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Chicopee Senior Center selling inscribed 'leaves' to raise money for building fund

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The Tree of Life is just one way the Friends of the Senior Center are raising money toward its $2 million pledge to help construct the new RiverMills Senior Center.

CHICOPEE -- Every time Joann Dunnagan walks into the RiverMills Senior Center she puts two fingers to her lips and then touches the silver leaf she bought in memory of her husband as a way of blowing a kiss to him.

The leaf with her late husband's name, James Dunnagan, etched on it is part of the Tree of Life that is hanging on the wall in the lobby of the new RiverMills Senior Center. The Friends of the Senior Center are now hoping to sell more leaves to people like Dunnagan.

"It had just started and I thought it was a nice idea and fortunately I had the money to buy a leaf," she said. "I never realized how much I would like passing it every time I come here."

When the city proposed building the new RiverMills Senior Center, the Friends of the Senior Center pledged to raise $2 million to contribute toward the $8 million project.

The new RiverMills Center opened two years ago and the Friends have raised about $1.6 million. The group is now making a final push toward meeting the goal, and selling the leaves on the Tree of Life is one way  to raise the money, said Ernie Laflamme, the retired city treasurer who is leading the fundraising effort.

"We made a promise and we have to push forward," Laflamme said.

The Tree of Life has a wooden trunk surrounded by silver leaves. For $500 people can have one of the leaves etched with a name, a saying or anything else they want, said Susan Tawrel, chairwoman of the Friends of the Senior Center.

"Some people wanted to make a donation to the building fund and this is one way to do it," said Sandra Lapollo, executive director of the RiverMills Senior Center.

Tawrel said she and her brother together bought her mother, Adele M. Tawrel, a leaf as a Christmas gift one year. It was especially fitting because Adele Tawrel, who died in June, was a former chairwoman of the Friends of the Senior Center.

Adele Tawrel was very pleased with the gift, but after she died it became important to her daughter, who joined the Friends through her mother.

"It is a lasting memorial," Susan Tawrel said. "Every time I come here I see my mom's name, it is great to see it. It is a nice remembrance, it really is."

Laflamme said the tribute was well deserved since Adele Tawrel was so dedicated. Even after she fell ill she continued to work on the fundraising, he said.

"A lot of older people will say don't get me anything for birthday or Christmas," Tawrel said, adding the Friends also have gift boxes and cards for people who buy leaves as gifts.

So far the Friends of the Senior Center have sold about 35 of the roughly 250 leaves available. The larger "stones" at the base of the tree, which cost $750 and $1,000, have already sold out because there are far fewer of them, she said.

There is even a spot on the second floor of the RiverMills Senior Center for a second tree, if the leaves sell out and a lot more people are interested in buying one, Lapollo said.

Looking at the wall, Phyllis Sullivan pointed out names of people she has known and others who are known in the city.

"Leon Lafleur, he grew on the same street with me. His brother became Father Gerard Lafleur," she said.

She pointed to one leaf with names of two classmates who graduated from Chicopee High School with her in 1946 and another with the name of a past mayor.

"There are a lot of stories here," Tawrel said.

People can have anything etched on the leaves. Some have been purchased to remember someone who has died, many others simply have names. Several organizations have bought leaves. For example, the Chicopee Falls Women's Club bought one to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the group.

At least one of the stones is etched with the saying, "Try to be a rainbow in someone else's cloud." Another says: "In appreciation of the Nipmuc Indians and their homeland, Sally Stocking." Leaves are inscribed: "In honor of the 90th birthday of Rosabell Brassard," "Harold E. Anderson, deputy chief, Chicopee Fire Department" and one simply says "Zyg."

Laflamme said he and his wife purchased a stone on behalf of his family. It reads: "Family of Ernest N. & Claire E. Laflamme in memory of John A. Laflamme."

The Friends of the Senior Center also continue to raise money in a variety of other ways. Early on in the campaign the group auctioned off models of planes painted by local artists and several businesses including Chicopee Savings/Westfield Bank, Polish National Credit Union and PeoplesBank made large donations.

Laflamme said he will continue to solicit help from businesses and is hoping some may be interested in sponsoring the art room, an exercise room or the game room in the center.

At the same time, senior citizens are constantly holding smaller fundraisers to help reach the goal. For example, all proceeds from the gift shop are deposited into the fund and a penny jar sits at the entrance of the RiverMills Senior Center collecting small change to be deposited.

People can pick up an order form for the leaves at the gift shop of the RiverMills Senior Center, 5 West Main St. For more information call 413-534-3698.


Springfield man with gun convictions in 2 states denies new firearms charges; bail set at $50,000

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Asked for his license, Welfare responded, "Man, I'm gonna' be dead up with you. I don't even have a license," the report said.

SPRINGFIELD -- The state troopers gave Stephon Welfare two chances to identify the object in his pants.

In his first attempt, Welfare, 27, of Springfield, assured the officers it was a private part of his anatomy and not a concealed weapon, according to the arrest report.

stephon.welfare.jpgStephon Welfare, 27, of Springfield 

The second answer was more to the point. "Man, it's a gun," he said.

Asked if the gun was loaded, he responded: "Yes."

The encounter Thursday night on Page Boulevard in Springfield ended with Welfare's arrest on eight charges, including illegal possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm without a license (second offense).

Held overnight at the state police barracks, Welfare pleaded not guilty to the charges Friday during his arraignment in Springfield District Court.

Assistant District Attorney Cary Szafranki asked for $50,000 bail, citing the new charges and the defendant's record of firearms convictions in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

A state trooper spotted Welfare driving without headlights and pulled him over around 10 p.m., Szafranski said.

Asked for his license, Welfare responded, "Man, I'm gonna' be dead up with you. I don't even have a license," the arrest report said.

A search turned up a .22-caliber handgun, loaded with four rounds, hidden in the defendant's pants, as well as more than $2,800 in his pockets and a bag of marijuana in his car. Welfare has no firearms identification card or permit to carry the gun, the prosecutor said.

Defense lawyer David Pritchard asked for $5,000 bail. He said his client has two children and is a caretaker for his diabetic mother. While currently unemployed, Welfare works periodically as a landscaper, he said.

Pritchard also questioned the legality of the police search, saying "a good motion to suppress" evidence will likely be filed in the case.

Judge Robert Murphy set bail at $50,000 and continued the case for a pretrial hearing on Oct. 21.

MassDCR survey seeks input on public access rules at Quabbin Reservoir

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Kayaking is forbidden, while boat fishing is OK; snowshoeing and hiking are allowed in most areas, but cross-country skiing is not.

State officials are updating their rules around public access to the Quabbin Reservoir, and want your input.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation is conducting an online survey. Outdoor enthusiasts and other stakeholders are invited to chime in. It's been ten years since the last Public Access Management Plan was issued.

To the uninitiated, rules controlling access to the state's largest reservoir can look like a crazy quilt. (A summary can be found embedded at the bottom of this post.)

For instance, in the Quabbin Reservation, snowshoeing is allowed, but cross-country skiing is not. If you want to go sledding, you're in luck. But if you ride your bicycle on a dirt road, you're breaking the law. Canoeing and kayaking is forbidden, but you can fish from a boat -- unless, of course, you veer into a restricted area. If you want to go swimming, forget about it. But "wading" is OK as long as it's associated with fishing or launching. Shore fishing is allowed, but not at the formal Quabbin Park.

Weddings are allowed, but don't pop a cork, because alcohol is off the list.

Public access to the watershed is carefully regulated and controlled to protect the drinking water supply for 2.5 million people in 51 Massachusetts communities, according to the department. Certain areas, such as Prescott Peninsula, constitute strict no-trespassing zones.

Created in the 1930s, the reservoir is mostly fed by the Swift River. The water body is 18 miles long and has 181 miles of shoreline. When full, Quabbin holds 412 billion gallons.

The public access survey does not address rules around hunting, which is a separate matter.

Quabbin Reservoir Public Access Summary

Lawyer: Woman charged with breaking into Sixteen Acres home was fleeing boyfriend

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"A home invasion or breaking and entering doesn't fit the picture here," defense lawyer Brandon Freeman said.

SPRINGFIELD -- When she knocked on her friend's door at 5:25 a.m. Friday, Leah Brownstein was fleeing her boyfriend, not conspiring to commit a crime with him, her lawyer said.

"She was seeking refuge," attorney Brandon Freeman said during Brownstein's arraignment in Springfield District Court on charges of breaking and entering and extortion by threat.

leah.brownstein.jpgLeah Brownstein, 38, of Springfield 

Brownstein, 38, of Springfield, was arrested around 6 a.m. by police responding to a 911 call for a burglary in progress at 131 Paulk Terrace, student prosecutor Sarah Fila said.

When a woman opened the door to let Brownstein in, her boyfriend emerged from nearby bushes and came in behind her, according to the prosecutor, who said the boyfriend had a gun and demanded $500 that was supposedly owed to him.

Both suspects fled before police arrived, and Brownstein was arrested nearby. The boyfriend remained at large late Friday afternoon, Fila said.

She asked Judge Robert Murphy to set bail at $2,500 for Brownstein and issue a stay-away order for the home and its occupants.

Freeman opposed the cash bail request, asking for his client's release on $2,500 personal surety instead.

Brownstein planned to stay at the Paulk Terrace home Thursday night to get away from her boyfriend, according to Freeman, who said his client was friends with a woman living there. Brownstein had no idea her boyfriend would force his way into the home, and no intention of extorting money from the woman or her boyfriend, Freeman said.

Aside from traffic charges, Brownstein's only brush with the law involved two drug charges, later dismissed, from 1997, Freeman said. In addition, the police report left questions about whether Brownstein was a participant or witness to Friday's alleged extortion attempt, he said.

"A home invasion or breaking and entering doesn't fit the picture here," the lawyer said.

Murphy set bail at $2,500 personal surety and continued the case for a pretrial hearing on Nov. 1.

Officials on the lookout after bear spotted during Wilbraham school dismissal

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Superintendent Al Ganem sent a robocall to district parents, alerting them to a bear spotted while students were being dismissed from Soule Road School on Friday afternoon.

WILBRAHAM — A bear was spotted near Soule Road School while dismissal was underway Friday afternoon, prompting a robocall from Superintendent Albert Ganem Jr.

Wilbraham police were called as a precaution, even though the bear apparently wandered off and was not seen again after the initial sighting. Ganem sent the automated phone message to all school district families.

"I am calling to let you know that late this afternoon, after school dismissal had begun, we were notified by the bus company that a bear was sighted in the Soule Road School area," Ganem said in the message.

"The Wilbraham police were dispatched to the area and have kept a presence in the neighborhood," he said, asking parents to remain "watchful" and call police if they "suspect a dangerous situation."

Bear sightings are fairly common in Wilbraham, and not just in the hilly, more rural eastern section of town.

A bear was spotted wandering through residential yards in the area of Woodland Road and Ruth Drive a couple of months ago. And in March, police received multiple reports of bears in the area of Old Carriage Drive and Stony Hill Road.

In August 2015, a bear casually strolled across the lawn of Wilbraham United Church in broad daylight before heading to the library. From there, the bear crossed Main Street to investigate the area of Ripley and Springfield streets, a densely populated area near the heart of town.

Back-to-back daytime sightings of bears near Mile Tree Elementary School on Main Street and Wilbraham Middle School on Stony Hill Road had officials on high alert in June 2013. As a precaution, students at Mile Tree were kept indoors during recess.

Soule Road School is directly across from Fountain Park, a popular 144-acre tract of forestland, trails and fields between Soule and Tinkham roads. The school is also near several other undeveloped woodland and wildlife areas.

Authorities say the best thing people can do when they encounter a bear is to leave the animal alone. The Wilbraham Police Department's non-emergency phone number is 413-596-3837.


MAP showing approximate area where bear was spotted:


 

Charlotte sees 4th night of protest over police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott

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Friday's march through Charlotte's business district was the fourth night of demonstrations over the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Demonstrators carried signs, chanted and marched in a peaceful protest hours after the family of a black man shot by police released video showing the events leading up to his death.

Friday's march through Charlotte's business district was the fourth night of demonstrations over the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott earlier in the week.

After darkness fell, dozens of people took to the streets to urge police to release dashboard and body camera video that could show more clearly what happened. Police have said Scott was armed, but witnesses say he held only a book.

The group, which appeared smaller than previous nights, carried a banner that said "Just Release the Tapes."

Earlier in the day, footage recorded by Keith Lamont Scott's wife and released by his family shows his wife repeatedly telling officers he is not armed and pleading with them not to shoot her husband as they shout at him to drop a gun.

The 2 1/2-minute video released by the family does not show the shooting, though gunshots can be heard. In the video Scott's wife, Rakeyia Scott, tells officers that he has a TBI, or traumatic brain injury. At one point, she tells her husband to get out of the car so police don't break the windows. She also tells him, "don't do it," but it's not clear what she means.

As the encounter escalates, she repeatedly urges police, "You better not shoot him."

After the gunshots, Scott can be seen lying face-down on the ground while his wife says, "He better live." She continues recording and asks if an ambulance has been called. The officers stand over Scott. It's unclear if they are checking him for weapons or attempting to give first aid.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said Friday that there is footage from at least one police body camera and one dashboard camera that shows the shooting. The family of Scott, 43, was shown that footage Thursday and demanded that police release it to the public.

Putney said Friday that releasing the footage of Scott's death could inflame the situation. He has said previously that the video will be made public when he believes there is a "compelling reason" to do so.

"It's a personal struggle, but I have to do what I think is best for my community," Putney said.

During the same news conference, Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts said she believes the video should be released, but "the question is on the timing."

Charlotte is the latest U.S. city to be shaken by protests and recriminations over the death of a black man at the hands of police, a list that includes Baltimore, Milwaukee, Chicago, New York and Ferguson, Missouri.

Earlier in the week, the Charlotte protests turned violent, with demonstrators attacking reporters and others, setting fires and smashing windows of hotels, office buildings and restaurants.

Forty-four people were arrested after Wednesday's protests, and one protester who was shot died at the hospital Thursday. City officials said police did not shoot 26-year-old Justin Carr. A suspect was arrested, but police provided few details.

On Thursday, protests were largely peaceful after National Guard members came to the city to help keep order and the mayor imposed a curfew.

On Friday, a choir from The Citadel Church in Greensboro stood a street corner singing spirituals for two hours, drawing a crowd of curious onlookers who were moved enough to clap along.

The Rev. Gregory Drumwright directed the choir of approximately two dozen, saying they wanted to be "vessels of peace, vessels of righteousness, not rage."

YWCA of Western Mass. to participate in Purple Purse Challenge for Domestic Violence Awareness Month

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The nonprofit has organized a number of events, including a clothesline project in Court Square, hosting an Attorney General's informational meeting on victim compensation and has been chosen to participate in the Allstate Foundation Purple Purse Challenge to raise money in support of its services to survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.

SPRINGFIELD - In conjunction with Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, the YWCA of Western Massachusetts has organized a number of events, including a clothesline project in Court Square, hosting an Attorney General's informational meeting on victim compensation, and a poetry night benefit.

It has also been chosen to participate in the Allstate Foundation Purple Purse Challenge that will help the YWCA raise money for its services to survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault, as well as be eligible for money from the foundation.

"The need is bottomless. We are going to do our best to raise as much as we can," said Elizabeth Dineen of the YWCA's our crowdrise fundraiser page that will be operational from Sept. 28 through Oct. 25.

elizabeth dineen handout art.jpgElizabeth Dineen 

Funds raised will also help make the YWCA eligible for monetary awards from the foundation that aids programs that help to financially empower domestic abuse survivors.

"There is a lot of economic violence, meaning one partner trying to control all the money and access to all the money in a relationship. That is the point of the Purple Purse in the campaign, the point of being economically empowered and not being controlled by someone else," said Dineen, a former Hampden County assistant district attorney who now heads the YWCA.

Purple has been the color associated with campaigns to stop domestic violence, and actress Kerry Washington serves as ambassador for the foundation's campaign. The process for organizations to participate in the national campaign is a competitive one, and Dineen said Shanique Spalding, director of donors, and Cheryn Powell, director of grants and strategic partnerships, prepared the YWCA application.

Dineen said the YWCA does both in-house as well as in-the-community financial workshops with women dealing with budgeting, banking, and saving.

Dineen became executive director of the YWCA in January. The nonprofit is the state's largest provider of both domestic violence services and services to pregnant and parenting teens. Its hotline alone receives more than 10,000 calls annually.

Dineen sees the month of domestic violence awareness events as an opportunity to advance the YWCA's mission.

"In addition to raising awareness, we want more people to know that we are here and we want to assist," said the former Hampden County prosecutor.

The YWCA's 11-acre campus on Clough Street includes a 48-bed emergency shelter as well as a 28-apartment, supportive housing project for parenting teens and survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. It also offers a residential substance abuse and mental health program for victims of domestic abuse and their children in Westfield. It has a residential program for 14 parenting teens and their babies in Holyoke and has support services in several other communities, including Northampton, Huntington, Belchertown and Palmer.

Community events scheduled during Domestic Violence Awareness Month by the YWCA include an informal talk on victim compensation Oct. 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the YWCA, 1 Clough St.; the Clothesline Project for Domestic Violence Awareness, on Oct. 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Court Square; a poetry night Oct. 20, from 7 to 9, at the YWCA, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m., and tickets $20; and a candlelight vigil, Oct. 27, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Springfield Technical Community College, 1 Armory Square.

Dineen said members of the Attorney General's office will explain how funds are available to victims of domestic abuse and sexual assault and will also be available to meet one-on-one with attendees.

"When people are victims of crime, there is a fund in the state they can seek out for out-of-pocket expenses, like hospital bills, or for taxi or bus fees, if they have to go to court. There are opportunities to be given money to help with the continued prosecution of the crime once it is proven someone was a victim of a crime," Dineen said.

She added that she has previously attended the Clothesline Project in Court Square, where people share, on a T-shirt, their story or thoughts on domestic abuse.

"They have been well attended by people interested in the topic and people with an unfortunate experience with it. They come together to raise awarneness for the rest of the community about how pervasive it is," Dineen said.

Emily Barber, Dineen's executive assistant who also handles communications, added that the T-shirts would be brought to the vigil to conclude the month.

The YWCA is also looking for donations of winter clothing for babies, children, teens and women. For more information, call (413) 732-3121

Springfield Police arrest Northampton man accused of taunting officers during a 3-city chase

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Joshua Salaam is being accused of swerving at police cruisers and taunting foot patrol officers in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD - A Northampton man accused of taunting police officers and trying to strike multiple cruisers was arrested Sunday morning following a three-city police chase.

Joshua Salaam, 25, of Northampton, was stopped at around 9:20 a.m. at the intersection of Sumner and Fort Pleasant avenues and arrested. He is facing multiple charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and driving to endanger, Springfield Lt. Thomas Zarelli said.

The investigation is ongoing and Salaam could also face charges of driving while under the influence of drugs, he said.

"He began approaching and taunting officers. He was pulling up and honking and waving at foot patrol officers trying to get them to stop him," Zarelli said.

Springfield Police first tried pull over Salaam shortly after 8 a.m. on Parker Street on suspicion of causing a property damage accident. He sped away and eventually drove into Ludlow, where police lost sight of him, he said.

Springfield Police then put out a bulletin asking officers here and in surrounding communities to be on the lookout for the car. At about 8:55 a.m., the driver was spotted again by Springfield and Massachusetts State Police.

When Springfield Police attempted to pull over the car, the driver allegedly came close to striking a police cruiser. He then fled down Columbus Avenue and drove onto Interstate 91 northbound, State Police Sgt. Angelo Valentini said.

The driver then led police on a chase on Interstate-91 through West Springfield and Holyoke.

"He attempted to ram state police cruisers on the highway," Valentini said. "There was highly erratic operation and speeding."

The driver reached speeds of 75 to 80 miles an hour during the chase on Interstate 91, he said.

The driver then exited Interstate 91 in Holyoke and attempted to strike a Holyoke Police cruiser in the Route 5 area near the Yankee Pedlar, Holyoke Police Lt. David Fournier said.

"He drove into the path of the oncoming cruiser, causing him to have to swerve," he said.

Holyoke Police had limited involvement with the chase and called off officers quickly for safety reasons, he said.

Springfield and State Police also aborted the chase at different times during the chase because they did not want to endanger other motorists, police said.

The driver then drove back onto Interstate 91, this time heading southbound and the Massachusetts State Police with a number of police cruisers and the Massachusetts State Police Airwing helicopter picked up the chase again, Valentini said.

The driver exited Interstate 91 in Springfield and allegedly started taunting police and swerving toward them, Zarelli said.

"When he kept approaching officers and swerving into oncoming traffic it became a public safety issue and we had to continue," he said.

Springfield and State Police officers eventually were able to stop Salaam at the intersection of Fort Pleasant and Sumner avenues, he said.

"When he was taken into custody he tried to initiate a confrontation implying he had a weapon and officers were able to use less than lethal force to take him into custody," Zarelli said.

Police commanders praised officers for making the arrest safely and by regulation.

Salaam is scheduled to be arraigned in Springfield District Court on Monday.


Providence Ministries Service Network looking for volunteers, donors

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Providence Ministries Service Network has put out a call for volunteers and donations for Kate's Kitchen, Magaret's Pantry and St. Jude's Clothing Center in Holyoke.

Providence Ministries Service Network has put out a call for volunteers and donations for Kate's Kitchen, Magaret's Pantry and St. Jude's Clothing Center in Holyoke.

brenda.jpgBrenda Lamagdeleine 

For 31 years, the Providence Ministries Service Network has served as a nonprofit hub in the Holyoke area, dedicating its efforts toward providing food, clothing and shelter to people in need.

Kate's Kitchen, which provides noon meals year round, and Margaret's Pantry, which gives referred families up to 75 pounds of food once a month, feed hundreds of individuals and families year-round.

St. Jude's Clothing Center, at 56 Cabot St., supplies clothing and other items to fire victims in Western Massachusetts, children in need and homeless people at small or no cost.

With the winter months approaching, Providence Ministries will see an increase in need and occupancy in within their locations.

According to Brenda Lamagdeleine, manager of Magaret's Pantry, each program has seen a dramatic decline in volunteers, as well as food and goods.

"Without volunteers we can't do our jobs," said Lamagdeleine. "I've been here for 10 years and the last time I'd seen a decline like this was five years ago."

Last year, Kate's Kitchen fed more than 61,000 individuals, while Margaret's Pantry provided for just shy of 6,000 families and St. Judes' Clothing Center served nearly 3,000.
Providence Ministries is looking for 25 volunteers to help at Kate's Kitchen on 51 Hamilton Street in Holyoke from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. throughout the week.

Volunteers are also welcome to assist with Margaret's Pantry during regular hours and St. Jude's Clothing Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.

According to Lamagdeleine, donations are also needed at the nonprofit in the form of food, clothing and money. Donors providing monetary donations can dictate where the money is used and how.

"(A donor's) dollar can go a lot further if we use it, than if they go using it," said Lamagdeleine. "We can get double and we can stretch it."

From charitable foundation questions to Bono criticism: Everything you need to know about the past week in the 2016 presidential race

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Ahead of their first debate, Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton hit the campaign trail hard this week as they looked to shore up support among certain groups of voters.

Ahead of their first presidential debate, Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton hit the campaign trail hard this week as they looked to shore up support among certain groups of voters.

Despite attempting to focus on policies and other issues in the final weeks before the November election, both candidates continued to face criticism over controversies that have long plagued their respective campaigns.

Trump, for example, faced additional scrutiny over alleged payments from his charitable foundation. He also drew new pushback from minority communities over comments he made when attempting to woo African-American voters.

Clinton also drew continued criticism from Republicans over her own family's charitable foundation and her record as secretary of state -- despite her campaign's efforts to reach out to younger voters.

Here's what happened in presidential politics this week:

Robert Kennedy's daughter said former President George H.W. Bush plans to vote for Clinton.

Kathleen Hartington Kennedy Townsend posted a photo of herself with the former Republican president on Facebook Monday captioned, "The president told me he's voting for Hillary!"

Jim McGrath, Bush's spokesman, did not confirm or deny the claim, tweeting "It's not clear anyone was there to verify (Townsend). Still checking, keep your powder dry."

He, however, stressed that any vote cast by the former commander-in-chief will be simply that of a private citizen.

"The vote President Bush will cast as a private citizen in some 50 days will be just that: a private vote cast in some 50 days," he said in an email to the New York Times. "He is not commenting on the presidential race in the interim."

News of Bush's alleged support marked the latest Republican to get behind the Democratic presidential nominee.

Bono criticized Trump, and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren accused Trump of inciting violence.

The U2 frontman accused the Republican presidential nominee Tuesday of "trying to hijack" the idea of America, telling "CBS This Morning" that he believes the businessman poses a threat the the concept of "equality and justice for all" that the U.S. represents.

"America is like the best idea the world ever came up with," he said. "But Donald Trump is potentially the worst idea that ever happened to America. Potentially."

Meanwhile Warren, who has publicly sparred with the businessman throughout the 2016 election cycle, contended that Trump's recent suggestion that the Secret Service's guns be taken away to see what happens to Clinton represents yet another reason why he is not qualified to take over the White House.

"What else do you think he means when he says, 'Let her protection -- the Secret Service -- lay down their arms, then let's see what happens?'" she said in a late-Monday MSNBC interview.

Reports surfaced suggesting that Trump used money from his charity to settle legal issues.

A Washington Post review of legal documents released Tuesday found that Trump reportedly used more than a quarter-million dollars from his charity to settle disputes, including one involving unpaid fines of his Mar-a-Lago Club and a lawsuit against one of his golf courses in New York.

According to the Post, Trump reportedly sent a $100,000 check from the Donald J. Trump Foundation to a specific charity for veterans as part of a 2007 settlement between his Mar-a-Lago Club and the town of Palm Beach, Florida.

Under the agreement, the town pledged to waive the club's $120,000 in unpaid fines, which resulted from a dispute over a flagpole size, if Mar-a-Lago made a $100,000 donation to the Fisher House, the newspaper reported.

Trump's New York golf course, in another case, reportedly agreed to settle a lawsuit by making a donation to a specific charity. The Trump Foundation made a $158,000 donation, the Post found.

The GOP nominee's campaign pushed back against the claims Wednesday, arguing that the newspaper got its facts wrong.

"The Post's reporting is peppered with inaccuracies and omissions from a biased reporter who is clearly intent on distracting attention away from the corrupt Clinton Foundation, a vehicle for the Clintons to peddle influence at the expense of the American people," campaign spokesman Jason Miller said in a statement.

Clinton blasted Wells Fargo and touted her plan to address abusive banking practices.

The Democratic presidential nominee condemned Wells Fargo Tuesday over reports that it opened accounts without customer consent, arguing that "there is simply no place for this kind of outrageous behavior in America."

Clinton, who blasted the bank's practices in an open letter to Wells Fargo customers, stressed that she has a plan to address such unfair and abusive behavior and ensure a strong, safe banking system.

Saying she was "deeply disturbed" to find out that Wells Fargo engaged in widespread illegal practices, Clinton contended that the country must defend the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which helps to uncover illegal banking activity.

Clinton pledged to enhance accountability on Wall Street and to hold executives individually accountable when illegal activities happen on their watch.

Trump drew criticism after claiming that African-American communities are in the "worst shape ever."

Looking to win over minority voters, the Republican presidential nominee told a North Carolina audience Tuesday that the country's "African-American communities are absolutely in the worst shape they've ever been in before. Ever, ever, ever."

"You take a look at the inner cities, you get no education, you get no jobs, you get shot walking down the street," he said. "They're worse, I mean honestly, places like Afghanistan are safer than some of our inner cities. ... I say to the African-American people who have to suffer in these inner cities, what do you have to lose? I'm going to fix it."

The businessman's remarks sparked criticism and were accused of ignoring slavery and segregation.

NAACP President Cornell William Brooks said Trump's comments demonstrated "an insulting degree of ignorance and/or insensitivity," CNN reported. "We expect more from our presidential candidates," he added.

Clinton promoted her plan to help the poor in a New York Times opinion piece.

Arguing that more must be done to help Americans climb out of the recent economic recession, the Democratic presidential nominee detailed how she would address poverty in the U.S. in a Wednesday opinion piece in the New York Times.

Clinton pledged to prioritize efforts to increase economic growth and make it easier for Americans to find jobs that pay well.

The former first lady further said she will work with leaders from both parties to make a historic investment in jobs in infrastructure, manufacturing, technology, innovation, small business and clean energy.

Contrasting her plan to Trump's, Clinton contended that the GOP nominee would divide the country and his economic plans "would overwhelmingly benefit the wealthiest Americans."

"This November, the American people will have to choose between an economy that works for everyone and an economy that benefits the well-off at the expense of everyone else," she wrote. "The choice couldn't be clearer."

The Dalai Lama imitated Trump, mocking his hair and mouth.

The spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, during a Thursday morning interview on "Good Morning Britain," told Piers Morgan that he had never met the businessman and does not know what to think of him.

However, the Dalai Lama imitated the GOP nominee, poking fun at his hair and mouth. The Dalai Lama placed his hand over his forehead to mimic Trump's trademark hair before using his fingers to gesture a "small," fast-moving mouth.

"That's my impression, but I don't know," he said.

Clinton poked fun at her email scandal and Trump on "Between Two Ferns."

Looking to reach younger voters, Clinton discussed the historic significance of her White House run, poked fun at scandals plaguing her campaign and took jabs at Trump as part of a "Funny or Die" parody interview released Thursday.

Clinton sat down with actor Zach Galifianakis as part of a segment on "Between Two Ferns," a comedy web series President Barack Obama has previously appeared on to reach so-called millennials.

The interview poked fun at controversy and criticism Clinton has faced for using a private email server as secretary of state.

"This has been fun, Mrs. Clinton, let's stay in touch. What's the best way to reach you, email?" Galifianakis joked, garnering no response from the Democratic nominee.

Galifianakis further baited Clinton to criticize her Republican opponent, asking the former first lady if she has considered being "more racist" -- to which she did not respond -- and if she plans to leave the country if Trump is elected president.

Trump said Clinton is not leading in 2016 presidential race because she's 'terrible.'

The Republican presidential nominee called his rival "terrible" Thursday, contending that the reason the former first lady is unable to pull ahead of him in the polls is due to her poor record of decision-making.

The businessman's criticism of Clinton came as he responded to a question she recently posed to union workers about why she isn't "50 points ahead" in the presidential race. "Because she's terrible," he told "Fox and Friends" as he blasted his opponent's political record during a morning telephone interview.

"Everything she touches is bad. You look at what's going on with Libya, and you look at the surge, and you look at all of her decisions," he said. "And you look at the Iran deal -- which is one of the dumbest deals I've ever seen, which she started and she totally backs, by the way, I mean, in its completed form, she totally backs. You look at everything she touched, I mean, it's just a mess."

Trump and Clinton took the lead in conflicting polls.

The Republican nominee and his Democratic rival were respectively declared the front-runners in a pair of national polls released Thursday.

The surveys, from Rasmussen Reports and NBC News/The Wall Street Journal, offered conflicting views on the close race between the two White House hopefuls heading into the final weeks of the campaign.

The Rasmussen poll, which surveyed 1,000 likely voters from Sept. 20 to 21, gave Trump a 5 point advantage over Clinton, with 44 percent saying they'd back the GOP nominee compared to just 39 percent supporting his Democratic rival.

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, however, gave Clinton a 5 point lead among registered voters, with 42 percent saying they'd support her and 37 percent saying they'd back Trump -- down from the 43 to 34 percent advantage she enjoyed in mid-August.

Cookie-intensive 'Fork It Over' fundraiser to help Girl Scouts coming to Holyoke

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Tickets are available for a fundraiser to help the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts at an event featuring local chefs competing by making dishes that incorporate Girl Scouts cookies on Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2016 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Delaney House at 1 Country Club Way in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

HOLYOKE -- Local chefs will use Girl Scout cookies in making dishes at a competition-fundraiser to benefit the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Delaney House at 1 Country Club Way, off Route 5.

The event is open to the public.

Tickets are $30 each or two for $50 by advance purchase and will be available at the door at the $30 price. Tickets also can be bought online at the website of the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts.

"Chefs will create and present their dessert or appetizer to the public and a distinguished panel of judges ...," a press release said Friday.

Chefs from the following establishments are scheduled to participate: Cafe Evolution, Chandler's Restaurant, Gateway City Bistro, Herrell's Ice Cream, Holyoke Community College Nutrition Department, Papp's Bar & Grill and Pete's Sweets, the press release said.

Chefs will be asked to create approximately 250 bite-size portions of their creations for guests to taste. Tables and linens will be provided for chefs to display their dishes and advertise their businesses, the press release said.

The judges will be Mark Wickar of The Delaney House, Mike Plaisance of The Republican and Paulette Billiel, a member of the Girl Scouts' board of directors, the press release said.

The Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts includes 8,500 girls in grades kindergarten to 12 with nearly 4,000 adult volunteers in 186 cities and towns, the press release said.

For more information call 800-462-9100 or 413-584-2602 or send email to mbonsu@gscwm.org

Florence Bank plans West Springfield branch; Springfield College president's payout discussed: 5 business stories you might have missed

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The Florence Bank branch in West Springfield will be the bank's first office in Hampden County.

SPRINGFIELD -- Florence Bank plans to put a full-service branch in a new shopping center developed by Colvest at the former site of St. Ann Roman Catholic Church on Memorial Avenue in West Springfield.

That was just one of the business stories you might have missed this week.

1) Florence Bank plans West Springfield branch, further expansion

Florence Bank, established in 1873 and headquartered in the Florence section of Northampton, has had a loan office in West Springfield since 2007 and has a marketing relationship with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. Florence has an ATM at the hoop shrine.

2) Springfield College defends $4M retirement payout for former president Richard Flynn

Flynn received $3.9 million in reportable compensation, generally defined as salary, and $110,992 in other compensation, which can include insurance and other benefits.

3) ConEdison opens Westfield solar farm; 8K panels capable of powering 300 homes (photos, video)

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito joined officials from ConEdison Development and the city of Westfield Tuesday to formally open a $6 million solar farm at 219 Russellville Road capable of producing 2 megawatts of power, or enough for 300 homes.

The project, which is up and running now, occupies 10 reclaimed acres of a 30-acre site that was once a sand pit and dumping ground for construction debris.

4) $20M auction of spare parts from Vermont Yankee nuclear plant includes welding equipment, 420 pounds of baking soda

The power plant was shut down in 2014. The sale includes all sorts of spare parts and hand tools, as well as 420 pounds of baking soda kept on hand to battle chemical spills and which presumably kept the place smelling fresh.

5) MBTA proposal could lead to more business for Springfield rail car manufacturer, but no decisions final yet

A new deal to build an additional 86 Red Line cars would be on top of a $566 million deal to manufacture a total of 284 subway cars for the MBTA, Greater Boston's mass transit system.

Presidential debate: What time does it start and where can I watch it?

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Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton will go toe-to-toe for the first time Monday, as they kick off a series of presidential debates ahead of November's general election.

Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton will go toe-to-toe for the first time Monday, as they kick off a series of presidential debates ahead of November's general election.

With polls putting the candidates largely neck-and-neck, the first debate represents an important opportunity for either candidate to gain momentum needed to propel their campaign in the final weeks of the race.

For Trump, who participated in crowded Republican primary debates, Monday's forum will mark the businessman's first time going one-on-one with an opponent on the debate stage.

With no other distractions aside from his seasoned rival, it remains to be seen how the GOP nominee will approach the debate.

For Clinton, who squared off against just U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders in several primary debates, meanwhile, the forum will mark the former secretary of state's first time going head-to-head with such an outsider candidate.

Trump's unique debate style, which largely ignored political norms, threw several of his primary opponents off balance and, in some cases, off the campaign trail -- a fate Clinton is looking to avoid.

Here's what you need to know to tune in to the first presidential debate.

WHAT TIME WILL IT START?

The debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, will begin at 9 p.m. Monday and run through 10:30 p.m.

WHERE CAN I WATCH IT?

The debate will be broadcast live on major TV networks, including ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC. It will also be shown on C-SPAN, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC.

WILL IT STREAM ONLINE?

ABC News and Facebook are partnering to broadcast the debate, as well as commentary before and after, live on the social media platform.

Other livestreams of the debate will be available on ABC News, Buzzfeed News, CBS News, CNN, C-SPAN, The Daily Caller, Fox News, Hulu, Huffington Post, NBC, PBS, Politico, Telemundo, The Wall Street Journal, Twitter, Univision, Yahoo and YouTube.

WILL THIRD-PARTY CANDIDATES PARTICIPATE?

Green Party nominee Jill Stein and Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson will not join Trump and Clinton on the debate stage Monday.

The Commission on Presidential Debates announced earlier this month that Johnson and Stein failed to meet the 15 percent threshold in polling support needed to earn a debate spot.

WHO WILL MODERATE THE DEBATE?

NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt has been selected to serve as moderator for the first of the three presidential debates, CPD announced.

WHAT WILL THE TOPICS BE?

The first presidential debate is expected to focus on three major subjects: America's direction, achieving prosperity and securing America, according to the CPD. The topics, however, could be subject to change due to news developments.

HOW WILL IT BE STRUCTURED?

The debate will be divided into six 15-minute-long segments focusing on the major topics. The moderator will open each segment with a question, to which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. Candidates will then have the opportunity to respond to each other, according to the CPD.

WHEN IS THE NEXT DEBATE?

The next presidential debate will take place Oct. 9 at Washington University in St. Louis.

Vice presidential candidates will square off Oct. 4 at Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia.

Longtime WMUA polka show host moves to WHMP for expanded show

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Todd Zaganiacz will host "Polka Carousel" on the Northampton radio station with his mother beginning Oct. 2.

AMHERST -- One of the last polka show hosts at the University of Massachusetts' WMUA radio station will host his last show Sunday, then move to WHMP in Northampton, where he will again have four hours on the air.

In January, WMUA reduced the number of hours of community programming, and with that cut polka programming from 12 to four hours a week.

Zaganiacz's "Polka Carousel" aired from 8 to 10 a.m., followed by "Polka Celebration" with Helen Curtin from 10 to noon. Both shows had been three hours long prior to the change.

Beginning Oct. 2, "Polka Carousel," which Zaganiacz hosts with his mother, Sandy Zaganiacz, will air Sundays from 8 a.m. to noon on WHMP.

"We are thrilled to be returning polka music to WHMP along with the expansion from our current two-hour weekly program to a four hour show every Sunday morning," Zaganiacz said in a press release.

In an email followup, he wrote that the two-hour program at WMUA wasn't long enough.

"With all the requests, dedications and phone calls we get each week (two hours) just doesn't seem to be enough time. Moving to WHMP with the now expanded four-hour show will give us a better depth of time for our listeners," he wrote.

Zaganiacz has been at WMUA for nine years. 

"This will also expand our listenership in areas that WMUA's signal would not reach," he said. 

Zaganiacz also wrote that WHMP "for many years was home to polka shows till the last host had passed on. In many respects, polka on WHMP was a tradition we are thrilled to bring back."

"WHMP strives to both serve and be a reflection of the communities we serve," David J. Musante, general manager of the Northampton Radio Group, said in the press release.

"We are blessed with a proud Polish heritage in Western Massachusetts," he said. "Nothing could be more appropriate, nor could we be more thrilled to have Todd with us and polka back on our airwaves."

Thousands of listeners signed a petition asking that polka programming be restored to 12 hours on WMUA. Some who had donated to the radio station because of the programming asked for their money back. But UMass did not reverse the decision. 

The changes were made following a review of the station that had faced outside scrutiny since April of 2015. The changes meant non-student programming was cut from 36 to 24 hours as the station became student-focused.

Salsarengue Restaurant & Seafood holding fundraiser for Kate's Kitchen in Holyoke

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Salsarengue Restaurant & Seafood at 392 High St. in Holyoke, Massachusetts will hold its second annual fundraiser to help Kate's Kitchen, a soup kitchen located at 51 Hamilton St., on Oct. 1 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

HOLYOKE -- Salsarengue Restaurant & Seafood at 392 High St. will hold its second annual fundraiser to help Kate's Kitchen on Oct. 1 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

"Come join us for a delicious buffet and enjoy the entertainment of local musicians. A $10 donation per plate is recommended," a press release said Thursday.

Kate's Kitchen at 51 Hamilton St. serves a noontime meal for free 365 days a year to anyone who shows up. The soup kitchen was founded in 1980 by the Sisters of Providence and is a program of Providence Ministries Service Network.

Owner Jose O. Bou has run Salsarengue Restaurant for more than a decade.

Providence Ministries is in "desperate need" of food, clothing and volunteers for Kate's Kitchen and its other programs here, the organization said in a press release Monday.

salsa.kates.jpgSalsarengue Restaurant at 392 High St. in Holyoke, Massachusetts, top, will hold a fundraiser on Oct. 1 from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. to benefit Kate's Kitchen at 51 Hamilton St., below. 

'Operation Dirty Dope' traces heroin path from Mexico to Leominster

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NEW YORK, NY— With the unsealing of indictments in a New York federal court Friday, the Drug Enforcement Administration revealed a long-term operation to trace and disrupt the flow of heroin from Mexico to central Massachusetts. For more than 18 months "Operation Dirty Dope" accounted for the arrest of over 25 cartel members, and the confiscation of 33 kilos...

NEW YORK, NY— With the unsealing of indictments in a New York federal court Friday, the Drug Enforcement Administration revealed a long-term operation to trace and disrupt the flow of heroin from Mexico to central Massachusetts.

For more than 18 months "Operation Dirty Dope" accounted for the arrest of over 25 cartel members, and the confiscation of 33 kilos of heroin, 2 kilos of fentanyl and smaller quantities of cocaine, all with a street value of more than $13 million.

Started in April of 2015, the operation accounted for the arrests of dealers in New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Arizona and New Jersey, the Beacon Hill Patch reported.

According to the indictments, heroin produced in Mexico traveled to Tucson, Arizona over the national border. Cars with specially constructed compartments were driven to transport the drugs to the Northeast. then distributed by networks in New York City, Pennsylvania and on into Leominster in central Massachusetts. From there the drugs moved east into the Boston area.

The operation also detailed some of the cartel's business decisions.Wiretaps recorded cartel members discussing what types of fillers could be used to stretch the heroin, chicken anesthetic, nail polish remover, roach killer, fentanyl and other products, that could bulk up and extend pure heroin and make it more profitable. Allegedly, the cartel members used human heroin addicts as guinea pigs to test out various fillers with little regard for the lives of the addicts.

"Opioid abuse is at epidemic levels in Massachusetts," DEA Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Ferguson said in a press release. "The DEA is committed to aggressively pursuing drug trafficking organizations who are coming from out of state to distribute this poison across Massachusetts in order to profit and destroy people's lives and wreak havoc in our communities." .

Western Mass. Veteran Stand Down offers array of services

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The 27th Western Massachusetts Veteran Stand Down Springfield will be held Sept. 30 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Greek Cultural Center, 22 St. George Road.

SPRINGFIELD - The 27th Western Massachusetts Veteran Stand Down Springfield will be held Sept. 30 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Greek Cultural Center, 22 St. George Road.

The event has attracted several hundred veterans in past years and helps them access an array of legal, financial and health services from dozens of expected participating providers including the U.S. Department of Veterans Administration, the Springfield Vet Center, and other state and federal entities like the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles and Social Security Administration.

Other participants will provide services like haircuts.

There will be an opening ceremony honoring Vietnam Veterans at 8:30 a.m. Coffee and donuts will be served at 8 a.m., and a light lunch at 1 p.m.

Veterans are asked to bring their DD Form 214. The DD214, used by the Department of Defense since 1950, is a veteran's certificate of discharge.

Stand Downs are one or three-day events held across the country and combined the resources of government and community based agencies that serve veterans. They are seen as collaborative efforts to help veterans from all branches of the armed services, and as needed outreach to homeless veterans in getting referrals for assistance in such areas housing, medical benefits, mental health counseling and employment.

According to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, the first Stand Down was held in San Diego in 1988. It is modeled after a concept used during the Vietnam War to provide soldiers returning from combat operations services some relief at a secure base.

The coalition says the event in communities is based "on the philosophy of a 'hand up, not a hand out'" for veterans, with its core aim to provide "homeless veterans with a safe place to rest, recover, and connect with each other."

According to the coalition's website, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates that 39,471 veterans are homeless on any given night.

In July, Governor Charlie Baker signed into law the HOME Act, which provides "additional support for members of the Armed Services, veterans, gold star families, and the Commonwealth's two Soldiers' Homes."

Recently dedicated housing for veterans in the Pioneer Valley include Soldier On's first homeless veterans ownership housing on a VA campus, and its new Women and Children's Housing Unit. The housing was built in collaboration with the VA Central Western Massachusetts Health Care System, and is located on the VA's Leeds campus in the Leeds section of Northampton.

Soldier On, which recently was awarded a $750,000 federal grant to provide further housing for homeless and at risk veterans, recently converted a vacant elementary school, in Chicopee, to a 43-apartment home for homeless veterans.

According to federal government statistics, there are some 379,772 war and peace time veterans living in Massachusetts. The majority of wartime veterans living in Massachusetts are from the Vietnam War and number some 125,737. There are some 86,393 veterans from the Gulf War.

Greenfield house fire kills 3 adults, 1 child

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The cause and origin of the fire is under investigation.

GREENFIELD - Three adults and a child died in an early morning house fire Sunday.

The fire started at about 5:16 a.m. in a single-family home on 140 Meridian St. The initial 911 call reported a house fire with heavy smoke and residents trapped, Greenfield Police said.

"Crews found heavy fire on arrival and attempted to gain entry into the building but the fire was too intense and they were forced out of the structure," police said.

State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey and Greenfield Fire Chief Robert Strahan said four people died in the blaze. The names and ages of the victims have not been released yet.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will formally identify the victims, Ostroskey said.

Investigators from the Greenfield Fire Department, the Greenfield Police Department and State Police assigned to the Office of the State Fire Marshal and to the Office of the Northwestern District Attorney are investigating the origin and cause of the fire.

Three Sisters of St. Joseph look back 5 decades

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They stayed, but the others who took a different path remain in their heart. This sentiment is part of the 50th anniversary celebration for Sisters of St. Joseph Mary T. Quinn, Joan Ryzewicz and Sally Marsh

SPRINGFIELD – They stayed, but they say the others who took a different path remain "in our hearts." This sentiment is part of the 50th anniversary celebration for Sisters of St. Joseph Mary T. Quinn, Joan Ryzewicz and Sally Marsh. The women religious, who entered the Springfield congregation after high school with 33 others in 1966, are the ones who remain from their entering class after five decades, though they hope some of their former members will join them on Oct. 2.

The motto of their Golden Jubilee reflects a shared vision in the words of St. Francis of Assisi, "The journey is essential to the dream," and the recognition that the Second Vatican Council, in its call to those in religious life to broaden their ministries, in this case teaching in diocesan and parish schools, prompted some congregation members to leave and fill their dream on a different path.

The evolution of the three women's lives reflects the history of many congregations of women religious, both locally and nationally. They entered at a time of the peak of vocations, and were the first to live and study at Mont Marie, the congregation's campus like motherhouse in Holyoke.

Daily routine was structured - early morning prayers in the chapel, personal discussions of the day's scripture reading and Mass, chores, and college classes on site.

No one could envision that 48 years later the complex would be sold to help ease the financial burden of such a large complex, and an aging congregation whose members had worked years in diocesan schools and parishes without compensation.

sallymarsh.jpgSister of St. Joseph Sally Marsh, a North Adams native who is celebrating 50 years with the Springfield order, is recuperating from recent surgery at a Framingham facility of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston. 

Marsh would be among the 30 retired Sisters of St. Joseph relocated to the Boston area after the sale of Mont Marie in 2014. The congregation is still able to use the chapel there, which is where the women will celebrate their 50 years.

Still, the three women, reflecting a general sentiment among their order, say they have no regrets in their five-decade commitment to the vowed life, despite challenges within the institutional Church and difficult personal times along the way. They were all inspired to enter by the Sisters of St. Joseph who had taught them, and envisioned themselves as teachers.

"I just loved their spirit. They were happy. They were dedicated. They laughed a lot, generally, and that really inspired me to become one of them. I originally wanted to join the Sisters of St. Anne, as I had them for piano lessons as a child, but that changed when I met the Sisters of St. Joseph, " said Marsh, a North Adams native who entered at the age of 18.

She stayed because, from the beginning, she was "excited" about the changes in the post Vatican II era of the 1960s, which eventually saw women religious in modified habits and then regular clothes, live outside convents and pursue ministries that brought them more in contact with daily life.

"I saw these changes happening in community life, and that kept me staying as well as the relationships I had in community," Marsh said.

Quinn, who grew up in Rhode Island had the Sisters of St. Joseph in high school.

"I was drawn to the spirit of the sisters. In my family there is a great commitment to public service, faithfulness and doing good and being concerned with the larger community, so that was within me, and I saw that in the sisters. One of the sisters I had said she thought I had a vocation and that I ought to consider it," she said.

Quinn added she didn't admit having a vocation to herself or her parents for awhile, but then "one thing led to another," including meeting with the mother superior of the congregation, and she "ended up at Mont Marie in Holyoke."

She said the first years were "difficult," away from family and friends.

"Ironically, the sister who encouraged me to enter the congregation left three years later," Quinn recalled.

"So, when you talk about trying to respond to a call at a very young age, and then seeing someone who was a real mentor in lots of ways, leave the community, it was a very difficult time."

She calls her decision to enter at 18, when she had been accepted into college, a bit "naive" and not "well thought out." She shared some of her misgivings early on with her father.

"He came for a visit and he said to me, 'Well, Mary, some of the things that are hardest to do are the most important and end up meaning the most.' I had never forgot that. It kept me going," Quinn said.

"I was never at the point of thinking: 'This is not for me.' The longer I lived the life, the more it felt like this was the place I belonged. Vocation is really about responding to God freely. This is what I think it is about. This life has to bring you freedom, and if it doesn't, you are in the wrong place. The lifestyle has enabled me to be of service to other people, and not have other things get in the way of that."

Ryzewicz added that, while 29 of those who entered with them would leave and one classmate would die young, she said the women bonded together, as well as with the two classes of about 120 novices ahead of them.

"We laughed together, we cried together, we prayed together. I still look back on those days and think they pulled me through," Ryzewicz said.

"Even though the others in our class went on their own journey, they will always be a part of our journey and in our hearts and some of them will be at the celebration hopefully."

The mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph, which dates back 350 years to France where members cared for the orphaned, the sick and the poor, is that "all may be one."

Sometimes, Quinn noted, this meant challenges both within as well as outside the order.

"Our class was one of the first to challenge structured life. We entered at the time of Vatican II. John XXIII was opening the windows of the Church and we were caught in the middle of that," Quinn said.

"The old structures were dying and we were one of the first groups to start asking a lot of questions, like 'Why do we need to do this?' The women who worked with us were not used to this. It was a change for them as well. They lived a very rigid structure."

Ryzewicz, a Springfield native who entered at age 17, said the impact of others leaving met that those who stayed had to "really clarify what was good for me."

"I had also entered because of the spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph I had at Cathedral High School. They were amazing women. I always wanted to be a teacher and I thought this was a great way to be a teacher. It was not a profound spiritual awakening that I had," she said.

"My father thought I was going through a fad, and everyone I knew was telling me to wait until after college. But, when you are 17, and graduating, you have a strong mind of your own."

Ryzewicz said she evaluated her decision to stay partly on whether she was happy going out to teach each morning.

"Could I wake up in the morning and go into school and teach? Was the whole system working for me?," Ryzewicz said.

"It seemed both the Church and our community were on the move. The doors of the Church were opening up, but our community was changing very rapidly. I saw these changes as allowing me to become more myself."

Quinn, who has a background in counseling as well as a master's of divinity degree, added that changes that brought women religious more in contact with the laity allowed the laity "to get to know us as people, as women who were like they were, trying to respond to the call of the Gospel."

The dreams of all three have shifted from teaching over the years. For the past four years, Quinn has been program coordinator for the Out of County Reentry Services at the Western Massachusetts Regional Women's Correctional Center, in Chicopee, and at the Western Mass Correctional Addiction Center in Holyoke.

The about-to-be-released inmates do not always know she is a women religious, and that is fine with Quinn, who has served as president of her congregation.

"I work there as Mary Quinn. People find out, of course, that I am a nun, but what I have learned is that our charism of uniting neighbor with neighbor, as a Sister of St. Joseph, is really what enables me to do that, " Quinn said.

"Sometimes people ask me if I am a sister, but it can't be a barrier. For some people, if you are a nun, it raises all sorts of wonderful images. For other people, it is: "Forget it. I have nothing to say to you. So, if we meet as Joan and Mary, then we enter from a different place."

Ryzewicz, currently director of resident programs at Providence Place Retirement Community in Holyoke, taught early on in Easthampton and Milford. She was asked to start on an different path after a few years, serving as a consultant for the Springfield Diocese's Office of Religious Education and the Office of Pastoral Ministry.

She felt a calling for parish work, something others noted too.

"Going from parish to parish doing adult education, or teacher training or instructing parents on the new Confession, all of that, led me at to parish ministry," Ryzewicz said.

She was considered for a Berkshire County parish when dioceses elsewhere in the country were beginning to appoint women religious as pastoral associates to lead parishes and ease the ongoing shortage of priests in the late 1980s.

The position (pdf) was never created in this diocese, but Ryzewicz did serve for 20 years as pastoral minster at St. Jerome Parish in Holyoke.

"You are with people every day in this position, not only at Mass. You are with them at vulnerable moments of their lives. I particularly remember the elderly, the sick and funerals. People are just so open to needing anyone," said Ryzewicz, adding she was thankful to be able to minister in this capacity.

"They needed the church to be there in some way. The same with married couples, or with Baptism or young, fresh couples coming in. People are looking for a church that can be with them, that can share their ups and downs, can share their life. Their ordinary days."

Similarly Marsh, who has a master's degree in music, taught for a number of years in Catholic schools in Springfield and Pittsfield, as well as at Elms College, in Chicopee, and then did music ministry at the parish level, and became involved with writing songs and children's books. She is currently recovering from surgery at a facility of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston in Framingham, where she sings at the daily Mass.

"As we came into our own as a congregation of who we were as women and our gifts to the Church, there were years of struggle with our role in the Church and determining what kinds of ministries were open to us and what wasn't open to us, and that continues to this day," said Quinn who was president of her congregation at the start of what was formally known as the Apostolic Visitation of Institutes of Women Religious in the United States of America.

Concluded under Pope Francis, who has widely praised women religious for their ministries out in the community, the examination of women religious orders in the United States post Vatican II was initiated, in 2008, by theologically conservative Pope Benedict XVI, and drew much criticism from lay members of the Church who saw it as unjust.

Quinn said her congregation elected to participate only in the early phases of the review, which concluded in 2014, and she met with Mother Mary Clare Millea, a Connecticut-born member of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and a Vatican representative.

A second Vatican investigation into the Leadership Conference of Women Religious was ended by Francis last year.

All three women feel their congregation's members have been able to minister in service to others to the best of their abilities because they have responded to the mandate of Vatican II to evaluate the needs of those in the communities in which they live.

"The 50 year journey for me is not the number of years, it is not the tasks or the ministry, it is all the relationships we have had from beginning until now and it is the relationships in the classroom, among ourselves, in the parish, in my ministry today," Ryzewicz said.

Marsh calls the last 50 years "a rich time with ups and downs, with so many wonderful people, and with a community that has been so good to me and to one another.

Quinn called the 50 years a "great blessing" and a time "to pause." She is among the legal professionals who will be recognized for their service this year at the diocese's annual Red Mass, something held in many dioceses in the name of lawyer and scholar St. Thomas More, who became a martyr after refusing to recognize Henry VIII as head of the Church of England.

Prior to her present job, she worked worked for several years as the coordinator for restorative justice programs in the Hampden County Sheriff's Department.

"What God has done in my life and enabled me to do, the group of women I'm with, all the people in my life who have enriched me and help me be about the work of the Gospel. I am very grateful," Quinn said.

She added the ways lay people are partnering with the Sisters of St. Joseph to live its mission of service that she said "doesn't belong to us, but the world," gives her hope.

"The charism is going to continue because it is needed," Quinn said.

Springfield police arrest driver who led officers on 3-city chase, attempted to ram cruisers

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The driver sped through Springfield, West Springfield and Holyoke and attempted to strike State Police, Holyoke an Springfield police cruisers.

SPRINGFIELD - A driver was stopped and arrested after leading police on a three-city chase and attempting to ram at least three police cruisers Sunday morning.

Springfield Police initially attempted to stop the driver at about 8:15 a.m. following a property damage accident. He fled police and officers aborted a chase after it became too dangerous, State Police Sgt. Angelo Valentini said.

Springfield Police then put out a bulletin asking officers here and in surrounding communities to be on the lookout for the car. At about 8:55 a.m., the driver was spotted again by Springfield Police, he said.

When Springfield Police attempted to pull over the car, the driver came close to striking a police cruiser. He then fled down Columbus Avenue and drove onto Interstate 91 northbound, Valentini said.

The driver then led police on a chase on Interstate-91 through West Springfield and Holyoke.

"He attempted to ram state police cruisers on the highway," he said. "There was highly erratic operation and speeding."

The driver reached speeds of 75 to 80 miles an hour during the chase on Interstate 91, he said.

The driver then exited Interstate 91 in Holyoke and attempted to strike a Holyoke Police cruiser in the Route 5 area near the Yankee Pedlar, Holyoke Police Lt. David Fournier said.

"He drove into the path of the oncoming cruiser, causing him to have to swerve," he said.

Holyoke Police had limited involvement with the chase and called off officers quickly for safety reasons, he said.

The driver then drove back onto Interstate 91, this time heading southbound and the Massachusetts State Police with a number of police cruisers and the Massachusetts State Police Airwing helicopter picked up the chase again, Valentini said.

The driver eventually exited Interstate 91 in Springfield and was stopped and arrested by Springfield Police at the intersection of Fort Pleasant and Sumner avenues, he said.

The driver faces charges of assault with a dangerous weapon from the state police and Holyoke Police for trying to ram the cruisers. Springfield Police could not be reached immediately for comment on the other charges that will be filed against the driver.

This is a breaking story. Masslive will update as more information becomes available.


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