for a dialogue on public safety issues.

The council's Public Safety Committee is meeting at 6 p.m., at the citizens council's office at 117 Main St., in Indian Orchard.

The committee, chaired by Councilor Thomas Ashe, has been meeting at various neighborhood sites in the city, spanning the eight wards, to determine if the public supports a proposal to extend a two-year moratorium on new pawn shops

Representatives of the Police Department have been attending the meetings to discuss that issue and any neighborhood concerns regarding public safety.

The moratorium was initially approved by the council in 2013, due to stated concerns about the number of pawn shops in Springfield and the potential sale of stolen items. A subsequent two-year moratorium is set to expire this summer, unless extended by vote of the council.

UMass police drop investigation of alleged robbery after victim stops cooperating

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UMass police issued a crime alert for two men wanted in the attempded robbery.

AMHERST -- University of Massachusetts police have closed a case involving an alleged robbery attempt last month after the victim stopped cooperating with investigators.

Police last month issued a crime alert for two suspects wanted in connection with an April 18 assault and battery and unarmed attempted robbery outside Moore Hall in the Southwest Residential area.

But police ultimately dropped the case after the victim became uncooperative, according to campus spokesman Edward Blaguszewski.

"Without a cooperative victim the case is now closed," he wrote in an email.

According to the alert, "The victim reported he was knocked to the ground and believed the suspects were going to take cash from him but were unsuccessful when he ran from the area."

Police said no weapons were shown, and the victim did not require medical attention.

LiUNA Local 596 endorses Tom Ashe for Hampden County sheriff

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A Holyoke-based union representing building project workers across Western Massachusetts has thrown its support behind Springfield City Councilor Tom Ashe's Hampden County sheriff bid, campaign officials announced Tuesday.

SPRINGFIELD ‒ A Holyoke-based union representing building project workers across Western Massachusetts has thrown its support behind Springfield City Councilor Tom Ashe's Hampden County sheriff bid, campaign officials announced Tuesday.

Thomas L. Andrews, the business manager for the Laborer's International Union of North America Local 596, said the union voted unanimously to endorse the Democrat, whom he touted as the most qualified candidate.

"Based on his track record and his stance on major issues impacting our region, our members believe that Tom has the right experience to help protect and serve our community as the next sheriff of Hampden County," he said in a statement released by Ashe's campaign. "We are going to work hard to see to it that he is successful in his campaign."

Andrews stressed that the union takes the endorsement seriously and is confident in its decision.

Ashe lauded the union's endorsement, saying he's honored to be backed by an organization with "a rich history and track record for being at the forefront of Democratic causes."

"To run the House of Corrections effectively you need to have a balance of strength and compassion. Support from organizations like this demonstrates that I have the ability to do that," he said in a statement. "As sheriff, I will work with LiUNA and other community groups to make sure the House of Corrections is the best community partner that it can be for all of the people of Hampden County, not just a select few."

News of the endorsement came shortly after the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 2324 announced it's backing Mike Albano's Democratic Hampden County sheriff run.

Aside from Albano, HCSD Deputy Superintendent Nick Cocchi and retired addiction specialist with the Connecticut Department of Corrections Jack Griffin, are Democrats also running for Hampden County sheriff.

James Gill, an assistant deputy superintendent in the HCSD, meanwhile, is seeking an independent sheriff bid.

John M. Comerford, director of the Eastern Hampden County Veterans' Service District, and Francis C. Barbaro, both Republicans, have taken out nomination papers for the position, as well.

Hampden County sheriff candidates who qualify for the ballot will square-off in a primary on Sept. 8. The general election will take place on Nov. 8.

Bomb threat at Northampton High School was 'non-credible,' police say

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Northampton Schools Superintendent John Provost said that administration became aware of the threat at around 11 a.m. and immediately called authorities. The school was placed on lockdown minutes later, and students and faculty were eventually evacuated while authorities searched the building.

NORTHAMPTON -- A bomb threat reported at Northampton High School Tuesday morning was "non-credible and non-specific," according to police.

Northampton Schools Superintendent John Provost said that administration became aware of the threat at around 11 a.m. and immediately called authorities. The school was placed on lockdown minutes later, and students and faculty were eventually evacuated while authorities searched the building.

No suspicious materials were found inside the school, police said. Classes resumed at about 12:20 p.m.

The Northampton Police Department, The Northampton Fire Department and Massachusetts State Police Bomb Squad responded to the incident.

A criminal investigation into the bomb threat is ongoing. No charges had been filed as of Tuesday afternoon.

Senate President Stan Rosenberg: 'Jury's still out' on future of Rattlesnake Island plan

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As Massachusetts lawmakers took testimony on a state plan to boost the state's timber rattlesnake population by dropping the venomous serpents on a Quabbin Reservoir island, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg said the "jury's still out" on whether the plan will go through.

BOSTON - As Massachusetts lawmakers took testimony on a state plan to boost the state's timber rattlesnake population by dropping the venomous serpents on a Quabbin Reservoir island, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg said the "jury's still out" on whether the plan will go through.

Rosenberg, D-Amherst, said he has been told of two other places in the state where rattlesnakes have already been introduced in a "much quieter way."

"I don't know why it needs to be there," Rosenberg said during an interview with reporters at the Massachusetts State House, when asked about plans to put rattlesnakes on a Quabbin Reservoir island.

"I mean if we need to regenerate the species, there's already two things going on, two places," and maybe there are other places to put the snakes, he said.

"Jury's still out about what's going to happen," he added.

Asked whether he supports or opposes the rattlesnake plan, Rosenberg said he's waiting to hear back from his fellow senators on testimony from the Tuesday hearing in Athol "because I don't know much about the science."

The lawmakers -- including Sen. Anne Gobi, D-Spencer, and Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow - were in Athol on Tuesday, hearing from state officials and others on the state's plan to save the endangered rattlesnake, which is native to Massachusetts.

stan rosenberg at umass.jpgSenate President Stanley Rosenberg discussed the role of offshore wind in Massachusetts' energy future at a April 2016 symposium at UMass.  

Asked if there could be political ramifications as a result of the plan, Rosenberg said, "I'm hoping that this can be dealt with and resolved in a fair and reasonable manner, and that it won't turn into a huge circus and a big political thing."

The state has proposed turning the Quabbin's Mt. Zion island into a breeding ground for the snakes.

Four communities were flooded to create the Quabbin Reservoir, Rosenberg said, adding that people lost homesteads and cemeteries were dug up. The flooding occurred in the 1930s.

"People are very sensitive about what happens out there and the state coming in and kind of rolling over them," Rosenberg saying, adding that some may view the rattlesnake proposal as "just another thing the state's doing to us."

Rosenberghas said the lack of transparency about the project, which Gov. Charlie Baker inherited from his predecessor Deval Patrick, has led to some of the public hurdles the plan is now facing.

On Tuesday, Rosenberg, who has spoken about the proposal before, again brought up "Gunsmoke," a once-popular western television show.

"I think in a situation like this, you're kind of driven by your own experience and maybe biases," Rosenberg said.

"People are afraid of rattlesnakes. They bite you. They poison you. You die. Somebody takes out a rifle and shoots the head of the rattlesnake," he continued.

"So I mean that's the image I think most people have," Rosenberg told reporters. "So that's not based on science. It's based on what we've experienced or watched on television or in movies."

Sen. Stan Rosenberg cites 'Gunsmoke' explaining Rattlesnake Island fears


Friendly's sale: Who is Dean Foods and what do they want with Friendly?

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Dean has seen its share of the U.S. fluid milk market fall. Watch video

WILBRAHAM -- Dean Foods Co., new owners of Friendly's ice cream manufacturing and distribution network, is the country's largest processor and distributor of milk and other dairy products, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

But in recent years the Dallas-based national conglomerate has been forced to adjust to changing tastes and to a changing marketplace where behemoth retailer Wal-Mart will process its own milk for its own stores at a new plant in Indiana.

Wal-Mart's plans alone will cost Dean the sale of roughly 100 million gallons of milk a year starting next year, according to published reports.

Dean foods also announced Tuesday first-quarter profits of $39 million. Its stock, (DF) on the New York Stock Exchange, traded at $18.05 on Tuesday. That's down 15 cents on the day.

A beloved New England brand, Friendly's has an ice cream manufacturing plant in Wilbraham and distribution center in Chicopee. Dean's interest in Friendly's is part of the industry-wide shift toward branded products and away from the white carton labeled simply "milk" or "ice cream," observers said.

"My son, he only likes French vanilla from Friendly's, not the store brand, even though I can't tell the difference," said Bob Parsons, a professor and agricultural economist at the University of Vermont Extension Service. "You've got a regional market where Friendly has a good name. And you are looking to squeeze out a few extra dollars from customers willing to pay for a brand name and not the generic store brand of ice cream."

Parsons likened Dean Foods' purchase of the Friendly's brand to the sale of Ben & Jerry's to conglomerate Unilever back in the year 2000. The stockholders made money and the company founders are still in control -- as long as ice cream sales are strong and Unilever continues to get the return it likes on its investment.

Jim Dunn, a professor of agriculture economics at Penn State, said that while Dean Foods is a giant in the milk business, ice cream makes up only about 4 percent of its sales. Seventy precent of the company's business is fluid milk and the rest is cheese or other products.

"They have gone all over the country buying milk plants. I view this as the logical extension of what they are trying to do in the dairy sector," Dunn said. "And they are only in the dairy sector. But they have not moved out of the diary products side at all."

Friendly's announced Monday night that it had sold its retail ice cream and manufacturing business to Dean Foods for $155 million in cash.

Including franchised and corporate restaurants, Friendly's has 16,000 employees, including 200 in its Wilbraham plant and 150 "support center" jobs in Wilbraham and at a distribution warehouse in Chicopee.

Friendly's will retain ownership of the restaurants and the distribution center in Chicopee, said Friendly's CEO John Maguire. The company have a long-term contract to buy ice cream for those restaurants from the plant and from Dean Foods.

Friendly's plans to use the sale proceeds to grow its restaurant business.

Together with its franchisees, Friendly's has system-wide sales of over $500 million, the company said. Of that, it had $166 million in net sales of ice cream to supermarkets in 2015.

Friendly's ice cream is sold in more than 8,000 retail locations across the U.S., and has seen 105 percent growth in the retail business over the past five years, Friendly's said in its news release.

The company now produces 27 million gallons of ice cream each year for grocery stores. It also manufactures ice cream cakes and ice cream under store-brand labels for a number of retailers including Wal-Mart.

Dean Foods spokesman Jamaison Schuler said he couldn't go into detail on the acquisition yet. The transaction is not expected to be official for another 30 days.

But he said Dean Foods, despite its national footprint and 1997 acquisition of Lynn-based milk producer Garelick Farms, had no New England ice cream brand.

"This is a legacy brand that fits in with our own ice cream brands across the country," he said.

Those brands include Dean's Country Fresh, sold in the upper Midwest, and Mayfield, a legacy brand in the Southeast founded in 1923 that Schuyler likened to Friendly's.

"Mayfield has been around for a long time and it has a devoted following," he said.

Dean bought Mayfield in 1990. Scottie Mayfield, a grandson of the brand's founder, continued as president until 2012 and is now president emeritus of the company.

Brothers Curtis and S. Prestley Blake founded Friendly's in 1935 in Springfield.

Dean's portfolio of brands includes DairyPure, TruMoo, Garelick Farms and others.

Schuyler reiterated Dean Foods' stated plan to keep operating the plant in Wilbraham. Dean has other ice cream factories, but the nearest are in northern Indiana, northern Illinois, Ohio and Tennessee.

"We recognize the asset that the manufacturing plant is," Schuler said. "We have a desire to grow our ice cream business."

Expanding business

Samuel E. Dean Sr. started Dean Foods in 1925 with the  purchases the Pecatonica Marketing Co., an evaporated milk processing facility in northwestern Illinois.

Suiza Foods of Dallas bought Dean in 1997 and continued on an expansion roll, buying more than 40 companies across the country in three years to become the largest milk and dairy producer and distributor in the county, according to its website.

The company has 17,000 employees across the county.

"They probably control more of the industry than they probably should," said the University of Vermont's Parsons. "But that's just an opinion."

In 2011, Dean Foods reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice that settled federal allegations that Dean controlled too much of the milk market in Wisconsin, to the detriment of farmers and consumers.

Dean agreed to divest a significant milk processing plant in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and related assets that it acquired from the Foremost Farms USA Cooperative, including the Golden Guernsey brand name.  

Meanwhile, Dean controls less of the milk market while retaining its No. 1 position. According to the company's most recent earnings report, Dean Foods' share of U.S. fluid milk volumes decreased by 10 basis points  from the previous quarter and 70 basis points year-over-year to 34.6 percent of the market in the first quarter 2016. A basis point is one-one-hundredth of a percentage point.

Parsons said the market for milk has shifted from fluid milk meant for the table to milk used to manufacture cheese and other foods.

"That has been the trend since the 1960s. Our families are smaller," Parsons said. "Milk is not a primary beverage anymore."

As for the future of the Wilbraham plant, Parsons warned people not to confuse short-term with long-term plans.

"It'll be here in five years, but will it be here in 10 years?" he said. "That depends on what the company wants to do."

But both Parsons and Dunn, of Penn State, separately said location is one asset the Wilbraham plant has. It is close to the market Dean Foods wants to serve, a market where it wants to grow.

"Dairy products have transportation challenges. It is expensive to ship," Dunn said. "I don't see any reason that they would not want to close that plant. It's in a good place. The whole New England market is readily accessible."

Dean Foods closed 13 dairy plants around the country in the last four years, according to published reports. But the company blamed those closures on declining demand for fluid milk.

Dean has kept the legacy plants open in other areas, Dean said.

"You don't want to have to reinvent the wheel," he said.

Truck stuck under bridge in Chicopee, closing streets

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Police are asking people to avoid the area until 3:30 or 4 p.m.

CHICOPEE - A tractor trailer truck is stuck under the railroad bridge at Chicopee and Prospect streets and police are warning that area will be closed for a time while the towing company removes the truck.

The truck got stuck under the bridge at about 2:20 p.m. police for now are directing traffic around the damaged tractor truck. They will close the road until at least 3:30 p.m. when tow trucks arrive so they have room to remove the truck, Michael Wilk, public information officer for the Police Department, said.

Police are asking people to avoid the area and, if they cannot, to slow down and use caution while traveling in the area, he said.

Author-educator Bettina Love will speak on urban youth topics at Springfield appearances

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Bettina Love, an author and associate professor from the University of Georgia will be speaking before two student assemblies regarding urban youth topics, followed by a speaking function at the UMass Center in downtown Springfield that is open to the public.


SPRINGFIELD - Bettina L. Love, an award-winning author and Harvard University Fellow, will be a guest speaker on the topic of urban youth at multiple functions in Springfield on Wednesday, addressing students and adults.

Love, who is an associate professor of educational theory and practice at the University of Georgia, and a Harvard University Nasir Jones Fellow, is scheduled to address an assembly of students at the Springfield Renaissance School and Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy at 10:45 a.m. and 1 p.m., respectively, according to a news release.

In addition, the public is invited to hear Love's presentation from 4 to 5:30 p.m., at the UMass Center in Springfield, located in Tower Square at 1500 Main St.. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Love has focused her research on ways in which urban youth form social, cultural, and political identities to create new and sustaining ways of thinking about urban education and social justice, particularly through the lens of Hip Hop music, according to the news release from the Springfield public schools.

Chicopee traffic congested due to truck stuck in underpass

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A truck is stuck in a railroad underpass near the corner of Chicopee St. and Prospect St.

CHICOPEE – A truck is stuck in a railroad underpass bridge near the corner of Chicopee St. and Prospect St and is causing traffic congestion in Chicopee's Willimansett neighborhood, according to a traffic alert by the Chicopee Police Department Facebook page.

A tow truck is en route to assist with its extraction, and the area will be closed for some time until the damaged vehicle can be removed.

Police ask that drivers "use caution" and drive slowly when traveling through the nearby area.

 

Amherst Education Foundation to honor state Rep. Ellen Story

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As State Rep. Ellen Story, who announced she was not seeking re-election in January, serves her final year in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, she is notching a series of "lasts" and "honors."

AMHERST - As State Rep. Ellen Story serves her final year in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, she is notching a series of "lasts" and "honors."

Last Friday was the representative's final University of Massachusetts graduation as a representative with a seat on the stage, and on May 13, she is being honored for her commitment to town schools.

Story announced in January she would not seek a 13th term.

The Amherst Education Foundation is celebrating her commitment at a ceremony at 6 p.m. at the Marriott Center at the UMass Campus Center.

"This event will highlight Rep. Story's foresight in helping to establish the foundation in 1994, since which time over $400,000 has been donated to our local schools, thanks to the support of the community," AEF Co-President Diana Spurgin said in a press release.

"Rep. Story has played an integral role in AEF's success by supporting AEF as a board member, a spokesperson, and by taking time out of her busy schedule to emcee our annual Trivia Bee every year in its 21-year history.

"We are honored to salute her on her retirement from politics after 24 years of public service," Spurgin said.

Guest emcees include Katie Zobel, executive director of the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts, and Tony Maroulis, director of External Relations, UMass Amherst.

State Senate President Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, and AEF co-founder Jan Klausner-Wise also will speak.

6 Democratic candidates for 3rd Hampshire District debate at UMass

Proceeds will benefit education foundation-funded grants in the schools. Tickets are already sold out.

At the event Friday, the foundation will also announce the recipients of the 2016-2017 Excellence Grants.

Since her announcement, six have announced plans to run for Story's seat.

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