More than 250 people attended the event put on by the youth group, which plans to hold more outreach events this summer.

Staff photo by Michael Beswick - Springfield - Christopher Osario, 6, Nikesha Garcia, 12, and Taina Mendaz of Springfield stop by the Stadium of Dance at the Youth Empowerment Convention Saturday at Springfield Technical Community College.

SPRINGFIELD - They may only be teenagers, but James A. Villalobos and Terrance D. Mack have a vision for the city, and through their Springfield Youth Network, they are determined to make it happen.

“If you say there’s nothing to do in Springfield, just take a look at this gym,” Mack, 18, the president of the youth network, said. “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.”

Part of A.W.A.K.E. Inc.’s Rebuilding the Village Initiative, the youth network sponsored a Youth Empowerment Convention Saturday in the Springfield Technical Community College gymnasium. They want to get the city’s youth engaged in the community, and to tackle issues of gang violence and bullying.

Villalobos and Mack decried the violence in the city, which has experienced six murders since the start of the year.

“I definitely think it all starts at home,” Villalobos, 15, said. “We need parents to be actively involved in their child’s life.”

“I hope the youth that are here see other alternatives other than the streets,” Villalobos said, adding the event allows them to connect with “some good organizations.”

Twenty vendors and civic groups were represented, including the YMCA, Men of Color Health Awareness (MOCHA), AIDS Foundation, Youth Social Educational Training, Caring Health Center project, and the Mass Alliance on Teen Pregnancy.

The family of Jaron Jerome, a 14-year-old city boy who killed himself in December, passed out information on suicide prevention that featured a picture of their beloved “Jaronamo.”

Dance groups from Stadium of Dance entertained, and guest speakers, such as Springfield City Council President Jose F. Tosado, spoke to the crowd of approximately 250.

State and city police also were represented. State trooper Michael Cutone spoke about the anonymous “text-a-tip” program to help solve crimes.

Villalobos and Mack are hoping to grow their membership through the event. The Springfield Youth Network meets every Tuesday at the MLK community center on 3 Rutland St. from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Those who attended were asked what issues are bothering them, as well as their solutions. Mack and Villalobos said they plan to have a busy summer, and continue with more events like the one on Saturday.

“We’re proving the city of Springfield can come together . . . We’re going against all the nay-sayers,” Villalobos said.

When Villalobos took to the stage to address the crowd, he said too many people think violence is the answer to their problems, but it just creates more of them.

Courtney B.D. Stewart, a 13-year-old seventh-grader at New Leadership Charter School, joined the youth network because he was tired of the “suicides and the murders” and wants to put an end to them.

“I saw there were issues in Springfield and I want to be part of the resolution. I love Springfield. I’ve been here my whole life,” Stewart said.

Brother Johnnie Muhammad, of Muhammad’s Mosque No. 13, said he was impressed with the event.

“This is the stuff that needs to be highlighted. The good that is being done in the community, not always the bad,” Muhammad said.

Shane Carney will be arraigned Monday on the charges in East Brookfield District Court.

WARREN – Police arrested a Hardwick resident on Saturday morning after he was seen trying to sell a Ruger Security-Six .357 revolver with the serial number removed to another individual in a parking lot at the former Wright’s factory in South Street.

Shane Carney, 33, of 12 Main St., in the Gilbertville section of Hardwick, was arrested after a “lengthy investigation into narcotics and illegal firearm sales,” according to a department press release. West Brookfield police also assisted with the arrest. The investigation was led by Warren Detective Mark Chase.

Carney was charged with carrying a firearm without a license, possession of a firearm with a defaced serial number, possession of a class E substance (Suboxone), possession of a class E substance with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm while committing a felony.

He is being held in lieu of $5,000 bail and will be arraigned Monday in East Brookfield District Court.

The ordinance extending the trash fee would keep the amount at $75, but would establish a new discount rate of $50, rather than current discount rate of $56.25. The discounted rate is offered to qualified seniors, veterans and indigent homeowners.

Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD – The City Council Monday will consider extending the annual $75 trash fee for homeowners, which was scheduled to expire June 30.

City Councilor Michael A. Fenton, chairman of the Finance Committee, said he will bring the matter out of committee, sponsored by himself and five other councilors.

“It’s a decision we have to make because of a $46 million budget gap we are looking at,” Fenton said. “Also, it’s the most feasible of all the proposals heard so far. The reason for that is timing and money.”

The meeting is at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

The ordinance extending the trash fee would keep the amount at $75, but would establish a new discount rate of $50, rather than current discount rate of $56.25. The discounted rate is offered to qualified seniors, veterans and indigent homeowners.

Some city councilors and homeowners have objected to the proposed fee extension, saying it is an unfair burden. Trash fee opponents have said they already pay property taxes for city services, and that city officials should cut down on spending and make government more efficient.

The city’s Finance Department said the city could face a $46 million budget gap next fiscal year, which begins July 1, if it were to do nothing to increase revenues and reduce expenses.

Mayor Domenic J. Sarno has proposed a graduated bin system, in which homeowners would pay a trash fee based on the size of their trash bin. He proposed three sizes be offered, with homeowners facing a lower charge for the smaller two sizes.

Fenton said that option and others can be explored further. However, he said he is not in favor of spending $2.5 million for new bins, as proposed.

In addition, there would not be adequate time to set up the new system before the current fee expires, he said.

Other city councilors who are sponsoring the ordinance to extend the trash fee are Kateri B. Walsh, Timothy C. Allen, Clodovaldo Concepcion, Amaad I. Rivera, and E. Henry Twiggs, Fenton said.

During a recent meeting of the Finance Committee and Maintenance and Development Committee, there was a tie vote, 2-2, on the proposed extension of the trash fee.

Councilors Timothy J. Rooke and John A. Lysak were opposed.

Rooke has voiced support for a proposed new pay-as-you-throw system in which residents would buy city-issued bags for trash, which would be placed weekly inside the existing trash bins.

Fenton said a key change in the trash fee program will be a provision to charge interest on delinquent trash fees and create the ability the attach liens, rather than the current policy of eventually canceling the person’s trash collection.

The 3-year extension was announced before the start of the symphony's concert.

File photo | The RepublicanSpringfield Symphony Orchestra music director Kevin Rhodes signed a new three-year contract Saturday night.

SPRINGFIELD – Kevin Rhodes inked a new contract tonight that keeps him at the helm of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra for the next three years.

The three-year extension was announced before the start of the symphony’s concert, which also marked Rhodes’ 10th year as its music director and his 30th year as a conductor.

Trustees president Thomas R. Creed made the announcement.

“On behalf of my fellow trustees, I am thrilled to see Kevin extend his stay for three more years as music director. His energy, love of his craft, and commitment to our orchestra’s mission inspires our musicians, audiences and donors alike,” Creed said. “Our best years are ahead of us with Kevin leading the way.”

Details of the pact were not revealed. However, recent federal tax filings by the SSO show Rhodes receives a compensation package which totals more than $104,000 annually.

In addition to his work in Springfield, Rhodes is also musical director of the Traverse City Orchestra in Michigan and director of the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra in Boston. Prior to coming to Springfield, he conducted in Europe, where he led the Vienna State Opera and conducted the Paris Opera and La Scala in Milan.

Earlier this year, Rhodes was a finalist to lead the Hartford Symphony Orchestra – a position he publicly maintained he would not accept if it precluded remaining with the Springfield Symphony.

Rhodes, who has often spoken of his fondness for the SSO and the community, said he is honored trustees chose to extend his contract.

“This position is my all-career favorite, and my wife Jane and I are thrilled to be transplanted New Englanders and Westfield residents,” he said. “We both feel home here in Massachusetts.”

The 46-year-old maestro said he and the SSO have grown together over the past 10 years.

“I feel that in so many ways we have really begun to hit our stride in terms of understanding, trust and musical development,” Rhodes said. “We are now ready to begin taking our musical journey to some exciting new places that orchestras, conductors and audiences rarely get to go in a community our size.”

As music director, Rhodes selects the music for the season, puts together each concert program, chooses a guest artists and conducts the SSO in its performances.

Rhodes is also the “public face” of the symphony and its ambassador to the community. He is active in community outreach, speaking at area universities, public and private schools, and civic organizations, said SSO executive director Michael Jonnes.

Jonnes said he is thrilled that Rhodes will continue to lead the orchestra.

“The music-making partnership between maestro Rhodes and our musicians has been superb and our audiences have been the delighted recipients of this bounty. We look forward to three more wonderful years of making great music with Kevin,” he said.

The accident was reported just before 10:30 on Saturday night.

Republican file photo

SPRINGFIELD - Police are investigating a report of a pedestrian struck by a car at Boston Road and Breckwood Street just before 10:30 on Saturday night.

No other details were available. Details will be posted as they become available.

On Friday night, a woman was struck and killed on State Street in the city's Pine Point neighborhood. The woman was described as about 20 years old. She has not been identified by police.

This is the 2nd arrest this year for Jones, who is at the center of a controversial Springfield Police brutality case.

File photo | The RepublicanMelvin Jones III, of Springfield, the man at the center of a controversial police brutality case in the city, was arrested on multiple charges related to a domestic disturbance on Saturday night, his second arrest of 2011.

SPRINGFIELD – Melvin Jones III, the man at the center of a controversial police brutality case, is behind bars for the second time this year, this time facing multiple charges related to a domestic disturbance, Springfield police said Saturday night.

Jones, 29, of 16 Atwater Place, was arrested by Springfield Police shortly after 5:30 p.m. Saturday after police responded to a call at 84 Bowles St., said Sgt. John M. Delaney, aide to Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

Delaney said officers Justin Walters and Angel Berrios were dispatched to 84 Bowles St. at 5:30 p.m. They interviewed the alleged victim, a 28-year-old woman who stated that her ex-boyfriend, Jones, had just been at her house and assaulted her. Delaney said the victim stated she was choked and slammed to the couch, and that Jones took her keys from her and took her car.

The officers observed deep red marks on the victim's neck consistent with choking, Delaney said.

While taking the report, Walters and Berrios observed the victim's car and stopped the vehicle, Delaney said. Jones was arrested without incident, Delaney said, and charged with domestic assault and battery, using a motor vehicle without authority and operating a motor vehicle with a revoked license.

The victim declined medical treatment, Delaney said.

Jones will be held until arraignment in Springfield District Court on Monday.

On Jan. 9, Jones was arrested and charged with shoplifting 33 pairs of jeans and six shirts from the J.C. Penney’s store at 1719 Boston Road.

Jones was the center of a controversy after he was allegedly beaten unconscious by former Springfield patrolman Jeffrey M. Asher during a Nov. 27, 2009 traffic stop when he was arrested for cocaine possession.

Asher has been charged with beating Jones. The incident was caught on amateur videotape and made public in January 2010 by MassLive.com and The Republican; the case sparked debate in the city over whether there should be civilian oversight of the Police Department.

Three officers involved were suspended for a time and required to undergo retraining. Asher in September submitted his retirement papers with the state, citing disability due to stress. Fitchet fired him one day later, but because he submitted his retirement, he is eligible to receive a pension.

Asher, 39, of East Longmeadow, has denied charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery. Originally brought in Holyoke District Court, the case was moved to Chicopee because Asher's sister-in-law is a probation officer in Holyoke.

Hampden County District Attorney Mark G. Mastroianni on Tuesday said he was committed to prosecuting the case against Asher.

Jones is out on bail in the Hampden Superior Court case charging him with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute as a repeat offender and resisting arrest related to the 2009 arrest.

As a result of the January larceny arrest, Jones must now wear an electronic monitoring bracelet as he awaits trial on the drug case related to his alleged beating.

In August, 2010, he was treated in the Baystate Medical Center for a stab injury to the forearm. Police were dispatched but Jones refused to cooperate about who stabbed him.

The decision to increase the term to 4 years ultimately falls to West Springfield voters.

Photo by Julian Feller-CohenWest Springfield Town Hall.

WEST SPRINGFIELD – The Town Council is expected to vote Monday on a measure that calls for increasing the mayoral term of office from two years to four years.

“For long-range planning it is a lot easier to have someone in place four years. You would not have the continuous campaigning you have with two years,” City Councilor Gerard B. Matthews, chair of the council’s Ordinance and Policy Committee, said Friday.

Matthews said that with a four-year term a mayor would have a better chance to work with the members of his management team.

The Ordinance and Policy Committee recently voted 3-0 to recommend passage of the proposal to the full council.

Town Council President Kathleen A. Bourque had asked that the committee look into the issue. Bourque has not yet taken a position on the proposal.

“I want to hear what Ordinance brings forth and hear what the other councilors say before I make a decision,” Bourque said.

Mayor Edward J. Gibson, whose term expires this year, favors lengthening the mayoral term of office on the grounds that it takes some of the politics out of running the city. Gibson has said under a two-year system a mayor has only 12 to 14 months to concentrate on the job before having to start campaigning for office again.

If the council approves the proposal and the mayor signs off, it would go to the state legislature. The legislature would decide whether to allow it on the local ballot. Matthews would like to have it before voters in November.

Forty-seven communities in Massachusetts have the mayoral form of government. Of those, 11 have four-year mayoral terms. Springfield recently increased its mayoral term of office from two years to four years, effective with the 2011 election.

The council will take the matter up during its regularly scheduled meeting starting at 7 p.m. Monday in the municipal building.

“Ultimately it is up to the people to decide,” Matthews said of the proposal. Matthews said he's “guardedly optimistic” about whether the legislature will allow the measure to be put on the ballot.

He said Newburyport will vote on the issue in November.

Gleason, who was pleaded guilty for his role in the church arson in June, takes the stand against Jacques, his accused co-conspirator.

Republican file photoThomas A.Gleason

With the case entering its third week, Gleason’s appearance will offer the first insider account of defendant Michael Jacques’ actions at the church construction site early on Nov. 5, 2008, hours after Barack Obama’s election as the nation’s first black president.

Along with Benjamin F. Haskell, Gleason pleaded guilty in June to torching the future home of a predominately black parish now worshiping in a century-old chapel on King Street.

As the last defendant, Jacques is facing 10 years in prison if convicted on civil rights and other related charges.

Gleason’s appearance will end a week-long stint on the witness stand by state trooper Michael A. Mazza, the arson investigator who extracted a disputed confession from Jacques near the end of a 6½-hour session on January 15, 2009.

Longer than a mini-series and recorded on a four-DVD box set, the interrogation dominated the trial last week. Jurors watched the videotape while Mazza fielded questions from the prosecutor, assistant U.S. attorney Kevin O’Regan, and defense lawyer, Lori H. Levinson.

Michael Jacques

Testifying in a high-stakes federal trial can be a stress-inducing exercise for any witness. But over the course of 17 hours on the witness stand, Mazza has been unflappable – appearing calm, even serene, while the defense challenged his tactics, motives and expertise during the arson investigation.

During cross-examination, Levinson repeatedly pointed out that Mazza and FBI agent Ian Smythe interrupted her client, refusing to listen to his denials.

“Don’t embarrass yourself,” Mazza tells the suspect at one point, explaining that investigators have gathered an overwhelming amount of information – including Jacques’ own secretly recorded admissions – linking him to the crime.

After six hours of denials, Jacques admitted to participating in the church arson along with Gleason, Haskell and a fourth suspect described only as Scott. The confession was later challenged by Levinson, who claimed her client was coerced and suffering from opiate and nicotine withdrawal by the end of the session.

The crime drew international media coverage, thrusting Springfield into the spotlight in the days after Obama’s victory.

As the star prosecution witness, Gleason is expected to take the stand early in Monday’s session. Haskell, who was sentenced to nine years in prison after opting out of a cooperation agreement, is not expected to testify for either side.

View full sizeFile photo showing the fire that destroyed the Macedonia Church site in November, 2008

During pretrial hearings, investigators played a five-hour videotaped statement Gleason gave to the FBI and Massachusetts State Police on Jan. 14, 2009, during which he confessed after a string of denials. On the videotape, Gleason also said he voted for Obama.

Unlike Haskell, who was taken to prison immediately after his plea, Gleason was
allowed three weeks to surrender to U.S. marshals and will be jailed while he awaits sentencing on Oct. 1.

Prosecutors can ask the court to reduce his potential 14-year sentence if they are satisfied with his cooperation.

The new community-by-community census numbers portray Western Massachusetts as a patchwork of population losses and gains that are sometimes difficult to explain.

Associated Press

Belchertown Town Clerk William R. Barnett says it's no surprise his hometown's population again surged the past decade, continuing a decades-long trend.

Barnett and others said much of Belchertown's growth consists of young working couples with children who are looking for a relatively affordable home, good schools, open space and commuting access to Amherst or Springfield.

Belchertown's population jumped by 13 percent since 2000 to 14,649, according to new U.S. Census Bureau statistics. The increase represents the fastest population growth of any community in the four counties of Western Massachusetts, except for a handful or so of towns with less than 2,000 people, where percentage moves can be deceiving.

Barnett, who moved to town about 30 years ago, says he sometimes sees moose, black bear and wild turkeys on his property near the Quabbin Reservoir. He described Belchertown as "a bedroom community" and one where neighbors know each other and much of social life revolves around public schools, including a new high school that opened in 2002, organizations and an annual fair on the town common.

"It's just a nice place to live," the town clerk said. "People seem to get along. It just feels good living here."

Judging by population gains, Belchertown was among the local winners in the new census, but other municipalities were losers. The new community-by-community census numbers, released on March 22, portray Western Massachusetts as a patchwork of population losses and gains that are sometimes difficult to explain.

Northampton and Greenfield suffered small population losses, for example. Cities such as Chicopee, Holyoke, Springfield and Westfield enjoyed incremental gains, because they added more Hispanics, according to census numbers. Take away Hispanic increases in Greenfield and Northampton and those communities would have together lost hundreds of more people, census numbers show.

While Belchertown's population grew, bordering towns such as Pelham, Ludlow and Palmer all lost people over the past decade.

Belchertown Town Planner Douglas F. Albertson said much of the town's population increase stemmed from the easy credit of the earlier part of the decade. That helped fuel the building of 90 to 100 single-family homes a year in Belchertown, many of them large, until the latter part of the decade, when the economy collapsed in a financial crisis, he said.

The Republican file photoTimothy Brennan, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, said "first-ring" suburbs enjoyed stronger population growth in Western Massachusetts.

One sure sign of growth is traffic. Traffic can be bumper-to-bumper for a mile on Route 9 on Friday afternoons in Belchertown, coming from Amherst and the University of Massachusetts, Albertson said.

Timothy W. Brennan, executive director of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, said population growth in Western Massachusetts was stronger in “first-ring suburbs” such as Belchertown, East Longmeadow, up 11.5 percent; Wilbraham, up 5.5 percent; Southwick and Southampton, each up 7.5 percent; Hadley, up 9.5 percent and Westhampton, up 9.4 percent.

Brennan said some more distant communities – Cummington, down 11 percent, for example, and Worthington, down 9 percent – may have been hurt by the high price of gasoline, which discourages long commutes.

“Some of that is definitely going on,” Brennan said. “When you cross $3 a gallon, it really has an impact.”

Rep. Stephen Kulik, a Worthington Democrat, said it’s difficult to determine the causes for Worthington’s population decline to 1,156 people following at least three decades of steady increases.

Kulik said a lack of jobs and the high costs of gasoline may be factors. "You might decide that living in a more remote community is too expensive," he said.

The Republican file photoRep. Stephen Kulik said it's difficult to understand why Worthington lost population for the first time in several decades.

Other small towns boomed over the last decade, but some of the numbers are raising question marks about the census counts over the years.

Montgomery, for example, was listed as the fastest-growing community in Hampden county, rising by 28 percent since 2000 to 838, the census said. But in the 1990’s, Montgomery, which is just north of Westfield, dropped by 14 percent, something that seems to defy logic.

Montgomery Town Clerk Judy L. Murphy said she believes the census in 2000 undercounted the town’s population, something that artificially inflated the town’s population growth during the past decade. Her own census, completed annually, showed Montgomery with 808 people in 2000, well more than the federal census count of 654 for that year.

“People come and people go,” Murphy said. “We've been around the high 700s and the low 800s for years and years.”

According to Brennan, of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Palmer may have lost population because of economic troubles that led to factory and plant closures the past decade, sending jobs overseas. Palmer, down by 2.8 percent to 12,140, lost more population on a percentage basis than any of the 23 communities in Hampden County, according to the census.

“They took a lot more body blows,” Brennan said.

Palmer’s population had climbed by 4 percent during the 1990’s before dipping the last decade. Nearby Ludlow’s population also rose in the 1990's and then fell during the past 10 years.

Ludlow Selectman Aaron L. Saunders said he was surprised by the town’s small population loss, coming after a 13 percent gain in the prior decade. Ludlow’s 0.5 percent population decline since 2000 indicates an aging population for the town of 21,103, Saunders said.

Saunders pointed to a new 55 and older development at East and Miller Streets in Ludlow. He said the planning board is busy reviewing new sub-division plans.

“Some types of growth add more people,” he said. “Other types of growth are not going to have the same type of result.”

In Hampshire County, Todd D. Ford, executive director of the Hampshire Council of Governments, said he was puzzled by Northampton’s population loss. The city’s population declined by 1.5 percent to 28,549.

Ford said Northampton bucked a national trend of people returning to urban cores.

“It’s got a lot of things going for it and it loses population?” Ford said. “The fact that Northampton did not grow at a decent rate, I find surprising.”

Northampton Mayor Mary Clare Higgins attributed the city’s population decline to families having fewer children, driving down the size of households. She said she would have loved to see the population rise a little, but the loss amounted to 430 people, not a huge concern.

Hampshire and Hampden counties both grew in population, but Franklin and Berkshire counties joined Cape Cod at the eastern end of the state in losing population in the latest census.

Greenfield Town Clerk Maureen T. Winseck said she was disappointed the community’s population fell by 3.9 percent to 17,456, declining for the second decade in a row.

Winseck said the census may have missed some immigrants and homeless people, despite an all-out effort during the count.

Greenfield was among 13 communities in Franklin county, or half the total number of communities in the county, that lost population since 2000, the census said.

Planners believe that the population of Western Massachusetts is poised to increase in the next decade. A couple of catalysts for growth could be expansion of high-speed Internet and faster or restored passenger rail service in communities such as Northampton and Greenfield.

In February, Massachusetts contracted with a Canadian telecommunications company to manage a new $71.6 million broadband network that's being built to deliver the Internet to under served areas of the state such as Franklin county.

“The trend will reverse,” said Jessica Atwood, senior economic development planner with the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, who projected modest population gains for the county for the years ahead. “We will see an increase in future years.”

This project is also a partnership with the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History which will incorporate the story of the Civil War into its exhibit on abolitionist John Brown,

Republican photo by Mark Murray Guy A. McLain, director of the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, hangs page of news of the outbreak of the Civil War that occurred 150 years ago this month.

A clash of ideas and cultures tore this nation apart 150 years ago this month when the bombardment of Fort Sumter signaled the beginning of the Civil War.

The soldiers whose forefathers fought alongside each other during the Revolution to create this country would soon be taking to battlefields where the casualties on both sides were Americans. By the end of the bloodiest four years in our history, 620,000 would die and a century and a half later all the wounds have yet to heal. Even the name of the conflict is debated the Civil War, the War Between the States, the War of Northern Aggression, the War of Southern Secession.

The Springfield Republican was a major voice during the Civil War and also had a history of opposing slavery as one of the earliest voices of abolition.

The editor of the paper, Samuel Bowles II was one of the founders of the Republican Party. Some say he even named it. He was one of the committee that traveled to Springfield, Illinois, from the 1860 convention to inform Abraham Lincoln he was the partys choice for president.

In the months leading up to the war and the four years of the conflict, The Republican kept its readers informed of the far away battles where the men of Massachusetts fought and died. It also reported the news on the home front, the growth of the Springfield Armory, the only federal arsenal left in government hands after the fall of Harpers Ferry in Virginia, and the everyday events of a community involved in a war that touched everyone.

We at The Republican (yes, still going strong since 1824) are launching a four-year project today to tell the story of how our community coped with 48 months of war, from April of 1861 to April of 1865. On the first Sunday of each month we will run a full page report of what was happening here 150 years ago during that month. The first installment is in this Sunday's paper on Page C 10.

file1861 Harper's Weekly illustration of Charleston, N.C. residents watching bombardment of Fort Sumter to start Civil War.

McCaskill said the results of the audit is news to him, but he took responsibility anyway

Former Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical High School Principal Kevin McCaskill, seen here in this 2007 file photo, shares a laugh with some students in front of the State Street high school.

SPRINGFIELD – The former principal at Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical High School maintains he was never aware of financial problems at the school, but accepts responsibility if any financial abuses occurred during his tenure.

One day after the city disclosed that an ongoing audit at Putnam has triggered staff resignations and terminations, Kevin McCaskill said he has not been questioned by Springfield school or law enforcement officials, and does not know any specifics of the ongoing probe.

“It’s news to me,” said McCaskill, who took over the school in 2004 and left in June for a high administrative post in the Hartford public schools. “But if anything happened, it happened on my watch. It’s unfortunate.”

The school – with 1,600 students and 230 staff – was routinely audited and never had serious problems, according to McCaskill, who was popular with students and served on Mayor Domenic J. Sarno’s transition team.

The school’s finances began drawing scrutiny in July when new principal Gilbert E. Traverso requested an audit, a common practice for top administrators taking over a new school.

Eight months later, the audit is not finished, but an undisclosed number of Putnam staffers have been suspended, terminated or have resigned, city solicitor Edward M. Pikula announced Thursday.

Pikula did not comment on the scope of the probe, nor indicate how much money was involved. A report is expected to be made public in the next month.

City Councilor Timothy Rooke said he is concerned not only about possible financial abuses at the school, but also the lack of information being made public about the investigation.

“Whenever taxpayers’ money is used in questionable practices, the public has a right to know what kind of corrective actions are being taken,” said Rooke who, as chairman of the council’s audit committee, has pushed for more public disclosure.

By last fall, rumors of questionable financial practices and staff transfers were circulating, but Superintendent Alan J. Ingram would not comment beyond confirming that an audit was under way.

At Rooke’s request, Pikula appeared before the audit committee meeting Thursday, and confirmed for the first time that the audit had led to a staff shakeup at Putnam.

Following Pikula’s statement, the committee held a closed-door meeting to discuss potential criminal actions or disciplinary matters arising from the investigation.

Rooke said he had no idea when the audit would be completed, and expressed frustration at the lack of solid information.

“I have no idea how much, or how little, progress has been made,” he said. “Eight months seems like a very lengthy time; I hope the final report isn’t watered down or politically correct,” he added.

"Libyans ... want a civilian democracy, not dictatorship, not tribalism and not one based on violence or terrorism," said Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, vice chairman of the National Provisional Council.

View full sizeAbdel-Hafidh Ghoga, vice chairman of the National Provisional Council talks during an interview with the Associated Press in Benghazi, Libya Sunday, April 3, 2011. The Libyan rebel movement that controls the country's eastern half wants to install a parliamentary democracy across the country once they topple the regime of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi, a top rebel official said Sunday. Ghoga said he thinks international isolation, airstrikes and better rebel organization will force Gadhafi's ouster in "a matter of days." (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

By BEN HUBBARD

BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — Libyan rebels want to install a parliamentary democracy in place of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi, one of their top leaders said Sunday, dismissing Western fears that their movement could be hijacked by Islamic extremists.

"Libyans as a whole — and I am one of them — want a civilian democracy, not dictatorship, not tribalism and not one based on violence or terrorism," Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, vice chairman of the National Provisional Council, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

The movement has faced questions about its character and goals from many Western nations even as they delivered the international airstrikes that have pounded Gadhafi's military forces. So far the airstrikes have not been enough to give rebel fighters the upper hand over Gadhafi's superior troops, and Western officials are debating whether arming the rebels should be the next step.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Sunday that his country would neither arm the rebels nor send ground troops to Libya, in comments that reflected the confusion among foreign governments about the rebel movement's nature.

"We have taken no decision to arm the rebels, the opposition, the pro-democracy people — whatever one wants to call them," he told the BBC.

While acknowledging the importance of Islam in Libyan society, Ghoga insisted that "there is no place for an Islamic state in Libya."

"Will we accept an extremist government? Never," he said, dressed in a pinstriped blue suit with a pin of Libya's pre-Gadhafi flag on his lapel.

"We will not accept radicalism, terrorism or dictatorship. We want a democratic state based on a multiparty system, the peaceful transfer of power, separation of powers, and for Libya to have, from the beginning, a constitution," he said.

Sunday's fighting was concentrated around the strategic oil town of Brega, as it has been repeatedly during weeks of back-and-forth battle along Libya's eastern coast. The rebels, backed by airstrikes, made incremental advances.

Sunday, rebels fired truck-mounted rocket launchers, then moved to avoid government counter-strikes, suggesting improving tactics and training.

Rebel fighters ride an armored personnel carrier, formerly belonging to Gadhafi's forces, to the front line east of Brega, Libya, Sunday, April 3, 2011. The Libyan rebel movement that controls the country's eastern half wants to install a parliamentary democracy across the country once they topple the regime of longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi, according to Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga, vice chairman of the National Provisional Council. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)

The council, based in the rebels' de facto capital of Benghazi, was formed to represent the opposition in the eastern Libyan cities that shook off control of the central government in a series of popular uprisings last month.

Rebel forces — defected army units and armed civilians — have since seized much of Libya's eastern coast, but have been unable to push westward. Gadhafi's superior forces had been close to taking Benghazi before a U.N.-mandated no-fly zone and airstrikes began March 19.

Ghoga said the rebels were counting on numerous factors to push Gadhafi out: growing isolation, international military support, further defections among Gadhafi loyalists and improved organization of rebel troops.

"The noose is tightening around Gadhafi," Ghoga said, adding that he thought his fall could be in "a matter of days."

The council rejects all negotiations with the Gadhafi regime, saying they don't trust it, making military pressure the current tactic of choice.

Ghoga said the working plan is for better organized rebel forces, supported by international airstrikes, to march on the cities of Sirte and Misrata, which lie on the coastal road to the capital Tripoli.

Residents of these cities will rise up, he said, and join the forces to march on Tripoli, which he said would be the "decisive battle."

The plan is a long shot at best.

Sirte, Gadhafi's tribal homeland, remains a well-armed bastion of support, and Gadhafi loyalists have besieged rebel fighters in Misrata's city center for weeks.

Arab news channels reported heavy shelling in Misrata on Sunday. Medical officials said Saturday that shelling and sniper fire by government forces had killed 37 civilians in two days while incinerating the city's main stocks of flour and sugar.

Also Sunday, a Turkish ship carrying 250 wounded from Misrata was expected to dock in Benghazi, according to rebel officials.

The boat, which carried medical supplies, was expected to pick up around 60 wounded people that are currently being treated in various hospitals in Benghazi, as well as 30 Turks and 40 people from Greece, Ukraine, Britain, Uzbekistan, Germany and Finland.

The U.S. said it stopped flying strike missions in Libya starting Sunday, having passed the mission's military burden to NATO. NATO's on-scene commander can request American strikes, which Washington must approve.

Ghoga, 51, rose to prominence with the council's creation by acting as its official spokesman. A longtime Benghazi lawyer, he lacked the name recognition of other prominent leaders who defected from the Gadhafi regime or opposed it from outside the country.

Ghoga, whose father served as Libya's ambassador to Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon, studied law in Libya before earning his degree at the University of Damascus in Syria.

In Libya, he was involved in two high-profile — and ultimately unsuccessful — human rights cases.

After the Libyan government killed some 1,200 prisoners during riots in the Abu Salim prison in 1996, he filed a petition on behalf of some prisoners' families to get information on their deaths, he said.

A Libyan court ruled in their favor, though a later effort to file a criminal case in the killings failed, he said.

"There was no movement on it because the principal actor was the Gadhafi regime and Gadhafi himself," he said.

In 2009, Human Rights Watch said Libya had failed to provide a public account of what happened during the prison riots. It said the Libyan government had not prosecuted anyone, though it had paid compensation to some families.

In the case of the Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death on accusations they infected Libyan children with AIDS, Ghoga represented the victims' families. Though the case never resulted in prosecution for those behind the outbreak, Ghoga says it led to the investigation that determined the cause.

The violence was set off by anger over the March 20 burning of the Quran by a Florida church, the same church whose pastor had threatened to do so last year on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, triggering worldwide outrage.

View full sizeAfghan protesters beat a burning effigy of President Barack Obama during a demonstration in Jalalabad, Afghanistan on Sunday, April 3, 2011. Afghan protests against the burning of a Quran in Florida entered a third day with a demonstration in the major eastern city Sunday, while the Taliban called on people to rise up, blaming government forces for any violence. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

By RAHIM FAIEZ and RAHMAT GUL

JALALABAD, Afghanistan (AP) — Demonstrators battled police in southern Afghanistan's main city on Sunday and took to the streets in the turbulent east for the first time as Western pleas failed to halt a third day of rage over a Florida pastor's burning of the Quran.

An officer was shot dead in a second day of clashes in the city of Kandahar, said provincial health director Qayum Pokhla. Two officers and 18 civilians were wounded, he said.

In Jalalabad, the largest city in the east, hundreds of people blocked the main highway for three hours, shouting for U.S. troops to leave, burning an effigy of President Barack Obama and stomping on a drawing of a U.S. flag. More than 1,000 people set tires ablaze to block another highway in eastern Parwan province for about an hour, said provincial police chief Sher Ahmad Maladani.

The violence was set off by anger over the March 20 burning of the Quran by a Florida church — the same church whose pastor had threatened to do so last year on the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, triggering worldwide outrage.

The protests, which began Friday, also appear to be fueled more broadly by the resentment that has been building for years in Afghanistan over the operations of Western military forces, blamed for killing and mistreating civilians, and international contractors, seen by many as enriching themselves and fueling corruption at the expense of ordinary Afghans.

View full sizeAfghan protesters shout anti-U.S. slogans during a demonstration in Jalalabad, Afghanistan on Sunday, April 3, 2011. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Coverage of the trial of a group of U.S. soldiers charged with killing Afghan civilians and the publication of photos of some posing with dead bodies added to the anger.

Thousands of demonstrators in the previously peaceful northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif poured into the streets after Friday's Muslim prayer services and overran a U.N. compound, killing three U.N. staff members and four Nepalese guards.

On Saturday, hundreds of Afghans holding copies of the Quran over their heads marched in Kandahar before attacking cars and businesses. Security forces opened fire and nine protesters were killed but the governor of Kandahar said officers had only fired into the air. He said 81 were wounded and 17 people, including seven armed men, had been arrested.

Military commander Gen. David Petraeus and the top NATO civilian representative in Afghanistan, Mark Sedwill, said they "hope the Afghan people understand that the actions of a small number of individuals, who have been extremely disrespectful to the holy Quran, are not representative of any of the countries of the international community who are in Afghanistan to help the Afghan people."

The Taliban said in a statement emailed to media outlets that the U.S. and other Western countries had wrongly excused the burning of the Quran as freedom of speech and that Afghans "cannot accept this un-Islamic act."

"Afghan forces under the order of the foreign forces attacked unarmed people during the protests, killing them and arresting some, saying there were armed people among these protesters, which was not true," the Taliban said.

The governor of Kandahar said he and the main leaders of the protests in the southern city had reached an agreement that would end the demonstrations in exchange for the release of those who were arrested. He said they released 25 people but did not provide details.

Members of both parties say Boehner probably could assemble 218 votes easily, if he didn't care who cast them.

View full sizeIn this April 1, 2011, file photo House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio pauses during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington to discuss GOP efforts to create jobs and cut spending. The dilemma facing Boehner to pass a fast-approaching spending compromise and avert a government shutdown is to get the overwhelming majority of votes to come from fellow Republicans, even if dozens of easily attainable Democratic votes could help carry the budget bill to victory. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

By CHARLES BABINGTON

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sometimes in politics and legislation, whether you win is less important than how you win.

That's the dilemma facing House Speaker John Boehner as he tries to round up the votes to pass a fast-approaching spending compromise and avert a partial government shutdown by week's end.

Boehner, R-Ohio, wants the overwhelming majority of those votes to come from his fellow Republicans, even if dozens of easily attainable Democratic votes could help carry the budget bill to victory.

The goal complicates Boehner's task, and possibly could push the bill farther to the right. It motivates him to battle for the votes of conservative Republicans who are demanding deeper spending cuts, and greater changes to social issues such as abortion access, than the Democratic-controlled Senate and President Barack Obama say they can accept.

If Boehner can argue convincingly that it's the only route to House passage, Democrats conceivably could yield on some points they might otherwise win. At the same time, however, Boehner is trying to persuade Republicans that some compromise is inevitable.

"We control one-half of one-third of the government," he said last week. "We can't impose our will on the Senate."

Eventually, both parties must decide where to draw the line in negotiations and whether to risk a government shutdown that could trigger unpredictable political fallout.

Some congressional veterans say Boehner is taking the only realistic approach for a speaker who wants to stay in power. If he cuts a deal that relies heavily on Democrats' votes, he could alienate scores of House Republicans, who might in turn start seeking a new leader.

"You always have to please at least half your caucus, plus one," said John Feehery, a top aide to the previous Republican speaker, Rep. Dennis Hastert of Illinois.

Hastert had a "majority of the majority" rule. It meant he would bring no major bill to the House floor unless most Republicans supported it.

It didn't matter if every House Democrat backed the bill, which would allow it to pass with a minority of Republicans. In essence, Democrats' votes were irrelevant to Hastert. Boehner is taking a similar approach, at least publicly.

"Not very interested," Boehner told reporters last week when asked about forming a coalition with Democrats to pass the legislation to keep the government operating.

Lawmakers and the White House are negotiating, but all sides agree the measure should cut more than $32 billion from current-year spending. Many Republicans want deeper cuts.

Boehner has told colleagues he wants at least 218 House Republicans to vote for the spending package. That's the magic number for passing bills in the 435-member House.

Members of both parties say Boehner probably could assemble 218 votes easily, if he didn't care who cast them. As an example, they point to the last short-term spending bill, which passed 271-158 in mid-March. It contained $10 billion in cuts, which Democrats once called unacceptable, and kept the government running for a few more weeks.

Of the 271 "yes" votes, 186 came from Republicans and 85 from Democrats. Voting "no" were 54 Republicans. That's more than one-fifth of Boehner's 241-member caucus.

Lawmakers say Boehner probably could muster a similar coalition this time. But the still-unfinished six-month bill is much more contentious, publicized and significant. People close to Boehner say he wants a significantly smaller GOP defection rate.

It's unlikely that Boehner will persuade 218 Republicans to join him, some Capitol insiders say, but another 54 or so defectors would hurt.

"The loss of a couple of dozen Republicans, who simply must pledge their fidelity to the tea party, are the kinds of casualties to be expected," said Rutgers University congressional scholar Ross K. Baker.

Such a defection rate would put Boehner right at the 218 threshold. Some lawmakers think his losses will be greater. Recent interviews with a sampling of House Republicans underscore his challenge.

Rep. Tim Scott, R-S.C., elected last fall with tea party support, said he won't support a bill unless the spending cuts "are well north of $33 billion."

That's the amount that Obama and Senate Democrats say they can accept. Many House Republicans insist on $61 billion in cuts. That amount would fulfill, on a pro-rated basis, their campaign promise of $100 billion in spending reductions for the 2011 budget year, which began Oct. 1 and goes through this September.

Rep. Paul Broun, R-Ga., said any bill with less than $61 billion in cuts would be an insult, and he pledged to vote against it.

Scott and Broun voted for the March 15 temporary extension, so they were not among the 54 Republicans whom Boehner lost. If they move into the "no" column on the forthcoming six-month bill, he would be losing ground, not gaining.

Meanwhile, Boehner faces plenty of problems from that group of 54.

In light of a government report suggesting duplications in federal programs cost up to $200 billion, even $61 billion in new cuts seems piddling, said Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., another tea party favorite. "What does that say to the American people?" he asked.

Other House Republicans insist on policy add-ons that would curb environmental regulations, abortion access and money for Obama's health care overhaul. Democrats strenuously oppose them.

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said his non-negotiable stand on the spending bill is "no funding to Obamacare."

Boehner's allies warn against selling him short.

The speaker "is doing a great job managing an almost impossible process," said Terry Holt, a Republican consultant and former Boehner aide. The key for Boehner's team, he said, is to remind wavering GOP lawmakers that Democrats already have capitulated to unprecedented spending cuts, setting the stage for deeper reductions ahead.

Democrats are watching Boehner with bemusement and apprehension.

"He's obviously doing a dance" with the factions of his caucus, said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

"The tea party wing of his party refuses to give any ground," Van Hollen said. It demands "a right-wing social agenda under the guise of the budget. That will be unacceptable to the American people."

The House Republican chairman who's writing a 2012 budget says the GOP will propose cutting more than $4 trillion over the next decade.

View full sizeFile photo - House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The head of the House Budget Committee, Rep. Paul Ryan, says President Barack Obama is "punting on the budget and not doing a thing to prevent a debt crisis."

Ryan tells "Fox News Sunday" that GOP budget-writers are looking at cutting $4 trillion-plus in spending over the next decade. That's more than even what the president's deficit commission recommended.

Ryan is talking about spending caps and long-term belt-tightening for the Medicare and Medicaid health programs. He wants older people who are wealthy to pay more out of pocket for their health care.

The GOP plan for the budget year that begins Oct. 1 is coming out Tuesday.

AP reporter Douglas K. Daniel contributed to this report

The polls will be open Monday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Town Office Building on Main Street.

Monson Fire Chief George L. Robichaud

MONSON – Fire Chief George L. Robichaud hopes that the town will support a Proposition 2½ override at the polls on Monday for $103,242 that will fund 90 emergency medical technician-firefighter hours.

The override will be on the annual election ballot, and would fund hours previously paid for by a federal grant. That grant has expired, and Robichaud said it will not be offered again.

“I’m hoping that history will repeat itself in the sense that the community-oriented people will come to the polls,” Robichaud said recently.

“Hopefully it will turn out OK. I’m really concerned about what we’re going to be able to do if it doesn’t pass,” Robichaud said. “You can eliminate the resource, but it doesn’t decrease the need.”

Robichaud explained that the $103,000 includes $43,000 for a full-time emergency medical technician-firefighter, $25,000 for six part-time EMT-firefighter positions, $18,000 in benefit costs and $17,000 for half the cost of bonding for a new ambulance.

The full-time position is 50 hours a week and represents a fourth EMT-firefighter on duty Monday through Friday. The part-time positions are scattered throughout the week.

If it passes, it would cost the owner of the average home valued at $220,000 an extra $34 a year. Robichaud noted that the debt payments on the Quarry Hill Community School project will end July 1, the start of fiscal 2012, eliminating the extra $77 in taxes that the owner of the average home has been paying. So if the firefighter override passes, they would see a reduction in their tax bills of $43, he said.

Robichaud said his department is busy, with approximately 1,000 emergency calls a year, and 400 fire-related calls. He said people have an expectation that if they call 911, the ambulance will respond quickly.

While the department has numerous call firefighters, he said many work out of town, or have family obligations that can delay response time. Having full-time EMT-firefighters on duty solves those problems, he said.

In fiscal 2009, two full-time emergency medical technician-firefighters were eliminated due to budget constraints, leaving three full-time positions. An override request to reinstate them failed. Then the grant came through that allowed funding for one full-time EMT-firefighter and part-time coverage on weekends.

During the six-month gap in service that occurred from the time of the budget cuts until the grant funding became available, the town had to call for mutual aid from other towns 26 times.

“I’m only asking to retain the position that I have,” Robichaud said. “If the position is lost it will be difficult to meet the expectations and the critical needs of the townspeople.”

The polls will be open Monday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Town Office Building on Main Street.

U.S. District Court Judge Roger Vinson ruled Jan. 31 that lawmakers do not have the power to penalize citizens for not doing something, but the Justice Department said he overreached.

View full sizeAssociated PressFILE PHOTO | Senior U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson declared the Obama administration's health care overhaul unconstitutional on Jan. 31, siding with 26 states that sued to block it, saying that people can't be required to buy health insurance. The government appealed the decision Friday, April 1, 2011. (AP Photo/Pensacola News Journal, Ben Twingley)

By GREG BLUESTEIN

ATLANTA (AP) — The federal health care overhaul's core requirement to make virtually all citizens buy health insurance or face tax penalties is constitutional because Congress has the authority to regulate interstate business, the Justice Department said in its appeal of a ruling that struck down the Obama administration's signature legislation.

The government's 62-page motion filed Friday to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals argued that Congress had the power to enact the overhaul's minimum coverage requirements because it is a "rational means of regulating the way participants in the health care market pay for their services."

The motion also warned other pieces of the overhaul, including a law that blocks insurers from denying coverage to people because of pre-existing conditions, would be "unworkable" without a minimum coverage provision.

Twenty-six states filed a lawsuit that said Congress had exceeded its authority by requiring that all citizens buy health insurance or face tax penalties. U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson of Florida agreed in a Jan. 31 ruling that said President Barack Obama's entire health care overhaul is unconstitutional. It is considered the most sweeping ruling against the health care law.

Vinson ruled against the overhaul on grounds that Congress exceeded its authority by requiring nearly all Americans to carry health insurance, an idea dating back to Republican proposals from the 1990s but now almost universally rejected by conservatives.

His ruling followed the same reasoning as one last year from a federal judge in Virginia who struck down the insurance requirement. But while the first judge left the rest of the law intact, Vinson invalidated provisions that range from Medicare discounts for seniors with high prescription costs to a change that allows adult children up to age 26 to remain on their parents' coverage.

At the center of Vinson's ruling and the government's challenge is the legality of the requirement that Americans carry health insurance except in cases of financial hardship. Those who cannot show they are covered by an employer, government program or their own policy would face fines from the IRS when the program takes effect in 2014.

Vinson ruled that lawmakers do not have the power to penalize citizens for not doing something, but the Justice Department said he overreached.

The government disputed Vinson's claim that Congress can't penalize someone for not buying health care coverage, saying the requirement was a "quintessential exercise" of the legislative branch's powers. It said the judge "impermissibly substituted its own judgment for that of the elected branches" by declaring an insurance requirement can't be imposed until people actually seek medical care.

"Common sense, experience, and economic analysis confirm the testimony to Congress that a 'health insurance market could never survive or even form if people could buy their insurance on the way to the hospital.'"

Some states, including Alaska, have cited Vinson's decision in refusing to cooperate with the health care law. But the judge issued another ruling in March ordering states to continue implementing the law while the case makes its way through the courts.

Other states that joined Florida in filing the lawsuit were: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Indiana, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

So far, there has been an even split in federal court decisions on the health care law. Two judges had previously upheld the law, both Democratic appointees, while Vinson and the Virginia judge ruled against it. It now seems certain that the broad health care challenge will be resolved only by the Supreme Court.

A randomly selected three-judge 11th Circuit panel is set to consider oral arguments about the case in June. Vinson, for his part, has acknowledged that the 11th Circuit could disagree with him.

"It is likely that the Court of Appeals will also reach divergent results and that, as most court-watchers predict, the Supreme Court may eventually be split on this issue as well," he wrote in a March 3 ruling.

The Colonial Tours bus was heading back to Gardner, in central Massachusetts, from the Red Hook Brewery in Portsmouth, N.H.

Republican file photoState Police investigated the accident

SHIRLEY — Massachusetts State Police say one passenger was killed and another was injured after they fell from a bathroom window on a tour bus returning from a New Hampshire brewery.

Police spokesman Sgt. Matthew Murray says police are investigating reports that the men were fighting, and says it's possible it was just horseplay. He says alcohol may have been a factor.

Murray says 31-year-old Thomas Johnson of Gardner was killed when he fell onto Route 2 in Shirley Saturday night. A nursing supervisor said Sunday that 34-year-old Seth Davis of Winchendon was in fair condition at a hospital in Worcester.

The Colonial Tours bus was heading back to Gardner, in central Massachusetts, from the Red Hook Brewery in Portsmouth, N.H.

Colonial Tours did not immediately return calls seeking information.

Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week: Agawam Mon.- City Council School Budget Subcommittee meeting, 6:30 p.m., Roberta G. Doering School. Tues.- School Committee, 5:30 p.m., Agawam Junior High School Auditorium. Wed.- Agawam Energy Commission, 10 a.m., Department of Public Works at 1000 Suffield St. Agawam Veterans Council, 5:30 p.m., Senior Center. Fri.- Agawam...

Republican file photo

Here is a list of major municipal meetings for the coming week:



Agawam

Mon.- City Council School Budget Subcommittee meeting, 6:30 p.m., Roberta G. Doering School.

Tues.- School Committee, 5:30 p.m., Agawam Junior High School Auditorium.

Wed.- Agawam Energy Commission, 10 a.m., Department of Public Works at 1000 Suffield St.

Agawam Veterans Council, 5:30 p.m., Senior Center.

Fri.- Agawam Municipal Golf Commission, 7:45 a.m., golf course at 128 Southwick St.



Amherst

Mon.- Town Meeting Coordinating Committee, 2 p.m., Town Hall. Select Board, 6 p.m., Town Hall.

Jones Library Board of Trustees, 6 p.m., Town Hall.

Tues.- Amherst Redevelopment Authority, 5 p.m., Town Hall.

Jones Library Board of Trustees, 7 p.m., Jones Library.

Public Works Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Wed.- Committee on Homelessness, 10 a.m., Town Hall.

Planning Board Zoning Subcommittee, 5 p.m. Town Hall.

Planning Board, 7:05 p.m., Town Hall.

Thu.- Council on Aging, 9 a.m., Senior Center.

Community Preservation Act Committee, 7 p.m., police station.

Zoning Board of Appeals, 7:30 p.m., Town Hall.


Chicopee

Mon.- Redistricting committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall

Tues. - City Council, 7:15 p.m., City Hall

Wed. - School Committee, 7 p.m., 180 Broadway

Thurs. - Planning Board, 7 p.m., City Hall

Hadley

Mon.- Hadley Housing Authority, 1 p.m., Golden Court.

Capital Planning Committee, 5 p.m., Town Hall.

Tues.- Goodwin Memorial Board of Library Trustees, 6:45 p.m., library.

Board of Health, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Planning Board, 7 p.m., Senior Center.

Thu.- Board of Assessors, 7 p.m., Town Hall.



Hatfield

Mon.- Capital Planning, 1 p.m., Memorial Town Hall.

Tues.- Selectmen, Finance Committee, Assessors, 7 p.m., Memorial Town Hall.

Board of Health, 9:30 a.m., Memorial Town Hall.

Wed.- Library Trustees, 6 p.m., Hatfield Public Library.

School Building Remediation Committee, 8:30 a.m., Memorial Town Hall.



Holyoke

Mon.- Board of Public Works, Sewer Commission, Storm Water Authority, 5:30 p.m., Department of Public Works, 63 Canal St., conference room.

School Committee, 6:15 p.m., Dean Technical High School, 1045 Main St., Fifield Community Room.

City Council Public Safety Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Fairfield Avenue Local Historic District Commission, 6:30 p.m., Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., carriage house.

School Committee, executive session, 7 p.m., Dean Technical High School, 1045 Main St., Fifield Community Room.

Tues.- Soldiers Memorial Commission, 7 p.m., War Memorial, 310 Appleton St.

City Council, 7:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Wed.- City Council Ordinance Committee, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Joint public hearing City Council Ordinance Committee and Planning Board, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Planning Board, 6:30 p.m., City Hall, City Council Chambers.

Historic Commission, 6:30 p.m., Wistariahurst Museum, 238 Cabot St., carriage house.



Huntington

Wed.- Board of Selectmen, 7 p.m., Town Hall.



Monson

Mon.- Finance Committee, 6:45 p.m., Town Office Building.

Tues.- Historical Commission, 3 and 6 p.m., Town Office Building.

Community Preservation Committee, 6:30 p.m., Town Office Building.

Wed.- Board of Health, 6 p.m., Town Office Building.

Thu.- Cemetery Commissioners, 6 p.m., Cemetery Dept., 32 Wilbraham Road.



Palmer

Tues.- Conservation Commission, 7 p.m., Town Building.

Bondsville Fire and Water District Committee, 7 p.m., Bondsville fire complex.



Southwick

Mon.- Board of Selectmen, 10 a.m., Town Hall.

Board of Assessors, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Finance Committee, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Tues.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Southwick-Tolland Regional School Committee, 7 p.m., Powder Mill Middle School.

Thu.- Historical Commission, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Water Commission, 7 p.m., Town Hall.

Board of Health, 7 p.m., Town Hall.



Springfield

Mon.- Springfield Redevelopment Authority, 5:30 p.m., Design Center, first floor, 7 Elm St.

Mon.- City Council, 7 p.m., council chambers, City Hall.

Tues.- School Building Commission, 4 p.m., Barney Carriage House, Forest Park.

Wed.- Water and Sewer Commission, 9 a.m., Lyons administration building, Bondi’s Island.

Wed.- Library Commission, 5:30 p.m., Central Library.

Wed.- Planning Board, 6 p.m., Room 220, City Hall.

Thu.- School Committee, 6:30 p.m., Room 220, City Hall.



Warren

Mon.- Board of Selectmen, 12 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Historical Commission, 5:30 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Tues.- Board of Health, 2 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Board of Selectmen, 7 p.m., West Brookfield Town Hall.

Warren Water District, 1 p.m., 20 Old West Brookfield Road.

Wed.- Planning Board, 6 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.

Sewer Commissioners, 8 a.m. Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Thu.- Warren Casino Study Committee, 7 p.m., Shepard Municipal Building.



West Springfield

Mon.- Planning and Construction Committee, 7 p.m., municipal building.

Town Council, 7 p.m., municipal building.

Tues.- School Committee, 6:30 p.m., municipal building.



Westfield

Mon.- Fire Commission, 7 p.m., City Hall.

License Commission, 7 p.m., City Hall.

School Committee, 7 p.m., 22 Ashley St.

Tues.- Planning Board, 7 p.m., City Hall.

Wed.- Arts Council, 7 p.m., City Hall.

Zoning Board of Appeals, 7 p.m., City Hall.

Thu.- City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall. 

The U.S. is shifting the combat role to Britain, France and other NATO allies, but American air power is still in demand.

View full sizeThis Saturday, March 19, 2011 photo provided by the U.S. Navy shows the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) as it launches a Tomahawk missile in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn from the Mediterranean Sea . The U.S. fired more than 100 cruise missiles from the sea while French fighter jets targeted Moammar Gadhafi's forces from the air on Saturday, launching the broadest international military effort since the Iraq war in support of an uprising that had seemed on the verge of defeat. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, MC3 Jonathan Sunderman)

By RICHARD LARDNER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. agreed to NATO's request for a 48-hour extension of American participation in coalition airstrikes against targets in Libya and U.S. lawmakers cautioned Sunday the allies need to know more about the rebels fighting Moammar Gadhafi's forces before providing them with weapons.

Two weeks into the assault on Gadhafi, Republican lawmakers expressed concern that a stalemate could leave him in control of portions of Libya and with access to stockpiles of chemical weapons.

The U.S. is shifting the combat role to Britain, France and other NATO allies, but American air power is still in demand. Air Force AC-130 gunships and A-10 Thunderbolts and Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers will continue to attack Gadhafi's troops and other sites through Monday evening. These aircraft are among the most precise in the American arsenal.

After Saturday, no U.S. combat aircraft were to fly strike missions over Libya unless NATO officials specifically asked and authorities in Washington gave their approval. NATO assumed full control last week from the U.S.-led international force for all aspects of the operation in Libya as authorized by U.N. resolutions that include an arms embargo, enforcing the no-fly zone, and protecting civilians from Gadhafi's forces.

In an emailed statement, NATO spokeswoman Oana Lungescu said Sunday that "poor weather conditions over the last few days" were the reason the alliance made the request. She would not elaborate. "This is a short-term extension which expires on Monday," she said.

A senior U.S. military official said heavy cloud cover over Libya late last week curtailed allied airstrikes. Gadhafi took advantage of the lull, pushing east into the port cities of Ras Lanouf and Brega, the official said on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military planning. The 48-hour extension is intended to roll back the progress made by Gadhafi's army, the official said.

A decision yet to be made by the Obama administration is whether to arm the rebels with the firepower they need to take and hold ground against Gadhafi's forces.

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said there may be strains of al-Qaida within the rebel ranks and that the coalition should proceed with caution before arming them.

"We know they're against Moammar Gadhafi remaining in power, but we don't know what they are for," Rogers said.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid advocated a "wait and see" approach to giving the opposition forces weapons.

"I think at this stage we really don't know who the leaders of this rebel group are," said Reid, D-Nev.

But Rogers also warned that if there were a stalemate in Libya, a cornered Gadhafi might resort to extreme measures against the opposition forces, such as the use of chemical weapons. Rogers said he has been to Libya and seen Gadhafi's chemical weapons.

"I think you have to worry that he's a terrorist threat," Rogers said.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the coalition needs to take the air war to Libya's capital where Gadhafi and his inner circle are located. Striking targets in Tripoli will further fracture Gadhafi's government and push the Libyan leader from power, he said.

"The way to end this war is to have Gadhafi's inner circle to crack," Graham said. "The way to get his inner circle to crack is to go after them directly."

Like Rogers, Graham said he's concerned over the prospect of a stalemate in Libya. A member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, he faulted President Barack Obama for putting the U.S. into a supporting role and shifting the main combat burden to Britain, France and other NATO allies.

"To take the best air force in the world and park it during this fight is outrageous," Graham said. "When we called for a no-fly zone, we didn't mean our planes."

Allied military operations against Gadhafi's forces began March 19 with missiles and bombs targeting Libya's air defenses, communications networks, and ground forces. Obama has ruled out the use of U.S. ground troops in Libya. But the opposition lacks the proper organization and equipment to push back Gadhafi's army on its own.

Sen. John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said failing to arm the rebels could allow Gadhafi to maintain control over large swaths of Libya.

"We are concerned that regional support will waver if Western forces are perceived as presiding over a military deadlock," McCain and Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, wrote Friday in The Wall Street Journal. "We cannot allow Gadhafi to consolidate his grip over part of the country and settle in for the long haul."

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in congressional testimony on Thursday that as few as 1,000 among the rebels are former members of Gadhafi's military.

The rest are simply "guys with guns," said James Dubik, a retired Army three-star general who says they need American or NATO advisers and trainers to be effective. "They need help," Dubik wrote in an assessment for the Institute for the Study of War, a think tank in Washington.

Rogers appeared Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press." Reid and Graham appeared on CBS's "Face The Nation.

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Associated Press writer Robert Burns contributed to this report.

Veterans were thanked for their commitment to making sure that no veterans return home without a proper welcome.

Springfield, 4/3/11, Staff Photo by David Molnar -- From left, Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, , Springfield Veteran of the Year, Bernard McClusky and guest speaker speaker at the Vietnam Vetrans Day Commemorative Ceremony, Jame F. Leary watch as the colors pass at the event in Court Square.

SPRINGFIELD – Helicopter pilots and their crews were honored during the annual Vietnam Veterans Day commemorative ceremony held at the Vietnam Veterans Monument at Court Square Sunday.

“It’s important to me personally as a Vietnam veteran to commemorate the service of those who served and in turn those who currently serve in the military,” said Richard J. Tyrell, chairman of the Springfield Veterans Activities Committee.

The event had several speakers including Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Veteran of the Year Bernard McClusky and James F. Leary, a Springfield native and Army aviator who flew UH-1 helicopters during the Vietnam War.

“Everything that went out during the war whether it was mail, food or ammunition was delivered by helicopters,” Tyrell said. “ The injured were flown in by helicopters. Without the dedication of the helicopter pilots, their crewmen and their repair crews we would have had a far more difficult time.”

Sarno thanked the veterans for their many years of service and their commitment to making sure that no veterans return home without a proper welcome.

“You are all part of the group of Vietnam veterans that led the fight so that veterans now are honored and respected and for that we thank you,” Sarno said.

David Chapdelaine, the president of the Vietnam Veterans of America of Western Massachusetts Chapter 111, said Vietnam veterans feel it is important to show appreciation for anyone who has served in the military unlike the treatment they received in the 1960s and 1970s.

“We can’t change what happened then, but we can help veterans now,” he said. “Today’s military people are some of the finest examples of what’s good about our country, they are educated, smart, talented, very tech savvy and very dedicated,” he said.

Leary talked about his experience flying helicopters during the war and the difficult times faced by all the soldiers when they returned.

“In general flying is a very pleasurable and fun experience, but in Vietnam that pleasure was overcome by emotions from the euphoria when we succeeded to the abyss of despair when we did not,” he said.

Leary used a quote from World War II Medal of Honor winner Vernon J. Baker to describe his feelings about the war.

“Baker said ‘Those who rush to launch combat, and those who seek to create heroes from it, should remember war’s legacy. You have to be there to appreciate its horrors and die to forget them,’” he said.

“The abilities that we have and the inabilities that we have are a result of our experiences as we grew up. During the war some of us had to grow up too fast, others didn’t get the chance,” Leary said.

Tyrell said the event is held in honor of those veterans who did not have a chance to grow up and come home.

“All of the names on this monument are of people who were from Springfield, who had families here and left a tear in society when they were killed. Every year we hold this ceremony to commemorate their service,” Tyrell said.