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News of the World tabloid shutting down amid phone hacking scandal

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The tabloid was found to have hacked into the phone message of a teenage murder victim and was suspected of possibly targeting the relatives of slain soldiers in its quest to produce attention-grabbing headlines.

news of the world scandalThis is a Wednesday, July 6, 2011 file photo of a News of the World sign is seen by an entrance at premises of News International in London.

LONDON — News International announced Thursday it is shutting down the News of the World, the best-selling tabloid at the center of Britain's phone hacking scandal.

James Murdoch, who heads European operations for the paper's parent company, said the 168-year-old weekly newspaper would publish its last edition on Sunday, without ads.

The abrupt decision to shut the newspaper follows an extraordinary three days in which multiple revelations about intrusive phone hacking cost the paper its advertising base and reader support. The tabloid was found to have hacked into the phone message of a teenage murder victim and was suspected of possibly targeting the relatives of slain soldiers in its quest to produce attention-grabbing headlines.

Britons of all stripes said they were disgusted and revolted by the Rupert Murdoch-owned newspaper's tactics and British lawmakers held an emergency debate on Parliament on Wednesday in which many condemned the paper.

The tabloid's executives had already admitted the widespread hacking of cell phones used by celebrities, film stars, royal aides and politicians and reached cash settlements with prominent victims. But the intrusion into — and possible interference with — an ongoing murder investigation of a child proved to be the final straw in losing the public's trust.

Police are now examining 4,000 names of people who may have been targeted by the paper.

Murdoch said in a memo to staff that all revenue from the final issue, which will carry no ads, would go to "good causes."

The announcement took British media-watchers — and the newspaper's staff — by surprise.

The News of the World, which sells close to 3 million copies a week, has acknowledged that it hacked into the mobile phone voice mails of politicians, celebrities and royal aides. A reporter and a private investigator working for the paper were jailed for phone hacking in 2007.

But in recent days the allegations have expanded to take in the phones of missing children who were found slain, the relatives of terrorist victims and families of soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

James Murdoch, Rupert's son, said if the allegations were true, "it was inhuman and has no place in our company."

"Wrongdoers turned a good newsroom bad," he said, "and this was not fully understood or adequately pursued."

"While we may never be able to make up for distress that has been caused, the right thing to do is for every penny of the circulation revenue we receive this weekend to go to organizations — many of whom are long-term friends and partners — that improve life in Britain and are devoted to treating others with dignity," he said.

News International spokeswoman Daisy Dunlop denied rumors that The Sun, the News of The World's sister paper that publishes Monday through Saturday, would become a seven-day operation to pick up the slack. Still, she seemed to leave room for further developments.

"It's not true at the moment," she said.

Shares in News Corp. were up 1.6 percent at $18.22 on the Nasdaq index in New York, though they have fallen from above $18.50 since Tuesday.


Fact Sheet: Disaster Unemployment Assistanace available to workers impacted by June tornadoes

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The deadline to file a claim is July 18.

SPRINGFIELD - Some workers in Hampden and Worcester counties left jobless by the June 1 tornadoes may be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance. The federal program provides financial assistance and employment services to those who face unemployment resulting from a major natural disaster.

The deadline to file a claim is July 18.

Below, a fact sheet offered by the Department of Unemployment Assistance explains the program.

Dua Factsheet

Funding still needed for East Longmeadow High School track renovations

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Voters approved $1.5 million for the track in 2010, but last month rejected a Proposition 2&#0189 override to fund additional needs.

nov 2010 east longmeadow high school field renovationThis is an artist's rendering of track and field renovations at East Longmeadow High School including the additional features.

EAST LONGMEADOW – The athletic field at East Longmeadow High School is still on schedule to be completed by the end of the summer, but not with some additional features which the town rejected during the town election.

“The project is still on budget and on time, but we are going to have to look at new ways to get some of the things needed for the field,” said Gregory Thompson, School Committee Chairman and member of a turf committee, which has been involved with the new synthetic turf being built at the high school.

Voters approved $1.5 million for the track in 2010, but were asked for an additional $335,200 this year which they rejected.

“Unfortunately we did not have an exact idea of what the project would cost when we first asked for funds, so we had to come before the town to ask for money for some additional needs,” Thompson said.

The ballot question during the June 28 election asked residents to approve a Proposition 2½ override to fund additional needs for the field, including three water cannons, a vinyl fence, visitor bleacher seats, striping for the field, additional track and field equipment, lighting and a logo.

Thompson said the vinyl fence is very important because it keeps spectators off the field during games. The lights are also important for small ball sports like lacrosse and field hockey. The water cannons are necessary to cool the field.

“We requested the money because we think these extra things are necessary and important,” he said.

Additionally the track will not have a red coating on the top, which extends the life of the field and provides more cushioning.

“Once it’s laid down it can’t be changed, so we will have a black top track,” Thompson said.

He said the town is now looking at alternative ways to fund the project including sponsorship possibilities, private donations and more.

The project is being done by Green Acres Landscape and Construction Co., based in Lakeville.

Once completed, the track will be open to students as well as town residents for recreational use.

Amherst seeks new members on block grant committee

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The committee develops strategies for spending $1 million in block grant money.

AMHERST - The committee that makes recommendations on how to spend $1 million in Community Development Block Grant money is seeking new help.

Down from seven to four members, the committee is looking for residents with experience in human services, housing and other related areas, said Mary Jane Laus, chairwoman of the committee. Anyone interested needs to fill out a citizen activity form.

The seeking of new membership had been on hold as the Community Development Block Committee was creating a new charge that in part governed membership. The Select Board recently endorsed the changes but will vote on a more detailed charge at a later meeting.

In the past, the committee had stipulations for membership requiring that one member represent the Public Transportation and Bicycle Committee and that at least two be of low or moderate income as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The new does not require membership from certain committees or groups, but states that the board represent “a diversity of experience and a range of professional expertise including but limited to housing, human and social services...”

“We wanted a broad conversation,” Laus said. “More discussion.” Having too many representatives from one committee can alter that discussion.

But not everyone in town supports the changes. Hwei-Ling Greeney, the chairwoman of the Committee on Homelessness, wants the charge to continue to include the requirement that two of the seven members need to be low or moderate income.

The committee is an incarnation of the Human Services Funding Committee when that committee make recommendations on how town funds would be sent on human service programs. But as human service money was no longer available that committee became the Community Development Committee.

The new charge also specifies that committee will make recommendations to the town manger who decides what programs to seek funding for. In the past, the committee made recommendations to the Select Board, manager and Finance Committee.

Greeney and others want the Select Board more involved. Greeney asked that the Select Board not the town manager to decide why to apply for.

Select Board Chairwoman Stephanie J. O’Keeffe said that Town Government Act specifies that the Town Manager has the authority when it comes to the grants. The Select Board will, however, review the recommendations before Town Manager John P. Musante files the application for the town.

Laus said the block grant committee will collaborate with the Planning Board to develop the block grant strategy.

Proposed $250,000 supplementary budget for Agawam School Department to be voted on

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The School Committee has approved a $250,000 supplementary budget for this year that restores eight jobs that had been eliminated in the budget approved earlier for the School Department.

AGAWAM – Now that the School Department has approved a $250,000 supplementary budget to the city’s fiscal 2012 spending plan the issue is expected to be put to a vote by the City Council during its Aug. 1 meeting.

The School Committee last week approved a supplementary budget that restored eight full-time jobs and the 50 percent of the pay of the school resource officer that the School Department funds.

The supplementary spending plan seeks to pay the costs of one elementary school teacher each in Granger School, Robinson Park School and Phelps School as well as five teachers aides overall. That comes to one teachers aide each at Robinson Park School, Phelps School and the Early Childhood Center and two for sitting in on individual education plan meetings.

In the $73.3 million fiscal 2012 budget approved by the City Council two weeks ago, the School Department spending plan called for cutting 31.8 full-time equivalent positions in the School Department.

At the same meeting during which councilors approved the town budget, they voted to take $250,000 out of the reserve account to be directed to the School Department as they lack the power to add to the mayor’s proposed budget and are allowed only to make cuts of the $73.5 million budget proposed by the mayor.

Mayor Richard A. Cohen and the council came to an understanding at that meeting they would seek to use the $250,000 to restore some of the positions in the School Department slated for elimination in the mayor’s proposed budget.

The School Department budget originally approved by the board for fiscal 2012 stood at $34,194,167.

The mayor said Monday that he is very happy about the support both the School Committee and the council have shown for the School Department. He said he is particularly pleased that the supplementary budget would allow for keeping classroom sizes down.

If adopted the supplementary budget would reduce the sizes of a first grade class at Granger from 26 to 17, and kindergarten classes at Robinson Park and Phelps, respectively from 25 to 19 and from 24 to 18.

“We will continue to watch every penny that we spend on the city side,” Cohen said in a prepared statement released by his office. “As mayor and chairman of the School Committee I am pleased that the Town of Agawam has made a decision to put education first while maintaining the lowest tax rate in the area.”

Cohen has avoided layoffs in the municipal sector by not filling eight vacancies.

Brimfield volunteers plan to collect funds to help families recover from tornado damage

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Brimfield resident Eileen Niejadlik and her son, Scott Niejadlik, are planning to collect donations for the town's Harding Fund as a way of getting financial help to people whose property was damaged by the June 1 tornado.

Brimfield tornado aerial 6911.jpgCamping trailers are seen damaged in Brimfield a week after three tornadoes swept through the regiona.

BRIMFIELD – An effort is under way to secure donations during the July 12-17 run of the Brimfield Antiques Shows to help victims of the June 1 tornado.

Scott Niejadlik and his mother, Eileen Niejadlik, hope to have between five and eight locations at the antiques shows to collect donations for the town’s charitable fund, the Harding Fund.

This fund was set up decades ago to help town residents who are in need, and while it has been rarely tapped into in recent years, the level of activity since the tornado hit Brimfield has risen dramatically.

Town officials say there was a balance of about $30,000 at the beginning of June but nearly $90,000 has been contributed since word went out that the fund would be used to help people whose property was damaged in the tornado. Country Bank this week announced the Harding fund would be among three agencies to which it plans to contribute $25,000 each to aid tornado victims in the communities it serves.

A town committee is now meeting once or twice a week to consider applications from people who need help with their personal recovery efforts.

Scott Niejadlik is quickly organizing an effort to collect donations for the Harding Fund at the July installment of the antiques shows, and he expects to make another effort when the shows are held again in September.

Eileen Niejadlik said the shows present a good opportunity because so many visitors come to Brimfield as dealers and shoppers.

The antiques shows are held on both sides of a mile-long stretch along Route 20 heading west from the center of town, an area that did not receive much damage in the tornado.

But less than a mile south of this area, more than 140 homes were significantly damaged and some were destroyed.

Eileen Niejadlik said she expects that many of the people who come to the antiques shows three times each year consider Brimfield as a second home and would want to contribute.

“Our hope is to have them donate at the booths using checks, cash and credit cards to the Brimfield Harding Fund which will be distributed directly to those affected,” Eileen Niejadlik said.

Scott Niejadlik, who now lives and works in Boston, spent much of this past week arranging to have some 8-foot wide banners depicting the swath of devastation, which will be displayed at the collection locations at the antiques shows next week.

He has also started a website, www.projecthabitat.org, as a means of helping in the effort to take in donations for the Harding Fund.

Easthampton police arrest Springfield residents John Mercolino, 29, and Robert Livingston,36, after Plain Street break-in

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A shoe box full of jewelry that had allegedly been taken from the home was later recovered, police said.

police lights.jpg

EASTHAMPTON – A man checking on his vacationing brother’s Plain Street home Tuesday night saw two strangers heading out the door, one carrying a shoe box that later proved to be filled with jewelry.

“They called the police right away,” said Sgt. Mark Popielarczyk said of the man and his wife who had just pulled up to the house in their car.

Although the suspects fled, one on foot and other in a car, police caught up to both a short time later and arrested both, Popielarczyk, a detective, said.

John Mercolino, 29, of Pine Grove Street and Robert Anthony Livingston, 36, of Kenyon Street, both from Springfield, were both charged with breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony and larceny over $250.

Police stopped Livingstone’s car at Hendrick and Holyoke streets and they found Mercolino on foot in the neighborhood. The shoe box full of jewelry recovered under bush in wooded area nearby, Popielarczyk said.

Triple Sevens Cyber Center in Springfield files appeal seeking special permit for cyber cafe

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The City Council took two votes on the cyber cafe, one denying the special permit and one in favor.

061111 777 cyber cafe.jpgTriple Sevens Cyber Center at the Five Town Plaza on Cooley Street.

SPRINGFIELD – A local business has filed suit in Superior Court against the City Council and city clerk, seeking to overturn a denied special permit for a cyber cafe on Cooley Street.

The business, known as Triple Sevens Cyber Center, filed the appeal in Hampden Superior Court this week, saying that a city decision, dated June 20, that denies the special permit, “unreasonably, unlawfully, unduly and/or arbitrarily and capriciously interferes with, diminishes and prevents plaintiff’s lawful business.”

Triple Sevens is seeking the permit for a cyber cafe consisting of 30 computer stations, in which customers would pay for Internet access. Under the business, both customers and non-customers would be able to enter a sweepstakes with prizes, according to the filed appeal.

The special permit was initially denied by the council in May, failing by one vote to meet a two-thirds majority, but passed on a reconsideration vote in June.

City Clerk Wayman Lee, however, issued a denial of the permit on June 20, citing advice from the Law Department that questioned the legality and validity of the reconsideration vote. Under state law, there is a two-year moratorium on considering a permit application once it has been denied, City Solicitor Edward M. Pikula said.

pikula.JPGEdward M. Pikula

The business has been able to operate with up to five computers without a permit.

Richard J. Maggi, a lawyer for Triple Sevens and its manager, Jennifer Burritt, said he is seeking to vacate Lee’s action, and to affirm the council’s June vote in favor of the permit.

The council never took “final action” in May because Councilor Timothy J. Rooke immediately made a motion for reconsideration permitted by council rules, Maggi said.

Pikula said the city will prepare a response to the appeal.

The business can file a new application for a special permit that could contain conditions that were not included in its original application, Pikula said.

Maggi said there is no intent to file a new application because the business contends it has already won approval by the 10-3 vote in June.

rooke.JPGTimothy J. Rooke

Rooke said he filed a “corrected” decision in favor of the permit last month on his belief that Lee overstepped his authority.

The Outer Belt Civic Association, which opposed the special permit, has stated it will consider legal action if the permit is issued. The association has raised concerns about gambling and the impact the business would have on the neighborhood.

State Attorney General Martha Coakley recently issued a permanent regulation that bans illegal gambling at cyber cafes.

However, the business has repeatedly stated that there is no illegal gambling. While there are cash prizes, both patrons and non-customers have access to the sweepstakes, making it legal, the appeal states.

In addition, the business has stated there would be no harm to the neighborhood.


PM News Links: Employer says slain Wayland teen bothered by former boyfriend's repeated calls, tornado relief funds misdirected and more

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President Obama’s father once revealed a plan for his unborn son that might have changed the course of American political history.

Japan Earthquake 61811.jpgA girl places a flower as survivors offer prayers to victims during a memorial service in the city of Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture, northeastern Japan, on June 18 the day that marked the 100th day since a devastating earthquake and tsunami struck the coast in eastern Japan on March 11. Click on the link, above right, for a report from the Christian Science Monitor on how the country's economic recovery has stalled.

NOTE: Users of modern browsers can open each link in a new tab by holding 'control' ('command' on a Mac) and clicking each link.

Massachusetts tornado book 'Path of Fury' available for pre-order

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Get an up-close look at the devastation left by the tornado that tore through Westfield, West Springfield, Springfield, Wilbraham, Monson, Brimfield, Sturbridge, Southbridge and Charlton.

Gallery previewGallery preview

After, and while, an EF-3 tornado sustaining 160-mile-an-hour winds tore a 39-mile path of destruction across Western and Central Massachusetts last month, photographers and reporters from The Republican's newsroom rushed to as many of the affected neighborhoods as possible to record the storm's fury and report on what happened to the people and businesses affected.

As The Republican stated in an editorial published hours after the tornado, "everything changed in a minute."

Now, The Republican is preparing a hardcover book documenting the story of the June 1, 2011 tornado. The 144-page "Path of Fury" provides an up-close and personal look at the historic devastation and restoration in the wake of the tornado that over the course of its unwelcome 70-minute visit caused millions of dollars of damage in in Westfield, West Springfield, Springfield, Wilbraham, Monson, Brimfield, Sturbridge, Southbridge and Charlton.


» Order now [printable pre-order coupon]


Own the book that documents this horrific storm and the inspiring rebuilding effort that followed. Pre-order today and save $10.00 off the $34.95 retail price. The pre-order discount offer expires on July 27.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go to local relief efforts to help the victims of the storm.

Books are expected to ship in early September.

path of fury book cover.jpg

Obituaries today: Eugene St. Jean, of West Springfield and Yarmouth; owned St. Jean electrical companies

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Obituaries from The Republican.

Eugene St Gene 7711.jpgEugene G. St. Jean

WEST SPRINGFIELD - Eugene G. St. Jean, who was born on April 12 1925 in West Springfield, passed away Tuesday in Yarmouth. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II in the South Pacific and was stationed in Australia. He was a member of the Australian VFW as well as the United States VFW in South Yarmouth, Mass., and marched in 33 Anzac parades in Australia. He lived in West Springfield and South Yarmouth. He was a lifetime Shriner, Mason and a Paul Harris Scholar. He was also past president of the Rotary Clubs in West Springfield and Yarmouth where he helped to organize many fundraisers for various charities. He also served for many years as a member of the Board of Directors of Latham School in Brewster. He was founder and owner of St. Jean Electric and Lighting Maintenance as well as St. Jean's Appliance store, and was a four-time past President for the National Association of Lighting Management Companies. Eugene was a private pilot and member of the Quiet Birdmen.

Obituaries from The Republican:

Yellowstone National Park rangers: No search for grizzly bear that mauled hiker

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The mauling of Brian Matayoshi was a purely defensive act, park spokesman Al Nash said.

yellowstone national park grizzly bearThis June 7, 2005 file photo released by Yellowstone National Park shows a grizzly bear moving through the brush at the park in Wyoming.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — Yellowstone National Park authorities will not try to capture a female grizzly that killed a backcountry hiker because the bruin was trying to defend its cubs when it was surprised by the man, a spokesman said Thursday.

The mauling of Brian Matayoshi, 57, of Torrence, Calif., was a purely defensive act, park spokesman Al Nash said. He added that Yellowstone typically does not try to capture or remove a bear in what he called "a wildlife incident."

It was the first fatal grizzly attack inside the park in 25 years — but the third in the Yellowstone region in just over a year.

The attack occurred on Wednesday about 1-1/2 miles up a popular backcountry trail and not far from an area that is one of the park's top attractions. Busloads of tourists normally gather there to take in the view from iconic Artist Point.

A stunning waterfall drops hundreds of feet in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and trails along both canyon rims are normally crawling with tourists. Authorities closed the area but planned to reopen it in a few days, Nash said.

Matayoshi's wife, Marilyn, escaped serious injury and no longer was at Yellowstone, park officials said. They declined to reveal her whereabouts.

Nash said the couple saw the bear twice on their hike.

The first time, they continued hiking. The second time, the grizzly charged them and Matayoshi told his wife to run. She called 911 on her cell phone, and other hikers in the area responded to her cries for help.

The woman told park officials she didn't see the bear attack her husband. When the bear went for her, Nash said, she dropped to the ground. The grizzly lifted her off the ground by the day pack she was wearing and then dropped her.

Marilyn Matayoshi may have had scrapes and bruises but didn't seek medical attention. Her husband died at the scene, Nash said. "We observed both bite marks and claw marks," he said.

In this case, Nash said, park officials relied on Marilyn Matayoshi's account of the attack in deciding not to pursue the grizzly. She told rescuers that the couple surprised the sow with her cubs — one of the most dangerous situations possible for humans encountering grizzlies.

Based on her account and understanding of grizzly behavior, rangers believe the bear instinctively charged to protect her young. The bear had never been documented before, never been tagged, and there was no reason to believe it had interacted with humans before, Nash said.

If so, the decision may very well have been different, he said.

"All indications are that this was a defensive attack," Nash said.

Nash said there is no way to definitely know what the bear was thinking or reacting to. He said the couple were day hikers and that it wasn't known if they were carrying bear spray, pressurized hot-pepper residue in a can that is effective in stopping aggressive bears.

The decision not to track and kill the bear isn't unprecedented.

In nearby Grand Teton National Park, officials decided not to intervene with a grizzly that wounded a man there in 2007.

Rangers determined that female was defending its cubs and didn't pose a general threat to humans. That attack was considered natural behavior and officials didn't believe the bear was any more dangerous than any other sow grizzly in the region.

This summer, the same bear and her cubs have drawn crowds of tourists to roadsides in the park.

Yellowstone and surrounding areas are home to at least 600 grizzlies — and some say more than 1,000. Once rare to behold, grizzlies have become an almost routine cause of curious tourists lining up at Yellowstone's roadsides at the height of summer season.

Barbara and Carl Waxman, Baltimore residents making their first trip to Yellowstone, were dismayed when they found their path to Artist's Point blocked by barricades in the aftermath of the mauling.

Avid photographers, they had hoped to shoot a lookout where they had read a stunning early-morning rainbow could be seen above the falls.

"It's like not being able to see the Mona Lisa," Barbara Waxman said. "If they gave me the option, I'd go to that point in a second, grizzly bear or no."

Some visitors said they didn't know about the attack. Tourists staying at a campground in nearby Canyon Village said no rangers or park personnel told them about it.

Nash said park officials didn't go campsite to campsite to warn visitors of the attack, but they did fly over the area by helicopter to ensure the area was clear.

"If we had any concerns for visitor safety we would take whatever measures would be necessary to protect them," he said.

While lamenting the death, officials said they didn't want to overemphasize the danger to visitors.

"This is a wild and natural park," said Diane Shober, director of the state Wyoming Travel and Tourism agency. "At the same time, the likelihood of this happening again is small."

It was the park's first fatal grizzly mauling since 1986, but the third in the Yellowstone region in just over a year amid ever-growing numbers of grizzlies and tourists roaming the same wild landscape of scalding-hot geysers and sweeping mountain vistas.

Tourists have been flooding into Yellowstone in record numbers: 3.6 million last year, up 10 percent from 2009's 3.3 million, also a record.

In June 2010, a grizzly just released after being tranquilized for study killed an Illinois man hiking outside Yellowstone's east gate. Last July, a grizzly killed a Michigan man and injured two others in a nighttime campground rampage near Cooke City, Mont., northeast of the park.

Grizzlies are an omnivorous species with a diet of berries, elk, fish, moths, ants and even pine nuts. In 2009, a federal judge restored threatened species protections for Yellowstone grizzlies, citing beetle-caused declines in the numbers of whitebark pine trees in the region. The protections had been lifted in 2007.

Officials routinely urge visitors to take precautions: Stay on designated trails, carry bear spray, hike in groups of three or more, and make noise in places where a grizzly could be lurking.

Northampton retirement administrator David Shipka stunned by negative reaction to request for 22% raise

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Although he has heard the criticism by some city employees, Shipka believes others might support him.

northampton seal

NORTHAMPTON – A somewhat shell-shocked David Shipka said he is stunned by the negative reaction to his request for a 22 percent raise in his post as administrator of the city’s Retirement Office.

“I didn’t expect all this atention,” he said.

Shipka, currently earns $56,000 a year, but has asked for a $12,200 increase to $68,000, a figure he feels is comparable to administrators of other municipal retirement offices in the area. He is also seeking a 3.5 percent pay raise for his clerk, Elisa Irizarry, who earns $30,000 a year at present.

When news of his request came to light, however, it was met with protests by other city employees, most of whom reluctantly accepted wage freezes at the request of Mayor Mary Clare Higgins. In compiling her fiscal 2012 budget, Higgins said the wage freezes were the only way to avoid layoffs in fiscal 2012.

The Retirement Board, which has sole discretion over granting the raises, declined to act on them at its June 28 meeting, saying it needed more time to study the issue. The board will meet again on July 28.

Discussion of Shipka’s salary began after the board conducted its annual evaluations this spring, a process that includes a review of salaries.

“David gave us a lot of information,” said board member Shirley LaRose. “We said we would bring it to the next meeting.”

Among the information supplied by Shipka was a survey showing the salaries of 12 retirement office administrators in the area. His is the lowest. Shipka said Tuesday that the survey results were not available to him when he was negotiating his salary last year.

“I regret not asking for more at the time,” he said.

Shipka began working for the city in 2004 as a clerk in the Retirement Office . He was appointed to replace Barbara Weeks last year when Weeks retired. She was earning $62,000 at the time, but Shipka was hired at a salary of $56,000.

“I’ve been here for seven years,” he said. “It’s not like I just started doing this stuff. I’m disappointed some people don’t believe I deserve an increase.”

Finance Director Susan Wright, Higgins’ appointment to the Retirement Board, acknowledged that Shipka can make a case for being underpaid, considering the size of the system he administers. He manages the accounts of about 1,000 retirees and active employees. Shipka said about 360 of those members are currently retired.

“It’s equivalent in its level of complexity to the auditor or treasurer,” Wright said, noting that both those positions earn more money in Northampton.

However, Wright also pointed out that she recently came to the mayor’s office from the School Department, where employees are not happy about the wage freeze. Given the mood of fiscal austerity, Wright said she would like to study the survey submitted by Shipka for factors such as experience and level of education.

“It’s good information but it’s incomplete,” she said.

According to Shipka, the Retirement Office’s budget is determined by a bi-annual actuarial evaluation. Because those numbers are locked in until next year, he said, the raises would not affect the city budget.

“I didn’t think it was relevant to what the city decided to do (regarding the wage freeze),” he said.

Although he has heard the criticism by some city employees, Shipka believes others might support him.

“I don’t know what’s going on,” he said. “I really don’t. I guess I asked for a raise at a time when other people were not getting raises and they’re upset. I understand why they’re upset.”

Should the board deny his request, Shipka said, he would accept its decision and go on with his work.

“I’ll say ‘Okay. I feel like I’ve been treated fairly,’” he said.

Gov. Deval Patrick awards $28 million in block grants, including nearly $13 million to Western Massachusetts

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Amherst, Becket, Chesterfield, Easthampton, Greenfield, Huntington, Montague, North Adams, Palmer, Shelburne, Southwick, Ware, Warren and West Springfield are among local communities that received grants.

gov.jpgGov. Deval Patrick in Springfield last month at an event to discuss rebuilding after the June 1 tornadoes.

BOSTON – Gov. Deval L. Patrick awarded $28 million in grants, including $12.7 million in 24 communities in Western Massachusetts for improving public housing, providing child care, food and other social services for the poor and repairing some tornado damage in West Springfield.

During an event in Chelsea, Patrick unveiled federally financed Community Development Block Grants for communities with populations of 50,000 or less. The program is the state's largest pot of money for neighborhood revitalization.

In a phone interview, Patrick said he was excited about the grants and thrilled that communities are putting the money to good uses, including housing.

"This is a really important program," the governor said. "We're going to do everything we can to protect it, working with our congressional delegation."

With so much debate in Washington about spending cuts, some local officials are concerned the program could be reduced for next year.

The state receives the federal money in a lump sum and awards grants to eligible cities and towns that apply for the competition.

Amherst, Becket, Chesterfield, Easthampton, Greenfield, Huntington, Montague, North Adams, Palmer, Shelburne, Southwick, Ware, Warren and West Springfield are among local communities that received grants. In a few instances, communities act as administrators for grants shared with nearby communities.

Each of the grants totals $1 million or fairly close to that number.

In May, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development announced similar grants for cities such as Holyoke and Springfield.

The Patrick administration received 62 applications for grants and approved 29. A total of 41 communities in the state will receive money from the grants since some of the grants are for multiple communities.

Patrick said the grant program is particularly helpful because communities get a major say in how to tailor the money.

"It offers so much flexibility to local communities to meet their own self-identified needs," Patrick said.

Leaders in cities and towns were as excited as Patrick.

With talk from Washington that block grant money could be reduced, Amherst Town Planner Nathaniel Malloy said the $1 million grant “is good news all around.”

The town plans to use the money to acquire land for affordable housing on West Street and for sidewalk and infrastructure improvements on Main Street as well as for social service programs, including funding of the emergency homeless shelter and assisting the Center for New Americans, an education center for immigrants and refugees in Western Massachusetts.

Montague, meanwhile, received $900,000 for three units of housing rehabilitation and Unity Park improvements.

Chesterfield received $1,047,404 to use for rehabilitation of 13 housing units and helping first-time home buyers as well as a Goshen senior housing planning study. Chesterfield will share the grant with five nearby communities.

Southwick's $900,000 grant will allow the town to proceed with a long awaited expansion of its Senior Center located at Town Hall on College Highway.

Town Administrator Karl J. Stinehart praised the award, saying the town’s application last year for funding for the Senior Center project was not approved.

The town requested $593,000 for the Senior Center project and $215,000 for housing rehabilitation.

This award, Stinehart said, will allow the town, with its architect Reinhardt Associates, to proceed with competitive bidding later this year for the center expansion and hopefully a ground breaking for construction next spring.

The project will add needed space to the center along with creation of a new entrance and improved access for the elderly, he said.

Some of the grant will be used for housing rehabilitation at eight homes in a target area that surrounds Congamond Lakes.

092700_alice_davey.jpgAlice Davey

In Palmer, Community Development Director Alice L. Davey was especially pleased with receiving $900,000 grant.

While Palmer traditionally has received the funding, it did not receive any block grants in 2009 or last year, endangering the future of the community development department.

Davey was forced to lay off two employees last summer, and initially thought she would have to close the entire department down, but was able to keep it going through leftover funds.

Davey requested $1 million in funding, but is pleased she will receive $900,000. She included the following projects in the grant application: $247,000 for income-eligible housing rehabilitation projects; the design of Endelson Playground in the village of Bondsville for $33,000; infrastructure improvements including sidewalks, water mains and storm drains at Crest and Hill streets in Bondsville for $485,000; and the domestic violence task force for $45,000. Approximately $188,000 was included for administrative costs.

Davey said she is not sure yet where the $100,000 cut was made.

"These are all worthy projects. It will be nice to make some improvements in Bondsville," Davey said.

The towns of Brookfield, Ware, Warren and Hardwick are sharing a $754,217 grant that will fund housing rehabilitation and adult literacy.

Staff reporters Lori Stabile, Diane Lederman and Ted LaBorde contributed to this report.

House considers changes to Massachusetts' alimony system

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During a lightly attended session, the House of Representatives gave initial approval to a sweeping reform bill.

By COLLEEN QUINN
BOSTON - The House signaled Thursday that it appears ready to tackle an issue that policy makers have long eyed as in need of reform: the alimony system.

During a lightly attended session, the House gave initial approval to a sweeping reform bill and Rep. Paul Donato, of Medford, a member of Speaker Robert A. DeLeo’s leadership team who presided over Thursday’s session, said the House would likely hold a formal session next week to debate the changes.

Under the proposal, state law would lay out for the first time specific guidelines on the levels and duration of payments to former spouses.

Critics of the current system say it is inconsistent and arbitrary and leaves many without redress even if their financial situation deteriorates. The changes would also curb “lifetime” alimony, something reform advocates say Massachusetts judges award too often.

The bill has 133 co-sponsors from both parties and support from a large majority in each branch.

Alimony reforms have failed to pass in the past, but the recession has helped push the issue up on the Legislature’s priority list, lawmakers involved in drafting the bill said. The Joint Committee on the Judiciary heard testimony on the proposed changes in May.

Critics of the current system have argued some alimony payers found themselves out of work or their businesses failing when the economy took a tailspin, but judges were unable to revise alimony payments because the law did not make any allowances.

Sen. Gale Candaras, of Wilbraham, who led the legislative task force charged with looking at the issue, has said the bill does not abolish alimony, like some people fear. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” Candaras said during an interview in May.

Candaras said the task force worked with people on all sides of the issue to "make sure nothing they did would negatively impact" people affected by divorces. A group of legislators, lawyers and judges, along with representatives from the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Boston Bar Association, the Massachusetts Women's Bar Association and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, worked together for more than a year, reviewing and redrafting current alimony laws. Probate and Family Court Chief Justice Paula Carey was also involved.

The bill would establish a timeline for payments, granting payments based on the years of marriage. If someone is married five years or less then the person receiving alimony would get payment for half of the number of months of the marriage. For a 10 to 15-year marriage, judges would award payment for between 60 to 70 percent the number of months the couple was married. The spouse of a 15-year marriage would be entitled to payments for 80 percent of the number of months. It would still be up to a judge's discretion on how many months of payments to award for any marriage longer than 20 years.

Massachusetts is a so-called "no fault" state, meaning the courts are not concerned with what caused the divorce, and judges do not consider the circumstances or levy any punitive awards when deciding alimony payments.

Sen. Jamie Eldridge, of Action, said Thursday he expected the bill to generate a “fair amount of debate” in the Senate. “I do think we will do alimony reform,” he said.


Chicopee Realtor Paul Duval running all city streets to raise money for Lorraine's Soup Kitchen

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Duval will run well-traveled roads to obscure cul-de-sacs as he hopes to raise at least $5,000 for Lorraine's Soup Kitchen.

paul duvalPaul Duval kicks off his campaign to raise money for Lorraine's Soup Kitchen by running every street in Chicopee. The 70-day effort will end on Oct. 16, World Food Day.

CHICOPEE – Paul Duval will run for food.

In fact he plans to run over every street, from well-traveled roads to obscure cul-de-sacs, hoping to raise awareness and donations for Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen.

Duval started his run on July 1 at the soup kitchen on Pendexter Avenue and made his way down the Willimansett streets of Lawndale, Dorrance, Greenwich, Bristol and Narragansett. His website, http://running-for-food. blogspot.com/, will update his daily route.

“I’m a runner, and I’m a Realtor. I thought it would be great if I ran the whole city and I would know the city better,” he said.

The 60-year-old Duval typically runs five days a week and has been doing so since he was in high school. He has run a number of marathons including those in Philadelphia, Boston, Nova Scotia, Vermont and Florida. The length of his runs depend on if he is training for marathons.

Duval contacted Kim Goulette, the director of the kitchen, who has been looking for new and creative ways to raise money for the kitchen. She endorsed the idea, which will come at a time when donations tend to be lower.

His plan is to run between three and four miles during the campaign, which will let him cover the more than 1,150 streets in the city by Oct. 16.

Recently he contacted the city engineering department who told him there is a total of 230 miles of city streets in Chicopee. Because there are a number of dead ends that Duval will have to run up and back, he estimated he will cover about 280 miles for the project.

To publicize his plans, he plans to put announcements that he is coming under street signs and other spots days before he runs through a particular street.

Duval’s goal is to raise at least $5,000. He does not plan to actually gather checks because it will be too difficult during the run and easier for the record-keeping at the soup kitchen if the money is mailed to them. He will carry some cards that will give the address and information on where to send donations, Duval said.

“Most of my runs well be between 6 and 7 (p.m.) since more people will be home around then,” he said.

Duval will not be alone in most of his runs. State Rep. Joseph F. Wagner, D-Chicopee, ran with him on the kick-off. Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette has agreed to join him, at least for a piece of the run and U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, who is a long-time runner, has also agreed to join him but is still working out a date.

The girls’ track team from Holyoke Catholic High School has agreed to join him in a run in September and Duval plans to ask teams from Chicopee High and Chicopee Comprehensive High to join him as well.

“I’m going to ask all the city councilors as well,” he said.

Massachusetts Governor's Council confirms Christopher Speranzo as clerk magistrate of Pittsfield District Court on 5-4 vote

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Councilor Marilyn Devaney, one of the four councilors who voted against Speranzo's nomination, ripped the judicial selection process as flawed and overly secretive.

2008 christopher speranzo.jpgChristopher Speranzo

BOSTON – With Gov. Deval Patrick on hand to ensure a tie-breaking vote, Rep. Christopher Speranzo has won a lifetime appointment as clerk magistrate of the Pittsfield District Court, filling a two-year vacancy and overcoming objections from four members of the Governor's Council who questioned his qualifications.

The 5-4 vote on Wednesday came after Patrick canceled a planned vote on Speranzo last week, when his nomination might have been defeated because the governor and another Speranzo supporter, Councilor Christopher Iannella, were out of state and unable to attend the planned meeting.

"He probably is a good person. And I don't doubt that," said Councilor Marilyn Devaney, one of the four councilors who voted against Speranzo's nomination. "My son is a good person too, but I'm not going to give him a position as clerk magistrate because I want someone who is qualified."

Devaney also ripped the judicial selection process as flawed and overly secretive, questioning whether certain councilors exerted too much influence on the process.

"There's something wrong with this picture and I don't know how I can stop it," she said. "It's a runaway train."

Councilors who backed him praised his educational background and public sector career. Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, who cast the tie-breaking vote, also praised Speranzo and noted that clerk magistrate nominees often come with a mix of backgrounds.

Springfield Diocese announces Northampton funeral arrangements for Rev. Paul Archambault

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Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell will celebrate the funeral liturgy, according to the diocese.

archambault.jpgThe Rev. Paul Archambault

NORTHAMPTON – The Diocese of Springfield announced funeral arrangements for Rev. Paul Archambault, the priest who was found dead Sunday at Sacred Heart Parish rectory on Rosewell St.

The wake is scheduled for 4-7 p.m. Monday at the Church of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, 99 King St., Northampton.

The funeral service is planned for 11 a.m. Tuesday, with a burial to follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Northampton.

Springfield Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell will celebrate the funeral liturgy.

Archambault, 42, died of a self-inflicted gun-shot wound, according to police. He was found in a closet in the parish rectory.

He performed the 4 p.m. mass on Saturday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Hampden.

He was last seen early Saturday when he comforted a family in the emergency department of Baystate Medical Center as the hospital’s chaplain.

He was discovered dead after he failed to appear for the Sunday morning mass at St. Mary’s in Hampden.

A native of Northampton, Archambault, graduated from St. John's Seminary College in Brighton in 2000 and earned a master's degree in divinity from Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell, Conn.

He was ordained in 2005.

Shawn Fontaine challenged police to shoot him in Palmer standoff, court records indicate

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"Shoot me! Shoot me! You better shoot me because I'm going to shoot you and I won't miss," Fontaine is quoted as saying.

PALMER - Court documents contain details of the standoff between police and a 17-year-old male armed with an air gun that ended after he was shot by an officer twice after he allegedly told the officer to shoot him, or he would shoot the officer.

According to a statement of facts submitted by Detective Sgt. Scott E. Haley that was included in suspect Shawn R. Fontaine's court file, Fontaine challenged an officer to shoot him, saying "Shoot me! Shoot me! You better shoot me because I'm going to shoot you and I won't miss."

Fontaine, of Palmer, was within 10 feet of the officer, who had taken cover behind a police cruiser. That officer, whose name has not been released and was not identified in the court file, then fired two shots from his department-issued .40-caliber Smith & Wesson. Fontaine was struck in the ankle and abdomen.

Fontaine is recovering at the University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, and is due in Palmer District Court for a pretrial conference on July 29. He was arraigned in his hospital room Wednesday, where he denied six counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and a single count of carrying a dangerous weapon.

The incident began just after 11 p.m. on Monday night, when the police received a call from a female resident at 22 Pinney St., who reported that a male subject whom she knew was banging on her front door, demanding to be let inside, and was armed with a gun.

"The female caller indicated that she was in fear for her safety, and that of her family, due to recent threats that the male subject made toward her," Haley's report states.

Once officers arrived, Fontaine pointed the weapon at them. The officers took cover, and the 20-minute standoff began, with Fontaine repeatedly pointing the weapon at the officers, threatening to shoot them and ignoring orders to drop the weapon.

Meanwhile, several other officers were attempting to remove the home's six occupants - three adults and three children ranging in age from 5 to 16.

After Fontaine was hit, police discovered that he had a carbon dioxide powered pellet gun, which, according to Police Chief Robert P. Frydryk, resembles the gun his officers use.

Wrote Haley, "All of the victim police officers indicated that they were in fear for their safety and that the defendant's actions and demeanor led them to believe that he was holding and pointing a firearm, rather than a pellet gun."

Said Frydryk, "It was a regrettable, but justifiable shooting."

Frydryk said the officer involved, an 8-year veteran, is on administrative leave, pending an investigation.

Fontaine was ordered held in lieu of $20,000 cash bail at his arraignment by Judge Paul F. Loconto. Fontaine's lawyer is Michael Kallock of West Springfield.

State police detectives assigned to Hampden District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni's office are investigating the shooting and circumstances leading up to it.

The Hampden County Sheriff's Department will take charge of guarding Fontaine while he is hospitalized.

Three police officers and an auxiliary officer from Palmer, along with two Monson police officers and state police responded that night to the standoff.

Developing: Springfield police investigate Washington Street shooting

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A man was found shot 'multiple times" on Washington Street, according to police.


SPRINGFIELD - City police are on the scene of a shooting on Washington Street in the city's Forest Park neighborhood.

Police were called to the scene at about 4:20 p.m. for a report of a shooting. Police said they found a victim who had been shot "multiple times."

The victim is in serious condition at Baystate Medical Center.

Police blocked off Washington Street from Commonwealth to Carver, where a pile of clothes were on the roadway.

More information will be posted as it develops.

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