Quantcast
Channel: News
Viewing all 62489 articles
Browse latest View live

Only 5 candidates for Palmer town manager meet minimum criteria, Town Council Paul Burns says

0
0

Burns said he wanted at least 12 applicants to interview, not five.

2009 paul burns mug small.jpgPaul Burns

PALMER - Town Council President Paul E. Burns said Friday that there are only five town manager candidates that meet the minimum qualifications and he will report to the full Town Council on Monday night at 7 to discuss the next steps.

Burns, along councilors Blake E. Lamothe and Donald Blais Jr., is part of a council subcommittee that was formed to sort through the resumes received for the town manager position.

Burns said 39 have been submitted, and many of the applicants are looking to make a career change. The subcommittee met Thursday night.

"They certainly had the education but not the experience. ... The skill set didn't really match what we're looking for in Palmer," Burns said.

Burns said he wanted at least 12 applicants to interview, not five.

"I'm concerned if we only have five candidates," said Burns, adding last year's search was plagued by candidates dropping out.

Interim Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard provided information at the last council meeting about retaining an outside firm, the Collins Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, to assist with a town manager search, but Burns said he is not sure if the council will go that route.

"I haven't made my own decision on how to move forward with this," Burns said.

The meeting is at the Town Building.


Greenfield, Holyoke, Northampton and Orange win grants for stations to charge electric cars

0
0

The communities in Western Massachusetts received state grants and will own the stations.

electric car charging station.JPGA Nissan Leaf charges in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

BOSTON -- Gov. Deval Patrick's environmental secretary on Friday unveiled plans to install 105 charging stations for electric vehicles in 25 cities and towns around the state including units for Greenfield, Holyoke, Lenox, Northampton and Orange.

Richard K. Sullivan Jr. of Westfield, secretary of energy and environmental affairs, said it will be the state's first widespread installation of charging stations, which look something like parking meters. Sullivan said installation will begin immediately. Boston has already installed three charging stations in the downtown area.

rick.jpgRichard Sullivan

According to Sullivan, two stations will be installed in Greenfield at Greenfield Community College and at the Miles Street parking lot; two at the Holyoke Mall; four in Northampton, including two at the John Gare parking garage, one at the Round House parking lot behind Pulaski Park and one at the lot for the city's main fire station. The station in Orange will be at the Riverfront Park.

"It's a start of the energy revolution," Sullivan said. "It's exciting."

The stations are for plug-in hybrids, extended range electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Volt, or fully electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf.

Anne Smith, a spokeswoman for Coulomb Technologies of Campbell, Calif., which is using a federal stimulus grant to provide charging stations to cities and towns outside of Western Massachusetts, said a typical charging session would cost $1.50 to $2. A dead battery would take up to four hours to charge. People will be able to use their smart phones to track the progress of a charge and use a credit card to pay for the charge, she said.

She said all the stations would be installed by the end of the year.

The communities in Western Massachusetts received grants from the state Department of Energy Resources and will own the stations, said Lisa Capone, a spokeswoman for Sullivan. The state financed those stations with $280,000 from a settlement obtained by the state attorney general in 2007 for alleged pollution control equipment violations by an Ohio-based power plant.

The program will create jobs for electricians, and is an important step in helping communities, residents and business across the state shift to cleaner driving as the state prepares for the entry of new models of electric vehicles, according to Sullivan. The stations will also help reduce pollution from greenhouse gases, he said.

Holyoke Fire Department official William Moran has court hearing rescheduled

0
0

The district attorney seeks a criminal complaint because he says Moran sent a fire truck to a phony call at the mall.

dec 2010 holyoke fire chief william moran.jpgHolyoke Deputy Fire Chief William P. Moran

SPRINGFIELD – A show-cause hearing that was scheduled for Friday was continued to Aug. 29 regarding a request for a criminal complaint against William P. Moran, former acting fire chief.

The hearing will be at 9 a.m. in Springfield District Court, said David P. Hoose, Moran’s lawyer.

Hampden District Attorney Mark. G. Mastroianni requested the complaint on June 27 after he said Moran, a deputy chief who is on paid administrative leave, sent a fire truck on a fake call to the Holyoke Mall at Ingleside June 15.

The annual salary of a deputy chief is $68,775.

Hoose declined to comment on the criminal complaint Mastroianni seeks against Moran.

At a show-cause hearing, parties appear before a clerk-magistrate who decides whether to issue the criminal complaint.

Mastroianni’s complaint application charges Moran with two misdemeanors: communicating false information to an emergency response facility and being a disorderly person.

If convicted, the charge of communication of false information could carry a maximum sentence of 2 1/2 years in prison or a fine of $1,000.

The law also requires the defendant make restitution to the emergency response services provider for any costs, damages or losses.

Lawyer Jeffrey S. Morneau, who had represented Moran before the Holyoke Fire Commission regarding the fake phone call, said at a July 14 commission hearing that Hoose was representing Moran on the criminal matter.

Mastroianni said in a voice-mail message Moran’s lawyer requested that the hearing be continued so he could familiarize himself with the case. But Mastroianni said he urged that the court ensure the hearing occurs soon.

“That was the request of the DA’s office, to make sure it happened in August,” Mastroianni said.

En route to the June 15 bogus call, a traffic accident occurred among four vehicles that were going in the opposite direction of the fire truck and had stopped. One of the drivers was treated at the hospital and released.

The Fire Commission is a three-member, unpaid board appointed by the mayor. The commission has sole authority to hire, discipline and fire the chief.

The commission voted unanimously June 17 certify a decision that Chairwoman Priscilla F. Chesky made a few days earlier to put Moran on paid administrative leave after the fire truck was unnecessarily sent to the mall. Deputy Fire Chief Robert Shaw has been acting chief since then.

Moran worked on the 2009 campaign of Mayor Elaine A. Pluta and Moran’s brother, Timothy J. Moran, who also is a deputy fire chief, was Pluta’s campaign manager. Pluta has said she is leaving the disciplining of William Moran to the Fire Commission and won’t try to influence the commission.

The Fire Commission has taken at least two other votes in executive session regarding William Moran that Chesky has said she is unable to discuss because they were personnel matters.

American Baptist Men clear trees, spread message of hope, in wake of tornado that hit Monson, Brimfield

0
0

This was the third time that the ABMen have visited the tornado-torn communities of Monson and Brimfield.

ABMen 72211.jpgClive E. Roberts of Belmont, N.H., the disaster relief co-ordinator for the Vermont and New Hampshire chapter of ABMen, cuts a cross into the stump of a tree he and his crew cut along with other downed trees from the June 1 tornado at a home on East Hill Road Friday. The ABMen have spent several days clearing trees in Monson in recent weeks.

MONSON - With bits of wood and leaves stuck to his sweat-streaked face, Clive E. Roberts said the ABMen do more than cutting trees and clearing properties ravaged by the tornado - they also spread a message of hope.

"It's not just about cutting the trees. It's about trying to help the people feel better, show there's still hope," said Roberts, disaster relief coordinator for ABMen of Vermont and New Hampshire.

The group leaves it mark - a cross - on the tree stumps as a reminder that they've been there.

"It's like a signature," he said.

Roberts talked on Friday about the mission of the faith-based, non-profit group that helps people after natural disasters as he took a break from cutting trees at 30 East Hill Road. ABMen is short for American Baptist Men.

The heatwave didn't stop the group from continuing its mission, and they tackled the tree-covered yard with gusto.

"It's very, very rewarding kind of work," Roberts said. "I've gotten hugged in the last few weeks more than I probably have in my entire life."

Roberts was with seven other ABMen, a group that also included two women, and said more volunteers are expected to arrive this weekend to help with the cleanup effort.

This was the third time that the ABMen have visited the tornado-torn communities of Monson and Brimfield. The first time, the ABMen went to Brimfield, cutting 300 trees there, and clearing another 80 trees at the Village Green Campground, where they stayed. Virginia Darlow was killed at the campground as the tornado swept through on June 1.

"We figured we'd go to Monson," Roberts said.

There he found volunteer coordinator Karen King and Wendy J. Deshais, and they connected the group with people who could use help in their town. Roberts said they cut down 15 trees for a man who had been told that it would cost him $6,000 to hire a private company. The ABMen did it for free.

On their second visit to Monson last week, they helped 41 families clear their properties, visiting Ely, Wood Hill, Cote and Bethany roads, and the Stewart Avenue neighborhood. They also helped another 11 families in Brimfield.

The men, many of whom are retirees, wield chainsaws and use heavy equipment like professionals. Roberts said they will stay until Wednesday, then will return late next week for a fourth visit.

He's taken the ABMen to Louisiana, in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, and to Galveston, Texas, after Hurricane Ike. Each cleanup is different, he said.

IMG_1278.jpgElmo Stevens, left, and Clive E. Roberts, of the Vermont - New Hampshire chapter of American Baptist Men kneel next to a stump where they carved the ABMen signature - a cross.

"A tornado is different than a hurricane. It twists the trees," said Roberts, who is in the excavation and logging business when he's not donating his time with the ABMen.

Clad in long sleeves because he gets sunburns, Roberts and his crew were braving the nearly 100-degree temperatures as they chainsawed and moved brush around the Raymond family's property.

Elmo Stevens, an ABMen from Edmeston, N.Y., said this was his second visit to Monson.

"God called me," Stevens said.

Stevens couldn't talk about the tornado's destruction in Monson.

"It bothers me too much," said Stevens, a firefighter.

Rachel H. Divers, a member of ABMen from New Hampshire, said, "People don't have a clue what it's like down here."

King said the group does more than tree cutting, and "talks with (the residents) in an ecumenical way." The ABMen found some residents with post-traumatic stress and psychological problems after the tornado, and told King, who got them help.

The ABMen are staying at the Monson Developmental Center, and the volunteers are providing them with food during their stay. Donations have allowed the ABMen to keep working, paying for their fuel costs. Osterman Propane matched the $1,500 in donations that poured in this week.

"They can't sleep at night knowing we need help," King said about the ABMen.

The group ranged in age from a 46-year-old police officer using a chainsaw to a 73-year-old man operating a "skid steer" loader to move brush around.

Daniel McFaul, 61, of North Haverill, N.H., said he likes the camaraderie of ABMen. He admitted the heat was slowing them down a little.

Christine Raymond watched the ABMen clean her yard. Her house just had roof damage, unlike others just a short distance away that were crushed by the tornado.
Trees were their problem. The yard was covered.

"This is awesome that they do this like this. It takes a lot of hard work," Raymond said.

"I think it's awesome," said her son Joshua Raymond, 10.

King, who called the ABMen "phenomenal," said anyone who would like to donate food or money for the ABMen, or who needs help with tree removal, can call the volunteer hotline at (413) 258-0207. They need $1,500 to work for a week.

House Speaker John Boehner abruptly withdraws from debt limit talks with President Obama

0
0

An obviously peeved Obama virtually ordered congressional leaders to the White House for a Saturday meeting on raising the nation's debt limit.

072111 john boehner.JPGHouse Speaker John Boehner of Ohio arrives for a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

By DAVID ESPO
AP Special Correspondent

WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner abruptly broke off talks with President Barack Obama Friday night on a deal to cut federal spending and avert a threatened government default, sending compromise efforts into an instant crisis.

Within minutes, an obviously peeved Obama virtually ordered congressional leaders to the White House for a Saturday meeting on raising the nation's debt limit. "We've got to get it done. It is not an option not to do it," he declared.

For the first time since negotiations began, he declined to offer assurances, when asked, that default would be avoided. Moments later, however, he said he was confident of that outcome.

Boehner, in a letter circulated to the House Republican rank and file, said he had withdrawn from the talks with Obama because "in the end, we couldn't connect."

He said the president wanted to raise taxes, and was reluctant to agree to cuts in benefit programs.

The disconnect in the talks with the White House was "not because of different personalities but because of different visions for our country," he said, and he announced he would now seek agreement with leaders of the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Obama was having none of that, announcing instead a morning White House meeting where he said he expected to hear proposed solutions from the top leaders of both parties in both houses.

072211 barack obama.jpgPresident Barack Obama makes a statement in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, Friday, July 22, 2011 on the break down of debt ceiling talks. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

"One of the questions the Republican Party is going to have to ask itself is, 'Can they say yes to anything?'" Obama said.

The president avoided direct criticism of Boehner, although he did mention that his phone calls to the speaker had gone unreturned during the day. One administration official said the president had tried to reach Boehner four times.

The private, sometimes-secret negotiations had veered uncertainly for weeks, generating reports as late as Thursday that the two sides were possibly closing in on an agreement to cut $3 trillion in spending and add as much as $1 trillion in possible revenue while increasing the government's borrowing authority of $2.4 trillion.

That triggered a revolt among Democrats who expressed fears the president was giving away too much in terms of cuts to Medicare and Social Security while getting too little by way of additional revenues

Officials say a default could destabilize the already weakened U.S. economy and send major ripple effects across the globe. "Failing to raise the debt ceiling would do irreparable harm to our credit standing, would undermine our ability to lead on global economic issues and would damage our economy," former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, a Republican, told reporters during the day.

Current administration officials and Federal reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke have said much the same thing for weeks — while gridlock persisted in Congress.

Obama said his only requirement for an agreement was legislation that provides the Treasury enough borrowing authority to tide the government over through the 2012 election.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., agreed in a written statement, saying a shorter-term extension was unacceptable.

His counterpart, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell supported Boehner for "insisting on reducing spending and opposing the president's call for higher taxes on American families and job creators."

Not for the first time, he said, "it's time now for the debate to move out of a room in the White House and onto the House and Senate floors."

The two Senate leaders will be among the lawmakers at the White House meeting called by the president, presumably joined by Boehner and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the House Democratic leader.

Tech earnings help Wall Street stocks end week with solid gain

0
0

A big earnings miss from Caterpillar Friday wasn't enough to derail a rally that pushed the stock market up 2 percent for the week.

By DANIEL WAGNER and DAVID K. RANDALL | AP Business Writers

072211 wall street trader john bowers.jpgJohn Bowers, right, of Bowers Securities makes trades using a handheld device on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Friday, July 22, 2011. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

A big earnings miss from Caterpillar Friday wasn't enough to derail a rally that pushed the stock market up 2 percent for the week.

Caterpillar Inc. fell nearly 6 percent after the heavy equipment maker earned less than analysts were expecting last quarter, partly because of the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan. The company is seen as a bellwether for the global economy because it sells construction and mining machinery all over the world.

The disappointing results from Caterpillar and a continuing deadlock over raising the U.S. borrowing limit capped the stock market's gains. Overseas markets rose after European leaders reached a deal late Thursday aimed at containing the region's debt crisis.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 43.25 points, or 0.3 percent, to 12,681.16. Even with the decline, the Dow gained 1.6 percent for the week. It has finished three out of the last four weeks higher than where it started.

The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index gained 1.22, or 0.1 percent, to 1,345.02. It finished the week with a gain of 2.2 percent.

Energy, technology and consumer discretionary companies were the only three of the 10 industries tracked by the S&P 500 that rose. That was still enough to push the broad market index higher.

Consumer discretionary companies include retailers like Amazon Inc. and restaurant chains like McDonalds Corp. McDonald's rose 2 percent, the most of any stock in the Dow average, after its income and revenue came in higher than analysts were expecting due to strong sales in Europe.

Technology stocks rose broadly after Advanced Micro Devices Inc. reported strong second-quarter earnings and said its new computer graphics chip was selling well. The Nasdaq composite index rose 24.40 points, or 0.9 percent, to 2,858.83.

AMD jumped 19 percent. Flash memory card maker SanDisk Corp. rose 10 percent after its earnings rose sharply. Microsoft Corp. gained 1.6 percent after beating analyst's income estimates.

Oil services company Schlumberger Ltd. rose 3 percent after its profits increased on a pickup in drilling in North America.

Traders kept close watch on negotiations in Washington over a deal to raise the nation's debt ceiling ahead of an Aug. 2 deadline. The impasse has overshadowed an agreement in Europe Thursday to give Greece a second financial lifeline and broaden the powers of a regional bailout fund.

Concerns are spreading that the U.S. debt ceiling won't be raised before the deadline, said Brian Gendreau, market strategist for Cetera Financial Group. "But the background is a growing economy and fairly strong earnings news."

Strong earnings from Apple Inc., Coca-Cola Co. and IBM Corp. helped send stocks higher this week. The Dow gained 202 points on Tuesday, its biggest one-day jump of the year, after President Obama backed a proposal by six senators that would cut the country's debt by $3.7 trillion over the next decade and raise the nation's debt ceiling.

Rising and falling shares were about even on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was lighter than average at 3.3 billion shares.

Temperature record broken in Pioneer Valley

0
0

Friday's 101 degrees set an all-time record for July 22, according to the weather station at the Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee. Watch video

Gallery preview

SPRINGFIELD -- So, how hot was it Friday in the Pioneer Valley?

Hot enough to set an all-time record for July 22.

By 4 p.m., the mercury had risen to 101 degrees, shattering the previous 100-degree record for that date on July 22, 1991, according to the Chicopee-based Westover Air Reserve Base weather station, which has been monitoring the region's weather conditions since 1940.

The magic number to beat is still 102 degrees, which remains the hottest temperature ever recorded in the region.

"That's still the record" said Lt. Col. James G. Bishop, Westover's public affairs chief.

That all-time high was reached way back on June 26, 1952, when Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds were "Singin' in the Rain" and Rocky Marciano was the most feared prize fighter in the land.

ISO New England, the company that oversees the power grid for the six-state region, reported near-record usage rates Friday, which marked the second-highest power consumption ever recorded in the region.

"It doesn't look like we'll break a record today, although we're close," ISO New England spokeswoman Ellen Foley said late Friday afternoon.

For Saturday, if power usage and temperatures remain high -- the mercury is expected to hit at least the mid-90s -- "we're anticipating breaking a weekend record, but not an all-time record," Foley said.

By around 4 p.m. Friday, ISO New England reported a usage rate of 27,780 megawatts, which is 350 megawatts shy of the all-time high of 28,130 megawatts reached on Aug. 2, 2006. A single megawatt serves about 1,000 homes.

Foley said the power grid took pro-active steps to avoid setting records Friday, including asking mostly larger industrial customers to reduce usage. Those customers -- known as "demand response" customers -- actually get paid to reduce consumption during peak usage periods.

"They are required to reduce (usage) when we call them," she said.

Over all, Foley said, the grid managed to avoid setting any records by reducing around 600 megawatts of usage. "We took some steps to help balance supply and demand," she said.

ISO New England also dipped into its operating reserve, which helped reduce overall power consumption during the height of the heatwave.

On that note, the mercury is expected to nosedive into the mid-80s by Sunday morning, which is a good 10 to 15 degrees cooler than regional temperatures over the past few days.

The extreme heat has affected everything from local schools and fire departments to sporting events.

On Saturday, the 85th Annual Republican Sandlot Tournament made adjustments to its schedule because of the extreme temperatures. Games in the 8- to 10-year-old division originally scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Saturday have been moved to 9:30 a.m. Sunday. The Saturday morning and noon games will be played as scheduled.

Municipalities throughout the region have asked residents to be mindful of finite resources while the heat persists.

In Northampton, the weather prompted Department of Public Works officials to restrict the use of city water, especially when it comes to non-essential outdoor uses such as lawn sprinklers.

During the heatwave, automatic lawn sprinklers may only be used one day a week and city residents are barred from washing cars, driveways and building exteriors until temperatures normalize, which, for this time of year, typically means temperature highs in the mid-80s.

Northampton officials will notify city residents when the water restriction is lifted.

While many area communities have opened cooling centers as respites from the sweltering temperatures outside, some institutions are beating the heat by simply shutting down. Case in point: Springfield Technical Community College closed its facility on Thursday and Friday in order to reduce its electricity consumption.

The town of Hampden's senior center on Allen Street doubled as a cooling center on Thursday and Friday, while the Holyoke Board of Health transformed the War Memorial at 310 Appleton St. into a cooling center Friday and will again reopen the facility as a refuge from the heat on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m.

Some area fire departments, including Springfield, got a break on the hottest day of the year, while others battled flames and blistering temperatures that conspired to make Friday one of the toughest firefighting days of the year.

In Palmer, firefighters quickly extinguished a dryer fire in the basement of a duplex that was reported just before 9 a.m. in the Three Rivers section of town. The resident was not home at the time of the fire, which prompted Three Rivers Fire Chief Patrick J. O'Connor to order his men "to dress down" -- including removing their heavy coats -- to avoid succumbing to the extreme heat.

Clothes ignited inside the dryer, which, according to O'Connor, must have been left running after the resident left home. The dryer was a total loss, the chief said.

In Springfield, a teenager trying to beat the heat was injured around 2:45 p.m. Friday when he hit his head while attempting to jump into a shallow kiddie pool at his Liberty Street home, according to Springfield Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

The boy "was seriously injured," said Fitchet, who had no additional information about the incident in the lower Liberty Heights neighborhood.

In terms of any violent crime in Springfield, which has been plagued this month with shootings, stabbings and several homicides, Friday's extreme heat had not resulted in any significant incidents as of 4 p.m., Fitchet said.

"I'm knocking on wood it will stay that way," the commissioner added.

Friday's 101-degree high at Westover may have set the single-day heat record for July 22. But according to Bishop, the Westover spokesman, the region has reached that temperature at least four other times: on July 3, 1966; July 21, 1991; July 22, 1991; and July 6, 2010.

For July 22, though, Friday's high remains champion.

"This breaks the daily record, this is No. 1," Bishop said.

Police seize 61 marijuana plants from Washington Road home in Wilbraham

0
0

Christopher McKenna and Kimberly McKenna were charged in connection with the seizure of the marijuana plants.

WILBRAHAM – Police on Friday morning, with agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency Task Force, served a search warrant at 60 Washington Road that resulted in the seizure of 61 marijuana plants from a second floor area of the residence.

Also seized during the search was a Springfield Armory 45 caliber automatic handgun and a 2700K volt electric stun gun.

Police charged Christopher Scott McKenna, 34, of 60 Washington Road with possession of marijuana, possession of a firearm without an FID card, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and possession of an electric stun gun.

Kimberly Ann McKenna, 31, of 60 Washington Road was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of a firearm without an FID card and possession of an electric stun gun.

Police said Christopher McKenna was taken to Palmer District Court for arraignment.

Police said an application for a criminal complaint was filed at Palmer District Court against Kimberly McKenna.


Business leaders in Massachusetts convene on ways to improve early education

0
0

About 21,000 families are on a state waiting list for state subsidized day care for children of low-income people.

dev.jpgGov. Deval Patrick speaks about the need to invest in early education during a summit of business leaders on Friday in Boston.

BOSTON – Business leaders from the Springfield area joined in a national effort on Friday to underscore the need for effective education and care for children at the earliest ages, well before they reach the public schools.

Business owners and executives said the best returns on tax dollars come from investing in early education and care and giving pre-school children a big jump on their futures. High-quality child care can help assure the skilled workers needed to attract businesses to Western Massachusetts, they said.

"When we are investing in our children, it is risk-free with a guaranteed yield," said George Burtch of Ludlow, a vice president with Hasbro Inc., a toy and game company with a manufacturing facility in East Longmeadow.

Burtch was among about 14 people from the Springfield area to attend the 2011 National Business Leader Summit on Early Childhood Investment at the Boston Harbor Hotel.

Pre-school care and education are provided in multiple ways, including mostly licensed private child care centers run by various organizations.

Business owners from Springfield said they face issues such as poverty, state budget cuts and a long waiting list for state subsidies for day care for the children of low-income families.

"It's truly a massive task we face," said Gayle Rediker, co-owner of Rediker Software in Hampden, who attended the event. "We need to get business people involved."

sherri killins.jpgSherri Killins, Department of Early Education and Care commissioner

Sherri Killins, commissioner of the state Department of Early Education and Care, said her agency is working with hundreds of programs in the state to rate them on quality and provide them with ways to improve.

She said 21,000 families in the state are on a waiting list for state subsidized day care for the children low-income people.

Right now, 57,000 children receive subsidies through certain state programs, she said.

According to statistics provided by Killins's office, 5,758 children from Springfield and 1,293 children from Holyoke received subsidies for day care during a recent 12-month period. In Chicopee, 956 children received subsidies and in Northampton, 199 children.

During the summit, Linda M. Noonan, managing director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education in Boston, praised the work of Springfield Business Leaders for Education, a group of business leaders that advocates for public schools and also demands accountability and progress for children. Noonan said the group is a national model.

fyn.jpgNicholas Fyntrilakis, assistant vice president at MassMutual Financial Group.

Nicholas Fyntrilakis, an assistant vice president with the MassMutual Financial Group in Springfield and co-chairman of business leaders for education, said the summit reinforced the need for a strong connection between early education and care and public schools. "You can't consider it a piece on the side," he said. "It needs to be folded in."

The summit included speeches from Gov. Deval L. Patrick and panels with experts such as David Lawrence Jr., former publisher of the Miami Herald and now president of the Early Childhood Initiative Foundation at the University of Florida.

Attendees from Springfield said that more quality early education is critical.

"Unless little kids get what they need, we as citizens are not doing our job," said Nancy Urbschat of Springfield, owner of TSM Design in Springfield.

nancy.jpgNancy Urbschat, owner of TSM Design in Springfield.

Michael J. Moriarty, a lawyer in Holyoke and member of the Holyoke School Committee, said it's clear that government alone can't do the work of improving early education.

Moriarty is a member of a task force working with Holyoke school officials to boost reading scores of grade 3 students over the next three years. Moriarty said poverty is the root cause of Holyoke students having the lowest reading scores in the state for grade 3 students.

Sally Fuller, a project director for The Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation in Springfield, said that only half the families in Springfield send their children to any formal family or center-based child care.

Advocates face a difficult challenge, partly because of a long state waiting list for subsidized day care and state budget cuts.

State funding for early education and care is $506 million for the fiscal year that began July 1, down 2.6 percent from the prior year and down an inflation-adjusted 17.2 percent from three years ago, according to the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center in Boston.

The summit was hosted by the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley and partly sponsored by the Partnership for America's Economic Success, a project of the Pew Center on the States.

Westfield man remains hospitalized after being run over by tow truck

0
0

A Westfield man remained in serious condition at Baystate Medical Center Friday evening after being hit by a tow truck on East Silver Street in Westfield late Thursday afternoon.

WESTFIELD -- A Westfield man remained hospitalized at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield Friday evening after being struck by a tow truck Thursday in Westfield.

Authorities are still investigating what caused the 53-year-old Whip City resident to apparently fall into the path of a flat-bed tow truck that was eastbound on East Silver Street around 5:30 p.m. Thursday.

The man, whom police declined to identify, was taken to Baystate with "serious trauma and injuries," Westfield Police Lt. Michael Ugolik said early Friday morning.

By Friday night, the man remained in serious condition at the Springfield hospital, according to Westfield Police Sgt. Eric Hall.

"I don't think his condition has changed much," Hall said around 8:30 p.m. Friday.

Authorities said the accident occurred while the man was walking along a tree belt bordering East Silver Street. But it remains unclear if he tripped or how, precisely, he wound up in the pathway of the truck.

The incident is being investigated by officers from the Westfield police traffic bureau and troopers from the state police accident reconstruction team.

Police did not identify the driver, who has not been cited in the incident.

"As of tonight, there are no charges," Hall said Friday.

The incident closed a section of East Silver Street well into Thursday evening.


Springfield schools superintendent Alan Ingram defends contract

0
0

Ingram said the $30,000 agreement offered him the discretion to purchase or rent a home in Springfield.

083010 alan ingram crop.jpgSpringfield schools superintendent Alan Ingram says an amendment to his initial contract with the city providing $30,000 for a down payment on a mortgage is "a legally binding agreement. It was negotiated and executed in good faith."

SPRINGFIELD – Schools Superintendent Alan J. Ingram is defending an amendment to his 2008 contract providing $30,000 for a down payment on a mortgage, which was recently questioned because he hasn’t purchased a home and city officials claimed they never knew about the contractual add-on.

In a “side letter” to Ingram’s four-year contract dated June 30, 2008, former Finance Control Board Executive Director Stephen P. Lisauskas pledged the $30,000 as a “market differential” after Ingram was hired away from a job in Oklahoma City to take the top educational post in Springfield.

“Understanding that this payment may be required to assist you in making a down payment while potentially maintaining your current residence in Oklahoma City, this payment shall be made to you no later (than) August 18, 2008,” the letter reads, in part.

School Committee member and mayoral candidate Antonette Pepe questioned the $30,000 bonus and called publicly for Ingram to pay it back as Ingram lives in a rented apartment.

Ingram, however, said the contract gave him wider discretion and he has used the money properly for residential living expenses.

“It’s a legally binding agreement. It was negotiated and executed in good faith ... I didn’t do anything to hide it, and it was signed before I officially started, so it was not my responsibility to share it with the (school) committee. I assumed it was made available to them just like my contract,” Ingram said. “I’m as surprised as anyone else that no one knew about it.”

June 30, 2008 Side Letter From Springfield Finance Control Board to Alan Ingram

Ingram received the payment on top of an eight-month, monthly rental stipend of up to $2,000 per month, a $650-per-month car allowance, $15,000 retirement annuity and $190,000 annual salary that was boosted in May to $202,000.

The Finance Control Board was a state-run panel, blessed in 2004 by the state Legislature as a bail-out team for a financially floundering Springfield. The five-member board included three gubernatorial appointees, the Springfield City Council president and the mayor. The board had sovereign spending powers including in contract negotiations, trumping local officials. The Finance Control Board was disbanded in 2009.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, who was mayor and a de facto member of the control board in 2008, has said through a spokesman that he recalls voting for Ingram’s contract and authorizing Lisauskas to negotiate moving and relocating expenses but has no memory of the “side letter” granting the $30,000 payment or a subsequent side agreement extending the deadline for relocation reimbursement to June 30, 2011.

Sarno said in a written statement on Wednesday that he only saw the letters this week and intends to launch an investigation. Through spokesman Thomas Walsh, Sarno said he clearly remembers voting for Ingram’s contract and authorizing Lisauskas to negotiate relocation details.

Alan Ingram Contract of Employment

Melinda Phelps, a lawyer for the School Committee, said the contract was loosely worded and there appeared to be no specific language to obligate Ingram to spend the money on a down payment for a house mortgage.

Ingram said he did search for a home to purchase when he first arrived in Springfield, but he and his wife, a schoolteacher in Oklahoma, had not bought a home here “as of yet” for personal reasons. He lives in an apartment complex in Springfield’s South End, in keeping with a residency requirement in his contract.

He refused to detail how much of the $30,000 he has spent. The Republican has asked for all of Ingram’s reimbursement applications through a public records request. That response is pending.

061609_stephen_lisauskas_mug.JPGStephen Lisauskas

Ingram has released two written statements in response to the controversy over the side letter, affirming his commitment to the city and its children.

In an email, Lisauskas, who left Springfield after the control board disbanded, released the following statement:

“In May and June 2008, I worked with the members of the Springfield Finance Control Board to execute a contract to bring a new Superintendent, Alan Ingram, to the Springfield Public Schools. Dr. Ingram was selected from a pool of more than fifty candidates in a nationwide search by a broad-based community process that involved forty members of the public, elected and appointed officials, and concerned residents from all walks of life.

“Dr. Ingram’s contract included a number of compensation items, including a one-time $30,000 payment that could be used to pay for housing costs. There was no requirement for it to be used in this way, but this one-time payment was helpful in finalizing our contract. While $30,000 is a large sum of money, even including this one-time payment placed Dr. Ingram’s compensation well below the market for school superintendents in communities of Springfield’s size and complexity.”

Lisauskas declined further comment.

Springfield Schools Superintendent Alan Ingram Statement

Wilbraham selectmen authorize borrowing to pay tornado cleanup costs

0
0

So far the town has run up $3.5 million in bills for cleanup of the tornado.

Wilbraham tornado 6211.jpgDamage to homes and trees in Wilbraham is seen in this aerial photo shot the day after three tornadoes hit Western and Central Massachusetts June 1.

WILBRAHAM ##dask The Board of Selectmen has authorized Town Treasurer Thomas P. Sullivan to borrow $3.5 million to pay tornado cleanup costs.

So far the town has bills totaling $3.5 million for cleanup of the June 1 tornado. Town officials expect at least 75 percent of the costs to be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“So far, we have adequate cash flow to manage the bills,” Sullivan said. He said the authorization of borrowing was needed so bills can be paid while the town waits for FEMA reimbursement.

Department of Public Works Director Edmond Miga told selectmen it will cost another $1 million to clean up drainage areas in town of downed trees and stumps to prevent future flooding.

Town Administrator Robert A. Weitz told the Board of Selectmen the town could have $1 million in outstanding bills after all state and federal reimbursement is exhausted. Sullivan said it is not clear yet the extent of state reimbursement of cleanup costs from the tornado.

The town has $1.5 million in its stabilization account.

If the town is left with $1 million in outstanding bills from the tornado it could decide to pay some from the stabilization account and to borrow to pay the rest, Sullivan said.

There is a chance the town will know the full extent of its cleanup costs and the state and federal reimbursement by July 1, 2012, the beginning of the next fiscal year, Sullivan said.

Springfield Fire Department: oil tank fire at Epiphany Tower causes smoke damage

0
0

Thick, black smoke was visible outside the State Street building, which sustained about $10,000 in damage, according to a Springfield Fire Department estimate.

epiphany.JPGThis 2007 Republican file photo shows Epiphany Tower, a prominent State Street building that has long been vacant. The building is located on State Street, between Dwight and Willow streets, directly across from the MassMutual Center in downtown Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD -- A small fire at Epiphany Tower -- an historic, eight-story building that is slated to become a chain hotel -- triggered a big response from city firefighters Friday evening.

"It attracted a lot of attention," Springfield Fire Department spokesman Dennis G. Leger said of the 7:57 p.m. blaze, which looked worse than it was, sending thick, black smoke into the air shortly before sundown.

Leger said the fire was sparked by workers who were cutting up and removing an old oil tank from the State Street building, which is located between Willow and Dwight streets. Leger was unsure if workers used a blow torch to dismantle the roughly 2,000-gallon tank, but a section of pipe that still had oil in it apparently caught fire, he said.

The smoke was visible from the street and caused about $10,000 in damage, according to Leger.

Located across from the MassMutual Center, Epiphany Tower is poised to become a Holiday Inn Express Hotel, according to the latest plans for the downtown building.

As of May, that plan was on track, said a spokesman for Jamsan Hotel Management, the Lexington-based development firm that hopes to transform the building into a 98-room hotel.

The $5 million project calls for creating additional parking and demolishing an adjacent building, among other things, and is expected to create 50 permanent hotel jobs and 100 temporary construction jobs.

Plans for the site were approved by the Springfield Redevelopment Authority in April 2010.

Epiphany Tower -- formerly known as Civic Tower -- has had many uses over the decades, but in recent years has remained vacant.

"The place has had a lot of fires (over the years)," Leger said.

According to The Republican's archives, a Springfield man was sentenced to up to 10 years in prison in August 2002 after admitting to setting a series of fires in the empty building that caused an estimated $100,000 in damages.

Norway horror: 80 die in camp shooting, 7 in blast

0
0

It took investigators several hours to begin the realize the full scope of Friday's massacre, which followed an explosion in nearby Oslo that killed seven.

APTOPIX Norway ExplosionSmoke rises from the central area of Oslo Friday, July 22, 2011 after an explosion. Terrorism ravaged long-peaceful Norway on Friday when a bomb ripped open buildings including the prime minister's office and a man dressed as a police officer opened fire at a nearby island youth camp. (AP Photo/Scanpix, Jon Bredo Overaas)

OSLO, Norway (AP) — A Norwegian who dressed as a police officer to gun down summer campers killed at least 80 people at an island retreat, horrified police said early Saturday. It took investigators several hours to begin the realize the full scope of Friday's massacre, which followed an explosion in nearby Oslo that killed seven and that police say was set off by the same suspect.

The mass shootings are among the worst in history. With the blast outside the prime minister's office, they formed the deadliest day of terror in Western Europe since the 2004 Madrid train bombings killed 191.

Police initially said about 10 were killed at the forested camp on the island of Utoya, but some survivors said they thought the toll was much higher. Police director Oystein Maeland told reporters early Saturday they had discovered many more victims.

"It's taken time to search the area. What we know now is that we can say that there are at least 80 killed at Utoya," Maeland said. "It goes without saying that this gives dimensions to this incident that are exceptional."

Maeland said the death toll could rise even more. He said others were severely injured, but police didn't know how many were hurt.

A suspect in the shootings and the Oslo explosion was arrested. Though police did not release his name, Norwegian national broadcaster NRK identified him as 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik and said police searched his Oslo apartment overnight. NRK and other Norwegian media posted pictures of the blond, blue-eyed Norwegian.

A police official said the suspect appears to have acted alone in both attacks, and that "it seems like that this is not linked to any international terrorist organizations at all." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because that information had not been officially released by Norway's police.

"It seems it's not Islamic-terror related," the official said. "This seems like a madman's work."

The official said the attack "is probably more Norway's Oklahoma City than it is Norway's World Trade Center." Domestic terrorists carried out the 1995 attack on a federal building in Oklahoma City, while foreign terrorists were responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.

The official added, however, "it's still just hours since the incident happened. And the investigation is going on with all available resources."

The motive was unknown, but both attacks were in areas connected to the ruling Labor Party government. The youth camp, about 20 miles (35 kilometers) northwest of Oslo, is organized by the party's youth wing, and the prime minister had been scheduled to speak there Saturday.

A 15-year-old camper named Elise said she heard gunshots, but then saw a police officer and thought she was safe. Then he started shooting people right before her eyes.

"I saw many dead people," said Elise, whose father, Vidar Myhre, didn't want her to disclose her last name. "He first shot people on the island. Afterward he started shooting people in the water."

Elise said she hid behind the same rock that the killer was standing on. "I could hear his breathing from the top of the rock," she said.

She said it was impossible to say how many minutes passed while she was waiting for him to stop.

At a hotel in the village of Sundvollen, where survivors of the shooting were taken, 21-year-old Dana Berzingi wore pants stained with blood. He said the fake police officer ordered people to come closer, then pulled weapons and ammunition from a bag and started shooting.

Several victims "had pretended as if they were dead to survive," Berzingi said. But after shooting the victims with one gun, the gunman shot them again in the head with a shotgun, he said.

"I lost several friends," said Berzingi, who used the cell phone of one of those friends to call police.

The blast in Oslo, Norway's capital and the city where the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded, left a square covered in twisted metal, shattered glass and documents expelled from surrounding buildings. Most of the windows in the 20-floor high-rise where Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg and his administration work were shattered. Other buildings damaged house government offices and the headquarters of some of Norway's leading newspapers.

The dust-fogged scene after the blast reminded one visitor from New York of Sept. 11.

Ian Dutton, who was in a nearby hotel, said people "just covered in rubble" were walking through "a fog of debris."

"It wasn't any sort of a panic," he said, "It was really just people in disbelief and shock, especially in a such as safe and open country as Norway. You don't even think something like that is possible."

Police said the Oslo explosion was caused by "one or more" bombs.

The police official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the Oslo bombing occurred at 3:26 p.m. local time (1:26 p.m. GMT), and the camp shootings began one to two hours later. The official said the gunman used both automatic weapons and handguns, and that there was at least one unexploded device at the youth camp that a police bomb disposal team and military experts were working on disarming.

The suspect had only a minor criminal record, the official said.

National police chief Sveinung Sponheim said seven people were killed by the blast in downtown Oslo, four of whom have been identified, and that nine or 10 people were seriously injured.

Sponheim said a man was arrested in the shooting, and the suspect had been observed in Oslo before the explosion there.

Sponheim said the camp shooter "wore a sweater with a police sign on it. I can confirm that he wasn't a police employee and never has been."

Aerial images broadcast by Norway's TV2 showed members of a SWAT team dressed in black arriving at the island in boats and running up the dock. Behind them, people who stripped down to their underwear swam away from the island toward shore, some using flotation devices.

Sponheim said police were still trying to get an overview of the camp shooting and could not say whether there was more than one shooter. He would not give any details about the identity or nationality of the suspect, who was being interrogated by police.

Oslo University Hospital said 12 people were admitted for treatment following the Utoya shooting, and 11 people were taken there from the explosion in Oslo. The hospital asked people to donate blood.

Stoltenberg, who was home when the blast occurred and was not harmed, visited injured people at the hospital late Friday. Earlier he decried what he called "a cowardly attack on young innocent civilians."Gallery preview

"I have message to those who attacked us," he said. "It's a message from all of Norway: You will not destroy our democracy and our commitment to a better world."

NRK showed video in Oslo of a blackened car lying on its side amid the debris. An AP reporter who was in the office of Norwegian news agency NTB said the building shook from the blast and all employees were evacuated. Down in the street, he saw one person with a bleeding leg being led away from the area.

An AP reporter headed to Utoya was turned away by police before reaching the lake that surrounds the island, as eight ambulances with sirens blaring entered the area. Police blocked off roads leading to the lake.

The United States, European Union, NATO and the U.K., all quickly condemned the bombing, which Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague called "horrific" and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen deemed a "heinous act."

"It's a reminder that the entire international community has a stake in preventing this kind of terror from occurring," President Barack Obama said.

Obama extended his condolences to Norway's people and offered U.S. assistance with the investigation. He said he remembered how warmly Norwegians treated him in Oslo when he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009.

Nobel Peace Prize Chairman Thorbjorn Jagland said it appeared the camp attack "was intended to hurt young citizens who actively engage in our democratic and political society. But we must not be intimidated. We need to work for freedom and democracy every day."

A U.S. counterterrorism official said the United States knew of no links to terrorist groups and early indications were the attack was domestic. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was being handled by Norway.

At least two Islamic extremist groups had tried to take credit for the attacks. Many intelligence analysts said they had never heard of Helpers of Global Jihad, which took initial credit. The Kurdish group Ansar al-Islam also took credit on some jihadist web sites.

Norway has been grappling with a homegrown terror plot linked to al-Qaida. Two suspects are in jail awaiting charges.

Last week, a Norwegian prosecutor filed terror charges against an Iraqi-born cleric for threatening Norwegian politicians with death if he is deported from the Scandinavian country. The indictment centered on statements that Mullah Krekar — the founder of Ansar al-Islam — made to various news media, including American network NBC.

Terrorism has also been a concern in neighboring Denmark since an uproar over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad six years ago.

Gasoline tanker truck explosion on Route 1 kills driver, sets home ablaze

0
0

Fuel from the truck spilled onto the U.S. 1 near Saugus in the 2:30 a.m. crash and flowed into a drainage ditch before going up in flames.


UPDATE- 10:45 a.m.
: State police said the reopening of Route 1 in Saugus has been delayed indefinitely because of the smell of natural gas in the area of Walgreen's. State police spokesman David Procopio said there is a concern that the force of the explosions may have ruptured underground gas lines. "This remains under investigation by Saugus Fire and National Grid," Procopio said, "and we will not reopen any lanes north or south until this situation is investigated and resolved to the satisfaction of all public safety officials."

UPDATE-9:20 a.m.: State police said that both lanes of Route 1 are expected to reopen by 10 p.m. and that the investigation of the crash is expected to take weeks to complete.

BOSTON (AP) — A gasoline tanker truck exploded in flames as it crashed just north of Boston early Saturday, setting three nearby buildings ablaze and leaving the truck driver dead and four motorists injured, state police said.

Fuel from the truck spilled onto the U.S. 1 near Saugus in the 2:30 a.m. crash and flowed into a drainage ditch before going up in flames. State police spokesman David Procopio said two greenhouse buildings and a private home caught fire.

"It was sort of a secondary ignition," he told The Associated Press.

Drivers in six other vehicles became involved in the crash or hit each other as they attempted to avoid the accident.

Four people in the vehicles were hospitalized but there was no immediate word on their condition.

Procopio said it still isn't clear what cause the initial crash, but the tanker slammed into the median, rolled over and went up in flames.

"It set off a fireball several feet high," he said.

Two buildings in the greenhouse compound were extensively damaged by flames and a private home had less damage, Procopio said. There were no reports of any injuries in those fires.

State police said that the fuel from the tanker truck made its way into the sewer system, then into a nearby culvert which carried it directly into the heart of a neighborhood where it exploded.

Some homes were evacuated but police did not give a number.

Firefighters had put out the blazes within three hours of the crash.

Police were checking if a bridge near the scene sustained serious structural damage.

The roadway, about 10 miles north of downtown Boston was closed, but police expected to reopen it by 7 a.m. EDT.


Springfield police make 2 overnight arrests for assault and battery on officers

0
0

Vaughn Decker Jr. of Springfield and Francisco Saillant of East Longmeadow were both taken into custody Saturday morning after allegedly fighting with police in two separate incidents.

SPRINGFIELD- Two Pioneer Valley residents are in the city lock up after separate incidents early Saturday morning where they allegedly attacked Springfield police officers.

Vaughn Decker Jr., 40, of 5 Fayette St., Springfield was arrested after officers on tornado security patrols approached him on Maple Street.

"Officers saw him acting suspiciously behind 150 Maple St. as part of an ongoing watch of tornado-affected neighborhoods," said Lt. John K. Slepchuk. "When they approached him and he was found to be in possession of drugs, he became combative and fought with the officers."

Decker was subdued and taken into custody, Slepchuk said. He is charged with possession of a class-b substance (cocaine), possession of a class-e substance (prescription pills), and with two counts of assault and battery on a police officer.

Then around 5 a.m., East Longmeadow resident Francisco Saillant, 44, was allegedly seen harassing females in front of 65 Leyfred Terrace.

Slepchuk said that when officers approached him, he became combative, trying to fight them off.

Saillant was taken into custody, however, and charged with two counts of assault and battery on a police officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

Both Decker and Saillant were held awaiting arraignment in Springfield District Court.

State buys 585 acres from Girls Scouts of Connecticut to add to Tolland State Forest

0
0

The expansion creates additional public recreational opportunities.

TOLLAND State Forest  Girl Scout land.JPG

TOLLAND – The state Department of Conservation and Recreation has added another 585 acres to its holdings at Tolland State Forest, expanding the park to more than 5,800 acres.

The acquisition, for $1.2 million, represents more than half of the Girl Scouts of Connecticut’s Timber Trails Camp and adds to the 843 acres of adjoining forest and other conservation land DCR acquired earlier this year for the park.

Both acquisitions add additional forest and wildlife habitat preservation along with fishing, canoeing and kayaking opportunities for the public. DCR now manages more than 75,000 acres of open space throughout the state.

State Energy and Environment Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. said Thursday the purchase “serves to protect important environmental assets for the state, especially Western Massachusetts.

“This will continue to provide public access to this area,” said Sullivan. Although there are no plans for “high impact recreational uses”, Sullivan said DCR will “maintain what is currently offered at the forest.”

Sullivan said the purchase of both Tolland parcels this year is part of Gov. Deval L. Patrick’s commitment to earmark $50 million a year for preservation and conservation. “An important quality of life is nature,” the secretary said.

“Our effort towards conservation and preservation is vitally important and because the latest is in Western Massachusetts, it is personally rewarding to me,” Sullivan, a former mayor of Westfield, said.

The 45,000-member Nutmeg State scout group will continue to enjoy its former property for hiking and other activities because of its designation as conservation land.

The 843 acres in the Tolland community that DCR acquired earlier this year for $3 million includes 8,800 feet of frontage on the Farmington River and Twining Lake. It represents 782 acres purchased and 61 acres, already with a conservation restriction, free.

The scout organization will use its proceeds to further enhance its Timber Trails Camp as well as other programs and projects, Chief Operating Officer Margaret Hansen-Kaplan said this week.

She explained that the organization sold 585 of its 1,100 acre camp and the transaction allows Massachusetts to continue its “conservation footprint in and around Tolland State Forest. “This piece of property was not used in our camp operation and because it becomes public property, our scouts will be able to continue to hike it.

“That fact made it a great benefit to both Massachusetts and our organization,” said Hansen-Kaplan.

Timber Trails Camp is used year-round by the Connecticut Girl Scouts for a variety of activities and programs.

Hansen-Kaplan said during summer months it serves as a summer residential camp and through the year it is used for camporees and one-day scouting events.

The Girls Scouts have owned Timber Trails Camp for more than 50 years, she said.

DCR is currently in the process of creating a Landscape Designation plan for state conservation areas and the draft proposal lists Tolland State Forest as a forest reserve, leaving it undeveloped.

Springfield police investigating syringe stick-up at Family Dollar store

0
0

The man, who was wearing a black shirt with red checker-pattern pants, was last seen running north on Main Street toward Wendell Place.

SPRINGFIELD - Police are looking for a man who threatened to stick a clerk with a syringe as he stole unspecified items from the Family Dollar store on Main Street Saturday morning.

Just before 8:15 a.m., police received a call from the store's private security company reporting the incident. A Hispanic man, believed to be around 28 years old, entered the store and was seen by staff with merchandise inside his shirt.

When he was confronted, he apparently pulled a syringe out of his pocket and threatened to stick the clerk with it before walking out the door.

The man, who was wearing a black shirt with red checker-pattern pants and red shoes, was last seen running south on Main Street toward Wendell Place.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Springfield police Detective Bureau at (413) 787-6355.

Those who wish to remain anonymous may text a tip via a cell phone by addressing a text message to “CRIMES,” or “274637,” and then beginning the body of the message with the word “SOLVE.”

Western Massachusetts communities give property tax breaks to tornado victims

0
0

The shortfall in tax payments will be borne by other property owners

Gallery preview

West Springfield became the latest Western Massachusetts community this week to adopt a section of state law to allow property owners affected by the June 1 tornadoes to get some tax relief.

The West Side Town Council voted unanimously Monday to adopt the state law that allows municipalities to base fiscal 2012 property tax bills on values as of June 30, rather than Jan. 1. Fiscal 2012 started July 1.

Several other communities affected by the tornadoes, including Springfield, Monson, Wilbraham and Brimfield are also taking the same tack. No public discussions have taken place in Westfield about such abatements, as most damage in that community was related to trees, not buildings.

The values of some properties declined precipitously as a result of the tornadoes which hit the region, and officials say basing property tax bills on values as of June 30 will mean tax relief for some of the affected property owners.

West Springfield has put the tornado’s damage to private property in the community at approximately $9.5 million. Of the 181 properties damaged in the tornado ,33 meet the criterion of having lost more than 50 percent of their values needed to qualify for the relief, according to principal assessor Christopher Keefe.

That comes to about $6.7 million in lost value, leaving those properties with a total value of about $8.7 million. Their reduction in taxes will be borne by the rest of the city’s approximately 10,000 property taxpayers, who raise a total of about $56 million each year.

By the time Mayor Edward J. Gibson asked council president Kathleen A. Bourque to put the issue on the council’s agenda she told him she already had.

“It obviously saves the individual or business some money when they are trying to invest in their property and rebuild,” Gibson said. “In my opinion, it is going to be a big help to a lot of property owners.”

Some property owners affected by the tornado did not have insurance and the tax break will help with their cash flow, Gibson said.

“This is an additional something to alleviate the stress on some of the tornado victims,” added Bourque.

Across the Connecticut River, meanwhile, where the tornado continued its path of destruction, the city of Springfield has already provided tax relief on approximately 2,050 tax bills for property owners who sustained significant damage and lost value.

First-quarter estimated tax bills were mailed earlier this month, reflecting the relief, and were based on the physical condition of the properties as of June 30, one month after the tornado.

Some 1,812 parcels in Springfield received a 25-percent reduction on the building value while condemned properties, numbering 241, received larger decreases, according to city officials.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno directed his city’s assessors to work with the affected homeowners on a case-by-case basis, saying it is the “fair and equitable thing to do.”

Each site was slated for a visit by assessors’ personnel, with the information gathered made part of the new valuation upon which the tax bills will be based.

In Brimfield, the town Building Department reported there were about 140 homes with serious damage, 40 of which were condemned and must be rebuilt. Assessors has already conducted inspections to place new values on the properties for tax purposes, according to Carolyn M. Haley, chair of the Board of Assessors.

The property value losses from the storm add up to about $7 million in Brimfield, and Haley said the new, diminished values, are being calculated for the current property tax bills.

Monson adopted Chapter 653 at the annual Town Meeting in 1990; it came in handy this year after the tornado damage, as assessors were able to assess damaged properties based on their appearance as of June 30, and make adjustments to property taxes.

“We went out and did the best to our ability,” said Monson principal assessor Ann P. Murphy. “We went through all the neighborhoods and documented what damage we could see.”

Murphy said they also notified the property owners what they were doing, so that they could provide additional documentation if necessary. “This will be a help for (property owners) for the coming year,” she said.

Monson has an estimated 300 properties with tornado damage, which translates into $12 million in lost value, or $173,160 in tax payments that will have to be absorbed by the budget in other areas, according to Murphy.

For example, a property valued at $150,000 ($100,000 for the house, $50,000 for land) which no longer has a house because the tornado demolished it would be taxed only on the land.

The tornado pushed back the mailing and due date for the first-quarter tax bills, which are now due Sept. 1 instead of Aug. 1. The assessors needed time to adjust the impact on properties, Murphy said. The second-quarter tax bill will still be due on Nov. 1.

The Wilbraham Board of Assessors announced plans to assess fiscal 2012 real estate taxes on the physical condition of properties as of the end of June also.

Taxpayers with tornado-damaged properties in Wilbraham will have their property records updated by the office staff and their fiscal 2012 valuations based on the damaged condition.

The property losses in Wilbraham ranged from minor damage to total loss, according to building inspector Lance Trevallion. He said 234 homes with damage were inspected, and, of those, 13 were classified as unsafe for occupancy.


Staff writers Peter Goonan, Suzanne McLaughlin, Laurie Stabile, John Appleton and Ted LaBorde contributed to this report.

AM News Links: Study shows nearly 25 percent of gay teens in Mass. are homeless; 4-year-old boy kills himself in a Chicago liquor store; and more

0
0

A new study shows that 25% of gay teens in Massachusetts identify themselves as homeless; A Montana man executes 55 dogs during a standoff with police; and more of the morning's headlines.

 Tyler CarterTyler Carter, 6, of Auburn, Maine, wades in Sabbathday Lake to fish for bass, in New Gloucester, Maine, on Thursday, July 21, 2011. The heat that has gripped much of the nation moved into the Northeast on Thursday, as temperatures climbed into the 90s and 100s. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

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

Viewing all 62489 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images