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Dam removals to restore brook trout habitat in Connecticut River tributaries

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The cold water fisheries project won a National Fish & Wildlife Foundation grant.

Seven small dams in the upper Connecticut River basin will be demolished, opening 140 miles of Eastern brook trout spawning habitat in New Hampshire and Vermont.

The project by the Connecticut River Watershed Council is supported by a $199,165 grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in partnership with Eversource Energy, the parties recently announced.

Two of the dams are in southern Vermont -- in Wilmington on Cold Brook, and off East West Road in Dummerston on a tributary of the West River.

Other Vermont dams are on the Charles Brown Brook in Norwich, on the Ompompanoosuc River in West Fairlee, and on the Passumpsic River East Burke. In New Hampshire, two dams will come down on the Clark Brook in North Haverhill.

"We believe removing old dams that are no longer serving a useful purpose is the best and most cost-effective way to restore the cold water tributaries of the Connecticut River," said watershed council director Andrew Fisk.

The council also received grants from the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, the Conservation Alliance, American Rivers, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and local sources to help pay for assessments, engineering plans, state historic preservation work, and actual deconstruction and removal.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation protects and restores the nation's fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Working with federal agencies, corporations, foundations and individual partners, the foundation has committed more than $3.5 billion to conservation projects since 1984.


Police find no evidence of gunfire after reports of shots fired at JFK Airport

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The NYPD said late Sunday night that they could not confirm whether any shots were actually fired.

NEW YORK -- Reports of shots fired Sunday evening at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport appear to be unfounded.

Port Authority police said they have not found any firearms, rounds of ammunition, shell casings or other evidence of gunfire.

Police evacuated Terminal 8 as a precaution after receiving reports of shots fired near the departures area around 9:30 p.m.

The New York Police Department was called in to assist.

No one was injured.

A short time later, police closed Terminal 1 after they say they received additional reports of shots fired in that terminal. An expressway approaching the airport also was shut down.

According to the flight tracking company, FlightAware, all inbound flights were being held at their origin until 11:30 p.m. due to security.

Several airline passengers also tweeted that their flights were being diverted from the airport; one passenger said his flight was being sent to Buffalo, WPIX-TV reported.

 

Hampshire County sheriff's race: Patrick Cahillane, longtime Hampshire County Jail leader, says he will improve upon already-strong jail

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Cahillane climbed the ranks under current Hampshire County Sheriff Robert Garvey, who succeeded Boyle. He has held the positions of shift supervisor, captain, major in charge of security, and deputy superintendent.

MassLive sat down with each of the four candidates running for Hampshire County sheriff in order to gain a better understanding about why they want the position, and what they hope to accomplish in office. The primary election is Sept. 8, ahead of the Nov. 8 general election.

NORTHAMPTON -- Not just one event, but a series of them, led Patrick Cahillane into the criminal justice field. But some moments have been more influential than others.

One such experience was during his six years with the Massachusetts National Guard. His unit was thrown into the midst of the catastrophic 1978 blizzard, and was tasked with watching over the people of Hull, a peninsula town in Plymouth County.

Cahillane was 20 at the time. He helped make sure the people in the shelter were safe, and patrolled the streets to prevent looting.

"That was an eye opening experience for me, being as young as I was," said Cahillane, now 58. " They had just lost everything, but they were so thankful we were there to help them."

"It was one of those situations where I knew it felt good to help people, and I wanted to keep doing that," Cahillane went on to say.


Qualifications

A nearly lifelong Northampton resident, Cahillane was born in a rural area of Western Ireland. His family immigrated to the Paradise City when he was 10; they were seeking a better life. And they found one, the Leeds man said. 

Cahillane graduated from the now-shuttered St. Michael's High School in Northampton, and went on to obtain a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Westfield State University and a master's in criminal justice administration from Western New England University.

He started out as a correctional officer in 1977 at the "old jail" at 50 Union Street in Northampton under Sheriff John Boyle, who died in office in 1984.

"I learned how to interact with the inmate population," he said of his first years at the jail. "I learned that they are human beings, and you treat people as you would want to be treated."

Cahillane climbed the ranks under current Hampshire County Sheriff Robert Garvey, who succeeded Boyle. He has held the positions of shift supervisor, captain, major in charge of security, and deputy superintendent.

Cahillane is now the special sheriff for Hampshire County and is in charge of day-to-day operations of all departments at the jail.

"It's a little bit more of a complex organization than people would think," Cahillane said of the jail. "And in this race, I am the only person who is a full-time criminal justice practitioner."

Cahillane said one of his most significant accomplishments as special sheriff has been  helping create the state's first free-standing regional lock-up facility in 2012.

Without the regional facility, an officer from one of Hampshire counties 20 police departments would have to find a lock-up in the area with a free cell, transport the prisoner there and keep an officer present until the prisoner is transported to court. Now, they can simply drop off the accused at the lock-up, ultimately saving forces time and money.

Cahillane has also been an adjunct faculty member of Westfield State University's criminal justice program since 2006.

Platform

Cahillane said that he does not believe that the criminal justice system is broken -- especially in Hampshire County. He heralds Garvey's approach to post- and pre-incarceration programs as progressive and "people-driven."

"Ultimately, our role is to get back to people to a better place," he said.

The Leeds man said would like to build upon Garvey's work, especially in the areas of substance abuse and mental health programs.

"Do we need to change some things? Sure we do. Can we do things better? Yes we can," Cahillane said. "But we're already doing all the things that individuals who are in rough shape need." 

He noted the jail's efforts to address incoming inmates in the grips of the opioid crisis. The sheriff's office sponsors a program centered on Vivitrol, a drug that is taken once a month to treat addiction. 

The sheriff candidate also spoke of a the 16-bed pre-release house in Northampton called "Bridge to the Future" that he helped found in early 2015. The program involves mandatory work release and strict rules, and helps soon-to-be released  prisoners prepare to return to the outside world. 

Cahillane said there is a dire need in the area for more re-entry housing, and that finding permanent funding for these projects is one of his main goals. The sheriff's office is working on a youth home, currently.

"It's very hard to get housing in this area in general, but especially for ex-offenders," he said.    

Cahillane said that if he is elected into the position, he would like to spend more time educating the public on the sheriff's role.

"Being an agency that's out of sight and out of mind, we don't get a lot of positive attention," he said. 

And the jail's facilities need to be upgraded, he explained, so securing funding for that project will be a major task. 

He would also like more and better training for employees. He noted that correctional officers have an especially hard job, and experience higher rates of divorce and alcohol abuse.

"The mission itself is to provide public safety and at the same time maintaining control," he said, "and to control people in the least restrictive environment we can." 

Hampshire County sheriff's race: David Isakson, Hadley police officer, wants more 'accountability and responsibility' for inmates

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On his patrol in Hadley, David Isakson would often greet a woman who spent many days on the street, panhandling.

MassLive sat down with each of the four candidates running for Hampshire County sheriff in order to gain a better understanding about why they want the position, and what they hope to accomplish in office. The primary election is Sept. 8, ahead of the Nov. 8 general election.

SOUTH HADLEY -- On his patrol in Hadley, David Isakson would often greet a woman who spent many days on the street, panhandling.

Isakson knew she was struggling with heroin addiction, like so many others in the area. But he wasn't sure how to nudge her toward recovery, besides striking up small talk.

"Are you ready to get some help?," the patrol officer would ask her.

One Saturday night in January, Isakson and his fellow officers were hanging out at the department's annual holiday party. A couple of his colleagues ran out on a call during the celebration.

The officers returned to headquarters with bad news. The woman -- who was around Isakson's age -- had overdosed and died.

It made the opioid crisis in Massachusetts all the more real for 44-year-old Isakson, who is the only Republican candidate running for Hampshire County sheriff.

"I feel that the system fails them," Isakson said of local opioid users. "I think that there could be more programs, but we can't force them into the programs. They have to be willing."

The South Hadley native says that becoming sheriff would give him the ability to "shed light on the problem" in a way he could not accomplish as a police officer.

Isakson said that if he is elected, he will strengthen drug addiction prevention programs in Hampshire County schools. It's important to stress the dangers of narcotics while people are still young, he explained.

And for those who are already addicted, Isakson said he wants to help turn police headquarters and jails into "no judgement zones." That way, he elaborated, officers are more likely to connect users with substance abuse programs.

"Back in the day, police officers were the ones who would run and help you," Isakson said during an interview with MassLive at the Thirsty Mind in South Hadley. "People don't have that view on law enforcement anymore. That needs to change."

Qualifications

Isakson became a police officer after graduating from the Reserve/Intermittent Police Academy in 2002. He has since served in South Hadley, Hatfield, Sunderland and now in Hadley, where he's a court officer, evidence room manager, pistol armorer  and vehicle maintenance officer.

Police work fits his personality, he said.

"I've always had the desire and urge to help fix things that aren't right. If someone drops something, I go pick it up," Isakson said. "When there's a loud noise, I run toward it instead of running away."

Isakson is used to taking on a lot at once. Before going into law enforcement, he managed a truck dealership, and owned both a towing company and an automotive center.

And after managing Ebenezer's Bar & Grill in South Hadley for two years, Isakson bought the restaurant in 2013. He opened a second Ebenezer's in Westfield last year.

Isakson said that his experience in law enforcement and his business management acumen would aid him as sheriff.

He gave an example: Every once in a while, he'll have another business owner come into one of his restaurants and assess the food, the service, the management.

"Sometimes you get tunnel vision when you've been somewhere a long time," Isakson explained, later adding, "We always need checks and balances. Just because you're the sheriff, that doesn't mean you're knowing it all and doing it all." 

At the jail, he said, these checks and balances would entail interviewing inmates, correctional officers, medical support staff and maintenance works to see what could be improved.

"You never know who's going to give you an idea that's the best thing you've ever heard," Isakson said.

Platform

Isakson said that if he is elected sheriff, he will work to reduce crime and recidivism -- or relapse into criminal behavior -- and as a result save the taxpayers of Hampshire County money.

The South Hadley man said one of the most frustrating aspects of his police career has been the "revolving door" -- that is, people repeatedly showing up in the jail and courts. There isn't enough emphasis on accountability at the Hampshire County Jail & House of Correction, Isakson said.

"Some call it 'Camp Hamp,' because it's the weakest jail in Massachusetts," he said. "I've arrested people who admitted to coming to Hampshire County because of the jail here being an easy ride."

Isakson said nonviolent inmates should be put to task in the community, working for municipalities and nonprofits, painting churches and cleaning parks. He wants to bolster "accountability and responsibility."

The candidate said he'd also like to conduct a 90-day audit of the jail's employees, programs and procedures. He said certain programs exist in the jail -- he named knitting as an example -- that might not benefit the inmates or lead to their rehabilitation.

The sheriff's office should also implement programs that will address drug addiction on a much larger scale than it currently does, Isakson said. He wants to send former inmates, corrections officers and children who have already experimented with drugs into schools to take about the dangers of narcotics.

"It's here. I've seen it," he said of the opioid crisis. "It's not just a problem in the big cities."

Ware selectmen vote to take vacant school and courthouse building off the market

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Whether it will be retained as a municipal asset has not been determined.

WARE -- The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously last week to take a long-vacant, town-owned state courthouse and former public school property off the market.

Whether the 73 South St. building will be retained as a municipal asset has not been determined.

The building was listed for sale at $119,900. But the cost to fully rehabilitate the nearly 30,000 square foot multi-story brick building is estimated to be at least $5 million.

"Since the community is divided on what the school property should be used for, it is understandably difficult for any Board of Selectmen to make a decision on what to do with the property," states a document titled "The 2016 Master Plan," completed by the town's planning department.

The board in July rejected a $90,000 offer from an Oxford woman who proposed converting it into a home.

Selectman questions South Hadley public schools' $500,000 spending on new culinary arts program

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The selectman has not suggested that the action was illegal, but is concerned that the Capital Planning Committee was bypassed. In addition to his service on the Selectboard, Ira Brezinsky sits on the CPC.

SOUTH HADLEY -- Selectman Ira Brezinsky has questioned why the town's Capital Planning Committee was not involved in a $500,000 school department expenditure to construct a new culinary arts facility.

The selectman has not suggested that the action was illegal, but is concerned that the Capital Planning Committee was bypassed. In addition to his service on the Selectboard, Brezinsky sits on the CPC.

The School Department encumbered $520,000 from the fiscal 2016 budget for the culinary program, according to minutes from the Selectboard's July meeting.

"Mr. Brezinsky noted that this project did not go through any capital planning process. To have $500,000 left over from an operating budget and encumbered for a capital project without any prior notice strikes him as odd, he observed," the minutes state.

"Some years ago, capital planning members requested that all capital requests, regardless of the source of funding, go through capital planning. $500,000 is a significant chunk of money."

At the board most recent meeting Aug. 2, "Mr. Brezinsky presented a proposal to invite the School Committee and school superintendent together with the chairs and possibly some members of the Appropriations Committee and Capital Planning Committee to the next Selectboard meeting for a general discussion of encumbrances and the capital planning process."

An agenda item for the Selectboard's Aug. 16 meeting includes: "End of FY 16 Budget Discussion."

The school administration has been grappling with strategies to encourage students to remain in the South Hadley district instead of enrolling outside of town via the state's school choice program, and to attract students from outside the district to attend here.

The new culinary arts program is touted in a message on the district's website titled, "Now accepting School Choice applications for the 2016-2017 school year." The application deadline was April 30.

Baker administration awards $90 million to affordable housing projects

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Several of the projects are in Springfield.

BOSTON -- Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday announced $90 million in government subsidies and tax credits awarded to 26 projects to create or preserve rental housing.

Most of those projects' units -- 1,334 out of a total of 1,420 -- will be affordable housing.

The projects include four senior housing projects and five projects that provide support services to residents, such as access to substance abuse or mental health counseling. Some of the projects also allot some of their units to individuals or families at risk of becoming homeless.

Baker said the state is "building more inclusive communities" and providing economic and social pathways for both working families and the state's most vulnerable residents. Baker, speaking at the site of a soon-to-be-rehabilitated building in Boston, said the goal is to create opportunities for residents "to get back on their feet" and become more productive.

The $90 million announced Monday includes:

  • $31 million in state and federal low-income housing tax credits, which is expected to generate $218 million in private investment;
  • and, $59 million in housing subsidies, including state and federal money.

Although nearly one-third of the projects are in Boston, a handful of them are in Western Massachusetts, including:

  • Forrest Springs in Great Barrington, sponsored by Construct, Inc., will build 11 affordable family rental units in three buildings, with two units reserved for households earning less than 30 percent of area median income.
  • New Home Sewing Apartment Complex, an old mill building in Orange, will be redeveloped into 63 affordable family units, with seven units for households earning less than 30 percent of area median income.
  • E. Henry Twiggs Phase II in Springfield, sponsored by Home City Housing, will preserve 61 units of rehabilitated affordable housing, with 16 units reserved for households earning less than 30 percent of area median income.
  • Maple Commons Apartments in Springfield, sponsored by First Resource Companies, will preserve 173 rehabilitated affordable housing units, with 18 units for households earning less than 30 percent of area median income.
  • James Commons Apartments in Springfield, sponsored by Valley Real Estate, will preserve 42 affordable units for families, with nine units reserved for families earning less than 30 percent of area median income.

The Baker administration sees a focus on affordable housing combined with support services as part of its strategy to combat homelessness.

Undersecretary of Housing and Community Development Chrystal Kornegay said the goal is also to help working people -- receptionists or restaurant workers or preschool teachers -- afford to live in high-priced areas like Boston.

In Boston, where the Roman Catholic Archdiocese is rehabilitating a building to provide housing and support services for formerly homeless individuals,  Lisa Alberghini said, "It's about advancing a strong vibrant and inclusive community."

"We can't be strong and grow unless we care for all people," said Alberghini, president of the diocese's Planning Office for Urban Affairs. 

Speaking to reporters after the event, Baker was asked about his administration's work to move homeless families out of hotels and motels.

Baker said his approach is a mix of helping people stay in housing and developing "scattered sites," where shelters contract with landlords to rent apartments to homeless families.

Baker said hotels are "not appropriate sites for kids and families" and are generally located far from the support systems, schools, and friends and neighbors that homeless people rely on. There is no activity space for children and no access to home cooked meals.

Between January 2015 and July 2016, the number of homeless families in hotels dropped from more than 1,500 to fewer than 420.

"We said we'd get it down to zero by the end of our administration. I think we're going to be way ahead of that," Baker said.

Springfield City Councilor Timothy Allen reviews city's cash controls, citing golf course raid and missing evidence room money

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The review was sparked by concerns over the alleged theft of money from the police department's evidence room and last month's federal raid on two city-owned golf courses.

SPRINGFIELD -- City Councilor Timothy Allen held a review of the city's cash handling procedures Monday afternoon, sparked by concerns over the alleged theft of money from the police department's evidence room and last month's federal raid on two city-owned golf courses.

Allen, the chair of the council's finance committee, gathered finance officials in a city hall chamber to review the procedures. He stressed it was "not a witch hunt," and that the circumstances of the golf course investigation are still unclear. But the emergence of two high-profile law enforcement actions involving city agencies is concerning, he said.

"If we're going to run this city professionally -- we've got a couple of things that have come up -- let's make sure we have the procedures in place," Allen said in a phone interview before the meeting.

Kevin Burnham, a long-time Springfield police officer who oversaw the department's evidence room for nearly two decades, was charged in January with stealing over $385,000 in cash seized during drug investigations. The money was found missing during an audit initiated by Police Commissioner John Barbieri after he took office in 2014.

The state alleges that Burnham, who has denied all the charges, stole money between Dec. 4, 2009 and July 25, 2014 -- the day of his retirement party. Burnham, whose trial is set to begin in October, presided over an evidence room that contained stacks of cash that were never deposited into bank accounts. An officer who requested anonymity told The Republican that Burnham would frequently call him after he turned over evidence money, telling him his count was too high.

Additional audits followed, led by the city's Director of Internal Audits and Boston-based auditing consultant Marcum LLP. In February the police department agreed to implement a series of financial controls recommended by the auditors, including regularly depositing evidence cash in a bank account, using a computer program to track seized evidence, monitoring the evidence room with cameras and increasing evidence room supervision.

Then, in late July, Internal Revenue Service agents raided two city-owned golf courses and the home of Kevin Kennedy Jr., the golf pro who has managed the courses since 2006. The company owned by Kennedy Jr., the son of Springfield Chief Economic Development Officer Kevin Kennedy, has taken in $1.23 million from the city since 2012 for its services.

Agents seized boxes of materials from the pro shops at both courses and from Kennedy Jr.'s homes in East Longmeadow and Cape Cod. No criminal charges have been filed, and no details have been released on the nature of the IRS investigation.

But both the golf course's pro shops and the police evidence room are sites where city cash is held, and Allen said the incidents prompted him to gather the city's financial officials and review its procedures for handling cash.

"What are the other places we handle cash? Is there something we should learn about how we handle cash?" Allen asked a group of officials that included Director of Finance T.J. Plante, Director of Internal Audit Yong Ju No and Treasurer-Collector Steven Lonergan.

Plante said the city could not comment on the ongoing golf course investigation, but that the search for an external auditor to review the course operations is in progress.

The officials detailed the city's internal cash controls, which they said include multiple checks to prevent malfeasance or loose accounting in city departments.

But those controls did not extend to cash held in the police department's evidence room, which was subject to different legal standards and was not monitored by city financial authorities prior to the discovery of the missing funds, No said.

"The cash that was held as evidence was never on the city's financial statements," No said. "There was no visibility of what was there."

During Burnham's era, evidence cash was kept in the police department, not in bank accounts, No added.

"That was a common practice in other police departments," No said.

That has since changed, with the department implementing the cash controls recommended by the recent evidence room audit, No said.

The city has a wide range of departments that handle cash, from the obvious -- the treasurer-collector, the city clerk -- to the fire department, city library and Department of Public Works. Late book fees at the library, permit fees to the health department, toll booth revenues for the parks department -- all are monitored by the city's financial software, No said.

According to the city's cash policy, all departments must turn over cash to the treasurer each week, unless they take in $1,000 or more, in which case same-day deposits are required.

A treasurer's department official and a representative from the depositing city agency then count the money in the same room, and it is only accepted if the count squares with what the department has registered with Munis, the city's financial computer system.

"If it doesn't match, everything is handed back to the person from the department and they are told to correct it," Lonergan said -- a measure to ensure that there is a clear chain of custody of all city cash.

Allen asked what would prevent someone at a city department from pocketing cash and not reporting the revenue to Munis. That too is accounted for, Lonergan said.

If, for example, a city permit is handed out but payment is never registered, the city's systems will catch the irregularity and report that the department's expected revenue does not reconcile with what is on the books, Lonergan said.

The city's internal audit department has included a review of cash handling procedures in an upcoming audit to be released this year. It does not include a review of the golf courses, No said; that will be covered by the external review commissioned by Mayor Domenic Sarno earlier this month.


F.L. Roberts sells 9 local Jiffy Lube locations

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Sprinfield-based F.L. Roberts has sold its nine Jiffy Lube locations in Western Massachusetts to Atlantic Coast Enterprises, a Jiffy Lube franchise holder owned in Connecticut but with locations in the Southeastern United States.

SPRINGFIELD -- F.L. Roberts has sold its nine Jiffy Lube locations in Western Massachusetts to Atlantic Coast Enterprises, a Jiffy Lube franchise holder owned in Connecticut but with locations in the Southeastern United States.

F.L. Roberts management didn't return calls for comment Monday. There was no official announcement. Jiffy Lube corporate spokeswoman Jennifer Friedmann confirmed the sale Monday.

She did not give a dollar amount.

Friedmann said the sale has not closed yet, but will be final in 90 days.

According to its website, F.L. Roberts and Co. is fourth-generation generation family-owned business founded in 1920 with an automotive and tire store at the corner of Main and Adams Streets in Springfield. The Roberts family added Texaco gas and oil soon thereafter. Today, the company has a network of 27 gas station and convenience stores, 21 car washes, two truck refueling centers and the Whately Diner.

F.L. Roberts has a headquarters on Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield's South End.

F.L. Roberts has 500 employees in Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Atlantic Coast has 50 Jiffy Lube service centers in Tampa, Miami and West Palm Beach, Florida, as well as Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, making it one of the largest franchise holders in the Jiffy Lube chain. Owned by Steve Allison and his business partner, Al Chance, Atlantic Coast is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut,

 Jiffy Lube is owned by Shell Oil Co. and is based in Houston, Texas.

Shutesbury solar farm opponents say site may contain Native American burial ground

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The Planning Board, which meets Monday night at 7:30 at Shutesbury Elementary School, granted a special permit for the controversial project in June.

SHUTESBURY -- A proposed 30-acre solar farm in Shutesbury faces a challenge from those who say the land off Pratt Corner Road could be a Native American burial ground.

In June, Chicago-based Lake Street Development won a special permit from the Planning Board for the 6-megawatt array. The vote followed months of heated discussion capped by an unruly two-hour meeting, reports the Daily Hampshire Gazette. The site is owned by major forest landowner W.D. Cowls of Amherst.

A local group called the Alliance for Appropriate Development has been fighting the solar project for about a year on various grounds, and now claims that an archaeologist hired by developers did not do a good job. The special permit required that Lake Street hire a qualified archaeologist to survey for evidence of traditional cultural properties, including burial mounds, before beginning construction.

The contested July 13 archaeological report by SWCA Environmental Consultants concluded that mounds in the rocky woods were consistent with patterns left by large trees blown down in the distant past. "As such, there does not appear to be an archaeological basis for a (traditional cultural property) or burial mounds to be present," the report concludes.

Miriam DeFant, an opposition spokeswoman, said Monday that historic preservation officers from federally recognized tribes, including the Narragansett and Wampanoag, have been trespassed from the property by the developers. She said inspection by tribal representatives is necessary to determine if sacred stone structures or a burial ground exists at the site.

"As it is, we don't know what's on that property," she said. The property could contain a burial ground showing evidence of a centuries-old tragedy such as genocide or smallpox, DeFant said.

Curtis Hoffman, an archaeology professor at Bridgewater State University, also wrote to the Planning Board with a sharp critique of the SWCA report, saying it was "impressionistic at best, and underinformed at worst." Hoffman called for a new survey informed by better technique.

However, an archaeologist retained by the Planning Board, Eric Johnson of the University of Massachusetts, criticized many aspects of the report, but agreed with its main conclusion. Among other things, Johnson said the rocky soil characteristics argue against the features being graves.

Meanwhile, an online petition targeting the Planning Board has garnered more than 900 names, many from other parts of the country and around the world. The petition says the town gave developers permission "to dig up a suspected burial ground without allowing any Tribal official to see the site, and without performing standard tests for human remains."

DeFant said local opponents will ask the Planning Board at its Monday night meeting to cancel a scheduled pre-construction conference with Lake Street so as to prevent the project from moving forward.

New Salem resident Sarah Kohler first suggested the possibility of a burial ground at a Shutesbury public hearing in March, according to the Gazette.

A lawyer for Lake Street, Shutesbury resident Michael Pill, said Monday that opponents are asking members of the Planning Board to exceed their legal authority.

Pill said opponents should have filed an appeal of the Planning Board special permit if they did not like its conditions. Instead, he said one opponent has filed complaints with state and federal authorities charging violation of laws that cover tribal rights.

"They're trying to precipitate a legal battle between the town and the developers that would be funded by the taxpayers," said Pill. "I call it the spaghetti approach -- just throw stuff against the wall to see what sticks." Pill said there is no empirical evidence of a burial ground at the site.

The Aug. 15 Planning Board meeting has been moved from Town Hall to the Shutesbury Elementary School in anticipation of a large crowd, town officials announced Monday. The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m.

Berkshire County sex offender sentenced to 15 years for sex with minor, child exploitation

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The boy was found in New York after his mother called police to report him missing. Brown told a federal agent he believed the victim was 18 years old.

SPRINGFIELD - A registered sex offender from Berkshire County was sentenced Monday to 15 years in federal prison for having sex with a teenage boy and producing illegal images of him.

Ronald S. Brown, 53, of Williamstown, pleaded guilty to both charges in November 2015.

According to the office of U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz, Brown met the victim online and convinced him to travel to New York for sex. In January 2013, he sent the victim a one-way plane ticket, picked him up at Newark International Airport in New Jersey and sexually assaulted him.

Prosecutors said Brown also took pictures of the boy "engaging in lewd and lascivious conduct."

The boy was found in New York after his mother called police to report him missing. Brown told a federal agent he believed the victim was 18 years old, but online messages showed Brown was aware he was a minor.

Brown is a registered Level 2 sex offender, considered at a moderate risk to commit another sex crime. He was convicted in 1995 of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy at a New York campground and sentenced to five years in prison.

 

Monson Planning Board hearing to review proposed solar farm zoning amendment

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The Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing Tuesday night to review a proposed bylaw amendment that would only permit solar farms in commercial zoning districts.

MONSON — The Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing Tuesday night to review a proposed bylaw amendment that would permit solar farms only in commercial zoning districts.

Current Monson regulations allow the building of solar farms "by right" anywhere in town.

The Planning Board hearing at Granite Valley Middle School, 21 Thompson St., begins at 7 p.m.

A special Town Meeting scheduled for Aug. 22 will act on the zoning amendment that, if approved, would restrict solar farms to commercial districts.

Planning Board agenda for Tuesday, Aug. 16 »

2 new features to spice up Holyoke Senior Fest this year

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The Senior Fest event that the Holyoke Parks and Recreation Department holds annually to celebrate senior citizens will be held this year at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House at 500 Easthampton Road and will include a cash far on Aug. 31, 2016 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

HOLYOKE -- The city's Senior Fest this year will be held Aug. 31 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with two new elements -- a different location and a cash bar, an official said Monday.

The Parks and Recreation Department this time is staging the event at the Log Cabin Banquet and Meeting House, 500 Easthampton Road, department Director Teresa Shepard said. For years the fest was held at the Pope John Paul II Social Center, 67 St. Kolbe Drive.

"Parks and Rec decided to 'shake things up' this year. We have been kicking this idea around for a few years, just to change things up," Shepard said.

The popular event began as a way to celebrate the city's senior citizens and has evolved into a must-attend gathering for politicians seeking reelection and newcomers looking to bump incumbents in the fall races. The event draws about 600 people.

Seniors seated at long tables receive a meal and musical entertainment. For the $10 ticket this year seniors will receive a food selection from four serving stations from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and entertainment from singer Jimmy Mazz, Shepard said.

"A cash bar will also be open during the luncheon," she said.

Mayor Alex B. Morse will be master of ceremonies.

The last hour is devoted to the raffling of gifts, "the fabulous almost endless raffle," as Shepard called it. Hundreds of items such as gift certificates that will be donated by politicians, local businesses and community leaders will be raffled off.

Also returning will be the health fair coordinated by the Holyoke Council on Aging, with representatives of local agencies and organizations that deal with seniors stationed at tables that will line the walls, she said.

Boston boy, 14, threatens to kill police during arrest for replica handgun

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The boy allegedly started yelling and swearing at officers, saying, "I got a real gun! I'm gonna (expletive) shoot all of you!"

BOSTON - Police have charged a 14-year-old boy from Dorchester with threatening to kill the officers who arrested him on Sunday.

The boy, whose name was not released because of his age, was arrested for possession of a gun replica during a Dominican festival at City Hall Plaza.

Witnesses told police they saw the boy take a gun from a backpack and put it in his waistband. Officers found the gun, which turned out to be a loaded BB pistol, during a pat-and-frisk.

The boy allegedly started yelling and swearing at them, saying, "I got a real gun! I'm gonna (expletive) shoot all of you!"

He will be arraigned in Boston Juvenile Court on charges of delinquency to wit possession of a replica firearm, making threats and disturbing the peace.

On Martha's Vineyard, Obama tells fundraiser attendees he's tired of talking about Donald Trump

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Swinging by a Democratic fundraiser while on vacation on Martha's Vineyard, President Obama said he is weary of mentioning Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and urged donors to continue backing Hillary Clinton.

Headlining a Democratic fundraiser while vacationing on Martha's Vineyard, President Obama said he is weary of mentioning Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and urged donors to continue backing Hillary Clinton.

"Frankly I'm tired of talking about her opponent," Obama told 60 donors who had paid $10,000 to attend the fundraiser.

"I don't have to make the case against her opponent because every time he talks, he makes the case against his own candidacy," he said, according to a pool press report on his remarks provided by the Wall Street Journal.

Obama also expressed a warning about the unpredictability of this election cycle.

"If we are not running scared until the day after the election, we are going to be making a grave mistake," he said.

As expected, Obama also had praise for Clinton, who served as his secretary of state after losing to him in the 2008 Democratic primary, saying he's seen her in "really tough pressure situations."

"I'm a Democrat, so it's fair to say that whoever the Democratic nominee was, I would want to get behind them," Obama said, according to the pool report. "But I don't display the kinds of enthusiasm and energy and commitment to Hillary candidacy just because of the fact we belong to the same political party."

He continued: "Until you sit at that desk and you're making life and death decisions, and you're deploying young men and women to war, or you're having to avert a crisis that could affect millions or in some cases billions of lives, you don't know how you're going to respond."

Obama said Clinton is "not always the flashiest" but she is "the person who's going to do the work."

The pool report continued:

Obama said Democrats have a tendency to alternate between freak-out mode and complacency, and he urged the crowd to veer somewhere in between the two extremes. "We are still going to have to fight what has been an unrelenting negative campaign against her that has made a dent in the opinion of people even who are inclined to vote for her," Obama said in describing Clinton's critics.

After speaking, Obama apparently did not allow the reporters putting together the pool report to hear his answers to questions from the donors.

According to the Associated Press, Clinton did not attend the fundraiser.

The fundraiser took place in Chilmark, same area where the First Family is staying while on vacation.

The fundraiser was for a joint committee between Hillary Clinton's campaign, the Democratic National Committee and state Democratic parties. The joint committee is known as the Hillary Victory Fund.

The hosts of the fundraiser were Hank Goldberg and Carol Brown Goldberg, who contributed $33,400.

Earlier in the day, Obama golfed at the Vineyard Golf Club in Edgartown with Alonzo Mourning, the former Miami Heat player; Washington attorney Cy Walker and Marty Nesbitt, a businessman and close Obama friend.

The Obamas landed on Martha's Vineyard on Aug. 6, and they are scheduled to stay there through Sunday, Aug. 21.

It's the president's seventh summer vacation on Martha's Vineyard, and the last one for the First Family as they prepare to move out of the White House in January 2017.


Springfield medical marijuana deal goes up in smoke after City Council rejection

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The Springfield City Council spiked a deal that would have authorized the city's first medical marijuana dispensary on Monday night.

SPRINGFIELD -- The Springfield City Council spiked a deal that would have authorized the city's first medical marijuana dispensary on Monday night, voting down the agreement by an eight to three margin and leaving no clear path forward for medical marijuana in Hampden County.

"It's not a good deal for the city and I encourage my colleagues to vote it down," City Council Vice President Orlando Ramos said, moments before they did so, and minutes after a vocal debate over a number of the deal's controversial elements.

The vote killed a host-community agreement negotiated by the city's executive branch and dispensary company Hampden Care Facility Inc., which a city review committee had given the top ranking among the six companies that submitted bids to build a dispensary in Springfield.

Councilor Ken Shea motioned to remove the company's proposed payments to the Indian Orchard and East Springfield Neighborhood Councils, saying the measure would set a precedent of territorial horse-trading that could poison future deals. The motion failed by a tight margin.

Ramos wanted to strike the five years of exclusivity the company had negotiated with City Hall as part of the deal. He said the city should not limit competition; his motion also failed.

City Solicitor Ed Pikula said the council likely had no authority to change the deal at all, because the prospect of renegotiating without formal notice and through a public legislative meeting was inappropriate. Councilors listened; some motioned to send the deal back to committee for workshopping, but that motion failed in turn.

What was left was a deal opposed by eight councilors for a variety of reasons; a company with no clear future in the city; and, at night's end, a fresh drawing board for city officials who had hammered out the now-dead agreement.

Hampden Care attorney Frank Antonucci declined to comment after the meeting

"I'm not going to talk about strategy at this point," Antonucci said. "I think the council spoke for what they wanted to do."

In his presentation to the council before the vote, Antonucci said the company had "compromised and bartered" with the city and had reached a fair deal.

"We think it's an important vote," Antonucci said "It's an important vote for the council because the public has shown they want a dispensary."

Hampden Care Facility Inc. proposed the medical marijuana dispensary at 506 Cottage St., and negotiated a host community agreement with city officials on behalf of Mayor Domenic J. Sarno.

The state's medical marijuana law, passed in 2012, requires that dispensaries receive a letter of non-opposition from the municipality where they seek to open.

Cities like Springfield and Worcester have negotiated host-community agreements with providers in exchange for their approval. In Worcester's case, it has signed agreements with multiple dispensaries  requiring that they pay the city $450,000 over three years, plus an growing percentage of gross sales.

New England Treatment Access in Northampton is currently the sole open dispensary in Western Mass.

Springfield's proposed agreement has drawn controversy because it would give Hampden Care Facility Inc. exclusive rights to operate in the city for a number of years. The deal initially prohibited any other dispensaries opening in Springfield for ten years, though company officials agreed to reduce the exclusivity term to a five years.

The inclusion of that language drew sharp rebuke from Ramos, and Councilor Timothy Allen said he was baffled by its inclusion. But Antonucci defended the clause, comparing the dispensary to the MGM Springfield casino, which won the exclusive right to build a gaming facility in Springfield.

"You invest a lot of time and a lot of money and a lot of effort, you don't want to have a municipality cutting the legs out from under you," Antonucci said.

The inclusion of "good neighbor" payments from the dispensary to the East Springfield and Indian Orchard Neighborhood Associations also sparked debate, with Shea saying it could lead to favor trading in future council actions. Pikula also weighed in, saying the deal -- negotiated between the company and associations without the input of the city, he said -- smacked of "pay to play."

Ramos, the Ward 8 councilor whose district includes parts of East Springfield and Indian Orchard, defended the inclusions of the payments in the agreement.

"If this was a conversation that they had with the neighborhood councils and they came to an agreement, I don't know why we should intervene," Ramos said.

Springfield's deal-making process has also drawn criticism from medical marijuana advocates. The Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance, the group that put medical marijuana on the ballot in 2012, has accused the city of delaying needed care to patients as it negotiates for higher revenues. The organization argues that the process has set a precedent that increases the difficulty for dispensaries to gain approval across the state.

"The city has had over three years to come to a reasonable agreement," the group said in a press release. "Holding up the process because of politics and revenue is not becoming of a municipality this late in the process."

Under the host community agreement, the company would have given a percentage of its gross revenue to the city as an annual payment. The amount would have begun at 2 percent of the gross revenue and rise gradually to 6 percent, along with yearly $50,000 donations to the police department.

Woman stabbed at Peter Pan bus station in Springfield; police seek 2 suspects

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Investigators are seeking two Hispanic females in connection with the 8:40 p.m. attack.

SPRINGFIELD - A woman was taken to Baystate Medical Center on Monday night with multiple stab wounds to her back, but she is expected to survive.

Police Lt. Stephen Wyszynski said investigators are seeking two Hispanic females in connection with the 8:40 p.m. attack at the Peter Pan bus station on Main Street.

Wyszynski described the victim's injuries as non-life-threatening.

No further information was immediately available.

This is a developing story. Stay with The Republican/MassLive for more information as it becomes available.

 

Trump adviser Al Baldasaro: Hillary Clinton should be shot for treason, not assassinated

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Baldasaro, a Republican who co-chairs Trump's national veterans' coalition, doubled down on comments he made that Clinton should be shot for treason — but said he was not saying someone should assassinate Clinton.

CAMBRIDGE -- An adviser to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump doubled down Tuesday on comments he made saying that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton should be shot for treason.

But New Hampshire state Rep. Al Baldasaro, a Republican who co-chairs Trump's national veterans' coalition, stressed that he was not saying someone should assassinate Clinton.

"The liberal media took what I said and went against the law and the Constitution and ran with it, and they said that I wanted her assassinated, which I never did," Baldasaro told The Republican/MassLive.com. "I said I spoke as a veteran, and she should be shot in a firing squad for treason."

Baldasaro first made the comments in July on the "The Kuhner Report" on WRKO-AM Boston, when he said, "Hillary Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason" because of her use of a personal email server when she was secretary of state.

Trump himself recently made headlines for saying that "maybe there is" something gun owners can do if Clinton gets elected president and appoints Supreme Court justices. Trump's campaign later said he was referring to political organizing, although critics said his comments could incite violence against Clinton.

Donald Trump, Al BaldasaroRepublican presidential candidate Donald Trump listens at left as Al Baldasaro, a New Hampshire state representative, speaks during a news conference in New York, Tuesday, May 31, 2016. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) 

A reporter for The Republican/MassLive.com asked Baldasaro on Tuesday, after an unrelated event in Cambridge, whether he still stands by his remarks.

Baldasaro said his comments were in accordance with U.S. law establishing the death penalty for treason. He suggested that Clinton's use of a private email server could be considered treasonous.

"That's aiding and abetting the enemy by those emails on letting (out) names of Secret Service special agents, our veterans, on those emails," Baldasaro said.

Asked if he was concerned about the impact of his rhetoric on someone who might take it upon themselves to act violently, Baldasaro said, "No. ... Americans are better than that."

"What you in the liberal media consider rhetoric, I consider freedom of speech," Baldasaro said.

Baldasaro said if people are worried about the impact of him talking about the law on treason, "Maybe they need to take it off the books if they're that worried." He compared it to someone saying a person who killed a police officer should get the death penalty, which is the law in New Hampshire.

Asked whether he had spoken to Trump about his views, Baldasaro said he had. "Donald Trump, he might not agree on the way I said it, but I said it as a veteran," Baldasaro said.

Baldasaro said the law is "in black and white."

"If people are that stupid and don't understand, that's not my fault," he said.

Charles Jendrysik named new principal at Westfield High School

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Jendrysik replaced Dennis Duquette who resigned as principal at Westfield High last month.

WESTFIELD - Superintendent of School Stefan Czaporowski announced Tuesday the appointment of Charles Jendrysik as the new principal at Westfield High School effective Thursday.

Jendrysik has served as vice principal at Chicopee Comprehensive High School for the past five years and he will replace Dennis Duquette who resigned at WHS principal last month.

"I am impressed by Mr. Jendrysik's vision of inclusive opportunities for all students and collaborative decision making with instructional leadership teams," Czaporowski said.

Two 'meet and greet' events have been scheduled for Aug. 25 to allow a formal introduction of Jendrysik to the Westfield High School community, the superintendent said.

The first is scheduled for 4 to 5 p.m. at the high school for WHS staff and community members to meet the new principal.

Students and parents are invited to meet the new principal from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Aug. 25 also at the high school on Montgomery Road.

Jendrysik also served Comprehensive High as a teacher and social studies supervisor. He holds a bachelor degree and Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from Westfield State University. He holds a Master Degree awarded by Framingham State University.

"I look forward to fostering a strong sense of leadership, vision and culture at Westfield High by working collaboratively with teachers and administrators," Jendrysik said.

The process used to hire the new Jendrysik is one that the superintendent said he intends to use for future Westfield School Department appointments.

Jendrysik was selected from a field of candidates recommended by a search committee that included teachers, parents, students, community members and school district leaders, Czaporowski said.

That search committee reviewed applicants, conducted initial and confidential interviews and forwarded a slate of candidates to the superintendent for consideration. School administrators assisted the superintendent during interviews with finalists, Czaporowski said

Chicopee Police asking for help to find missing girl

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Thaliya Savmiento is 15, is 4 feet, 10 inches tall and has brown hair.

CHICOPEE -- Police are asking for help finding a 15-year-old girl who has been missing since Monday morning.

Thaliya SavmientoThaliya Savmiento

Police listed the case as a "missing / runaway juvenile."

Thaliya Savmiento was last seen around 7 a.m. on Meeting House Road in the Willimansett section of the city, according to Michael Wilk, Chicopee Police public information officer.

She is about 4-feet, 10-inches tall and has brown shoulder-length hair and brown eyes. She walks with a limp and was last seen wearing pajamas, Wilk said.

Anyone with information about her whereabouts is asked to call the Chicopee police detective bureau at 413-594-1730.

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