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Elizabeth Warren not ruling out Senate run against Scott Brown

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Before she makes any decision about running, she's going to take her grandkids to Legoland.

Elizabeth Warren, who was not selected as director of a new consumer protection bureau that she was integral in creating, is being courted by Democrats to challenge Sen. Scott Brown for his Senate seat in 2012.

She's not saying yes, but she's not saying no. First, she's going to Legoland.

The Harvard University professor is headed back to Massachusetts, and although she declined to rule out a Senate run in an interview with MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell, she said first she's going to recover from some bristling Congressional hearings at home with her family.

"Massachusetts does beckon, in sense that it is my home and I need to go home," Warren said. "I will do more thinking then, but I need to do that thinking not from Washington. I need to go home."


Lawyer: Pittsfield man David Vincent III didn't intend to kill his girlfriend

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David Vincent III is charged with murder in connection with the June 2009 death of Rebecca Moulton in the apartment they shared.

PITTSFIELD— The lawyer for a Pittsfield man accused of fatally beating his live-in girlfriend says his client was under the influence of alcohol and drugs and did not intend to kill the woman.

David Vincent III is charged with murder in connection with the June 2009 death of Rebecca Moulton in the apartment they shared.

The Berkshire Eagle reports that Vincent's lawyer said in opening statement in Berkshire Superior Court on Monday that the 40-year-old Vincent is at worst guilty of manslaughter. Attorney William Rota told jurors that if Vincent had wanted Moulton dead, she would have been dead before he left the apartment. The lawyer said Vincent also called his friends to get help for Moulton.

Prosecutors say Vincent made 40 calls after the beating, but none were to 911.

Holyoke police: Liquid attacks that sent Julio Acevedo and Julia Albizu to Boston hospitals for treatment are not related

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Acevedo suffered significant damage to her right eye and may require a transplant, police said.

1999 holyoke police car.jpg

HOLYOKE – Police do not believe that the liquid attacks that injured a 35-year-old woman last week and 43-year-old man in May are related in any way.

“Absolutely not, these two are not connected,” Capt. Arthur R. Monfette said, adding that residents need not be afraid that a random attacker is on the loose.

The woman, city resident Julia Albizu, was hit in the face with a cupful of an unknown liquid last Friday morning as she walked her dog down Berkshire Street, Monfette said.

Albizu, who was treated at Massachusetts Eye and Ear in Boston, suffered significant damage to her right eye and may require an eye transplant, Monfette said. She is now recuperating at home, he said.

Monfette said investigators believe the liquid that injured Alibzu was alkali-based, unlike the liquid, believed to be acid-based, that sent Julio Acevedo to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston for treatment of second- and third-degree burns to his face, neck, chest and back.

The liquid that hit Albizu damaged her eye only and did not burn her skin, Monfette said. “Her face is fine,” he said.

Alibizu was attacked about 9 a.m. at she walked her dog near the railroad tracks. She told police that she did not recognize her attacker, described only as a skinny Hispanic male.

Acevedo was injured on May 5, at about 10:15 p.m., as he walked near the Kennedy Fried Chicken at 33 High St. police said.

Police said the suspect came up from behind the victim and threw liquid in his face. Acevedo also told police that he did not recognize his attacker, described as an Hispanic male, about 5 feet, 8 inches tall.

Police continue to probe the attacks.

Massachusetts brings in $723 million more in taxes than projected

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Tax collections appear strong enough to hold a sales tax holiday next month.

Navjeet Bal 71911.jpgNavheet K. Bal

BOSTON - Tax collections for the recent fiscal year in Massachusetts were $723 million more than projected and nearly $2 billion more than the prior year, reflecting a "noticeably stronger" economy and most likely assuring a sales tax holiday next month, the state Department of Revenue and a top legislator announced Tuesday.

Revenue Commissioner Navjeet K. Bal said that the state collected $20.5 billion in taxes for the fiscal year that ended June 30, an increase of more than $1.9 billion or 10.6 percent from the prior year and $723 million more than projections.

"The increase of nearly $2 billion in collections reflects a Massachusetts economy that grew noticeably stronger over the past 12 months," Bal said in a prepared statement.

Senate President Therese Murray signaled on Monday that a sales tax holiday would be likely for next month.“Yes we did talk about that. I think there’s mostly a consensus that that’s what we might like to do,” Murray said of a sales tax holiday after a meeting with Gov. Deval L. Patrick and House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo.

As they have in past recent years, legislators are expected to approve a bill for a weekend in August to exempt the 6.25 percent sales tax from most purchases.

Collections for June totalled $2.142 billion, or $48 million more than projected and an increase of $106 million, or 5.2 percent from June of last year, the revenue department said.

The state secretary for administration and finance and top legislators establish a consensus each year on a projection for tax collections for the next fiscal year. Officials recently had projected $19.784 billion in revenue collections for the fiscal 2011 year ending June 30.

Personal income tax collections for the fiscal year were $11.576 billion, an increase of $1.466 billion, or 14.5 percent and $650 million more than expected.

Receipts from the sales tax totalled $4.905 billion, up $293 million, or 6.4 percent, meeting projections.

Estimated income tax payments, which include capital gains from the sale of stock and a tax on stock dividends, were $1.857 billion, up 25 percent, or $373 million, and $166 million more than projected.

High water table being eyed as cause of 2 train derailments in Amherst

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Officials believe the high water table caused the railroad tracks to become unstable

train.JPGThe site of the first Amherst train derailment on Station Road. A second derailment followed nearby less than a month later.

AMHERST – While federal and train officials continue to investigate the exact cause of two recent train derailments, the cause is likely deterioration of the track beds caused by the high water table beneath it.

Town Manager John P. Musante told the Select Board this week that he has talked to officials and the “current working theory” is that higher than usual water table caused by the severe winter and rainy spring created the instability on the tracks near at the site of the derailments. The site of the derailments were relatively near Lawrence Swamp.

There were two seven-car derailments one on May 31 and a second June 25. The train in both accidents is owned by New England Central Railroad, the St. Albans, Vt., company that operates on the 400 miles of track between the Vermont and Quebec borders and New London, Conn. No one was injured in either derailment and the cars did not contain hazardous material.

The first accident resulted in the closing of Station Road for a nearly a week, the second closed the tracks but Station Road was not effected.

Both the National Transportation and Safety Board and the Federal Railroad Authority are investigating.

Musante said the tracks have been repaired and that a so-called geometry car - an automated track inspection vehicle - will be testing the “success of the repairs to make sure the tracks can withstand (the weight.)”

He said train officials have examined all of the tracks in Amherst to insure they are safe and temporary reductions of train speeds have been imposed.

Musante said Fire Chief Tim Nelson, who heads emergency management services for the town, has been meeting with the railroad general manager. “I feel like we’re on top of the situation,” Musante said.

Amtrak’s Vermonter line passes through Amherst twice a day as part of Amtrak service between St. Albans and Washington, D.C. New England Central Railroad transports freight through the town.

Fund-raiser planned for Michael Candelario, Chicopee teenager who drowned in Chicopee River

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Candelario's father, Daniel, had lost his job, his car and his apartment before losing his son.

Michael CandelarioMichael D. Candelario

CHICOPEE – Things had been going fine for Daniel Candelario until February. First he lost his job, then his car, then his apartment and then the unimaginable happened last week when his son drowned while swimming.

Now he is trying to figure out how to pay for the funeral for his 14-year-old son Michael Diland Candelario, who died July 11.

“We were checking out prices and I was shocked. In Puerto Rico it is so different. A good funeral would cost $4,500, and here they were asking for $8,000,” he said.

A group of community members who learned about the family’s plight are organizing a youth night with music and dancing from midnight, July 21 at the Basilica of the Holy Apostles on 339 State St. in Springfield. Those attending will be asked to donate $5.

A memorial fund has also been established for Michael D. Candelario at Freedom Credit Union, account #1005631957.

Candelario said he appreciates the help he is getting from the community and also thanks the other teenagers who tried to save his son.

“Michael was a good kid. What happened was a tragedy. We all told him not to go there, but it was hot that day,” Candelario said.

Police are investigating the accident, but friends whom he was with said the teenager slipped when standing on the top of a dam in the Chicopee River that others had already jumped from. He fell into the water and drowned.

Following a divorce, Daniel Candelario came to Western Massachusetts to find work in 2009. He had seven children, including Michael, who range in age from 18 to 3. Two children stayed in Puerto Rico with his former wife while five joined him a few months later.

An experienced line cook, Candelario found work and rented an apartment.

“I lost my job in February, and everything went downhill,” he said.

Candelario ended up moving in with his mother in Chicopee, leaving seven people crowded into a two-bedroom apartment. Then he learned his mother was behind in bills, adding to the problem.

Things are improving slightly. Last week owners of Spoleto in East Longmeadow called him back to work, and he returned Monday. Even though it will take him more than two hours to get to his job by bus, Candelario said he was happy to have the work.

But that is no consolation for losing his son.

Michael Candelario had just finished his freshman year at Chicopee High. Staff described him as friendly and respectful. Neighborhood adults said he was “a good kid.”

His father said he worried his son was sometimes trying to take on adult burdens.

“We wanted to be grown up so fast. Sometimes he would speak like a grownup and I would say, ‘You are only 14, and you are worrying about things like where to get money to pay bills,’” he said. “I would tell him, ‘You are just a kid. Live your life and have fun and be careful,’” he said.

But Candelario also insisted on standards for his children. He followed his mother’s rules of absolutely no swearing, helping with chores and being respectful to all adults, he said.

His son was always moving. He spent a lot of time playing basketball and riding his skateboard with friends. Candelario said the skateboard drove him crazy since his son broke his arm on it twice.

He hadn’t decided what he wanted to do when he grew up. He loved Audi’s and always said he was going to get a good job and buy one some day, Candelario said.

Along with mourning his son, Candelario said he is happy to see signs up telling people not to swim near the dam and a fence has been mended to keep kids out.

He understands kids want to swim, but there are better places in the river where the water is calm and it isn’t that deep, he said.

Wall Street traders like U.S. debt-limit proposal and earnings reports as stocks climb

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Stock indexes rose after Coca-Cola, IBM and other companies reported better second-quarter earnings.

071811_wall_street_trader_neil_gallagher.jpgIn this July 18, 2011 photo, specialist Neil Gallagher, foreground right, works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Lackluster world stocks got a boost Tuesday, July 19, from an early rebound in Europe and the U.S. as debt worries that have shadowed both regions in recent days kept Asian markets largely in check. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

By MATTHEW CRAFT
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK — Strong profits and a bipartisan plan to lift the U.S. debt limit drove a stock market rebound Tuesday.

Stock indexes rose after Coca-Cola, IBM and other companies reported better second-quarter earnings. The indexes added to their gains in the afternoon after President Barack Obama backed a proposal by six senators that would cut debt by $3.7 trillion over the next decade and raise the country's $14.3 trillion debt ceiling.

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 202.26 points, or 1.6 percent, to close at 12,587.42. That's the Dow's largest one-day jump this year.

"It looks like there's bipartisan support for a robust plan," said Burt White, chief investment officer at LPL Financial in Boston. "The stock market had been looking for a reason to have a relief rally. And it looks like they got the start of one today. "

The ongoing deadlock in Washington over raising the country's borrowing limit and Europe's debt crisis have been weighing on markets this month. The Dow slid five of the previous seven days.

The S&P 500 index rose 21.29 points, or 1.6 percent, to 1,326.73. That's the broader index's best day since March 3. The Nasdaq gained 61.41 points, or 2.2 percent, to 2,826.52.

Tuesday's gains turned the three major indexes positive for the month. The Dow and Nasdaq are now up more than 1 percent in July. The S&P 500 is up 0.5 percent.

Information technology stocks led industry groups higher after IBM Corp.'s results beat analysts' estimates. Corporate software spending held steady during the quarter. IBM's stock rose 5.7 percent.

The tech gains could continue Wednesday. Apple Inc. reported another surge in earnings after the stock market closed as sales of iPhones and iPads again set records. The stock rose 6 percent to $399.53 in after-hours trading.

Coca-Cola Co.'s income increased 18 percent in the second quarter on stronger sales overseas. The world's largest beverage maker raised some prices to offset higher ingredient costs. Coca-Cola's stock was up 3.3 percent.

KeyCorp rose 4.3 percent after the Cleveland-based banking company reported a jump in earnings thanks to a drop in loan losses. The bank reported income of 25 cents a share, up from 3 cents a share a year ago.

Harley-Davidson Inc. rose 8.9 percent, making it the top performing stock in the S&P 500 index. The motorcycle maker reported its first increase in U.S. sales since the final quarter of 2006. Sales of its motorcycles, some of which sell for more than $30,000, had languished throughout the economic slump.

A jump in housing construction lifted the stocks of Lennar Corp. and D.R. Horton Inc. The Commerce Department said building of new houses and apartments increased 14.6 percent in June from the previous month. Single-family house construction rose 9.4 percent, the largest increase since June 2009, the month that marked the end of the recession. Much of the monthly increase, however, came from new apartment buildings.

Bank stocks were mixed. Wells Fargo & Co.'s profit soared 30 percent to 70 cents per share on stronger results from lending. Uncollected loans dropped for the sixth quarter in a row. The bank's stock gained 5.6 percent.

Both Bank of America Corp. and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. fell after posting disappointing results.

Bank of America lost 90 cents per share. That's more than analysts polled by data provider FactSet expected. The loss included a $8.5 billion settlement the bank paid to mortgage-bond investors.

Goldman's earnings more than doubled to $1.85 per share, up from 78 cents a year ago. But a drop in bond trading kept results from hitting the analysts' estimates of $2.35 per share.

Two weeks are left before the Treasury Department says the government must lift the country's $14.3 trillion borrowing limit or risk defaulting on its obligations.

Most economists say that if the world's largest economy reneges on its debts, the consequences would be catastrophic. In testimony last week, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said a default would be a "calamitous outcome" and "create a severe financial shock."

Bernanke said U.S. government bonds are so widely used in global finance that if faith in them were undermined it would have far-reaching and unexpected consequences.

Four stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange. Trading volume was below average at 3.9 billion shares.

U.S. debt limit hope: President Barack Obama praises 'Gang of Six' plan

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A startling number of Republican senators lauded a bipartisan deficit reduction plan that includes $1 trillion in higher taxes.

050111 gang of six.JPGThis combination image from file photos shows the six-member bipartisan group of U.S. senators, referred to as the Gang of Six, who are closing in on what could represent the best chance for tackling a national deficit crisis. They are, clockwise from top left, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho. (AP Photo/Files)

By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama and a startling number of Republican senators lauded a bipartisan deficit reduction plan that includes $1 trillion in higher taxes, raising hopes Tuesday of a last-minute compromise to repair the nation's finances while averting a historic government default. Wall Street saluted as well.

Obama said he hoped congressional leaders would "start talking turkey" as soon as Wednesday along the lines of the Senate "Gang of Six" proposal, which quickly overshadowed a no-tax-increase alternative that conservatives spent Tuesday pushing toward an evening vote in the House.

At the White House, the president warned that financial markets could soon begin to post worrisome losses unless gridlock is broken and the nation's $14.3 trillion debt limit raised. But stocks soared for the day, propelled by the deficit plan's emergence and Obama's decision to seize on it as well as by strong earnings reports. The Dow Jones industrials rose 202 points, the biggest one-day leap this year.

In the House, the focus was on spending cuts.

"Our bloated and obese federal budget needs a healthy and balanced diet, one that trims the fat of overspending and grows the muscle of our nation's economy," said Rep. Reid Ribble of Wisconsin, one of the 87 first-term House Republicans determined to reduce the size of government.

Democrats said the measure, with its combination of cuts and spending limits, would inflict damage on millions who rely on Social Security, Medicare and other programs. "The Republicans are trying to repeal the second half of the 20th century," said Rep. Sander Levin, D-Michigan.

Obama has threatened to veto the bill, which would raise the debt limit in exchange for what supporters said was an estimated $6 trillion in spending cuts and congressional approval of a constitutional balanced budget amendment for ratification by the states.

In a recognition of the political realities, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters before debate began on the bill that it also was "responsible to look at what Plan B would look like."

He did not discuss what alternatives he had in mind.

Treasury officials say that without an increase in borrowing authority by Aug. 2, the government will not be able to pay all its bills, and default could result with severe consequences for the economy.

The "Gang of Six" briefed other senators on the group's plan after a seemingly quixotic quest that took months, drew disdain at times from the leaders of both parties and appeared near failure more than once.

It calls for deficit cuts of slightly less than $4 trillion over a decade and includes steps to slow the growth of Social Security payments, cut at least $500 billion from Medicare, Medicaid and other health programs and wring billions in savings from programs across the face of government.

It envisions tax changes that would reduce existing breaks for a number of popular items while reducing the top income bracket from the current 35 percent to 29 percent or less.

071911 barack obama very serious.jpgPresident Barack Obama discusses the continuing budget talks, Tuesday, July 19, 2011, in the the briefing room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The tax overhaul "must be estimated to provide $1 trillion in additional revenue to meet plan targets," according to a summary that circulated in the Capitol.

The group of six includes three Democrats, Sens. Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Mark Warner of Virginia and Dick Durbin of Illinois, a member of the leadership.

The three Republicans, all conservatives, are Sens. Mike Crapo of Idaho, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, who has a particularly close relationship with Boehner dating to their days together in the House.

In recommending higher government revenues, Republicans in the group challenged party orthodoxy that has held sway for two decades, ever since President George H.W. Bush memorably broke his "no new taxes" pledge to make a deficit reduction deal with congressional Democrats.

In the years since, refusal to raise taxes has become a virtually inviolable article of faith among Republicans, and used by them and their allies in countless political campaigns against Democrats.

Recently, Republicans who voted to repeal a tax subsidy for ethanol production drew opposition from Grover Norquist, a prominent anti-tax activists who has wielded significant influence inside the party.

Even so, in the hours after the Gang of Six briefed other lawmakers on their plan, at least one member of the Republican Senate leadership, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, signed on as a supporter. So, too, did Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas.

"We have an opportunity to act like statesmen and avoid a debacle on Aug. 2, and it seems to me that all of our efforts should be focused on that," added Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. He and others said the plan was well-received at a weekly closed-door meeting of GOP senators.

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., asked about possible objections from tea party activists, said the measure "checks every box" for advocates of smaller government, including cuts in government spending and an overhaul of the tax code to eliminate special breaks.

Obama stopped well short of endorsing the plan, saying administration officials were analyzing it and not all details were known.

But he said it included "a revenue component" along with savings in Medicare and Social Security, making it the sort of balanced approach he has long advocated.

He also noted that the Senate's two top leaders have been cooperating on a measure that would allow him to raise the debt limit without a prior vote of Congress while also setting up a special committee to recommend cuts from federal programs, including Social Security and Medicare.

"That continues to be a necessary approach to put forward. In the event that we don't get an agreement, at minimum, we've got to raise the debt ceiling," he said.

The Gang of Six envisioned a two-stage process in which $500 billion in savings would be enacted swiftly, with the more complicated changes in programs like Medicare and Medicaid to follow.

Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Jim Abrams, Erica Werner, Stephen Ohlemacher, Darlene Superville and Andrew Taylor contributed to this story.


New Holyoke Police Chief James Neiswanger tells officers and the public he'll listen to them

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Neiswanger, 48, a former Manchester, Conn. captain, takes over from former chief Anthony R. Scott, who retired April 30 after 10 years.

James Neiswanger 62311.jpgNew Holyoke Police Chief James M. Neiswanger

HOLYOKE – Police Chief James M. Neiswanger Tuesday marked his first day on the job by attending roll calls at the Police Station and fielding appearance requests from local groups, delivering a common message: He’s available.

“I’m going to be communicating a community policing policy and ... I have an open-door policy: If they have anything to discuss, I’m willing to listen,” Neiswanger said.

Neiswanger, 48, takes over the Holyoke Police Department after having been a police captain in Manchester, Conn. for 25 years.

His exact yearly salary was unclear, but the job’s advertised range was $120,000 to $135,000.

Neiswanger spoke after 4 p.m. in his upstairs office at the Police Station on Appleton Street.

That office was headquarters for the past 10 years of former Police Chief Anthony R. Scott.

Scott was a media-wooing character whose self-described only interest was fighting crime. He retired April 30.

Neiswanger said that in replacing such a large personality as Scott, he must establish his own identify, in the department and the community.

Officers at the morning and afternoon roll calls welcomed him, he said.

“As a matter of fact, all the officers I’ve met have been very receptive,” Neiswanger said.

His message to them: “I’m excited to be here. I see my job to get them the tools they need to do their jobs out on the street.”

He will emphasize to officers that community policing is the daily philosophy, he said, but obviously after only one day he was unable to be specific about how the department currently fits his plan.

He met last week with Nueva Esperanza Inc., a local social services group, he said. He held up paper phone messages that he said were meeting requests from other groups.

What he wants the public to know, he said, is “They’re going to see me.”

A ceremonial swearing-in of Neiswanger is set for July 29 at 5 p.m. at Holyoke Heritage State Park, he said.

Neiswanger is commuting from his home in South Windsor, Conn., a 48-minute drive to the Police Station at 138 Appleton St. as he sells his home there and looks for one here, he said.

Neiswanger and his wife Carla, a paraprofessional in the South Windsor schools, have three daughters, two of whom are in college and one in high school.

The search for a new police chief began with Mayor Elaine A. Pluta’s appointment of a search committee in late November. A total of 39 candidates applied, with most from New England and New York.

Pluta said she chose Neiswanger because it was obvious that he out-peformed the other finalist for the job during an evaluation that involved role-playing, tests, questioning and other exercises June 18.

She also liked that while Neiswanger pledged to be tough on crime, he also outlined plans to reach out to young people and other parts of the community, she said.

The other finalist was Pedro J. Perez, 58, of Albany, N.Y., a retired, 29-year veteran official of the New York State Police.

Police accountability activists and their supporters celebrate court victory

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Pete Eyre and Adam Mueller, who were accused of illegally filming officials at the Franklin County Jail last summer, were acquitted of any wrongdoing on Tuesday by a Franklin County jury.

protesters.jpgProtesters showed up at the Franklin County Courthouse this week to support Pete Eyre and Adam Mueller, who were on trial in Greenfield District Court for allegedly illegally filming officials at the Franklin County Jail last summer. The defendants were found not guilty by a jury on Tuesday, ending their year-long legal ordeal.

This updates a story originally posted at 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, July 19.

GREENFIELD -- It took a Greenfield District Court jury about two hours on Tuesday to acquit a pair of New Hampshire men accused of illegally filming at the Franklin County Jail last summer.

"We can put this behind us and move on with our other projects," said defendant Pete Eyre, who along with Adam Mueller had been charged with unlawfully filming law enforcement officials at the Greenfield jail last July.

Eyre, 31, and Mueller, 28, both of Keene, are subscribers of voluntaryism, an anti-government movement that favors the concept of natural law or voluntary adherence to rules and regulations over a state-sanctioned system of laws.

The pair were arrested on July 1, 2010, after attempting to film the process of bailing out their friends, who were being held on charges at the jail.

Eyre and Mueller initially were granted permission to film the bail process, but later were forbidden by jail officials from recording the procedure. When they continued to digitally recording their encounter with jail officials, they were arrested by Greenfield police.

A jury of six people and two alternates listened to testimony in the two-day trial, which began Monday and ended with closing arguments Tuesday morning.

The prosecution claimed the defendants recorded law enforcement officials, then posted the nearly 28-minute video clip on the Internet without the officers' knowledge.

Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Jeffrey Banks argued that because the officers were unaware their images were transmitted to a third party and uploaded to the Web, that process took place in secrecy -- a violation of a so-called wiretapping statute forbidding the secret recording or hearing of a conversation, or aiding in the transmission or hearing of that conversation.

Eyre and Mueller testified that they never attempted to hide the fact that they were recording at the jail. Not only did they ask permission to film the bail-out process -- which initially was granted -- but their recording devices were "out in the open," Eyre said.

Eyre said he was "flabbergasted" the prosecution had attempted to use the secrecy statute when there was no attempt by him and Mueller to be secretive.

The jury found the defendants not guilty of three criminal counts: Each was acquitted of unlawful wiretapping, while Mueller also was acquitted of a charge of resisting arrest.

Two other charges initially lodged against Eyre were dropped before the case even made it to trial -- a point Eyre was prohibited from making during the trial because of Banks' objections, which were sustained by Judge William F. Mazanec III.

In a courthouse lobby interview after the verdict came down, Eyre said he felt jurors would have realized just how flimsy the government's case was if he had been permitted to mention the dismissed charges.

"I did feel hamstrung," he said.

At the end of the trial, Eyre walked over to Banks, shook his hand and shared a few words with the prosecutor.

When asked by a reporter afterward what he had said to the attorney, Eyre said he told Banks he wished the government would have dismissed its case against him and Mueller. Eyre said he also told Banks he hoped the prosecutor would come to realize that he and Mueller were only standing up for themselves.

"I want him to go home and think about us as decent people," Eyre said.

Throughout the short trial, Eyre and Mueller received strong backing from a large contingent of friends and supporters. Some of those supporters -- including fellow voluntaryists, anarchists, libertarians and people opposed to taxes and the government -- publicly expressed their disapproval of the trial, the prosecutor, courthouse staff and law enforcement officials, in general.

One member of the entourage -- an older woman with long, gray hair, wearing a black top, paisley dress and sandals -- told a Massachusetts Trial Court officer stationed outside the courtroom that he was wearing the "costume of the state."

Many in the crowd also wore T-shirts supporting Cop Block, the "pro-police accountability" organization founded by Mueller and Eyre. The organization claims its mission is to increase police accountability by challenging police authority through the posting of photos and videos of officers on the Internet.

When Eyre and Mueller were told by jail officials they could not film on the premises last July, jail officials were unable to produce any written policies precluding filming at the facility, a public, taxpayer-funded building. There also were no posted signs specifically prohibiting the use of recording devices at the jail, which is why Eyre and Mueller insisted they were within their rights to continue filming.

Later, when police were called to the scene, Greenfield Police Sgt. Todd Dodge ordered the pair to either stop filming or leave the premises. Eyre and Mueller were handcuffed and arrested when they refused to stop digitally recording the episode.

"Both Adam and myself, we felt that, at the end of the day, we didn't do anything wrong, we didn't hurt anybody," Eyre said.

The jury apparently felt the same way.

As jurors silently filed out of the courtroom after delivering their verdict, they received a sustained round of applause from Eyre and Mueller's supporters.

The former defendants, now free to resume their activism, plan to take their Liberty On Tour mission to the streets, espousing their views on voluntaryism and police accountability.

As he was preparing to leave the courthouse after two, hot days of legal drama, Eyre paused on the staircase to sum up why he believes the jury voted the way it did.

"Liberty is a universal thing," he said.

Murder convictions of Shawn Shea, Jose Rosario in unrelated Springfield cases upheld by Massachusetts' Supreme Judicial Court

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Shea lost his bid for a new trial and is set to complete his life term for killing a 14-year-old girl who was the unintended victim of his gunfire.

Shawn Shea 2007.jpgShawn M. Shea is seen during his arraignment on a murder charge in 2007.

BOSTON - The state Supreme Judicial Court on Tuesday upheld two convictions in separate murders in Springfield including that of an 18-year-old man for gunning down a 14-year-old girl in 2007.

In a decision written by Judge Ralph D. Gants, the court affirmed the first-degree murder conviction and life sentence of Shawn M. Shea, who was 18 when a jury found him guilty in 2008 of killing Dymond D. McGowan.

McGowan was shot in the stomach and killed as she stood on a porch outside 338 Wilbraham Rd. in Springfield on May 10, 2007. According to testimony, McGowan was a neighborhood girl and the unintended victim of a street gang rivalry. A witness for the prosecution said he drove the car past the address and Shea leaned out the window and fired a semiautomatic handgun into a crowd gathered there.

Gants said he reviewed the record of Shea's case and found no error that "produced a substantial likelihood of a miscarriage of justice, nor any other reason to order a new trial or to reduce the defendant's murder convictions to a lesser degree of guilt."

In a separate decision written by Judge Robert J. Cordy, the high court upheld the first-degree murder conviction of Jose M. Rosario in the 1999 killing of Mario Cordova.

Cordova, of 44 Cambridge St., was shot in the head in front of 5 Lionel Benoit Rd. in Springfield as he held a door open for a bicyclist. He died five days later.

Rosario was a high-ranking member of the Latin King street gang that blamed Cordova, who was not a Latin King, for a drug theft during a party, according to the prosecution. Rosario is serving a life sentence without parole following his 2000 conviction by a jury.

Cordy said there was "ample evidence" to support the conviction. Cordy wrote that Rosario commanded another gang member to shoot Cordova.

"The jury heard testimony from eye witnesses as well as the defendant's subordinates who helped carry out the shooting," Cordy wrote.

Panel recommends government require health insurance companies to cover birth control for women as preventive care, without copayments

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Medical experts say easier access could start a shift to more reliable forms of long-acting birth control.

By LAURAN NEERGAARD
and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR

WASHINGTON — Millions of women stand to gain free access to a broad menu of birth control methods, thanks to a recommendation issued Tuesday by health experts advising the government.

An Institute of Medicine panel recommended that the government require health insurance companies to cover birth control for women as preventive care, without copayments. Contraception — along with such care as diabetes tests during pregnancy and screening for the virus that causes cervical cancer — was one of eight recommended preventive services for women.

"Unintended pregnancies carry health consequences for the mother — psychological, emotional and physical — and also consequences for the newborn," said Dr. Linda Rosenstock, panel chairwoman and dean of public health at the University of California, Los Angeles. "The overwhelming evidence was strongly supportive of the health benefit" of contraception.

A half century after the introduction of the birth control pill, the panel's recommendations may help to usher in another revolution. Medical experts say easier access could start a shift to more reliable forms of long-acting birth control, such as implants or IUDs, which are gaining acceptance in other economically developed countries. Emergency contraception, known as the morning-after pill, would also be covered.

All but one member of the 16-person IOM panel supported the final recommendations.

President Barack Obama's health care law already requires most health plans to provide standard preventive care for people of both sexes at no additional charge to patients. Women's health recommendations were considered new and politically sensitive territory, so the nonpartisan institute was asked to examine the issue.

Nonetheless, a fight over social mores is brewing. Catholic bishops and other religious and social conservatives say pregnancy is a healthy condition and the government should not require insurance coverage of drugs and other methods that prevent it. (Most health plans already cover contraception.)

The conservative Family Research Council said the recommendations could lead to a federal "mandate" for abortion coverage, since emergency contraceptives such as Plan B and Ella would be covered. But the Food and Drug Administration classifies those drugs as birth control, not abortion pills. Panel member Alina Salganicoff, women's health policy director for the Kaiser Family Foundation, said abortion drugs are not included in the recommendations.

Short of repealing part of the health care law, it's unclear what opponents can do to block the recommendations. A final decision by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is expected around Aug. 1.

Sebelius called the recommendations "historic," saying they are based on science.

"We are one step closer to saying goodbye to an era when simply being a woman was treated as a pre-existing condition," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., who sponsored the women's health amendment.

Under the law, the earliest the final requirements would take effect is next year. In most cases, it's likely to be Jan.1, 2013.

Birth control use is virtually universal in the United States. Generic versions of the pill are available for as little as $9 a month. Still, about half of all pregnancies are unplanned. Many are among women using some form of contraception, and forgetting to take the pill a major reason. Experts say a shift to longer acting birth control would help.

Contraception is about more than simply preventing pregnancy — it can help make a woman's next pregnancy healthier by spacing births far enough apart, generally 18 months to two years. Research links closely spaced births to a risk of such problems as prematurity, low birth weight, even autism. Research has shown that even modest copays for medical care can discourage use.

Other preventive services recommended by the IOM panel include:

• At least one "well-woman" preventive care visit annually.

• Annual HIV counseling and screening for sexually active women.

• Screening for and counseling about domestic violence.

• Annual counseling on sexually transmitted infections for sexually active women.

• Support for breast feeding mothers, including the cost of renting pumps.

The screening for the virus that causes cervical cancer is for women starting at age 30, no more frequently than every three years. As for the pregnancy diabetes check, it should come at the first prenatal visit for high-risk women, and between 24 and 28 weeks for all others.

Although the services will be free of any additional charge to patients, somebody has to pay. The cost is likely to be spread among other people with health insurance, resulting in slightly higher premiums.

Dissenting panel member Anthony Lo Sasso, a senior research professor at the University of Illinois school of public health, cited the lack of a cost-benefit analysis as a reason for his disapproval. Panel chair Rosenstock said the group was not asked to consider cost.

It's unclear how easy it will be to take advantage of the no-copay rule in the doctor's office. Consider: A woman sees the doctor about pain in her hip — paying the required the copay — but during the same visit, receives her overdue screening for cervical cancer.

The Health and Human Services Department should require that the woman not be charged lab fees for that cervical test, said Cynthia Pearson of the National Women's Health Network.

Cathedral High School officials considering Springfield Technical Community College, Wilbraham's Memorial School as temporary locations

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Cathedral High School in Springfield received extensive damage in the June 1 tornadoes.

cathedral tornadoThe damage to Cathedral High School can be seen in this photo taken in June.
Tornado touches down in downtown Springfield06.01.11 | SPRINGFIELD - Cathedral High School's science wing. [Photo by Mark Murray | The Republican]

Two empty floors of an academic building at Springfield Technical Community College and a vacant school in Wilbraham are being considered as locations to house students from Cathedral High School and St. Michael’s Academy middle school.

Cathedral High School, on Surrey Road, was seriously damaged in the June 1 tornadoes. The nearby St. Michael’s Academy elementary school building was undamaged.

Because of the extensive damage, Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell announced the high school and middle school, which occupied Cathedral, must be moved for this year.

Monday, the Springfield Technical Community College Board of Trustees voted to authorize president Ira H. Rubenzahl to negotiate a contract with the diocese, said Jeffrey D. Poindexter, a Springfield lawyer and a trustee.

It would allow the school to lease the two top floors in Building 20, which is at the corner of Federal and Pearl streets, Rubenzahl said.

But Rubenzahl and Mark E. Dupont, spokesman for the diocese, said moving the school to the college is not definite.

“STCC is one of a small number of sites that is under consideration,” Dupont said. “We have asked a number of places to take simultaneous actions so we will be able to move ahead.”

He confirmed Memorial Elementary School in Wilbraham is another possible location. The Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District is expected to discuss the lease of school property in closed session Wednesday.

Dupont did not release other possible locations. Officials have promised parents they will decide by Friday.

He said no location will be large enough to house the more than 400 high school and at least 250 middle school students in the same place.

“It is a difficult decision. With all buildings under consideration, there are pluses and minuses and we have to weigh them very carefully,” he said.

whmemorial.jpgThe Memorial School in Wilbraham, just before East Longmeadow students moved into it in February.

Wilbraham’s Memorial School was closed in June 2010 but it has been leased by East Longmeadow officials since February after heavy snow caused structural problems at Mapleshade School. Mapleshade School is to be repaired for September.

Springfield Technical College’s Building 20 has 38 classrooms and additional offices, but work will have to be done on the floors, Rubenzahl said.

Several years ago the college removed asbestos in the building and never replaced floor or ceiling tiles ripped out during the work.

“It has classrooms and bathrooms but it will need floor coverings and drop ceilings and lighting,” he said.

Ruth Ann Lobo, former Southwick School Committee member and breast cancer advocate, loses battle with cancer

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Ruth Ann Lobo was a longtime advocate for breast cancer awareness and the mother of basketball great Rebecca Lobo.

2000 ruth ann lobo.jpg05.19.2000 | The Republican file photo by Don Treeger | SOUTHWICK – Ruth Ann Lobo of Southwick holds a framed poster of the breast cancer research stamp, presented to her during the grand opening ceremony for the new Southwick post office.

SOUTHWICK – Ruth Ann Lobo was remembered Tuesday as a “wonderful person” by several town officials who worked with her during her tenure on the School Committee here.

Lobo, a longtime advocate for breast cancer awareness and the mother of basketball great Rebecca Lobo, died Tuesday following recurrence of cancer.

“She was just a wonderful person,” said Selectman Russell S. Fox. “The entire family was very nice and active here,” said Fox, who was instrumental in honoring Rebecca Lobo for her basketball skills as a student and player at Southwick-Tolland Regional High School and then at the University of Connecticut in the early 1990s. The town named the street leading to the high school ‘Rebecca Lobo Way.”

“What a wonderful person. It is a shame,” said School Department administrative assistant Kathleen Lynch.

“Ruth Ann Lobo was a staunch supporter of education,” Lynch said, specifically noting Lobo’s School Committee tenure during the 1980s and early 1990s.

“This is real sad news,” said Fox.

Retired Southwick-Tolland Regional High School principal Michael J. Camerota called Lobo’s death a “big loss. She was a wonderful woman and mother who raised three great kids.

“I was a social studies teacher and member of the (contract) negotiating team when she was on the School Committee,” said Camerota. “She was tough but she wanted to reward senior teachers and those of us who earned higher degrees. She was pro-teacher and pro-quality education ... just an outstanding School Committee member,” Camerota said.

Southwick Chief Administrative Officer Karl J. Stinehart also recalled working with Lobo while she was on the School Committee.

“It was always a pleasure working with her,” said Stinehart. “She was dedicated to education,” he said.

She was first diagnosed with breast cancer when Rebecca was a junior at UConn in 1995 and she became an advocate and inspiration for women with the disease. She had been featured in numerous publications such a O, Glamour, Family Circus and appeared on "CBS This Morning" and ABC’s "Good Morning America," according to information published by the Hartford Courant on Tuesday.

As an educator, Lobo was awarded the Maria Miller Steward Award by the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund, and also received the First Survivor’s Award, named in her honor, by the Connecticut Women Race for the Cure.

As a Title IX compliance coordinator for the Granby, Conn., School District, Lobo was selected teacher of the year in Granby and was a finalist for state teacher of the year, according to the Courant.

Lobo served on Southwick’s School Committee for six years prior to September 1992. She and her family later relocated to nearby Simsbury, Conn.

In 1996, mother and daughter published ‘The Home Team’, a book dealing with Ruth Ann Lobo’s breast cancer. They also founded the Ruth Ann and Rebecca Lobo Scholarship for Hispanic students attending UConn’s School of Allied Health.

In May 2000, Ruth Ann Lobo was presented an enlargment of the Breast Cancer Research Stamp issued by the U.S. Postal Service. The presentation was made during the dedication of Southwick’s new post office on College Highway.

Besides Rebecca, Lobo is survived by her husband Dennis, son Jason, daughter Rachel and several grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements by the Hayden-Huling and Carmon Funeral Home in Granby, Conn., were incomplete late Tuesday.

FBI arrests 14 people across the country, including 1 from Massachusetts, for suspected ties to cyberattack group 'Anonymous'

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Anonymous is a loosely organized group of hackers sympathetic to WikiLeaks. It has claimed responsibility for attacks against corporate and government websites worldwide, including Visa and MasterCard

anonymous.jpgAuthorities remove packages from a house in Merrick, N.Y., that was searched by FBI investigators, Tuesday, July 19, 2011. The FBI agents raided three locations on Long Island and one in Brooklyn Tuesday morning during a probe into Anonymous, an amorphous, loosely organized group of hackers sympathetic to WikiLeaks. (AP Photo/ Newsday, Jim Staubitser)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fourteen people were arrested Tuesday for allegedly mounting a cyberattack on the website of PayPal in retaliation for its suspending the accounts of WikiLeaks.

Separately, FBI agents executed more than 35 search warrants around the country in an ongoing investigation into coordinated cyberattacks against major companies and organizations.

As part of the effort, there were two arrests in the United States unrelated to the PayPal attack. Overseas, one person was arrested by Scotland Yard in Britain, and there were four arrests by the Dutch National Police Agency, all for alleged cybercrimes.

In one case unrelated to PayPal and filed in New Jersey, a customer support contractor was charged with stealing confidential business information on AT&T's servers. The data was posted on a public file sharing site, and defendant Lance Moore, 21, of Las Cruces, N.M., was accused of exceeding his authorized access to AT&T's servers in downloading thousands of documents and applications.

According to court papers, the documents the contractor uploaded were the same ones publicized last month by the computer hacking group LulzSec, which said it had obtained confidential AT&T documents and made them publicly available on the Internet.

The cyberattacks on PayPal's website by the group Anonymous followed the release by WikiLeaks in November of thousands of classified State Department cables.

Anonymous is a loosely organized group of hackers sympathetic to WikiLeaks. It has claimed responsibility for attacks against corporate and government websites worldwide.

The group also claims credit for disrupting the websites of Visa and MasterCard in December when the credit card companies stopped processing donations to WikiLeaks and its founder, Julian Assange.

A federal indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., says that Anonymous referred to the cyberattacks on PayPal as "Operation Avenge Assange."

The 14 charged in the PayPal attack were arrested in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico and Ohio. They ranged in age from 20 to 42. The name and age of one of the 14 was withheld by the court.

The 20-year-old, Mercedes Renee Haefer, is a university student, and her lawyer, Stanley L. Cohen of New York, compared the case to the federal prosecution of former U.S. defense analyst Daniel Ellsberg following his release in 1971 to The New York Times and other newspapers a Pentagon study of government decision-making about the Vietnam War. The government said Haefer is also known as "No" and "MMMM."

"In the 18th century, people stood on street corners handing out pamphlets saying, 'Beware the all-powerful military and big government,'" Cohen told The Associated Press. "Some people listened. Some people walked away. Today, pamphleteers use the Internet."

anonymous.jpgA logo for the mysterious hacking group Anonymous. "Sic Semper Tyrannis' is Latin for "Thus always to tyrants."

Cohen compared the acts allegedly committed by his client and the others to civil disobedience. "The people being arrested are not being accused of acts of violence," Cohen said.

In addition to Haefer, the government said those indicted in San Jose were: Christopher Wayne Cooper, 23, also known as "Anthrophobic"; Joshua John Covelli, 26, aka "Absolem" and "Toxic"; Keith Wilson Downey, 26; Donald Husband, 29, aka "Ananon"; Vincent Charles Kershaw, 27, aka "Trivette," ''Triv" and "Reaper"; Ethan Miles, 33; James C. Murphy, 36; Drew Alan Phillips, 26, aka "Drew010"; Jeffrey Puglisi, 28, aka "Jeffer," ''Jefferp" and "Ji"; Daniel Sullivan, 22; Tracy Ann Valenzuela, 42; and Christopher Quang Vo, 22.

In the other non-PayPal case, Scott Matthew Arciszewski, 21, was arrested on charges of intentional damage to a protected computer. Arciszewski made his initial appearance Tuesday in federal court in Orlando, Fla.

According to the complaint, on June 21, 2011, Arciszewski allegedly accessed without authorization the Tampa Bay InfraGard website and uploaded three files, then tweeted about the intrusion and directed visitors to a separate website containing links with instructions on how to exploit the Tampa InfraGard website.

InfraGard is a public-private partnership for critical infrastructure protection sponsored by the FBI, with chapters in all 50 states.

Associated Press writer Ken Ritter in Las Vegas contributed to this report.


While millions of girls and young women looked up to Rebecca Lobo, Ruth Ann Lobo was her icon

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Their united approach to Ruth Ann's breast cancer, and the compelling individual stories of each woman, turned the Lobos into arguably America's most admired mother-daughter team.

1996 ruth ann lobo and rebecca lobo sign autographs.jpg09.15.1996 | The Republican file photo | SOUTH HADLEY – Rebecca Lobo autographs a basketball for a fan during a booksigning with her mother Ruth Ann Lobo at the Odyssey bookstore.

For millions of American girls and young women, Rebecca Lobo was a symbol of the promise and opportunity offered the modern generation.

To the former Southwick resident and basketball star, however, the family’s true icon was her mother, Ruth Ann, who died Tuesday at 67.

Ruth Ann Lobo’s passing marked the end of battle with cancer that lasted more than 15 years, from the time her daughter was leading the University of Connecticut to the height of women’s basketball.

In 1996, mother and daughter collaborated to write, “The Home Team: Of Mothers, Daughters and American Champions.” In the book, they dealt with their emotions and handling of the discovery that Ruth Ann Lobo had breast cancer.

Their united approach to the issue, and the compelling individual stories of each woman, turned the Lobos into arguably America’s most admired mother-daughter team.

Ruth Ann Lobo was a retired counselor at Granby Middle School in Granby, Conn. She was also the school district’s coordinator of compliance for Title IX, the federal laws aimed at assuring gender equity is sports and other areas. When the family lived in Southwick, she served for six years as a member of the Southwick-Tolland Regional School Committee during the 1980s and ‘90s.

Members of the Lobo family, who now live in Connecticut, could not be reached for comment immediately.

The nature of the mother-daughter relationship was unique, primarily in how the public viewed it.

A 1991 graduate of Southwick-Tolland Regional School, Rebecca Lobo has always contended she was fortunate to grow up at a time equality for women, while not yet achieved, was gaining momentum.

Her mother, herself a former basketball player, was an inexhaustible champion of the cause.

Their book described their days in Southwick, where Rebecca grew up an unusually tall (6-foot, 4-inches) and talented athlete. Her mother observed the changing attitudes toward women from her younger days to her daughter’s.

The first cancer detection occurred in the mid-1990s, when Rebecca was at UConn. The family’s subsequent advocacy in heightening breast cancer awareness made RuthAnn a symbol of courage at the same time her daughter had become a symbol of opportunity.

Moreover, it provided inspiration for women who saw it was possible for families to remain close in the face of professional demands, or while dealing with daunting health issues.

“Like you, I’m more than a ‘cancer survivor,’ ” Ruth Ann Lobo wrote on Loboline.com, a website dedicated to helping others cope with breast cancer.

She underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy during treatment.

During her career in the WNBA, Rebecca Lobo shared her feelings about the experience. Her comments were posted on the league’s website. She also encouraged the women’s pro basketball league to take a leadership role in the breast cancer fight.

“When mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, I felt helplessness, fear and anger. No person can teach a kid how to feel when mom is diagnosed with cancer,” she said.

Ruth Ann Lobo was featured on “Beyond Breast Cancer,” a national public television show, and received multiple civic awards – not just for raising breast cancer awareness but her doggedly promoting equality in education.

Massachusetts State Police use sirens to help family lost in Purgatory Chasm park near Sutton

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Troopers from Millbury Barracks positioned their cars along Route 146 and turned on the sirens to guide the family.

SUTTON — Massachusetts State Police have rescued a woman and her four grandchildren lost in a state forest by using cruiser sirens to help them find their way out.

The woman called police at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday from Purgatory Chasm park near Sutton. She said she and the children, who range in age from 7 to 14, could hear cars on a nearby highway, but couldn't find it.

Troopers from Millbury Barracks positioned their cars along Route 146 and turned on the sirens to guide the family.

When they got to a roadside boundary fence, one of the children and the grandmother collapsed. Troopers climbed over and gave them first aid.

Police say emergency medical technicians took the woman and children to a Worcester hospital where they were treated for dehydration and abrasions.

Northampton Ward 3 City Council candidates Owen Freeman-Daniels, Arnold Levinson square off

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Freeman-Daniels and Levinson agreed that the current charter reform discussions should invest more power in the city council and less in the mayor.

MEADOWS.JPGThe Meadows section in Northampton's Ward 3.

NORTHAMPTON – In their only scheduled debate, the two candidates in a special election to fill the Ward 3 City Council seat pulled no punches Tuesday, each criticizing the other for their positions and campaign tactics.

Financial advisor Owen Freeman-Daniels, 31, and Dr. Arnold G. Levinson, a 70-year-old retired orthodontist, are vying for the seat left vacant by Angela D. Plassmann, who resigned amid controversy in April. The special election, which will cost an estimated $5,000-$10,000, will be on Aug. 2.

Both first-time candidates for elective office, Levinson and Freeman-Daniels have been active in the ward, Levinson as part of the Neighborhood Watch and Freeman-Daniels on the board of the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association, which sponsored the event at Bridge Street School. Because both candidates have ties to the board, former Ward 5 city councilor Frances Volkmann was invited to moderate.

From the start, each candidate chastised the other for his stances. Levinson noted that Freeman-Daniels has said he would sit on the board of the Three County Fairgrounds Redevelopment Corporation, calling that a conflict of interest. Freeman-Daniels accused Levinson of not showing his hand on issues.

“My message is open and honest,” he said. “I have disclosed my views on policies. My opponent hasn’t.”

It was Levinson, however, who committed to supporting a mayoral candidate, saying he favors Michael A. Bardsley over David J. Narkewicz in the November election. Freeman-Daniels said it was too early for him to decide because neither mayoral candidate has put out a complete platform. Levinson called his answer “waffling.”

“We both know what their policies are,” he said of Narkewicz and Bardsley.

Freeman-Daniels replied that Bardsley has been at nearly every one of Levinson’s campaign appearances and suggested the two are “tied at the hip.”

“That doesn’t speak well to independence,” he said.

Both men agreed that the current charter reform discussions should invest more power in the city council and less in the mayor. Each also identified the rebuilding of the stormwater drainage system as among the most crucial infrastructure improvements in the ward. However, Freeman-Daniels said he would like the Meadows section be more open and accessible, while Levinson stressed respect for private property.

“I can’t believe you would take private land and turn it over to the public,” he said.

In response to a question about Hairston House, a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation program in the ward, Freeman-Daniels said he has spent time talking with people in the program and considers it “enormously valuable.” Levinson said he was not familiar with Hairston House.

Levinson has said that her admires Plassmann, whose short time in office was a lightning rod for opinion in the ward. In tendering her resignation, Plassmann charged that an unnamed city official was harassing her for political reasons. It subsequently came to light that the planning and building departments were looking into complaints that she had an illegal mobile home on her property.

Plassmann apparently removed the home, which disappeared from beside her house overnight, but refused to answer questions from the media. She has also threatened legal action against the city, although no suit has been filed to date.

Neither candidate addressed Plassmann’s resignation, although Freeman-Daniels characterized Levinson as an obstructionist who only recently started going to board meetings.

“He started to show up in all kinds of places he never wanted to go,” Freeman-Daniels said. “I don’t want to block the city as it moves forward.”

Westfield house under renovation catches fire, sustains significant damage

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The fire swept through the first and second floors of the empty house on Meadow Street and into the attic, according to a fire official.

WCT fire.jpgView full sizeA Westfield firefighter pulls at the roof amid flames coming out from under the eaves during a house fire at 42 Meadow St in Westfield.

WESTFIELD - A house under renovation at 42 Meadow St. sustained significant damage from a Tuesday afternoon fire that swept through the first and second floors and got into the attic, a Westfield Fire Department official said.

The two-story house was unoccupied and empty of all furniture as it was being worked on, said Capt. Paul Lentini.

The fire gutted the first and second floors and worked its way into the attic where it damaged the roof, he said.

Firefighters were able contain the fire after cutting a hole in the roof, he said.

No estimate was available on the cost of the damages from fire, smoke and water is but Lentini said it is likely significant.

The cause of the fire is under investigation but he said it is not considered suspicious.

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Properties will return to tax rolls following Springfield municipal real estate auction

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A tornado-damaged house in the East Forest Park neighborhood, assessed at $118,600, sold for $42,500.

071911 springfield auction.JPGAuctioneer Daniel J. Flynn III, right, presides over the tax-title auction at Springfield City Hall on Tuesday.
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SPRINGFIELD – The June 1 tornado did not stop buyers from bidding on properties at Tuesday’s real estate auction at City Hall.

A tornado-damaged house at 27 Mary St. in the East Forest Park neighborhood, assessed at $118,600, sold for $42,500 to Stephen Wagner of Longmeadow.

“I’m going to rehab it for a friend,” he said. “The house had tornado damage to the roof, but it’s in very good condition inside.”

A total of 26 tax-title properties were sold at Tuesday’s municipal real estate auction at City Hall. City treasurer and collector Stephen J. Lonergan said bids Tuesday night totaled approximately $247,000.

“This puts properties which have been foreclosed on back on the tax rolls,” he said.

He added, “It also helps people to revitalize their neighborhoods.”

All residential properties which are purchased at auction must have a homeowner occupant for a minimum of three years.

“This is a good way to buy a house or a lot at great price,” Lonergan said.

Daniel J. Flynn of Quincy runs the auctions for the city. Lonergan said Flynn gives everyone who is interested a chance to bid on the property.

“We want everyone to go away happy,” Lonergan said.

A $5,000 certified bank check is required to bid on a property.

A total of nine residences, 16 residential lots and one commercial property were up for bid Tuesday night.

Lonergan said the auction originally was scheduled to be held in June, but was postponed because of the tornado. Flynn said at the beginning of the auction that he was delighted to see that everybody was safe and sound following the tornado.

“I am delighted that the loss of life was not much worse, and I am delighted to be here with you to show the resilience you folks have,” Flynn said.

Lonergan said Flynn tours the properties and holds an open house before the auction so that he knows all the neighborhoods in the city.

“Even if you don’t buy anything, the auction is good entertainment,” Lonergan said.


View Springfield Municipal Auction scheduled July 19, 2011 in a larger map
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Legend:

Blue markers: Houses
Purple markers: Lots
Green marker: Commercial property

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