Dynamic merge systems are used elsewhere, making highways more efficient. This will be the first system in Massachusetts

SPRINGFIELD -- "Dynamic merge" will come to Interstate 91 in Springfield, and to anywhere Massachusetts, for the first time Friday.

The computer-assisted technology, meant to take the guesswork out of merging lanes in a construction zone, is a pilot project for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. While this is the first dynamic merge in Massachusetts, state Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack has said she plans to use the system elsewhere.

The system is meant to solve the problem of aggressive drivers zooming along lanes that are soon to be closed until the last possible moment, then bullying their way into the travel lane past drivers who are waiting in line. Another problem is that drivers often merge too soon, leaving a travel lane open and creating more of a bottleneck than there needed to be.

Dynamic merge uses traffic sensors and computer modeling to figure out traffic flow. Then it instructs motorists through real-time message boards. The message boards were placed along the highway in December.

A late merge works best in congested situations were there are high traffic volumes and low average speeds. In this situation dynamic merge uses the maximum capacity of the roadway by instructing drivers to remain in their lanes until the lane ends, then to merge with the other lane in a "zipper effect."

An early merge works best in low traffic volumes and high average speeds. In this case dynamic merge instructs drivers to merge well ahead of the merge point to avoid slowing down traffic. This way, no one is trying to merge into a lane where traffic is going fast.

Messages on the electronic signs will be simple: "Merge now," "Merge now / take turns," "Merge ahead / use both lanes" and so on.

Dynamic merge is part of the $183.3 million I-91 project. The work on a 2.5-mile section of viaduct over downtown Springfield is ahead of schedule and under budget. The work will rehabilitate about 2 miles of elevated highway that opened in 1970.

The state expects the highway reconstruction project to reach "full beneficial use" in May 2018. Full beneficial use is a highway term of art meaning work is effectively done, although punch list items will remain.

Interstate 91 Dynamic Merge by Jim Kinney on Scribd

The annual House budget taking shape now will include increased funding for the early educator salary and benefit rate reserve.

By Colin A. Young
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, FEB. 8, 2017.....The annual House budget taking shape now will include increased funding for the early educator salary and benefit rate reserve, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo plans to file a bill to expand professional development for early educators to bolster a system he described as "in crisis."

DeLeo's announcement came as he released findings and recommendations of a task force he created last March to leverage the insights of the business community to improve the state's early education system.

"In the near term, quality EEC (early education and care) can dramatically improve children's lives, preparing them for fulfilling futures while also bettering the lives of families by allowing parents to go to work knowing that their children are well cared for," DeLeo said. "And EEC can bolster our economy in myriad of ways."

The Early Education and Care Business Advisory Group report makes the case that high-quality early education and care benefits businesses by increasing the talent pool available to meet employer needs.

Workforce development "depends on building a talent pipeline by focusing on improving access and opportunity for all our children in Massachusetts," Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce President James Rooney said. "It means ensuring our future workforce has the skills necessary to sustain our state's knowledge-based technology and innovation driven economy. It means making sure that our children right here in Massachusetts are ready for the jobs of the future."

Jesse Mermell, president of the Alliance for Business Leadership, said, "Our children must have access to high-quality early education with educators who have the training they need, and the tools and supports they deserve, to lay the foundation for a successful and competitive workforce."

But the benefits of earyl education are only realized, the report concluded, if programs are of high quality, and the educators in the classrooms are the most significant determinant of program quality. The early education and care workforce, DeLeo said, is "in crisis" and has reached a "tipping point" with about 30 percent turnover and an average salary that hovers just above the federal poverty guideline for a family of four.

The state estimates that there are 90,000 educators working in the roughly 10,000 licensed child care centers, with median annual salaries between $22,501 and $27,500 depending on the type of program. The median wage for child care workers has dropped 2 percent since 2010 and 39 percent of child care workers are enrolled in at least one public support program based on income, according to the report.

"Because the early education and care workforce is predominantly female, poor compensation perpetuates income inequality and denies the opportunity to achieve economic self-sufficiency for workers and their families," the report states.

DeLeo's planned actions -- boosting funding for the educator rate reserve and introducing legislation to professionalize the EEC workforce -- won plaudits Wednesday from an early education provider.

"This rate increase will improve workforce retention, attract new talent to the industry, allow for competitive salaries, comprehensive screening of children for developmental delays, effective curriculum, and a dynamic and innovative sector," Wayne Ysaguirre, CEO of Nurtury in Jamaica Plain, said. "Synchronizing this funding and workforce development system building will result in the outcomes that children, parents, employers and the commonwealth deserves - an exceptional early education and care environment."

DeLeo said he has not decided on a dollar figure for the rate reserve increase -- the current budget funds the reserve at $12.5 million -- and said he expects to file a bill dealing with professional development within two months.

The speaker also noted that the EEC rate reserve funding increase is the first budget provision he has publicly discussed, which -- along with the more than a dozen House members who attended Wednesday's announcement -- DeLeo said was an indication of how the House prioritizes EEC issues this session.

DeLeo's focus on early education could also be a rallying point for Democrats ahead of the 2018 gubernatorial election.

In her unsuccessful 2014 run for governor, former Attorney General Martha Coakley made universal pre-kindergarten a central theme of her campaign, but it fell off the Beacon Hill to-do list in 2015 and 2016 despite the speaker's interest in the subject.

Democrat Jay Gonzalez, a former state budget chief who late last month announced he would run for governor in 2018, served on DeLeo's business advisory group and said Wednesday early education is "an early and big part of my platform."

"I think early education is the thing we can do to have the biggest return on investment for kids and for their future," Gonzalez said. "It's an area where we need leadership, where we need to be ambitious in building the system we need."

The current selection includes instruction manuals, bestsellers, field guides and even some "American Girl" titles.

SPRINGFIELD -- Take a book, return a book.

The Eastfield Mall has added a free "library" cart to its food court.

"The idea is that mall customers can take any book they like and next time they're at the mall, they can either return the book or donate another," said Eastfield Mall property manager Nicole Sweeney in a news release.

The mall said patrons can read a book rather than spending time on their phones while they eat lunch or wait for friends in the food court.

"Everyone immediately 'got' what we were trying to do and we received donations from the management office, public safety team and everyone in between," said  Sweeney.

The current selection includes instruction manuals, best sellers, field guides and even some "American Girl" titles.

The Holyoke, Massachusetts Department of Public Works will confront the snow storm on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017 with a dozen plows and numerous private plowers that can be summoned if necessary.

HOLYOKE -- Public works crews will report to work at 3 a.m. Thursday with 11 plows ready to clear streets in the snowstorm that's expected to begin an hour later in this area.

"We're ready," Michael McManus, general superintendent of the Department of Public Works (DPW), said Wednesday. "Hopefully, it's not as bad as they're saying."

Forecasters are saying Massachusetts could get 7 inches to 14 inches of snow, which would be the season's first double-digit amount of snowfall.

City truck drivers drop plows to the street once an inch of snow is on the ground. At that point, three private plowers are called in to focus on streets in West Holyoke, McManus said.

"It's a large area. There's long roads, it's hilly," he said.

By 7 a.m. on Thursday, another city plow will be put into service for a total of 12. Once 3 inches of snow have fallen, additional private snow-plowers will be called in to work on making streets passable on the 22 plowing routes around the city, he said.

At 3 p.m. on Thursday, one of the city plows will be removed from the crew and at 11 p.m., that plow will be put back on duty, he said.

The DPW began the fiscal year on July 1 with a snow removal budget of $400,000, which is nearly three-quarters spent, and $120,000 for overtime, which also is three-quarters spent. The reason the accounts are mostly spent despite the relative lack of major snow storms is the city has had several freezing rain cases to deal with, McManus said.

Students and faculty at Westfield State University will be gracing the stage as they perform "The Vagina Monologues" this weekend.

WESTFIELD -- A cast from Westfield State University will perform "The Vagina Monologues" this weekend.

Performances of the episodic play are scheduled nationwide every year around Feb. 14. The date is widely recognized as Valentine's Day, but it's also V-Day, part of a global movement geared toward ending violence against women and girls.

Local performances take place on the Dever Stage in Parenzo Hall at Westfield State on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., with an extra show scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday.

The show will feature a number of monologues performed by a female cast of 12 students and one faculty member, and will cover topics regarding women's sexuality, the LGBT experience, domestic violence against women and more.

"The show is life-changing. It raises awareness about topics that individuals are reluctant to discuss, while promoting social justice," said senior Samantha Geissler, who is co-director with junior Jessica McRobbie.

Shows are typically based around a spotlight monologue each year, and this year's chosen monologue, titled "I Call You Body," discusses the state of women's bodies all over the globe, which McRobbie feels "highlights the joys and plights of being a woman."

"Our bodies differentiate us from one another, and at the same time they bring us together," McRobbie said in a press release.

Tickets are on sale now and are $3 for senior citizens and $5 for general admission.

Proceeds will be donated to the V-Day organization and the Westfield YWCA New Beginnings Women's Shelter. Audience members can also bring in a new box of tampons or sanitary napkins to donate to the shelter instead of purchasing tickets.

Clifford Ahern, 60, of East Longmeadow, is charged with attacking a police officer with a knife on Nov. 4. Watch video

SPRINGFIELD -- A prosecutor said Wednesday that Clifford Ahern should be held without right to bail because he presents too much of a danger to his wife and to East Longmeadow police Sgt. Steven Manning.

But Ahern's defense lawyer Lawrence Madden said his client is no danger to anyone since he is a paraplegic for life after being shot twice in the back last fall by East Longmeadow police Officer Joseph Dalessio.

Joseph Dalessio is the son of East Longmeadow Police Chief Jeffrey Dalessio.

Hampden Superior Court Judge John S. Ferrara took under advisement Assistant District Attorney James M. Forsyth's request for Ahern to be held without right to bail for 120 days because he is too dangerous to be released under any conditions.

Ferrara heard testimony from Manning and two investigators Wednesday. Joseph Dalessio, who was in court, was not called to testify, though Forsyth early in the hearing indicated he would be.

Ahern, 60, was brought to court by ambulance, with his wheelchair pushed by ambulance personnel. He wore pants and a hospital johnny, with his back exposed throughout the hearing.

He is charged with armed assault with intent to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, resisting arrest, failure to stop for police and assault and battery on a family or household member.

He denied the charges Jan. 6 when Hampden Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney and all necessary parties went to Vibra Hospital in Springfield to arraign him.

Ahern is now being held at the state's Lemuel Shattuck Hospital in Boston. The hospital collaborates with the Massachusetts Department of Correction and county sheriffs to provide state and county inmates with care in a secure setting.

Manning testified that he and other officers went Nov. 4 to Ahern's Helen Circle address to arrest him on a warrant out of Palmer District Court. The warrant was for domestic assault and battery, with the alleged victim being his wife.

Manning said Dalessio stopped Ahern in his truck near the house and talked with him. Ahern then sped off and stopped at his house. Ahern was yelling his wife's name at the door but could not get in, Manning said.

He said Ahern turned around and saw him about 30 feet away. Ahern said, "You mother------" and "came right at me," Manning testified.

Manning said Ahern had his right arm raised holding a knife and was attempting to stab him. He put his left arm up to block Ahern and was reaching for his gun.

"The next thing that I remember is I heard two gunshots," Manning said.

Forsyth acknowledged during the hearing that Dalessio fired the shots.

Asked if he was struck by Ahern's knife, Manning said, "At that time I did not know." He said he later saw there was a tear in his shirt. Manning said he and Dalessio were transported to the hospital.

Manning said he was at the hospital for about two hours. When Madden asked what treatment Manning received, he said he got his blood pressure checked -- "nothing major."

Madden had Manning identify a picture of the folding knife that Ahern used.

When Ahern was on the ground after being shot, Manning said, Ahern shouted, "You f------ paralyzed me." He was complaining about being handcuffed and was argumentative, Manning said.

Forsyth asked Manning about his history with Ahern. Manning said he testified against Ahern in 2008 when Ahern was convicted of assault and battery on a person over 60 years old in Palmer District Court. Manning said Ahern said to him in open court, "You're a f------ liar."

Manning also said that, prior to Nov. 4, he went to Ahern's house after a third party had called to have police check on Ahern's wife for her safety. He said he was trying to separate Ahern from his wife but Ahern followed him around, staring at him.

Questioned by Madden, Manning said he knew Ahern was at the East Longmeadow police station right before he and others went to serve him with the warrant at his home. It was unclear from testimony why Ahern visited the police station.

In arguing against Ahern being held without right to bail, Madden said, "He's paralyzed. He's currently a paraplegic and will be for the rest of his life."

"Mr. Ahern in his current condition is no danger to anyone," Madden said.

He told Ferrara he wondered why police, if Ahern is so dangerous, did not arrest him on the warrant when he went to the police department on Nov. 4.

Asked by Ferrara where Ahern would go if released, Madden said he would remain in a hospital setting. He said Ahern could be transported to Baystate Medical Center by ambulance or stay in Lemuel Shattuck but in the general population, not in the secure section.

That would be until Ahern "gets to where he needs to be, which is a rehabilitation hospital," Madden said.

He said Ahern could be electronically monitored and the court could order him to stay away from his wife and Manning. Ahern's wife has a restraining order against him, Madden said.

Ferrara questioned whether facilities would automatically accept Ahern and how his care would be paid for. But the judge said the danger posed by Ahern seems to be "dramatically altered" by events that left him paralyzed.

Forsyth said Ahern is somewhat mobile in his wheelchair. He said people come into court in wheelchairs charged with committing crimes. He said as time goes on Ahern will become a bigger threat.

East Longmeadow Detective Joseph Barone and state police Sgt. Thomas Fitzgerald also testified Wednesday. They said they assisted in the investigation of the incident, including interviewing witnesses and the examination of the scene.

Police Chief Jeffrey Dalessio said in mid-November the officers involved in the shooting have since been removed from administrative leave and are back on duty. The police chief, citing the ongoing investigation, declined to release their names.

Facing a winter storm that could bring up to 18 to 20 inches to some parts of the Massachusetts and whiteout conditions, Gov. Charlie Baker asked residents to think about working from home on Thursday. Watch video

Facing a winter storm that could bring up to 18 to 20 inches to some parts of the Massachusetts and whiteout conditions, Gov. Charlie Baker asked residents to think about working from home on Thursday.

"Can't emphasize this enough: If you have the capacity to work from home, you should seriously considering doing that," Baker told reporters during an evening press conference at the State House. "I think there are going to be a lot of school systems around the Commonwealth that are going to cancel school."

Forecasts show the storm reaching Boston by 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. and then "quickly" intensifying throughout the state, according to the governor, and falling two to three inches per hour by mid-day. High tide is at 8 a.m.

How bad is it going to get tomorrow? Here are 7 maps

"And the thing I want everybody to remember here is you're going to get up in the morning and it's not going to look that bad, ok? Because the storm may really not get going until sort of six or seven o'clock tomorrow morning," Baker said. "But the heaviest snow is going to fall sometime between about 10 o'clock in the morning and 4 o'clock in the afternoon."

According to Baker, most of the weather maps indicate the scale of eight to fourteen inches of snow runs from western side of Worcester County on the Connecticut border, all the way up to the New Hampshire border, and then all the way across the ocean.

People should stay off the roads and not travel unless necessary, Baker said, urging them to take public transit if they can.

Up to 18 inches expected in Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh says

With state transportation officials standing behind him, Baker added the MBTA is expected to maintain its regular weekday schedule.

Customers are encouraged to monitor MBTA.com/winter and @MBTA on Twitter for real-time service updates.

His administration plans to provide updates on state office closures on Wednesday night, after conferring with the National Weather Service on the latest forecast.

Sign up for breaking news and weather alerts from MassLive

Obituaries from The Republican.

A school committee voted to close a Granville school that has existed in the town for over 100 years on Wednesday night.

SOUTHWICK - The Southwick, Tolland, and Granville Regional School Committee voted on Wednesday night to close the Granville Village School, a K-6 school that has existed in the town for over 100 years.

The meeting, held at the Southwick Regional School on Feed Hills Road, saw droves of local residents come out to protest the proposal during a public comment section prior to the vote.

However, the Committee ultimately decided to close the school.

Committee members reasoned that the funds the district would save by closing the school--reportedly up to to $1 million--could ultimately benefit a wider array of the district's students.

"To make educational strides, this district needs to make changes," said Committee Chair Jeffrey Houle. "We need to strengthen our staff with professional development, collaborative opportunities, and more in-class coaching." Houle also said that technology and electronics needed to be a larger focus of the district's educational goals.  

"As I reflect back on my tenure on this committee, I find that this is by far the hardest decision I have ever had to consider," Houle said. 

The victim said "hey, what are you doing. I've got my six-year-old son in the car. And the defendant responded with several profanities and a raised middle finger," Assistant District Attorney Cary Szafranski said.

SPRINGFIELD -- A Springfield man is facing criminal charges after allegedly trying to run a motorist off Boston Road and continuing to chase him when he tried to get away.

Shawn Pafumi, 25, pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Springfield District Court to seven charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon and reckless endangerment of a child. The alleged victim's 6-year-old son was in the car at the time of the incident.

Assistant District Attorney Cary Szafranski said the incident began with Pafumi running a red light at Boston Road and Boyer Street and nearly colliding with the victim's 2008 Nissan Sentra.

The victim said, "'Hey, what are you doing? I've got my 6-year-old son in the car.' And the defendant responded with several profanities and a raised middle finger," she said.

Pafumi, driving a 2010 Honda Accord, began chasing the victim and attempting to run him off the road. When the victim pulled into the parking lot of the Price Rite supermarket, Pafumi followed and parked nearby, the prosecutor said.

Pafumi got out and threw a bottle at the victim's car, then pulled a parking marker stick from ground and began slamming it against the rear of the Sentra, Szafranski said.

The victim took off again, driving through several parking lots and making a U-turn on Boston Road with Pafumi still in pursuit.

Pafumi, after making a U-turn of his own, ended up in front of the Sentra and slammed on his brakes nine times in an attempt to cause a collision, Szafranski said.

When traffic backed up, Pafumi jumped from his vehicle and began running toward the victim, who began backing up to escape him. Moments later police arrived and Pafumi was arrested, the prosecutor said.

Two passengers in Pafumi's vehicle, a 15-year-old and an adult friend, "confirmed the victim's account," the prosecutor said.

She asked Judge John Payne to set bail at $1,500 bail on the new charges and revoke Pafumi's release in a Holyoke case involving charges of larceny and malicious damage. He was also wanted on a traffic warrant issued by Chicopee District Court, the prosecutor said.

Defense lawyer Randy Milou asked for $500 cash bail and opposed revoking his client's bail in the open case.

Milou said the alleged victim's story did not make sense, and said the man had missed several opportunities to elude Pafumi.

No other motorist called 911 during the chase, not even when the defendant was supposedly running through traffic on Boston Road to reach the victim's car, Milou said.

He submitted a motion for access to video surveillance tapes at Price Rite and two other Boston Road businesses, predicting that the tapes could exonerate Pafumi.

The judge set bail at $1,000 and found probable cause that Pafumi had violated his release in the Holyoke case. Instead of detaining Pafumi, Payne released him with orders to appear for a bail violation hearing next month. He then ordered Pafumi to be taken to Chicopee to face the warrant in the traffic case.

An Easthampton man pleaded guilty to a number of child pornography charges in Springfield on Wednesday.

SPRINGFIELD - 38-year-old Easthampton resident James J. Smith pleaded guilty to multiple child pornography charges in U.S. District Court in Springfield on Wednesday. 

In all, Smith pleaded guilty to six counts of distribution of child pornography, one count of transportation of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. 

Smith was arrested in January of 2015, after authorities executed a search warrant at his home and found approximately 110 images of child porn on his cell phone. On Smith's phone, police also found evidence that he had discussed the sexual abuse of children with other people through emails and Craigslist.

Through investigation authorities discovered that Smith had used online methods to distribute and receive child porn involving children aged ten and younger. 

If Smith's guilty plea is accepted by the Court he could be sentenced to anywhere between 15 to 30 years in prison, as well as 10 years of supervised release.

Smith is scheduled to be sentenced on May 4, 2017. 

Students in Putnam Vocational Technical High School are hoping to make a name for themselves in the fashion world

SPRINGFIELD -- To students in Putnam Vocational Technical High School's Retail Marketing program, "getting people to know us as a brand" is part of their dream.

So said Rafael Molina, CEO of Tiger Dreams, a small urban clothing company in Springfield and Puerto Rico, which hosted a fashion show on Wednesday night at Putnam "to show our new collection of clothing."

Molina, 17, a senior at Putnam, said he hoped to get the word out in as many cities as possible and have his clothing line "spread a positive message about the impact of art and culture" on society.

Molina received guidance in launching the business from teachers Tom LaMondia of the Retail Marketing Shop, and Bob Farrell of the Design and Visual Communication department.

Tiger Dreams' fashions "represent every culture, every race, everything," said company member Jayshaun Pinckney, also student at Putnam. The group has more than 30 members, hailing from Springfield, Holyoke, West Springfield and Chicopee, and is comprised of student models, photographers, videographers and producers.

Molina and Pinckney showed off bottled water with their company label to promote the business' website, tigerdreamsstore.com.

An enthusiastic crowd of about 100 people turned out to see the young entrepreneurs' work, as rows of student models filed up and down parallel staircases. A variety of refreshments were available to audience members.

Denise Stewart, parent facilitator at Putnam, praised Molina for his talents. He was the driving force behind fashion show, she said. "He did it all."

A man from Waltham was sentenced on Wednesday after having defrauded millions of dollars from customers of a travel agency.

BOSTON - 44-year-old Waltham resident Bret A. Gordon was sentenced to 46 months in prison on Wednesday, after defrauding customers of a now defunct travel agency of over $2.9 million.

In addition to time served, Gordon will also be subject to a three year period of supervised release and will be forced to pay $2,891,092 in restitution to his victims. 

Gordon established Tom Harper Cruises in 2013, owning a 65 percent interest in the travel agency that sold overseas river cruise vacations. Gordon was the company's manager, and as a result he was in complete control of its finances. 

Shortly after the company was established, Gordon began taking money out of its bank account for himself, using large amounts of it for casino gambling.

The majority of the money that Gordon took from the company came from customer deposits that were supposed to be used to pay the various independent cruise companies that were in charge of operating the trips.

Gordon's expenditures became so costly to Tom Harper Cruises that the company became unable to pay the cruise companies, and by June of 2015, it was forced to file for bankruptcy.  

Some 400 customers were never able to go on the trips they had planned to go on, despite having paid Tom Harper Cruises large sums of money. 

Here are the winning numbers in Wednesday's Powerball drawing.

Wednesday's Powerball lottery drawing has a jackpot that's grown to more than a quarter of a million dollars, a particularly tidy sum for a player who has the right numbers.

File

Here are the winning numbers:

14-20-42-49-66, Powerball: 05, PowerPlay: 2X

The estimated jackpot is $258.3 million. The lump sum payment before taxes will be more than $154 million.

The amount has been creeping up since a $121.6 million jackpot was won by a Pennsylvania couple Dec. 17.

Powerball is held in 44 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

A $2 ticket gives you a one in 292.2 million chance at joining the hall of Powerball champions.

The drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays. Deadline to purchase tickets is 9:45 p.m.

Kinder Morgan will pay Massachusetts $640,000 to route its Connecticut Expansion project through the Otis State Forest in order to reach three natural gas distributors.

PITTSFIELD -- A Berkshire Superior Court judge said Monday he intends to authorize a $640,000 negotiated settlement between the state and Tennessee Gas Pipeline Co. for a six-acre easement through the Otis State Forest.

Tennessee plans to route its 13-mile Connecticut Expansion project through the state-owned conservation land. The pipeline has faced stiff opposition.

Judge John Agostini said he would take the settlement under advisement but that he "fully intended" to issue the order, reports the Berkshire Eagle.

Tennessee sued the state in March after lawmakers failed to voluntarily convey a two-mile easement through the forest. Under the U.S. Natural Gas Act, interstate pipeline developers may take land by eminent domain. But Article 97 of the Massachusetts constitution requires legislative approval for the loss of state conservation land.

Agostini ruled in May that the federal law takes precedence over the state constitution, and allowed Tennessee to take permanent and temporary easements through the state forest in Sandisfield.

After months of negotiation, Attorney General Maura Healy announced the terms of the settlement in December.

$300,000 will be paid to the Department of Conservation and Recreation to buy extra land that "provides ecological functions equivalent to the land impacted by the pipeline." Another $300,000 will be used for "improvements" to the Otis State Forest. The remaining $40,000 will cover the value of the pipeline easement, according to the AG's office.

Tennessee Gas Co., a subsidiary of the Houston-based Kinder Morgan, issued a statement. "We appreciate the court's attention at today's hearing on the Consent Judgment and look forward to receiving its decision," it read.

As Monday's hearing unfolded, protesters outside the Pittsfield courthouse staged a "funeral" for the the state forest land. Participants wore black and carried a coffin around Park Square. The theater event was planned by the Sugar Shack Alliance, a group which opposes the fossil fuel industry.

Kathryn Eiseman, director of Massachusetts Pipe Line Awareness Network and president of Pipe Line Awareness Network for the North East, said even with an eminent domain settlement in place, the Connecticut Expansion is not a done deal.

She noted that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has not yet issued a Section 401 Water Quality Certificate for the project.

MassDEP wrote to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Feb. 7 saying the commission should not let Tennessee begin cutting trees until the department issues its certificate under the Clean Water Act.

The pipeline faces additional legal and administrative appeals.

The Connecticut Expansion won a certificate of public convenience and necessity from FERC in March of 2016, clearing its most significant hurdle.

Plans show a 3.81-mile loop in Berkshire County, a 8.26-mile loop from Hampden County to northern Connecticut, and a 1.35-mile New York loop in Albany County.  The sections connect two of Tennessee's existing natural gas pipelines.

Plans also describe a .1 mile pipeline section and 3.26 acre staging area in Agawam, where upgrades are planned to an existing compressor station.

The line is permitted to transport 72,100 daily dekatherms from a pipeline hub in Wright, New York to three natural gas utilities in Connecticut.

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com

Elms College has closed the campus and Westover is closed to all nonessential personnel.

CHICOPEE - With about an inch of snow having fallen already on Thursday morning the city is announcing that a number places will be closed for the day.

All Chicopee Schools, including the parochial schools and charter school, have been closed.

Elms College is also announcing that weather conditions are forcing officials to close the campus and cancel all classes for the day.

Westover Air Reserve Base is closed for first and second shift and nonessential employees.

City Hall will be closed for Thursday.

The Chicopee Public Library is closed on Thursday.

The City Council Zoning Committee, scheduled for 6:30 p.m., has been canceled and will be rescheduled for a later date.

The city has also announced a parking ban. There is no parking on main roads, one-way streets, or the even side of side streets.

Robert Hendrick Jr. threatened, who entered the Corticelli Street home about an hour before dawn on Wednesday, threatened to kill the woman and wrapped one hand around her neck and the other around her mouth, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported.

George Graham | ggraham@repub.com 

EASTHAMPTON -- A 25-year-old Florence man who reportedly forced his way into his ex-girlfriend's bedroom early Wednesday and threatened to kill her after she rejected his attempt at reconciliation, was ordered held without bail following his arraignment.

Robert Hendrick Jr. threatened to kill the woman and wrapped one hand around her neck and the other around her mouth, the Daily Hampshire Gazette reported.

The woman, who had an active restraining order against Hendrick, was able to get into a bathroom and screamed for her mother who was sleeping downstairs, the Gazette reported, citing police reports.

The mother, who grabbed a stick as a defensive weapon, intervened.
Hendrick fled the Corticelli Street home after he grabbed the mother's wrists, wrested a phone from out of her hands and threw it out of reach.

The suspect then fled the scene. Police found him about two hours later in the area of Maple and Main streets.

Hendrick, during his arraignment in Northampton District Court, denied charges of attempted murder, two counts of strangulation, assault and battery in violation of an abuse prevention order, witness intimidation, armed burglary and assault and battery on a person older than 60.

A dangerousness hearing was set for Friday.

All West Springfield municipal offices are closed and parking bans are in effect, according to Mayor Will Reichelt, who declared a "snow emergency" late Wednesday afternoon in advance of winter storm Niko, which began flexing its muscles early Thursday morning.

WEST SPRINGFIELD -- West Springfield is among the communities being affected by winter storm Niko, which is expected to dump a foot or more of heavy, west snow in some parts of Massachusetts on Thursday.

With the forecast calling for a prolonged snowfall, high winds and whiteout conditions, Mayor Will Reichelt declared a snow emergency and took a number of proactive steps before the storm hit, including closing all municipal offices, the library, and the senior center, and telling all non-essential city personnel to stay home.

The inclement weather is also interrupting trash and recycling collection in West Side. Garbage that's normally picked up Thursday will be collected Friday, and Friday's collection has been moved to Saturday. The DPW has more information at 413-263-3246.

The mayor's snow emergency comes with a parking ban, which took effect at 6 a.m. today. That means no parking on any main road or on the even-numbered side of side streets, according to Reichelt.

 

According to a post on the center's Facebook page, the unnamed squirel was stuck - quite literally - in a tree.

SPRINGFIELD - Staff with the T.J. O'Connor Animal Control & Adoption Center  on Wednesday rescued a squirrel from a tree.

Seriously. 

This was not an ordinary squirrel, and with Winter Storm Niko barrelling down on New England, these are not ordinary times.

According to a post on the center's Facebook page, the unnamed squirel was stuck - quite literally - in a tree.

It seems it had gained a glob of suet - most likely from terrorizing some suburban birdfeeder - on it's tail, and that caused it to be glued to a tree branch.

A photo taked at the scene shows the squirrel hanging upside down from the small tree. 

The location of the tree was not disclosed.

Animal control officers at T.J. O'Connor do not usually respond to wildlife calls, but the report of a squirrel being stuck in a tree proved irresistable. Officer Jules Sanborn was dispatched. 

"Upon arriving, (Sanborn) was able to see that the poor little guy's tail had some suet on it which stuck on the branch," the center reports.

The squirrel had apparently been hanging there for some time.

With the storm coming in, the decision was made to cut off the branch and transport the squirell and branch to the T.J. O'Connor facility in Springfield. There the suet was cleaned off the tail, and the branch was finally removed.

"We are happy to report that he was released back into the area right after," the post concludes.

The 400-plus troopers on the day-shift for Winter Storm Niko will stay on into the night if need be, state police said.

SPRINGFIELD -- The Massachusetts State Police has more than 400 state troopers on storm patrols today as Winter Storm Niko barrels in.

Lt. Thomas Ryan said those day-shift troopers will stay on into the night if needed. He urged people to stay off the roads until the storm passes.

"The roads are only going to get worse," Ryan said. "If you don't have anywhere to go, just stay home. That's going to help MassDOT clean the roadways."

So far, a lot of people seem to be heeding the warnings and staying off the roads, Ryan said.