There will be competition for the mayoralty in the Nov. 8 municipal election in both West Springfield and in Agawam, where there could even be a Sept. 8 preliminary election to narrow the field from three candidates to two, according to officials.

Holyoke - Staff photo by Dave Roback - West Springfield Mayor Edward J. Gibson, who is stepping down, said Tuesday he was surprised more candidates for mayor had not surfaced.

WEST SPRINGFIELD - There will be competition for the mayoralty in the Nov. 8 municipal election in both West Springfield and in Agawam, where there could even be a Sept. 8 preliminary election to narrow the field from three candidates to two, according to officials.

In West Springfield, both Town Councilor Gerard B. Matthews and Gregory C. Neffinger, a local architect, have been certified to be on the Nov. 8 ballot by the town clerk's office. In Agawam, Mayor Richard A. Cohen and challenger Walter A. Meissner III have also been certified to be on the ballot, according to Town Clerk Richard M. Theroux.

In addition, former state Rep. Rosemary Sandlin, who has declared her intention to run for Agawam mayor, is expected to turn in her nomination papers soon, Theroux said Tuesday. Candidates in Agawam have until Aug. 23 to return their nomination papers to the town clerk's office to meet the deadline for having their names on the Nov. 8 ballot.

West Springfield Mayor Edward J. Gibson, who is stepping down, said Tuesday he was surprised more candidates for mayor had not surfaced.

"If I were running, they would be coming out of the woodwork," Gibson said.

In West Springfield, the deadline to return nomination papers with the required number of signatures of registered voters to be listed on the ballot was 5 p.m. Tuesday.

As of then, seven residents had turned in and qualified to run for the six seats on the School Committee, seven for five at-large Town Council seats and six for the four Town Council seats representing Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4.

Staff Photo by Dave Roback- Agawam Mayor Richard A. Cohen announced his bid for re-election at the Polish Club of Agawam in May.

Those seeking the seats on the School Committee are incumbents Kathleen A. Alevras, Nancy M. Farrell, Patricia A. Garbacik and Joseph Foresi Jr. and challengers Tina M. Heinrich-Stewart of 683 Rogers Ave., Michelle M. Serafino, of 146 Woodbrook Terrace, and Joey Sutton, of 354 Lancaster Ave.

Certified to run for at-large seats on the Town Council were incumbents Kathleen A. Bourque, Brian J. Griffin, George R. Kelly and Robert M. Mancini as well as challengers Anthony Cestari, of 569 Amostown Road, Bruce L. Gendron, of 200 Poplar Ave., and Michael E. LaRiviere, of 44 Sawmill Road.

In addition, District 1 Councilor Angus M. Rushlow was qualified to run for re-election unopposed, as was District 2 Councilor Lida M. Powell.

In District 3, George D. Condon III of 159 Sibley Ave. as well as School Committee Vice Chairman Daniel G. Sullivan of 95 Deer Run Drive qualified to run for that neighborhood's council seat. In District 4, incumbent John R. Sweeney qualified to run for re-election facing opposition from Mark D. Bergeron of 109 Apple Ridge Road, who will also have his name on the ballot.

In Westfield, nomination papers are available until 5 p.m. Aug. 5. To date, Mayor Daniel M. Knapik is the only certified candidate for mayor and a sufficient number of councilor at-large candidates, currently circulating papers, would indicate a preliminary election might be needed Sept. 27.

There are also four candidates seeking a two-year term on the School Committee and six people seeking the three four-year School Committee seats.

Reporter Ted LaBorde contributed to this report.

A map of power outages in Western Massachusetts, as of 7:00 a.m. Wednesday.

Click "click to interact." Then, scroll over a city / town to show the number of outages. Use the drop-down menu at left to toggle among total customers, customers without power, and percent of customers without power.

The data set shown above was compiled from the outage maps available on the sites of Western Massachusetts Electric Company and National Grid shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday.

National Grid anticipates that power will be restored in Holland by 12:00 p.m. today and in Monson by 12:45 p.m. The company has provided no estimates yet for Wilbraham, Hampden and East Longmeadow -- status in those communities is listed as "assessing condition".

Among the communities not included on the map are Chicopee and Holyoke. Offices for Chicopee Electric Light and Holyoke Gas and Electric have not yet opened for the day, so calls to both were unanswered.

On Tuesday evening, Chicopee Mayor Michael Bissonnette provided this update via Facebook:

Power outage in Fairview/Prospect/Westover area will continue until afternoon at earliest. Massive damage to wires and transformers due to downed trees. Some homes damaged by trees but no injuries reported so far. Crews from as far as Braintree in to assist CEL with restoring power. DPW/Forestry doing great job but we have lost over 200 trees not counting state park on Burnett Rd.

Robert Rizzuto's overnight update on power outages is available here.

7/26/11 Wilbraham - Staff photo by Michael Beswick - A car tries to get past a downed tree and live wires at 508 Wilbraham Rd after Tuesday's storm.

Massachusetts ordered Holyoke to hire a private company to manage Dean because students' academic results weren't improving.

Staff photo by Don TreegerA student does some welding at last year's open house at Dean Technical High School in Holyoke.

HOLYOKE – The private company that is now managing Dean Technical High School will hold an open house at the school Thursday.

The event is scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. and from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

The open house is for students considering attending Dean and their families, said William Diehl, deputy executive director of the Collaborative for Educational Services, of Northampton.

“We want to make sure people know that the school is here and we’re open for business,” Diehl said Thursday.

Teachers and other students will be available to answer questions about the shop classes available at Dean and other matters, he said.

The state over the winter ordered the city to hire a private manager because the school on its own had failed to improve students’ persistently poor academic performance.

The School Committee on July 13 approved the hiring of the Collaborative. The company will be paid $1,012,000 a year for three years using federal and other grants, officials said.

The company has the power to hire and fire staff, without the consent of local officials, but must abide by the state’s new teacher evaluation rules, Superintendent David L. Dupont said.

In June, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted 9-2 to require that teachers be evaluated based on how their students perform on the Massachusetts Comprehensive System Assessment exam and other information.

Previous rules only suggested the use of MCAS scores as a teacher barometer.

For information about fall registration and other matters, call (413) 534-2071 or visit the new website DeanTechPride.collaborative.org

Dean has more than 650 students and 160 teachers and other staff.

Dean shop classes include auto repair, carpentry, computer technology, cosmetology, cooking and food preparation, and welding.

Among the changes in store for Dean are a “thorough assessment” by the Collaborative of the school’s curriculum to align it with state academic and vocational standards, officials also said, in a press release.

Instruction in the ninth and 10th grades will have increased focus on core academics, they said.

A connection exists between a well-prepared workforce and a vibrant local economy, they said.

Under the Collaborative’s plan, students in 11th and 12th grades would get work opportunities such as internships, mentorships and job shadowing. The Collaborative plans to expand vocational options for students by increasing outreach to local businesses, they said.

A YouTube video shows Doppler Radar across the region as Tuesday's storms raged.

• Map: Power outages in Western Massachusetts in the aftermath of the July 26 storm [MassLive.com]


• National Grid outage information [National Grid]


• WMECO outage information [Western Massachusetts Electric Company]


• Powerful storms hit shell-shocked region [Boston.com]


• National Weather Service local storm report [weather.gov]


• People Across State Pick Up After Storms [Hartford Courant]


• Storm's hammer strikes [Berkshire Eagle]


• Tuesday showers: Photos from Holyoke [Holyokeinphotos.com]


• Ludlow recovering after storms [NECN.com]









• Twitter posts tagged #westernma in Western Mass. [MassLive.com]


• Read more News Links »


• Do you have News Links? Send them our way or tweet them to @masslivenews

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

East Mountain Country Club in Westfield, where most of the wreckage landed, is accepting donations toward building a memorial.

View full sizeThe Republican | Ted LaBordeMark T. Perez shows just a small part of his collection of airplane parts and ammunition from a 1952 crash involving two Air Force F-86E Sabre fighter jets that collided during an air show over the then-Barnes Airport.

WESTFIELD – After years of research, Mark T. Perez is on a quest to raise an estimated $10,000 to construct a memorial honoring two Air Force pilots killed in a crash over Barnes Airport in 1952.

Perez, whose family owns East Mountain Country Club, is organizing two golf tournaments, one set for Sept. 19 and the other to be held next year, with proceeds aimed at preserving the memory of Lt. Robert H. Danell and Capt. Fred H. Stevens, who were killed Oct. 19, 1952 during an air show sponsored by the Air National Guard and city of Westfield.

East Mountain Country Club was farmland in 1952, the spot where most of the wreckage landed. Perez’ parents Ted and Maria Perez Sr. purchased the property in 1961 and excavation for the golf course unearthed several airplane parts and ammunition from the two F-86E fighter jets.

“During the clearing of the land a lot of small plane parts, including a cigarette lighter belonging to Capt. Stevens, have been found. One 50-cal. machine gun was discovered in a barn shortly after the land purchase and another was found during excavation in 1990,” Perez said. That weapon was turned over to the Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing for preservation, Perez said. The first one he believes was retrieved by the Air Force.

“I have done so much research it is ridiculous,” said Perez but it has let to contact with family members of both Danell and Stevens and a “friendship” with at least two.

Danell and Stevens were members of the 4707th Defense Wing at Westover and both were combat pilot veterans. Danell was 25 and a resident of Wakefield. Stevens, 28, was a resident of Salem, Va.

Danell was a veteran F-86 pilot who received numerous citations including the Distinguished Flying Cross during the Korean War. Stevens, also a recipient of the Flying Cross, was a veteran P-47 Thunderbolt pilot during the China-Burma-India Theater of World War II, according to Perez’ research.

Perez said his research prompted him “three or four years ago” to purchase a copy of the Air Force official accident report on the crash. That revealed jet fighters flown by Danell and Stevens collided during the final maneuver of the show.

The four F-86E jet squadron was based at nearby Westover Air Force Base and participated in the air show here at the request of the Air National Guard.

“That request,” said Perez, “was for just a fly over but instead they performed several maneuvers including a final bomb burst which resulted in the crash.

“I have found spectator photographs of the accident. About 10,000 people witnessed it,” he said.

“There should be something here to remember these two pilots,” said Perez.

His plan is to create a memorial similar to one on Mount Tom in memory of 25 WWII veterans killed when a B-17 ‘Flying Fortress’ crashed July 9, 1946.

“There is nothing at Barnes, nothing at Westover, to remember Lt. Danell or Capt. Stevens,” Perez said.

Perez is planning a memorial dedication in October 2012 marking the 60th anniversary of the crash. The plan is to construct the memorial on a knoll near holes 12 and 14 where Perez said most of the plane parts were found.

Information and registration for the Sept. 19 tournament is available by contacting Perez at 413-530-1100 or online at www.eastmountaincc.com.

Adams pleaded not guilty in February to larceny charges related to his former employment at Twin Hills Country Club in Longmeadow.

Bruce Adams

SPRINGFIELD – Bruce S. Adams, a former legislative aide, has announced his candidacy for an at-large seat on the City Council, saying he recognizes that Springfield is at a “crossroads,” and wants to help make it a better place.

Adams’ campaign was formally launched last week, and occurs as he fights charges that he stole money while he was employed at the Twin Hills Country Club in Longmeadow.

Adams, 44, of 48 Briarwood Ave., in East Forest Park, pleaded innocent to criminal charges of larceny over $250 and larceny over $250 by a single scheme, at his arraignment in February, according to court records. A pre-trial conference is scheduled Aug. 30.

The theft amount is listed in the court file as $1,317.

“He denies these charges vehemently,” Adams’ lawyer, Daniel D. Kelly, said Monday. “Right now, they are merely allegations. We have every confidence that when the case is resolved, Mr. Adams will be exonerated.”

Adams, a Springfield native, worked for five years as an administrative aide and scheduler for state Sen. Gale D. Candaras, D-Wilbraham.

Thereafter, he worked approximately four months as assistant general manager at Twin Hills, ans was terminated in October, according to general manager Atillio Cardaropoli. Cardaropoli said he filed the larceny complaint with Longmeadow police, but declined further comment Monday.

Adams is now a student at Springfield Technical Community College.

According to the allegations on file, Adams would in many cases charge food and beverages for people (including himself) to his own account and then would go into the software and change the amount of the charges so he was not billed for as much. There were also allegations he got money for food and drinks but did not deposit all the money.

Adams said there is “nothing there” to the charges.

“Nothing will ever come of it,” he said.

Regarding his decision to run for the council, Adams said, “I am in a position to help my city. I want to help my city.”

The first-time candidate is a member of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, representing the first Hampden and Hampshire Senate District. He announced his candidacy at the John Boyle O’Reilly Club on Progress Avenue.

Adams said he has a history of community involvement and is a member of many organizations including: The Chicopee Moose Family Center where he is a life member and holds the pilgrim degree of merit; the Springfield Elks Lodge #61; Master Mason-The Meadows Lodge A.F. & A.M.; Noble-Melha Shriners; Melha Riders; Tiger Athletic Club; Westover Galaxy Community Council; East Forest Park Civic Association, and the Springfield Ward 7 Democratic City Committee. He is a 2011 graduate of the Springfield Citizens Police Academy.

Adams said he is ready to work on issues including:

• Finding solutions to increasing neighborhood violence, drug and gang-related activity.
• Preserving the city pension system, which is potentially facing a deficit and finding solutions to stabilize and grow it.
• Improving the quality of life for businesses and residents.
• Finding interventions and programs to motivate students to remain in school.
• Helping to find ways to increase housing values and reduce unemployment.

Staff reporter Buffy Spencer contributed to this report.

The list is likely to change "by the half hour", a dispatcher said.

View Wilbraham Street Closings, July 27, 2011 in a larger map

• Hunting Lane
• Ripley Street
• Faculty Street
• Springfield Street
• Bittersweet Lane

As of 9:46 a.m., National Grid is reporting 3,532 Wilbraham customers still without power. The company expects to restore electric service by 6 p.m. today.

If you know of a Wilbraham street missing from this map, please post to the comments.

7/26/11 Wilbraham - Staff photo by Michael Beswick - This house built in 1758 at 664 Stony Hill Rd in Wilbraham had a few trees fall into the front, side and rear of the home damaging a car as well.

The storm brought down at least 200 trees in the city.

Chicopee Street in front of the Registry of Motor Vehicles flooded within minutes of the storm hitting the area on Tuesday July 26, 2011.

Mayor Michael Bissonnette said he expects power to be restored by this evening to sections of the city hit by outages. The mayor noted that restoration efforts by Chicopee Electric Light -- assisted by crews from as far away as Braintree -- were going "better than expected," and that power had been restored to Westover Air Reserve Base. Customers in the Fairview and Prospect neighborhoods were still without power Wednesday morning.

Summer school classes at Fairview Veterans Memorial Middle School and Bellamy Middle School were cancelled Wednesday due to the power outage.

Bissonnette also took his outreach efforts to Facebook, penning a series of status updates soliciting information from residents. In one post, he wrote:

Looking for citizen updates on power outages and tree damage so we can review priority list at 6 am. Road clearing for emergency vehicles and restoring power are continuing to be addressed. Let me know your location and isisue. Also if you have power and can help someone who has an outage, please reach out to them.

The storm brought down at least 200 trees in the city, Bissonnette said -- a count that doesn't include damage to Chicopee State Park on Burnett Road.

On Barbara Street in the city's Fairview neighborhood, limbs from two large trees fell on Judy Laino's property. One punched a hole through the roof of her home.

Laino said a number of her neighbors came to help clear the branches and make MacGyver-esque repairs to her home. One neighbor suggested fashioning several cookie sheets into a temporary roof patch.

"It was great, and everybody worked until it was out the way," she said.

Online reporter George Graham and assistant online editor Greg Saulmon contributed to this report.

A study says that the unemployment rate for blacks with a four-year college degree has tripled from 1992.

Associated PressIn this July 21, 2011 file photo, Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League, speaks to reporters after a meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington.

BOSTON — The economic downturn has erased the gains made by the black middle class over the last 30 years as the unemployment rate of blacks with a four-year college degree has skyrocketed, according to a new study by the National Urban League Policy Institute released Wednesday.

The study said that the unemployment rate for blacks with a four-year college degree has tripled from 1992 while overall black unemployment levels are nearing 1982 levels when it was close to 20 percent.

The unemployment rate for blacks with a four-year college degree was 6.5 percent in 2010 compared to 2.9 percent of whites with college degrees, the study said.

The report, released just as the National Urban League begins its annual conference in Boston, mirror similar studies by the Economic Policy Institute and the Pew Research Center that says the economic meltdown in recent years has hit black households hard. Like the previous studies, the Urban League report said black home ownership fell sharply in recent years due to the mortgage crisis and affected overall black medium income.

The National Urban League Policy Institute used U.S. Census and U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics for the study.

National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial said the report showed that the recession affected the middle class, not just poor and working class African Americans as some might assume.

"These are people who played by the rules. They built wealth, went to college and had good jobs," said Morial. "But in a short period of time, they've fallen back."

The large losses by the black middle class, Morial said, is one of the key reasons why the median wealth of black household declined dramatically since 2005.

The median wealth of white U.S. households in 2009 was $113,149, compared with $6,325 for Hispanics and $5,677 for blacks, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center.

The National Urban League launched its conference Wednesday in Boston with the release of the report entitled "At Risk: The State of the Black Middle Class."

Morial also is scheduled to give his annual "State of the Urban League Address" Wednesday evening at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, where he will cite the Pittsburgh affiliate of the Urban League as an example of a successful and active affiliate.

Kerry spoke at length about the debt ceiling on the Senate floor Tuesday evening.

In a lengthy and impassioned speech on the Senate floor last night, Sen. John Kerry said that Congressional inaction on raising the nation's debt ceiling, with a little under a week left before the Aug. 2 deadline, is "already hurting the economy of our country."

Kerry also — for the second time — invoked a hero of many of his GOP colleagues: Ronald Reagan.

"The denigration of the full faith and credit of the United States would have substantial effects on the domestic financial markets and on the value of the dollar on the exchange markets," Reagan wrote in a 1983 letter to then-Senate Majority Leader Howard H. Baker Jr. "The Nation can ill afford to allow such a result."

"Now almost 30 years later some House Republicans have turned their back on the legacy of Ronald Reagan," Kerry said. Kerry isn't the first to pull the Reagan card on the GOP; members of President Barack Obama's administration, most notably Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, have been quick to use Reagan's 1983 letter to deflate claims from some House Republicans that they were overstating the consequences of default.

Kerry went on to criticize a plan put forth by House Speaker John Boehner, which would require the President to seek Congressional approval once more before the end of 2012 to raise the debt ceiling again. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has endorsed that plan.

"There is no economic reason we have to do it again in 6 months," Kerry said.

The Associated Press reports that the two sides are inching toward each other, however tentatively, as Boehner's plan and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's plan are the closest to the center either side has come. The AP reports:

Reid held back on forcing a vote on his competing measure, which he unveiled Monday to poor reviews from Republicans like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Reid appears to hope that his measure, which promises $2.7 trillion in spending cuts and would increase the debt limit enough to keep the government afloat past the 2012 elections, could emerge as the last viable option standing and could be modified with input from Republicans.

Reid held back on forcing a vote on his competing measure, which he unveiled Monday to poor reviews from Republicans like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Reid appears to hope that his measure, which promises $2.7 trillion in spending cuts and would increase the debt limit enough to keep the government afloat past the 2012 elections, could emerge as the last viable option standing and could be modified with input from Republicans.

Republican Sen. Scott Brown, Kerry's colleague from Massachusetts, remains reticent with regard to the debt ceiling debate.

"It's changing by the hour," Brown told The Boston Globe. "My position hasn't really changed."

(AP)US Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass, gestures during his meeting with Israel's President Shimon Peres, not pictured, in the coastal city of Caesarea, Israel, Tuesday, March 22, 2011. (AP Photo/Uriel Sinai, Pool)

Library Director Antonia Golinski-Foisy is optimistic officials can raise $2 million for new library project.

The Elm Street entrance to the West Springfield Library.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – Now that they have gotten a provisional $6.3 million state grant to build a new library, officials have sent out requests for proposals for a professional fund-raising consultant to help muster $2 million from the community.

Library Director Antonia Golinski-Foisy said Monday that the request was scheduled to appear in the state’s Central Registry that day, with applications due Aug. 10.

The $2 million would go toward costs of the proposed $13.4 million library that will not be covered by the state. Library officials have until Jan. 31 to get local funding in place for the balance of the project.

Just under $2 million is needed to cover such expenses as all the new furnishings and computers for the building as well as landscaping and paving. The library director said officials will aim for $2 million just to be on the safe side.

Golinski-Foisy expressed optimism that $2 million can be raised from the community. Such anticipated local support is looked on favorably by the state in awarding grants, according to her.

“I think we will be able to raise the $2 million,” Golinski-Foisy said. “There is great support here.”

The library director said she based that on the fact that the library has already raised $8,000 in just three weeks as part of its annual fund drive, which usually nets $10,000 to $15,000. Despite the poor economy, Golinski-Foisy said people are still willing to support causes that are important to them.

The current building of about 19,300 square feet is considerably smaller than that 32,000- to 35,000-square-foot structure called for under guidelines used by the Massachusetts Board of Library Trustees.

The main building was a Carnegie library constructed in 1916. Additions were built in 1958 and 1978. At 104,000 volumes, the library is at capacity and a book must be discarded for every new book purchased.

Golinski-Foisy has said the library needs space for special programs and currently has room for only 10 computers. Parking is also inadequate, according to Golinski-Foisy, who has said the building on Park Street having only about 40 spaces, while about 140 are recommended for a community West Springfield’s size. In addition, the building is not fully accessible to the handicapped.

Belchertown Public Works Director Steven J. Williams is anticipating state funding for a project that will improve traffic flow at the intersection of Main and Maple streets.

BELCHERTOWN – Public Works Director Steven J. Williams told the selectmen Monday that funding prospects for improving the intersection of Main and Maple streets look good, partly because the project would alleviate traffic congestion in the center of town.

“We are very close to seeing this project move forward,’’ Williams said.

The project will cost abut $1 million.

Williams said it receives higher priority because it meets criteria for state road projects funded with Congestion Management Air Quality money.

“When you reduce congestion at an intersection, it qualifies for the Congestion Management Air Quality funds,’’ Williams said.

The project would include widening Main Street in front of the Finnerty House and Town Hall so that a lane can be added for right turns.

“This is all about improving traffic flow right in front of Town Hall,’’ Selectman Kenneth E. Elstein said. “It will allow turning lanes.

Williams said that this project could be added to the list of those funded this year or next because its price tag of $1 million, while a lot of money, is relatively small for traffic improvement projects and could wind up being added to a list of state projects if others approved wind up short of hitting the amount of funds approved for a fiscal year.

Williams said the town is close to receiving approval of state funding for a major rebuilding of Route 181 which runs from the center of town to the Bondsville section of Palmer.

The Route 181 project has a price tag of $9 million and has been being designed for the past five years.

In response to Williams’ recommendation, the Board of Selectmen Monday voted to request permission from the Hampshire Council of Governments to change the layout of the Main and Maple streets intersection, which will involve the town approving the use of what is now property in front of Town Hall and the town owned Finnerty House.

“It does sound a little strange because the land in question is town land,’’ Williams said.

But he explained that the layout of streets in front of Town Hall was approved in 1766 by the County Commission, and when the state Legislature ended county government several years ago, some responsibilities, including road layouts like this one, were transferred to the Hampshire Council of Governments.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Robert W. Feathler

SPRINGFIELD - Robert W. Feathler, Sr., of Springfield, passed away Friday at Baystate Medical Center. Born in Springfield on February 12, 1942, a son of the late Walter Feathler and Conchetta (Macri) Feathler, he was raised in Springfield. He was a graduate of the Class of 1959 at Technical High School and graduated summa cum laude from from Western New England College with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. He was employed by the East Longmeadow Police Department and retired as sergeant after thirty six years of service. He was an avid fisherman, Red Sox and New England Patriots fan.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• Antaya, Claire A.
  




• 
  Chirgwin, Elaine (Blain)
  



• 
  Clini, Regina A. (Saracino)




• 
  Dembek, Frances M. (Skarzynski)
  



• 
  Dunn, Mary Ellen
  




• Edwards, Ruth
  




• 
  Ellison, Ruth L. (Warner)
  



• 
  Feathler Sr., Robert W.




• 
  Flemati, Remo F.
  



• 
  Garneau, Andrew J. "Zeb"
  




• Hammond, Kevin P.
  




• 
  Jackson Jr., Wilbur James "Wil"
  



• 
  Jacobs, Desiree M.




• 
  Labonte, Lucienne E. "Lu" (Patnode)
  



• 
  LaBranche, Edward Joseph
  




• Leonard, Lillian A. (Govoni)
  




• 
  Lynch, Anna M. (Fisher)
  



• 
  Martins, Belarmino




• 
  Mitchell, Douglas H. (Steve)
  



• 
  Pesto, Edna J.
  




• Regish, Peter J.
  




• 
  Risch, Janet M. (McCarthy)
  



• 
  Spafford, Edward J.




• 
  Swanberg, Sigvard C. "Swanie"
  



• 
  Teixeira, Eva (Scattolini)
  




• Tibbetts, Kevin R.
  




• 
  Turner, Carol "Cioci"
  



• 
  Watson, Richard J. "Dick"




• 
  Yelle, Celeste Sanford "Sally" (Silva)
  



• 
  Zecher, Margaret E. (O'Connor)
  

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The White House has rejected resorting to this tactic to keep the nation from defaulting, questioning its legality.

Associated PressSenate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nev. talks on his cellphone as he walks to his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, July 27, 2011, as the debt ceiling showdown continues.

WASHINGTON — House Democrats said Wednesday that President Barack Obama should invoke a little-known constitutional provision to prevent the nation from going into default if Congress fails to come up with a plan to raise the debt ceiling.

Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina, a member of the Democratic leadership, said he told fellow Democrats that Obama should both veto any House GOP plan for a short-term extension of the debt ceiling and invoke the 14th amendment, which says that the validity of the nation's public debt "shall not be questioned."

The White House has rejected resorting to this tactic to keep the nation from defaulting, questioning its legality, but Rep. John Larson of Connecticut, who chairs the Democratic caucus, said "we're getting down to decision time" and "we have to have a failsafe mechanism and we believe that failsafe mechanism is the 14th Amendment and the president of the United States."

Larson said Clyburn's proposal on the 14th Amendment was met with applause by other Democrats at their meeting.

The Democratic leaders said the vast majority in their party still support a plan for raising the debt ceiling and cutting spending put forth by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. But they said the inability of the government to pay its debts could drive up interest rates and affect millions of Americans forced to pay higher mortgages and higher interest on student loans.

Rep. Xavier Becerra of California, the assistant caucus chair, said Democrats are telling Obama, "Mr. President, Republicans through their failure have given you license to do whatever it takes to not let the American family go down into that abyss with House Republicans."

The post-Civil War 14th Amendment guaranteeing citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States contains a provision that "the validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned."

Some legal scholars have said the president can invoke that clause to keep the nation from defaulting on the debt, although there is no legal precedent for such an action.

The Ad Hoc Landfill Closure Committee will try to figure out how the town will make up for $1.1 million in lost revenue.

Staff photo by JOHN SUCHOCKIIn this 2004 Republican file photo, a truck weighs in at the Granby Landfill, the day before Waste Management closed the landfill to out-of-town waste.

GRANBY – Some people in Granby may not realize it, but one day they are going to wake up and discover that their landfill, which has been putting $1.1 million into the town coffers annually and letting residents use the dump for free, is closed.

In December 2012, everything will change.

The company that runs the Granby landfill, Waste Management, has been paying the town about $1.1 million a year for hosting the landfill.

How will Granby make that up once it’s no longer there? The Ad Hoc Landfill Closure Committee, which met last week, will try to figure out just that.

The money from Waste Management has allowed the town to charge its residents a measly $10 a year for trash disposal. That money has paid for registering vehicles, issuing stickers, paying the clerk who takes care of those chores, monitoring changes at the landfill, following up on complaints.

Obviously, residents will have to pay for other things after December 2012.

They have also been lulled into complacency because the landfill expected to reach its limit after 10 years. Instead, it’s been 12 years since the contract was signed, and it continues to accept trash for free from residents.

Companies like Waste Management make their money by charging hauling companies to dump their trash on their sites.

Waste Management gets about $65 for every ton of Granby trash they accept, and out of that, they give Granby about $13 for every ton. That’s how Granby arrives at the $1.1 million.

Now, as the prospect of losing the landfill looms, residents can expect big changes.

The Ad Hoc Landfill Closure Committee consists of Mary McDowell, Lisabeth Pare, George Cooke, Richard Bombardier and committee chair James Hartley.

The ideas came thick and fast when they met recently in the new Public Safety Complex. They talked about such options as upping annual fees (already they’ve gone up slightly, to $35) pro-rating, fines, the pay-as-you-throw option, the role of business owners, and charges for “white goods” like refrigerators. Some members started out at opposite ends of the spectrum, some wound up agreeing, others stood firm.

One thing they seemed to agree on is that people who create garbage should pay to dispose of it. The town should not use taxpayer money to pay for trash disposal.

The Ad Hoc Landfill Closure Committee agreed to make a recommendation at a meeting of the Selectboard later this year. As usual, the public will be invited to attend the meeting.

Town Manager Chris Martin said there are various solutions, but none of them involve being rescued by town government. “We do not have the available funds needed to subsidize the disposal of the municipal solid waste,” said Martin.

A source told Politico that the three names reflect "obvious candidates," rather than Romney's personal shortlist.

Associated PressRepublican 2012 Presidential hopeful, former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, speaks at a news conference at a mostly-shuttered shopping center in the North Hollywood area of Los Angeles Wednesday, July 20, 2011.

At a Virginia Beach fundraiser, presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney reportedly told donors three potential running mates for his campaign.

For anyone checking their calendars, yes, this is still July 2011 — more than a year away from the expected time for a contender to name his or her vice presidential pick.

Nevertheless, as the Virginia politics site Bearing Drift reported, Romney told donors that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida are all on the VP shortlist.

Bearing Drift writes:

...considering that the candidate was in Virginia Beach – effectively McDonnell’s hometurf, that statement should be taken with a grain of sand. But he reiterated that the short list is “McDonnell, Governor Christie of New Jersey and Marco Rubio of Florida.”

A source later told Politico that the three names reflect "obvious candidates," rather than Romney's personal shortlist.

Still, we're a long ways away from the time when the first primary votes are cast, let alone the general election. Romney is leading the polls now, but there is a lot of time for things to change.

The council also directed the town manager search subcommittee to take another look at the candidates to see if any more could be identified as finalists.

PALMER - The Town Council on Monday night gave the go-ahead to the town manager search subcommittee to interview the five town manager candidates, and put on hold retaining an outside firm to assist with the search.

"We could conduct interviews with these people right now. If it doesn't work, then maybe we'll take the next step and hire a company . . . At least keep the process moving along," District 3 Councilor Blake E. Lamothe said.

Town Council President Paul E. Burns told his fellow councilors that out of 37 resumes received, only five candidates to interview were identified, not the 12 he was seeking.

He expressed concern about interviewing a small pool of candidates, as last year's search was marked by candidates dropping out.

Burns is not releasing the names of the candidates that will be interviewed, unlike the searches last year in which semi-finalist names were made public. Burns later said he received information from the town lawyer that said the semifinalist names do not have to be made public.

The council also directed Burns' town manager search subcommittee, which includes Lamothe and District 4 Councilor Donald Blais Jr., to take another look at the candidates to see if any more could be identified as finalists. Lamothe said there were a few candidates "that were sort of borderline."

Burns used the example of someone who served on municipal boards for many years, and asked if that counted as five years of relevant experience as outlined in the town manager job description in the town charter.

District 2 Councilor Barbara A. Barry said a board member without management experience would not qualify, but someone who served on municipal boards and who was a manager, could.

The subcommittee will meet Thursday to review the candidates, and possibly hold an interview.

Interim Town Manager Charles T. Blanchard provided the council with three names of search firms, should the council decide to go that route to find a town manager: the Collins Center for Public Management at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, which charges $10,000 to $12,000; MMA Consulting, which charges $6,000 to $17,000, and Grout and Associates, which charges $10,000 to $12,000.

The council put aside $20,000 to fund a search at a previous meeting.

An investigation found that Rite Aid was allegedly overcharging for prescription drugs under the state's worker's compensation system.

File photo / Associated PressA woman leaves a Rite Aid store in Philadelphia one day last month.

BOSTON - Rite Aid Corp. will pay about $2.1 million to the state and about 100 cities and towns including Chicopee, Holyoke and Springfield, Attorney General Martha M. Coakley said on Wednesday.

The company, based in Camp Hill, Pa., agreed to settle an investigation, which found it had been charging too much for prescription drugs under the worker's compensation system, according to Coakley.

“This case is about fairness to cities and towns, especially during these tough economic times,” said Coakley.

Coakley settled a similar case last week against the Walgreen Co., also a national drug store chain.

Martha M. Coakley

According to the settlement, filed in Suffolk Superior Court in Boston, Rite-Aid will pay $1 million to cities and towns that allegedly were overcharged since 2002 and the company will pay another $1.05 million to the state's general fund, said a spokeswoman for Coakley.

Chicopee will receive $14,000; Holyoke, $57,000 and Springfield, $25,000, according to the attorney general.

Coakley's office has obtained similar settlements with CVS, Shaws Supermarkets, and Stop & Shop, bringing the total amount returned to cities and towns under worker’s compensation prescription overcharges settlements to $7.9 million.

Wilbraham tornado victim Heather Mercier experienced more damage in the lastest storm to hit Western Massachusetts.

Photo by Michael Beswick / The RepublicanTrees are seen after falling in the yard of this house at 664 Stony Hill Road in Wilbraham in Tuesday's storm. Click on the link, above left, for a report from WSHM-TV, cbs3 in Springfield about a Wilbraham tornado victim who suffered more damage in the latest storm.

• U.S. military officials in Iraq warn of growing Iranian threat [Christian Science Monitor]


• Courthouse closings expected across Massachusetts [Telegram & Gazette]


• Wilbraham tornado victim Heather Mercier hit again by latest storm [WSHM-TV cbs3 Springfield]


• Shares of Dunkin' Donut stock take off on day they start trading on Wall Street [CNN Money]


• 8,100 Pittsfield homes lose power during height of latest storm [Berkshire Eagle]


• 15 post offices could be closed in Connecticut (video) [Hartford Courant]


• Think you know the rules of the road? Why not take this quiz [Boston Globe]


• Facebook credited with helping to nap Norton robbery suspect [Sun Chronicle]


• YouTube video shows man trying to jump on shark off Chatham (video) [CBS Boston.com]


• Twitter posts tagged #westernma in Western Mass. [MassLive.com]


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Select Board Chairman Mark Gold said he hopes the meetings will help the board understand what each board's needs are.

LONGMEADOW - In the next several months the Select Board will be meeting with department heads and the chairmen of town boards to get a sense of what their needs are.

Select Board Chairman Mark P. Gold said he hopes the meetings will help the board understand what each board's functions, needs and goals are.

The board met recently with Parks and Recreation Department Director Bari Jarvis and Park Board Chairman James Brennan to discuss the needs of the town's parks and recreational facilities.

Brennan said one of the issues facing the department is the Town Charter's requirement that the Department of Public Works handle the maintenance for all of the department's fields, pools and facilities.

"In a perfect world, I would like to see the maintenance duties brought back to the parks department. The Department of Public Works has needs that are more pressing then some of our priority projects," he said. "When it is someone else who is doing the work, they are not going to necessarily go based on your priorities."

Jarvis said the problem is communication. She said Public Works Director Michael G. Wrabel does an excellent job of addressing the department's needs when he hears about them.

Select Board member Marie Angelides said she noticed a drop in the sale of pool passes this summer. She asked Jarvis if the drop had anything to do with maintenance issues.

Jarvis said that while initially she thought the economy lowered the sales, she now believes it has to do with the condition of the pools.

"I understand why people would be upset if they buy a pool pass and the pool is not open, or the baby pools are closed, or there is too much chlorine in the water, or not enough," she said. "We have lost a lot of people to private country clubs because of that."

Town Manager Robin C. Crosbie also said Wrabel has done a good job of improving all the fields.

"When the charter had the department take on the maintenance of all the fields they were in really bad shape," she said. "The department has worked very hard to bring them back and improve them."

Jarvis and Brennan said some of the goals of the department include looking at the open space plan for the town as well as the possibility of a dog park.